[Option 1: Spend the night with Temari. Reward: Jashin's Dog (The object of Hidan's faith, which contains and suppresses all consciousnesses, and is restricted by the caster).]
[Option 2: Drive Temari away. Reward: Jashin's Blessing (One-time Immortality)]
'Jashin's Dog? Jashin's blessing?'
Naruto was stunned, 'How did this suddenly involve Jashin? Isn't that what Hidan worships? Tayuya joked about me being a Jashin last time, but that was just a joke.'
Now, these options seem a bit off. The idea of immortality doesn't really appeal to him. With Kyubi and Tsunade around, it is basically impossible for him to die so easily.
Compared to immortality, what interested Naruto more was the reward for the first option.
'Is Jashin's Dog a real dog?'
'If possible, I wanted to stuff Kyubi into it.'
'Since he doesn't want to be a fox, be a dog.'
'If Kyubi turns into a dog, then things will be easier, and I can release him at any time. In other words, even if I shed the burden of being a Jinchuriki, Kyubi can still be contained.'
'It doesn't matter where Kyubi wants to go, as long as he doesn't cause me any trouble.'
Without much hesitation, Naruto chose the first option. He'd give Kyubi a surprise, and finally, he could genuinely call it a 'good dog'.
"Stop crying already." Naruto sighed, "I'll take you back."
The system didn't specify where to spend the night, so they could stay anywhere. In short, the system's guidance was a bit dim-witted.
"Can you please not chase me away?" Temari said with a blushing face, "I'll be good."
"This is different… What's up with you anyway?" Naruto was a little confused. "You'd better explain, or I'll chase you away immediately. I know Konoha's layout better than you, so you won't be able to catch me."
This barely veiled threat was enough to make Temari nervous.
"No, wait, I'll talk." Temari said, her hands fidgeting behind her back, then she said with a somewhat uneasy look, "I don't know myself. It's just… I just feel safe being near you."
'Safe? Was she that scared?'
Naruto's face showed no emotion, but he was already thinking about how to use this to complete the mission given by the system. As for conscience, he didn't have that kind of thing.
'If she was genuinely frightened, this matter could be explained as temporary dependency, which might only last a few days or a week at most.'
Thinking of this, he coldly glanced at Temari again, concluding that she likely only had a mild case. After all, he hadn't released too much killing intent and had backed off right after scaring her.
"I can choose not to chase you away." Naruto said, "But you have to stay with me for the night. You'll have to explain things to the Sunagakure's side. I don't want to get reported."
"Is this a mission?" Temari blurted out some incredible words.
'Why was there an abnormal blush on her face when she lowered her head?'
'Why does this person seem a little strange?'
'Forget it.' Naruto didn't think too deeply about it. After all, being scared like this could be considered a mental illness. It's better to be lenient with someone unwell.
"You can think of it that way." He replied.
They were in the southeastern part of Konoha, a quieter area where most residents had already turned off their lights. The streetlights were sparse in the night.
Bringing her home obviously carries a greater risk of exposure and may also cause unnecessary trouble, so Naruto felt it would be better to go directly to the hotel where Sunagakure's people is staying. After all, they just needed a place to stay.
Although there are great risks in going deep into the enemy's territory, this is Konoha, so Naruto is fearless and not overly worried.
"Then let's go to my room," Temari suggested nervously.
She is the kind of girl with such a good figure that people think it is reasonable for her to wear a skirt. When she is too nervous, her legs would start moving slightly on their own.
Maybe from sweating, her pale legs were pressed tightly together.
"Alright." Naruto didn't refuse, thinking about completing his mission while also looking at her legs.
Naruto found himself extremely impatient with Temari, or perhaps it was more accurate to say he had no desire to be patient with her. This was an unusual situation, almost as if he had an innate dislike for her
It might be because he had let her off during the Chunin Exams due to her status, and now every time they met, he had to be mindful of her status. Whenever Temari showed even a hint of her usual stubbornness, it seemed to set him off, making him unusually irritable.
When she paused, Naruto couldn't help but glare at her with cold eyes again.
Temari trembled under his gaze, her face showing a mix of hurt and timidness. Mustering up the courage, she asked, "Does it trouble you... to be around me?"
Naruto didn't answer, but he wondered if he had used that trick himself before. It had been so long that he couldn't remember. But then he abruptly said, "Let's go."
Without waiting for her response, he grabbed Temari's hand and roughly dragged her forward. He shot her a cold glance, pinching her face as he warned, "Don't let me hear those meaningless words next time."
"…Sorry."
"Don't say that either."
"Yes."
Walking on the road, Naruto occasionally used his peripheral vision to observe Temari beside him. He silently came to the conclusion in his heart that someone as strong-willed as her wouldn't just break down like this without a reason.
'Judging from Temari's current condition, it seemed like she was dealing with something mild, possibly a result of long-term repression.'
'I had scared her as a fluke, and now she was having a bit of a breakdown.'
'Generally speaking, this situation will not last too long, and everything will be fine once she gradually regains her composure.'
At the hotel where Sunagakure's people had been staying, Naruto noticed how deserted it was. Due to the alliance between their villages, most of the Sunagakure's Shinobi had already left Konoha. Aside from Temari, only a few people remained.
"They left yesterday." Temari explained in a small voice. The emptiness of the hotel gave it a cold, desolate feel as a few remaining Sunagakure's Shinobi were busy with their luggage.
The sound of their footsteps echoed in the brightly lit hallway as they walked to a room. Temari quickly entered the room without turning on the lights, while Naruto stood idly at the doorway, not interested in prying into someone else's space.
Click, the light in the room turned on.
The warm yellow glow filled every corner of the room. Temari stood by the door, looking somewhat flustered and too nervous to meet Naruto's gaze. She kept her head down as she said, "The room is a bit messy, please come in."
She had only been inside for a few minutes, so there wasn't much to tidy up. Whatever she was doing in the dark, Naruto didn't bother to guess.
The two sat on the couch, a steaming cup of tea on the table between them, creating a slightly awkward atmosphere.
"I'm leaving tomorrow too." Temari said uneasily, crossing her legs and clutching the hem of her clothes with her hands, "I… I wasn't trying to cling to you on purpose."
"It's just… I don't know what's wrong with me."
"Ever since that day, everything has felt strange."
He sat there with the steam rising from his hot tea, not seeming inclined to respond. He stared at Temari for a long time before finally giving a half-hearted reply.
"Oh."