'What's going on with her?'
Naruto's heart started pounding wildly. He wasn't sure what was happening, but her expression, her lips—they were just too cute.
'Damn, I could hardly hold it back any longer.'
'This woman is too good!'
'Where did this enchantress come from? Her approach was so outdated! Who would really forget what they were going to say just because they were too shy? She had to be lying.'
'Damn it, I couldn't let her have the upper hand.'
Both of them pretended to be calm, and they turned their heads away in sync.
"Ah, I forgot." Ino suddenly squatted down, hugging her head in frustration.
"Well… forgetting is normal." Naruto coughed, looked at Ino, who was squatting on the ground in frustration, and suddenly called out, "Ino."
"What?" Ino paused and looked up at him.
"I saw your panties."
"Aaahhh!!" Ino stood up suddenly and punched Naruto in the stomach, "Die, you pervert!"
Naruto wasn't really hurt, but after taking the punch, he decided to just stay on the ground, looking up at Ino, who was looking down at him with contempt.
"Get up." She ordered.
"My ribs are completely broken."
"Don't exaggerate. You're just pretending, right?" Ino also narrowed her eyes and looked at that shameless person in front of her.
"Not really. It does hurt a little." Naruto said, "But if you do it again, I might feel better."
Ino: "…"
"Can't you be serious for once?" Ino complained, "I need to think carefully about what I wanted to say just now. I clearly memorized it before I left the house."
"No rush, take your time." Naruto leaned against the wall.
The coolness of the alley was refreshing, relaxing him from head to toe, like being at the bottom of a well, avoiding the scorching sun outside.
Ino, dressed in a casual white shirt and a deep blue skirt, stood by the old green wall covered in vines. In the alley where sunlight couldn't reach, her legs looked so white they seemed to glow.
Ino didn't look at him and turned away.
However, she soon noticed that the gaze from behind her wasn't going away. She finally could not bear it anymore, then turned around angrily and walked towards Naruto aggressively.
"Eh? Wait! Don't hit my face!" Naruto exclaimed, covering his face in fear.
Ino didn't hit him. Instead, she bent down, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "I remember now. Dad said that the village's higher-ups plan to develop a perfect Jinchuriki, but Tsunade-sama is against it. The Advisors are undecided, and it's unclear which side they'll ultimately support."
The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. She looked at the person, who was always noisy, suddenly became silent. His messy blonde hair covered his brows, and his eyes slowly dimmed.
"Naruto… are you okay?" Ino squatted down in front of him.
She moved her hand slightly but didn't know what to do.
At that moment she realized it belatedly, and her heart felt like it was weighed down by a heavy stone. She began to feel sorry for the shameless and always unserious guy in front of her.
It seemed as if everything was unfair. No one stood for him, and the word 'develop' felt incredibly cold.
She didn't fully understand the situation with the Jinchuriki and only had a general understanding of it.
In the past, she hadn't thought much of it, but the more she learned, the more she realized how contradictory the village's higher-ups were. They never saw the Jinchuriki as companions, only as a special weapon to be nurtured.
On one hand, they were wary of Jinchuriki, but on the other, they were in need of Jinchuriki.
"I'm fine." Naruto sighed as he stood up, "Let's go back."
"Um… don't worry too much. Tsunade-sama is here." Ino tried to offer some comfort but realized she hadn't thought things through. There didn't seem to be a good way to reassure him.
For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
After returning to Konoha Street and walking for quite a while, Ino suddenly found that the scenery around her was somewhat familiar. She turned her head sharply and noticed that they were right in front of the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
"You should go home now." Naruto looked at her.
"I'm not in a hurry." Ino replied, her hands behind her back, blinking rapidly as a slight panic set in.
It felt like that unsettling silence when a girlfriend suddenly says something like 'It's fine, go to sleep'. A silence so heavy even God couldn't break it, leaving one feeling more uneasy than before.
"You really should go home." Naruto repeated, glancing at Ino, "I still have some things to take care of."
"Ah? What things? Is it urgent?" Ino's panic grew as she asked.
On the roadside, Naruto gave Ino a quick look before answering, "It's nothing, really. Just some personal business. Thanks for the info. We're already in front of your home now, so you should head back. I'm going to leave."
With that, Naruto turned around and was about to leave.
"It can't be that urgent, can it?" Ino's palms were sweating as she suddenly grabbed Naruto's wrist.
"What's wrong?" Naruto was genuinely confused, but there was actually no expression on his face.
"I just… I feel like you're in a bad mood." Ino stammered, her gaze flitting around nervously, her cheeks tinged with pink.
"No, I'm not."
Naruto was telling the truth. He had a good idea of what Danzo was planning, but he hadn't expected the two Advisors to be so indecisive and not fully support Tsunade.
This was something Naruto hadn't anticipated, but it wasn't a big problem. He now had the Tail Releasing Method in his hand, meaning he could turn the tables on them at any moment.
If the plan to develop a perfect Jinchuriki was approved and something went wrong, every higher-up who supported the plan would be held accountable, possibly even losing their positions.
From Naruto's perspective, the current situation allowed him to advance or retreat strategically.
The progress of the Kyubi's power was only at 27%. Naruto's only worry is that if the seal of Kyubi is unlocked at this time, will the progress of obtaining Kyubi's power stop?
But if the advisors sided with Danzo, he'd have no choice but to unseal the Kyubi. The tricky part was figuring out what to do with the Kyubi afterward. It would be ideal if there was a better solution.
Although Naruto tried his best to get rid of his identity as a Jinchuriki, he also wondered if there might be a better way to deal with Kyubi. After all, releasing him might lead to him being captured, which didn't sit well with him.
He has raised Kyubi for so long, so he has some feelings for him.
It didn't seem appropriate to just let him go out and be chased.
He wasn't after the Kyubi's power, as the system's power was far greater. With abilities like Adamantine Sealing Chains and the Four Symbols Seal at his disposal, and both in their max level, the system had saved him the time of training. It was like the system was feeding him power directly, possibly even offering a full set of Forbidden Techniques in this Shinobi World.
As for Asura and Indra, he didn't care about them at all. After all, he wasn't originally from this world.
The Otsutsuki-raised Gods? Trash.
Naruto really did have something to do. He wanted to find Tsunade and ask about the situation.
But Ino thought he was just trying to be strong. Earlier, she hadn't been able to offer any comforting words, and now, seeing him about to leave, she felt even worse.
In desperation, Ino suddenly grabbed Naruto's wrist.
"Wait!"
"What's wrong?" Naruto was genuinely puzzled, as his mind was occupied with other matters.
"You… you wanted to see the maid outfit, didn't you?" She lowered her head, her face flushing a deep red in an instant.