Quick notes: No new Spoilers.
Chapter Eleven: Something from the Heart
"Wait a minute, so let me get this straight. You just left them there arguing over what they should dress you in for your date."
I slurped up the remains of my second bowl of ramen and looked up at the man. "Yup, didn't want to be some doll for them to dress up. Anyway, they were just going to go on and on about what I could wear until I actually had to pick Sakura up for out date. This way I get my free lunch, and I avoid their little games."
"You're also minding your manners. You swallowed before you spoke."
"Well a wise old man once said to that to get the girl, a guy has to grow up." He smiled at that.
"So he did. But what do you mean free lunch? I promised you three bowls, no more."
"I know. But I'm on a budget for the next few days. I need the money I would spend for lunch to buy Sakura a gift." He looked up at me after my words.
"Gift eh? What did you have planned?"
"Well, I don't know yet. Something simple, something that won't cost much. And it has to be something special." Something from the heart. But what to get her? Staring into my bowl won't help me. Maybe I should just go out and look for something.
"Hmm well if you're looking for something special and something cheap, I might have a good idea for you." I looked at the old man questioningly. "Don't look at me that way; it's not really my idea, well not really. This was something the Fourth came up with. You see before he became Hokage, he was in a similar position to yours. He was in love with a woman from the former Whirlpool Village. Well she and most of her village had fled to Konoha after their village was attacked and destroyed. He loved that woman with all his heart and he wanted to prove it to her. But she wouldn't give him the time of day. He asked her what he would have to do to get her to go out with him. She gave him the impossible task of bringing her village back to her. Heh, he said no problem, and like a page out of your book made it a promise of a lifetime. He took off after that and went to the ruins of her village. I'm not sure what happened there, or what he had to go through but he returned a few days later. He was bruised and bloody, his arm was broken and he was barely conscious when he arrived. He walked clear across town, to your apartment complex actually, and knocked on her door. When she opened the door, he collapsed. She of course rolled him off his stomach and administered aid to him. I never found out what truly happened in that hallway, but what I do know is that when I visited him in the hospital later that day there was a flower that only grows in Whirlpool on his table with a note attached to it from Kushina. It seems that his plan worked, she went out with him as soon as he was better."
"Wait you mean the Fourth went all the way to her home village and brought her back that flower?"
"You know, it's been almost twenty years since that day in the hospital and only now does it make sense to me. For as clueless as you are Naruto, you sure know how the heart works. That's why I know you'll come up with something special for your Sakura."
"Yup, I'll figure something out. And hopefully twenty years from now you'll be talking about it the same way you talk about the Fourth. Probably growing old together with Tsunade or something."
He smiled at that. "That sounds good." He seemed to be looking off towards the rock face image of the female Hokage. "Tell you what Naruto; I'll help you out a bit. I've got a few hours before I have to see Tsunade today. How about you come with me and we get you some new threads?"
"I thought I told you I ran from Shizune and Tsunade because they wanted to dress me up?"
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at me. Pain erupted from the back of my head where his hand slapped me. "Brat, I'm not like them. First, I know what I'm looking for that you will like." He raised one of his fingers. "Second, I know a little about what a woman likes to see in a man, which begins with his clothes. And third, if we take longer than half an hour, from the time we enter the store, then I'll let you give Tsunade my research to burn. She'd love you for that. However, you have to agree to follow my method, no questions asked. And no complaining or stalling for time, you do that and the deal is off. So what do you say Naruto, half an hour and you'll look like a new man, do we have a deal?"
I gave it some thought. Here he is offering to get me just what I need with supposedly little effort on my own part, and if it doesn't work I have a great gift to give Tsunade for all her trouble. This is a win-win situation. Still there is something wrong with this. "What's the catch?"
"No catch. I just figure I should do something nice for you. I mean your birthday is coming up soon, isn't it? I need to go out and gather up the intelligence my spies have gathered over the last few weeks and I probably won't make it back in time to be here to help you celebrate. So consider today your gift."
"Half an hour you say? Okay deal, but I get final say on the clothes."
"Naruto my boy, it wouldn't be right to get you something you didn't like. So this is what you're going to do. Go visit Tsunade and Shizune; tell them that you appreciate all the help they are giving you today, but that I promised to take you shopping for your birthday. That should take you about an hour, depending on what they have to say about it. After that I want you to meet me at your place, I'll take you shopping after that."
"Wait a minute; you want me to go back there? You're crazy! I just got away from them, if I go back they'll tie me up, they'll kill me. Please tell me that was a joke."
The old man was silent for a long time. He looked up at me and suddenly he looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep for days. "Listen Brat, that old woman cares as much about your chances with Sakura as you do yourself. She just wants to make sure you don't screw this up. What you need to do is tell her that you are thankful for all the help she's given you, and that I've offered to do my part to make you presentable. So go to her office, and if you have to make the deal that you will visit her directly after you get your new clothes so she can see them."
"I don't know about this. I mean she's probably really pissed at me right now."
"Heh, yeah she is. But all you need to do is remember the following steps. Duck, beg and plead. Duck so you miss her first attack at you. Beg for her forgiveness. And plead that she'll let you go out on your date in one piece."
I looked down at my empty bowl and grimaced. "This is going to hurt, isn't it?"
"Yup, but like anything worthwhile in life, no pain, no gain." He was right of course, I needed to suck it up and go back there.
"If I don't survive, tell Sakura you suckered me into doing something stupid that got me killed. No sense her hating the Old Lady because of me."
"She's a lucky woman that Sakura, and sure, if you die I'll take the blame. It was my idea after all to go back. Listen, you better get going, I'll meet you at your house in an hour." He got up and began walking down the street. When he reached the end of the block he turned back to me and laughed. "That or at the hospital, see you later Brat!" With that he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
"Oh hey Naruto!"
Author notes: I've made a new goal now. I have two ideas for stories that fit in this universe. And when I have the time, i.e. when I'm done my two fics, I'll write them. I'm not going to give away the who's and when's right now, but they will both be fairly short, say about 8-15 chapters each. Also, for the first time since I started this fic, I've held back a chapter. I had this chapter available for quite a few days now, but I've been holding it back so I could release it along with my Sakura Fic, which is named A Fine Line Between Us.
Response to Reviews:
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Zach Hadley: I'm glad you enjoy the dream. Here I thought I was being a huge tease.
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