DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO (NOT UNLESS KISHIMOTO IS WILLING TO SHARE HAHA JK)
Yamanaka Flowers pt.2
"Not this again…" Naruto said
"Relax… Asuma-sensei is not here to prohibit you from using clones Naruto" Ino replied
"I guess you're right but still… I wouldn't have taken this part-time job though you keep bringing it up every time…" Naruto retorted
"What's not to like? It's not like you're not getting paid" Ino argued
"Yeah I'm getting paid which is nice, but still… You kinda pressured me into taking the job" Naruto returned
"I'm just helping you out to earn more money" (that's not true, she just wanted to work less now that Naruto is helping her)
"Okay sweetie, I'll be going now alright? Your father forgot to bring his lunch and I have some errands to do, look after the show while I'm gone okay?" Noriko said to her daughter as she was about to head out.
"Yes mom…" Ino said
"Good, also it is your job to teach Naruto the ropes when it comes to working here. It is your idea to make him work here after all, understood?" she asked
"Yeah I know…" Ino replied
"Great, I'll be going now. And it is nice to have you here Naruto-kun, I'll see you two in a bit" she said as she left the store
"Your mom is really nice" Naruto said to Ino
Ino smiled at what Naruto said which made her think that she was lucky to have her mom though at times she felt bad for Naruto due to him being an orphan and all. Ino usually avoided these sorts of topics out of consideration for Naruto's feelings since topics about families are outside his sphere of experience.
Ino didn't really know what to reply to Naruto but it did remind her of something, "Say Naruto… I know you're an orphan but do you have people you consider family? You don't have to answer that if you don't want to, I understand" she said
"Nah, it's alright Ino and to answer your question. Yes, I do have people I consider my family" he answered
"And those people are?…" she asked
"Well Hokage-jiji has been there for me for as long as I can remember, he's kinda like a grandpa to me if you know what I mean. There's also Teuchi-jiji and Ayame-neechan, they're really nice to me even though most people aren't. As a matter of fact, it is one of two stores I am allowed to go to, for some reason the other stores don't like me. They would either kick me out or raise the prices, but enough of that sad crap. Shino, Asuma-sensei, and you are my family too" he said with a smile
"You consider me family? Even though we bicker all of the time?…" she asked
"Well, yeah! I mean despite the fact that we argue most of the time, I know you mean well plus who else would call me out when I do dumb stuff? So yeah, I consider you family" he answered
Ino blushed at what Naruto said, this was one of the things that Ino liked about Naruto. Even though he was dealt with a bad hand in life, he always tries his best to find the brighter side of things. And it also felt nice for her that Naruto values her to that point he considers her family, it warmed her heart that's for sure. 'Maybe Naruto is not that bad after all' Ino thought to herself.
"Well gee… Thanks, I also value you Naruto even if I smack you one too many times" she answered with a smile
"No problem! And I do think I deserve to be smacked sometimes for being an idiot, so thanks for setting me straight and stuff" he replied
"Don't worry about it, but enough of this mushy crap Naruto. We won't get any work done if we keep this up" she said
"Well you're the one who started it Ino…" he retorted
Ino was about to argue with him not until she caught him smirking, she knew it was a bait. 'You sly fox… You think you can trick me huh?' she thought to herself.
"Nice try Naruto, but I won't fall for your bait. You have to do better than that" she said
"Damn, you got me haha" Naruto chuckled
"Wait... What do you mean by two stores?" she asked
"Well Ichiraku Ramen is one and this shop is the other, which makes it two"
"Ahhh, yeah that makes sense" she replied
And so, Naruto and Ino continued to watch over the shop. They did some tasks here and there such as watering the plants, reorganizing various items, and restocking all sorts of stuff. Overall it was pretty much a productive time for them, they continued working up until lunchtime.
- Yamanaka Flowers: 11:00 AM -
"We're almost done, all we have to do is to assemble this order and then we can have lunch" Ino said as she handed Naruto a piece of paper containing a list of names.
Naruto then took the small piece of paper and analyzed its contents, the sheer amount of names overwhelmed Naruto due to the fact he doesn't even know half or even a quarter of those flowers.
