Chapter 131 Her Scent
Finally, Haruko Hayama, representing the parents, came to pick up Naruto Uzumaki, who had been caught red-handed.
They've already been caught and punished, and now both of them are completely dejected.
Upon seeing Haruko Hayashi approach, Naruto Uzumaki immediately stood up straight, and despite her helpless expression, weakly apologized to her.
"I'm sorry, Haruko..."
Kiba Inuzuka couldn't stand his cowardly appearance and said dismissively, "Why apologize? You didn't do anything to wrong her."
You haven't wronged her, but you've wronged all the Hokage!
Haruko screamed inwardly. Heaven knows how she felt when she heard that two brats had actually graffitied on the Hokage statue. How funny it was, how ashen-faced she became when she found out it was her own golden retriever.
All I can say is, Naruto, you're something else! You even dared to vandalize the Hokage statue. Is there anything in this world you wouldn't dare to do?
If Naruto Uzumaki could hear her thoughts, he would probably stammer and reply that he would never dare to upset her.
Haruko sighed in the morning and asked softly, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Are you hungry?"
Naruto shook his head, but the rumbling in his stomach betrayed him. Hearing his stomach's uncooperative noise, Naruto blushed with embarrassment.
Seeing his dejected appearance, Haruko's mood, which had been gloomy, eased a little. "Let's go, let's have a special meal of Ichiraku Ramen tonight."
"Ichiraku Ramen? Yay!" Naruto Uzumaki immediately perked up.
Seeing their loving interaction, Kiba Inuzuka snorted disdainfully.
Haruko turned to him with a smile, "Inuzuka-kun, why don't you come eat with us?"
"I'm not going." Despite feeling inexplicably happy inside, Kiba Inuzuka forced a nonchalant expression.
“Okay.” Haruko Hayama respected his opinion.
Naruto was eager to drag her to eat ramen, but Haruko Hayama jokingly dissuaded him.
Kiba Inuzuka had been secretly watching them the whole time. When he caught sight of Haruko Hayama walking towards him, Kiba's arms tightened slightly.
"What are you doing?"
Kiba Inuzuka's impolite words prompted Haruko Hayama to hand him a handkerchief.
Haruko pointed to her cheek. "Inuzuka-kun, there's still paint on your cheek. Wipe it off with a wet handkerchief before you go back."
Kiba Inuzuka never expected that his wise and mighty image would be ruined by the paint on his face, and he turned his head away in embarrassment.
"I...I don't need your help!"
Ignoring the child's anger at being exposed, Haruko grabbed his hand and placed the handkerchief in his palm.
"Remember this, Inuzuka-kun! We're off now."
After saying that, Haruko left with Naruto, leaving Kiba Inuzuka clutching the pale yellow handkerchief, at a loss.
The Inuzuka clan has an extremely sensitive sense of smell. For example, at this moment, the handkerchief carried the same fresh scent as Haruko Hayama, which kept wafting into his nose. Kiba Inuzuka was momentarily at a loss as to what to do with the handkerchief.
Finally, in the empty classroom bathed in the glow of the setting sun, Kiba Inuzuka let out a slightly excited "humph".
...
Seeing Haruko and Hinata chatting happily, Kiba Inuzuka walked beside her and couldn't help but snort again.
Haruko couldn't help but wonder: Did I offend him?
After two days of stopping and starting, they finally reached their destination.
"What an amazing sight!" Haruko Hayama exclaimed, looking at the huge, sunken basin before her.
Kiba Inuzuka frowned. "It doesn't seem like a suitable place for humans to live."
“Yes, that’s why it’s a paradise for insects,” Shino Aburame replied casually.
Upon hearing this description, Haruko's expression darkened. "Could this place be full of bugs...?"
Although she had overcome her fear of insects with the help of Shino Aburame's friendship, she was truly unable to accept the insects in this basin.
"I say, as the captain, you're not afraid, are you?" Kiba Inuzuka sneered.
Haruko Hayama showed no resentment at his belittling and immediately slid to her knees, saying, "That's right, I'm scared."
"..." Her frank admission left Kiba Inuzuka speechless.
Aburame Shino stood silently next to her, saying, "There are almost no insects inside that will actively harm people."
Despite saying that, Haruko Hayama still found it difficult to take that step. "Shino, can I stay by your side for a bit?"
It's better to stay by Shino's side, who is good at controlling things. At least you don't have to worry about a bug suddenly flying onto you without her noticing.
“Okay.” Shino Aburame readily agreed to her request and took a bottle out of her pocket and handed it to her. “This is a special insect repellent medicine made by the Aburame clan.”
"That's great! As expected of the thoughtful Shino!"
The compliments made Shino Aburame shrink back into his collar, but he still insisted on finishing his sentence, "You should apply less, otherwise the citronella bugs will be scared away."
"learn!"
After memorizing the characteristics of the worm in the picture given by Shino Aburame, they split up to search for it, with Haruko Hayama unusually following Shino Aburame's side.
Aburame Shino pressed down on the bush, "The Technique of Gathering Insects."
Suddenly, all sorts of insects swarmed over the bushes, making Haruko Hayama, who was watching curiously behind him, turn pale.
I don't know if following him is a good idea...
After searching for a long time without success, they gathered under the big tree.
Hinata Hyuga, arriving late, ran towards them in a slightly flustered manner, "Haruko!"
Haruko told her not to rush, and when she stopped catching her breath, she said, "Hinata, did you notice it too?"
"You too..." Hinata Hyuga was slightly taken aback and looked up at them.
Aburame Shino nodded to her, while Inuzuka Kiba grinned arrogantly, "They think they're hiding well, but unfortunately, we're full of experts at finding the enemy."
"What should we do, Captain?" Shino Aburame asked her.
Haruko pondered for a moment, "If we engage in battle directly with them, we might get the insects involved, making it harder to find the Fragrance Insects. Let's wait and see."
Kiba Inuzuka replied regretfully, "I understand."
They searched separately for a long time, and it was almost sunset when they began to rest, since the crickets don't move at night.
At night, Haruko woke up groggily and found that Hinata Hyuga was not there when she turned over. She sat up and looked around. She spotted a dark figure swaying by the river not far away, which looked quite like Hinata Hyuga.
Upon arriving at the riverbank, Haruko noticed that Hinata Hyuga seemed to be training her chakra precision. She didn't know how long Hinata had been training, but she was so tired that she sat down on a rock in the middle of the river.
"...Haruko?"
Hinata Hyuga noticed her figure and stood up somewhat bewildered.
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