AN: Hey guys/gals it's me again ^^, before I begin this chapter I would like to thank the people who have added this story to their favorites and followed it as well, it means a lot to me and I am glad that I can please you all ^^. Still working out and contemplating what direction this story will take, regardless enjoy this story
(DISCLAIMER: I have seen other authors do this so I suppose I should do it as well. In case any of you didn't know, I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, I repeat I do not own it haha)
- - -[Sweeter Than Sugar: Part 1]- - -
(Yamanaka Household)
"Kami we would like to thank you for this meal in front of us and I hope for every bite we take you would grant us strength and continue to guide us as well as keep this family safe, amen..." Noriko said, after which she opened her eyes and grabbed a pair of chopsticks and parted it from one another
Kaguya and Inoichi did so as well, in front of them were a plethora of dishes made by Noriko herself, although Kaguya should be given credit as well for helping her grandma prepare said meal.
Kaguya broke apart her chopsticks as she was about to dig in herself, "ITIDAKIMASU!" Kaguya said cheerfully
"Can you pass the salt dear?" Noriko politely asked Inoichi
"Sure thing darling," he said to her, Inoichi grabbed the salt shaker and passed it to Noriko who began seasoning her soup. Inoichi's eyes then turned to Kaguya who was about to begin to eat the food in front of her, "do you need salt as well kiddo?..." Inoichi asked Kaguya
"No thanks ojichan, I'm good" Kaguya replied to which Inoichi shrugged and began to eat as well
The trio was happily eating together until suddenly someone knocked at the door, Kaguya heard this and instantly lit up as she realized who it was. Today was the day their business trip (and date as well) ended.
"THEY'RE HERE! THEY'RE HERE!" Kaguya exclaimed as she got off her chair and rushed to the door as fast as she can. While doing so Kaguya shook the table ever so slightly, "be careful dear..., you might trip" Noriko said to Kaguya but by the time she said that Kaguya was already at the front door
She opened the door to reveal her mom and dad standing outside, Kaguya was surprised to see a clone of her father holding a bunch of bags much like the original. "OKAERINASAI MOMMY! DADDY!" Kaguya said excitedly as she rushed towards her mother and father while knocking the wind out of Ino and knocking over Naruto in the process
"Oops..., sorry daddy..." Kaguya said to her father who was on the ground under a pile of bags, "it's okay dear" Naruto said while laughing as he stood up and dusted off the dirt on him
"Hello there sweetie! did you miss us?..." she asked in a gentle tone
OF COURSE, I MISSED YOU TWO!, WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?!..." she asked while pouting at them both
Naruto and Ino stared at each other knowing full well what they did while they were away, and it didn't consist of work only, they both chuckled nervously and apologized to their daughter and said that they got a little bit busy which was why it took a while for them to get back to Konoha. Technically they didn't lie since it was partially true
"Were you behave with grandma and grandpa? hmmm?..." Ino asked while raising her eyebrow at Kaguya
"YUP!" Kaguya said to her mom to which Ino smiled back since she was glad Kaguya was a good girl while they were away
"COME ON! LET'S EAT!" she said while pulling her mother's hand inside the house, Ino then turned her gaze to Naruto who was still picking up the bags on the ground. "Honey, let's go eat, just make a clone or something to handle that," she said to Naruto. "Okay dear" he replied as he did the hand seal for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) after which another copy of him came to life
"Take the bags in the living room, they're already waiting for me at the table," he said to his clones to which both nodded in agreement as Naruto made his way to the dining table and sat beside Kaguya
As Ino and Naruto sat down at the table Noriko came from the kitchen and placed two plates in front of them as well as two pairs of chopsticks. Inoichi then turned his attention to Naruto and began asking how their trip was. "So son..., how was the business trip in Suna?" Inoichi asked
Naruto was about to put food in his mouth but answered his father-in-law first, "It went fine dad, although the trip to get there was too sluggish for my taste" he said while laughing, this elicited a laugh from Inoichi as well knowing full well that Naruto preferred a faster means of travel
"How about you dad? How are things in T&I?" Ino asked her father, Inoichi took a minute to chew and swallow the found in his mouth after which he replied to his daughter. "Things are fine although there wasn't much action there..., it was rather 'sluggish'" Inoichi said, Naruto noticed his play on words and chuckled in response.
