In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

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"I am just like this, what else can I do?" Naruto showed a faint, bitter smile, "I was lucky last time, but next time, who knows? I’ll just leave it to fate."

"Everyone has to die anyway. I'm just an ordinary Chunin. When the village assigns a mission, I’ll go along with the others."

"Then how about asking them to take better care of you?" She frowned, instinctively viewing Naruto as hers, and considering how to protect him.

"Yamashiro Nobi seems pretty strong. If he is willing to help you, maybe you will have a better chance of surviving when you encounter danger."

"It's useless." Naruto’s expression showed no trace of acting, "In life-and-death moments, who would be willing to do that kind of thing? Everyone is fighting for their own survival."

Hearing this, Nao fell silent.

While it wasn’t pleasant to hear, it was indeed the truth. When someone faces death for the first time, they might react with fear, aggression, or even sacrifice themselves to save their comrades.

But after surviving once, most people hesitate when faced with death again. This is human nature, as no one wants to die.

The two parted ways at the crossroads, and the night passed without incident.

Since he was here, Naruto took things as they came. He wasn’t picky about where he slept and managed to get a decent night’s rest.

The next morning, with no opportunity to bathe, he settled for washing up before heading out.

For the next few days, there were no missions assigned, so he just went to increase Nao’s favorability little by little. Naruto figured it wouldn’t be long before the cannon fodder team would be sent on a mission.

Although the money in his pocket was as clean as his face, fortunately, Naruto had ramen vouchers that would last him more than half a month, so he didn’t need to worry about food.

He only had two sets of clothes, so he alternated between them for the time being. He hadn’t asked about the cost of new clothes yet, and if someone scammed him out of his money, the shop owner could be set free from his shop.

The remaining money, which is nearly 40,000 ryo, he set aside for hot baths. He made it a point to bathe every day at noon… Not for luxury, but to maintain basic personal hygiene.

Additionally, he didn’t want to return to his damp home when there was nothing to do, so he spent most of his time wandering outside, waiting for Nohara Nao to get off work. Today, his excuse for seeing her was to borrow a book.

He wanted to build a persona that appeared highly interested in medical knowledge, even though he merely flipped through the pages without reading.

This routine continued for two or three days. Ever since the icebreaker of gifting wrist guards, their relationship had progressed rapidly. Nao even began anticipating their meetings before her shift ended, feeling a strange, unspoken emotion.

In the past, she would feel like she was going to a grave every time she got off work, but these past few days, she found herself smiling as she finished her shifts, looking forward to the relaxed atmosphere afterward. She even thought about what topics to discuss in advance.

The people in the Medical Department noticed these changes and teased her with playful remarks.

"What’s going on? Something good happened?"

"Hey, I saw him after you get off work last time. Is that guy your boyfriend?"

"It must be. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen him waiting for Nao. Even the guards mentioned it. He’s always there, right on time."

At first, she didn’t mind being teased, and even played along, because she didn’t think of Naruto in that way.

But as time passed, even the strongest rock couldn’t withstand the erosion of raindrops.

Nao gradually became more self-conscious, and occasionally, when she heard people in the Medical Department teasing her, Nao would ask those sisters to stop.

At the same time, as she saw Naruto every day without fail, she also had a question in her mind.

‘What is he thinking?’

She didn’t have romantic feelings for Naruto, but she didn’t dislike him either. She hadn’t been interested in relationships before, and she just needed Naruto to be with her.

However, the constant gossip from her colleagues made her nervous. What if one day he overheard those words and stopped coming? Should she go find him herself?

She definitely couldn't do such a thing. But if it really came to that, would she really go back to the way things were?

Just recalling how suffocating it had been to suppressing her feelings alone, Nao felt a tightness in her heart. Unknowingly, he had led her out of the darkness, and she didn’t want to return there.

Instead of passively dealing with it, she decided to confront the situation head-on. Worst case, if he had any feelings, as long as she could maintain the current situation, she wouldn’t mind.

She gritted her teeth and had already made up her mind. She wasn’t the kind of person who clung to the idea of finding the perfect partner. In these times, she didn’t think about romantic relationships at all.

Love was a thing of the past. Only the young ladies of noble clans would pursue love at this time and look for someone they love to be with.

As for Nao, she just wanted someone to accompany her and wait for her every day. Even though she had never felt romantic toward Naruto, she couldn’t deny how much she depended on him.

As they walked, Naruto noticed that Nao was absent-minded, so he asked her, "What's on your mind?"

"Oh, I almost zoned out." She smiled, then lowered her head in thought. After a while, she raised her head and said half-jokingly, "You know, if people saw us walking together like this…"

"Who would see us?" Naruto asked, playing along innocently.

"The girls from the Medical Department. You’ve seen some of them around, right? They just haven’t come over to say hi."

"Oh, and?" Naruto feigned ignorance.

"They... They’ve been teasing me about us." Nao said nervously, "They think... they think you’re trying to court me."

The moment she said it, she heard a suppressed chuckle from beside her, as if Naruto had been holding it back for a while. Suddenly, Nao felt a little embarrassed, thinking to herself, ‘What’s so funny?’

"What are you laughing at!?" She snapped, turning to glare at him, only to see him gazing ahead into the darkness, speaking softly.

“You’re just realizing that now?”

Thump. Nao’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned her head away, suddenly feeling shy.

She doesn't know why, but for a moment just now, she actually thought that Kitahiko's plain, ordinary face was rather appealing.

"Wha-what is this?" Nao stammered, kicking a pebble as she lowered her head, "Is this... a confession? That’s not romantic at all."

"And besides, there’s no way I could like you. I-I don’t mean it like that, I just don’t feel that way about anyone. It’s not you specifically, it’s the same with everyone."

"I like you." Naruto stopped walking and said in a voice that she could hear clearly, with each word enunciated clearly.

As his words echoed in the silence, only the night wind howled in their ears. The stillness was so intense that Nao could hear her own heartbeat. Surprised, she quickly glanced at Naruto before turning away again.

"Liking someone... it’s not that big of a deal. In any case, it’s your fault for liking me… you shouldn’t! You can like someone else, okay?"

"There is a very good-looking girl with a good personality in our Medical Department. Maybe you should think about her… You will definitely like her."

As Nao continued rambling to herself, Naruto smiled quietly to himself.

He knew he won.