Do You Like Hinata More, or Me? Ino's Deadly Question

Naruto turned his head and saw Ino with a cautious smile on her face, as if she were holding something precious.

A sudden tightness gripped her, as if the blood in her veins had stopped flowing, leaving a slight tightness in her chest. She didn't envy Shikamaru, but seeing Ino like this...

He shook his head, clearing his mind of all the jumbled thoughts and regaining his Qingming Festival.

He risked everything to remove the Nine-Tails, guided Jiraiya to beat up his rebellious disciple, and refused to become the savior. All this was to escape the original owner's fate, which ended in a tragic conclusion.

Anyone can settle down; if he settles down, he can just wait to accept his fate. The butterfly flaps its wings, and the future is already blurred.

He doesn't like to make definitive statements unless he's absolutely certain.

"It's alright, I'm not entirely envious," he said to himself. "I just find it strange, how did Shikamaru suddenly become so insightful?"

"What do you mean by 'getting it all'? You were just running around outside and forgot about time." Ino was speechless, counting on her fingers, "It's been a full six years since that Chunin Ninja Exams."

"Oh oh."

"You!!" Ino was furious at Naruto's dismissive attitude. Not content with pinching the soft flesh on his waist, she also stomped on it.

"Don't hide! Or I'll tell my mother you're bullying me!"

"You can't just say things like that!" Naruto felt a little guilty. Sometimes, those involved are blinded by their own perspective, while bystanders see things very clearly.

If the Yamanaka couple really heard this, they would probably believe it. After all, Hinata's side is perfectly clear, and there's no explanation from her. She wasn't too concerned when she was younger.

But now that he's an adult, if he continues to act as recklessly as before, the Yamanaka couple probably won't let Ino and him continue their antics.

"Hmph! So what!" Ino said smugly, revealing her pearly white teeth, thinking to herself that this person took it seriously just because she tried to scare him. She was still the same as before, nothing had changed.

A night breeze blew, and the two went downstairs together.

"Ino, is that thing you were researching finished yet?"

"Almost there, what's wrong?"

The sound of their footsteps echoed in the wooden staircase. Ino turned her head and glanced at him before continuing.

"You're going to help me?"

"I'm not very good at this, so I can't be of much help," Naruto said honestly. "But if you have any technical difficulties, I can ask a professional for you."

When Chakra communication, Nagato is the best; he even developed video phantom communication.

"Where did these professionals come from? What do they do?"

"Listen to what you're saying! I said I'm a professional, and you're asking what I do for a living?"

"Oh, communications?" Ino was a little confused. There were indeed such people in the Shinobi World, but she had no way of getting in touch with them.

Chakra communication is extremely rare, and it's usually classified as a state secret.

"I guess so. I happen to have some connection with the leader of the small ninja village."

He coughed, thinking to Nagato that Nagato, a thug who ran a private armed force, was also skilled in Shinobi World technology, in addition to carrying rice.

"You lied to me again!" Ino said indignantly, having just told him that the other person was a professional.

Which small ninja village leader would do such a thing? These days, there aren't many small ninja villages that can exist under the noses of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. You can count them on one hand; they're probably either the ninja villages of the Land of Rain or the Land of Grass.

Why would I lie to you? I'm not really bored.

"Omitted! I don't believe it."

The two left the sweltering crowd, the clamor fading into the distance, and headed towards the Yamanaka Flower Shop along the Konohagakure Street, a route they had walked countless times.

Naruto isn't without his impulses; if he were to use deception, even the clever Ino would likely fall into his trap. People become irrational in front of someone they like, and their intelligence drops when they're momentarily overwhelmed.

But seeing Ino's smiling face with her hands behind her back, he smiled too, slowly suppressing his agitation.

Some people stand on a mountaintop to admire the scenery, while others are scenery in themselves. It's not just her appearance; Ino's passionate and open-hearted spirit is what makes her truly beautiful.

"Actually, I don't envy Shikamaru at all. He's too rushed," Ino suddenly said, turning around with her brows furrowed. "It's like he's hiding from something. It's meaningless."

Only when they were alone together did Ino finally open up about her feelings.

"Shikamaru is a very smart person, and you can tell he likes that person a lot too," Naruto said, but then Shikamaru suddenly stopped, looking like he couldn't remember.

Only when he turned his gaze to Ino did Ino roll her eyes at him and scold him reproachfully.

