章節 344: Chapter 344 How Come I Didn’t Know About This?
"Sure, why wouldn't I drink it?" Naruto took the soda, and with his other hand, he grabbed Hinata's wrist, leading her along the path they had come from.
As they walked, the two of them chatted casually. Most of the time, it was Naruto who initiated the conversation, casually spinning half-serious, half-ridiculous stories.
"In fact, the mission was pretty simple, but some clients are just gross. I didn't pick a fight, they started it. Once someone attacks a Shinobi, it's already interfering with the mission."
"So, I tied them all up. Seems reasonable, right?"
Hinata wanted to laugh. Her face flushed red as she held back her giggles. Listening to Naruto's wild stories as they walked, the unease in her heart slowly faded, leaving her feeling much calmer.
"I-I can walk home by myself." Hinata said softly, looking at the Hyuga Clan's compound, which was now just up ahead.
Although she would have liked to stroll home slowly with Naruto, like a young couple in love, she couldn't help but feel cautious after what had happened in the bamboo grove last time.
If a bunch of elders caught her in such a compromising situation, she'd be too embarrassed to show her face around the Hyuga Clan's compound.
"It's too dangerous to walk alone at night. Let me walk you home." Naruto said without hesitation, "Besides, it's just a short walk. I might as well take you there. Otherwise, I won't be at ease."
Naruto was genuinely worried. On one hand, he was concerned for Hinata's safety, after all, he didn't know what happened to the Inuzuka Clan. On the other hand, he was also worried about his own safety.
What if Hinata suddenly remembered something and came back halfway, only to catch him heading off to pick up Ino? That would be beyond awkward.
Naruto, Clan Head as he was, didn't feel guilty, but he also didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble. After all, this kind of thing couldn't really be called time management, it was just a coincidence that all these meetups fell on the same day.
"But... someone might see." Hinata stammered.
"So what if they see? No one's going to say anything." Naruto insisted on escorting her to the entrance of the Hyuga Clan's compound. As she entered the gate, she quickly turned back to glance at him one last time.
Naruto stood there as the cool night breeze rustled the leaves.
Hokage Tower.
Ino finished organizing the last set of documents, her face showing signs of exhaustion. She stifled a yawn, covering her mouth with one hand. The office was brightly lit, but she was the only one left.
At last, she had managed to sort through all the paperwork before the beginning of the new month. It wasn't perfect, but the job was done.
It was dark at night when the office door swung open.
Naruto stepped inside, without any sign of fatigue on his face. His messy blonde hair hung loosely as he leaned casually against the doorframe, speaking lazily, "Let's go, I'll walk you home."
"You're here?" Ino greeted him in a good mood, her spirits lifted after finishing all her work.
After spending most of the month holed up in the office, she was finally getting the hang of things. In addition, even when working late into the night, she had someone to walk her home. Even though she was tired, she still felt happy.
As they walked, Naruto could sense the positive energy radiating from her.
"Why are you so cheerful?" He couldn't help but ask, leaning closer to her under the soft glow of the streetlights, "You just finished a long shift, yet you're all smiles."
"I've finally finished all the work, so why wouldn't I be happy?" Ino was too embarrassed to tell the truth, so she simply found an excuse that couldn't be exposed.
"You're truly the chosen one for office work."
"What?"
"Nothing, just complimenting you."
Ino didn't quite get what he meant, but that didn't stop her from retaliating playfully. She grabbed Naruto's hand and bit down hard. As he let out a howl like a slaughtered pig, a clear row of teeth marks were clearly imprinted on his hand.
"Ino! Are you part dog or something?"
"Hehe, who told you to scold me? You deserve it." Ino's mood seemed to improve even more after biting him, as if she had released some pent-up energy.
"Fine, next time I'll bite you back." Naruto muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?!" Ino's sharp ears caught part of his mumbling, and she instinctively remembered the last time he had pinned her against a glass door and bit her all over.
"Huh? I said I'm glad you're not mad."
"Who'd believe that?" Ino retorted angrily, but soon her expression turned serious as she suddenly remembered something, "Do you remember the wireless communication idea you mentioned before?"
"Yeah, what about it?" Naruto looked away, leaning towards her, his voice a little hoarse with absentmindedness, "Any clues?"
"Tsunade-sama agreed, but it was suppressed by the higher-ups." Ino said. " Ino said.
"How come I didn't know about this?" Naruto turned to look at Ino, with a hint of surprise on his face. He thought to himself, 'Isn't Konoha basically under my, Clan Head Naruto, control now?'
