"Oh my god… how did I end up like that?"
Ino covered her mouth.
Noticing the gazes around her, she straightened her posture.
They were all kids back then—what was there to be embarrassed about?
She glanced at Hinata, who was still unconscious, and froze.
Wait… why does this feel kind of exciting?
The black-framed screen continued.
[Little Naruto stopped walking.]
[The invitation caught him off guard.]
[Instinctively, he wanted to refuse.]
[But after some thought—]
['The ones who can accept me like this… their parents probably aren't idiots.']
['Even if they aren't ninja, they must have some insight.']
['Maybe… if I get along with them, their parents might know things I don't.']
['Uncle Teuchi and Sister Ayame are just civilians… if the shinobi monitoring me notice them, wouldn't that put them in danger?']
['I'll play with them for a while and observe whether their parents are capable ninja… but I still need to be cautious. They don't mean harm, so I won't harm them either.']
[With that, little Naruto turned around.]
[Facing the chubby boy and the spiky-haired boy—]
[And beside the spiky-haired boy stood a short-haired girl with hair similar in color to his.]
[Any one of the three would stand out among ordinary children, yet together they felt strangely harmonious to little Naruto.]
Yamanaka Ino: "Huh?!"
Yamanaka Ino: "That little brat actually accepted us with that mindset?!"
After saying that, Ino ran to the railing and waved her fist at Naruto in the arena.
"Naruto!!!"
Naruto turned around, confused.
"What is it, Ino?"
"You bastard! We invited you sincerely, and you actually had ulterior motives?!" Ino shouted.
Naruto: "???"
"That wasn't me!"
"Hey! That was the other me—it has nothing to do with me!" Naruto cried out.
But Ino ignored him.
She returned to her seat, feeling much better.
"I really misjudged you," Chōji nodded solemnly.
Naruto: "..."
Terumī Mei: "Although Black-Frame Naruto's approach isn't ideal, it is the correct choice."
Senju Tobirama: "Once people become friends, helping each other is only natural."
Senju Hashirama: "Mm-hmm, Tobirama's right!"
Ōnoki: "This child made the right choice."
Yūhi Kurenai: "Yes. Being able to infer a child's attitude is essentially understanding the parents' stance. Black-Frame Naruto will definitely live a brilliant life."
Hanabi listened to everyone, then looked at Black-Frame Naruto on the screen—
then at the tearful Naruto in the arena.
"Black-Frame Naruto big brother seems more charming."
"But the Naruto big brother down there is also really interesting~!"
In the lounge, Sasuke clenched his fist.
"Damn it… am I going to lose to him?"
"What was I doing at this time?"
Uh…
Probably still following someone around.
The black-framed screen continued.
["Is that okay?" little Naruto asked tentatively.]
["Of course!" Ino stepped forward confidently.]
["We can play kick-the-can together. If you like, we can also play super-realistic house~!"]
[She pointed toward a small sandy area behind them.]
[Several girls of the same age were there.]
[One girl stood out.]
[Little Naruto glanced at her. She had pink hair and a wide forehead.]
[Because the other girls' expressions became awkward when they saw him—except that pink-haired girl, who looked at him with curiosity.]
["My name is Ino."]
[The girl spoke naturally as she came up to him.]
[Little Naruto looked at the confident girl and felt the corner of his mouth lift slightly.]
["Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."]
[As soon as he finished speaking—]
[the spiky-haired boy and the chubby boy walked over.]
["Shikamaru."]
["Chōji."]
[After introducing themselves—]
[Ino invited him again.]
["Come play with us."]
["Aren't you afraid of me?" little Naruto asked.]
["Why would we be?" Ino replied.]
[Hearing that, little Naruto nodded.]
["Alright. How do we play?"]
[Even as he spoke—]
[he silently observed the three of them.]
['Their words and actions are different from ordinary children.']
['Becoming friends with them might be worthwhile.']
['I'll build rapport first… then see if my plan can be carried out.']
[Listening to Ino explain the rules—]
[little Naruto nodded seriously.]
[It was simple—similar to tag.]
['I should hold back, make them feel relaxed and comfortable.']
['It'd be best if I'm "it" the whole time.']
Hearing Black-Frame Naruto's inner thoughts,
many couldn't help but feel distressed.
This child… was too smart.
And too different.
So much so that he couldn't enjoy a normal childhood.
Iruka sighed softly.
[In the blink of an eye, it was already afternoon.]
[Clang—]
["That was amazing~!!"]
["Naruto, you're incredible~!"]
[Little Ino jogged excitedly toward little Naruto.]
[Her face flushed red with excitement.]
["Ah~!"]
["Don't be like that~!"]
["Naruto, is this really your first time playing?"]
[The children crowded around little Naruto excitedly.]
[Only one pink-haired girl stood apart, pouting.]
[She had guarded the can all morning.]
[Using careful planning, she had finally caught a few people—]
[only for little Naruto to appear like a ghost and kick the can away.]
[Freeing everyone.]
["Sorry. I'll be 'it' this time," little Naruto said, realizing he had gotten too absorbed and forgotten his earlier decision.]
Our noses suddenly felt a little sore.
Iruka Umino: "Haha~ In the end, no matter how clever Black-Frame Naruto is, he's still just a child."
Yamanaka Ino: "That's right~ Black-Frame Naruto gradually lost himself in all our praise. Tsk tsk~ what a cute little rascal."
Haruno Sakura: "Hey! Why is no one speaking up for me?!"
Haruno Sakura: "You annoying Naruto!"
After saying that, Sakura rushed to the railing and shouted at Naruto below:
"Narutoooo!!!"
"Huh? Sakura, what is it?" Naruto instantly switched to his puppy-like mode.
"You jerk! I'm definitely going to beat you up someday!"
Naruto: "..."
Smiles never disappear—they just get transferred.
Imitating Ino, Sakura felt much better.
A smile spread across her face.
Meanwhile, Naruto wore a miserable expression once again.
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