In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Chapter 414 Tender Yet Cruel

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Anko was probably born foolish, which is why her teacher, Orochimaru, abandoned her. But her persistence brought hope… there were always people who didn’t mind her foolishness.

"Go back on your own." Naruto repeated, "It’s too dangerous to carry out the mission with you. Well, you know the reason, so I’d rather go alone."

"Tsk, I don’t even want to go anyway." Anko curled her lips. She knew what Naruto was referring to, "It's just right, I’ll go home and take a vacation."

"Your vacation should be over now. If you go back, it’s straight back to work." Naruto reminded her deliberately.

"Then I’ll just slack off at work, it’ll be almost the same as taking a vacation." Anko shrugged nonchalantly, displaying the same cheeky expression as Anya from Spy x Family.

"You’re something else."

Watching Anko walk away, Naruto waited for a while before heading off in the opposite direction.

The Land of Rain’s mission could be put aside for now, as he seriously suspected Nagato was fishing. Besides, there wouldn’t be any trouble explaining things to Konoha, as the blame would fall on Anko as the team leader, not him.

Tanzaku Town.

He walked through the bustling market and stopped in front of a house. He pulled a key from his seal space and inserted it into the lock with practiced ease.

The heavy wooden door creaked open, and he heard the sound of hurried footsteps from upstairs. Tayuya stood barefoot on the second-floor balcony, gripping the railing as she looked down.

Three months. He had finally returned.

"You’re back?" Tayuya's voice wasn’t filled with excitement. It was calm, her words unhurried.

"Yeah." Naruto thought she was mad. After all, she hadn't heard from him since the end of the year.

In truth, he was not busy at ordinary times, and he had some free time during his time in the village. But even when he was free, he never thought of sending a letter or going over to visit.

Sakura was right… Aside from Ino and Hinata, Naruto was quite heartless toward everyone else. Not heartless exactly, but more indifferent.

When he had left during the New Year, he’d said he needed time to think. And until he sorted everything out, he didn’t send a single message. Tanzaku Town wasn’t far from Konoha, but he hadn’t bothered to visit in all that time.

Three months had passed in a flash. If his thoughts hadn’t suddenly cleared, it would not be surprising if it took him six months, ten months, two years, or even three years to figure it out.

His heart is indeed made of stone. When his mind wasn’t clear, nothing would change, even after ten years. But once he figured things out, everything would fall into place, and he’d no longer be trapped by his thoughts.

"Are you in a bad mood?" Naruto asked as he went into the kitchen and poured a glass of water. When he came out, he leaned against the door, looking a little tired.

After resurrecting Orochimaru, he hadn’t rested at all. Whether it was summoning the Shinigami’s phantom or traveling, none of it had been easy on him.

Naruto had changed into a dark-colored windbreaker on the road, and by the time he arrived at Tanzaku Town, it was nearly dusk. Dust-covered and weary, he had simply said "I’m back" before heading to the kitchen for water.

After drinking a glass of water, his burning and itchy throat was soothed.

Tayuya was stunned for a moment when she heard Naruto's question.

"Me?"

"Is there anyone else here?" His tone was a bit teasing as he raised an eyebrow at Tayuya, leaning casually against the doorframe with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Tayuya lay on the couch in the living room, her pale legs draped over the edge, lazily flipping through TV channels with the remote in her hand.

"No." Tayuya responded quietly and didn’t say much after that.

The living room was quiet except for the sound of the television. Naruto didn’t mind. He put down the glass and headed upstairs to wash up as night fell.

By the time he came back downstairs from the bathroom, the living room was dark. The TV was still playing, but Tayuya was nowhere to be seen. She had probably gone upstairs.

Naruto considered for a moment and knocked on her door.

"What is it?" Tayuya asked, with no expression on her face.

"What are you mad about?" Naruto had just finished showering, his hair still slightly damp, his blonde locks falling loosely over his forehead. His voice was calm, and for once, there was a hint of warmth in his demeanor.

Seeing him like this, Tayuya unconsciously clenched her hands. It was the first time she had seen him act this way, genuinely lowering himself to comfort her. It almost made her feel uneasy.

In her impression, Naruto was never really a good person. He would use any method… threats, lies, manipulation, but never sweetness.

Yet, even knowing there would be no outcome, she had willingly let herself be deceived. Six years without seeing him hadn’t felt like a hardship, and these three months hadn’t been much different.

But seeing him again, without any warning, stirred up emotions she hadn’t felt before. She felt sad, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint why.

"I don't know." She said, standing in the doorway.

Tayuya’s red hair cascaded down, and she wore nothing but a burgundy oversized T-shirt that barely reached her thighs, like a short dress. The exposed skin of her legs gleamed pale white.

"Is it because this small town confines you, makes you feel out of place?" Naruto asked, his tone probing, "You should go to bigger places and see more scenery."

"Instead of staying here, cooped up in this house alone, just waiting for me to return, revolving your life around me… does this life make you feel suffocated?"

At that moment, Tayuya suddenly realized that the man in front of her was still as cruel as before. He had a knack for targeting the things she cared about, going straight for her weak spots.

"I don’t!" Tayuya bit her lower lip, raised her head, stared at him intently, and her eyes slowly turned red.

Even though she knew that this man was doing this on purpose, her heart still filled with a sense of grievance, ‘He clearly knew… I had told him before… that as long as he said the word, I would wait.’

Even if it took three years or thirty, she would wait. It had nothing to do with loneliness. It didn’t matter that this was a small place, or that there was nothing beautiful to see here.

In the past six years, she had traveled to countless places, met so many people, and seen endless sights. Yet after walking a thousand miles, after all the twists and turns, she still liked him.

He knew that, yet he still chose to say such things. He was still the same as before, tender yet cruel.