Ino's Feelings, Unease and Confusion Finding Comfort

"What are you talking about?" Naruto was speechless, looking at Tenten. "Can't I have something serious to do? Does it have to be something shady?"

"Important business? What important business?" Tenten tilted her head. "Did you want to see me?"

"Yes, I have something I'd like to ask you for help with." He nodded and said, but before he could finish, Tenten suddenly sat back down in his chair.

Naruto was stunned, wondering what kind of Tenten had suddenly gone mad.

"You're using me as a tool again!" Tenten sobbed, burying her face in her hands on the table, refusing to acknowledge Naruto. "Last time, Lord Tsunade scolded me, saying you were lying to me!"

"What the hell?" Naruto to Tsunade that Tsunade was being nosy, but he still didn't dare to say it out loud.

He really needs Tenten tool now. Firstly, it avoids direct contact with Tsunade, and secondly, it makes getting things done much more convenient. If he were to go directly to Tsunade, nine out of ten things would not be accomplished.

Tsunade is still angry with him. When she calms down, Tenten will probably be useless by then.

Um... On second thought, Naruto realized he had indeed gone a bit too far. After all, they were sworn brothers, their friendship as deep as that of Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya.

"Um, Tenten, you've misunderstood." Naruto nudged her and said, "You know that Lord Tsunade has a problem with me right now, so her words are bound to carry some personal resentment."

"Don't listen to her nonsense, what lies or anything." He coughed and continued his charade, "I'm just sincerely trying to help you. Don't you like this job?"

The last sentence is the key point. Tenten suddenly stopped crying and looked up at Naruto.

"Like."

"If you like it, then you should work even harder." He gently patted Tenten's shoulder, with a mix of encouragement and threat. "You know, this job opportunity is very rare."

Tenten's head was buzzing. Oh no, it seemed like she'd been kidnapped by Naruto for work. Her thoughts were a bit jumbled, and one sentence kept echoing in her mind.

You don't want to lose this job, do you? Tenten!

"Tenten?"

"Tenten!!"

"Huh? What's wrong?" She snapped out of her daze and asked him in a panic.

"Why are you spacing out?" Naruto, puzzled, feeling that Tenten seemed a little strange.

"Maybe it's because I'm too tired. Hahaha." Tenten awkwardly covered up her embarrassment, but quickly changed the subject, "So, what did you want to see me about?"

"I just want to ask if it's possible to find any records left behind by the Hyuga Clan," he said truthfully.

"What information?"

"About Caged Bird."

"Why do you want to investigate this?" Tenten was taken aback. She knew that Neji had the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead and had not been able to get rid of its shadow.

"I was just taking a look. The Caged Bird Seal is essentially a Sealing Jutsu." He didn't mean to hide it from Tenten, mainly because he couldn't hide it anyway.

"Most Sealing Jutsu are based on interfering with the opponent's Chakra, which can be simply called interruption."

"Interrupt?"

"It's like a mechanism; once it detects the flow of Chakra under certain conditions, the mechanism activates. The seal breaks, and a special kind of Chakra emerges."

Naruto explained the basic principles of Sealing Jutsu in great detail, making it both profound and simple.

"Mmm." Tenten listened attentively. "And then?"

"Then help me find any information about the Hinata Caged Bird Seal. If you find any, secretly write it down and tell me," Naruto continued, following her lead.

Tenten started to drift off into a daze again, as if she could hear Naruto talking.

You wouldn't want to see Neji tormented by the Caged Bird Seal for the rest of his life, would you? Tenten, hehehehe!!!

"Hey! Tenten! Tenten!" Naruto waved his hand in front of her. "Why are you so distracted today? Are you not feeling well?"

"No! It's nothing! What could possibly be wrong with me?" Tenten swallowed hard.

"Alright then, I'll be going now." Naruto felt that Tenten was acting strangely, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he quickly explained his purpose and left.

Not long after Naruto left, Tsunade returned, her expression somewhat grave.

"Lord Tsunade, would you like some tea?" Tenten hurriedly went to greet her, but was interrupted by Tsunade Teuchi her hand.

"Go and get some wine," she said.

"Okay." Tenten ran off upon hearing this.

Naruto didn't go too far from the Hokage Building; he found a small shop and sat down. While sipping his iced drink, he pondered how to resolve the trouble.

