Chapter 13: Ino-Shika-Cho

Along the way, Natsuwari and Yamanaka Ino didn't communicate much. The one leading the way led, and the one following followed.

However, the one leading the way often looked at other places, looking here and there, then reluctantly retracted her gaze and continued forward because she had to lead the way.

"It's still early. I don't need to go back so soon." Natsuwari finally couldn't help it and said quietly from behind.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ino turned her head, blinked, and looked somewhat expectant.

"It means you can go play whatever you want." Natsuwari said concisely.

"Really? That's great!" Ino cheered and finally stopped suppressing her desire to play, running off to the side.

Natsuwari silently followed behind, looking at Yamanaka Ino's back. To be honest, he thought the Ino-Shika-Cho trio in Konoha was quite good.

If the three clans were considered separately, their influence in Konoha wouldn't be significant. But these three families always stood together, and this power couldn't be underestimated.

What Natsuwari found most impressive was that these three families weren't as dark and ruthless as some other clans. They didn't look down on others based on their status. Even the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho didn't know the reputation of Ino-Shika-Cho when they were young. Well, except for Shikamaru. With Shikamaru's intelligence, even if no one told him, he would definitely find out from somewhere else.

It could be said that the Ino-Shika-Cho combination was not only rare in Konoha but also a rarity in the entire ninja world.

Natsuwari believed that the Ino-Shika-Cho combination could exist because Shika was smart enough, and Ino and Cho trusted Shika enough. Not to mention, they were also very compatible with each other.

First, the Akimichi clan's Expansion Jutsu disrupted the enemy, then the Yamanaka clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu added control, allowing Shika's Shadow Imitation Technique to achieve 100% control. Finally, the Akimichi clan, with their great strength but generally low accuracy, finished the job. It was perfect.

It seemed like the Akimichi clan could be replaced, as long as there was a ninja with powerful ninjutsu. But in reality, it wasn't that simple.

The key point was inheritance. The Akimichi clan's inheritance wasn't difficult, and the Expansion Jutsu had sufficient power in the early stages. After all, their physique was there. Just one punch from that size would probably be hard for even an ordinary Jonin to withstand. But its weakness was also very obvious: it wasn't agile enough. Without the Ino-Shika-Cho combination, it would probably just be a big target. But its advantages were enough within the Ino-Shika-Cho formation.

As for the inheritance of other ninjas, even powerful ninjas couldn't guarantee that their descendants would definitely be strong, let alone guarantee that they could use powerful ninjutsu in the early stages. If they were forced to form a team, they would lack an offensive role in the early stages. If a fully developed ninja was added to the team, then synergy would be a big problem.

From Natsuwari's point of view, Shika was actually the most unstable one. Because Shika wasn't just someone who could use the Shadow Imitation Technique, he was also the most crucial brain. As for brains, who knew which generation might suddenly produce some weirdos. Even Shika probably couldn't avoid it...

However, for now, the Ino-Shika-Cho inheritance had no problems. Shikamaru would become an excellent Shika of the new generation.

And Akimichi Choji would become the Cho of this generation, while Yamanaka Ino was the 'Ino' of this generation.

That's right. No matter which generation of Ino-Shika-Cho, from their appearance, Ino always seemed to be Akimichi, after all, their physique was there. Who would call a delicate girl like Ino a pig? But in reality, Yamanaka meant "wild" in Japanese, and Ino's pronunciation could also be translated as "pig." As for the previous generation,亥 actually meant "pig." So... and Akimichi was actually the butterfly.

It had to be said that Ino was quite cute when she was little. Natsuwari felt that all the Konoha 12 were quite cute. No matter how they turned out when they grew up, as long as children didn't cause trouble, they were cute. Natsuwari's thoughts drifted off again.

"Are you done playing?" After a while, Natsuwari looked at the time and couldn't help but ask. Unconsciously, quite a long time had passed. During this time, Ino had been running around here and there, her stamina seeming quite abundant.

"Yes." Ino stopped, suddenly realizing that she seemed to have something else to do. Although she hadn't deviated from the route, she seemed to have only been focused on playing. She couldn't help but scratch her head in embarrassment.

"It's getting late." Natsuwari pointed to the sky.

"The cake shop is just ahead, it's very close." Ino blushed and walked straight ahead, quickly stopping in front of a shop. It was indeed very close.

Natsuwari saw the cake shop and breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally arrived. He had been to this place before, but he didn't know it was a cake shop.

"Wait here for a bit." Natsuwari said.

"Okay." Ino nodded and watched Natsuwari walk in. Then she kicked the stones on the roadside, feeling bored.

Then, she hadn't felt it while walking, but now that she had stopped, a wave of fatigue washed over her. She couldn't walk anymore and wanted to rest for a while.

Why wasn't he coming out yet? Ino looked at the quiet shop, feeling it was taking so long. The fatigue in her body made her sit down and rest.

After a while, Natsuwari finally came out with a box.

At this moment, Natsuwari sighed. He had forgotten that customizing a cake also took some time, so there was no time for customization. He could only choose a ready-made one.

Then, Natsuwari saw Ino sitting there and couldn't help but be stunned. Remembering her behavior along the way, he suddenly understood. She must be feeling tired now, right?

At this time, Natsuwari seemed to hear Ino muttering about him. He narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"Why isn't he out yet? It's taking so long." Ino sat there, rubbing her slightly sore legs and feet, complaining a bit.

"Are you tired?"

Suddenly, Ino heard a voice beside her ear and couldn't help but turn her head to look. She saw a pastry. To be honest, she might not have looked at it twice usually, but at this moment, she couldn't help but swallow.

Looking up, she saw Natsuwari's smiling face. Ino asked uncertainly, "Is this for me?"

"Yes, thank you for leading the way for so long. You've worked hard."

"Um..." Ino's face instantly turned red. It wasn't like she hadn't been playing along the way. She was already tired, and now seeing the pastry, she felt hungry. She could only take the pastry and silently eat it.

While eating, Ino asked, "Didn't you buy one for yourself?"

"I'll go home and share this with Mom." Natsuwari said, lifting the box in his hand. In fact, he didn't have much money left after buying the cake. After all, it was just pocket money, and he had only recently started receiving it, so it wasn't much.

"I see." Ino nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

After Ino finished eating, Natsuwari asked, "Do you still have the strength to walk now?"

Ino stood up, twisted her legs, and said uncertainly, "I think so."

"Then you can carry this." Natsuwari said and handed the box in his hand to Ino.

Ino was a little stunned after taking the box. She didn't have much strength left, so why was he asking her to carry it? Did he misunderstand something?

Before she could react, she saw Natsuwari turn his back and slightly squat down. Did he mean to carry her on his back?

"It's getting late, come on." Natsuwari said.

"Um, okay." Ino thought for a moment and nodded. Then she carefully protected the box in her hands and leaned against Natsuwari's back, her hands slowly wrapping around his neck, allowing the box to hang down steadily.

"Are you ready?" Natsuwari asked at this time.

"Yes, I'm ready."

At this moment, Natsuwari also supported Ino's legs with his hands and stood up.

"How is it? If it's too heavy, just let me down. I can walk." Ino couldn't help but say.

"Hmm, you're lighter than I thought." Natsuwari replied and started walking in the direction they came from, his steps still steady and quick.

Ino was stunned. She looked at Natsuwari's back, which was close at hand, and seemed to see her father's figure