"Let's see," Naruto began, a playful but knowledgeable glint in his eyes, "this jutsu — the Hiraishin no Jutsu — is a space-time technique. It's so fast, even the Sharingan can't track it properly."
He leaned back casually, but the weight of his words hung heavy.
"Tobirama created it specifically to outmaneuver the Sharingan's predictive reading. To catch his enemies off guard — before they even knew he moved."
Everyone listened intently as Naruto continued, his voice weaving between history lesson and conversation.
"And you know... before Konoha was founded, the Senju and Uchiha were blood enemies. That hatred didn't vanish overnight. That's part of why Tobirama became obsessed with jutsu development. Not just curiosity... but survival."
"Naruto, you really are brilliant," Kana said, her voice warm with honest admiration.
"You're not just strong — you're sharp too. You really know your history."
Naruto flashed a wide, bashful grin at the praise, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, you know," he said, trying to sound modest but utterly failing, "I did try to learn the real history when we were kids. I taught Sasuke and the others a little bit too."
He shot a teasing glance at Sasuke and his girlfriends, who just smirked back knowingly.
"But anyway!" Anko suddenly clapped her hands together, chasing away the heavy mood."Enough with the serious stuff! Let's talk about the real mystery here—"
She pointed dramatically at Haku, making her jump slightly in surprise.
"How in the world," she said, hopping onto the energy immediately, "do you leave the village for like five minutes and come back with another girl? First it was Kana, then Karin... and now Haku?! What is this, Naruto — some kind of recruitment mission?"
The whole room burst out laughing — even Sasuke cracked a rare, dry smile.
Naruto threw up his hands dramatically, playing along."I don't know, okay?! They just... they just find me! It's like... like destiny or something!"
"Yeah, right," Anko said with a mock scoff. "More like you're a walking chick magnet, and you don't even know it."
Haku hid her face shyly behind her sleeves. Karin and Ino both elbowed Naruto on the sides, teasing him mercilessly. Even Hinata giggled softly, covering her mouth politely.
Sakura smirked too, hands on her hips."At this rate, Naruto, you're gonna need a bigger house."
Kushina laughed so hard she nearly fell over, wiping tears from her eyes."My son... the Lady Killer of Konoha!"
Naruto practically faceplanted onto the table in mortified embarrassment, while everyone else lost it around him.
Naruto quickly shook off his embarrassment and stood tall again."Ahem! Let's go, it's dinner time!" he declared, acting like nothing just happened.
Everyone chuckled knowingly, totally catching that he was desperately trying to change the topic.But hey — no one called him out. They all just smiled and played along.
Kushina and Kana took charge, moving toward the kitchen where Kushina had already prepared the meal beforehand — because, let's be real, mothers are always five steps ahead.
Haku shyly stood up to help, trying to step into the kitchen too.But Kushina, with the authority only a true mom can summon, shooed her away with a warm but firm hand."No, no, sweetie. Tonight, you're a guest. Sit down and relax!"
Haku blinked, stunned for a moment, but then smiled softly and obediently sat down, feeling more accepted than she had in years.
Soon, a parade of delicious smells flooded the room as plates, bowls, and trays were brought out.The feast was on.
Laughter echoed through the house as they ate, everyone chatting, teasing, and joking until their stomachs were full and their hearts were fuller.
As the evening wound down, Kurenai and Anko stretched and got up, ready to head to their own homes.
"We'll see you tomorrow, squirt," Anko said, giving Naruto a playful punch on the shoulder.
"Yeah, rest well, Naruto," Kurenai said, her voice soft and kind.
They left with waves and smiles, vanishing into the night.
Meanwhile, Naruto volunteered to walk Hinata, Sakura, and Ino home, because — of course — he was a gentleman like that. ✨
Karin and Haku, though?Oh, they were not letting him go that easily.
With matching stubborn glares that could put an angry cat to shame, they insisted they were coming with him.
Naruto, who knew better than to argue with determined girls, just sighed dramatically and agreed."Fine, fine. You two win."
So the little gang set off into the peaceful Konoha night.The sky was dark velvet, sprinkled with stars like a dream.
One by one, Naruto dropped Hinata, Sakura, and Ino off at their homes.
Each time, after warm smiles and soft "Good nights, they leaned in and gave Naruto a small, sweet kiss on the cheek before disappearing into their houses.
By the third kiss, Naruto was standing there in the dark, blinking like a broken traffic light.
Karin smirked."You're so whipped, Naruto."
Haku giggled behind her hand, the first real, carefree laugh Naruto had ever heard from her.
Naruto just grumbled under his breath, cheeks pink, as they made their way back home together — a boy, two girls, and the kind of warmth you could only find when you have people who truly care about you.
After entering the home, they went to their respective room.
Days passed by in a soft blur of laughter, meals shared, and quiet, peaceful moments.
One such morning, Naruto, Karin, and Haku were sprawled lazily under the vast canopy of an old tree, the sunlight dappling through the leaves like a living, breathing painting.They weren't training.They weren't on missions.They were just... existing. Breathing. Healing.
Karin had her arms folded behind her head, eyes half-closed.Haku lay on her side, her breathing so even she might as well have been napping.Naruto was just staring up through the branches, thinking about nothing and everything at the same time.
It was perfect.
Until —
Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto spotted something.—or rather, someone.
A girl.Sitting quietly under a nearby tree.Completely absorbed in her work.A canvas was propped up against her knees, and with delicate strokes of her brush, she painted — the colors almost dancing in the sunlight.
Naruto blinked.
Curiosity levels: Maximum.
Without even a warning to the others (classic Naruto move), he scrambled up to his feet and padded toward her.
As he approached, he could hear the soft scratch of the brush against the canvas and see her intense concentration.
He cleared his throat a little awkwardly and said the universal opening line of all over-friendly golden retriever boys:
"Hello!"
The girl jumped slightly, her brush wobbling across the canvas in a wild, accidental streak.
Naruto winced."Ah! Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to startle you!" he said, waving his hands in apology like a spooked scarecrow.
The girl turned slowly to look at him.She had soft, thoughtful eyes — like she spent more time in dreams than in the real world.There was a smudge of blue paint on her cheek, and honestly, it just made her look even more like someone who belonged to a different world.
"It's... fine," she said softly, blinking up at him.Her voice was gentle, like wind chimes in a summer breeze.
Naruto grinned because that's just who he was — sunshine on legs."I just saw you painting and got curious. Sorry for interrupting! What are you drawing?"
The girl hesitated for a second, like she was debating whether she should share.Then, shyly, she tilted the canvas forward so he could see.
Naruto's mouth dropped open a little.
She had painted them — him, Karin, and Haku — asleep under the tree, with the light filtering down through the leaves.It was vibrant, alive, and yet somehow dreamy at the same time.She had captured the exact peace of the moment.
"That's... amazing," Naruto breathed, genuinely impressed.
Behind him, Karin and Haku had sat up, curious where their idiot leader had wandered off to — and now they were sneaking closer too.
The girl blushed, ducking her head."Thank you. I like painting peaceful things... Beautiful moments before they vanish."
Naruto nodded, feeling weirdly moved by that.He understood, maybe more than most, how important it was to hold onto beautiful moments.
"I'm Naruto," he said, offering a wide grin. "That's Karin, and that's Haku."
The girl tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and gave a small, almost shy bow.
"My name is Yakumo. Yakumo Kurama," she said softly.