At the Yamanaka home.
When Inoichi Yamanaka learned that his daughter had gone to Naruto's house for dinner, he jolted, shattering the teacup in his hand. Fortunately, he had already finished the tea.
"You're a grown man, yet you still get worked up so easily."
His wife, Rino Yamanaka, gently chided him. After carefully checking his hand to make sure he wasn't hurt, she cleaned up the broken cup.
"It wasn't just me!"
Seeing how agitated her father was, Ino hurried to explain.
"Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, and Hinata's little sister Hanabi were there too."
Hearing that so many classmates had gone along, especially Shikamaru of the Nara Clan, Inoichi Yamanaka finally relaxed his tense shoulders a little.
Seeing the state her husband was in, Rino began sending Ino off to rest.
"All right, Ino, you should get some rest. You have school tomorrow."
"Okay, Mom. I'm off."
Inoichi Yamanaka took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil within him.
Private contact with a jinchūriki didn't sound good, nor was it a wise move.
It could all too easily give that one-eyed old bachelor in Root an excuse to attack them.
Still, since Shikaku's son had been there too, he probably didn't need to worry so much.
Given the Nara Clan's caution, they would never let Shikamaru get caught up in a dangerous political maelstrom at his age.
That thought put Inoichi somewhat at ease, but his years of ninja instincts immediately had him planning what to do next.
"Looks like I'll need to have tea with Shikaku in a few days."
He murmured to himself.
The Nara Clan had always been the most reliable external brains for the Yamanaka and Akimichi Clans. No matter how thorny the problem, discussing it with Shikaku always led to the safest solution.
Rino gently pushed a teacup toward him and said softly, "The children have their own paths to follow. It's a good thing that Ino has made so many friends."
Inoichi gazed at the steam rising from his cup, his eyes growing thoughtful.
That's right!
In this Shinobi World, with its undercurrents of conflict, perhaps the next generation was weaving bonds unlike those of the past in their own way.
Watching his daughter's skipping figure as she left, Inoichi Yamanaka couldn't help giving a knowing smile.
As the father who had watched Ino grow up, how could he not understand his own daughter?
The girl was exactly like her mother in her youth. Both were absolute suckers for a handsome face.
Naruto had indeed inherited his father Minato Namikaze's good looks and cheerful personality.
With his blond hair, blue eyes, and the way his eyes curved when he smiled, he was practically a young Minato brought back to life.
With looks that striking and such a sunny disposition, it was only natural that his daughter would fall for him.
"I originally thought Ino would like that boy named Sasuke from the Uchiha Clan."
Inoichi murmured to himself, raising his cup for a sip.
After all, to young girls, those cool, aloof boys always stood out.
But then he recalled the last time he had seen Naruto.
For some reason, the whisker-like markings on the boy's face seemed to have faded considerably, revealing delicate features that bore a strong resemblance to the Fourth Hokage.
Inoichi suddenly smiled in understanding.
That's right. Hadn't Ino's mother fallen for my gentle nature back then too?
He unconsciously touched his face.
It seemed his daughter preferred the sunny, cheerful type over the cool Uchiha. In that respect, she took after her mother.
Oh, come to think of it, that little fellow has blond hair too, though it's a little darker than mine.
"What is it? Sitting here grinning to yourself."
Rino picked up two pastries and handed one to her husband, unable to resist asking when she saw his expression.
Inoichi accepted the pastry from his wife, his gaze softening with reminiscence. "I just suddenly remembered the old days."
"The old days?"
Rino sat down beside him, curiosity in her eyes.
"That's right!"
A smile played on Inoichi's lips. "Back at the Ninja Academy, someone was the one who pursued me."
Rino's cheeks reddened slightly, and she lightly thumped her husband's chest. "That was so many years ago. Why bring it up all of a sudden?"
As soon as she said it, she understood.
So her husband had also realized that their daughter might like Naruto.
The teacup slowly turned in his palm.
With worry all over his face, Inoichi said, "Ino might have fallen for Naruto."
Rino couldn't help rolling her eyes at him. "You're awfully slow on the uptake. No one knows a child better than her mother. I guessed it the last time I saw Naruto and Ino chatting outside the flower shop."
She looked out the window, her gaze tender. "When that boy spoke, Ino's eyes sparkled, just like mine did when I looked at you back then."
At that, she suddenly chuckled.
"Still, Naruto really is a likable boy. Sunny, cheerful, and kindhearted, though I don't think he's softhearted. He's rather like the Fourth Hokage."
Hearing that he resembled the Fourth Hokage, Inoichi took a thoughtful sip of tea. "Oh well. As long as Ino's happy."
"But..."
He paused, his voice taking on the firmness unique to a father.
"If that brat dares to mistreat Ino, I won't let him off easily."
Rino laughed at her husband's words. "You really should stop worrying over nothing. Let the children experience these things for themselves."
"By then, you might not even be able to beat Naruto!"
"Are you kidding? Me, unable to beat that brat?!"
"Wood Release: Wood Prison Technique!"
Naruto gave a low shout, then clapped his hands together.
Four thick vines sprouted from the wooden floor, growing rapidly before his eyes and intertwining. In the blink of an eye, they formed a sturdy wooden cage.
Each vine bore fresh green growth, and he could faintly sense the vigorous life force within them.
Naruto kept his palms pressed together, tiny beads of sweat forming at his temples.
He could clearly sense the chakra flowing within him. His water-nature and earth-nature chakra were merging perfectly with the intervention of yang release chakra.
Wood Release ninjutsu demanded extremely precise chakra control. A little too much, and it would become violent and uncontrollable; a little too little, and it would struggle to take shape.
Once the wooden prison had fully formed, he slowly adjusted his chakra output. The vines began growing in reverse as though alive, gradually retracting into the floor.
In the end, the wooden floor was as smooth and clean as new, without even a scratch, as though that astonishing ninjutsu had never appeared.
"It worked..."
Naruto let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled with delight. "Looks like creating my own Wood Release ninjutsu isn't that hard!"
"What... monstrous talent."
Inside the seal space, the Nine-Tails gazed through the cage at the scene outside and murmured under his breath.
A flicker of disbelief flashed through his crimson eyes.
Wood Release was the unique ninjutsu of the First, Hashirama Senju. Since that man's death, it had never truly reappeared in the Shinobi World.
Yet this brat, not even eight years old, had not only figured out the rudiments of Wood Release on his own, but could also control his chakra with such exquisite precision.
The control he displayed in forming and dissolving that wooden prison was beyond the reach of even many adult ninja.
The Nine-Tails involuntarily bared his teeth, recalling his distant battles with the First.
That familiar aura of life had now reappeared in this brat.
He's not even fucking eight?
Was Hashirama Senju this strong at eight?