Ino walked out of the exam room and returned to the classroom. It was loud and chaotic.
She could hear it—everyone was talking about Naruto's victory over Sasuke.
"So he won, huh," Ino muttered quietly. She looked around, trying to spot Naruto, but there was no sign of him.
Coincidentally, her eyes met Shikamaru's.
"Hey, Shikamaru," she called out loudly enough to be heard.
Shikamaru glanced at her briefly, then turned his eyes back to his desk. He pretended to be asleep.
"Oh, pretending to sleep, are you? Then tonight I'll tell Uncle Shikaku that you, Chouji, and Kiba used to skip class," Ino threatened, raising her voice slightly.
Chouji, sitting nearby, looked uneasy as his name was dragged in, but decided not to say anything.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru remained still, face buried in his arms.
Ino paused for a moment. That threat didn't seem dangerous enough. Then she remembered—Shikamaru feared his mother more than his father.
"Ahem… In that case, I'll tell Auntie that you once gambled while playing shogi..."
Shikamaru's eyes shot open. He immediately sat up and looked at Ino.
"Ahem, sorry, Ino. I guess I was feeling a little dizzy. So, what's up?" he asked quickly.
Ino narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. "So, what actually happened earlier?"
"You mean the fight?" Shikamaru confirmed.
"Yes, that's right. And where did Naruto go afterward?" Ino's tone now sounded more urgent.
"Alright... Naruto defeated Sasuke—"
"I already know that!" Ino snapped. "That's why I'm asking what happened! I'm curious!"
Shikamaru's brow twitched. He wanted to curse but held back. He sighed. "Fine, I'll explain...
"So, at first they exchanged blows. Naruto dodged every attack, and so did Sasuke. But then Naruto sped up, pushing Sasuke back with a kick.
"Sasuke tried to resist the force with his legs, kicking up dust. Without wasting time, he charged again, trying to land a punch, but he kept failing. He got exhausted... and finally collapsed."
Shikamaru gave a rough explanation. He remembered the fight clearly but felt too lazy to go into full detail.
In front of him, Ino nodded. "Hmm, okay. So where did Naruto go?"
"For that..." Shikamaru glanced at Chouji beside him.
"Chouji knows," he said quickly, passing the responsibility to Chouji. It might seem cowardly, but at least it was safer.
Ino stared sharply at Chouji. "So, where is he?" Her eyes scrutinized his face.
Chouji swallowed nervously and tried to glance at Shikamaru, but his friend pretended not to see.
"So, where is he, Chouji?" Ino repeated, her tone slightly harsher.
"H-he... Naruto... I saw him take Sasuke to the infirmary with Saku—uhm..."
His words were cut off as Shikamaru covered his mouth from behind.
"What Chouji meant was, they carried Sasuke to the infirmary together, holding him by the shoulders," Shikamaru interrupted quickly, making up an alibi.
Ino eyed them suspiciously. Something felt off, but she let it go.
She nodded slightly. "Alright... Then I'll go find him."
As Ino left the classroom, Shikamaru let out a long sigh. He felt like his life had just flashed before his eyes.
He turned to Chouji and slapped his shoulder hard.
"Ouch! Why did you hit me?" Chouji winced in pain.
"You idiot! Were you planning to tell her everything?" Shikamaru said, annoyed.
Chouji furrowed his brow, confused. "What do you mean?"
"You were about to say Naruto was holding hands with Sakura, weren't you?"
Chouji nodded innocently.
"Exactly. You almost got us into trouble. If Ino found out... you know how she gets," Shikamaru said calmly, though still clearly irritated.
Chouji stared blankly. He tried to piece it together.
"Ahhh!" Chouji finally realized. "Crap! That was close..."
He looked over at Shikamaru and said softly, "Sorry, Shikamaru... I almost dragged us both into a mess."
Shikamaru nodded. "It's fine... I get it. Girls really are troublesome creatures."
Chouji nodded too. "Yeah, you're right... They really are."
In that quiet moment, they both reflected. Chouji now understood why Shikamaru always avoided girls.
And now, he wondered why Naruto even liked being around them in the first place. In the end, Chouji could only feel sorry and hope for the best for Naruto.
Back to Ino.
In front of her was a door labeled "Infirmary" in big letters. But instead of entering, she stood there, staring at it for the past five minutes.
"Naruto... does he still like her?" she thought restlessly.
All this time, she had seen how Naruto remained kind to Sakura in class. Even when Sakura treated him harshly, he never ignored her. That made Ino uneasy, thinking that maybe... Sakura...
Ino stopped her thoughts. She shook her head hard and turned the doorknob.
The door opened. The strong scent of medicine hit her immediately. She stepped inside and finally saw Naruto—alone, with Sasuke unconscious on the bed.
She approached.
Her footsteps were quiet. Naruto had sensed her presence for a while but only now turned to look.
"Ino?" he called.
Ino didn't answer, just kept walking. She glanced at Sasuke, then at Naruto.
"Were you looking for me?" Naruto asked, smiling softly.
"What do you think?" Ino rolled her eyes. Her tone was cold.
"Hmm... I see." Naruto pinched his chin playfully. "So you missed me, that's why you came."
"No way!" Ino shot back quickly.
Naruto sat down on the couch and motioned for Ino to sit too.
"Come here," he said calmly.
Ino paused. She looked at the couch—big enough for two, but it would be a tight fit.
Still, she intended to sit. As she was about to—
Srak—
Naruto suddenly pulled her onto his lap. He began gently rubbing her stomach, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"N-N-Naruto, what are you doing?" Ino asked nervously. Her voice cracked with embarrassment. She tried to get up, but Naruto held her tightly.
"What? I'm not doing anything," he whispered softly, still rubbing her gently.
"You! You perverted, shameless jerk!" Ino cursed, but Naruto didn't let go.
Eventually, she fell silent and could only accept what was happening.
Ino was speechless. She clenched her teeth and stared at the floor, trying to suppress her embarrassment.
"This position... it's so humiliating," she thought quietly.
Slowly, Ino looked toward the door. Panic began to rise. Bad thoughts started creeping into her mind.
"Naruto, stop," she said softly. She wanted to shout, but couldn't.
"Why?" Naruto's voice was gentle.
"This... this is dangerous. What if someone walks in and sees us?"
She explained quietly, hoping Naruto would understand and let go.
But Naruto didn't reply, which made her more anxious.
"Naruto, I'm serious..." her voice was urgent.
"Naruto—"
Hupp.
Naruto hugged her tightly. As Ino was about to speak, he embraced her, making her fall silent.
"Don't worry. No one's coming..." he whispered gently.
"You trust me, right?"
His breath was warm against her pale neck, each exhale brushing her skin—but this time, it felt comforting.
Ino said nothing. She slowly turned her head back and saw Naruto's serious face.
Her lips trembled slightly, as if trying to form words;
"Yes... I trust you..." her voice was barely audible, but Naruto heard it clearly.
In silence, they shared warmth. Ino's body relaxed. She no longer resisted his embrace.
And neither did Naruto. He didn't cross any lines—he simply shared comfort with her.
No words. No sound. Just a quiet, gentle moment flowing between them.