Bang!
The door was closed shut.
Naruto had a rough idea that this was about the high-level meeting. The Ino-Shika-Cho Clans had always been closely allied, and if they were to take a stance, it would undoubtedly be the same one.
Moreover, Ino-Shika-Chou's stance will obviously be affected by Tsunade's attitude.
Jiraiya had already left the village some time ago, but he still retained a voting right. He'd left as a nominal mentor, telling Tsunade he'd be back in about six months.
The Akatsuki was of great concern to him, so Jiraiya was planning to gather intelligence on the organization that Itachi had joined. He'd already made arrangements with Naruto, promising to return every six months to teach him new Ninjutsu.
Ino walked in front of Naruto with her hands behind her back, then turned her head and glanced at the slow-moving Naruto and said, "You seem to have grown taller?"
"Yeah, maybe I've been eating better."
Naruto replied. Over the past few months, his body had grown rapidly. Whether it was due to the system or just a growth spurt, he wasn't sure.
"You used to only reach here, and now you're…" Ino measured with her hand, raising it above her head, "Do boys grow this fast?"
"I don't know about others, but I definitely have," Naruto said.
"The mission to retrieve Sasuke failed?"
"You are quite well-informed."
"Not really, I just guessed." Ino said, still walking ahead with her hands behind her back, "Even though I didn't have much of a relationship with Sasuke, he was still my childhood crush."
"With his personality, once he's set on something, he won't give it up."
As they walked side by side, Ino mostly led the way, steering them toward a less crowded area.
"If you keep talking like that, I might get jealous."
"Jealous of what?" Ino responded with a playful grin, "Sasuke has always been handsome, okay? There is no girl who doesn't like Sasuke."
"There actually is someone."
"Who?"
"Hinata."
Ino: "If you keep this up, I'll get jealous."
"Jealous of what?" Naruto shot back with the same playful tone, "Hinata has always been very gentle, okay? Who doesn't like a rich girl?"
"Tsk, I'm rich too." Ino muttered under her breath.
"What did you say?"
"What does this have to do with you? Pervert!"
When Naruto first arrived in this world, it was the height of summer, and things weren't looking good. Now, in the blink of an eye, it was September. The sun blazed, plants grew wild, Sandaime is dead, and Sasuke had defected.
'The situation seems to have improved, the only thing left is to unseal the Kyubi.'
"You zoned out again?"
"Huh?" Naruto suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and saw Ino's slightly puffed cheeks and a look of dissatisfaction on her face.
"Come with me." Ino said, grabbing Naruto's arm and pulling him toward a secluded alley.
In a shady alley on the east side of Konoha's main street, vines crept up the walls, twisting and turning as they clung to both ends of the alley.
Ino tugged Naruto along, quickly crossing the boundary where sunlight met shadow. As soon as they stepped inside, the temperature dropped, giving an unusual chill.
The sound of their hurried footsteps echoed loudly in the quiet alley. Under the old walls of blue bricks and red tiles, Ino suddenly pushed Naruto against the wall.
She furrowed her brows, trying to look serious, but since she wasn't as tall as Naruto, the scene ended up looking somewhat comical.
"What are you doing?"
"I told you, I have something to talk to you about."
"What is it? You didn't have to drag me to such a remote place, did you?" Naruto was a little embarrassed at the moment as Ino seemed unaware of how close they were standing.
Naruto could see the soft curves below Ino's neck subtly swaying and also catch the delicate scent of a young woman standing so close. His heart skipped a beat, and a rush of dopamine hit him.
"What's with that look in your eyes?" Ino asked disdainfully, "Why does it feel like you're getting excited? You jerk!"
"It's nothing." Naruto said, scratching his face in embarrassment.
"Damn it! You definitely had some dirty thoughts just now, didn't you?" Ino said disdainfully, "You weren't thinking of me as the object of your fantasy, were you?"
"You're so beautiful, Ino, so it's impossible not to have wild thoughts."
"… Well, when you put it that way, I guess you're not wrong." Ino turned her head away, trying to hide her embarrassment, though the attempt was weak.
Her pale face and neck flushed a deep red, and the way she tried to hold back her shyness was extremely cute, like a strawberry cake drizzled with cream.
"I… I don't care about such a small matter as being the object of delusion by a disgusting boy."
"Can you remove the word 'disgusting'?" Naruto sighed.
"I refuse." Ino stepped back, crossing her arms with a wary look, "Don't go getting all hot and bothered over a beautiful girl, you perv!"
"I'm sorry, but I can't forget how you looked in the maid outfit."
"That's the most embarrassing moment of my life!" Ino growled, clearly getting flustered as Naruto steered the conversation.
"Well, I'll never forget it. It's burned into my memory."
"You!" Ino was so angry that her chest heaved with every breath. She swore, "You'd better hope you never fall into my hands!"
"I really look forward for that day to come."
"You…!" Ino took a moment to calm herself, taking a deep breath before saying, "What I'm about to tell you is top secret, okay? No one else can hear it."
"Really?" Naruto asked, feigning seriousness, "Then you should get closer, it will be bad if someone overhears us."
"Oh, alright." Ino obediently leaned in closer, only realized something was wrong after she did.
"Ah!!! You tricked me again!"
"I didn't trick you. If you stand too far away, you'll have to speak louder, and what if someone overhears us?" Naruto looked around and said with his hands spread out, "Anyway, you took so much trouble to drag me here, isn't it just to avoid being overheard? If someone does hear us now, then bringing me to a secluded place was pointless, wasn't it?"
"Ah? You might have a point there." Ino blinked, unable to figure out what to say for a moment.
"Don't tell me you're getting shy at a time like this?" Naruto teased, not giving her a chance to react.
"Of course not!" Ino regretted the moment she said this.
She caught a glimpse of Naruto's triumphant smile and felt her face darken, but there was no turning back now.
"Stop laughing!" Ino pinched Naruto's waist and frowned, "Listen carefully. If you miss a single word, I won't repeat it."
"Got it." Naruto said, still grinning.
"Damn it!" Ino glared at him before standing on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. Her warm breath tickled his ear, and her voice trembled slightly, "I… I forgot."
"What?" He was surprised and turned his head sharply.
Their lips were almost touching, separated by only the thinnest of spaces. Naruto could see Ino's blue pupils suddenly widen, reflecting his face.
Above them, the sun blazed fiercely, and the chirping of birds echoed from the distant woods.
As the summer breeze blew, a girl's flushed face spoke volumes more than any lengthy monologue ever could.