Naruto finally felt relieved after seeing Karin being so sincere with Sasuke.
Karin truly loved Sasuke, and Sakura also loved Sasuke deeply. No matter what he did—whether he walked down the path of darkness or redemption—these two women continued to cling to him, showering him with their loyalty and affection.
In a way, it reminded Naruto of Hinata's love for him—pure, unwavering, and absolute.
Naruto looked at Karin seriously and said,
"From today on, I'll vouch for you. You'll have a temporary status in the village, which means you can move freely around Konoha. You won't be treated as an outsider anymore."
Karin's eyes widened slightly. Naruto continued with a mischievous smirk:
"And if you decide to actively pursue Sasuke, I'll even back you up."
Karin's cheeks flushed red instantly, but before she could respond, Naruto turned to Suigetsu and Jūgo.
"And the two of you—Suigetsu, Jūgo. If you don't plan to return to your original villages, have you thought about what you'll do from now on?"
In their previous lives, the three of them had always followed Orochimaru, tied to his ambitions and experiments. Now, in this second chance at life, Naruto was curious about what path they would choose.
Suigetsu scratched the back of his head awkwardly and said,
"Kirigakure, huh? Yeah… I don't really plan on going back. If Sasuke needs me, I'd rather stay with him."
Jūgo nodded firmly.
"Same for me. I'll keep protecting Sasuke, no matter what."
At that moment, Karin spun around, pointing angrily at the two of them.
"Hey! Hey! Don't just casually talk about 'your Sasuke'! He's my Sasuke, alright?!"
Suigetsu clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
That one little sound was enough to make Karin snap. Her face flushed with rage as she clenched her fist.
"Bakayaro!"
With a loud smack, she slammed her fist into Suigetsu's head, sending water splashing everywhere as his liquefied body wobbled back into shape.
"Damn it, Karin!" Suigetsu cursed, shaking off droplets.
Naruto chuckled at their antics, then looked back at the two men.
"If you're not sure about following Sasuke, there's another option. You could always go to Orochimaru. After all, you three know him well. Right now, Uncle Snake is working as a researcher under Konoha's supervision. If you joined him, you'd gain official status in the village, and you could live here in peace."
Suigetsu froze, his expression twisting slightly. Deep inside, he still harbored fear toward Orochimaru.
Naruto noticed and reassured him,
"It's fine. Uncle Snake's different now. You saw Kabuto earlier, right? After being saved, he chose to stick by Orochimaru's side again. That should tell you enough."
Jūgo thought about it for a moment, then said quietly,
"Lord Orochimaru… he's really changed a lot, thanks to you, Naruto."
Naruto smiled faintly. He knew in his heart, though, that the one who had truly changed Orochimaru was none other than his own master—the Pervy Sage, Jiraiya.
Ever since their reunion, Jiraiya had gone out of his way to keep contact with Orochimaru. At first, Orochimaru was still cold and detached, his life devoid of meaning. But Jiraiya's persistence, his humanity, slowly chipped away at the snake's armor.
The once aloof and calculating scientist had become… almost human.
Naruto couldn't help but remember how, in his previous life, Jiraiya's death left Orochimaru behind in Konoha. With time, the Snake Sannin started resembling his old teammate more and more, sometimes even showing an odd sense of humor—almost like Jiraiya's spirit had rubbed off on him.
Naruto grinned.
"Alright then. Just go see Orochimaru and tell him I recommended you. He'll understand."
The three nodded, seemingly convinced. Before leaving, Karin turned back and looked Naruto dead in the eye.
"About Sasuke and me… please help me, Naruto. I mean it."
Naruto gave her a warm smile and nodded. It was clear that Karin wasn't joking—she genuinely wanted to marry Sasuke someday.
Once they left, Naruto exhaled deeply. That was one matter settled. Now, it was time for the next.
And this time, it was Sakura.
Sakura blinked in surprise when Naruto approached her alone.
"Eh? Naruto… why are you looking for me?"
Ever since the day Naruto had awoken in the forest, kissed Hinata in front of everyone, and later left the village temporarily, his relationship with Sakura had changed drastically. They still talked, but the closeness they once shared had faded.
The boy who used to trail after her constantly, shouting "Sakura-chan!" with a smile brighter than the sun… was gone.