The Yamanaka Clan's lifeblood lies in its secret techniques, and they lack elite ninjas like Yamanaka Fu. Individually, they are just a small clan possessing secret techniques, but if they unite with the other two clans...

Marriage is not just about the bride; it's also about dealing with the Yamanaka Clan family, if in the end they all oppose him, Ino Hinata, and Ino.

As you can imagine, Ino is not the kind of person who would abandon everything for love.

Having been together for so many years, Naruto knows her too well. If that day really comes and everything is brought to light, given her proud and aloof nature, she will absolutely not compromise.

Unless the Yamanaka Clan's attitude is changed and they take the Yamanaka Clan to mediate, which is no easy task, Naruto pinned his hopes on the Communications Project.

With the Communications Project, any family can rise from a small family to become one of the most influential families in the Land of Fire and even in the surrounding small countries.

The Ino-Shika-Cho empire has only been around for a few years; who can say for sure what will happen in the future?

On the other hand, the more traditional Hinata is a bit simpler. The conflict and resentment between the Main Family and the Branch Family have been brewing for a long time, so they can simply sow discord themselves.

They dismantled the Main Family's authority, cracked the Caged Bird Technique, and made it their own. They Hinata and reorganized the Hyuga clan, taking advantage of the chaos to turn the tide of events.

Having finalized his plan, Naruto finished his drink. He then tossed it into the trash can with a clatter. He had important business to attend to that evening; he should rest first.

The afternoon passed in a flash, and Naruto, still a little dazed after waking up, remembered his appointment with Ino. So he hurried to the Intelligence Department to wait for Ino to get off work.

After waiting for a while, the crowd slowly poured out of the intelligence office. Ino was the last to leave work, and she lingered in front of the gate for a while.

Seeing that Naruto was indeed standing there, Ino slowly walked over.

She impulsively agreed to his proposal at noon, but Ino felt both uneasy and expectant.

I spent the whole afternoon hesitating and thinking, but I still couldn't make a decision. But words spoken are like water spilled; they can't be taken back.

"Are you busy this afternoon?" he asked.

"It's alright." Ino, pursing her lips and not saying much.

"Let's eat first." Naruto naturally took Ino's hand and pulled her outside without saying a word. Ino struggled symbolically for a couple of moments and then stopped moving.

"Night."

"Huh? What?" Naruto didn't hear clearly, stopped and turned to look at Ino.

"I won't work overtime tonight," she said softly.

The sound was so faint that Naruto had to hold his breath to barely hear it. His mind raced, he was momentarily stunned, and then his pupils dilated slightly.

"Really?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmm." Ino turned her head, her ears turning red.

"Let's go!" He pulled Ino along and walked quickly forward.

"Aren't you going to eat?" She ran a few steps after him and said breathlessly, "If you keep doing this, I'm not going to talk to you anymore."

Eat your meal properly, then take a walk hand in hand.

Ino arrived at Naruto around eight o'clock. She seemed a bit off as soon as she entered the entrance hall. She quickly changed her shoes and ran into the bathroom.

Naruto was completely bewildered, but there was nothing he could do.

Ino timed things so precisely, coinciding with mealtimes and walks, that she got home exactly at eight o'clock. If you said it wasn't intentional, he'd never believe it.

Ino went to the bathroom, and having nothing else to do, he leaned back on the sofa and read for a while. Listening to the sound of running water in the bathroom, he couldn't concentrate on a single word.

As he flipped through the book, he grew increasingly restless, Ino's image constantly appearing in his mind. Like a little person, it kept nagging at his nerves.

I read for a while, but managed to read through just one line of text.

Kazuko raised one leg.

Naruto was startled when he saw the line. He'd forgotten to put away the Make-Out Paradise; if it was discovered, he'd be in big trouble. He could even imagine Ino's reaction.

"You prefer the sassy characters in the book, right? Then why don't you go and experience life with them!"

He hurriedly and carefully hid the book, and was just about to rest on the sofa when he suddenly heard the bathroom door open. He immediately felt a little guilty and could only pretend to be resting with his eyes closed.

"Stop pretending, go take a shower." Ino approached from behind the sofa, reached out and pinched his cheek, saying reproachfully.

"Okay!" Naruto was a little embarrassed. He stood up from the sofa and then realized that Ino.

