DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO (MAYBE IN A DIFFERENT REALITY I DID, WHO KNOWS?)
Yamanaka Flowers
"Alright let's take a break for now" Asuma said to his panting students (except Naruto for obvious reasons). Team 10 was at their training ground performing drills and exercises to further develop their synergy when working together.
It was evident that Shino and Ino were exhausted and pretty much beat since their team has been at it for hours on end all except for their whiskered teammate.
"H-How… the heck are you not... exhausted, Naruto?" Ino asked while catching her breath.
"I honestly don't know, from the looks of it… I think I can keep going dattebayo!" he grinned. This amused Asuma because of something he knows that Naruto doesn't, 'Oh I know why you're not exhausted. If only you knew' Asuma thought to himself.
"Okay runts, listen up" Asuma said in order to catch the attention of his three students. "Here are some notes I have regarding each and every one of you. Shino, work on your positioning, your arsenal of jutsus is much suitable for mid-to-long range attacks. Be sure to keep your distance from your enemy and take advantage of that by setting the tempo for you and your teammates"
"Ino, work on your speed and accuracy when it comes to your Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind Body Change Technique), we don't want you to miss your jutsu and have your body fall limp in the middle of a battle. And speaking of speed, you gotta work on that since Naruto and Shino could only do so much to your enemies, you have to quickly capitalize on every opportunity that is presented to you by both of your teammates"
"Lastly is you Naruto, work on hiding your intentions. Your moves are way too straightforward and too telegraphed. Any enemy that has a functioning brain could easily predict your next move and use it against you. Also, be wary of the beating you're taking, I know you can take a few hits cause of your stamina but that's not a reason to be careless and just let the enemy kick your teeth in. Your jutsu is suitable for that and clearly, you know how to use it to some extent. Work on your diversion, all in all, that's pretty much all I have to say for now" Asuma said.
Shino and Ino nodded and understood what their sensei said thus making sure to do better next time by working out the kinks in their formation. Naruto is pretty much their frontline and the one in charge of holding down their enemies for Ino to use her clan techniques to finish the job whereas Shino is similar to Ino since he serves as a supportive/offensive role but can also be a damage dealer when the situation deems it necessary. On top of that, he is the team's sensor since he can use his insects to determine their enemies' positions that aren't visible to them.
"The only reason I got my butt kicked by you Asuma-sensei is that I can't hold a grip onto you" Naruto said to the bearded jounin
"Well… Even though I'm more of a close-to-mid ranged fighter cause of my trench knives, I do not know much about grappling since I slice the shit out of my foes, not beat them to a pulp. If ever I think of something that'll help you with your situation, I'll be sure to let you know kid, though remind me to train you using some weapons, it's much better to fight using one not unless you're Gai and his mini version of him" Asuma retorted.
That was enough to satisfy Naruto to which he gave Asuma a thumbs-up, they were pretty much done for the day due to all the training they did earlier. They started around seven in the morning and ended right around past lunch. This annoyed the two blondes earlier but they just sucked it up and just wanted to get over their training, Shino on the other hand didn't really express his thoughts on that as usual.
"As for the two of you, there's not much I can teach to help you with your situation other than what I said earlier, I suggest both of you ask for guidance from your clan regarding that. Other than that, all of you are dismissed" Asuma said as he took out a cigarette from his pocket and began heading off in a different direction.
But before Asuma was out of earshot, "Say hello to Kurenai-sensei for us!" Ino yelled. This flustered Asuma causing him to blurt out that he doesn't know what she was talking about, this elicited a laugh from Naruto whereas Shino remained silent to no one's surprise.
They waved goodbye to Asuma and so did he before he was out of their sight. This left the three of them standing in the middle of their training grounds. "Since our training for the day is complete I will be heading back home, see you tomorrow" Shino calmly said.
