Boredom was a slow-acting poison, one that numbed the will and magnified every small annoyance into torture. And Naruto Uzumaki was losing that battle.
Lying on the luxurious futon in the inn, he stared at the dark wooden ceiling as if it held the secrets of the universe. It didn't. It only had a couple of water stains that, if he squinted, looked like a cloud shaped like a ramen bowl. He had been in the same position for an hour.
His right arm, immobilized and bandaged with an expertise that still amazed him, was a mass of dull ache and a maddening itch.
"The wound is itching… that's a good thing, right?" he murmured to himself, carefully poking the bandage with a finger from his good hand. "It's a sign that it's healing."
A tired smile formed on his face. He felt a vibration of energy inside him, a warm hum that wasn't the Kyubi's chakra, but something more his own, more stable. Uzumaki Resilience, he remembered, the name of the ability appearing in his mind like a familiar blue text. Accelerates healing of minor wounds. And reduces the effect of poisons and toxins.
'Well, my shattered arm wasn't exactly a "minor wound," but something's working,' he thought. The healing was abnormally fast. The pain was subsiding, and the itching was getting worse. 'That, and I have the world's best medic and her star apprentice as my personal doctors.'
The urge to get up and train was like an electric shock. He wanted to try the Rasengan again, to feel the swirl of chakra in his good hand. But the simple attempt to tense the muscles in his injured shoulder sent a jolt of pain so sharp it stole his breath.
"Okay, okay, the body says no. Not yet."
With a grunt of frustration, he stood up. The silence of the luxurious suite was oppressive. Tsunade, as usual, was probably at some casino in the city, trying to win back the previous night's losses. He needed air. He needed noise. He needed something other than the echo of his own thoughts.
He left his room and found Shizune in the suite's main living area. She wasn't reviewing medical scrolls or preparing antidotes. She was kneeling by the window, tending to a small bonsai tree with a delicacy that made him stop in his tracks. Her hands, the same ones he had seen move with the speed of a hummingbird to prepare bandages and ointments, now held a pair of tiny shears. She was pruning a minuscule branch with absolute concentration, her serene face illuminated by the morning light. Tonton, the piglet, was dozing at her side, letting out small, content grunts.
Naruto watched her from the doorway. He saw a side of her he hadn't noticed before, overshadowed by Tsunade's whirlwind. He saw a woman who found peace in caring for something small and alive, in creating order and beauty in a world that had only given her chaos. She was trapped in the orbit of a legend, always one step behind, always worried. And yet, she found moments like this.
The idea was born from pure impulse.
"Shizune!"
She jumped, nearly dropping the shears. She spun around, her heart in her throat, then relaxed when she saw him. A hand went to her chest.
"Naruto-kun! You scared me. I thought you were asleep."
"Impossible to sleep with this much energy!" he declared, walking into the room with a smile that was pure sunshine. "And you're working too hard, even in your free time! That can't be good for you!"
"Me? No, I was just—"
"Let's go explore the city!" he interrupted, his enthusiasm filling every corner of the quiet room. "I've heard there are legendary food stalls and games where you can win incredible prizes! My treat! A thank-you date for taking care of me!"
Shizune froze. Color rushed up her neck to her cheeks, a blush so intense it surprised even her.
"A-a… date?" she stammered, unable to process the proposal. "No, no, Naruto-kun, that's not necessary. I was just doing my job. Besides, Lady Tsunade might need me…"
"Granny Tsunade is fine! She's probably winning a fortune right now!" Naruto lied with total confidence. "And you need a break! A medical-nin can't heal others if she doesn't heal herself from boredom! That's an order from your patient!"
"But I… I can't…"
"Of course she can."
Tsunade's voice, deep and slurred with alcohol, came from the suite's entrance. She was leaning against the doorframe, a half-empty bottle of sake in her hand and an expression of profound weariness on her face.
They both turned to look at her, Shizune in a panic and Naruto with a nervous grin.
