"Mhm." Naruto listened to Temari's reflections nonchalantly, his gaze drifting elsewhere. Occasionally, he'd throw in a noncommittal 'mhm' as a response.
He was thinking whether there were any suitable 'materials' Sunagakure. As long as he completed this Taskline, he would not only get rewards but might also refresh new Tasklines.
He has enough skills now, but he is still not good enough to deal with the Otsutsuki.
Izanagi, Flying Thunder God, Bloody Kyubi Mode... Sure, he could fight them, but completely crushing them would be tough.
He doesn't like to procrastinate when doing things. If he was going to do something, he'd eradicate the problem for good. To achieve that, strength was the top priority, followed by influence.
No matter how strong he is, he is only one person. The era of relying on brute force is over. Technology is equally important.
So what if he's strong? In this world, it's all about influence and connections. Being a good fighter means nothing. Insects buzz for just one autumn, and enemies are like weeds. Cut one down, and another sprouts.
Rather than wasting time on such things, it was better to nurture his own faction and leave the troublesome tasks to them. All he needed was balance, and then he could kick back and relax.
After all, Naruto's ambitions lay elsewhere. Once the Otsutsuki were dealt with, everything would be over. He'd live a carefree life, far removed from worldly affairs.
"Mhm, mhm. No need to blame yourself. I get it." Naruto gently patted Temari's back, soothing her while scheming how to get her to help him find 'materials'.
He couldn't just pick any random nobody to become Jashin's Followers, that would be too much of a loss. After all, all the Jashin's Followers under his command now played a crucial role.
Except for Ajisai. She was useless, just a summoner girl. He'd only picked her as a temporary solution. Now, her greatest purpose was to amuse him.
She looked like a corporate drone, her face screaming, 'I don't want to go to work'.
So Naruto made sure she ran around endlessly, watching her break down helplessly. And honestly... it felt so good.
"Mhm, you're so good to me!" Temari looked up at him with a silly smile.
Time passed slowly. After exchanging a few words, Naruto leaned back against the table, bored. With his left hand supporting his chin, his fingers tapped unconsciously on the table.
Temari sat beside him, her gaze unfocused. But her eyes always lingered on Naruto. She loved watching him, with her eyes following his every move.
Even though she was having a headache now, as Sunagakure seemed to have entered a period of transition, and the number of new promising young talents was decreasing, her attention never strayed far from him.
"Come here." He casually hooked his finger at Temari.
Temari crawled over, straddling him. She pressed her lips together as if steadying herself, like a child finally getting a long-awaited toy.
Tilting her head slightly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
After a few seconds, Naruto broke away and looked at her with disinterest.
"That's not how you kiss. Let me teach you."
As he said that, he held Temari's face, and the other party's heart instantly pounded.
Looking at Naruto's face gradually enlarged, Temari closed her eyes.
"Later... should we go see Gaara?" Her voice was a little hoarse, as the kiss was too much.
"Mhm, sure." Naruto had gotten what he wanted.
He leaned over again, kissed her for a while, and gently bit her lower lip. He vaguely remembered that Temari seemed to like this action very much, and her body always trembled when he did it.
He remembered, but only vaguely.
But for Temari, even this small gesture was enough to move her.
…
Click, click!
In the Hokage's Office, Kakashi stared blankly at his desk, twirling a pen unconsciously. It kept falling, and he kept picking it up.
It had been three days since Rin had last spoken to him. Naruto's so-called 'brilliant advice' had worked too well, and things were clear now.
But Kakashi always feels that something is missing. He wondered if this what he wanted.
Kakashi's thoughts were a mess. He shouldn't be dwelling on this. Obviously, he didn't want Nohara Rin to rely on him at the beginning, but he'd taken advantage of her vulnerability. While it sounds a bit twisted, he really thinks that's exactly what he'd done.
He didn't have those kinds of feelings for Rin, nor at least, he shouldn't. Not now, when his mind was already overloaded.
To Kakashi, Rin was redemption from his nightmares. A regret he couldn't forget for twenty years, suddenly resolved. The feeling was surreal.
At least for the current Kakashi, all he wanted was to protect her, to make sure she never got hurt again.
But to everyone else, his attentiveness was too much. It wasn't just others who might misunderstand… Rin herself couldn't possibly miss it.
When people are utterly helpless, they'll cling to any lifeline.
Rin was no exception. Except, when she looked around in panic, Kakashi didn't just throw her a rope… he handed her a space elevator.
...Who could resist that?
After sleeping for twenty years and coming back to life, Rin had expected to be alone, weak, and lost. Her friends, family, even her enemies… are all gone or changed, leaving her with only a blank twenty years and a bleak future.
But who would have thought that her former genius companion would directly become a Hokage and openly paved the way for her. He didn't just protect her, but even the details such as clothes and socks are taken into consideration.
For someone as emotionally fragile as Rin right now, it was overwhelming. Even a grown man would be dazed by such things.
But the key is, Kakashi knew this, but he refused to pull back just to avoid misunderstandings. What he wanted was to explain clearly… Or in Naruto's words, to be honest.
But why should he explain?
Kakashi's own excuse was that he hadn't sorted out his own feelings. That he didn't want Rin to misunderstand and get hurt.
But Kakashi knew very well that Rin had a straightforward personality.
If she realized she'd misread Kakashi, she'd just laugh and say, "Sorry about that."
…
Shikamaru looked up and glanced at Kakashi suspiciously. Kakashi had been absent-minded since three days ago. And now, the paperwork on the desk were almost piled up like a mountain.
Kakashi was still lost in thought, even wondering if Naruto had tricked him, 'Honesty is the ultimate weapon? Then why had everything gone sideways the moment he told the truth?'
He thought about it for a while and couldn't help but sigh.
'Forget it, I should stop thinking about it.'
'Anyway, Rin didn't want to see me now, so it was a good time to be quiet for a few days. Maybe I would figure it out soon.'
Thinking of this, Kakashi picked up a document.
He glanced back and forth several times, but not a single word registered.
'Damn it!'
He slammed the document on the table, running his hands through his hair in frustration before taking a deep breath. Shikamaru was so startled that he almost dropped his own documents.
Suddenly, Kakashi glanced at a certain document and never moved his eye away.
The title read:
Handling Recommendations Regarding Nohara Rin.