Sakura's Little Scheme

Naruto climbed to the third floor of the Konoha Hospital's inpatient ward. Perhaps because it was early spring, the doors in the corridor were either ajar or closed.

He reached out first and knocked on the door.

"Please come in."

Sakura has striking pink hair, wears a blue and white striped hospital gown, and holds a book in her hand as she sits leaning against the bed. Her overall demeanor is reserved, appearing calm and composed.

Kazahana Koyuki, who shared a hospital room, had slightly curly black hair and, despite wearing a hospital gown, exuded a unique, languid charm.

Perhaps it's the added bonus of being both a princess and a star that makes Kazahana Koyuki look less like a patient and more like she's playing the role of one when she's wearing a hospital gown.

"Oh, it's you." Kazahana Koyuki was looking at a magazine, glanced up at him, and judging from the cover, it didn't look like a proper magazine.

But Naruto glanced at Sakura's "Make-Out Paradise" and was immediately speechless. Well, neither of them were reading anything serious.

"Don't look so disappointed, damn it." Naruto picked up the snacks between the two girls and unceremoniously tore open the packaging and put them in his mouth.

"How is your recovery going?" he asked casually as he sat down.

"It's nothing serious, but it will take a while before I can be discharged." Sakura put down her book, her eyes calm. "I want some water."

"Oh, oh." Naruto got up to pour water, and as he turned around, he saw a smile playing on Kazahana Koyuki's lips, and a bad feeling flashed through his mind.

Sure enough, as soon as Sakura took the cup, Kazahana Koyuki's drawn-out voice rang out, "I want some water too!"

"Can't you pour it yourself?" Naruto said somewhat irritably, but still poured a glass of water for Kazahana Koyuki.

"I don't want to do it myself," said Kazahana Koyuki lazily.

"Here you go! Drink it all."

"That's too rough." Kazahana Koyuki's voice carried a hint of teasing as she cheerfully accepted the cup.

"Heh." Naruto ignored her.

He could handle Kazahana Koyuki's clumsy harassment techniques, but now wasn't the right time. Naruto didn't want Sakura to know that he was actually a good driver.

In short, showcasing driving skills should wait until later, when I'm facing Kazahana Koyuki alone. Then I can make her admit defeat and beg for mercy.

"I really want to be discharged from the hospital. It's so stuffy here." Kazahana Koyuki was clearly more talkative than Sakura, constantly sipping water and chattering away.

"Could you speak slower? Is your mouth rented?"

"You're the one who's rented." Kazahana Koyuki glared at him, then shut her mouth and stopped talking, lowering her head to read a magazine.

The days of drifting at sea in fear are over, but the impact on Kazahana Koyuki seems quite significant. Her physical health has been affected, and her personality appears to have changed considerably as well.

"I need to use the restroom," Sakura suddenly said.

"Hmm?" Naruto looked around, then pointed to himself. "Do you want me to help you up?"

"Good."

"Forehead"

Naruto didn't know what the word "good" meant, so he could only go over and help Sakura up from the bed. There was a toilet inside the ward, so there was no need to go outside.

Sakura opened the door, released him, and began to quietly undress. Naruto stepped out, and as the rushing water stopped, Sakura's voice came again.

"I'm out of energy."

Sakura opened the door and looked at him calmly. Naruto didn't say anything, but took good care of her and helped her out.

There wasn't much to do at the hospital, so Naruto chatted with the two women for a while longer before leaving the room before Sakura's parents arrived.

It seems that both Sakura and Kazahana Koyuki will need to be hospitalized for a while. In that case, there's no need to rush to reveal their intentions.

If he goes through this process several times, revealing his true intentions later will be much more tactful, and the likelihood of restarting the mission will be much higher. All he needs to do is invest some time, which is very worthwhile compared to the return.

This is actually a win-win situation. Kazahana Koyuki cannot escape forever; she will eventually return to the land that gave her birth and nurtured her, sooner or later.

Naruto, on the other hand, simply wanted to upgrade his Flying Thunder God Technique.

Another week has passed.

Just when he thought Tsunade had completely given up on him, Tsunade finally summoned him.

Uzuki Yugao's voice remained cold and businesslike. She was perched on a tree branch by the window, her face covered by Anbu Mask.

"The Fifth Hokage is looking for you."

"Oh." Naruto calmly put on his pants, got out of bed shirtless, put on slippers, and washed up.

I'm shivering with cold; these days, ninjas really have no privacy. The only consolation is that this body is fairly well-developed, and the figure is fairly proportionate.

He can't compare to the Sasuke, but he's definitely a pure prison-type lad.