"Lady Tsunade? I didn't know you were back…"
"Just got here," she cut in, walking into the room and collapsing into an armchair with a sigh. "And the brat's right. You spend your life worrying about my debts and my hangovers. A few hours of fresh air won't kill you."
Naruto gave a discreet fist pump.
"But, Lady Tsunade, my duty is—"
"Your duty right now is to keep this idiot distracted," Tsunade said, pointing at Naruto with the bottle. "If he stays here bored, he'll try to train in secret, he'll injure his arm again, and I'll have to spend another six hours rebuilding his tendons. And I'm not in the mood."
The logic was flawless and, in its own strange way, almost considerate.
"A date," Tsunade continued, a crooked smile on her face that promised nothing good, "will keep him from making more work for me. It's an investment."
She opened a small coin purse tied to her waist and pulled out a wad of crumpled bills. She tossed it to Shizune, who caught it on pure reflex.
"Here. Buy your 'date' all the ramen he wants. And buy yourself something nice. Whatever. But don't come back until nightfall. Got it?"
Shizune looked at the money in her hand, then at Naruto, who was grinning from ear to ear, and finally at Tsunade, who had already closed her eyes, considering the conversation over. She had no way out.
"Y-yes, Lady Tsunade…"
"Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, gently grabbing Shizune's wrist and pulling her toward the door. "Let's go, Shizune! The city is waiting for us! Thanks, Grandma!"
"Call me 'Grandma' one more time and I swear the next time you get hurt, I'll patch you up with a sewing needle and fishing line," Tsunade muttered without opening her eyes.
Naruto just laughed as they left the suite, leaving a legendary Sannin alone with her ghosts and a bottle of sake for company.
The streets of Tanzaku were a living, chaotic organism. The murmur of the crowd, the smell of fried food, and the sound of music spilling from the taverns created a symphony that, for Shizune, usually meant stress.
Today, however, was different.
"Look, Shizune! Takoyaki!" Naruto shouted, pointing at a steaming stall with the excitement of a child. "They say if you eat one without burning your tongue, you'll have good luck all day! We have to try it!"
Before she could protest, he was already dragging her toward the stall.
"Naruto-kun, slow down, people are staring…"
"Let them stare! They're watching two elite ninja on a top-secret gastronomic reconnaissance mission!" he declared, winking at her as he offered her a toothpick with a steaming ball of octopus.
Shizune hesitated for a second, then, with a shyness she hadn't felt in years, she accepted. The hot, salty flavor exploded in her mouth. It was delicious.
"This is… really good," she admitted, surprised.
"Told you!"
Naruto led her from one stall to another. They tried sweet dango, grilled squid, and some strange pickles that made Naruto make such a funny face that Shizune couldn't help but let out a laugh—a clear, genuine sound that surprised her.
"Hey, don't laugh!" he protested, though a smile tugged at his lips. "It tasted like a sweaty sock! I bet it's a secret weapon from some enemy village!"
"I think they're just radishes, Naruto-kun."
"Demon radishes!"
As they walked, he told her stories about Konoha. He told her about Iruka-sensei, how he would treat him to ramen after he pulled a prank, and he described the taste of the broth at Ichiraku in such detail that Shizune could almost smell it. He told her about the time he tried to paint the Hokage Monument and the Third, instead of punishing him, told him he had "artistic potential, but a terrible choice of colors."
Shizune listened, fascinated. For the first time in a long time, she wasn't thinking about Tsunade's debts or the dangers that lurked around them. She was simply present.
"And then we got to the fair," Naruto announced, stopping in front of an area filled with colorful stalls and the sound of laughter and bells. "Let's go test your luck, Shizune! I bet you're better than Granny Tsunade!"
He led her to a target-shooting stall. The grand prize, a pink stuffed pig almost as big as Tonton, seemed to stare at them with its button eyes.
"Stand back and watch the future Hokage in action!" Naruto said, picking up one of the cork guns.
His first shot missed by almost three feet.
"Ugh, the wind!" he excused himself.
The second shot hit the canvas of the stall next to them.
"This gun is rigged, for real!"
