“Ino-pig, what did you do to Hinata?” Sakura stepped forward, confronting Ino.
“Billboard Brow!
Look closely—never mind, I’d waste my breath trying to explain it to you anyway.
Hinata, if you’re alright, go sit over there for a bit.
I need to properly teach this Billboard Brow a lesson.” Ino comforted Hinata gently, helping her sit down to the side.
Her dazzling golden ponytail shook violently with her movements as she put her hands on her hips.
“You looking for a fight, Pinky?” “Isn’t this all your doing, Ino-pig?” Sakura struck back without backing down, her emerald eyes flashing with disdain as she deliberately raised her voice.
“We’ve been bickering for years—how about we try a different way to settle it?
Let me see who completes more missions this week.
The loser has to obey the winner for a week.
Calling each other nicknames won’t be allowed to make someone mad, but no going overboard either!” “Fine, let me at it!
Weeding, catching cats, chasing wild boars—have you done any of that?” “Is that all?
Who hasn’t done those?
We even hauled water and did farm work!
Have you?” “What a coincidence, we did that yesterday too.
We even went to…” The two girls’ bickering sounded like a sharp symphony, a regular occurrence their companions were long used to.
“Women are such a pain.
They’ve been fighting at the academy for five years, haven’t they had enough?
Hoshi, how do you get along with Ino so well?
How can you stand that temper of hers?” A certain pineapple-head clasped his hands behind his head, watching the floating clouds in the sky.
“Yeah, totally.
Shikamaru and I can’t stand Ino at all.
I have to be super careful about when and where I eat, and she snaps at me over the slightest thing.” Choji complained while stuffing snacks into his mouth.
“Not really.
I rarely see Ino like this either.
Maybe it depends on who she’s dealing with.” Hoshi sat not far away, leisurely swinging the tips of his toes as he watched the show.
“Ino, you can’t speak to Sakura like that!
I’ve had enough!
I’m going to find Gramps Hokage!
I want to take on real ninja missions, not play house pulling weeds with this blonde piggy here!” Naruto couldn’t help yelling at Ino.
*Poof, poof, poof!* Three giant bumps instantly popped up on Naruto’s head—two delivered by the girls involved, and one delivered by Hoshi.
Rubbing his massive bumps, Naruto looked aggrievedly at Sakura and Hoshi, as if saying: *I was trying to help you, why did you hit me?
And me scolding Ino has nothing to do with you, does it?* “Darn it!
Sakura, I was helping you, and you still hit me!” Hurt and disappointed, Naruto ran off.
“Hey!
Naruto, wait for me!
Excuse me, everyone!” Seeing this, Sakura felt she might have gone too far.
She glanced at Sasuke, who was acting cool beside them, and quickly called out before chasing after Naruto.
“Boring.
Pathetic.” Sasuke stood up, tossed out a cold remark, and unhurriedly followed them.
“Such a cocky jerk.
Right, Akamaru?” Kiba grumbled to Akamaru in his arms.
“Arf!” Just as Naruto rushed out of the park gates in a huff and took a sharp turn onto the main street, he was running so fast with his head down in anger that he completely failed to notice a swaying figure walking right into his blind spot.
“Ouch—!” *Clatter—!* Accompanied by a dull thud, an intense stench of cheap shochu so thick it was almost tangible instantly exploded in the air.
An old man wearing a tattered conical straw hat, his face covered in graying stubble, and wearing black-rimmed glasses so scuffed they were completely blurry, was knocked flat on his back by Naruto’s headlong charge.
The half-bottle of shochu he was holding tightly rolled onto the cobblestone path, brown liquid gushing out—a scene heart-wrenching enough to shatter any drunkard’s spirit.
“You brat!
Don’t you look where you’re walking?
*Cough, cough…* You almost shattered this old man’s old bones!” The old man shook his dizzy head, cursing while slapping dust off his clothes, his eyes practically bulging out with heartbreak as he stared at his half-spilled treasure on the ground.
“Aah, my premium aromatic brew!
I saved a whole month’s worth of food money for that…” “S-Sorry!
Are you alright, mister?
I didn’t mean to!” Although reckless, Naruto had a good heart at core, so he hurriedly scrambled over to help the man up.
“Hmph.
Are Konoha ninja these days all just rash, wet-behind-the-ears brats like this?” The old man adjusted his glasses, looking with a mix of drunkenness and heavy suspicion at Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura who had gathered around.
“What did you say?!
I’m a Konoha ninja aspiring to become Hokage—you can’t insult me!” Looking at Naruto’s dirt-streaked whisker-marked face, then at Sakura who looked like a decorative vase beside him, and finally landing his gaze on Sasuke—who had a cold expression but was clearly still green—the old man let out an extremely disdainful snort.
“So Konoha ninja can bully clients for no reason?
Fine, I’ll just go to another ninja village to commission my task!” “What did you say?!
Don’t look down on people, old man!
If you dare, come with me to see Gramps Third Hokage!” Naruto stomped his feet in fury.
Meanwhile, Hoshi had finished comforting Ino, and the two came walking over hand in hand.
When Hoshi saw the familiar coarse cloth clothing on the old man’s chest bearing the unique wave pattern of the Land of Waves, and caught that smell of salted fish mixed with alcohol even five meters away, his dark eyes narrowed sharply.
*Tazuna…* Hoshi silently named the man in his mind.
As a transmigrator, he knew all too well what lay behind that face.
This was no ordinary B-rank escort mission.
This was the prelude written in blood that would tear apart their false peace.
Was the plot about to begin?
*Tazuna, the master bridge builder of the Land of Waves?
How unfortunate…
Looks like my dream of living a life in a private air-conditioned office is about to go up in smoke.
Ah well, at least soon I’ll get to see Master every day, so I won’t have to keep using Katsuyu as my mouth substitute.* Hoshi smiled slightly and pushed up his non-existent glasses on the bridge of his nose.
He felt Ino’s palm beside him, slightly clammy from tension.
“Ino, don’t mind those noisy guys.” Hoshi gently squeezed her small hand, turning his face to give the girl a smile bright enough to cure any anxiety.
“The weather is so nice today.
Why don’t you stroll through the west street market with me?
I remember a merchant caravan brought back some unique flowers and plants from other countries yesterday—let me take a look.” “Huh?
Right now?
Not waiting for Naruto and the others?” Although Ino was pleasantly surprised by Hoshi taking the initiative to hold her hand, she couldn’t quite keep up with his sudden leap in thought.
“No need to wait.” Hoshi pulled the girl along, strolling leisurely down the tree-lined path, their silhouettes appearing exceedingly calm under the setting sun.
“Let them be.” “Hoshi, did you notice something?” Ino keenly picked up on a subtle tone in Hoshi’s voice.
“I just realized that the peace of Konoha…
seems about to be blown away by a salty sea breeze.” Hoshi looked up at the lingering glow of the setting sun.
Was the countdown to peace coming to an end?