"Tamako, really, you just had dinner together, and you can't even remember their names."

Even so, Ino's face still showed a happy expression. Girls seem to like this; the person they like isn't interested in other pretty girls.

Ideally, you should have no recollection of it at all, so that you can forget it the moment you see it.

However, it shouldn't be done too deliberately or too frequently. It's okay to pretend in private, but it's not appropriate when other people are present, as it can easily be seen as disrespectful.

"Oh well, it's Shikamaru's choice anyway, he must have his own reasons." Naruto looked at Ino and continued, "Some people like adventure, some people like peace and quiet, each has their own charm."

"Each has its own unique charm? So, what do you like?" Ino asked subconsciously.

"I like you."

Ino suddenly looked up at him, her gaze somewhat complicated, and asked.

"Do you like me or Hinata more?"

"Cough cough cough!!" Naruto almost choked on his breath, thinking to himself, "What kind of jumpy thinking is this?! Of course I like you more! Is there any need to hesitate?"

"Tch, you probably said the same thing to Hinata." Ino rolled her eyes at him. "Anyway, you only ever lie to me. Hmph, if you make me unhappy, I'll..."

"Tell your mother?" Naruto asked, somewhat exasperated, rubbing his nose.

"And I must tell my father!"

"Does she have to be so shameless?" Naruto really couldn't see through Ino now; the girl's thoughts were as deep and unfathomable as the sea.

"You were the one who cheated first, you know that yourself." Ino turned around, hands on her hips, glaring at Naruto. "You think I don't know you want both of them!"

Upon hearing this, Naruto was startled, wondering if he had made it that obvious.

"Impossible! Someone is slandering me! Absolutely impossible!"

He denied it three times in a row; he would rather die than admit to something like this, it was more important than his browsing history before he died. As long as he kept his mouth shut, he was innocent.

"Hinata and I are very good friends. Didn't we all grow up together?" Naruto explained emotionally, playing the emotional card.

"Okay, so you're telling the truth?" Ino asked. "Do you like Hinata?"

"I really like him as a friend." He pretended not to know what was going on.

"I didn't mean friends, I meant lovers. Do you have that kind of affection for Hinata? And for me?" Ino asked directly.

She gritted her teeth and blurted out all the questions that were on her mind. She knew that guy's nature; he always liked to beat around the bush and avoid the issue.

If we don't ask now, and he suddenly disappears again, we don't know when we'll have another chance. This person is truly hateful.

"Hinata is actually very good. If we're talking about standards for a lover, I would definitely like her," Naruto said honestly. "But liking her is one thing, but I don't have any plans to get married or have children right now, Ino."

"Who are you calling Ino?!" she snapped, and habitually started chasing and fighting with him.

After chasing each other for a while, Ino got tired and, panting, announced a truce. Sitting on a stone bench by the roadside, she gradually came to her senses.

"What if it were me?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Naruto sat next to her, sprawled out, his posture anything but proper. He looked up at the streetlights obscured by Aoba, then suddenly turned to look at Ino.

"If we're talking about the standards of lovers, you wouldn't want to marry me and have children right now?" Ino asked, her face flushed, forcing herself to speak.

"You're different," he said.

"How is it different?" Ino seemed to be provoked by the news of Shikamaru's marriage today, and asked probingly.

"Well," he said, lying back down on the stone chair. He was the kind of person who looked slim in clothes but muscular when undressed, and he appeared slender when he tilted his head back.

The light from the streetlamp shone in his pupils, and his face wore an unhurried expression. His loose white short-sleeved shirt was askew, revealing half of his collarbone.

Looking at this ridiculously handsome bastard, Ino instinctively felt that if this guy dressed up, he could be quite good-looking. At least his height of over 1.8 meters was a huge advantage; just standing there made a difference.

Konohagakure is a large ninja village, covering a considerable area and with a large population. There are plenty of good-looking people, including all sorts of handsome men.

But she always felt that just standing next to that person, everything was missing something.

"If you're willing, let's get married now, before that bastard Shikamaru does," Naruto said, his tone still lazy.

"Anyway, I'm quite happy. I got a wife for free."

"Hmph! Dream on! Who wants to marry you!" Ino was as arrogant as ever. "I have things to do, I don't have time to play house with you."

"That's a pity, I can only..." Naruto was pinched by Ino before he could finish speaking.

"Ah!! What is it now?"

"No!"

