Naruto sat on his futon, elbows resting on his knees, face buried in his hands.
The lunch Hinata brought sat untouched on the table, growing cold beside the half-read textbook Iruka had guilt-tripped him into tackling.
His new arm, still wrapped in cloth and chakra-weaved bandages, twitched occasionally, unfamiliar and awkward.
The prosthetic didn’t ache, but everything else did—his brain, his chest, his damn soul.
Marry Sasuke?
The words still echoed like a bell rung too close to his head.
What the hell is going on with my life?
He let out a slow exhale and leaned back, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The cheap plaster above him cracked slightly in the corner.
He had fixed it once.
A poor job.
Like he was doing with everything else lately.
And then—
“You’re not seriously considering this idiocy, are you?”
Naruto jumped slightly, blinking.
Kurama’s deep growl rang from inside his head, louder than usual, filled with actual concern this time—not the snide jabs or bored rumbles Naruto had grown used to.
“Damn, you’re louder than usual.”
“I should be! You’re about to ruin your life. You want to tie your fate to an Uchiha? Haven’t they done enough damage?”
Naruto didn’t answer.
He just rubbed his face, groaning.
“Listen,” Kurama continued, his tone surprisingly not sarcastic, “I get that you’re emotionally compromised, but there has to be another way to keep her alive. Marrying her isn’t the only route. Let’s think this through like shinobi for once.”
Naruto blinked.
Kurama being rational?
This was weird.
“You got something better then?” he muttered aloud, arms crossed, jaw set tight.
“Cause I sure as hell don’t.”
“Plenty. For starters—fake her death. Use a transformation jutsu, a shadow clone, stage an execution. Fool the Union, let her disappear forever.”
Naruto hesitated, then shook his head.
“That was my first idea, remember? Tsunade said that was dumb. Everyone’s watching Konoha right now. The moment we announce she’s dead, someone’ll demand a body. DNA, chakra, something. You think I can trick Gaara? Hell, I can’t even lie to Shikamaru.” Read this novel at NovelPing for the best experience.
Kurama growled again.
“Fine. New plan. Let her defect. Say she escaped custody. Make her a missing-nin again—”
“Nope,” Naruto cut him off.
“They’ll send hunter-nin. From Kumo. From Kiri. She won’t last a week. Especially not with her chakra sealed and eyes blocked. And if they catch her? Execution. Or worse.”
Kurama clicked his metaphorical tongue.
“Alright, then what if you declare her your personal vassal? Use your status. You’re a hero. You’ve got influence. Say she’s your responsibility, like a parolee. No marriage required.”
Naruto sighed, rubbing his temples.
“They already shot that down too. Said it was too risky. I’d have to be with her constantly. Not just living with her—but responsible for her behavior, her every move, her every word. If she even sneezes the wrong way, they’ll use that as an excuse to overrule it. But if she’s my wife, then it’s different. They’d be forced to respect the bond. They can’t just override a legal marriage between two Konoha shinobi.”
Kurama’s chakra rumbled low, angry.
“Marriage. What a stupid tradition. You humans cling to such outdated nonsense.”
“Yeah, well,” Naruto mumbled, dragging a hand down his face, “humans built the world we live in. I don’t get to ignore it, even if I saved it.”
Kurama fell quiet for a beat.
Then he said, “Why not just… take her and run?”
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
“That’s your great idea? Run? You want me to become a missing-nin?”
“Why not? You’ve survived worse. You can handle whatever the world throws at you.”
Naruto snorted bitterly.
“Yeah. And destroy the peace I fought for? Let the Shinobi Union collapse just because I wanted to save one person?”
“One person,” Kurama echoed, softer now.
Another silence.
Then—
“…It’s not just ‘one person’ to you, is it?”
Naruto’s breath caught.
He didn’t answer.
Didn’t need to.
Kurama huffed, something like a sigh.
“I’ve been in your head too long, idiot. I can feel it. That ache. That pull. You want to save her—not just because she’s your friend. You love her. You always have.” This story is hosted at novelping.com.
Naruto flinched.
“Shut up.”
“Don’t act like it’s shameful. I hate the Uchiha as a rule, but you…” He paused.
“You’ve always been different around her. Even when she wanted to kill you. You’d die for her. Again. No hesitation.”
“I’m not in love with her,” Naruto muttered, a little too fast.
“You’re the world’s worst liar.”
He groaned and let himself fall backward on the futon, arm draped over his eyes.
“I’m not even sure what love is, alright?” he mumbled into the quiet.
“All I know is—if they kill her, something inside me is gonna die too. I feel like I won’t be able to breathe right anymore.”
Kurama was silent again, but Naruto felt the fox’s chakra settle low in his chest.
Not hostile.
Not mocking.
Just… present.
Then Kurama said, quieter than Naruto ever heard him speak:
“Then marry her.”
Naruto blinked.
“What?”
“If all other roads lead to her death, and this one leads to her life… what are you still afraid of?”
Naruto’s throat tightened.
Kurama snorted.
“It won’t be easy. You’re both damaged. You’re both stubborn. But if you really care about her… you’ll make it work. Don’t marry her because they told you to. Marry her because she’s the one person you’d break the world for. Even if she breaks your heart in the end.”
The room felt smaller suddenly.
The words hit too hard.
Naruto swallowed, fingers curling around the edge of his shirt.
“…You’re really soft sometimes, y’know that?”
“Tch. Don’t get used to it. Stupid monkey.”
Naruto closed his eyes.
The thoughts wouldn’t stop swirling, but there was at least one thing he knew for sure now.
Whatever Sasuke decided tomorrow… it would decide everything.