You Wouldn't Even Call Me a Friend

"Teacher Kurenai, it wasn't like that before. She used to dislike noisy occasions and would never eat with so many of us."

Ino explained, "Later, as I grew closer to Teacher Asuma, I changed a lot."

Sakura nodded without speaking, her gaze quickly shifting to another direction. Her eyes swept across the area without lingering, her movements practiced and seamless.

The party ended, Anko left early. Asuma also left with Kurenai Yuhi.

"We're going back too." Shikamaru and Choji turned around, waved to the others, and then walked in another direction.

The midsummer night was cool and refreshing. Rock Lee went off to train, while Sakura and Tenten left together. Hinata and Neji happened to be returning to the Hyuga compound together, so they bowed to the group and said, "Thank you for your hospitality. Please excuse us."

After watching the two leave, only Naruto and Ino remained at the scene.

"Let's go, I'll take you home," he said.

"I can go back by myself," Ino said, without looking at him, after a moment's hesitation.

"Okay, you can come stay at my place." Naruto said to himself as if he hadn't heard him at all.

"Huh?" Ino looked resistant. "No, it's so late."

The words had barely left her mouth when she suddenly remembered what Sakura had said. She realized she'd already slept in the same bed as Naruto, even though nothing had happened.

The thought had barely crossed Ino's mind when she was startled. How could she have been thinking such nonsense? She'd been getting increasingly slow to understand things lately, even things that were so simple to figure out.

How could anyone actually compare Hinata to Hinata like that? That's going too far. Mission! Mission! There's another mission tomorrow!

If you let your emotions hold you back, you'll fall behind. Hinata must have thought the same thing, which is why she suppressed her feelings and didn't talk to that guy.

She patted her cheeks and silently prayed to herself, "Wake up!"

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Ah, it's nothing," Ino stammered. "Huh? Let's go, it's already... it's very late."

"Want to come to my house?"

"No way! You idiot!" Ino scoffed, "I'm very strong, and I'll grow into an excellent ninja like Lord Tsunade in the future."

"Yes, yes, it's amazing," Naruto said, as if coaxing a child.

Ino kept saying it was late, but she and Naruto still dawdled on the way, wasting a lot of time. She seemed to have dressed up carefully for this party.

She wore a snow-white short-sleeved top, her long blonde hair clipped behind her head. As she spoke, her hands behind her back swayed back and forth, her eyes slightly narrowed, like the chirping of cicadas in the summer leaves above.

After each sentence, Ino would glance at Naruto, and only continue if she didn't see any sign of annoyance on his face.

"Yesterday, an elderly customer came into the store. He said his wife asked him to buy flowers, but he forgot what kind," Ino said, rambling on.

"And then?" he asked at just the right moment as he walked forward.

Ino talked most about the Yamanaka Flower Shop. She spent almost her entire childhood in the shop, and almost every day she would sit there and watch the sunset.

"Later, of course, I accompanied the guest to choose many varieties of flowers. We looked at both the expensive and the cheap ones, but he said they weren't the right ones. In the end, he chose a very ordinary yellow flower."

Ino turned her head and looked at Naruto's profile.

"Do you know? That customer's wife was a regular customer of our shop. She passed away two years ago. Her favorite flower was daylily."

"Then why not just give him the correct flower?" Naruto tilted his head, his broad shoulders and back revealing the outline of his shoulder blades below his neck.

"That would be cruel, wouldn't it? If he forgot that his wife had passed away. If he just took out that pot of yellow flowers, he would probably remember her very quickly."

Ino took small steps forward and said with a serious expression.

"Everyone dies, but if someone remembers them, they are not completely gone. Although that old woman has passed away, her life had a light, which was extinguished once when she died."

"But when that old man came to buy flowers, his memory was already very bad. I could tell that he was trying very hard to remember, probably not only the flowers that the old woman liked, but also the time they spent together."

"So... so..." Ino frowned, as if she didn't know how to say it.

Upon hearing this, Naruto spoke up.

"So if you just tell that old man the answer, he will stop missing you. The answer itself is weak and can't offer much comfort."

"Hmm." Ino's brows relaxed, and she smiled as she said, "That's how it is."

