Naruto spotted Yugito up in the tree at once and walked over. Only when he drew closer did he realize she was crying. He immediately lowered his head in guilt, certain that what he had done that morning had made her cry.
"Um, Yugi-chan?" Naruto sounded downcast, but he still called her by that affectionate nickname.
The blonde girl jerked her head up, her blue, slit-pupiled eyes full of shock. She had never noticed him approaching. "N-Naruto-kun? What are you doing here?" she stammered.
"Ah, sorry, Yugi-chan. I didn't mean to scare you. I just came to apologize for what happened this morning. When I fell asleep again afterward, I must have put my arms around you without realizing it... I'm really sorry. You looked so sound asleep, and you were even snoring softly. I just couldn't bear to wake you, and I ended up holding you in my sleep. I hope you're not too angry with me." Naruto gave her a sheepish smile as he spoke.
Yugito could no longer hold back. Tears streamed down her face as she threw herself at him, clutching his jacket and burying her face in his chest.
Naruto was utterly bewildered. She did not seem angry at all; instead, she had rushed into his arms for comfort. "Yugi-chan, what's wrong? Please tell me. I want to help you. You can tell me anything, because you're someone very precious to me."
As he spoke, Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her closer, gently patting her back in an attempt to soothe the sobbing kunoichi.
Yugito kept crying, but every word Naruto said made her heart race. He doesn't hate me. He's even comforting me, and he said I'm precious to him... Oh, I'm so happy I can't stop crying. I need to tell him I'm all right, but how do I say it?
"Kiss him," the Two-Tails suddenly said, utterly serious, without a trace of the usual teasing.
"W-What? I can't just do that!" Yugito replied inwardly, flustered.
"You can. If you really love him, let him know," the Two-Tails said firmly.
Naruto continued holding Yugito as her sobs gradually subsided into sniffles. She lifted her head from his chest and looked up into his sky-blue eyes.
"Yugi-chan, please talk to me. Seeing you cry like this hurts me too," Naruto said, gazing gently into her sky-blue eyes with their slit pupils.
Naruto waited for her to speak. When she remained silent, he was about to say something else, only to be interrupted. Yugito raised a hand and gently caressed his cheek, and Naruto instinctively closed his eyes.
Oh, this feels incredible. But why is she suddenly acting so strange? Why won't she tell me what's wrong? Damn you, Pervy Sage. Couldn't you teach me anything about girls? All you ever teach me is positions and how to judge bust sizes. None of it helps!
As those jumbled thoughts ran through Naruto's head, he suddenly felt something soft and moist press against his lips.
His eyes flew open, and he saw, to his astonishment, that Yugito was kissing him with her eyes closed. After freezing for two seconds, Naruto quickly recovered and returned the kiss, eager yet gentle. As the kiss deepened, Yugito could not help letting a soft moan escape her throat, accompanied by a familiar, catlike purr.
When they finally pulled apart for air, Yugito leaned forward slightly and brought her lips close to Naruto's ear. "Naruto-kun, I really like you," she whispered. "You're the first person willing to accept me as I am. In this past week, you've shown me more tenderness than I've received in my entire life. Now I can't get used to being without you anymore. When you were unconscious, I climbed into your bed because I wanted to be closer to you... When I woke up this morning, I was afraid you'd be angry with me, so I ran away."
Before she could finish, Naruto reached out and pulled her back to him, kissing her again. This kiss was just as passionate as the first, just as full of feeling.
When they parted again, Naruto leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Yugi-chan, when I woke up this morning, all I could think was how lucky I was to open my eyes and see you there, looking like an angel. How could I possibly be angry about waking up beside you? And I really like you too. You're also one of the people I cherish most."
Afterward, they sat beneath the tree and talked for a long time. Yugito told him that she had been crying because she was so happy-happy that he was not angry and that he considered her precious. As they chatted, Naruto suddenly remembered the other reason he had come looking for her.
"Oh, right, Yugi-chan. I almost forgot to tell you. We're leaving for Konoha later today. Granny Tsunade is going back to become the new Hokage. You can come with us. With the Sannin protecting you, you can enter Konoha without waiting for her to officially take office. Of course, the treaty and our cooperation will still have to wait until she's officially Hokage before anything can be finalized. But this way, you can come back to Konoha with me, and I can introduce you to all my friends." Naruto's eyes shone with anticipation. He wanted to return to Konoha soon, but he also wanted to spend more time with the Kumogakure kunoichi beside him.
"Really? That's wonderful! Come on, let's hurry to my hotel and pack!" With that, they clasped hands and dashed toward town.
Several days later, outside Konoha's gates
Ever since Naruto and Yugito had confessed their feelings at the Training Ground, they had been practically inseparable. The only time they parted during the day was when Jiraiya dragged Naruto away to spar. Even then, Jiraiya often invited Yugito along, claiming it was to develop their teamwork. In truth, ever since he had watched them perform Flawless Combination Ninjutsu on their very first attempt at working together, Jiraiya had been curious about just how well these two could coordinate as partners.
At that moment, the young blonde couple were holding hands and chatting with Shizune, listening as she described the years she had spent wandering with Tsunade since the age of ten. Every so often, they turned their heads to steal a glance at each other. To Naruto, Shizune was like a kind, caring older sister-provided, of course, that he did not bring up bacon or her pet pig, Tonton.
"Look at those two. Don't they remind you of Minato and Kushina after he rescued her? They were little brats about that age back then too." Tsunade and Jiraiya walked behind them, close enough to the three ahead that they were just out of earshot.
"Yes, they really do. Even their coordination is the same. When they work together, they move as smoothly as a single person. It's a shame they come from different villages. Still, that isn't impossible to resolve. If this cooperation treaty against the Akatsuki works out, the two villages might form an alliance. Then we'd have a political marriage ready and waiting." For once, Jiraiya did not pull out his notebook as he spoke, showing just how serious he was.
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