At night.
Kurama crept back onto the balcony, habitually pushing open the sliding glass door as quietly as possible. Just as he opened it, he suddenly heard movement in the bathroom.
'Huh? Why's the brat showering so late? Wasn't he used to taking a bath and lying down after eating? Where had he been again, delaying the bath until now?'
With a splash, a graceful figure stepped out of the bathroom. Konan had a blank expression on her face, and she walked out just in time she saw Kurama walking towards the living room.
Seeing this, she was stunned.
'...Is that dog walking on two legs?'
For a second, she wondered if her eyes were deceiving her. It was the first time she saw a dog walking upright, 'A Summoned Beast? But even a Ninken didn't move like that.'
Kurama was also stunned, staring at Konan in shock. The next second, he was full of contempt for Naruto, 'That damned scumbag. Another one?'
For some reason, Konan could read the indescribable meaning from the Kurama's eyes, and was stunned again.
Kurama wasn't sure who Konan was, so he was hesitating whether to speak. Suddenly, the door of Naruto's room opened with a click, and the three of them stared at each other in silence.
"Kurama, what are you doing?" Naruto asked.
Hearing this, Kurama immediately realized that he didn't need to pretend to be a normal dog, so he spoke directly, "Just got back. Kid, what's the situation this time?"
"A friend," Naruto gestured toward Konan, "This is Konan, don't worry about it, it won't affect you. Just do whatever you want. She's staying here for a while."
"Oh." Kurama looked indifferent.
Naruto then looked at Konan and introduced Kurama to her.
"This is Kurama. He is usually not at home and only comes back to sleep at night. It is normal for him not to come back for a few days occasionally. No need to lock the balcony door, as he comes and goes from there."
"...Okay." Konan was still processing the overload of information.
Kurama gave Konan a disinterested glance, nodded, and then, without even grabbing a drink, strutted back to his room like a certain cartoon cat.
In the living room, Konan blinked, then stepped closer to Naruto and whispered, "Is that the Kyubi?"
"Yeah." He yawned, as he'd just been napping in his room.
Konan was shocked, her mind went blank, and her face turned pale. She stared at Naruto, as if trying to confirm whether he was joking, "It's really the Kyubi?!"
"What about it?"
"Isn't Kyubi… How did it end up like this?" Konan was shocked beyond words. In her impression, Biju didn't look like this.
'Is that dog really Kyubi?'
'With a round head, and a round belly, if someone told me it was a normal pig, I'd believe it. This was the Kyubi? No way.'
"I've said it before, the Kyubi is no longer in my body." Naruto spread his hands helplessly, "It's a pity that no one believes me, although that's the fact."
"???" Konan was baffled, "That is indeed hard to believe. After all, there has never been a Jinchuriki who voluntarily and successfully separated from their Biju before."
"Normally, once a Jinchuriki is separated from their Biju, they will die immediately."
"Forget it, let's not talk about this. After all, it doesn't matter whether anyone believes it now or not." Naruto waved it off, and glanced at Konan. Only then did he notice she'd just gotten out of the shower.
A loose white towel was draped over her, her usual purple eyeliner washed away. Her damp violet hair hung behind her, her expression cool, with a single lip piercing glinting on her lower lip.
The towel clung to her curves, outlining her figure with startling clarity. Konan didn't seem the least bit guarded around Naruto, and if the towel were any looser, it might've slipped right off.
"You should get some rest first. We'll talk about it another day." He gestured vaguely, "The hair dryer is in the corner of the couch, you can find it yourself. Call me if you need anything."
After saying that, Naruto went straight back to his room to rest.
The door clicked shut, leaving only the light from the bathroom casting a glow over the living room. Konan stood in the bright light from the bathroom, looking somewhat lost.
A few strands of hair clung to her face, with water droplets still lingering at the ends.
Naruto's casual attitude made her relax slightly. She'd been prepared for the worst, being turned to slave. Since she was born in a war era, she naturally knew exactly what slaves were used for.
But now, she felt more like, a distant friend visiting.
Konan looked down at her hands and suddenly realized that her nerves were too tense. There was no need to keep struggling like this, as all her plans had already failed.
Back then, she never expected Naruto to refuse the Rinnegan. After all, it was an immense power and almost no one could easily refuse it.
But Naruto had rejected it as casually as tossing aside an advertising flyer.
And when she'd been beaten half to death by Obito, he he'd miraculously appeared before her and pulled her back from the brink of death.
She'd signed some kind of contract, and now she was alive, but also lost.
After so many failures, Konan didn't even know what to do anymore.
Then, he once again extended an olive branch, telling her that she should seek vengeance.
But the moment she lifted her head again, he told her to wait. She was from Amegakure, and he asked her to stay in Konoha and wait? Wait for what? For Obito to deliver himself to their doorstep?
She wanted to go home, but there was no home to return to.
Konan clenched her fists tightly, then abruptly released them. After a long silence, she let out a quiet sigh.
The only sound in the living room was the ticking of the clock. It was quiet outside the window, the night was as dark as ink and as silent as water, and there seemed to be no neighbors around.
…
The next day.
"You're not going out?" Before leaving, Naruto suddenly turned around and looked at Konan who was sitting in the living room, and asked.
"I don't have an identity in Konoha, and showing my face outside would cause trouble." Konan shook her head.
"A quick stroll shouldn't be a problem. There are no Anbu around here." He thought for a few seconds, "Never mind. Do what you want. Just go out if you feel like it."
Faced with Naruto's utterly irresponsible, hands-off approach, Konan was dumbfounded.
'What do you mean, do what I want? Can I really go out without an identity?'
'Is he seriously not worried I'll cause trouble for him? How can he be this careless?'
At this time, Naruto has already left. He really hadn't given it much thought.
After all, it was just Konan. Letting her wander around wasn't a big deal. With Nagato dead, Amegakure was practically his now.
As for inside Konoha, Kakashi can give him special privileges, and in the Anbu, Yugao could turn a blind eye for him.
This was the privilege of being Konoha's crown prince. He is really afraid of nothing.