"He gradually remembered, his face grew rosier and rosier, and when he finally found the pot of yellow flowers, he almost jumped up with excitement. He remembered his wife completely, and the light of his wife's life was rekindled."

Ino paused again, gesturing with her ten pale fingers in front of her chest, and frowned as she spoke.

"I don't know how to describe it, do you understand? It's just very shocking. It makes you realize how fragile life is, and how everyone wants to live a good life, but..."

"But," Naruto turned and glanced at Ino, acting as her mouthpiece.

"All sorrow and separation is a narrow beam of light that shines on someone at a specific time. As long as someone remembers, it is not truly gone."

"As long as the yellow flowers are still blooming, someone will love you."

"Is that so?"

Ino didn't say anything, glanced at him, then hurriedly turned her head away. Her face was flushed, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

Even though Naruto died suddenly in his previous life while still a young man, he had experienced quite a lot. He understood some things a little, but not everything.

Seeing Ino's cheerful expression unexpectedly makes me happy; that's probably what liking someone is.

"We're here," he said, stopping in his tracks.

"Then I'll head back first!" Ino's face was still flushed as she ran into the shop as if fleeing.

Naruto stood there for a while, thinking that when seeing the girl off, one shouldn't rush to leave; standing there a little longer is better. Even if she doesn't turn back, it's not a loss; if she does, and their eyes meet, it's a huge win.

The moment Ino opened the shop door, she quickly glanced back and saw Naruto still standing at the other end of the road. Under the dim streetlights, the boy's shadow stretched infinitely long.

With a thud, Ino bumped into the door without noticing.

"Ouch!" she cried out, clutching her head. She wanted to look again, but her mother in the shop called her back.

"Ino, come help Mommy, okay?"

"Okay~." Ino turned around again, but there was no one under the streetlights anymore. She couldn't help but sigh, changed her shoes, and slowly walked over.

Why are there so many white chrysanthemums?

"Noda passed away yesterday, and his family specifically asked us to prepare some flowers," said Yamanaka Rino, her hands still moving.

"What's wrong?" Yamanaka Rino turned to look at her daughter. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Fine."

Naruto walked home along Konohagakure Street, slowly licking an ice pop he bought along the way. He suddenly felt a sense of relief. Although he had been reborn, he was not an immortal monster.

Being with them, growing old and dying in this world wouldn't be so bad.

He took a bite of his popsicle, pondering how to proceed with the mission in the Land of Rain. His mind was now filled with information about Pain, and he was ready to kill the thief and slay the snake!

What Akatsuki Organization? Just kill that little Karami from Nagato.

As he was thinking this, he looked up and saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall on the road.

"Sakura? What are you doing here?"

This is on the outer edge of Konohagakure Street, and Sakura's house isn't in this area. It's impossible that she was just passing by and waiting for him here; she must have been waiting here on purpose.

"I need to talk to you." Sakura suddenly laughed. "Speaking of which, you should first think about how to thank me. I've done you a big favor."

"What?" Naruto stepped forward and stared at her for a while. "What kind of help?"

Sakura didn't say anything, but turned to look at the street corner, clapped her hands, and said...

"Come out."

Upon hearing this, Naruto's gaze swept towards the street corner, where a figure appeared behind the wall. It was a beautiful woman, her haggard face unable to conceal her mature beauty.

She has thick black hair, dresses maturely, yet wears a world-weary expression.

It was none other than the long-lost Kazahana Koyuki.

"Princess Fuun!" Naruto, who prided himself on being as calm as an old dog, couldn't hold back any longer. "Why are you back! (Max level Flying Thunder God) I missed you so much."

"Um..." Kazahana Koyuki said with an embarrassed smile.

"Princess Fuun returned wanting to restart the Land of Snow mission, but Konohagakure refused her," Sakura said. "She was drowning her sorrows in a tavern when I happened to run into her on her way out."

Naruto leaned closer and, sure enough, smelled the strong odor of alcohol on him. But that didn't matter; Kazahana Koyuki's intention to restart the mission meant that a maxed-out Flying Thunder God technique was within reach.

