"Who are you?!"
Ino only heard a few roars, and then she was embraced in a warm embrace.
She opened her eyes and saw a handsome profile that looked exceptionally eye-catching under the sunlight.
The delicate eyebrows, deep eyes, high nose bridge and slightly upturned mouth corners, everything was so perfect.
He appeared in her life at the right time, saved her at the critical moment, and...
When Ino thought of this, she felt shy and couldn't help but lean into Haruto's arms.
"Ahem!" Haruto raised his lips slightly and coughed softly. "You're affecting my fighting ability!"
"Ah!" Ino then remembered that she was still on the battlefield. She struggled, trying to get out of Haruto's arms.
"Haha!" Haruto laughed heartily, but hugged Ino even tighter. "Don't move, be careful not to fall and get hurt!"
"Promise me that you'll wear it for me to see when we get back, okay?" Haruto whispered in Ino's ear.
When Ino heard this, her face instantly turned red, like a cooked crab. She buried her face in Haruto's chest and responded with a soft "hmm."
"Haha!" Haruto laughed loudly. His eyes turned dark blue and purple, and his figure began shuttling among the unknown ninjas.
Listening to the shrill screams nearby, Ino's heart felt surprisingly calm, and she couldn't help but recall the egg-smashing incident a few days ago.
That day, she and Shikamaru and Chōji had gone to Haruto's Golden Egg Shop to smash eggs as usual.
Shikamaru and Chōji had bad luck, getting only recovery potions and energy potions, which they had already used up in the current battle.
Ino, however, got luckier. She landed a medical ninjutsu — Palm Sage Jutsu!
Most embarrassingly, she had also smashed out a JK uniform that looked extremely revealing.
That was the outfit Haruto just asked her to wear for him to see!
"So embarrassing!" Ino thought, heart pounding. "But maybe... just for him, it wouldn't be too bad."
Ino raised her head and peeked at Haruto quietly, then quickly lowered it again.
"Ugh, so annoying!" Ino pouted and gave Haruto a gentle punch on the chest.
"Ino, what are you doing?! Why are you hitting the boss?!"
Suddenly, Chōji's voice rang in her ears.
"???" Ino was confused. Why could she hear Chōji's voice? Wasn't she in Haruto's arms?
"Ino, the battle's over," Shikamaru said calmly.
"What?! The battle's over?!" Ino was shocked. That fast?
There were 40 to 50 enemy ninjas, yet Haruto took care of them already?
Or... had she really been in his arms that long?
Flustered, Ino jumped down from Haruto's arms and avoided everyone's gaze as she rushed to Asuma.
"Asuma-sensei's still not stable. My chakra's recovered a little, so let me treat him!" she said.
A light green glow appeared from her palms.
"Ahem!"
A middle-aged man's cough rang out. It was Asuma.
He had already stood up energetically and was looking at her with a teasing smile.
"Swish!" Ino's face turned bright red, and it looked like smoke was about to burst from her ears.
"So annoying!" she cried, running back into Haruto's arms and hiding her face in his chest.
"Haha!" Haruto chuckled and stopped teasing. He turned toward the bodies scattered across the battlefield.
"What happened here? Why were there so many enemies ambushing you?"
Shikamaru glanced at Asuma before speaking. "It was supposed to be a top-secret escort mission. We only learned the details upon departure. But somehow, the information was leaked. These enemies were lying in wait."
He explained how their team was tasked with escorting a high-ranking Fire Nation official back to the capital after overseeing Chūnin Exam preparations.
The enemy had clearly targeted that official.
"That explains it," Haruto said, glancing at the portly official nearby.
He looked around the battlefield. Most of the fallen were enemy ninjas, and he could tell the type of wounds they had.
"Not bad," Haruto said, turning to Shikamaru and Chōji. "Looks like you guys are learning to use your powers well."
Chōji scratched his head and chuckled shyly. Shikamaru, however, was more reserved.
He knew how much power his Kage-Kage no Mi fruit gave him, yet he had killed only half the enemies Chōji did.
Thinking back to Haruto's overwhelming presence on the battlefield, he was humbled.
Haruto had only been there for five minutes — maybe even less than two — and the entire enemy force had fallen.
"Boss, how did you know we were in danger?" Chōji asked curiously.
"Oh, didn't I give Ino a Vivre card?" Haruto said, pulling it out of his pocket.
Chōji looked over and saw a wrinkled square slip of paper glowing faintly in Haruto's palm.
"So that's what it was!" Ino pulled out her own matching card. "I can't believe this little paper saved our lives!"
She had been skeptical when Haruto gave it to her, but now she was incredibly grateful.
"I told you it's useful!" Haruto placed a hand on her head and gently ruffled her hair. "Good thing you kept it with you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found you in time."
Ino blushed once more, cherishing the warm hand on her head and the smile in Haruto's eyes.
End of the Chapter.
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