In Konoha, Naruto lies down

"We can be together in the summer and in the winter. Doing some boring things, even if it's just wasting time, is meaningful. Building a snowman, basking in the sun."

"I dream of living a life like that, but I know it's impossible. You still have Ino and Hinata, and they will accompany you to do those things."

"Uzumaki Naruto, you are such a scumbag."

"But I can't even make you a scumbag once. I can't stay with you forever. Maybe next time, or sometime, there will be no more."

"I won't force you to do anything I can't do."

Sakura raised her head and looked at Naruto with a smile, the firelight dancing in her pupils. Her watery eyes reflected his face, overflowing with abundant emotions.

It was clearly a cheerful tone, but it seemed as if he was saying that he wouldn't see me again next time.

Naruto was also visibly taken aback for a moment, his eyes looking at Sakura slightly complicated. Although he did want to avoid Black Sakura at that time, he didn't do it.

This led to a turn for the better, and things seem to be going pretty well now.

But Naruto was still Naruto after all, carefree and forgetful, completely forgetting the unpleasant things that happened before. No matter how much, the matter was done, there was nothing to say.

The atmosphere grew cold again, and the two continued in silence.

Sakura pursed her lips and looked back at the fire. The firewood in the fire was burning black, red under the flames, and brighter yellow as it went up.

The fire burned the wood cleanly, with crackling sounds and sparks flying everywhere.

Naruto thought for a moment, threw the last piece of wood into the fire, and stood up. Sakura was startled by his sudden movement and looked up at him.

"Come with me, I'll take you somewhere."

With that, he walked straight into the darkness. Sakura was stunned for a moment, but quickly stood up and followed him.

"Are you familiar with this area?" she asked as she caught up with him.

"I've been here many times, on various missions. Sometimes it's common to stay in the desert for several months." Naruto's voice was a little cold, and seemed a little lustful when the night wind blew.

Here, at the edge of the desert, the night was like a pure, flawless gem. The distance was quiet and dim, with sparse grasslands behind it. The further out, the more desolate it became.

Sakura took the opportunity to look up and looked around, but she couldn't find the north at all. It's easy to lose yourself in the vastness of the universe, feeling as insignificant as a grain of sand.

She was dazed for a moment, then looked forward and found that Naruto had stopped and was waiting for her. He didn't urge her, nor did he blame her, he just stood there quietly waiting for her to catch up.

The hazy night sky cast a layer of blue-black light on the outline of his body. From a distance, he looked like a flag fluttering in the night wind.

Naruto said as she caught up to him.

"There's light even in the desert night. Walk a little further, from this area. Head toward that dark area. Do you see the highest sand hill?"

"I see." Sakura nodded.

There really is a huge sand dune in the distance, which looks like a huge black shadow if you don't look closely. This magnificent spectacle is unique to the desert and cannot be discovered without a guide.

"Let's go up and take a look." He said, and took Sakura's hand.

Feeling the warmth coming from the palm, Sakura's body subconsciously followed. A light warmth spread from the tip of her heart, filling her limbs.

Sakura couldn't remember how long they had been walking, her hand held the entire time, her feet planted in the dark desert. She didn't feel panic, but instead, a sense of peace she had never felt before.

Finally, the two climbed to the top of the sand hill. The sand under their feet was as cold as ice. At first, it was a beam of light, and then large areas of light jumped into their eyes.

Before me lay a silent sea of ​​sand. Moonlight and starlight had vanished, leaving only a bluish-black light enveloping the desert. In the distance lay a cold light, and nearer, darkness.

"So beautiful," she murmured.

"It's really beautiful. I've seen it too many times." Naruto smiled and pulled Sakura over to hug her, pointing to the front and saying.

“Even in the darkest places, there is light. Just keep walking forward and you’ll find the light on the other side of the sand hill.”

"If you open your eyes and find darkness all around you, and you can't get out no matter how hard you try, don't be afraid. Just keep moving forward. I'll be waiting for you in the light."

"When you find me, I'll take you out."

Sakura couldn't hold it back any longer, tears bursting down her face. She suddenly threw herself into his arms, first suppressing her sobs, then bursting into tears.

He told her not to be afraid, and that she would never have to worry about disappearing again. Even if she fell into darkness, she could just keep moving forward towards the light.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s true or false. She just needs a belief, the belief to live.