Ino and Naruto nodded as their bespectacled teammate departed which left the two blondes alone. "That was smart what you did back there earlier Naruto, I'm impressed" Ino said, this caught Naruto off-guard since it is rare that someone praises him and even more so being called smart. "Huh?" Naruto said since he has no clue what she was talking about
Ino rolled her eyes due to Naruto being slow at times, "You made a clone to watch over my body when I missed my jutsu, you'll be saving this body from bumps and bruises" she said.
"Ahhh! It's not a big deal Ino dattebayo!" he gave her a foxy grin. "If you ever think of dirty thoughts when you're holding my body Naruto… I swear to Kami I will break your mind" Ino said.
"WHAT?!… I-I'm not a pervert!" Naruto protested
"Alright I believe you, just remember what I said" she said to him while Naruto grumbled to himself
"Alright alright…, you're kinda bossy, you know that? Maybe that's why Sasuke-kun doesn't notice you…" he replied
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" she said in an angry tone, Naruto said it was nothing to prevent a beating from Ino from ever happening.
"Besides I'm not bossy, I'm just confident is all" she replied
"Yeah, whatever floats your boat Ino" Naruto retorted
"And for the record Sasuke-kun would definitely pick me over Forehead" Ino said
Naruto cringed at what Ino said, she then took offense at Naruto's reaction. "What? You don't think I'm pretty?!" she exclaimed.
"Huh? It's not that… I cringed when you mentioned Sasuke's affections for the bajillionth time, that bastard has the same amount of personality and emotion as a brick wall. And for the record I think you're kinda pretty so calm down jeez…" he replied.
This made Ino blush slightly due to how blunt Naruto was in expressing his thoughts. 'He thinks I'm kinda pretty huh? It would be much better if he dropped the 'kinda' and if Sasuke-kun said that to me' Ino thought to herself after which she put aside that thought.
"So what're you up to Naruto?" she asked
"I'll be having a late lunch since I'm freaking starving" he replied.
Ino then asked where he would be eating but it was pretty much obvious what Naruto's answer would be. "ICHIRAKU RAMEN DATTEBAYO!, Why wanna come?" he asked Ino.
"Don't you ever get tired of eating ramen, you do know too much of something is bad, that's what we call moderation Naruto" Ino retorted.
"Nah, and besides, ramen is the best, it's pretty much food of the gods per se. And that's rich coming from you Ino, so shopping too much is bad, right?" he jabbed. Ino just rolled her eyes in response
"Whatever…" she said flicking her hair
"So are you coming or not?" he asked. Ino sighed in response wishing that they could go eat somewhere else but she knew someone as stubborn as her wouldn't budge no matter how you convince them otherwise, this was Naruto and ramen she was talking about.
"Fine… I'm only coming cause I don't feel like eating alone today, plus I'm already starving too" Ino replied to an ecstatic Naruto. The two blondes headed to Ichiraku Ramen all the while chatting about trivial topics on the way.
- At Ichiraku Ramen -
"AHHH!… That hit the spot" Naruto said contently as he finished his fifth bowl of ramen already whereas Ino was just about halfway done with hers.
"There's seriously something wrong with you when it comes to ramen…" Ino said while staring at her fellow blonde.
"I should say the same to you when it comes to shopping…" he argued
"WHY YOU!…" Ino yelled as she cocked her fist back as she was about to deck Naruto on the head until suddenly someone came up to them.
"Naruto?… Ino-pig?…" a girl with pink hair said, the two blondes turned their attention to said girl only to see Sakura with a rather confused look on her face due to the sight that was in front of her.
"Sakura-chan/Forehead?" Naruto and Ino said respectively
"Since when did the two of you hang out? Don't tell me you two are dating?…" Sakura wondered
"Huh?/WHAT?!"
"Me? Dating Naruto? Are you insane?…" Ino exclaimed
"HEY!" Naruto complained.
