Chapter 98: Ino: I’ve Won Too Much

Yamanaka Ino nodded, feeling a bit disappointed. She couldn't argue with Shinho Aburame's decision—it made sense for him to go home after being away for so long.

"How about joining me for dinner at my place?" Shinho asked, looking at her small, delicate face.

Caught off guard, Ino froze for a moment, looking adorably surprised. "Huh?"

"You don't want to?" Shinho asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I do!" Ino quickly responded.

"Then let's go," Shinho said, turning toward the Aburame clan's compound.

"Are you sure I won't be imposing?" Ino asked as she walked alongside him, a little hesitant.

"You won't," Shinho said plainly.

Ino tilted her head, stealing glances at him, but couldn't decipher what was going on in his mind. 

He hadn't seen his family in a while, so why bring her along? Her cheeks flushed slightly. Could it be that he considered her part of his family?

"How have you been lately?" Shinho asked, glancing at her.

In the orange glow of the setting sun, her blonde hair seemed to shimmer, and with the faint blush on her cheeks, she looked stunning.

"I've been training hard!" Ino said, her voice louder than usual as she tried to shake off her sudden self-consciousness.

"Have you mastered the Mind Transfer Jutsu yet?" Shinho asked with a slight nod.

"Well… not yet," Ino admitted, her face turning red again. "But I'm close! Really close!"

The Mind Transfer Jutsu was the signature technique of the Yamanaka clan, allowing the user to project their consciousness into another person's body and control it. It was a unique technique, powerful and quite difficult to master.

Shinho recalled that learning this jutsu was classified as a C-rank challenge. Given Ino's talent, she should be on the verge of mastering it.

"I believe you," Shinho said with a nod of encouragement.

"And what about you, Shinho?" Ino asked, relieved that the topic had shifted away from her.

"I've learned quite a bit that the academy doesn't teach," Shinho replied.

Over the past month, aside from their encounter with the Nokizaru Group, things had been quiet. They traveled at a leisurely pace, with Tsunade gambling at every opportunity while Shizune taught Shinho the essentials of wilderness survival.

"What kind of knowledge?" Ino asked curiously, her eyes wide.

"Knowledge that helps you grow," Shinho said vaguely.

Ino's face flushed even more. "Huh?"

"I'll summarize it in six points…" Shinho said, listing out some of the more useful lessons he'd learned.

"Oh, I see!" Ino nodded along, feeling that she had learned something valuable. As a ninja, she definitely felt like she had matured a little in that moment.

"I wonder when I'll get the chance to go on my own journey," Ino mused, her eyes sparkling with hope.

"Once you graduate, you'll be able to," Shinho said, opening the gate to the Aburame clan's compound.

"Shinho?" A voice called out as the gate creaked open. Shinho's younger brother, Shino Aburame, turned toward them, still processing the sight of his brother.

"Shino," Ino greeted, popping out from behind Shinho.

"..." Shino's lips twitched slightly. His brother had just returned, and he was already bringing Ino along. How Typical.

For a moment, Shino thought about telling Hinata Hyuga, but then quickly dismissed the idea—he couldn't fight his brother, so that would be asking for trouble.

"Where's Dad?" Shinho asked.

"He's out on a mission. No idea when he'll be back," Shino replied.

Without a word, Shinho extended his hand, revealing five small explosive beetles.

Shino stared at his brother's seemingly empty palm, confused. Was this a request for money? It couldn't be—he'd heard that Hinata frequently gave Shinho pocket money. Shino admired his brother's ability to win her over so easily.

"Use your sensing technique," Shinho said, pausing before adding, "Oh, wait, you haven't learned it yet. Use your kikaichū instead."

"Got it," Shino said, summoning his kikaichū from under his skin.

Ino, watching from the side, immediately taking a step back behind Shinho. For her, the sight of bugs crawling out of someone's body was terrifying.

Ino's eyes darted back to Shinho. She couldn't help but notice how different he was. Whenever he used his bugs, they just appeared in his hand, without the unsettling spectacle of them crawling out of his skin.

"What kind of beetles are these?" Shino asked, his kikaichū detecting the presence of the explosive beetles. He couldn't help but be curious.

"Form a contract with them first," Shinho said, avoiding an explanation.

Shino's curiosity deepened, but he didn't press further. He began the process of bonding with the explosive beetles.

"Ino," Shinho said, not turning around, "I'll go make dinner."

"I'll help!" Ino said quickly, her eyes lighting up as she dashed ahead to the kitchen.

Before Shinho could reply, Ino was already tying on an apron. "Here's your apron, Shinho-kun."

