Naruto stood there, watching Kazahana Koyuki walk around the desk and walk quickly with undisguised surprise. Those blue eyes were a little softer at this moment.
There was a smile on his lips, and he opened his arms towards her with a hint of teasing.
"Would you like a hug after a long absence?"
Kazahana Koyuki didn't hesitate at all, and even sped up a bit.
The next moment, a scent mixed with the faint scent of ink, royal incense and her own refreshing scent hit my face.
Naruto felt his arms sink, and a soft, warm, and slightly trembling body pressed tightly against him, and his arms tightly wrapped around his waist, as if to embed himself into his arms.
The hug was very strong, with the cherishment as if it were lost and the venting of long-term longing.
"Of course!"
Kazahana Koyuki's voice came muffledly from Naruto's shoulder, with a little nasal sound that was not easy to detect, but more of a bright joy.
"Our Lord Sixth still remembers me, I'm really happy!"
She buried her face deeply into Naruto's shoulder and neck, greedily breathing in the familiar yet slightly unfamiliar breath.
It's still the sunshine-like cleanness but tenacity and strength in my memory, but now it seems to have a deeper and more heart-stopping sense of majesty.
But this breath, no matter what time, always relaxed her tense nerves and made her feel an unparalleled sense of safety and security.
The burden during this period is really too heavy.
A country that has woken up from the ice is full of waste and needs to be revitalized; the great changes brought about by Geothermal Device bring both opportunities and challenges; internally, it needs to rebuild order, appease the people, and develop production; externally, it must deal with its eagerly eyeing neighboring countries and maintain a difficult diplomatic balance.
The entire Land of Snow future rests on the shoulders of her young Queen, who is thinking about it day after day.
She couldn't help but tighten her arms tighter, as if she wanted to draw more strength from the embrace.
She recalled that she had just succeeded to the throne and her foundation was not yet stable, so she decisively seized the opportunity of Joint Chunin Ninja Exams and went to Konoha in person to establish diplomatic relations with Land of Fire.
That risky move became the key to Land of Snow's survival to this day.
It was precisely because of the alliance with Konoha and the strong military support and deterrence provided by the elite Ninja sent by Konoha that the greedy eyes of those who coveted Land of Snow's new fertile land had to restrain their greed.
Strong force is the foundation of a country.
This is a truth she has deeply understood in the cruel reality of the past few years.
Without the backing of Konoha, without the power of Ninja that intimidates the young, Land of Snow, which transformed from a bitter cold land into a fertile soil overnight, would have long been torn apart by neighboring countries.
They will not kill her, who was Daimyo in name only at the beginning. After all, all Daimyo in Shinobi World are related.
There are many examples in history of Daimyo still living a good life after the fall of a country. Shinobi World's initial territory was not artificially demarcated, but annexed.
But colonization, plundering, and slowly draining the value of Land of Snow are inevitable.
Just imagining that future made her shudder.
Just as she was immersed in this reassuring and emotional embrace, Naruto's teasing whisper came from above her head, and her warm breath brushed against her ears:
"Oh? Which one do you want to hug, Sixth Hokage or Naruto Uzumaki?"
Kazahana Koyuki paused slightly and slowly raised his head.
Naruto was looking down at her, his Blue Eyes eyes narrowed slightly and curved into a nice arc, with a narrow smile on his face.
Kazahana Koyuki didn't hesitate at all. She raised her face and looked at Naruto with her blue eyes, which clearly reflected his figure and was filled with her emotions without reservation.
"Of course it's you."
Her voice was clear and firm, with the unique decisiveness of Queen, mixed with the sincerity of a girl.
"Whether you are the superior Sixth Hokage, or the Genin who helped me find my father's will in the snow...
In my heart, you will always be Naruto Uzumaki."
She paused, her cheeks flushed slightly, but her eyes did not dodge at all, and she said word by word:
"And I will always like you."
These words are like pebbles thrown into calm water, creating silent ripples in the study.
"..."
On the side, Mitaraishi Anko, who witnessed the whole "touching reunion" and "affectionate confession", was completely petrified on her chair.
The legs that were on the table had slipped down at some point, and his feet were on the ground, but his posture was still stiff.
Her mouth opened slightly, her eyes widened, and she looked at the two people hugging each other tightly, then at Kazahana Koyuki's face that showed no concealment of love, and then at Naruto's unpredictable profile.
Huh?
A huge question mark slowly popped up in Anko's mind, followed by countless smaller question marks and exclamation marks.
Is this... right? This?!
If she remembers it correctly, isn't Naruto, Kid... just ten Three or Four Years Old?
Although he was ridiculously strong and became Sixth... but Kazahana Koyuki Queen must be several years older than him!
And one is Hokage, and the other is Daimyo from another country... this identity... this relationship...
Wait!
Anko suddenly remembered Naruto's familiar and coercive attitude when she patted her shoulder just now and asked for Dango's debt. Combined with the scene in front of her...
A ridiculous but seemingly reasonable idea came to mind:
This Kid... could he come to Land of Snow specially to find Kazahana Koyuki?
Anko felt that the common sense and world view he had accumulated during his Ninja career were slightly impacted at this moment.
She silently and bit by bit retracted into her chair, trying to reduce her sense of presence, but her eyes couldn't help but glance back and forth between the two of them, and the fire of gossip began to burn brightly in her heart.
She remembered that there were many little Girl who also liked Naruto.
Oh~
It turns out that Sixth likes the new year series!
In the study, the warm air seemed to have become a little sticky and subtle because of Kazahana Koyuki's straightforward confession.
Naruto still smiled with squinted eyes and did not respond immediately. He just patted Kazahana Koyuki gently on the back, and then slowly released the hug.
His eyes swept over Kazahana Koyuki's red but determined face, and then glanced at Anko over there, who was pretending to look at the ceiling, but actually had his ears erect, and an almost imperceptible complex light flashed deep in his eyes.
"It seems that I came at the right time this time."
In the end, he just chuckled and said this in a relaxed tone, cleverly changing the focus of the topic.
"The changes in Land of Snow are really amazing.
Do you mind showing me around your country?"
Hearing this, Kazahana Koyuki nodded, took Naruto's hand and walked out.
As for Mitaraishi Anko?
Not relevant.