Chapter 19: Ch-19 Ino's Curiosity
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Hiruzen also knew about the situation with Danzo, and it couldn't be better. In recent times, after the Third Shinobi War, Danzo had accumulated too much power under him. Now, with the death of Root members and Shisui killing many of the Root elites a year ago, Danzo's power was almost hollowed out. Obviously, Hiruzen was not going to let Danzo accumulate more strength, especially not from Konoha.
Although Hiruzen was happy about this, he couldn't allow such a powerful person to roam around in his village. So he ordered, "Shinnosuke, go and search for the intruder. He mustn't have gone far, or else the Intelligence Department would have received the signal."
"Yes," Shinnosuke replied before leaving.
After receiving the order from Shinnosuke, a team was assembled for the search. They searched for traces of the enemy and eventually found a trail. Following it, they reached the Naka River. However, due to the river, it became impossible for them to search for clues.
A few minutes ago, it was Jiryoku who, after destroying his cloak and mask, jumped into the Naka River and escaped from another location using his Gravity manipulation ability.
Finally, at midnight, Jiryoku reached his home. Although his fight seemed easy, it took a toll on him, and he was very tired and exhausted. He immediately fell asleep after lying on the bed.
After an entire night of searching, no clues were found. It was concluded that the intruder had either left the Konoha village or was still hiding within it.
Inside the village, they started searching cautiously, but they were unable to find anything about the intruder. However, they did uncover some spies lurking in Konoha, so their efforts weren't entirely wasted.
Even after a week of searching yielding no results, the Hokage ordered the search for the intruder to be ceased. The Konoha village returned to a state of calm.
Meanwhile, Jiryoku, who was the culprit of all this, continued his training and lived his life as if nothing had happened. The funniest part was that one day, while he was eating at the Ichiraku Ramen shop, the person beside him was captured by the Anbu, while the real culprit enjoyed his ramen.
It had been five days since the Hokage's order to cease the search, and Jiryoku was training at his house as usual. He heard a girl's voice behind him, saying, "I finally found you! Do you know how many times I had to ask the teachers to tell me your address?"
Jiryoku turned calmly towards Ino without saying anything and wiped sweat from his training. Ino was puzzled and said, "Hello! Didn't you hear me?"
"State your purpose," Jiryoku replied.
"Hey, you heartless bastard! How can you talk to a beautiful girl like me like that?" Ino said with pride, emphasizing her beauty.
"Maybe you are the most beautiful girl who ever existed, but what does it have to do with me? I'm a blind person for whom everyone is the same, except for their voice, which can sometimes be misleading," Jiryoku calmly responded.
When Ino heard that, her proud look was replaced with embarrassment, and she said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make fun of your blindness."
"As compensation, I will become your friend," Ino offered.
"If you truly feel guilty, then don't bother me from today onwards," Jiryoku replied before resuming his sword practice.
Ino looked dejected after hearing Jiryoku's words and left. At that moment, Shikamaru approached Ino from behind and said, "You really are an idiot. How can you flaunt your beauty in front of a blind man?" Ino, who was already upset from her encounter with Jiryoku, glared at Shikamaru and clenched her fist.
"Shikamaru, are you looking for a beating."
Shikamaru raised his head and said, "What a hassle?"
.....
Inside Yamanaka Ino's house, during dinner, Ino asked her father, "Father, do you know someone named Jiryoku?"
Inoichi Yamanaka raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why do you ask?"
"He is one year senior to me in the ninja academy," Ino replied.
"His full name is Hyuga Jiryoku," Inoichi added.
"Huh, but then why doesn't he live in the Hyuga clan compound?" Ino wondered.
After hearing Ino's question, Inoichi explained everything to her. Tears welled up in Ino's eyes as she listened to her father's words.
"But why are you suddenly interested in him?" Ino's mother asked.
Ino then shared her encounter with Jiryoku, and upon hearing her words, Ino's mother said, "Don't worry, I will prepare a delicious meal, and you can take it to him. He will surely be happy."
"Really? You're great! I love you," Ino exclaimed.
"What about me, my lovely daughter?" Inoichi chimed in.
"You too," Ino replied. With laughter, the family's day came to an end.
The next day, as promised, Ino's mother prepared a meal for Jiryoku after Ino finished her day at the Ninja Academy.
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