Ino rolled her eyes, she then turned her attention to Kaguya who was silently eating while the adults were talking just like she was told to when she was younger, "how about you sweetie?" Ino asked Kaguya
"It was fine mommy, I got to help grandma finish a bouquet the other day..., OH!..., grandpa also taught me about plants too while you guys were away" Kaguya gladly reported to her mother. Ino turned her eyes to her parents to confirm what she heard, both of them nodded in response
"Really? well that's great sweetie, if you want I can teach you as well from time to time" she said to her daughter, Kaguya just nodded to her mother
"Yes dear, Kaguya has great potential in botany. The other day we played a game, is that right dear? Would you like to tell mommy what game we played?" Noriko said to Kaguya
"YES MOMMY! OBACHAN AND I PLAYED A GAME CALLED 'BRING ME THE RIGHT FLOWER WITH THE CORRESPONDING MEANING', GRANDMA TOLD ME THE MEANING OF A FLOWER AND I NEEDED TO GIVE HER THE RIGHT ONE" she said energetically
Ino and Naruto had a deadpan stare at their daughter due to hearing the name of the game she and her grandma played. 'what's up with that game's name?' Ino thought to herself as she looked at Naruto who knew what she was thinking, he just shrugged his shoulders indicating that he has no idea as well. Noriko laughed since Kaguya repeated her exact words the other day. "Well..., I couldn't think of a name back then since it wasn't really a game in the first place..., it was more like a quiz" she said
This then caught the attention of Kaguya who heard that it wasn't really a game, "WHAT?!..., THAT WASN'T A GAME GRANDMA BUT A QUIZ?!..." she said with a puzzled face. "Sorry dear..., but you did great though, am I right?" Noriko replied
Kaguya then calmed down since she did great the other day even though it was a quiz all along
"Kaguya was able to answer all my questions correctly," Noriko said while smiling
Naruto then turned his attention to Kaguya, "great job sweetie" he grinned as he patted Kaguya's head
- - -[Half an hour later]- - -
(Living Room)
"Man I'm stuffed..., that sure was great," Naruto said as he patted his stomach after enjoying his meal. Noriko smiled and thanked Naruto for his compliment
Ino pouted at her husband in response, Naruto took notice and tried to salvage the situation, "of course your cooking is great too!, where else would you learn to cook?..." Naruto said who was nervously laughing while scratching the back of his head
Ino sighed and got up from her seat and headed towards her mom to help out with the dishes, "let me help mom" Ino said to which Noriko said that she should just head to the living room and join the rest since she was probably tired from the journey back home. "No, it's okay dear, just rest I'm sure you and Naruto are tired," she said while smiling, Ino sighed but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth since she was indeed exhausted from all the traveling and whatnot
She then headed to the living room to find Naruto and her father talking to each other whilst Kaguya was playing on the carpet floor
Ino then thought to herself now is the best time to give the gifts to her parents since they'll be heading back home any minute now, "daddy I have something to give you" Ino said to her father, Inoichi then raised his eyebrows due to being intrigued
She then began to get the bag that contains her father's gift, Ino then gave said bag to her dad and waited for him to open it.
After a while of opening the bag since the item inside was packed securely, Inoichi then took out a pair of leather arm guards, "honey you shouldn't have..." Inoichi replied while chuckling nervously. Ino sighed and placed a hand on her hip, "there you go again daddy..., just take, it's alright okay?..., besides.., I mean look at the ones you have, they're pretty much worn down..." she said to her father
"But they're still good though..." Inoichi retorted, 'that wasn't the point though' Ino thought to herself, "wear it or else I'm gonna tell mom to throw away the ones you have..., you're such a cheapskate daddy..." she replied, Inoichi couldn't help but sigh since he won't win against Ino when it comes to arguments about clothing articles.
"Hey mom I got you something as well," Ino said loudly so that her mother could hear her from the living room, "what is it dear?" Noriko asked from the other room to which Ino replied that she should go here herself to find out. Luckily Noriko was about to finish washing the dishes since it was just a few dishes. Noriko patted her hands dry on her apron and began to head to the living room to join everyone else.
