Ino-Shika-Cho

Ino-Shika-Cho

Along the way, there was barely any conversation between Ayato and Yamanaka Ino. The one leading led, and the one following followed.

However, the guide kept looking elsewhere—glancing here, then there—before reluctantly pulling her gaze back and continuing forward because she still had to lead the way.

"It's still early. I don't need to go back so soon," Ayato finally said from behind her.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ino turned around, blinking expectantly.

"It means you can go play whatever you want," Ayato said succinctly.

"Really? That's great!" After cheering, Ino finally stopped suppressing her urge to play and ran off to the side.

Ayato quietly followed behind her. Looking at Yamanaka Ino's back, he had to admit that Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho really was quite remarkable in his eyes.

Individually, the three clans did not have much influence in Konoha, but they usually stood together. That combined force was not to be underestimated.

What Ayato appreciated most was that none of these three clans were as dark and twisted as some others. They did not look down on people because of their status, either. Even the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho had not known of the Ino-Shika-Cho reputation when they were children. Well, except Shikamaru. With Shikamaru's intelligence, even if no one told him, he could definitely figure it out from elsewhere.

It could be said that a combination like Ino-Shika-Cho was not only rare in Konoha—even across the entire shinobi world, it was exceptionally scarce.

Ayato believed that Ino-Shika-Cho could exist because the deer was smart enough, while the boar and butterfly trusted the deer enough. Not to mention, their abilities fit together perfectly.

First came the Akamichi Clan's Multiplication Disturbance, followed by the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Interference and control, allowing the deer's Shadow Technique to achieve absolute control. Finally, the immensely powerful but less accurate Akamichi Clan delivered the finishing blow. It was simply perfect.

At first glance, the Akamichi Clan seemed replaceable—any ninja with a powerful jutsu would do—but that was not actually the case at all.

The key lay in inheritance. The Akamichi Clan's techniques were not difficult to pass down, and the Multiplication Technique possessed sufficient power even in its early stages. After all, that size was right there. A punch backed by that sheer bulk would be unpleasant even for an ordinary jonin to take head-on. Of course, its shortcomings were equally obvious: it lacked agility. Without the Ino-Shika-Cho combination, it would probably be nothing more than a large target. But its strengths were already more than enough within Ino-Shika-Cho.

What about the inheritance of other ninja? Even powerful ninja could not guarantee that their descendants would be powerful as well, much less that they could use high-powered jutsu from an early age. If they were forcibly combined, the team would lack damage output in the beginning. If they added a ninja who had already matured, then teamwork would become another major issue.

From Ayato's perspective, the deer was actually the least stable part. A deer did not merely need to know how to use the Shadow Technique—it also needed to possess the most crucial thing: brains. And who knew which generation might suddenly produce some oddball? Even the deer probably could not avoid that...

But for now, the inheritance of Ino-Shika-Cho had no issues. Shikamaru would become an outstanding deer of the new generation.

Akimichi Choji, meanwhile, would become the butterfly of this generation, while Yamanaka Ino would be this generation's "boar."

That was right. Judging by the appearance of every generation of Ino-Shika-Cho, the boar always looked like it ought to be the Akamichi Clan, considering their build. Who would call a delicate girl like Ino a boar? But "Yamanaka" meant wilderness, and Ino's name could also be read as "boar." As for the previous generation, "I" itself meant boar, so... Meanwhile, Akamichi was actually the butterfly.

He had to admit, Ino was quite cute as a child. Or rather, Ayato thought all of the Konoha 12 were pretty cute. No matter what they became when they grew up, as long as children did not make a fuss, they were adorable. Ayato's thoughts began to wander again.

"Are you done playing?" After some time, Ayato checked the time and could not help asking. Without realizing it, quite a while had passed. During that time, Ino had run here, then there, and seemed to have endless energy.

"Yeah." Ino stopped, suddenly realizing that she seemed to have something else to do. Though she had not strayed from the route, she had apparently only cared about playing. She scratched her head awkwardly.

"It's getting late." Ayato pointed at the sky.

"The cake shop is right ahead. We'll be there soon," Ino said, her face reddening. She walked straight ahead and soon stopped in front of a shop. It really was close.

Seeing the cake shop, Ayato let out a sigh of relief. They had finally arrived. He had been here before; he just had not known this place was a cake shop.

"Wait here for a moment," Ayato said.

"Okay." Ino nodded and watched Ayato walk inside. With nothing else to do, she kicked at the stones by the roadside.

She had not noticed while walking, but once she stopped, a wave of exhaustion hit her. She could not walk anymore and wanted to rest for a while.

Why wasn't he coming out yet? Ino looked toward the silent shop, feeling that he was taking forever. The exhaustion in her body made her sit down nearby to rest.

After a while, Ayato finally came out carrying a box.

Ayato sighed. He had actually forgotten that custom-ordering a cake took time, so it was too late for that. He could only choose one that was already made.

Then Ayato saw Ino sitting there. He paused, recalling how she had acted the whole way, and understood. So she was only feeling tired now?

At that moment, Ayato seemed to hear Ino muttering about him. He narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"Why isn't he coming out? He's so slow." Ino sat there, rubbing her slightly sore legs and feet as she complained.

"Tired?"

Suddenly, a voice came from beside Ino's ear. She turned her head and saw a pastry in front of her. To be honest, she might normally have looked down on it, but at this moment, she could not help swallowing.

Looking up, she saw Ayato's smiling face. Ino asked uncertainly, "Is that for me?"

"Yeah. You've been leading me around for so long. Thanks for your hard work."

"Mm..." Ino's face immediately reddened. Hadn't it taken so long because she had been busy playing? She was already tired, and now that she saw the pastry, her stomach began to grow hungry too. She could only accept it and quietly eat.

As she ate, Ino asked, "Didn't you buy one for yourself?"

"I'll eat this with Mom when I get home." Ayato lifted the box in his hand. In truth, he had not had much money left after buying the cake. It was only spending money, and he had only received it recently, so there had not been much to begin with.

"I see." Ino nodded and did not ask any more questions.

After Ino finished eating, Ayato asked, "Do you still have the strength to walk?"

Ino stood up and stretched her legs, answering uncertainly, "I think so."

"Then hold this." Ayato handed the box in his hand to Ino.

Ino was a little stunned as she took the box. She barely had any strength left, so why was he making her carry it? Had he gotten something wrong?

Before she could get upset, she saw Ayato turn his back to her and squat down slightly. Was he going to carry her?

"It's getting late. Get on," Ayato said.

"Mm, okay." After thinking it over, Ino nodded. Carefully protecting the box in her hands, she leaned onto Ayato's back and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing the box to hang steadily beneath her.

"Ready?" Ayato asked at that moment.

"Mm, I'm ready."

Ayato slid both hands beneath Ino's knees and stood up.

"How is it? If I'm too heavy, put me down. I can walk," Ino said involuntarily.

"Mm, you're even lighter than I expected," Ayato replied. As he spoke, he started walking back the way they had come, his steps still steady and swift.

Ino froze for a moment. Looking at Ayato so close before her, she seemed to see her father's silhouette in him. She quickly shook her head. Why would she see her father in someone her own age? Pah, pah.

Still, a smile appeared at the corners of Ino's lips. He felt pretty reliable, at least.

PS: For now, this book is planned to have either a single female lead or no female lead.