The courtship of Naruto Uzumaki
IX. Lunch with Sakura
Finally, it was close to noon, and Naruto breathed a silent sigh of relief knowing they were soon to be rid of Konohamaru.
Naruto still couldn't believe how smooth the kid was with the ladies. He'd had Naomi smiling, giggling and blushing all morning. Too bad it wasn't stuff he could use with Hinata. It had definitely been 14-year-old charm, but it had been fairly successful on another 14-year-old. He thought it might even work for Konohamaru on females even older, but Naruto could never have pulled it off. Even he admitted that he was too blunt and honest for smooth. Anyway, he managed well enough with simple sincerity—at least, Hinata seemed to like him. He wouldn't worry about trying to be any more charming than he already was if she was satisfied.
He tried not to think about the fact that Konohamaru lived right next door to Naomi, and could walk over to see her any time. He still had plenty of time to nip this romance in the bud. Until he knew that Naomi was really his cousin, he wouldn't encourage any relationships with anyone in the village. But that wasn't his primary reason for wanting this flirtation stopped. Naomi was much too young to be of real interest to or interested in boys. He'd have a man to man talk with Konohamaru in the near future to discourage him from practicing his flirtation techniques on Naomi. Besides he didn't think he could handle another day of it.
They walked Konohamaru to the front gate as part of their tour of the village. Unfortunately, his companion in guard duty was someone Naruto wasn't prepared to meet just yet. If he could have gotten away without being seen, he would definitely have performed that cowardly act.
"Naruto! It is good to see you," Lee greeted him enthusiastically, and gripped his shoulder. "Have you anything to report to me?"
He gently shrugged off Lee's hand. "Hey, it's only been a day. Cut me some slack, Lee."
His face fell in disappointment. "Of course. Forgive me, Naruto. I do not wish to pressure you." So saying he gave Naruto's shoulder another quick squeeze.
Naruto began to feel guilty at his abrupt response. Sure, he hadn't been given much choice in the matter, but even if Lee had been less desperate he'd probably have agreed to help him whatever the problem. He didn't know how to say no to his friends. "Look, Lee, we're having lunch with Sakura in a little while. I'll see what I can do then, but no promises. I have to be subtle here."
"We?" Lee looked confused. He'd completely failed to notice Naomi with the group or else he'd thought her a friend of Konohamaru's.
"Yeah, me and Naomi." He waved her forward. "Naomi, this is Rock Lee. He's engaged to Sakura. Lee, this is Naomi Uzumaki, my cousin."
Lee shook her hand energetically. "A cousin of Naruto's. Of course, how could I not have noticed? It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Hello. Nice to meet you, too. I've met your fiancé. She's beautiful," she told him sincerely.
"Yes, she is very beautiful. She is the most beautiful kunoichi in Konoha," he rhapsodized.
"Yes, she is," Naomi agreed again looking helplessly at Naruto. She didn't know Sakura well enough to add anything more. "I hope you'll be very happy."
"I am very happy," he beamed at her then turned to Naruto. "I did not realize that you had a cousin, Naruto."
"Yeah, well, neither did I until yesterday. Naomi's only been here a few days. Konohamaru and I were showing her around the village."
He beamed at Naomi. "Did you enjoy your tour?"
"Very much. Konoha is a great city."
"There are larger cities. As a hidden village we can not grow too large or we won't remain hidden. Do you plan a long stay in Konoha, Miss Naomi?"
She looked hesitantly at Naruto. "I think so. I don't have any place else to go."
"Of course, you will," he said stoutly. "If the Hokage can't put you up for long, I'll—I'll buy a house. I've got some savings. We can live together."
"Really?" Her eyes widened in happy surprise. "I'd like that."
"No, stay with the Hokage," Konohamaru insisted. "I like having you next door or at least close by. Naruto wouldn't be able to afford a house in that neighborhood yet. He's still a chûnin like me. We don't get the big bucks until we're jônin."
"You're wrong about that, Konohamaru. I was promoted to jônin yesterday." It was Naruto's turn to be smug about something.
"Is that really true?" he demanded.
"It is true, Konohamaru. I heard it from the Hokage this morning when I reported to the ninja complex. Naruto, Hinata Hyuga and Choji Akimichi were promoted on Shikamaru Nara's recommendation. Their last mission was very successful," Lee answered for Naruto.
"No foolin'. Hey, congratulations, Naruto. I guess I'll have to work harder to catch up."
"Thanks, Konohamaru. Don't rush on my account. I don't need the competition. I still plan to be Hokage before you."
"As long as I get my chance, go right ahead, old man."
"You can count on it. Well, we'd better get over to our lunch date. We can't be late or someone will be mad. I'll talk to you later, Lee."
