Puppy Love Isn't Good

Iruka reached this point and unconsciously swept his gaze across the crowd. When he noticed the two sleepyheads were missing, he couldn't help grinding his teeth in secret.

Honestly, Iruka really couldn't understand what the Third Hokage was thinking. Why was he so indulgent toward Lu Yu and Shikamaru? If they were anyone else, Iruka would have already beaten them until their heads were covered in bumps.

Although Iruka had plenty of complaints, he still smiled at the students and said:

"Before we get to that, do some warm-up exercises. I'll explain everything in detail later."

With that, Iruka walked over to Ino and Choji, patted them on the shoulders, and motioned for them to come with him.

The three of them went to an empty corner, where Iruka said with a serious expression:

"Ino, Choji, go bring those two little brats back right now. Tell them there's going to be a test. If they don't come back, I'll tell Nara Yoshino-senpai everything they've been up to over the past two months."

Ino was about to claim she didn't know where the two of them were when she heard the first part, but her expression changed drastically at the second.

If Iruka really told Aunt Nara Yoshino everything that had happened over the past two months, wouldn't Lu Yu get skinned alive...

Thinking of that, the little girl hurriedly nodded.

"Okay, Iruka-sensei. Choji and I will go bring them back right away."

Without waiting for Iruka to say anything, she hurried off with Choji toward Konoha Back Mountain.

"Choji, go find Shikamaru. That guy should be sleeping halfway up the mountain. I'll go find Lu Yu."

Choji nodded, then ran off in the other direction.

Ten minutes later, Ino arrived beside a large lake in Konoha Back Mountain. Standing in a tree, she could see from far away a fishing rod nearly ten meters long dipping into the lake.

Ino couldn't understand it. Lu Yu was such a lazy person, so why was he so fond of fishing?

She sighed helplessly and walked over, curiosity getting the better of her.

Once she got closer, Ino saw that Lu Yu was living like a king.

A huge parasol shielded him from the scorching sunlight. He lay comfortably in a lounge chair he'd made himself, legs crossed and sunglasses on.

Lu Yu had a toothpick between his lips and hummed an unknown tune. Every so often, he picked up the milk tea he'd bought and set on the wooden table to his right, taking a contented sip. He couldn't have been more comfortable.

Ino also noticed a campfire not far from Lu Yu, with a few thick branches and fish bones beside it. It was obviously Lu Yu's makeshift kitchen.

Ino thought about how she'd been stuck in the classroom listening to a boring lecture while this guy was out here leisurely enjoying life. Pouting in displeasure, she went over to him.

"Hey, you! You're having such a nice time out here. Tell me, why didn't you invite me?"

Lu Yu looked at Ino's adorable pout and her slightly aggrieved expression, and sighed helplessly.

"Hey, hey, you're the big sister of our class, after all. If I ran off with you, a lot of people would probably lose their minds..."

"W-what are you talking about? R-ran off with me?"

Ino's little face turned faintly red. She was about to say something, but Lu Yu interrupted her.

He carefully took a pretty hair ornament from inside his clothes and held it out to Ino.

"Here, I made this hair ornament just for you. It's yours. Hurry and put it on. Let's see if it looks good."

Ino took the delicate hair ornament Lu Yu offered her, and her eyes lit up.

She immediately realized it was made from seven different kinds of flowers.

Since her family ran a flower shop, Ino knew these seven kinds of flowers. Gathering them certainly hadn't been easy. He would have had to search several mountains to find them all, and she could only imagine how much effort it had taken.

Thinking of Lu Yu going all the way to several mountains to make her a hair ornament, Ino was deeply moved. She had already forgotten the little bit of annoyance she'd felt toward him, as if it had been banished to another country.

Lu Yu smiled and ruffled Ino's little head.

"Alright, alright. It was no trouble. By the way, Ino, have you eaten? How about I make you some grilled fish?"

"R-really?"

Ino looked at Lu Yu in delighted surprise. She'd left in such a hurry that she hadn't eaten breakfast, and at the mention of food, she couldn't hold back.

Seeing Ino's expression, Lu Yu quickly got up from the lounge chair and handed her the milk tea with a smile.

"It's too hot. Have some milk tea to quench your thirst. You rest here for a while, and I'll make you some grilled fish."

Watching Lu Yu bustle about nearby, Ino was stunned.

For someone as extraordinarily lazy as Lu Yu to offer to make her food—she must mean so much to him.

Because she knew Lu Yu's personality so well, her expression was incredibly complicated, and her heart was in complete turmoil...

In the Hokage's Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched everything happening beside the lake through a crystal ball. When he saw the complicated look on Ino's face in particular, an amused smile spread across his old face. He couldn't help muttering:

"Puppy love isn't good..."