DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO (I'M NOT TYPING THIS BECAUSE THERE'S A GUN POINTED AT ME *WINK* *WINK*)
Ch.51 - Yamanaka Flowers IV
- At Yamanaka Flowers -
Under the warmth of Konoha's sun, life buzzed along its familiar rhythm. Amidst the gentle hustle and bustle, Yamanaka Flowers exuded a serene charm, its doors open wide to welcome the day.
Inside, two blondes, Naruto and Ino, worked side by side, aprons and gloves shielding them from the dirt and mess. Ino skillfully crafted bouquets and arrangements, her hands moving with practiced grace, while Naruto tended to the nursery at the back, his focus unwavering.
Despite wearing an apron and gloves, Naruto still managed to get dirt on himself, though the amount had significantly decreased since his first day at the job. His movements around the shop were now marked by grace and efficiency, a clear sign of his growing expertise in handling flowers and plants. Ino no longer felt the need to watch over him constantly to ensure he was doing things right; instead, she simply addressed his occasional concerns, which were becoming increasingly rare.
Ino found herself delighted by the significant reduction in her workload, thanks to Naruto's assistance. Sometimes she would spot clones of him working around the shop as well. Initially worried they might cause more trouble than help, Naruto eventually eased her concerns. Yet, if she were honest, she kind of missed the times when Naruto relied on her more. Despite her occasional exasperation with him, Ino didn't mind helping him out. There was a warmth within her whenever she assisted him, a warmth that often brought a smile to her face.
Reflecting on their journey, Ino couldn't help but marvel at how far they'd come. She remembered her initial apprehension about being on the same team as Naruto, the class knucklehead. However, a substantial amount of time had passed since then, and she could confidently say that Naruto was pretty alright himself, and she had nothing to worry about. She had to admit that having Naruto on her side was more of a boon than a bane, a thought that lingered in her mind until she was interrupted by Naruto's voice calling her from the back of the shop.
"Hey, Ino... Should I transfer the batch of plants we planted before into new containers? Or is it still too early for that?" Naruto's voice echoed through the shop.
"Uhhh... Remind me again, when did we plant those?" Ino asked.
"Two weeks ago... Give or take," Naruto answered.
"Hmmm... Let's wait for one more week and see how they grow," Ino replied, satisfying Naruto's query.
As they worked, Noriko kept busy at the counter, overseeing their efforts with a steady hand amidst the floral oasis. She deftly handled clients and supervised operations, ensuring each order was met with care and attention to detail. "Ino... Sweetie, do you have a moment?" Noriko called out to her daughter.
"Just a sec! Just have to finish this bouquet!" Ino replied from her table. She added the final touches to the bouquet she was working on before making her way towards the counter where her mother stood. "What's up?" Ino asked.
"I need you and Naruto to watch over the shop while I'm away, kay? I need to head to the venue of one of our clients and see what type of flowers we need to prepare. Can I count on the both of you?" Noriko asked.
"Of course you can, Noriko-san! We got this, dattebayo!" Naruto's voice called out from the back, eliciting a chuckle from Noriko. She then returned her gaze towards her daughter, who nodded in agreement.
"Great! Oh, and one more thing... Your cousin, Inoue, is coming to visit today. Your Aunt Inaho would drop her off here, isn't that great?" Noriko said with a smile. However, she knew her daughter wasn't thrilled at the prospect of babysitting her younger cousin.
"Oh come on... Can't I just look after her when my shift is over?" Ino exclaimed, exasperation evident in her tone.
"But I already told your aunt that you were okay with it though," Noriko said, trying to reason with her daughter.
"MOM!" Ino exclaimed, annoyance clear in her voice.
"Inoue has been dying to visit her Ino-neesan, she would be devastated to learn that her Ino-neesan doesn't want to see her," Noriko said, attempting to coax her daughter into agreeing.
"Nope... Uh uh, my answer is still no," Ino stated firmly.
Noriko sighed heavily. "I'll tell you what, if you look after your younger cousin up until four in the afternoon, I'll give you an advance in your allowance, deal?" she negotiated.
"Hmmm... Add in a raise and you've got yourself a deal," Ino countered.
"Negotiating now, are we?" Noriko said, an amused tone creeping into her voice.
"Well, I've learned from the best. So?... Do we have a deal?" Ino replied, undeterred.
"Hmmm... I'll give you a three percent raise if you watch her up until four in the afternoon," Noriko offered.
"Counteroffer, five percent raise," Ino shot back.
"I'll meet you in the middle, four percent raise but instead of watching her up until four, you now have to watch her up until five, deal?" Noriko retorted.
"Counteroffer, three point five percen-" Ino started, but she was swiftly cut off by her mother.
