Late Arrival

"I'm going back." She hurriedly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and got up to leave.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Naruto grabbed her.

Ino looked somewhat taken aback when she was pulled back, but tears welled up in her eyes due to inertia. She couldn't immediately regain her composure; her emotions were only temporarily interrupted.

He thought for a moment, then simply hugged Ino.

Although he didn't quite understand why Ino was crying, he didn't care too much about it. He'd just comfort her first and then ask her. He wasn't a god; he couldn't possibly guess everything.

After a while, Ino sat on the sofa, somewhat restless. Having calmed down, perhaps realizing she had been too impulsive, she now felt a little embarrassed.

Naruto fetched a glass of water from the kitchen and placed it in front of her.

"Thank you," she said softly, her face flushing slightly as she looked down.

It was so embarrassing. She gripped the sofa tightly, so ashamed she could practically dig a hole in it. She'd only been feeling down on the way here, but once she got here, she couldn't hold back anymore.

"Just now," Naruto said, standing to the side and looking at Ino, "What happened to you?"

"No, nothing." She held her water glass, quickly took a sip, and tried to hide her panic. "It's probably because I've had too many worries lately, so..."

Ino remembered being hugged in the entryway earlier, and immediately stopped making a sound. For some reason, she felt much better. It turns out that a hug really can make you feel a lot better.

She stared wide-eyed, lost in thought, clutching her water glass in a daze.

"I'm fine now, I... I want to go back." Ino suddenly stood up, her face flushed, glancing at the door, and stammered, "We have a mission tomorrow, I need to go back and prepare."

"Isn't it still early?" Naruto walked to the balcony, turned around and looked back at Ino on the sofa. "Stay a little longer, I'll take you home."

Ino opened her mouth, but couldn't bring herself to say no.

She thought it wouldn't hurt to stay a little longer, and nodded accordingly. Then, unsure of where to look, her gaze lingered on the rim of the water glass.

Subconsciously, his lips parted slightly, and then he pressed his lips against hers with a hint of frustration.

With a whoosh, the balcony window was pulled open from the outside. Tom, who had been tiptoeing, and Nine-Tails, hearing the noise, peeked in from outside and immediately saw the two people on the sofa.

"Damn it." Nine-Tails- Tails muttered under its breath, crawling in awkwardly on all fours.

"It's back?" Ino stood up.

"Hmm." Naruto met Nine-Tails's gaze, saw the disdain in Nine-Tails's eyes, and said, "He probably went to see his old flame."

Nine-Tails was startled and was about to jump up and slap him when she was suddenly picked up.

"Does it have any of its own kind that it likes?" Ino for a moment, but curiosity overshadowed her shyness, and she looked at Naruto with a gossipy gaze.

What a load of rubbish! Hmph, I've just found another idiotic human slave. But that woman's an idiot too, she gave me all her dinner.

I told her to get the wine, so she went. But the place was huge, and she almost got lost. It was a bit of a hassle, but she still had to go, since the wine there was much better than what that kid bought.

The Nine-Tails fox arrogantly raised its head, showing absolutely no remorse. As if having two relationships was perfectly natural, the scumbag fox wore a sly smile, having already completely disdained its former owner.

"Probably not. Even a dog would find it hard to fall for that guy." Naruto picked up his water glass, took a sip, realized he'd made a mistake, and awkwardly put it down.

Fortunately, Ino didn't look this way and kept teasing Nine-Tails. Nine-Tails, on the other hand, looked completely forced, its eyes dull as it played with Ino.

"It can even raise its hand?" Ino was having a blast playing with it.

Naruto remained expressionless, thinking to himself that Nine-Tails could not only raise its hand, but if Ino saw Nine-Tails smoothly opening bottles and chugging down alcohol, she would definitely question her existence.

After playing for a while, Ino let Nine-Tails go, and the two changed their shoes and went out.

Just before the door closed, Naruto caught a glimpse of Nine-Tails leaping onto the sofa and pulling a bottle of liquor from underneath. The sound of the bottle opening was drowned out by the door closing, and then slammed shut inside.

"Let's go," he said, turning around.

He didn't know what Ino was thinking from beginning to end. She was in a bad mood, so she went to her house to cry for a while, and then she felt better after playing with the Nine-Tails.

