The heavy oak doors opened once more, but the footsteps that entered lacked the frantic, emotionally charged rhythm of Sakura's exit.
Instead, they were deliberate, measured, and weighed down by the exhausting reality of foreign relations.
Temari strode into the room first, her sharp, teal eyes immediately scanning the space before settling on me.
Right behind her came Shikamaru, his posture slouching with his usual reluctant demeanor, though his dark eyes remained keenly observant, tracking the lingering, heavy tension left in the air from my previous encounter.
Temari didn't waste any breath on idle pleasantries.
She walked right up to the desk, her iron fan securely strapped to her back, her traditional Suna attire fitted tightly around her mature curves.
She pulled out a chair without waiting for an invitation, sitting down with the blunt, unyielding posture of a Sand Village ambassador who had spent days arguing over regional borders.
"We have a problem with the western trade corridors, Naruto," Temari said, her voice raspy, direct, and completely devoid of diplomacy.
She slapped a scroll wrapped in the Hidden Sand's emblem onto the desk.
"The Land of Wind's Daimyo is tightening the tax squeeze on the neutral supply lines heading into Konoha. Gaara sent me to hammer out a joint enforcement strategy with you before our council loses its temper and sends a combat unit to clear the roads by force."
Shikamaru closed the door behind them with a low sigh, stepping up to stand beside her chair.
He rubbed the back of his neck, exhaling a long, weary breath as he looked down at the scroll.
"What a drag," Shikamaru muttered, his voice flat.
"The feudal lords are testing the waters now that the global trade pacts are up for renewal.
If Suna moves a single squad without our public endorsement, the entire alliance looks fractured. We need a unified front, Naruto, and we need it drafted by tomorrow morning."
I looked down at the scroll, my mind instantly analyzing the situation.
A dark, cold smirk threatened to form on my lips, but I forcefully suppressed it.
Shikamaru was standing right there. His IQ was well over two hundred, and he could deduce an entire conspiracy from a single microscopic shift in my posture or a slight change in my vocabulary.
If I unleashed a dark, threatening presence on Temari right now, Shikamaru would immediately notice the anomaly, connect it to Sakura's agitated departure, and begin calculating countermeasures.
I couldn't let my advisor suspect anything until the trap for the next generation was fully sprung and my Hypnosis skill was upgraded.
In a fraction of a second, I let the cold, calculating expression vanish, replacing it with the classic, slightly stressed grin of the old Naruto.
I slumped forward slightly, rubbing the back of my head with a loud, exasperated groan that filled the room.
"Ah, man! Not more trade paperwork already!" I complained, my voice lifting into that familiar, energetic pitch as I stared at the scroll like it was a personal enemy.
"I just got done dealing with Sakura yelling about the hospital budget, and now the feudal lords are causing trouble too? Gaara must be having a total headache over there in the Sand!"
Temari crossed her arms, exhaling a sharp breath, though her rigid posture relaxed slightly at my loud outburst.
To her, this was just the same old, slightly overwhelmed Naruto she had always known.
Shikamaru merely rolled his eyes, his shoulders dropping a fraction lower.
"Stop whining, Naruto. You're the Hokage. Dealing with the Daimyo's tax complaints is literally in the job description. So, what's the plan?"
"Hey, Shikamaru," I said, putting on a thoughtful expression as I rubbed my chin, looking up from the map with an earnest grin.
"If we're going to pull off a decoy mission at this canyon border to fool the tax collectors, we need a squad that can move completely unnoticed.
Your shadow jutsu is perfect for coordinating a stealth operation like that, ya know? Why don't you take your team and head down to the logistics barracks to start mapping out the deployment routes?"
Shikamaru blinked, shifting his gaze from the map to me.
His sharp eyes widened slightly, a rare flicker of genuine surprise crossing his lazy features as his brilliant mind processed the tactical efficiency of the suggestion.
He rubbed the back of his neck with a slow, appreciative shake of his head.
"Huh. That is actually a remarkably solid strategy, Naruto," Shikamaru admitted.
"I didn't expect you to pick up your brain so quickly. I guess all this paperwork is finally forcing your brain to work. What a drag, but it's a good plan."
"Hehe, see? I can be a genius too when I want to!" I laughed loudly, rubbing the back of my head in that familiar, boisterous manner to keep him from looking too deeply into my sudden competence.
"So go get them started."
"Yeah, yeah. If we want to set up a blind spot in the canyon, I need to look over the terrain maps with the vanguard squad," Shikamaru muttered, turning on his heel.
