Ino's hands completed the final seal. Her spirit wrenched free from her body and shot toward Naruto in a straight line. Victory was seconds away—she'd take control of his body, avoid the beating, and—
Her consciousness slammed into something solid.
"What?!"
It felt like running full speed into an iron wall. Her spirit recoiled, shaken and disoriented, unable to penetrate even an inch into Naruto's mind.
How? Ino's thoughts scattered in confusion. The jutsu should have worked!
She didn't understand that the Iron Body Technique refined more than just flesh and bone. Body and spirit became one—inseparable, unified, impenetrable. Her flickering candle of a consciousness had just tried to breach a blazing sun.
There was no contest.
Meanwhile, Sakura's five shuriken struck home.
Ting. Ting. Ting. Ting. Ting.
Each projectile bounced off Naruto's skin with the metallic ring of steel on stone.
Sakura's eyes went wide. "He blocked them with his body?!"
The next instant, her danger instincts screamed.
Naruto moved.
His Heavenly Steps activated—one moment standing still, the next flying straight at her like an arrow. His body twisted mid-air, leg whipping around in a spinning kick.
The strike caught Sakura's shoulder and sent her tumbling backward. She hit the ground and rolled, coming to a stop on her back.
Surprisingly, nothing hurt. Naruto had clearly pulled the blow.
Before she could process this, Naruto spun and closed the distance to Ino in a single step. The blonde girl had just returned to her body, still disoriented from the jutsu's failure. She saw Naruto's momentum and panicked, lashing out with a desperate kick aimed at his chest.
Naruto didn't flinch. He dropped low, his right palm facing upward to meet the sole of her incoming foot. With a fluid motion, he redirected her momentum skyward.
"AAAAAHHHHH—!"
Ino's scream dopplered into the distance. She arced through the air in a perfect parabola, then came down with a soft thump directly on top of Sakura, who'd just managed to stand.
Both girls collapsed in a heap, groaning.
Silence fell over the yard.
After a moment, Sasuke turned around. As expected, both Sakura and Ino now sported matching swollen cheeks and bruised faces. His mouth twitched.
Why did his face hurt just looking at them?
He touched his own cheek reflexively.
"Alright, Sakura, Ino!" Naruto strode over and enthusiastically hauled both girls to their feet. "I've seen your sincerity. We're friends now!"
He couldn't have his new friends sitting in the dirt—what kind of host would that make him?
"Sasuke!" Naruto called over his shoulder. "Grab a couple of stools from inside!"
Sakura and Ino exchanged glances, communicating in whispers. Speaking too loudly made their faces hurt. "Naruto... since we're friends now, can we come to the Summer Festival with you?"
"Hey, you're my friends now," Naruto said warmly. "Even if you hadn't asked, I would've invited you to watch the fireworks."
Naruto had nothing but generosity for his friends.
Hearing his agreement, both girls sagged with relief.
The beating had been worth it.
Sasuke had already dressed and retrieved two stools from the living room. Nine-Tails sat at the table inside, revising his cookbook with intense focus. He didn't even look up when Sasuke entered.
"Here, sit down." Naruto placed the stools in the shade.
"Thank you, Naruto," the girls said in unison, then immediately shot each other disgusted looks.
How could someone with a face like hers possibly be worthy of Sasuke-kun? both thought simultaneously.
"Naruto! Sasuke!"
"Oh wow, Sakura and Ino are here too!"
Choji and Shikamaru walked into the yard, with Hinata trailing quietly behind them. Choji's eyes widened when he spotted the two girls. He'd heard them asking about the Summer Festival this morning, and now here they were.
Though their swollen faces told an interesting story.
"Did you two become Naruto's friends?" Choji asked.
"Yeah!" Sakura managed a smile despite her puffy cheeks.
Choji's expression fell. "Man, I wish my dad would become friends with Naruto. But he's too busy these days. Don't know what he's doing..."
He sighed heavily.
Shikamaru's eye twitched. He looked up at the sky, watching clouds drift by, and said absolutely nothing.
"Your father's that busy?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Yeah, he's always with my mom. They hide in their room all day and don't talk much. I can only hear creaking sounds..." Choji's face scrunched up in confusion.
This touched on a blind spot in Naruto's knowledge, so he simply turned his attention to the girl standing quietly behind the boys. "Hinata! You came too!"
"Y-yes, Naruto-kun..." Hinata managed a weak greeting, as if saying his name took all her strength.
"By the way, Sakura and Ino are coming to watch fireworks with us too!" Naruto announced cheerfully.
"That's great!" Choji perked up immediately. "Hey, you two should bring extra snacks!"
Extra snacks? Sakura and Ino thought in unison. We just got beaten up and you want us to bring food?
Though if it was for Sasuke's sake...
The group settled into easy conversation. Naruto basked in the warm atmosphere, enjoying the simple pleasure of having friends gathered at his home. He decided to celebrate by preparing a whole roasted lamb feast.
As they ate and talked, Naruto felt a deep satisfaction. Yes, there were disagreements—voices rising in friendly debate, small arguments breaking out. Like the current topic of fireworks.
"Fireworks are obviously round," Choji declared through a mouthful of lamb.
"No way. They're flat," Shikamaru countered lazily.
"Round!"
"Flat!"
Each insisted on their position with unwavering confidence. The debate was utterly pointless, but everyone enjoyed jumping in with their own opinions.
They'd probably still be arguing when it was time to leave.
As the evening wound down and everyone prepared to depart, Hinata lingered near Naruto. She fidgeted with her fingers, opened her mouth several times, then finally managed to speak.
"Naruto-kun... could you come to my house to get me? For the festival?"
Naruto blinked in confusion. Why would he need to pick her up at her house? Didn't they already agree on a meeting place? Did she not know the way?
Oh, right. She might be directionally challenged. She did follow me around last time and couldn't find her way home.
"Sure, no problem," Naruto said with a nod.
Hinata's face lit up like a flower blooming. She bowed deeply in thanks, then turned and practically skipped away, her earlier shyness forgotten.
There was a tradition surrounding the Summer Festival.
On that special night, it wasn't just about watching fireworks and making wishes. Every girl took the day seriously, carefully selecting her favorite kimono and carrying a lantern.
The tradition said that when a girl stepped outside, she should meet the person she most wanted to see first. Then the two would walk through the streets together, red lanterns in hand, making their way toward the temple.
At the top of the temple steps, when the fireworks bloomed across the sky, boys and girls would look up at the same moment. The firelight would paint their faces in brilliant colors.
In that instant, the stars themselves would remember their expressions, preserving the moment for eternity.