Chapter 231 You Don't Want This Either, Do You?

Seeing the task was done, Naruto didn't dwell on it. All that mattered was that he could leave now. He didn't want to waste any more time on Temari because it was… troublesome.

"That's good." Naruto said, then took the agreement and turned to leave.

Just as he turned, he felt a tug on his wrist. Naruto turned around and looked back, just in time to meet Temari's eyes, who had a look of fear on her face.

Seeing this, Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't like that expression, nor did he like Temari's demeanor. For him, just looking at her was bothersome.

"What do you want?"

The task was completed, so he had no need to be polite with Temari anymore. Even if there were future dealings between Konoha and the Sunagakure's Siblings, it had nothing to do with him.

He is just a Genin and had no say in such matters.

"I…" Temari couldn't find the words.

Naruto looked at the pen on the quilt, and suddenly a guess came to his mind. He stared at Temari for a few seconds, then spoke, "Give me the pen."

His tone was commanding, expecting Temari to comply with this simple request. Normally, anyone would hand the pen over without a second thought.

But after taking the pen, Naruto threw it back onto the floor and said again, "Give it to me."

Temari was stunned for a moment, but she did as she was told. She bent down, picked up the pen, and handed it back to Naruto. However, after taking the pen, Naruto threw it even farther this time.

This time, he said nothing and just extended his hand.

When Temari got off the bed, quietly picked up the pen, and handed it to him once more, Naruto closed his eyes and sighed, 'So troublesome… It's still the same as before… nothing had changed.'

A year ago, after the Chunin Exams, Naruto had noticed Temari's strange behavior. He thought it was just temporary and that she would return to normal after some time.

And before leaving, Naruto even tested Temari once. He caught up with her in the empty hallway of the Hokage Tower and, in a commanding tone, told her to stop and said that he wanted to touch something.

But Temari hadn't complied. Instead, she scolded him. He had thought she was back to normal back then, but who would've guessed that a year later, she'd be back to acting like this.

He looked at Temari, who was sitting at the edge of the bed, watching him. Her bare feet dangled and swung gently.

"You…" Naruto looked at her with a complicated expression.

"Take off your clothes."

Hearing this, Temari blinked, then raised her hand.

"Hey! Stop!" Naruto quickly intervened, sighing again in exasperation as things took an even more bizarre turn.

Temari halted her movement and looked at him in amusement.

"You better act normal. I don't know what's wrong with you, but…" Naruto took a deep breath, "Are you messing with me?"

"I'm not." Temari murmured, lowering her head, "Don't be so harsh."

She looked away, her voice softening, "I don't want to be like this either, it's just that sometimes… Most of the time, it's fine, but whenever I see you, I just…"

Naruto glanced up and down at Temari, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Do you still remember what happened before?"

Temari's face flushed red, but she remained silent.

Seeing her reaction, Naruto's lips couldn't help but twitch, and he thought to himself, 'So she does remember. Then, there's no need to beat around the bush anymore.'

"You don't want this either, right? Being completely obedient to a stranger."

'Damn it.' Naruto actually noticed a look of hesitation on Temari's face, 'This shouldn't require any hesitation! Seriously, would a normal person hesitate about something like this?'

"… No, I don't." Temari shook her head.

"You better get a grip." Naruto felt that his patience for two lifetimes was being consumed here, "So from now on, we should just avoid seeing each other. As long as we don't have any contact with each other until we die, everything will stay normal."

"No." Temari immediately shook her head in refusal.

Naruto responded, "Whether we do or don't isn't up to you."

Temari stared at him and said with determination, "I have ways to stick with you."

Naruto was taken aback when he heard this. He felt that Temari is really capable of such things.

The higher-ups in Konoha would probably side with Temari, unless he decided to completely hide and ignore those troublesome higher-ups.

As for Temari herself, Naruto admitted she was beautiful, well, purely in terms of appearance. The Land of Wind was known for its beauties, thanks to abundant sunshine. Everyone in the Shinobi World knew that the Kunoichi of Sunagakure had fair skin, soft and delicate.

But it's not like Naruto has never seen a woman before, so he wouldn't be swayed just because of a princess from Sunagakure. As far as the current situation is concerned, being entangled with Temari brought him no benefits whatsoever.

Temari stubbornly furrowed her brow, refusing to back down in her standoff with Naruto.

"Goodbye."

"No."

"You won't be able to find me anyway, and I'm too lazy to bother with you." Naruto said exasperatedly. "There are many ways I can hide if I want to. Don't push me to the point where I'll end up hating you. I can't guarantee what I'll do then."

Temari was silent, staring at the ground for a long time without saying anything. After a long pause, she finally murmured, "I didn't mean it that way."

Naruto didn't want to hear any more. They had already laid everything bare, so continuing the conversation felt pointless. His relationship with Temari had no bearing on the bigger picture, and was ultimately insignificant.

Right now, with Gaara's current condition, the Sunagakure's siblings still needed Konoha's support to regroup for a counterattack. In the end, the three siblings would have to return to Sunagakure and face the higher-ups there.

As with any power struggle, it would end in victory or defeat.

"I'm leaving now." Naruto said, "We'll talk about this later. Let's both take some time to cool down and see where things stand."

"No!"

Naruto frowned as Temari met his gaze. They stared at each other for a moment before she finally relented. She lowered her head and mumbled a quiet, forlorn 'okay'.

Naruto didn't bother to respond, turning on his heel and leaving the room with the documents in hand.

After leaving Konoha Hospital, Naruto still had displeased expression on his face.

'Temari's matter was not easy to deal with. Though Konoha and Sunagakure were allies, things were chaotic in Sunagakure right now.'

'I don't know what kind of messed up agreement they signed before, but in any case, the three siblings seemed to come to Konoha for temporary refuge, and they will fight back after regrouping.'

Naruto only felt that these things were troublesome. He didn't think someone like Temari would genuinely have feelings for him. It felt more like a form of venting or a unique need that happened to involve him.

To be honest, he didn't like it at all. This feeling of being used as a tool, even if he was in the dominant position, still made him uncomfortable.

Back at the Hokage's Office, Naruto dropped off the documents. There was no one inside, so he set them down and turned to leave, only to find someone blocking the doorway.

"Are the documents signed?" Sakura asked with a smile.