Disclaimer: All the characters introduced in this fic are Masashi Kishimoto's property. Only Kishimoto had been mistreated in this story.
Warning: Chapter unbetaed. It's the last chapter written by Kitsune no Kyuubi.
I didn't take the comment of my incompetent protector personally, because being married since seven years ago; I believed that I understood my sweetheart's desires. On other hand, between understanding them and realizing them was something else entirely. I knew that she would like me to be more present at home, but my work required most of my intention I had to produce seventeen pages weekly. I even tried to soften her up by reminding her that the show was going to an end, but she added that I was too creative and perfectionist to leave unanswered questions in the air, and that I probably had more than thirty tomes left to draw. Sometimes, I felt as if she knew me better than myself. Ah! Women could be so troublesome. While I sighed my reflection, I was surprised to see the regular user of this line lazily entering my office. The young man took his time to stretch and sat down on the chair.
"I didn't want to come but everyone insisted I do so" Shikamaru puffed, "so I didn't have much choice. Anyway, I can't be bothered to complaint about anything"
"So what do you want to talk about?" I asked relieved to avoid an argument.
"I planned to veg out in this chair instead of staying up in the corridor" He lazily replied.
"Excellent idea" I agreed.
"However, you said something about me that irritates me"
"Really! What is it?" I wondered.
"Back then, you have been asked what boyfriend would you choose if you were girl?"
"Indeed, it's been few years ago" I remembered. "If I'm not mistaking, it was for the latest databook. They also asked me what happens if we swallow Suigetsu in his liquid form. Fans have weird questions sometimes."
"Unfortunately, you have weird replies too" He retorted.
"…" I stayed silent puzzled by the forgotten answer I gave to that question.
"Whatever, when they asked you which female character you would choose as a girlfriend, you said no one. In this case, why did you choose me to be your boyfriend?" He stated offended. "If you fantasize about me, please kill me soon knowing that Sasuke would be glad to do me this favor"
"Clam down, you're misunderstanding me" I quickly clarified. "Actually, I chose you because for a girl you're a good match. You're intelligent and seem able to succeed in your life"
"That's why you surrounded me with girls, particularly blondes" He sighed.
"To reassure you, I'm not planning a romance for you. Tenten convinced me not to bother you with it, unless you want to."
"Not now, I would like to keep on day dreaming. Thank you anyway"
"However, I planned for you to be Naruto's confident" I announced while the lazy man stood up, "I hope that it doesn't bother you much"
"Troublesome!" The young man cursed leaving the office at a weary pace making room for his friend and teammate.
The latter was waving her hands smiling cutely at my bodyguard who was too busy reading his book to notice her. Slightly offended for being ignored, the beautiful blonde faced me but her look froze on something that horrified her. Intrigued by what was choking her this much, I looked around me to find what's responsible of her agitation and find out that the culprit was Ukki. Ukki is the name I gave to my plant. Having grown in a small village surrounded by forests, Tokyo city lacked greenery to me and to get over the depressing concrete, I added a natural touch to my office with Ukki. Unfortunately, I never had a green thumb and this plant was the twentieth one I replaced.
"What did you do to it?" she shouted indignantly bringing Saï out of his book.
"What? I didn't do anything bad to it" I defended from being accused of negligence. "I water it everyday and …"
"You water it with urine!" The young woman growled, I remembered her being the daughter of a florist "Look at this! From the leaves state, it's obvious that it's burned by azote. You stuffed it with artificial fertilizer!"
"Of…Of course not" I stammered finding that Ino was making a drama out of nothing, I remembered that Tasaka, my assistant, advised me to dilute the product before spraying the plant.
"We must intervene quickly" She bossily shouted then asked with a sugary tone "Saï, take that plant and rinse its leaves with water. We must change the earth and replant it"
"Why should I be the one to do this?" The young man asked. "I don't know anything about plants"
"Because during that time, I'm going to have a conversation with this plant killer" The young lady explained shoving the plant pot in his arms. "If you have questions, ask Naruto. Apparently, he knows gardening and cultivates tomatoes"
"But someone must stay here to watch over …" He tried to justify.
"It's alright, I don't think that your absence may change anything" She reassured cutting him short.
"Very well, good luck then!" He told me leaving with the vegetal in distress while I invited the flora protector to sit down.
"I guess that you have other complaints to express other then my horticulture incompetence" I sighed.
"Exactly, I blame you for favoring Sakura in our rivalry for Sasuke" She complained. "I never had the chance to talk with him alone. I'm sure that if I had this opportunity, I would have changed him, bring out his better side as I did for Sakura. Unfortunately, you see me as a superficial girl who's only focused on appearance. Moreover, this prejudice harms me a lot in the anime, especially the fillers. Now, everyone think that Sakura has surpassed me. And may I ask in what? Certes, she's more experienced in medical ninjutsu than me, but I too have a certain talent in this field. She has a herculean physical strength but in other hand I have a cerebral strength. Wasn't I the most talented student in the Academy after Sasuke? When did I become inferior to that stupid billboard brow?"
"I agree with you" I stated. "Effectively, Ino was misjudged in the TV show. I never demonstrated that Sakura was superior to you, just that you reached the same level. You both are exceptional kunoichis with a strong personality. And I promise you that I'll fix this mistake by demonstrating your new talents. The Yamanka clan is one of the strongest clans, it's only fair to do you justice, isn't it?"
"Thank you very much" She said. "But you know, I can forgive everything if you promise me Sasuke's heart"
"Sorry, but I can't guarantee anything …"
"Too bad!" She sighed leaving the room pouting.
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