Chapter 7: Bonsai

It was the third day of the plant sale and Little Helper was bored. While the first few days of the sale had kept the kitten entertained, he now twitched his tail in annoyance whenever he heard the soft "Psst, psst, psst" of the nice smelling ladies, and some lads, trying to lure him down from his perch. Hidden amongst the air plants high above, Little Helper tucked in his tail tightly, leering down at the crowd of shoppers that filled every corner of the small shop. The kitten managed to catch sight of the Good Boi chattering away to a group of old ladies but, even when Good Boi called him over, the kitten refused to budge. The old ladies were the worst and always wanted to pick him up for cuddles. Only the Flower Lady was allowed to pick him up; he had decided, suddenly and without explanation, as cats are prone to do. Standing, the kitten stretched his legs and yawned, before slinking off through the floating shelves.

"Little Helper!" Tsunade's sharp eye caught the tip of the kitten's tail disappearing behind a pair of fat, lucious leaves, "Don't you dare chew up the catnip!" she called up to him, wagging her finger for good measure.

'Who, me?' Little Helper mewed innocently. He didn't need reminding twice. Not after Good Boi refused pets after the kitten had knocked over a whole tray of the tasty, good feeling plants. Deciding he wanted better, kinder company, the kitten decided to abandon his original plan to perch above Bug Boi and hopped down a few shelves, landing just behind the Flower Lady's shoulder. Little Helper then meowed, stretching out his paw to catch the woman's attention.

"Sorry, Little Helper," Hinata immediately reached out, tapping his paw away gently, "Kiba is going to have to give you piggy-backs today."

Little Helper drew his paw back, his brow furrowed in confusion. Did the Flower Lady just refuse him? Offended, the kitten turned away, rewarding her insult with a nice eye-full of his derriere, making sure to lift his tail as high as possible. However, the Flower Lady had long walked away and the kitten was stuck as a gaggle of girls immediately surged forward to pet him. With an annoyed meow, the kitten slipped through the girls' outstretched arms and bounded after Hinata. Skirting the heavy-footed grocer, Little Helper just managed to catch up, only to skitter to a sudden halt as Hinata shut the shop's office door with a sharp snap. Pawing at the door, the kitten tried to get the young woman's attention but, even after a few good scratches and a long yowl, his attempts were for not. Incredibly put out, the kitten slunk off to hide in the shadow of the shop's massive Monstera and kept his gaze locked on the office door, waiting for his chance to slip in unnoticed.

"Hinata is not happy today, huh?" Kiba murmured to Tsunade as they both watched Little Helper attempt, once again, to enter the shop office.

"Hm… She's worried about breaking even," Tsunade rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "Ya'll did great but she's probably worried she won't be able to pay herself again. Same shit as last year."

"I told her to lower my commission percentage but she won't do it. Something about not wanting to be a sleazebag owner. I make plenty off these plants on Ino's Corner anyway."

"No," Tsunade reached out and playfully smacked the young man upside the head, "You get paid, period. Both of you," Tsunade pointed at Shino, who had been doing a very poor job hiding himself behind the shop counter, "It's the way of business. Do not go in there offering your commission, I mean-"

"Tsunade-san!" Naruto's voice called from across the shop, "Where do you want me to set up the hot pot?"

Kiba and Shino immediately scampered away, thanking the gods for Naruto helping them escape another lecture. Throwing the two men a scathing look, Tsunade allowed them to scuttle off, before turning her attention back to the shop door, "Meet me at the gate behind the building!" she called back.

Little Helper's ear perked up as Tsunade crossed the room, approaching a heavy, arched wooden door located deep within the shop. Throwing one more desperate look at the office door, Little Helper stood and rushed over to Tsunade's feet, meowing pitifully.

"I know," she murmured, unlocking the back door and swinging it open, "Let's take a break and help Naruto out, yeah?"

The kitten seemed to sigh and slinked across the threshold, his tail so low it almost swept the floor. Tsunade could only cluck her tongue in disapproval. Only Hyuga Hiashi would have the talent to make one of the best weekends of the Spring season completely unbearable. Following Little Helper, Tsunade stepped out of the store and shut the door, the hubbub of the customers immediately cutting off with the soft click of the lock. Looking out, Tsunade felt her heart swell at the sight before her.