"Counteroffer, take my last offer or I'll change my mind about giving you a raise altogether," Noriko said firmly.
"Deal!" Ino quickly agreed, sensing her mother's resolve.
"Great! I'll be off now, take care of the shop and your cousin," Noriko said with a smile as she left the shop, leaving Naruto and Ino alone.
Naruto emerged from the back, his apron covered with dirt. "I'm done with all the trimming and pruning, Ino," he said, noticing the smile on her face.
"Guess who just got an advance on her allowance and a four percent raise?" Ino replied with a happy tone.
"You, but you also have to babysit your cousin. Haha, good luck with that," Naruto responded with amusement.
"Wait... You're not gonna help me?" she asked.
"Looking after the shop? Yes. Babysitting? No," Naruto said firmly.
"Oh come on... It's only up until five!" Ino protested.
"Still no, if Naruto's going to babysit, Naruto needs to get paid," Naruto asserted.
"Fine! I'll treat you to some ramen tomorrow," Ino offered.
"Ten bowls of Miso Char Siu, and you have a deal."
"You're negotiating with me too?!..." Ino remarked.
"What?! I'm not allowed to?! You just negotiated with your mom not too long ago!" Naruto protested.
"Fair point, counteroffer, five bowls of Tsukemen, deal?" Ino proposed.
"Ewww... Tsukemen, really?... I'd rather eat vegetarian ramen!" Naruto replied.
"Fine! Then five bowls of Shoyu ramen," Ino retorted.
"Final offer, two bowls of Miso Char Siu but the bowls have to be extra-large, take it or leave it!" Naruto said.
"Deal! No takebacks!" Ino exclaimed.
"Why would I back out? Between the two of us, I'm the one who got a better deal," Naruto remarked, causing Ino to laugh.
"What's so funny?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing... Get ready to eat your own words later," Ino said, causing Naruto to feel a twinge of worry. How hard could babysitting be, he wondered.
"You know what?... I changed my mind, I'm not really in the mood for ramen," Naruto said.
"Nuh-uh, I said no takebacks!" Ino protested.
"Well, too bad! Besides, what're you gonna do about it?!" Naruto replied.
"I'll convince mom to switch from bagged fertilizer to compost, which I know you hate," Ino threatened.
"You wouldn't, you hate that stuff too!" Naruto argued.
"Try me..." Ino rebutted. The two blondes then stared each other down until eventually Naruto sighed and conceded, realizing Ino wasn't messing around with her threat.
- An Hour Later -
As Ino and Naruto continued working around the shop, they suddenly heard the chimes of the store's door, accompanied by a woman's voice. "Ino-chan?... You there, sweetheart?..." the voice called out.
Ino made her way towards the door and saw her Aunt Inaho and her younger cousin, Inoue. To no one's surprise, both were also blonde, much like Ino and her father, Inoichi. "Ino-chan! There you are, come give your Aunt Inaho a hug!" her aunt exclaimed, arms wide open. With no choice, Ino approached and received a hug, though her aunt's embrace was so tight that Naruto could've sworn Ino turned purple for a moment. Moments later, Ino's aunt released her niece, after what seemed like an eternity from Ino's perspective.
"Look how much you've grown! In a couple of years, I'm sure you'll be a knockout!" her aunt exclaimed enthusiastically, then turning her attention to the other blonde in the store.
"Who's that over there, Ino-chan? Is he your boyfriend? Do your parents know that you already have a boyfriend?! My dear Ino-chan already has a boyfriend, how wonderful!" her aunt exclaimed without giving Ino a chance to correct her.
"B-B-B-BOYFRIEND?!... HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND, INAHO-OBASAN. HE'S A FRIEND, CO-WORKER, AND TEAMMATE! BUT NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Ino corrected her.
"Oi... What's so bad about me being your boyfriend?" Naruto interjected.
"Oh relax, I'm just correcting my aunt..." Ino replied, causing Naruto to drop the topic altogether.
"Oh, is that so?... Hmmm... He doesn't look like the type to work in a flower shop, yeah?..." Inaho remarked.
"Yeah, I get that a lot around here. But trust me, I know my way around flowers now," Naruto said confidently.
"Ohhh?... Do you mind if I quiz you?" Inaho proposed.
"You're on!" Naruto accepted.
"Alrighty then... What is the name of the flower commonly associated with beauty and elegance?" Inaho asked.
"That's easy! It's obviously the rose! Next question!" Naruto said with pride.
"How about this, can you name three different types of cherry blossoms commonly seen in gardens?" Inaho challenged.
"Hmmm... There's the Somei Yoshino, the Yoshino Cherry, and uhhh... Ah! The Kanzan Cherry!" Naruto answered confidently.
