"If war comes, will the common people have a way to survive?" Ino asked worriedly, "Over the past two years, because of the communication devices, my colleagues from the Intelligence Division and I have been to many places in the Land of Fire."
"Most people live... Konoha is a bit better. Basically, as long as there's no war, everyone can have enough to eat and a place to live. But in some places outside, the nobles are truly excessive."
Naruto fell silent. How corrupt nobles could be, he knew all too well. Shinobi in the Land of Fire, while not having extremely high status, similar to military men, lived better than ninety percent of the population.
Shinobi with some talent only needed to cover basic food and supplies early on.
After taking on missions, they gradually became wealthier. However, most Shinobi didn't intermarry with civilians, and they usually married within their own circles.
Occasionally, some Shinobi unwilling to grind for money would switch sides and serve nobles. The stronger ones were treated as honored guests, the weaker ones could find alternative paths using their looks, male or female.
The majority of Shinobi walked in the sunlight, but not everyone could find a smooth path. Those who couldn't naturally found ways to get closer to the nobility.
The nobles' method of controlling shinobi was simple: have them marry, have children, settle down, and acquire property. Shinobi themselves might be hard to control, but wasn't controlling their families and assets easier?
Shinobi Clans like the Ino-Shika-Cho naturally stood at the top of the Shinobi System's food chain. After traveling outside, Ino discovered that not every village was as stable as Konoha, which naturally changed her perspective.
"That's just how it is. War isn't something we can decide." Naruto said thoughtfully, "We can only hope to win this war. Only then will everyone have a way out."
Ino, though kind, was also sensible and didn't bring up the war again. The two walked openly together on Konoha's main street, arriving at the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
The lights were on upstairs, and it seemed the Yamanaka couple were already home.
"You can leave me here." Ino said, hopping a small step forward before turning around with a smile, "It's too late today. Find another time to talk to my parents about the wedding."
"Okay." Naruto nodded, watching Ino go upstairs.
He knew Ino was giving him time. Along the way, she seemed to have forgotten about the matter, only mentioning the wedding at the very end.
…
The next day.
Naruto woke up groggily, his mind still fuzzy, thinking about this and that. He hadn't slept well, tossing and turning until late at night before finally falling asleep.
Ino's pregnancy had caught him off guard. Originally, he was employing a strategy of delay, and regardless of whether Inoichi or Hiashi were satisfied, he just planned to delay.
Delaying until the Fourth Shinobi World War broke out would be a victory. By then, everyone would be preoccupied with the war, and the bottom lines of his two future fathers-in-law would likely soften.
He had never thought of marrying one and wronging the other. This was the Shinobi World, and one could hold as many wedding ceremonies as they wanted. They didn't even need the recognition of the Land of Fire, so it wasn't strictly about 'marrying' in the official sense.
Of course, he couldn't hold countless weddings either, and there would only be two at most. In fact, compared to the nobility, Naruto could even be considered pure-hearted.
But now, the delay tactic was useless. He had to take responsibility and not lose the big picture for the sake of small gains. The wedding was his attitude. Whether he could get Inoichi to agree or not, he had to try.
He knew Ino was very smart, much smarter than most. Trying clever tricks at a time like this would only backfire. Only sincerity left no flaws.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking came from the door. Naruto shuffled to the door in his slippers, wondering if Hinata was looking for him this early?
He pulled the door open to find the chubby Choji standing there, grinning and holding a bag of beer.
"Rare visitor?"
"Not really, just came to see if you're okay," Choji said, waving his hand. Before Naruto could be touched, he added, "You paying for a meal yesterday was a first, like you were settling your affairs. It was terrifying."
"Damn." Naruto stepped aside to let him in. The two had a casual drink in the morning.
Choji had things to do too. Seeing Naruto was safe and sound, he didn't ask much. After finishing his drink, he left leisurely. Standing upstairs, watching the chubby guy leave, Naruto couldn't help but smile.
"There are still many good people in this world."
Inoichi wasn't home during the day. Naruto holed up at home until noon before finally heading out to find food. At this point, he wasn't planning to stick rigidly to traditional etiquette anymore.
He intended to visit alone that evening to settle the wedding details, and the sooner it was held, the better.
However, things didn't go as he wished. He had just finished his ramen, picking his teeth and arguing with Teuchi about whether the drink in the ramen set should be switched to soy milk or carbonated drinks.
"Come on, how can you change the drink?" He said shamelessly, "You're being cheeky, boss. If you keep this up, I won't come next time."
"Then we'll offer two options. It's just hard to get supplies right now." Teuchi leaned on the counter, chatting idly with Naruto. It was just right two o'clock, so there weren't many customers.
"What is Konoha planning to do now?"
"Don't know. Things are just unstable outside." Teuchi said, squinting, "Haven't seen you much in the shop the last couple of years. On missions outside?"
"Yeah, doing some garbage missions, practically kissing the nobles' asses." Naruto occasionally let loose a crude remark, not hiding his disdain for the nobility at all.
"Oh, nobles? I've seen a few myself." Teuchi said with a chuckle, "Back then, the village was still thriving. Nobles often came to Konoha to acquire property."
The conversation ended there. Naruto couldn't very well say he hated the nobles because they never invited him to their orgies.
Cough… even if they had, he wouldn't have gone!
At the same time...
Kakashi received news from the Anbu that the other four great nations were under attack. White Zetsu had already approached the Land of Fire's borders. War was coming.
By 3 PM, all the prominent high-ranking officials and Shinobi Clans like Ino-Shika-Cho Clans had received notifications… except for Naruto, as Yugao couldn't find him and simply ignored him.
As luck would have it, Naruto had used the Gate of Underworld to go to the Land of Snow to pick out a gift. After all, rarity adds value. Something from the far-off Land of Snow would surely show more sincerity.