'Even Tsunade would keep this from me.'
"What good would it do telling you? The two elder Advisors were firmly against it. They believe a Shinobi Village should stick to traditional ways." Ino sighed.
"More importantly, they had a point. With the rising tension between the Five Great Shinobi Countries, an intelligence war could break out at any moment. If new communication methods are introduced, it might expose Konoha to serious risks of leaking information."
"It won't happen." Naruto said confidently, thinking, 'Since the Otsutsuki hadn't descended yet, I still had the final say in this Shinobi World.'
But then he paused and took a sharp breath.
"Why does this argument sounds so familiar? What does leaking information have to do with communication technology? If those old guys are opposing it, that's going to be a hassle."
"Exactly." Ino agreed, her expression a little downcast.
"Wait, could this be why your dad transferred you out of the Intelligence Department?" Naruto turned his head and looked at Ino with a strange expression.
'It wouldn't be surprising if Ino had been warned off due to the communication reform proposal that Tsunade had supported, prompting her father, Inoichi, to move her to avoid drawing too much attention.'
"Maybe... I've thought about it too." Ino admitted, her words hesitant as if she had already come to the same conclusion but wasn't sure how to express it. So, she simply stayed quiet after that.
"Forget it, you don't have to be discouraged. Those old guys may not be able to bear it and retire in a few years." Naruto patted her shoulder and comforted her, "Konoha still belongs to the younger generation. Once Kakashi-sensei takes over, who knows… maybe things will change."
"Thank you, Naruto." Ino knew he was just trying to comfort her, but she still raised her head and forced a smile, "I hope so."
After walking for a bit longer, Naruto suddenly asked her again, "Do you really want to make this happen?"
"Yeah… a little." Ino lowered her head, her eyes barely visible as she glanced at her feet, "The village's communication system is actually pretty basic. If someone needs to find someone, they just wander around the streets, hoping to bump into them."
"Other smaller nations already have convenient communication technology, and even the capital of the Land of Fire has been testing it in small scales. People can stay in touch with friends, chat…"
"… Honestly, I'm a bit envious. Shinobi are still human. I believe the Shinobi World will eventually find peace. When that time comes, maybe we won't have to spend our lives constantly training and shedding blood."
In reality, Ino was thinking about how, when there weren't any missions, they would often lose contact if she didn't actively seek him out. Sometimes it would be a few days, other times months would pass without a word.
During one mission, she had discovered that even some small countries had started using communication devices. Couples could hear each other's voices while taking a bath, and even connect via video calls.
She had done some research and found that it wasn't too complicated. If they used Chakra-based communication, it could be even more stable, with better performance.
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章節 345: Chapter 345 News From Jiraiya
"Peace in the Shinobi World is a pipe dream. Wherever people exist, conflict is inevitable." Naruto replied, "Actually, you don't need to think that far ahead. Just take things as they come."
"Those old foxes are just using the village's safety as an excuse to block the communication project. Even now, Konoha's intelligence is constantly being leaked to the other four Great Shinobi Villages."
"The Root is a complete waste of money, just a personal organization run by Danzo. In this case, what does the security of Konoha's intelligence have to do with the new communication technology?"
"Yeah." Ino smiled faintly, "Hearing you say that makes me feel a lot better."
Naruto thought about saying, 'Don't listen to those old foxes. Before you know it, they'll lead you into a trap without you realizing it.' But he swallowed the words before they could leave his mouth.
There's no point in saying more, and comforting her would only go so far.
If peace in the Shinobi World was truly a requirement for developing new technology, then Ino might never see it happen in her lifetime.
In times of peace, Shinobi are nothing more than mercenaries or private bodyguards, and the Five Great Shinobi Villages are essentially militarized organizations built with Shinobi at the core. While Tsunade might want to change Konoha, she can't control the direction of the Five Great Shinobi Countries.
Konoha's alliance with Sunagakure was meant to recover and nurture the next generation of Shinobi while developing their economy. Kirigakure was just beginning to emerge from the shadow of the Bloody Mist era and was struggling to regain its footing.
The only ones still eager to expand were the once-proud but now declining Iwagakure, and the powerful and ambitious Kumogakure, which still sought to stir up trouble in the Shinobi World.
However, the great Clan Head Naruto did not agree, and thought to himself, 'What if I set up a Jashin's Cult to mess with the people of Kumogakure and Iwagakure? That way, they wouldn't have so much free time to stir up trouble.'
After all, he had already given Kumogakure a beating, leaving them humiliated. If Raikage still didn't get the message, Naruto had plenty more ways to make his life difficult.
