Flying Thunder God and Ino (Please Keep Reading)

Option One: Perform one-handed handstand push-ups in front of Ino and say, "My youth is burning," then earn her praise. Reward: Flying Thunder God Technique (Incomplete)

Option Two: Confess to Ino face-to-face and gain her consent. Reward: Eight Inner Gates (Undying Version)

The moment the panel popped up, Naruto's breathing grew heavier.

With a slap, Naruto clamped his hand tightly around Ino's.

"Na-Naruto, what are you doing?"

"Ino!"

"What?"

Naruto's sudden move threw Ino into a fluster, leaving her mind blank. Yet the hand Naruto had grabbed felt as though it were caught in a hydraulic press, utterly unable to move.

"Don't go!"

Naruto blurted out desperately, terrified that Ino would leave just like that. At this moment, what lay before him was no longer some useless little reward.

Damn it, the damage-free version of the Eight Inner Gates!

If he got that, wouldn't he be able to swagger through the ninja world in the future? Living a life where he punched Uchiha Madara and kicked the Otsutsuki?

Truly, you and I both had bright futures ahead. Whether anyone else's future was bright or not, Naruto knew that he had to marry Ino now.

"Naruto, you're hurting me!" Ino said angrily, trying to shake off Naruto's hand.

"Sorry, Ino."

Ino's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly snapping Naruto awake. What was wrong with him? How had he suddenly lost his mind?

That was Ino. How could she possibly accept his confession?

Leaving aside the fact that they were merely ordinary friends, even if she did not dislike him, Ino definitely had no favorable feelings toward him.

How embarrassing. He had been instantly bewitched by the reward and lost his mind.

Like a cat greedy for dried fish, completely ignoring the height between itself and the cabinet. If its eyes saw only the dried fish and it forcibly tried to reach for it, wouldn't it probably just end with the cabinet toppling over?

Ino rubbed the hand Naruto had squeezed red in annoyance. Recalling his heavy breathing just now and the brief flash of fervor in his eyes, a strange feeling suddenly passed through her heart.

Naruto...?

Did he really want to see me that badly?

Shaking her head, Ino immediately threw that absurd thought out of her mind. How could that be? Naruto was obviously just an arrogant jerk who loved playing pranks.

Right, why had she come out?

Her training had ended. Her mother was watching the shop, her father had been summoned by Lord Hokage once again, and she was the only one at home with nothing to do.

With nothing to do all of a sudden, she had felt oddly empty, so she came out to clear her head. She had merely happened to run into Naruto jogging around the village, so she sat in the dango shop and waited.

Why did I wait?

Ino's heart pounded wildly, and she forgot why she had come out in the first place. Looking at Naruto lying on the ground with a pained expression, her gaze turned slightly dazed.

"A-Are you okay?" Ino asked.

"I'm fine." Naruto struggled to his feet, spat out all the foam in his mouth, then smiled at Ino and asked.

"I'm undergoing special training with Might Guy-sensei."

"I can tell." Ino glanced at Naruto's bright green bodysuit and mocked him without concealing it in the slightest. "It's so ugly!"

Damn it. Naruto thought it was fortunate that he had not impulsively chosen the second option just now. Otherwise, he would definitely have become a joke and been mocked for the rest of his life.

People should not be controlled by desire alone. They still needed to keep their feet on the ground.

"Ino, by the way, why are you here?"

"My training has already ended," Ino replied casually, only to feel her heart gradually settling down.

"I suddenly saw the three of you running laps, so I got a little curious."

"That must have looked really funny, right?" Naruto asked awkwardly. He could imagine the cringe so intense his toes would dig out a three-bedroom apartment.

"I wouldn't put it that way." Ino's expression suddenly turned serious. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Everyone has their own ninja way. As long as they're working toward the direction they want their lives to take, they shouldn't be laughed at."

Naruto froze at those words.

He suddenly realized something. Perhaps because they had not interacted much, he seemed never to have properly looked at Ino seriously from beginning to end.

To be honest, Ino's emotional intelligence far surpassed that of others her age. She was gentle, yet strong.

Hearing words like striving toward the direction of one's life come from her mouth did not feel out of place at all.

At that thought, Naruto relaxed as well. No longer thinking about the options, he smiled and said, "Thank you, Ino."

"Naruto, were you possessed or something? Why are you suddenly talking like that? I... I'm not really used to it." Ino inexplicably turned her head away, no longer looking at Naruto.

"Can't I be sincere once in a while?" Naruto said speechlessly.

"...Are you an idiot?"

"Stop rubbing in the facts. I've heard that kind of thing more than ten times today already." Naruto tugged at his green skintight suit.

"Want some red bean dumplings?" Ino suddenly suggested.

"I don't like red bean dumplings," Naruto blurted out.

"Then forget it."

Ino instantly put on a stern face. It was just a little bit of fun between friends, and Naruto naturally knew she wasn't actually angry.

"No, it's because I've never had them before. If Ino treats me, I'd like to try some," Naruto said.

"You're obviously pretty rich, aren't you? Why should I treat you?" Ino frowned at Naruto and demanded, "Last time, I even saw you eating barbecue with a little girl."

She hadn't actually seen it herself. Choji had spotted it while passing by the barbecue restaurant. She had merely learned about it from Choji, but by the time it came out of her mouth, it had naturally become something she had seen herself.

"Uh..." Naruto gave an awkward laugh, scratched his head, and said, "Then I'll treat you instead."

"Hmph."

That humph was remarkably expressive. Naruto froze again, unsure how to continue the conversation. Or maybe... he should finish the mission objective first?

"Ahem." Naruto cleared his throat and said to Ino with a cheeky grin, "Ino, let me show you a move I just learned."

"What?" Ino turned to look at Naruto.

Naruto was doing one-handed handstand push-ups. His overly exhausted body was trembling almost all over, yet he still gritted his teeth and shouted.

"My... youth... is burning!"

"H-How... was that, Ino?"

The words were practically squeezed out through his teeth. Ino stood there stunned, looking at Naruto's strained yet expectant smile.

Thinking Naruto was trying to make her laugh, her nose stung, and she nearly burst into tears.

"Are you an idiot?"

With a thud, Naruto collapsed to the ground from sheer exhaustion, covered in dust.

He had nearly run out of strength just then. All he heard was what Ino said; he hadn't noticed how heavy her nasal tone had suddenly become at that moment.

Naruto's eyes turned into dead-fish eyes again. Lying on the ground, he looked up at the sky and muttered.

"I'm done for. That wasn't praise."

Ding! Flying Thunder God Technique (Incomplete) successfully granted.