Chapter 40: Fight or Flight
It had been so long since Naruto set foot on Training Ground Three. The brown tree stumps were still there, and probably would be for a long time. Genin other than him had to be tied up there, after all. It wasn't fun at all, but this was still the place where he became part of a team, where his journey as a genin really began.
Now, he was going to fight a close-range specialist of Tsunade's choosing. A close-range specialist had to be good at taijutsu, kenjutsu or both, meaning that they would try to keep him from making hand seals. Even though he wasn't a slouch at close range, it wouldn't be a walk in the park, especially since he didn't know who he was fighting.
That being said, there wasn't much point in wondering who his opponent could be. Part of being a ninja was adapting to unpredictable situations, something he was quite good at. All he had to do was prepare. Earlier this morning, he visited Takeshi at the Dragon's Claw weapons and ninja apparel shop.
Meeting Takeshi had been pretty nice. He hadn't changed that much, he'd been proud of his growth and as always, he gave him a good deal. He agreed to sell him a variety of customized smoke bombs at a discount, and he also agreed to repair his tantō whenever he needed it. Samui had taught him how to maintain his weapons, but he wasn't as... passionate about it as she was.
Overall, he made the most out of his visit. There had been one wrinkle, but he was able to put it out of his mind. He had a fight to focus on.
When he reached the field, he saw Tsunade waiting for him, a hand on her hip.
"Glad you could make it, Naruto," she said. Oddly enough, she wasn't wearing her green coat.
Naruto looked around, making sure he knew exactly who was watching him. Jiraiya was there, which made a decent amount of sense if Tsunade wanted a second opinion. Shizune was Tsunade's right-hand woman. She was also holding Tsunade's coat in her arms.
He wasn't sure why Samui or Yugito were around, even though he was pleased to see them both. Finally, there was the Third Hokage. He made eye contact with the old man, and all of his lies and deception burst their way to the front of his mind, begging for release. Sarutobi didn't react to his penetrating stare, other than a small frown. If he wasn't going to play his hand, he'd do the same, and put on a cold front.
"Less than five minutes before your fight and you're daydreaming," Tsunade said. "And here I thought you were ready."
Naruto turned away from Sarutobi and faced Tsunade. "I thought this was going to be a private test."
"It is private," Tsunade said. "Shizune will be serving as our healer. Jiraiya's your master, so he'll be sure to fill me in on any details I missed. As for our guests from the Hidden Cloud, I thought it would be a good idea to let them watch you put on a good show before they left."
There was one other person she failed to mention, but Tsunade smiled, as if she knew what he was thinking. "And we can't forget about the Professor. I want him to see with his own eyes just how capable you really are, so you'd better not hold anything back."
Naruto's lips curled downwards. "Of course. Who am I going to be fighting?"
Tsunade smirked. "Me."
He kept his cold mask up, but he allowed the slightest of smiles to slip past it. "Are you sure? You don't want anyone else to fight me instead, Grandma?"
If Tsunade really was going to fight him, he needed every advantage he could get, and if he had to taunt her to make her mad, then he was going to do it.
"I had a few other candidates in mind for your fight, but none of them were a perfect match. Not only that, the prospect of fighting you myself was too good to pass up. It lets me see your skills in action first-hand. And..." Tsunade slammed her fist into her palm. "It lets me work out a bit of frustration."
Naruto's throat went dry. "Are there any rules for this fight?"
"Yes, there are," Tsunade said. "To make things fair, I won't use the seal on my forehead. You can't use your seal, either. Neither of us can use the summoning jutsu for a helping hand. This fight ends when someone gets knocked out or ten minutes pass. Sounds fair?"
He swallowed, and took a second to calm himself. Tsunade had a fierce reputation behind her, but she wasn't unbeatable.
"It does."
"Good. I'll give you a couple of minutes to get ready. Use this time wisely."
Tsunade went over to Shizune; from what he heard, it sounded like she was giving her attendant some instructions. Naruto chose to speak to Jiraiya.
