So, a Vast Golden Dusk-It Was Perfectly Normal to Skip Work for You

He felt he must have stayed up late and hadn't slept well, and now he was hallucinating. Or was he dreaming? He hadn't woken up at all.

He has always been the one coercing others; he has never been threatened by anyone.

What's going on with Totole's comments?

"If you know, you know. It doesn't matter." Naruto shrugged. "As long as you're happy, you can say whatever you want."

"Foul! That's your usual scumbag talk, you're so skilled at it!" Sakura made a big X in front of her, but her expression was still happy.

But soon, she changed her tone and said it again.

"It's okay, I won't ruin your relationship with Ino, or even Hinata. I only need the third spot, I don't need the complete Naruto."

"Why?" Naruto picked up his teacup and blew on it, somewhat absentmindedly.

Fortunately, Sakura hadn't thought of anything else, and said with a smile, "Because I only have one half, so I only need to have one half of you."

He didn't Temari or Tayuya. He didn't take any of the rankings seriously. In these kinds of things, whoever takes it seriously loses, and he didn't think about the future in detail.

In Konohagakure, he was all alone and without any ties; now that he was an adult, he didn't need to worry about so many things.

Of course, he does have his limits. Sakura makes grand pronouncements, but when it comes to actually doing something, she immediately backs down. So, some of her words are best taken with a grain of salt.

"Third place, could you stay quietly in the living room for a while? I want to go back to my room and catch up on some sleep," he said, getting up and pulling out a chair.

"Okay." Sakura gave a very obedient smile.

"Remember to cook lunch, thank you." He turned around decisively and went straight back to his room to sleep.

He slept until noon, and when he woke up, he found someone else beside him. Looking at Sakura, who was neatly dressed in bed, a helpless expression flashed across his face.

Does she really seem to be asleep?

Forget it, I won't call her.

He quietly got up and had just stepped out of the room when Sakura woke up and quickly followed him out.

Why aren't you responding?

"What kind of reaction do you want?" Naruto rolled his eyes. You're sleeping there completely covered up. I'm really afraid you'll just fall asleep and pass away peacefully.

"Have you made enough of a scene? If there's nothing else, just cancel the lease. It's not worth it."

"I didn't buy it," Sakura said after thinking for a moment. "That's an abandoned building, it's gloomy. I actually saw you at the Hokage Building yesterday, that's how I knew you were back."

"That's good," he said.

"Do you want me to cook?" She had already skillfully pulled out an apron and put it on, looking at Naruto innocently.

"Forget it, let's go out to eat." He waved his hand. "I'm too lazy to cook, I'll treat you."

"OK."

Sakura didn't object; Naruto hadn't been back for so long that there was no food in the fridge. She was just deliberately wearing the apron to show him, the tight sweater outlining her beautiful figure.

"What should we eat? I remember there's a really good restaurant near the hospital." She walked towards Naruto, but suddenly stopped as they passed each other.

How could there be another woman on you?

Before she could finish speaking, Naruto pulled her over and casually shoved her onto the sofa. A hint of helplessness appeared on his face as he stared at her with deadpan eyes.

"Stop trying to trick me, aren't you bored?"

"I was just worried," she muttered, her face flushing slightly as she turned her head away. "Let me go now, go get something to eat."

Naruto released her, without taking advantage of her vulnerability.

The two wandered around Konohagakure Street for a while before finding a restaurant to have lunch. After finishing their meal, Sakura didn't linger; in fact, she had only managed to sneak away from her busy schedule.

A few days later, he finally rested enough and all his fatigue was gone.

He made some inquiries and managed to contact the Intelligence Department where Ino worked. Her father later transferred her back to the Intelligence Department, but forbade her from mentioning the communicator again.

Ultimately, the old guard in Konohagakure didn't trust the new communication devices. Inoichi Yamanaka didn't want Ino to be targeted by those old guards too early, at least not after they stepped down.

Therefore, Ino has been working diligently ever since she was transferred back to the Intelligence Department. Knowing that the reform of the communication equipment would cause trouble for her father, she simply didn't mention it.

They are still conducting research in private, and the technology has been innovated to version 5.0.

She remembered what Naruto had said, "If the road ahead is blocked, then find a way to take off. People can't be trapped by the road. It doesn't matter how high you can fly, I'll be with you."

Ino believes that liking someone must be clear, not just a simple feeling. It's something tangible and relatable, something that can instantly give you hope when you're feeling down.

They had been secretly testing the communicator, keeping it a secret from everyone.

That day, after Ino said those words, Naruto almost had the urge to just marry him. But she quickly came to her senses; the communicator wasn't finished yet.

"When did you get back?" Ino seemed very happy, a smile spreading across her face.

"Yesterday." He lied without changing his expression, glancing around and noticing that many eyes were on the two of them.

While secretly thinking that Ino was quite popular, he openly pulled her aside. While silently contemplating how to extinguish those beasts' hopes, he asked a question that didn't reflect his true feelings.

Why is everyone looking this way?

"What?" Ino was obviously used to it. She turned slightly to the side and felt the gaze behind her. She was stunned for a moment before saying, "Don't worry about that kind of thing."

"Oh~," he drawled.

Ino blushed and punched him lightly. She glanced behind her, hesitated for a moment, then tiptoed closer to his ear and whispered something.

"Sit there for a while and wait for me to get off work. There are some difficulties with the communicator, and there are a few details I'd like to discuss with you."

"Okay," Naruto agreed, secretly wanting to laugh.

He knows absolutely nothing about technology, and he's completely clueless about communicators. Ino was just making up an excuse; although it's true that only the two of them knew about the communicator.

After saying that, Ino ran back to her post.

Naruto didn't wait there; he went out, bought a drink, and came back. Outside in the hallway, the sunset was golden, like large swaths of golden evening clouds falling down.

A slightly chilly wind blew in, Naruto sat quietly to the side, waiting.

About half an hour later, even though it wasn't time to leave work, Ino secretly slipped out by herself. Seeing Naruto calling her from afar, she quickly waved her hand, signaling him to be quiet.

Oh, you sneaked out. Skipping work is shameful.

"Don't shout!" Ino walked up to him, reached into his warm cotton-padded coat and gave him a squeeze. "Do you want me to be discovered? What are you staring at? Let's go."