Hidden behind the heavy door awaited a secret garden bursting with life. Taking a deep breath, Tsunade immersed herself in the lazy, smokey scent of lavender mixing with the sweet, citrusy smell of jasmin and magnolia blossoms. The sun's golden rays barely pierced through the canopy of late blooming cherry blossom trees, leaving the stone pavers below dappled in shadows. A few bees buzzed about, sinking themselves deep into virgin buds, only to emerge from jungles of anther covered in thick coats of golden pollen. Feeling a little more refreshed, Tsunade left Little Helper to scope out the perfect sunbathing spot and made her way over to the back gate of the secret garden. The back gate was also made of heavy wood but sported a large metal arch that supported a wild mess of roses. Tsunade felt a smile tug at her lips as she approached the gate. It seemed Naruto too appreciated the beauty of the garden. The young man was leaning back, straining his neck as far as he could, to catch a glance at the heaviest of the roses stretching themselves high up towards the sun.

"Nice, eh?"

Naruto swallowed thickly, unable to form the words to describe how full his chest felt at the sight of so much beauty. He could only nod, dumbly grasping his box of supplies before following Tsunade deeper into the garden. As they followed the stone path, Naruto found his heart beating with excitement as he tried to identify each plant they passed by. Here were a few potted sunflowers basking in the sunlight, there were bunches of wild sown calendula fighting for space to throw out their orange blossoms, and over there was a pothos plant spilling out of its pot and rudely establishing itself in the neighboring aloe pot below.

"Did ya'll plant all of this?" Naruto breathed in awe.

"Actually," a soft voice spoke a little further up the path, "It was my late father's garden."

Just up the path, Naruto spotted an unknown man bent over a massive square pot. As he straightened up, Naruto felt his face flush. The unknown man was quite handsome. He wore a loose-fitting, flower patterned kimono that was parted just enough to reveal the pale skin of his collarbone shimmering with a thin sheen of sweat. His long, brown hair was tied up in a messy bun and as their eyes met, Naruto realized he shared the same pale, lilac eyes of the Hyuga clan.

The man took a moment to adjust his kimono, polishing his pince-nez for good measure. Before Naruto could properly greet him, the handsome man then suddenly leaned forward and took a moment to examine Naruto head to foot, "... So this is the young man Hinata has been giving private consultations to?" the man inquired, giving Tsunade a quick wink, "What did you buy? A monstera?"

Naruto blinked, stepping back as the other pressed even closer, "Uhm… It was a… A golden pothos?"

"A pothos?!" he gasped, reaching up and rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Interesting… Interesting…" his gaze turned back to Tsunade, curiously raising a single eyebrow.

"Er..." Naruto extended his hand, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I didn't catch your name-?"

"Hyuga Neji," the handsome man took Naruto's hand, giving it a firm shake, "I'm Hinata-sama's elder cousin from the second household."

"Second household?" Naruto cocked his head in confusion.

"Hai," Neji's smile tightened, "My late father, Hyuga Hizashi, originally opened and owned the Shop on Yarrow Street before his passing. He was the younger brother of Hyuga Hiashi, my uncle."

Unexpectedly, a wave of grief suddenly washed over Naruto and he felt his heart seize, "I…" the younger man breathed, his voice trembling, "I am so sorry for your… For your loss."

Neji bowed his head, "Thank you. That is why…" the man paused, glancing at Naruto's strained expression, "... I found your purchase of a pothos so interesting. It is the plant I associate the most with my father. It, of course, is known to symbolize-"

"Longing…" Naruto muttered, the corners of his eyes suddenly burning, "Particularly when you're alone…"

Neji's eyes widened as Naruto spoke, and then narrowed, the pale lilac in his eyes darkening into a sinister, stormy purple, "Yes… Particularly when you are alone."

