RNP Chapter 258 What is liking?
Chapter 258 What is liking?
【Chaolu smiled: "Because... we are friends."
Naruto also smiled: "That's right! We are friends!"】
"No way..." Sakura didn't notice anything strange about her companion's silence, she just thought he was watching her intently. She said helplessly: "Are they still friends? This is clearly love!!"
She turned to look at Naruto: "You...how come you can't figure out what 'like' means in any world?"
"What...?" Naruto turned slowly to look at her, "Haven't I... always liked you, Sakura?"
"Is there any difference between your love for me and your love for ramen?" Sakura sighed, "And maybe it's the result of a quarrel between you and Sasuke."
"..."
Xiaoying said: "Chaolu has lost her memory and doesn't understand anything. It's terrible. I feel like she has been led by you and doesn't understand what a friend is."
"Sakura..."
"Ok?"
I like you because one time, I saw you smiling at Sasuke, it was so cute.
I want it very much...
I want someone to smile like that to me.
I want someone who can look at me like that.
"…Maybe that's right. I probably like you who likes Sasuke."
"Eh? You finally realized it!?"
But... my true love for you is still real.
As long as you can look at me and smile at me like that, I can risk my life for you just like Naruto in that world was willing to die for Chaolu because of her tears.
But I know very well that, just like you once said, you only want Sasuke's recognition, your smile has never belonged to me.
Will anyone love me this much?
Will someone watch me like Sakura watches Sasuke? Will someone love me like Sakura loves Sasuke?
If someone would do that to me, then I...
[“I will protect you.”
"Ok?"
"As for me, when I saw Chaolu crying just now, I made up my mind that I must protect you from now on and never let you shed a single tear again!"
Chaolu smiled through her tears: "I have already made up my mind to protect Naruto!"
Naruto's eyes widened, flattered: "Really?"
"Yes! I want to be a medical ninja in the future! After graduation, we will be assigned to the same team, and I can use medical ninjutsu to protect you!"]
Sakura whispered, "Eh...but Chaolu said before that she..."
She's not a medical ninja.
[The Naruto in the memory did not know about the changes in the future. He said happily: "Okay! After graduation, we will be in the same team and stay together forever! When we make money from missions in the future, I will buy a big house and we will live together!"]
Sakura smiled like an adult watching children playing house, and thought their frivolous fantasies about the future were cute: "Really... isn't that just getting married?"
marry!
Naruto was shocked.
Suddenly, all the thoughts came together -
Sakura can be happy as long as she gets Sasuke's approval.
If he could just find someone who was like Sasuke to Sakura, would the void in his heart be filled if he could get that person's approval?
As long as he marries that person and stays together forever, will he no longer be lonely?
Is there anyone who can look at me like Sakura looks at Sasuke; is there anyone who can love me like Sakura loves Sasuke?
As long as there is such a person, as long as I find that person...can I be happy?
[In the darkness of the night, Chaolu quietly slipped out of the orphanage with the lights turned off.
The blond boy crouched behind a bush and waited.
Their eyes met in the night and they smiled brilliantly at the same time.
Naruto reached out his hand and held the girl tightly.
Under the moonlight, they ran and left the orphanage behind, as if they were escaping for each other.
Naruto unconsciously took a step forward and almost followed him subconsciously.
[They ran through dim alleys, through the somewhat desolate streets at night, up unfamiliar stairs, and through many buildings with only a few lights still on. Finally, the two children stopped.]
Naruto looked at the familiar street, the familiar staircase, the familiar door of his home, and saw his younger self gasping for breath, his small chest heaving as if his heart was about to beat out of his body.
“I live here.”
His hands were shaking for some reason as he opened the door.
[“I’ll go turn on the light!”
The dim attic was lit up like the moon in the dark night sky.
Chaolu walked into the entrance: "I'm coming in."】
Everyone stood inside the house, watching the boy entertain his friend with such enthusiasm and introduce every corner to her.
