Naruto stood where he was, watching Kazahana Koyuki round the desk and hurry toward him with undisguised delight. His blue eyes softened a little.
A smile played on his lips as he opened his arms to her, teasing.
"How about a hug after all this time?"
Kazahana Koyuki did not hesitate. If anything, she quickened her pace.
A moment later, a fragrance washed over him, mingling the faint scent of ink, royal incense, and her own crisp, clean scent.
Naruto felt a weight settle into his arms as her soft, warm, faintly trembling body pressed tightly against him. Her arms wrapped firmly around his waist and back, as though she wanted to bury herself in his embrace.
Her hug was fierce, filled with the precious relief of recovering something lost and the release of long-held longing.
"Of course!"
Kazahana Koyuki's voice came muffled against Naruto's shoulder, with a barely perceptible nasal note, though bright happiness filled it far more.
"I'm really happy our Lord Sixth still remembers me!"
She buried her face deep against his neck and shoulder, greedily breathing in that familiar yet slightly unfamiliar scent.
It was still the clean, sunlit scent she remembered, carrying a resilient strength, but now it seemed to possess an added layer of deeper, heart-stirring authority.
Yet whenever she sensed it, it always soothed her taut nerves, giving her an unparalleled sense of safety and peace.
The burden she had carried lately was simply too heavy.
The nation had awakened from its frozen slumber with everything in need of rebuilding. The sweeping changes brought by the Geothermal Device offered both opportunities and challenges. At home, order needed restoring, the people needed reassuring, and production needed developing. Abroad, she had to deal with covetous neighboring nations while maintaining a precarious diplomatic balance.
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