The End of June

He could agree to her request, even if it was just out of pity.

But Naruto didn't want that. His heart was empty; he lived with a playful attitude. Even after spending a year in Konohagakure, he felt no sense of belonging.

He can handle everyday interactions with young girls, but forget about redemption. He doesn't even believe his own words; if he's not sincere, he'll be seen through even if he says them.

The two crossed a rice paddy, groping their way along the ridges in the dark. Occasionally they would stop, only to be blocked by swarms of mosquitoes, and then they would turn back the way they came.

Are there still shops open this late?

"I don't know." Naruto squatted on an inconspicuous alley wall on Konohagakure Street. "I'll go take a look. Want to come with me?"

"Good."

Someone was approaching from a distance, so the two of them quickly flipped over the low wall and hid on the other side.

In the darkness, the two exchanged a glance. Naruto's gaze was calm; he had remained calm throughout the entire night, seemingly without any intention of doing anything.

Sakura's eyes were bright, and her face slowly turned crimson.

It was pitch black all around, with only the faint starlight illuminating the scene. The chirping of insects continued, and the warm night breeze made Sakura break out in a light sweat, her eyes blinking.

"Want it?"

"Huh???" Naruto tilted his head and gently nudged her. "What are you talking about, something weird? Let's go check it out."

"Tch." Sakura turned her head away, somewhat unconvinced. "Naruto is an idiot."

"Why are you suddenly acting all haughty?" He had already stood up, glanced at her lazily, and then climbed over the wall.

The grass was fluffy, and the air was filled with a faint, fishy smell from the daytime sun. Sakura rolled over too, and the two of them walked one after the other, their footsteps crunching on the grass.

The fluffy feel of her feet seemed irresistible to Sakura, who stepped on them several times, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Naruto didn't urge her; he just stood there watching. He watched Sakura entertain herself by herself, playing non-stop until she was covered in sweat before finally stopping and leaving the patch of grass behind.

Once Sakura caught up, Naruto walked forward and turned his head slightly to ask.

Is it really that fun?

"I don't know, I haven't played it, it's alright." Sakura's answer was realistic and honest.

The convenience store not far away was still open. It was late at night, and Naruto gazed in that direction for a while. Looking at the lights, he suddenly felt sleepy, and he didn't want Sakura to see him yawning.

"Wait here for me, I'm going to buy something."

"Okay." Sakura stood there, looking at him.

Naruto turned and walked away. When he was almost at the convenience store entrance, he yawned while carrying Sakura on his back. After half of his body had disappeared into the shadows of the convenience store, he deliberately turned back to look at Sakura.

She stood there, like a slender blade of grass.

So he went inside without worry, stood in front of the freezer and started yawning unrestrainedly. The owner was also dozing off on the table. He only opened his eyes a crack when he heard the wind chimes at the door, glanced at the customer, and then closed them again.

Under the bright lights, two ice creams were tossed onto the counter.

"How much?" Naruto asked.

"Twenty taels." The shopkeeper glanced at him and yawned loudly as well.

With a whoosh, Naruto stepped out of the store carrying two ice creams, feeling himself enveloped in the heat. He squinted and glanced around, making sure Sakura was still standing there.

"Here you go." Naruto handed over the ice cream.

The two found a bench and sat down. Naruto leaned back, licking his ice cream, and Sakura followed suit, sitting down and eating her own ice cream. Their legs were crossed, and they were very close together.

Naruto could clearly feel Sakura's body temperature. He didn't say anything, gazing at the dark night and thinking about the mission in the Land of Snow.

"What are you thinking about?" she suddenly asked.

"Kazama Koyuki ran away, so the mission in the Land of Snow can't be completed." Naruto sighed and leaned back on the bench. "I still care about her, but now we can't find her."

Sakura looked up at the dim streetlights obscured by the leaves and squinted slightly.

The green trees are lush and verdant, providing ample shade.

"Do you want to bring her back?" Sakura asked. "It might not be so easy to get her to restart the Land of Snow mission. Princess Fuun seems to be very reluctant to go to the Land of Snow."

"Maybe," Naruto said ambiguously. "Actually, we don't have to use her."

He remembered that the key to the Kazahana Koyuki was still on him, which he had thrown into the Sealing Space. Having no other choice, he secretly went to the Land of Snow alone to complete the mission.

Although it's not a legitimate claim, there's no other way if pushed too far; he can't give up the stealth version of Flying Thunder God. This is his future trump card, the opportunity to completely surpass the Fourth Hokage in speed.

In doing so, he became the fastest man in the Shinobi World.

"I can try to persuade her; maybe we can restart the mission." Sakura's voice lowered slightly as she turned to look at him. "Would you like me to go on the mission with you?"

"Sure, if the mission restarts, how am I supposed to handle it all by myself?" Naruto said to himself, oblivious to what was going on, as he picked up his ice cream.

