Not yet

Naruto paused, his mind replaying Tenten's earlier words like a highlight reel. She saw him as dependable, someone who'd always have your back—no small compliment in their line of work. It was a far cry from Sakura's disdain, where every victory he'd clawed out was chalked up to dumb luck. He'd busted his ass through training, battles, and near-**** scrapes, yet to her, he was just some creepy loser obsessed with dates.

Obsessed?

Nah, it was a crush, plain and simple, the kind anyone might have had when they were back at the academy, its not like he asked her out every single minute of the day or even once per day, even when they first joined Team 7.

And yeah, it stung that she'd called him out like that—especially after he'd hoped their shared Team 7 ordeals, like pulling her from Gaara's clutches in the Chunin Exams, might've thawed her ice. But hearing "creepy" and "intolerable" from the same girl who'd trailed Sasuke like a lovesick puppy, ignoring his constant brush-offs? That hypocrisy burned.

He shook it off, anger simmering but not boiling over. Right now, Tenten was the focus—the one who'd actually appreciated him, even from afar.

"Say, Tenten," Naruto ventured, his voice casual but laced with that mischievous edge, "you find me dependable, right? Like, the guy who shows up when it counts?"

She tilted her head, her enhanced features catching the sunlight in a way that made his pulse quicken. "Absolutely," she replied without hesitation. "You're the type who can always be counted on in a pinch. It's one of your best qualities."

A smirk tugged at his lips, emboldened by the power humming under his skin. "And you find that attractive in a guy, don't you? That reliability?"

Tenten's cheeks flushed a soft pink, her eyes darting away as she fiddled with the edge of her sleeve. "Well... yeah, I do. It's reassuring to have someone like that around, especially in our world."

Naruto leaned in a fraction, his heart racing with the thrill of testing boundaries. "But specifically in me—that dependability hits different for you, huh?"

Her blush deepened, spreading like wildfire, but she met his gaze this time. "Yeah," she confessed, her voice softer. "It does. And it doesn't hurt that you're pretty cute, too. Being overly dependable? That's a killer combo, Naruto."

He couldn't help the grin splitting his face. "So, all that adds up to you being attracted to me in general, right?"

Tenten laughed lightly, the sound genuine and warm, though her eyes sparkled with a mix of shyness and intrigue. "Guilty as charged. You're not the cookie-cutter boyfriend type, but shinobi life isn't exactly traditional anyway. It works."

Pushing his luck a bit further, Naruto added with a playful drawl, "You even dream about us being together sometimes?"

Her admission came swift and unfiltered, her voice dropping to a near-whisper that sent a jolt through him. "All the time. Especially at night—I can't help but think about you."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, mirroring Naruto's own surprise. He hadn't scripted that detail, but damn if it didn't feel like a bonus. The air between them crackled with unspoken possibilities, and Naruto filed that away, his mind already spinning toward what came next.