In Konoha, Naruto lies down

The Yamanaka couple were naturally flattered, as this kind of scene was something that only happened once in eight hundred years. Jiraiya was often away from home and rarely interacted with the people in the village.

The Sannin had all been through war, and they actually had some complaints about the village's practices. Having suffered setbacks in their youth, and knowing they couldn't change, they'd become more open-minded as they got older.

The attitude of the Sannin's generation towards the conflicts in the village can be seen more clearly. They don't want to care about it, but they can't let it go. Most of the time, they wander away from the village.

The Shanzhong Clan had always kept a low profile, having worked in the Intelligence Department for many years, and usually referred to themselves as the Pig, Deer, and Butterfly Clan. They were already low-key, so there was nothing to avoid at this moment.

"Lord Jiraiya, I'm sorry for not coming to greet you in person." Yamanaka Hai's hand trembled slightly, and even though his face was calm, he could not hide his excitement.

"No need to be like that. I just returned to the village not long ago and came here to take a look." Jiraiya didn't mention Naruto or Ino at all, and started chatting with the Yamanaka couple.

White smoke curls up from the teacups, and the living room is filled with joy.

"I remember you were a child...you seemed only this tall. I didn't expect that you would get married and have children in the blink of an eye." Jiraiya took a sip of tea and couldn't help but sigh as he looked at Yamanaka Rino.

"Time flies so fast. Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye."

"It's like this, Master Jiraiya." Yamanaka Rino smiled, "Time has indeed flown by quickly, but Master Jiraiya is still as charming as ever."

"Hahaha, of course. I was one of the most handsome guys in Konoha back then." Jiraiya laughed heartily.

Although the other party was not in the village, he seemed to be very familiar with them. However, the two of them did not pay much attention to it. Perhaps in their subconscious, they thought that this was how important people like the Sannin behaved.

In fact, this was just Jiraiya's professional expertise. In order to prevent the sudden visit from being a cold reception, he simply spent a day doing some homework.

It was the first time for Jiraiya to do homework for such a thing, and this feeling made him feel strange. But then he thought about it, Naruto almost tricked him into doing this, and suddenly it was not strange anymore.

"Speaking of..."

Ino appeared once in the middle and greeted Jiraiya politely. But she didn't stay for long, just a few words, and then disappeared again.

Ino wasn't stupid either, and she could probably guess why Jiraiya had suddenly come to visit her. She wanted to laugh, as only that guy could pull off such a stunt.

The anger she had been feeling for so many days had long since subsided, and she just felt that it was somewhat interesting, as if they were interacting with each other from a distance.

Jiraiya didn't react much either, chatting and laughing with the Yamanaka couple as if they were just dropping by to visit. He talked about many things, but didn't mention Naruto at all.

As the sun set, Jiraiya politely declined the Yamanaka couple's offer to keep him for dinner and left.

At the Yamanaka clan's residence, the couple saw Jiraiya off and looked at each other.

"What should we do?" asked Yamanaka Rino.

"I didn't expect that the brat could even invite Lord Jiraiya. I just don't know what Lord Jiraiya means." Yamanaka Inoichi sighed.

"We'll see how the situation develops, but that brat did go a bit too far this time." He sighed, "Even with Master Jiraiya's endorsement, I can't forgive him so easily."

"Ah."

.......

"You really went?"

"of course."

The sound of clinking glasses rang out, and at the table in the izakaya, Jiraiya smiled and looked at Naruto. He pointed at him, his mouth slightly raised.

"Don't play tricks all the time. Forget about other things, but don't be so casual about your feelings."

"I know.

"I helped you this time, but I may not be able to help you next time." Jiraiya took a sip of wine, "But this matter is probably almost resolved, so you can rest assured."

"There won't be a next time." Naruto responded, "This time it's all Uchiha Obito's fault. Next time, if you meet that idiot, remember to stay away from him, lecherous sage."

"Uchiha Obito? Is he that dangerous?"

"No, he's mentally retarded and won't live long." Naruto raised his head and retorted, "I mean you don't want to be affected by his bad luck, stay away from him."

Hearing this, Jiraiya looked at Naruto thoughtfully, thinking that this guy still had such a strong desire for revenge.

"What is Uchiha Obito's ability?"

"It seems to be... the ability of space teleportation." Naruto hesitated for a moment and said, "Anyway, it's quite troublesome, lecherous sage, if you have nothing to do, you'd better avoid it."

Jiraiya thought about it and nodded in agreement.

"Row."

Naruto didn't expect Jiraiya to agree so easily. Given his personality, he wouldn't agree so easily. His reaction caught Jiraiya's eyes and made him laugh.