"Yes, thank you, Naruto. I go off duty when you begin yours this evening. If you can give me some news from your lunch today then I will be most grateful."
"Yeah, well, we'll see."
"Bye, Naomi, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay, bye Konohamaru."
They waved goodbye. Naruto led the way to the Ichiraku Ramen Bar for their lunch appointment with Sakura. The short trip was made longer by Naomi's incessant chatter about Konohamaru. She was obviously smitten.
"Your friend is very nice," she said as they walked out of sight of the front gate.
"Lee? Yeah, he is," he answered deliberately misunderstanding her.
"No, Konohamaru—I mean—you know what I mean, Cousin Naruto."
"That brat? I guess so. I can't say we're exactly friends, but I've always gotten along well with kids."
"He's hardly a kid. He's a chûnin," she defended indignantly.
"He's the same age you are. I think you're a kid, too."
"He's really only 14? He seems so much more mature."
"Well, he isn't—and he's got a girlfriend already so don't get any ideas."
"He does?" she asked in obvious disappointment.
"That's right. Her name is Moegi. She's his team mate. I've always seen them together since they were much younger kids."
"He didn't act like he had a girlfriend," she said suspiciously.
He shrugged. "What can I say? If things have changed, nobody told me." It wasn't technically a lie. Moegi could be Konohamaru's girlfriend. Of course, she could be Udon's girlfriend instead. He really wasn't sure about the true nature of their relationships. Konohamaru seemed to be the leader. Moegi seemed to be full of herself. Udon seemed to be the unlikeliest ninja he'd ever known including himself. That certainly seemed to be a set up for boyfriend, girlfriend and best friend who liked girlfriend—very like what he'd been a part of himself when Team Kakashi had consisted of Sasuke, Sakura and himself. At least, that was how he preferred to remember it unlike the reality of boy, girl who liked boy, other boy who liked girl.
"Well, I still think he's nice whether he has a girlfriend or not. It's hard to believe that he's Aunt Yukari's grandson. She never spoke of a husband or children. She must have missed them something awful. I wonder why she stayed with me after my parents died. Or why she didn't bring me to Konoha herself. It's so strange."
"Yeah, it's too bad she didn't leave a letter or something so we'd know what happened. You're sort of a mystery, you know."
"I am?"
"That's right. A mystery that may have no known solution since all the major parties involved have died."
"Is that bad?"
"Don't worry about it. Granny Tsunade's looking into it. If anyone can find out what's going on she can." Whether that was a promise or a threat only his would-be cousin would know for sure.
"Okay. I'll trust in Lady Tsunade."
They arrived at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. Sakura hadn't arrived yet which was good. He didn't want to start off their lunch with her in a bad mood just because she thought they were late. He might be able to get some positive responses for Lee if Sakura remained in a good mood. Then he'd have Lee off his back, and he could concentrate on his own romance.
Naruto grabbed three seats at the end of the bar. He seated Naomi by the wall with himself on the outside, and Sakura in the middle when she arrived. He ordered bowls of ramen for himself and Naomi.
"I've never had ramen before. What is it?" she asked curiously.
"You've never had ramen? It's the greatest food in the world. I eat it all the time. The specialty here is pork ramen. It contains ramen noodles, of course, shōyu broth, pork, nori, kamaboko, shitake and green onions," he told her knowledgeably.
"Naruto, I thought you didn't even notice what was in the ramen besides noodles you usually wolf it down so quickly," Teuchi, owner of the ramen bar said as he sat a full bowl down before his most faithful customer.
"Of course, I noticed. I've tried to duplicate your recipe at home, but I've never been able to get it quite right. I think there must be some secret ingredient I don't recognize."
Teuchi winked as he set a bowl down for Naomi. "Maybe, there is. If you could make this at home why would you ever come back to my restaurant? The only person I'll ever reveal my secret to is Ayame. She's my daughter," he added for Naomi's benefit. "I'm glad you're bringing new business to my place, Naruto. Is this young lady a relative of yours?"
Why was that the first thing anybody ever said? Did they really look that much alike? "This is my cousin, Naomi Uzumaki."
"Welcome Naomi Uzumaki. I'm Teuchi. If you're anything like your cousin, I hope to see you here often."
"Thank you, Mr. Teuchi." She scooped up a spoonful of broth and noodles, and hesitated as she watched Naruto shovel ramen into his mouth as if he were starving.
"Go ahead," Teuchi encouraged. "Tell me what you think."
She put the spoon in her mouth, chewed and swallowed. "It's very good," she said politely, and continued to eat. After a few more bites of different ingredients, she realized that it really was very good. By the time she finished, Naruto was starting his third bowl, and Sakura was plopping down between them.