Locking their gazes together, the two men knew there was nothing more to say. Tsunade looked between them, rolling her eyes as the two men then looked away, their expressions quite tense, "Oi," she barked, easily breaking the silence, "Are you done with that table yet? Naruto has to set up the hot pot."

Neji gave Naruto one more long, hard look, before turning back to the large square pot resting at his feet, "My apologies, I have a few more steps to complete before Naruto-kun can get to work."

"Great!" Tsunade reached out and slapped the two men roughly across the shoulder, "I've gotta get back to the counter. Naruto, if you need anything, ask Neji. He knows this shop just as well as Kiba does. Neji, don't make things weird."

Naruto nodded and watched the older woman walk away, Little Helper running along right at her heels, before turning back to Neji, "Uhm…What are you working on?" he finally asked, no longer able to ignore the massive planting pot between them.

Neji hesitated, a little surprised to hear the sincere curiosity in Naruto's voice, "I'm preparing a set of bonsai to celebrate the end of the Spring sale."

"Bonsai? Like those tiny trees?"

Neji nodded, motioning Naruto over to get a better look at the planter's contents, "Correct. Here I have sourced some material from the very trees that are planted in this garden."

Peeking inside the pot, Naruto spotted several bundles of thick cherry blossom stems. Neji reached down and extracted one of the specimens. The sakura branch was cut short but its top still retained a thick bundle of leaves and fresh pink blossoms. Neji gave Naruto an expectant look, as if awaiting a showering of praise for his savvy selection of strong specimens.

Naruto, however, was confused. Cocking his head, he muttered, "N-Neji-san… I thought… I thought trees came from seeds?"

Neji felt himself deflate a little at that. He struggled briefly to withhold a bemused chuckle. Nodding, Neji responded, "Yes," then frowned, "And no… See, Naruto-kun, the technique I'll be using to get this branch to grow its own set of roots is called propagation."

There it was again, that weird and mysterious technique Naruto had overheard the others chattering about, "Isn't that what you do to… Er… S-succ… S-succul-lents?" Naruto couldn't help but curse his inexperience as he stumbled over the unfamiliar word. More than anything, he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of another Hyuga member. Hiashi's disapproval was bad enough to contend with.

Neji, however, took delight in the young man's attempt and encouraged him, "Yes, propagation in general just means creating new plants. If you ever planted a seed, you technically propagated it. In this case," Neji set the cherry blossom branch aside, "I'll be using an existing piece of a plant to grow a new one."

"How?" Naruto pressed, his attention completely focused on Neji's impromptu lecture.

"I'll cut the bases of the branches of these sakura trees, give them a bit of prep, before sticking them in a pot of soil. After a few weeks, the branches will begin to grow small roots," Neji explained.

Naruto gaped at him, "They just… They just grow roots from the cut bit?"

Neji laughed, "Yes, it's called asexual propagation. Creating a new plant from an existing cutting, rather than breeding and planting a seed."

"Can all plants propagate like that?"

Neji shook his head, "Oh no, not all. While succulents, a variety of herbs, and certain perennial trees can asexually propagate, not every plant takes well to it. Some you're better off pollinating and collecting seed from later."

Glancing at the planter, Naruto assumed the pot would now be used to house the new sakura specimens, "Can I…" Naruto swallowed, suddenly sheepish. He had asked so many questions and hoped he hadn't annoyed the eldest Hyuga sibling.

However, Neji easily discerned the simple desire that colored Naruto's face. He had seen it many times on Hinata's face all those years ago. His chest tightening, Neji took a moment and closed his eyes, allowing himself to feel the waves of grief beat away at his very core. He trembled, for just beyond Hinata's hopeful expression, he could barely see in his mind's eye his own father, far in the distance and deep within the shadows, watching him carefully, as he always did.

"Of course you can help," he murmured gently, waving Naruto over to begin working at his side.

Setting aside his hot pot supplies, Naruto threw on his work apron, rolling up his sleeves for good measure, "Should I put the planter on the table?"

Neji felt a smile play on his lips. While inexperienced, the younger man made it clear he was not afraid to take on a bit of hard work. "Actually," Neji reached under the table, procuring a stack of tiny plastic planters, "We'll be planting the branches in here."

