Scumbags Only Thrive in Desperate Straits; Some People Are Meant to Be Together, Like You and Me

As night deepened, Naruto lay in his bedroom, reflecting on everything that had happened these past few days, still somewhat dazed. It seemed the matter was resolved, in his own way.

Upon careful review, there seems to be no flaw.

First it was Itachi Uchiha, Nagato, Obito. Things got more and more complicated, and more and more people were involved. Sometimes he wondered if he had been too reckless.

Instead of hiding, they became increasingly arrogant and stepped into the limelight, trying to make the world run the way they wanted. They almost dragged Hinata and Ino down with them.

He was indeed anxious. Perhaps the skills the system had given him were so powerful that he couldn't stand those people acting recklessly outside, nor could he bear to see the people around him taking risks.

Because I didn't want to wait any longer, I decided to take matters into my own hands. So far, the progress is going quite well; the Land of Snow and the Land of Lightning...

Every time Naruto feels like giving up. He wishes he could find someone as smart as Shikamaru to keep an eye on things for him, so he could go off and have a good time.

But what he was going to do was too outrageous, and he couldn't trust anyone to do it. After much thought, he could only speed up the project and try to drag as many people as possible into it.

His insistence on dragging more people down wasn't because of the power of numbers—perhaps there was a tiny bit of advantage to that—but primarily to shut them up.

He couldn't bear to look directly into people's hearts, and he didn't want to save the world alone. If it weren't for the destruction of the Shinobi World, which would have killed those he cared about, he wouldn't even bother to move.

Most heroes in the Shinobi World don't have good endings, and Naruto knew this all too well; he didn't think he was an exception. Becoming a hero meant facing numerous problems.

As for the best choice, the Legendary Sannin had already provided the answer. They were powerful enough to either go far away and live a carefree life, or live according to their own wishes like Orochimaru.

If Jiraiya had stayed in Konohagakure from the beginning, his fate probably wouldn't have been much better than Hatake Sakumo's. But wherever there are people, there will be conflict; whether in Konohagakure or elsewhere, it's impossible for everyone to be a good person.

If you have the biggest fist, you can live comfortably anywhere, but people always grow old and have weaknesses. Heroes grow old, beauties grow old, talents fade, and beautiful women die young.

After much thought, he decided to finish his work quickly and then relax. He'd let others handle the limelight; all he needed was a peaceful and prosperous world.

As sleepiness washed over him, Naruto drifted off to sleep.

The next day.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the sound of a key turning came from outside Naruto's door. The clanging of metal gears filled the air, and a spring snapped open with a click.

The door was pushed open, Ino walked into the entryway, put her hands on her hips, looked around, and frowned when she saw the dust on top of the shoe cabinet.

Inside the bedroom, Naruto heard the noise and came out of the room with his hair all messy. The living room was dimly lit, and he was still holding the doorknob, staring blankly as Ino, wearing slippers, walked towards him.

He blinked, wondering if he was dreaming. Perhaps he was still half asleep, not fully awake. So Naruto shook his head vigorously, thankfully Ino hadn't disappeared.

Ino had her hair tied in a ponytail and was wearing a beige crop top and a fitted chiffon denim skirt. She glanced at him, put her hands on her hips, and said with a hint of helplessness.

"There's dust on the shoe cabinet."

"Ah, I forgot to clean it up, I..." Naruto looked at Ino's fair and smooth face, and her slightly reproachful, upturned eyebrows, and suddenly wanted to kiss her.

In the bathroom.

Naruto stood under the showerhead, washing up, his mind a jumble of thoughts. He hadn't expected Ino to reach out to him; in fact, he had even planned how to shamelessly flirt with her before going to sleep the night before.

Ino has a bit of a temper and isn't the type to be easily swayed. While Hinata might be able to be easily appeased, appeasing Ino is no easy task.

Surprisingly, Ino took the initiative to approach him. Her attitude didn't seem as cold and stiff as before, but it certainly wasn't enthusiastic either.

Amidst the swirling mist, he recalled Ino's slightly disgruntled face and her slender, fair waist, which could be described as exquisite.

But he had never been so nervous before; his heart was pounding.

