"It's been a long time, my warrior." Kazahana Koyuki gently brushed her long hair aside, her smile warm and bright, her eyes full of what seemed like longing and joy.
She stood at the gate of Konoha, wearing the same outfit from their first meeting, but now with a more grown-up charm. She looked at the warrior she loved.
Naruto was stunned.
At that moment, he finally understood what Tsunade's sly expression meant.
Hinata stood beside Naruto. Her face still held a gentle smile, but her hands were clenched into tight fists, veins showing at the corners of her eyes. Her Byakugan was active, as if she wanted to see right through Kazahana Koyuki.
To be fair... or not so fair, Naruto shouldn't know that Kazahana Koyuki likes him. In the original story, there was only that one photo of a kiss on the cheek.
But to be fair, this is fanfiction.
So, at the end in the Land of Snow, the not-so-fair Kazahana Koyuki swapped the camera for a video recorder and filmed the "final scene of The Princess of the Snow." Then, in a very fair way, she added that footage to the end credits of the movie.
Thanks to that lousy movie, ordinary people all over the ninja world thought Kazahana Koyuki and Uzumaki Naruto were a couple. Some even sneaked into Konoha to throw rotten eggs at Naruto.
When he walked out of the theater after watching the movie, his whole back was soaked in sweat. And worse, he had taken Hinata to see it. Thinking about that scene made Naruto want to strangle Kurama.
Kazahana Koyuki looked at Naruto's dazed face and laughed softly. "Don't you want to see me?"
"No no no no..." Naruto shook his head hard.
How could he not be happy to see a friend? Especially one he hadn't seen in a long time, and they'd been through so much together...
But Hinata was right there!
Naruto turned his head shakily to look at Hinata. What he saw was her gentle smiling face.
No Byakugan, no heavy atmosphere, no clenched fists.
Naruto (scratching his head): Where did that heavy feeling come from just now?
Anyway, Hinata didn't seem mad. Naruto let out a long breath, and his face finally returned to normal.
He smiled at Kazahana Koyuki. "It's been a while, Koyuki. Where are your guards? Didn't the three doctors come with you?"
Right now, Kazahana Koyuki was wearing the clothes she had on when she was an actress. Over these years, handling national affairs as the Daimyo had added a new quality to her—not the pressure of someone in power, but a warmer, more approachable feel.
Back then, Kazahana Koyuki always gave off a cold, icy impression, like she was keeping everyone at a distance.
Now, she seemed more like a beautiful big sister.
"With you protecting me, do I need the three doctors?" Kazahana Koyuki covered her mouth and laughed lightly. "I sent them back. I just wanted to be with you... oh, and your girl~friend~."
As she said this, Kazahana Koyuki turned her gaze to Hinata.
Naruto: "..."
Why did you drag out those last three words?
Kazahana Koyuki seemed not to notice Naruto's silence. She smiled and walked up to Hinata, extending her hand. "Hello, I'm Kazahana Koyuki, Naruto's friend. He did a mission escorting me before... You've seen The Princess of the Snow, right? That's the whole story of the mission."
The Princess of the Snow was basically the full record of Team 7's mission back then. They cut out some unnecessary training and stuff, and added a lot of interactions between Kazahana Koyuki and Team 7 afterward.
Anyway, that director hit the jackpot.
Hinata smiled and reached out to shake hands with Kazahana Koyuki. Her smile was incredibly gentle. "I'm Hinata Hyuga. I went to see The Princess of the Snow with Naruto before. You acted so well."
Kazahana Koyuki paused, her smile widening a bit. "Thank you, but actually, except for some added interactions, everything in it really happened."
"I know." Hinata nodded softly. "Naruto told me about it."
What about -kun?
Naruto felt a chill.
Before today, Hinata always called him Naruto-kun. Why had it suddenly become just Naruto today?
"Really? During the mission, Naruto told me about you too." Kazahana Koyuki smiled.
"At that time, I had just confessed to Naruto." Hinata said with a blush and a smile.
The two kept holding hands, looking at each other and smiling.
Naruto: OMO
Just as Naruto thought they might not let go, they both released their hands at the same time, in perfect sync.
Kazahana Koyuki went to Naruto's right side and took his hand. "For the rest of the way, I'll count on you to protect me, Naruto."
Hinata stood on Naruto's left and, blushing, took his other hand. "Naruto and I will protect you well."
Kazahana Koyuki looked at Hinata: "..."
Hinata looked at Kazahana Koyuki: "..."
Kazahana Koyuki: This woman is tough!
Hinata: I won't back down...
To be honest, Naruto isn't very smart. He probably couldn't pick up on the hidden meaning in their words.
But to be less honest, Naruto's senses are sharp. He could feel the tension between them.
He glanced at Kazahana Koyuki, then at Hinata. Both were smiling at him, but Naruto felt that only Kazahana Koyuki was really smiling.
Naruto tilted his head and looked at Kazahana Koyuki. "Koyuki, thanks for liking me. I passed out back then, so I couldn't give you an answer. So... thank you, but I'm sorry. The person I like is Hinata."
Kazahana Koyuki's smile froze completely.
Hinata was also frozen in place. It took her a while to blush and lower her head.
She didn't expect Naruto to be so direct... Well, Naruto had always been bold.
Naruto's expression was serious, just like when he responded to Hinata before—honest and responsible, telling the other person his true feelings, whether he liked them or not.
"You're... just the same as ever, Naruto." Kazahana Koyuki's voice sounded a bit down. She puffed out her cheeks like she was mad. "But that's what I like about you—straightforward, and you keep your word."
"Huh?" Naruto was dumbfounded.
Kazahana Koyuki laughed again. "Anyway, no matter what, I'm not giving up now. I'll challenge Hinata, let her know I like you too, and I'm not any less than her. If she's not careful, I'll take you away."
"Ah, this..." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, not sure how to reply.
But at that moment, Hinata looked at Kazahana Koyuki seriously. "I won't lose."
"That's the best." Kazahana Koyuki nodded, satisfied.
Unlike before, when it was a hidden battle, now it was out in the open.
This time, Naruto sensed their emotions again—one smiling, one down.
But now, the one smiling was Hinata, and the one down was Koyuki.
"No matter what, can you three leave first?" At the gate, Izumo and Kotetsu glared at the trio, their faces green with jealousy from all the lovey-dovey stuff. "You're in our way."
Guarding the gate and getting fed dog food was bad enough, but three people's worth? What the heck?
Naruto, does the Fourth Hokage know you're playing this wild?
---
You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
pat reon.com/GMadman