"You wear it," Shinho said, glancing at her outfit.

Ino paused, a little surprised, but she quickly tied the apron around her waist. The thought that she was wearing Shinho's apron made her heart flutter, and a smile crept onto her lips.

"Start by washing the vegetables," Shinho said, opening the fridge and pulling out some radishes and tomatoes.

"Radishes?" Ino grimaced.

"Good kids don't get to be picky," Shinho said, removing his sunglasses.

Ino bit her lip, then nodded reluctantly. She could hardly argue with him.

Yamanaka Inoichi, somewhere, trembled in rage!

"What's your favorite meat?" Shinho asked, a smile tugging at his lips as he noticed her dramatic reaction.

"Pork belly!" Ino exclaimed, suddenly excited.

"Perfect," Shinho said, already deciding what to make.

As Ino stood at the sink washing the vegetables, she couldn't help but sneak glances at Shinho as he prepared the meat. He looked incredibly focused and, to her, incredibly handsome.

"So cool," she muttered under her breath.

"The sink's overflowing, Ino," Shinho reminded her.

"Oh! Sorry!" Ino blushed, hurriedly turning off the water. Her face flushed even more as she realized she had been caught staring at him.

She washed the vegetables quickly after that, focusing intently to avoid further embarrassment.

Once her task was done, Ino found herself with little else to do. But for her, just watching Shinho cook was enough. She couldn't help but think how much she had already won compared to Hinata.

Soon, the food was ready. Shinho set the dishes on the table: stir-fried pork belly, radish soup, and tomato scrambled eggs.

Ino looked at the unfamiliar dishes but eagerly picked up her chopsticks. She took a bite of the pork belly.

Ino closed her eyes, a blissful smile spreading across her face as she exclaimed, "This is so delicious!"

Is it really that exaggerated? Shinho Aburame couldn't help but think of those Korean dramas where characters seemed to experience an entire feast just from eating kimchi.

"Oh, right. I forgot about someone," Shinho said, pausing with his chopsticks before standing up and heading to the door. He called out, "Shino, dinner's ready."

Shino Aburame had been completely absorbed in playing with the explosive beetles he had just received. 

Although Shinho hadn't explained their full use, after forming a contract, Shino had already figured out their potential. In his eyes, these explosive beetles were practically unbeatable.

Shino believed that the explosive beetles could be combined with their family's kikaichū insects since the explosive beetles were invisible to the naked eye, like microscopic organisms. 

[tl/n: once again Kikaichu is beetle like bug, which Shino uses as his main.]

If they were carried by the kikaichū, it would create a devastating combination—definitely more than the sum of its parts.

After hearing Shino's idea, Shinho could only think that his younger brother might truly become a master of insect control. Combining the kikaichū explosion technique with explosive beetle would be terrifying. One mistake, and the victim would need four pallbearers in black to carry them off.

The only issue would be cultivating more of the explosive beetles.

"Shino, you're doing the dishes tonight," Shinho said as he put down his chopsticks. "I'm going to walk Ino home."

Shino silently nodded in agreement.

"Shinho-kun," Ino said, as they neared her family's flower shop, a hint of reluctance showing in her voice. "Thanks for today."

"It's nothing," Shinho replied, shaking his head.

"Well, I'll head inside then. See you tomorrow," Ino said, stopping at her door and turning to look at him.

"Shinho?" A voice interrupted them as Ino's mother, Mrs. Yamanaka, appeared, her face beaming with a welcoming smile.

"Auntie," Shinho greeted politely.

"Why don't you come in?" Mrs. Yamanaka asked, giving Ino a playful scolding glance. "Is this how you treat a guest?"

"I… I…" Ino stammered, flustered, as she rushed to her mother's side. "Mom, stop!"

"This won't do," Mrs. Yamanaka said, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Huh?" Ino stood there, blinking in confusion.

"Ino's been a bit of trouble, hasn't she, Shinho?" Mrs. Yamanaka smiled warmly at Shinho. "I don't have much to offer in return, but how about a bouquet of flowers as thanks?"

"...?" Shinho watched as the blonde mother and daughter duo mysteriously disappeared into the shop.

"How about roses?" Mrs. Yamanaka asked with a grin.

"No!" Ino blurted out instinctively, shaking her head.

Mrs. Yamanaka smiled knowingly. As someone with experience in these kinds of things, she could easily understand her daughter's feelings. Ino wasn't fully aware of her emotions—she had a crush, but it wasn't love yet. Which made sense; they were still too young for that kind of thing.

