Back in Sakura's room, her laughter finally tapered off. She wiped at the corners of her eyes, cheeks still flushed, a soft smile lingering even as her breathing steadied.
"You're such an idiot," she said, but there was warmth in it—no bite at all.
Naruto shrugged, hands slipping into his pockets. "Honest idiot."
The air shifted after that.
The joke faded, but something else filled the space—something quieter. The room felt warmer now, less sterile, less like a place that had been designed to be perfect. Like it had finally been lived in.
Naruto wandered over to her bed and stopped beside the nightstand. His eyes lingered on a framed photo resting there.
Team Seven.
All of them.
Kakashi standing behind them with his usual lazy posture. Sakura smiling brightly. Naruto grinning like an idiot. And Sasuke—arms crossed, expression distant even back then.
Naruto sat down on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees, gaze still on the photo.
"Do you miss Sasuke?" he asked suddenly.
The question hung in the air.
Sakura blinked, caught off guard. She hadn't expected that—not now, not like this. She glanced at the photo too, fingers curling slightly at her sides.
"…Yeah," she said after a moment. "He was our teammate. So… I think it'd be weird if I didn't."
She turned to Naruto. "What about you?"
Naruto leaned back a little, staring up at the ceiling as he thought.
"Honestly?" he said. "I'm not sure."
He glanced back at the photo. "It's not like I really knew him. Outside of missions, he kept everyone at arm's length. Cold. Closed off." He paused. "Only person he ever really opened up to was Kakashi-sensei. And even then… barely."
Inside, his thoughts were less gentle.
' I can't force myself to care about Sasuke.
He knows exactly what he's doing.
And when the truth about Itachi finally comes out… everything changes anyway.'
He didn't say that part.
Sakura understood without him needing to.
She'd admired Sasuke since they were kids, but admiration wasn't the same as understanding. Back then, she hadn't known about his clan, his trauma, or the weight he carried. She'd just seen a talented boy with sharp eyes and quiet confidence.
She stepped closer and sat beside Naruto on the bed, the mattress dipping slightly under their combined weight.
"Do you remember the promise you made me?" she asked softly.
Naruto snorted. "How could I forget? It replayed in my head for three years straight."
Sakura let out a small giggle, looking down at her hands. "Yeah… sorry about that. I was being selfish. I wasn't really thinking about you or him—just how I felt."
"Yep," Naruto said bluntly. "You were."
She winced—but he wasn't done.
"I mean, say I actually drag the guy back," he continued. "Then what? It's not like he'd be happy here. Sasuke's completely obsessed with killing his brother. Dude probably dreams about driving his blade into Itachi every single night."
The image was so absurdly specific that Sakura couldn't help it—she laughed again.
"…Yeah," she admitted. "He probably does."
The laughter faded naturally this time, leaving behind a quiet that felt heavier than before.
Sakura became acutely aware of how close they were sitting. How warm his shoulder felt through his shirt. How steady his presence was compared to the constant tension she usually carried.
Her heart suddenly started beating faster.
' Why am I getting so flustered just sitting next to him? 'she thought, startled by her own reaction.
Naruto didn't notice—or maybe he did, and chose not to comment. He just sat there, relaxed, real, grounded in a way that felt strangely reassuring.
And for the first time, Sakura realized something that unsettled her more than Sasuke ever had.
Being next to Naruto felt… safe.
Her face turned pink as she glanced at Naruto.
He was leaning back slightly, staring at the wall with a small, absent smile, completely unaware of the storm going on in her chest. Up close like this, she noticed things she usually ignored—the sharpness of his jaw, the calm confidence in his posture, how different he felt from the boy she used to chase.
Her heart skipped. ' What am I doing!?' she scolded herself.
Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward just a little. Her lips brushed against his cheek. Naruto stiffened in surprise and turned at the exact same moment—
Boom.
Silence filled the room.
Their lips met.
It wasn't deep. It wasn't aggressive. Just a brief, startled kiss—soft and accidental, like the kind you'd give without thinking. But neither of them pulled away immediately.
They stared at each other, breaths shallow, faces inches apart.
Naruto was the first to move. He leaned back slowly, rubbing the back of his neck, letting out a small, awkward chuckle.
"…Ummm. That's surprising."
Hearing that, Sakura's chest tightened.
"D-did you not like it?" she blurted out, panic creeping into her voice. "No—wait—that's not what I meant! That was a mistake! I was trying to kiss your cheek! Just… as a thank you. For staying. And for putting up with my antics and my attitude back then and all those years ago—"
She cut herself off, clearly flustered, cheeks burning.
Naruto looked at her for a second… then smiled.
"No," he said. "I liked it."
She froze.
"It was unexpected," he continued honestly, "but… surprisingly nice. Especially since it was my first kiss."
Inside his head, a completely different thought flashed by.
' Yes. Fuck Sasuke. Why the hell did Kishimoto have me kiss that guy twice? Just thinking about it still burns.'
Sakura blinked. "You did? Oh—well, cool then, we sh—"
She didn't get to finish. Naruto stepped forward this time. Deliberately.
Their lips met again—this time not by accident.
She gasped softly in surprise, but then her eyes slid shut as she leaned into it, hands gripping lightly at his shirt. The kiss was deeper now, warm and earnest, clumsy in that first-time way but full of intent.
They kissed like two people who had known each other for years and were only now realizing what had been right in front of them the whole time.
Their kiss lingered.
Not rushed. Not clumsy anymore. Naruto's balance shifted as Sakura leaned into him, and without really thinking about it, he moved with her—guiding her back until she was sitting, then easing down beside her as the mattress dipped softly beneath them.
The world outside her room stopped existing.
Just warmth, breath, and the quiet hum in her chest as the kiss deepened, seconds stretching into something that felt heavier than time.
Then—slowly—they pulled apart.
Both of them breathed a little harder than before.
Their foreheads stayed close, eyes locked, faces flushed. Sakura could feel her heart pounding like it wanted out of her chest.
And then Naruto laughed.
Not loud. Just a quiet, breathy chuckle as he rolled onto his back, one arm thrown over his eyes.
Sakura blinked, sitting up slightly and staring at him.
"…What?" she asked, confused.
Naruto peeked at her through his fingers and smiled. "Nothing."
That somehow made it worse.
She frowned, trying to read him—but her thoughts were already spiraling.
' When did he become so… like this? And—wait—we just—We actually—'
Her inner voice absolutely lost it. She looked at him again. And realized something that surprised her even more.
She wasn't done.
The moment hadn't ended—it had just paused.
Before she could overthink it, Sakura leaned back down and kissed him again, softer this time but just as sure. Her hands came up to frame his face, thumbs brushing his cheeks as if grounding herself.
"Let's… do this a little more," she murmured between breaths.
Naruto didn't resist.
He smiled into the kiss, letting himself sink into it, the warmth familiar now instead of startling. His hand rested lightly at her side, not pulling, not pushing—just there.
They kissed again, unhurried.
TO BE CONTINUED