She was wearing the nightgown she had left there, her blonde hair flowing down her shoulders, which were slightly exposed. Her face was flushed from the heat of the bathroom.

His gaze drifted slightly downwards, catching a glimpse of black beneath the nightgown—stockings!

Naruto immediately perked up, staring at Ino intently, wishing he could carry Ino back to their room. He had previously subtly suggested that Ino equip herself with new gear, but Ino had refused out of embarrassment and annoyance.

He had already given up, but who knew that this was what was waiting for him!

As expected, hard work pays off; attention to detail brings rewards in the details. Naruto clenched his fist, calming the ripples in his heart.

"Okay, I'm going now." Naruto took a detour and quickly walked towards the bathroom.

Ino stood in the living room for a while, picking out books to read while thinking to herself with some resentment. How could she be so weak-willed, softening her heart so easily?

I played along with his random, silly tricks. Besides, it's just that kind of thing, it's actually pretty boring. But I've been washing for so long that my heart is pounding in my chest, it's been beating erratically.

I could have worked overtime tonight, but I haven't accomplished much since this afternoon. I was supposed to be the one to finish the Communicator Project first, but instead I'm slacking off.

She was clearly picking out books, but after looking around, she couldn't remember what was on the shelf. She was starting to feel exhausted; her legs were a little weak.

Ino is such a tsundere; despite having a sweet tooth, she keeps it to herself. Naruto gives her three parts of candy, she'll secretly return eight parts.

I knew he had been thinking about this for a long time and had been wavering for a long time before making this decision.

She glanced down at her leg, then reached up and touched it. It felt smooth and comfortable, but she couldn't see anything special about it, nor did she know why he liked it so much.

When Naruto came out of the bathroom, he saw Ino shrugging her neck behind the bookshelf in the living room, looking somewhat guilty. Naruto panicked a little; the Make-Out Paradise was hidden there.

For some inexplicable whim, he decided that the most dangerous place was the safest, and simply stuffed the Make-Out Paradise into the bookshelf. He reasoned that Ino never read those kinds of random books, so it was absolutely safe.

To make matters worse, right after I finished showering, I saw Ino standing by the bookshelf.

"Ahem, you..." Naruto didn't know how to say it, "Were you reading a book just now?"

"Ah, I watched for a little while." Ino also a little flustered.

"Oh." Naruto was now certain; Ino must not have found it, otherwise she wouldn't be in this state.

Having eliminated any potential sources of instability, the two sat side by side on the sofa. The television was on, playing some boring programs that Naruto never watched.

It's a soap opera that's utterly boring, lacking in any subtlety or depth.

He leaned back on the sofa and reached out to turn off the light. They were both home; Ino had even changed her clothes. The meaning couldn't have been clearer.

But Naruto remained calm and didn't immediately throw out three cards to grab the king and queen. That would only ruin the atmosphere, and he didn't want to always have to beg Ino to come.

The atmosphere is just right; Ino will become addicted to it herself.

The two leaned against each other in complete darkness, the old television casting a dim light that illuminated only a small corner. In the dim light, they embraced.

The entire living room resembled a black sea, with the sofa standing alone as an island. Ino looked up during that brief moment, her eyes gleaming with a burning passion and boldness.

A moment of attraction can happen in an instant.

"Where did you go this afternoon?" she asked somewhat irrationally.

The television screen flickered with light and shadow, the shaky image reflected deep within their pupils. The chaotic narration grew increasingly distant, and the two felt something burning hotter and hotter in their hearts.

Somehow, it suddenly burst into flames. The restraint I had at noon, the dinner, the walk, and the bath in the evening—all my reason was burned away in this fire.

"Nowhere"—what to say at this point was no longer important; the answer had become secondary. He stared at Ino with sparks flying in his eyes.

Ino leaned closer, cupped his face in her hands, and gently pecked his lips.

"I'm so happy that you're willing to take a walk with me."

"Me too." Naruto didn't understand what made Ino so happy, but he guessed it was because he patiently waited for her emotions to subside and mentally prepared himself.

Those things were too complicated, and he didn't actually know much about them. He only knew a general idea of what to do and what not to do at certain times.

"Mmm." Ino tilted her head slightly, and the two shared a wet kiss.

As the moon rose high, its pale light offering solace to the girl's restless and confused heart amidst the mundane details of daily life. Youth, a tapestry of light and shadow, was passionate, bold, and unbridled.