"Temari, don't keep him up all night with Suna's endless fine print."
"Just worry about your own squad, lazy bones," Temari shot back, her tone sharp but comfortable.
Shikamaru gave a wave over his shoulder, stepped out into the quiet corridor, and closed the heavy double doors firmly behind him.
The thud of the lock echoed through the room, signaling the end of my performance.
The goofy, energetic grin slowly faded from my face. I remained leaned back in the Hokage chair, my eyes locking onto Temari as she began unrolling the official diplomatic document.
While she was distracted by the text, I quietly focused my mind and triggered the scan, casting the Hypnosis Level 1 skill over her mature, athletic frame.
A translucent neon system screen materialized only to my eyes, overlaying her sharp figure.
[Target: Temari]
[Target Status: Calm, Focused, Exceptionally High Mental Fortitude]
[Absolute Command Success Rate: 5%]
I clicked my tongue internally, letting the interface vanish from my sight. A mere five percent.
Just like Sakura, Temari was an elite, battle hardened kunoichi with a fiercely disciplined mind and an unyielding will.
Attempting a direct hypnosis right now would fail immediately, alerting her to the threat and ruining the entire operation before it even began. She was too strong for a direct assault at my current level.
For now, I would play the long game.
I needed the rewards from the upcoming wilderness mission with the next generation to upgrade my skills before I could think about conquering a woman as formidable as the Sand Ambassador.
"Alright, Temari," I said, keeping my voice perfectly calm and professional as I leaned forward, gesturing to the scroll.
"Let's look at those specific clauses Gaara wanted adjusted."
We spent the next hour diving into the dry, complex text of the trade agreement, cross-referencing maps and tariff charts.
Temari proved to be a meticulous negotiator, pointing out every potential loophole the Land of Wind's Daimyo might try to exploit.
To keep up appearances, I maintained my slightly clumsy, well meaning Hokage persona, leaning over the desk to study the fine print alongside her.
"Look, right here, Naruto," Temari said, her sharp voice tight with frustration as she tapped a finger against a dense block of text on the map.
"If we don't clarify the jurisdiction over this specific trade checkpoint, Suna's merchants are going to get taxed twice before they even reach the border."
"Wait, let me see, ya know," I mumbled, leaning closer until my shoulder brushed against her upper arm.
I reached out, guiding my hand directly over hers to trace the ink lines on the paper.
As I did, I let my fingers slide deliberately over her bare knuckles and the smooth skin of her hand, applying just enough lingering pressure to feel the athletic warmth of her grip.
Looking at her sitting so close, my dark thoughts were completely independent of the innocent mask I wore.
My gaze traced the tight weave of her Suna mesh armor, my mind instantly stripping away the fabric to imagine the raw, athletic body underneath.
I pictured her thick, muscular thighs, honed from years of swinging that massive iron fan, gripping me tightly while her defiant, sharp teal eyes dissolved into desperate pleasure under my absolute command.
She was so full of unyielding Sand pride right now, her heavy, mature breasts straining perfectly against her low cut neckline every time she took an irritated breath.
I could practically feel the warmth radiating from her sun kissed skin, imagining exactly how it would feel to pin her wrists above her head, conquering that fierce, raspy voice and forcing it to beg for mercy.
Temari flinched slightly at the sudden contact of our hands, her fingers tensing beneath mine. She quickly pulled her hand back, her sharp teal eyes darting up to my face with a look of sudden alertness.
"Ah, sorry about that, Temari! The text is just so small, I got confused about where you were pointing!" I blurted out instantly, scratching the back of my head with a wide, completely goofy grin that radiated pure, innocent ignorance.
She stared at me for a long, quiet moment, searching my blue eyes for any underlying malice.
Finding nothing but the familiar, dense expression of the hero she had known for years, the tension left her shoulders. She let out an annoyed huff, shaking her head at my clumsy behavior.
"Honestly, Naruto, you need to pay closer attention," she muttered, pulling the scroll a few inches closer to her side.
"Let's just fix this clause so I can finally get out of here."
"Hehe, right, my bad!" I laughed boisterously, nodding along like a fool.
Suddenly, my laughter cut short. I let my shoulders drop, intentionally draining the energy from my posture as I looked down at the desk.
I forced a deeply sheepish, heavy sadness to wash over my features, my blue eyes dimming as I looked up at her through my bangs, perfectly mimicking a man carrying an emotional burden he couldn't share with anyone else.
Temari shifted slightly in her chair, her sharp teal eyes softening as she registered the heavy, crestfallen tone in my voice.
