Chapter XLVIII

The Beauty of Flowers

Once outside, we mechanically put ourselves in such a way that Naruto was in the centre to avoid him being in direct contact with the others. He stays close to me, brushes against me, but doesn't touch me. Instead of perpetual fears lining his retinas blinded by light, a veil of curiosity and eagerness to discover everything is covering his face. Moreover, despite the enthusiasm engulfing him, his ebony tail gently remains hidden under cape.

Seeing his fairly positive reaction, we decided to branch off into areas that were a little busier and more commercial. Though on the edge, Naruto isn't overwhelmed by social anxiety like before.

His nose in the air, he sniffs the many surrounding scents while wandering his sapphire eyes absolutely everywhere. This olfactory overload submerges his attention much more than the rest given his blindness. Also, his nostrils are much more sensitive than mine, probably surpassing those of the Inuzuka clan. I read at the same time, while keeping a keen eye on the teenager. In the company of Sakura and Shikamaru, I hardly feel the need to watch him as usual.

However, Naruto arches his back when someone enters his relatively large personal space, mine also which he has demarcated by himself. Luckily, his hair ruffling for the time of a breath goes unnoticed, but his glare and his few loud complaints make the others uncomfortable, especially when he clings to me to let them know not to approach us; at that, he's parting his lips slightly as he utters his loud growls.

No matter how much I tell him to stop ruffling his hair or showing his teeth, stubborn as a mule, Naruto continues the same patterns of aggression. Although we have calmly explained to him many times that no one wants to harm him, he doesn't deviate from his feral behaviour which persists with intensity. However, like a paradox, he has no problem entering their private space when he walks toward stalls and windows to observe them more closely.

I take advantage of our visit to this street to buy myself a new dial … not without bickering with Naruto. He tries to force me to put it back where it came from or grab it to break it. The blond finally lets go, growling when I curtly order him to stop, making him understand that I don't intend to give in to his whim. After this argument, he just follows suit, staring at me, hands in his pockets.

No need to say that he's pissed off and in a bad mood.

"He didn't like the sound, did he?" Shikamaru guesses by placing his arms behind his head.

"Indeed," I sigh, burying my nose in my book again. "Naruto is exhausting me…"

"He's pouting like a child," Sakura points out.

"He'll get over it soon enough," I nonchalantly say. "It's true that he tends to act like an insufferable brat, but you don't have to worry. I'm able to translate his body language."

Meanwhile, I notice irregular movements under the cape. I stop and point at it, grumbling. I don't need to say a single word since Naruto understands what I'm referring to. Not without sighing heavily and exaggeratedly, he stops moving his tail, rolling his eyes.

"If you don't stop being childish, I'll take you home right now, got it?"

His deep blue irises avoid me before he shrinks. Much more calm and docile, he clings gently to my arm in a timid gesture. It's his way of expressing his desire to stay outside.

"Aren't you a bit too hard on him?" asks Sakura.

"On the contrary, I'm too lenient," I retort, walking again.

"All in all, you were right, Kakashi-Sensei," Shikamaru blurts out. "Naruto is much more comfortable in a group."

I nod. Then, without warning, this morning's discoveries come to mind, come to torment me with mischief. Logically, in charge of the observation post during Naruto's captivity, Shikamaru must be able to enlighten me.

"Shikamaru, in the room where we put Naruto, were there any scratch marks?"

The latter displays a surprised pout, as if I had asked a stupid question.

"Pardon my words, but don't tell me you didn't notice? Have you even read the reports?"

I'm the worst moron there is and I'm blushing in embarrassment. At first glance, it seems that it's intense enough not to go unnoticed… When reading the reports, I only dwelled on the elements about my student, and not the place in which he was. I was so focused on Naruto and nothing else that I didn't realize it. The jail was almost plunged into darkness, of course, but that doesn't justify the negligence I have shown and my room is now paying the price…

"...To be honest … not in the least…" I shamefully admit.

