Then her eyes landed on Haku, standing a little shyly behind Naruto.
"Ooh," Ino cooed, her smirk growing wider, "she might be the one, huh? "She leaned forward, hands planted on her hips, sizing up Haku like a cat eying a new kitten invading its kingdom.
"Hello," Haku greeted politely, offering a small, graceful bow.
Without missing a beat, Ino stepped forward, a mischievous glint in her eye. She gently placed her ring finger under Haku's chin, lifting her face up to see her better.
"You've really got a pretty face," Ino said, voice smooth as velvet. "But if you want him... you'll have to go through me."There was laughter in her voice, but the underlying challenge was real.
Haku stiffened slightly under the sudden pressure, feeling like she was being put on trial without even realizing it.
Luckily, Naruto and Karin pulled Ino back just in time—Haku let out a quiet sigh of relief, relaxing like a balloon finally untied.
"Ino," Naruto said, half exasperated, half amused, "I know you love me, but how could you put pressure on Haku? She literally just got here!"
Ino pouted, crossing her arms with a dramatic flair. "Oh, don't worry, I was just teasing," she said sweetly.
Then, quick as lightning, she leaned in, brushing her lips lightly against Naruto's cheek in a swift, stolen kiss. Before he could even react, she whispered hotly into his ear, "I know you've got eyes on her... and her eyes are full of love for you too... but she still has to go through me." Her voice was low, possessive, like a cat claiming its favorite toy.
Then, without giving anyone time to process the bomb she dropped, Ino danced back to the group, a smug queen among peasants.
Naruto stood there frozen, ears pink.
Karin facepalmed again, mumbling, "Here we go again."
And Haku... well, Haku didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or run away at full speed. Instead, she smiled awkwardly, realizing that maybe being part of Naruto's life meant diving into pure, chaotic love headfirst.
After regaining his composure, Naruto asked, "What kind of mission did you go on, Ino?"
Ino pouted dramatically, tossing her hair back."Just some boring escort mission," she said, voice flat with disappointment. "Without you, it was completely miserable. How could I possibly be happy, dear?" she added with a completely straight face, not a shred of shame.
Naruto's sweat dropped. "Okay, okay, I get it!" he said quickly, waving his hands. "I'm sorry for not seeing you for weeks."
Ino crossed her arms and nodded, solemn like a queen granting mercy.
"Apology can be accepted... but!" she pointed at him dramatically, "you have to take me on a date. Alone. No others tagging along."
Naruto glanced helplessly at Karin, who simply shrugged and smirked, the universal "bro, you're on your own" gesture.
"Fine, but—" Naruto started.
"No buts!" Ino cut in.
"At least let me pick the date plan," Naruto said with a sigh, half-defeated, half-smiling.
"Deal!" Ino said, pure joy sparkling in her blue eyes.
She bounced on her toes like a happy cat who just caught its favorite toy.
Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "Let's wait until the others arrive first," he said, already bracing himself for more madness.
"Okayyy~" Ino chirped, before sliding up beside him and hooking her arm around his from the side, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Naruto sighed again, feeling the familiar weight of love, chaos, and Ino's stubbornness wrapping around him like a second jacket.
But somewhere deep down... he smiled.
This... this was the kind of trouble he didn't mind having.
"But where are your teammates, Shikamaru and Choji?" Karin asked, tilting her head curiously.
Even Naruto, now lazily allowing Ino to cling to his arm, perked up at the question.Yeah... where were those two professional slackers?
"Those two went to barbecue with Asuma-sensei," Ino replied with an exasperated little huff. "Choji was having a meltdown because he hadn't eaten barbecue for four whole days."
Naruto and Karin snorted at the same time. "That's definitely Choji," Naruto said, grinning. "But you didn't go with them?" he asked, genuinely surprised.
Ino turned to him dramatically, clutching her chest. "How could I abandon you after not seeing you for weeks?!"
She sniffled, faking tears with all the finesse of an Academy Award-winning actress.
Haku, quietly observing from the side, felt a pang in her chest.
She couldn't quite weave herself into their conversations yet... but every piece of information about Naruto, about his world, stitched her a little closer to him.
Her focus sharpened, absorbing every word.
'She's really a dramatic queen, always fighting to be the center of his heart,' Haku thought, hiding a tiny smile.
"How about we go to barbecue together?" Karin suggested brightly, trying to lift everyone's mood.
Naruto's grin faltered just a little, his mind flashing to Asuma...
He wasn't ready to face that ghost yet.
But then he glanced at Ino's beaming face, at Haku's shy patience, and Karin's playful spark.
They were here. They were alive.
And that mattered more than anything else.
"Okay," Naruto said, voice steady, offering a small but warm smile.
