-Oiroke-

Hi all!

Don't have much else to say, except that what I actually want to say is in the bottom to avoid spoiling anything in the chapter so I'll just say that I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Naruto's expressions did not convey what he was feeling on the inside.

Naruto was positively fuming in his head.

He wanted to punch the manager of K-Mart in the face for his blatant discrimination.

The balding man stood in front of him with a sweet smile on his face as he welcomed the transformed Naruto into the store, something he never would have done if Naruto looked like what he did ten minutes earlier.

Why couldn't he be treated this well when he was in his own skin?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he made his way into the expansive supermarket. His senses weren't quite as overwhelmed the second time because he knew what to expect when he entered the store.

He walked past the colorful aisles, looking for some kind of reduced section, or at the very least some cheap food or snack he could afford. He wasn't feeling very picky at that point. Even to buy a cup of instant ramen, he'd need a few more ryō, which he frankly did not possess.

Naruto's thoughts had begun to drift as he mindlessly wandered around the supermarket. He wondered once again, why most of the villagers seemed to despise his very presence even when he had never explicitly wronged them in any way. They never did anything extreme such as beat him or anything (possibly fearing the wrath of the Hokage) but the indifferent and cold looks and the murmurings when they thought his back was turned really got to him.

He desperately craved attention, which is what turned him to pulling harmless pranks on people, because anything was better than being ignored, even being constantly reprimanded by Iruka.

He wondered how his life would have turned out if he was born in the body he was currently occupying, if the villagers would treat him any differently. Maybe he'd even be able to make some real friends in the academy?

Kiba and Chōji were decent enough accomplices for when he wanted to prank someone, and Shikamaru never turned down a chance to skip a class, but none of them were really all that close to him. He could never turn to them if he needed to talk to someone about something deep or meaningful. He wanted a true friend who would be there for him through thick and thin.

The Hokage occasionally entertained his presence, but Naruto couldn't help but have a nagging feeling that the old man merely dealt with him out of some kind of courtesy, and not because he truly cared for the boy.

Perhaps it would be better if he just stayed in this form?

Nobody would miss Naruto Uzumaki anyway.

He shook his head to clear his mind from such speculations, he was perfectly fine being who he was, he didn't have to change himself physically to be happy, especially not a facade like a Henge.

So lost in his own head, Naruto didn't realize as he walked into another customer in the store.

He gulped, fearing that he was going to be berated harshly for not paying attention to his surroundings.

The girl he bumped into, fortunately hadn't lost her footing and was able to stand her ground. She held onto Naruto for support, before letting go and brushing herself off.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Naruto gasped out worriedly, "I didn't see you."

His voice was soft and feminine, he almost gasped again at listening to the change for the first time.

The girl simply smiled at him,

"It's alright," she said, "I should have been paying more attention too."

Naruto was surprised, he had fully expected the girl to shout at him for his carelessness. He couldn't help but think that it was because of his disguise. Nobody would have hesitated in scolding him for the smallest of things, especially the girl in front of him.

The girl looked to be around his own age and had fair skin, light blue eyes, and long platinum blonde hair worn in a ponytail, with bangs framing the right side of her face. She wore a purple outfit consisting of a high-collared blouse and matching apron skirt with bandages on her abdomen and legs, small hoop-earrings, and white arm warmers.

Ino Yamanaka. He recognized the girl from the Academy, she was one of Sasuke's lead fangirls and absolutely hated his guts.

The blonde-haired girl tilted her head him,

"I haven't seen you before, are you not from around here?"

Naruto felt himself pale, was he going to be caught? He needed to think of an excuse and fast!

"I'm not from this village, I'm visiting from…" Naruto paused to think of a village name, "I'm visiting from Nami no Kuni?"

He sounded so unsure of himself, he didn't know how Ino was still buying his pathetic act. But the girl nodded cheerily nonetheless,

"That's great! I'm Ino, what's your name?"

Naruto's mouth moved before he could think,

"Narut-," his eyes widened as he clamped his hands on his veiled mouth. He was so close to getting away with his lie.

Stupid!

Stupid!

He couldn't do anything properly!

He was worthless!

It was no wonder the teachers in the Academy failed his every paper. He couldn't even do something as simple as come up with a new name on the spot.

Ino's eyes narrowed suspiciously,

"Naruto? Is that you?"

Naruto gulped, this was it, he couldn't even go fifteen minutes before blowing his cover, how could he expect to become a shinobi at this rate? Should he try denying the fact? Should he call Ino crazy for assuming such a thing?

Unfortunately, he took too long to come up with an excuse.

Ino huffed, "Your silence tells me I'm right."

Naruto sighed, there was no escaping it now.

"Yeah, I'm Naruto."

Ino pulled his scarf down, revealing his whisker-like birthmarks.

Ino glared at the boy, "Why do you look like a girl? You better not be doing anything perverted!"

Naruto flushed and shook his head violently, "No, No! That's not it."

