Kazahana Koyuki put his cheek close to the side of Naruto's face, and the skin contact brought a warm and solid feeling. The navy blue hair swept across his skin, bringing a slight itch.
Her voice was very soft, with a subtle sigh, but it was extremely clear:
"Okay,"
She seemed to be comforting herself, or whispering to Naruto.
"I don't ask you to put me on the same level as them in your heart."
When these words were spoken, a faint trace of sadness flashed in the depths of her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a brighter light that seemed cunning and resigned.
"I just want..."
She tilted her head slightly, the tip of her nose almost touching Naruto's ear, and breathed out warmly, "I wish you could love me more than the average person."
After saying that, she maintained this intimate and slightly dependent posture without immediately retreating, as if she was taking in the comfort brought by this brief closeness.
In my heart, there was a complicated undercurrent.
Sure enough...
Kazahana Koyuki sighed secretly.
People like Naruto are powerful, respected in status, and have their own unique charm and responsibility. At such a young age, they have stirred up the entire Shinobi World situation...
It is absolutely normal for such existence to attract women's attention.
She had already been mentally prepared, and even when she decided to let her own way, she had vaguely foreseen the possible "competitors".
But being prepared and hearing it with your own ears are two different things after all.
When Naruto said in such a calm tone, "The wedding date has been agreed with them," her heart sank involuntarily.
More than one...
And it has reached the point where marriage is discussed and the elders of both parties agree.
What does this mean?
It means that in Naruto's life plan and emotional map, a clear and important position has been reserved for certain people.
It is a position that has accumulated over time and may also be mixed with responsibility, commitment and deep bonds.
And she, Kazahana Koyuki, an ally and admirer who lives in Land of Snow and has limited interactions with him, would find it extremely difficult to squeeze into that inner circle.
So she settled for the next best thing.
She doesn't seek to be unique or equal in status, she just seeks to have a place in his heart and be more important than ordinary "friends", "allies", "subordinates" and the like.
When he thinks of Land of Snow, he not only thinks of interests and strategies, but also thinks of her as a person and this warm emotion.
This may be a bit humble, but as a person who has been wandering around since childhood and knows the cruelty of reality, she knows how to judge the situation. After becoming famous, she faced Sandayu's arbitrary opinions and returned to Land of Snow. Faced with the pressure of Kazahana Dōtō, she couldn't hold back her temper.
She also understands that for people like Naruto, forcing her will only be counterproductive.
It may be a wiser choice to get closer little by little and increase your weight in his heart little by little.
She let go of her arms holding Naruto, then knelt down opposite him, folded her hands on her knees, and put on her face the lazy and teasing smile again, as if the words with a hint of sadness and compromise had never been spoken.
"Then, Master Sixth."
She tilted her head and spoke in a relaxed tone,
"Do you have any plans for your next trip at Land of Snow?
Do you need me, the 'landlord', to do my best to show you the new look of Land of Snow?
Or... do you have 'business' to talk to me about?"
She brought the topic back to business, as if the private conversation about emotions and shares was just an insignificant episode in the morning.
Naruto watched her quickly switch back to work mode and smiled.
He did not immediately answer the question about the itinerary, but looked at Kazahana Koyuki quietly, his blue eyes seeming to be able to see through the little thoughts and hidden disappointment under her smile.
After a moment, he spoke slowly, his voice still steady:
"Business matters naturally need to be discussed. However, it is impossible for Land of Snow to retain sovereignty. The unification of Shinobi World is my bottom line."
He paused and glanced at Kazahana Koyuki's slightly tense fingertips.
He didn't promise anything, and he didn't respond to her request for "more love."
But his attitude, his staying, and his willingness to "see" may be a silent response in itself.
Kazahana Koyuki also stood up and straightened his clothes. "Then go and get it yourself. Land of Snow doesn't have anything worthy of your fancy."
Kazahana Koyuki walked away, Naruto closed his eyes again.
Regarding the choice of Kazahana Koyuki, Naruto is a little surprised, but it is also reasonable.
The drunkenness last night, the whispers in the morning, and the complicated emotions seemed to have been temporarily sealed.
"Dad!"
A clear and loud call flew out from the colorful archway of the kindergarten.
The blond boy with blue eyes was like a little sun, carrying a small schoolbag, stretching his short legs and rushing straight towards the figure standing in the sunset.
He opened his arms wide, as if he wanted to embrace the whole world, and then rushed into the young man's arms.
The inertia caused the young man to lean back slightly, but he caught the "little cannonball" steadily, with a muffled smile of pleasure in his chest.
Yuto buried his face deeply in his father's clothes that smelled familiar, and held the white Hokage Robe tightly in his little hands, almost unable to believe it.
Dad!
It's really dad!
He has been very busy recently, Yuto can count on his fingers...
Well, I haven't stayed at home completely for many days.
When I wake up in the morning, I often can't find my father; sometimes I can only listen to the stories before bed at night through the phone.
"Yuto!"
Naruto rubbed his son's soft blond hair, his voice full of smiles and a hint of guilt.
Recently, Shinobi World's large infrastructure construction has seen the emergence of some people who want money rather than their lives. He has been busy dealing with those people with Sasuke recently.
Fortunately, Kakuzu, a person who is very sensitive to money, serves as Konoha's finance minister, otherwise it would be really difficult to catch those who made false accounts.
He simply hugged Yuto up, then lowered his head slightly, pressed his forehead affectionately against his son's smooth forehead, and rubbed it from side to side.
"Did you miss Dad?"
