Don't Go

"Ugh!" Ino was startled, but after recognizing Naruto, she became agitated again. "Didn't you leave?"

Where to?

"How am I supposed to know where you're going!" Ino frowned. "Let me go."

"OK."

"Then move!" Ino was filled with shame and indignation. Naruto said he would let her go, but he didn't actually make any move.

The next moment, Naruto really let go of her, but he didn't move away from her.

The light behind the green tree was completely dim. The two stood very close, yet there was just enough space between them—enough to fit two fists.

"You're not going..."

"Just kidding."

Ino could feel Naruto laughing. He took the flowers from her hand and his voice seemed to be seducing her, "I'll wait for you here as soon as I leave. I didn't go anywhere else."

"Why bother explaining all that to me? Who wants to hear your nonsense?" Ino turned her face in the darkness; the current atmosphere was hitting a nerve.

But she didn't want to admit it, because she really wanted to beat this person up. So much so that she was willing to disregard the atmosphere and forcibly drag this bastard into an alley, blindfold him, and beat him up.

"These flowers are nice," he said.

"Pay up," Ino said irritably. "Now, right now."

"I have no money." His voice was a little hoarse as he grasped her hand in the darkness, his eyes shining brightly.

Ino sensed the unusual atmosphere and her heart trembled. She swallowed hard, her mouth dry, and said nervously.

"If you don't have money, then forget it. I'm going back now."

She moved her shoulder and quickly realized that her hand had been grasped, falling into a warm palm. Ino pretended not to notice and lifted her foot to leave.

"Don't go--" Naruto's tone was somewhat low, as if he hadn't finished speaking.

She was waiting for Naruto's next words, but he stopped abruptly, like an unfinished period, leaving her feeling stuck and uncomfortable.

"Why?" Ino's heart softened a little, but remembering that she was still angry today, she deliberately put on a stern face.

There is no light on the back of the Great Green Tree, so you can only judge the other person's expression by their breathing and tone of voice. The loss of sight makes your sense of smell, touch and hearing unusually sensitive.

Ino could hear his increasingly rapid breathing, and her emotions were stirred up as well. In this dark and cramped space, her body trembled slightly.

It wasn't out of fear, but rather a subconscious bodily reaction caused by tension.

"I haven't been doing too well lately," Naruto said, his voice somewhat suppressed, as if he was trying to cover his mouth tightly so that no third person could hear him, and he was only telling her what was going on.

Even at night, the Konohagakure Street were still bustling with people. Groups of two or three strolled by, their laughter and chatter rising and falling, echoing from the street.

The dim streetlights stood quietly, obediently letting the lush banyan Great Green Tree cover half of their light. Someone stopped in front of the Great Green Tree, talking loudly.

Completely unaware that two people were lurking in the darkness behind the Great Green Tree, their bodies almost touching. Hot breath hit Ino's neck, and the distance between them was only a fist's width.

Hearing Naruto say that he wasn't doing well, Ino's heart felt like it had been struck by a knife, completely melting away. The anger she had just accumulated vanished, and she remembered what the passerby had said that afternoon.

A wave of sadness washed over me. Why should everything be blamed on a teenager? They're all adults, yet they have no self-awareness whatsoever.

They bully the weak and only dare to speak ill of others behind their backs.

She desperately wanted to rush up and stop them, to ask them why. Even if she wasn't entirely sure what she felt for Naruto, whatever it was, she wanted the best for Naruto.

Hopefully, the path he walks will be filled with bustling crowds, not filled with gossip and thorns.

She wanted to ask why, but then thought she'd probably be laughed at for being crazy. At that moment, Ino suddenly had a ridiculous thought. If the two of them switched places, what would Naruto do?

Given his reckless nature, he'll most likely smash up someone's house under the cover of darkness and then shift the blame onto others. He'll commit the act of vandalism and then go home to sleep with a clear conscience.

That's just the kind of person he is—flaunting himself all day, lazy and nonchalant yet incredibly cunning. Having a friend like him is truly reassuring; you don't have to worry about suffering any injustice.

Only now does she realize that even people like that can feel pain.

Naruto was slightly intoxicated by Ino's sweet, girlish scent, and he could barely speak. He had originally intended to say that he hadn't been doing too well lately, as the workload of missions had been quite high.

For a lazy dog like him, going on missions Tenten is not as good as lying at home and sleeping.

However, Tsunade was his direct female superior, and her intention in assigning him tasks was to help him improve his strength. After all, Tsunade didn't know that this lazy blond guy had a system.

For ninjas, the fastest way to become stronger is through actual combat; a thousand theories are not as effective as one real battle.

That's what Tsunade thought, and that's what she did. Naruto had no right to refuse; he could only raise his concerns with Tsunade once the village's backlog of tasks was mostly completed.

Otherwise, Tsunade would definitely continue to entice and pressure him to complete the mission by saying that the village is short-handed and that even if he doesn't train, he should still do some tasks.

The two were not on the same wavelength at all. Naruto was simply intoxicated by the hormonal rush and couldn't suppress the primal power within him after taking a breath.

Therefore, his voice became hoarse, and his overall voice became low.

Ino, however, felt that Naruto was carrying too much malice and was almost at his breaking point. That's actually quite true; if you think about it that way, it makes sense.

Naruto simply shifted most of the pressure onto Shizuku, and spent the rest of the time lying down. He just became indifferent, but his malice hadn't completely disappeared.

"How could you—"

Before she could finish speaking, Ino couldn't help but cover her eyes with her other, unheld hand, and tears instantly streamed down her face.

The completely out-of-control sobbing left Naruto momentarily at a loss.

He was stunned, thinking to himself that all he had done was secretly take a puff of incense, how did it turn out like this? How could he be discovered like this? Women are truly terrifying, this is unbelievable!

Ino cried so hard her shoulders trembled, her breath came in fits and starts, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Get out of here now, stop crying," he said nervously. "I didn't do anything, Ino, you..."

The next moment, Naruto felt himself being embraced in the darkness.

Ino hugged him and cried, her voice choked with sobs, muffled and unable to escape.

I'm a few minutes late, damn it, I almost missed the 10,000-word mark! I still owe the two alliance leaders and the hall master bonus chapters, ugh! I'm going to die!