"Impressive, but you're not out of the woods yet. I have one final question, what is the name of the flower that is often associated with cherry blossoms but is not actually a cherry blossom?" Inaho asked, causing Naruto to go silent, indicating that he was having difficulty answering the question.
"Uhhh... I think I know this... Hmmm..." Naruto stammered, scratching his head in the hopes of remembering the answer. But then Inaho began to count down from five, which pressured Naruto even more.
"Five..."
"Four..."
"Three..."
"Wait! I swear I know this!..." Naruto said, but Inaho did not stop.
"Two!..."
"On-" Inaho was cut off when Naruto finally blurted out, "UME!"
"Ume? Is that your final answer?" Inaho asked.
"Yeah..." Naruto said in anticipation.
"Correct! Wow, you do know a thing or two about flowers. Uhhh... What was your name again?" she asked.
"The name's Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto said with moxy.
"Well then, that was impressive, Uzumaki-san," Inaho said. She then turned towards Ino and mouthed, "he's a keeper," which caused Ino to roll her eyes in response.
"Anyway, please take good care of my dear Inoue as well. See you guys later, bye bye Inoue-chan! Be a good girl, alright?" she said to which Inoue nodded. After Inaho left, she left Inoue in the care of both Naruto and Ino.
Inoue perched on a chair between Naruto and Ino, her small presence captivating their attention. "So?... What now?..." Naruto ventured.
"What do you mean 'what now'?..." Ino countered.
"I don't know?... Like, what're we supposed to do?..." Naruto pondered.
"We just have to look after her, maybe entertain her occasionally," Ino suggested.
"Huh... That doesn't sound too bad..." Naruto mused.
"You'd think that, but no... It's not..." Ino sighed.
"I mean, she's just sitting here with us. Isn't that right, Inoue-ch-" Naruto halted mid-sentence, noticing Inoue's absence. "I-Inoue-chan?..." he muttered.
"Where did she go?!..." Ino exclaimed.
"How should I know?!... Neither of us were paying attention. This isn't good. If Noriko-san and Inaho-san find out we lost her, you won't be treating me to ramen..." Naruto fretted.
"Really?!... You're more concerned about ramen than finding Inoue?!..." Ino scolded.
"Of course, I'm worried about Inoue! I wasn't serious about the ramen. Although it would be a shame if-" Naruto's words were abruptly cut short by Ino's urgent interruption.
"NARUTO!" Ino's tone was sharp, a clear indication of the urgency of their situation.
"Right, right... You didn't hear the door open, did you?..." Naruto inquired.
"I don't think so?..." Ino replied.
"Okay, then she must still be in the store. You check the aisles, and I'll check the back," Naruto directed, and both hurried to find Inoue.
"Inoue-chan? Inoue-chan? Are you hiding here?" Ino called out, met only with silence. Then, Naruto's sudden scream rang through the store. "NOOOOOOOOO!" he yelled, prompting Ino to rush to his side, fearing the worst.
"W-WHAT HAPPENED?! IS INOUE ALRIGHT?!..." she demanded.
"Yeah, she's fine... But look at the mess she made!" Naruto grumbled. Inoue had wreaked havoc at the back of the store, undoing all of Naruto's organization efforts, scattering soil, and spilling supplies.
"Man... Not only do I have to clean up this mess, but I also have to start over again! Damnit!" Naruto cursed.
"Naruto, language!" Ino admonished.
"Relax, she's just a kid. She probably doesn't even know what it means," Naruto reasoned, but then Inoue echoed the curse.
"Demit..." Inoue repeated innocently.
"What?..." Ino's eyes widened in shock.
"She probably said something else, right?..." Naruto attempted to reassure.
"Demit..." Inoue reiterated.
"Oh boy..." Naruto grimaced.
"I told you! What if she says that in front of my mom and Aunt Inaho?!..." Ino fretted.
"She won't, trust me... I'll handle it," Naruto vowed.
"Oh yeah?! How?!..." Ino challenged.
"Just watch," Naruto said, addressing Inoue. "Inoue-chan, Ino-neesan said you shouldn't say 'demit,' okay?..."
Inoue looked at Naruto with innocent eyes, then declared, "Ino-neesan, demit, okay!"
"WHA- THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID! THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID!" Naruto panicked.
"NARUTO!" Ino's voice was sharp.
While the two argued, they failed to notice Inoue's disappearance once again. Moments later, the realization dawned on them. "She did it again!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Well, don't just stand there! Let's find her!" Ino commanded, prompting Naruto to spring into action, scouring every corner of the store. Both were certain that Inoue hadn't left, as they hadn't heard the door chime during their squabble. Soon, Naruto's voice carried a note of concern. "Oh no..." Ino heard him mutter.