"Wow... I... never dared to tell others, even... even if they were my best friends." Sakura said with a sob, tears streaming down her face.

"No one has ever said...ever said such a thing. I thought...I thought you would be there to make love with me, and I was...ready to give it to you."

"You clearly just want to have sex with me! Why did you bring me here? Why did you say that?"

"I'm even more afraid of dying! I'm even more afraid of disappearing. If I'm gone, you...you must find me back someday. Okay?"

"Yeah." Naruto replied to her calmly.

Love is the meeting of two hearts. It stems from compassion; liking or sexual attraction are irrelevant. Actions, not feelings, are what counts; how you act is what matters.

When one person is imprisoned, the other should hold a torch. Tell her there is light in the sky, and I am by her side. I can't save the world, but I can be your hero.

Why not be the hero of one person? Because this person has to be the hero of many people, the number of whom can be counted on two hands.

Sakura couldn't bear it any longer and hugged Naruto in a hot and wet kiss. The sound of water echoed in the empty desert, the night wind whistled past, and the two of them hugged each other tightly.

Back at the tent, Sakura gently sucked his earlobe and spoke half-coaxingly.

"I want to give it to you."

By nightfall, the fire had gone out without firewood.

The lights in the tent were turned off. Sakura started crying again halfway through, wiping her tears with the back of her hand and biting her lower lip as she spoke.

"I don't know when life will stop. Before that, I can do everything I can for you. I love you. Please don't forget me."

"I think I know why you didn't take me with you this time. I don't want you to take risks for me. You still have Hinata and Ino. Maybe she will like you in the future."

"After completing the mission, please don't do anything stupid, okay? Let's go back together. I'll eat, sleep, and do research, and I'll be able to live well. The length of time doesn't matter. I'll love you for doing so much for me."

"Just assume that I will stay by your side forever."

Naruto didn't say anything, but just used some force to press her down, moved his mouth, and spoke very perfunctorily.

"Oh ok, we'll talk about it later."

Chapter 344: Loulan Ruins, Dragon Vein Awakens, Twenty Years of Countercurrent

Like clouds and rain, the flower heart is easily opened.

Naruto suddenly remembered a passage he had read in The West Chamber before, which said, "The most graceful thing is the swaying willow waist," which was roughly about this scene, like dewdrops on a blooming peony.

In the second half of the night, I fell into a deep sleep.

He led her up the sand hill in a circle and saw the light on the back of the desert. It was for nature, not sleep. The greatest happiness and joy of human beings comes from the romance of the spiritual world.

The phrase "romance till death" comes from the inscription of Tang Xianzu's "The Peony Pavilion", which means that love does not have an exact beginning and end.

Love begins when one person devotes themselves to the other. In simple terms, it is the desire to share. When you see beautiful mountains and beautiful waters, you will think of that person.

Love never depends on others. Love is strong enough to move forward bravely no matter what you face.

Naruto is a cautious person. Since he has said that he will accept Black Sakura, he will definitely consider every detail. If there is an accident on this mission, if he returns without success.

After all, the dragon vein is a huge body of chakra energy. If it is expanded millions of times, it is probably the chakra fruit. With such a huge amount of energy, it is normal for some accidents to occur.

He planned to use the dragon vein to go back to the past and stay there for a while to find a solution to the black cherry problem twenty years ago.

Go back twenty years and visit Konoha.

The core technology still belongs to Konoha.

Orochimaru would not easily reveal what Tsunade did not know. He had no way of finding out now, but if he could go back twenty years, he would still have a chance to get a glimpse of the truth.

This is a shortcut, although it is somewhat unethical.

But while this method was good, it also came with risks. Even if he went back twenty years, the dragon vein wouldn't stay there as long as he wanted.

What if something happens, what if I can't come back, any of this is possible.

It was precisely because of this that Naruto took a roundabout way to take Sakura up the sand hill, pointing to the distance and saying the inspirational words he had prepared long ago.

Where in the small world of Naruto can you find such profound spiritual chicken soup? Even a royal book like Jiraiya can be regarded as a classic. The more advanced ones are just brainwashing will of fire.

Dimensionality reduction attack, so terrifying.

What he had to do was to prepare Sakura mentally. If something unexpected happened, she shouldn't lose heart or give up. There would always be a way.