The third, somehow, fired backward and hit a man's hat. After apologizing profusely, Naruto gave up.
"Okay, maybe marksmanship isn't my strong suit. But you, Shizune! You're a medical-nin! You have incredible precision! You try!"
"No, Naruto-kun, I really—"
"For Tonton!" he insisted, putting the gun in her hands. "Imagine how happy he'd be with a stuffed big brother!"
The image was so adorable that Shizune couldn't refuse. She sighed in resignation and raised the gun. The weapon felt strange and clumsy in her hands, which were used to the delicacy of chakra scalpels. She closed one eye. She didn't think about the target or the prize. She simply applied the same principles she used in surgery: calm, precision, breath control.
Pop.
The cork shot out and hit the small red bullseye dead on. The pinwheel spun wildly and a bell rang.
The stall owner's jaw dropped. Naruto jumped for joy.
"YES! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT! YOU'RE THE BEST!"
Shizune looked at the gun, then at the target, and a smile of pure surprise lit up her face. It had been… easy.
"I… I did it."
"Of course you did!" Naruto exclaimed, while the grumbling stall owner handed them the enormous stuffed pig.
Shizune hugged it. It was soft and ridiculously big. She laughed, an open, happy laugh she couldn't remember letting out in years.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun."
"Don't mention it! We're a team!"
As they walked away, with Shizune struggling to carry the stuffed animal, she realized that she felt light. The heavy burden she always carried on her shoulders had lifted, replaced by the simple joy of a shared moment.
Near sunset, they reached a quieter area, a path that bordered a slow-moving river. The noise of the fair faded behind them.
"This was… nice, Naruto-kun," Shizune said, her voice softer now. "It's been a long time since I've had this much fun."
"Told you! A date with me is the best date in the world!" he replied, though his smile was calmer, influenced by the peacefulness of the place.
That's when they saw them.
Sitting on the riverbank, about twenty yards away, were two figures. One was tall and imposing, with black hair and a face covered in bandages. He had a massive sword resting at his side. The other figure was slimmer and was healing a wound on the man's arm with a pale green light.
Shizune froze. Her ninja instincts flared instantly.
"Naruto-kun…" she whispered, noticing his distraction. "Is something wrong...?"
"Haku! Zabuza!"
Naruto didn't show a hint of fear. On the contrary, a grin spread across his face from ear to ear as he ran toward them.
"What a coincidence!"
Zabuza and Haku leaped to their feet, completely thrown off. Zabuza instinctively gripped the hilt of the Kubikiribōchō, his muscles tense for an attack. Haku moved between him and Naruto, taking a defensive stance, his eyes wide with surprise.
Shizune, her heart pounding, ran after Naruto.
"Hey! How have you guys been?" Naruto said, stopping at a safe distance. "Zabuza, is that eye still bothering you? You should see Granny Tsunade, she's the best! I bet she could get you a new one!"
The scene was so surreal that Zabuza was speechless. The kid who had fought him with animalistic fury was now giving him medical advice.
"And you? How have you been, Haku?" Naruto continued, with a genuine warmth that further bewildered the young man. "That Zabuza is a really demanding boss!"
The complete lack of resentment in his voice disarmed them. Zabuza's tension eased, replaced by a deep confusion. Haku slowly lowered his hands.
"Naruto… Uzumaki…" he murmured, unsure how to process the situation.
Zabuza just grunted, a sound somewhere between a threat and pure bewilderment. It was Haku who, seeing Shizune arrive and stand timidly behind Naruto, broke the strange silence. His gaze shifted from the boy to the woman, noticing the blush on her cheeks and the abandoned stuffed animal on the ground.
"Excuse me… is she your… girlfriend?"
Naruto turned, looked at Shizune, who turned an even deeper shade of red, and then slung an arm around her shoulders with overwhelming confidence.
"Yeah!" he declared with the pride of someone showing off a trophy. "She's my girlfriend and we're on a date!"
"Naruto?!" Shizune exclaimed, completely flushed and speechless at the boy's audacity.