"What do you mean 'oh no'?..." Ino inquired, her tone reflecting her growing worry.
"You might wanna see this..." Naruto replied, leading Ino to where he stood. There, they beheld Inoue's handiwork: a chaotic scene of ruined bouquets, the product of hours of Ino's labor.
"Now you know how it feels, huh?..." Naruto teased, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Shut up..." Ino muttered, though a faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as Naruto chuckled.
"Help me fix this..." Ino sighed, turning her attention to the mess.
"How?..." Naruto questioned, but before he could suggest a solution, an idea struck him. He proposed it to Ino, who surprisingly agreed. Naruto swiftly created a clone using his favorite jutsu, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)," he said thus creating a clone of himself
He then ordered the clone to perform the Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique) causing the clone to become into a replica of Ino. Meanwhile, Ino cast her own Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique) to mimic her Aunt Inaho's appearance.
Together, disguised as Ino and Inaho, they approached Inoue. "Inoue-chan, didn't Mommy ask you to be a good girl for Ino-neesan?..." Ino spoke in her best imitation of her aunt's voice. Inoue paused, her expression shifting to one of remorse. She then approached "Ino" and offered an apology.
"Sorry, Ino-neesan..." Inoue's voice held genuine regret as "Ino" patted her head reassuringly, stating that everything was forgiven. With the crisis averted, Naruto summoned more clones to tidy up the mess while Ino continued to play the role of her aunt until the late afternoon drew near.
- 4:50PM -
The tinkling of wind chimes announced Noriko's arrival as she pushed open the door to the store. Stepping inside, she was met with an unexpected sight: Naruto sprawled out on the floor, while Inoue lay sleeping on a row of chairs arranged into a makeshift bed. Both appeared utterly exhausted from their day of play.
At some point, Inoue had grown bored and demanded someone entertain her. Naruto and Ino initially squabbled over who would take up the task, until they agreed to settle it with a game of janken (rock-paper-scissors).
- Flashback -
"The last time we played janken, you lost, remember?..." Ino said, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"This time's going to be different, I have a good feeling about this," Naruto said confidently, his determination shining through.
"Let's see about that, you ready?..." Ino asked, a playful smirk playing on her lips.
"No need to ask me that, I was born ready!" Naruto exclaimed, his words infused with enthusiasm as he pumped himself up for the challenge.
"JAN KEN PON!" both shouted in unison, starting the game with a burst of energy and excitement.
Ino - Choki (Scissors)
Naruto - Choki (Scissors)
"Again!" Naruto said, eager for another round of the game.
"JAN KEN PON!" they shouted again, their voices filled with determination and anticipation as they clashed in another round of janken (rock-paper-scissors).
Ino - Guu (Rock)
Naruto - Guu (Rock)
"Stop copying me!" Ino said, a playful edge to her voice.
"You're the one who's copying me!" Naruto argued, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"JAN KEN PON!" they shouted one last time, their rivalry fueling their determination as they prepared for the final showdown.
Ino - Guu (Rock)
Naruto - Choki (Scissors)
"OH COME ON! NOT AGAIN!" Naruto complained, his frustration evident as he faced yet another defeat.
Ino, on the other hand, was overjoyed that she won, a triumphant grin spreading across her face as she celebrated her victory.
Ino, too, had her share of exhaustion. She had spent considerable time cooking for Inoue, trying various dishes until she finally settled on something the child would eat. To her dismay, after preparing an array of meals, Inoue simply requested cereal.
Noriko then saw "Inaho" sitting on a chair, this then caused her to get confused since she just saw her back at the clan compound
"Inaho?... What're you doing here? I just saw you at the clan compound?..." Noriko asked
"Inaho" then released the jutsu which caused a cloud of smoke to disippate which revealed Ino
"I-Ino?... Why were you pretending to be your Aunt Inaho?..." she asked
"Long story, mom. Long story..." she said as she approached Naruto who was lying on the ground
"Naruto... Wake up... Wake up, my mom's here..." she said which caused Naruto to wake up from his nap
Naruto sat up and rubbed his eyes and saw that Noriko was in front of him, "Oh... Hey there, Noriko-san, sorry for sleeping on the floor... Anyway, I'll be going now..." Naruto said as he yawned
"Wait up... Me too..." Ino said, both blondes then left the store causing Noriko to be confused.
(A/N: So yeah, Naruto and Ino's first time dealing with a kid *wink* *wink*, haha anyway I hope y'all enjoyed this and uh yeah. I was surprised I was able to whip up this chapter quickly but I can't make any promises about consistent uploads lol. So yeah, show me some love, RnR, take care and cheers!)