It is his habit to prepare for both the front and the back.

It might not be necessary for others, but he knew Hei Ying, so he thought it was reasonable to take an extra precaution. Even when it came to the real battle, he was deliberately perfunctory.

Black Sakura is that kind of person. She will shine brightly when she is given a little wind and rain. She will feel more at ease if she is perfunctory. Because this is consistent with her judgment of Naruto in her heart, that is, he is a scumbag.

hei tui!

Naruto didn't care and didn't pay any attention to Kurosakura's evaluation.

The next day.

He opened his eyes and saw Sakura smiling at him. There was a hint of tenderness in her eyes, her eyes curved into crescents. She didn't mention how many times she had been there last night, and seemed to be more reserved.

The eyes flashed charmingly.

After washing up and eating something, the two of them walked into the sea of ​​sand in the morning light.

Sakura seemed no different from yesterday. She was still talking and laughing at the beginning of the journey, but became silent in the middle of the journey.

In the later stage, he was exhausted and climbed onto Naruto's back again.

"Did you travel like this before?" Sakura felt helpless. This was not traveling at all, it was simply a matter of burning her life.

"Emergency situations sometimes happen like this." Naruto responded, "We still have a long way to go. If you really can't hold on any longer, just tell me. There's no need to force yourself."

At this moment, Sakura, who was lying on Naruto's back, was speechless. Although her back was a little bumpy, the point was that this man's physical strength was too incredible, right?

After thinking for a while, Sakura's expression suddenly became strange and asked.

"Didn't you have any energy last night?"

"hold head high."

"What a monster! I'm almost exhausted." Sakura muttered to herself, but she didn't continue the topic and ended it quickly by changing the subject.

Naruto didn't feel anything. Eighteen-year-olds didn't have much physical strength, so wouldn't they be useless when they got older? But what good would physical strength do? Try sleeping on a large bunk bed. The Chaos Divine Beast was suppressed directly.

After a day's journey, we finally arrived in the heart of the desert before dark.

"We can't find the ruins of Loulan today, so let's take a rest first." He looked around and set up a tent in the leeward area.

The sealed space was filled with enough drinking water to satisfy the need for washing. Naruto wasn't the only one who knew space-based ninjutsu; Tenten also knew it.

When the third squad was out on missions, they were always well-stocked with supplies. They didn't need to eat ration pills even in the wild, and could even make a fire and cook.

"I'm going to take a shower." Sakura said and left.

He also understood what this meant, and he had a little expectation, but not much. Sakura couldn't satisfy him, only once at most.

He wasn't really that bothered by that sort of thing. He wasn't a eunuch, so he didn't have any psychological burdens, but he wasn't hungry or thirsty either. It was probably like eating and drinking, just an added part of his daily routine.

Daily love life.

In the middle of the night, exhausted Sakura couldn't hold on any longer and fell into a deep sleep. Naruto had a lot of philosophical ideas in his head but nowhere to talk to. He could only sigh that everyone was equal in Sage Mode.

The next day.

As he continued on his way, Naruto deliberately slowed down his pace, and when he actually entered the Loulan ruins, he walked even slower. When he roughly touched the location of the dragon vein, Naruto stopped directly.

"what happened?"

"The dragon vein is ahead, inside a huge underground cave." He looked up, the yellow sand in the sky was blowing strongly, and his golden hair was dancing in the biting wind.

Surrounded by massive stone pillars, a fierce sandstorm rips through the ruins like a knife. This is the ancient kingdom of Loulan, its former glory long since faded into obscurity.

"Should we go down and take a look?" Sakura asked doubtfully.

"No rush, wait a little longer." Naruto was able to keep his composure. He had to get rid of the centipede that was in the way.

He could open the dragon vein at any time, but if a troublesome centipede got involved, things would become troublesome, which was something he didn't want to see.

The moment the dragon vein opened, it was a replica world from twenty years ago. He didn't want to spend too much time in the ancient city of Loulan dealing with the centipede. It would be better to strike first and kill the centipede directly here.

This is why he traveled at a speed that would tire him to death. Time! Before the centipede reached the dragon vein, he had to ambush here first.

He is just a puppeteer. If he can kill Scorpion of the Red Sand, there is no reason why he cannot kill Centipede.

"Waiting for what?" Sakura asked confusedly.