After dinner, as Ino was about to leave, Natsuro was also sent out by Shinai to escort Ino home. Although Shinai didn't have to ask him, he had intended to do so anyway.
The atmosphere on the way was a bit silent, and it was Natsuro who broke the silence first.
"Ino, I'm sorry for this past year."
Ino shook her head, her blue eyes fixed on Natsuro as she said, "It's okay. After all, that's the life of a ninja. Some missions require confidentiality, right?"
"Yeah..." Natsuro nodded. It wasn't really a lie, after all. The fact that he had become a member of the Anbu was something generally kept secret.
Even though the identity of Ink had been publicly known for a long time, his personal identity was not exposed.
At this moment, Ino waved her small fist and said, "Natsuro, don't look at me like this. I'm a ninja too, even if I'm not as strong as you. But I'll work hard!"
Ino had initially been very upset, but learning that Natsuro had become a jōnin had made her feel much better.
The knowledge she had learned at the academy told her that a genin generally wouldn't have missions that required hidden identities, but a chunin or jōnin might. So, knowing that Natsuro truly hadn't abandoned her was important to her!
Natsuro looked at Ino, who was waving her fist, and after not seeing her for more than a year, the image before him seemed to align with the vague memories he had in his mind.
In Ino's astonished gaze, Natsuro took hold of her fist and pulled her gently. Ino felt a warmth from his hand, causing her body to naturally fall forward and end up in his warm and broad embrace.
Instantly, Ino's eyes widened in disbelief. When did he become so proactive? It seemed that a year apart might not have been entirely bad?
Ino made no attempt to resist, simply blushing as she savored the warmth of the moment. This embrace was truly warm...
And it was warm because... the height difference between Natsuro and Ino had increased quite a bit, so at this moment, Natsuro really did embrace Ino entirely. How could it not be warm?
At this moment, Ino, still with a hint of a tearful tone, said softly, "In the future, if there are such missions again, could you... let me know in advance, even if you don't tell me the details of the mission?"
"Hmm." Natsuro responded quietly.
After holding Ino in his embrace, he didn't say much, just silently holding her, without any further actions. This was enough.
"I'm sorry..." Natsuro said quietly. During those days when his spirits were low, he had only remembered to send gifts to Shinai and had forgotten Ino... it was quite careless of him.
Ino didn't say anything, just tightening her embrace around Natsuro.
Natsuro also thought that being apart for a while had its benefits, as it allowed him to clearly see Ino's growth and didn't make him feel like he was always in a nurturing role...
He also mentally calculated the time. Both he and Ino were twelve this year, which meant there were still four years to go.
That's right, four years, not eight or more. He originally thought it would be like his previous life, but after reviewing some medical texts, he discovered that the developmental age in this world was different from his past life. At sixteen, it was equivalent to the age of full development in his previous life. With training, this age might even be earlier.
Adapting to local customs, Natsuro thought it was quite good. He didn't want to wait that long. If it was harmful to Ino, that would be another matter, but if it wasn't, why wait until the age of his previous life...
So with four years remaining, he thought it was still bearable to wait a bit longer.
Meanwhile, this scene was observed by Ino's mother from a window on the upper floor.
She sighed upon seeing this. Despite having previously said she would never bother with him again, Ino still often visited his home...
And she easily forgave him. In her mother's view, this was quite unexpected. His disappearance for a year was quite excessive.
Thus, Mrs. Yamanaka decided to educate her daughter properly, otherwise, she might be bullied in the future.
When she learned from Ino that the secrecy of the mission was necessary, she was somewhat dismissive. After all, she had seen a lot, and a genin's mission requiring secrecy was unusual.
However, when she learned from Ino that Natsuro had become a special jōnin, she was shocked. She first thought that he was lying, as he was only twelve. How could that be...
Then she thought thought of a certain silver-haired individual, fell silent, and suppressed her inner doubts and curiosity. She waited until her husband came home and asked him about it.
When Inoichi heard this, paused as well, contemplating the possibility of this news. Considering Natsuro's character, his bloodlust, and his emergence from the Hokage's office, he had a vague guess in his mind.
However, if this guess was true, Natsuro's true identity would be quite terrifying. Nevertheless, he eventually nodded, acknowledging that it was indeed possible.
At once, Mrs. Yamanaka was thoroughly unsettled. She pulled Ino over and said,
"Ino, you can't keep running to his house all the time. If you have the chance, you should invite Natsuro to our house as well. I'll personally cook and host him."
Ino, somewhat confused, nodded in agreement.
...