Naruto paused, raising a single eyebrow in disbelief at the sight of the smaller planters, "... But…" he glanced back at the massive planter, "Aren't they-?"

Neji lifted a single finger, "Naruto-kun, remember," he said sagely, "Bonsai: the art of growing ornamental, artificially dwarfed trees or shrubs." The man then took a seat, motioning Naruto to join him. Reaching back under the table, Neji set down a tray filled with soil, followed by a gardening pail filled with water, and lastly a plastic bottle filled with a mysterious powder, "First, we'll fill the small planters with this bonsai mix."

Following Neji's lead, Naruto set a trio of plastic planters before him before reaching into the soil tray. Dipping his hand into the mix, Naruto was surprised to feel thick, pearl-like granules of tiny soil clumps sift between his fingers. Scooping up a handful of mix, Neji motioned Naruto to follow suit and together, handful after handful, filled plastic pot after plastic pot with the strange bonsai mix.

"Alright, now let's give them a good watering before moving on to the next step," Neji instructed him.

Grabbing the watering can, Naruto drenched the planters in a stream of water before setting them aside to drain. He at least knew how to water his plants properly, the young man tried to praise himself. Now, with all the plastic planters filled, Neji reached into his kimono sleeves, revealing a brilliant pair of bonsai shears. The black carbon steel handles were quite round, large, and a bit exaggerated but, as Neji slid his hand into place, Naruto realized the shears were a perfect fit for Neji's long, lithe fingers and equally delicate grip.

"Sorry, Naruto-kun, I do not have an extra," Neji murmured as he picked through the cherry blossom cuttings, selecting a particularly girthy specimen, "Just watch me on this next step and then I'll give you a chance to prepare your own," then, with two quick snips, Naruto watched in awe as Neji snipped a couple of thin bits of wood from the base of the sakura blossom.

"W-Wait," Naruto gaped, unable to comprehend what he just witnessed, "How…? Why…?"

Neji raised the freshly sliced cutting higher, shining a bit of sunlight on its base for a better look, "I'm cutting the base of these sakura to expose the young wood underneath. This will help with root development. Take this," Neji handed the freshly cut branch over to the younger man, "And dip the base of its stem into that rooting powder."

Bewildered, Naruto took the cutting and opened the mysterious bottle. Peeking inside, he caught sight of an unknown powder coating the bottom of the plastic bottle. With some hesitation, Naruto dipped the cutting into the powder.

"That's right," Neji encouraged him, "Give it a good shake. Make sure the entire base is coated."

Naruto nodded, giving the bottle a few shakes, "Uhm… What does it do?"

"It's a rooting hormone," Neji explained, plucking the stem out of the bottle and immediately sinking it into the nearest soil-filled planter, "The powder has properties that encourage the plant to begin rooting. It can also help reduce mold… Sometimes… Alright, I'm going to finish snipping these. Help me get the powder on before planting them just like I did this one."

"Hai!"

When closing hours finally rolled around, Kiba and Shino were delighted to see that more than two thirds of their stock had actually sold over the Spring Plant sale weekend. Hinata had yet to emerge from the office and it was Tsunade who shooed the lads out, demanding they run off to join Naruto in the back garden. She then took a deep breath and shoved the office door open. In an instant, Little Helper burst out from his latest hiding place and rushed inside, letting out the longest, loudest, most rage-filled scream the two women had ever heard.

'How dare you!' he seemed to yell, rushing over to Hinata, 'How dare you!'

Looking up from her ledger, Hinata gave Tsunade a wry smile. Little Helper wound about her legs, continuing to scream, demanding an explanation for her offensive behavior. With a sigh, Hinata picked him up, receiving a playfully punishing bat from the kitten, before motioning Tsunade over to check the numbers.

Tsunade took a moment to study the ledger before pushing it aside, "Not a loss," she tried to reassure the woman.

"... But it's not a win either," Hinata murmured, "I can pay myself a little bit but it's all going into operating costs next month anyway."