He didn't want to explain himself to her, but it would seem as though he was left with no choice, or else he'd probably be labeled as a pervert.

"You'd better have a damn good explanation, or I'm telling everyone in class that you're a dirty, stinking pervert!"

Fortunately, he had run into the girl in a fairly isolated section of the store and there weren't many people around that could overhear what they were talking about.

He pulled the scarf around his face again before something could jinx his fate.

"I can't tell you right now," Naruto said, "I'll tell you once we're outside the store."

Ino looked at him suspiciously, "And what if you try to escape?"

Naruto sighed, "And risk you telling everyone that I'm a pervert? Yeah, no thanks. I'll explain myself to you, just let me find myself some food, first."

Ino had apparently nearly completed her shopping and had decided to tag along with Naruto to ensure he wouldn't try and get away, even though he had promised to play along with her request.

She had muttered something about not having to worry about being seen with him, because he looked like a girl and nobody would be able to recognize his new body.

The comment stung, but Naruto didn't say anything to the girl. She could be vain and shallow at times, after all. And, he was used to people treating him less than human.

Naruto wandered around the store, still looking for something that he could afford. After a few minutes, Ino stopped him and asked why he was taking so long and that he should just grab something and leave so that she could get her answer soon and didn't have to waste any more time walking around with him.

Naruto bit back the rude retort he was going to say and instead just sighed and told her the truth.

"I'm broke. I'm looking for something I can actually afford."

Ino's eyes widened. Then, she did something Naruto didn't expect; she apologized.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I kind of forgot that you live by yourself."

Naruto stiffened at his name being spoken, but fortunately, nobody was listening in on their conversation.

"It's alright," he said, "Please avoid saying my name in here."

The last bit was hissed through his teeth. He desperately wanted to avoid being caught. If he was, then he'd not be able to get away with sneaking into the store with a henge again.

Ino stared at him for a few moments,

"Are you sure you're Naruto? You seem way too calm to be that knucklehead."

The boy rolled his eyes, if this girl had been trying her best to get a rise out of him, it was working.

He stopped walking and turned to face her.

"Are you sure you're Ino? You seem way too quiet and not screaming about 'Sasuke-kun' like a banshee. No wait, you're definitely still Ino, you can't stop being a mean bitch."

An expression of hurt passed over the girl's face.

We're his words hurtful? Yes.

Did he care? Even after everything the girl had said, kind of.

Did he feel guilty? Very.

"I'm sorry about that Ino, I didn't mean it."

Ino shook her head,

"No, you're right."

What?

She sighed, "I'm not actually that loud, I just play it up for Sakura. She needs the competition to boost her confidence. I'm not in love with Sasuke."

That came as a surprise to Naruto, of all things, he had never expected Ino to confess something like that.

"I'm sorry," Naruto repeated, really meaning it that time, "I don't actually think that."

He had meant it. He was simply antsy because of his empty stomach, Ino didn't deserve his frustrations being poured on her.

Tears began to well up inside Ino's eyes,

"Aren't I though? I'm always so mean to you in the Academy."

Naruto didn't know where all this was coming from, the girl had never shown him any remorse for her actions in the past.

"That's alright Ino, everyone is mean to me."

The girl wiped the tears that were forming with the back of her hand, "That doesn't make it any better, you idiot."

At that moment, the word 'idiot' didn't sound so much like an insult anymore.

The girl's eyes turned resolute, "You know what? I'm going to try and make it up to you."

Naruto gave her a confused glance.

"And I am going to start by buying you lunch!"

Into grabbed Naruto by the wrist and began pulling him towards the check-out counter.

"You don't have to do anything, Ino!"

Naruto had tried protesting, but the blonde-haired girl was having none of it.

"Nonsense! You said it yourself, that you can't afford anything in the store."

Grrrr

Naruto's stomach answered for him. With a crimson flush to his face, he accepted Ino's generous offer.

Maybe he was finally going to be making himself a friend?

A more cynical part of his mind told him that the only reason she was even willing to be seen in public with him was because he didn't look as he normally did. Because he didn't look like Naruto Uzumaki.

This chapter was initially going to be different from the old one, with me changing who Naruto meets in the mart to Sakura instead of Ino, but I decided to keep the friendship between Naruto and Ino and introduce Sakura in a later chapter.

In other words, … I probably shouldn't have deleted that previous story and simply continued, simply changing the pairing. Oh well, I guess I am just an idiot.

So, I'm sure you're wondering why the characterizations of Ino and Naruto are quite different from canon, but this is my story and, in this story, this is simply going to be how they are.

I imagine Naruto's childhood would shape him up to be quite insecure, because of how much he suffered from being himself. As for Ino, I just wanted to do something a little different.

Anyway, I hope you guys liked it, I'll see if I can be motivated enough to write the next chapter.

Someone please hit me up if you wanna beta this trash.

Baiiii!