Chapter 8: First Harvest

"Uuuuuuugh!" Kiba groaned loudly, bells chiming violently above him as he entered the little shop on Yarrow street, "It's absolutely disgusting outside!"

Hinata giggled as her friend dragged himself over to the nearest fan, moaning with relief as the cool breeze began to dry the thick droplets of sweat pouring down his neck. Spring had passed with ease, sealing her final weekend with a few cool mornings, only for Summer to come barreling through with sweltering days and muggy nights. Even with the extra fans spinning desperately to-and-fro, the little shop and its employees would have to suffer another three months of heat before Fall could come along with a forgiving, and hopefully colder, season. Sighing, Hinata glanced over at Shino but found that he too was in an equally miserable mood. Much to Shino's despair, he had been forced to switch out of his favorite hoodies in exchange for light t-shirts, but still stubbornly refused to take the next step into tank tops. As hot as it was, the man was not a savage. Kiba, however, had no shame and, finding the fan's breeze insufficient, reached under his apron and stripped out of his t-shirt immediately. Hinata let out a scandalized sound and averted her eyes as Kiba, now semi-bare chested, held the fan against his skin in a tight embrace.

"Kiba!" Hinata scolded him, "What will our customers think?"

"I don't think they mind, Hinata-chan," Shino murmured, motioning over to a pair of elderly ladies who had paused to take a moment and admire a pair of San Pedro cacti coincidently sitting right at Kiba's elbow.

The shop bells rang again and Hinata rose, shaking her head, before making her way over to greet the next customer, "Welcome, how can I-," she stopped, her eyes growing wide with surprise, "N-Naruto-kun?! W-welcome!"

Naruto nodded in greeting but his eyes betrayed him, glittering with excitement as he entered the shop, "Hinata-chan, where's Kiba-kun? Come on, I've got something to show ya!" Hinata giggled as Naruto took her hand and dragged her across the store, panting as he desperately tried to catch his breath after practically sprinting over to the plant shop, "Kiba! It happened, just like you said! I brought the planter!"

Releasing the fan, Kiba made his way over to the pair, "Yeah?"

"What?" Hinata asked, looking between them, "What planter?"

Kiba grinned, "Naruto grew his first summer harvest!" he proudly announced, clapping the man on the shoulder.

"D-did… Did what?" Hinata felt her heart soar, "Naruto-kun! That's wonderful!" she celebrated, giving his hand a soft squeeze.

"What did you grow?" Shino asked, unable to ignore the festivities any longer.

Much to Hinata's disappointment, Naruto released her hand to hand over the planter tucked under his other arm. Her disappointment would be short-lived, however, when Naruto set down a familiar golden pot. Peeking over the rim, Hinata could just see the dried remains of what once were stems now collapsed in a heap in the dry dirt. While a novice would have panicked at the mess of desiccated foliage, Hinata knew better. Beneath the soil rested a treasure just waiting to be unearthed. Shino adjusted his sunglasses, no doubt equally excited to see this hidden bounty, and took the planter from Naruto. Then, with little bravado, Shino flipped the planter over, dumping its entire contents into a neighboring plant tray. In an instant, what little remained of the ginger stems were swiftly buried under a mountain of potting soil and what looked strangely like thick, yellow roots.

"That's it!" Naruto beamed down at the pile, "Ginger roots!"

"Rhizomes," Kiba corrected him, reaching into the pile and pulling out a thick piece of ginger.

"Rhizomes?"

"They're stems that grow under the soil," Hinata chimed in, "Remember when it was just a sprout? What you took home was an immature rhizome that had grown a new shoot."

"But… It was just one…" Naruto felt his heart flutter with wonder, "How can there be so many?"

"As ginger grows, it makes more rhizomes and those rhizomes might put out more shoots," Kiba explained, "But now that the rhizomes have matured, the shoots died off. Like I told ya last time, once the shoots are completely dried up, the rhizomes are ready to harvest. Looks like you have a decent harvest for a newbie."

"Rhizomes…" Naruto took his time repeating the word, as if trying to taste every syllable while staring down at the ginger pile in awe, "... What…? Should we…?"

As if reading his mind, Shino nodded and rose from his seat, "Yes… But in this heat, maybe a cold drink would be a better treat."

Hinata clapped her hands excitedly, "Oooh, yes! Naruto, let's wash off your harvest and give it a taste test!"

Naruto suddenly felt his stomach drop, "W-Wait! I… What if…?" he swallowed thickly, struggling to share his fears.

"What if it tastes bad?" Kiba barked in laughter, "The worry of every good farmer!"

Hinata giggled, gently taking Naruto's hand back into her own, "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be delicious!"