When Natsuro returned home, he went to a large tree at his doorstep.
Soon, a figure appeared beside him, bowing respectfully.
"Thank you for your hard work this past year, Hakudō," Natsuro said.
"It's no trouble. It's my duty to serve Ink-sama," the Anbu member said, looking at him with a fervent and admiring gaze.
"Don't call me Ink anymore. I've officially withdrawn from the Anbu," Natsuro said with a smile. The Anbu member was someone he had requested from the Anbu chief, skilled in scouting and concealment, and most importantly, someone he could trust absolutely.
"But Ink-sama is always Ink-sama. That will never change!" Hakudō responded. Every Anbu squad knew about Ink, and many would fight to join his team, but unfortunately, Ink's team had never taken in new members.
"Alright. Has anything happened recently?" Natsuro asked, deciding to let the issue of the name go.
Hakudō didn't hesitate and said, "Ink-sama's mother's movements are quite regular and generally avoid dangerous places, so there hasn't been any danger. However…"
"However?" Natsuro's eyes narrowed as he asked.
"There were a couple of instances of Root's presence. When Ink-sama wasn't around, I reported it to the chief. After that, Root disappeared," Hakudō said directly.
Instantly, Natsuro's eyes contracted, but he didn't show any outward reaction and nodded, "Alright, I understand. You did well."
With that, Natsuro took out some rewards he had obtained from missions and handed them to Hakudō.
"Thank you, Ink-sama," Hakudō accepted the gifts without refusal.
"This is what you deserve. Continue as before. If there are issues while I'm around, report them directly to me," Natsuro said. Even though he was back, he couldn't keep an eye on everything at home all the time.
"Yes, Ink-sama."
Hakudō responded and then vanished again.
Natsuro looked at his departing figure and nodded. Although he could easily spot him, Hakudō's concealment skills were impressive. His combat ability might not be high, but it was sufficient.
When Natsuro returned to the house, a surge of coldness flashed in his eyes. Root, huh? That must be Danzo. It seemed he was still keeping an eye on him. Even with the Third Hokage around, he believed Danzo wouldn't dare do anything too extreme.
But the thought of such a person watching him from the shadows still irked him.
It was one thing to target him, but targeting Shinai was completely unacceptable. His eyes showed a cold glint as he pondered.
In the end, he felt that for now, there was nothing he could do but set it aside. He would deal with it when the opportunity arose.
Thinking this, he patted his face, hiding all negative emotions, and walked into the house.
In fact, Natsuro hadn't expected reintegrating into his family would be so smooth, even... Shinai didn't seem to notice the killing intent he harbored.
Why was that? Natsuro remembered that when he interacted with other ninjas for a long time, they would always feel uncomfortable. Yet Shinai, who hadn't trained for a long time and was just a genin...
In the end, he sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat warm. Perhaps, this was what family meant...
....
Natsuro was preparing to rest for the night when he was disturbed by the loud commotion outside. Had something happened in the village again?
Confused, Natsuro stepped outside and stopped a chunin to inquire.
"Naruto stole the Forbidden Scroll?"
Natsuro was taken aback. Why would Naruto do that? Hadn't he already graduated successfully? Why would he need to steal the Forbidden Scroll?
With a deep sense of confusion, he followed the ninjas heading towards the forest. He had planned to find Naruto in a couple of days to teach him the Shadow Clone Technique, but now...
It seemed it might not be necessary?
As Natsuro made his way, he pondered the reason behind Naruto's actions. There must be a reason for Naruto to steal the scroll.
Given Naruto's intellect, he probably didn't even know the existence of the Forbidden Scroll, so he must have been manipulated by that guy, Mizuki.
But without the troubles of graduation and with Naruto's sense of malice, how did Mizuki manage to manipulate Naruto?
With these intense questions, he entered the Void State, and in an instant, his chakra sensing spread over most of the forest. Soon, he identified several figures, one of which was surrounded by a large amount of chakra and moving in a peculiar manner.
That should be Naruto. The surrounding figures were likely Anbu members. Natsuro recognized that special movement style, as Naruto generally used both his feet and hands to move, unlike others who just used their feet.
Perhaps it was influenced by the Nine-Tails?
After locating Naruto's position, he silently detached from the pursuing team and headed alone towards Naruto. He wanted to see what had happened to Naruto.
With his incredible speed and after pinpointing Naruto's exact location, he soon arrived nearby him.
However, he didn't appear directly before Naruto. Whether Naruto saw the Forbidden Scroll or not was irrelevant; he wanted to understand if Mizuki had really manipulated him and how he had done it!
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