"where is it dear?" she asked Ino, Ino then turned her gaze to Naruto, "dear where is the bag that has mom's gift?" she asked, Naruto then began to check each bag since he doesn't know where it was as well. After a while of looking. Naruto was able to determine which bag it was. He then gave the bag to Ino
Ino smiled and told her mom to open it, Noriko began to open the bag only to reveal a dozen puddings and a bunch of seed packets, "awwwww..., thank you dear for these gifts" Noriko replied as she hugged Ino, Ino hugged her back as well
"You're welcome mom, those puddings came from Kusa and those seeds came from Kawa no Kuni (Land of Rivers) and Suna" she said, Ino then averted her eyes to her father, "look at mom! she accepts her gifts with no fuss at all" she pointed to her mom, Inoichi then sighed while the rest laughed in response
Ino then felt something tugging her skirt from behind, she turned around to see Kaguya with puppy dog eyes, "where's mine mommy?..." she asked gently
"You can open yours when we get home okay sweetie?" Ino said to Kaguya, she then nodded in response. After which, Ino looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was turning nine already and it was getting late
"Mom, Dad, we're gonna head home now, its already getting late and it's almost Kaguya's bedtime," she said, her parents then nodded and acknowledged their departure
"Sweetie go get your things upstairs, make sure you don't forget anything okay?" she reminded Kaguya as she ran upstairs to do as she was told
Naruto then stood up from the couch and made a hand seal making two clones, "bring those bags back home, I'm sure you know where the spare key is, after all, you're me" he said to one of the clones. Both clones nodded and began to do their task which the original gave to them
After all of that Kaguya then ran downstairs with her backpack on her back, seeing this Ino turned her gaze to her mom to hug and kiss her, the same goes for her father as well, "take care we'll visit next time" Ino said to her mom
"Sure dear, take care on the way home, you know where to find us," Noriko said, "if you ever need something come visit okay?" Inoichi said to which Ino nodded
"Thanks for looking after Kaguya again otosan, okasan" Naruto said as he hugged both of them, "say goodbye to grandma and grandpa Kaguya.
Kaguya ran towards her grandma and grandpa to give them a big hug and kiss on the lips, "BYE-BYE OJICHAN, OBACHAN! TAKE CARE OKAY?!..." she said, "we will dear, now go on ahead, you're parents are waiting" Noriko told Kaguya to which Kaguya walked towards her mom and dad and held their hands
The trio headed out of the door hand in hand and closed it behind them, Noriko placed her hand on Inoichi's chest and let out a sigh of content, "I'm so happy for our daughter" she said to Inoichi, "me too honey, although it sucks that she's no longer my little princess" he retorted, Noriko pinched her husband's cheek, "oh cheer up..., besides they gave us a loving grandchild" Noriko said as she kissed Inoichi on the cheek she pinched
She was right, despite Ino being all grownup she did give them a grandchild, a bundle of joy for them to love all over again
- - -[With Kaguya, Ino and Naruto]- - -
(Konoha's Streets)
The trio was walking hand in hand down the street to head back home whilst talking to each other
Kaguya then realized that she has something to ask her parents, "mommy?..."
"Yes sweetie what is it?..." Ino asked
"I have something to ask both you and daddy..." she replied, this then caught Naruto's attention as well
"Ask away dear" Naruto retorted
Kaguya then took a deep breath and told her question, "remember when grandma told you that I helped her finish a bouquet?..." she said
Both Naruto and Ino nodded waiting for their daughter to finish her train of thought
"well..., all the flowers grandma used signified love..., she then told me that it was for a wedding..., and then I asked her what a wedding was and then she told me that it's a celebration when two people love each other..., AND THEN..., I asked her how you two began to love each other..., BUT..., she told me to ask you two myself" Kaguya rambled while her parents just stared at her
It was a lot to take in since this is the first time their daughter asked a question of this nature, Naruto and Ino then looked at each other. They have some sort of telepathic connection since they know what was on each other's minds just by looking at one another. Both of them were figuring out how to answer Kaguya's question and which one of them would be the one to answer her
After a while Naruto took the initiative to answer his daughter's question, "well you see dear..., it was a long long time ago..., even before you were born..."
