By the Campfire, She Hoped to Have a Complete Life and Love Someone Completely

"Should we just go in? Wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Hinata asked hesitantly.

Ino grasped her hand tightly and said with a smile, "No, just come with me. That outfit is really pretty, Hinata, you'll definitely look even better in it."

Friendships between girls often begin with complimenting each other on their looks.

Hearing this, Hinata felt a little embarrassed. She lowered her head, pursed her lips, and said softly.

"Ino, you look good in it too."

On the other side, Naruto probably doesn't know that Ino and Hinata have finally broken the ice and their relationship has improved, but even if he did know, he probably wouldn't be happy.

This is certainly a good thing for Hinata and Ino, but for him, it's hard to say.

Brother Cheng's black and white photo is still hanging on the pillar of shame. If the water in the kitchen were to boil one day, even he would probably be terrified.

He was on his way, and hadn't been out of the village long when he found someone blocking his path. A summer breeze caressed her face, ruffling her long pink hair.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto paused for a moment. "Go back quickly, I have things to do."

"Just carrying out a mission, what else could I be doing?" Black Sakura said with her arms crossed and a dissatisfied look on her face. "Master told me that I was clearly on the mission, but you kicked me out."

Naruto was speechless; the fat sheep's mouth was truly sharp. But he still wouldn't admit it, waving his hand dismissively.

"Impossible! This is a frame-up, a fabrication! I never said anything like that!"

"Then let me join," she said.

"Everything else is negotiable, but this won't do." Naruto took out the mission scroll and said seriously, "The mission has already been decided and cannot be changed. That's the rule."

"Tch, I don't want any reward." Sakura pouted and put her hands on her hips. "Besides, how much money can Chunin you get? It's less than what I get."

Naruto: "."

"Enough! Insulting Chunin is forbidden!" he said indignantly, his face flushed red. "What's Chunin? Chunin eat your rice?"

"Aren't you also earning money by working hard and risking your life through your own abilities? You're just..."

"Take me with you, Dad."

"Again, again, again..." Naruto trembled violently, and he completely forgot his lines.

"I said no, and that's final! Nothing you say will do!" he said, frowning. "Don't think that by using some dirty tricks, I'll agree. What kind of person do you take me for?"

"How about I ***?" Sakura asked tentatively.

"This isn't some trivial matter; it's a serious mission. How can you treat it like child's play?" he earnestly advised. "Go back, go back."

"I can ****," she said.

"Huh?"

"Just tell me if it's okay or not?" Sakura asked.

"Let's go together then."

"What?"

"Let's go together." He sighed.

"Okay." Sakura smiled and followed after him with her hands behind her back.

"Why are you so fixated on this mission? Wouldn't it be better to just stay in the village?" Naruto asked as he walked, glancing back at Sakura.

"Where would I get a chance in the village? You wouldn't even notice me, would you?" Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "You're always running back and forth between Ino and Hinata, how would you remember me?"

"You're wrong. It's not like I'll remember you just because you're not in the village."

Sakura: "."

"So, having finally found a gap in the mission, of course I can't let you kick me aside like that," she said with a hint of smugness. "You're afraid I'll force myself on you, aren't you?"

"No," he said truthfully, "I think you're too weak and you're dragging me down."

"Hahaha, this is the most ridiculous lie I've ever heard you tell," Sakura said with a laugh. "Do you know how valuable medical-nin who has completely inherited Lord Tsunade is?"

"Not only can I give it to you."

Naruto remained silent. Indeed, the truth was the best excuse. Sakura simply didn't believe that, given her strength, she was just a weakling in his eyes.

"So, in the end, you're just a healer who restores health, right?" he asked.

Noticing someone's malicious gaze, which scanned her from the neck down with suspicion, Sakura was speechless for a moment, then puffed out her chest and retorted.

"Treatment depends primarily on medical talent; the whole 'wet nurse' thing is nonsense."

"It's okay, small ones are cute too."

"You!!!" Sakura was going crazy. She rushed forward, tackled Naruto, and pinned him against a tree trunk, shaking him wildly.

"Don't get so agitated, wait a minute," he pleaded.

The relationship between the two had noticeably eased, no longer as strained as before, which was probably one of the benefits. Black Sakura knew her life was finite and her future uncertain.

