Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

In the past, she would have been enraged and started arguing with Ino over Sasuke.

Ino hadn't expected Sakura to react this way. Considering Ino's earlier taunts, Sakura's reaction could be considered a verbal victory for Ino.

But Ino wasn't as excited as she had imagined.

She stared intently at Sakura for a while, then finally fixed her gaze on Naruto… her eyes were a little strange…

Noticing Ino's strange look, Shikamaru sensed something was wrong.

"Hey, Ino!"

He hurriedly tried to warn them, but it was too late.

"What? You mean you've already been won over by Naruto? Your taste is just as bad as your charm!"

Ino mocked arrogantly, "Naruto, did you threaten Sakura?! You gloomy guy, you must have developed a dark and twisted inferiority complex because you were in the same ninja class as Sasuke, so you threatened Sakura to be your girlfriend, right?"

"Ino, don't talk nonsense!"

Sakura spoke up to stop Ino from spreading rumors.

Naruto reached out and stopped Sakura.

That's why people say that young girls are always annoying before they grow up.

"Ino, think back to your accusations against me. Does the logic make sense? I have a dark, twisted, and inferiority complex about Sasuke, so why would I threaten Sakura to be my girlfriend? What's the strong connection between these two things?"

Naruto squinted at Ino, his face expressionless.

Naruto's expression made Sakura instinctively shrink her neck.

"It's over..."

Even Shikamaru, who is very good at reading people's expressions, had a look of unease.

Ino's expression was no better than Naruto's.

No one present had seen Naruto with that expression in two years...

Two years is enough time for them to forget many things, but if they suddenly remember those forgotten things again, they will immediately become vivid in their memories.

They are now reminded once again of the fact that Naruto is not easy to talk to.

Being ostracized from a young age and having no parents, Naruto in the past chose to treat everyone in the village with a sinister personality in order to hide his weakness and protect himself in solitude.

During his time at the Ninja Academy, Sasuke Uchiha's loneliness stemmed from his rejection of all kindness.

Naruto's loneliness is his way of responding to all the malice that bares its fangs at him with violence.

However, Naruto rarely displays violence, because even during his most sinister period, he never actively approaches anyone.

Yamanaka Ino is the only exception.

Chapter 22 Ino's Horror

Judging from Ino's current reaction, it seems she has remembered what Naruto did to her.

Naruto also remembers this vividly.

Naruto, who had just transmigrated to the village, needed an opportunity to "change" his attitude towards it, and Yamanaka Ino just happened to walk into the line of fire.

The reason for Naruto and Ino's conflict was Sakura.

When Sakura confessed to Sasuke again at that time, the ending was the same as her first confession when she was seven or eight years old: she failed.

Naruto, by sheer coincidence, became a witness "again".

This time, there was one more witness: Yamanaka Ino.

However, Yamanaka Ino did not know the whole story and only thought that Naruto had made Sakura cry.

Although the two had long been rivals for love because they both liked Sasuke, and had broken off their friendship for a long time.

But both Ino and Sakura knew that their friendship was not something that could be easily severed.

Therefore, Yamanaka Ino angrily confronted Naruto and hurled insults at him.

At that time, Naruto racked his brains but couldn't find a way to reasonably change the higher-ups' opinion of him.

Ino Yamanaka was a great help to Naruto in dealing with his emotional outburst.

It was because of her that Naruto was able to change his hostile attitude towards the village into "indifference" and "confusion"—and then gradually develop into what he is today.

As for what Naruto did to her...

He didn't do anything special, except slap Ino, who was being unreasonable at the time.

The slap mark on her face prompted Ino's father, Yamanaka Inoichi, to come to the school the next day.

Therefore, Mizuki, as the homeroom teacher, specifically sought out Sakura to let everyone know the truth of the matter.

Perhaps unwilling to take the slap for nothing, and relying on her father's support, Ino started pestering Naruto again...

Then, in front of Yamanaka Inoichi, Naruto slapped Ino again.

The second slap was, of course, intentional.

Naruto hadn't expected Yamanaka Inoichi to come to the school, so he simply slapped Ino again in front of him.

