Naruto sighed silently in his heart, 'I really shouldn't have spoken carelessly earlier.'
It had been a long time since he last saw Temari, which is after the Five Kage Summit. Memories dragged him back to the pentagonal pavilion in the Land of Iron, where snowflakes drifted heavily under the eaves that year.
The two of them had stood beneath the eaves, wrapped in coats, watching the snow. The quiet snowfall was like salt, scattering everywhere, carrying Temari's even more cautious probing and that sentence…
"Do... do you still want me?"
Time had changed many things. Temari had grown even more mature, and her every movement carried a unique charm.
Yet, in front of him, she seemed to become a completely different person.
"Stop crying." Naruto said as he pulled her up forcefully, not bothering with gentle words. His expression remained indifferent.
Strangely enough, Temari actually responded to this. Even though his attitude was neither warm nor cold, it still made her stop crying immediately. Though her shoulders still trembled slightly, her sobs quieted.
Naruto glanced at Temari from head to toe. The three small ponytails she usually tied up loosely had been let down, hanging like trimmed willow branches.
She wore light makeup, with the eyeliner accentuating her bright eyes, white teeth, a delicate nose, and her red lips pressed into a slight curve. Dressed in a pear-white dress, her swan-like neck was snow-pale.
Tear tracks were still faintly visible on her face from crying earlier, and her makeup had smudged a little.
Temari seemed to realize this too. Under Naruto's gaze, she instinctively lowered her head. When she looked up again and saw him still staring, she suddenly couldn't cry anymore.
"Am I annoying?" She asked in a low voice.
"Yes." Naruto lowered his eyes and glanced at her, saying mercilessly.
Temari clearly couldn't handle it, but the question had come from her own mouth. Naruto didn't indulge her little habits, and after experiencing so much, he could tell exactly what she was thinking just by the way her eyes moved.
She seemed to like this aloof attitude of his, and Naruto was happy to oblige.
With Temari, he didn't need to pretend. After all, she already knew he had relationships with many people. Whether he fell for someone new every day or whatever else, it didn't matter.
Temari might feel upset, but she would never truly resent him. If one day Naruto were to gaze deeply into her eyes, full of emotion, and say…
"From now on, I'll only love you. I won't have anything to do with anyone else."
He was certain that within a few days, Temari would lose interest in him. Once obtained, the allure would fade. Only those who were loved could afford to be capricious.
Temari had been strong-willed since childhood, and her bones are filled with stubbornness. Losing her mother so early, as the eldest princess of Sunagakure, Temari had exhausted herself taking care of her two younger brothers.
In the end, this kind of life wore her down. Deep inside, she yearned for someone stronger than her to appear.
But no such person had emerged during her upbringing, and her only father had been killed by Orochimaru.
On the one hand, she longed for it, but on the other hand, she did not want to get it. Because Temari no longer believed that there would be such a person in her heart, so she had such a contradictory personality.
When Naruto was firm, she would quietly submit.
When Naruto gave off an air of indifference, she would grow anxious. Sometimes, his words would even accidentally wound her heart.
He could treat Temari poorly, even neglect her. Or he could treat her well, showering her with care. But Naruto could never revolve around her, never give up everything for her.
It sounded outrageous, but that was the reality.
As the saying goes, the unattainable is always alluring, and only those who are loved can afford to be capricious. What Temari wanted was someone connected to her but never fully within her grasp.
Naruto could be good to her, could play with her feelings, could even ignore her. But there was one thing, the most important thing, he absolutely, absolutely could not do:
Let her obtain him completely.
He had figured out this pattern, so his interactions with Temari were surprisingly effortless. As long as he maintained the right balance, having the eldest princess of Sunagakure serving him by his side was... quite enjoyable.
"I... I just missed you. It's been so long since we last saw each other." Temari said, her voice filled with grievance, "You never thought of me, never came looking for me."
"How do you know I didn't?"
"Huh? Y-you did? When?" Temari was stunned, blinking at Naruto in surprise.
He set down his teacup, stood up, and looked down at her slightly, narrowing his eyes. The expression made Temari's heart race, 'He seemed angry.'
"Do I have to tell you everything?"
Naruto lied through his teeth, his acting flawless. There were no born actors, only skills honed through relentless practice.
"N-no, that's not what I meant! I just... wanted to know when you came. Why didn't you tell me?" Temari stood up as well, flustered as she tried to explain.
"No need to explain. I don't want to hear." Naruto turned his head and looked away, saying calmly, "There are many people who send you flowers every day. Wouldn't it seem redundant for me to come looking for you?"
"Huh? I didn't accept them! I... I avoided them all." Temari tried her best to explain, "I really didn't take anyone's flowers. If I had, I swear I would've..."
"Enough, it doesn't matter anymore." Naruto cut off her frantic oath. He had just thrown out a random excuse, and there was no real issue with flowers.
It was just when he first came here, he saw a Shinobi sending flowers and was rejected by Temari. After thinking about it, he used that as a convenient pretext. Even nonsense could work if he pushed hard enough.
It felt like cheating, and the entire situation was under his control. And strangely enough, he didn't feel the slightest bit guilty about it.
If he could live off his charm through skill alone, why should he feel ashamed?
"No, I really didn't…" Temari's face was burning, tears pooling in her eyes like a dam about to burst. It seemed that one more word, and she might break down sobbing.
"It's fine. I don't blame you." Naruto's tone suddenly softened. Before she could react, he pulled Temari into a light embrace.
They were at the highest floor of Sunagakure's most luxurious hotel, with its plain exterior hiding lavish interiors.
Right now, Naruto and Temari stood in the private rooftop garden, embracing beside an afternoon tea table.
Temari's temples throbbed, and emotions surging wildly in her mind. Naruto's sudden shift in attitude left her dazed.
"It's not your fault if people send you flowers. It just means you're charming. I was the one who wasn't steady enough. I shouldn't have blamed you."
Hearing this, Temari's nose tingled, and overwhelming grievance threatened to spill over.
"I... I was wrong too."
Wrong, my ass! He's gaslighting you, girl!
Even though Naruto's reasoning was utterly absurd, Temari acted as if she were under a spell, her brain shutting down as she started reflecting on herself.