The Anxiety of Gains and Losses Was Normal

Why are you here?

Naruto kicked the Nine-Tails, which had started meowing in fright, inside, then calmly picked up his things and went inside.

"Hmph, why can't I come? Or do you have another appointment?" Ino took the things from his hands and turned to walk towards the living room.

He was still changing his shoes in the entryway when Nine-Tails, already acting like a sycophant, followed Ino into the living room.

"What kind of date could I possibly have? I'm all alone. I was planning to just go to sleep." He paused, then looked at Ino standing in the living room.

"You sneaked out alone? What about your uncle and aunt?"

Konohagakure doesn't place much importance on the New Year Festival, but it is still a holiday for spending time with family. Although Naruto's friends are already considered capable Chunin of family and friends.

However, this is only the village's recognition of them in terms of ninja skills; it does not mean that they are free to decide not to participate in the New Year Festival with their families, which is a right reserved for adults.

For example, he might be busy with work or have special missions. Or, like Kakashi and Jiraiya, he's carefree and unburdened. Doing missions during the Lunar New Year is a perfectly normal thing for him.

"Father is busy with work."

"Working overtime for the New Year Festival? How inhumane!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly.

"It was a task that Lord Tsunade asked me to do at the last minute."

"Oh, Lord Tsunade, then it's alright." His last shred of justice instantly retreated, showing a clear understanding of his own limitations; he couldn't fight against a giant's breasts.

"And what about your aunt?"

"My mother," Ino sighed, glancing at him as she said, "She's been staying in Tanzaku Town and hasn't come back yet."

"Oh, so that's why you came to my place." Naruto leaned back on the sofa and looked up at her.

The lighting was clear, and the girl's cheeks were smooth and flawless. Even with just a casually tied high ponytail, she looked pure and captivating.

"No, I'm just bored at home all by myself." Ino poured herself a glass of water, but just as she was about to drink it, she suddenly remembered that it was her glass and put it down.

"Are there any other cups?" she asked, turning her head.

"That's all." He shifted his position on the sofa and answered crisply, "If you don't mind, I can make you some."

"What is 'degree'?" Ino was momentarily stunned and asked subconsciously.

Naruto didn't speak, lazily staring at Ino's lips, Ino the light, leaning back on the sofa with a malicious smile on his face.

He was almost an adult, and he wasn't as reserved anymore. After all, pedophilia was illegal, both literally and practically. The world was different at sixteen; some harmless jokes were still okay.

"You!!" Ino noticed his gaze and immediately realized what he meant. "If you say another word, I'm going back!"

He ultimately didn't continue; a joke taken too far is also offensive. Even though Ino wouldn't actually get angry if he continued, he still stopped.

Seeing his cautious demeanor, Ino couldn't bear it and said as if giving up the struggle.

"I won't leave."

She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. She clearly remembered that she meant to say that she was too bored at home and wouldn't be going back so early, but she accidentally blurted out the wrong thing.

But Naruto didn't seem to react much, he just smiled at her.

"I will follow you even if you leave."

What kind of talk is that? How is she supposed to respond to that?! Ino glared at him irritably, threw down a "whatever" and went straight into the kitchen.

A moment later, a clanging sound came from the kitchen; she was probably looking for a cup.

"Where are the cups? I remember there were plenty last time." Ino's voice came from the kitchen, while the living room heater was blowing loudly.

"It was smashed by the Fox-dog, there's only one left." Naruto said lazily, yawning, and then simply closed his eyes on the sofa.

"How could there not be?" Ino muttered as she walked out of the kitchen.

"It broke a while ago, and I haven't had time to buy a new one," he explained casually, his eyes opening a crack.

Ino had already picked up the glass of water and casually drank half of it.

"You drank it?" He opened his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Ino blushed and glared at him.

"You did this on purpose!"

"Um."

"I'll strangle you!" Ino was so angry at Naruto's teasing that she didn't care anymore and pounced on him, pinching his waist hard.

He hadn't intended to resist and was prepared for pain. Ino's blow wasn't heavy; it wouldn't leave a mark, and it didn't hurt too much.

But after waiting for a long time, the expected pain did not come.

He looked over, and it seemed Ino had changed her mind again. Under the overhead light, she smiled at him, a cute smile in her eyes.

"In the new year, I won't be angry with you anymore."

The curtains on the balcony were open, revealing that it had started snowing again outside, and beyond that, everything was pitch black. On the living room sofa, the two were pressed together in an intimate position, one on top of the other, with only three fists' width between them.

Ino was initially quite pleased with herself, but when she noticed the change in the eyes of the people below, she immediately tried to get up but was pulled back.