"Got any advice?" Naruto said.
"She can't hit you if she doesn't get close to you," Jiraiya said. "Everything else is on you to figure out."
He blew out some hot air. That was what he planned to do, but he would have liked something else he could use.
"I can do that. Thanks, sensei."
Jiraiya smiled. "You're welcome, Naruto. Good luck."
He looked at Samui. She gave him a nod. There wasn't a hint of concern on her face, which meant that she was confident he'd succeed. In response, he gave her a thumbs-up. Like she advised him, he planned to make use of all his skills.
Yugito smiled at him. "You got this. Don't back down."
He smiled at her. "Thanks, Yugito."
Shizune approached him. "Ready to start, Naruto?"
Naruto nodded. "I am."
He was directed to stand twenty metres away from Tsunade, while Shizune stood in between them, on the side. Meanwhile, the other spectators watched from the relative safety of the nearby forest. He knew this training ground fairly well, and its abundance of water along with the cover of the trees and the long field of grass would serve his purposes quite nicely.
"Are you ready, Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked. Tsunade nodded. "Then let the fight begin!"
Tsunade raised her arms up in a firm fighting stance, but she hadn't moved an inch. Was she waiting for him to make the first move, or trying to psych him out by doing nothing?
If she was going to let him attack, then he was going to see what she could take. First, he made three Shadow Clones. One weaved through hand seals, while the second rushed towards her. Tsunade still hadn't moved. Naruto weaved through three hand seals and sucked in air. On the fourth seal, he blew out harsh, nail-biting winds that whipped towards Tsunade.
The third Shadow Clone turned on the spot and ran towards the lake, just as the first clone's genjutsu infiltrated Tsunade's mind. Naruto placed his own genjutsu before Tsunade could break it, intending to have his Shadow Clone keep her under pressure with the tantō while it took hold.
Two seconds later, the clone reached Tsunade and slashed at her stomach. She took one step back, letting the blade nick her skin, before grabbing the clone's wrist. The clone took the brunt of Naruto's wind jutsu, and it dispelled, smoke spewing around her. She brought her leg up high and slammed it.
The ground imploded, making his last clone stumble from the shockwave. Tsunade got in close and crushed the clone with a single punch.
"Is that the best you've got?" Tsunade asked.
In four moves, Tsunade had dismantled his opening salvo, taking minuscule damage to break his genjutsu while simultaneously countering his clones so quickly that they couldn't react before they were destroyed.
He kept calm. It was just a matter of making an opening for himself. The genjutsu he tried to place on her was supposed to be a distraction: she would think he was further away than he was and get complacent. Now, he knew that she probably wouldn't attack unless he did, so he had to try something else.
With a nod to his clone on the water, Naruto moved in. Tsunade slipped into her stance again. Naruto prepared another genjutsu, and when he completed his hand seals, he pulled out a kunai and threw it. It was about to make contact with her chest, but she thrust her finger inside the ring, spun it around and gripped the handle.
By the time she could throw the kunai, Naruto was ready to stab her with his tantō, but she dodged it. Naruto lashed out with a rising kick, but she dodged that, too. He tried again, trying to hit her with punches and kicks, thrusts and slashes, but she dodged every single one of his attacks with such contemptuous ease. Judging from the smug smile on her face, she was enjoying the fact that he couldn't touch her.
Then she lunged with the kunai in her hand, forcing him to block her attack. For a moment, he tested his strength against hers. She took the bait and pushed back. With his other hand, he grabbed Tsunade's wrist and implanted chakra inside her system.
A second later, she overwhelmed him and stabbed his chest with the kunai. He staggered back. Her eyes became glassy, unfocused. Her jaw wobbled.
"Naruto? You're bleeding."
Naruto jumped back as far as he could. His timing was perfect, as a wild wave of water swamped Tsunade, drowning her entirely. It gushed against the trees, petering out. When the water passed, Tsunade was still standing, but she was soaked from head to toe, shivering in her sandals. She was utterly frightened.
It was time to finish her off.