- - -[FLASHBACK]- - -
(Hokage Tower)
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ALL THAT'S LEFT IS THIS DELIVERY MISSION?!..." Naruto complained, there was no way in hell he would be stuck doing this type of mission when he could be kicking an enemy's ass on a badass mission, probably A to S rank at best
"Oh suck it up you brat..." Tsunade said as she rubbed her temples, it was too early in the morning for her to deal with this and she hasn't even had one saucer of sake yet. 'This was going to be a long day' Tsunade thought to herself
"COME ONE TSUNADE-BAACHAN..., THERE MUST BE ANOTHER MISSION YOU HAVE THERE IN THAT PILE OF PAPERS..." Naruto groaned
"For the last time..., there are no other available missions Naruto..., now either take this mission or just stop wasting my time..." she replied
Naruto sighed in defeat since he wasn't going to get a different mission from the looks of things, he then stepped forward and took the scroll on Tsunade's desk, after which he began to read the contents of the scroll and memorize it
"How long does it take for someone to read a damn scroll Naruto?..." Ino rolled her eyes, Naruto then had a deadpan stare at Ino who was beside him, "why are you even here Ino?..., this is just a C-Rank mission though?..." Naruto retorted, "I know this mission more than you do!..." Ino glared at Naruto
"Oh really?..." Naruto said sarcastically
"Yeah!..."
"Rrrrrreallyyy?..."
"YES NOW HAND THE DAMN SCROLL NARUTO!..."
"Before I hand this to you tell me what the gist of this mission is then..." Naruto said to Ino
Ino sighed in response, "this mission is delivering ingredients to make the royal pudding for the daimyo in Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire), I'm right aren't I?..." Ino replied
Naruto was shocked since Ino's answer was spot on. Seeing Naruto's reaction made Ino smirk in retaliation
"Pfft..., whatever..., here take the scroll already," Naruto said to the Ino who was grinning due to her victory over Naruto
'I told you so' Ino thought to herself, she then began to read the details of the mission and ingrained the information in her mind
"Alright, all good, so Naruto what's next?..." she asked him as she turned her attention to him who was thinking of their plan of action until suddenly the door to Tsunade's office burst wide open to reveal a panting Choji. "WAITTTTT!" he yelled which then made Tsunade, Naruto and Ino look at him confusedly
"Yes, can I help you Choji?..." Tsunade said to which the rotund boy requested to be a part of Naruto's team
"Let..., me come with..., Naruto Hokage-sama..." Choji said while panting due to exhaustion from running from his home to the Hokage Tower which is quite a distance
"Go ahead and ask Naruto since he's the leader of this mission," she said as she turned her attention to Naruto
Naruto was still confused at the events that he witnessed with his very eyes, he then gave it a thought for a while. It was true that he was the leader of the mission and usually missions are done by three members, Ino was already part of the team, no questions asked whether he liked it or not, and him since he's going to be the leader of this mission, Naruto then turned his eyes to Choji and asked him why he wanted to join
"why do you want to join again Choji?..." Naruto asked
Choji who was now able to catch his breath answered Naruto. "well it's about food isn't it?..., I was on my way to Ino's house to bring some of the taiyakis my mom made, once I was there you dad told me that you went on a mission which involved food, although I didn't know what kind of food..., but hey food is food" Choji explained
'I knew it' Naruto thought to himself while Ino sighed, 'typical Choji' she thought to herself. Choji was no slouch by any stretch of the mission and for sure he'll be on the top of his game when it comes to missions regarding food plus he didn't want to disappoint his friend by not letting him on this mission, "alright Choji you can join us" Naruto said
Choji was ecstatic at hearing Naruto's response, he then asked the same question Ino asked earlier, "alright meet me in front of the gates in thirty minutes, prepare everything you need for this mission, I'm sure you know how this works, does that sound good?..." he asked
Ino and Choji nodded in response, "ALRIGHT LET'S DO THIS DATTEBAYO!" he said as the trio exited the office and went their separate ways to prepare for the mission
- - -[Forty Minutes Later]- - -
(Konoha's Gates)
"Where is that damn Naruto?..., he's the one who said to be here in thirty minutes..." Ino said who was irritated at Naruto's tardiness from time to time. On the other hand, Choji didn't mind since he was busy munching on his chips which were enough to satisfy him
"OI!..." someone yelled from the distance, Ino and Choji then looked in the direction from which the voice came from and said a yellow and orange blur speeding towards them, "sorry I'm late, I couldn't decide which flavor of instant ramen to bring so I had to get a bigger bag to bring both hehehe" he said whilst grinning. Ino then sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, 'that Naruto and his damned ramen...' she thought to herself.
