I Have a Key, I Can Come Whenever I Want

Naruto was so exhausted by Temari that he barely slept all night and went home with dark circles under his eyes.

The door clicked open.

He went into the bathroom to wash up first, dried his hair, and then skillfully lay down on the bed. He hadn't gained anything, at least he had obtained a container to house the Nine-Tails.

I stared at the ceiling and closed my eyes. When I woke up again, it was already evening, and my head felt heavy.

Naruto swayed as he sat up, stared blankly for a while, then washed up, put his hands in his pockets, and headed towards Ichiraku Ramen. The street was bathed in the soft glow of light and shadow, brightly lit.

A night breeze blew, and he clenched his fists.

Now that we have the Tailed-Beast Release Technique the Tailed Beast and a vessel for it, it means we can get rid of our Jinchuriki status at any time.

Ichiraku Ramen.

"Shikamaru, Choji?" Naruto stopped in front of the ramen shop, the lamplight illuminating the three of them. "What are you doing here?"

Choji raised his bandaged hand. "Just discharged from the hospital."

Shikamaru, with a deadpan expression, said, "Pick him up from the hospital."

"Let's have barbecue then, it's on me," Naruto suggested.

"Yay!" Choji raised his hand, completely agreeing. Shikamaru, on the other hand, shrugged, looking completely indifferent.

The three of them moved to Barbecue restaurant, found a window seat, ordered more than a dozen plates of barbecue and juice, and then the three second-generation members of Konohagakure started eating and chatting.

"Headache. Sasuke, and the mission failed." Shikamaru swallowed a piece of grilled meat with some helplessness, then sighed and turned to look at Naruto.

"Hey you, Sasuke, how come you don't seem to notice?"

"What could you possibly feel?" Naruto took a sip of juice and leaned back comfortably in his chair. "You guys don't understand. Sasuke will seek revenge sooner or later."

"You brat," Shikamaru frowned, "I'm starting to suspect you deliberately let Sasuke escape, but... I still have to thank you."

"Why are you thanking me? What if I really did let Sasuke escape on purpose?"

"That's not important." Shikamaru leaned back in his chair, looking extremely lazy. "My plan almost killed everyone. The difference in strength between the two sides was too great, leaving one person to stop them was the worst possible strategy."

"Everyone's fine, right? You don't need to think so much." Naruto sipped his juice, glancing at Shikamaru out of the corner of his eye. "There's no point in thinking about things that haven't happened yet."

"Yes, Shikamaru, you've done very well," Choji said, taking a moment to speak while enjoying his meal.

Hearing this, Shikamaru stopped worrying and, together with Naruto, helped Choji put the grilled meat on the table. The table fell silent instantly, but there was no awkwardness.

The grilled meat sizzled as Choji ate heartily.

Moths fluttered around the lampshade above the three people's heads, the clinking of glasses from the guests next to them rang out, and the fan, barely functioning, spun idly, its steam illuminating the peaceful faces of the three.

A couple walked past the window, the girl's floral dress billowing in the night breeze, while the three people eating barbecue inside the restaurant tactically squinted.

"Speaking of which, Naruto," Shikamaru suddenly said, "You've been getting quite close to Ino lately, and that Ino mentions you every now and then."

"Although it wasn't anything nice," Choji added, swallowing a piece of grilled meat and squinting, "Like saying it was too astringent."

"Really?" Naruto didn't react much and continued to put meat on the grill for Choji. He actually didn't like greasy grilled meat and lost his appetite after just a little bit.

Choji, needs a lot of fat for training, so that he can quickly consume fat to replenish a large amount of Chakra and energy during battle.

"We do have a good relationship," he said, his eyes flickering slightly. "As for the eroticism, don't tell me you didn't see the color of the panties that passed by just now."

Shikamaru: "Drink more water."

Choji: "This grilled meat is good. Naruto, you should have a couple of slices too."

Naruto didn't eat, but simply raised his hand and shouted, "Ten more plates of grilled meat, please."

Sizzle!

Choji placed the last few slices of grilled meat on the grill plate. Naruto instinctively raised his hand to order a few more plates, but Choji grabbed his hand and said...

"That's enough. If you keep eating, there won't be room for a midnight snack."

