Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

I also wish… for a place to rest.

I also wish… for a brief moment where I don't have to think about anything.

Just for a little while, there's no harm, right?

Ye Zi's dazed eyes slowly closed, and his arms tightened as if wanting to merge Kotoe into his embrace.

All movements, all emotions, froze in this moment as if time itself had halted.

Their bodies pressed close, sharing warmth, a tight embrace leaving almost no gap, making the heat between them increasingly intense.

"Mmm," Kotoe murmured softly, feeling her body heat up, especially her face, which was now burning hot.

In the quiet room, only their deepening breaths echoed, the intimate atmosphere growing, intertwining within them.

Ye Zi inhaled her natural fragrance, gently rubbing his face against her tender neck and cheeks. His lips occasionally brushed against her flushed earlobes, and an inner voice, a devil's whisper, screamed with desire.

"Mmh…"

Kotoe's soft body stiffened, her hand resting on the back of Ye Zi's head slid down, then slowly moved back up as though she was caught in indecision.

Should she push Ye Zi away, or let him continue?

Her heartbeat, which had just calmed down, began to race again.

In that moment of hesitation, Ye Zi lowered his head, pressing his warm lips gently against Kotoe's neck, his lips softly closing on her skin.

It felt like a surge of electricity, making her tremble.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, she felt something firm pressing against her stomach.

Her face flushed bright red; she wasn't a naive girl, and she naturally understood what this hardness pressing against her stomach meant.

It's over… she thought to herself, surrendering in her mind, her body growing weak. Whatever Ye Zi intended to do next, she couldn't resist.

Kotoe didn't reject this; it was just… knowing Ye Zi was in a drunken state bothered her, as if something were weighing on her heart.

If she could choose, she wouldn't want their long-awaited moment to happen under these circumstances.

Ye Zi, now deeply tempted, didn't notice Kotoe's inner conflict. Her lack of resistance seemed like acceptance.

The fire of desire blazed within him.

He kissed Kotoe's soft neck, his movements gentle, each kiss inching along her skin—a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.

Kotoe's hand on the back of Ye Zi's head tightened slightly, whether moved by emotion or by desire, both of them completely vulnerable in this intimate atmosphere.

Yet, Kotoe's heart held a tinge of fear, or rather, a question… did Ye Zi truly like her?

Even if she was willing to give everything for him, she longed for an answer to this question.

The hands wrapped around Kotoe's body slowly traced the elegant curve of her back, drifting downward to settle on a soft spot, while his lips moved upward from her neck, brushing her right cheek, then pressing lightly on her closed eyelids.

Then, Ye Zi stopped. From the trembling he felt from Kotoe's lips, he sensed her nervousness.

After all, he hadn't fully lost himself to drunkenness. Despite the devil's urging, his rationality remained.

"Are you afraid?"

"N-no…" she stammered, her voice trembling.

Ye Zi was silent for a moment, then leaned his forehead against hers, almost touching her tightly closed eyes. His dark gaze held a trace of complexity.

He moved his hand away from the sensitive spot it had been resting on and placed it gently on Kotoe's head, stroking down along her hairline as a series of images flashed through his mind.

"Do I like Kotoe?"

This question lingered in his mind as countless images flickered by.

The girl in front of him was willing to give him everything, her feelings for him as clear as day.

But the path he had chosen was arduous; he might fall along the way, with no chance to rise again.

Yet, Kotoe… without asking for reasons, she was willing to walk this path with him.

"What is it about me that makes you want to give so much?" Ye Zi asked, looking at her closed eyes.

Her trembling eyelids stilled, and Kotoe slowly opened her eyes, her green gaze reflecting his face.

"You saved me; isn't that reason enough?"

Their eyes met up close, each able to see the glimmer in the other's gaze.

Like emerald jewels, Ye Zi thought.

Like the depths of night, Kotoe thought.

"Is that all?" Ye Zi asked.

"Is that all? Does a saved life mean so little to you? I don't know what others think, but you've saved me multiple times, and that's everything." Kotoe spoke softly. "If that's not enough, there's one more reason."

"I… like you. No matter where your gaze is set, I want to be by your side."

Ye Zi's heart, once cold, was suddenly stirred.

"You could die," he said. There would be many dangerous battles, like the one not long ago.

"I'll have no regrets, even if I die," Kotoe replied without a moment's hesitation.

"You're so foolish." Ye Zi slowly closed his eyes. He could take lives without mercy, cruelty etched into his very bones from his journey thus far. But, perhaps, it was in this moment that he truly realized his own ruthlessness.

Kotoe's feelings were always so clear; he'd always known. Perhaps, deep down, he was taking advantage of her devotion, making her his support.

"I truly am… a bastard," Ye Zi thought silently, though this didn't shake his resolve to press forward.

So, would he bring Kotoe, now clear in her determination, along on this perilous path?

If devotion demanded repayment, then the only return he might be able to give her would be death.

Ye Zi was thinking too far ahead, considering this from his perspective alone, never pausing to think of what Kotoe truly wanted from him, instead attempting to will his desires onto an unknown future.

But, if this was Kotoe's choice, then Ye Zi had a reason to convince himself.

"Stay with me for a while."

Somehow, the devil on his shoulder had vanished. Ye Zi took Kotoe's hand, leading her to the wooden bed.

"!"

Kotoe's heart skipped a beat, her expression nervous once more. Was it truly about to happen?

At the bedside, Ye Zi lay down and gently pulled Kotoe into his embrace, her warm, soft body pressed closely against his side.

Feeling her warmth, Ye Zi slowly closed his eyes. This, here, was a place he could pause and rest…

Kotoe held him stiffly, uncertain what to do.

A wooden bed, a man and woman lying side by side.

The man had his eyes closed, seemingly about to drift into peaceful sleep.

The woman's wide eyes gazed at him, unsure where to place her hands or feet.

After a moment, Kotoe heard Ye Zi's soft snoring—had he fallen asleep?

A complex range of emotions filled her. Though she was a bit anxious about what might come next, now that they were on the bed, and holding each other so close… he fell asleep?

If not for the strong evidence of his earlier desire, she would have doubted her own charm.

"He actually fell asleep."

Gently, Kotoe pried Ye Zi's arm off her shoulder, careful not to wake him from his deep slumber.

Then, she rolled onto him, placing her hands on either side of the bed, gazing down at his sleeping face, her emerald hair hanging above him.

She gazed as though etching his face into her memory.

"I will stay with you to the end… even if it means death."

Whispering softly, she leaned in, pressing her soft lips onto his, lingering for a moment before pulling back.

Looking at Ye Zi, who remained unmoved, Kotoe smiled quietly, her eyes curving into gentle crescents. She then lay her head on his chest, slowly closing her eyes.

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Currently on Chapter 341 - The Passage of Time