While Kiba cleaned off the counter, Hinata and Naruto collected the fresh ginger roots and gave them a thorough wash in the nearest sink. Naruto watched in fascination as thick brown clumps of dirt fell away to further reveal the thick, bright, yellow flesh. The young man couldn't help but trace this thumb across the strange lines of brown, dried material that striped across the ginger's surface. He felt his heart begin to beat loudly with excitement: his first harvest! Naruto had done it, he had actually kept a single plant alive and grew something – hopefully, delicious – to share with his friends.

Now thoroughly cleaned, Hinata set a pile of fresh ginger aside but placed the fattest, thickest rhizome front and center on the table, "Now," she cocked her head, "How should we taste test this, Kiba?"

Kiba eyed the fat rhizome before clicking his fingers, "Hm… There might be something in the staff fridge… Maybe lemonade?" but moments later, Kiba emerged from the staff room empty-handed, "Sorry, man," Kiba sighed, "Bosslady must have had a fun weekend or-,"

"No, that's okay, I-," Naruto suddenly stopped, an idea dawning on him, "After work," he swallowed thickly, once again surprised at his growing confidence, "Please come by the shop. I can make the drinks. I'm sure Teuchi-san and Ayame-chan would like to taste test the ginger too…" he trailed off, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Great!" Kiba grabbed him in a tight, sweaty, incredibly awkward hug, "It's a date!"

"Kiba!" Hinata squealed, "Put your shirt back on!"

That evening, Teuchi caught himself several times offering thanks to the harvest goddess. He had been quite worried when Naruto approached him nervously that afternoon. Had there been a conflict with his new friend Kiba? The young man was eccentric no doubt, maybe Naruto was too sensitive for Kiba's antics? Or maybe the cool-headed, quiet Shino had been too blunt and cold towards the boy? Could Naruto truly be friends with such a stoic figure when the boy himself was easily swayed by his heart? Or maybe the dark-haired beauty, the one Naruto's gaze could not help but linger on, maybe she had rejected him. Such a woman of esteem seemed likely to reject a dreamer like Naruto. Teuchi had felt his knees weaken at the very thought. The elderly man could have cried in relief when Naruto, instead, asked to host his friends at the shop after hours. Loath to see Naruto shambling about in his solitude again, Teuchi agreed immediately, much to the ire of his eccentric older daughter. Ayame, bless her heart Teuchi cursed to himself, demanded exposure for the shop through that blasted Birdbook or whatever that internet stuff kids used these days.

"Come on, Naruto-kun!" Ayame whined as she bussed the bartop, "It's your first harvest! You grew it right here, at Ichiraku, and your friends at the shop helped you! Do it for To-chan! We need all the exposure we can get! Think of how many customers we could attract to the shop!"

"Yeah, Naruto!" Kiba immediately chimed in as he walked through the shop door, "You gotta tag Shino in it so he can sell more planters! Didn't you grow it in one of his planters?" Naruto grimaced. Ayame had, unknowingly, managed to get the most ruthless marketing manager in the shopping center on her side. "And what about the shop? You got that ginger sprout from the plant swap!" Kiba pointed at Naruto accusingly, "You must inform your customers where you're sourcing your ingredients! They will demand only the freshest The Shop on Yarrow Street can offer!"

"I…" Naruto groaned, ducking his head in defeat, "... Okay, whatever, film your-,"

"Great!" Kiba and Ayame cheered, immediately pulling out their smartphones and testing out the best spot to begin filming. Turning to the rest of the group, Naruto was surprised to find that Shino had pulled out his own smartphone, only to shrug at Naruto in response. When in Rome, he seemed to say. Hinata, however, shook her head and walked over to him, incredibly embarrassed that Naruto's simple taste-testing event had evolved into a social media project.

"Y-you can…" she stammered, "You c-can still say n-no…"

Naruto chuckled, reaching over and giving her hand a quick squeeze in greeting, "I know… Thanks for coming to my first acting gig."

Hinata giggled, "T-thank you for inviting us," she felt her heart race as his hand held hers.

"Oh ho, are you going to be Naruto's co-host tonight?" Kiba teased as he walked up to collect Naruto.

To Naruto's surprise, Hinata did not draw her hand back, but seemed to hold onto him just a little tighter, "Oh, uhm, I'm not so sure-,"

Kiba rolled his eyes, "Come on, you're the one that grew those sprouts, you gotta be in the video. You know, Senpai/Kohai shit. People eat that stuff up."

Naruto watched in alarm as Hinata's face paled, "Uhm, but I… I don't w-want," her grip tightened just a little more.

Thinking quickly, Naruto cut in, "Actually, Kiba, I'm not ready to like… Show my face? Not to like… Our followers or anything… I'm fine with like, a picture?"

Kiba cocked his head, glancing between Naruto and Hinata, "I don't believe you," he stated outright, "But… Don't worry," he winked at Hinata, "We'll just film your hands."

