Hey! So, the pairings are quite skewed right now, and the leaders are so obvious that it's not even funny. It looks like next chapter isn't even necessary for the poll, but I'll keep it up just because I said I would
The votes are:
Karin: 12
Hinata: 10
Yakumo: 1
OC: 3
Tayuya: 6
Ino: 6
So, Karin, Hinata, Tayuya and Ino, OC, and Yakumo. Well, even though I'm sad to say it, Yakumo will be removed from the pairing. She only has one vote, and the next chapter is the last chance to vote, so she has no chance of winning. If votes for her skyrocket, I'll keep her in, but I'm pretty sure she's off the list.
Also, crushes do not count as the pairing, so if you really want to see it, I could have Naruto date someone for a while, before the real pairing happens. In this chapter, Ino may seem like she's trying to ask Naruto out, but she's not, she may have a small crush on him, but they will settle into just friendship unless their pairing wins.
If somehow something ties, I'll run a poll on which of them will win.
I do not own Naruto.
Naruto walked through the empty halls of the hospital, bathed in the early morning light. Checking that he had the right room, he knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Cracking the door open, he peered around, spotting Sasuke in one of the chairs by the bed.
He frowned. "Should you be up yet?"
Sasuke looked at him, slightly relieved. "Oh. Saisei. I thought you might be Sakura or Ino. And I feel fine, except for the headache."
"Still, you shouldn't be moving until they let you."
Sasuke looked away. "Che. I don't want to lie down."
"You realize you sound like a pouting six year old, right?"
He glared at him. "Why are you even here?"
Naruto gave him a look. "You're my neighbor, and to some degree, my friend. What kind of friend would I be if I left you in here alone?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, but you could see traces of amusement in it.
Half an hour later, Naruto left. Heading down the street, he once again opened the door of the flower shop. "Hello?" He called, peering around.
"Hi Saisei!" Ino came running out of the back. "Sorry, but I'm about to leave for a team training session. Although, pretty much all that happens is Shikamaru and Sensei playing Shoji while Choji watches and eats. They barely ever actually do anything!"
"Oh. Well, I guess I'll see you later."
"Wait!" Ino grabbed his arm. "My team is having lunch at the barbeque place nearby. Maybe I'll see you there. It would be nice to actually have someone to talk to."
Naruto smiled. "Yeah, I can probably come. I have the job I'm working at just after lunch, so I won't be there for a long time though."
Ino smiled back. "Ok. I'll see you there." Turning around, she ran out the door towards the training grounds where her team met.
Naruto followed her out the door, beginning the walk back to his house. On the way back he froze, wondering if he had just been asked out. He shook it off as him being paranoid, and even if she had, he didn't know if he felt anything other than friendship towards her. That might change, but part of him still couldn't let go of Sakura, even though he knew his chances of being with her were practically nonexistent now. Shaking his head, he returned to walking home.
Naruto sat down on the back doorstep. He had brought down some of the paints and a canvas, and he was going to try to paint his garden. Grabbing a brush, he opened the bottle of green and began to mix his paint.
A while later he brought everything inside, and set the painting off to the side to dry. Looking at the sun, he saw that it was around noon. He should probably head over to the restaurant now. Cleaning up his paints, he put them back where they went in his studio and grabbed his wallet. He still had some money left from the art fair, about 30,000. The rest had gone to new supplies or rent for his house. Humming, he headed down the street.
As he walked into the restaurant, he looked around, trying to spot Ino and her team. Seeing her at a table near the door, he walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped an inc or two in the air, but relaxed upon seeing him.
"Oh, hi Saisei. This is my team, Asuma-sensei, Shikamaru, and Choji. Sensei, Shikamaru, Choji, this is my friend Saisei."
Naruto smiled. 'Hey. Can I sit with you?" The question was addressed at the man sitting opposite Ino.
Asuma lazily looked up. "Huh? Oh, sure, but you're paying for your food."