"Let's go with lilies and tulips," Mrs. Yamanaka said, picking out flowers from the display.

After waiting for a couple of minutes, Ino emerged from the shop, shoving the bouquet into Shinho's hands before quickly running back inside.

Shinho barely had time to react, but after a moment, he recognized the flowers as lilies and tulips—he had taken a flower arranging class before, after all. 

But he wasn't great at caring for flowers. After pondering for a moment, he came up with an idea: take them to his third home.

His first home was the Aburame clan compound. His second home was the Senju estate. And his third home was the place where Chisori and Karin lived.

[tl/n: Now I understand that 'kept' comment from Chisori, when she first came to konoha.] 

As Shinho passed by Konoha's bookstore, he suddenly paused, considering whether or not he should pick up a copy of Ichi Ichi Paradise. After thinking about it briefly, he decided to go in.

The store wasn't much different from bookstores in his previous life, with books neatly arranged by genre on various shelves.

"Little boy, you shouldn't go to the far back section," a young female clerk reminded him with a smile. "That's where the adult books are."

Shinho nodded politely and, when she wasn't looking, used the Transformation Jutsu. He quickly grabbed a copy of Ichi Ichi Paradise and paid for it.

"Transformation Jutsu is so convenient," Shinho muttered as he opened the book. In his past life, he had always been curious about the content, and now he finally had the chance to satisfy that curiosity. 

In the original series, there were even two sequels to the book—Ichi Ichi Violence and Ichi Ichi Tactics. There was even a movie adaptation at some point, which led to packed theaters.

Honestly, it made sense. If some of the more famous authors' works from his past life were made into movies, theaters would probably be packed too.

Cough cough.

Shinho skimmed through the first two pages of Ichi Ichi Paradise, and his eyes widened slightly. It was, without a doubt, an adult romantic masterpiece.

"Shinho? When did you get back?" a familiar, surprised voice called out.

Shinho instinctively looked up. Without realizing it, he had already arrived at his destination.

"Is that… Ichi Ichi Paradise?" Chisori knelt down in front of him, staring at the book's cover. Her expression frozen.

She noticed the small "Rated R" stamp printed on the cover.

"I… I found it," Shinho stammered, quickly tucking the book away, feeling embarrassed for the first time in this life, well not really.

It felt like being caught with something forbidden—like buying a "Holy Grail" and having your parents find out. It made you want to leave the planet.

Chisori didn't believe him for a second. The book was brand new—there was no way he had just "found" it.

After hesitating for a moment, Chisori gently said, "It's okay to be curious, but you should wait until you're older to read things like that."

Shinho opened his mouth to speak but found himself at a loss for words. How was he supposed to explain this?

"Give it to me for now," Chisori extended her hand gently. "You can have it back when you're older."

After a brief hesitation, Shinho handed over Ichi Ichi Paradise. He had already read most of it anyway. 

How to describe it? Well, Jiraiya certainly had skill—though the romance portions were a bit lacking, the rest was surprisingly authentic. Probably based on the author's personal experiences.

"Oh, and this is for you," Shinho suddenly remembered, taking out the bouquet of lilies and tulips from his storage scroll and handing it to her.

"For me?" Chisori was momentarily stunned.

"I'd probably waste them. Can you take care of them for me?" Shinho said nonchalantly.

Chisori glanced at the flowers, then at Ichi Ichi Paradise, and then back at the flowers. A bold thought flashed through her mind. Her face flushed slightly as she quickly averted her gaze.

What am I thinking?! He's just a child.

"Shinho-nii!"

Before Shinho could respond, a figure came rushing toward him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. Karin's long hair brushed against his face, faintly carrying a pleasant scent.

"Karin," Chisori scolded lightly, trying to maintain some order.

Karin lifted her head and glanced at Chisori but made no move to release Shinho.

"Karin, did you complete the training schedule I gave you?" Shinho asked calmly.

"Well, uh, about that…" Karin reluctantly let go, looking a bit guilty.

"She's learned the Body Substitution Technique, but she still hasn't mastered the Clone Jutsu or Transformation Jutsu," Chisori quickly explained, carefully observing Shinho's reaction.

She was worried that Karin's slow progress might disappoint Shinho, and the worst-case scenario flashed in her mind—that they'd be abandoned again.

"That's pretty good progress," Shinho said with a slight nod.

"Really?" Karin asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"You've made a lot of progress for someone with no prior training. Learning the Body Substitution Technique in just a month is impressive," Shinho said, patting her head reassuringly.

[tl/n; Chisori is definately sus(￣_￣|||)]

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