"But I still have to stay away from that woman, Anko. I absolutely must never be with her again. She's just some quack Jonin."

"Good."

"What's wrong?" Naruto turned around. "Why is it so quiet?"

He stopped speaking, and froze. Sakura looked exhausted, her eyelids drooping, and she appeared extremely weak.

"I'm a little sleepy." She yawned, then smiled. "Take me home."

Naruto paused for a moment, then nodded.

Half an hour later.

"I'm going upstairs now, see you tomorrow." Sakura stood at the door of her house, watching the dawn break, and waved to Naruto.

"Okay." Naruto was a little worried, so he asked directly, "Are you feeling alright anywhere?"

"No, I'm just a little sleepy," Sakura said, a smile in her eyes.

Naruto didn't know what she was so happy about. Was it because he had spent the whole night playing with her, or because she could finally experience what it felt like to sleep?

Even so, Naruto did not let her go so easily.

"Are you really okay? Haven't you been staying up all night? Why did you suddenly..."

"I already told you it was a lie. How can a person not sleep?" Sakura gave him an expression she'd never shown before, looking at him with amusement.

"Then why are you crying?"

"Huh?" Sakura was startled and instinctively touched her face, her fingertips were wet.

The next day.

Naruto woke up in bed, took out the key that Kazahana Koyuki had given him, and hesitated whether he should just sneakily complete the mission.

But getting out of the village is another problem, and Jiraiya will be back soon.

After thinking it over, he couldn't come up with a safer solution, so he could only put away the necklace-like key for the time being.

Hokage Building.

"Sakura asked for leave?" Naruto looked at Tsunade meaningfully.

"Her mother came and explained that she seemed to be overworked and couldn't be woken up no matter what she did," Tsunade said while flipping through the documents.

"It's probably just from being too tired and sleeping too much. A day of rest should be enough."

"Why are you suddenly concerned about her?" Tsunade asked curiously. "You two seem to be getting along quite well lately? That's rare, Naruto Uzumaki."

"With your lazy personality, how can you possibly care about your teammates?"

"What's so strange about that? I was just asking casually." Naruto rolled his eyes at her. "Anyway, it's good that everything's alright."

He was actually worried and planned to go to her house in the afternoon to see how things were going. She didn't seem like anything was wrong yesterday.

"Hey, Naruto, you look pretty energetic!" A strong voice rang out from outside the door.

Jiraiya, stood at the door and laughed heartily.

"Pervy Sage?" Naruto was somewhat surprised.

With a snap, the popsicle broke in two, sending ice shards flying.

"Here you go." Naruto shamelessly handed over the smaller half.

Jiraiya's face twitched, and he said speechlessly.

"You little brat, are you really that poor? What are you pretending to be pitiful for?"

"We're not poor," Naruto said, sipping his popsicle. "We're frugal and thrifty; we'll save it for our future household expenses."

"Damn it!" Jiraiya took the popsicle and complained as he ate it. "How much money do you think you can spend on getting married? You're so stingy."

Naruto didn't respond, but changed the subject.

"Lord Tsunade said that you, the Pervy Sage, went to investigate the Akatsuki Organization. What was the result?"

"The result?" Jiraiya was a little unaccustomed to being asked for information and said somewhat awkwardly, "It's roughly within the Land of Rain, right? Tsunade already told you?"

"Hmm? Is there something you can't say?" Naruto looked at Jiraiya with suspicion. "Pervy Sage, you're not underestimating me, are you?"

"It's not that I'm underestimating you, hehe." Jiraiya a little guilty for having his thoughts read, so he turned around and made up an excuse to get away with it, "Anyway, the Land of Rain has always been secretive, and it's too dangerous for a Genin ninja like you."

"I'll infiltrate and investigate first, and then we'll talk after I have detailed information."

Intelligence? Naruto's eyelids twitched slightly. He had no shortage of intelligence right now. But he couldn't say it outright. He could only try to find a way to go in with Jiraiya.

As long as we prevent the Akatsuki Organization from fighting as a group, it's safest to separate them and kill them one by one.

"I'm no brat. If Itachi Uchiha comes at me again, I'll definitely kill him." Naruto grinned. "If I had a little more time, I could take on the Akatsuki Organization together."

With a thud, Jiraiya slapped Naruto on the back of the head and said, "What are you talking about, kid? It's not your place to worry about dealing with the Akatsuki Organization."

He was utterly speechless at Jiraiya's domineering patriarchal behavior and made his stance clear through his actions. Naruto, looking disdainful, spat directly at the roadside.

"Hey tui!"

Looking at his disdainful face, Jiraiya was immediately enraged and gritted his teeth.

"You brat! You're awful!"

"Anyway, I'm going no matter what. You can decide what to do, you Pervy Sage." Naruto scratched his face. "I'm Perfect Jinchuriki. I can't sleep well if I don't kill them."

Jiraiya looked at Naruto, who had such a roguish demeanor, and was speechless. How could this guy...?