Perhaps with a passive acceptance mindset, neither Naruto nor Black Sakura mentioned that matter. They subtly changed their way of interacting, making it more natural.

The playful fighting took a turn for the worse, and somehow they ended up rolling around together.

After giving her a big kiss, Sakura turned her head away, a look of satisfaction in her eyes.

A kiss represents love and provides emotional fulfillment, which is far more pleasurable than mere physical activity. The body may be static, but a kiss is vibrant and expressive.

I don't know when it started, but Sakura grew her hair long. Probably because she doesn't need to do missions as often anymore, and long hair looks better than short hair.

Continue on your journey.

Sakura suddenly asked, "Why were you running so fast at Shikamaru's wedding? Did something happen?"

"You already know, why are you asking?"

"I don't know, I left after watching the beginning," Sakura said. "Otherwise, why would I have blocked your way here? Do you think I can read your mind?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," he said.

Sakura smiled. If she wasn't allowed to interfere, she naturally wouldn't bother. After all, he was the one who created this chaotic situation; she never intended to take control.

She just needs to stay by her side, sneaking around; with her teammates around, it's hard to be caught. The only downside is that time seems to be running out, otherwise having a child wouldn't be bad.

If I were to raise myself alone, with Lord Tsunade and Shizune by my side, it probably wouldn't be too difficult.

"What's on your mind?"

"Huh?" Sakura snapped out of her daze. "I wasn't thinking about anything."

Even though she often joked around with Naruto, when it came to the future, she couldn't help but blush a little. Kids and all that... it felt a bit... embarrassing.

Naruto, however, seemed oblivious; he had no idea Sakura would blush. He's always spouting suggestive remarks in private, really.

The journey was long and there was no fun to be had.

Sakura seemed quite happy, sitting under the shade of a tree and laughing during a rest stop on her journey. Naruto was sitting next to her, drinking water from his water bottle, and happened to catch a glimpse of her.

What are you grinning about?

"No."

"No? Okay, maybe I'm blind." Naruto didn't bother to press further. "When we get to the Land of Wind, remember to stay far away when we're on a mission."

"Dragon Vein are very dangerous; if you're not careful, you could die on the spot."

"It's so dangerous, why don't you stand further away?" Sakura frowned, her serious expression leaving him speechless. Did kissing make you stupid?

"Look," he said, counting on his fingers, "This mission only involved the two of us, right?"

"Um."

"If you stand further away, and I stand further away, who will do the task?"

Sakura didn't answer, but crawled over to Naruto's body, a strange light flashing in her eyes. Her mouth was slightly open as she slowly moved closer.

Naruto simply reached out and turned her face away, saying helplessly.

"Are you crazy? It's broad daylight, and we still have to travel!"

"A mission, a mission! Damn it, you woman!! You're trying to corrupt my Dao heart!"

"Can't it be during the day, but it's okay at night?" Her eyes lit up as she grabbed Naruto's hand, looking completely bewildered.

"Tonight... tonight, we'll talk about it then."

That being said, traveling during the day was still very tiring. At first, the two would occasionally chat a few words on the road, but later they didn't speak at all.

They rested quietly before continuing their journey.

It takes about two days to travel from Konohagakure to the edge of the desert in the Land of Wind. The two traveled at almost full speed; Naruto was alright, but Sakura was exhausted.

In the end, Naruto had no choice but to carry Sakura on his back and continue on his way.

After a day's journey, from noon to dusk, time seemed to have been compressed four or five times. Estimating that it was almost dark, Naruto stopped at the edge of the desert in the Land of Wind and set up camp directly along the riverbank.

Sakura had regained most of her strength and helped Naruto set up the tent. After putting away the sleeping bags, she piled up the collected firewood, lit it, and set up the pot to boil the water.

Naruto carried Sealing Space with him, so he wasn't short of ingredients. He simply threw in a handful of dried noodles. After they soaked, Sakura added the seasonings.

Looking at Sakura, who was meticulously preparing the seasoning, he suddenly felt a bit absurd. He had never dared to touch anything that Sakura had ever touched before, for fear that it might contain some strange or weird things.

For example, evil things like holy water and sleeping pills can lead to eternal regret if one makes a mistake.

