"Aoba, can't you stay two more days?"
After finishing the business, Aoba and Ino were naturally preparing to leave.
At the entrance of the shrine, Shion, dressed in her shrine maiden robes, looked reluctant as she asked if they could stay a few more days.
"I'm the Hokage, and also the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. I can't be away from Konoha for too long."
Aoba shook his head. Of course, that wasn't the real reason.
With Flying Thunder God, staying two more days according to the original mission schedule wouldn't have been a problem at all.
It was just that a certain small someone was clearly already eager to leave.
"Then when you have time, Aoba, remember to come see me. You have that teleportation ninjutsu, so it shouldn't take up too much of your time, right?"
Shion stared straight at him, the hopeful look on her face completely undisguised.
Still, she was a little worried about troubling him. After all, being both Daimyo and Hokage, he must be extremely busy.
"Mm, I will. If anything happens in the Land of Demons, you can tell me too."
Aoba nodded, "Now that the Land of Fire and the Land of Demons are allies, I'll help if there's trouble."
"Mm, I understand."
Shion nodded seriously. Then she looked at Ino with sincerity in her eyes.
"Ino, you're also welcome to visit the Land of Demons anytime."
"Mm…"
Ino nodded awkwardly. She clearly couldn't be as calm as Aoba.
When she saw Shion walk out of the room earlier with a bright smile on her face, she knew the other girl had definitely gotten what she wanted.
'Aoba is such a scumbag!'
Shion didn't think much of Ino's reaction. After all, openly trying to steal someone's boyfriend in front of her had indeed been a bit too much.
But if she hadn't said it while she had the chance, she might never have had another opportunity.
Their identities and positions were both special.
Once this matter passed, even meeting again might become difficult.
"Then we'll take our leave."
Seeing that the farewells had been said, Aoba took Ino's hand and spoke to Shion.
"Mm."
This time Shion didn't say anything more.
She just looked at him one last time, reluctant and a little wistful.
It clearly wouldn't be easy to see each other often in the future.
But it didn't matter. The ninjutsu Aoba had given her allowed her to contact him anytime.
That meant even if they couldn't meet in person, they could still chat every day.
Seeing this, Aoba used Flying Thunder God and disappeared with Ino.
———
"Ino, are you still angry?"
On the street of a certain town, Aoba asked Ino, who was happily eating candied hawthorn but had barely spoken.
"Hmph! I wouldn't get angry over some big scumbag."
Ino snorted, puffing out her cheeks as she spoke against her own feelings.
"Ino, you're really cute."
Aoba couldn't help poking her puffed-up cheek.
"Even if you call me cute, it won't work."
Ino immediately turned her face away, stubbornly refusing to give in.
"Then what would work?"
Aoba asked curiously.
"Well…"
Ino tapped her chin with a finger and suddenly realized something.
"If, after we go back, you can make sure I don't get beaten up like Temari did last time, then it'll work."
If it had just been a solo mission together, at most she would've gotten a couple days of side-eyes from Sakura.
But this time she had successfully sneaked off. There was no way to hide it.
Even she herself could notice the change in her own aura these past two days, let alone Hinata and the others.
When they got back, she would definitely face their joint interrogation.
That was the price of sneaking off.
She had mentally prepared for it, but if she could avoid getting beaten up, she definitely preferred that.
"Well…"
This question really did stump Aoba for a moment.
It wasn't that he wanted to see Ino get beaten up.
It was just that no matter which side he took, it would feel unfair.
Besides, last time Temari had used every trick in the book and run around for a whole day, but in the end she was still caught by the girls working together and dealt with.
Ino couldn't get special treatment.
But…
"Aoba, just help me think of something."
Ino, who had been sulking just a moment ago, was now tugging on his arm and acting spoiled.
Aoba felt a headache coming on. Looking into those bright, hopeful eyes, he thought for a while and came up with an idea that barely counted as one.
He leaned close to Ino's ear and said, "Then how about using a self-inflicted trick?"
"A self-inflicted trick?"
Ino froze slightly, not quite understanding.
"Mm."
Aoba nodded and continued, "You can just tell Tenten and the others that because of… well, that… your body ended up…"
He whispered a long explanation into Ino's ear.
After listening, Ino's expression turned a little unnatural.
"Th… that really works?"
"Why wouldn't it?"
Aoba asked back.
"I… I'm worried I won't act it well and they'll find out."
Ino replied shyly.
"Act? Why would you need to act?"
Aoba looked puzzled.
"Isn't a self-inflicted trick supposed to be acting?"
Ino tilted her head in confusion.
"..."
Aoba's expression was meaningful.
"Then just make it so you don't look like you're acting."
"Ah?", Ino blinked.
"If you hold out a bit longer tonight, then tomorrow it won't look like you're acting, right?"
Aoba said as if it were obvious.
That way, he could also be considered to have helped Tenten and the others vent their frustration.
Ino's face immediately flushed red.
But thinking about it carefully, it did seem doable.
That way she could even rest at home for a day tomorrow.
With that thought, Ino bit a candied hawthorn off her skewer, then raised her head and pressed her lips against Aoba's.
———
[Night]
Just as planned during the day, in order to avoid getting beaten up the next day, Ino seemed to flip some strange switch.
Like a wind-up doll cranked to the limit, she energetically kicked off the battle without any sign of fatigue.
After several consecutive hours, nearly reaching Tsunade's record-length battles, she was completely limp, like a puddle of mud.
For Ino, who had only just recently begun tasting intimacy, this was already an outrageous duration.
The double exhaustion of body and mind left her curled up in Aoba's arms, unwilling to move at all.
Tonight she had basically forced herself to use up the next several days' worth in advance.
The fact that she hadn't lost her mind and turned into a babbling fool was only because her mental strength was relatively strong.
But at this rate, even if she managed to avoid a beating tomorrow, she was still going to suffer quite a bit.
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