But Sinai didn't seem to blame Sharly; he just looked at her.
"It's really good… so good to have you back safely."
"Ah, Auntie, how about we have some barbecue…"
At that moment, a voice from inside the house startled Sharly.
Chapter 104: Sharly and Ino
"Ah, Auntie, how about we have some barbecue…"
Suddenly, a figure carrying a plate walked out from inside. She hadn't finished speaking when she froze. Seeing the person she had longed for day and night, her hand holding the plate instinctively loosened.
By the time she realized it, the plate had slipped and was about to fall…
But the plate disappeared, and Sharly appeared before her, holding the two plates. Looking at the figure in front of her, she asked in surprise, "Ino, what are you doing here?"
Ino didn't say a word. Fear flickered in her eyes as she instinctively took a step back…
Sharly fell silent, and the smile on her face gradually faded. She opened her mouth but could only say a few helpless words:
"Sorry… I scared you."
"No, no…" Ino came back to her senses and noticed the bitter expression on Sharly's face. What had she gone through?
Ino had also learned the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques and was naturally sensitive to spiritual energy, just like Yamanaka Kaiji. The moment Sharly approached her, Ino sensed a powerful life force rushing toward her, and a wave of fear washed over her.
Yet, a sense of guilt lingered in Ino's heart. She had so many thoughts. The blood-like energy on Sharly clearly indicated the ordeals she had faced—she hadn't deliberately avoided returning.
At first, Ino had thought that Sharly had stopped visiting because she had a new lover. She had been upset for several days but finally decided to go find Sharly to confirm the truth. She told herself to end her worry—she couldn't keep sinking into despair.
After some inquiries, Ino learned where Sharly lived and realized that she hadn't returned for a long time. She immediately understood that her previous assumptions were wrong, and couldn't help but worry about Sharly's safety.
Occasionally, Ino would come by to look for Sharly, but not every time.
Finally, today, she had seen Sharly—but what had happened to her? Sharly's current state was alarming, wasn't it? The person who should have been comforted most was held back by fear…
At that moment, Ino's fear was overwhelmed by emotion. She stepped forward and grabbed Sharly's arm, smiling:
"Of course not! Sharly, don't underestimate me. I also passed the Ninja Academy exams and became a ninja!"
"A little Ino often comes to look for you at my house, but you're never there," Sinai said, smiling at the scene.
Sharly looked at Ino's smiling face and the worry in her eyes. A warm feeling surged in her heart, and she said, "Sorry… I had a long-term mission, so I couldn't come home."
"It's okay, as long as little Sharly comes back safely. Besides, little Sharly always sends me things; I know you're fine," Sinai said with a smile.
Sinai wasn't really upset. From her perspective, it was normal for a ninja to be busy. As long as she didn't suddenly receive a death notice, everything would be fine. But if that ever happened, Sinai would collapse immediately.
"It's just that you owe Ino-chan. She's been waiting for you a long time and has helped my mom a lot," Sinai continued.
"Auntie, what did you say?" Ino's face suddenly turned bright red, and she could no longer hide her embarrassment.
"Yes… I know that after coming back this time, I won't be on any missions for a long while. I'll spend more time with Mom and Ino," Sharly said seriously.
"You don't need to do that; just spend more time with Ino," Sinai said, smiling.
Hearing this, Ino's eyes lit up. She would finally no longer endure long separations—but… Sharly had become a ninja, and would still go on missions. Perhaps they would be apart again.
"Alright, stop hugging. Little Sharly, go grab a new plate. Ino came over today, so I'll show off my cooking skills!"
Ino immediately blushed and let go of Sharly's hand, shyly running to the kitchen to get a new plate.
"Sharly, do you need to buy more barbecue? I bought some for Ino and myself, but with you, it might not be enough," Sinai said, looking at the meat on the table.
"All right," Sharly replied. She finally understood why Sinai was cooking when she opened the door. She had assumed her mother's appetite changed after her absence. Sinai didn't usually eat barbecue, and even when they had money, they didn't eat much.
After agreeing, Sharly thought carefully. When secretly observing Sinai before, she had noticed these barbecue habits at the shop, so she had left a mark of the Flying Thunder God technique.
That was enough. Sharly roughly sensed the location of the mark. In the next moment, she disappeared from Sinai's sight.
Sinai blinked, stunned, then smiled. It seemed little Sharly had grown stronger. The technique looked powerful.
Ino then came out of the kitchen and, not seeing Sharly, asked, "Auntie, where's Sharly? Did she go on a mission again?"
"I went to buy more meat. I'll be back soon," Sinai said, taking Ino by the hand and smiling. "Little Ino, don't worry. When Sharly comes back, I'll make sure she doesn't run around recklessly."
Suddenly, Ino's lingering blush deepened again.
Ino shyly nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Sinai felt relieved. She had been pleased with Ino these days. Though not yet at the point of considering her as a daughter-in-law, she had to make a choice. If so… she would choose Ino.
"Huh? What's going on?" Sharly appeared with a pile of barbecue, silent, and looked at the flushed faces of Sinai and Ino, confused.
"Nothing, really," Ino quickly said loudly.
"All right, Mom, I bought the grill," Sharly said, placing the barbecue on the basket.
"So fast," Sinai said, sighing. How long had that taken?
"Of course, your son has already been promoted to Jonin; he's really strong," Sharly said, revealing the good news to her mother and Ino.