He wasn't quite sure what Ino's attitude was. Several days had passed since they last met, and he couldn't get in touch with her, so he wasn't entirely sure what was going on.

On the sofa, Ino tossed ice cubes into the cooled black tea and added a straw. She leaned slightly forward, her red lips parted slightly, and took a sip through the straw.

Then he smacked his lips and flattened the straw with his tongue, biting out a clear and neat teeth mark.

A short while later, Naruto came out of the bathroom. This time, he didn't just wander around in a Yukata. He probably knew it wasn't the time to mess around, so he obediently put on his clothes.

Ino glanced at him, about to take a sip of her black tea, when Naruto snatched it away and drank most of it in one gulp. The cool black tea soothed her stomach, making her eyes squint with pleasure.

"My parents talked to me yesterday about you," she suddenly said.

"What did you say?" Naruto asked, trying to appear calm, as he sat down opposite her.

"You can probably guess what I'm going to ask you about, about you and me, and about Hinata." Ino glanced at him. "Why were you both arrested at the same time?"

At this point, Ino rubbed her forehead, pressed her wrist against it, closed her eyes, and said with distress.

"Ugh, this is so annoying, I don't want to respond."

Although it was Naruto's fault, he didn't choose to apologize. A dry apology is useless; resolving the issue mainly requires responding to the other party's underlying demands.

In that instant, several thoughts flashed through his mind, and he blinked quickly to analyze them.

Ino was questioned by her parents, mainly about the relationship between the three of them. After Jiraiya's visit, her parents' bottom line may have been shaken.

The specific questioning is a way of emphasizing the answer; they want a certain kind of answer. It's simply that the Hinata incident was a misunderstanding and had nothing to do with them.

When questioned, Ino's reaction, even knowing the answer, was annoyance. Not wanting to respond meant either she was too lazy to talk or simply didn't want to respond at all.

Her avoidance suggests she doesn't want to speak for him or lie for him. Ino knows Naruto and Hinata have a close relationship, but they aren't actually lovers at the moment.

Therefore, Ino has no grounds to criticize Naruto. After all, strictly speaking, her relationship with Naruto is only ambiguous, just as Naruto's relationship with Hinata is ambiguous.

Perhaps because Naruto has been frequently away on missions in recent years, they've been separated for long periods of time. As time went on, it seems no one ever mentioned confirming their relationship.

If you're not a couple, it doesn't count as cheating or having two relationships. Even if you have a relationship, it doesn't seem like you're always together like a real couple.

Ino has clearly noticed Naruto's deliberate or unintentional attempts to blur the lines in their relationship over the years, and she is annoyed by this Schrödinger's cat-like romantic relationship.

Ino didn't know the answer, and naturally, the Yamanaka couple couldn't get a satisfactory answer from her either.

All things considered, Ino's current request is probably for a definite relationship—a more concrete and stable partnership that exists between marriage and romance.

In this way, Ino's unusual attitude earlier can be explained.

Tick-tock, Naruto looked at Ino and blinked twice quickly. At the same time, he thought through all the details in his mind, then lowered his gaze slightly and spoke.

"Should I go and explain?"

"Explain what?" Ino frowned.

"After this incident, I couldn't get in touch with you and I was worried for many days." Naruto lowered his head and pondered for a moment. "I couldn't sleep at night and I was also in a daze during the day."

This is Naruto's usual tactic: first, he plays the sympathy card, then subtly steers the conversation towards their relationship.

He held his head in his hands, ran his fingers through his golden hair, and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

"I waited two days and still didn't hear anything. I was going crazy thinking about you. Every night, the house was empty except for me, and there was nothing I could do."

"Every day, every night I hug my blanket, wanting to hold you and fall asleep in your arms all the time. Only when I smell your scent can I feel at ease."

"I've been feeling desperate these past few days, and I've been thinking a lot on my own. I think I've figured things out, Ino, I can't live without you."

"I know I was greedy before. I really, really miss you, and I can't bear to live without you anymore. Ino, can you forgive me?"

"No." Ino sat on the sofa with her arms crossed, seemingly sulking. "I'm nobody to you, why should I forgive you? Why should I forgive you?"

"Ino, will you... will you be my girlfriend?" Naruto rushed over without hesitation, hugged Ino, and greedily inhaled the fragrance from her neck.

