Soon, Ino and the others gathered around Naruto. Sakura greeted Sasuke with a smile, and he gave a cool nod in return.
Hinata shyly approached Naruto, who gently patted her head. Her face turned bright red in an instant.
"Naruto, I want one too!"
Ino planted her hands on her hips, staring at him with wide eyes.
"Ino, don't start," Naruto said with a grin, lowering his hand. He glanced over at Shikamaru and the rest.
Almost everyone from the Konoha 12 was there—everyone except Tenten.
"Why are you here?" Naruto asked Ino.
For some reason, Ino's relationship with Sakura had softened lately. Maybe because Ino had shifted part of her focus… to him.
Unwittingly, she had grown drawn to Naruto—that calm, steady, and mysterious air of his, as if no challenge could ever shake him. But when she thought of Hinata, a faint sadness flickered across Ino's eyes.
She quickly shook the thought away at Naruto's question.
"Isn't it great that we finally have a holiday? We came to find you guys for an outdoor camping trip!" Ino said brightly.
Choji munched away on his snacks, unfazed. Shikamaru, as usual, looked lazy, but inside he was grumbling, You're the one who dragged us here…
Choji, on the other hand, was genuinely interested. Food was always enough to win him over—and besides, Naruto's cooking was delicious.
"Hinata, what do you think?" Naruto asked.
"Mm… yes," Hinata whispered, barely louder than a mosquito.
"Who are they?" Neji quietly asked Sasuke.
"The heirs of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans. And that's Sakura… the one who excels at medical ninjutsu. Those are the main ones here," Sasuke replied.
Shino Aburame: …Did he just forget me?
Neji's world had always been focused on training, so his knowledge of others in their generation was limited. Sasuke, however—shaped by Naruto's encouragement to think beyond himself—no longer saw them as just classmates. He recognized their importance to Konoha.
And the power they represented.
Inuzuka Kiba, for instance—the Inuzuka clan's influence in Konoha couldn't be overlooked.
When Sasuke thought about it, his original team—himself, Hinata, and Naruto—was hardly an ordinary arrangement. The collective strength and backing of their generation were not to be underestimated.
"Let's go! We already picked the spot!" Ino called cheerfully to Naruto.
"Come on, let's relax today," Naruto said, turning to Neji and Lee.
Lee scratched his head. "Alright! But… they're your classmates. Is that really okay?"
"It's fine. Come with us," Naruto answered with a gentle smile.
The group soon reached a clearing deep in the forest. Naruto scanned the surroundings—the place was perfect. A flowing stream, birdsong, sunlight filtering through tall trees. The shade kept the air pleasantly cool, making it an ideal camping spot.
"Hehe, Naruto, isn't this great? We even brought seasonings. All that's left is for you to hunt!" Ino said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Naruto raised a brow. "Wait, you're not seriously trying to make me do all the hunting, are you?"
Ino nudged him playfully. "Of course. Isn't it 'the more capable you are, the more work you do'? You wouldn't really make our little princess Hinata do it, would you?"
Naruto gave her a sidelong look. This girl really knows how to corner me.
Before he could reply, a soft voice came from behind. "I… I can help too, Naruto-kun…"
Both Naruto and Ino turned. Ino groaned, covering her face. "Hinata, leave this kind of thing to the men!"
"Oh! You little brat, you've learned quite a lot," Naruto teased, looking at Ino.
"You're the brat!" Ino shot back, straightening her posture, puffing herself up as if to show off her maturing figure.
"I! Am! Not! Little! Anymore!" she declared, stressing each word.
Naruto blinked, caught off guard. She really had grown. Shinobi tended to mature quickly, and though still youthful, Ino already carried the figure of someone older. The realization left Naruto feeling a little awkward.
"Alright, alright, you're not little anymore. I'll go hunt," he said with a wry smile, glancing at the slightly downcast Hinata beside him.
"Naruto… do you… like Ino that way? I… I can also…"
Hinata's voice grew softer and softer, until even Naruto could barely catch her words.
"Hinata, what did you say? Like what?"
Naruto tilted his head, confused. He hadn't quite heard her.
"N-Nothing..."
Hinata's face turned crimson, as red as a boiled crab, steam practically rising from her head.
Why is Hinata acting like this again? Naruto thought, half amused, half helpless.
"Ino, you take care of Hinata. I'm heading out!"
He waved as he called to Sasuke and the others. "Come on, let's go hunt some game!"
Ino watched him leave with Sasuke and a few more, then snapped her gaze toward Shikamaru. Her sharp eyes made him feel as if he were sitting on a bed of needles.
"Shikamaru! Stop being so lazy and go gather firewood. And you too, Choji—don't just sit there!"
Ino began rattling off orders like a commander on the battlefield.
"Tch… women are such a drag."
"Hm?!"
"I-I'll go! I'll go!" Shikamaru quickly caved under her glare.
Fortunately for him, Naruto didn't see this scene—otherwise, he'd probably have muttered, Only troublesome men and difficult women are hard to deal with.
Just as the group busied themselves, a new voice rang out.
"I finally found you all. Neji, Lee—are you here?"
A girl in pink strode into the clearing. Her hair was styled in two neat buns, her figure tall and confident.
It was Tenten.
She had originally planned to invite her teammates Neji and Lee out for a meal, but hearing they had come here instead, she had searched high and low until she finally tracked them down.
"Oh! Tenten! Come join us," Ino called out. "We're having a feast, and Neji and Lee are both here too!"
Tenten blinked in surprise at the warm invitation, but then nodded. She had planned on eating anyway—it didn't matter where.
Tenten's family ran one of the most well-known ninja tool shops in Konoha. Even Ino had bought things there, so the two girls were at least familiar with each other.
…
Meanwhile, Naruto was still leisurely enjoying his meal, completely unaware of the storm brewing elsewhere.
At that moment, in a hidden location, Obito sat with intelligence reports Zetsu had delivered—information all centered on the mysterious Umbrella.
In his other hand, he held a book. Its cover was the unmistakable red of the Umbrella Ideology.
Zetsu had stolen it.
Obito's grim voice echoed from behind his mask. "Heh… If Konoha had produced something like this, I'd eat my own hair standing on my head."
Based on his understanding of Konoha, of Danzō, and of that hypocritical 'Will of Fire'…
Konoha could never have written such a work.
Which meant the Umbrella Organization was no front for Konoha.
Even Obito had been shaken when he first read the Umbrella Ideology. But now, lost in extremism, he clung only to his own conviction.
The world could not be saved by ideas.
Only the Eye of the Moon Plan could deliver salvation to the shinobi world.
...
TN:
Umbrella Ideology = Brainwashing 101… LOL! 🤣
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