"Will it always be like this?" Choji sighed, "If you only come back occasionally, won’t we see each other less and less?"
"Tch, Choji, even Ino isn’t in a hurry. Why are you so anxious?" Naruto said.
"I’m just lamenting. Staying in the village all the time would be boring." Choji grumbled, "Shikamaru is busy, and even Kiba is about to get married."
"That guy? Getting married?" Naruto was stunned, "But seeing each other less will become the norm. You’ll get used to it. Like Jiraiya and Tsunade-sama, staying outside for long periods is the safest option."
"Who made me so strong? Staying in the village would definitely cause trouble. It’s better to travel far away. If something happens to the village, it naturally has nothing to do with me."
Choji: "..."
‘This guy’s words were rough, but they made sense. They just didn’t sound very pleasant.’
After chatting for a while, Choji finally resigned himself to reality. It was simply too luxurious to want to get together with friends after growing up.
At the end, Choji asked Naruto a question.
"Did they come looking for you?"
"They did." Naruto held up two fingers and said, "As soon as I got back, both of them came looking for me, but I chose to prioritize hanging out with you here, drinking and chatting while basking in the sun."
"How is it? Are you touched?"
"Touched my foot! There’s definitely something fishy going on!" Choji knew Naruto’s characters too well, "No wonder I felt something was off. You seem way too relaxed."
"Hey, why are you still sitting here? Aren’t you going to see them?"
"I will, later."
Naruto calmly took off his sunglasses and grinned at Choji, "I told Hinata and Ino that you had something important to discuss with me today, so I’d be busy all day."
"So... when you get back, don’t leave the house today. Remember, the whole day. Don’t let it slip."
Upon hearing this, Choji was dumbfounded, his brain almost overheating.
"What are you trying to do?"
"Nothing. I’m going to see Ino later and tell her I sneaked out to see her." He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, "Then I’ll go see Hinata. That way, I can perfectly time it."
"And you you, my friend, just need to stay home all day to help me have a great day. How about it? Perfect, right?"
"Perfect your head! Naruto, you’re really..." Choji wanted to curse but stopped himself. For the first time in his life, he was very speechless, "Can't you just see them one at a time?"
"Are you stupid?" Naruto rolled his eyes and said, "Isn’t it obvious that they’d figure it out? Forget it, I can’t explain it to you. Just go home and stay there."
With that, Naruto stood up and started pushing Choji out of the shop.
"Hey, wait, I don’t get it." Choji turned around and asked unwillingly, "Ino and Hinata probably know about each other, right? Even we know. What’s the point of what you’re doing?"
"Stop asking. Save your breath." Naruto was too lazy to answer.
‘The point? Did the point even matter? As long as that thin layer of paper wasn’t pierced, the triangular relationship could continue. Ino and Hinata’s relationship was no longer as tense as before. And now, I had to be even more careful.’
It was indeed self-deception, but what did it matter? Given the current situation, there was no good solution, so they could only maintain it for now.
To be honest, this situation was advantageous for Naruto.
The relationship between Ino and Hinata has long been broken, and the two were now good friends, even though they both liked the same person.
As long as they avoided that issue, their relationship could continue.
Even if it was just a false facade, not the real thing.
But the truth, which is untainted by any lies or deception, was a sharp blade. Both Ino and Hinata knew this.
Whoever grasped that blade first would hurt all three of them.
Pandora’s box was sealed with lies, love, honesty, and fear. Any one of the three could open it at any time, but none of them did.
After all, opening it would mean one side losing both friendship and love.
The false harmonious relationship had enveloped the three of them from the beginning. That summer camp at the Academy six years ago had already opened a wound.
The two girls had poured their hearts out in the bathroom, but in the end, what they got in return was six years of silence.
Now, whether it was Ino or Hinata, they were simply tolerating the false peace Naruto deliberately maintained. Lovers and friends, holding hands at the same time.
…
At Yamanaka Flower Shop, Ino sat bored at the counter.
There was a sound of bells at the door, and she instinctively looked up.
Then, she saw a tall figure blocking the door, standing there and smiling at her.
He looked just like he did in their youth, waving at her under the big green tree.
"What are you doing here?" Ino asked in surprise.
"I sneaked out from Choji’s place. You know how he is, always idle." Naruto reached out and pinched her cheek, "As soon as he heard I was back, he dragged me over."
"That's exactly what Choji is like." Ino covered her mouth and laughed, her eyes curving into crescents.
Suddenly, Naruto seemed to remember something. He first glanced in the direction of the stairs, then glanced at Ino again and asked cautiously, "Are Uncle and Auntie here?"
"No, Dad went to the Intelligence Division, and Mom is visiting a friend." Ino said with a smile, "Why? Do you really want to see them?"
"Not really, I just brought some gifts for them. This is for you." Naruto smoothly pulled out a few gift boxes, almost like muscle memory.
Although he had bought the gifts in bulk to save time and for emergencies, his feelings were genuine.
"Thank you. Just put them there for now." She pulled Naruto to sit down, and the two of them huddled close behind the counter, "How have you been outside?"
"Pretty good. I’ve just been wanting to see you, but things kept getting in the way." Naruto smiled at her, their eyes met and they shared a knowing smile.
The two of them had long since developed a tacit understanding. Sometimes, even without speaking, a single glance was enough to understand each other. Therefore, the two of them could understand each other without any worries, and even tolerate each other.
Ino's tolerance for Naruto was almost limitless. For example, with regarding, she had never truly forced Naruto to make a choice. She understood, so she always tolerated Naruto.
She had always been someone with strong boundaries, considerate of others. So, she didn't want to do anything drastic before there was a clear way forward.
…
At the Hyuga Clan’s compound.
Hinata sat on the edge of the corridor in the backyard, gazing at the treetops beyond the white wall, her expression unusually calm. However, her mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts, tangled like a mess.
Hanabi stood behind the sliding door, curiously watching her older sister, and called out softly.
"What's wrong?" Hinata turned around and showed a warm smile.
Seeing her sister's smile unchanged, Hanabi's worries eased. She looked at Hinata and simply shook her head, then asked, "Sister, were you thinking about something just now?"