Secretly Hidden, Yet Impossible to Conceal Her Shyness

Upon hearing her mother Miss Rino's voice, Ino felt the boiling blood in her body instantly cool down, and her eyes, filled with confusion and horror, were hidden beneath her disheveled hair.

It's over!

Caught in the act, she touched her neck, then looked up and saw Naruto grinning. Immediately, she felt a surge of displeasure, lowered her voice, and frowned as she spoke.

"I'm going to die! My mother is back! And she's smiling!"

He loosened his grip, slightly out of breath. He was used to this kind of scene, and watching Ino frantically trying to fix her messy hair by the glass door, he couldn't help but laugh again.

"Go upstairs and wait for me in my room." Ino pushed him away impatiently to prevent her mother from discovering her legs under the blinds.

As for the Aogiri Clan outside, she didn't care at all, insisting that she was the only one there.

Her heart was pounding, and she trembled as she pulled a red hair clip from her pocket and clipped up the hair on both sides of her face. She then glanced at Naruto was slowly making his way upstairs.

Seeing him still standing halfway down the stairs looking back, she immediately gave him a murderous glare. The shop was dimly lit; she wasn't sure if he could see her.

She clipped her hair shut, skillfully unlocked the door with a few fingers from the inside, and then casually wrapped a scarf her mother had left behind at the counter around her neck. With a swift, flowing motion, she pulled up the roller blind and opened the glass door.

"Why is Mother back?" Ino asked sweetly, appearing exceptionally well-behaved.

She glanced outside; the man from the Aogiri Clan had already left, probably quite shaken. She wondered if he'd said anything inappropriate to her mother; she really wanted to silence him!

The man from the Aogiri Clan wandered empty-handed through the Konohagakure Street. The Nikko was cold, and the gift box had long since been discarded. He watched as the person he loved was snatched away by another man, who even declared his ownership to his face.

He felt like he was going to break down, and what was even more terrifying was that while he was heartbroken, he also felt a faint sense of excitement, which made him question the meaning of life.

Naruto entered Ino's room with practiced ease, sat down by the window, and waited silently, without a trace of nervousness. Little did he know that his casual declaration of dominance would unleash a man's unspeakable sexual desires.

Yamanaka Rino glanced at her daughter with a puzzled look, her gaze settling on the scarf around her neck.

Why are you pulling up the blinds in broad daylight?

Upon hearing this, Ino instantly realized that the person from the Aogiri Clan hadn't said anything gossipy, and her initial dissatisfaction with that person vanished.

"No, it's nothing, Mother. I have to go on a mission soon. I... I'm going to be late."

Ino turned to leave, but her mother called her back.

"Wait a minute." Yamanaka Rino stared at her strangely, reaching for the scarf around Ino's neck. "Don't you dislike wearing scarves? Why are you wearing one today?"

"I"

Ino sank. Her neck was still flushed; she couldn't very well say she'd just been playing around with it. But she couldn't openly avoid it either, or it would look like she was protesting too much.

Just as Yamanaka Rino's hand was about to touch the scarf around her neck, a muffled thud suddenly came from upstairs.

"What was that sound?" Yamanaka Rino's hand froze in mid-air as she turned to look at the direction of the stairs.

"It was coming from my room, something probably fell down." Ino breathed a sigh of relief, quickly turned around and ran upstairs, leaving behind the words, "I'll go up and take a look."

"Hey, slow down."

"Okay!"

Upstairs, Ino pushed open the door and saw Naruto smiling at the scarf around her neck, which annoyed her. She ripped it off, revealing her fair, rosy neck.

He rolled his eyes at him and said with dissatisfaction.

"Still laughing? It's all your fault for laughing so hard, it's all red now."

He sat by the window, arms outstretched, long legs casually straddling him. He looked completely relaxed, like a colleague after a cigarette.

With a smile on his face, he looked at Ino's shy face and the red marks on her neck. He thought to himself, "As expected, Xu Zhimo understood men best. The greatest satisfaction in life is nothing more than seeing a young girl's head bowed in shyness."

Naruto vaguely remembered the original words. "The gentleness of that lowered head, like a water lily shyly trembling in the cool breeze." However, this version was still too poetic.

To put it more bluntly, it's like a girl turning over and poking you, her face hot and damp, whispering to you that she had actually come several times just now.

Whether it's the flamboyance of a literary figure or the flamboyance of a ninja, perhaps only Jiraiya could resonate with Naruto in the realm of art.

