In that moment, Ino's face lit up, and Naruto felt a sudden urge to marry her right then and there. Fortunately, reality quickly poured cold water on that impulse.
"Your expression right now is really disgusting."
"Uh... let's just go. I'm hungry too, so let's get something to eat together."
Naruto, not minding the dirt, picked up Kyubi from the ground. As Kyubi bared his teeth in annoyance, Naruto skillfully gave him a quick smack.
"Who wants to go with you?" Ino walked ahead, but glanced back to check if Naruto was following.
"What's the harm in going together? Sitting and eating together won't make you pregnant." Naruto added, "Holding hands might, though."
"Stop saying weird things!" Ino turned back and glared at him angrily. Taking advantage of her pause, Naruto calmly caught up, changing their formation from single file to walking side by side.
The fireworks festival had ended, and the sparse fireworks above Hokage Rock had also stopped.
Before they reached the brighter areas, the surrounding light was dim, and they could only make out the outlines of each other's profiles. Neither of them spoke again, and the only sound was the rustling of grass underfoot.
"I don't think I'll wash my hands for the next few days." Naruto suddenly said, breaking the silence.
"Please die quickly!" Ino seemed to have become immune to Naruto's words, and replied perfunctorily, "Stop saying creepy things. Didn't you already touch Hinata's hand?"
"I've touched yours too. Can I share my thoughts?"
"No, if you do, I'll kill you."
Just as Ino finished speaking, she suddenly felt her hand being enveloped by warmth. Naruto's hand, warm like a furnace, had grasped hers without any warning.
"What are you doing?!" Ino tensed up.
"It's easy to get lost at night." Naruto replied nonchalantly. As their arms brushed together, the faint scent from Ino's body made him feel a little itchy inside.
"Who would get lost in a place like this?" Ino lightly shook her hand, trying to break free, but it was no use.
"Let go." She said, her voice tinged with embarrassment.
"I'll let go when we reach the light." Naruto said.
Ino didn't think much of it. Seeing that the bright area wasn't too far ahead, she pursed her lips. After a moment of consideration, she agreed.
Naruto said he'd let go when they reached the light, which seemed like a concession, but in fact, he had put forward another condition.
"Just stop rubbing my hand!" Ino said, a bit annoyed, "I'm getting angry."
"Then, I won't rub you anymore." Naruto immediately behaved.
The path wasn't very long, and they walked in silence until they reached the light. Their shadows stretched long under the lamplight, leaning against each other.
Ino looked at the shadows on the ground with a complicated expression. Naruto had stopped walking but hadn't completely let go of her hand, he just held it loosely, but Ino could still feel the warmth in his palm.
"Do you want to let go?" Naruto asked, turning his head to look at Ino.
The latter looked at him with a complicated expression, hesitated for a while and mumbled softly, "Up to you."
A hint of a triumphant smile crossed Naruto's face as he held Ino's hand and started walking forward.
"Let's get something to eat first."
"Okay."
Ino seemed to have given up, letting him hold her hand as they walked into the crowd. The feeling was completely different from the last time they held hands on the Konoha Street in the middle of the night.
There was almost no one on Konoha Street at midnight, but at this time, there were still many people strolling around in the food street specially set up for the fireworks display. Even though the fireworks had ended, the place remained lively.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ino was completely passive as Naruto led her through the throng. She couldn't help but feel nervous, but also somewhat excited.
The lights faded, and the streets were filled with people in yukatas, with the bright lanterns at each small stall seemingly able to penetrate straight into one's heart.
Ino felt a bit dizzy, her head spinning as she noticed the countless people and points of light around her. Her palms were so hot that the warmth flowed along her arms into her heart, circulating throughout her entire body.
"This is really good." Naruto said, pulling Ino to line up at a small stall while holding Kyubi in his other arm. He turned to her and said, "Ino, hold this dog for a bit."
"Huh?" Ino was stunned for a moment.
"I need a free hand to pay."
"Just let go." Ino suggested.
"Absolutely not."
Since Kyubi refused to be held by Ino and Naruto couldn't discipline him while holding him, Ino ended up paying instead.
"Look over there!! There are a lot of people queuing over there too."
And so, Ino paid again.
After several back-and-forths, Ino had paid multiple times. Although she wasn't short on money, she hadn't brought much while wearing a yukata, and she soon ran out of money.
Fortunately, both of them were full, and Kyubi had also managed to snatch a few bites, becoming much more docile. In the seal space, Kyubi had no interest in food, but it was a different story now that he had a physical body.
Konoha might not be a food paradise, but for Kyubi, each bite was a novel experience.
"He seems full." Ino observed, her gaze curiously fixed on Kyubi nestled in Naruto's arms.
"You fed him too much, his belly's already." Naruto teased, "But now, you can try petting him."
"He's so fierce."
"No matter how fierce he is, he should have some sense. After all, you're the one who fed him." Naruto said to Ino, "I don't think he'll bite you. Give it a try."
Sure enough, when Ino reached out her hand, Kyubi did not react. He just pretended to be dead and even let out a pitiful bark.
Naruto was speechless at the sight of this scumbag fox, and he looked at Kyubi with contempt in his eyes.
'This fox had clearly decided Ino was his new sugar mama, but that's fine, next time I'll just trick him into thinking any money I spent was a reward from Ino. Anyway, this fox wasn't too bright, so it was a plan worth continuing.'
"His fur is so soft." Ino exclaimed, and mustered up the courage to pat Kyubi's head. "He's really well-behaved. Is it because I fed him?"
'No, he just sees you as a free food source.' Naruto mentally commented.
"I should go back now." Ino reluctantly turned her eyes away from Kyubi.
"Before you go, there's one more place I want to take you." Naruto suddenly said and handed Kyubi to Ino.
"Where to?" Ino took Kyubi in her arms and looked up at him in confusion.
"It's nearby. Just follow me, and you'll see."
With that, Naruto led Ino away from the brightly lit food street, taking a detour through a more secluded southeast direction.
They passed rows of old, abandoned houses and walked along an old path until they finally stopped at a quiet, unremarkable hillside.
Ino had no idea what Naruto was up to. He let go of her hand, told her to wait there, and after giving Kyubi a warning glare, ran off toward one of the abandoned houses.
When he returned, he was carrying an armful of fireworks taller than he was.
"What…?" Ino was stunned. "The fireworks festival has already passed. If you do something reckless, you will be scolded."
"These weren't meant for the fireworks festival." Naruto put down the bunch of fireworks and lined them up on the ground, then said without even looking up, "The fireworks display has nothing to do with me."
These were all bought by Naruto when he was purchasing supplies before the Konoha Crush. Later, he never found a chance to use them, so he just threw them into the seal space.
"When your birthday and the fireworks festival fall on the same day, it's hard to really celebrate your birthday, right?"
"That's true, but it's not necessarily a bad thing."
Ino felt a bit nervous. She had a vague idea of what Naruto was planning, and her cheeks began to feel slightly hot.
Naruto pulled out a candle from his pocket, his palm slightly reddened as he lit it directly.
"Here, take this."
The faint candlelight was offered to Ino. On this remote and dark hillside, the candle was flickering like a firefly. Ino's face flushed, and she pursed her lips and hesitated to take it.
"It's already too late." Ino said, turning her head aside and nervously wringing her hands. "We'll get into trouble."
"That's a different matter. I wanted you to have a special birthday, with a few fireworks set off just for you." Naruto said.
"Besides, if we run fast enough, we won't get caught. If worse comes to worst, we can just abandon the dog. He'll find his way back anyway."
Kyubi: "???"