"Staying over at a friend's house..." Sakura couldn't help laughing, "Naruto, you're a little too excited."
"Does this behavior have any special meaning?" Sai tilted his head: "I haven't experienced it."
Sakura said, "Well, if there is any meaning, it means that the relationship is very good, right?"
[“For me… this is the first time I’ve eaten with someone at home! It feels like… we’re family…”
As soon as Naruto finished speaking, Chaolu immediately took the instant noodles in front of her and placed them next to him, and also moved her chair that was originally opposite him over. 】
Sakura said, "Wow, do you really need to be so clingy?"
[“Damn it, there doesn’t seem to be anything fun in my house…”
"I'm not here to play."
Naruto looked at Asano in confusion.
"I came here because I wanted to be with Naruto. Just having Naruto here is enough."】
Sakura was silent for a while: "...Isn't this really...something that only lovers would say?"
Gaara was sure: "No."
He looked at Sakura and emphasized, "Just friends."
[The two children climbed onto the bed.
Late at night, they huddled together on the same pillow, covered in the same quilt.
Naruto excitedly planned to reserve a place for Chaolu in his home: "I'm going to buy a new pillow, a new quilt...! New pajamas, new slippers, a new water cup..."
He counted and counted, then slowly leaned on Chaolu's shoulder, closed his eyes, and fell asleep peacefully.
Chaolu carefully tucked the corners of the quilt for him, then gently held him in her arms.
Her ear pressed against his cheek affectionately, "Goodnight, Naruto."
His voice came faintly from her neck: "Good night, morning dew..."
"Friends..." Naruto looked at Gaara and asked softly, "Did she do this to you too?"
Gaara: "..."
Neji: "When we met, we were no longer old enough to do such things."
Shikamaru sighed helplessly: "You two are really so innocent."
【“It’s like a dream.”
"Ok?"
The next morning, Naruto said to Chaolu blankly: "...It's amazing...It's the first time someone stays with me...in my house overnight..."
Hearing him say this, Chaolu seemed to remember something: "Oh, I forgot to say that!"
"What?"】
In the early morning light, the girl knelt beside the boy, dust was flying in the air, but because of the body temperature of another person in the air, the world seemed to be covered with a layer of soft light.
It was a sight that Naruto found extremely unfamiliar.
"Good morning, Naruto."
"Good morning - but can't we say this to each other at school?"
As he grumbled in dissatisfaction, the girl came closer and kissed him gently on the cheek.
When she tried to pull away, Naruto reacted and grabbed her as well.
He kissed her back with a bright smile: "See you at school!"]
Sakura: "...Seriously, can this really be considered a 'friend'?"
Sai: "Hmm... I don't quite understand."
"Isn't this the end?!" Sakura said in surprise, "Naruto can't figure it out, and neither can Chaolu. Could it be that the two of them didn't communicate with each other until Chaolu defected?!"
Sai asked curiously, "What do you mean by mutual understanding?"
"Yes! They definitely like each other! And they are definitely childhood sweethearts!"
"Is that so?" Sai was eager to learn: "Ordinary friends wouldn't do this?"
"Ino and I would never do that." Sakura said, "Shikamaru, would you and Choji do that?"
Shikamaru:"……"
Seeing Shikamaru's "I refuse to get involved in this mess" look, Sakura looked at Neji again: "Hey... Neji... Even if Gaara doesn't understand, you must have common sense...!"
Neji: "...A friend."
Sakura was amused by his stubborn attitude: "Oh? We were talking about same-sex friends before. Maybe it would be more appropriate to use an example of a friend of the opposite sex - would you do this with Tenten?!"
Neji turned his face away.
"Don't pretend you didn't hear me!!!"
"Even if it is," Gaara said firmly, "that was when Chaolu was a child. People change, and friends also go through stages. Right now, it is us who are by Chaolu's side."