"Oops! Sorry Naruto" Ino apologized
Hearing Ino's tone slightly hurt Naruto's feelings but he decided to keep it to himself in the end. "What brings you over here forehead?" Ino asked to which Sakura said that she was looking for Kurenai-sensei
"I can't seem to find Kurenai-sensei anywhere, I was hoping she could teach me a thing or two about genjutsu" she retorted
"Why don't you ask Kakashi-sensei? I'm pretty sure he knows a thing or two about genjutsu" Ino replied to which Sakura told her that Kakashi was out on a mission and would be gone for a couple of days which left her to her own devices in the meantime.
"Well… I think Kurenai-sensei is with Asuma-sensei, though I don't know where he is since he wouldn't tell me…" Ino pouted
"Come to think about it… I have seen them together a couple of times already, though I don't know the reason why…" Sakura explained. Ino smirked since she might know the reason for Sakura's observation.
"Speaking of dating… I would bet that Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei are dating, but that's just a hunch though so take that with a grain of salt" Ino commented
After a little while Sakura waved goodbye as she had some errands to do, Ino looked over to Naruto who was sitting silently beside her, she thought he would've left already thinking he had no interest in their conversation, but little did she know that Naruto was listening the entire time, he just couldn't find the right time to join in or rather he didn't know whether or not he should join the conversation in the first place, 'Would you look at that… He's just sitting there while behaving himself…' Ino thought to herself since the thought of Naruto behaving himself was rather amusing since he's usually so jumpy and energetic.
"Shall we go Naruto?" she asked while giving Naruto a little nudge on the back
"Huh?… Oh! Sure!" he replied to Ino, but before they left Naruto took out his wallet that resembled either a frog or maybe a toad. The wallet looked like it was about to burst due to the amount of money inside, this shocked Ino since he noticed that Naruto was rather loaded, probably because of the missions they have been taking as well as his frugal nature.
She could've sworn that she could buy a couple of nice dresses with that amount of money
"Didn't know you were loaded Naruto… You have enough money needed for a decent shopping session" Ino noted
"HEHEHE… Well I've been saving most of the money I get from our missions, plus I don't splurge much, I just spend some to restock my supply of cup ramen back at my house and when I'm eating here from time to time" Naruto explained as he handed the exact amount of money to the daughter of the owner of the shop.
Ino patted her pocket only to realize she left her wallet back at home, she was so exhausted from their training earlier that she forgot she didn't have any money on her person.
"CRAP! I forgot my wallet, could you wait here while I go ge-" Ino wasn't able to finish her sentence as Naruto handed more money to pay for Ino's meal as well. Ino blushed since Naruto paid for her meal without her asking thinking it was rather sweet of him but decided to set that thought aside for the meantime.
"Thanks for the meal Ayame-neechan! I'll be back another time! Teuchi-jiji! Be sure to save me some Miso Char Siu the next time I come back!" Naruto yelled
Teuchi, the man who owns Ichiraku ramen smiled at his favorite customer, promising him that he'll be sure to remember his request.
"Come again next time Naruto-kun! Bring your girlfriend here again next time!" said Ayame, Teuchi's daughter. This flustered both blondes in return, Ayame burst into laughter and waved her hand saying that she was just kidding. After that, the two blondes departed and headed off in another direction.
- At Yamanaka Flowers -
A few days have passed until it was finally it was his day off, or so he thought it was since he found himself wearing an apron and a pair of gloves with a trowel on hand.
Apparently, Ino dragged Naruto to help her at work since she works part-time at her family's flower shop, Naruto caved in due to Ino's bossy nature which led up to him in his current situation.
"I was hoping to get some solo training today… Not this!" Naruto protested
"Oh shush, don't be such a big baby and help me with those" Ino pointed to bags of dirt and fertilizer sitting at the front of the shop. Naruto sighed as he put down the trowel on the ground and headed to where the bags were.
"Damn… These bags are freaking heavy, Ino! It would take a while to move these all!…" He yelled after which he realized he didn't know where to move them
"Uhhh… Where do you want these?…" he asked sheepishly.
"Back over there, in the corner of the greenhouse, those just came in yesterday, be careful with those" Ino reminded Naruto
"Yeah… Yeah… I'm not that much of a klutz Ino, it's not like you trust me…" he said. Ino heard this to which she placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.
