Aprons Are Great Too...

"Scared by Itachi Uchiha."

Naruto spoke honestly, gracefully executing a smooth sword flourish, and with a soft ping sound, he slowly sheathed the sword, letting it slide into the scabbard.

"Here, this is from mother to you."

Ino pulled out a bag of food from behind her, her expression a bit unnatural.

"If you don't like it, don't say anything. Last time, you said you liked it, and mother took it seriously. When she heard you were back, she insisted I bring it to you."

"I didn't lie. Thank you for me, Auntie." He casually hung the sword on the entryway wall and lazily said, "I'll go put on some clothes, make yourself comfortable."

Ino's lips tightened, showing a displeased expression, but then she turned and lightly stepped into the hallway.

She started to take off her shoes, her ankle revealing smooth white skin, her delicate feet firmly pressing against the floor. Naruto changed clothes and walked out of his room, not looking at Ino, yawning as he headed to the kitchen to boil some water.

The apartment Naruto had moved into was much more spacious than the old, run-down one, and the decoration was much more refined. All the furniture and appliances were top of the line.

"Just got back?" Ino leaned against the kitchen doorframe, watching as Naruto sluggishly opened the fridge to prepare food.

Large beams of sunlight poured through the south-facing floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling onto the clean and tidy living room, crossing the sofa, and landing on Ino's straightened legs.

Her calves were smooth and white, the curves of her legs firm and tender.

"Mm."

Naruto flipped the switch of the kettle with a click sound, leaning on the marble kitchen counter, glancing at Ino, but his eyes finally fixed on her legs.

Ino's face twitched, and her previously calm smile slowly became strained.

"What are you looking at?"

"Legs." Naruto yawned.

Naruto had expected Ino to show a disdainful expression, as she usually did when she thought something was impure, and to mock him. Instead, Ino's face turned bright red, completely flustered.

"Are you thinking strange things in your head?"

"Absolutely not." Naruto immediately denied it.

"Well, if you did think something strange, I wouldn't mind." Ino chuckled nervously, her eyes darting around. "Generally speaking, guys around this age start getting a bit perverted, right?"

Although she said something so shocking, her face still couldn't hide the redness. It was obvious that Ino was desperately trying to suppress her embarrassment, pretending to act strong.

"I don't understand what you're saying." Naruto, losing interest, pointed at her outfit and asked, "What's with your outfit?"

"Outfit? What outfit?" Ino blinked rapidly, making a cute face, and answered the question with something off-topic. "So... what's for lunch?"

"How about omelette rice again?"

"Hey..."

"We had that last time, so I suggest you try something different."

"Hey..."

"And, and, that." Ino turned around, silently collapsing onto the sofa, not saying a word.

"Strange."

Naruto stared at the ingredients, then at Ino lying on the sofa. He felt like he shouldn't be in the kitchen; he should be lying on the sofa.

"Ino."

Hearing her name, Ino blinked, suddenly looking up, only to meet Naruto's lifeless gaze. Their faces were mere inches apart, and their eyes locked.

"Ah!!" Ino screamed, her face turning entirely red. She buried her face into the sofa, muffling her voice, pleading, "Don't ask, please don't ask."

"I won't ask." Naruto lay down on the other side of the sofa, feeling like a dried-up salted fish, weakly speaking.

"Ino, the cooking is up to you."

"I got seriously injured outside, there's a hole in my chest, and it's not fully healed yet."

Hearing this, Ino froze, getting up and walking over nervously. She stared at Naruto's closed eyes, the golden hair falling over his face, tickling him slightly.

Naruto opened his eyes, locking gazes with her once more.

Ino's face slowly turned red, almost reaching her neck. Her breath was warm against his face, and she straightened up, flustered, looking away while nervously tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I want to see the wound..."

Naruto didn't want to cook, so without hesitation, he lifted his shirt. The gruesome scar on his chest was revealed, though it had already scabbed over and was nearly healed. It still looked frightening.

"How did this happen?" Ino was indeed startled, gently touching the scar with her fingers, asking carefully, "Does it hurt?"

"If you're asking like that, then yes, it hurts."

"Who says that?"

Ino's attention was entirely on the scar. Naruto's eyelids grew heavy, his eyes half-closed, feeling sleepy. He didn't even notice that Ino was practically sitting on top of him.

A cool summer breeze blew through the window, and the next moment, Naruto fell asleep on the sofa.

Ino remained above him, her pupils dilated, her heart racing for no reason, as if clouds were gathering before the sun.

She stood up and silently walked to the kitchen, nearly questioning if her mind had broken.

"Ahhh!!"

"Die!! You idiot!"

Thud! 

The kitchen knife struck the chopping board. Naruto slept soundly on the sofa near the balcony, with the wind chime tinkling. Ino leaned against the kitchen door, biting her lip, lost in thought.

The cicadas outside still sang loudly, but the sound no longer reached her ears.

...

Naruto was deeply asleep, his consciousness sinking into the sealed space.

Inside the seal, the giant Nine-Tails was curled up inside a red fence, watching a VCR. When it saw Naruto, it didn't even blink.

"What are you doing here?"

"I fell asleep, so I came in." Naruto sighed. "What? You don't welcome me?"

The Nine-Tails didn't answer but made a very human-like gesture.

"Hey, you!"

Suddenly, Naruto snapped awake, sitting up straight from the sofa as the Nine-Tails forced him out of the sealed space. The last time, Itachi Uchiha's Amaterasu was all eaten by the Nine-Tails, and only after escaping back to the sealed space did Naruto finally escape unharmed.

Last time, the Nine-Tails also forcefully saved Naruto from dying, extending his life for a while.

"Awake?" Ino's voice came from the kitchen.

Moments later, Ino walked out of the kitchen wearing a light blue apron, holding a steaming stone pot. Her hair was different from usual, falling loosely over her shoulders.

"What are you looking at? If you're awake, go wash your hands and eat."

Ino, oblivious to everything, stood by the dining table, staring at Naruto with a puzzled look, chewing on a rubber band. She casually reached behind her head, skillfully gathering her loose golden hair into a ponytail.

Naruto wondered if he had crossed over again, this time straight into a married life.

"Dear, please behave yourself?"

"Hmm? You're not thinking strange things, are you?" Ino frowned and asked.

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