Hello there!

Hopefully, you still like reading this fic. Please leave a review. I'm not sure if I'm doing well or doing terrible. Also, disclaimer is in the first chapter. And sorry for the late upload

Naruto was many things and after spending a long time on reading, he could confidently say that smart was one of them. During his time in Teyvat, he had learned and trained under everyone, making him smarter and stronger in all aspects. Even with all that improvement, he, for the life of him, could not work out why Lumine looked so red or why the residents of his mindscape were currently trying to asphyxiate themselves. Ying'er, the perfume maker had given Lumine instructions on how to extract flower essence and told him to get some water, but he was quite concerned for Lumine. "So, I should get some water and Lumine should extract the essence from the flowers?" Ying'er nodded. "Ok, and what's got Lumine looking like she's got a fever? Is she allergic to the flowers?" The laughing in his head intensified. "If that's the case, how about we swap jobs? No one wants to get sick now do they?"

On the other side of the road from Wanmin restaurant (their temporary perfume workshop), an invisible Aether was laughing because of the show. Hell, he was even tempted to bring Dain, but he restrained himself. How Naruto could be that dense to Lumine's reactions, he did not know. Even that perfume lady's flirty demeanor and… suggestive hand gestures hadn't done anything to ruffle his feathers. Once he finally calmed down, he saw that Naruto had swapped jobs with Lumine and gone off to extract the essence from the flowers with the crafting bench in the square. While he was gone, Lumine had gotten some water from behind the restaurant. Oh how Aether wished he could go up there and give his sister a hug. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and walked away, but just as he made it to the next street, he heard a fake cough, which made him turn around and lock eyes with Naruto standing behind him with his arms crossed. He blinked and checked his ring. Yes, he was still invisible. He looked behind him and saw no one. He turned back to his friend and pointed at himself, and saw Naruto nod. The whiskered shinobi looked around and made a handsign, creating a small dome of seals that dispelled Aether's invisibility. As expected, the Abyss prince quickly started looking around and trying to activate his ring again. "Don't worry. You're invisible here and no one can hear us. So, is there anything new I should know?"

Aether regained his composure and shook his head. "No. I just came here to check on my sister. Seeing that she is doing well, I'll be taking my leave. Also, how are you here? Didn't you go to extract flower essence?"

Naruto crossed his arms again and leaned back on the building next to them with a smirk. "I switched with a shadow clone. Also, I know you came here for something else. You aren't the kind of guy to just go around spying on people."

Aether shook his head with a smile and moved to lean beside his friend. "You are quite perceptive in some places. On others, not so much. But either way, you're right. I'm here to see if I can find out more about the Greater Abyss order. There were some rumors about Ruin Guard activity increasing in this area, so I just wanted to be safe. You can't blame me for checking on my sister since I'm already here, right?"

Naruto shook his head with a soft chuckle. "That I can't. Anyway, I have to go back now, so I'll see you some other time." He kicked off the building and made a handsign, shrinking the dome. Seeing Aether fumble with the ring, Naruto laughed a bit louder. "Relax. This field will activate the ring when it passes over it." Sure enough, the seals on the ring lit up and Aether's form turned transparent. The next second, Naruto switched with his shadow clone, who looked at Aether and held a peace sign sideways before poofing. Aether shook his head at Naruto's antics and opened a portal to his room.

Lumine was angry and confused. She was angry because this woman, Ying'er was flirting with Naruto, and she was confused because she didn't know why she was angry at that. By all means, she should be totally fine with this. With a deep sigh, she pushed the thoughts to the back of her head and brought the water to Ying'er to start the perfume making process. Right on cue, Naruto returned with three vials of silk flower essence. Ying'er took the vials and examined them under the light before nodding and facing them with a smile. "Well done. This is exactly what we need. Now, we add the vials to the water and bring the concoction to a simmer and let most of the water boil off. Once we're done, we'll be left with three lovely perfumes. I'll keep an eye this process because it is too important for newbies."

Naruto nodded at the explanation and turned to Lumine and Paimon with a smile. "Since we are already here, should we get some food?"

