After finishing his morning routine, Naruto initially planned to head out for breakfast, but then he remembered that there seemed to be half a box of milk in the fridge, so he decided to whip up a quick breakfast using some ingredients from his sealed space.
While others might buy milk specifically for breakfast, Naruto could prepare an entire meal just to use up half a box of milk.
As he rolled up his sleeves and got ready to cook, he suddenly heard a knock at the door.
He was stunned for a moment, wondering who would come to see him at this time?
"Coming." Naruto called out, then thought to himself, 'There were too few people who would knock on the door normally.'
First of all, since the one coming go through the door, he can exclude Yugao. All the Anbu's members are monkeys, as they all go through the window or the balcony, never the door.
It probably wasn't Kakashi either. As the Rokudaime Hokage, he was perpetually buried in work, drowning in overtime and self-imposed isolation.
Ino and Hinata? Naruto can't contact them at all, so they definitely won't come to him in the short term.
As for Choji's group, that was unlikely too, as they weren't early risers.
That left two possibilities: either Anko or Sakura.
Sakura had mentioned she'd be giving a lecture at the Academy today to inspire more students to take an interest in Medical Ninjutsu and help fill the shortage of medical personnel, so there's no way she would come here at this time.
As for Anko, that's also unlikely.
Naruto had been back for a few days. She's been staying at the Academy and hasn't contacted him. She can't give him homework at this time, right?
The past few days had left Naruto's mind in a jumble. As he reached for the doorknob, all the chaotic thoughts in his head vanished.
The door opened with a rustle, and a pretty figure appeared at the door.
"Tenten?" Naruto was stunned for a long time before he reacted. He quickly scanned Tenten from head to toe, "Aren't you supposed to be leading a team? How do you have time to…?"
Tenten felt a little embarrassed outside the door. She pursed her lips and said apologetically, "I only found out about what happened with Ino and Hinata last night. When I ran into you on that path earlier, you looked really down. I had no idea something like this had happened."
"It's fine." Naruto waved his hand, "Come in first, I'll make you some tea."
"Okay." Tenten didn't act pretentiously and walked in directly.
"Come to think of it, this is my first time visiting your place." She remarked, leaning against the shoe rack as she took off her shoes, with one leg bent and the other straight.
Naruto was making tea in the kitchen. Hearing this, he couldn't help but replied, "You can come whenever you want. I don't really have any restrictions now."
"Why does that sound so depressing?" Tenten chuckled. Their relationship was close enough that they could joke about anything, "So, what's the deal with Ino and Hinata? Have you thought of a solution?"
"What solution?" Naruto came out with tea, leaned over and moved the tea in front of Tenten, "Here, have some tea. It's new tea I brought back from Kirigakure."
"You also went to Kirigakure?" Tenten was surprised. She knew about Naruto's magical door, but she kept it a secret for Naruto and didn't tell anyone else.
"When did you go?"
"A while ago, before I came back to the village." Naruto sighed and plopped down on the couch, sighing, "I was planning to rest for a bit after returning, but who knew this would happen."
"Honestly, it's a miracle something like this didn't happen sooner. But at least Ino and Hinata are safe." Tenten said, resting her chin on her hand as she stared at the surface of the tea.
Thankfully, Tenten didn't say anything like 'Why can't you just choose one?'. Instead, she patted Naruto's shoulder and gave him an encouraging look.
"Don't be so down. Things will definitely work out. You've got this!"
"Huh?" Naruto was a little confused, "What do you mean?"
"Aren't you planning to win both Ino and Hinata back?" Tenten looked at Naruto with some doubt and blinked, "You're not going to give up just like that, are you?"
"Of course not!"
"Then there you go. Good luck." Tenten took a sip of tea and smiled with narrowed eyes. The tea is indeed good, and it is very different from the tea in the Land of Fire.
"Uh, Tenten, wouldn't it be better if you called me a scumbag or something?" Naruto hesitated for a while and said nervously, "I'm a little scared when you're being so nice like this now."
"Why would I call you that?" Tenten rolled her eyes. She looked down at the time and said, "Okay, I have something else to do at the Academy. I'll be leaving first!"
"Good luck!"
"…Okay." Naruto was a little dazed and walked Tenten out the door.
He stood on the third floor, watching Tenten leave, feeling mixed emotions, wondering what was going on?
Ever since the truth had come to light, he hadn't contacted Choji or the others.
Not for any particular reason… He just wanted some peace and quiet. He already knew what they'd say, and it wouldn't change anything. He hadn't suddenly turned bad.
He had been thinking about this for many years. Aside from his messy love life, he didn't have any major flaws. He treated his girlfriends well and was a good friend.
He himself did not intend to change, as he only had a few decades to live, with no parents above him and no children below.
At this point, there was no need to care too much. Living happily was what mattered most.
However, Tenten's unusually supportive attitude had caught him off guard. He originally thought that she came to lecture him, but who knew that she was encouraging him? Has she changed?
Naruto didn't think too much about it. He just thought that the rich woman was cheerful and optimistic by nature, and perhaps her way of thinking was different from that of ordinary people.
After breakfast, Naruto went downstairs and wandered around. He continued to wander aimlessly in the village, and in order to avoid running into acquaintances, he deliberately took some secluded paths.
Around lunchtime, he bought a few packs of premium cigarettes and headed straight for the Hokage Tower. Kakashi didn't smoke much, and he wasn't looking for Kakashi.