Meanwhile, at the gate, Neji came rushing over and asked in a worried tone,
"Is it true? Has Lady Hinata really returned?"
Izumo: "Y-Yes..."
As soon as Neji heard the confirmation, he dashed off.
Izumo, surprised: "Neji-san...?"
When Neji arrived, he rushed straight to Hinata's room and flung the door open without knocking, shouting:
"Hinata-sama...!"
Hinata, surprised: "Neji... Ni-san!!!"
He looked at her and said in relief, "Hinata-sama… are you alright?"
Hinata: "Yes."
Realizing he hadn't knocked, Neji said apologetically,
"Forgive me, Hinata-sama, for barging in like that… I was just so worried about you."
Hinata: "It's okay… it's not a problem."
Neji: "Then… I'll let you rest."
Hinata: "No, please, come in… I don't really feel like sleeping anyway."
He smiled at her, then sat at the foot of the bed. Looking at what was in her hands, he said in surprise,
"Isn't that your mother's necklace?! … Where did you find it?"
She paused, then answered nervously, "In my room… it w-was behind the bed."
He looked at her, unconvinced, but quickly shifted the topic.
"So… how was your mission?"
Hinata: "It was amazing… Did you know Naruto-kun returned to the village today?"
Neji: "Naruto?! … Really?"
She nodded with a bright, wide smile.
Neji stared at her for a moment and thought to himself,
"So that's it… Now I know where you found the necklace. You gave it to him before he left. You really love him, Hinata-sama… and that's the reason behind that smile I haven't seen in so long."
Neji, smiling: "Well then, Hinata-sama… is there anything you need from me?"
Hinata, smiling: "No, thank you… Neji-niisan."
He stood up, saying as he left, "Alright… sleep well."
Hinata: "You too."
He closed the door behind him. Hinata stared at the necklace in her hand, gently touching her lips and thought,
"Well… maybe the whole day wasn't perfect… but that moment alone was enough to make my whole life feel amazing."
She closed her eyes and said excitedly, "I finally got my first kiss from him!"
She lay down on the bed, sighing, "Just thinking about it makes me incredibly happy… But… will I get more kisses from you, Naruto-kun?"
At 3 a.m., Naruto returned home to find the house quiet. As he glanced at the couch near the door, he saw Kushina asleep, clutching the flowers he had brought her.
Naruto, teasing: "Bet you were waiting for me."
He looked at her lovingly and thought,
"You're the one who makes flowers beautiful… my princess."
He gently picked her up in his arms, carried her upstairs to their shared room, laid her down softly on the bed, took the flowers from her arms, and placed them beside her.
He brushed her hair aside and kissed her forehead before heading back downstairs to rest on the couch, closing his eyes.
Meanwhile, in her room, Sakura was lost in thought:
"Even now, I can't believe Sasuke-kun knew where Naruto was this whole time..."
She stood up, saying, "I'm tired… I'll go get some fresh air."
When she stepped out, she noticed someone sleeping on the couch. Curious, she walked over to see who it was. The moonlight lit up his face.
She leaned down toward him and smiled, thinking to herself,
"Even though you've become a man… you still look like a child when you sleep."
Suddenly, Naruto opened his eyes, startling Sakura. She tried to run away, but he grabbed her hand.
Sakura, flustered, struggling: "Let go… What are you doing? Let go of my hand, Naruto… Let me go!"
He released her hand, and she fell to the floor, wincing in pain.
Naruto knelt in front of her, pointed at her forehead, and asked,
"What were you doing here?"
Sakura nervously looked around and stammered,
"I… I…"
He waited for her answer. Finally, she said,
"I… I just wanted to thank you for what you did for me."
He stared at her, then withdrew his hand and sat back on the couch.
Naruto: "There's no need to thank me… I didn't do anything worth thanking anyway."
She stood up and sat beside him on the couch. Looking at him, she said,
"Sasuke-kun told me how dangerous things were… You saved me from death twice in just two days… and you say I shouldn't thank you?!"
Naruto: "Did you really think I'd let you die?!"
Sakura was taken aback, her eyes wide, then smiled shyly.
"No… You've saved me many times before."
Then with a sarcastic smile, she added,
"Seems I'm still a burden to you… Our first meeting after six years, and you were coming to rescue me. It's like I didn't train at all in all that time… I really am weak."
Naruto: "You're not weak."
She looked at him in surprise, and he continued,
"Everyone has their own strengths… Maybe you're not a fighter, but you're good at other things. So to me, Sakura, you're not weak."
She smiled widely, truly happy with his words. He looked at her and smirked to himself, thinking,
"Maybe I would've lost my mind if I saw her smile at me like this back then… but not anymore."
Then he asked,
"Why are you even awake at this hour?"
Sakura, cheerfully: "Are you kidding? Of course I'm awake—I slept the whole day, Naruto."
He smiled. She continued,
"And what about you? Why are you sleeping down here? Shouldn't you be upstairs with Kushina?"
Naruto: "She's asleep. I didn't want to wake her… and I don't really feel like sleeping, so I came here to rest."
Sakura, surprised: "Weird… You've been exhausted all day, and you still don't want to sleep. Your stamina always amazes me, Naruto."
He smiled again and turned his gaze forward. She kept looking at him and finally said, sadly,
"Naruto…"
He looked back at her, and she asked,
"Why did you have Sasuke-kun hide your whereabouts from me?!"
He stared at her a moment, then replied,
"Seems like Sasuke told you everything, huh?"
Sakura: "Answer me, Naruto. Why did you hide from me? Why did you tell him but not me? Aren't I your friend too, just like him?!"
He remained silent for a long time, then finally said,
Naruto: "What would you have done if you had known?"
Sakura: "I would've come to see you... or maybe tried to make you return to the village."
Naruto: "That's exactly why I didn't tell you..."
Sakura (surprised): "What?!"
Naruto: "Coming to see me would've been very dangerous... and I didn't want to come back at that time. That's why I thought it was better to keep my location from you."
Sakura (skeptically): "Is that really the reason?"
Naruto (confused): "Yes… what else could it be?!"
She thought to herself while looking at him suspiciously:
Sakura (thoughts): I feel like there's another reason.
She was silent for a moment, looking at him, then smiled and said:
Sakura: "Whatever it is… I'm just happy you're back."
She quickly kissed his cheek and rushed to her room, while he stood frozen in place, shocked by what just happened. When he snapped out of it, he touched the cheek she kissed and laughed in surprise at her bold move.
Sakura hurried into her room, closed the door behind her, and leaned on it, saying,
Sakura: "What did I just do?!! I'm so reckless… but I couldn't find any other way to express how happy and grateful I am."
She smiled, then headed to bed, trying to fall asleep.