"Dad, do we still have any chakra-conducting kunai at home?"
Yamanaka Ino's voice rang out the moment her father stepped through the door.Yamanaka Inoichi, exhausted from a full day of work, had barely sat down before she ambushed him with the question.
"…We do," he said, frowning. "But why are you asking? Your class hasn't reached that level yet. And those kunai aren't toys."
"Oh, it's for Tōma. He said he needs one for training."Ino answered without hesitation.
Inoichi stiffened.
Tōma? My daughter is asking for ninja tools… for another boy?
"What kind of training needs a conductive kunai?"His brows knit tighter.He didn't like this feeling—the subtle ache of a father watching his daughter grow up faster than he wanted.
"I don't know exactly," Ino said. "But he showed me something. His hand was covered in lightning. Actual lightning, Dad! It looked really cool."
The moment he heard lightning, Inoichi's annoyance evaporated.
Lightning-nature chakra.At this age.
Even as a jonin—one who worked with information and analysis every day—Inoichi had rarely seen children that young touch nature transformation.Maybe Hatake Kakashi had been similar, but that was already legendary territory.
And now his daughter's classmate was walking the same path.
He let out a slow sigh.
He wasn't the type of father who would shove his daughter toward someone for clan politics.But if she happened to like a boy with exceptional talent… well, that was her decision.
And he could already imagine boasting to Nara Shikaku if it actually worked out.
"What's with that look? Do we have any or not?" Ino pouted, tugging him back to reality.
"Yes, yes. I'll get one for you. Any specific requirements?"
"Tōma didn't ask for anything special," she said thoughtfully. "But I think we should lend him the best one we have. It'll help him the most!"
Inoichi stared at her.
My daughter's siding with someone else already… unbelievable.
Still, he rummaged through his collection and handed her a high-quality kunai—nothing extravagant, but far above standard issue.
Ino didn't know the difference; she accepted it cheerfully and rushed to her room to pack it.
The Next Day
Tōma slowly infused chakra into the kunai Ino brought—
And blinked in surprise.
He'd expected an average one.
But this…This was premium quality.The chakra flowed through it smoothly, almost effortlessly.Perfect for what he needed.
"How is it?"Ino leaned forward expectantly.
"…It's great. Really. Thank you."Tōma gave a rare, earnest nod.
Ino beamed.The look was so bright and cute that even Tōma paused, unsure what to do with the unexpected warmth in his chest.
She noticed him staring—and her inner voice started cheering like she'd just won a tournament.
Before she could overthink it, Tōma spoke.
"Ino."
"Y-yes?" Her heart skipped.
"Don't linger outside after school for the next few weeks. Go straight home. And don't wander around at night."
"…Huh? Oh. Okay."She nodded obediently, but inside—
Is he… worried about me?
Tōma wasn't thinking about romance.His mind was on something far darker.
The rising tension around the Uchiha Clan.The growing hostility among civilians.The quiet pressure from the police force.
The massacre wasn't far off.
He didn't know the exact date, but the atmosphere was unmistakable.And when a clan like the Uchiha fell, the entire village would shake.ANBU, Root, masked figures, rogue elements—anything could happen in the aftermath.
Even if Ino would be fine in canon, Tōma didn't trust reality to follow the script.
As for Naruto, he'd be guarded by the Third.Nothing would touch him.
"…Actually," Tōma said after a moment of thought, "I'll walk you home for now."
Ino froze.
"—Eh?!"
Tōma blinked, realizing how abrupt that sounded.
"That was rude of me. Your father's a jonin. I'm sure he already has precautions in place. Forget I—"
"I accept!" she blurted, cheeks turning pink. "It's not rude at all!"
Tōma hesitated.
Then nodded.
"…All right."
Ino smiled like she'd been handed the world.