"What the heck?!… I'm no expert in bouquets but isn't that kinda overkill?…" he asked
"That's the list of flowers we need to make sample bouquets Naruto"
"Sample bouquets?"
"Well the client doesn't know much about flowers as well but they did give us some of their preferences"
"And those are?…"
"They agreed on the color pink, so we'll use different shades of it and other flowers to go with it as well" Ino replied
"I see… So these flowers fit the description and we're just going to mix and match some of them and show them to the clients?"…" Naruto asked
"Exactly! Wow, you're starting to understand how flower shops work Naruto" she said in an impressed tone
"Hehe, well I'm learning from the best" Naruto replied
This made Ino smile, "Flattery won't give you a raise Naruto" she jabbed to which Naruto chuckled and gave her a foxy grin
"But I do have a question though…" Naruto said
"Hmmm? What is it?"
"I don't know any of these flowers…"
"Well… What I meant by 'we' is 'me', what you're going to do is this" Ino said as she dug for something inside the counter's drawer
Ino then found the item she was looking for and plopped it right on the counter. "This is what you're going to do Naruto" she said as she opened the book
"You mean read?…"
"Yeah, I mean you did say you started to enjoy reading right?" she questioned
"I did say that, I was just making sure that's all"
"Since you work here, you are expected to be somewhat knowledgeable about flowers as well. What if a customer comes in and I'm not around? How are you going to help them choose?" she said as she offered him a hypothetical situation
"Yeah I get it but this seems like you're preparing me to work here full-time…" Naruto was skeptical"
"What?! I don't know what you're talking about Naruto, so just shut up and get reading" (Ino lied)
Naruto decided to let it slide and gladly took the book from Ino, "Hey Ino, do you have other books there about flowers by any chance?" he asked
"What's this? Naruto is showing initiative huh? Well I'm not complaining, give me a sec and I'll check" she said as she looked once more in the drawer
Ino was able to find two more books, one was about gardening in general and the other was about botany. Naruto then took the books and placed all three down on the counter.
Naruto looked at the first book Ino gave him and saw that it was mainly about flowers and their respective meanings. "Ino?" Naruto said to catch her attention
Ino was busy creating the sample bouquets she was talking about so she didn't look away from her work but she did hear him, "Yes Naruto?" she replied
"Do you mind if I use one of my jutsus?" he asked
"Sure I guess… But what for?" she asked
"Oh you'll see hehe" he chuckled
Ino didn't know what he was talking about but decided to set that thought aside as she concentrated on her work once more.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)" Naruto said as he did the hand seal, and out came two copies of him from thin air.
Ino heard this and looked at what Naruto was doing, she saw Naruto giving his clone the other two books while he read the first book she gave him
"What are you doing Naruto?…" she questioned
"Oh, This? 'I' well I guess 'we' are reading" he answered
"You mean you can use your clones to study stuff?…" she wondered
"Yep! Neat right?" he said
"That's so unfair! Wish I could do that as well y'know?…" she said
"Well all you have to do is make a shadow clone Ino" he answered without realizing that Ino didn't know how to do the jutsu
"All I know is the regular version…" she replied
"Oh right! Sorry, well Asuma-sensei told me that it's safe for me to do this since I have tons of chakra plus he told me not to share the jutsu carelessly. I wish I could teach it to you but I don't want you to hurt yourself trying, hope you understand Ino" he said
"I see, it's alright Naruto. I understand, if Asuma-sensei told you that then he's most probably right. Well continue that while I work on this, we'll grab lunch once it's 12:00 PM" she said to him to which Naruto gave her a salute and a goofy grin which made her smile
- Lunchtime: 11:58 PM -
Ino was almost done with the third sample bouquet and she was ready to grab some lunch, she looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost time for lunch
"Naruto, are you ready to head out and grab something to eat?" she asked as she turned her gaze towards her blond coworker
She saw that Naruto was fully immersed in the book he was reading, she was impressed yet again that Naruto was diligently reading the book she gave him. If only Naruto did this back at the academy, he would surely be one of the top students in the class.
"Just a second Ino, just let me finish this page" he said to her to which she agreed and waited for him to finish
"The poppy is a flowering plant and is considered to be herbaceous, they often grow for their colorful flowers. It is usually associated with the following terms: sleep, peace, and death" Naruto read aloud, after which he closed the book and faced his fellow blonde.