"What's forbidden?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"You're not allowed to say anything! And you're not allowed to say anything more!" Ino said. "You're not allowed to say anything more, you definitely won't say anything nice, that's it!"

"That's it?" Naruto smiled. Ino. The day the communicator succeeded might be just around the corner, or it might be a completely different story.

He probably knew that Ino wouldn't believe his arbitrary answer; a half-truth was the most deceptive. This actually reassured Ino.

Some things can't be changed just by talking. The best way is to test the waters with a mix of truth and falsehood, make changes little by little, and get closer to the truth.

"Where are you going back to?" Naruto suddenly asked.

"What do you mean, go back where? Go home." Ino was stunned for a moment, then turned around and asked.

"Which house?" he asked.

Ino smiled, her lips pursed, her smile as radiant as a flower. With her hands behind her back, she turned to him, her eyes filled with joy.

"You guess?"

Naruto stood at the entrance of a flower shop in the Yamanaka Flower Shop, feeling somewhat annoyed. Guess? Guess what?!

As usual, he stood by the Great Green Tree for a while until he saw Ino's room window open with a whoosh and wave at him.

This was their secret code; usually, this was when they would officially say goodbye, meaning Naruto could go home. But this time, he didn't turn and leave immediately, recalling the scene where Ino had tricked him earlier.

On a sudden whim, he decided to get revenge and not let her smugly walk into the bathroom humming a tune and carrying her clothes.

Naruto smoothly made a heart shape with his hands above his head towards Ino by the window, and then Ino let out a soft "Ah!" and hurriedly closed the window.

"Naruto Uzumaki, are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Ino hid behind the window, her heart pounding, secretly worried that her father might have seen what had just happened.

Hearing the unrestrained laughter outside, she became even angrier and vowed that next time she saw that guy, she would punish him severely. Next time, she would wear her smelly socks and stomp on his mouth, letting him play a trick on her!

Snort!

Under the Great Green Tree, Naruto laughed for a while and then went back.

Walking alone on the Konohagakure Street, a night breeze swept over him, and he suddenly stopped. He looked up at the night sky, then frowned, as if recalling something.

"Have I forgotten something?" he muttered to himself.

Konoha Hospital, duty room.

Black Sakura's whole day hadn't gone smoothly; it was probably because of that person's attitude yesterday, saying they'd come again today. So, even though she never made a mistake, she wasn't really in the zone today.

Fortunately, she wasn't involved in any important work and applied to stay in the duty room to organize data. Even so, she still received complaints from difficult patients, leaving her stunned and at a loss.

When she arrived at lunchtime, she realized she had forgotten to eat.

She bought lunch, feeling very hungry in the afternoon, but then slipped and fell on the stairs, smashing the food to pieces. She just frowned and silently cleaned up the mess in the stairwell.

As night fell, Sakura, who had been hungry all day, felt numb. Holding her pen, she sat blankly in her seat, letting time slip by. She waited until midnight, but there wasn't a soul in sight.

Late at night, she was certain she'd been stood up, but she was still in pretty good spirits. She smiled at herself in the mirror, went downstairs, bought some food, and ate it under a streetlamp.

She remembered the sizzling sound of freshly fried tempura bursting open, but she couldn't recall what the sauce tasted like. She patted her stomach, confirming she'd eaten.

A voice inside me kept urging me to stop hiding, to stop hiding, that there was nothing to be afraid of. Isn't this exactly what you wanted? Now that you've tricked him, it doesn't matter how quietly someone disappears.

But why was the day such a mess, and why did she feel so awful? She sat under the lamp for a while, then went to the closet, used the key to open her personal wardrobe, and took out her underwear.

Her face was expressionless as she pursed her lips and walked into the bathroom. She changed her clothes and folded them aside. While testing the water flow in the shower, dirty water seeped into her eyes as she washed her hair, making them itch more and more with each rub.

She instinctively reached for water to wash herself, but in her panic, her hand touched the hot water pipe. The sudden stinging pain caused her pent-up emotions from the past few days to collapse instantly.

There was no need to wash anymore; tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. Naked and helpless, she crouched down in the cramped shower, biting her wrist and sobbing.

She cried so hard she could barely breathe, but her voice was forced into the small shower room. The steam gradually engulfed her figure.

Until she could no longer be seen from outside, squatting on the shower floor, crying uncontrollably, until she completely fell silent.