Neji listened to Naruto's serious analysis for a while and actually found some logic in his words. Rubbing his temples with a headache, he said, "The conflicts within the Hyuga Clan hadn't been fully resolved yet, and now we're on the brink of war. Things are piling up… it's just too much..."
"Don't worry about what hasn't happened yet." Naruto replied.
"You're really something..." Neji was almost speechless. "Weren't you the one who just said war was coming? Now you're avoiding the topic?"
"That's two different things. War is definitely coming. But since it hasn't happened yet, there's no point speculating. Who knows how long it'll last?"
Hearing this, Neji fell into deep thought.
"You do have a point. If it really is a prolonged war, I should discuss it with Hiashi-sama in advance and make preparations."
After leaving the Hyuga Clan's compound, Naruto wandered around for a bit and suddenly found Konoha feeling empty. Aside from Neji, all his friends were out on missions.
With nowhere else to go, he returned to Anko's place. There wasn't much to say… he still wasn't satisfied with her teaching skills, so he spent three or four hours 'guiding' her before finally stopping.
By midnight, Anko finally snapped out of it and groaned in frustration.
"Please, I'm begging you… since Ino and Hinata are gone, can you stop fixating on me? I have work tomorrow! If I keep staying up like this, I'll get wrinkles!"
"No more 'guidance'… you've been at it for so long, even my saliva's dried up. I can't take it, young master, find someone else!"
"What kind of attitude is that? So uncommitted to learning." Naruto scoffed, lounging in a soft chair by the fireplace, comfortably sipping his beer.
"Wasn't it you who begged me to come in the first place? Are you destroying the bridge after crossing it?"
"It's not that I'm burning down the bridge… but if there's no water under the bridge, it's not even a river! What's the point of building a bridge then?" Anko argued.
"Normally, you remember me maybe once a month if I'm lucky. But now that you've got free time these past couple days, I'm still stuck in the grind of a working dog's life!"
"Now I have to criticize you… your attitude is just not serious enough." Naruto said, enjoying the cold beer in the warmth of the fireplace, feeling completely refreshed.
"Whatever, I'm done. I'm dead tired. Next time, find someone else to 'teach'." Anko yawned, her eyelids drooping, "I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."
"Heh!" Naruto chuckled, standing up and walking to the window. He cracked it open slightly, letting the cold wind wake him up instantly, 'Being invincible really is lonely.'
…
The next day, Naruto indeed stopped pestering Anko… mainly because he was genuinely bored. Over in Amegakure, Sakura and Konan were handling things just fine without him.
Back in Konoha, Hinata and Ino were both out on missions. Even worse, Choji had gone too. Now he didn't even have anyone to shoot the breeze with… Neji was just too dull.
But he couldn't actually do what Anko had suggested and find someone else to 'tutor'. Running a private training session? What would that look like? Sure, he was bored, but he wasn't some insatiable pervert.
After some thought, he simply went home to sleep. There wasn't much else to do… just one word: wait!
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Naruto fell into a routine, living between two points. Either he sprawled out at home sleeping like a starfish, or he bundled up in thick winter gear and trudged through the snow to grab food. His life was nothing if not consistent.
This monotonous existence only ended when everyone returned from their missions. Seeing Choji, Shikamaru, and Kiba stepping back into the village, Naruto, who had woken up early in the freezing cold just to greet them, was practically moved to tears.
Amid the icy landscape, Naruto stood in the distance, stomping his feet and puffing out white breaths as he waited. Kiba and Choji, wrapped in warm clothes, seemed infected by the sentimental atmosphere and were just about to say something heartfelt when Naruto suddenly spoke up.
"Are Ino and Hinata okay? They didn't get hurt, did they?"
Kiba: "..."
Choji: "..."
"Uzumaki Naruto, you're really a piece of shit!" Kiba was so pissed he yanked off his scarf, his earlier emotional buildup completely ruined, "Why don't you go ask them yourself?"
"Are you kidding? Ask both of them at the same time? Are you insane, or am I?" Naruto looked genuinely baffled, even reaching out to poke Choji's belly fat through his coat.
"With Choji and Shikamaru around, Ino's definitely fine. Kiba, though? Who knows. He's half-assed at best… if only he had even half the attentiveness of his sister."
He managed to both compliment and insult in one breath, leaving Kiba fuming.
"You really deserve to die!"
As Kiba rolled up his puffy jacket sleeves like he was about to throw hands, Naruto quickly bolted. After darting away from the three of them, he immediately went back to his usual antics.
First, he sneaked past the Yamanaka Flower Shop to meet Ino in secret. The two hid behind a snow-covered dead tree, sharing a kiss before playfully chasing each other through the streets before parting ways.
Snowflakes drifted down like scattered salt.
Then, in a complete turnaround, he hopped onto the Hyuga Clan's compound's walls to tease Hinata. In a secluded corner blanketed in snow, they kissed, their warm breaths mingling in the cold air.
Hinata's eyes held a poetic, rain-drenched tenderness, her pupils reflecting Naruto's face as she gazed at him with adoration. Their time together was already short… no need for words.
Naruto only had to say a couple of sentimental lines before Hinata's tears fell. Love, for her, was something swallowed whole, something ground into her very bones… one-sided, yet unwavering unto death.
The snow fell harder. Naruto, Choji, and Kiba, three hopeless idiots, sat on a snow-laden rooftop, watching as dusk settled in.
"Man, how does a guy as awful as Naruto have Ino and Hinata wrapped around his finger?" Kiba grumbled, "I treat people way better than him, but I never get the same treatment!"
"Naruto's just too good at sweet-talking." Choji sighed, "He has weaseled his way out of so many shuraba! And a few times, he even threw me under the bus to do it. What a scumbag!"
"Man, you guys are missing the point. What do you mean 'sweet-talking'? If even you two can figure it out, do you really think Hinata and Ino can't?" Naruto smirked, "You two just don't get it. Asking questions like that means you're probably just..."
"But I treat her right! I'm not out here flirting with everyone like you!"
"Treating her right isn't the same as love. Everyone wants something different, you get me?" Naruto shrugged.
"But I'm an honest man. I'd never make her worry." Kiba argued, "What's wrong with that?"
"Yeah, but they don't like 'honest men'. They like good-looking honest men." Naruto shot Kiba a sidelong glance, "Or guys with some other standout trait. Nobody falls for someone just because they're 'nice'."
"Then what am I supposed to do? I've given her everything, and she still thinks I'm childish." Kiba scratched his head, turning to Naruto, "Do you think I'm childish?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes and replied, "Yeah, kind of."
"You…!" Kiba bristled.
"Why not find someone who actually matches your vibe? Why hang yourself on one tree?"