Chapter 13: Ino–Shika–Chō

As Natsuro and Ino walked along, they didn't converse much. Ino led the way, glancing around frequently, and then reluctantly pulling her gaze back to keep moving forward.

"It's still early; you don't have to head back so soon" Natsuro finally said from behind, unable to hold back.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ino turned around with a curious expression.

"I mean you can go have some fun if you want" he said succinctly.

"Really? That's great!" Ino cheered, finally letting go of her urge to play and darted off to the side.

He followed quietly, observing Ino's retreating figure. He thought to himself that the Ino–Shika–Chō trio of Konoha was quite impressive.

Though individually the three families might not wield much influence in Konoha, when united, their combined power was formidable. Natsuro particularly admired that these families didn't exhibit the same dark or arrogant traits as some of the other clans. Even the younger generation of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio were unaware of their own family's reputation, with the exception of Shikamaru. Given his intellect, he might have learned of it through other means.

The Ino–Shika–Chō combination was not only rare in Konoha but also exceptional in the entire ninja world. He believed their existence was due to Shikamaru's intelligence, and the mutual trust between the Ino and Chō (Yamanaka and Akimichi) families, which complemented each other perfectly.

First was the Akimichi clan's ability to enlarge and disrupt, followed by the Yamanaka clan's mind manipulation and control, enabling Nara's shadow techniques to achieve complete control. Finally, the Akimichi clan's substantial strength, though less precise, provided a perfect finishing touch.

While it seemed that the Akimichi clan's role could be replaced by any powerful jutsu user, this wasn't entirely true. The key was in the tradition. The Akimichi clan's technique was powerful from the start due to their size, but also had significant drawbacks in agility. Without the Ino–Shika–Chō combination, the Akimichi clan would merely be a large target. However, their strengths, when combined with the Yamanaka and Nara clan, were invaluable.

Other ninja clans' techniques might not guarantee powerful offspring or early access to strong jutsu. Combining with a fully developed ninja might lack the necessary synergy, creating potential problems.

From Natsuro's perspective, the Shikamaru was the most unstable part of the trio. Not only did he use the Nara clan shadow techniques, but he also provided crucial intelligence. While the unpredictability of each generation could introduce unexpected challenges, Nara Shikamaru is expected to be a promising successor.

Currently, the Ino–Shika–Chō trio's legacy seemed intact, with Nara Shikamaru as the new Shika, Akimichi Choji as the Chō, and Yamanaka Ino as the Ino.

Despite their different appearances between Choji and Ino, Ino's role as the trio made sense linguistically. The Yamanaka name translated to "field" in the wild, and "Ino" could be associated with the term "Boar." Despite while Choji's position was traditionally seen as the Butterfly (Check A/N).

He reflected that Ino was quite cute as a child. In fact, he thought all the 'Twelve Rookie Ninjas' were charming. Children, as long as they weren't causing trouble, were generally endearing. He's thoughts wandered.

"Had enough fun?" After some time, Natsuro asked, noticing that quite a bit of time had passed. Ino had been darting around energetically.

"Yes" Ino replied, suddenly realizing she had other things to do. Although she hadn't strayed from the route, she felt a bit awkward for having only played.

"It's getting late" he pointed to the sky.

"The cake shop is just ahead. It won't take long" Ino said, her face flushing slightly. She quickly led the way to a shop, which indeed turned out to be very close.

He let out a sigh of relief upon reaching the cake shop. He had been here before but hadn't realized it was a cake shop.

"Wait here" he said.

"Okay" Ino nodded and watched Natsuro enter the shop. With nothing else to do, she started kicking stones by the roadside.

After a while, Ino began to feel tired and wanted to rest, her previous energy sapped by the waiting.

Why is he taking so long? Ino looked at the shop, feeling impatient. Her fatigue made her sit down to rest.

Eventually, Natsuro emerged from the shop with a box. He sighed, realizing he had forgotten that custom cakes took time. He had to settle for a ready-made cake.

Seeing Ino sitting there, Natsuro paused and thought about her behavior earlier. It finally made sense why she was tired now.

He heard Ino muttering complaints about him and smiled.

"Why is it taking so long? This is so slow" Ino grumbled, massaging her aching legs.

"Tired?" he asked.

Ino looked up and saw Natsuro holding a box of cake. Though she might not have been impressed normally, she swallowed her saliva seeing it now.

Looking up at his smiling face, Ino hesitantly asked, "Is this for me?"

"Yeah, you've been guiding me for so long. It's a thank-you for your trouble."

Ino's cheeks reddened. After a long day of playing and now feeling hungry, she accepted the cake and began eating it silently.

Ino, while eating, asked, "Didn't you buy anything for yourself?"

"I'll share this cake with my mom at home" Natsuro said, indicating the box. He had spent most of his pocket money on it and had little left.

"I see" Ino nodded and didn't press further.

After Ino finished her cake, Natsuro asked, "Do you still have the energy to walk?"

Ino stood up and stretched her legs, uncertain. "I should be able to."

"Then you can carry this" handing her the box.

Ino was surprised, wondering why she was asked to carry it when she was already tired. Before she could voice her concerns, he turned his back, crouched slightly, indicating he was going to carry her.

"It's getting late. Hop on" he said.

"Alright" Ino agreed after a moment's hesitation. She carefully rested the cake box on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck to secure it.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Mm, ready."

Natsuro lifted Ino by supporting her legs and stood up.

"How is it? If it's too heavy, let me down. I can walk" Ino offered.

"Hmm, it's lighter than I expected" he said, starting to walk steadily back in the direction they had come.

Ino was taken aback. She looked at Natsuro and felt a resemblance to her father, then shook her head, wondering why she saw her father's image in someone her own age.

Nevertheless, Ino smiled, feeling that he was quite reliable.