Naruto: The Outsider's Resolve: CH_568: Date Night (Patreon)

After a week of clocking long overtime at work, Arisu finally had a moment to breathe and was excited to spend some time with her boyfriend. She looked up at the three-storey multi-family property whose top floor was rented by Takuma’s trio of close friends—Ai, Nenro, and Masaaki. Thankfully, they weren’t part of the evening. She liked Takuma’s friends, but after not seeing him for a week, she was in the mood for some one-on-one time.

Takuma had borrowed his friends’ roof and planned something special for their date. She narrowed her eyes at the faint glow coming from the rooftop. He had specifically asked her to approach the building by road and avoid rooftops to preserve the surprise.

On her way up, she saw a beautifully decorated sign on the trio’s door telling her to proceed upstairs.

On the rooftop, beyond the creaky door, was a sight that made Arisu gasp. Above, amber lights crisscrossed in a warm canopy, casting a low, golden glow across the terrace under the velvet dark sky. A pathway of white petals led directly to the intimate two-person dining table draped in white linen. Two slender candles flickered, their dancing lights reflecting off the fine silver cutlery, porcelain plates, and crystal glasses. At the edge of the light canopy sat a low couch with an ice cooler holding unmarked bottles of different drinks, while a gentle melody played from a cassette player.

To the side, some distance away from the setup, stood Takuma, fanning a few skewers over a portable charcoal grill. The noise of the door alerted him, and he turned to face her, a smile blooming on his face.

“Surprise!” he said, throwing his hands up in the air. “Thank God, you’re here.”

“What? Why would you think I’d ghost you?” Arisu said, partially offended. It was the only time she'd had to cancel their date because of work. On the other hand, he had cancelled more often on her.

“The petals,” Takuma pointed at the white petals on the floor, seemingly relieved. “I bought a whole bag, but the damned wind blew almost all of them—some of them right into my mouth. These are the last ones, you know. I was scared they’d be blown away as well before you got here.”

Arisu giggled at the thought of him panicking over a mess of petals everywhere but where he wanted.

“I’m not dressed for this. Why didn’t you tell me to dress up?!”

He was dressed in a smart set of shirt and pants under a dark green haori with an intricate pattern, whereas she had put on the first T-shirt and pair of shorts she found in her closet.

“Because it’s funny this way,” Takuma said with a smile.

“Takuma!” she complained.

“I’m sorry.” Takuma came over and hugged her shoulder with one arm, still holding a fan in one hand and a skewer in the other. “Come on, it’s fine. It’s just you and me here. Let’s relax and plan for the next time so you can have your revenge.”

Arisu glared at him before giving up and leaning into him. “You better fall for it really easily,” she said.

Takuma led her to the couch and poured her a glass of chilled beverage. “This is sugarcane juice with lemon and mint,” he said, while sitting down beside her.

“This must’ve taken a lot of time to set up. Did you get help from your friends?” Arisu asked, looking at the preparations.

“I did it all by myself,” he said, giving her a blanket for her legs that she draped over both of them.

“This must’ve taken a lot of time then.”

“Not at all.”

Arisu thought he was being humble, but then she remembered who she was talking to. Of course, he had gotten his clones to help him.

“I love this,” she said, leaning comfortably into the couch.

“Congratulations on closing the Mizuki case,” Takuma said, clinking her glass with his.

“Huh, how did you know?” Arisu sat straight up and turned to face him in surprise. The details about the case hadn’t been made public. Because of the severity and nature of the crime, and the involvement of ANBU, they were told not only to keep it from the press but also not to discuss it among colleagues.

“Mizuki has ‘withdrawn’ from the academy,” Takuma said.

Arisu sighed and slumped back into the couch, the tension releasing from her shoulders. “I can’t talk about it, but yes, he has been arrested and won’t be returning to the academy.”

“I see,” Takuma said.

“Not curious?”

“I’m just happy that he’s away from the kids.” Takuma smiled, stood up, and then pulled her away from the couch’s comfort, much to her protests. “Let’s treat this as a congratulations for a job well done and enjoy ourselves with a meal prepared by yours truly.”

Arisu sighed contentedly, taking in the ambience that made the food taste even better. It was a different experience from their usual dates. They usually alternated deciding what they would do on their dates, and it usually turned into finding something to do together. They had tried pottery, strawberry picking, book binding, buying up different types of explosive tags to blow up boulders, and spear-fishing—and while trying to one-up each other with date ideas was fun, this was the first time they had done something so outwardly romantic. It was a nice change of pace, and she appreciated it.

“Thank you for this,” she said, reaching across the table to hold his hand.