"Hiashi did say that you had by the end of the year to make some profit," Tsunade patted the young woman gently on the shoulder, "You're doing okay, especially with such a tight deadline."

"It's not…" Hinata gave a defeated sigh, slumping down over the ledger, "It's not enough…"

"Oh my," a gentle voice came from the office entrance, "Have I come at a bad time?"

Lifting her head, Hinata felt her stomach drop, "N-Neji-nii-s-san?" she whimpered, hurriedly grasping at her ledger and attempting, quite poorly, to hide it.

Neji, Hinata's oldest cousin and heir to the second household, bowed, his messy bun falling forward, "Hinata-sama," he greeted her, "I take it you have run the shop's numbers tonight?" he lifted his head, his pale, lilac eyes darting between his cousin's anxious face and the ledger hidden behind her back.

"Uhm… I… I…" Hinata floundered. Then, unable to resist the gentle smile on Neji's handsome face, Hinata succumbed and handed the ledger over, "H-Here…" she whispered, averting her gaze.

Taking the ledger, Neji took a moment to extract a pair of pince-nez from the long sleeve of his floral kimono-shirt. Pouring over the ledger, Hinata could tell from the calculated expression on Neji's face that he was running the numbers rapidly in his head. Neji had been celebrated as the genius, the savant, the true heir of the family nursery business for many years. It was only recently that the man had felt forced to step away, and while he had lost his status, it was obvious he had not lost an ounce of his genius.

"Impressive," Neji murmured after a long while, handing he ledger back to Hinata, "You managed to double your sales from last year, pay your employees, and even pay yourself-,"

"B-But!" Hinata immediately protested, taking the ledger back and pointing desperately at the final numbers, "The shop's operating costs will absorb all the-,"

"It's a good start," Neji said firmly, grasping at Hinata's trembling hands and forcing her to shut the ledger with a quick snap, "You have avoided asking me for a loan this quarter at least," he gave her a teasing side-eye at that, "Not that I could have paid it. After all, Hiashi-san has banned me from investing anymore into this place."

"I'm… I'm sorry," Hinata muttered, burying her face into the ledger's already tear-stained cover.

"What?!" Tsunade reached out, slapping Hinata across the back, "Don't apologize for reaching your goals! Celebrate!" Grabbing the girl tightly by the shoulder, Tsuande forced Hinata to drop the ledger and marched her out the door, "Come on, both of you! Naruto is already set up in the back."

"Mrrrooow!" Little Helper yowled, batting at Neji's long kimono sleeves.

"And you too, of course," Neji chuckled, picking up the kitten and perching him on his shoulder, "I hope you're not too mad at Hinata-sama," the man murmured as he scratched the kitten's chin.

In the back garden, Naruto was caught in a storm of absolute chaos. Over at the beer coolers, Ayame and Sakura had taken their pre-gaming way too far and were already singing their top X0's boyband tunes. Well, Ayame was wailing away while Sakura held her phone out as a makeshift microphone. Shino, after tipping back two drinks, had spread out three of his remaining planters on a nearby stone bench. He drunkenly muttered and took notes, trying to desperately assess why these particular pieces had not sold that weekend. From the hot pot table, Naruto could hear Kiba and Teuchi arguing over who would be paying for the celebration drinks that night. Teuchi insisted they were on the house. Kiba barked something about small businesses needing to stick together and fight The Man. Teuchi retorted that there was no "Man" and young folks needed to respect their elders' wishes. Kiba wailed that Teuchi was like a father to him and needed to be pampered by his worthless children. Surely a few drinks to mend their family wounds would suffice?! This sent both men into hysterics and Naruto, completely out of his depth, could only stare as they embraced each other, howling against the injustice of it all.

"Sakura-chan!" Tsunade's voice boomed from the back door, "You started without me?!"

If Naruto believed Tsunade's arrival would calm things down, he was sorely mistaken. Now off the clock, the woman threw her apron aside, grabbed three beers with a single swipe of her mighty hand and stomped off to join the drunk pair. As he watched Tsunade down her first beer, Ayame and Sakura cheering her on, Naruto was reminded of those old scrolls depicting a band of demons drinking the night away in their shrine. He considered intervening, but based on the wicked look Sakura threw him, Naruto knew it would be best to let these succubi enjoy the celebrations uninterrupted.