Naruto before the mirror, had blond hair, a fair complexion, and a straight nose. His eyes were unfocused, and his smile held a hint of wickedness, yet he possessed a youthful charm that seemed to radiate light from beyond.

That kid doesn't look like a good person at all, it's really weird. Upon closer inspection, he's even kind of handsome. That's Anko's opinion of him.

Naruto's opinion is that the phrase "doesn't seem like a good person" can be removed.

His appearance is something he has no control over. Fortunately, while he's not exactly handsome, he's still above average in looks, and with a little effort in dressing up, he can definitely make a striking impression.

For the first time ever, Kurama (the Nine-Tails- Tails) wasn't asleep. Seeing Naruto about to leave, Kurama poked its head out from behind the sofa and asked a question.

Are you going out?

"Yes." Naruto yawned and bent down to change his shoes in the entryway.

"I'm going out for a bit too, to Takoyaki." Nine-Tails' voice was excited, as if it were a holiday.

Naruto didn't have the habit of refusing Nine-Tails's requests, so he let Nine-Tails follow him. He waved to Kurama, signaling it to come along. The two of them went downstairs and headed straight for the Takoyaki shop.

In the Hokage's Office, Tsunade flipped through Anko's mission report, which she had revised five times, before finally fixing her gaze on the words "Land of Whirlpools."

Suddenly, the office door was pushed open.

Tsunade looked up and saw a person and a dog standing at the door, and her beautiful eyes immediately furrowed slightly.

"You're here?"

"Ah, didn't you, Lord Tsunade, call me here?" Naruto, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, it's me." Tsunade nodded, waving the mission report in her hand, and said, "I've suppressed your mission report. Just delete the part about the Land of Whirlpools."

"Why?" Naruto was a little confused.

He didn't care; the Land of Whirlpools did indeed have a secret. But no one had uncovered it in the past hundred years, so even if it wasn't hidden, there wouldn't be any problems.

Anyway, he'd already put away all twenty-seven masks, and no one else could find any other clues. He could go to the Land of Whirlpools later when things got clearer.

"Don't ask so many questions. Anyway, I've deleted it for you." Tsunade sighed, her weapon swaying slightly. "You'll find out later."

This is baffling. What kind of riddle is this?

I know everything about the Land of Whirlpools, not to mention the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline. Forget about those things; actions speak louder than words. I'll show her how I've revitalized the country later.

"Lord Tsunade, you've been drinking fake alcohol again?"

"..." Tsunade's face trembled slightly. "If you can't speak properly, then shut up. What fake alcohol? I already..."

Halfway through her sentence, she furtively ran to the window and glanced down a few times, then ran to the front door and looked around. Making sure Shizune wasn't there, she raised her voice and continued.

"I stopped drinking a long time ago!"

"Oh." Naruto's response was perfunctory, but he suddenly changed the subject, "However, Lord Tsunade, I want to restart the mission in the Land of Snow."

"Wasn't the mission already suspended?" Tsunade sank into her office chair, looking languid. "It's not something you can restart as you please; you need Princess Fuun's permission."

"What if she agrees?" he asked.

"Why do you insist on going to the Land of Snow?" Tsunade asked, squinting her eyes. She had figured it out; Naruto was determined to go to the Land of Snow.

"It couldn't be Princess Fuun."

"No," Naruto retorted, "My mission completion rate is one hundred percent. Lord Tsunade, do you even understand the value of a one hundred percent win rate?!"

Tsunade: "You're sick."

Naruto was deeply hurt. What a psychological blow it was to a teenager to be told he was sick! So he started to pester him relentlessly, sitting directly on the desk and looking down into the abyss.

Tsunade sneered and tossed the man and dog out of the office. The door slammed shut behind them.

"Get Princess Fuun to agree first."

The miscalculation and the scene of being thrown out were witnessed by the Team Eight, who had come to report.

Hinata, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame stared blankly at Naruto, who had fallen to the ground. Naruto calmly got up, dusted himself off, and said...

"Cough cough, the ground is a bit slippery."

Kiba Inuzuka frowned and stared at Naruto for a long time before asking with a complicated expression.

"Are you alright? I heard you've been adrift at sea for almost a month."

"It's nothing," Naruto replied casually. "It's just a ship sinking at sea, nothing serious. We'll be back in a few laps."

After exchanging pleasantries, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame entered the Hokage's Office. Hinata, blushing, paused for a moment and whispered as she passed by Naruto.

"Could you wait a moment? I have something to say to Naruto."

Naruto paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you downstairs."