Temari also acknowledged Konoha's efforts in fostering relations between the two villages, and put forward a tentative idea for further strengthening cooperation in people's livelihood.
As Naruto was starting to doze off, Temari walked up to him. Sensing something, he looked up to see her smiling face.
"Thank you," she said.
"Ah, no problem." Naruto replied, unsure of what exactly she was thanking him for, 'So she called me over just to say thank you?'
"I have a little gift for you."
Temari said, handing him a small palm-sized gift box before turning and heading out.
Naruto casually tossed the box in his hand, which was unusually light, and a bad feeling immediately crossed his mind. As Temari hadn't gone far, a thought suddenly flashed through his head.
Shizune stayed behind in the reception room to organize the content of the previous conversation and record it in the writing for Tsunade to review.
"I'm leaving first."
"Okay." Shizune replied without looking up.
After bidding her goodbye, Naruto quickly walked down the corridor. He looked around, but Temari was nowhere in sight. Guessing a random direction, he finally spotted her figure at the far end of a long hallway.
Under the hallway lights, Temari's slender back and long, fair legs, smooth as white turnip, exuded a mature aura.
"Wait a minute." Naruto called out to her just as she was about to leave the corridor.
"What's wrong?" Temari turned around, looking at him with a puzzled expression from across the long hallway.
"Let me touch it." Naruto said calmly, without changing his expression.
Hearing this, Temari fell silent for a moment, then angrily responded, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? You pervert!"
Naruto at the other end of the corridor listened to Temari's scolding with an expressionless face, letting it go in one ear and out the other. Without saying anything, he turned and walked away in the opposite direction.
As Temari watched Naruto's figure gradually fade into the distance, she stood there for a while with her lips pursed. Then, she took a few steps and turned into another corridor. In a place where no one could see, she slid down against the wall and sat on the ground.
In the dim hallway light, her eyes showed a strange expression.
She thought she might be back to normal in a few days, but right now, it still felt a bit too much.
Leaning against the wall, she slowly stood up, and a smile tugged at her lips as she thought about the gift she had given him. It was as if she had finally managed to win a small victory. Slowly, she got up and left.
"I look forward to seeing you next time." Temari murmured.
At the entrance of the Hokage Tower.
Naruto opened the gift box as he walked, and a black line appeared on his forehead.
"Who does she think she's messing with? Damn it."
Muttering to himself, Naruto walked away with a bored look on his face.
When he returned home, he suddenly realized he needed to take a bath. The summer night was just as hot. With a muddled and unclear state of mind, he stepped into the bathroom, filled the tub with water, and sank into it.
'The high-level meeting would likely be held in the coming days.' The hot water submerged his body and Naruto leaned in the bathtub with the bathroom door wide open, without any defense.
His mind drifted back to what Tsunade had said, and he thought that this upcoming high-level meeting would likely involve a broader group, not just a small circle with Tsunade, Danzo, and the two Advisors.
The Clan Heads of the big clans in Konoha generally considered part of the broader higher-ups, having a voice in matters. If Danzo took this opportunity to involve all the Clan Heads and get them to take a stand, it could significantly weaken Tsunade's authority and decision-making power as the Godaime Hokage. It would even allow Danzo to openly suppress her faction.
This wasn't a conspiracy, it was an open strategy.
But since Tsunade hadn't discussed it much with him, Naruto naturally wouldn't be so tactless as to ask questions. Whether the meeting went in Tsunade's favor largely depended on how she handled it.
Just as he was comfortably soaking, he suddenly heard the sound of keys turning in the door.
'Huh?'
Before Naruto could react, the door burst open with a loud bang, and Ino's voice rang out.
"You! You! You!!! You pervert!"
Ino kicked off her shoes and quickly rushed to the bathroom door, where she screamed at the sight of Naruto soaking in the tub.
"Why didn't you close the door while you were bathing?"
"There's no one else at home, so why bother?" Naruto said with dead-fish eyes, "Not only am I leaving the door open, but I also don't plan on wearing clothes either."
"Ah!!! Pervert, greedy pervert!" Ino turned her face away, her cheeks flushed, "You, you, you!!! Get out here!"
With a splash, Naruto stood up from the bathtub. Ino immediately covered her eyes and bolted out of the bathroom, leaping onto the sofa to hide.
"What are you doing here so late?" Naruto came out wrapped in a bathrobe and asked while drying his hair, "Aren't you worried Auntie might be concerned?"
"I…" Ino suddenly realized she didn't have a good answer, "I have a key, so I can come whenever I want."
"Yes, yes, of course." He said to Ino as if he was coaxing a child, "You have a key, so you can indeed come anytime you want. But did you keep it a secret from Auntie?"
"Ah?" Ino opened her lips slightly, looking adorable as if she had just remembered something, "I forgot! Mom must have known that I came to your place."
"So, why did you come here?" Naruto asked again in a roundabout way.
This time, Ino was a little slow to react and blurted out the answer, "Tsunade-sama told me that you and..."
Halfway through her sentence, Ino suddenly clammed up, eyeing Naruto warily before saying, "Nothing, I just couldn't sleep, so I came over to check on you."
"Tsunade-sama, huh?" Naruto frowned, "That woman really has too much free time. She is already the Godaime Hokage, but she still doesn't do anything serious all day."
Ino sat obediently on the sofa, her body stiff and unmoving, feeling extremely nervous.
She had accidentally sold out Tsunade due to a slip of the tongue, and now, there was a guy wrapped only in a bathrobe standing right next to her.
"Wait a second, I'll change my clothes and take you home." Naruto said without looking back, and walked straight into the room, "Help yourself to some water."
Ino remained motionless, sitting dazed on the sofa. Even when Naruto came out wearing his clothes, she hadn't moved.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I... don't feel well." Ino said, her mouth turning downward slightly.
"Then don't go back. Stay here for the night." Naruto said as he walked toward the entrance, putting on his shoes, "I'll go tell Auntie so that she doesn't worry."
"Wait!" Ino couldn't sit still any longer. She rushed to the door, grabbing his arm with wide eyes, asking in disbelief, "Are you crazy! Are you really going to go?"
"Aren't you feeling unwell?" Naruto had already put on his shoes and pretended not to understand, "It's such an important matter, so there's no way you're faking it, right?"
"You're not allowed to go! Come back here!" Ino's face flushed and she grabbed Naruto's arm tightly.
"Alright, I won't go, but you need to give me a reason." Naruto said calmly.