But deep down, he knew that internal strife wouldn't bring peace to the Shinobi World, and it would only delay the inevitable outbreak of war.
Humans are complex creatures, with each person holding different beliefs. However, one thing they all share is the instinct to seek benefit and avoid harm.
So from this point of view, Sasuke's and the Akatsuki's approaches weren't entirely wrong.
They both turned themselves into ultimate villains to force the Five Great Shinobi Countries into uniting against a common enemy. The only difference was that one sought to make the world feel pain, while the other aimed to unify it.
Neither approach felt particularly relevant to Naruto at this moment. He wasn't about to bet the rest of his life seeking world peace for the sake of a communication project.
In the end, if you can't solve a problem, just solve the people who are causing the problem.
'I'll just make those old guys compromise.' Naruto thought silently. Rather than seeking peace in the Shinobi World, he preferred to fix problems as they came up.
If he is not allowed to open the window, then he'd just punch a hole through the ceiling.
As the dim streetlights of Konoha flickered along the streets, neither Naruto nor Ino spoke for a while. Ino seemed like she wanted to say something several times, but seeing Naruto lost in thought, she held back.
It wasn't until they reached the large green tree in front of the Yamanaka Flower Shop stopped abruptly and said, "It's already April, huh? The tree has grown so lush."
"Hmm?" Ino had a conflicted look on her face, and replied, "Y-yeah, it has. Um, did I say something that troubled you?"
"No…"
"I'm sorry!" Ino suddenly bowed in apology, "It's all my fault! I shouldn't have rambled about that stuff and burdened you with it!"
"No, it's really not…" Naruto waved his hands and was about to speak when he was interrupted by Ino apologizing all at once.
"Please don't take it to heart! I wasn't seriously thinking about the communication device, it's just a spur of the moment interest!"
"It's not like that."
Before Ino could lift her head, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, his laughter low and lazy. The previously tense atmosphere melted away like snow, quickly dissipating.
"You've misunderstood. I wasn't planning on helping you because I can't really do anything about it. World peace isn't something I can deliver on. That's for someone more capable."
Hearing this, Ino suddenly raised her head and grabbed Naruto's shirt in frustration, then said angrily, "Are you messing with me again?"
"No, I never said I'd help you. You just jumped to conclusions on your own." He smiled nonchalantly, looking a little annoying for some reason.
"You!! You didn't say a word the whole way here!"
"I was thinking about what to eat tomorrow."
"Liar!"
"Want me to tell you tomorrow's menu?" Naruto threw his arm casually over her shoulder, pulling her into a light embrace with a grin.
"No!" Ino brushed his arm off and muttered with a pout, "I thought you..."
"You thought what…?" Naruto laughed, standing straight under the streetlamp by the large green tree, "I'm not omnipotent, you know. And the Five Great Shinobi Countries don't listen to me."
"Of course I know that." She said, "I'm glad you didn't think that way. I'm just worried that you would go to the higher-ups…"
"But it's not impossible. Keep working on the communication device project. Do what you need to do." Naruto said, his shoulders slumping slightly as he lowered his voice.
"Ah?" Ino was confused for a moment, "But, isn't it useless right now?"
"It'll be useful soon enough." He said as he raised his eyelids slightly, "First of all, let me make it clear that I am not doing this purely to help you. I've had this in mind for a while, and it's something I want to do too."
"And I can't do it alone. It'll take some time, but I'm sure it'll work out in the end."
"Okay." Ino responded obediently.
It's true that Naruto wasn't omnipotent, but he didn't persuade her to give up. Instead, he really listened to her carefully, and that was enough to make her happy.
Mid-April.
Sakura's half-month-long freeloading period had come to an end, which also meant her vacation was over. She had an expression on her face that said 'I don't want to go to work', which was exactly the same as Tsunade's.
Naruto had been eating Sakura's cooking for two weeks, and fortunately, he had survived without passing out, which was a blessing.
He had put the communication technology issue on hold, patiently waiting for half a month. It seemed like Tsunade had already resolved the matter with the Inuzuka Clan without informing him.
Not that he cared. He wasn't interested in such trivial affairs anyway.
It was not until late April that Tsunade suddenly sent someone to fetch him. When Naruto arrived at her office, he noticed that Sakura had replaced Ino as Tsunade's secretary.
Sakura secretly gave him a helpless smile before quickly straightening her expression.
Tsunade didn't beat around the bush with him and got straight to the point.
"We've received news from Jiraiya."
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