"A bowl of ramen, please," she said. "I see you've gotten a good head start on me, Naruto."
"You didn't expect me to just sit here and wait for you, did you?"
"Hardly. That would be too polite for you. Are you enjoying yourself, Naomi?"
"Yes, thank you. Cousin Naruto and his friend, Konohamaru, showed me around Konoha this morning."
"The testosterone tour I see," she said with a laugh. "If you ever want the female perspective just ask me, and I'll show you a totally different Konoha."
"I'd like that. Oh, I met your fiancé earlier."
"You met, Lee? Where was that?"
"We dropped Konohamaru off at the front gate. He was assigned guard duty with Lee," Naruto explained.
She frowned. "Lee told me nothing about that. It must have been a last minute switch. I thought it was Neji's turn at the front gate today. I wonder what happened."
"Neji probably thought he was too good to pull front gate duty with a mere 14-year-old chûnin," Naruto said snidely. He usually got along with everyone, but sometimes Neji's superior attitude rubbed him the wrong way. Now that Hinata was officially his girlfriend, he had some long term grudges against Neji for his past treatment of Hinata. The guy had some awesome ninja skills, but his people skills could use some work. He didn't know how Lee could stand him for any length of time. For that matter he didn't know how Guy or Tenten managed to stand him either. In Lee's case, he knew him to be fairly good-natured. He seemed to get along with everyone.
"Don't be that way, Naruto. Neji has contributed quite credibly to several of our missions in the past. His attitude is no different from that of someone else we once called a friend," she scolded.
He knew she was referring to Sasuke Uchiha. Maybe every ninja class had an aloof, superior member. They were difficult to get along with because unfortunately they were almost always as good as they thought they were. He wondered who his own counterpart in other ninja classes were—or was he a uniquely unpredictable, hyperactive. knuckleheaded ninja like Kakashi sensei liked to describe him? He wouldn't mind having a uniqueness that had nothing to do with being a jinchûriki even if it was slightly unflattering. "Yeah, well, some people wear it better than others. How does Lee put up with him as a team mate?"
"Lee admires Neji, and always has. They're almost polar opposites. Lee's enthusiastic, energetic and endearing. He's exceptionally self-motivated. He'd put his life on the line to save a fellow shinobi or anyone who needed saving for that matter. He's done incredible things with only taijutsu," she said in a loving voice.
"That certainly sounds nothing like Neji."
"Neji has his good points, but he's also extremely unemotional, detached, and arrogant. If it weren't for his prodigious talent and kekkei genkai, he'd be completely insufferable." Her voice was no longer loving.
"Wow, Sakura, your character descriptions were right on target. I don't know if I want to hear what you think of me," he said with admiration.
She gave him a wicked smile. "I'll save that description for sometime when you really annoy me. Seriously, Naruto, I do think you've come a long way since we were first genin together. You've matured quite nicely. Your powers have continually increased until I'm amazed at your abilities. You have a lot in common with Lee on the energy, enthusiasm and hero front so I can see why you'd get along better with him."
Naruto was almost blushing at her praise. It was the first time she'd ever said something that nice about him to his face. Love had certainly mellowed the Sakura he used to know. "You know, I almost started wearing a green outfit like Lee's," he confessed with a grin.
She burst out laughing. "No way! What happened?"
"I thought it was so cool when Guy sensei gave me one. He told me that he liked kids with guts, and the green outfit had made Lee strong hinting it could do as much for me. If not for Pervy Sage I might be wearing one today. I don't know what happened to the thing. Pervy Sage probably tossed it in the bushes. Anyway, I don't think green is my color."
As she ate her ramen Sakura would burst into little laughs at the thought of Naruto in a green figure forming outfit. Guy and Lee with their obviously muscular built could pull it off, but Naruto would have looked ridiculous.
Naruto gave her a few minutes to eat while he wondered when Sakura would bring up whatever she wanted to discuss. He was hoping it had something to do with Lee's concerns. He wouldn't be able to bring up the subject on his own. She had to be the one to broach it first. But he still didn't know what he was going to say.
How was he to support Lee without getting Sakura mad? Maybe he should wait to weigh in on Lee's side, and just let Sakura vent her side of things. He could pretend to think about it then report to Lee who could then feed him arguments for the next time he talked to Sakura. Of course, that could drag this go between thing out way too long. Alternatively, if he just came out and told her he supported Lee, she'd just get mad. How mad was the question. Would Sakura punch him out with his young, innocent cousin watching? With this tact, he could simply tell Lee she was mad at him, so he wouldn't be able to talk to her about it anymore. That should end his part in this whole thing. Which way was the smartest and which the most cowardly?