That's probably the biggest use of raising the Nine-Tails, right? After all, the Nine-Tails is incredibly weak and doesn't seem to have any great use; it's just a mere Tailed Beast.

"I don't really have anything to do today, but I just feel like I can't help you with anything, so..." Ino said softly when she saw that there was no one around.

"Huh?" Naruto snapped out of his daze and looked at Ino in surprise. "There's no need to think like that. I can actually handle it myself."

He racked his brains, trying to prove that he didn't need any help at all. The only Danzo he ever clashed with was Danzo; the two advisors were simply trying to maintain a balance in Konohagakure.

With Tsunade and Jiraiya, along with the Hokage's direct subordinates, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he wouldn't suffer any significant losses.

Even if we take a step back and say that Ino is too young to be thinking about these things, she's too Ino and precocious. Knowing things she shouldn't know naturally weighs on her mind.

"But I want to help you," Ino said in a muffled voice.

"The problem is that this is something you can't help with. That kind of thing is actually quite far beyond what a Genin can handle. You don't need to keep worrying about it," Naruto explained.

"Now I know why you're unhappy." He sighed.

"I already told you," Ino muttered.

"No, I'm referring to deeper issues," he said. "When you know something you can't solve, and you feel powerless but still worry about it, it makes you feel bad."

"Try not to think about it next time. Actually, I'm fine. Wait a few years, until you grow up and become Elite Jonin about you. By then you'll be capable and won't be bothered anymore."

"How many more years?" Ino sighed.

"It's okay, time flies," Naruto said. "The Chunin Ninja Exams are about to start, right? You'll be Chunin soon, and the next step is Jonin. You'll be so busy that you won't have time to worry about time."

Naruto felt a bit parched, and having to provide psychological support to Ino, he felt somewhat frustrated. He, the person directly involved, wasn't unhappy; it was Ino who seemed to be carrying a psychological burden.

However, Ino has such a kind personality that she finds it hard to be happy because she thinks of others, so it's normal for her to occasionally get stuck in a rut.

"You lie to me every time," Ino groaned.

"How can this be considered a lie?" Naruto and Ino walked side by side, their eyes slightly darting around. Naruto recalled the stormy afternoon and vaguely remembered Ino's bright eyes and soft gaze.

"I've always helped you because I like you, and I don't expect the same in return. If I help you once, wouldn't it be too unfair for you to do the same to me?"

Ino stiffened for a moment, then quickly took a few steps forward to create some distance.

"I don't like you."

"You last time"

"Don't mention last time!" Ino turned her face to him and snapped, "I didn't! It wasn't me! Don't say it!"

"Then I won't say." Naruto smiled.

"Don't laugh." She said in a cute but fierce way, grabbing Naruto's collar.

"I didn't want to laugh either, but I just couldn't help it." Naruto was genuinely amused, as if he had caught Ino in a compromising situation and suddenly understood why Ino hadn't contacted him since that incident.

Konohagakure Street stretched endlessly. Ino released Naruto and strode off in a huff. Even so, her palms were still sweaty.

Talking to him is such a struggle. Shouldn't we just silently forget about those awkward moments? Ugh! What is love anyway?!

It was alright before, but now that person keeps bringing it up, it's so infuriating.

His affections are so casual! That guy must like many people, and he definitely likes Hinata too! He's a complete scumbag, I really want to punch him.

"Ino!" He chased after her.

"Don't call me!" Ino said sullenly, her mood suddenly sour for some reason.

Naruto followed her and poked her arm, asking a question.

"You really don't need to think that way. I helped you out of my own free time. I knew that mission was dangerous, and I couldn't just watch you go and die."

"It's not dangerous," she weakly retorted, "It's just an investigation."

"What if?" Naruto said. "What if the Akatsuki Organization come back? Master Jiraiya is strong, but not ridiculously so. What if something unexpected happens?"

"All right."

Ino couldn't argue with him, but suddenly felt that this wasn't so bad. Going on missions together would feel quite novel. She actually wanted to say that it would be dangerous for him to go too.

But after thinking about it, I was afraid he would retort, so I didn't say it.

In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the entrance of the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

"I'm going back," Ino said slowly, her head bowed.

"Okay, see you tomorrow." He waved.

The next day.

