In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

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At night, Naruto changed into more comfortable clothes and headed out to get dinner.

Not long after he started wandering the street, he ran into some familiar faces: Shikamaru, Choji, and two girls who seemed unfamiliar but carried a refined air.

It looked like the four were out shopping, struggling to decide where to eat. Shikamaru and Choji were dressed casually in short sleeves and shorts, both wearing expressions of mild annoyance.

The two girls, dressed brightly and fashionably, were complaining as they carried bags, clearly a bit unhappy.

Seeing this, Naruto quickly shrank his neck, hoping to avoid being noticed, and tried to slip away. They were clearly out on a date, and it would be awkward for him to join them while he was just out to grab food.

However, Shikamaru quickly locked eyes with Naruto and called out to him, waving him over. Naruto's eyes twitched, knowing that what he feared would come true.

"What are you hiding for?" Shikamaru, looking as lazy as ever, asked with an exhausted expression, looking a bit like a henpecked husband.

"I wasn’t hiding." Naruto said, brushing some wrinkles from his shirt.

The lively conversation from a moment ago quickly died down after Shikamaru’s call. The two girls turned to look at Naruto, sizing him up with curious gazes.

The girl next to Shikamaru is a head shorter than him, has very fair skin and smiles generously. The girl next to Choji is not the dark-skinned Kunoichi from Kumogakure Naruto was expecting, but a female Kunoichi from Konoha, who is slightly plump and cute.

Because Naruto had thwarted the Akatsuki’s plan, the timeline had extended, and the Fourth Shinobi World War did not start as scheduled. Shikamaru and Choji had reached the age of marriage, so it was natural for them to have partners by their sides.

Since the Fourth Shinobi World War hadn’t started yet, there was still rift between the Five Great Shinobi Villages. At this time, cross-border marriages were naturally unnecessary.

The longstanding Ino-Shika-Cho Clans were well-established, and a marriage alliance with any of the prominent clans in Konoha was more than feasible.

"Uzumaki Naruto, the guy I mentioned last time." Shikamaru turned to the two girls and casually introduced him, "We grew up together. Since we ran into him, let’s all eat together."

"Yes, let's go together." Choji chimed in enthusiastically.

The two girls smiled and greeted Naruto, and readily agreed to Shikamaru's suggestion. They were well aware of Naruto's special connection to both the Godaime and Rokudaime Hokage.

It wasn’t that they’re being overly opportunistic, it's just that within the same social circles, they had a better understanding of things. In this group of second-generation elites, there was no need for arrogance.

Although Naruto himself was also part of that ‘second-generation elites’, his social circle barely intersected with Shikamaru and a few others. So even though Shikamaru's friends know Naruto, Naruto will not take the initiative to engage with them.

The reason for this didn’t need to be spelled out… it was like two people from different worlds. Even if they lived in the same village, there was no need to impose on each other. Naruto knew well how he was perceived by others.

"You guys have no shame, huh? You’re all in couples, what am I doing tagging along alone?" Naruto waved his hand in refusal, ‘I’m not looking to get emotionally scarred here?’

"Why don’t you just call Ino? She should be at home." Shikamaru teased.

"Yeah, the Yamanaka Flower Shop is not far from here." Choji added, his small eyes twinkling with amusement, "Naruto, just get Ino to join us for dinner!"

"It's just a meal anyway, so eating with six people is more fun than eating with four." Shikamaru’s girlfriend chimed in instantly.

Naruto sighed, "Alright then."

He had initially planned to grab a quick meal and go home to rest, and looking for Ino would be a matter for tomorrow. However, with two girls present, Naruto couldn’t bring himself to let down his two friends.

So, the five of them split into two groups, four of them went ahead to queue at the busy restaurant, while Naruto went to pick up Ino.

Yamanaka Flower Shop.

When he pushed the door open and entered the store, Naruto found Rino was inside, which struck him as odd. But after thinking about it, he remembered that this flower shop was originally run by Ino's mother, so there was nothing strange about it.

Maybe it was because he always came at the wrong time and didn't meet Rino.

"Hello, Auntie." Naruto greeted politely.

"Naruto? Are you here to find Ino?" Rino smiled warmly, clearly satisfied with him, "She’s upstairs, you can go ahead and find her."

"Thank you, Auntie." Naruto wasted no time and went upstairs directly.

Ino had already heard the commotion downstairs and was sitting at her desk pretending to tidy up. The walls were plastered with various notes and papers, and a pink string hung above her desk, also clipped with several pieces of information.

"Let's go out for dinner, Shikamaru and Choji are waiting for us." Naruto said, leaning against the doorframe.

"No thanks, I’m busy." Ino replied without hesitation. What was the point of dining with those two guys? She’d rather have a private moment with Naruto.

"I've already promised them I’d bring you." Naruto walked over and pulled Ino up by her arm, "Besides, they brought girls with them, and I don’t want to be the odd one out."

"Girls? Why are you joining their date?" Ino’s eyes widened.

"Hmm?" Naruto’s hand gripped hers gently, the softness of her skin noticeable.

"It's not like I want to go, but I need your help. Come on." Naruto urged, pulling her slightly toward the door. However, Ino pulled away. She huffed slightly and said righteously, "I need to put on makeup."

"??? What for? You’re already prettier than both of them even without makeup. There's no need to go through so much trouble." Naruto said, looking exasperated.

"Really?" Ino asked doubtfully.

"I swear on my life." Naruto sighed, trying to coax her, "Come on, princess, they’re still waiting in line. Let’s just go."

"Okay!" Ino glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her neck blushing slightly. She then said in a muffled voice, "You go out first, I'll change my clothes."

"Alright." Naruto responded coolly, leaving the room like a gentleman.

As he stepped out, Naruto noticed the faint sweet scent lingering in Ino’s room, something he hadn’t noticed while inside.

The sound of Ino shuffling to change clothes came from within the room, as if the door between them didn’t exist.

When Ino was changing clothes, she almost tripped. Her heart was beating uncontrollably, and for a fleeting moment, she wondered if Naruto would stubbornly insist on staying to watch her change.

The thought felt a bit improper, but she couldn’t help it. It wasn’t because she liked him, definitely not! It had to be the result of her recent lack of sleep and those bizarre thoughts!!