"How… how is that possible?" Naruto's small scheme was ruthlessly exposed by Shizune, leaving him a bit embarrassed.
"Heh." Shizune wasn't interested in watching him clown around, "I don't care about your petty issues, but next time, get dessert from a more expensive place… I like the pricey ones."
'Well, it seemed like she was still holding a bit of a grudge.'
But Naruto accepted it. After all, he had the rare chance to see Shizune as a clueless little loli, so the trip wasn't in vain. There were only four people who had seen his original appearance: Tsunade, Shizune, Nao, and Sara.
'But what is Nao doing now?' Thinking of Nao, a mischievous thought suddenly flashed through Naruto's mind, 'Obito's one eye should be good, right? What if he knows that Nao wasn't a mere substitute for anyone…'
'But Nao and Obito should have met before, after all, she is also close to Rin. Well, the real culprit was Danzo… everything was his fault.'
"The communicator is almost finished. It will be finished in just a few days." Ino said, stretching lazily as she walked down the street, her face glowing with energy.
"How many days exactly?" Naruto asked.
"Three days, I think." Ino looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, and narrowed her eyes. "After three days, we just need to wait for the communicator plan to be implemented."
"Not necessarily. Maybe it'll be approved within three days." Naruto said, walking beside her and sneaking a glance at Ino. "But to be honest, if you get too busy, that's not good either."
"Why?" She asked
"If you get too busy, I can't see you anymore. Where would I even find you?" Naruto teased.
"Well, you know my grandmother..." Ino said, her face filled with hesitation. She glanced at him, then playfully whined, "I'll be free once I'm done!"
"This project is also part of my dream. Once it's done, I won't have any regrets, and then I can spend every day with you!"
'Every day?' Naruto thought to himself, 'It is good to have ideals. But how could there be no regrets? After the communicator, wouldn't it need maintenance, or upgrades? Hmm? I don't believe that Ino won't be tempted by those fields after the industrial upgrade.'
Anyway, Naruto believed it is impossible that Ino would have nothing to do after she finished this project. At most, she would be less busy in the next two years. But worked well for him, giving him time to sort things out. Both Ino and Hinata were important to him, and he'd eventually figure out a solution.
The future was unpredictable and complicated. Naruto knew that the Shinobi World wouldn't stay the same forever, and all Naruto has to do is wait… wait for the right opportunity.
As sunlight bathed the streets, Naruto's path with Ino grew more and more winding until they finally slipped into a small alley.
"Are you crazy?!" Ino dashed out, her face flushed red.
At the entrance of the alley, which was covered with lush green vines, Naruto wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and chuckled. He had been mindful of Ino's feelings and hadn't crossed any boundaries.
After all, this was the village where they are born and raised. Although it was not small in size, if someone saw them, it'd be over. There would be more opportunities in the future, but he didn't plan on risking it in Konoha.
After wandering around for a bit, Ino returned home to continue working.
Playing 'cards' occasionally to relax was fine, but doing it all the time would drain her energy. Ino, being as busy as she was, couldn't allow herself to get distracted.
She tried to control herself, avoiding the temptation of overindulgence.
But Naruto was persistent, always finding excuses to tease her without ever crossing a line, just enough to keep her on edge. His consistent antics left Ino frazzled after just a few days.
On a sunny afternoon, they pulled the curtains and spent an entire afternoon playing 'cards', enjoying some much-needed relaxation after work.
If there is someone to blame, then blame Konoha for the lack of entertainment. Aside from the pachinko and goldfish scooping games, there wasn't much to do… except for Jiraiya's inappropriate books, which were an eyesore.
Naruto didn't even dare to look, covering his eyes the whole time.
…
Hokage Tower.
"You know, Tsunade-sama has already agreed to what you asked about." Shizune had just come out of the Medical Department's office and saw Naruto coming. She simply leaned against the window in the corridor to talk.
"Which thing?" He asked.
"Two things." Shizune paused, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. If she were Tsunade, she would've given Naruto a solid beating by now.
"Uh, she agreed so quickly?" Naruto was a little surprised, 'I was planning to do something tricky after failing, but it was obviously not necessary now.'
"What? You're not happy about it?"
"No, no, not at all," Naruto quickly responded with a sheepish grin.
As Shizune spoke, she absentmindedly played with a rubber glove, stretching the yellow material until it thinned and revealed the contours of her hand underneath.
There was something oddly sensual about the gesture, a subtle allure of professional femininity.
Shizune didn't notice Naruto watching her hands and just continued, "The communicator plan benefits the village long-term, and it's the foundation of a hundred-year legacy. Since you're willing to fund it, of course, Tsunade-sama would agree."
"As for Tenten, well, that's a personal matter for Tsunade-sama."
The implication was clear: the communicator project was driven by money, with Tsunade having already considered it. Since Naruto offered to fund it under her name, it was naturally a good deal.
Even if Naruto hadn't mentioned it, Tsunade would have kept his name hidden to avoid causing him any trouble. As for herself, Tsunade wasn't worried about any complications, as it was nothing new to her.
As for Tenten, Tsunade agreeing to the plan also showed that she wasn't that angry anymore. Her anger had mostly subsided, or perhaps she simply didn't have the time to stay mad at him.
Naruto knew that it was best to resolve the matter with Danzo as soon as possible. Each issue had to be dealt with individually, and they couldn't let personal matters delay the important stuff.
"Oh, I understand now." Naruto said, pulling out a box of even more expensive pastries and handing it directly to Shizune, "The priciest dessert."
It was his way of making amends. After all, Shizune had always taken care of him. What he did wasn't exactly honorable, but he didn't regret it.
After leaving Shizune, he went straight home.
The issue with Ino was basically resolved. Tsunade had given her approval, so none of Konoha's upper management would oppose it now. After all, Danzo himself is in a precarious situation now, so he wouldn't cause any more conflicts with Tsunade.
Naruto figured it would take one or two days for the final decisions to be made at the meeting. He had delayed Ino's progress a few days ago, so her original three-day plan to had been stretched out a little.
It worked out perfectly, though. Once the decision passed, Ino's side would be ready, and after securing the funding, the Konoha communicator plan could officially kick off.
Two days flew by, and the plan went smoothly. Just as expected, the higher-ups remained silent, and Tsunade single-handedly pushed the plan forward.
Initially, the higher-ups wanted to argue over the budget, pointing out that the village had no spare funds with all the internal and external issues Konoha was facing. But Tsunade silenced them with one shocking statement… she was footing the bill herself.
Everyone was stunned, wondering where did she get that much money.
But then they remembered: Tsunade was the princess of Konoha, a member of the Senju Clan. It wasn't impossible that the clan had a final stash of wealth left over somewhere. After all, the Senju were the founding clan of the village, and it wasn't likely that they were entirely broke.
That explanation shut everyone up. One person even dared to ask where the money came from, and Tsunade's answer was enough to silence them for good: it was the Senju Clan's wealth.
The concept of 'clan wealth' was vague. Just because people said it existed didn't mean it did, but only those in control would know how deep the foundation of a clan really went.
There was almost no objection to these words coming from Tsunade. Almost all of the Senju Clan's members died in battle, and some are scattered, leaving Tsunade as the only direct descendant.
But Tsunade has no descendants, so no one could verify whether her claim was true. If she said there was wealth, then there was.