"Alright done, should I leave my clones here so that someone could watch?" he asked
"Nah it's okay, I have to temporarily lock up when I'm on my lunch break" she answered
"I see well where do you want to eat then?" he asked
"Am I hearing this right? You, are asking me where I want to eat?" she repeated Naruto's question
"Yeah, what's the matter?" he asked
"Well… I honestly thought you were going to suggest Ichiraku Ramen again" she replied
"I mean yeah I want to eat there, but I keep dragging you there and I think it's about time we eat somewhere you like" he said
"Well thank you Naruto, that is very nice of you. There is a place I know where we can eat" she replied
"Great! Lead the way then" he said
But before they left Ino flipped the store's sign from saying "We're Open! Please Come In" to "Sorry We're Closed, Come Back Another Time". She then took out a key from her pocket and locked the door
"Alright, let's go then" she said. They then began their walk to where Ino wanted to eat.
Naruto and Ino made their way to Konoha's alleged food joint where there are tons of food stalls and restaurants to find. Since it was lunchtime, the place was swarming with people who are hungry and looking for something to eat.
They both weaved in and out of the crowd to reach their destination, it was a quaint restaurant with a fair amount of people dining inside. The sign said "Miyazaki's Kitchen" in a cute font, Naruto gulped as Ino dragged him inside the restaurant.
Naruto was rather hesitant for being there since he wasn't sure if he was welcome there or not, Ino noticed how tense Naruto was. She decided to ask what was wrong but Naruto told her that it was nothing and there was nothing to worry about. She didn't question Naruto and decided to carry on, they were then seated at a table and waited for a server to come to them.
"This is where you like to eat?" Naruto asked
"Yeah, why?"
"It's nothing, I just thought you usually eat in one of those fancy restaurants considering the fact that you like to go shopping" Naruto said
"I may like shopping but I prefer to keep what I eat simple, I tried eating there once but didn't quite enjoy the meal" she said
"I see I see…"
Ino noticed that Naruto was anxious and decided to bring it up once more
"You seem nervous Naruto?… Seriously, what's wrong?… I know you're hiding something, so just spill the beans" she said
"Okay fine… I don't know if I'm welcome here or not, you may not notice but I've been receiving some stares and some glares from the people around us" he said
Ino then looked behind her and didn't notice anything, but she still believed him. "Do you want to eat somewhere else? It's alright if you don't want to eat here" she offered
"No, it's alright I swear. Let's eat here Ino, so what do you recommend then?"
"Oh! They have this soup that uses cherry tomatoes and it's fantastic, it may not be ramen but I think you'll like it as much as I do" she said
"Okay then, I guess I'll go with that. But what about you though?"
"I think I'll order the salad with cherry tomatoes and some pudding"
"You sure do like your cherry tomatoes" Naruto commented
"You bet I do!" Ino said enthusiastically, she realized this and cleared her throat and apologized, "Sorry about that, I rarely talk about food that I like"
"Why are you apologizing? I don't mind, continue by all means dattebayo!" he said whilst grinning. "I do remember that you like pudding since we argue about ramen and pudding" he added
"Haha yeah… Well here comes the waiteress"
The waitress then arrived at their table and asked Ino for her order, "Ino-chan! It's so good to have you here again, so what will you have for today?" the waitress asked.
"It's nice to see you again Miyazaki-san, I'll take the Salad with Spring Vegetables and Cherry Tomatoes. And one pudding as well, thank you" she said
"Great choice!" she said as she jotted Ino's order down on her notepad, she then looked at Naruto. "And what will you have? Oh…" she said when she saw Naruto, all he can do was smile nervously.
"I-I'll have the uhmmm… Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup please" he said nervously, "Uh-huh… okay" she replied as she went back to the kitchen
- 45 Minutes Later -
"Here is your salad Ino-chan and don't forget the pudding" the waitress smiled, she then turned to Naruto and plopped down his bowl of soup without uttering a word
Ino began to dig in while Naruto just stared at his soup
"So Naruto? How's the soup?" Ino asked after she swallowed one bite of her salad
Naruto didn't respond as he swirled his spoon around the bowl of soup
"Naruto?… Naruto?… Hello?…" she said to catch his attention
This took him out of his thoughts and back to reality, "Oh! Huh? Yeah, it's great. Mmmm… Delicious" he said though Ino noticed that Naruto barely touched his food.