He made a beeline towards Tsunade, ready to finish this fight. One moment she was frozen. The next, her eyes grew dangerously sharp. She punched his cheek, launching him off his feet and through the air. Naruto hit the ground with a harsh thump, knocking the wind out of his lungs.
The clone had come to his aid, but as soon as he left the water, Tsunade threw Naruto's kunai at him with such force that it burst through the clone's chest and kept on going.
Naruto groaned. Fortunately, he was still holding his tantō. He leaped to his feet, wincing when he felt his cheek throb.
"That wasn't a bad tactic, Naruto," Tsunade said. "Delaying the activation of your genjutsu is some out of the box thinking, and it very nearly worked. And that genjutsu you used, that was something."
He made her think she'd stabbed him. Blood spilled from his wound, flooding the field – which would coincide with the Water jutsu his clone used. The way she freaked out made him think that she was out for the count. If he knew she was afraid of blood, he would have used that to his advantage from the start. However, it ended up being a trap.
Good thing she hadn't enhanced her punch with chakra, or else he'd be done for. That said, she had taken two attacks from him so far, and one of them would be enough to seriously disorient a weaker ninja.
Jiraiya had been right: she couldn't hit him if she wasn't close to him. However, she would use herself as bait in order to counter his attacks.
"I've seen enough," Tsunade said. "It's time to put you in your place."
Tsunade ran at him and jumped high, forcing him to move or get hurt. When she landed, dirt and grass and rocks flew all around her, funnelling outward like a tornado. Stray debris hit Naruto's chest and arms. In the chaos, Naruto formed three clones and watched Tsunade's movements.
The dirt might have separated them, but she barrelled through, fist charging towards him while saturated with chakra. His eyes widened like huge plates and he threw himself to the side, rolling out of the way.
He caught a smirk on her face as he stood up. One of his clones ran in to join the fray, Rasengan ready to break her back, but Tsunade used her back foot to pivot and slap Naruto's arm to the side. Cutting winds battered them both, slicing through the clone to attack Tsunade.
Sensing a quick burst of chakra, Naruto flew through hand seals. Tsunade held her arms in front of her face, quickly being sliced in thin cuts, but it was only a ruse. She replaced herself with his third clone, who took the hit in her place. However, he was ready, and unleashed a large stream of fire at her.
His last standing clone added fuel to the flames with more wind, turning the stream into a raging inferno. Tsunade was caught in the crossfire, but Naruto wasn't satisfied. Both he and his clone ran towards the trees, and it was the right call to make.
Tsunade had burrowed beneath the earth soon after the inferno appeared, avoiding the worst of the attack. She was swimming towards them at a frighteningly fast speed. His clone grabbed his arm and spun, swinging him high into the air, and for its efforts, Tsunade sprouted from the ground and crushed its jaw with a mighty uppercut.
Naruto was still airborne, and if he could summon, he'd have a toad break his fall. However, he had other ways to move. He made two more clones, and had them throw him at the forest. They fell to level ground to distract Tsunade with whatever they could.
He'd found footing in the canopies, taking a second to breathe. Tsunade had an answer for every move he made, and she could take whatever he dished out. Genjutsu wouldn't distract her for long enough. His parasite trick wouldn't work a second time, since he didn't have a medium he could use to keep her placid.
Even layering genjutsu would take time, time she wouldn't give him: her control over her chakra was immaculate, allowing her to detect any oddities in her chakra network the moment they were implanted.
As long as she had something to use as a shield, she could avoid his attacks, and even if there wasn't, he couldn't afford to trade blows, not when she could unleash her super strikes at a moment's notice or weave around his attacks like she was a leaf floating in the wind.
His mind was assaulted by an influx of memories, memories of his clones' bodies exploding from the sheer force of Tsunade's punches.
"Come on out, Naruto," Tsunade said. She'd done it without even blinking.
He had about three or so minutes left, and he was so focused on winning that he forgot about the time limit. He didn't have to win, he just had to show off all of his skills. All of them, even ones that he'd just learned or barely used.
