An Unexpected Request

Satsuki gazed at the scene before her—or rather, stared at it.

She stood there quietly, her face expressionless, but her dark eyes were terrifyingly empty, devoid of anger, jealousy, or emotion—just a void.

That sense of emptiness is more chilling than any other emotion.

Satsuki's mind was racing with calculations.

She understood that she couldn't take the Naruko Puppet with her.

She was furious when she saw the unfinished Naruto Human Puppet in the basement. That fury was instinctive; it was the most direct reaction to seeing her husband's image being desecrated.

So that unfinished product was thrown to Mars by the real Naruto using [Yomotsu Hirasaka].

But the body of Naruko before me...

Satsuki's gaze fell on the puppet with its eyes closed, on the golden twin tails, on the beard patterns that were exactly the same as Naruto's, and on the face that resembled Naruto yet was completely different.

To be honest, a fleeting desire uncontrollably crossed her mind.

That kind of longing, she herself was unwilling to admit.

Another version of Naruto.

A female version of Naruto.

If only she possessed such a puppet... This thought lingered in Satsuki's mind for less than a second before she forcibly suppressed it. But that fleeting thrill was real.

That's why she was so angry when she saw the puppet and thought about what Naruto had done to this version of Gaara.

... This puppet could have been hers, it could have been her collection, it could have been her treasure.

But now— Naruto himself has agreed.

Naruto said that Gaara could keep it, could continue to use it, and could use it as a source of comfort.

Something suddenly popped into Satsuki's mind.

Wait a minute, I... don't need this puppet anymore, do I?

Naruto, isn't he completely his own person?

From the inside out, from head to toe, from body to soul, does it truly belong entirely to oneself?

What kind of puppet does she need? What kind of substitute does she need? What kind of second Naruto does she need?

She possesses the genuine article, the most authentic, the most complete, and the most unique genuine article.

Thinking of this, the emptiness in Satsuki's eyes gradually dissipated, and that familiar light that belonged to her returned.

But this doesn't mean she Gaara.

She looked at the red-haired man, at the complex expression on his face—a mixture of sadness and emotion—and at how he was almost in tears because of Naruto's words—and an idea popped into her mind.

She stepped forward and gently tugged at Naruto's sleeve.

"Saku... Satsuki?"

Naruto turned his head and looked at her somewhat blankly. He had been so engrossed in his speech that he hadn't had time to pull himself out of that mood yet.

"Ah, sorry, I've said too much again," Naruto said apologetically. "I didn't expect so many things to happen today, let's head back now..."

"Wait a moment."

Satsuki's voice interrupted him. She looked up at Naruto, her eyes flashing with an unfathomable light.

Then, to Naruto's puzzled look, she slowly raised her hand and pointed to the Naruko Puppet beside Gaara's bed.

"Come here, Naruto." Her voice was calm, so calm that it was completely undisturbed.

"Show me what you look like."

"... Huh?!" Naruto was completely stunned. His eyes widened, his mouth gaped open enough to fit an egg, and he stared at Satsuki in disbelief.

Will it become like that?

"What's wrong?"

Satsuki tilted her head, her eyes filled with innocent confusion, as if she had only made an ordinary request.

"If you agree that such things should continue to exist, why can't you become like that yourself?"

"You just said I'm the most important person to you, right?"

Naruto was stunned; he had indeed said that.

When Gaara just now, he said, "Satsuki is the most important person to me," which is true, of course, but such a request is a bit too much...

Naruto's forehead began to bead with cold sweat.

He secretly glanced at Gaara behind him. Gaara's eyes were wide open, and he stood frozen in place like a stone statue, his eyes filled with disbelief and indescribable anticipation.

Satsuki followed his gaze, a slight smile curving her lips. Just as she had imagined.

"Then... can we go home first..." Naruto's voice was weak as he pleaded.

"No, that won't do." Satsuki shook her head, her eyes curving into two gentle crescent moons, but her smile carried an undeniable air of refusal.

"Right now." She paused, tilted her head slightly, and continued in a coquettish tone, "What's wrong? Can't even Naruto grant me this small request?"

Naruto looked at her, then at Gaara behind him, and his cold sweat poured down even more.

Is this a tantrum?

Naruto thought to himself.

Is Satsuki throwing a tantrum because of what she just said to Gaara?

But why is the direction of this outburst so strange?

"..."

Naruto's face was filled with struggle and shame. He looked at Satsuki's unyielding eyes, then at Gaara's completely stunned expression behind him, and finally at the Naruko Puppet sitting upright by the bed—

Finally, with great difficulty, he raised his hand and formed a mudra.

"Bang."

The white smoke from the Transformation Jutsu gently exploded, enveloping his entire body.

The smoke was very thin and dissipated quickly.

When the smoke cleared, the blond, blue-eyed youth was no longer standing there.

Instead, she was... a beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes.

Her long golden hair had transformed into two smooth twin tails, cascading down her shoulders. Her azure eyes, identical to Naruto's, were now filled with embarrassment, darting around unsure of where to look.

On his face, which was exactly like Naruto's, the three iconic whisker lines were still clearly visible, but paired with his suddenly softened features, he actually looked... quite cute.

And the expression on her face at that moment—shy, reserved, with evasive eyes and slightly flushed cheeks—added an extra touch of allure to her already adorable appearance.

"..."

Gaara suddenly raised his hand and clutched his heart.

There, it was pounding violently, so fast and so forcefully, it was almost bursting out of my chest.

He felt that his life had been completely turned upside down at that moment.

Just now, he was still heartbroken over Naruto's words, "Satsuki is the most important person to me," still despairing that he could never stand in that position, and still suffering for that unrequited love.

But now, none of that matters anymore.

None of that matters anymore, because Naruto has become a girl.

The real Naruto.

Not a puppet, not a substitute, not just an empty shell—he was the one who pulled him out of the darkness.

He was the one who first showed him what Bonds was, the one he most wanted to be close to in his life.

She turned into a girl.

The moment this thought entered his mind, Gaara's brain turned into a complete mess.

All reason, all calmness, all restraint—all crumbled in that instant.

He saw Naruto —no, he should be called Naruko now—standing there, wearing that orange tracksuit that had automatically transformed into a women's style thanks to the Transformation Jutsu.

Gaara unconsciously bent over slightly, bowing his head to avoid completely losing his composure.

And all of this— Satsuki saw it all; this was exactly what she had anticipated.