Street, Hanabi

"Team Seven won't be reorganized anytime soon, there's still no sign of it," Naruto muttered, brushing Sakura's cold hand away.

"It won't be long. Lord Tsunade has already transferred me out of Konoha Hospital." Sakura tried to raise her hand to pinch his cheek again, but Naruto dodged it.

"So... an office maid?" Naruto asked.

"Pretty much. Lord Shizune also oversees the Medical Department, so she doesn't have much time to spend in the Hokage's Office," Sakura said with a smile, reluctantly withdrawing her hand.

"Ino will also be transferred to the Hokage's Office in a few days. I've never done secretarial work before, and I can't handle it all by myself."

"Alright, I guess the reorganization of Team Seven won't be that quick." He stood in the corridor, sighed, and said, "I'll be going now. Sakura, you get back to work."

"Is there anything else you need today?" Sakura suddenly asked.

Does going home and lying down count?

"No, come help me with a small favor."

Archives.

"You mean helping out by moving documents? Cough cough cough!!" Naruto pushed open the door to the document room, choked by the dust, and instinctively dodged away.

A quick glance revealed rows upon rows of filing cabinets and tiny windows resembling those of a prison. Even the Nikko streaming in from outside seemed veiled in dust, creating a hazy, gray atmosphere.

"How long has it been since this was cleaned? There's so much dust."

"Yeah, I rarely clean it. I just got the key."

Sakura went in first and started searching through the files on the shelf. "These are detailed personal files of Chunin. Lord Tsunade instructed us to find them and send them over as soon as possible."

"Chunin?" Naruto, standing to the side unable to get involved, stroked his chin and said, "I've seen quite a few Anbu, but I haven't seen Chunin in a long time. They're truly a mysterious group."

"Most Chunin are on missions outside the village, so it's rare to see them," Sakura said without turning her head as she rummaged through the shovel. "The sentry posts in Konoha Forest and the Forest of the Land of Fire are all Chunin's job."

He leaned casually against the door of the archives room, watching Sakura intently searching through the documents, and suddenly felt a sense of unreality. Black Sakura seemed genuinely engaged in her work, even if it was meaningless.

Naruto couldn't help but wonder what he would do if he were the Second Personality and accidentally took control of the body.

Giving up his ninja identity doesn't seem realistic either. Should he just go out and have fun, and indulge himself?

Unable to think of an answer, he simply asked.

"Sakura, is there anywhere you want to go?"

"No." Sakura reached out and took a document, then placed it on the trolley. She glanced at Naruto and said, "There are many things I don't understand, and I don't have any places I want to go."

"I originally planned to spend all her savings, but when I saw that she didn't have much, I decided against it." She didn't stop working.

"Anyway, there's nothing I particularly want. I'll buy it whenever I feel like it."

Upon hearing this, Naruto crossed his arms and interjected, "Not now, but maybe later."

Sakura pursed her lips but didn't reply, simply unsure of what to say.

The future? She probably won't have a future.

After taking control of the body, everything was unfamiliar. Just when she finally got used to it, the Main Personality woke up, and she was about to disappear again.

A person spends a few years in the real world, and then disappears without a trace.

That was the end of it.

Naruto left the Hokage Building and stood in the deep winter sunlight, watching his shadow shrink at his feet.

After a moment of silence, I didn't know what to say.

Sakura didn't do anything unusual, which should have been a happy thing, but... well, let's just take it one step at a time, he thought.

Back home, Naruto plopped down on the sofa with a thud.

Nine-Tails, carrying a bottle of liquor, walked over with his usual Tom Cat- like gait and stopped beside Naruto. He poked Naruto's slightly swollen face with the bottom of the bottle and asked without any politeness.

"Shall we go buy Takoyaki today?"

"I'm not going," Naruto said irritably. "You go by yourself. I just got back."

As he spoke, he shifted his position on the sofa, turned away, and ignored Nine-Tails.

Nine-Tails, still holding the bottle, didn't give up and tapped Naruto on the back again. "If you don't go, I'm going to start messing with you now, and you won't be able to sleep."

"Are you serious?" Naruto turned around, clutching his pillow, and said with a annoyed look.

Nine-Tails pondered for a moment, then nodded its head.

Left with no other choice, Naruto got up and took Nine-Tails out, but Nine-Tails didn't want to walk on all fours. So, Naruto carried it out of the apartment like a handbag.

Nine-Tails didn't have any objections, as long as she didn't have to walk.

The New Year had just passed, and the lingering chill returned. Naruto, wearing a thick coat, stood in front of a Takoyaki shop with Nine-Tails), pondering how much to order.

Suddenly, Naruto felt himself being bumped.

He turned around abruptly and saw a little girl who looked up sharply. Naruto couldn't help but gasp; those white eyes looked so familiar!

Hanabi Hyuga was wearing a brown training uniform and looked somewhat like a boy. Stunned for a moment after the collision, she didn't even see who she had bumped into before bowing in apology.