"What?… If I can guard your body like my life depended on it… I could do the same thing with these damn bags!" Naruto grumbled.
"Fine whatever, now get to it! Less talking and more working"
Naruto looked at the piles of bags in front of him as he scratched the back of his head, he thought to himself how he would get this over with. It's not like he doesn't have the strength to do the task, he just wanted to finish this so that he can squeeze in some training today.
Suddenly an idea hit him but before he employed it he asked Ino if it was okay to use ninjutsu to which she replied she didn't mind. With the go signal from Ino, Naruto did the hand seal for the Kage Bunshi no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) and in a puff of smoke four other copies of him came into being.
He didn't need to speak a single word for his clones to get into action, they already knew what they were there for ever since they came into existence. Ino was rather impressed at the sight of Naruto finishing the supposedly long task of moving bags of dirt/soil/fertilizer to the back of the greenhouse. It was rather handy to just have clones of you at the ready at all times.
"You know… You could work here too and earn some money on the side, plus it would help you learn about plants! I came into your apartment yesterday and saw your plant in a rather questionable state…" Ino suggested.
"Oi! I water my plants every day!" he argued.
"Uhmmm… Maybe you're watering it too much you dummy…" Ino replied.
"Oh... Well I didn't know that I have watered them too much…" Naruto admitted, Ino grinned due to her victory since he admitted she was right.
"But are you allowed to hire me just like that? I'm pretty sure your parents should be the one deciding that, plus I think you just want me to work here to lessen your burden…" Naruto speculated.
"Hey, that's not true! (it was). Then I'll just ask them if it's alright, it's as simple as that!" Ino claimed much to her surprise someone answered. "I don't mind for Naruto-kun to work here dear" the woman said who turned out to be Ino's mother.
Much to Naruto's surprise in learning that Ino's mom wasn't a blonde like her, she had brown hair and brown eyes to go along with it. She wore a rather fashionable dress which gave her a sense of elegance. Now he knew where Ino got her obsession with clothing articles.
"Mom! Are you done with your errands?" Ino asked
"Yes dear, How's business doing?" her mom asked
"It's fine mom, although it's a bit slow, I'm pretty sure we'll be extremely busy soon since more flowers would be in season" Ino said. Much to Naruto's confusion, he asked what was going to happen soon.
"Different flowers bloom each season " she explained.
"Oh… I see that makes sense" he replied. Naruto didn't know much about flowers for all he knew they were gifts to be given to someone you like. Before he always tried his chance with Sakura but after multiple attempts, he decided to just stop any and all attempts since it was clear who Sakura liked. It was obvious that it wasn't him though he still harbored feelings for her.
"Gosh! I do wish Sasuke-kun gives me flowers someday" Ino fantasized, this made Naruto cringe once more as usual.
"There you go again, sweetheart. Always swooning over that Uchiha"
"Mom!"
"I'm just teasing dear" her mom said to which Ino sighed
"Going back, I told you they won't mind it" Ino said rather victoriously.
"I'll think about it though… Thanks for the offer though Yamanaka-san" Naruto replied, Ino was impressed once again at how polite Naruto was, the brash and loud Naruto was polite, what a sight to behold.
"No worries dear, and please, call me Noriko" she retorted
"Sure thing, Noriko-san!" he grinned foxily after which he returned to working and so did Ino and her mom.
(A/N: Hey yo! haha this is the third chapter of this fanfic. As you can see this doesn't really progress the plot by much but that's what I intended to do. Think of this as filler? But not in a bad sense, cause I do hope you still enjoy these kinds of chapters where it's just goofing off or something haha. Anyway, I noticed a lot of visitors which I am happy about since I read that # of Visitors is the stat a writer should focus on (Still not sure if this is true but oh well). Kindly leave a review if you'd like haha cheers^^)
(A/N#2: I already fixed some dialogue about Valentine's Day, I removed it and changed it into something else so that it doesn't mess up the data haha cheers^^)