"After your second visit, Naruto started scratching the walls during the night," Shikamaru explains wearily. "Looking the room after he got out, he had wreaked havoc under the bed, as if we were harbouring a werewolf. I get that it was dark, but still, it was hard to miss…"

"I see…"

"To ask me, Naruto is destroying your apartment?"

I let out a long sigh that speaks for itself as I roll my eyes.

"He has ruined areas beyond my sight and since I'm falling into a deep sleep because of his venom, I didn't notice it sooner…"

"When you say 'beyond my sight,' Naruto would hide it from you?"

Mechanically, I land my dark iris on the blond who has gone back to inspecting the surroundings with his sense of smell and sight despite his blindness. He's not interested in our conversation, even though we are talking about him.

Sakura, meanwhile, stares with anguish at the deadly claws that are pinned to my arm; she must be worrying about me and the wounds they can create. After all, my skin is eternally scarred by his fingernails.

"I don't know, to be honest. I thought so too, but when I discovered the famous scratches, he didn't react more than that."

My answer makes Shikamaru frown. Even after spending so much time in this awkward proximity to Naruto, I can hardly explain his contradictory behaviours.

Abruptly, the sapphire-eyed boy suddenly freezes in place. He sniffs frantically in the direction to our right. Without warning, his retinas glued to this street, he roughly grabs my wrist and then forces me to follow him. His quick gesture nearly throws me off balance as I utter a useless complaint.

His grip is too powerful; I have no choice but to submit to his pace and go where he wants to go. If I try to free myself, he gradually tightens by digging the tips of his nails into my skin, slowly crushing my wrist. Any escape is banned and if I persist, I will end up with a torn arm.

"Naruto, let go of me! Where are you taking me?!" I shout futilely given the silence of my student.

Following in his footsteps with the other teenagers on our heels, I understand what has overwhelmed his sensitive nostrils when I see the Yamanaka Flowers shop. It's only once inside that Naruto finally lets go of me. He sweeps his luminous eyes around in wonder. Then he squats in front of the flower plantations to inspect them with his nose and touch, all with gentleness.

He's so obsessed and carried away by his heightened senses that he hasn't noticed Yamanaka Ino. Not expecting the visit of the feral boy and not knowing how to react, the young kunoichi remains silent and is content to watch what is happening.

Naruto is too excited; his tail perpetually pops out of its camouflage, forcing me to quickly pull the cape back over it while fuming to myself. As if I had disappeared from his universe, the blond doesn't return the slightest glance to me. Luckily, there's no one but us when Shikamaru and Sakura eventually enter.

In case Naruto's tail is acting up, I stay close to him.

"What a surprise! I didn't expect to see you here," finally exclaims Ino, who curiously observes my student bewitched by these flowers.

"We don't either," Shikamaru sighs as he comes to meet his comrade, followed by Sakura.

As Naruto continues his activity by walking on his four limbs, inspecting and smelling each colourful greenery with unique fragrances, a silence settles in.

"Is that what you meant by 'feral temper'?" Ino asks her brother in arms.

"Kinda," he confirms, crossing his arms. "He's usually very fearful and it's a miracle that he didn't even glance at you."

"I know he has a lot of green plants in his house, yet I didn't think he was the type to like flowers," she wonders. "I know he has amnesia and trauma, but he reminds me of a cute little kid."

"You're wrong," Sakura snaps. "He's calm and busy at the moment, but he's not cute at all when he gets angry. He's really scary when he looks feral."

"That much?"

"Naruto is not a pretty sight. That, I can tell you," adds Shikamaru. "I advise you not to approach him or Kakashi-Sensei since he doesn't know you."

At Shikamaru's last words, Ino becomes perplexed; she mustn't understand his warning.

"He's very, very possessive of him. From our walk, he took on a fierce look if someone inadvertently approached a bit too close for his liking. To tell you, even if he trusts me, he wouldn't hesitate to attack me if I attacked Kakashi-Sensei."

