"So the higher-ups are taking communications more seriously now?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Yeah, no idea what's gotten into them. Suddenly, they allocated funds to the Intelligence Division." Ino said lazily, leaning against Naruto.
"That's a good thing. Might have something to do with Kakashi-sensei. After all, they just busted a bunch of higher-ups colluding with nobles from the Land of Fire."
"Serves them right. Noble money isn't so easy to take. Once you accept their favors, you're stuck working for them." Ino said with a laugh.
"Working for them? Sounds more like begging to me." He muttered, "I can't do that. I'd rather just rob…"
"What are you mumbling about over there?" Ino turned her head to look at him.
"I said Choji's got some secret savings stashed in the bookcase compartment." Naruto changed the subject.
"Wait, really?" Ino suddenly grinned. "No wonder his wife complained to me last time, saying she always suspected Choji was hiding money so he could sneak out and eat more."
"What's wrong with eating more? His clan's secret techniques rely on all that weight!"
"Not like that! Don't you know the saying 'too much is just as bad as too little'?" Ino poked him with a finger, "Uncle Choza isn't that fat either. Their clan just looks heavy, and most of it is actually muscle."
"If he eats more, he has to train more. He's gotta work it off. But Choji just eats without training. If he keeps this up, he'll get too fat, and his health will suffer."
"Ohhh, I see." Naruto nodded sagely, his hands starting to wander again.
"Ah! Are you crazy? It's still daytime!" Ino pushed him away, "You should get going… my mom's probably coming back soon."
"Fine." Naruto grumbled, reluctantly standing up.
"I'll be back in a few days. I'll come find you then!" Maybe feeling a little bad for Naruto, Ino stood up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
Some things, once tasted, become hard to forget. It wasn't that Ino was addicted, but she'd grown accustomed to it, like eating or drinking, just on a longer cycle.
The only downside was that Ino didn't like leaving the lights on. Naruto had assumed her lively personality would make her more open to new ideas, but he'd been wrong.
"Alright."
Not long after Naruto left the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Ino's mother, Rino, arrived home. Glancing around, she saw her daughter lounging in the soft chair by the counter, reading, and didn't think much of it.
She set down her bag, adjusted her jade bracelet, and poured herself a cup of tea.
"Ino, three days from now is Asuma's daughter's first meal ceremony. Your father and I are busy, but if you're free, you should go."
"I can't, Mom, I have a mission." Ino's eyes were still on the page of the book, "Asuma-sensei already said it's fine if we can't make it. We'll catch up next time."
"You kid, how can you not go just like that?" Rino frowned, "Never mind, I'll go myself."
"Okay~" Ino flipped a page and didn't take it to heart, "Mom, what are we having for dinner today?"
"Some light dishes. Didn't you say meat's been too greasy lately?" Rino set down her teacup, "Are you feeling sick? You used to love it."
"I don't know, just tired of it, I guess." Ino yawned, "Maybe I've been too idle lately. With nothing to do, I don't even feel like moving."
Hearing this, Yamanaka Rino, who was putting on an apron, looked back at Ino, her hands tying the belt paused.
"Then you should check if you've gained weight. You might've put on a couple pounds."
"Ah! No way!" Ino protested, but she still bolted up, muttering 'I can't have, I can't have' as she nervously stepped onto the scale.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
"I really am gaining weight!"
Listening to her daughter's despairing shriek, Rino chuckled.
"If you've gained weight, just move around more. How could you have gained when you've barely been eating?"
"I don't know. I've been so idle lately that I don't have much of an appetite." Ino stared despondently at the scale, "How can I gain weight just from drinking water?"
Rino didn't pay much attention to her daughter's grumbling. She adjusted her hair in the mirror and then unhurriedly went upstairs.
After dinner, Ino sat by the window, watching the darkening sky. For some reason, a wave of gloom suddenly washed over her. There was no clear cause… just a stifling heaviness in her chest.
She'd been in a good mood earlier, but now, alone as night fell, she inexplicably felt like crying. She didn't know why. She just wasn't happy.
Emotions were like the wind… coming and going unpredictably. Even she couldn't grasp them, and the more it happened, the more frustrated she grew.
Outside, the twilight blurred the line between sky and horizon. The street bustled with noise, and the scent of grilled meat wafted in through the window.
"Ugh…!" Ino suddenly gagged, clutching her chest as she dry-heaved over the windowsill.
With a click, she shut the window between heaves and bolted to the second-floor bathroom. Leaning over the sink, she dry-heaved a few more times.
Hearing the commotion, Rino walked to the door, knocked, and asked with concern.
"Ino, what's wrong?"
"Nothing… I just, ugh, smelled something greasy and felt sick," Ino managed between heaves, tears welling up as she splashed water on her face.
Under the bright bathroom light, Rino studied her daughter's damp face, her frown deepening. Concern flickered in her eyes as she scrutinized Ino.
She was about to say something when she noticed that Ino's features seemed softer, less like the youthful, scrunched-up face she remembered.
There was a new gentleness in her expression, a quiet maturity under the light. It reminded her of… herself, back when she first became a mother.
At that thought, her heart immediately skipped a beat.
'No way.'
By the time she snapped out of it, Ino was already sprawled on the couch, watching TV and biting into an apple.
"Hey! You didn't wash that!"
"I already ate it all!" Ino took another bite and snorted.
"You're so grown up, yet still such a child." Rino complained, and the worry in her heart dissipated.
'I must've imagined it. The weather's been weird lately.;
"So what? I am still a child anyway!" Ino said casually, wearing bunny pajamas and staring intently at the TV.
"I'm heading to bed. When your father gets back, remember to go downstairs and let him in."
"I know, I know."
"Honestly…"
As the bedroom door closed, Ino paid no mind, completely oblivious to any other possibility. She just mindlessly laughed at the TV, the apple suddenly tasting bland in her mouth.
Her gaze drifted to the fruit bowl on the table, lingering on the greenish oranges. After a moment, she grabbed one and started peeling it.
Lately, everything tasted dull—even meat was unappetizing. But as she bit into the tangy orange, its juice bursting on her tongue, she finally tasted something.
"Huh… not that sour." She murmured to herself, still grinning at the TV.
She had no experience with this. With work still ahead, pregnancy was the last thing on her mind. Even if she had been seeing Naruto more often lately, the idea never crossed hers.