Chapter 230: The Way Back Home
Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 230: The Way Back Home
"What are they doing?" Ino asked as they moved through the corridors of Danzo's secret hideout.
She saw clones of Naruto running all over the place.
"They're mapping the place and looking for the exit," Naruto said, skipping the part where they were also eliminating any remaining agents in the area.
There were thousands of clones, and Naruto was constantly receiving feedback and information from their memories whenever they found something new.
As he walked with Ino at his back, he knew the way he needed to go to avoid running into a dead end.
"One of my clones has found an exit," Naruto said, taking a turn into a different corridor.
"You know what your clones are doing?" Ino asked.
"No. I know what they did after they're dispelled," Naruto told her.
"But there are thousands of them… doesn't that give you a headache?" She couldn't imagine the amount of information he was receiving.
"I'm getting used to it," Naruto said, turning his head to look at her. "You seem a bit better now," he pointed out. She had been in complete shock when he arrived, but now she was returning to her usual self.
"That mind jutsu the Elder tried to use on me… I'd rather not think about what could have happened if it wasn't for that…" Ino stopped mid-sentence.
"For what?" Naruto asked.
"A golden page appeared inside my mind and protected me," Ino said.
"A golden page? You mean…"
Ino nodded. "Yes, it was like the one I saw three years ago… the one that gave me my cultivation method."
'That explains the traces of "Divine Energy" I felt on her,' Naruto thought. He hadn't known that was there.
This meant it had been a closer call than he thought.
'I need to give her and Hinata some proper training so they're better prepared if someone attacks them again,' he decided. Today's events were evidence that even his "Flying Thunder God" jutsu might not be fast enough.
"Naruto… I want to go home and make sure my parents are okay. I'm worried they did something to them," Ino said with a concerned tone.
"Okay, I'm going to speed up. Hang on tightly."
Ino wrapped her arms and legs around him with force and buried her face in his neck.
Naruto already knew exactly where the exit was, so now he could activate his "Red Lotus Shift" movement technique.
They disappeared in a red blur and arrived at the exit of the tunnels in a matter of seconds.
The piece of furniture blocking the secret entrance to the hideout had already been destroyed by his clones, so Naruto quickly passed by the old-looking house and went straight for the exit door.
As soon as he opened it, he was welcomed by the rays of sunlight that pierced through the small alleyway.
"We're out!" Ino exclaimed with joy. The fresh air had never felt better on her skin.
From here, it was all very easy. Naruto jumped onto the rooftops and found the way to Ino's house in an instant.
She gasped when she saw the destruction in her building. Most of the last floor was now missing.
'Did I do all of that?' She wasn't sure if all that damage was caused by her, but now she felt guilty.
"Are my parents there?" Ino asked.
"No…" Naruto stopped on the rooftop next to Ino's building. "They're in the Hokage building." Now he was able to feel their chakra signatures very clearly.
"You know that from here?" Ino was surprised to hear that, but mostly, she felt relief that they were okay.
"Then, let's go there. They must be worried sick."
"Not yet… we're surrounded." As Naruto said this, three masked ninjas appeared around them.
"They followed us?!" Ino exclaimed.
"No… it's not them," Naruto said. He was sure his clones had taken care of everyone in that facility before dispelling.
"They're ANBU." He recognized at least one of them. The one with the bear mask was often with Kakashi.
"Naruto Uzumaki… Ino Yamanaka, you were declared missing last night," one of the ANBU said.
"Everyone has been looking for you."
"I'm fine now. Naruto found me," Ino told the ninjas. "I just want to go see my parents."
"They're at the Hokage's office. If you're not in need of medical assistance, we can escort you there right now," one of them said.
It may have sounded like an offer, but they weren't going to let her out of their sight now.
"I'll take her there. You can follow us if you want to," Naruto said, taking off without waiting for their response.
The ANBU hurried to chase after him.
"I think they're upset…" Ino commented. Even without using her jutsu, she could feel the emotions surrounding them.
"They'll get over it. I'm not letting them lay their hands on you," Naruto huffed.
"How possessive," Ino grinned and hugged Naruto from behind. "I like that."
When they reached the Hokage building, the two of them noticed that there were people outside waiting for them.
'The ANBU must have used one of those communication devices to inform Tsunade,' Naruto recalled, remembering using them during his genin training with Kakashi.
"Wow," Ino said.
It wasn't just her parents and the Hokage waiting for them.
Hinata was also there, as well as several of their old classmates and their Jonin senseis.
"Looks like everyone was looking for you," Naruto said.
"Yes," Ino replied, feeling a warm sensation washing over her and pushing away the unpleasantness from her experience.
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