Chapter 120 Ino's Unspeakable Heartbeat
Suddenly, footsteps accompanied by humming could be heard outside the door, and they gradually became clearer.
The three men stood up, their bodies tense, their eyes fixed on the doorway, which was piled with debris to prevent enemies from entering, ready for battle at any moment.
However, the footsteps did not stop, and they left directly past the room where they were.
Just as Haruko and the others were feeling both puzzled and relieved, the doorway was suddenly blown open, and amidst the rising dust, the enemy's grotesque laughter could be heard.
"Found you!"
When Haruko appeared, she tried to cast an illusion, but upon realizing it was her, Sakon quickly spun around, slipped, and sent pebbles and dust flying towards her.
Covered in dust, Haruko instinctively closed her eyes as Sakon darted toward Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno on either side of her.
Seeing them being sent flying against the wall with just a few punches, Haruko took out a kunai and ran over, but Sakon dodged her.
Sakon clicked his tongue, annoyed, and said, "If Lord Orochimaru hadn't forbidden me from attacking you, I would have already peeled your bones off and played music with them."
"Thank you so much!"
Haruko Hayama quickly stepped in front of the two of them.
The situation began to become delicate. Compared to Haruko and the others' tension, Sakon seemed to be thinking about where to start.
BOOM!
A huge sound suddenly erupted from the base, like an earthquake. More stones fell down, and several candles were forced out. They quickly took cover.
"Which idiot is causing this damage?"
Zuo Jin frowned. The classified documents had not been destroyed, and the base was still swaying as if it was about to collapse.
After thinking for a while, Sakon decided to give up on them, since it would be difficult to make a move with Haruko Hayama around. He left the room to look for the documents.
Seeing him disappear, Haruko and the others didn't relax. The base might collapse at any time, so they had to leave quickly. They had already recorded most of the research documents, and although it was a pity that the remaining ones were not recorded, they couldn't continue searching.
Ino, are you alright?
Haruko carefully helped Yamanaka Ino, whose legs were covered in blood and gore, to her feet. When Sakon threw her against the wall, she bumped into research equipment on a cabinet, causing the glass to shatter and fall. As she fell, a piece of glass pierced her thigh.
"It's alright... Ouch!" Yamanaka Ino took a tentative step, but the pain made her freeze in place.
Sakura Haruno glanced around. "We need to hurry! We can't hold out here for much longer!"
Yamanaka Ino gritted her teeth; she absolutely did not want to become a burden to the team. But even after tensing her body and taking two steps forward, she almost fell again. It was Hayama Haruko beside her who pulled her up.
"Haruko, you guys go first... Haruko?!"
Yamanaka Ino exclaimed in surprise as she was lifted into the air and easily caught in Hayama Haruko's arms.
"Ino, hug me!"
Haruko didn't give her a chance to hesitate. With a serious expression, she picked her up and led Sakura Haruno outside.
Yamanaka Ino subconsciously did as she was told, and only after her hands were already around her neck did Yamanaka Ino belatedly feel embarrassed.
Watching Haruko Hayama hurry along, her eyes fixed on the road ahead, Ino Yamanaka remained silent, carefully tracing Haruko Hayama's silhouette with her gaze.
Haruko Hayama is undoubtedly beautiful, with delicate eyebrows, curved lips, bright eyes, and white teeth. When she looks at someone earnestly, that person feels like they have the whole world.
For example, right now, upon noticing her gaze, Haruko lowered her head and gave her a comforting smile.
The sound of running filled her ears, but Yamanaka Ino could clearly hear her own heartbeat gradually quickening.
What's wrong with her...?
Yamanaka Ino blushed and lowered her head, not daring to look at her anymore. Suddenly, she noticed the necklace around Hayama Haruko's neck.
When did Haruko start wearing this necklace?
With a casual hint of doubt, Yamanaka Ino finally spoke, addressing her own unease. She pursed her lips slightly, "Haru...Haruko, what is this necklace?"
