Naruto: If I ask you to be Naruto, you will become a yellow-haired person?

The Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clan compounds were almost next to each other, conveniently on the way to Tsunade's Senju family home.

Ino quietly glanced behind her.

Wasn't Hinata supposed to be walking home with everyone else today?

A surge of joy welled up within her; today, Naruto-kun was all hers!

Thinking of this, her delicate and pretty face couldn't help but flush, making her bright golden side-swept hair even more dazzling.

Naruto, noticing Ino's sudden blush, was utterly baffled.

Why are you blushing for no reason?

It's really hard to understand what goes on in the heads of people who only care about looks…

Naruto stroked his chin, thinking that after teaching Neji Hyuga a lesson this time,

Neji's twisted personality, stemming from his obsession with strength and disregard for everything else, coupled with the pain of being trapped by the Caged Bird Curse, should improve somewhat.

He would find time later to talk with Neji a few more times to see if he could change his extreme worldview.

After all, Neji Hyuga, who could independently master the Hyuga clan's secret absolute defense, Rotation, and the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, had extraordinary talent.

In a few years, his strength might leap to the level of a Jonin!

"Naruto-kun, with Tsunade-sama as your teacher, is she usually very strict with you…?"

Ino asked with curiosity on her pretty face, her emerald eyes blinking with a bright, sparkling light.

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have learned Tsunade-sama's Strength of a Hundred Seal so quickly, right? The Strength of a Hundred Seal is at least a B-rank ninjutsu, isn't it?"

Shikamaru Nara, holding his hands behind his head and listlessly chewing on a piece of dry grass, muttered,

"I remember Tsunade-sama's Strength of a Hundred Seal is A-rank."

Naruto nodded in affirmation, "Shikamaru is right."

"Eh! An A-rank ninjutsu!"

"My family's secret technique, the Mind Body Switch Technique, is only C-rank! I still haven't learned it, and it already feels so difficult!"

"How difficult is the A-rank Strength of a Hundred Seal…?~!"

Ino was somewhat surprised and exclaimed.

Choji Akimichi also nodded, temporarily pausing his constant munching on potato chips.

"It's no wonder Naruto is valued by Tsunade-sama; his talent for learning ninjutsu is indeed much better than ours,"

"Even Sasuke Uchiha from our class and Neji Hyuga aren't Naruto's opponents."

Kiba Inuzuka cast an envious glance at Naruto, grinding his sharp, gleaming fangs.

"If this great me hadn't yet found a suitable ninja dog, I would have already learned our Inuzuka clan's Fang Passing Fang technique!"

Listening to their sincere praise and Kiba Inuzuka's envious gaze, Naruto smiled.

In the original Naruto storyline, these guys around him were all good companions, Naruto thought.

Of the Konoha 12, besides Ino and the others, he hadn't yet met the young, wealthy Tenten, who liked wearing Chinese-style pink qipaos and sporting two traditional buns.

Oh, and Rock Lee…

But it seemed Rock Lee hadn't been taken in as a disciple by Might Guy, the Leaf's Noble Blue Beast…

Naruto looked at Ino and asked.

"Ino, how about we go to the teacher's house together now and meet the teacher?"

Ino was taken aback, a look of nervousness appearing on her face as she twisted her small hands together.

"N…now? Without any preparation, we're going to see Tsunade-sama directly?!"

"And Tsunade-sama is so busy, wouldn't we be disturbing her?"

Seeing Ino's adoring expression towards Tsunade, afraid of disturbing her, Naruto's expression turned strange.

That woman Tsunade is lazy by nature, indulging in eating, drinking, gambling, and only lacking prostitution; she doesn't resemble a teacher at all!

Who said that following Tsunade would mean a child wouldn't go hungry!

If it weren't for Shizune's supervision, she would probably be living in the casino! He couldn't get enough to eat at every meal!

Naruto shook his head, "No, the teacher doesn't have anything going on lately, and anyway, aren't you going to learn medical ninjutsu from the teacher sooner or later?"

"It's a good opportunity to go now."

Shikamaru Nara suddenly interjected,

"Choji, I think I saw a new barbecue restaurant open on Konoha Street yesterday, with a 50% opening discount!"

"Eh?! Then let's go eat barbecue now!" Upon hearing this, Choji's two round eyes lit up with eager light.

His chubby hands grabbed Kiba Inuzuka and Shikamaru Nara beside him and said urgently.

Kiba Inuzuka scratched his head in confusion,

"Shikamaru, which one are you talking about? I didn't see any new barbecue restaurant when I passed by yesterday?"

"Kiba! Let's go take a look first! Choji can't wait!"

Shikamaru, being pulled by Choji, turned his head and said to Kiba Inuzuka, and lazily waved goodbye to Naruto and Ino.

"Naruto, Ino, then we can't go the same way; the three of us are going to eat barbecue first!"

Ino looked at the departing figures of the three, her porcelain-white face flushing red.

She could tell that Shikamaru was deliberately making space for the two of them; seeing Naruto still standing there, staring blankly at the suddenly departing Shikamaru and the others.

She hesitated, then reached out a small hand to pull Naruto, signaling the two to continue walking, and said softly,

"Okay, Naruto-kun."

Naruto was stunned, feeling the soft, tender little hand holding his,

Unexpectedly, it was cool, like watermelon soaked in a deep well in summer.

Soft and boneless, filled with the pure skin full of collagen, the touch was delicate and smooth.

Naruto and Ino walked side by side for a while.

Ino's delicate face became increasingly embarrassed, and her crystal-clear, petite earlobes were tinged with crimson.

She had only reached out her hand just now to express her agreement, signaling Naruto to go to Tsunade-sama's house together.

She didn't expect Naruto-kun to suddenly grab her hand and not let go all the way!

That hand, mixed with the unfamiliar, hot breath of a boy,

Held her small hand tightly, kneading it from time to time, as if playing with some exquisitely crafted antique.

It made her even more embarrassed, and the slender, white nape of her neck, like a swan's, was covered with dense, shy red marks.

For a moment, she hesitated and didn't know how to remind Naruto.

Naruto didn't realize that his subconscious action had made Ino, who appeared generous but was actually delicate inside, feel so awkward for so long.

Instead, he was thinking about how Shizune had told him earlier that they would be going to the Fire Country's metropolis with Tsunade tomorrow for a mission.

But Shizune didn't say what the specific situation was.

What could be happening in the metropolis?

Excluding the possibility that Tsunade's gambling addiction had flared up and she had to go to the metropolis for a few rounds, he could only think that it might be related to the Fire Country Daimyo.

After all, the Daimyo's residence was in the metropolis, and Tsunade was called Princess Tsunade in the original story.

Perhaps her mother had a direct, close blood relationship with the Daimyo…

Just as Naruto was thinking about this, suddenly a tall figure stood in front of him, blocking the path of the two.

"You brat! Take your dirty hands off my precious daughter!"