"Jonin?!" Sinai and Ino's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You're not lying, right? I was only twelve. Mom, I remember that genius from the Hatake family became a Jonin…" Sinai couldn't remember exactly who it was, but continued.
"Of course not. I'm not lying… I won't lie about this. Here's my Jonin certificate. Even though I'm only a special Jonin, from today on, I'm officially a Jonin," Sharly said, smiling.
Receiving the certificate, Sinai and Ino were stunned.
Sinai couldn't believe it. She remembered her husband's lifelong goal—yet her son achieved it at twelve?
As for Ino, she had just become a Genin herself; how could she catch up…
Sinai quickly regained composure, her face radiating pride. This was her son, a twelve-year-old Jonin! Her pride!
"All right, even if you're a Jonin, you're still my son, and Ino's boyfriend. Come, let's eat barbecue together," Sinai said, pulling Ino to sit down. Ino followed and smiled.
Yes, even though Sharly became a Jonin, he was still her boyfriend. He felt both reassured and proud.
"Ah? I'll do the grilling…" Sharly scratched his head. He had been looking forward to tasting Mom's cooking.
"Of course. Mom and Ino also want to try the difference in Jonin-level barbecue," Sinai said, smiling. She noticed Ino's condition and, being sensitive, probably understood what Ino was thinking. She tried to suppress these thoughts.
"All right, let me show off the skills of Konoha's next heir!" Sharly smiled, fully relaxed. His mother worked at a barbecue shop; of course, he could grill, though not as well as Sinai.
Sinai and Ino had small appetites, so after a long while, they were full.
Then Sinai stood and began instructing Sharly while calling Ino: "Little Ino, come try too."
"Ah? But I don't know how…" Ino panicked, waving her hands.
"If you don't know, you can learn. You're just eating little Sharly, it's fine," Sinai said.
"No problem, Ino, just grill, I'll take care of the rest," Sharly smiled naturally.
"All right," Ino nodded, beginning to help Sharly under Sinai's guidance.
Sharly had a huge appetite, at least larger than both Sinai and Ino combined!
"Mmm, Mom's barbecue is still so good, and Ino's is tasty too. This will definitely be the best," Sharly said, holding his stomach.
"Then Ino-chan can grill for you from time to time," Sinai suddenly said.
Sharly and Ino both paused. Sharly looked at Ino and said, "Okay."
"Are you willing, Ino-chan?" Sinai asked.
Ino lowered her head. Though usually tolerant around family, now her voice was sharp like a mosquito bite.
"I'm willing."
Chapter 105: Did Naruto Get Cursed?
After the meal, when Ino was ready to leave, Sinai sent her out, and Sharly went with her, though Sinai didn't say it outright.
The walk was somewhat silent, but Sharly finally spoke first:
"Ino, I'm sorry for everything that happened this past year."
Ino shook her head, her blue eyes fixed on Sharly: "It's okay. After all, this is the fate of a ninja. Some missions have to be kept secret, right?"
"Yeah…" Sharly nodded. This wasn't a lie. At least the fact that he had been an ANBU member hadn't been exposed.
Although Mo Ying's identity had been revealed long ago, that was her identity, not Sharly's!
Ino raised her fist: "Sharly, don't look at me like that. I'm also a ninja. I may not be as strong as you, but I'll do my best!"
Originally, Ino had felt uneasy, but learning that Sharly had become a Jonin brought sudden clarity.
The knowledge she learned in school told her that Genin rarely carried out missions requiring hidden identities, but Chunin and Jonin could.
So Sharly truly hadn't abandoned her intentionally—that was very important to her.
Sharly looked at Ino's fist raised in determination. He hadn't seen her for over a year. The figure before him overlapped with the vague image in his memory.
Ino's eyes widened in surprise as Sharly took her hand in his warm palm. A force flowed from his palm, and she involuntarily leaned forward, finally falling into a broad, warm embrace.
Ino's eyes opened slightly, incredulous. When had Sharly become so proactive? Perhaps being apart for a year wasn't entirely bad.
Ino made no attempt to resist. Her cheeks flushed as she silently savored this warm moment. The embrace was so comforting…
Of course, it had to be, since Sharly was much taller than Ino. Holding her tightly, how could it not feel warm?
Ino whispered with a hint of tears: "Next time there's such a mission, can you… tell me beforehand? You don't need to tell me the mission details…"
"Mm," Sharly replied quietly.
After holding Ino, Sharly said nothing else, simply embracing her silently.
"Sorry…" Sharly muttered. During those days, he had been a bit dazed, only remembering to give gifts to Sinai but forgetting Ino… That shouldn't have happened.
Ino said nothing, only holding Sharly tightly.
Sharly actually thought that being apart for a while was a good thing. It allowed him to clearly see Ino's growth, so he wouldn't feel like he had been constantly training…
At this moment, Sharly silently counted the time. Both he and Ino were twelve years old this year, so there was a four-year gap between them.
Yes, only four years, not eight or more. He had initially assumed it would be like in his previous life, but after consulting medical books, he realized it wasn't.
This lifetime's developmental age differed from the previous one, so sixteen now corresponded to full development in the previous life. With spiritual training, this could happen even earlier.
Sharly thought following the Romans' example was wise; he didn't want to wait too long. If it harmed Ino, they would reconsider, but since it was harmless, why wait until the previous life's age?
So, with four years remaining, Sharly decided it was fine to wait a little longer.
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