Before Lumine even opened her mouth, Paimon floated up and started flying around his head. "Really? Can we buy anything? Are you paying? Is she paying? Can Paimon buy anything? Did Paimon say that before?" Both Naruto and Lumine sweat dropped at the fairy's antics.

Before they could go and fill up their stomachs, Ying'er called out to them. "Where ae you going my dear assistant? ~" Naruto pointed at himself with a confused tilt of his head. "Yes you. You promised that I'd be the only one on your mind until we are done with making the perfumes, but here you are, talking to someone else and even talking about going out with them. That's not very nice is it? ~"

Lumine's cheeks caught a faint dusting of pink at the implication. On the other hand, Naruto, being as dense as a box of lead, just looked confused. "But I thought you said that you'll take care of this bit. Is there anything I missed?"

Ying'er giggled. "No no. I was just joking. The perfumes should be done by now, so please wait for a moment longer, darling."

For some reason she couldn't explain, Lumine felt the urge to stop this from going any further. So, in a fit of whatever-it-is, Lumine decided to bite the bullet. "Hey Naruto, how about you go and get us some food while I stay here with Ying'er?"

Before Ying'er could object, she had pushed Naruto out of the kitchen with a bunch of Mora and an ecstatic Paimon clinging on to said Mora for dear life.

*Timeskip*

The had gotten the perfumes from Ying'er and paid her before making their way towards the Statue of the Seven. On the way, Lumine thought about her actions and why she was so bothered by that woman interacting with Naruto. She was snapped out of her thoughts when Naruto said something. "Sorry, can you say that again? I was a bit lost in my head."

Naruto smiled. "It's fine. I just wanted to know if you could resonate with the Statues of the Seven in Liyue. I mean you did say that was how you got the Anemo element. Who knows, maybe you can get the Geo element as well."

Lumine thought about it. "Hmm… Maybe. I'll try it after we offer the perfumes." A few minutes later, they arrived at the Statue, and saw Zhongli looking up at it with a hint of nostalgia. "Mr Zhongli!" The man turned his head to face them. "We got the perfumes. I hope we weren't too late."

The man turned to face them and a small smile spread on his face, covering up the nostalgia from earlier. "Ah. I just got here myself. Now then, place the perfumes near the statue, and Rex Lapis will choose the one he prefers." They did as told, and, true to his words, one of the bottles glowed pink. "Ah. That means Rex Lapis has chosen this perfume. Let's take it to Yujing Terrace. Feel free to keep the others. I doubt Rex Lapis would mind."

Through this process, Naruto had a thoughtful look on his face. "Wait a minute." Everyone turned to him with a questioning face. "If Rex Lapis is dead, then how can he choose the perfumes?" That got everyone turning to Zhongli.

To his credit, the man was thoughtful. "I am not sure of that myself, but I believe that it is because of the residual power within the Statue of the Seven. If you desire a proper opinion, I suggest inquiring one of the numerous scholars in Liyue harbor. They may hold a better answer to your query." Everyone noticed the slight change in Zhongli's speech, but only Naruto dwelled on it for longer than a second. "Anyway, we will also need the cleansing bell. You can ask for it from Madame Ping. Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you this time. Also, when you meet her, do tell her that an old friend sends her greetings. I will meet you at Yujing Terrace."

Naruto nodded. "Don't worry Mr Zhongli! Also, before we go, we have something to do, so I hope you won't mind a short delay?"

The taller man gave a small smile. "Not at all. Take your time, but please, try to make haste where possible. I will be going now." With that, the man turned and walked away, disappearing from their view behind a bend in the road. "Now then, Lumine, if you will?"

Said girl nodded and took a deep breath before touching the statue. The Statue of the Seven glowed and the cube, held by the imposing figure sitting on a throne, pulsed before excluding an aura of power. Naruto discreetly activated his Rinnegan, and saw the Anemo green and Geo brown colors swirl around before settling in equal proportions. 'So that time from before, was the residual energy? Maybe this statue got stronger because Morax was here? Whatever it is, the level of Geo energy in her body was higher than before. I'll just file that away for later.' He quickly deactivated his Rinnegan and clapped. "Congrats Lumine! So, what can you do with it?"

