Upstairs, Ino was about to take her clothes to the bathroom. She turned off the communicator and threw it on the couch beside her. When she saw her mother coming upstairs, she stopped in her tracks.
"Want to take a shower, Ino-chan?" Rino smiled.
"Yeah." Ino ran away holding her clothes, feeling guilty and not daring to look at her mother's gaze.
Half an hour later, Ino quietly left the bathroom. Just as she was about to return to her room, Rino called out to her from the living room.
Ino stiffened and turned around awkwardly.
"Mom?"
"Hmm, let's talk in your room, okay?" Rino suggested gently.
"Okay." Ino entered her room without locking the door. Rino followed in and looked at Ino, who was drying her hair, and asked, "Can you tell me about it?"
"What's going on between you and Naruto, and that Hyuga girl?"
Rino's voice was very gentle, carrying the warmth unique to mothers. Her eyes were gentle as she waited for Ino to speak.
"I…"
Ino felt a little aggrieved when she heard her mother's question. She also saw Hiashi, who also looked at her. She believed Hinata was probably facing similar questions.
She also didn't want the relationship between the three of them to be unclear, but what else could she do? Should she just leave? She had never thought of doing that.
"We're just… just friends." Ino said.
"Who? You and the Hyuga girl are friends? What about Naruto?" Rino continued to ask, not letting Ino off the hook with vague answers.
"You're in a relationship, right?" She asked.
"… Yeah." Ino lowered her head.
"If that's the case, why does Naruto have a connection with Hinata? Are you..." Rino frowned slightly, probably guessing the truth of the matter.
"Does he want to be with both of you?"
"No, it's not like that." Ino panicked and said subconsciously, "Hinata and I are friends. Naruto doesn't have that kind of idea."
Hearing this, Rino's frown deepened. No one knows a daughter better than her mother.
…
Meanwhile, in the Hyuga Clan's compound, Hinata was feeling uneasy.
When Hiashi called her aside to talk, her palms were sweating profusely. Fortunately, Hiashi didn't say much, but just asked her to pay attention to the clan's tradition.
Back in her room, Hinata lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze. Her communication device lay beside her, its screen dark.
She wanted to turn it on and talk to Naruto, but when she thought about what happened in the past two days, she was at a loss. Now that the truth was out in the open, she couldn't keep pretending.
How could she share someone she loved so much? Even the thought of it was unbearable.
The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved Hinata feel.
'We had done so much together, yet it still wasn't enough for him to love only me. How did he and Ino usually interact?'
As these thoughts swirled in her mind, Hinata felt a heavy weight pressing on her chest. Tears streamed down her face, soaking her pillow.
The night passed in silence.
Naruto woke up in the apartment, and was in a daze for a second when he opened his eyes. He habitually used the communication device to contact the two girls, but just like yesterday, the call did not go through.
After a few unsuccessful attempts, he didn't panic. Instead, he stored the communication devices in his sealed space.
It has been two days since that incident, and there is probably a result. Now, no matter what he does, nothing can be changed. The best course of action was to figure out the stance of both families as soon as possible.
The fact that he couldn't reach them didn't unsettle him too much. At least it showed that both girls still had feelings for him.
What he feared most was one of them answering his call calmly, as if nothing had happened, and then letting things fade away.
After getting out of bed and washing up, Naruto stood in front of the mirror, brushing his teeth and thinking silently about his future plans.
Regardless of how things turned out with Ino and Hinata, he still had to finish what he was supposed to do.
Even if one of them cut ties with him no one in Konoha would dare to steal his girl.
Even if someone becomes stupid and blind because of love, his smoking ancestral grave will make him sober instantly. If someone competes with you for Ino or Hinata, then he could listen to what his ancestors say.
He wanted both Ino and Hinata, and no one else could have them except him.
As he finished his morning routine, Kurama stumbled in from the balcony, drunk as usual. The dog glanced at Naruto before flopping onto the small couch.
"How much did you drink?" Naruto asked, feeling exasperated.
"I've thought about it and decided to enjoy life while I can." Kurama climbed onto the small sofa with difficulty and burped the moment he turned over, "We'll deal with the future when it comes."
Hearing this, Naruto chuckled. He nodded and said, "You're right, Kurama. Out of all the time I've known you, you've finally said something sensible."
"Hu hu hu hu!!~"
Kurama was already snoring and didn't hear what Naruto said. The plump fox was lying on the sofa, looking comically round.
Naruto laughed out loud and went out, washing away the decadence that had accumulated over the past two days.
Walking in the corridor with sunlight on the wall, bathing in the warm sunshine, his mood could not help but become relaxed.
Once he dealt with this situation, his next target was Iwagakure. He needed to complete the Mission Line III, which is gathering the ten Jashin's Followers, and claim the reward of restoring the body to its 18-year-old state.
The Akatsuki had only a few members, and Team Taka was even smaller. Naruto can also gather a team of forces, one that would be larger and stronger than theirs.
Whether it was the 'Ten Goddesses of Uzumaki' or something else, he needed to fill the completion bar as soon as possible.
Time was running out, and he couldn't delay the Mission Line III any longer.
If he waits until the Shinobi World is in chaos, even if he completes the Mission Line III by then, it will be difficult to convince Tsunade to let go of her worries and come back to help him complete Otsutsuki Corruption Plan.
After all, Tsunade still cared more about Konoha. If the Shinobi World is in chaos, the existence of the village will be threatened. Tsunade will fight for her life and most likely will not agree to his conditions.
He doesn't know where Tsunade is now. The matter of the Ryumyaku is really hard to explain, so that both of them are a little awkward. Naruto also regrets it, but… Tsunade's knot had already taken root.
There is no point in simply regretting. He still has to get out of Konoha as soon as possible and go to the Iwagakure to backstab Onoki.