A Mother's Daughter Is Also a Mother

"Naruto, you have to explain yourself. What do you mean, we're all the same?"

Having chased him to the entrance of the boys' restroom,

Ino Yamanaka angrily grabbed Naruto's sleeve. Lowering her eyes, she stared intently at his face, her gaze direct and burning.

She could barely accept it if he said she was inferior to Hinata Hyuga.

But Naruto had said everyone was the same. That was something she truly could not accept. She had worked so hard to cling to him for so long; surely she had to be at least a little different from everyone else.

Besides, Naruto was not like Sasuke Uchiha, who kept everyone at a distance. Over the past month, she had genuinely felt that her relationship with Naruto had grown much closer.

Could it all have been just her imagination?

"Girls in this world sure mature early." Naruto shook his head speechlessly, thinking that this little girl's inner drama was really something.

Though he had deliberately indulged her.

Still, was it not a little too exaggerated to chase him all the way to the boys' restroom over a question like this?

However, this was exactly the effect Naruto wanted.

He raised his gaze and looked straight at Ino Yamanaka. It was a little perverted, perhaps, but there were things he had no choice but to do if he wanted to grow stronger.

Ino, if you wanted to blame someone, blame the Valorant System.

[Don't shift the blame. Isn't all of this the inner desire of the sinister and cunning Naruto Uzumaki?]

Shut up!

Seeing that Naruto had yet to answer, Ino Yamanaka gradually lost the momentum she had when she first chased after him. Had she really misunderstood? Had she imagined the progress in her relationship with Naruto?

Was that really it?

As the silence dragged on, Ino Yamanaka's confidence grew weaker and weaker.

Thinking carefully, it seemed that she had always been the one pestering him, always the one taking the initiative. Naruto had never actively responded to her at all; he had merely passively accepted it.

And there was another serious problem. She had not started pursuing Naruto from the beginning. She had only turned around and started spending time with him after deciding he had become handsome and strong.

That was also why she could accept that, for the time being, she ranked below Hinata Hyuga in Naruto's heart.

Perhaps...

I have always been too full of myself.

"Ino, actually, I'm quite grateful to you today."

Seeing Ino Yamanaka hesitate as if she wanted to say something, Naruto Uzumaki knew her emotions had fermented enough.

So, at just the right moment, he extended his hand toward Ino Yamanaka.

"Ino!"

"Ah?!"

"What I said earlier may have been a little excessive and made you unhappy, so I want to explain something to you properly here."

Looking at Naruto's outstretched hand, Ino Yamanaka's heartbeat suddenly sped up. A powerful premonition welled up within her.

She swallowed hard.

Could it be what I think it is?

"Ex... ex... explain what?"

This was the first time the usually poised and generous Ino Yamanaka spoke with a tremble in her voice.

Then, she heard Naruto Uzumaki say those words.

"Let's take our relationship a step further!"

As Naruto Uzumaki's words fell, Ino Yamanaka froze on the spot.

When the wind blew past, it revealed the crimson flush hidden beneath her hair.

"Na... Na... Naruto, what are you talking about?"

"I said, let your mother become my mother!"

Ah!!!

Was he confessing so directly? Naruto, this guy was really... far too bold!

Ino Yamanaka's breathing became heavy. She could now be certain that what Naruto Uzumaki had said was exactly the answer she wanted.

So...

She nodded heavily, then turned and fled in embarrassment.

For the rest of the day, Ino Yamanaka remained dazed. Sometimes she was quiet, sometimes she giggled foolishly, and sometimes she watched Naruto and Hinata interact with each other in sullen anger.

Then she puffed out her cheeks and complained, "That bastard! He already has me, so why is he still talking so happily with Hinata?"

She was very displeased. Since she already had a status now, why did she still have to put up with this?

Thus, Ino Yamanaka bluntly expressed her dissatisfaction to Naruto by ignoring him.

