Everyone fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
Naruto simply sipped his tea, occasionally glancing at Tenten.
Tenten turned to him, her face looking gloomy, though she still tried to smile.
Eventually, Yenji broke the silence.
"Ahem, come on now, let's not be so tense," he said casually.
His voice sounded lighter now, no longer as heavy as before.
"I didn't bring it up to make you feel sorry for me, but so that you understand that love is more than anything. Honestly, watching you all play earlier reminded me of our youth—when love was still new, it felt so wonderful...
We used to meet secretly by the river in the morning, then in the afternoon we'd come here to play...
It was comforting and joyful," he said, ending with a sigh.
He then glanced at Naruto and Tenten.
"Son, take care of her," Yenji said, patting Naruto on the shoulder.
His tone was very serious, and his gaze was filled with longing.
Tenten felt slightly embarrassed, thinking Yenji might have misunderstood something, but she chose to stay quiet so as not to ruin the moment.
Meanwhile, Naruto nodded. He met Yenji's eyes with a steady gaze.
"Yes, I will," he replied firmly.
Yenji beamed with a wide smile, clearly pleased, and gave Naruto a hard pat on the shoulder.
"Hahaha, young man, you're full of spirit," he laughed heartily.
And for some reason, Naruto felt a sense of déjà vu.
"I feel like I've experienced this before," he thought briefly.
"Well then, I don't want to bother you two anymore. And I believe this is the first time I've seen your faces…" Yenji asked.
Tenten nodded.
"Yes, it's our first time…"
"In that case, you should head to the village. There's plenty of entertainment there—like a park, shopping center, maybe even a movie theater. You can go have fun together…"
His tone was cheerful, explaining everything with enthusiasm.
In front of him, Tenten listened attentively, while Naruto focused on one particular thing.
"A theme park? That actually exists here?" he wondered.
"Well, it's not as fancy as the capital city, but this village is pretty modern…"
They both nodded.
After the bandits attacked this place and Konoha forces came, the Fire Country capital took notice. Once they saw how high-quality the flowers here were—and because the nobility liked them—they formed a partnership. Eventually, this village became one of the trading centers of the Fire Country.
Naruto smiled and reached for Tenten's hand again.
Tenten was about to pull away, but seeing Yenji's gaze, she felt uncomfortable refusing.
"Then we'll head there, Yenji-san," Naruto said.
Yenji nodded.
"Yes, go on. Take your little sweetheart and have a good time…"
Naruto smiled. He turned and headed for the door.
Tenten followed behind, giving a quick farewell.
"Ahh, wait, Naruto! Grandpa, see you again," she said hurriedly.
They walked off toward the village. Watching their figures slowly disappear made Yenji smile once more.
"Danzo… he's just like you—so full of spirit," he murmured softly.
He began walking again and sat back down. In the silence, he took another sip of tea.
Meanwhile…
"Let go," Tenten said.
Naruto turned to her.
"Nope," he replied casually.
Tenten's small lips pouted. She was annoyed by Naruto. He had been teasing her all morning.
Still, deep down, she felt warm inside.
"He's so selfish," she thought.
Soon they arrived at the village gate. The guards only looked at them but didn't stop them, allowing them to enter freely.
"They didn't stop us," Tenten whispered quietly.
"Maybe they thought you were just a little girl, so they let you through…" Naruto responded.
Tenten became furious and immediately stepped on Naruto's foot.
Unfortunately, Naruto had anticipated this and dodged just in time.
"You… why did you dodge?" Tenten asked, looking at his back.
"Why? Should I have let you? Do you think I'm that stupid?" he replied lightly.
"Yes, you are! You're very stupid, absolutely stupid, and will always be stupid!" she snapped.
Naruto's nose twitched, but he chose to ignore her.
He kept walking ahead, leading the way. Occasionally, he tried to hold Tenten's hand again, though he kept failing.
"Do you want something to eat?" Naruto asked. He turned to look at her face.
Tenten took her time thinking, which made Naruto laugh.
Seeing him laugh, Tenten immediately took offense.
"What are you laughing at?" she said sharply.
Naruto covered his mouth and looked away.
"Nothing," he said. "I just saw someone who needs to think so hard just to decide about food…"
"You're calling me stupid?" Tenten grabbed Naruto's shoulder.
"No!" he repeated, now looking serious. "I didn't say your name. But if you feel that way, that's not my fault," he said flatly.
…
Tenten was speechless. This guy was truly annoying.
She let go of him and looked away. Her arms folded and her cheeks puffed out.
Cute—that was the only word that came to Naruto's mind when he saw her.
"Hey, don't be mad…" he called.
But Tenten ignored him and kept walking ahead.
Naruto chased after her. He held both of her shoulders.
"Come on, forgive me. I was only joking…"
Tenten glanced at him with a sharp look.
"Hmph," she huffed and looked away again.
She slowly kept walking, leaving Naruto behind.
Naruto kept trying to persuade her, but Tenten refused to even look at him.
He started to feel a little desperate.
"Tenten, I'm sorry. If I upset you, I promise I won't do it again. And if I do, I'll promise again!" he said jokingly.
In front of him, Tenten froze. Her steps stopped.
"Pffft, hahaha!" she laughed sweetly. Her previously angry face now looked happy.
She turned around, a teasing smile on her lips.
"You're really silly, Naruto… but that's why I like you," she said in a soft voice.
"Was that a confession?" Naruto thought for a moment.
Tenten extended her pinky finger. Naruto looked at it for a moment, then linked his pinky with hers.
Naruto smiled.
"Promise," he said seriously with a nod.
"Promise?" Tenten repeated.
"Yes, promise," he replied again.
They giggled softly and then went off to find a place to eat, walking side by side with a bit of laughter.