In the morning, Naruto woke up.
He rubbed his eyes, trying to gather his awareness, then hurried to wash his face.
"Today's still a holiday, and I don't have anything scheduled... what should I do?" Naruto thought.
Besides his daily training routine and the weekly sessions with Guy, Naruto had nothing else to do these days. He was truly at a loss.
Sometimes, he even thought about using his Sharingan and heading to the training grounds to copy some ninjutsu... but of course, that was a crazy idea.
"Ahhh, whatever. No use thinking about it..."
After eating a small breakfast to regain some energy, Naruto went out for a run. He also strapped on the leg weights he bought yesterday from Tenten's shop.
But he was taken aback when he opened the door.
Click.
Ino stood right in front of him, staring at him.
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"What are you doing here?"
But Ino stepped inside, her eyes scanning the entire place, completely ignoring his question.
"Ino, you're being really rude..." Naruto said.
"Since when is visiting a friend's house considered rude?" Ino replied calmly.
"And since when did you consider me a friend?" Naruto shot back.
Ino paused and looked at him before casually sitting on the couch, leaning back like she owned the place.
"What a mess," she commented.
"Peeling walls, chipped paint, and a leaky ceiling..."
Naruto was clearly annoyed.
"Are you here to visit or to pick a fight?"
Ino smiled.
"Maybe both."
But then her smile quickly vanished.
"Let's go. Weren't you going for a run? I'm coming with you," Ino said.
"Why?" Naruto asked.
"Is that not allowed?" Ino replied with another question.
"No, you can," Naruto said.
But he looked at her outfit. She was wearing a black knee-length skirt and a purple top.
"But... are you seriously going to run in that?"
Ino followed his gaze.
"Pervert..."
"I'm not— ugh, never mind. Let's go," Naruto said, holding out his hand.
Ino looked at his hand.
"What's this?"
"Holding hands," Naruto said casually.
"Isn't it normal for couples to hold hands?"
"Ew!" Ino made a disgusted face.
Naruto ignored her reaction and walked to the door.
"Aren't you coming?" he called from the doorway.
"Wait for me!" Ino said as she hurried after him.
"Ouch, Ino! Why did you pinch me?" Naruto held his side.
Ino stuck out her tongue and walked ahead.
This girl... always doing whatever she wants... And what is she really planning? Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that Ino wouldn't just show up without a reason. Still, he ignored his thoughts and caught up to her.
They started running after a quick warm-up. Along the way, Ino kept glancing around, her eyes observing the faces of those passing by.
What's going on? Why are they looking like that?
Whispers reached Ino's ears.
"Look, he's running again today..."
"That fox is disgusting," said another.
"Hey… wait, who's that girl with him? Are her parents okay with this?"
"No, that's her. The daughter of Lord Inoichi, head of the Yamanaka clan..."
"Wait, are you serious?"
"No way… I'm sure of it."
These weren't just whispers anymore. Their voices were clear.
What's happening? Ino looked at Naruto, who didn't seem to care at all.
And… fox? What do they mean by that? Ino couldn't understand.
Eventually, they reached the western forest.
"Hey, Ino," Naruto said, stopping in front of her.
"Hmm? What is it?" Ino looked at him. She took a deep breath, catching her breath, then stared at him.
But she was surprised to see Naruto's shirt soaked in sweat.
"Are you okay?" Ino asked.
"Huh?" Naruto looked confused and followed her gaze.
"Oh, you mean this?" He pointed to his sweaty shirt.
"Was it really that exhausting?" Ino frowned.
They had only run a few laps around Konoha. For someone training to be a ninja, it shouldn't have been that hard.
Naruto smiled.
"Well, you know, my body's weak."
"And you, Ino… after you fainted—"
"Hey!! Why'd you bring that up!" Ino snapped, clearly annoyed.
"After you fainted, I also collapsed and passed out," Naruto continued.
Ino raised an eyebrow. She hadn't known that.
"Really?" she asked, curious.
Naruto nodded.
"Anyway, come on. I know a nice place to talk," he said and walked off.
"Hey, wait!" Ino followed and walked beside him.
After a while, they arrived.
The place Naruto mentioned was a riverside surrounded by trees. It felt cool and peaceful.
Naruto sat down and gestured for Ino to do the same.
"Have a seat. Doesn't standing make your legs sore?" Naruto said.
"Hmm." Ino sat on a rock.
"So, what did you want to talk about, Ino?" Naruto asked right away.
Ino looked into his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
Naruto sighed.
"If you think I'm dumb, then I have to say you're even dumber."
"Huh?! What's that supposed to mean?!" she snapped angrily.
Naruto chuckled.
"Sorry. But you wouldn't come to me without a reason, would you?"
Ino stayed quiet for a moment, then nodded.
She began talking about her father from the day before. Naruto laughed as he listened.
"Told you we're a good match. Even your dad supports us..." Naruto teased.
Ino glared at him.
"Shut up! I'm not done! And stop talking nonsense."
"Haha, sorry."
"And also, earlier... I heard," Ino lowered her voice, "some villagers called you a fox, and their eyes looked like they hated you..."
"Oh, that," Naruto gave a small smile.
"They're not wrong. So, you might want to start keeping your distance if you don't want your name dragged down."
"But why?" Ino asked, her voice rising. She was confused by what was going on.
Naruto turned and smiled.
He slowly leaned closer and gently held Ino's chin.
"Ino, a few years ago… a demon fox attacked the village. And a child, born on the same day, was chosen to be its vessel."
Naruto leaned in even more. But Ino wasn't paying attention to his face—she was focused on his words.
"You know? The demon was sealed inside the boy… and he was called the fox child. But here's the irony. The one who sealed the beast was the boy's father—the village leader. He even gave up his life to do it."
"But instead of praise… the boy got insults, and even beatings every day..."
Naruto stopped and stared at her.
Ino slowly pieced it all together, finally reaching one conclusion. She looked at Naruto. Her lips parted as if to speak, but his gaze kept her silent.
"Looks like you understand now," Naruto said with a soft smile.
He leaned toward her ear.
"And yeah… that boy is me," he whispered.
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Today is one chapter, I'm sick and need to rest
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