144. Simply Didn't Like the Name

"I should ask Neji about Hinata."

Evening.

After a day of training, Naruto was lying sprawled on the ground as usual when the thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Though he was no longer the person he had been in the past, and the future would certainly no longer follow the original story's predetermined course, anyone who learned that a girl had once been destined to become his wife, had always liked him, and would never change her feelings for him, would find it hard not to care.

So Naruto sometimes thought about Hinata. And naturally, he'd realized that something seemed a little off.

Namely, ever since he'd returned, he didn't think he'd seen Hinata even once.

He hadn't seen her at the graduation exam, and somehow he'd never run into her in his daily life either (he'd bumped into most of his other classmates at least once or twice).

And hadn't the original story said that Hinata sometimes watched him secretly from afar? Yet even though Naruto had started keeping an eye out for her, he still hadn't spotted her anywhere.

This was reality, not a novel. There were no limits on how much of the story could be told.

So as time went by, the nagging feeling that something was wrong remained in Naruto's mind and never went away.

"Of course, I might just be imagining things and reading too much into it. But there's no harm in asking, right? At least then I can stop wondering."

Naruto thought listlessly.

"Naruto!"

Just then, someone called out from the entrance to the training ground. A familiar blonde ponytail bounced closer and closer.

"Ah, Ino."

Naruto greeted her too.

He could ask Ino, of course. Unlike him, she wasn't a loner, so she was bound to be better informed.

But some instinct for self-preservation told Naruto he should wait until next time and ask Neji instead. He had a feeling that asking Ino would lead to something terrible.

"Honestly—you're taking this way too far."

Ino came up beside him and looked at Naruto, who was sprawled in disarray on the ground. She couldn't help complaining.

Oddly enough, although the sun was already sinking into the dusk, Ino's cheeks were inexplicably flushed.

"Sorry..."

Naruto gave a wry smile. His voice was hoarse, and he struggled to get up, but his arms kept trembling and giving out.

Seeing this, Ino sighed and crouched down with an expression that said there was just no getting through to him. She deftly removed the weights strapped to his limbs, then took hold of his arms and dragged him over to lean against a tree in the shade.

"Drink some water."

After finding Naruto's water bottle, Ino poured some salt water into its cap and handed it to him. She knew that right now, he wouldn't be able to lift the bottle.

But after Naruto finished drinking and handed the cap back, her movements suddenly grew a little stiff.

Naruto didn't notice, though, because the aftereffects of his Shadow Clones were kicking in.

He'd used 120 Shadow Clones for training that day. Now, the memories of 120 Narutos were like 120 blades churning wildly through his mind. His head felt as if it were about to split open; every cell and muscle in his body was wailing, and his entire nervous system seemed to be on fire. There wasn't a single part of him that didn't hurt.

Looking at Naruto, his eyes tightly shut, brows furrowed, and teeth clenched, Ino told herself she was just helping a classmate, not taking advantage of him. Then she picked up the shirt he'd left on a chair and, trembling slightly, reached toward his upper body.

More precisely, Naruto's bare upper body.

"You're really impossible!" As if she needed to make a point, Ino suddenly raised her voice before she began. "I'm just wiping off your sweat!"

With that, Ino steeled herself and pressed the shirt against Naruto's chest.

"..."

This is so unfair.

Ino couldn't help thinking so.

Feeling the soft yet firm touch through the fabric, Ino's pupils widened slightly, even though it wasn't the first time she'd felt it.

This is really so unfair.

Ino admitted that at first, she'd often come to the training ground to watch Naruto because she had nothing better to do.

Their Jonin instructors hadn't returned, so they had nothing to do either. It was like being on vacation, except that usually they had holiday assignments and an exam when school started again. This time, they had neither.

On top of that, this summer was hotter than usual. Shikamaru, the lazy bum, looked as if he'd rather die than go out when she asked him to, and Choji spent every day at home eating snacks. So Ino really didn't have much to do.

In short, she'd never been this bored.

It was around then that Ino noticed Naruto acting "strangely." It was like she'd found a new toy, so out of curiosity—and to stave off boredom—she started visiting him every day.

As she got to know Naruto better, she even began to feel a little maternal toward him.

After all, anyone who learned about Naruto's past and saw how he worked so hard day after day, with no pretense, would find it hard not to be moved.