"Is everyone all good to go?" he asked to check one last time
Ino and Choji checked their packs to assess and double-check if all their needs are in their bags, both nodded in response
"Alright now that we're all good to go, let's get this show on the road!" he said all pumped up. After which the trio then headed out of the gates and headed to their first destination which was located in the capital of Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire)
- - -[Moments Later]- - -
(On The Road)
"and that's why my dream is to be Hokage..., and also create instant one-minute ramen!" he said with a foxy grin
Ino just stared at him since this was the nth time she heard Naruto saying why he wanted to be Hokage although the ramen thing is new to her
"doesn't your ramen take three minutes to cook?..." she asked
"yeah" he replied
"isn't that fast already?..."
"for others, I suppose..., but for me, it's still long-ttebayo" Naruto laughed in response
Naruto then realized the reason why Ino wanted to come, "hey Ino?..."
"What is it Naruto?..."
"Why did you want to come along again?..."
Ino was hesitant to answer his question since it was the same reason as Choji although more specific, after a while, she then decided to tell him anyways
"it's because this mission involves pudding..., and not just any pudding mind you, but royal pudding!" she said enthusiastically
Hearing this grabbed Choji's attention which elicited a response from him, "YES!..., GOOD THING I CAME ALONG ON THIS MISSION" he chuckled
"How the hell did you get wind of this though?..." Naruto asked
"Well..., I heard it from my dad who heard it from Shikamaru's dad who then heard it from Shika who then heard it from a fellow Chunin" Ino explained
Naruto didn't bother to question Ino after hearing what she just said and just rolled with it
Naruto then stared at Choji and then Ino after realizing something, 'do they really think they'll get a taste of this pudding?' he thought to himself
"How are you guys even sure that we'll be able to taste this 'royal pudding'?" he asked
"I mean there's nothing wrong with hoping Naruto, you're one to talk about being Hokage for sure" Ino retaliated
She did have a good point, what makes him different from them, from the looks of it, he looks more delusional compared to Ino and Choji who were just hoping to get a taste of this royal pudding
Naruto shrugged in response, "what's so special about this pudding?..., pretty sure ramen tastes better though dattebayo!" he said
"WHAT?!..., PUDDING IS MUCH MUCH BETTER COMPARED TO YOUR DAMNED RAMEN NARUTO!"
"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO YOURSELF TALKING?!..., RAMEN IS MORE AWESOME COMPARED TO SOME PUDDING!..., ITS BROTH IS SAVORY AND HAS THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF SALT TO IT, YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE THE TOPPINGS BY ADDING DIFFERENT MEATS AND WHATNOT..., ALL IN ALL, RAMEN IS SUPERIOR!" he replied
"WHAT NO!..., PUDDING IS SO TASTY YOU'LL FORGET YOUR NAME..., BESIDES EATING RAMEN IS TOO MUCH OF A HASSLE TO ENJOY FOOD WHEREAS PUDDING ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS JUST SCOOP WITH A SPOON AND YOU'RE GOLDEN, IT'S SOFT AND SWEET WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?!..."
Naruto and Ino glared at one another for a while, on the other hand, Choji remained silent not wanting to take part in their argument
"RAMEN IS BETTER!" Naruto yelled
"IS NOT"
"IS SO"
"IS NOT!"
"IS SO!"