He had six clones run out of the forest. Once they stepped foot on the grass, he put his plan into motion.
"No way, Grandma," Naruto said. A breeze blew out throughout the battlefield, and it carried his voice. "You think you're so tough because you can hit people really hard, but that's all you have. No ninjutsu, no genjutsu, just fists. How can you call yourself one of the Sannin?"
Tsunade frowned. "Cut the crap. I know you're hiding behind clones like a coward. Is that what you do, run and hide when you can't kill your enemy in a single shot?"
His clones were in position. Three surrounded her, while the other three were spread out.
"As long as I win, it doesn't matter how I do it," Naruto said. "NOW!" He transformed. "I will defeat you!"
The clones surrounding Tsunade dropped black smoke bombs. The clones that were spread out formed a tornado that contained the smoke. Tsunade was sneezing, hacking and wheezing from the acrid smoke. These bombs weren't laced with poison, but something more mundane: pepper.
He waited for her to make a move, and when he sensed movement, he jumped out of the trees. Tsunade had risen from the ground again, and with one fluid kick, she shredded through the bark and split the tree apart.
The other Tsunade was still fighting off Naruto's smoke attack. She had less chakra than the Tsunade standing in the forest. When had she made the Shadow Clone, when he was taking a breather? No, it was just after she had defeated his clones, before he projected his voice. His clones were able to defeat the other Tsunade, but it didn't matter.
Good thing he'd transformed.
"Samui? Why are you in the trees?" Tsunade asked.
"I wanted a better vantage point."
"Go back to Jiraiya and the other spectators," Tsunade said, stepping over a small piece of bark.
'Samui' jumped next to Tsunade. "You won't win. Naruto will find a way to beat you."
"Let me worry about that. You can nurse your boyfriend back to health before you go home."
"That won't be necessary."
A smoke bomb clattered to the ground. It released orange smoke, one that had capsaicin, the stuff that made food spicy.
"What?"
Tsunade's eyes watered up. Samui ducked under Tsunade's swinging backfist and thrust with a thin blade. Tsunade managed to move around it and grabbed Samui's wrist. However, Samui grinned.
"Got you, Grandma."
The Hokage's face twisted into a rictus of pain as a Rasengan touched her back. Samui dispelled, and when the Rasengan exploded immediately after, Tsunade was shot towards the nearest tree. She bounced off it and fell.
Naruto blew the smoke away, before breathing in and out in deep gulps. Part of her kimono shirt was burned, revealing a nasty wound. She wasn't moving. She wasn't a clone, either.
That was close. That was really close. If she saw through his ruse, it wouldn't have worked. That's why he didn't transform into Jiraiya or Shizune: instead of lulling her into a false sense of security, he'd make a mistake, whether it was through phrasing or body language, and it would cost him.
However, he knew Samui quite well, well enough to impersonate her properly. He'd done it once during their partnership, in a rather unusual mission. It worked then, and it worked again. The Rasengan was a risky move, too, since if he didn't have perfect control over it, he might have seriously injured the Hokage in what was supposed to be a spar.
Shizune was coming, and he decided to give them a wide berth, for his own protection. Shizune gasped after seeing Tsunade, but she immediately went to check her body. Just as she crouched, Tsunade stood up, like she hadn't taken a Rasengan to her back, like her skin wasn't scalded from the inferno she had barely managed to avoid.
"Don't run now, Naruto," Tsunade said. She faced him, a wicked scowl on her face. "We still have time."
Naruto took a step back. Then another. And another. "How?"
"I've gone through much worse," Tsunade said. "Now come on, let's finish this!"
He couldn't run, but he didn't have to fight, either. He could wait it out. He'd proven himself. And with that one thought, he was able to clamp down on the sheer terror than engulfed his mind. Will himself into coming up with a new plan, another method of attack. She couldn't have been at full strength, there was no way.
"Time!" Shizune said.
