After dinner, Naruto and Sakura wandered through the lantern-lit streets of Konoha. The night air had cooled enough to feel pleasant, carrying a faint breeze that rustled the leaves overhead. Their footsteps echoed softly along the quiet road as Naruto escorted her home.
When they reached Sakura's place, she hopped up the small wooden steps leading to her door and turned back to him. The warm glow from the porch lantern softened her expression.
"I enjoyed myself today," she said, her voice gentler than usual. "I hope we can do this again… more often."
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, giving her a small, genuine smile. "Yeah, me too, you know. Time'll tell though. But… I'll see you tomorrow."
Sakura's smile broadened slightly—warm, real—before she nodded and slipped inside, closing the door with a soft thud.
As soon as the latch clicked, Naruto spun around and began jogging down the street.
'Who's gonna carry the boats!' he thought, hyping himself up as he sprinted into the night, remembering the meme from his old world that always cracked him up.
The weight-straps clanked faintly under his clothes with every step, making his legs scream by the time he reached the training ground behind his apartment. But he didn't slow. Not tonight.
He dropped to the ground immediately—palms pressing into the dirt—and started doing push-ups. One after another. Faster and faster.
His muscles burned, arms trembling under the pressure of both the weights and his own stubborn determination. He kept going anyway.
When his arms finally gave out, he collapsed onto his stomach with a grunt—only to flip over and force himself into sit-ups. Then squats. Then planks. Anything he could do without collapsing completely.
Hours passed. The moon climbed higher. The village quieted.
Eventually, he couldn't even lift a finger.
Naruto sprawled out on the floor of his apartment, chest heaving, sweat soaking through his shirt and dripping into his hair. His limbs felt like wet noodles, completely drained of chakra and strength.
He rolled onto his back, staring blankly at the ceiling. The room spun a little from exhaustion, but his mind stayed sharp—alive with anticipation and a familiar fire.
'In a few days…' he thought, catching his breath. ' I'm meeting Sasuke.'
A slow grin spread across his face despite his exhaustion.
'Let's see if he'll be aura farming when I'm done with him.'
He closed his eyes, the faint hum of the night drifting through the window, and let the tiredness pull him under.
....
Morning sunlight spilled through the window, landing directly on Naruto's face. He groaned and pushed himself up, his body stiff from last night's brutal training session. His arms felt like jelly, and his legs protested every attempt to move.
But the smell… Oh man. The smell pulled him awake instantly.
He blinked and looked toward the kitchen area.
Three shadow clones were rhythmically flipping pancakes, chakra simmering faintly around them as they cooked and kept their circulation flowing.
"Sup, guys," Naruto muttered, rubbing his eyes as he sat up on the bed.
"We alright. Just making some pancakes," one clone said without looking up.
"Yeah, boss," another added. "We figured you'd wake up hungry, and we still had chakra to burn."
Naruto yawned, stretching his sore arms above his head. "Cool. Thanks. You guys are lifesavers."
"Technically, you're the only one who gets to live—"
"Shut up and cook," the other clone snapped, flicking pancake batter at him.
Naruto chuckled as he dragged himself to the bathroom. He splashed water on his face, brushing his teeth slowly while glaring at his own reflection.
His hair was a mess. His eyes looked half-dead. His body felt like it had been hit by a whole squad of Gai-senseis.
'Worth it,' he thought.
But then—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A sudden, sharp knocking echoed through the apartment.
Naruto froze, toothbrush halfway out of his mouth.
The clones turned toward the door, confused. Naruto quickly spit, wiped his mouth, and dispelled them in a puff of smoke.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
The pancakes dropped onto the counter with a soft flop.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. He wasn't expecting anyone.
'Who the hell is knocking this early…?' he thought, stepping out of the bathroom cautiously.
The knocking came again—firmer this time.
THUNK. THUNK.
Naruto walked up to the door, towel still hanging loosely around his waist. When he swung it open, he expected… maybe a neighbor complaining about noise. Maybe Shikamaru with a mission. Maybe even Konohamaru begging for training.
But instead—
Sakura stood there.
Bright morning light behind her. Friendly smile. Pink hair gently shifting in the breeze.
"Yo," Naruto said casually.
The simple greeting didn't even fully reach Sakura's ears.
The moment she saw him—really saw him—her thoughts just stopped.
Drops of water still rolled down his chest, tracing the lines of his toned torso. His abs tightened slightly as he shifted his weight. His shoulders and arms looked broader up close than she remembered. The faint steam rising off his skin made him look like he had just walked out of a training montage.
And lower—
Her eyes betrayed her for a fraction of a second, flicking downward and catching the outline beneath the towel.
Her entire brain exploded.
'Oh my god.'
One second.
That's all it took. But to her, it felt like an eternity.
"You alright?" Naruto asked, raising a brow.
His voice snapped her straight out of the mental spiral. She stiffened, face heating, scrambling to reclaim some sense of composure.
"Uh—yes! Yes, I'm fine!" She straightened like she was reporting to a commander. "Sorry, I was just… thinking about something."
Naruto looked unconvinced, but didn't comment—even he wasn't dense enough to miss how flustered she looked.
"Lady Tsunade asked for us at her office," Sakura continued, trying to sound unaffected. "So I came to get you."
Naruto nodded. "Oh, cool. Give me a moment though—I was in the middle of something."
He jerked his thumb inside. "Come in. It'd be rude to keep you outside."
"Thanks," she said quickly, stepping past him.
Her eyes darted around the apartment as Naruto walked back toward the bathroom. She didn't know what she expected… more mess? More chaos? But the place was just plain. Spartan. Bed in one corner, basic kitchen counter, nothing on the walls.
It wasn't messy—just empty. Quiet. Lonely.
"Where should I sit?" Sakura asked, glancing back at him.
"Uh, just sit on my bed for now," Naruto said before disappearing into the bathroom again. The water began running a moment later.
Sakura sat down on the edge of his bed, smoothing her hands across her knees to calm herself. And suddenly—
Her thoughts wouldn't stay still.
'Holy crap. I can't believe I'm in a guy's room.' Her heart beat a little faster.
'And not just any guy—Naruto…'
She swallowed.
The uncomfortable truth hit her harder than any punch.
'If you had asked me years ago… I would've thought the first boy I'd visit alone in his room would be Sasuke.'
She sighed softly. 'But that's… not happening anymore. Not the way I dreamed.'
A strange warmth curled in her chest—not unpleasant, just unexpected.
'Naruto is… honestly kind of interesting now. Strong. Persistent. Actually mature in weird, surprising ways. And…'
Her face heated.
'…and he's hot. Like… very hot.'
---
Meanwhile, in the bathroom—
Naruto smirked at his reflection, wiping water from his jaw.
'Man, thank God I focused on my body.'
He flexed once—not too much—just enough to admire the results of his insane training. His hair was still damp, the steam from the sink fogging up the mirror.
He dried off, tied his forehead protector, and slipped into his usual ninja clothes. The moment he pulled his shirt over his head, the weight straps under his clothes clinked softly, reminding him of the extra struggle he carried daily.
He grabbed one of the still-warm pancakes off the plate his clones had left behind.
When he stepped back out into the room, Sakura jumped slightly, caught off guard by how different he looked fully dressed—and how fast her heartbeat reacted.
Naruto took a bite of the pancake and nodded toward the door.
"Let's go."
Sakura rose from the bed, smoothing her hair and trying—failing—to ignore the strange flutter in her chest.
They stepped out into the morning air together, heading toward the Hokage's office.
TO BE CONTINUED