Chapter 151: Two Visitors

[ Hey everyone! 😊

Just a quick update from your friendly neighborhood author! Since I didn't get any feedback on the chapter frequency, I've decided to stick with one chapter per day for now. 📘✨

If you'd like more frequent updates, I'm totally open to speeding things up—but I'd really appreciate it if you could drop a quick comment and let me know what works best for you!

Thanks a ton for all the support and love so far—it seriously means the world. ❤️

Stay awesome ]

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A nurse entered the room where Neji and Tenten rested, clipboard in hand and a no-nonsense expression on her face.

"Alright, visiting hours are over. They need rest," she said firmly.

Naruto raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, we're leaving! Just… take good care of them, yeah?"

"That's literally my job," the nurse replied with a sigh, shooing them out like a herd of noisy kids.

Outside the room, the group slowly filtered out, leaving Tenten and Neji behind to rest.

"Where to next, Naruto?" Ino asked, latching onto his arm without hesitation.

Naruto yawned and stretched. "Let's crash somewhere. I need, like… a thousand hours of sleep."

Karin's eyes narrowed slightly. "What about Lee?"

Hinata and Ino nodded in concern.

Naruto paused, his tone shifting to serious. "I checked during the fight. He has to undergo surgery. Even with Granny Tsunade's skills, there's only a fifty percent chance of success. We should give him space for now."

Hinata's face paled. "Fifty percent? Is it really that bad, Naruto-kun?"

He gave a solemn nod. "Yeah. It's serious. But…"

Then he smiled, bright and unwavering.

"Don't worry. He's got Tsunade—the greatest medical ninja in the world. He'll pull through. I know he will."

That hope, that belief, settled like warm sunlight around them. The three girls nodded, their expressions softening as they walked beside him, smiles slowly blooming.

Just as they turned the corner, Naruto stretched again with a lazy grin. "Man, I need a serious nap."

"You didn't even fight seriously," a teasing voice called out.

Naruto smirked without looking. "Didn't know you were bold enough to walk up and talk to me again, Kin."

Kin walked beside them, arms crossed and eyes sharp. "I don't waste time on the weak. But you? You might just be worth a second look."

"Oh, so now I'm interesting?"

"Don't push your luck," she replied, but the smirk on her face gave her away.

Ino leaned over to Karin and whispered urgently, "Karin. Do something. Those two are straight-up flirting."

"And Naruto-kun is too loose with girls," Hinata added, unusually blunt. "She's from another village. What if she betrays us?"

Ino blinked. "Wait, Hinata? Are you… jealous?"

Hinata's eyes widened, a blush flooding her cheeks. "W-What? N-No, I was just—"

Karin gave a chuckle and whispered, "Ino, you really don't know her like I do. You think you're the most possessive? You're not. And neither am I. But Hinata? She's got it bad."

Hinata tried to wave it off, hand between them, her face now deep crimson.

Naruto turned around, eyebrow raised. "What are you three whispering about?"

"Nothing, Naruto-kun!" Hinata replied too fast, voice high and flustered.

Both Naruto and Kin squinted suspiciously at them.

Then, in a rare save, Karin casually redirected. "So, Kin… where are your teammates?"

Kin shrugged, entirely unfazed. "They're not friends. Just people I got paired with for the Chūnin Exams."

Karin blinked. "No bonds? No 'believe in the heart of the team' speeches?"

Kin gave a wry smile. "Is that a Konoha thing? That teammates are supposed to be friends?"

"Well yeah," Naruto chimed in. "We grew up together. We've got bonds deeper than missions."

"Hmph… must be nice," Kin said, her voice quieter now. "I never really had people I could call friends."

That made Ino, Hinata, and Karin pause. All their earlier jealousy flickered away, replaced by something softer—guilt, maybe even empathy.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and said, "Well… now you do."

Kin blinked. "Huh?"

"You've got me, Karin, Hinata, Ino, Sakura, Tenten… we're your friends now," he said, counting them off on his fingers, holding them up proudly. "That's like… what? Seven already? There are even more."

Kin looked at the group—some smiling, some bashful, but all open to her in that typical warm Konoha way.

"…Yeah," she said softly, a genuine smile forming for the first time. "I guess I do."

Naruto scratched his cheek, eyes drifting toward Kin. "Wanna come with me to—"

Before he could finish, three pairs of hands shoved him forward like he was a rogue shopping cart on wheels.

"He just needs some sleep," Karin said with a stiff smile, stepping in between them like a bouncer.

"Yup, deep rest. Like coma-level," Ino added, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"He's very tired. Very, very tired," Hinata said, her voice unusually firm as she gently tugged Naruto away, ears practically glowing pink.

