Konoha: Naruto's abnormal life choices

Late at night.

After Uchiha Sasuke enthusiastically clashed his purple Susanoo against Uchiha Izumi's white Susanoo for a while, Naruto Uzumaki suggested they call it a night.

"Wait a sec, Naruto. You probably haven't eaten all day—why don't you come to my place and have a midnight snack before you go?" Sasuke offered.

"Don't bother, it's already late," Naruto shook his head.

Sasuke wanted to insist again. After being alone for so many years, having Naruto and Izumi beside him tonight made it feel like he had family again. He didn't want this warmth to end so soon.

But Naruto clearly wasn't in the mood.

Izumi chuckled and said gently, "See you another day, Sasuke."

Sasuke could only wave goodbye and sigh. "You two better make good use of your time to train. Don't let me surpass you so easily."

Naruto smiled, saying nothing. Sasuke, your talent really is impressive—but if you want to surpass me, you'll need more than that. You'll need a plug-in to possess you. And not just any plug-in, either.

As the three stepped out of the abandoned Uchiha training ground together, they were shocked to find the snow already knee-deep.

None of them could recall Konoha ever getting snow like this.

Sasuke invited them again, asking Naruto and Izumi to stay at his house for the night. But Naruto firmly took Izumi's hand and left.

He turned and walked away without looking back—like he'd made some kind of resolution.

At the crossroads, Sasuke stood and silently watched Naruto holding Izumi's hand as they disappeared into the distance.

Izumi was tall, elegant, and beautiful. If the Uchiha massacre had never happened, she probably would've been Sasuke's sister-in-law by now.

Slight age gap aside, Sister Izumi and Naruto make a good pair, Sasuke thought. Way better than that lunatic Uchiha Itachi.

In Sasuke's eyes, Itachi was nothing less than a psychopath. Killing their parents, friends, and relatives for some idealistic cause—what a joke. All under the excuse that it was "for Sasuke's own good."

But never once did he ask Sasuke what he wanted.

If Sasuke had the chance to relive that night, he thought bitterly, he would've rather died alongside his parents.

Snow fell like goose feathers. White, soft, and endless.

As Naruto and Izumi approached a modest house, she suddenly stopped and opened her palms, catching snowflakes in her hands.

"...Naruto-kun, can I have a bit of privacy tonight?" she asked.

The faint light of the stars and moon glimmered through the falling snow and danced across her gentle face, making her seem even more serene—yet lonely.

She glanced at the small home on the left side of the road. It wasn't much—probably the same size as Naruto's humble apartment.

Her home.

The place she had lived before she died.

Naruto looked at her expression, then nodded without question.

"Tomorrow morning, meet me at Apartment Building No. 404, Section 8, South Street," he said quietly. "The soundproofing sucks, so if you call me, I'll hear you."

Everyone deserves their own space sometimes. And even though Izumi was usually obedient and quiet, Naruto would never force her to follow him everywhere.

Nor would he intrude on her personal business.

With a small wave, he turned and walked away, slowly vanishing into the snowy street.

Izumi bowed in his direction and whispered into the night:

"Thank you... my master."

Then she turned and stared at her old front door.

She stood there for a long time—long enough for the snow to turn her hair white—before she finally summoned the courage to open it.

A damp, musty smell hit her instantly. She pushed through it and smiled as she stepped inside the place that was once the most familiar to her.

"Mom, I'm home."

"It's snowing so hard today. Did you see it?"

Silence.

No one responded.

Her mother had died in the massacre, too. The walls still held traces of blood.

When Naruto returned to the street below his apartment, the snow was falling even heavier than before, like it was trying to bury all of Konoha in white.

The power lines must've frozen or failed—there were no streetlamps lit. The entire road was pitch black, cold and eerie.

But Naruto didn't feel afraid.

He wasn't someone who feared ghosts—or the dead.

If he didn't fear the living, why should he fear the dead?

And besides, if people became stronger after dying and turning into ghosts, then surely he would, too.

He yawned, still daydreaming as he walked toward home.

What a waste, he thought. I was hoping to spend the day cuddling with my human puppet... but I ended up alone again. So boring!