—Having such a "coincidental" contact with the Konoha leadership, Naruto must express his desire to "turn over a new leaf" with an air of "seeing through" and "letting go."

The unexpected encounter between Naruto and Yamanaka Inoichi stemmed from Naruto "bullying" his daughter, and Naruto even repeated it in front of Yamanaka Inoichi—

However, Yamanaka Inoichi still possessed excellent magnanimity. It was through that conversation with Yamanaka Inoichi that Naruto began to change the Third Hokage's attitude towards him.

Upon closer reflection, it's clear that Naruto initially received only a token amount of support from the Third Hokage, which prevented Danzo from harming him again.

Yamanaka Ino deserves much credit for this.

In that light, he should actually thank Yamanaka Ino.

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at Ino's current expression.

Just scare her.

Just as Naruto was about to let things go and called Sakura to leave, he was about to make peace.

Ino, however, still forced herself to suppress her fear of Naruto and uttered some harsh words.

With the Chunin Exams just around the corner, Naruto didn't really have much time to pay attention to Ino anymore.

The little girl's harsh words had absolutely no effect on Naruto.

Naruto wanted to avoid all unforeseen complications, just as he had previously considered—all possible unexpected situations should be prevented before the Chunin Exams officially began.

But Ino's harsh words, coincidentally, made it impossible for Naruto to ignore them now.

"I really don't understand how someone who wasn't even proficient in the Three Body Techniques could suddenly become a genin—someone like you, even if you become a ninja, will only ever be a rogue ninja one day!"

Ino's words do not imply that she had any considerations when she said them, or that she truly believed them.

She simply felt that harsh words should be spoken harshly enough.

So she says whatever hurtful things can make things the worst possible.

And here comes the unexpected situation.

Naruto, who was about to move away, walked straight up to Ino with his expressionless face.

Looking at Naruto's face so close to his own, and that expression he had seen before and would never forget in his life.

Ino's courage crumbled instantly.

She trembled all over, unusually shedding her strong demeanor, appearing weak and helpless.

"Naruto!"

Shikamaru spoke up at this moment, frowning as he looked at Naruto.

Naruto ignored Shikamaru and raised his hand towards Ino.

Noticing that Naruto was making the same movements as before, Ino forgot that even if she didn't dare to resist Naruto, she still had the option to run away...

...Ino immediately closed her eyes in fear, instinctively choosing to endure what Naruto was about to do to her.

However, the expected pain did not come from her face.

Naruto's hand touched Ino's left cheek. Ino's body, which had lost its temperature due to fear, felt the heat from Naruto's palm on her face even more intensely.

Ino then tentatively opened her eyes, and as soon as she did, her gaze met Naruto's.

Naruto maintained his indifferent expression.

Ino didn't even dare to move her face away, letting Naruto stroke her.

"Hey, Ino. I have a question. I hope you can tell me honestly what your Class 10 is planning to do right now?"

Naruto's question contained neither threat nor demand.

Despite his calm tone, Ino instinctively answered without reservation: "Asuma-sensei originally said he would take us to eat barbecue, but he suddenly said he had an urgent matter to attend to and left. Now we are preparing to go barbecue by ourselves."

"What a coincidence! Sakura and I were just discussing what to have for lunch."

Naruto glanced at Choji, who was eating potato chips, and said, "Can you take me and Sakura with you? I'll pay for the barbecue, and Choji can eat as much as he wants."

"Really? That's great!"

Choji would never refuse food as bait.

"Shikamaru, what do you say?"

Naruto then asked Shikamaru for his opinion.

"Hey, Choji, can't you see the situation right now...?"

Shikamaru first expressed his dissatisfaction with Choji for being so easily bribed.

But perhaps because he found it too troublesome, Choji probably didn't even realize the tension between Ino and Naruto.

Shikamaru ultimately failed to vent his dissatisfaction.

Then Shikamaru, with his listless eyes, glanced at Ino, who was completely under Naruto's control, and then looked at Naruto: "Naruto, Ino means no harm."

"I don't have any either."

Just as Naruto said, he had no ill intentions towards Ino; his current actions were simply meant to scare her.