Naruto's heart hammered against his chest. Tsunade pushed her chin up, staring him in the face. For a second, he thought she'd ignore Shizune and continue the fight. Then, her scowl gave way to a smile.
"Looks like the fight's over," Tsunade said, making Naruto sigh from utter relief. She stepped forward and bit back a gasp. "Ugh, my back hurts."
Shizune was immediately behind Tsunade, hands sending healing chakra into her back. Combined with Tsunade's own healing, the injuries she sustained were patched up, allowing her to move unimpeded.
"Do you need any help, Naruto?" Shizune asked.
He nodded. A purple bruise had taken shape on his cheek. Shizune gently set a palm bathed in green chakra on it, soothing his aches and pains. In less than a minute, his injury was gone.
"I feel so much better," Naruto said. "Thanks, Shizune."
Shizune smiled. "You're welcome."
The way Shizune was at hand to soothe Tsunade's aches reminded him of his own efforts to help Samui out. The fact that Tsunade and Samui were of... similar shape was just a coincidence.
"Do you help out Gr – I mean, the Hokage whenever she has back problems?" Naruto asked.
"I do," Shizune said. "Most of the time, though, Lady Tsunade can take care of herself."
"It's something I worked on once the problem came up," Tsunade said. "It's a trade secret, though."
Naruto snorted. "Just like your anti-aging jutsu, right?" He slapped his hands to his mouth. "Sorry. Forget I said that."
"Let's get back to the others," Tsunade said. She smirked. "Unless you want to go another round?"
"I think he's had enough," Shizune said.
She was right, even though he wouldn't say it out loud. After everything that happened, he didn't want to get into another fight with Tsunade if he could help it.
Together, they reached the main field of the training ground. It had seen better days: flames still ate at the grass, parts of the field had been uprooted or crushed, and there were puddles and pools of water large enough to wade through.
"We really did all this?" Naruto asked.
"We did," Tsunade said. "I'll have a full assessment written up for you to check out, but I got what I wanted from our spar. I'm very impressed."
Naruto smiled. "Thank you. It was a pretty tough fight."
"Well, I couldn't take you lightly," Tsunade said. "And besides, your head was getting too big for your shoulders."
If that was what she wanted to call it, he wasn't going to argue. He'd wait until some time had passed before he tried his luck.
"Why would you call Lady Tsunade 'Grandma', Naruto?" Shizune asked.
He shrugged. "We're related."
Shizune frowned. "That might be the case, but our Hokage isn't your grandmother, so she deserves the proper form of address."
"I know that," Naruto said. "There's a time and a place for everything. Besides, Lady Tsunade can take it."
Tsunade grabbed her coat and pulled it on. "You're lucky I can. Some people might take offense."
Shizune sighed. "As long as no one's feelings are hurt, then I guess it's fine."
"Don't worry, Shizune, I know what I'm doing," Tsunade said.
"At least he hasn't called you Princess," Sarutobi said. Along with Jiraiya, Samui and Yugito, the Third had deigned to join them.
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "I'd prefer if you kept that to yourself, Sarutobi-sensei. Besides, I think you've done more than enough to shape Naruto's young mind."
Sarutobi had a sad little frown on his face, but he'd get no sympathy from Naruto. "Yes, of course. However, due praise must be given, and Naruto was quite excellent throughout this fight."
Naruto felt a tinge of something white-hot, as joy from Sarutobi's honest praise was consumed by fury he forced back down. He chose to nod.
"When the fight went into the forest, I thought we were going to miss out," Jiraiya said. "Luckily, Sarutobi-sensei let us peer through his crystal ball. You did great, Naruto."
"Thanks, sensei," Naruto said.
He'd seen the crystal ball before, but he hadn't paid it any mind. Maybe that was why the old man always seemed to know what he was doing. It was yet another thing he planned to ask him when the time came, but he had another meeting waiting for him.
Yugito smiled at him. "That was one hell of a fight, Naruto. Makes me wonder how I'd do against you."
"If I'm ever in the Hidden Cloud, maybe I'll test myself against you," Naruto said.