Lumine smiled and raised her hand, before clenching it into a fist and pulling it down with a cry. "Drop!" Right in front of them, Geo energy condensed into a small rock before crashing into the ground and expanding into a larger rock that looked like a table. Paimon floated around Lumine excitedly, making the girl smile again. She then lifted her foot and gathered geo energy in her heal before bringing it down with a cry of "Crumble apart!" A wave of Geo energy spread outward from the point of impact, before stopping and creating three walls of stalactites. Paimon did a little roll and clapped her hands excitedly, making Lumine smile a bit wider. "So, what do you think Naruto?" When she looked at her fellow blond, she very visibly cringed before almost laughing.

"Yeah, maybe don't aim those constructs at me next time?" Naruto was balanced on two stalactites with his legs spread quite far apart. There was also a third one between his legs, dangerously close to his family jewels. "Better not fall brat! I doubt even I could fix that." 'Not helping Kurama!'

*smol timeskip*

After that whole ordeal, Naruto had somehow managed to get off the spikes and made the girls promise to never speak of this again. They had agreed through laughs while Naruto looked like a tomato. Then, they were on their way to collect the cleansing bell from Zhongli's old friend. They had made their way up to Yujing Terrace and met an old lady who called herself Madame Ping. Right now, they were talkinng to her about the bell, which she was quite willing to let go of. "So, we need to recover the bell from your teapot? Consider it done Granny!" That comment earned Naruto a smack on the head from Lumine and Paimon, even though Madame Ping only laughed at the nick name.

"Now now children. I don't mind the nickname. In fact, I'm afraid he's quite right. I am old after all."

Naruto stopped rubbing his head and turned to face the girls with a large smirk. "Ha! See! You hit me for nothing! Even Granny agreed with me." The next second, he schooled his features in a comical display and turned to face Madame Ping. "So, Granny, what should we do?"

Madame Ping smiled. "That's simple. Just touch the teapot and go inside." The group shared a confused look before Naruto reached out an touched the teapot. Almost immediately, a golden light curled around him before dragging him in through its spout. Lumine and Paimon looked at Madame Ping who smiled again. "Don't worry children. It's perfectly safe." Lumine and Paimon looked at eachother and huddled.

A solid minute later, they turned around and looked at the teapot before Paimon started speaking. "Hey, Whiskers? Since you are already inside, can you find the bell by yourself?"

They put their ear up to the pot, but their attention was caught by Madame Ping making a face. "Your friend is angry but he said that he will find it on his own. Oh, it should be on the island with a table."

Meanwhile, Naruto was stretching inside the teapot, getting ready to find the bell from all of the floating islands. 'Hmm… I wonder if I can use them here.' He thought about it for one more second before looking up and raising his voice. "Hey, Madame Ping? Can you keep whatever happens here between us?" Almost immediately, the now familiar voice answered. "Of course. Feel free to do anything you want, as long as it doesn't destroy my teapot" Naruto smiled. "Thanks Madame ping! And don't worry!"

He turned and walked over to the edge before crouching to look down. "That's a long way down. *sigh* Either way, I need to find a good vantage point." He cracked his back and looked up, and an island floating quite far up from the cluster caught his attention. "That island could work." He then walked back, activated his Rinnegan and snapped his fingers. Almost immediately, 9 black Truth- seeker orbs arranged in a circle appeared behind his back. Flexing the familiar connection, Naruto's feet gently left the ground and hovered as he got used to the feeling of weightlessness that he had become quite familiar with during the 4th Ninja War. After some time, he started floating forwards and upwards with a smile and arrived on the island in just a few seconds. To his surprise, on the island was a table with just the thing he was looking for. "Did you find it child?" Naruto looked up before speaking. "Yeah, I did. Just let me clean up the teapot before coming back. Also, can you tell Lumine and Paimon that I fell down into the void?" He stayed quiet with his fingers crossed but Madame Ping dashed his hopes. Ignoring it with a sigh, he stored away the bell and left to clean the teapot. It was only a few spiders, so he didn't have any trouble with the task. "You just wanted to fly a bit more didn't you son?" He sighed, knowing he was exposed. 'You're right about that Tou-san (father). Can't a kid fly around without being criticized?' After a few minutes, he landed back where he started, deactivated his Rinnegan and dismissed the Truth-seeker orbs and called for Madame Ping.

