Almost a week had passed, and tomorrow would be the day for Guy's weekly training session.
Today, Naruto intended to practice a certain jutsu:
Hiraishin no Jutsu.
Although he had gained experience through Minato's memories, he still had to practice it himself. As a result, he had been crashing into trees these past few days.
The good news was, Danzo kept his promise. According to Kurama, no one was watching him this time.
"Hahh, so exhausting... Alright, time for a morning run," Naruto said.
After waking up, Naruto immediately started exercising. He thought his body needed more training because, for some reason, he rarely felt pain or what was called DOMS after sleeping lately.
But when he opened the door—
He saw Ino standing there, as if waiting for him to come out.
She was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, holding a paper bag in front of her.
"Ino," he called out.
Ino opened her eyes. Her gaze was unfocused, as if she had just woken up.
"Did you sleep here?" Naruto asked.
After a moment of silence, Ino shook her head. "No, I just felt a little sleepy," she answered softly.
Her voice sounded so tired.
"Hey, I don't think that's okay... If you're sleep-deprived, come inside first," Naruto offered, a little worried about her.
Ino widened her eyes. "What do you mean, you bastard..." she frowned, displeased.
But Naruto ignored her. He immediately grabbed Ino's hand.
"Your hand is so cold," he said.
Ino didn't deny it. She indeed felt unwell but kept ignoring it.
"It's fine, let go of me," Ino said, trying to pull her hand away from Naruto's grip.
"No," Naruto refused.
Ino flinched. She tried to resist but eventually gave up because her body was too weak.
Naruto pulled her gently, almost causing her to fall. "You're this weak already. Come on, get inside," he said, supporting her slowly, helping her sit on the sofa, and covering her with a blanket.
"Use this... at least it'll keep you warm."
Ino looked at him. Her eyes were droopy, and her face looked pale.
She accepted the blanket and wrapped it around herself. "Thank you," she said softly.
Naruto smiled. "You're welcome," he replied.
"Alright, wait here for a bit."
Naruto headed to the kitchen, leaving Ino alone in the living room. Ino sighed and decided to lie down. "Huhh... what am I even doing..." she thought.
Ino's skin still felt cold even with the blanket. But she thought, at least it was better than nothing.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Naruto was preparing ingredients. He intended to make porridge.
He wore an apron to avoid dirtying his clothes, poured rice and water into a pot — a little more water than when cooking regular rice — and turned the heat to medium.
After twenty minutes, Naruto lowered the heat and started stirring the porridge to prevent it from burning at the bottom.
Once he felt it was ready, he prepared some chicken skin and a bit of chicken breast, along with seasonings like chopped onion, garlic, and bay leaves, and boiled them to make chicken broth.
He intended to make a soup to make the porridge easier to eat.
After a while, a delicious aroma started wafting from the kitchen.
Ino, who had been resting with her eyes closed, woke up.
"What is he doing..." she thought.
Then the kitchen door opened, and Naruto came out, carrying a pot that was still steaming.
Ino was curious about what Naruto had brought.
"What is that?" Ino asked softly.
Naruto didn't say anything at first, placing the pot on the table near the sofa, putting a cloth underneath so it wouldn't damage the surface.
"This is porridge," he answered briefly.
"Eat it. At least it might make you feel better."
Ino nodded.
She started by sipping the broth.
"This is good," she praised shortly.
Naruto looked at her and nodded lightly. "Then eat well."
"Okay," Ino replied after glancing at him.
Since there was nothing much to talk about, Naruto sat down on the sofa beside her.
Ino didn't comment and simply focused on her food.
Silence filled the room, with only the sound of Ino eating the porridge.
And somehow, after eating it, Ino felt warmth—not only in her body but also in her heart.
"This feeling... isn't so bad," she thought, smiling faintly.
"What is she really doing here?" Naruto wondered to himself. Was there something else Ino wanted? However, Naruto didn't dwell on it.
"Thank you for the food," Ino said after finishing her meal.
"Ah, just put it down there. I'll take care of it later."
"Alright," Ino placed the bowl down and leaned back on the sofa.
Naruto also leaned back, and once again, silence filled the room.
Until Ino broke it. "Hey, Naruto..."
Naruto turned to her. "Yeah?"
"Thank you."
Naruto frowned, confused.
"Why? Didn't you already thank me earlier?" he asked.
But Ino shook her head. "No... earlier was for the food. This one is for your kindness."
Naruto turned to the side, and so did Ino. She smiled weakly. Her lips were pale, but in Naruto's eyes, that smile looked beautiful.
Ino watched his reaction and chuckled. "Naruto... I know I'm pretty."
"Ughh..." Naruto looked away, grumbling softly.
"Heey, Naruto..." Ino called again, using the same tone.
"Yeah? What now?" Naruto asked.
"Let's date."
Thump!
Hearing those words, Naruto's heart started racing. He felt a strange, overwhelming sensation. "Is this what they call nervousness?" he thought.
Naruto looked at Ino's face, but he didn't see a trace of hesitation there.
"So, what do you say?" Ino asked again, her voice a bit more cheerful than before.
Naruto's expression turned chaotic. He scratched his head. "Ino... I think this is too fast. I hope we can build our emotions first..."
Naruto tried to explain it slowly, until—
"Pffft... ahahaha!" Ino burst out laughing, patting the blanket as if she couldn't hold it in.
Naruto finally understood. "This girl... she's teasing me..." he thought. He, who usually did the teasing, had now become the teased.
It shook Naruto's pride a little. Understandable, as it was his first time being directly confessed to by a girl.
Still, after some thought, Naruto decided not to retaliate. Ino wasn't feeling well; at least, she deserved to be happy.
Naruto sighed.
"You, Ino... that's just cruel," Naruto said helplessly.
Ino stopped laughing and looked at Naruto. "Did you really hope for it?" she asked, curious.
Naruto fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
Of course, he had some feelings for her. It might not be love yet, but it was enough to make him want to stay by her side.
Seeing his nod, Ino also fell silent.
And once again, silence enveloped them.
"Then," Ino broke the silence, "make me feel it."
"Feel what?"
"Yeah, feel what it's like to fall in love..."
Her voice fell. It was flat but filled with hope.
Naruto looked at her, smiled, and nodded. "Yeah... I'll do my best."
"Alright, I'll be waiting," Ino said with a sweet smile.
This conversation, no matter what, would be unforgettable, because from here, their story would begin. Even if it started awkwardly, it didn't mean it would end badly, right?
After that, Ino fell asleep. Her body couldn't hold on anymore, and she lost consciousness.
Naruto noticed. He carried her into the bedroom, laid her down carefully, and tucked her in.
He thought about kissing her forehead but decided against it. He understood that their relationship was still undefined, so instead, he gently brushed Ino's blonde hair.
Then Naruto went outside for a quick run and came back to keep an eye on Ino.