Naruto: Journey to Reach You-Chapter 35

She looked back at him with a smile.

I wish I could sleep like you do... Deep and peaceful... You must be really tired to fall asleep that fast.

She was still awake, lost in thought, when suddenly a whisper brushed her ear gently. It was a soft, warm voice.

Her whole body shuddered, and she quickly turned to look at him—shocked to her core. But he was fast asleep.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, disbelieving what she'd just heard. Then she slowly turned her gaze forward and whispered to herself,

"What... did I just hear?! Calm down, Sakura... He was probably dreaming of Kushina or something. That whisper wasn't meant for you... Right. Nothing happened. Just try to sleep like nothing happened."

An hour passed while she tried to move past it, until she finally drifted off.

Later, Kakashi and Yamato returned. They were surprised not to find Naruto outside, so they peeked into the tent—only to be completely stunned!

Sakura was sleeping in Naruto's arms!

They exchanged glances of disbelief before both grinned mischievously.

Yamato: "Let's just let them rest."

They quietly left and set up another tent for themselves.

The next morning, it was calm and sunny. The cold currents had faded. Sakura slowly opened her eyes and found her hands resting on something firm and black. She opened her eyes wider, and they widened further when she realized—

Her hands were on Naruto's chest!

She was curled up against him like a child, resting in his arms. Her face turned bright red and she barely stopped herself from gasping out loud, quickly clapping a hand over her mouth.

Impossible... Did I really sleep like this all night?! My body must have moved toward him on its own from the cold...

She looked up, her gaze landing on his face—still peacefully asleep. She watched him for a while, then blushed and smiled shyly. Her hand slowly reached toward his face, but she hesitated before it touched him.

What is this craziness I'm thinking...?

Then she murmured,

Well, one touch won't hurt...

She gently placed her hand on his cheek and slowly stroked it.

"Wow... His skin is so soft..."

She only pulled back when he furrowed his brows. Startled, she quickly moved her hand, afraid he'd felt it—but then she saw his face show clear signs of pain and sweat started to drip down.

Panicked, she placed her hand on his forehead and then pulled it back.

"He's burning up! He must have caught a fever from the cold last night... He endured all that just to shield me."

She got up, opened her bag, soaked a cloth with cold water, and placed it on his forehead. She watched him, but the pain didn't fade.

This is all my fault... she thought. He took all the cold meant for me—and on top of that, gave me all his warmth...

When the cloth began to dry, she wet it again and placed it back. His face began to calm, so she gently wrapped her arm around his head, playing with his hair. She stayed like that until he slowly opened his eyes. She quickly pulled her hand back.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to wake you."

He looked at her with tired eyes, barely able to focus. Just then, Kakashi and Yamato peeked in.

"Are you awake?"

Sakura, flustered, replied,

"Yes, but Naruto—"

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Naruto suddenly sat up, removed the cloth, and set it aside.

Sakura (worried): "What are you doing?! You're still sick!"

He clutched his forehead, wincing, but looked at Kakashi and Yamato and said,

"Let's go... I'm fine."

Sakura: "Kakashi-sensei, he's not okay—he's—"

Kakashi: "He said he's fine, Sakura. He knows his limits. And if he really is sick, then we better get him back to the village quickly for treatment. Let's get ready to go."

He left with Yamato.

Sakura turned to Naruto.

"Your fever is really high... I'm really worried about you. We can stay until it comes down... It's dangerous to keep pushing yourself like this. You didn't have to protect me from the cold. What you're going through now is all because of that."

Naruto looked at her, still holding his forehead, and said with a faint smile,

"I hope this proves to you... how much you mean to me."

Her heart skipped a beat, eyes wide.

"Mean... to you...?"

She stared at him, stunned.

He still remembers the argument from yesterday... And every word I said... I didn't mean it... I really need to be more careful with what I say to him...

He stood up and said,

"Let's go."

He threw off the blanket, grabbed his coat, and stepped outside to wait for her.

As they walked, Sakura placed her hand on his back.

"Let me heal you, Naruto..."

Naruto (grumbling): "I'm not sick, Sakura..."

Sakura (angrily): "Of course you are—and it's serious too. It's dangerous to ignore this!"

Naruto: "I don't need treatment... Just leave me be and I'll get better."

Sakura: "You'll never get better like this, idiot! You're overworking yourself!"

Naruto (firmly): "Enough, Sakura."

Sakura: "Then let me heal you—"

Naruto: "I said I'm not sick!"

They kept bickering as Kakashi and Yamato trailed behind them, sighing in boredom. Suddenly, Naruto turned and barked,

"Do I look sick to you?!"

Before they could respond, his eyes flared red, and he clenched his fist with a dangerous look. They both flinched.

Kakashi & Yamato (nervously): "N-No... not at all."

His eyes returned to normal. He turned and smiled.

"See?"

Sakura glared at them.

"Are you kidding me?!"

Kakashi whispered to Yamato,

"He's scarier than you now, Tenzo..."

Yamato whispered to Kakashi:

"You're right... and how many times do I have to tell you to call me Yamato when we're with them?"

Kakashi, smiling:

"Sorry, sorry."

Sakura:

"Naruto, you're going to drive me insane with your stubbornness..."

Naruto, in his thoughts:

And my head's going to explode because of you, Sakura...

The argument between them continued until they reached the village and headed to Naruto's house.

As soon as Kushina opened the door, Naruto slipped inside quickly and whispered:

"Follow me to my room."

She looked at him and saw him heading upstairs in a hurry. Then she turned to Kakashi and asked:

"What's with all this anger?!"

Kakashi, scratching the back of his head with a smile:

"Haha... he and Sakura had a fight on the way."

Kushina glanced toward Sakura and saw her looking away, clearly very upset. She whispered to Kakashi:

"What exactly happened? Sakura seems really angry too..."

Kakashi, whispering:

"He was exposed to very cold winds, which made him sick. And when Sakura tried to treat him—"

Suddenly, Naruto's furious voice echoed through the house, shaking its walls:

"Kushina!"

Kushina froze where she stood, her body trembling in fear. Then she quickly regained her composure and said nervously:

"Alright... we'll finish this talk later. Goodbye."

She shut the door and rushed upstairs to Naruto's room.