𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙐𝙕𝙐𝙈𝘼𝙆𝙄 𝙁𝘼𝙈𝙄𝙇𝙔

Part 64

As Inojin and Hima made their way down the stairs, chatting softly, they reached the bottom and found Naruto and Hinata waiting in the living room.

Naruto looked up, noticing Inojin’s preparations to leave. “Inojin, you’re already heading back?” he asked, his voice carrying a hint of surprise.

Inojin nodded politely. “Yes, Ojisan.”

Hinata, ever thoughtful, chimed in with a warm smile. “At least stay till lunch, Inojin. It’s almost ready.”

Inojin hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “Sorry, Obasan. I still have a little work to catch up on. Maybe some other day.”

Hima, walking beside Inojin, gave him a worried glance. “You’re really busy nowadays,” she said, her voice laced with concern.

Inojin smiled softly at her. “What can I say? Our Hokage decided to overwork herself till she got sick.” He chuckled lightly. “Tbh, Sarada is really something. She manages all that alone, and now that she’s sick, we’ve distributed her work among ourselves, but it’s still difficult to manage it all like she does.”

Hima sighed, shaking her head. “Just Sarada-nee being Sarada-nee,” she said fondly. “She’s always been like this, always thinking about others before herself.”

Inojin laughed again. “She’s really stubborn.”

Hinata nodded knowingly. “We’ll keep an eye on her.”

Naruto smiled, reassured by the conversation. “Don’t worry. Sarada’s really strong. She’ll be up and about in no time.”

Inojin gave a small, hopeful nod. “Hope so. We’ve—” He paused, glancing at Hima. “We’ve decided to delegate some of her work among ourselves to make sure she doesn’t overwork herself like that again.”

Hima’s expression brightened. “That’ll be great!”

Inojin smiled at the thought. “Alright then, I’ll head back now.” He bowed slightly to Naruto and Hinata, showing his respect.

Naruto and Hinata both smiled back. “Take care of yourself too, Inojin,” Naruto said, his tone warm.

Hinata added, “Yeah, make sure you don’t overdo it.”

Inojin gave a reassuring smile. “I will, Ojisan… Obasan…”

With that, he and Hima made their way to the door. Hima stopped just before exiting, turning to Inojin one last time. She stood on her tiptoes, pulling him into a soft kiss.

As they pulled apart, Hima whispered, “Don’t overwork yourself, okay?”

Inojin smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “I won’t…”

He turned toward the door, giving a brief wave before stepping outside, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Hima stood there, watching him for a moment before turning back inside the house. She closed the door behind her and let out a soft sigh, feeling a little lighter now that Inojin had promised to take it easy.

As she reentered the house, she found Naruto and Hinata already resuming their chat, and the atmosphere settled back into its usual warmth and comfort. Meanwhile, Inojin, now outside, set off toward his next destination, determined to catch up on work—but he couldn’t help but think about Sarada and how, even in her sickness, she was still at the heart of everything. He hoped that with everyone’s help, she’d take the time to rest and recover properly.