The random thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. He raised his head, pointed to the faint red marks on his neck, and said with a smile.

"Weren't you quite engrossed in it too?"

"Go to hell!" Ino threw a cushion at him, her face flushed as she squatted down to pack her ninja tool bag. "The mission is about to start, and there's not much time to prepare. Are you sure you don't want to go home?"

"No need, there's nothing to pack." Naruto looked out the window.

The marks on their necks were quite light and would fade away soon. Once Ino was almost finished tidying up, he Ino her over.

"What?" Ino pouted, looking unhappy.

She remembered downstairs just now, how she had impulsively revealed everything, and how she had been the one to say she liked him first. But the person opposite her had only said it once, and that was back then.

After calming down, Ino felt increasingly cheated, thinking about how she had blurted out that she only liked him, and she felt both ashamed and angry.

Even so, she still went over. Naruto put his arm around her slender waist, took off her red hair clip with his other hand, and slowly tidied her hair.

"The mission is about to begin." Ino's voice softened as she saw that he was focused on fixing her hair.

"There are still forty minutes left, we have enough time," he said slowly, his hands moving without stopping, his eyes filled with deep affection.

However, Ino already knew this guy's tricks. He had a pair of captivating eyes, and whenever he was spacing out or focused, he would look at even a dog on the street with deep affection.

The last time I saw him on the street, he was staring intently at a little girl. After looking for a while, I realized it was a misperception. He was actually staring blankly at a big yellow dog while holding an ice pop, and I don't know what he was thinking.

"Just."

"What?" he asked.

"That doesn't count," Ino said, somewhat annoyed.

"Huh? If it doesn't count, why did you kiss me so hard?" Naruto glanced down at her, then lowered his hand and lifted her face again. "You almost broke my neck with that kiss."

"No way!" Ino turned her head away, refusing to admit it.

After a minute, Naruto still hadn't made a sound, so Ino cautiously turned her head and touched his Adam's apple, asking, "Does it really hurt?"

Of course I was lying to her.

However, Naruto didn't delve deeper into the conversation, partly because the mission was imminent and partly because he was afraid of losing control. Ino kind of cute; she had the kind of personality where even with a pale face, she would stubbornly insist that it didn't hurt.

After exchanging a few words, he climbed over the windowsill and left.

Meet at the village entrance.

Shikamaru and Choji stood together, both wearing Chunin green vests. Naruto thought for a moment and casually pulled out a green vest from the Sealing Space.

Yugito Nii has been in prison for almost half a year, and her treatment is similar to that of the Nine-Tails. The difference is that the Sealing Space is not inside Naruto's body, but in a separate, different dimension.

Even if the Yugito Nii wanted to escape, it would be a pipe dream. Naruto's goal was to suppress Kumogakure, and incidentally, to issue a small warning using Sasuke's identity.

He managed to capture the Two-Tails right under the noses of the Kumogakure; another day he could easily capture Killer B Fourth Raikage A's most cherished younger brother. Yugito Nii were also unjustly implicated, but confinement is better than losing their lives.

Releasing him is out of the question, so let's just keep him locked up for now. Anyway, given the current situation, Naruto doesn't have any other ideas. There are too many thorny issues; he needs to sort them out one by one.

Chunin the green vest that symbolizes weakness, Naruto felt as if his presence had been diminished, and he couldn't help but gasp.

Damn it! Is this why the Chunin Konohagakure are so insignificant?

He looked up at his familiar friends. Tenten Neji were dressed normally, but Choji wasn't wearing anything; they didn't have his size. Seeing his good friend standing out from the crowd, Naruto felt a pang of guilt.

So he took off his vest, stood next to Choji, and bumped his roly-poly-like body, saying...

"Choji, I'm not wearing any clothes either."

Upon hearing this, Choji looked completely bewildered.

"I'm dressed."

Naruto: "."

"I'm talking about the Chunin's clothes."

"Oh, that? I can't find clothes that big," Choji said, patting his belly. "Besides, if I use the Expansion Jutsu, it'll tear my Chunin vest."

Upon hearing this, Naruto abruptly turned his head towards him and began to look him up and down.

Choji felt a little uncomfortable under his nauseating gaze, took a step back with a chill, and covered his chest with his chubby hand as he spoke.

"If you have something to say, just tell your brother. Don't look at me like that."