His revelations drew gasps of surprise from the two kunoichis. At first glance, it would seem that Sakura wasn't entirely aware of Naruto's sickly affection for me or that it was that severe, but Shikamaru is telling the truth. The sapphire-eyed boy would be able to jump down his throat if Shikamaru were to become any threat to me despite his fragile friendly bond with the latter.

Meanwhile, I notice Naruto gazing and sniffing at a blue, purplish-hued flower without caring about the others with great intensity. Besides, I'm not the only one. Despite her comrade's warning, Ino approaches cautiously; she has an idea in mind.

Immediately, Naruto ruffles all his hair while staring at her; at that, his ebony tail wraps around my ankles. I hear his pulse quicken in response to the stress that is gaining him. When he lets out a muffled growl, we hold our breath. Not wanting to take any risks, I remain on the lookout in case Naruto would be aggressive…

"It's okay, Naruto. I'm not going to touch you," Ino whispers, raising her palms up before crouching in front of the flowers in question, while keeping a safe distance.

The suspicious teenager comes to stick gently to me, apprehending what she wants to do. Slowly, the young girl cuts a stem which she then kindly hands to him. Her face is benevolent, as is her radiant smile.

"I give it to you, Naruto. It's an Asagao or 'morning glory.' It's a flower that blooms only during cool and breezy mornings. It means a brief love and a bond of love."

This said flower overwhelms Naruto's deep blue irises that no longer blink. Moreover, he's drinking in her words like a follower who listens to the speech of their guru. His breath calms down, returns to a regular pace … however, his tail doesn't derogate from me. Anxious, I glance outside, ready to hide the prehensile limb the second someone shows up in the shop.

After painful seconds of hesitating, Naruto reaches out with a trembling hand to grab it. The kunoichi gets up to walk a few steps away while the blond sketches a smile. His tail obediently finds its place under the cape. He examines the plant from every angle, both with his luminous eyes and his cautious, cruelty-free fingers…

Being scratched daily by his killer claws and able to slice through flesh with ease, unnecessarily, I envy this flower. I am perpetually brutalized. Glad Naruto didn't already break me a bone with his brute strength…

"Have you heard the warnings we just told you?" Sakura dryly asks, frowning disapprovingly.

"He thinks like a child and I know how to deal with shy kids," Ino retorts confidently. "I could only give it to him. Have you seen how happy he is?"

"You were lucky, that's all."

Her passive aggressive tone betrays her frustration toward her friend and rival. That Ino managed to exchange with him while Sakura isn't capable of doing so must hurt her indirectly… However, she forgets that Naruto was very feral not long ago and that he refused the slightest contact with others. Also, it's possible that—unlike Shikamaru—he only sees Sakura as a way to heal the wounds he inflicts on me.

I could also be misguided if I take into account his tendency to sniff her scent at times; he doesn't do it with me or with Shikamaru. I don't know what that can mean… Before his amnesia, Naruto had feelings for her, of course, but he has completely forgotten her. Maybe he likes her perfume since he indirectly remembers her?

Possible.

Naruto pulls me out of my thoughts when he gets up and turns to face me. The way he looks at me implies that an idea has germinated in his mind and that said idea obviously includes me. He stands on the tips of his toes and raises his arms to reach my silver hair; as usual, I allow him to do whatever he wants with apprehension.

I understand what he's trying to do when the stem of the plant slips under my forehead protector, between my locks on my right side. He pulls away from me and lets out silent chuckle of a happy nature as the youngsters hold back from bursting into laughter.

He pinned the flower in my hair.

I feel horribly ridiculous.

To see their faces, it's understood.

"I didn't know Kakashi-Sensei could be so cute," Ino teases me with a smile on her lips.

Exasperated and jaded, I can only dive my eye into those of my student overflowing with joy; I am dazzled by his good mood. The worst part of all this is that I cannot remove it; I'll have to lug it around on the way home. Otherwise, I risk hurting or frustrating Naruto. His unpredictable and atypical behaviours exhaust me heavily…

I hold back the biggest sigh of my life.