At this moment, in his eyes, Kazahana Koyuki was radiating the golden light of a female bodhisattva.

"That's right." Kazahana Koyuki lowered her head and said somewhat dejectedly, "She's right, Konohagakure won't accept my request."

Naruto glanced at the sky, suppressed his excitement, regained his composure, and spoke.

"This isn't the place to talk, let's find somewhere else."

Barbecue restaurant.

Kazahana Koyuki's fashionable attire attracted many people's attention from afar, but they immediately looked away when they caught sight of Sakura's Ninja Headband.

The ninja stuff... I can't afford to mess with them.

Naruto seemed relaxed. There were only a few people in the shop, and no one recognized Kazahana Koyuki's true identity. Under the chandelier, he sat on the other side of the table, with Sakura Kazahana Koyuki sitting opposite him.

Kazahana Koyuki placed her hands on the table, looking somewhat nervous; the veins on the back of her hands were barely visible.

"Fubuki Yukie is my stage name, as you all know. You can call me Kazahana Koyuki or Princess Fuun." She said somewhat nervously, "I am the princess of the Land of Snow, the former."

"Don't be so nervous, we'll help you." Sakura could tell at a glance that she was afraid of being rejected, and after glancing at Naruto, she said reassuringly.

"We've been through thick and thin together, right? Don't be afraid, just tell me if you have any difficulties."

"Thank you," she said. "I really had no other choice."

"My father was the king of the Land of Snow, but my uncle killed him and seized the throne. I have been wandering outside for many years and have been on the run."

"I didn't have the courage to face my father's death, nor did I have the courage to fight against my uncle. So I became an actress, playing the brave and fearless Princess Fuun on screen, but that version of me is not who I am."

She said with a pained expression, "My acting is very good, everyone praises me, but the more they praise me, the more uncomfortable I feel. I am not Princess Fuun, I am a coward."

"I'm not worthy of playing such a perfect role. In private, I'm a terrible person!" Kazahana Koyuki's emotions gradually became agitated, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"No matter how I try to hide, hide, and hide again, I will always remember my father's face. I don't have the courage to avenge him, nor do I have the courage to return to my hometown."

"Konohagakure rejected my request because I left without saying goodbye last time, and everyone on the ship perished in that mission. They need to investigate, and they won't accept my mission until the investigation is complete."

"I know that's just an excuse. Konohagakure thinks I'm a troublesome client, even if I can afford the commission."

"Then why did you run away?" Naruto asked, staring into her eyes. "I told you to wait, but you still ran away, and there's been no news of you for so long."

Konohagakure's rejection of Kazahana Koyuki is understandable; a higher mission difficulty wouldn't have mattered. However, Kazahana Koyuki's manager, who was also the client for the previous Land of Snow mission, concealed information, and even Kazahana Koyuki herself later ran away.

Konohagakure naturally had to carefully consider the task requested by such an unstable client.

"I'm sorry," Kazahana Koyuki said, bowing her head. "I can't face those things myself, and I don't want to drag you down with me."

"So you still don't consider us friends." Naruto tapped the table and said. This was a habit he learned from Tsunade, which was very good and pretentious, and now it was his.

"I didn't," Kazahana Koyuki retorted instinctively.

"Princess Fuun, why didn't you tell us you were coming back to Konohagakure?" Naruto frowned and asked again. "Sakura and I both consider you a friend, and I thought we were already friends."

"You saw it yourself just now. I'm so glad to see you back. But you'd rather be desperate than come to us. If Sakura hadn't run into you by chance, you might be leaving Konohagakure again now."

"I'm sorry," Kazahana Koyuki said, bowing her head. "I was wrong. Please help me. I'll give you anything you want."

It's clear that Kazahana Koyuki saw Naruto as her last lifeline, but she didn't realize that he wasn't a straw, but a sturdy tree.

"I don't lack money, and you won't even call me... cough cough." Naruto coughed, almost jumping out of the room for a moment, "You won't even acknowledge me as a friend."

"I do," Feng Yun Xiaoxue said first.

"Very good." Naruto stood up and smiled. "You've asked me to accept it, and I will give you justice."

Besides,