"I'm just asking if your clothes are family heirlooms?" Naruto asked in a low voice, with a mysterious look on his face, as if to say, "I won't tell anyone."

To be honest, even he was quite envious of the ability to freely change the size of one's body. But at the same time, he was also very curious whether Choji's clothes and the Hulk's pockets were from the same store.

"What nonsense." Choji was a little embarrassed, but seeing that everyone around him was a familiar face, he decided to let go of his inhibitions. "Just fill your clothes with some Chakra."

"Wow, it's so convenient to be able to change size!" Naruto exclaimed sincerely.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Tenten, who was waiting nearby, overheard their conversation and immediately blushed, quietly lowering her head.

Thinking to myself, "The way guys chat is so weird."

With some time before the assembly, Rock Lee couldn't stay still. After finishing his push-ups, he overheard the conversation between Naruto and Choji, and then joined in their chat after getting up.

His round eyes glanced at Choji's clothes, then at his own bright green training uniform. Suddenly, he became excited and pointed at Choji's clothes, saying...

"Amazing! It can change size!"

Tenten couldn't take it anymore, and suddenly punched Rock Lee on the head, yelling.

"Rock Lee! Don't say things like that!"

"Ah! Why?" Rock Lee was caught in the crossfire without any explanation, completely unaware of how strange the change of age is. Simply put, as you grow up, your mind becomes corrupted.

The mountains don't look like ordinary mountains, and the water doesn't look like ordinary water.

Shikamaru wore a sour expression; as the team leader, he didn't participate in the casual conversation. This mission was difficult, involved a long march, and also involved diplomacy.

More importantly, there may be unknown dangers along the way. Leading a team of seven or eight people on a raid requires enduring immense pressure.

Listening to Choji, Naruto, and Rock Lee discussing the topic of growing bigger and smaller, a wry smile appeared on his face.

Another troublesome situation has arisen, and the problem is, there's no escaping it.

Shikamaru's gaze casually swept across the room, then suddenly lingered on Naruto's neck for a moment before he asked a question.

"Naruto, what happened to your neck?"

"From mosquito bites." He blurted out instinctively without even thinking.

Those who lie and prepare a draft are mediocre, while Naruto, having been tempered several times, has reached the point where lies come out of his mouth effortlessly. Fortunately, Shikamaru didn't take it to heart; it was just a casual question.

Neji glanced at him, his Byakugan making Naruto feel a little weak.

"Are there mosquitoes at this time of year? It shouldn't be summer yet, right?" Rock Lee asked.

"Mutant mosquitoes? The world is so big, it's normal to have a few different kinds of mosquitoes." Naruto casually brushed it off and changed the subject.

"Hey Rock Lee, you got a haircut?"

No.

Sakura and Tenten stood together chatting, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Naruto, who was playfully fighting nearby. Her eyes lowered slightly, revealing a faint smile.

A short while later, Ino also came running over, panting, finally managing to catch up.

Naruto noticed the pink band-aid on her neck and immediately understood where she had been. Tenten, however, looked at Ino with some curiosity and asked.

Ino, what happened to your neck?

"Oh, I was—" She was about to say she was bitten by an insect when her gaze involuntarily met Naruto's. Her sixth sense told her something was wrong, so she changed her words and said, "I was accidentally brushed against by a flower."

"Oh, Ino works really hard all the time," Tenten remarked.

"Don't talk like that, Tenten," Ino said, rubbing her forehead.

The three girls were playing together, while Sakura seemed to be deep in thought. She glanced at Naruto briefly as she turned her head, then looked away.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's set off!" Shikamaru gave the order.

"Yes!"

Once they entered mission mode, everyone dropped their relaxed and joking demeanor and became serious again. Shikamaru led the way, Neji scouted, and Naruto brought up the rear.

The team's composition was fairly balanced. Sakura was in charge of Medical Ninjutsu, Ino also knew some simple Medical Ninjutsu. Together, they were almost half Medical Unit.

In an eight-person squad, having one and a half medical-nin is already considered quite a lot.

With Neji handling reconnaissance, Team 3 providing support with their expertise in both close and long-range combat, and Team 10 possessing secret control Ninjutsu, Naruto taking charge of the offensive. Even against Jonin team, they could handle them with ease.

The journey was long and monotonous, and after several days of travel, the group finally arrived at Sunagakure.

Amidst the swirling sandstorm, the group encountered the Sand's greeters. One or two Jonin, along with several female ninjas, stood prominently in the center, Temari.

Besides