Walking by the river, how could one avoid getting one's shoes wet?

Naruto only looked away after watching Yugao Uzuki's figure disappear from sight.

The reason he occasionally trusted her was largely because Uzuki Yugao acted with discretion, never asking unrelated questions or causing him unnecessary trouble.

Hokage Building.

Kakashi sat there, clenching his fists and staring intently at the ornaments on the table, seemingly hesitant and uneasy. Shikamaru, standing beside him, looked up several times, wanting to speak but holding back upon seeing Kakashi's expression.

If your leader hasn't spoken or isn't looking at you, it's best not to say anything rash.

Knock, knock, knock—a knock sounded at the door.

Kakashi practically sprang from his seat, and before the door was even fully open, he was already floating across. Naruto was about to open the door, was startled, wondering what had gotten into Kakashi.

"This is."

"Let's talk outside." Kakashi mysteriously, dragging Naruto outside.

"Hey! I need to talk to Shikamaru about something."

"Isn't it the same to find it later?" Kakashi didn't give him a chance at all, and had already dragged him to the end of the corridor as he spoke.

With a whoosh, Kakashi flung open the window. A cool autumn breeze whistled through, Naruto, seeing Kakashi's conflicted expression, was terrified that he'd suddenly light a cigarette and blurt out, "Be my son!"

"What's up?" he asked tentatively.

"Um, don't misunderstand, it's just that I have a friend, he..." Kakashi scratched his head and mumbled something, which was not very clear.

"What happened to Guy-sensei?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"Well, mainly because he recently ran into an old friend, and then some things happened." Kakashi coughed, cleared his throat, and was about to continue when he was interrupted.

"Male or female?"

"Woman, that's not important."

"Isn't that important? Guy-sensei has a girlfriend! No way, I have to tell everyone!" Naruto almost dropped to the ground, and he turned to run outside.

"Wait!" Kakashi stopped him, saying with a hint of exasperation, "This person isn't Guy, it's... actually..."

"Who?"

"I."

"Tch, Kakashi-sensei, you should have just admitted it earlier. Why did you make me go through all this trouble pretending to be stupid?" Naruto rubbed his stiff cheeks and gasped. "If you don't admit it, I'm going to be disgusted by my own awkward acting."

Kakashi: "."

He suddenly realized there was a reason why this guy was so annoying. This guy really deserves to die, Naruto Uzumaki.

"My friend... I Heavenly Transfer, and then..." Kakashi reorganized his thoughts, but before he could finish, he was interrupted again.

"It's already happened?"

Kakashi: "."

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything anymore." Naruto realized he was in the wrong and waved his hands repeatedly to indicate that he would stop causing trouble.

In the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, Naruto finally understood what had happened. He stared at Kakashi in surprise for a while, then looked away and asked a question.

"So, Kakashi-sensei, what brings you here?"

"To be honest, I don't have much experience in this area." Kakashi scratched his face with his finger. "You should be very good at this, so I wanted to ask for your opinion."

"If this continues, the relationship will probably become very awkward. Would it be too deliberate to avoid it?"

Upon hearing this, Naruto's eyelids twitched; he never expected to see Kakashi's awkward side like this.

"Why not just break through that barrier directly and express your feelings directly?"

"That won't do." Kakashi frowned, his hand unconsciously rubbing his chin as if he was thinking. "It's too direct, it's easy to be misunderstood. I don't have those kinds of feelings for Rin, maybe I do, but... I can't explain it."

"Maybe it's just my imagination; emotions can easily mislead my thoughts. Actually, I probably just don't want Lin to get hurt anymore. I promised someone I would take good care of her, but I broke my promise. I thought there was no way to make it up to her, but who knew that I would suddenly have another chance now."

"A lot of things just piled up and happened all at once, leaving no time to think or reflect. Yeah, most of my energy right now is focused on Lin, obviously, which is why it's so troublesome, you know?"

Kakashi spoke at length with great restraint, pausing numerous times in between.