Choji is definitely the type who'd rather die than not eat a late-night snack; it's practically a given that his stomach makes room for it. Seeing this, Naruto also sat down.

Taking advantage of a lull in his digestion, Shikamaru suddenly brought up Sakura.

Naruto paused for a moment, then immediately realized that he had forgotten about Sakura. He had been working non-stop lately and hadn't thought of her at all if Shikamaru hadn't mentioned her.

"I'm not sure. I didn't bring Sasuke back, and I don't know how to face Sakura."

"This isn't just your responsibility." Shikamaru leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling with his head tilted back. "He ran away on his own. Who can bring him back?"

"He didn't tell anyone before he ran away, so we have no way of knowing what he was thinking."

"I haven't thought that much about it. I don't know what to say right now, so let's not meet." Naruto touched the glass, his pupils reflecting the red watermelon juice.

"Take care, guest."

The three walked out of the Barbecue restaurant and prepared to part ways on Konohagakure Street.

With a bang, the two gatekeepers suddenly jumped down from the roof and stood in front of the three. Before Shikamaru could ask a question, Kotetsu Hagane said to Naruto.

"Naruto, come with us to the Hokage Building. Lord Tsunade is looking for you."

"Now? What is it?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

"Yes, it seems that people from Sand specifically requested to see you," Izumo Kamizuki added.

The Hokage Building was brightly lit.

When Naruto arrived, Tsunade had already left, leaving her secretary Shizune to take Naruto to meet the last group of ninja who had evacuated from Sand.

When Naruto saw Shizune leading him to the reception room, only to discover that Temari was the only person from Sand, he understood what was going on.

Shizune was present and skillfully Temari.

"The Land of Fire and the Land of Wind are allies."

Naruto felt bored listening to Temari and Shizune's conversation. He glanced at Temari, looking her up and down, only to find that she was watching him out of the corner of her eye.

Naruto's lips twitched. He wasn't sure if the woman had returned to normal. Judging from her poised and confident demeanor while talking to Shizune, she seemed to have moved on from that depressed mood.

Under the lamplight, Temari's smiling face was as beautiful as a flower.

He didn't pay much attention anymore, staring blankly at a corner. It wasn't until Temari mentioned his name and expressed her gratitude to Konohagakure for their understanding and help towards Sand.

They expressed their gratitude and recognition for Konohagakure's efforts in developing bilateral relations and put forward tentative ideas for further strengthening cooperation in people's livelihood.

As Naruto was dozing off, Temari walked up to him. He seemed to sense something, looked up, and saw a smiling face.

"Thank you," she said.

"Ah, no need." Naruto wasn't sure what she meant, so he called her over just to say thank you?

"This is a small gift for you."

Temari handed Naruto a small gift box, and without pausing, walked straight outside.

Naruto casually tossed the gift box; it was unusually light, and a bad feeling immediately arose in his mind. Before Temari had gone far, an idea suddenly popped into his head.

The Black-stockinged Secretary, Shizune, stayed in the reception room to organize the conversation and record it for Tsunade.

"I'm leaving now."

"Okay." Shizune replied without even looking up.

He said hello and left, quickly walking into the corridor. Looking left and right but not seeing Temari, he guessed a direction and finally spotted Temari back at the end of the narrow corridor.

Under the lights, Temari's back view was slender, her long legs were as white and smooth as lotus roots, and she exuded a mature charm.

"Wait a minute." He called out to Temari, who was standing at the end of the corridor and about to leave.

"What's wrong?" The latter turned around, and across the long corridor, Temari looked at Naruto with a puzzled expression.

"Let me touch it," Naruto commanded without changing his expression.

Upon hearing this, Temari remained silent for a moment before speaking angrily.

"What insane nonsense are you spouting! You pervert!"

Naruto, at the other end of the corridor, listened to Temari's insults with a blank expression, letting it go in one ear and out the other. He didn't say anything and simply turned around and left in the opposite direction.

Watching Naruto's figure gradually fade into the distance, Temari stood there for a moment, pursing her lips, before turning into the other end of the corridor in a few strides. There, where no one could see her, she slid down against the wall and landed on her bottom.

In the dim corridor light, a strange look appeared in his eyes.

It should return to normal in a few days; it's definitely too much to push things too far now.