This move proved unusually effective. Before long, Naruto took the initiative to come over and cheer her up.

Ino Yamanaka was very satisfied. She felt that this kind of school life was truly wonderful.

Until after school, when Naruto went home with her. Once they reached the entrance of her family's flower shop, she waved at Naruto, preparing to say goodbye.

"Naruto, see you tomorrow..." As she spoke, Ino Yamanaka's gaze began to wander again. "Remember to come early tomorrow. Don't always make me wait for you."

After saying that, she turned and ran toward home, but to her surprise, Naruto followed her straight into the flower shop.

Soothing music played in the background.

Her elegant and beautiful mother was arranging flowers.

Ino Yamanaka looked at her mother, then at Naruto, who had chased inside after her. Her heart trembled with embarrassment.

"Why is Naruto so clingy? He actually followed me all the way to my house. Isn't he afraid of my mother at all?"

"What if Mom finds out I'm dating someone?"

Ino Yamanaka frantically signaled to Naruto with her eyes, trying to force him back. At the same time, she explained to her mother, Lino Yamanaka, who had already walked over.

"Mom, this is my classmate. His name is Naruto Uzumaki."

The little girl was incredibly nervous inside.

While she had been bold and uninhibited when pursuing a handsome boy, the problems she faced after catching him left her unbearably awkward.

It was definitely inappropriate to let her mother know she was "dating" someone already.

But just as she was trying to explain, Naruto Uzumaki immediately exposed her.

"Mom!"

???

A multitude of question marks appeared in Ino Yamanaka's mind, because Naruto Uzumaki had directly called her mother Mom.

Why was this guy so bold?!

"Your daughter has already agreed to let you become my mother, so from now on, you'll be my mother too, okay?"

Hearing Naruto Uzumaki utter another "love confession," Ino Yamanaka nearly fainted on the spot.

Th-this-this-this-this...

It's over. I'm done for!

Ino Yamanaka did not know that her mother, Lino Yamanaka, had secretly followed and observed them all day. As an adult in the ninja world, she was not as opposed to children liking each other as Ino Yamanaka had imagined.

After all, many of the people she knew had started out as young couples.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were the most famous pair.

So, after confirming that Naruto excelled in both looks and strength, and that he had the character to save his opponents after defeating them, Lino Yamanaka could only find the handsome little boy before her more and more pleasing to the eye.

Of course, what mattered most was that after Naruto and Ino's conversation by the restroom today, seeing Ino grinning foolishly all day had deeply moved Lino Yamanaka.

Ino, caught in the whirlpool of love, was adorable too.

As she thought about it...

"Hehe~"

With a soft laugh, Lino Yamanaka crouched in front of Naruto and shot a sidelong glance at Ino Yamanaka, who was nearly fainting.

For her daughter's happiness, Lino Yamanaka decided that she had to respond seriously.

So she patted Naruto's head and said, "All right. From now on, I'll be your mother, Naruto."

[Oh~ My dear Mother Lino, you have already fallen into the sinister and cunning Naruto Uzumaki's scheme. His target was never your daughter—it was you!]

[Praise the host for successfully taking another classmate's mother. What a cause for celebration.]

[Assessment complete: Lino Yamanaka has superior looks, a superior figure, excellent strength, an excellent personality, and a top-tier family background. She is an A-rank mother.]

[Mother's Protection +2!]

[Current remaining Mother's Protection: 7 layers.]

[Mom Coins +20!]

[Current Mom Coins remaining: 28.]

[Maintain this relationship. As long as it remains unbroken, you can still receive 2 Mom Coins every day.]

It had not been easy. After casting the line for a whole month, he had finally hooked a big fish.

Of course...

Now that he had a big fish, he could not overlook the little fish either.

Naruto Uzumaki's greedy gaze turned toward the trembling Ino Yamanaka beside him.

Who said...

A mother's daughter had to be a wife?

She could also be another mother!