The blunt, aggressive edge she usually carried as Suna's ambassador melted away, replaced by the natural, protective instinct of an older sister who had known me since we were teenagers.
Seeing the great hero of the Fourth Shinobi World War looking so thoroughly dejected and small in his massive Hokage chair caught her completely off guard.
"What is it, Naruto?" she asked, her voice dropping its professional grit, sounding genuinely sympathetic.
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk as she looked at me. "You look like the world's ending. Go ahead, you can tell me."
I kept my head lowered, staring down at my lap while my fingers gripped the edge of the desk just tightly enough to make it look like I was struggling with intense shame.
I let out a soft, shaky breath, carefully crafting the ultimate pathetic display to completely disarm her formidable mental defenses.
"Temari, can I practice kissing on you?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper, thick with simulated embarrassment.
I slowly raised my eyes to look at her, making them appear wide, vulnerable, and completely desperate.
"Hinata told me I'm not good at anything like kissing. She, she said she won't agree to the marriage because of it.
That's why the marriage ceremony isn't happening right now. Everyone keeps asking me when the wedding is, and I just, I don't know what to do."
Temari froze, her jaw slightly slacking as her brain completely short-circuited. She stared at me, her cheeks instantly flushing a deep, sudden pink as the sheer absurdity and intimacy of the request slammed into her mind.
Her sharp, analytical mind, usually so quick to spot a trap, was completely blinded by the sheer gravity of the emotional confession.
She knew Naruto was dense, and she knew he had grown up without a family to teach him anything about romance or intimacy.
To her, this wasn't a calculated move by a dangerous predator; it looked like the desperate, heartbreaking plea of a lonely, socially awkward boy who was terrified of losing his future because of his own incompetence.
Seeing the heavy hesitation locking up her face, I immediately pressed the advantage, deepening the pathetic slump of my shoulders.
I let a fragile, self-deprecating smile touch my lips before I slowly turned my head toward the large office window, staring out over the bustling streets of Konoha.
In my mind, the haunting, lonely notes of that old flute from my childhood, the sad theme that always played when I sat alone on that swing, vibrated perfectly with the tragic mask I wore.
"It's okay if you don't want to help me, Temari," I said, my voice cracking slightly with a perfect blend of hollow resignation and buried trauma.
I kept my eyes fixed on the distant monument, letting a heavy, sad sigh escape me. "I, I guess I'll just have to ask my mom. Or maybe I shouldn't even bother. I forgot for a second, I don't think anybody would really want to help a lonely fox demon like me anyway."
The words hit the room like a physical blow.
Temari's heart squeezed violently inside her chest, a profound wave of guilt and intense sympathy instantly shattering whatever rational defenses she had left.
Hearing me call myself a fox demon, evoking the brutal, isolated childhood she knew I had suffered through before the village finally accepted me, pierced through her fierce exterior like a kunai.
The thought of the great Hokage, the savior of the world, sitting alone believing he was completely unlovable and broken was too much for her older sister instincts to bear.
"Naruto, don't say that!" Temari blurted out, her voice sharp with sudden emotion as she slammed her hands onto the desk and stood up.
Her face was burning a furious scarlet, her breath catching in her throat as she looked at my tragic, downcast profile.
"Don't you dare call yourself that! You're not a demon, you idiot!"
She chewed her lower lip raw, her mind completely derailed by the emotional manipulation.
She looked at my lips, then back to my sad, distant eyes.
The pure absurdity of the request was still screaming in the back of her head, but the sight of my absolute vulnerability entirely conquered her logic.
"Fine!" she snapped, her raspy voice trembling slightly as she rounded the desk, her thick, athletic thighs moving with a sudden, tense urgency.
She stopped right beside my chair, her mature breasts heaving heavily against her low cut neckline.
"If, if it's just practicing so you don't lose your future, then, then I'll help you! Just turn around and look at me!"
I slowly turned my head back toward her, maintaining the fragile, completely heartbroken expression as I looked up into her flushed, intense face.
I reached out, my fingers gently brushing against her arm as if seeking comfort, playing the vulnerable victim perfectly.
Temari shuddered slightly at my touch, her sharp teal eyes darting around the empty office before locking firmly back onto mine.
The sheer scandalous nature of what she was about to do finally hit her, and a look of absolute, fierce desperation mixed with her intense embarrassment.
"Don't tell Shikamaru about this," Temari whispered fiercely, her raspy voice dropping into a tense, commanding tone as she leaned down closer to my face.
"No, don't tell a single person at all!"
AN: .com/Ark_C69