This is a lie; it's simply removing the original prerequisites and saving them as a last resort. They should have established a romantic relationship before they became intimate.

But Naruto had too many tricks up his sleeve, and Ino and Hinata weren't the type to flaunt their abilities. They were busy crying and being moved, and he managed to fool them.

So, faced with this completely unpredictable accident, it was played as a trump card. It was a strategic retreat, seemingly a big step forward in the relationship, but in reality, it was just a minor step back.

They even took a small step back.

Ino heard the answer she wanted, and was also taken aback by his sudden attack, her body going weak and her hair standing on end.

"I don't know, I... I need to think about it." Ino's voice trailed off, and she seemed a momentarily dazed.

Saying he'd consider it basically meant he agreed. Naruto's lips curled into a slight smile, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This thing was too brain-taxing; thankfully, he reacted quickly on the spot.

Ino said she was considering it, but she was indeed wavering. The thought of the time she spent with Hinata, and the things she didn't know, still made her feel uneasy.

Even after he explained and apologized, she grew increasingly angry. Yes, she was jealous. Like that relationship that should have been established but was absent, this jealousy came exceptionally late.

Perhaps it was because of the conversation she had with Hinata in the bathtub six years ago, or perhaps she had been secretly holding a grudge but was unwilling to inquire about it.

Anyway, she's jealous now, and very unhappy.

He kissed his way down her neck to her lips, finally giving her a light, fleeting kiss before looking at Ino with a serious expression.

When will you be able to make up your mind?

"I don't know." Ino tilted her head. Actually, she was already hesitating, and most likely leaned towards the answer in her heart.

She didn't know why, even though she was just one step away, she still didn't want to let that person have it so easily, and stubbornly wanted to delay a little longer.

Naruto didn't react, he just paused for a moment. Ino felt a pang of sadness seeing him like this, and immediately stood up.

"I'm going back now."

"Um."

"..." Ino was somewhat incredulous and forgot to take a step; she was just pretending.

He only needed to coax her a little more, and she would have readily agreed; she had even made up her mind the moment she stood up. But she never expected it to turn out like this.

The weight in her heart suddenly lifted.

Ino's breathing was a little heavy. She pursed her lips and turned to leave. First, she went to the entrance to change her shoes, then walked out the door and closed the iron gate behind her.

The corridor was bathed in Nikko, and a cool breeze was blowing gently.

She looked at the shadow of the stairs ahead, feeling a lump in her throat, but she held back the tears. Her hopes gradually faded, sinking deeper and deeper into despair.

"That's fine, "Ino thought to herself as she walked heavily. "So be it. I'll pretend I don't care and go home to deal with this alone, without bothering anyone."

If he truly doesn't like her anymore, then he should wish Hinata. Anyway, he'll be happy with whoever he's with; once no one notices, he can quietly forget about her.

Lost in thought, Ino had already reached the bottom of the stairs. She glanced back at the dimly lit building. No one came after her, and her last glimmer of hope vanished.

Walking along Konohagakure Street, the warm sunlight shone on her, yet she felt no warmth whatsoever. It wasn't until she saw the Yamanaka Flower Shop in the distance that her pent-up frustration began to surface.

How could someone I've liked for so long possibly...

She took a trembling deep breath, took a step forward, her eyes completely blurred with tears. Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled back by a tremendous force.

The next second, I was suddenly hugged, and a familiar scent filled my nostrils.

In the quiet, deserted alley.

Naruto stood in the shadows on the side away from the light, while Ino's shoes were perfectly aligned with the yin-yang line cast by the Nikko, and she was completely surrounded by sunlight.

She jerked her head up, her throat already unable to utter a sound, afraid that if she did, her trembling voice would be noticed. Yet her body continued to tremble, her tears betraying her.

"You're not..." Ino looked up at him, her voice trembling with tears.

"Huh? You're still not home? And you call yourself a ninja. I've been following you all this way," Naruto said. "I've never hesitated about liking you; I've just been thinking about how to express it."

"So, have you figured out what to say now?"

"Mmm." He lowered his head and kissed her, gently brushing her lips against his, and said earnestly, "Some people are destined to be together, like you and me."