Truth (Part Two)

It was not until they turned into another side street that Ino finally let go of her two companions' hands.

"Ino, you spilled a lot of my chips!" Choji Akimichi gave the girl a reproachful look as he stared at the yellow chips scattered across the ground.

Ino had been too anxious and had not given him any warning, causing the chips in the bag to spill all along the way.

They were his favorite snack.

Ino patted her chest unconcernedly and said generously, "I'll buy you two more bags later to make it up to you! Don't be so stingy!"

As she spoke, she poked her head out from the street corner again and glanced toward Sakura and Sasuke at the end of the street.

Giving the two of them enough time alone was the only thing she could do as Sakura's best friend.

"Sakura and Sasuke have finally made some progress. You two aren't allowed to mess things up!" After withdrawing her gaze, Ino waved her small fist and spoke to the two of them with great seriousness.

"Women are such a hassle!"

Beside her, Shikamaru Nara sighed, his hair tied up like a pineapple, then said, "Ino, I'm afraid you guessed wrong this time!"

"Huh?" Ino looked at Shikamaru in confusion.

Choji also stopped stuffing chips into his mouth.

Shikamaru stroked his chin and said, "From what I know of Sasuke, his mind is filled with thoughts of revenge and restoring Uchiha's glory."

"To become stronger, he practically wishes he could devote all his time to training. He's even more diligent than most of us."

"With him like that, how could he have time to go on a date with Sakura?"

As he spoke, Shikamaru gave the pale-blond-haired girl a meaningful look.

"How could that be? Sasuke