Darkness enveloped everything and never seemed to end.
Like the depths of the ocean, it felt suffocating.
And when the light finally came, it brought no warmth.
"Hahh... hahh... hahhh," Naruto breathed heavily.
"Damn, that was such a terrible dream," he said as he wiped the sweat trickling down his forehead.
"I... passed out, huh?" he muttered, realizing the situation. He looked around and found himself back in his room.
Naruto let out a soft chuckle. "How ironic. I got taken down by a girl. This body's terrible. I should've been training it long ago."
Grrrkkk.
Without warning, a sound came from his stomach.
Naruto blinked and looked at the clock. He realized he had been asleep for six hours.
"No wonder my stomach's been noisy. Guess I better eat something."
He got up and walked to the kitchen, but all he found was a pile of trash.
Naruto frowned. "You've gotta be kidding me..."
Not willing to believe it, he searched through the trash and every corner of the kitchen, but still found nothing edible.
A look of slight despair crossed his face, and he gave up. He checked his wallet.
"Thank goodness I still have some money. This should be enough to buy some ramen."
Naruto quickly went to the bathroom, freshened up, and got dressed.
After that, he headed out toward the ramen stall.
It was already nighttime, and the air felt heavy.
Yet the streets were still bustling. As Naruto walked, the people around him moved aside, as if something disgusting was passing through.
Naruto noticed it but chose to ignore it. It wasn't the first time.
He paid it no mind and kept walking.
Eventually, Ichiraku came into view.
"Uncle, one ramen with extra meat, please," Naruto ordered.
"Osu! Oh hey, Naruto, it's been a while," Teuchi greeted him.
"Oh, I've just been busy lately," Naruto replied.
"Hah? Busy? What kind of kid is ever busy?" a voice suddenly cut in.
"Hey, Ayame-neechan. Long time no see," Naruto greeted.
"Long time? You're sounding more and more like my dad. Didn't we just see each other yesterday?" Ayame sighed and shook her head.
"You know… it feels like a long time. Even just a day without seeing you feels like something's missing," Naruto explained.
"Missing? What do you mean?" Ayame tapped her finger on her lips, pretending to think.
"You."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Not seeing your beautiful face for a few hours makes me feel weak…"
Ayame burst into laughter upon hearing that.
"Naruto, you're really funny. Hey, where did you learn to flirt like that?" Ayame whispered, leaning closer.
Naruto smiled. "Flirting? I meant it seriously." And since they were so close, Naruto gently caressed Ayame's cheek and looked into her eyes, giving her his warmest smile.
It only lasted three seconds, but it was enough to break Ayame's composure. She blushed and quickly made an excuse to leave.
"I-I'm sorry, I have to go help Dad in the kitchen," she stammered.
Naruto watched as she walked away awkwardly, like she was trying to escape something.
"Ayame-neechan, you've taken care of me since I was a kid. I'm sorry for troubling you all the time," Naruto said as he looked toward the kitchen, remembering his childhood.
Back when only Teuchi and Ayame gave him warmth and shelter.
Remembering that made Naruto more determined to become stronger, so he could protect the people he cared about.
After a while, the ramen was ready.
"Yoshhh! Enjoy your meal, Naruto."
Naruto gratefully accepted the bowl and took in the delicious aroma.
"Itadakimasu," he said and began eating. But unlike before, he ate slowly and neatly, not making a mess.
"Hey Uncle, where's Ayame-neechan? Why are you the one serving now?" he asked casually.
"Oh, I don't know. She went to the kitchen and told me to take over out front."
"But… I think something's off," Teuchi added.
"What is it?" Naruto asked.
"She seemed strange and a bit distracted. She was fine earlier and now…" Teuchi made a thinking pose, crossing his left arm while resting his chin on his right hand.
Naruto mimicked the pose and, after a moment, voiced his guess. "Maybe she ran into her crush and got flustered, so she hid in the kitchen."
"Hah, really…" Teuchi replied.
"Well, it's possible," Naruto said with a shrug.
Meanwhile, Ayame, who had been listening the whole time, was fuming. She clenched the utensil in her hand tightly.
"That idiot Naruto… talking nonsense," she muttered, gritting her teeth.
Time passed quickly, and Naruto finished his meal. He paid and got ready to leave.
"Well then, I'll be going now, Uncle. And tell Ayame I wasn't joking," he said with a chuckle.
He headed back to his apartment to start his body training. At first, he had planned to find Guy-sensei, but he couldn't find him anywhere along the way.
At the Yamanaka Flower Shop...
Ino had just woken up from her sleep. She sat up, holding her head as a slight headache lingered. After a moment, she remembered what had happened.
She regretted it deeply. She had lost… to Naruto.
"That annoying guy… how could this happen…"
"I just let my guard down… yeah, that's it. I was just careless." But the more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Was she really too weak to accept defeat?
Ino could only cover her face with her hands, as if trying to hide from herself. "I challenged him so confidently, and what happened… I fainted. Wait—" Ino recalled the last moment. "He… carried me in his arms…"
"Damn ittttttttttttttt…"
Ino completely lost her will and collapsed back onto her bed.
She kicked her legs on the mattress, trying to erase the memory.
Click.
The sound of a door opening made her look up.
"Mom!" she exclaimed.
"What is it, Mom?" she asked again after getting up and walking toward her.
But Hana just shook her head. "No, dear. I should be the one asking…"
"What happened to you? I could even hear it from downstairs while I was cooking."
Ino froze. She twisted her fingers and softly replied, "Nothing, Mom. It's just… a small problem…"
"A small problem?! Don't lie to me. You came home unconscious. I was so worried, but after your teacher explained, I felt a little better," Hana said firmly. But her eyes showed concern, not anger.
"So you already knew?" Ino asked faintly.
Hana looked closely at her daughter's face. There was a mixture of emotions there—anger, frustration, fear…
"I'm sorry, Mom. I've let you down," Ino whispered.
Hana shook her head and smiled, gently stroking Ino's head.
"No, Ino. I'm not disappointed or mad because you lost. I was just scared something had happened to you. You're my only daughter, my precious child. I was just worried."
Ino looked down, unable to meet her mother's eyes. She felt ashamed for misunderstanding her.
"I'm sorry, Mom… for always troubling you."
Hana pulled her into a warm hug. "No, sweetie. I'm the one who's sorry for not paying more attention to you."
After a while, the hug ended. Ino asked, "Mom, where's Dad?"
"He's in the bedroom. Why?"
"I want to talk to him for a bit."
"Alright. I'll head back to the kitchen before the food burns. Don't forget to come down and eat."
"Okay, Mom," Ino replied as she watched her mother walk away.
She clenched her fists. Time felt heavy, but one thing was certain: she had to become stronger.
"Just wait, Naruto. I'll get my revenge."
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I'm tired, so maybe just one chapter for today...
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