It's clear he doesn't really want to talk about these things with anyone. Not to mention Naruto is his student; this is a completely self-destructive choice. However, Kakashi now realizes he must find a solution.

The reason for taking the risk and choosing Naruto was simply because of trust in Naruto's professionalism.

"Is there a better way?" Naruto looked at Kakashi, patted him on the shoulder forcefully in a teacher's tone, and said earnestly, "Kakashi-sensei, sincerity is the best cure."

As Naruto emerged from the Hokage Building, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Kakashi is such a loser!

I thought he wanted something from me, maybe just some relationship advice. Why would he need an expert? How am I supposed to know how to subtly flirt and then use a sincere monologue to win over a girl?

He has absolutely no idea how to use a strategic retreat to further enhance the girl's impression of him!

Does anyone know, family members?

This is such a scumbag's ridiculous and overused trick. Who would actually believe this?

Naruto walked into a secluded alley, summoned the Gate of Hades, whistled, completely forgetting about Kakashi, and stepped directly into the Gate of Hades. (Location: Sunagakure; looking for the Gaara to beg for their money.)

Kakashi was still a little uneasy.

The two sat atop the Hokage Rock, a few clouds drifting lazily across the sky. Occasionally, they would glance down at the two shadows hidden in the shade of the giant tree.

A gentle breeze caressed their faces as the two reminisced about the past. Kakashi's memories were somewhat hazy, but with Rin Nohara's patient prompting, he finally managed to recall some fragments.

Obito Uchiha was always so silly, wandering around Rin Nohara like an idiot. Minato-sensei was always so gentle, and Rin was trying her best to be tolerant of everyone. Being in such a team felt like a dream.

"Kakashi, you were so cold back then, like you were always putting on a stern face." Rin Nohara sat on the bluestone, her legs stretched out, her white stockings particularly eye-catching. "I didn't mean anything by it, I just think you've changed a lot, Kakashi."

Upon hearing this, Kakashi glanced at Rin Nohara, his gaze lingering on the white stockings as he looked away. Almost reflexively, he recalled the stocking incident from the previous night, and felt a little embarrassed, coughing lightly.

"Well, maybe so. When I was younger, I would often put on a serious face when I couldn't figure things out," Kakashi said, half explaining and half joking. "Maybe I'm older now and can't keep that expression anymore."

Rin Nohara covered her mouth and giggled, still managing not to embarrass anyone, just like before.

The shade of the trees blocked out the Nikko, and in the small world beside the large blue stone, the shadows of the two people leaned against each other.

She never seemed to let the conversation fizzle out, her eyes constantly fixed on Kakashi. This made Kakashi feel a little uncomfortable, and he turned his head to look at the scenery on the other side, where half of Konohagakure seemed to leap into his eyes.

"Hey, was I drunk yesterday?" she suddenly asked, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.

"Okay, I've taken you home."

"You haven't done anything embarrassing, have you?" she asked nervously.

Upon hearing this, Kakashi paused for a second, then shook his head.

"No."

She hadn't done anything shameful; it was Kakashi who almost embarrassed himself terribly, holding a pair of white socks and not knowing what to do. Too many words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.

Looking at the village in the distance, Rin Nohara couldn't help but sigh again.

"The village is really different from before; it's so unfamiliar that I almost don't recognize it anymore."

"After all, almost twenty years have passed, and the village is indeed quite different from before," Kakashi chimed in. "It's not too late to start over now. You can find a job in the village and meet new people."

She shook her head and stared at Kakashi as she spoke.

"I don't need to meet any new people, really, Kakashi, I'm already doing very well."

After spending these two days together, the previously flustered Rin Nohara seemed to have found a foothold in life. She also seemed to have rediscovered the feeling she had when she was with Kakashi twenty years ago; just like back then, Kakashi was still gentle at heart.

So she spoke without restraint, boldly and passionately expressing her feelings.

How much of it was dependence, how much was truth, and how much was a joke? Nobody knows for sure; the only one who knows is Rin Nohara herself.

