Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 454 Friendship in the Ninja World

In the dead of night, the hustle and bustle of the daytime wedding in Konoha had long since dissipated, leaving only a few scattered lights flickering in the streets and alleys.

Inside a quiet little tavern, the lights were dim and there were few customers. The atmosphere in the corner seats seemed out of place with the tranquil night.

Kankuro sat there anxiously, staring at his silent younger brother across from him. Gaara had several empty sake jugs in front of him and was holding a porcelain cup in his hand.

He rarely drinks alcohol, has a low alcohol tolerance, and has no bad habits, maintaining the restraint and sobriety expected of a Fengying (a high-ranking official).

But tonight, he seemed like a different person. Silently, he poured glass after glass of the clear liquor down his throat, his cheeks flushed an unnatural red, and his usually calm and unwavering eyes were now unfocused and empty.

"Gaara...are you alright? Stop drinking, let's go back and rest." Kankuro reached out, tentatively trying to take the cup from Gaara's hand. He had followed along because he was worried about his younger brother.

Gaara's hand paused slightly, not letting go of the cup. His vision blurred as he met Kankuro's anxious gaze. "I'm fine... Kankuro... You should go back and rest... Don't worry about me..."

His feigned nonchalance, coupled with the clearly discernible loneliness and sadness in his eyes, instantly escalated Kankuro's worry into a strange anxiety.

It's a joyous occasion for a friend to get married. Even if you feel reluctant or sentimental, why are you so heartbroken? It's almost like... you've just broken up with someone.

An absurd speculation that had vaguely surfaced more than a year ago but was forcibly suppressed by him has now resurfaced uncontrollably and become increasingly clear with Gaara's unusual behavior.

Kankuro felt that he couldn't continue to worry about this without knowing the truth; he had to find out the details.

He leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and tentatively asked in a cautious, incredulous tone.

"Gaara...you wouldn't happen to be..." He observed Gaara's reaction, "Could it be...you like Uchiha Satsuki?"

"Huh? Her?"

"……I see."

Gaara's reaction was astonishingly quick and straightforward. His brows furrowed tightly, and his voice was filled with undisguised bewilderment.

Even... Kankuro sensed a hint of... jealousy in that tone? Not the kind of jealousy directed at a "love rival," but more like... resentment at having one's most important thing taken away?

This reaction completely ruled out that possibility.

Kankuro felt a dull ache in his temples.

What did Naruto Uzumaki say to Gaara during that conversation a few years ago that changed his fate?

Since then, the cruel and cold-blooded younger brother, who was like a demon, has disappeared. In his place is the current Fifth Kazekage, who appears calm on the outside but has gradually learned to be warm and empathetic on the inside.

This change is undoubtedly a wonderful thing, and Kankuro is more grateful to Naruto than anyone else. But why... why does Gaara's reaction become so... inexplicable as to ordinary friendship whenever Naruto is involved?

"No way? Gaara?" Kankuro's voice was tinged with frustration. "What do you really think of Naruto? Tell me the truth."

Gaara seemed stumped by the question, struggling to concentrate. After a long while, he spoke in a slow and unusually solemn tone.

"He is my most important friend."

"But!" Kankuro immediately retorted, pointing to the empty sake bottle on the table and Gaara's red-rimmed eyes, "Look at yourself now! Is this how you should react when your 'most important friend' is getting married?! Really... just a friend?"

Gaara fell silent. He lowered his head, and after a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice tinged with a dreamlike daze.

"...I was really happy back then..."

"what?"

Gaara ignored his brother's doubts and continued talking to himself.

"True strength is never about being perfect, nor is it about being cold-blooded. It's about being wounded and scarred by fate, yet still choosing to use that broken heart to feel the remaining warmth, and... using that hard-won warmth to embrace others who are also cold in the darkness."

"That was...Naruto's remark?"

"After that..." Gaara's voice choked slightly, "I thought about it every day... It was so wonderful to meet Naruto."

"So...you see it as..." Kankuro tried to understand. Was it admiration? Gratitude? Or...?

"Naruto, he's a bond I finally managed to forge!"

Gaara suddenly raised his voice, filled with drunken excitement and emotions that had been buried deep in his heart and were finally being released.

He slammed his forehead heavily onto the cold wooden table with a loud thud, his arms hanging limply at his sides. He was clearly completely drunk and incoherent. Even so, he continued to mumble incoherently and intermittently.

"I thought... I wanted to support Naruto as his friend... in the best way I could... but... as expected... the thought that someone could... make me unable to be Naruto's pillar of support..."

His words were fragmented and illogical, but Kankuro understood them. It wasn't romantic love, but a deeper, more complex dependence and connection.

It was Naruto who pulled him out of the abyss of darkness and loneliness, giving him the definition of "bond" and warmth. In Gaara's heart, Naruto was no longer just a friend, but more like a spiritual beacon.

Now, this most important "hub" has a more prioritized and intimate connection with him, both legally and emotionally. The sense of loss and panic at being "replaced" or "no longer able to occupy the most special position" is what caused him to lose his composure like this.

It wasn't that strange feeling... Kankuro breathed a long sigh of relief, but then felt an even deeper sense of helplessness.

This sounds...no less troublesome than simple love. It's practically making Naruto the center of their spiritual beliefs and emotional support.

"I understand..." Kankuro sighed, gently patting Gaara's shoulder, which was trembling slightly from the alcohol, his tone softening. "But... there's nothing we can do about it. Besides, Naruto isn't going to stop coming to see you. You're still important friends, and that won't change."

"..."

Gaara lay slumped on the table, motionless and unresponsive, with only even but slightly heavy breathing, indicating that he had fallen into a deep sleep from drunkenness.

Kankuro shook his head, got up and called the shopkeeper to settle the bill, placing enough money on the table.

Then, with great effort, he lifted Gaara's arm and half-carried his younger brother's heavy body, preparing to take him back to the Sunagakure's temporary residence in Konoha to rest.

Just as he was supporting Gaara and about to stagger out of the tavern, Gaara, who was completely drunk and unconscious on his shoulder, murmured something in his sleep in a very soft, indistinct voice, but with a deep regret and a kind of naive delusion, that made Kankuro freeze on the spot.

"If...he were a girl...that would be so nice..."