This continued for a while after which both blondes just dropped the subject altogether and focused on their mission in the meantime
- - -[A Couple Of Hours Later]- - -
(Still On The Road)
"Are you sure we're not lost Naruto?..., we've been traveling for hours now and we still haven't arrived at our first destination..." Ino complained. She was right though, they have been traveling for the past couple of hours by now, he was then beginning to doubt himself thinking that they were indeed lost. 'I swear this is the right track to get there' he thought to himself.
"We must be getting close..., just hang on a little bit longer," Naruto said to which Ino sighed and sucked it up and kept walking as did Choji
As they were walking Choji was able to get a whiff of something, "do you guys smell something?..." he asked both blondes
Naruto and Ino then began to sniff to check what Choji was smelling until they got a whiff of the scent as well, "damn..., you're right Choji..., smells like pastries" Naruto said, 'wow Choji's sense of smell is on par to an Inuzuka's when it comes to food' he thought to himself as he laughed internally
This then raised the group's morale as this indicated that they were indeed on the right track for their mission
The group walked for a bit longer until they were able to spot a two-story building in the middle of the forest, "There! I see it" Ino said
They then began to make their way to said building and stopped at the front door, "so..., who's gonna knock?..." he asked, both Ino and Choji took a step back indicating that they didn't want to be the one's to knock, Naruto sighed and knocked on the door himself
The door then opened to reveal a young man with long blonde hair and gray eyes, "Yes? Can I help y-..., oh! why if it isn't Naruto-kun..., what brings you here in the middle of the forest?..." the young man said
Naruto then realized who this person was, "M-Menma?..., what are you doing here?..." he asked, Menma smiled at Naruto and briefly explained why he was there, "well you see after you helped me deal with the loss of my memories as well as past affiliations I decided to turn a new leaf and here I am" he said to Naruto
"Uhhh... Naruto?..." Ino asked
"What is it Ino?..." he said while turning to face her
"Why are you calling your friend some kind of food?..." she asked
"Oh! that..., well when I met him he couldn't remember his name..., at that time we were eating at Ichiraku Ramen and he was eating some menma which he liked so I called him Menma" he said while grinning
"And I just rolled with it, after all, it's a name a dear friend of mine gave me" he replied
"Well enough of that, we're here for a mission to bring the ingredients for the royal pudding..." Naruto said, after hearing this Menma then asked them to come inside while he called for his superior
The trio waited inside of the building and stayed away from the sun as it was hot outside, after minutes of waiting Menma then arrived with a tall man who was bald and had light brown eyes, "welcome to our cookhouse shinobi-san, I see that you're the shinobi Konoha has sent us for this mission" he said to Naruto
"You bet!, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, they are my teammates and friends, Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi" both of them nodded in response. 'So where are the ingredients uhhh..." Naruto stammered as he didn't know the man's name
"My name is Doi Shigeo, I'm the lead cook here in this cookhouse and I'll be the one responsible for making the royal pudding"
Naruto then realized something when he heard the man's name since it meant shining man and ironically he was bald and his head was somewhat shiny due to the light bouncing off of it, Ino noticed Naruto's internal laughter and elbowed on his side, "OW!..., what the hell was that for?..." he replied, Ino rolled her eyes and told him that he should pay attention
The man then cleared his throat and reiterated himself, "as I was saying..., you'll be getting the ingredients from a man that is waiting for you at Tanzaku Quarters, this should be easy enough although some changes to the schedule have occurred thus making deadline come nearer so to speak, the daimyo has decided to move the celebration at a much earlier for reasons I do not know..., here is a note to give to the man to confirm the transaction, and here is a scroll which contains the new changes, that would be all" the man said
"Thanks, Shigeo-san, is there anything else you need us to know?..." Naruto asked before leaving, the man then thought for a while and then answered his question, "well since the changes weren't mentioned in the actual mission I suppose I can reserve three servings for each of you to compensate for your troubles, other than that, that's all I have to say"