Looking into the girl's burning gaze, Kakashi was momentarily stunned. Rin Nohara excitedly expressed her feelings, and he felt happy too, the distance between them lessening. But thinking of his own situation, he felt he couldn't keep her waiting like this.

Kakashi's expression turned serious, and he stared at her silently. Rin Nohara's elation began to crumble, her tone became hesitant, and she lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong, unable to look Kakashi in the eye.

He sighed, thought about Naruto's words, and felt that he should be more sincere.

"Lin, I've been feeling uneasy these past few days. I keep worrying that you might suddenly disappear, and I haven't been sleeping well for the last two nights. I don't know if my attention to you these past few days, whether intentional or unintentional, has caused you any trouble."

Kakashi swallowed hard and uttered the prepared statement he had already thought of.

"I really haven't figured out how to face this. Maybe it's just... a kind of passion. I'm too afraid of you disappearing, so..."

She opened her mouth, her face blank, as if her entire life had lost its color. A cautious attempt to probe was met with a serious rebuff from Kakashi, who continued to articulate his inner conflict.

"I promised Obito I would take good care of you, before..."

Upon hearing this, Rin Nohara could no longer hold back and said somewhat stiffly.

"Is that all? If it weren't for Obito, you... you wouldn't have done that at all, right?"

She lowered her head, revealing her snow-white neck. Even though she knew Kakashi didn't mean it that way, she still asked that question out of spite, which wasn't easy for someone like Rin Nohara to do.

Kakashi paused, a look of surprise in his eyes. Rin Nohara rarely showed such an expression; she was almost never willful. Now, she seemed to have been wronged. More importantly, this feeling of being wronged seemed to be self-inflicted.

That's not what I meant, it's just...

"You don't need to explain, Kakashi." She looked up, forcing a smile, but it looked worse than crying.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but the words seemed to get stuck in her throat. She wanted to laugh but couldn't, wanted to cry but was too embarrassed to. Her open mouth made her breathe slightly, like a goldfish thrown ashore.

A feeling of despair washed over my mind, repeating itself over and over again.

The Land of Wind.

"I don't want this to happen." Temari squatted on the ground, burying her face in her knees and sobbing silently, her delicate makeup ruined by tears. "I can't do it. I... I'm so pathetic, every single day."

"What?" Naruto squatted down beside her and simply draped a piece of clothing over her shoulders.

Temari's emotions collapsed too quickly; by the time he turned around, she was already trembling and sobbing uncontrollably. This gave Naruto a headache; he had most likely said the wrong thing. Speaking the truth too quickly could really be a disaster.

Sincerity is a sure-fire weapon, but it depends on the situation.

Five minutes ago.

Having received the news, Temari, with her exquisite makeup, hurried along the long corridor of the Kazekage Building with small, quick steps. When she saw Naruto, the nervousness and excitement in her eyes were completely undisguised.

"What would you like to drink? The same as before?" she asked.

"Yes, tea will do."

"This is this year's new tea, from the Land of Water." Temari, wearing a pair of white lace gloves, seemed to dance with her fingertips on the table, as wisps of white smoke rose, revealing the golden tea leaves.

Why are you here?

"I came here on some business, and I thought I'd drop by to see you," Naruto said, adding that it really was just a casual remark.

Even so, Temari was visibly delighted. She responded with a hint of surprise, then cautiously asked how long she could stay there.

"Let's wait a while and see what happens," Naruto smiled.

"Great!" Temari smiled, her eyes narrowed, her hands behind her back. "Are you free today? We can go to the southwest of the village. There's a grove of trees there; it's not common around here, and there's a large one."

"You go ahead, I won't go." Naruto propped his head up with his hand. "I'm a little tired."

"It's alright, you should rest first." Temari's expression froze, and Motoi lowered his head helplessly, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Don't be so childish, Temari. You're still the same as before." Naruto said casually, his eyes half-closed. He originally wanted to add, "I don't have time to play. Besides, Konohagakure is full of forests."

Before she could even finish speaking, Temari broke down in tears, squatting on the ground with a look of grievance on her face.

"I don't want this to happen," she cried, trembling.