"What? What's your reaction?" Jiraiya asked with a smile.

"Nothing, I just find it a little strange that you agreed so readily?" Naruto spread his hands and said, "Shouldn't you just say some big words and then forget what I said?"

"If it were in the past, I might have said that." Jiraiya held the wine glass without drinking it, looked at Naruto with a drunken look, and said with a grin.

"Right now I'm kind of looking forward to your wedding with Ino, and I don't really want to take any chances."

Hearing this, Naruto's face showed a touching expression, and he was stunned for a long time. Then he looked up at the ceiling, as if trying to hold back tears of emotion.

Jiraiya smiled slightly at the sight and was about to take a sip of his wine when he heard Naruto suddenly say something.

"How dare you assume there aren't three people at my wedding?"

Jiraiya: “….”

He looked at Naruto with a complicated expression, and suddenly felt the urge to kick him. This man was truly shameless, and his shamelessness was only growing thicker by the day.

"Naruto!"

"Hmm? What's wrong? Lecherous immortal," he leaned forward, looking confused.

"You're not really thinking of taking it all, are you?" Jiraiya glared at him. "You're basically playing with fire. Can't you just be more quiet?"

"I'm quite well behaved!" Naruto was puzzled. "I'm already this strong. I haven't harmed the village or done anything evil. How can I not be well behaved?"

"Sexy Immortal, please don't slander me out of thin air. I'm serious with them and have given them genuine feelings. Hmm? Can't I like two people at the same time?"

"Those nobles in the Land of Fire have parties every day and nothing happens to them. Do I have to become a noble to be allowed to have two loves?"

"Stop quibbling here. I'm just advising you to be more cautious." Jiraiya felt helpless.

"Okay." Naruto smiled and drank the wine in the glass. "I promise it won't be this bad next time. Absolutely not."

At the same time, I silently added in my heart that it would not be long before everything would be open and aboveboard.

Chapter 454: Scumbags will only survive in desperate situations. Some people are born to be together, such as you and

Late at night, Naruto lay on his bed in his bedroom, still in a daze as he thought about everything that had happened in the past few days. It seemed that everything had been resolved, in his own way.

Thinking about it carefully, there seems to be no loopholes.

First it was Uchiha Itachi, Nagato, and Obito. Things became more and more complicated, and more and more people were involved. Sometimes he himself wondered if he was too reckless.

Not only did he not hide, but he also stepped forward with even greater arrogance, wanting to make the world run the way he wanted. He almost got Hinata and Ino into trouble.

He was indeed anxious. Perhaps the skills given by the system were too powerful, so he could not stand those people jumping around outside, and could not bear to see those around him taking risks.

Because I didn't want to wait any longer, I just went to the scene myself. So far, the progress is pretty good, the Snow Country and the Lightning Country...

Every time Naruto thought about those messy things, he wanted to give up. He wished he could find someone as smart as Shikamaru to help him keep an eye on things, so that he could live a carefree life.

But what he was about to do was too outrageous, and he couldn't trust anyone with it. After much deliberation, he could only speed up the plan and drag as many people into it as possible.

The reason why he insisted on dragging more people into the water was not because there is strength in numbers, which may be a small convenience, but more importantly, it was to make that group of people shut up.

He couldn't look directly at people's hearts. He didn't want to save the world alone. If it weren't for the fact that the ninja world was destroyed and the people he cared about would die with it, he wouldn't even bother to move.

Most heroes in the ninja world don't end up well, and Naruto knows this all too well. He doesn't think he's an exception. If you become a hero, you have to face many problems.

As for the best choice, the three ninjas had already given the answer. They were powerful and could either go far away and live freely, or live according to their own wishes like Orochimaru.

If Jiraiya had stayed in Konoha from the beginning, his fate would probably not have been much better than that of Hatake Tsumabushi. But where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, whether in Konoha or elsewhere, it is impossible for all the people to be good.

If you have a big fist, you can live comfortably everywhere, but people will eventually grow old and have weaknesses. Heroes grow old, beauties grow old, and talents run out, and beautiful women die young.

After much deliberation, he decided to finish his work quickly and then lay down his mind. He let others do the limelight, as he only needed one result: peace and prosperity.

Naruto fell asleep in a daze.

The next day.

At nine o'clock in the morning, there was a sound of a key turning outside Naruto's door. There was a clattering sound of metal gears turning, and the spring clicked open.

The door was pushed open, and Ino walked into the entrance, put her hands on her hips, looked around, and frowned when she saw the dust above the shoe cabinet.

In the bedroom, Naruto heard the noise and walked out of the room with messy hair. The living room was dim, and he still held the door handle of the room, staring blankly at Ino, who was wearing house slippers, walking towards him.

