Naruto: SSS-Rank Romance System

"Excuse me, I need to come in," Naruto said, standing at the doorway.

"Pervert." Temari blocked the entrance, refusing to let him in.

"Doesn't matter, think what you want." Naruto glanced at Temari and then past her into the room.

Through the white sandalwood door, the room was spacious, with thin gauze curtains swaying gently. Sunlight poured through large bay windows, bathing the downy bedding and the nameless yet expensive carpet.

"I'm here on behalf of Konoha to negotiate with Suna. If this is the attitude you're taking, I don't see any reason to continue."

Temari's expression soured, but she reluctantly stepped aside with visible caution.

Naruto strode in, heading directly to the chair facing the bay window. He turned to face Temari as he sat, basking in the sunlight and stretching with a short groan.

"Don't make weird noises like that!" Temari's face darkened. She strutted toward Naruto, her long, fishnet-covered legs gliding smoothly, and took a seat across from him.

All the curtains were open, the door left ajar, and the room was brightly lit.

Although Tsunade had cornered Suna diplomatically, the fact remained that Suna was at fault, and Temari had lost her fan during her defeat. Now, as she tried to reclaim it, she could only swallow her pride.

Still, Suna and Temari maintained a strong front.

The memory of being dominated by the boy sitting across from her after the Chūnin Exams gnawed at her mind. Her clenched jaw betrayed her frustration.

"You seem to be trembling," Naruto observed, his gaze shifting to her legs. "There's no need to fear me. Suna and Konoha are at peace now, and I'm just a law-abiding citizen of Konoha."

"You—!" Temari glared at him fiercely, turning her head to the side. She forced her words through gritted teeth. "Give me back my fan, and you can leave."

"What fan?"

"My fan! My Three-Star Fan! You took it!" Temari was on the brink of exploding.

"Forgot where I put it," Naruto replied seriously. "Maybe I tossed it. Or used it to prop up a table."

"Stop talking nonsense! Give it back right now!"

"Why should I?" Naruto suddenly asked.

Temari's anger mingled with nervousness as she sat down five meters away, her legs pressed tightly together.

From the moment she entered, she'd tried to project a dominant attitude, hoping to intimidate Naruto, but her body language betrayed her unease.

"It's my fan."

"But now it's mine," Naruto replied casually. "I got it fair and square. If you want it, take it back from me yourself."

"Konoha and Suna have already established peace." Temari took a deep breath, suppressing her anger.

"That's fine. Personal grudges don't have to escalate to a village level," Naruto said calmly, his eyes scanning Temari. She shivered as his gaze lingered.

"Can you stop looking at me like that?"

"Didn't expect you to notice."

"That wasn't subtle! Your gaze was blatantly obvious!" Temari gritted her teeth, wondering what kind of person she was dealing with. Shameless and infuriating.

Was this truly a Konoha ninja? He felt more like a villain from some movie.

"So what?" Naruto's expression suddenly turned cold as he locked eyes with Temari. "Back then, you wanted to kill me, didn't you?"

"...War is..." Temari stammered, caught off guard and unable to form a coherent response.

War was dictated by those at the top, and genin like her had no choice but to execute orders. On the battlefield, it was kill or be killed, with no time to ponder morality.

Yet her mind blanked, and she couldn't articulate any of this.

"Forget the war for a moment. You tried to kill me, but in the end, you and your two brothers survived. That's a fact," Naruto interrupted her.

He raised his head, his piercing gaze fixed on Temari.

"Isn't that right?"

"...Yes." Beads of sweat formed on Temari's forehead.

Tap. Tap.

Naruto's fingers drummed against the chair's armrest. His expression was unreadable as he stared at Temari.

"Ugh..." Temari couldn't withstand the pressure. She turned her head, tears welling up from the tension.

Her nervous tears swirled in her eyes. She wanted to wipe them away, but under his sharp, hook-like gaze, she couldn't muster the courage.

She wondered if she should've closed the curtains and shut the door, banishing the sunlight and plunging the room into darkness.

Only in the shadows could she freely fear, tremble, and cry.

Not everyone has the right to show weakness. As the Suna Princess, Temari certainly didn't. Her father was gone, and the village leadership had decided to groom Gaara as the next Kazekage.

But Gaara was socially inept and deeply withdrawn. Turning him into a beloved and capable leader would be an uphill battle.

While the higher-ups had agreed on their plan, its execution was fraught with challenges. Temari had to shoulder the responsibility of being the dependable older sister her brothers could rely on.

No matter what, she had to recover the fan. Suna couldn't afford to make further concessions to Konoha.

Just as she was about to break the silence, Naruto spoke first.

"So, tell me, how do you plan to get the fan back?"

Temari swallowed hard. After a moment of hesitation, her voice emerged, noticeably weaker.

"Please return it to me. I'll pay you for it."

"Money?" Naruto's expression didn't change. "I don't need something like that. You tried to kill me, and I let you go. Now, you're asking for the fan?"

Tsunade had tasked him with returning the fan and ending the matter. But Naruto knew that simply handing it over without a word would earn him a lecture.

He didn't want to write a mission report, especially one detailing Sasuke's defection. Writing that he killed four of the Sound Four and retreated due to chakra depletion wouldn't suffice.

No, the mission report needed to be detailed, adhering to Konoha's strict format. Typically, only the team leader would write the report, but for some reason, Tsunade had decided that everyone involved in intercepting Sasuke's defection would have to submit one.

Faced with the prospect of paperwork, Naruto would rather stall here.

Besides, was she about to cry?

Interesting. (He smirked.)

"B-but you shocked me back then!" Temari forced herself to speak despite the humiliation. "Doesn't that make us even?"

"That's because you were stubborn," Naruto retorted. "If you'd given up sooner, you wouldn't have suffered so much."

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