After hearing this both Choji and Ino's eyes lit up and pumped their fists in the air thanking Kami for the blessings they were given, Naruto rolled his eyes and dragged his two other teammates out of the building and waved goodbye to Menma and Shigeo-san. "take care you guys and see you next time Naruto-kun" Menma said to them to which Naruto waved back and headed on their merry way as time was of the essence
"You know that boy?..." the man asked Menma, he then said that he's an old friend
- - -[The Present]- - -
(Konoha's Streets)
"Uncle Choji is in this story too?!..." Kaguya said
Naruto nodded in response
"And then what happened?..." she asked once more
"Well pay attention alright?..., daddy's getting there" Naruto replied, Kaguya then remained silent as she listened to her father tell the story once more
- - -[FLASHBACK]- - -
(Route to Tanzaku Quarters)
Both Ino and Choji were ecstatic at the prospect of getting a taste of the royal pudding Shigeo-san was going to make
Naruto sighed and began reading the scroll Shigeo-san gave to them, "Okay it says here that we need to head to Tanzaku Quarters and there's a man there named Okane Kazuki, okay sounds straightforward enough" he said
"Didn't Shigeo-san say that the celebration will be held at an earlier date?..." Ino said
"What about it though?..." Naruto replied
"Well..., shouldn't you be checking when we should be able to bring the ingredients back to Shigeo-san?..." Ino retorted
Naruto did so by checking the scroll once more, his eyes then widened at the fact that they don't have much time left, the celebration was in four days though, heading to Tanzaku Quarters would take one whole day and another whole day to get back to Shigeo-san's cookhouse. it also states that it takes half a day to make the damn pudding. All in all, they have exactly two days and that's taking into account minimal stops and taking less breaks
Naruto began explaining this to both his teammates and that they should crank it up into high gear from now on as they dashed through the forest to make good time
- - -[Meanwhile]- - -
(Route to Tanzaku Quarters)
"It's getting pretty late..., I think we should stay here for the night since traveling in the dark is not necessarily a good idea," Naruto said as the others agreed to this thought process
The trio then laid on the forest floor and set down their sleeping bags and packs beside it for it was now time to eat. Chouji brought out a container filled with onigiris and another container containing one fried fish, whereas Naruto happily brought out his cup of instant ramen and a thermos filled with hot water to cook it. On the other hand, Ino took out a container containing homemade stew made by her mom. As they were about to it Naruto noticed Ino's glum look towards her food, Choji didn't seem to notice as he was busy stuffing his face with his food but Naruto saw her though
"What's wrong Ino?..., aren't you going to eat?..." he asked
"Well there's nothing wrong with the food..., it's just that it got too cold..., my mom insisted I eat something homemade while I was out on a mission to change things up," Ino said to Naruto
Naruto then thought to himself that he should help Ino with her problem since he was the leader of this mission and having Ino travel on an empty stomach is not a good idea too. Naruto then set down his cup of ramen and thermos down on the ground and approached Ino. "What're you doing Naruto?..." she asked, "come on let's get your stew all nice and hot..., besides I was going to make a fire later anyway before it gets completely dark," he said
Ino then blushed since Naruto cared enough to go out of his way to reheat her food, 'was Naruto always this caring?" she thought to herself as she stood up and followed Naruto gather some firewood
After a while of gathering firewood Ino and Naruto then returned to their camp and saw Choji already finished with his food, Choji noticed the two blondes returning and said that he would go out and walk for a while to help digest the food he ate, as he walked away he grinned and thought to himself that Naruto and Ino make a cute couple.
"Okay Choji!, be sure not to get too far!" Naruto said as Choji held a thumbs up as he walked away
"Alrighty then let's get this fire started," Naruto said as he then focused on making a campfire
Naruto went with the teepee technique to create a campfire, he then did the hand seals for a fire jutsu to light the firewood, Horse-Tiger-Serpent-Ram, after finishing the hand seals Naruto quickly blew air out of his mouth which then turned into a short burst of fire lighting the firewood ablaze, Katon: Hoteri Ougigata no Jutsu (Fire Release: Flash Fan Technique), Naruto used a tiny amount of chakra which was a bit difficult for him due to his high chakra reserves but he succeeded nonetheless to make sure that he doesn't burn anything other than the firewood in front of him.