But now Sakura was obediently squatting there making a simple dinner, her long pink hair hanging down, her face gentle and serious. The two of them were under a fire, the Kakkō dancing on their faces.

Time really changes a lot, from the initial fear to the subsequent wariness and suspicion. Gradually, the two got to know each other better and slowly let down their guard.

Later, we worked hard for something, experienced some thrilling things, and worried about getting along harmoniously.

Those trivial, thrilling, happy, and unhappy memories have all shaped the Sakura Haruno in front of me, or more accurately, the Black Sakura.

He had no prior experience with Pink Sakura and had not yet found a solution.

Thinking about this mission, Naruto frowned slightly. If they couldn't find a solution now, perhaps going back in time would.

By using the Dragon Vein to travel through time, no matter how long you stay in the past, only a second will have passed in the real world after you return.

If we could freely explore the past timeline, we might find the answer. After all, the current Legendary Sannin are indeed strong, but the Legendary Sannin of the past might not have been.

Similarly, with his current strength, if he went back to the past, he would likely be able to access secrets that are currently inaccessible.

Just as he was hesitating, a fair hand suddenly reached out in front of him, waving its white flesh and saying something.

Are you stupid?

"You're the one who's silly. I was just too tired and my mind wandered off," Naruto casually brushed it off.

"Oh, okay." Sakura looked away, continuing to gaze at the noodles that were about to be cooked, and said, "They're almost ready to eat, they're almost ready to eat."

After saying this, she felt a little guilty and didn't know why she repeated it twice. In short, she was a bit nervous, like it was a ritual before something was about to happen.

Naruto didn't seem to care much, and took out two clean bowls and chopsticks from his Sealing Space. The two ate and chatted, the Kakkō illuminating their surroundings.

"Are you planning to rest after the mission is over?" she asked, holding her bowl and chopsticks, white steam rising from the bowl, her bright eyes sparkling.

He looked at Sakura and couldn't help but recall the scene of them rolling around together at noon. Everyone's preferences are different; Hinata seemed to prefer hands, Ino preferred a more stimulating environment.

Sakura seems to have a particular fondness for kissing, but I don't know why.

He paused for a moment, his reaction naturally even slower. He pretended to think for a while, trying to recall what she had just said, apparently after the mission was over.

"Let's take a break for a while. We won't be doing missions so frequently anymore." Naruto blew on the steaming noodles. "These qualifications are enough to get promoted to Jonin. I'll pass the Jonin Exams this year."

"Oh." Sakura didn't feel anything; she had already passed the Jonin Exams long ago.

After all, he's Tsunade's disciple, and he's been working overtime all these years. Actually, he doesn't need to do any missions; after the Medical Unit assessment and a few more procedures, he'll be Jonin.

She had no interest in becoming Jonin; everything happened naturally. She envied ordinary people more, who could live a complete life and fully love someone.

What are you spacing out for again?

Naruto's words abruptly pulled her back to reality, the Kakkō flashing across her dazed face. Sakura smiled and replied in a relaxed tone.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about something happy."

He could tell at a glance it was fake; Sakura's distracted expression suggested she wasn't thinking of anything happy. But he didn't call her out on it, simply humming in agreement and changing the subject to continue the conversation.

After dinner, the two went to the river to wash up.

Under the dim moonlight, Naruto ruffled his wet hair and sat by the fire to dry it. A little while later, Sakura returned, and the two sat silently facing each other.

The silence continued until Naruto got up to go back to his tent to sleep. Sakura suddenly stood up, biting her lower lip and staring at Naruto in the Kakkō.

Both of them knew what was going to happen, but Naruto still asked a question.

"What's wrong with you?"

"No, it's nothing." Sakura rarely showed such a nervous look. "Do you want to rest? Or... sit for a while longer? Keep me company for a bit."

The last sentence, "Stay with me for a while," was almost entirely silent. She wasn't sure if Naruto had heard it; she hoped he had, yet she also didn't really want him to.

"Okay." Naruto sat down and took out the mission scroll to examine it carefully.

Seeing this, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and sat down beside the fire. She slowly dried her long pink hair, her delicate eyes revealing seriousness and trepidation.

The surroundings fell silent again, with only the crackling sound of firewood being roasted by the fire.