Naruto stumbled forward, blinking. "Huh? What just—?"

Kin blinked, too, then smirked as the light bulb went off in her head. Jealousy, huh?

She let out a soft, amused laugh. So this is what it feels like... being wanted? The sensation was new—but oddly... warm.

Then, from a good distance away, Naruto turned back around, shouting like he'd just remembered something critical.

"Kin! Don't worry, I'll see you tomorrow! We can have our little date then!"

The girls froze mid-step.

Kin raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. Bold. So very Naruto.

She folded her arms and watched him being dragged away, still grinning like an idiot. "I'll be waiting, idiot."

As the four of them strolled down the quiet road toward the Uzumaki residence, the amber light of the setting sun cast long shadows behind them.

"I didn't know you three were this possessive," Naruto said with a teasing grin. "Honestly? I feel honored."

Karin rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide the smirk tugging at her lips. "What are we supposed to do, huh? You flirt with girls like it's a full-time job. We've gotta keep your recklessness in check before you accidentally charm an enemy spy or something."

Ino flicked her hair dramatically. "Seriously, while the rest of us were fighting for our lives in the Chūnin Exams, you somehow found time to flirt with not one, but two different girls."

"Y-Yes, Naruto-kun…" Hinata said, a hint of pout in her voice. "You already have five girlfriends. D-Do you really need more?"

Naruto stopped walking, turned around with that signature grin of his—the one that made hearts flutter and brows furrow.

"Heh. I get it, I know where each of you is coming from." He walked up to them, soft warmth in his voice. "But you know me—I appreciate beauty when I see it. And when someone confesses to me with sincerity… how can I just turn that down?"

He cupped each of their cheeks gently and kissed all three—one by one.

"I love all of you. No less. No more. Equally. Fully. Completely," he said, his voice low, honest, and deeply sincere.

The three girls blushed—each flustered in their own unique way—but none of them protested.

Just then, a new voice rang out from behind them.

"Hey! You four! Do you know where Kushina is?"

They all turned swiftly, eyes narrowing with caution.

Two hooded figures stood there, shrouded in dusk's orange veil.

Naruto instinctively stepped in front of the girls. "Yeah… I'll show you the way."

He didn't know who they were. But if they were looking for his mom, he wasn't about to let them wander in alone.

And just like that, the six of them walked toward the Uzumaki residence—the peaceful path ahead now holding a whisper of mystery.

The door creaked open as the group stepped into the Uzumaki residence.

"Mom, I'm back!" Naruto called out cheerfully, already kicking off his sandals like a kid returning from school, not someone who just survived a deadly exam.

Kushina, drying her hands after finishing up in the kitchen, stepped into the living room. Her crimson hair shimmered slightly in the evening light. Her eyes instantly softened at the sight of her son and the girls—but then narrowed as they landed on the two hooded strangers behind them.

She didn't speak at first, just raised a brow, before shifting her gaze back to Naruto.

"How was the Chūnin Exams experience?" she asked, voice calm, as if she wasn't already sizing up the guests like a kunoichi ready to pounce.

Naruto flopped dramatically onto the sofa. "It was the best! I had a blast!"

Kushina chuckled softly. Still such a kid.

Then Karin stepped forward, arms crossed, clearly ready to snitch with big sister energy. "Mom, you won't believe it. During the exams, he flirted with not one—but two girls. Both from different villages!"

Kushina sighed and rubbed her temple. "Honestly… What can we do about it? He's been like this since birth. Charming danger like it's his destiny."

Naruto laughed, scratching the back of his head. "What can I say? It's my ninja way."

But then Kushina's tone dropped, her eyes locking onto the two strangers.

"Who are they, Naruto?" she asked, suddenly serious.

Naruto shrugged. "No idea. They asked for you, so I brought them here."

Kushina stepped closer, her kunoichi instincts flaring like a blade being drawn. Her eyes sharpened as she approached the cloaked figures.

"I wasn't expecting visitors today," she said flatly. "So tell me—who the hell are you?"

A long pause followed, charged and tense.

Then, a woman's voice broke the silence with a wry, knowing lilt.

"You've never changed… even after all these years."

The two figures slowly reached for their hoods, pulling them down in sync.

The fabric slipped away.

And jaws dropped.

Every heart skipped a beat.

Kushina's eyes widened.

Naruto shot up from the couch, stunned.

Karin, Ino, and Hinata all gasped.

Even the air felt heavier.

"…You?" Kushina whispered, her voice caught somewhere between disbelief and recognition.