Outside the teapot, a golden light flowed out of the spout and condensed into a humanoid shape before disappearing to reveal Naruto in its place. He put his hand into his pocket and brought out the Cleansing bell before passing it to Lumine. "Thanks Madame Ping. Some friends I have. Oh, speaking of friends, Mr Zhongli sent you his greetings."

Madame Ping's eyes widened by a fraction before she smiled. "Oh. In that case, please tell him that I invited him to tea. It's been a while since I've talked to my old friends afterall."

Naruto gave her a smile and a small nod. "Don't worry Granny! We'll do it! Anyway, we have to take this to Yujing Terrace. We'll see you around."

Madame ping waved after them. "Take care now children."

On their way to the terrace, Naruto turned to look Lumine in the eye. "You are some friend Lumine." The girl just stuck out her tongue, making Naruto laugh. "By the way, I was thinking about the perfume Rex Lapis chose. Wasn't it the one Ying'er said that older women prefer?"

Lumine nodded. "You're right. I wonder why he picked that one." They were almost at Yujing Terrace and she even saw Zhongli in the distance.

Naruto shrugged. "I mean he is old. Around 6000 years if I remember correctly. Maybe that's why he picked that perfume. Well, either that, or he just didn't want to use up the whole bottle in one go. But, to be fair, it is his choice in the end. Ying'er was weird. She said to give that second one to the Yuheng. Wonder why?" They fell into a comfortable silence and walked the rest of the way to the terrace before meeting up with Zhongli.

"Oh, you brought the bell. That is good. Please, place it with the rest of the implements." As Lumine placed it down, Naruto told Zhongli about Madame Ping's invitation to tea. The mention of her name brought a smile to his face. "Hmm… I should visit her when I have time. There's nothing better than talking with old friends after all. Besides, it has been some time since I last visited her."

Naruto put a finger to his chin in thought for a moment. "Hey, Mr Zhongli? Are you also an Adeptus? I mean you know practically everything there is to know about Liyue and you seem quite close with Madame Ping, who is also an Adeptus."

Zhongli crossed his arms. "An Adeptus? That I am not. I am merely a learned scholar. Putting that aside, our next step is purchasing kites."

At the mention of kites, Paimon got exicited floated upwards. "Kites? You mean we are going to get to fly kites? Yay!"

Zhongli didn't want to pop the little fairy's bubble but alas. "Not quite. While kites are toys, they also play a part in Liyue's culture."

Naruto and Paimon nodded in sync while Lumine just nodded once. "Ok then. Let's buy a kite!"

*Timeskip*

After the discussion, they had left towards a shop where Zhongli had previously commissioned a kite. Despite that, Zhongli had forgotten to bring any Mora with him, much to no one's surprise. Luckily for them, Childe had been walking nearby and had offered to pay. Once they had disappeared with the kite, the Harbinger sighed under his breath. "Seems that I missed out on some interesting information. Guess I'll have to wait for a better time."

Just as he was about to leave, a hand around his shoulders stopped him. "Now, now my friend. Surely you weren't spying on us. And if you were, don't worry. Zhongli's speech was about as interesting as the body of one of your grunts. But, ignoring that, let's just hope that I don't catch you snooping around again, shall we?" The hand was taken off his shoulder and Naruto's familiar form came to view. "Now, if you would, I have to go and find some workers willing to help with the rite. So, for your sake, let's hope I don't catch you interfering." With that, Naruto left towards the Adventurer's guild while Childe tried to lower his heart rate. No matter what happened, Naruto always scared him. After his heart calmed down, he decided to ignore it. Afterall, in an all-out fight, he was stronger.

3300 words. Again, sorry for the late upload and the lower word count.

I didn't get much time to write this week and the site was down (which has nothing to do with anything). Also, I made an AO3 account where I will occasionally post oneshots. If you have any requests, please let me know! So, please leave a review, and I'll see you in the next one!