Chapter 48: The Promise

"Dad, do we still have those kunai at home that can conduct chakra?"

After a long day of work, Yamanaka Inoichi dragged his tired body back home. He hadn't rested on the couch for long before he heard his daughter's voice.

"We do, but why do you need them, Ino? Your current classes shouldn't require kunai, let alone ones like these." Inoichi asked with some confusion.

"Oh, Natsuro wants to borrow it. He said he needs it for his training." Ino answered directly, without hiding anything.

"What kind of training needs this type of kunai?" Inoichi frowned. He looked at his precious daughter, who was requesting something for another boy, and suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.

"I'm not sure, but he showed me something. There were a lot of electrical arcs jumping around in his hands. It was so cool!" Ino said, her eyes sparkling as she recalled the scene.

Immediately, Inoichi's jealousy was forgotten. Ino's words had caught his attention, and along with the request for such a kunai, he could pretty much confirm it.

His daughter's close friend, at such a young age, was already experimenting with lightning chakra nature transformation.

Though Inoichi himself didn't have a lightning nature, as a Jonin, and specifically one in the intelligence division, he had seen plenty of similar situations. But at this age? He had to admit that he hadn't seen... Well, maybe he had. He paused for a moment, recalling a man who often wore a mask. Though he wasn't sure when that man had learned, it might have been around the same age or even faster...

That man was now an elite Jonin in the village. And now Inoichi was seeing another one—his daughter's friend, no less. The key point was that Inoichi looked at his daughter, who was still lost in her daydream, and sighed.

Even though he felt a bit uncomfortable, he also thought that letting his daughter befriend someone with such talent wasn't a bad idea. After all, this was a remarkable gift.

Inoichi only had one daughter, and he wouldn't trade her happiness for personal gain. But if she happened to like the boy on her own, then it wasn't his concern.

Children should make their own decisions about their future. If their relationship was confirmed, maybe he could even show off to Shikaku. Inoichi found some comfort in that thought.

"Do we have any or not?" Ino frowned, looking at her distracted father. She was a bit impatient and pouted.

"Of course, we do. I'll get it for you in a moment. Does Natsuro have any other requests?" Inoichi snapped back to reality. He naturally wouldn't hesitate to give away a single kunai. Not to mention lending it—he wouldn't even mind giving it directly to the boy.

"He didn't mention any specific requests, but I think we should lend him our best one. That would probably help him the most with his training!" Ino's eyes lit up as she spoke.

Inoichi was speechless. Why was his daughter siding with an outsider now? However, he still picked out a good quality kunai from the ones they didn't use often and handed it to Ino.

Ino didn't know much about these things, so she happily accepted the kunai, thanked her father, and ran back to her room, where she carefully wrapped it up and placed it in her bag.

The next day.

Natsuro was experimenting with infusing his chakra into the kunai Ino had given him. He was a bit surprised; he had just asked for a functional kunai, but it seemed the one Ino brought him was of high quality.

Though he didn't have others to compare it with, he could tell the difference in quality by how efficiently the chakra flowed through it.

"So, how is it?" Ino asked, looking at him with hopeful eyes, wanting a positive answer.

"Yes, it's very good. Thank you," Natsuro said sincerely.

"As long as it's useful. I asked my dad to pick this one out for you," Ino said with a smile, finally showing her satisfaction after hearing his response.

Natsuro stared at Ino's smile for a moment. She looked really cute, and he found himself lost in thought.

Ino also noticed that Natsuro was staring at her. Though she kept a calm expression, she was cheering inside. This time, she felt her efforts had paid off!

"Ino," Natsuro suddenly called out.

"Yes? Yes?" Ino snapped out of her thoughts, looking at him with some confusion.

"Recently, don't linger on your way home after school. Go straight home. And don't go out at night," He said after some thought.

"Huh? Okay..." Ino nodded, a bit puzzled. Was Natsuro concerned about her?

He just felt that the Uchiha clan's downfall was near. Last year, the tension between the villagers and the Uchiha police force had become quite severe.

This year, though it was still early, the situation had clearly worsened.

He didn't know the exact date of the Uchiha massacre or how long it would be until it happened, but he knew it was best not to wander around the village too freely these days.

He didn't believe that Itachi could single-handedly wipe out the Uchiha clan. Maybe with Obito's help, but even then, could the two of them really pull it off?

Destroying one of the strongest clans in the village?

It seemed unlikely. So, who else would be involved in this chaos? Obito's men? White Zetsu? Or perhaps... the village's Root?

As for Hiruzen, he would likely turn a blind eye rather than get his hands dirty. But in his position, even knowing about it and not stopping it would make him complicit. The biggest example of this was Naruto's treatment.

However, Hiruzen would still mobilize forces as a precaution. If Itachi failed, Hiruzen wouldn't hesitate to take action himself.

So the village would definitely be in turmoil soon. Although Ino was unharmed in the original story, he still gave her a warning.

As for Naruto, Hiruzen was watching over him, so nothing would happen to him.

"Forget it, I'll walk you home." Natsuro was still a bit worried. He considered the directions to their homes. Though it was a bit out of his way, it wasn't entirely in the opposite direction. He could spare the time.

"Huh?!" Ino's eyes widened. Although she had no idea why Natsuro was worried about her walking home, as if there was some danger, she didn't want to question it now. This was a rare opportunity.

"I may be overstepping." Natsuro realized a moment later that something was off. He might be worrying too much. After all, Ino's father was the head of the village's intelligence department. He would have certainly noticed something and made arrangements.

Given that, the situation was already clear. However, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was entirely loyal to the Hokage, so they wouldn't act unless Hiruzen did.

"No, no, you're not overstepping. I agree!" Ino hurriedly replied, blushing. If she missed this chance, she would regret it!

He paused, looked at Ino, and finally agreed.

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And for something to look forward to, soon in the public release schedule, the MC might be getting a sensei soon ;)