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata rushed over, only to stop sharply and immediately give him an apologetic bow, "I'm so s-sorry for making you wait! We can comp-,"

Turning, Naruto felt his anxiety melt away at the sight of Hinata's beautiful, incredibly worried face, staring up desperately at him. She was always concerned over every little thing. Rather than be annoyed, Naruto found it sweet to see her fidgeting about, worried she was wasting his time. Rubbing the back of his head, the young man chuckled, "Hey, don't worry about it. It's your party afterall."

Hinata straightened up, her worried expression souring into a petite pout, "I wasn't told you had come early. I would have-,"

"Ah, that's my fault, Hinata-sama," Neji swept in, easily smoothing over his cousin's misplaced guilt, "We met just hours ago while Naruto-kun set up the hot pot. Oh, and thanks again for your help, Naruto-kun."

Hinata looked between the two men, confused but a little touched to see the friendly nod they shared with one another. With another slew of apologies, Neji bowed and dismissed himself, heading over to catch up with old friends, but not before giving Hinata a little shove forward in Naruto's direction. The look her cousin gave her was absolutely mortifying and Hinata tried to ignore him, patting at her blushing cheeks in a desperate attempt to calm herself.

"W-what… What did Neji-nii-san n-need help with?" Hinata inquired, hoping Naruto hadn't caught their weird exchange.

Suddenly embarrassed by her question, Naruto averted his gaze while sheepishly scratching his whiskered cheek, "Uhm… Well…" he then motioned over to the table behind her, "I uh… Helped plant some sakura bits."

Hinata felt her eyes widen with delight, "Really?!" she gasped, turning on her heel and rushing over to see the group of fifteen freshly potted sakura plants.

Naruto grinned, equally delighted to hear Hinata croon over the plants, "Y-Yeah. I wanted to take one home but… Neji-san said it might take years before he can start… Uh… Shaping? The plants?"

Hinata nodded while teasing the little green leaves of the nearest sakura plant, "Oh yes, it can take years before a bonsai truly establishes itself. There are some bonsai at Neji's greenhouse that have been in the Hyuga family for generations. I think the oldest bonsai is turning three hundred and ninety-three next year!"

Before Naruto could respond, however, an angry yowl suddenly sounded at their feet. Naruto felt an annoyed grin tug at his lips. Unbeknownst to Hinata, Little Helper had spent the last hour hounding the young man for scraps while he attempted to set up the hot pot table. Naruto had been given a brief respite while Little Helper went off to scold Hinata but the kitten would no longer be ignored.

"Alright, alright," Naruto squatted, petting the kitten as it yelled and wound tightly against his ankles, "Sorry Hinata-chan, I have a very needy customer to attend to."

Hinata bent down, scooping up the kitten into her arms with ease, "Come on, Little Helper. Let's eat!"

"Hold on, Naruto-kun, let me move the sakura!" Neji called back.

"Kiba, get more drinks!" Tsunade barked.

"Sakuraaaa-san!" Shino whimpered, drunkenly thrusting one of his painted planters into the young woman's face, "Whyyyy didn't it sell?!"

As the gardeners began to take their seats around the table, Naruto paused. He hadn't had many opportunities to celebrate much of anything. His father's illness kept him home for years and many birthdays melded into ordinary days, completely forgotten in some cases, mostly ignored in Naruto's. Now, basking in the glow of his friends' tired but happy smiles, he couldn't help but feel grateful to the odd little shop and its loyal workers. What a blessing it was to celebrate their accomplishments, to lift them high in congratulations, to continue to support their endeavors. Lowering the boiling hot pot to a simmer, Naruto set out the remaining toppings before standing back and raising a toast.

"Great work today!" he said simply, "To another Spring Sale!"

"Kanpai!" they all cheered back, toasting Naruto with a symphony of clinking glass.