Ino smiled. Scooching over so Naruto could sit down, she accidentally pushed Shikamaru into the wall. He grumbled something, but went back to eating.
Asuma leaned forward. "So, Saisei, how did you two meet?"
Naruto leaned back. "Well, it started when…"
An hour and a full belly later, Naruto left the restaurant, waving to Ino as he left. He was pretty sure that Asuma had recognized him, but he hadn't said anything. It wouldn't surprise him if Shikamaru knew who he was, and Choji didn't seem to notice anything. Naruto walked down towards Haru's, putting his suspicions behind him.
Opening the door, he blinked at what he saw. "Huh?" It was not Haru sitting at the desk, but a girl, maybe a year or two older than him. She had amber eyes and brown hair, which was held back by a thin black headband. She was wearing a short black kimono, which had dark silver edging and a silver obi. A dark grey pair of leggings and black geta, along with a darker silver haori, consisted of the rest of her outfit. She looked up as he came in, and a spark of recognition flashed through her eyes.
She looked him over. "Ah, you're Saisei, aren't you? My father is out of town due to a family issue, so I'm filling in for him right now. My name is Kurohana Shizuka. Haru's my father."
Naruto blinked. He had just realized that he had not known Haru's last name. "Well, hi Shizuka. As you probably know, my name is Saisei. I've been helping your father organize the paperwork for the last few weeks."
She nodded. "I know. Nothing will change in my father's absence. There isn't any extra work, and the only difference is who is behind the desk. Understood?"
Naruto gulped. Shizuka was very different from her father. While Haru was genial and easygoing, Shizuka was business oriented and professional. "Well, I hope we get along!' He smiled, trying to break the ice.
Shizuka turned back to her work. Naruto picked up the stack of finished work and began sorting it.
The silence was not broken for the entire time Naruto was there. When he was done, he simply stood up, waved goodbye, and left. He sighed. Shizuka was a little too similar to asshole Sasuke for his tastes. He hoped she wasn't always like that. Shrugging it off, he walked home.
Collapsing on his couch, he grabbed another book off the table. He had bought it because the main character reminded him a lot of himself. Heck, they even had the same name! Flipping to the bookmark, he lay down and bean to read. A while later he got up and made a bowl of ramen, using what skills he had so far. The broth and the noodles were fine, but the egg and pork always turned out a little off. Ah, well. It still tasted good. He could only get better.
Cleaning up the mess he made, he put the leftover ramen in the fridge. He could never waste ramen. Wasn't that like, blasphemy? Since it still wasn't that late, he went up to his studio and started painting. He was in the mood for a splash painting. For this one, he used yellows, grays, black, and white. Overall, it looked like some dark storm cloud, filled with lightning.
At one point he saw Sasuke come back, still with a crutch, but otherwise fine. He hoped that they had actually let him out, and that he hadn't escaped. He wouldn't put it past him. Seeing a ninja flash down the street and grab a protesting Sasuke,his suspicions were confirmed. That would be something to tease him about. Heading to his room, he collapsed on the bed before laughing his ass off. "The mighty Uchiha… confined to a bed by an angry nurse. Maybe they'll put him in my old room." Naruto's old room was practically impossible to escape. It had no windows, a metal door, and the lock could only be unlocked by one of the approved nurses' chakra signature. They made it that way by repurposing an old confinement cell meant for those who would be sent to the asylum. It was useful for keeping Naruto in, and the villagers out. He still had yet to find a way to escape that thing. Even he, with his stealth skills, was unable to make it out. And come on, you had to admit he had great stealth skills. He was hiding from jounin and chunin, and occasionally an ANBU guard, before he had lost all chances of becoming a ninja. Except for Iruka, he could never hide from him. Fully relaxing, he burrowed under the covers and fell asleep.
Hey! Setsuna Eien here! I hope no one's too bothered by my update schedule, but I'm balancing this, school, and beta-ing two stories. That's the main reason I won't do anything on Sundays. Well, I hope you like this, and please vote for the pairing!
Setsuna Eien