Takuma returned the smile. “You’re welcome.”

After dinner, they returned to the couch where their favourite dessert—honey-sweetened banana shake—was served. They had seen much cleaner and brighter skies during their travels, but watching the swiftly drifting clouds against the moon in the background made for an enjoyable view as they chatted.

“I’m participating in the upcoming Chūnin Exams.” Arisu was sitting with her back against his torso when she felt him go still behind her for a moment. “Something wrong with that?”

“No, I was just thinking…”

“About what?” she asked, turning around to look at him, and he didn’t answer immediately.

“…You’ve done more than enough in the Police Force to deserve the promotion. At this point, if you’re interested in a promotion, you should demand it, and they should give it to you,” Takuma said with a hint of displeasure in his voice.

She subconsciously grasped his arm. She knew more than others what Takuma felt about his time at the Police Force. The way in which he had left had tainted everything else. She could tell he didn’t want her treated the same way he was.

He wasn’t wrong that she had done enough since she had started the Narcotics Taskforce with him. Transitioning it to the Department of Narcotics Control wasn’t easy, but she had made it happen while handling cases. Converting the hidden information Takuma revealed to her into something actionable, all the while ensuring it wouldn’t put the department into trouble or trace back to him, had eaten into a big chunk of her time. Now, she even had a landmark case under her belt with the Mizuki investigation.

She deserved the chūnin promotion.

“I know,” Arisu sighed, resting against him again.

“How about trying to communicate your desire to them first?” Takuma suggested. “If you want my help, we can plan out the whole action strategy to maximise the chances of a quick internal promotion. In fact, I guarantee you’d get one. There’s actually no need to participate in the exams—”

“I appreciate the help, I do,” Arisu gently interjected, “but to be honest, I want to participate in the exams. Declaring that I’m participating would in itself be putting them on notice about my intentions. Not to mention, putting myself out there isn’t bad. I wonder if I’ll make a big enough splash to get noticed and then get scouted. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?”

“You want to leave?” Takuma asked, surprised.

The Fūma clan was undoubtedly the closest clan to the Uchiha. Her father was in the force, so a part of her had always wanted to join it and had jumped at the first chance because it meant fulfilling that desire, but also it was the easiest way out of the Genin Corps. As Arisu worked in the Police Force, she thought she would come to love it and want to spend her entire career there, like her aunts, but she didn’t find herself attached to that idea. She liked her work, her colleagues, the culture—and yet, it wasn’t as special as she thought it would be.

“I’m comfortable and getting an internal promotion will be easier if I stay, but if something that interests me comes along, I wouldn’t outright reject it just because I’m comfortable. It’s not bad to be open to new experiences.”

Takuma nodded, but she could tell that he wanted to say more. It made sense since she was technically jeopardising the internal promotion. A great performance would raise her stock, but the opposite might send the impression that she wasn’t ready. And the Chūnin Exams were notoriously chaotic, and you could fail out early even if you didn’t make any big mistakes.

“Not to mention, if I don’t participate in this one, I’d need to wait for the next few years before I get a chance.”

For shinobi employed by departments or any kind of full-time position, participation in the nearest Chūnin Exam wasn’t guaranteed. Taking off potentially a month and a half every time an exam came around just wasn’t realistic. If someone went away, the rest would have to put in extra work—and since Chūnin Exams were a biannual affair, most workplaces had procedures and plans in place. However, even then, they could spare at most one or two people each season, so there was often intense competition for the available spots, since they had to plan assuming anyone participating would be unavailable until the end.

“My spot is guaranteed,” Arisu said—it was guaranteed by the Head of the Police Force.

She would also wrap up integrating the counterfeit cases into the department by then, making it the perfect time. And since the Hidden Leaf was hosting the exams, she would still be available to her colleagues in a limited capacity during an emergency instead of being out of contact if she travelled abroad.

“Have you decided on your team?” Takuma asked.

“Not yet. Ugh, that’s perhaps the most important decision that needs to be locked in quickly.”

“If you’re fine with his type, Masaaki would make a great option.”

“He’s certainly strong,” Arisu said carefully. She didn’t want to make any promises just because Masaaki was one of her boyfriend’s best friends. A team was three shinobi, and all of them needed to fit together to maximise their chances; even if she could work well with Masaaki, it wouldn’t mean much if they didn’t have a third piece.

“Right, strong is good.” Takuma wrapped his arms around her almost protectively. “I want to help, whatever you need.”

Arisu hummed and burrowed into him as she would do into a comfortable couch.

“So, I’m thinking of choosing after studying historical data… ”

While she excitedly spoke of her plans, Arisu missed the grave expression on Takuma’s face.