He asked in a low voice, his son's small reflection reflected in his blue eyes.
"Yes! I think about it every day!"
Yuto immediately answered loudly, with a clear childish voice without any haze.
He put his arms around his father's neck, enjoying the long-lost and reassuring closeness. At the same time, he keenly captured the surroundings from the corner of his eye.
Children and parents after school, as well as some pedestrians passing by, all looked at it.
There was curiosity and friendliness in those eyes, but more of it was a kind of reverence with a warm glow that Yuto was gradually becoming familiar with.
Yuto knew that these eyes were all for his father. His little chest couldn't help but puff up a little more, and a mixture of pride and sweetness bubbled up.
My dad is a hero who brings world peace and is the most amazing dad in the world!
Naruto brought Naruto to kindergarten when Yuto was four years old. It was much more lively at that time than it is now.
When people along the way and teachers at the school saw Sixth, they jumped up and down, waved their hands, and wholeheartedly welcomed him.
"I didn't expect that your child would grow up so big."
A gentle and gentle female voice, as clear as the melting stream of snow-capped mountains and with a sense of age, came from behind Naruto, breaking this warm little world.
Naruto hugged Yuto and turned around.
Kazahana Koyuki was standing a few steps away, tall and graceful. At the age of twenty-seven, she had faded away from the panic in her early years and the bright starlight she had gained as an actress and Daimyo, but she had settled into a more calm and tranquil elegance.
She wore a simple and elegant knee-length skirt with a light-colored windbreaker, Long Hair draped softly on her shoulders.
At this moment, she was bending slightly, holding a little Girl who was about four or five years old.
That Girl looks very similar to Koyuki, with fair skin, delicate facial features, especially a pair of big eyes, as clear as if they were hiding two black crystals.
At this moment, these big eyes were unblinking, looking straight at Naruto with pure curiosity, and then at Yuto in his arms.
The smile on Naruto's face is deeper, and there are more complicated emotions.
He gently put Yuto down and placed his big hands on his son's shoulders comfortingly.
"Well, his name is Yuto, Uzumaki Yuto."
He lowered his head and said to his son, "Yuto, this is dad's friend, Kazahana Koyuki."
Yuto rolled his eyes and then stood firm, raising his head politely. "Hello, aunt Koyuki."
"Hello, Yuto, what a lovely child."
Kazahana Koyuki straightened up and gave Yuto a gentle smile. There was a natural affinity in that smile.
Then, she gently let go of her daughter's hand, and her eyes returned to Naruto's face. A trace of distant memories flashed through her eyes, as if through him now, she saw the Young Naruto Genin who stubbornly guarded her in the wind and snow many years ago, with eyes as fiery as fire.
"This child's name is Feng Xuehui,"
She whispered and touched her daughter's head.
"I gave her my old stage name."
Naruto nodded, looked at the quiet little Girl, and tried to make his expression softer.
"Hello, Feng Xuehui."
Little Girl didn't speak, but leaned slightly against her mother's legs. Her big eyes were still looking at Naruto, but her little hands quietly grabbed the corner of her mother's clothes.
The air seemed to be silent for a moment.
In the past years, those memory fragments related to the country, dreams, trust and salvation, flowed silently in the eyes of the two adults looking at each other.
Naruto Looking at the peaceful and beautiful Koyuki, I thought of Land of Snow The snow that never melts all year round finally ushered in spring.
Koyuki looked at Naruto, who is now stable and reliable, has married and established a family, and remembered his vow back then. "As long as you issue a commission to kill him, the rest will be our business." It changed the trajectory of her life.
It's a pity that things and people have changed...
Gratitude, nostalgia, a touch of sadness at the passage of time...
The intertwining of various emotions made the atmosphere between the two people become subtle and soft, and a tacit understanding that needed no words pervaded.
Just as the adults were immersed in this delicate silence, a small hand decisively stretched out and took another smaller hand.
Yuto walked up to Feng Xuehui at some point, and like a little adult, he firmly held the soft fingers of little Girl.
He looked up at his father, then at Aunt Koyuki, then lowered his voice and leaned into Feng Xuehui's ear:
"Look, dad and Koyuki Mother are starting again."
"They do this every time they meet, saying something that only they understand.
Let's go home first, Himawari misses you so much!"
Feng Xuehui was grabbed by his brother and was stunned for a moment.
Himawari...
Is that my sister? Himawari was less than one year old when she last returned to Konoha. She is almost two years old now, right?
Feng Xuehui then turned around and looked at the brother in front of him with shining blond hair and a smile as warm as the sun. A little trust and expectation gradually appeared in his big black crystal eyes.
She nodded slightly and responded softly:
"Well, I want to eat ice cream, brother."
"No problem, I'll take care of it!"
Yuto suddenly felt a sense of responsibility. He puffed up his little chest, pulled Feng Xuehui and prepared to walk in the direction of the dessert shop in his memory.
After taking two steps, he seemed to remember something, and turned around and shouted to Naruto, "Dad! My sister and I are leaving first! You and Koyuki's mother... auntie speak slowly, remember to come to us later!"
He still remembered that the last time his father and Koyuki Mother were in this state, he shouted Koyuki Mother, and as a result, the pocket money given by Koyuki Mother was much less.
After saying that, Yuto didn't wait for Naruto to respond, and took Feng Xuehui, who was following him obediently. The two small figures walked step by step in the direction of Golden's sunset, full of sweet temptation.
The two children left behind the delicate space lingering with adults' memories.
Naruto and Kazahana Koyuki looked at each other and laughed involuntarily.