Ino sat up straight, not because she was worried that Yuyue would do something strange—
but because she couldn't help noticing how different he seemed in such a short time.
"You've changed a lot," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "It feels like someone swapped your soul."
She studied him from head to toe with obvious suspicion.
In the past, whenever they were together, Yuyue had always been quiet and reserved.
Most of their conversations had been led by Ino, with Yuyue occasionally chiming in.
This kind of relaxed, even playful atmosphere was unheard of.
Shinomiya Yuyue grinned and replied, half-joking:
"I've always been like this. You were just too young back then—if I said anything, I was afraid Uncle Anbu would take you away."
Ino rolled her eyes and muttered in her head, Yeah, right. Who could pretend for over ten years? Not buying it.
But deep inside, only Yuyue understood the real reason for his change: confidence.
Back in the days when he had no "plug-in" or system, he was a true nobody. A jack-of-all-trades, master of none.
Ino, on the other hand, was from the elite Yamanaka clan—a beautiful, wealthy, and gifted girl.
He had known for a long time that Ino had feelings for him,
but with no talent and no backing, what right did he have to hold her back from a bright future?
Now, things were different.
With the plug-in, even ruling the ninja world didn't seem like a dream anymore.
So naturally, he no longer felt nervous around her.
"Alright, enough nonsense," Ino said, standing up and offering her hand.
"Come on. Let's start with practicing the Three Basic Techniques."
Yuyue smiled, placed his hand in hers, and then suddenly said:
"Ino, watch this."
She blinked in confusion.
In the next moment, Yuyue raised his free hand and performed a one-handed seal—his movements as fast as lightning.
A soft poof sounded.
And a perfect clone appeared beside him.
Ino was frozen in shock.
She looked from Yuyue to the clone, identical in every detail.
"A… a one-handed seal?" she stammered.
That kind of precision was only possible if you had absolute mastery of the jutsu.
But wasn't Yuyue always dead last in class?
Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder.
She turned around instinctively—
Only to see Yuyue's real face smiling at her from behind.
"Huh? You're here? Then who's—"
She looked down—and realized the hand she was still holding had turned into a block of wood.
Substitution Jutsu?! When did he even use the seal?!
"Youyue, you—"
She turned back, intending to ask him directly, but he was gone again.
At that moment, she felt warmth in her palm.
Looking again, she saw Yuyue's real hand back in hers, his body reclining on the couch like nothing had happened.
A sly smile played on his lips.
"Hiss—"
Ino yanked her hand away and rubbed her face in disbelief.
She was stunned.
This was the Grandmaster level of the Three Basic Techniques!
"You mastered Clone, Substitution, and Transformation Jutsu? And you're so smooth with it!"
Yuyue raised an eyebrow and replied proudly, "Of course."
In truth, he had just spent about a hundred gold coins to instantly master both the Transformation and Substitution techniques.
"You're so full of yourself!"
Ino smacked him on the forehead.
"Then why have you been acting like a fool? You let people laugh at you in class every day!"
Yuyue shrugged. "You got it all wrong. I was doing it for Naruto."
"Naruto's always been lonely. I stayed at the bottom of the class so he wouldn't feel like he was alone there.
As for the people who laughed at us—let them."
"One day, when Naruto and I shake the entire ninja world, they'll still be stuck in their little corners, unknown and irrelevant."
Of course, he couldn't reveal the truth about the chat group, so he made up a plausible excuse.
And honestly, the story of a hidden genius protecting his friend's pride was easier to accept than someone going from loser to legend overnight.
And Ino believed it.
She had known Yuyue and Naruto were close since childhood—
but she hadn't expected this level of loyalty.
She looked at him now, lazily picking his nose on the couch.
He hid his talents… to protect Naruto's self-esteem…?
She felt touched.
"But… is it really worth it? To sacrifice your own reputation for a friend?"
Yuyue sat up, smiling softly.
"Whether it's worth it or not—I know in my heart."
"Naruto may seem silly, but his dream burns brighter than anyone's."
"I'm just holding off the judgment of others until it's his time to shine."
He paused, and then added, eyes growing serious:
"And besides... a truly strong person doesn't get hung up on temporary gains and losses."
"I'm no longer the dead last I used to be. It's time everyone saw the real me."
As he slowly clenched his fist, it felt as though he was holding the entire world in his palm.
"Ow—!"
Before he could finish basking in his own monologue, Ino's foot connected sharply with his backside.
"Look at you, getting all dramatic again."
"Come on, since you don't need to practice Ninjutsu anymore, let's go out.
Can't just stay holed up in your house all day."
Jumping out of Yuyue's home, Shinomiya Yuyue pulled Ino along and headed straight to Naruto's place.
"Hey, Naruto! What are you doing? Let's go out and have some fun!"
He leaned through the window and peeked inside.
Naruto was in the middle of preparing his lunch—an almost-expired cup of instant noodles.
Hearing Yuyue's voice, Naruto looked up with a big grin.
"Yuyue! What are you doing here?"
"I came to hang out with you."
"Wait, again with the cup noodles? Seriously?" Yuyue frowned.
"Come on. Stop eating that stuff. I'm taking you out for a real meal."
"Okay! Long live Yuyue!"
Naruto threw down the noodles and hopped out, eyes sparkling.
Yuyue glanced at Ino and Naruto and said:
"You two know each other well enough—I don't need to play host."
"Yup!" Naruto grinned. "Ino-san is the top student in our class. She's amazing!"
"Aww, come on…" Ino waved her hand shyly, pretending to be modest.
Yuyue slung an arm around Naruto's shoulders.
"While walking earlier, I saw a new restaurant that looked interesting. Let's go check it out."
"And seriously, Naruto, you need to stop eating junk. You'll mess up your stomach."
Naruto rubbed his nose awkwardly.
"Yeah, but it's cheap. Five hundred yen can stretch a long way..."
Yuyue gave him a firm look.
"Stop eating that junk. Come to my house for meals from now on."
Before he had the plug-in, Yuyue never dared to get too close to Naruto.
After all, with guys like Danzo and the Third Hokage lurking in the shadows, getting on their radar could be fatal.
If they thought he was cozying up to Naruto with some hidden agenda, they'd make sure he disappeared without a trace.
Maybe even... while walking at night, he'd vanish from the world entirely.