"You barely touched it Naruto, is there something wrong? You can tell me" she reassured him
"No I swear, it's alright" he said
Ino didn't believe him, "Is the soup under seasoned? Over seasoned?" she then took her spoon and tasted his soup. She was shocked that Naruto's soup was ice cold, no wonder no steam was emanating from his bowl.
"Why is your soup cold?" she asked
"It's okay Ino, don't worry about it"
"What do you mean it's okay?! You paid for it! There must be some kind of mistake" she said as she stood up from her seat
"No seriously Ino, you don't have to do this" Naruto pleaded
"No Naruto, you're a customer and my friend and I want to do this" she said as she went to the counter and ringed the bell multiple times
The same waitress showed up and asked Ino what was the matter, "Oh? Ino-chan, is there something wrong with the salad?" she asked
"No there's nothing wrong with the salad, but there is something wrong with my friend's soup! Why is it ice-cold?!" she demanded an answer
"I'm sorry but we don't serve people like him here" the waitress replied
Her answer shocked Ino, what did she mean by "they don't serve people like him"? What was wrong with Naruto, she didn't know the answer to that but she realized that Naruto was right for being anxious about whether or not he was welcome here or not.
"Well if that's the case, I demand a refund. I don't care if I don't get my money back for my salad since I already ate some of it, but I demand that you give Naruto his money back!" she said furiously
The waitress was beginning to get nervous since Ino was starting a commotion that caught the attention of the other customers, she sighed and returned Naruto's money. Ino then took the money and grabbed Naruto outside the restaurant, "You can keep your crummy pudding as well, I am definitely not eating here ever again" she said as she stormed off with Naruto.
Naruto and Ino were now walking back to the shop, Ino was still holding on to Naruto's hand. "Ino, you didn't have to do that y'know?…" he said
Ino was still mad and she huffed as a response, "Of course, I had to do that! You're a paying customer and my friend! And you deserve to be treated properly, I don't know why some shops hate you but I don't care. I'll never eat there ever again, and that's a promise!" Ino said in annoyance
Naruto was speechless, Ino went to great lengths for him today and he was thankful that she defended him at the cost of losing her favorite restaurant. "Thank you Ino, I really appreciate you standing up for me back there" he said
"Don't worry about it, I consider you family too and that was the right thing to do" she replied
"Though we still haven't eaten yet and it's almost past lunchtime" Naruto said
"Don't worry about that, let's head back to the shop. I have a stash of snacks there whenever I get peckish, that'll do for now" she said to which Naruto agreed and followed Ino back to the shop.
- Extra -
It was almost 4:00 PM which is the shop's closing time, Noriko was done with the errands that she had to do for the day. She opened the door and heard Naruto and Ino talking from afar.
"Be careful!" Ino exclaimed
"What did I do wrong?!" Naruto asked
"Don't ram it in you idiot! You have to be gentle" Ino said
"Sorry, this is my first time" Naruto apologized
"Well be more gentle this time, you can't just shove it in like that. It's very delicate so be cautious" Ino said
"It can't fit Ino" Naruto replied
"Wait, let me fix that. There! It should be able to fit now" Ino said back
Hearing this shocked Noriko, was she hearing things right? She quickly made her way to the back of the shop only to see Ino and Naruto planting some flowering dwarf trees into pots, she sighed in relief that they weren't doing what she thought they were doing. Noriko was both laughing and disappointed at herself, it was silly of her to think that Ino and Naruto would do such things and she was disappointed at herself for having lecherous thoughts.
"It's much too early for them to be doing that" she said to no one in particular
(A/N: Haha Ino's mom really thought they were doing "it" XD, welp that's it for this chapter, Just some wholesome stuff, and feel-good vibes. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I put to use the world-building chapter I uploaded earlier in this chapter, see? it can come in handy too haha. Well that's all I have to say, thanks for the support and show me some love and rate and review if you don't mind, that's all cheers ^^)