And although she still didn't know why Naruto acted like an idiot at school, Ino had to admit that the Naruto she knew was genuinely pleasant to be around. He said funny things sometimes, too. He was someone who'd make a great friend.

That should have been all it was.

Until one day, that Naruto guy... claiming he wanted to save money, he started training without a shirt!

The point was, how could he have such a great body... No, the point was, how could he take his shirt off? What if someone saw him?!

Money was just a worldly possession. No one had told him to save money by taking off his clothes!

He was completely shameless! Brazen! Devoid of any decency!

That was how Yamanaka Ino, the young lady of the Yamanaka Clan who'd received a thorough etiquette education since childhood, judged him.

And so it was with this same attitude of disapproval that she wiped Naruto's sweat.

"So his abs don't have to be flat... One, two, three, four, five, six. They're just like a washboard."

"Why does he have lines here, above his obliques, too? Like a shark's gills."

"Hehe, pectorals."

"Um..."

!!

Ino's scalp tingled. Her cheeks flushed as she looked up and panted, "I'm just wiping off your sweat!"

"I know." Naruto smiled helplessly, raising his hands as if in surrender. "It's just that you're being so thorough that I'm a little embarrassed... Sorry for the trouble."

"...!"

Ino was at a loss for words and lowered her head slightly.

Only when she came to her senses did she realize she'd wiped some places several times already.

"...This is so unfair."

"What did you say?"

Naruto hadn't heard Ino's quiet mumble. In an instant, she shoved his shirt in his face.

"Nothing!"

With the shirt blocking his view, Naruto didn't see her.

At some point, the girl's face had turned as red as a ripe tomato.

"Oh, right."

Only after wiping the sweat from his face and covering him with his shirt did Ino remember what she'd originally come to tell him. By then, both of them—though mainly one of them—had calmed down.

"Naruto, did you hear? The Jonin instructors have finally returned to the village. The day after tomorrow, we're taking our Ninja photos and getting assigned to teams!"

"Really?" Naruto looked a little surprised, though more than anything, he felt like it was finally happening.

How long had it been?

"Yeah."

Ino nodded, then leaned in mysteriously.

"Naruto, I'll tell you something. The team assignments have actually already been decided. Do you want to know who your teammates and instructor are?"

"Of course I want to know." Though he already knew the answer, he dutifully put on a curious expression. "Am I on a team with you, Ino?"

"No... I'm definitely on a team with Shikamaru and Choji. Hehe~"

Ino denied it, though Naruto's question had clearly put her in a good mood.

She didn't keep him in suspense. Instead, she went straight to the point.

"I'll tell you your teammates first. You're on a team with Sasuke and Sakura."

After she finished, Ino paused to watch Naruto's reaction. Naruto didn't react at all. He only said, "Oh, sounds good," when he noticed her looking at him.

Ino was very pleased with Naruto's response. She didn't know what she was pleased about, but she was pleased all the same.

"Why are you so calm?"

Just in case, Ino teased him. "Didn't you used to like Sakura? You should be happy you're on the same team."

"Was it that obvious back then?"

Naruto scratched his head.

"That was all stuff from school. People change. Now I just see Sakura as a classmate."

"...Oh."

Ino replied calmly, doing everything she could to keep from laughing out loud.

Just a classmate, Big Forehead. Hahahahahaha!

Ino was cackling on the inside, but on the outside she continued as if nothing had happened.

"Now, your instructor. This one's impressive. My dad says he's an elite among the Jonin, a very dependable teammate."

"His name is Kakashi Hatake. He's a powerful Ninja nicknamed the Copy Ninja. I heard he's mastered over a thousand Jutsu, and no matter what Jutsu his enemies use, he can copy it right away!"

"Wow—" Naruto gave a completely unremarkable exclamation.

And then he said nothing more.

"What?"

As the young lady of the Yamanaka Clan and a natural at the clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu, Ino was sensitive to other people's emotions.

She keenly sensed that Naruto's response this time carried a few different emotions compared to the way he'd reacted upon learning who his teammates were.

Ino nudged Naruto's shoulder.

"Why are you being so halfhearted? You don't like this instructor? I'm telling you, he's even a student of the Fourth Hokage! He's got plenty of experience!"

"What would I have to dislike? I don't even know him. What do the Copy Ninja or the Fourth Hokage's student have to do with me?"

Naruto smiled and said casually,

"I simply don't like the name."