"I'm looking forward to it," Yugito said.
Samui stared at him. "Just what I'd expect from you."
Naruto smiled. "I try."
He managed to last ten minutes against Tsunade, pulling off all sorts of tricks off, even managing to force her on the back foot. He learned a couple of good things from the fight, and hopefully, he made a strong enough impression on Tsunade to get promoted.
Now that his fight with Tsunade was over, there was one matter left to resolve: seeing Samui and Yugito off before they returned home. Since it was lunch time, Naruto escorted them to Yakiniku Q, a restaurant that specialized in barbecue. Shikamaru's team were frequent customers, but this was the first time he'd set foot inside without Shikamaru around.
It didn't take long for them to order and receive their food. The steak sizzled on the grill, the tender meat sliding off the kebab stick and melting in his mouth.
"I'd bet you're really flattered that Naruto knew you so well, huh, Samui?" Yugito said, grinning like, well, a cat.
"I'd be surprised if he failed to impersonate me," Samui said. They were sitting next to each other, with Yugito facing them. "If anything, he's only improved."
Naruto smiled. "I'm just glad that it worked."
The conversation turned to other topics, like what they'd been up to during their stay in the Leaf. He found out that Samui had taken a long nap after reaching the ambassador hotel, since she was still tired and sore. As for Yugito, she had gone on a tour of the village over the past couple of days.
"I ran into someone you knew, Naruto," Yugito said. "Hinata Hyūga."
"Really?" Naruto asked, before it hit him. "What did she say?"
Yugito frowned. "She told me about how Neji was doing."
"He was doing fine when we saw him," Samui said, after finishing off a slab of meat.
"You guys met him?" Yugito asked. She tore into some juicy ribs, but she seemed distracted, almost.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, in the Land of Rivers. We worked on a mission together."
Yugito swallowed her food, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I wish I saw him. He's off on a mission. Can you imagine that? Hinata told me about everything he did to recover in painstaking detail. I got the impression she wasn't very fond of what I did." She frowned, again. "I don't really blame her. I beat up her teammate, then I nearly crippled her cousin."
"It was an official tournament," Samui said. "And Neji was willing to kill you. He'd already killed one of our comrades, and he would have killed Hiromi. You had to protect yourself."
"I get that, but I wasn't ever in danger from dying," Yugito said. "I regretted going so far back then, and even if he became a better person, it shouldn't have come at such a high cost. The Hokage couldn't completely fix his right hand, so he has to go in for treatment after every mission to heal it, and he had to adjust his fighting style to compensate for the injury."
Naruto frowned. He couldn't imagine going through such an injury, and it was Neji who had tried to convince him to end Deidara's suffering before Samui had convinced him to finish Deidara off.
It seemed like he wasn't the only one who was troubled, as Samui pursed her lips. "I noticed. Neji has become a better person. He showed great courage in finding a way to continue living as a ninja. That hasn't erased what he did." She glanced at Naruto. "I can forgive, but I will never forget."
Yugito shook her head. "I dunno, I can't hold someone's past against them if they're different now. I get not forgetting, but that's the kind of stuff I don't try to hold onto."
"Did you talk to Hinata about other stuff?" Naruto asked, trying to diffuse the building tension.
"We did," Yugito said. "Other than the Neji topic, we had a pretty pleasant conversation. Honestly, I thought she'd be a wallflower, but that girl found a spine. I wonder how she'd do if you guys had a rematch."
Naruto shrugged. "If we fought, I wouldn't underestimate her."
Like Yugito said, Hinata found a spine. She wouldn't let him run over her. Mentioning Hinata was enough to dissuade any arguments from escalating.
After they finished their lunch, Samui and Yugito decided to pay the fee, including his share. He would have paid for it, but they insisted, a pretty nice gesture. He walked with them to the village gates, and when they reached them, he stopped while they walked just past the entrance.
"So... this is it," he said.
"It is," Yugito said. She turned around, a wide smile appeared on her face. "It was good seeing you, Naruto. Thanks for everything."
