As usual, everyone gathered at the Hokage Tower. Naruto had planned to head straight to the fifth floor, but as he walked into the courtyard, he spotted some familiar faces.
Sakura and Ino were chatting and laughing together, while Kiba, Shino, and Hinata were waiting nearby. It seemed that Choji and Shikamaru hadn't arrived yet, but Lee and Neji showed up shortly after.
Pausing for a moment, Naruto decided against going upstairs and stayed in the courtyard to wait.
Anyway, the team leader for this mission will probably be Shikamaru, the future Konoha's military advisor, so there is no point for him to go up first. Even if there were special orders, Tsunade would just send someone to summon him.
Ino noticed Naruto as well, her gaze wavering for a moment before she quickly regained her composure. She had tossed and turned in bed for half an hour the previous night, but she's unable to shake off the embarrassment in her heart.
'I had actually said it out loud!'
'Damn it, he knew it… and he responded.'
At that moment, her whole being was trembling uncontrollably, her actions completely disconnected from her rational mind.
Just thinking about how her mother was cooking in the kitchen while she almost held hands on the sofa was mortifying! It was so embarrassing that she wished she could go back to yesterday and stop her foolish, dazed behavior.
'Or, I could beat him up until he got a concussion and lost his memory!'
'Forget it! I absolutely had to forget that memory!!'
When Ino woke up in the morning, she regretted everything she had done yesterday!!!
She wanted to live in another world, as it was just too embarrassing!
Ino had arrived early at the Hokage Tower, hoping to acclimate herself to the atmosphere in advance. Maybe if she pretended to have forgotten about the incident, Naruto wouldn't bring it up either.
'Yeah, with tacit understanding!'
However, Naruto didn't seem to catch on to that vibe. He glanced around at everyone and then immediately started walking towards Ino and Sakura.
Ino, sensing something, turned her head slightly, intending to see where Naruto was heading. The moment she saw him walking in her direction, her mind went completely blank.
"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.
"Huh?" Ino was confused for a moment.
Sakura tilted her head slightly and frowned, then asked, "So, what happened to that dress? You suddenly stopped talking."
While saying that, Sakura followed the direction of Ino's earlier gaze and saw Naruto approaching them. Her eyes lowered slightly, and she instantly understood Ino's unusual behavior.
"Sorry, I got distracted." Ino said, "That dress, it..."
"The mission is starting so soon?" Naruto interrupted as he approached, naturally asking, "When did you guys get here?"
"Not long ago." Sakura said with a smile, "Ino arrived earlier. She was already here when I came."
"Really?"
"Y-Yeah, not too long." Ino laughed dryly, not daring to look Naruto in the eye. But when she turned around, she met Kurama's eyes and immediately brightened up.
"Why did you bring him along?"
"This guy is my Ninken." Naruto lied casually.
He didn't care if anyone believed him or not. After all, the chubby fox was right there, and since he had already brought him, Kurama was bound to come along.
"Ino, about yesterday…"
At his words, Ino's heart shot up to her throat. Her heart was pounding so fast that she almost ran away.
"Yesterday!" She blurted out, rushing to speak, "Yesterday... did you stay dry on your way back? My mom was worried you might get soaked."
"No, I didn't get wet." Naruto looked at Ino, puzzled by her anxious demeanor, but seeing her tense expression, he decided not to press further.
Sakura's eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them, but she didn't look at them for long before lowering her eyes to look at the ground.
"Is everyone here?" Shikamaru's lazy voice came from the stairs, "Is here yet? That guy loves being late. Did he show up?"
"Stop talking nonsense, I'm here! I even came here without drying my hair." Naruto said while rolling his eyes.
"Who knows with you…" Shikamaru grumbled before changing the subject, "What about Ino? Is Ino here?"
Upon hearing her name being called, Ino, who had just calmed down, nearly froze on the spot again.
'Why did he call me after calling that guy? Was Shikamaru doing this on purpose?'
"I'm here!" Ino tried to keep her voice steady, attempting to sound.
However, as soon as she spoke, the tremor in her voice startled even herself. She couldn't help but berated herself in her heart for being so jittery, 'What was there to be nervous about?'
"Alright, what about Neji?" Shikamaru glanced at the group, seemingly not intentionally singling anyone out.
"Present." Neji said.
"Then let's set off now. Gather at the village gate immediately. Team 8 will use Shino's Kikaichu to lead the way." Shikamaru quickly issued the orders. "We'll sort out formations later."
Everyone had no objection, so they turned and headed towards the village entrance in small groups.
Ino had already joined up with Choji and Shikamaru, likely organizing by Genin teams as the smallest unit. Naruto glanced back at Sakura but instead caught sight of Hinata passing by him.
As she walked past, Hinata looked at Naruto, and noticed that his hair was half dry, with droplets still visible at the tips, slowly sliding down her neck and dampening her collar.
Naruto had rushed out earlier, and since it was summer, he figured his hair would dry quickly on the way, so he hadn't paid it much mind.
Upon seeing Naruto's current appearance, Hinata's face turned slightly red for a moment. She even forgot what she was going to say and could only stammer and call out in a low voice, "N-Naruto-kun."
"Hmm? What's up?" Naruto didn't sense anything out of the ordinary. After all, Hinata always blushed when she saw him, so he was used to it by now.
"N-Nothing." Hinata's heart skipped a beat.
The summer heat was oppressive, and the sunlight lingered long. A bird on some tree chirped strangely, catching Naruto's attention momentarily. When he refocused, Hinata softly said, "I'll be going now, Naruto-kun."
Naruto watched Hinata's hurried departure, feeling bewildered, 'Why did everyone seem so strange today? Why were they all acting so secretive?'
"Let's go." Sakura walked up beside him with a smile.
"Okay." Naruto nodded, 'Fortunately, Sakura is still normal.'
"After this mission is over…"
Hearing the calm voice of Dark Sakura beside him, Naruto turned to look at her and asked, "What?"
"After this mission is over, can you please do me a small favor?"