"Let's gooo!" Ino squealed, immediately yanking him forward before he could blink.
Karin and Haku simply sighed, exchanging a helpless, fond look as they followed their tornado of a couple down the street.
Another chaotic day in the making... but somehow, it felt perfect.
Soon enough, the four of them arrived at Konoha's most prestigious barbecue hotspot — Akimichi's Barbecue Restaurant, the pride and joy of every meat-lover in the village.
The moment they stepped through the doors, a bright-eyed waitress hurried over with a big smile.
"Welcome! Please, this way," she said cheerfully, leading them toward an empty table.
But as they walked across the cozy, smoky restaurant, Naruto spotted familiar faces.
Over in a corner booth sat Choji, Shikamaru, and Asuma — though mostly Choji, who was devouring the feast in front of him like a man possessed.
"Hey! Shikamaru! Choji! ...Asuma-sensei," Naruto called out, the last name falling from his lips a little slower, a little heavier.
Shikamaru lifted a lazy hand in greeting. Choji, mouth stuffed with meat, waved enthusiastically.
Asuma gave a small nod, cool and calm as ever.
"Hey, c'mon! Join us!" Choji managed to shout around a mouthful of grilled beef.
"Miss, we'll join them," Naruto said politely to the waitress, flashing a quick, warm smile.
The poor woman froze for a moment, cheeks turning pink.
Even though she was clearly in her mid-twenties, Naruto's handsome, easygoing charm short-circuited her brain for a solid two seconds.
She nodded hurriedly, practically fleeing the scene like a startled cat.
'So cute,' Naruto thought with a small chuckle.
Asuma, watching the interaction from his seat, felt his own mood shift.
That easy rizz Naruto pulled off without even trying reminded him — sharply — of how clumsy and blunt he had been with Kurenai.
Her blunt rejection still stung like a kunai to the ribs.
He took a long drag of his cigarette and exhaled slowly, burying the melancholy under a lazy smirk.
"Well, well," Asuma said as Naruto, Ino, Karin, and Haku settled in at the table. "Looks like the next generation's full of heartbreakers too."
"Tch. Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, though the smirk tugging at the edge of his lips betrayed him.
Meanwhile, Choji happily shoved another plate of sizzling meat toward them. "Eat fast before I do!" he warned.
And just like that, the warm, chaotic energy filled the table—family, food, laughter, and a little bit of unspoken healing in every bite.
With that, all four of them plopped down, ready to eat.
The moment the food hit the table, Naruto's whole demeanor shifted — his easygoing aura swapped out for full warrior mode.
He locked eyes with Choji across the grill.
The Battle of Barbecue had begun.
Meat flew from plates to mouths at lightning speed. Choji snatched, Naruto counter-snatched, the two moving so fast they almost looked like they activated the Sharingan.
In the middle of this carnage, Karin and Ino took turns sweetly feeding Naruto pieces of sizzling meat — and he happily gobbled down every offering without question, like a king being spoiled by his court.
Even Haku, a little shy, hesitantly tried to feed him a piece once —and Naruto, flashing a big, warm smile, leaned forward and ate it too, causing her cheeks to pinken adorably.
Meanwhile, Asuma sat there, his soul leaving his body.
'How the hell... how the actual hell did this brat end up surrounded by so many girls?' Asuma thought bitterly, stabbing a piece of pork with way too much force.
'And I can't even get ONE girl to say yes... Heck, she probably would've said yes to Naruto if he asked!'
Naruto, sensing a piercing gaze drilling into the side of his head, turned slowly.
His blue eyes met Asuma's soul-dead stare.
It was the same awkward, soul-crushing look Naruto remembered from way back during the team assignments — like a man questioning all his life choices.
Naruto blinked once, twice...then, decided "not my problem" and turned right back to snatch a handful of beef off Choji's plate.
(Choji squawked in betrayal, but it was already too late.)
Thus, the barbecue war raged on until all the plates were polished clean.
Afterward, the group stretched and yawned, fully satisfied and ready to head out.
Ino, in her classic mischievous fashion, loudly announced to the entire restaurant,"Asuma-sensei is paying! He promised! Yay~!"
Choji, mouth still full, nodded vigorously. "Yeah, you said you'd treat us, sensei!"
Even Shikamaru — the king of 'I-don't-care' — raised a lazy hand to support the argument.
Poor Asuma could only sigh, feeling like the oldest, most tired wallet in the world.
He had originally promised to treat his students.
But somehow, the fine print had magically expanded to include Naruto, Karin, and Haku too.
As he pulled out his wallet with a long-suffering groan, Asuma thought grimly, 'I'm supposed to be the adult here... So why does it feel like I'm getting scammed by a bunch of kids?'