"Ino!"
"Relax, relax—that's the Black-Frame world~!"
Ino hurriedly soothed Tenten, who had sprinted over at full speed.
The girls suddenly burst into laughter.
Because what they were seeing was themselves—the immersion was too strong.
Only Naruto, as the comparison protagonist, didn't feel it as strongly.
["Just kidding~" Ino immediately demonstrated perfect flexibility.]
["Since it's already open, just sell it~"]
["It's been sitting here anyway—no one would order a custom piece like that, even if it once belonged to a Hokage, right?"]
["Big sis~"]
[Tenten had been furious. Letting others take out her collection without permission was unacceptable.]
[Even if Ino's reasoning made sense, she still felt uncomfortable.]
[But after being called 'big sister' a few times—]
[Her breathing gradually calmed.]
[She said impatiently, "Alright, alright~!"]
["One hundred thousand—take it!"]
["Big sister is the best~" The three girls exchanged looks and instantly coordinated.]
[Tenten crossed her arms and turned away.]
[Ino led Sakura and the shy Hinata forward to act cute.]
[Chōji and Shikamaru watched with interest.]
[Young Naruto silently labeled Tenten as 'likes being called big sister.']
Temari: "..."
Yes. Temari was the same.
Especially when she occasionally dreamed of being desperately needed by her two younger brothers.
Outwardly helpless—internally delighted.
She hadn't expected Tenten to be like this too.
In the end, it was simply the satisfaction of being needed.
["Alright~"]
["I really can't do anything about you."]
["One hundred thousand ryō—don't short me, or I won't be able to explain it to my parents."]
["Yay~!"]
["Big sister is the best~"]
["Big sister is the prettiest~"]
["Big sister—"]
["Stop!" Tenten quickly cut them off. If they kept going, would she end up giving it away for free?]
["Tenten, could you let me see the Fourth Hokage's photo?"]
[Young Naruto looked at her seriously.]
[Tenten's smile slowly faded.]
[She narrowed her eyes.]
["Why are you so insistent on seeing the Fourth Hokage's photo?"]
["Don't you know that photos of the Fourth Hokage are forbidden from circulation?"]
["If this gets out, even my parents would be in serious trouble."]
[She spoke helplessly, stating the reason directly.]
[Hearing this, young Naruto frowned.]
['Why does everything related to the Fourth Hokage become so difficult?']
['Something's wrong… the old man must be hiding something huge. Something that could shake the entire village if exposed.']
[Naruto took a deep breath.]
[Then met Tenten's apologetic gaze.]
["O… big sister."]
[Ino and the other girls widened their eyes.]
[Oh no!]
[Naruto has never been this proactive with us!]
[Tenten was stunned.]
[Seeing no response, Naruto turned his head slightly.]
["O… onee-chan… please…"]
[Shikamaru and Chōji were completely petrified.]
[This can't be real.]
[Naruto… Naruto…]
["Alright~"]
[To everyone's shock, Tenten actually decided to defy the ban and show Naruto the photo.]
Mei Terumī: "The Third Hokage really does have a guilty conscience."
Fourth Raikage: "Exactly. Otherwise he wouldn't carry such a reputation."
Fourth Raikage: "Pfft—every time I hear that title I want to laugh!"
Fourth Raikage: "Hahahaha~"
Senju Hashirama: "..."
Looks like those Cloud brats' power has grown excessive.
Can't let them keep running wild like this.
[Naruto smiled again, though his cheeks were still warm.]
[Ino stared wide-eyed, suddenly feeling regret.]
[Sakura nearly ground her teeth to dust.]
[Hinata's pale-lavender eyes flashed with another trace of dark energy.]
[Jealousy, envy, hatred—almost written plainly on her face.]
[Shikamaru coughed lightly. "Sorry to trouble you."]
["Let's pay first."]
[That at least shifted the focus.]
[The five split the cost evenly—twenty thousand ryō each.]
[Naruto borrowed from Ino to make his share, but after paying for the earlier kunai, he had nothing left.]
[Looking at the hundred thousand ryō before him—]
[Naruto fell silent.]
[He suddenly realized that as time went on, he might eventually be unable to bring himself to destroy Konoha.]
[Because there were already people here he truly cared about.]
[Fortunately, he had carefully remembered everyone who had cursed and abused him in the past.]
['Haa—']
['I haven't even learned to walk properly and I'm already thinking about running.']
['Forget it. I'll decide after I've taken revenge on that old man.']
[Naruto stopped refusing and took the triple-pronged kunai.]
[Cool to the touch. Balanced grip. Proper weight.]
[With its length and special structure, it could even be used as a short blade.]
['This unknown jutsu formula… seems to allow chakra infusion. I'll study it later.']
[Looking up—]
[Tenten was already walking over with an album.]
[She cautiously scanned the surroundings.]
[Then pushed several shelves together to block the view before bringing the album over.]
["To be honest, I don't know what the Fourth Hokage looks like either."]
["Dad said the photo is in this album—but I'm usually not allowed to open it."]
["But he doesn't know I already figured out the password~!"]
[As she spoke, Tenten unlocked the symbolic little lock right in front of them.]
[Click—]
[The moment the combination lock opened, everyone held their breath.]
["Hurry up and open it~!" Ino urged impatiently.]
[Tenten nodded and slowly opened the album.]
[The next instant—]
[Everyone froze.]
[The nervousness on Tenten's face vanished completely.]
Everyone in the ninja world was full of question marks.
No wonder it was so secretive!
Tenten clenched her teeth, eyes shut tight, cheeks flushed.
All the women present were the same.
On the black-framed giant screen—
The first page of the album appeared.
What does "torrential waves" mean?!
White. Round.
Bread.
Too explosive!
Tenten: "Damn it!"
Tenten: "How could my dad—no wonder he never let me open it!"
Tenten: "Is there really a photo of the Fourth Hokage inside?!"
She was furious.
But the reply surprised her.
Inoichi Yamanaka: "If it weren't like this, I wouldn't dare say it—but the first page is… cough cough. Don't worry. There'll definitely be a photo of Minato."
Ino Yamanaka: "So you're really knowledgeable about this?"
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