Naruto packed his ninja bag early, took a shower after his morning exercise, changed his clothes, and headed out. Today was a mission day: to go to the Fire Temple to investigate the whereabouts of the Immortal Duo.

If the purpose is just to investigate, the mission is not dangerous at all. If you accidentally run into two people, you can just retreat.

The problem is that Asuma is too valuable, worth 35 million ryo. It's all Asuma's fault for the bad things he did when he was young, that he insisted on becoming Daimyo's private bodyguard with Chiriku.

Instead of making a name for himself, he caused a lot of trouble. He slunk back to Konohagakure and returned to the embrace of his Hokage father.

No sooner had Naruto left than Nine-Tails slowly climbed up from the sofa, stood on the floor for a few seconds, and then skillfully opened the balcony window and ran out.

The sun blazed brightly outside, and Nine-Tails skillfully leaped over several rooftops. It couldn't remember any paths; its body was completely shrunken, and everything appeared as a tall building.

I only vaguely remembered one direction, so I started walking in a straight line. I jumped over buildings whenever I encountered them, followed rooftops, crossed dead-end alleys, and finally stopped beside a tall, simple wall.

It howled, sounding like a wolf or a fox, but definitely not like a dog.

After a long while, the gates of the Hyuga compound opened. A girl walked out; Hinata had grown quite a bit taller and was no longer as thin as before.

She was about 1.6 meters tall, which was considered tall, probably because she was quite thin. Her short hair had grown long and softly draped over her shoulders.

Her forehead still had curly bangs, and her eyes were soft and weak. Her gaze seemed to be searching for something, and after looking around, she spotted the Nine-Tails crouching there, and couldn't help but smile.

"I brought this for you today," Hinata said with a smile, taking out a small sake flask from behind her back.

The wine jug is funnel-shaped with a long, narrow spout, and its actual capacity is only about the size of two fists. Even when filled to the brim, it doesn't hold much wine, not even as much as half a bottle of wine from the Nine-Tails.

Unfortunately, the sake Hinata had was precious; Naruto wouldn't normally buy it for her, nor could he obtain sake supplied through special channels. Nine-Tails wanted some, but couldn't complain about the small quantity.

Although it tried to protest, the woman in front of it would always gently say in the face of its pleading eyes, "No, you can't drink too much, you won't be able to handle it."

Nine-Tails was annoyed, thinking to himself that he could drink eight or nine bottles of wine a day, how could he possibly not be able to handle it?

But it can't actually speak, and if it frightens her, even this daily little guarantee might be ruined. Drinking is so nice; it's such a beautiful thing.

I can't remember who told me that. Anyway, that kid Tenten saying nonsensical things, and it's influenced by him too.

Anyway, as long as there's alcohol to drink, that's all that matters.

At first, it was a little annoyed by Hinata's constant chatter beside it, but it got used to it later. Occasionally, it would even respond, and the woman would be very happy if it just raised a paw to shake hands.

Hmph, simple-minded slaves.

"You're here so early today." Hinata patted Nine-Tails's head and took out a White Jade Dish, the kind that was so expensive it made people question their existence.

If Naruto were here, he would definitely kick Nine-Tails away and then play with that plate with great affection. Some things money can't buy, but the eldest princess of the Hyuga Clan can take them out at will.

The Hyuga Clan is large and powerful with a profound history.

Hinata felt it was inconvenient for the Fox-dog to keep drinking from the bottle, and since she couldn't find a suitable dish, she just grabbed one from home.

She carefully poured the wine into White Jade Dish, which held only a few sips. The Nine-Tails brought it to the edge and licked it contentedly.

The air was filled with the aroma of wine, and the Nikko was slanting downwards.

Hinata squatted there, looking tiny, seemingly oblivious to Nine-Tails's distraction as she tasted the wine. She chattered on and on, occasionally smiling.

Her smile was pure, and her eyes were soft.

"I actually had a mission today, but Shino and the others said I didn't need to go there, they would come over in the afternoon. Everyone is very considerate of me. Although I have become stronger, I still feel that I haven't trained enough."

Nine-Tails looked up, Hinata was stunned. She had actually read confusion in the eyes of a dog. She was going crazy.

Naruto's Fox-dog doesn't seem to be Ninja Hound, does it really understand what he's saying?

She was nervous for a moment, but quickly dismissed the thought as she saw the Nine-Tails lower its head again.