章節 71: Chapter 71 If It Was a Hand...

Naruto pulled out a chair and thanks to the carpet, it didn't make any noise.

Ino was used to this, after all, she was the eldest daughter of the Yamanaka Clan's Clan Head. Though she wasn't exactly pampered, her actions during meals still exuded a certain elegance.

"I didn't expect you to be good at cooking."

"Huh?"

"That's a compliment, idiot."

"It's no big deal. Cooking is just a basic survival skill for a Shinobi." Naruto sipped his tea, "So you used my bathroom just to get to the hospital faster?"

"Of course, my mother has gone to apply for the procedures to visit Sasuke." Ino smiled.

"Does the Yamanaka Clan still have connections with the Uchiha?"

"Of course." Ino took a bite of her omurice, her eyes narrowing into a very beautiful arc. "The Uchiha Clan was one of the most powerful clans in Konoha."

"Even though Sasuke's the only one left now, who knows what the future holds?"

Naruto nodded with an 'oh', understanding Ino's point.

Although the Uchiha Clan is almost extinct now, Sasuke is still here, so the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai would continue to be passed down. Maybe, a few generations down the line, the clan could flourish again.

"So Sasuke is going to have multiple wives?"

Ino: "…"

"Isn't it?"

"Don't ask me about stuff like that! How am I supposed to answer?" Ino glared at Naruto, then lowered her head and continued eating.

After they finished their meal, Ino lay on the couch while Naruto went to wash the dishes in the kitchen.

In a little while, Ino's mother would come by and bring her a custom-made formal dress, so they could go to visit Sasuke together on behalf of the Yamanaka Clan.

Since Konoha Hospital wasn't far from Naruto's place, and she had to go home to change her clothes or wait for the formal clothes that her mother would bring anyway, Ino decided to just stay at Naruto's place.

"Ino." Naruto said, leaning against the kitchen doorway, "It's like we're living together like this."

"Who wants to live with you?" Ino's unceremonious voice came from the sofa, "But this couch of yours is pretty nice. Where'd you get it?"

"404 Konoha Street."

The dryer in the bathroom was still humming, and during this time, Naruto poured himself a cup of hot tea and stood at the other end of the couch, observing Ino who was curled up on the couchlike a cat.

The oversized T-shirt she wore looked like a mini-dress on her, and her sleeping posture was so proper that her white legs were neatly folded, concealing anything too revealing.

Naruto just took a glance and then quickly averted his gaze, not wanting to look at anything inappropriate.

"What book is that?"

Bored, Ino sat up, half-knelt and reached out to grab a book placed in the corner of the couch.

Naruto seemed to remember something, his pupils dilated slightly. That book was Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise, the latest sequel collector's edition that Naruto bought at fifteen times the original price some time ago.

It was a rare collectible, something even Kakashi wanted, a limited edition masterpiece.

In short, if he didn't act fast, he'd be socially doomed.

"Ino!" Naruto suddenly shouted loudly.

"What's wrong?"

Ino turned her head, looking startled by Naruto's sudden shout.

"I saw it."

"Huh? What did you see?" Ino blinked, and after a few seconds, she realized what he meant.

"Ah! You!!!" Ino immediately curled up defensively.

While pressing down her body tightly, she glared at Naruto with murderous gaze and asked angrily, "What do you see?"

"I didn't see anything."

"You just said you saw it!" Ino gritted her teeth.

"Uh... I need to use the bathroom." Naruto pretended to head towards the bathroom.

"Don't go!" Ino hurriedly ran to the bathroom door to block it, "You're definitely up to something weird!"

"No way!"

As he spoke, Naruto stealthily moved to the corner of the couch. With his back turned, he reached out behind him and deftly grabbed the Icha Icha Paradise from the couch, then quickly hide it behind his back.

"Okay, I won't go then."

Downstairs at the street corner, Ino, dressed in a black skirt, stood upright, while Naruto was squatting beside her, looking bored.

"Is Mrs. Yamanaka coming soon?"

"She should be. My mom is very punctual." Ino said.

Hearing this, Naruto stood up and handed Ino a pack of tissues, then said, "Then I'll go first."

"Why?" Ino looked at Naruto's outstretched hand, hesitated for a moment, and grabbed the pack of tissues.

"Well, it's not nice if someone sees us alone together. Even though I don't really want to admit it, I really..." Naruto stopped talking halfway and spread his hands.

"Anyway, see you next time, Ino."

"Hey! Don't go, it's fine."

Ino reached out, but Naruto had already walked far away. He waved with his back to her and before long, he disappeared from sight.

She stood there in a daze for a while, then turned her head to look elsewhere, her eyes dimming. Even though she said it was fine, she herself was unsure how her mother would react.

'Is it really not allowed for us to stand together, even as friends?'

She stared at the pack of tissues in a daze, wondering what if she had grabbed something other than tissues.

"Ino."

"Ah!" Ino jolted her head up and saw her mother, Yamanaka Rino.

"What's wrong with you?"

Rino, dressed elegantly in an emerald green gown and carrying a delicate black purse, reached out and touched her daughter's cold forehead.

"When I was walking over just now, I saw you standing here in a daze."

"I'm fine." Ino forced a smile, "It's just that you were a little slow, Mom. I got bored waiting."

"Sorry about that."

"How about you buy me a dress, Mom?" Ino took Rino's hand and said affectionately.

"You're such a big girl now, yet you're still acting like a child." Rino affectionately patted Ino's head, smiling as she spoke.

"Earlier, I thought I saw you with someone. Was it a friend?"

"Sort of." Ino felt a little guilty, "Or maybe not really, just someone I know well."

"Our little Ino has grown up." Rino said with a knowing smile, then took Ino's arm and walked towards the Konoha Hospital.

"Mom, don't talk nonsense." Ino said coquettishly.

"Is that Naruto?"

Rino's words made Ino freeze for a moment. She then turned her head slightly, seeing the knowing smile on her mother's face as she observed her daughter's not-so-natural expression.

"Naruto and I, we…"

"Ino, your father and I are both very open-minded people." Rino's voice was still gentle, "But when it comes to Naruto, as a mother, I hope you'll think it over carefully."

Ino pursed her lips and said nothing.

"It's not that I don't like Naruto. It's just that he's very important to the village." Rino said, "The village imposes too many restrictions on Naruto, I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Um."

Naruto stood atop a tall utility pole, overlooking the entire Konoha with an expressionless face. His gaze pierced through the layers of rooftops, locking onto a distant cliff.

His pupils were an eerie blood-red, identical to Kyubi's eyes.

On top of the Hokage Rock, two small black dots stood out. Zooming in, they were two mysterious figures wearing black cloaks with red clouds pattern and straw hats.