4 Passion

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After returning home, one must change into slippers.

In the corner of the Uzumaki residence’s entryway, there was always a soft stool reserved exclusively for Haruna, who had difficulty moving.

Naruto gently helped his slender wife sit down on the soft stool.

Then he opened the shoe cabinet, took out Haruna’s slippers, and placed them neatly by her feet.

Haruna remained silent, quietly watching him as he moved.

Naruto found joy in this simple act.

Finally, the blond young man knelt on one knee and softly held her ankle.

He slipped off her sandals, letting the girl’s bare feet rest on his raised thigh.

Naruto’s thigh was firm and toned from training, warm and vibrant with life and passionate energy that even the fabric couldn’t conceal.

His well-developed muscles demonstrated that his body was at the peak of its prime.

Even though they had been married for three years, she had never fully accepted such intimacy.

They had never shared passion; to her, Naruto’s body was no different from that of any other man. Intimacy always made her uneasy.

Naruto’s movements were smooth and natural.

Because he had done this for three years.

At first, it was because she truly had difficulty moving, so even though their marriage was strained, she had to accept his help. But later…

Haruna couldn’t hold back any longer. She pressed down on his forearm and whispered,

“No need, I can do it myself.”

Naruto’s hands were broad, easily encircling her ankle.

He was a powerful ninja.

Perhaps due to the overwhelming, high-quality yang chakra coursing through him, Naruto’s body was always hot, making her uncomfortable.

Her bare soles rested against his slightly rough palm, the warmth of his hand scorching, making her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.

After speaking, Haruna tried to pull back her foot.

Naruto’s hold was gentle but insistent, refusing to let go.

With a light tone, he said, “I’ve already taken them out.”

He efficiently slipped the soft house slippers onto Haruna’s feet and then gently set them down.

The blond youth smiled warmly.

“Next time, I’ll let you do it yourself.”

Haruna replied, “You say that every time.”

Naruto looked at her indulgently, about to respond, but then another Naruto appeared, climbing in through the second-floor window carrying groceries.

He was so used to seeing the original Naruto caring for Haruna that he made no fuss, jumped down the stairs, and headed straight for the kitchen.

“I’m back with the groceries. Today, there’s cheese tofu, which little Haruna loves.”

“Oh, thanks for your hard work,” the original Naruto said to his shadow clone.

Because Haruna had limited mobility, Naruto often used shadow clones to keep the household running smoothly.

“Should I escort you back to your room?” Naruto asked. “Dinner will be ready soon.”

“No need. Don’t you have things to do? You go ahead. I can manage on my own.”

The girl in the white dress avoided his touch, picked up her cane again, and walked back to her room slowly but steadily.

Naruto stood at the entryway, watching her safely enter the room before lowering his gaze.

The smile on his face faded, and he sighed softly.

He looked down at his palm, his fingers curling slightly.

Just now—

Little Haruna had stepped there.

…

Closing the door.

Haruna lay on the bed, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

This was originally their marital home, but Naruto had only spent one night here. Afterwards, they began living apart.

In three years of marriage, the closest they had ever come to intimacy was changing slippers.

Their most intimate interaction was limited to the entryway.

To avoid contact with Naruto, she even gave up complicated outfits and mostly wore skirts that were easy to put on and take off.

Actually, that wasn’t entirely accurate.

They had attempted closer contact once.

Only once, on their wedding night.

Before marriage, they had no intimacy, but after, it should have been natural for a couple to share such moments.

On that hazy wedding night, they shyly tried kissing as strangers married, gradually becoming familiar with each other’s warmth.

But when she mustered the courage to reveal her ugly, scarred, twisted legs—without any clothing covering them—

She did not receive understanding or compassion from her husband.

Haruna turned over, hiding her shameful face beneath her long hair.

Every time she recalled that scene, she felt the same intense embarrassment and disgust as she did then.

On that wedding night, Naruto’s first reaction utterly shattered her dignity as a woman and wife.

Now, after three years of marriage, their relationship had completely frozen.

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No touching, no hugs, not a single kiss, and certainly no children.

Haruna knew she held no romantic attraction for Naruto.

The only reason their marriage continued with any semblance of dignity was because of the great hero’s reputation and sense of responsibility.

It was a shame Haruna couldn’t even confess this to her doctor—a wound to her self-esteem that she could not bear to touch.

Whenever she met Naruto’s gentle and forgiving gaze, her anger only grew.

How dare he pretend everything was normal like that?

She blamed herself for clinging to false hope before marriage, never letting Naruto see her.

After all, even a hero with an overflowing sense of compassion likely never imagined her body could be so pitiably ugly.

Flesh and desire are natural—even heroes who save the world cannot escape this.

Moreover, Naruto was so outstanding, admired by countless exceptional women inside and outside the village.

Those women were strong, noble, beautiful, or deeply connected to Naruto.

It was human nature that he could not feel desire for a broken, ordinary woman like her.

Sometimes, Haruna’s heart ached so deeply that she wished Naruto would simply confess he loved someone else—or even cheat on her.

That way, she could be free.

But Naruto never did.

Why must they torture each other like this?

Why insist on maintaining the hero’s image?

Haruna hated him.

No one in this world could hate Naruto more than his own wife.

The brown-haired girl took a deep breath, desperate to break free from this suffocating Uzumaki entanglement.

But instead of air, an ever-present, inescapable fragrance filled her lungs.

A faint, serene scent from the diffuser on the bedside table.

It was a gift Naruto bought for her last week, said to have calming effects.