Naruto smiled. "Don't mention it. You'd do the same for me, right?"
"That's right."
Samui came up to him, a million and one things visible in her deep, vibrant blue eyes. He didn't have to overthink this, just speak from the heart. There was a lot he wanted to say to her, but would a simple look or expression be enough to convey what he felt? He didn't want to say goodbye.
"Why don't you escort us part of the way, Naruto?" Yugito asked. "You have some free time, right?"
Naruto broke away from Samui's unflinching gaze. "I do."
"Let's go, then," Samui said.
There was a lot riding on his mind, but for the time being, he put those thoughts aside so he could live in the moment. After all, he might never have another chance to spend time with Samui, or Yugito for that matter.
For the next hour or so, Naruto ran alongside his friends from the Hidden Cloud, enjoying the conversation he had with them. Apparently, a contingent of Cloud ninja would be meeting them once they entered the Land of Frost. Just because the Akatsuki were currently busy didn't mean they could afford to take any chances. He planned to be gone before that.
Part of him wanting to preserve this moment for as long as he could, where he didn't have to return home alone and confront a reality that seemed to be inevitable in some ways. Part of him thought about leaving the Hidden Leaf altogether, and finding a place to stay in the Cloud with Samui. Maybe he could become Raikage one day.
Or maybe not; he wouldn't abandon his home. His mind was just wandering. He thought he was ready, and that was why he put things into motion, but he was still uncertain, unsure if he could handle things properly by himself. He'd been so grateful for the help he had, and he knew that he'd never be alone. It was just... strange that he'd already reached this point.
"We're here," Samui said.
Naruto frowned. "Yeah, we are."
Yugito chuckled to herself. "I'll give you two some time to say goodbye." She walked away from them, just outside of an ordinary ninja's hearing distance. All this time had let him think about exactly what he wanted to say.
"I want to thank you, Samui," Naruto said. "You've done so much for me, and I really enjoyed all the time I spent with you. Thank you for teaching me how to use a sword. Thank you for trusting me. I couldn't have asked for a better partner."
"You're welcome," Samui said. "I never thought this would happen, but I'm glad that it did."
Naruto smiled. "So am I."
He closed the distance between them and hugged her, arms wrapped around her waist. She immediately returned his embrace, and he savoured her warmth, the comfort he felt by holding her in his arms and being held by someone who trusted him and cared about him.
Eventually, he had to let go. When he did, Samui set her hand on his cheek, rubbing his whiskers.
"You know what to do," Samui said.
"I know."
She took her hand away, and kissed him in the same place. Fireworks burst in his brain and warmed up his face, causing a pink blush to spread from cheek to cheek.
"Farewell, Naruto."
"Not goodbye?" Naruto asked.
Samui smiled, revealing pearly white teeth. "I plan on seeing you again one day. I don't know when or how, but I'll find a way. That's why I won't say goodbye."
Naruto's smile grew until he could barely contain it. "Then I won't say goodbye, either. Farewell, Samui."
His partner and his friend walked away, not out of his life, but to join Yugito so that they could return home. He watched both of them leave until they left his sight, and continue to sense them until their chakra signatures left his vision.
Naruto stood there long after they left, taking in the sun beaming on his face and arms, the smell of the pine trees and grass entering his nose, the wind whipping against his clothes. He was finally on his own. It was time to get to work.
So he turned around, took in a deep breath and let it out. He'd be alright, no matter what happened. All the butterflies in his stomach couldn't take that away from him. Nothing could, because when he set his mind to doing something, he wouldn't let anything stop him until it was done.
Author's Note: Thanks go to Hardwin Potter for giving this story its 1000th review and inspiring the fight that occurred this chapter.
I'm quite flattered by all the support Samui received. While the constant desire for Naruto to 'choose' her kind of got overbearing, I can understand and appreciate the enthusiasm behind it. I did have a good foundation to work with when it came to her and her relationship with Naruto, but I had to think about where I wanted to take their relationship. This was the result.
Hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to review and share your thoughts.