Now, Naruto spoke to her calmly, almost like any other friend. That sudden shift left Sakura feeling unsettled, unable to adjust.
Naruto's expression turned serious.
"Sakura… there's something I've been thinking about for a long time. I want to discuss it with you."
Sakura tilted her head, a little nervous at his tone.
"What is it?"
Naruto took a breath.
"It's about… relationships."
Sakura froze. For a moment, her heart skipped a beat. Did Naruto mean that? Was he about to confess again?
She turned away quickly, her cheeks burning.
"There's nothing to talk about. You already made yourself clear back then—when you woke up, you said you'd only love Hinata from now on. So why are you bringing this up to me now?"
There was anger in her voice, but underneath it, a note of pain.
Back then, he had been so open about his feelings for her. Then suddenly, without warning, he'd shifted them onto Hinata, leaving Sakura confused and hurt. And now, he wanted to discuss "relationships"?
Naruto blinked, taken aback, before realizing she had completely misunderstood him.
"Sakura… no. You've got it wrong."
"Wrong? What's wrong about it?" she snapped, turning back toward him, her emerald eyes blazing.
"You kissed Hinata, in front of everyone, and declared you'd only love her from now on. And now you're telling me this is some kind of misunderstanding? Naruto, that's not how love works. You might be the hero who ended the war, and yes, I admire you… but I can't just erase the way you tossed my feelings aside like that."
Her voice cracked, and before she could stop herself, tears welled up in her eyes.
Naruto panicked.
"No, Sakura! I'm not talking about my relationship with you. I'm talking about your relationship… with Sasuke."
"Eh?!"
Her tears froze on her lashes as she stared at him, stunned.
Naruto nodded earnestly.
"That's right. You and Sasuke."
Sakura wiped her eyes quickly, embarrassed. She had gotten completely carried away just now, assuming Naruto meant himself.
"You idiot… why didn't you say that right away? You really hurt me, you know."
Naruto threw up his hands in exasperation.
"I did say it clearly! You're the one who misunderstood."
Before he could finish defending himself, Sakura's fist shot up.
"Bakayaro!"
She swung at him, but Naruto dodged effortlessly, grinning.
"Sakura, I told you before—I'm not letting you hit me anymore."
Sakura huffed, shoving her hands into her pockets.
"Fine, fine. So what is it you wanted to say about me and Sasuke?"
Naruto leaned closer, smiling knowingly.
"I know you've always loved Sasuke, haven't you?"
Sakura's face heated up, but she didn't deny it. After all, Naruto and Sasuke had been her teammates since childhood. They knew each other too well to hide something like that.
"Of course I do. It's not like you didn't already know, so why even ask?"
Naruto nodded.
"Exactly. That's why I wanted to talk. In the future… you'll marry Sasuke. You'll even have a daughter with him."
Sakura's entire face went red.
"What are you saying?! Don't talk about children so casually!"
Naruto blinked innocently.
"What? Don't you want a child with Sasuke?"
"I-I do, but…! You can't just—ugh!" She buried her face in her hands, too embarrassed to speak properly. "And how do you even know he'll marry me? He barely even looks at me right now!"
Naruto smirked.
"Don't forget, Sakura—I was reborn. I've already seen the future."
Her eyes widened, realization striking.
"Oh… right. You were. Then… then it's true?"
Naruto nodded firmly.
Sakura's body trembled as the words sank in. The boy she had chased after since childhood, the one who had rejected her so many times, would one day marry her? She couldn't stop the scream that burst out of her.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Her joy exploded, making her look almost childish as she jumped in place.
Naruto chuckled, then leaned in with a sly grin.
"So, since Sasuke wants to restore the Uchiha clan, and since you two will have children in the future anyway… why not get married early? You're still young. You could start a family sooner, and it would help the Uchiha legacy."
Sakura's mouth fell open.
"WHAT?!"
She had just gotten the answer of her dreams, and now Naruto was already talking about children and clan restoration.
"Y-you can't just skip straight to babies! I'm not ready for that yet!"
Naruto sighed internally, his thoughts wandering.
Sakura… I've loved you for so many years, and you're still this unprepared. Meanwhile, Sasuke? He's already mentally ready to take on multiple wives if it meant restoring his clan. The difference really is something else.
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