Chapter 361: A Royal Visitor

Chapter 361: Chapter 361: A Royal Visitor

I carried Naruto gently. He was concerningly limp in my arms, but his rhythmic breathing assured me he was simply lost in a very deep sleep. It was no wonder, between pranking the elders, training with Takemura, and playing with shizuru and me, not to mention his daily art project. I walked him into the guest room and laid him onto the mattress, carefully pulling the covers over his small frame.

I sighed inwardly. The last time Naruto slept in my house, I used the quiet opportunity to copy the complex Eight Trigrams Seal holding the Nine-Tails. Now, I had just tagged him with the Flying Thunder God formula without his knowledge.

"Forgive me, Naruto," I whispered, raising my hands in a silent prayer gesture. "I promise there is absolutely no malevolent intent behind this. Plus, given the creepy way you will eventually obsess over and follow Sasuke around, I would say that what I did is not really so bad..." I tilted my head to the side, a sudden realization hitting me like a physical blow. "Wait. Why would Sasuke even run away from the village now?"

I was starting to have a full-blown existential crisis at the thought of my sheer presence changing things so drastically. My spiraling panic was abruptly cut short when something faint tugged at my newly heightened senses.

I smiled, genuinely grateful for the distraction. Maintaining the hand seal I was already holding, I ignited a tiny spark of chakra and erected a soundproof barrier around Naruto’s room so our voices would not wake him.

Walking out into the living area, I spoke to the seemingly empty space. "Look at that. The Yamanaka princess herself is visiting me. I am truly honored."

Sena materialized from the shadows, walking slowly and elegantly until she made herself comfortable at the table. With a quick hand sign, I created a shadow clone. It puffed into existence, glared at me with pure exhaustion, and muttered a few biting words. "You are really pushing it today."

Before I could retort, the clone disappeared into the kitchen to brew some tea. I made sure it used the fancy, expensive blend I usually saved for special guests like the Hokage.

"It is not like you to sneak in, you know," I told her, walking over. "This is as much your house as it is mine. You are always welcome to come and go as you please, and even stay as long as you want, just like Shizuru and Genta."

Sena offered a small smile, her gaze softening. "I know." She stayed quiet for a moment before a deep curiosity tinted her tone. "You spoke before you even saw me. Usually, you utter your very ’manly’ scream when I surprise you. Furthermore, I did not sense your chakra locating me, not to mention I was actively hiding my presence."

I shrugged, deciding to stretch out on the cool wooden floor. I stared up at the ceiling, enjoying the crisp night air flowing in from the open windows. I glanced over at her face to drop the reveal. "I can sense without using active chakra now."

I was glad I chose to just say it outright. It was always fun to get a genuine, unfiltered reaction out of Sena. Her current expression was a brilliant mixture of surprise, profound puzzlement, and an undeniable spark of excitement.

"How did you do that exactly?" She asked, not even attempting to hide her intense intrigue.

I looked back at the ceiling, focusing on the mural. "I can sense the minute electric charges in the environment and how they interact with different bodies or objects within my radius."

Sena’s eyes widened slightly as she leaned forward. "Is that even physically possible?"

I grinned, a surge of pride swelling in my chest. "It is. I was very surprised as well, but I have become much more perceptive to electrical phenomena. My affinity for lightning nature manipulation has increased far beyond the ridiculous heights it was already at before I reached this new level of strength."

Sena shook her head, letting out a heavy sigh. "You are too much, you know. That is not how a normal shinobi develops and grows in strength."

I laughed, mocking her tone. "You of all people should not say that. After all, you have an Uchiha prodigy swooning over you. Actually, make that two if you count Kaen." I shot her a sly grin. "With Itachi already tangled in your net, would he not be angry at you visiting me so late at night all alone?"

Sena gave me a deadpan eye roll, entirely unamused.

I replied with a dramatic gasp. "That is no way for a Yamanaka princess to react!"

She grabbed a cushion and hurled it straight at my face. I laughed loudly, happy that I got a physical reaction out of her. I was on fire today.

My clone walked in carrying a tray with a steaming pot of tea and a small bowl of lightly salted edamame, and a few special cups possessing minimal printing stains. It set it down and started pouring. Sena picked up her cup, took a single sniff of the fragrant brew, and placed it right back onto the table without a hint of hesitation.

"That is highly insulting, you know," I said, catching the disgusted look she aimed at my incredibly expensive tea blend.

"Stop calling me princess," she retorted, her voice laced with clear annoyance.

I stuck my tongue out. "But you are the daughter of one of the Hokage’s top advisors. If..."

Before I could finish the sentence, a second pillow slammed into my face, thrown with considerably more force than the first.

I pulled the cushion away and stayed quiet for a moment. The playful air in the room suddenly grew much colder, my tone shifting into something entirely serious. "So, being hitched to Itachi. Is that something you are actually okay with?"

Sena leaned back slightly, her eyes drifting up to observe the ceiling. "I already told you before. What I want does not really matter."

"You know you can live your own life," I pressed. "You do not have to live someone else’s image of what your future should be."

Sena replied with the same hollow, resigned tone. "Noa, kunoichi simply do not have many options. I lack the sheer strength, chakra, and potential needed to force the world to let me carve out my own path. I am no Lady Tsunade."

I clicked my tongue, a flash of genuine anger bleeding into my voice. "You know, for being the smartest person I have ever met, sometimes you say some very stupid things." I sat up, forcing her to look at me. "You of all people can do whatever you set your mind to. You are brilliant and capable enough to make it happen. Even if you left the village and started a new life somewhere else, you would do better than anyone else in the world."

Sena reached out and grabbed my arm, squeezing it gently. "Thank you for the vote of confidence."

I shook my head stubbornly. "It is the objective truth."

She looked deeply thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe if I could use lightning to strengthen my body, I would have had more options." She offered a self-deprecating smile.

"Your chakra coils are almost permanently set due to both your current age and genetics," I warned her bluntly. "Attempting my method would definitely kill you."

Sena shrugged nonchalantly. "It still would not hurt to know the method. Maybe I can glean some insight out of it."

My body tensed, my expression hardening into something incredibly stern. "Is this your parents asking, or is it you?"

Sena held my gaze. We remained motionless for several long minutes. It was a silent battle of reading miniature facial twitches and subtle body movements. We were both actively trying to peek into each other’s deepest thoughts. After a highly tense standoff, Sena finally broke.

She sighed, shaking her head as she stood up. When she spoke next, her voice was stripped of any clan politics or hidden agendas. It was just her. "I really did miss you, Noa. I missed spending time here with you and Shizuru, and I am so happy that you are okay."

She paused at the door as I spoke up, my voice practically pleading with her to understand. "If you ever need me, Sena, I will always be there for you. Not your family. Not your clan. You. Do you understand?"

Sena offered a sad, lingering smile and nodded once before disappearing into the darkness as swiftly as she had appeared.