Kaien left the hospital, but he didn't go straight home. He still had a mission to complete—accompanying Ino on a shopping trip to relax.
[Ding! Make-Out Paradise Mission: Rescue Hinata.
Remaining time: 72 hours.
Reward upon completion: 2,000 passion points.
If the mission fails, Hinata will be taken by Ōtsutsuki Toneri.]
The system's notification made Kaien freeze on the spot.
This was the first time the system had clearly warned him of consequences tied to failure.
[Ding! Friendly reminder: Ōtsutsuki taking Hinata is NOT a system mission penalty!]
That message made Kaien frown deeply.
Not a system penalty… then what exactly does that mean?
After receiving this mission, Kaien had the strong urge to abandon Ino's mission and immediately head to the Hokage Building to find Naruto, urging him to rescue Hinata as soon as possible.
Although Ino's mission only had a short time limit, it wasn't something instantaneous like a kiss or a touch.
Accompanying her shopping to relax would inevitably take time.
"Kaien, you're discharged!"
Just as Kaien was about to give up on Ino's mission, a sweet, pleasant voice came from behind him.
He turned around and saw Ino standing there, smiling at him.
She was wearing a purple crop top and a matching purple miniskirt, perfectly outlining her mature and sexy curves.
As always, Ino's outfit fully showcased her confident, alluring aura.
"Sister Ino? Why are you here?" Kaien asked in surprise.
Ino shot him a charming glare. "I work at this hospital too, you know!"
"Uh… right, I forgot," Kaien scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.
"Hehe." Ino chuckled softly. "How are you now? Have you recovered?"
"Yeah, no major problems," Kaien nodded.
"That's good. Then you—"
Ring-a-ling…
Before Ino could continue, her phone suddenly rang.
"Sorry, I need to take this," Ino said apologetically, then answered. "Hello, this is Ino."
As she listened, her expression gradually darkened.
Finally, she said faintly, "Okay… I understand. I'll hang up now."
After ending the call, Ino put her phone away and smiled apologetically at Kaien.
"You're probably heading back now, right? I won't bother you."
"Uh… Sister Ino," Kaien hesitated, then asked, "Did something happen?"
He had clearly noticed the gloom in her expression.
"It's nothing. Just some trivial matters," Ino replied lightly, not revealing much.
"Oh." Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it, Kaien didn't press further. "Then I'll be going."
"Wait."
Just as Kaien turned to leave, Ino suddenly called out.
"What's wrong?" Kaien turned back, puzzled.
"Accompany me for a walk," Ino said softly, a faint smile on her lips.
"…Shopping?" Kaien hesitated.
"Mm." Ino nodded.
"Alright then. I don't have anything else to do today anyway," Kaien agreed.
Originally, he planned to go find Naruto. But since Ino had asked him to accompany her, he couldn't refuse.
Besides, he already had a mission involving her.
And hurting a beautiful woman's feelings was something he simply couldn't do.
"Let's walk over there," Ino said, smiling as she naturally linked her arm through Kaien's and pulled him along.
The moment her arm wrapped around his, Kaien stiffened slightly.
The soft contact sent a numb sensation through his body, and Ino's faint fragrance made him swallow unconsciously.
"Sister Ino… where are we going to shop?" Kaien asked, forcing himself to sound casual.
"Let's just wander around," Ino replied with a smile.
The two strolled aimlessly through Konoha. For a long while, neither spoke, and the silence felt heavy.
"Sister Ino… is something bothering you?" Kaien finally broke the silence.
"No," Ino shook her head with a smile. "I was just feeling bored, so I wanted to walk around."
"…Is it because of Brother Sai?" Kaien asked cautiously.
Ino paused.
Then she fell silent.
After a long while, she sighed softly. "If only he were as considerate and attentive to girls as you are… sigh."
Sai had grown up in Root. Emotional expression and social etiquette were almost nonexistent for him.
Although he had changed over the years, when it came to feelings, he was still like an inexperienced youth, not knowing how to handle them.
Ino once liked Sasuke. After realizing that she and Sasuke were impossible, her feelings gradually faded.
Eventually, she chose Sai—someone just as aloof—hoping to find a similar feeling.
In that sense, she succeeded.
She knew Sakura's married life felt almost like she wasn't married at all, since Sasuke wasn't by her side.
Sometimes, Sakura would subtly hint that she envied Ino and Sai.
But Sakura had no idea that Ino's marriage wasn't much better.
At least Sasuke was gone.
Sai, however, was present—yet emotionally absent.
There was no romance. Aside from daily exchanges, there was almost no warmth.
"Today is the anniversary of when we officially got together," Ino said quietly.
"I adjusted my shifts and got off early… but he just called and said he was busy and couldn't accompany me."
Kaien scratched his head. "That might be because of my sister-in-law's situation. He probably really can't get away."
"…Is that so?" Ino forced a smile, her eyes filled with loneliness and bitterness.
"If it were just this year, it would be fine. But he's like this every year. He doesn't even remember."
She laughed self-mockingly.
"It's just a few hours—to eat and walk around. Does he really not even have that much time?"
...
Author's Update 📢
The fanfic Naruto: Raised by Kushina, Took His Brother's Wife – Part 1 is now officially fully completed!
The complete Part 1 has been uploaded on Patreon.
📚 Category: Naruto
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Thank you all for your continuous love, support, and patience for this story 💙