"Konohagakure! I’m back!"
As soon as he returned to the village after three years, Naruto stood at the entrance and shouted at the top of his lungs.
His voice startled birds from the trees and caught the attention of the gate guards. The two ninja at the gate stared at him, looking completely dumbfounded. Holding their record books, they stood frozen, unsure whether they should step forward or not.
"You’re just as noisy as ever." Kakashi sighed as he approached them.
He had the mission scroll for this trip, along with the travel permits for Naruto and Sasuke. Originally, Jiraiya had them, but he found it too troubleso and handed them over to Kakashi instead.
"Heh heh heh." Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head. "I haven’t been ho in so long. I bet my place is covered in dust—I’ll have to clean it up."
He had always lived alone, and no one usually went to his place. The Third Hokage used to send people to help him clean, but Naruto couldn’t stand the way the housekeepers looked at him, so he got used to doing it himself.
At first, his cleaning skills weren’t great, but over ti, he improved. In the original tiline, when Boruto traveled back to this period, Naruto had already learned to clean properly, and his house was relatively tidy—aside from the occasional ss from training.
Sakura walked up beside Naruto with a mysterious smile. "You’re in for a surprise when you get ho."
Naruto blinked. "What do you an? Did Granny Tsunade send soone to clean my place?"
"She did," Sakura nodded, but she didn’t say who it was.
Sasuke, however, seed to understand what she ant. His expression turned rather interesting. "Sakura, when do they usually go to clean Naruto’s place?"
"Right around this ti." Sakura smiled knowingly.
"Got it." Sasuke nodded. He understood everything now.
Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Do you guys really need to be this secretive?"
"Kakashi-sensei, you didn’t say it either, did you?" Sakura teased.
Naruto just stood there, looking between the three of them, confused. "You guys are making feel dumb."
They were all on the sa team, right? Their brains should work the sa way! So why did all three of them get it, but he didn’t?
Kurama? Kurama had already shut down.
Naruto sighed. "There’s a thick, tall wall between us now."
"This world has no giants," Sasuke said, "so that wall will never be broken. Don’t worry—it’ll always be there."
Sasuke walked past Naruto without a care and headed straight toward his house. "I’m going ho to clean up a bit. Let’s take the next two days off."
They were all a little exhausted. After all, they had spent three years training in a ti long past, only to return and face an unimaginable war. Even though they had no mory of that battle, their bodies and minds still felt the weight of fatigue.
Naruto reached out toward Sasuke’s back, slumping forward in disappointnt. "So this is how you’re using the stories Kurama told you, Sasuke?"
Watching Sasuke’s figure disappear down the street, Sakura sighed softly. She gave a small smile, not sure whether it was out of helplessness or bitterness. "Soone already cleaned Naruto’s place for him... Sasuke, why do you think no one cleaned yours?"
Kakashi, having finished handing over his work, walked up to them with his usual tired expression. "Mission complete. Jiraiya-sama has already gone ahead to et with the Fifth Hokage. Once Sasuke is ready, he’ll head to Konoha Hospital—I already told him."
"Ohhh..." Naruto responded weakly.
Kakashi’s eye twitched. "Sakura, you don’t need to take part in the inspections this ti. So you’re officially on break—you can spend your ti however you want."
"Ohhh..." Sakura echoed, just as lifelessly.
Kakashi: "..."
"Sigh... How did I end up stuck with you three?" He sighed in defeat. "Whatever. Dismissed."
With that, he turned and left.
Naruto and Sakura exchanged a glance, let out a simultaneous sigh, said their goodbyes, and headed ho.
---
Because of his status, Naruto’s house had always been on the outskirts of Konoha, far from the bustling center. It wasn’t a long walk from the village gate, and along the way, he once again found himself the subject of countless stares.
Whispers and murmurs passed around—words like "That monster is back," "Stay away from the demon fox," and "Freak."
But it didn’t matter. He had been called nas his whole life. Before, he might have acted out to ss with them in return, just to prove sothing. But now? He was too tired. Not in the mood.
...He’d thank them for their warm welco another ti.
Walking through the familiar streets, bathed in warm sunlight, Naruto finally arrived ho.
At the doorstep, all the noise faded away. The only sounds left were the clear chirping of birds and the distant hum of insects. No more voices, no more whispers. The golden sunlight fell on him, stretching his lone shadow across the worn-down stairway.
Naruto never liked silence—it made him feel lonely. But after growing used to noise, sotis the quiet brought him a different kind of peace.
That peacefulness made him smile unconsciously.
He pulled out his key, unlocked the door, and stepped into the dim but familiar space. In that mont of quiet, he softly greeted the empty room, just as he always had.
"I’m ho."
His voice echoed in the still air, bouncing off the walls before fading away.
That simple "I’m ho" held everything he felt at that mont.
Well... he was used to it by now.
Naruto thought so as he smiled and walked into the room. His right hand was on the doorknob, ready to close the door, when a figure stepped out from the inner room. She was holding a broom, standing in the doorway, facing him.
The girl’s eyes showed a hint of surprise, and a faint blush appeared on her face.
She nervously put down the broom, her long hair draping over her shoulders. She looked quiet, perhaps because of her shyness.
Naruto stood frozen, staring at the girl in the doorway, unsure of what to say.
And she seed to be the sa way...
At that mont, the girl gently parted her lips, her voice breaking the silence like a soft lody. It was as light as a silver bell, but in the quiet house, it echoed clearly.
"Welco ho..."
Hinata’s voice was so soft that even the echo wasn’t very clear, but to Naruto, it sounded as loud as a temple bell ringing in the silence.
After saying that, Hinata lowered her head in embarrassnt, nervously twisting her fingers. Her voice, carrying a shy warmth, was barely above a whisper. "After the Fifth Hokage sent you all out for training, she asked and Sakura to help clean your place. I was away on a mission for a while... so... so... I was in a bit of a hurry this ti... I didn’t clean very well..."
Her voice grew quieter, as if she were a little girl feeling guilty, both apologetic and slightly sad.
Naruto looked at her. The door, still slightly open, let in a sliver of light. The warm sunlight stread through the gap, casting a glow on them, as if gold and silver intertwined in a sacred hall.
She was waiting for him to step forward and take her hand.
A mont that felt unforgettable.
Like a dream, like a trance, like a beautiful illusion.
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