A system prompt popped up.
[Option 1: Perform a single-arm handstand push-up in front of Ino while proclaiming "My youth is on fire," earning her praise. Reward: Flying Thunder God Technique (incomplete).][Option 2: Confess to Ino right then and there and win her agreement. Reward: Eight Gates Technique (immortal version).]
When the choices appeared, Naruto's breath caught. He gripped Ino's hand like his life depended on it.
"Naruto… what are you doing?" Ino stammered.
"N—Ino!" he blurted.
"What is it?" She was flustered; her mind blank. The hand Naruto held felt as if clamped by a hydraulic press—she couldn't pull it free.
"Don't go!" Naruto panicked.
At that moment the prize no longer seemed trivial. The immortal Eight Gates? If he got that, he'd be unstoppable — he could stomp across the shinobi world, punch an Uchiha into the next era, kick an Otsutsuki into orbit. The possibilities were dizzying. Naruto decided, in a heartbeat, that he must marry Ino to secure that reward.
"Ino, please don't—" he began, but Ino yanked her hand away and scowled.
"Hey! You're hurting me!" she said.
"Sorry," Naruto blurted, instantly brought down to earth. He realized how absurd he looked. Ino had never shown romantic interest in him—she was hardly likely to accept a sudden confession. Their relationship was, at best, casual. He'd make a fool of himself.
Ino rubbed her red-marked palm, thinking about the brief flash of earnestness she'd seen in Naruto's eyes. A strange warmth crept through her — was it possible he really wanted to see her? Ridiculous, she told herself. Naruto was a notorious prankster and showman. Still, the moment lodged in her mind.
"Why are you out here?" Naruto asked, trying to steer back to normal. "Training finished?"
"Yeah," Ino said. For a second her expression became solemn. "It felt weird to have free time, so I came out to walk."
"That must have been quite a sight," Naruto said, imagining the earlier circus-like training.
Ino surprised him. "No one should be mocked for pursuing their own path. If someone works toward their dream, it's not for others to sneer."
Naruto was struck. He realized he had never once looked at Ino properly. She wasn't shallow or petty; she was thoughtful, steady—someone who put others first. Her calm conviction made him relax.
"Thanks, Ino," Naruto said, genuinely.
"You been possessed or something? Why suddenly so sincere?" Ino teased, turning away.
"I just can be sincere sometimes," Naruto grinned. "Hey, want some dumplings?"
"I don't usually eat them." Ino frowned.
"That's because you never tried the ones from this shop. Let me buy." Naruto tried for nonchalant.
"Why should I accept your treat when you have so much money?" she asked, remembering the rumor about Naruto's sudden fortune.
"That's true," Naruto hesitated, then laughed. "OK, I'll pay. Consider it a thanks-for-being-nice gift."
Ino made a face that meant she wasn't convinced but nodded anyway. They went into the dumpling shop, and Naruto, still wearing his embarrassingly green training suit, drew a few curious glances. No one made a fuss.
After they ate, Naruto's eye fell on Ino, and an odd idea struck him. He cleared his throat. "I'll show you something I just learned."
"What?" Ino glanced at him.
Naruto forced himself into a single-arm handstand and began doing push-ups, each repetition more labored than the last. Sweat poured down; his whole frame trembled as he pushed himself through the motion. With the last shred of breath he shouted, "My youth… is on fire!"
For an instant he looked at Ino, a pleading, ridiculous look painted all over his face. Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes—she'd thought he was making fun of her, but instead she caught the raw earnestness behind the gag.
"You're an idiot," she said quietly.
Naruto collapsed with a thud, covered in dust and exhaustion. He'd given it everything—only to have Ino's response be a mild rebuke. His chest sank.
"Oh no," he muttered as the system dinged.
[Ding! Flying Thunder God Technique (Incomplete) has been granted.]
Naruto lay on his back, one eye half-open, staring at the sky. Despite everything, something like triumph crossed his face: the system had finally responded.
Ino helped him up, chastising in her usual way, and he laughed it off. The green suit was ridiculous, but it had worked: a fragment of the Flying Thunder God technique had been earned. It was just the start, but it was a start all the same.