"Hmm?" Haruko looked at her and noticed that her face was unusually red, and her eyes kept blinking, avoiding eye contact.
Could Ino have developed a fever due to an infection?
Haruko quickened her pace silently, not forgetting to answer, "It was given to me by Master Tsunade. Does Ino like the necklace?"
"I don't really like it that much." Afraid that she would think he wanted her necklace, Yamanaka Ino quickly changed her words.
Haruko chuckled and said, "Then I'll give Ino a bracelet next time."
Yamanaka Ino widened her eyes slightly and couldn't help but turn her gaze to her again. Even in such a critical moment, she had made a promise to her future because of her words.
The hand around Haruko's neck tightened slightly, and Ino Yamanaka tentatively rested her head completely on Haruko's shoulder.
Haruko felt her movement and hugged her even tighter.
Thump—thump—
Yamanaka Ino thought to herself: It's so noisy, it's making my heart pound...
Sakon had previously caused minor damage to the base. When Akimichi Choji used the Expansion Technique to become a human bomb tank, the enemy managed to sneak up near the base. Unable to stop, he crashed into the base, causing complete destruction.
Haruko and her friends barely escaped before they were faced with a stalemate with a group of people.
"Haruko! Is Ino, whom you're holding, hurt?"
Nara Shikamaru was initially relieved to see them come out, but he didn't expect that Yamanaka Ino was injured.
At this moment, the Sound Four stood between Haruko and her two companions and Shikamaru's team. None of the three sides made a move, and they looked at each other in bewilderment.
A slightly disheveled Jirobo whispered a reminder: "With that person here, we can't hurt him."
Tayuya's face contorted with rage, "They should all be sent to their deaths!"
Sakon pulled her back from the brink of agitation. Their mission was to destroy classified documents, and now that the mission was complete, there was no need to stay any longer, especially with Haruko Hayama present.
Sakon then signaled to the other two, and disappeared with Tayuya from the spot.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw them leave.
Naruto deactivated his Nine-Tails form and ran to Haruko Hayama, anxiously asking, "Haruko, are you alright?"
Yamanaka Ino, who was in his arms, was very unhappy. "Hey, can't you see that I'm the one who's injured!"
Naruto Uzumaki guiltily looked away, and Shikamaru Nara came over to check her injuries. "You didn't break any bones, did you?"
"It shouldn't be anything, it's just that the base was about to collapse, and we didn't have time to bandage it up, so we rushed out," Sakura Haruno explained from the side.
Nara Shikamaru glanced at Yamanaka Ino, whose face was slightly flushed, and then at Hayama Haruko, who was completely unaware of her own state.
No way...
"Choji, you come and hug Ino." Nara Shikamaru used his squad leader privileges in a serious manner.
"Why?" Choji Akimichi reluctantly stepped forward.
Yamanaka Ino's face turned even redder, this time from anger.
"What do you mean? I don't want to be hugged by you stinky boys!"
While Haruko was casting a healing spell on her in the morning, Nara Shikamaru, with his deadpan expression, squatted down and reasoned with her, "Haruko is a girl too, she can't hold you for that long. We need to hurry back to the village to complete our mission."
Ino Yamanaka knew what he meant, but she just didn't want anyone other than Haruko to hug her...
Feeling unhappy, Yamanaka Ino looked at Hayama Haruko, who was working diligently beside her.
Haruko Hayama, completely unaware that the healing spell had been withdrawn, was still proud of herself for having become even more powerful.
Suddenly, a hand appeared in Haruko's line of sight. Yamanaka Ino snapped out of her daze and looked in the direction of the hand, where she saw Nara Shikamaru, whose expression perfectly conveyed speechlessness.
"Do you even know or not? This is so annoying," Nara Shikamaru muttered.
Upon hearing his tone of complaint, Yamanaka Ino immediately lost all interest and replied without hesitation, "Understood, Captain Shikamaru!"
"..." Nara Shikamaru's lips twitched.
Women are indeed the most troublesome, especially jealous women.
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