Sakura finished her ramen, and declined seconds. She looked around at the people waiting for seats, and decided to talk elsewhere. "There are too many people here. Let's go for a walk. We can talk more freely outside."
They walked slowly down the street until it became less bustling turned, and walked towards the river. Naomi trailed behind realizing that maybe Sakura didn't want to talk with a stranger listening. Naruto looked back at her with a smile and a shrug. He really wanted to get this over with. He couldn't stand the suspense. What was taking Sakura so long to come out with it?
Finally, when there was no about but the three of them, he stopped to lean against the railing on the boardwalk beside the river, and said, "So what's this all about, Sakura?"
She put her hands behind her back, and stared out across the water. "Doesn't Sakura Rock sound like a weird name?"
"Unh?"
"Don't you think it would be better if I kept my maiden name when Lee and I get married?"
"Unh?"
"Sakura Haruno sounds much better than Sakura Rock, don't you think?"
"Is that what you wanted to talk with me about?" He just barely managed to keep the disgust out of his voice. This wasn't at all what he thought she'd talk about. Maybe she hadn't taken Lee seriously at all when he said he didn't want her on missions anymore. Maybe that wasn't even on her mind. Now how was he going to bring that up so he could give Lee some kind of answer?
"You're a guy. I wanted your opinion. Do you think Lee will be upset if I tell him I want to stay Sakura Haruno after we marry? Would you want your wife to take your name?"
He thought about it a minute. What did it matter? As far as he knew his parents had never married. He had his mother's name. No one seemed to care about that. Would he care if his wife carried his name? If she didn't, did the children automatically get her name or what? Could they choose? He certainly didn't want any children of his named Hyuga. He started to turn red at the sudden awareness of the tenor of his thoughts. He wasn't ready to think about that yet. Hinata hadn't been his girlfriend even 24 hours. They had to get used to that before they moved anywhere close to marriage and children.
He put his hands in his pocket, and shrugged. "I don't know. I never thought about it. What if he did get upset? What would you do?"
She leaned against the railing herself not looking at Naruto until she said his name. "I don't know. If it was really important to him, I suppose I'd change my name. Do you think it would be really important to him, Naruto?"
He didn't think it would really matter to Lee, but he wasn't prepared to set her mind at rest when he knew there were things that really did matter to him so he withheld a direct answer. "What if something else were more important to him? What if you compromised on a few things like your last name?"
"What do you mean, Naruto? Have you been talking to Lee?" she asked sharply.
"I'm just saying—there are a lot of things to consider when two shinobi marry. Taking someone's name may be the least important thing." He took his hands out of his pockets, and turned around against the railing moving away from her. "You need to talk to Lee about it. Listen to his concerns. Listen to his wants. Listen to his needs before you make any decisions."
She frowned. "I listen to Lee! I always listen to Lee! What are you talking about, Naruto? You have talked to Lee, haven't you? What did he say?"
He took another turn away from her as if he were playing with the railing. Surreptitiously, he needed to get out of reach of her powerful punch. Despite Lee's assurances to the contrary, Sakura had never pulled any punches with him. "Do you really listen to him, Sakura? Do you really take his concerns seriously? I don't say he's right or you're right. You just have to listen to each other, and come up with a solution you both can live with."
"Naruto!"
He took another turn away from her. "I'm not saying anymore. You two have to talk to each other, not to me. You think you can just twist him around your little finger and everything will be alright, but that won't always work. He's in love with you. He wants to please you. That doesn't mean he's happy with everything you decide. If you're in love with him, shouldn't his happiness count for something?"
"Naruto! What did he tell you?" she demanded in a hard voice.
He took another playful turn away from her. She hadn't moved so she must not have noticed that he was a few meters away from her now. Maybe he could sometimes be subtle. "Nope. That's all I'm going to say." He pushed off from the railing, and started to back away a little more as he saw her getting angry. Her eyes were flashing, her hands were balling into fists, and her mouth had become a thin, tight line bisecting her face.
"Naruto!"
"Come on, Naomi. Let's get out of here," he grabbed Naomi's hand as he turned to run. Luckily she'd been walking along with him, not Sakura. He glanced back over his shoulder to see Sakura standing stiffly staring after him—and thankfully not following or pounding the boardwalk to stop him.
Okay, he'd decided his smartest option was the cowardly one, too. He'd made her mad. He knew he was going to make her mad. He knew what would happen when he made her mad, and he just didn't want to be on the receiving end of Sakura's powerful punch.
So he didn't solve anybody's problems today. He didn't know what he'd tell Lee, but he did give Sakura something to think about. Most importantly—he'd managed to get away unscathed. That in itself was a monumental achievement. He was rather pleased with his day's accomplishments.