After walking over and standing beside him, Ino finally let out a deep breath. She then glanced at the mask in Naruto's hand and asked, "What is that?"
"Just an ordinary mask." Naruto said as he threw it into his seal space.
Then, he pointed to the remaining twenty-six masks on the wall and said, "Wait for me a bit. Once I take down all these masks, we can leave."
"Okay."
As Naruto continued removing the masks, he spoke to Ino, "I told you that you don't have to come with me. There's not a single living soul in this place."
Ino didn't say anything, knowing that now was not the time to argue. She waited patiently until Naruto threw all twenty-six masks into his seal space. Only after they slowly exited the Uzumaki Clan's barrier did she pinch Naruto's waist hard.
"Ouch!!" Naruto yelped, "Ino, are you trying to kill me?!"
"You deserve it." Ino said unhappily.
"How did I deserve this?" Naruto winced, rubbing his side and muttering, "Just you wait, someday, you won't get away with this."
"What are you mumbling about?"
"Nothing, it just felt like someone was talking to me. Did you see anyone?"
"Ah!!" Ino screamed and her face instantly turned pale.
"Just kidding. Seeing how nervous you are, I just wanted to liven up the atmosphere." Naruto said mischievously.
Ino: "…"
'This guy is really infuriating!'
"So, you're actually afraid of that kind of stuff, huh?" Naruto walked alongside Ino, heading slowly back towards the village.
"Of course I am! Who wouldn't be afraid of that?" Ino said with lingering fear, "Next time, I'm definitely not coming to this kind of place with you. It's too scary."
"Haha, everything you saw was just an illusion." Naruto explained, "There are not so many strange things in this world just don't dwell on it."
"Of course I know that." Ino said stubbornly, trying to sound tough.
"It's still early. Do you have any plans?" Naruto asked casually, "If you have nothing to do, you could hang out at my place."
"Hmph? Looking for an excuse again, you foot fetishist."
"You've got me all wrong." He said nonchalantly, his gaze wandering through the early spring forest, "Is there a possibility that I am more than just a foot fetishist?"
"Oh, is that so? My apologies then! I misunderstood you, you pervert!" Ino said with her hands behind her back, her lips slightly raised.
"It's not like I want to be like this. It's all because Ino is too cute."
"Hmph, are you completely shameless now? Saying such embarrassing things without blushing or flinching." Ino had become immune to Naruto's occasional flirtatious remarks.
Ino's expression was somewhat endearing as she spoke, proudly accepting the compliment on her cuteness, yet still haughtily calling him a pervert.
Girls with this kind of personality are definitely rare, possibly because fewer people appreciate this type. But coincidentally, Naruto was one of those who did, thoroughly enjoying the playful banter from a cute girl.
Ino's character was pure, the kind that would continually grow and challenge him. Yet she also seemed like the kind of girl who would blush immediately if the teasing became a bit stronger.
"What I'm saying is true, you know. I've missed you a lot, Ino, since we haven't seen each other in a while." Naruto said.
"Oh? You've gotten quite good at lying so naturally? I won't believe that, hmph." Ino seemed to be in a good mood and her thoughts became lively.
Normally, she would first get shy, then question the authenticity of Naruto's words. But now, she could see right through him.
'Was it because she had become sharper?'
Naruto suddenly felt a bit relieved, like he had finally shaped Ino into the person he was familiar with, 'It seemed that I would not be able to make her blush by simply saying a few words in the future.'
'But there was still another way.'
Taking a deep breath, Naruto ran ahead and then turned to face Ino. They were about thirty meters apart in the quiet, deep woods.
"What's wrong with you?" Ino was a little puzzled, not sure what Naruto was up to.
"Ino, you're so cute!!!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, startling a flock of birds from half the forest.
"Eh? Eh!!" Ino's face turned bright red at an astonishing speed. This time, the embarrassment was too strong. "What the hell are you yelling about?!"
"You pervert! Don't run!"
…
The next day, the sky outside was clear and blue.
After washing up, Naruto went out, walked alone on the road of Konoha Street, and slowly merged into the flow of people on the street. The street was crowded, and the air was damp and muggy.
At times like this, the benefits of having few friends become apparent.
Even though he had survived a harrowing experience at sea, only a few friends had come to see him. Team 3 and Team 8 were still on missions outside the village and wouldn't be back anytime soon.
When they returned and heard about his unscathed return from the sea, they'd probably be surprised. And Naruto was also curious to see how Kiba would react. He felt that Kiba would be jealous of his genius leadership ability.
All in all, life had returned to normal.
Koyuki and Sakura seemed to be having some health issues, probably due to the ordeal of drifting at sea. It could also be that they relaxed too much afterward and fell ill, which is something he'd heard of before.
He walked slowly along the road, planning to visit Sakura and Koyuki at the hospital today. Anko had just been discharged a step ahead of him, with no issues with her health.
After all, it was a routine visit to check on his teammates and see when the mission target would recover and be released.
Moreover, as heartless as it might sound, only when the mission resumed would he have the chance to earn the complete Flying Thunder God Technique reward from the system.