"New Sunshine"

Chapter: Betrayal**

### **Chapter: Betrayal**

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**Ino woke up** to a cold and empty room, the sunlight streaming through the window doing little to warm the chill she felt inside. **Naruto hadn't come home last night**, and the guilt that had plagued her since their argument now felt unbearable. She sat up in bed, her mind racing with thoughts of the things she had said, how out of control everything had become.

"**How could I say that?**" she whispered, running her hands through her hair, staring at the empty spot where Naruto should have been. She had been consumed by frustration, by her own fears, and now she was terrified that she had pushed him too far. The way he had looked at her, that cold, distant expression—**Naruto had never looked at her like that before**.

She got out of bed slowly, feeling the weight of the day ahead. **Today was the mission**—the mission to retrieve the sword that could open the gate to the underworld. And Naruto was the key to it all. She wanted to apologize before they left, but now she wasn't sure if she'd even get the chance. She had no idea where Naruto had gone, or if he even wanted to talk to her.

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**At Hokage Tower**, Tsunade stood before the assembled group—Shikamaru, Sakura, Choji, Naruto, and Ino. The morning air was tense, a sense of urgency hanging over them as they prepared for one of the most critical missions in recent memory. **Tsunade's face was grave** as she laid out the details, her voice steady but filled with the gravity of the situation.

"We've confirmed the location of the sword," Tsunade began, her eyes sweeping over the group. "It's deep within the ruins of the ancient temple in the mountains. This is not going to be easy. The area is heavily guarded by unknown forces, and once we retrieve the sword, the real challenge begins."

As Tsunade explained the mission, **Naruto stood silent**, his eyes dark and unfocused. He was there in body, but his mind was elsewhere, consumed by thoughts too deep and dark to share with anyone. The voices of his teammates, even Tsunade's orders, seemed distant, muffled by the storm of emotions swirling inside him. **The Demon King's words** echoed in his mind, twisting his thoughts, planting seeds of doubt, anger, and betrayal.

"**No one trusts you, Naruto**," the Demon King had whispered. "You've always been alone. They see you as nothing more than a tool, a weapon. This mission isn't for you—it's for them, to use you like they always have."

Ino couldn't stop glancing at Naruto from the corner of her eye. **He looked different today**—darker, more withdrawn. The warmth that had always radiated from him was gone, replaced by a cold, distant aura that made her heart ache. She bit her lip, her mind replaying their argument over and over. She wanted to reach out to him, to apologize, to tell him how sorry she was for the things she had said. But now, **he was so far away**, not just physically, but emotionally. It was like there was a wall between them that she didn't know how to break down.

Shikamaru, always the strategist, stood with his arms crossed, his sharp eyes focused on Naruto. He had noticed the change too. **Naruto was never like this**. Even in the toughest of situations, Naruto had always been the one to lift the spirits of the group, to push them forward with his boundless energy and determination. But today, there was something off—something Shikamaru couldn't quite place.

He leaned slightly toward Tsunade, keeping his voice low. "There's something wrong with Naruto," Shikamaru murmured, his brow furrowed in concern. "He's not acting like himself."

Tsunade nodded almost imperceptibly, her eyes narrowing as she too observed Naruto's behavior. "I know," she said quietly. "But we don't have time to dig into it right now. The mission has to go forward. We need Naruto for this."