"Mmm..."

Sensing an intense gaze, Naruto Uzumaki slowly opened his eyes and found Uzuki Yugao lying on her side, staring at him without blinking.

"Yugao, honey, when did you wake up?"

Naruto Uzumaki asked groggily.

"A while ago. I've been waiting for you."

Uzuki Yugao replied with a smile.

"Waiting for me?"

"What for?"

"Nothing. I just couldn't stop looking at you."

The next second,

Uzuki Yugao leaned in and kissed him.

Naruto Uzumaki's eyes widened in surprise at her sudden move.

Was I...

...being forced into this?

An hour later.

Naruto Uzumaki looked at Uzuki Yugao, who was already fast asleep, and smiled helplessly.

Was this what people meant by being terrible at something but loving it anyway?

But at first,

she really had startled him.

Seeing that it was getting late, Naruto Uzumaki got ready and left the room.

Today, he was going to visit the Kurama Clan and help Yakumo recover.

As he walked through the streets of Konoha,

Naruto Uzumaki held a toothpick between his teeth and strolled along with his hands behind his head.

When he passed a dessert shop, he bought some Three-Color Dango as a gift for his first meeting with Yakumo.

Girls...

...liked sweets, right?

When he arrived at the Kurama Grounds,

he identified himself, and the Anbu on guard led Naruto Uzumaki to the villa where Kurama Yakumo lived.

The villa was quiet. Naruto Uzumaki used the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to locate Kurama Yakumo's room, then vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

Once inside the villa,

Naruto Uzumaki frowned almost imperceptibly.

It was nearly noon,

but not a ray of sunlight had reached the inside of the villa.

Everything outside

was shut out by thick curtains.

Drawing boards, paints, brushes, and other art supplies lay scattered across the floor.