Prejudice

"Why did you suddenly stop talking?" Ino asked curiously, raising her hand to look at Naruto's face through the gap between her chest and arm.

"It's nothing." Naruto, unusually, didn't say anything sarcastic and turned his head slightly away.

Ino exchanged a glance, then looked away in tacit understanding. Suddenly, they realized something, and their faces flushed instantly.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.

"Just apply the medicine here, I'll take care of the rest myself," Naruto said somewhat guiltily.

"Well, I think... that's fine too." Ino stammered, then suddenly stood up as if pricked by a hedgehog, and said in a flustered manner.

"I'll go check on it."

Ino walked stiffly to the balcony, and with a whoosh, the French windows were flung open, letting in the midday wind howling from beyond the forest. The wind carried the earthy smell of earth and the bitter scent of Aoba, slowly spreading out under the scorching sun.

The autumn sun is neither too warm nor too cold, yet it makes a young girl's heart more restless than in the scorching heat of summer.

It's like a seed has been planted in my heart. Before it fully sprouts, it grows and takes root quietly. But once the sprout appears, it can no longer be ignored.

Naruto sat up from the sofa, casually fiddling with the disinfectant solution. He didn't need to apply any medicine, nor did he care; Ino was the best medicine for him.

Looking at the figure on the balcony, Naruto felt conflicted.

That kid is already so cute at such a young age; in three more years, Ino's charm will probably reach an astonishing level.

But right now, it seems that not many people have noticed Ino's strengths. Perhaps it's because she's only recently started paying attention to her appearance, or maybe it's because people are visual creatures.

Just then, a gust of wind suddenly swept across the balcony, blowing Ino's pleated skirt up and revealing a corner of her absolute territory beneath her black pantyhose.

Naruto sat bolt upright on the sofa, while Ino screamed, clutching her skirt and turning to glare at Naruto with shame and anger. Suddenly, the French windows were flung open with a loud crash.

Ino strode up to Naruto, grabbed his collar, and asked through gritted teeth.

"Did you see everything just now?"

"No, I didn't see anything."

"Impossible!"

"Well..." Naruto was a little embarrassed, and he would never admit it, "I didn't see anything."

"You!" Ino wanted to say something, but when she found Naruto staring at her moist lips, her limbs went weak. She forced herself to release Naruto and said.

"You'd better not let me find out you're lying to me."

As he spoke, he walked away calmly, stopped in the center of the living room, and turned to say something.

"I'm going back now."

"Then I'll take you there."

"No, I don't want my mother to misunderstand that I have any relationship with a pervert like you!!" With that, Ino ran off, and half a minute later, there was a loud bang as the door slammed shut.

The apartment fell silent again. Naruto felt a little helpless; he could chase after them, but he didn't want to.

Ino wasn't angry, just embarrassed.

He should stay put right now and go to the Yamanaka Flower Shop again tonight; he'll likely be able to get Ino to go out for a walk. If he chases after her now, he'll either get scolded or confess his feelings.

However, neither of them was what he wanted.

Lying back down on the sofa, Naruto -blue eyes gradually calmed down.

Tomorrow is the last day of my holiday, and the three-day break is rather dull. I spent the first two days mostly sleeping, and if Ino hadn't come, I probably would have wasted another day like that.

As for Ino's matter, we can't rush it; we must be patient.

The Konoha still harbored fear of him, which wouldn't completely disappear because of Tsunade. While he himself didn't care about these things, he didn't want Ino to suffer with him.

Prejudice against someone is not easily erased; the resentment that follows the crowd is even more terrifying. If a crack appears in a wall in a village, people will look forward to the day it completely collapses.

These people aren't exactly bad, they're just annoying. But for now, Naruto doesn't plan to deal with them; he'll wait until the Uzumaki Clan has grown stronger in Konoha Village.

These people will no longer remember any fox demons; they will only talk about them excitedly and respectfully, as if they are proud of it. Their spirits will be devoted to the Uzumaki Clan, and one day they will bow their heads from the bottom of their hearts, their eyes filled with piety.

With that thought in mind, he slowly closed his eyes.

The autumn wind was heavy, Nine-Tails fox on the balcony huddled together, its little head peering towards the living room. The owner muttered to himself, thinking that the little guy seemed to have argued with his owner.

Should I go out now? Won't the wine in the refrigerator be thrown out?

What kind of temper do little girls have these days? Are they really going to make this old man do a backflip? No way! Absolutely not! But that woman seems to be very rich.

If there's plenty of alcohol to drink.

While Nine-Tails was still struggling with her thoughts, Ino, filled with shame and indignation, was almost home. Walking down the Konohagakure Street, her anger hadn't subsided.

Her Team 10 led by Asuma, didn't return to the village until almost midnight yesterday, but Ino still got up and dressed up after only a short sleep.

In the end, he was still so angry at that person that he gritted his teeth.

"It's so annoying, I'm never going there again."

Ino took the key, held it in her palm for a long time until it was warm, but didn't throw it away. She pursed her lips and muttered to herself.

"Forget it, I'll just throw it back at him next time I see him!"

In front of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Ino was about to open the door and go home for a nap when she overheard the conversation of the villagers passing by outside the shop, and her body stiffened involuntarily.

"It's strange, ever since that demon became a ninja, nothing I do goes smoothly. I think my bad luck is probably caused by that fox demon."

"Yeah, I really don't understand why the Lord Hokage would let such a dangerous person become a ninja. What if he wants to harm us? We can't beat a ninja."

"Who knows? They probably want to use that monster to protect the village. Anyway, it's a monster, so it's probably not very smart. They'll believe you if you try to fool it."

"You can't just say things like that."

The sound gradually faded away, and a moment later the two burst into laughter again, but what they said afterward was no longer audible.

Ino's hand froze on the doorknob outside the shop, her face immediately turning grim. She knew Naruto had been ostracized by the villagers since childhood, but she assumed they simply disliked him.

Moreover, during the Fifth Hokage Lord Tsunade's inauguration ceremony, she pulled Naruto to the closest position, which clearly showed her high regard for him.

Later, the higher-ups and various clans of Konohagakure indeed stopped complaining, and most villagers' attitudes towards Naruto changed. She thought things had improved, but...

But she never expected it to have gone this far; it was utterly insane! Why blame Naruto for her bad luck? Why blame her parents for not being born into a better family?

Hateful!