"What's wrong?" Her voice trembled slightly, and the hand roaming around her waist wasn't exactly docile.

"Fine."

Naruto quickly released Ino, his voice sounding as if he had just woken up. The living room fell silent, save for the whirring of the heater. The bedroom door opened.

Nine-Tails fox peeked out and, seeing the two people piled up in the living room, meowed and scurried back inside.

"What kind of thing did you raise?" Ino asked, somewhat surprised. She stood up, dusted herself off, and asked, trying to appear calm.

"I don't know, it's a strange creature." Naruto stood up from the sofa, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

"Just now," Ino blushed and looked away, asking softly, "Were you just thinking... why did you suddenly do that?"

"You're so close, you'd be tempted too if you were in my shoes." Naruto didn't make any other excuses, he just told the truth.

Ino's ears turned red; she was clearly pleased with his words. However, she didn't want Naruto to know her thoughts, as it was a young girl's sense of propriety.

She was naturally happy that someone was attracted to her, but she didn't show it, especially not in front of Naruto. She always felt that she couldn't let him know, otherwise he would definitely take advantage of her.

"Really? Anyway, I won't care."

After this little incident, the atmosphere became much more harmonious. The two sat on opposite sides of the sofa, eating the snacks he had brought back and talking about their plans for the new year.

"The title of Jonin? Is that why you're taking on so many missions?" Naruto looked at Ino with some surprise.

"Don't look at me like that." Ino was a little embarrassed. "Isn't it normal to want to get the title of Jonin? After all, we are ninjas, and we all want to become stronger."

"There's no need to be in such a hurry, is there?" He wondered if he should tell Ino the story of pulling up seedlings to help them grow.

Upon hearing this, Ino felt like a slacker being brutally attacked by a top student and glared at him with dissatisfaction.

"Of course you're not in a hurry. If I were as strong as you, I wouldn't be in a hurry either. Even though you're lying around all day, you're the one who's making the most progress."

He was speechless. Who could understand the pain of adding points to Deep Blue?

This topic was skipped, and Ino sat on the sofa in a girlish posture, slowly eating Takoyaki. Her eyes occasionally glanced at Naruto, then paused, and she glared at him fiercely.

A girl in the throes of ambiguity is always foolish and adorable, and she's never even aware of it.

"Did you go to see Hinata when you got back?" she asked, clearing her throat. The topic had suddenly shifted to this, as if it were a random one.

She glanced at Naruto, then her gaze fell on the nearly empty Takoyaki on the table. She took a sour bite, thinking to herself that she had only asked casually.

Anyway, he didn't show it on his face; he was just being a friend and wanted to know how far things had progressed between him and Hinata. It was just ordinary concern, which is only natural, right?

"I looked for her, but she didn't have time; she had to go on a mission," Naruto said.

He spoke the truth, but omitted some details. For example, there was no point in mentioning Nine-Tails's dark history of going to the Tenten Hyuga Clan.

He wondered if it was just his imagination, but both Ino and Hinata had been working incredibly hard on missions and training for the past six months, making it almost impossible for them to see each other.

"Oh, oh." Ino was somewhat absent-minded, with a strange feeling of trespassing in her heart.

I feel a little guilty, but I'm perfectly innocent. It's normal to go to a friend's house who's equally bored during the New Year Festival, right?

Besides, it's not like I haven't been there before.

Thinking about it, her face flushed again. She looked up and met Naruto's thoughtful gaze, and panicked for a moment before asking...

Why are you looking at me?

"If you're good-looking, I'll take a few more glances, so what?" Naruto wasn't intimidated.

Ino took a bite of the last Takoyaki, and listening to Naruto's words, whether joking or serious, she felt as if ants were crawling inside her.

She remembered Naruto telling her he liked her, but he never explicitly said it. And in that stormy weather, even though her mother was still in the kitchen, it was she who spoke first.

The boy must have felt a thrill in that situation. Did he mean what he said? Like when he didn't think much of it at the time. Only after a long while did he realize what he had done, and he was so ashamed that he rolled around on the bed.

Her mother inadvertently reminded her that few of the things men say in bed are true. Although at that time they weren't in bed, but sitting on the sofa.

But that situation and atmosphere were quite similar to the metaphor in bed. So, what the two of them said didn't really count, right? It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, and although that sounds a bit perverse, it's not impossible that it's true.

He must have forgotten, he must have forgotten.

Deeply entangled in ambiguity, Ino somewhat anxious and uncertain. Once her mind started racing, it was hard to stop, and her logic gradually crumbled.

Naruto watched Ino taking small bites of Takoyaki and couldn't help but wonder, "Is that stuff really that delicious? She's been eating it for five or six minutes already?"

Besides