"You always lie to me." Ino snorted.
"How can this be considered a lie?" Naruto walked beside her, his eyes scanning the street. He suddenly remembered the rainy afternoon when Ino's eyes had sparkled softly.
"I've been helping you because I like you. I don't expect anything in return. If every time I helped you, you felt the need to help me back, wouldn't that make things too rigid?"
Ino's body stiffened for a moment, and then she quickly took a few steps ahead, putting some distance between them.
"I don't like you."
"But last time…"
"No! Don't mention last time!" Ino snapped, turning her head to glare at him, "I didn't! It wasn't me! Don't you dare bring it up!"
"Okay, I won't say anything." Naruto chuckled.
"And don't laugh." She huffed, grabbing the front of Naruto's shirt.
"I don't want to laugh, but I can't help it." Naruto said, genuinely amused. It felt as if he had finally caught on to why Ino had stopped seeking him out after that last time.
Konoha Street seemed to stretch endlessly before them. Ino let go of Naruto and stormed ahead, her palm sweating as she clenched her fists.
'Talking to him was exhausting. Shouldn't we forget about those awkward moments tacitly? Damn it! What even is 'liking' someone? It wasn't a problem before, but now he kept bringing it up all the time. It was so infuriating.'
'His likes are too casual, that guy probably says that to a lot of people. He probably likes Hinata too! He is such a scumbag, I really want to beat him up.'
"Ino!" He chased after her.
"Don't call me!" Ino muttered under her breath, suddenly feeling her mood souring again.
Naruto followed her anyway and poked her arm before asking, "You really don't need to think so much about it. I helped you because I wanted to. Besides, I can't just sit back and watch you walk into danger."
"It's not dangerous." Ino weakly protested. After all, it was just an investigation.
"What if?" Naruto said, "What if the Akatsuki organization comes back again? Chiriku-san is indeed strong, but he's not unbeatable. If something unexpected happens…"
"Fine."
Ino couldn't win against him and finally conceded, though she suddenly found the idea of going on a mission together to be somewhat exciting. She wanted to tell him that he could also be in danger, but after thinking about it, she didn't say it out loud because she was afraid that he would fight back again.
In a blink of an eye, they arrived at the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
"I'm going in now." Ino lowered her head and said slowly.
"Okay, see you tomorrow." He waved.
The next day.
Naruto had packed his Ninja Gear early. He returned from morning training for a quick shower before changing into fresh clothes and heading out. Today is the day for the mission, to go to the Fire Temple to investigate the whereabouts of the Immortal Duo.
If their mission is just to investigate, the mission is really not that dangerous. And if they accidentally run into the two, they just need to retreat.
However, the problem was that Asuma was a walking bounty, his head is worth 35 million ryo. It was all because of the mistakes he made in his youth, choosing to work as the Daimyo's personal bodyguard alongside Chiriku.
In the end, he didn't make a name for himself, but instead got into a lot of trouble. He returned to Konoha dejectedly and returned to the arms of his father, the Hokage.
Just after Naruto left the house, Kurama lazily crawled off the couch. After wobbling on the ground for a few seconds, he skillfully opened the balcony window and jumped out.
The sun blazed down as Kurama deftly leapt across a few rooftops. He couldn't remember the exact route, but with his shrunken form, everything seemed like towering buildings.
He roughly remembered the direction and started walking in a straight line, jumping over buildings and skirting past narrow alleys. Eventually, he stopped in front of a tall, modest-looking wall.
Kurama howled, a sound somewhere between a wolf and a fox, certainly not like a dog.
After a while, the gate of the Hyuga Clan's compound opened. A girl walked out… It's Hinata, who had grown quite a bit taller. Right now, she's no longer the small and frail girl she used to be.
She was about 160 centimeters tall, with a slender frame that made her appear even more elegant. Her short hair had grown out, now softly draping over her shoulders.
Her forehead still sported the same curved bangs, and her eyes remained gentle and meek. As she scanned the area, her gaze landed on the squatting Kurama, and she broke into a smile.
"I brought this for you today." Hinata said with a smile, pulling out a small flask from behind her.
The flask was funnel-shaped, with a narrow spout, capable of holding only about the volume of two fists. Even if filled to the brim, it was nothing compared to what Kurama could usually drink, maybe only half a bottle's worth.
But the sake Hinata had was quite special. Naruto wouldn't have bought it, and it wasn't the kind of alcohol one could get easily. So, Kurama had no choice but to accept it, despite the small quantity.
Although he tried to protest, the woman in front of him would always gently reply, "No, you can't drink too much. You won't be able to bear it."
Kurama felt depressed, thinking to himself, 'I drank eight or nine bottles a day, so how could I possibly not be able to handle it?'
However, he couldn't exactly speak out loud, and if he scared her, even this small amount of sake he got daily might disappear. Drinking was such a wonderful pleasure, after all.
Where had he heard that from? Kurama couldn't remember. Well, some kids were always saying strange things, and somehow, he had been influenced by them.
'As long as there's alcohol, it's fine.'
At first, he found Hinata's endless chatter beside it a bit annoying, but over time it got used to it. Occasionally, he would even give her a response, as a simple paw shake would make Hinata incredibly happy.
'Hmph, simple-minded servant.'
"You came so early today." Hinata said, patting Kurama's head. She took out a small white jade plate, so exquisitely beautiful it would make anyone question reality.
If Naruto were here, he would definitely kick Kurama away and then obsess over the plate. There were some things money couldn't buy, but as the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan, Hinata could take such things out casually.
The Hyuga Clan is wealthy and has a deep foundation.
Hinata thought Kurama drinking straight from the bottle was inconvenient, so she grabbed the plate from her home since nothing else seemed suitable.
Carefully, she poured the sake into the white jade dish. The shallow plate held only a few sips of sake, but Kurama eagerly lapped it up.
The fragrance of the sake filled the air, and the slanted sunlight bathed the scene.
Hinata, small and petite, crouched beside Kurama, watching as the foxhound savored the drink with singular focus. She murmured on, occasionally laughing softly.
Her smile is pure, and her eyes are soft.
"I actually have a mission today, but Shino and the others said I don't need to go there specially, and they will come over in the afternoon. Everyone is taking good care of me. Even though I've gotten stronger, I still feel like I haven't trained enough."
Kurama looked up, and Hinata was stunned for a moment, astonished that she could read a puzzled expression from a dog's eyes, 'Am I going crazy?'
'Surely Naruto's foxhound couldn't be a Ninken, right? Could it really understand me?'
Hinata was nervous for a moment, but quickly dismissed the thought as Kurama lowered his head again.