Leaning against the wall, she slowly stood up, a smile creeping onto her lips as she thought about the gift she had given. As if she had finally won a round, she slowly rose and left.

"I look forward to seeing you again," Temari murmured.

At the entrance of the Hokage Building.

Naruto opened the gift box as he walked, a black line appearing on his forehead.

"Who do you think you are? How disgusting."

Muttering to himself, Naruto left with a look of utter boredom.

Back home, he suddenly realized he needed to take a shower; the Natsuhi night was just as hot. With a hazy, confused feeling, he stepped into the bathroom, filled the tub, and then sank in.

The High-level Meeting should be held in the next few days. Naruto leaned against the bathtub, the bathroom door wide open, completely unsuspecting, as hot water soaked his body.

He thought about what Tsunade had said and realized that this High-level Meeting should be a broad meeting of high-level officials, rather than a small circle meeting of the Hokage, Danzo, and two advisors.

In Konohagakure, the heads of the major clans are generally considered high-ranking officials with influence. If Danzo were to use this opportunity to bring all the clan heads in to express their opinions...

This would indeed weaken Tsunade's voice and voting power as the Fifth Hokage, and could even openly suppress Tsunade influence.

This is not a conspiracy, but an open strategy.

Tsunade didn't say much to him, and Naruto naturally wouldn't be so tactless as to press for answers. Whether or not they could win the High-level Meeting basically depended on Tsunade's performance.

Just as I was enjoying a relaxing soak, I suddenly heard the frantic rattling of keys at the door.

Um?

Before Naruto could react, the door was flung open with a bang, and at the same time, Ino's voice came out.

"You! You! You! Come out here!"

Ino took off her shoes and ran to the bathroom door. When she saw Naruto taking a bath, she couldn't help but scream.

Why didn't you close the door when you took a shower?

"Nobody's home, why are you closing the door?" Naruto said with his dead fish eyes. "Not only am I going to leave the door open, I'm not even going to put on any clothes."

"Ah!!! Pervert, greedy pervert!" Ino turned her face away, her cheeks flushed. "You you you!!! Come out here!"

With a splash, Naruto stood up from the bathtub. Ino immediately covered her eyes and ran away, jumping onto the sofa to hide.

"What are you doing here so late?" Naruto asked as he came out wrapped in a bathrobe, drying his hair. "Aren't you worried about me, Auntie?"

"I," Ino suddenly realized that she didn't seem to have much to say. "I have the key, so I can come and go as I please."

"Yes, yes, yes." He went along with Ino as if he were coaxing a child. "Of course you can come anytime if you have the key, but did you keep it a secret from your aunt?"

"Huh?" Ino's lips parted slightly, looking adorable as if she had just remembered. "I forgot, Mother must already know I came here."

"So what brings you here?" Naruto asked again, this time indirectly.

This time, Ino was caught off guard and blurted out the answer.

"Lord Tsunade told me that you and..."

Halfway through her sentence, Ino suddenly stopped talking, looking at Naruto with a wary expression, and said...

"It's nothing, I just couldn't sleep, so I came to check on things."

"Lord Tsunade," Naruto frowned, "That woman is really idle. She's already the Fifth Hokage, and she still doesn't do anything productive all day."

Ino sat obediently on the sofa, her body upright and motionless, her heart pounding with anxiety.

I accidentally betrayed Lord Tsunade, and now there's someone wrapped in a bath towel standing next to her.

"Wait a moment, I'll change my clothes and take you home." Naruto said without turning his head, and walked straight into the room. "Pour your own water."

Ino remained motionless, sitting blankly on the sofa, and didn't move even after Naruto came out dressed.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm feeling a little uncomfortable," Ino said, her mouth unconsciously curving downwards.

"Then let's not go back. Let's sleep here for the night." Naruto said as he walked towards the entrance, putting on his shoes. "I'll go tell Auntie so they can rest assured."

"Wait a minute!" Ino couldn't sit still any longer. She rushed to the door and grabbed him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Are you crazy?! You really want to go?"

"Weren't you feeling unwell?" Naruto, having already changed his shoes, pretended not to understand at all. "How could something this important be fake?"

"Don't go! Come back right now!" Ino's face flushed red as she gripped Naruto's arm tightly.

"If I'm not going, you have to give me a reason," he said.