Ino left, leaving Jokichi alone to lie on the veranda and admire the courtyard.
However, his heart had not calmed down.
He had made a promise with Ino to accept her feelings if she still loved him after she turned sixteen.
But before this, Jokichi had never thought about matters of the heart.
In his past life, he was very young, very handsome, and pursued by countless beautiful women.
But at that time, his mind was solely focused on studying and playing games, never paying attention to the girls pursuing him.
Upon coming to this world, his mind was also solely set on becoming stronger.
He had never pondered matters of romance.
In his view, he was only twelve this year.
He had strength and good looks, a world apart from those desperate losers who bent over backwards and still couldn't find a girl.
There was absolutely no need to rush these things.
But now, he had made such a promise with Ino.
That meant he had to seriously consider the related issues.
Do I like Ino?
Jokichi thought deeply.
If love was the kind of feeling Ino described, then it seemed he didn't have that feeling for her.
Although he didn't dislike her, he didn't have any special feelings either. She was no different from anyone else.
"As expected, I don't really like Ino."
Jokichi sighed helplessly.
How could someone who had never thought about these things have feelings in this regard?
Spending time together morning and night, developing feelings over time...
That prerequisite required being together long-term.
It was just...
Recalling how Ino brushed her hair aside earlier, revealing her snow-white neck, Jokichi's heart fluttered for no reason.
He was very familiar with this feeling.
He had it in his past life too.
At that time, being in the prime of puberty, he was incredibly curious about women. Under the guidance of an older guy in town, he watched his first adult video and spent a long time with his head full of fantasies.
"In this life, have I reached this age again?"
Jokichi smiled bitterly.
He thought that having experienced these palpitations and his mind having matured, he wouldn't have this feeling anymore. He didn't expect...
Forget it, overthinking is useless.
Since he made a promise to someone, he had to fulfill it.
Jokichi wasn't someone who made empty boasts. A promise made had to be realized.
If he didn't love her, then he would try his best to fall in love with her over these next few years.
Love at first sight was a minority, after all.
Most couples' feelings were nurtured over time.
Thinking this way, Jokichi's heart calmed down again, and the feeling of relaxed comfort returned to him.
The early summer breeze blew gently.
Before he knew it, Jokichi fell asleep on the veranda.
...
Leisure time was always short, and the two-day vacation passed quickly.
Team 7 regrouped and started doing missions.
However, as mere Genin, they could only do D-rank odd-job missions.
The unexpected events in the Land of Waves mission made the Third Hokage break out in a cold sweat.
Now, he absolutely refused to let Team 7 take missions above their rank.
Moreover, the village had a large number of Chunin to feed, so they couldn't hand out C-rank missions to Genin in bulk.
Still, while D-rank missions were a bit boring, they were quite relaxing.
Plus, with Naruto around to liven up the atmosphere, even boring tasks didn't lack fun.
Thus, they did missions in the morning, went training in the afternoon, and went on dates after dinner.
Although he said he would wait until Ino was sixteen before establishing a relationship based on the situation, it was always good to deepen their bond before then!
The two lived on the same street, so they could basically see each other when returning in the afternoon.
Then they would go shopping together, watch a movie, or something.
Occasionally, when the team had a day off, they could go on a picnic a bit further away.
As they spent more time together day by day, Jokichi's feelings for Ino gradually changed.
It shifted from a normal friendship towards the direction of lovers.
Life became more fulfilling and interesting.
However, happy times always flew by, and the date soon reached June 24th.
It was summer, and to avoid the scorching sun, Team 7 arrived at the gathering spot early in the morning.
Yamato-sensei also arrived very quickly.
Just as everyone finished greeting each other and was about to receive a mission, a hawk circled and soared in the sky.
Yamato looked up at the screeching hawk in the sky, his gaze solemn.
"The squad has free time today. I have some business, so I'll be leaving first."
Leaving behind this sentence, Yamato hurried away.
Jokichi looked up at the hawk soaring in the sky, lost in thought.
This seems to be the signal for a Jonin assembly.
Speaking of which, he had often seen people from outside the village on the streets of Konoha recently, as well as many ninjas from other countries...
Is it the Chunin Exams?
"Since we have nothing to do today, I'll be leaving first."
Bidding farewell to Naruto and Sakura, Jokichi turned and walked toward the village.
If it was the Chunin Exams, then people from other countries should have arrived by now!
The image of a certain panda-eyed boy carrying a gourd appeared in Jokichi's mind.
A demon loving only himself, and Shukaku...
What can be forged from your organizations?
However, although he was particularly interested, he was in no rush to find them.
He would encounter them during the Chunin Exams anyway, so there was no need to hurry.
Besides, even if he went and found them now, what then?
He couldn't go too far inside the village.
He might as well go find Ino!
If the Jonin were holding a Chunin Exam meeting, Team 10 should also have the day off.
Sure enough, when Jokichi found Team 10 outside a roasted chestnut shop, Asuma wasn't there.
"Yo, Shikamaru, Choji, long time no see."
Jokichi came up to the three of them to say hello.
Then, Ino pounced on Jokichi.
"I missed you so much just not seeing you for one night."
Shikamaru: "..."
Choji: "..."
Jokichi: "..."
"Sigh!"
Shikamaru sighed helplessly.
"It seems we're a bit redundant here."
Saying that, he stood up and dragged Choji, who was busy eating chestnuts.
"Hey, let's go. Let's not be third wheels here."
"Oh, oh!"
Choji waved at Jokichi while eating chestnuts.
"Let's catch up next time!"
Jokichi smiled embarrassedly.
"We'll catch up next time then!"
"Mhm!"
Shikamaru nodded, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked away.
As he left, he muttered things like "women are so troublesome."
Regarding this, Jokichi just smiled and didn't speak.
Only after the two had gone far did he peel off Ino, who was hanging on him like a koala.
"With so many people around, you really have no shame!"
"What's there to be ashamed of snuggling in the arms of the person I like?"
Ino looked as if it were a matter of course.
"Besides, Shikamaru and Choji are as familiar as can be, there's no need to treat them like outsiders."
"This isn't an issue of outsiders or not, it's..."
"Alright, I know, I'll pay attention to my image next time."
Ino interrupted Jokichi.
"Our team has the day off today, let's go play together!"
"Where do you want to play?"
"How about going to see a movie?"
Ino linked her arm with Jokichi's, acting intimately.
"The highly talked-about Princess Gale seems to have wrapped up. I wonder if it's premiering today."
"Princess Gale, huh..."
"Is there a problem?"
"No, let's go see it together!"
"Mhm!"