Just as he reached his front door, he noticed something—quiet breathing, coming from the shadows.

There was a figure crouched in the corner.

"Hmm?"

"A homeless person?"

Naruto tilted his head, then opened his right palm and ignited a small flame.

It was a simple lighting jutsu from the Fire Release Ceremony. Useless in combat unless infused with large amounts of chakra, but perfect for illuminating a dark street.

By the soft orange glow, he finally saw who it was.

A girl with long, golden-blonde hair sat asleep in the corner, her breathing steady.

Her small face was pale with a gentle blush, her long black skirt revealing a portion of her smooth calves. Her ten toes peeked out—soft and round.

"Ino? What are you doing here, in front of my house?"

Naruto squatted beside her, staring at the familiar girl. Her features were still childlike—maybe she could still be considered a loli?

He poked the tip of her nose. Warm breath exhaled gently.

Then he touched her forehead. It was hot. Far too hot.

What's with the fever...?

He glanced down at her thin clothing and sighed.

Girls these days will risk anything for beauty. She really came out in the snow dressed like this? And fell asleep in it too?

When awake, a ninja could circulate chakra to resist cold. But unconscious or asleep, their chakra wouldn't flow naturally—making it easy to freeze to death.

If Naruto had gone home with Izumi and only found Ino the next day... he might've found her corpse instead.

As her eyelashes trembled, Naruto sighed and looked around.

The street was still pitch black.

[Passive Selection Triggered!]

It's late at night. Most of Konoha's authority is asleep. A girl has appeared at your door. No one will notice what happens. What will you do?

[Option 1] Friendly: Send her back to the Yamanaka home. Reward: 250 Ryo.

[Option 2] Rational: Take her inside and help her warm up. Reward: Ino's Corruption Value +70%.

[Option 3] Reckless: One night, and she's yours. Reward: 100,000 Ryo.

[Option 4] Ruthless: Kill her and bury her in the snow. Reward: Heart-Turning Technique.

"???"

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

Usually, killing someone triggered a high reward. But this time... it was unusually low.

And Option 2—just helping her warm up—had a ridiculously high reward!

Bai had only reached 40% after all this time. Yugao had been around for days and was just at 55%.

Yet Ino starts at 70%?

What's the system even basing this on?

After some thought, Naruto decided to go with the safe route—Option 1: send her back home.

The reward was small, yes—but this event felt off.

Naruto gently called Ino's name, poked her soft cheek several times, but she didn't wake.

She only let out a few groggy moans.

She was seriously out cold.

Naruto sighed. If I don't help her now, I'll have to bury her tomorrow.

He extinguished the flame in his palm, bent down, and hooked his arms under her shoulders and knees. Her skin was smooth—no rough patches or hair.

He lifted her up in a bridal carry. She was light—probably less than 100 pounds.

As the saying goes, if you weigh under 100 pounds, you're either short, rich, or flat.

Ino wasn't short. She was even taller than Sasuke.

Still, compared to mature beauties like Yugao or Kurenai—not to mention Lady Yoru or Tsunade—Ino wasn't quite there yet.

But she was still young. There was time.

Naruto jumped toward the Yamanaka district with her in his arms.

But just as he took the first step, her body started to tremble violently.

She was freezing, yet her face was burning hot. Steam came from her lips, and sweat began to drip from her forehead.

One minute later—

Ino lay on Naruto's cot.

He was worried she wouldn't survive the trip, so he used a trace of Nine-Tails chakra to warm her up.

After returning home with her, he kept everything ready in case something went wrong.

The symbol "贰" appeared on his arm. If anything dangerous happened, he could instantly call Sasuke and have him bring Izumi.

But after waiting five minutes...

Nothing happened.

Ino's condition steadily improved. Under the warmth of the Nine-Tails chakra, her fever receded.

Now she lay peacefully, like a princess in a fairytale.

Her features softened, her limbs relaxed, and the redness faded from her cheeks.

She looked serene. Beautiful.

Naruto scratched his head, then took off her shoes and gently moved her legs under the blanket.

He pulled the covers over her and tucked her in.

His apartment only had one bed.