Konoha, noon.
"Come down already." Naruto stood under the big tree and waved softly towards the second floor of the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Ino was standing there, grinning down at him with an amused, almost teasing look.
Ever since that incident, Naruto knew that he wasn't exactly welcomed by the Yamanaka couple, so he'd been avoiding them everywhere and even meeting with Ino for meals is like some kind of covert operation.
Summer has passed and the sun in the sky is not as scorching as before.
From the Yamanaka Flower Shop came the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, followed by a bright, cheerful voice.
"Mom! I'm heading out!"
"Aren't you going to have lunch?"
"No, I'll eat outside!" Ino giggled and went out without bothering to explain further. Not that she needed to, as the Intelligence Division had ample funds and often had dinner together.
"Fine, fine. Just don't run!" Rino's resigned voice called after her.
"I know!"
The footsteps were getting closer and closer, but the next moment, they disappeared. Naruto, who was hiding behind the large tree, was a little surprised when he noticed that the sound had disappeared.
Just as he was about to turn around, a dark shadow suddenly covered him.
"Looking for someone?" Ino's voice was as sweet as honey.
Naruto looked up and saw Ino stood on a tree branch, smirking down at him. The next second, she fell directly towards him. Naruto groaned and hurriedly reached out to catch her.
She landed in his arms in a perfect princess carry, then Ino took advantage of the situation and put her arms around his neck and giggled for a while. Almost in tacit understanding, one lowered his head and the other tilted her head up, and their lips met in a warm, lingering kiss.
After a long while, Ino suddenly pushed him away and pretended to be angry.
"Why won't you just come inside anymore?"
"I am a rather introverted person and cannot meet people." Naruto said with a sheepish grin, "Meeting people will easily overload my small brain. I don't know what to say to Auntie."
"Heh, as if!" Ino turned her head away from him, her eyes narrowed into slits, "Why don't your small brain overload in front of Hinata?"
"I know how you sweet-talked her!"
"Wait, she told you?!" Naruto was surprised, 'Damn, are these two people so close?'
"So you did trick her!" Ino pinched the soft flesh on his waist, looking angry, "I was just testing you!"
"No, no, I was joking." He backpedaled frantically.
"Forget it, forget it, let's just go eat first. I'm starving!" Ino let go of him, clapped her hands and walked ahead, "What are we having for lunch today?"
"I heard from Choji that there is a new store opened on Konoha's main street. It seems to be called..." Naruto scratched his head, pretending to think.
"Choji?! You'd rather eat with Choji than invite me!"
"No, he was the one who insisted on taking me there." Naruto spun his lies without hesitation, perfectly willing to throw Choji under the bus, "He said something about being scolded, the quality of his 'tadpoles' declining, and he was in a bad mood or something like that."
"Ugh!" Ino's face flushed red as she glared at him, "You're talking nonsense again. Choji would never say something like that! If you keep spouting nonsense, I won't go out with you anymore!"
"Hehe." He chuckled. His tried-and-true method of changing the subject never failed.
"Let's go!" Ino grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him toward Konoha's main street.
The sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a shimmering glow over them. Naruto watched the sway of her loosely tied golden ponytail, and his expression returned to normal.
He knew very well that Ino had never accepted Hinata, and likely never would. If their statuses had been vastly different, maybe coexistence would have been possible.
For instance, if Naruto had become a figure like Hashirama or the Sage of Six Paths, at least in the eyes of others, it is normal for a powerful person who transcends the world to have three wives and four concubines.
But he obviously won't become that kind of person.
Besides, Ino, Hinata and he grew up together, so it's no exaggeration to say that they are childhood sweethearts.
Given this relationship, he couldn't force them to accept the current situation of being together. he could do was navigate carefully and let things unfold naturally.
He couldn't lose Ino, nor could he give up Hinata, as either of them was very important to him. So he maneuvered and fooled around to maintain the status quo.
Although he looked like a scumbag for this, fortunately, the three of them were young, only 18 years old. They still had plenty of time to waste and didn't need to rush for an answer.
Their lives are not only about love, but also about being a Shinobi, with their own pursuits and dreams. Ino does not live just for Naruto. Her life was long, and she had the patience to wait for the right answers.
The melodramatic plots in romance dramas basically never happen to them, because Shinobi are not ordinary people and know exactly what they want.
In order to get what they want, they are very patient and can even spend a long time alone… just look at Kakashi, who had no intention of ever marrying.
After finishing their meal, the two of them stayed together for a while, enjoying the cool afternoon breeze. After playing around for a while, they finally separated because Ino had work to do in the afternoon.
On the way home, Naruto received a message from the Land of Snow. While it was called a message, it was actually just a very faint red light.
This is a simple gadget that Naruto had invented based on the long-distance Chakra Communicator given by Ino. Simply put, if one end presses a button, a light would blink on the other.
Originally, this was just a very useless invention, after all, it couldn't transmit actual information.
But after obtaining the Gate of the Underworld, which can be said to be as awesome as the Anywhere Door, the device suddenly became far more practical.
For example, now, Naruto did not hesitate and directly opened the Gate of the Underworld and stepped through.
The coordinates is the Land of Snow.
In mid-air, Naruto took a step and landed in a town in the Land of Snow. The capital was dozens of miles away from here, which was not far, but the coordinates were a bit off.
There is no way around it. The Land of Snow is located in a remote area, so it is not easy to choose the coordinates. It is normal to have some minor deviations.
It took Naruto some time to reach the capital of the Land of Snow. By the time he reached the palace, the sun was setting, painting the grand structure in bloody crimson.