He blinked, wondering if he was dreaming. Perhaps he was just half asleep and hadn't woken up at all. So Naruto shook his head vigorously, but fortunately, Ino didn't disappear.

Ino wore a ponytail, a beige cropped top with a cropped navel, and a fitted chiffon denim skirt. She glanced at him, then put her hands on her hips and said helplessly.

"There's dust on the shoe cabinet."

"Ah, I forgot to clean it up, I..." Naruto looked at Ino's fair and smooth face, and her slightly reproachful raised eyebrows, and suddenly wanted to kiss her.

in the bathroom.

Naruto stood under the shower, his mind a bit confused. He hadn't expected Ino to approach him, and even before he closed his eyes for sleep the previous night, he had already thought of a shameless way to tease her.

Ino has a bit of a temper, and she's not the type to be easily influenced. Perhaps coaxing Hinata will be enough, but coaxing Ino is not an easy task.

Unexpectedly, Ino actually approached him. Her attitude didn't seem quite as cold and stiff, but it certainly wasn't warm either.

Amidst the mist, he thought of Ino's slightly dissatisfied face and her slender, white waist that could be held in her hand. It would not be an exaggeration to call her a beauty.

But he had never been so nervous before, his heart was pounding.

He was a little confused about Ino's attitude. He hadn't seen her for a few days and hadn't been able to contact her, so he didn't quite understand what was going on.

On the sofa, Ino threw ice cubes into the cold black tea and threw the straw in. She leaned forward slightly, opened her red lips slightly, bit the straw and took a sip.

Then he took a sip and flattened the straw with his tongue, leaving a clear and neat tooth mark.

Not long after, Naruto came out of the bathroom. This time, he didn't just throw himself in a yukata and walk around. He probably knew it wasn't the time to mess around, so he put on his clothes.

Ino glanced at him and was about to take a sip of the tea, but Naruto snatched it away and drank most of it in one gulp. The cold tea immediately made her feel so comfortable that she squinted her eyes.

"My parents talked to me yesterday about you," she suddenly said.

"What did you say?" Naruto pretended to be calm and sat opposite her.

"You should be able to guess. Ask me something about you and me... and Hinata." Ino glanced at him, "Why were we captured at the same time."

Having said that, Ino held her forehead with her wrist, pressed it against her forehead, closed her eyes and said in distress.

"It's so annoying. I don't want to respond."

Although it was Naruto's fault, he chose not to apologize. A dry apology is useless. Solving the problem mainly requires responding to the other person's demands.

At that moment, several thoughts flashed through his mind, and he blinked and analyzed them quickly.

Ino was questioned by her parents, mainly about the relationship between the three of them. After Jiraiya's visit, her parents may have been shaken.

The specific questioning was to emphasize the answer. What kind of answer did they want? It was nothing more than that the Hinata incident was just a misunderstanding and there was no ambiguous relationship between them.

When questioned, Ino's reaction was irritation, even though she knew the answer. She didn't want to respond because she was too lazy to say it, or simply didn't want to respond at all.

Evading means that she doesn't want to say it herself and doesn't want to lie for him. Ino knows that Naruto and Hinata have a close relationship, but they are not actually in a relationship now.

Therefore, Ino has no way to blame Naruto. After all, strictly speaking, she and Naruto are just in an ambiguous relationship, and Naruto and Hinata are also in an ambiguous relationship.

Perhaps because Naruto had been away on missions frequently in recent years, their time together had become less frequent. As time went on, no one seemed to have mentioned reaffirming their relationship.

If we weren't lovers, we couldn't be called cheating or two-timing. Even if we had sex, it seemed like we were never together like a real couple.

Ino had obviously noticed Naruto's intentional or unintentional blurring of their relationship over the years, and she was annoyed by this Schrödinger's relationship.

Ino didn't know the answer, and naturally, the Yamanaka couple couldn't get a satisfactory answer from her.

Add it all up, and what Ino is seeking is probably... a precise relationship. A partnership that's less than marriage and more than romance, but more precise and solid.

In this way, Ino's abnormal attitude just now makes sense.

Tick-tick. Naruto looked at Ino and blinked twice. At the same time, he thought clearly about the joints before and after, and then he spoke with a slightly lowered gaze.

"Do you want me to explain?"

"What to explain?" Ino frowned.

"After this incident, I couldn't contact you and was worried for many days." Naruto lowered his head and pondered for a moment, "I couldn't sleep at night and was in a trance during the day."

This was Naruto's usual tactic. No matter what, he would first play the sympathy card. Then he would transition the topic and actively lead the conversation to their relationship.

He held his head with both hands, inserted his fingers into his golden hair, and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.