It permeated her flesh, seeped into her bones.

Like the Uzumaki.

*

Chunin Exam venue.

After Shikamaru finished speaking, others had yet to react, but Ino looked as if she wanted to devour him.

“What does that have to do with me, you idiot Shikamaru!”

Shikamaru remained calm. “I’m just telling the truth.”

Ino was incredulous. “Haruna is married to Naruto. How could Tenmaku possibly let her kiss me?”

“They’re divorcing.”

“I’m not married to Naruto.”

Again, simultaneous denials—from Shikamaru and Haruna.

The gossip and chatter continued around them.

Watching the noisy scene, the Third Hokage grew increasingly troubled.

“Anyway, all of you come down—Ino, you definitely need to come.”

Ino: ???

She grabbed Shikamaru’s arm and glared, “You’re coming too!”

“What a pain…” Shikamaru muttered, but showed no real resistance.

At this moment, the only one in a good mood was Naruto.

After all, Tenmaku had given him much good news—he was a hero now, recognized by many.

Even Ino, who often treated him coldly, would praise him in the future.

Of course, the happiest news was that Haruna said even Sasuke approved of him.

That arrogant Sasuke!

Too bad Naruto couldn’t speak to Sasuke right now.

He really wanted to see his expression upon hearing the future news.

Hmph.

Only one thing prevented him from feeling completely joyful.

That was the fact that future Haruna still disliked him, saying marrying him was painful.

So…

Naruto shifted a few steps, moving beside Haruna.

The girl looked at him.

When their eyes met, Naruto suddenly grew nervous, forgetting all the words he had prepared.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why the future is like this! If Haruna doesn’t like it, I can never get married!”

He felt his mind heat up, words spilling out chaotically.

“If I don’t marry, then none of the unpleasant things will happen.”

“Hmm, I’m not blaming you.”

Haruna replied succinctly, averting her gaze and waiting for the Third Hokage to speak.

Seeing this, Naruto felt a bit discouraged.

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Again.

Knowing he would marry Haruna in the future, she wasn’t very angry.

But hearing him promise never to marry, she wasn’t happy either.

Cold, distant, like ice.

In her eyes, he was not the Nine-Tails, not the underdog—just an insignificant “Uzumaki.”

But when he first learned Haruna would be his future wife… he was actually quite happy.

Among so many girls in the village, he had secretly paid attention only to Haruna.

And it was really unfair!

Usually, if Haruna looked at him, even without a word or with a faint gaze, he would become so nervous he forgot to breathe.

So how could he have bullied her and made her unhappy? He was just very anxious about her attitude.

It was all the fault of his future self!

Causing Haruna to dislike him even more.

Frustrated, he then saw a tall man with white hair arrive hurriedly after receiving a message.

“Perverted sage,” Naruto greeted Jiraiya.

Usually, Naruto was happy to see the sage, but this time his spirits were low.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.

What was this? Was Naruto crushed by the miserable future of his marriage?

Jiraiya thought he should be happier about Naruto becoming a hero.

The white-haired sage’s gaze subtly swept over the brown-haired girl opposite them.

Her appearance wasn’t striking, politely described as delicate, with a cold, snow-like aura—pure and tasteless.

Not a romantic, gentle snowflake, but more like a grain of salt—tiny, translucent, blending into the environment, utterly inconspicuous.

Could Naruto really like such an ordinary girl in the future? Quite the opposite of his father.

Remember Kushina was a rare, dazzling beauty with striking red hair.

“The screen just showed that Tenmaku requires little Haruna to kiss the target person to unlock the next live broadcast content.”

“The target might be Naruto, but Ino is also a possibility.”

“In any case, the experiment starts with a kiss on the back of the hand.”

The Third Hokage explained to Jiraiya.

“After unlocking, you should watch too. The next broadcast will likely involve Orochimaru.”

Hearing Orochimaru’s name, Jiraiya immediately grew serious.

The Third Hokage looked at Haruna and the others.

“You are good children and excellent Konoha ninjas. The Tenmaku broadcast concerns the village’s safety; we cannot ignore it.”

Haruna was more concerned with the fate deviation issue.

In the future, she and Naruto had never been intimate—would a kiss on the back of her hand count as a turning point in fate?

It seemed worth testing.

Haruna looked at Ino. “Shall we start? Just the back of the hand?”

Ino sighed resignedly. “Alright, alright.”

Naruto watched eagerly, unsure if he hoped the two girls would succeed or not.

The spiky-haired boy stood coldly beside Naruto.

Even a genius with extraordinary intellect couldn’t calculate why such a future had come to be.

How could he allow Haruna to fall into such a bleak, suffocating marriage?

So the question was:

Why did Haruna’s future not include him?

Shikamaru had deduced thirteen possibilities, the cruelest—and most likely—being that he had died early in the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Otherwise, why would he neglect her?

Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, feeling a rare, complicated emotion.

They had been friends since childhood, and Shikamaru never discriminated against Naruto because of the Nine-Tails rumors.

But the idea of a familiar girl marrying a childhood friend… tsk.

What a hassle.

But the real trouble was yet to come.

After Haruna and Ino’s interaction, Tenmaku showed no change.

Ino insisted it wasn’t because her Will of Fire wasn’t pure enough; she had tried her best!

There was nothing more to say.

Haruna took a deep breath and said to Naruto, “Come on.”

Naruto snapped back to reality, looking at her in confusion.

“?”

“I want to kiss you.”

The girl spoke simply, her tone calm.

“Come here.”