Naruto then dug inside his pack and took out a scroll, he then released the items inside consisting of a pot, a lid, and a wooden spoon, Ino was surprised that Naruto came prepared for this trip, "since when did you bring cookware to missions?" Ino asked, "sometimes I run out of instant cup ramen and rely on packaged ramen with noodles and a packet of seasoning hehehe" Naruto grinned at Ino to which she smiled at him as he focused on his task
Once Naruto was done setting up the pot over the fire he then gestured Ino to give him her stew, Ino did as he asked and handed over her stew to be reheated. It was quiet and all you can hear were the sounds of the stew's sauce sizzling inside the pot which was over the roaring flames of the campfire. A couple of minutes have passed and Ino's stew was all hot and good to go, Naruto poured the stew back into her container and gave it back to Ino as Naruto prepared his ramen on the other hand.
"Go ahead and eat Ino, mine still needs three more minutes to be ready," Naruto said while smiling, "No it's okay Naruto, I'll wait for you so we can eat together" she smiled back, Naruto smiled back as he tended to his ramen and waited for the grueling three minutes to be over.
The two blondes then ate happily once Naruto's ramen was done cooking, "thank you Naruto" Ino said, "no worries!, it's no problem at all" Naruto said with his mouth full, 'sometimes you're cute and caring Naruto. but more often than not you're such a knucklehead' Ino thought to herself, "don't talk with your mouth full Naruto..., you might choke on your food" she advised Naruto, "don't worry about it, I won-" Naruto's sentence was cut short as he was ironically choking on his noodles, Ino then quickly set down her food and rushed towards Naruto patting his back to help him out. Moments later Naruto spat out the noodles he was choking on, "Ewwww..., don't ever do that again Naruto jeez..." she said to him. "Thanks Ino..., I guess we're even now" Naruto grinned at her to which she rolled her eyes in response.
Once the two were done eating Choji then returned from his walk, "how's your walk Choji?" Ino asked, "it was great, besides I need to give you two some time alone as well" Choji said as he laughed, this gave Ino a tick mark on her forehead due to irritation while Naruto was completely oblivious to what Choji meant, 'good thing Naruto is dense and such an airhead when it comes to these things' she thought to herself
The sun was no longer visible in the sky and any sign of daylight is long gone, "well then..., we'll be heading out early in the morning tomorrow, this should only take two shifts to watch over the rest, I'll take the first, who's gonna take the second?" Naruto asked. Before Ino was able to raise her hand Choji already volunteered to take it, Ino wasn't complaining though, better not look a gift horse in the mouth. Choji and Ino then began to crawl into their sleeping bags as Naruto remained seated on a log. While Ino was lying done she turned her attention to Naruto who was resealing the pot inside the scroll, "Naruto..." she said in a soft tone, "what is it Ino?..., is something wrong?..." he asked, "No everything is fine..., I just wanted to..., you know..., thank you for earlier and stuff..." she said. This elicited a grin and smile from Naruto, "don't worry about it, it's no biggie, you should probably get some sleep now Ino, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow" he said to which Ino nodded and faced the other direction. 'Naruto isn't so bad after' she thought to herself while smiling slowly drifting to sleep
- - -[To Be Continued]- - -
AN#2: To be honest I just went ham on the length of this chapter and it took me two nights to finish the first half. Tell me if you guys/gals like this sort of length, now to address some issues at hand, if the amount of time for them to travel from Point A to Point B is somewhat inconsistent I just want you to know that I am still searching for a world map in the Naruto series to use. I may also not know the actual names of capitals or locations in the different lands so I apologize, I'll be sure to use a standard map soon, and if anybody of you knows where to find one kindly message me it would mean a lot. Next is Menma hehe, if you guys didn't know he's a filler character in Naruto Part 1, yes he's different from the Menma in Tenten's Infinite Tsukuyomi Vision and the evil Naruto in the movies. Moving on is Naruto's usage of a fire jutsu, I decided to at least give him some utility jutsu and whatnot, if you search for said jutsu, it will say that it sucks when being used offensively so there's that. Also, Naruto passed the Chunin Exams here so yeah. To clarify this is just a flashback and I am still planning the actual story hehe. That would be all and thank you for stopping by, kindly react and rate if you'd like, take care, and cheers ^^