ushernet Chapter 186: The Invitation
Chapter 186: The Invitation
Chapter 186: The Invitation
Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 186: The Invitation
Naruto landed next to a panicked Ino, who was frantically administering first aid to the unconscious young man.
"He's still alive?" Naruto's tone carried genuine surprise. That fall would have killed most Jonin-level ninja.
'Maybe I underestimated him with my initial assessment. He must have prepared some life-saving method in advance,' he thought, noting the faint traces that the ink armor had left on the boy's body.
"Are you crazy?!" Ino's angry voice snapped him out of his musings. "Were you really trying to kill this guy?!"
Naruto blinked at her reaction.
It wasn't the boy's well-being that concerned her but rather the consequences he might face for attacking a fellow Konoha ninja.
She worked quickly, her hands glowing with chakra as she stabilized the young man's injuries.
Naruto watched her work with a mix of curiosity and respect. Two years ago, Ino barely knew basic medical jutsu, but her training under Shizune and Lady Tsunade had clearly paid off. This also meant that Ino had a great deal of natural talent for this type of jutsu, or else, Tsunade would not have wasted her time with the girl.
"Not bad," Naruto commented. "Looks like Tsunade's a decent teacher after all." It was hard to imagine for him, as he had mostly seen her worst side.
Ino shot him a harsh glare. "Call her Lady Tsunade, at least. Addressing the Hokage so casually is incredibly disrespectful."
Naruto shrugged. "I always address her properly in public. And shouldn't you be focusing on him?" He gestured to the unconscious boy.
Naruto gave her a sidelong glance. "If you say so."
Ino began eyeing him critically, her gaze sweeping up and down his frame. Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Do you have a suit you can wear tonight?" she asked. Most of his outfits were simple robes or tunics, and she wanted him to make a good impression.
"A suit of armor? Why would I have that?" Naruto looked genuinely puzzled. "Steel plates wouldn't offer any real protection against someone at my level of strength. They'd just slow me down and get in the way."
Ino pinched the bridge of her nose. "Not armor. I mean formal clothing. Like a nice outfit."
" When did you buy something like that?" Ino was genuinely curious about it.
" It was two years ago, in the Land of Snow. I visited some clothing stores after my mine attire was damaged in an explosion that occurred near the end of my mission. I only found a single shop that sold robes like the ones I use. But it was a very fancy and expensive one."
" Did Lord Jiraya pais for it?" Ino knew that Naruto wasn't exactly swimming in money.
" No, Miss Yukie told me to get two and that I didn't have to pay. In exchange, she only asked me to get out of her country as soon as possible. " He shrugged. " Is not like I had planned on staying there." Although he had to admit that the way she said it was kinda rude.
Ino couldn't suppress a laugh. "Poor Princess Koyuki. I'm not surprised."
"Why?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious.
"You really don't know?. They're still rebuilding her palace," Ino replied with a smirk. "I saw a documentary about it last year. The destruction you caused was... impressive."
Naruto frowned. "Still rebuilding? It's been two years. How slow can they be? It was just a small palace."
Ino shook her head, suppressing another laugh. "Just wear those robes tonight, and try to behave, okay? My mom's really looking forward to meeting you."
"I'll try," Naruto said, though he still wasn't entirely sure what to expect.
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