"I'm so sorry, I was so careless. Are you alright?"

Naruto knew that the Hyuga Clan liked to use honorifics. Whether it was an apology or other forms of etiquette, they were always very formal, appearing polite but also a bit awkward.

"Fine."

Hearing this, Hanabi Hyuga breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly realized that the blond-haired man in front of her looked somewhat familiar. His forehead was smooth, and he wasn't wearing Forehead Protector.

He was accompanied by a bright red Fox-dog, who was also watching and sizing her up.

"You're Hinata sister, Hanabi Hyuga, right?" Naruto asked, a smile spreading across his face.

If Neji were here, he would definitely recognize that this was Naruto's signature scheming smile. Naruto and Tsunade are two of a kind; that smile never means anything good.

The pure, innocent offspring of the Hyuga Clan have already been harmed twice.

Naruto hadn't expected to run into Hanabi Hyuga while taking Nine-Tails out for a walk. He couldn't let her get away, so he had to ask Hinata where she was.

I promised to accompany her to training last time, but then I stood her up all winter.

Although it was due to unforeseen circumstances, I still feel a pang of guilt when I think about it sometimes. I wonder if I've truly inherited Kakashi's skills; my ability to ditch people is getting better and better.

"I am Hanabi Hyuga. Do you know my sister? And who are you?" Hanabi asked, looking down.

"No need for honorifics." He waved his hand, thinking to himself that Neji Hyuga seemed to never use honorifics when speaking.

"Okay." Hanabi Hyuga nodded seriously.

Seeing this, Naruto was slightly taken aback. This girl seemed to be just as dazed as Hinata. They really were sisters.

"I am."

"Sir, your Takoyaki is ready." The owner handed over the Takoyaki.

"Thank you." Naruto took the Takoyaki, first handing it to Nine-Tails, then to Hanabi. "I'm close to your sister, you can call me Naruto."

Hanabi hesitated for a moment before taking it, but Naruto pushed the Takoyaki forward a little, and then she obediently took it.

"Is your sister very busy lately?" he asked, naturally picking up the Nine-Tails.

The Nine-Tails was busy eating Takoyaki and had no time to pay attention to the foolish humans. Focused solely on its food, it kept sticking out its tongue as it burned itself.

"Yeah, I don't see my sister usually either, she's probably on a mission." Hanabi Hyuga's gaze was completely drawn to the Nine-Tails eating Takoyaki with its claws.

"Oh, I see. Then it's alright." Naruto said, already having a vague idea in his mind that with Team Seven missing, the mission had to be distributed among the other Genin.

Although there were many tasks, they weren't considered too dangerous.

Some people have been lying around comfortably for more than half a year. The pain of doing tasks will not disappear; it will just be transferred to other people.

Unfortunately, whether it's Team 3, Team 10, or Team Eight, they are all unique classes that can't deal high damage.

Team 7 was established for this purpose. If Sasuke hadn't defected, Team 7, with its Tailed Beast Jinchuriki and Uchiha Kekkei Genkai, would have been positioned as a fast-paced offensive force.

Since graduating as Genin, Naruto's mission completion rate is 100%, except for retrieving Sasuke. No wonder he's in a hurry to rebuild Team Seven.

I glanced at Hanabi and saw that she was staring intently at Nine-Tails.

He simply picked up the Nine-Tails and asked, "Want to touch it?"

"Will it get angry?" Hanabi kept her eyes fixed on Nine-Tails, looking like she really wanted to reach out, but she seemed very restrained.

"No." Naruto replied without hesitation. "It has a good temper. I was planning to buy it something it's always wanted later."

"Thank you." Hanabi carefully picked up Nine-Tails.

Nine-Tails- Tails looked up and Hanabi. Seeing the bored human again, it lowered its head and continued eating its Takoyaki. Sauce splattered everywhere, even landing on Hanabi's clothes.

Naruto saw it but didn't react much; that's just how this silly dog always is.

Hanabi was amused, her slender arms barely able to hold Nine-Tails, and her face showed an expression different from the restrained and reserved demeanor she had maintained earlier.

He lowered his eyes, looking at the Nine-Tails with a tender gaze, his expression completely melted by its cuteness.

In fact, it seems that everyone except Naruto had the same first impression of Nine-Tails the Nine-Tails) as being cute. Perhaps it's because of its rare, fiery red fox fur, making it look like Fox-dog shaped like a ball of fire.

Perhaps Hanabi herself didn't realize that her expression now contrasted sharply with her usual serious demeanor. Her pink cheeks radiated a peaceful smile, making her exceptionally adorable.

Naruto stood listlessly to the side, his eyelids drooping, waiting for Hanabi to finish playing and solemnly hand over Nine-Tails before turning his head away.

"Thank you," Hanabi Hyuga said, bowing.

"It's alright." Naruto stood on the street, smiling and waving goodbye to her. "Give my regards to your sister."

"Okay." Hanabi's expression was serious. It was just a casual remark from Naruto, but she really remembered it.