ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪꜱᴛ | ᴛᴇɴᴛᴇɴ ꜰꜰ|

Chapter 69

The sun shone brightly over the Hidden Leaf Village as Ino strolled through the bustling streets, her mind racing with thoughts of Ugetsu. It had been days since Team Kakashi and Team Gai had returned from their mission, but Ugetsu had been strangely absent since Sakura healed him after their intense battle with Kisame.

Finding Sakura leaning against a tree in the training grounds, Ino wasted no time approaching her. "Sakura! Have you seen Ugetsu-kun?" she asked, her voice tinged with urgency.

Sakura looked up, a hint of confusion crossing her features. "I'm not sure. He was gone right after I healed him."

Ino's brow furrowed with concern. "Did he injure himself? I can't believe he would be so reckless!"

Sakura sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Tenten told me that he overstrained himself during the fight with Kisame. He really pushed himself too hard."

Ino's worry transformed into a frustrated rant. "That idiot! He needs to take care of himself! What if he gets hurt again? He always does this, thinking he can handle everything on his own!"

"Calm down, Ino. I'm sure he's fine. He's tough," Sakura reassured her, but Ino was already off, determination setting her features into a fierce expression.

As she rounded a corner, a commotion caught her attention. Ino's heart dropped when she spotted Ugetsu at the center of a group of giggling fangirls. They surrounded him, eyes sparkling with admiration, their laughter ringing out like chimes in the air.

"What is this?" Ino demanded, storming up to the scene, her expression shifting from concern to irritation. She shot a glance at Sakura, who had followed closely behind.

"Ever since Ugetsu came back to Konoha after three years, he's become more popular because of his looks," Sakura explained, a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes despite the situation.

Ino's cheeks flushed with jealousy. The sight of Ugetsu basking in attention from those girls ignited something within her—an urgency to reclaim her place by his side. Without thinking, she surged forward and wrapped her arms around Ugetsu, hugging him affectionately.

"Ugetsu-kun! There you are!" she declared, her voice bright but with an underlying possessiveness.

The fangirls let out a collective gasp, their expressions turning from admiration to frustration. One girl huffed, "Excuse me? What do you think you're doing?"

Ino shot them a defiant glare. "What does it look like? I'm just spending time with my friend!"

The girls grumbled amongst themselves, clearly annoyed, before they began to disperse, leaving Ugetsu blinking in surprise. He looked down at Ino, a mixture of confusion and amusement on his face.

"Ino-chan? What's going on?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was just worried about you, okay?" Ino admitted, her cheeks heating as she stepped back, suddenly self-conscious. "You shouldn't be hanging around those girls. They don't care about you like I do!"

Before Ugetsu could respond, Naruto burst onto the scene, skidding to a halt in front of Ugetsu. "Hey! Ugetsu! We need to go find another team member. Come on!" Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Ugetsu by the wrist and began to drag him away.

Ino stood there, bewildered, her mind racing. "Wait! What? You can't just take him like that!" she shouted after them, a mix of irritation and confusion swirling within her.

As she watched Ugetsu being whisked away by Naruto, she felt a strange pang in her heart, caught between wanting to be with him and the uncertainty of the moment.