"Our hands?"

As Teuchi finished up the last of the closing duties, Kiba led Naruto and Hinata over to the freshly buffed bartop. Ayame had painstakingly set the stage and there, seated in the middle of the bartop, was the fattest and largest of the ginger rhizomes Naruto had harvested earlier that day. Next to the rhizome were two bottles, one filled with seltzer water and the other chilled lemonade. Teuchi had been kind enough to provide two tall glasses filled with ice, a small knife to help split the ginger, a grater, and to Naruto's surprise, a little pile of herbs. Naruto took a deep breath before grabbing his apron and throwing it on. Hinata followed suit, taking a moment to tie her long hair back for good measure. Watching her from the corner of his eyes, Naruto once again wondered if he had always had a thing for ponytails.

"Okay, since we're just filming your hands, don't worry too much about talking to the camera," Kiba pointed upwards, "I've got my phone up there filming just the bartop. Ayame-chan's phone is over on your left, Naruto. Careful not to knock it over. Shino's got his phone over there with you, Hinata."

"Uhm… So what do we do?" Naruto asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"All you have to do is follow along," Kiba motioned over to Hinata, "Our Dear Owner will be preparing the drink step-by-step. It'll be a breeze with those chef skills of yours."

Naruto glanced over at Hinata, who could only give him a wry smile in response. This was not the first time Kiba had roped her into some social media scheme. It was a wonder the Shop on Yarrow Street's social media page had any followers at all with the sporadic, odd posts of its master vegetable gardener. Here she was, she laughed at herself, once again filming some other odd recipe. They were a plant nursery, not a cafe, dammit! Still, it was the few marketing media the shop used so in the end, even Hinata caved to Kiba's whims.

"Alright, get goin'," Kiba barked.

Hinata took a deep breath, before turning and smiling a genuine smile at Naruto, "I'll take the ginger and slice it in half," she did just that, before handing Naruto's half over, "Peel the ginger and expose the raw flesh inside. Go ahead and start grating it."

Naruto felt his chest swell in confidence as he peeled and grated the fresh ginger. He had been working diligently in Teuchi's ramen shop for the last four years after all. Still, Naruto thought as he stared down at the pile of glistening grated ginger, he never considered where exactly the ginger came from. To think he grew this very ingredient right on his windowsill. To think he had been blessed with the experience to watch his harvest grow from a mere sprout, flower beneath the late spring moonlight, and eventually succumb to the scorching summer, but not before leaving a delicious bounty behind.

"Once you're done grating the ginger," Hinata instructed him, pulling him out of his reverie, "Set it and the remaining ginger aside."

Naruto followed along, setting his ginger aside, before silently copying Hinata as she grabbed her lemonade glass, "One part seltzer, one part lemonade," she poured the seltzer about halfway into her glass, before filling the rest with chilled lemonade, "Take as much as the grated ginger as you'd like, maybe half a spoonful for a start, stir it into the lemonade."

After pouring the drinks, Naruto grabbed a spoonful of ginger and shakily dumped it into his glass. He gave the drink a quick stir, wincing as a bit of lemonade dribbled out and pooled on the bartop. He hoped Ayame would edit that out. Pulling out the spoon, Naruto couldn't help but give it a quick taste. His tongue immediately puckered, delighting in the bite of the ginger enhanced by the bitter seltzer and sweet, tangy lemonade.

"Mint for garnish," Hinata giggled as Naruto smacked his lips approvingly. Naruto watched Hinata daintily tuck a single sprig of mint into the ice. Picking up his own sprig, he clumsily tried to follow suit, only to have his mint immediately plop down and drown in a sea of bubbly nectar. "It's just to make it pretty," Hinata tried to reassure him as the mint slowly descended deeper into the glass.

"All done!" she announced, extending her hand out to present the drink to the nearest camera, "Enjoy!"

Ayame cheered, rushing over to turn off the smartphone cameras, "Great job, Naruto-kun! What do you think, Kiba-kun? Music? Maybe you can narrate instructions over it?"

Kiba and Ayame immediately bent their heads to begin plotting out their latest project. Shino walked over and took a quick picture of the drink before taking his seat and raising his hand, "One please," he ordered.

Naruto nodded and handed over the drink. Shino tipped it back and took a big gulp, grimacing with delight as the bubbles burned all the way down, "Fantastic," he breathed.

Hinata followed suit, taking a quick swig and like Shino, wincing from the burn and bite of lemonade and fresh ginger, "Come on, Naruto-kun," she nodded approvingly, "It's so good!"

Naruto looked down at the drink and to his surprise, hesitated. Glancing nervously between his friends, he wondered for one horrible second if they were lying. While the ginger looked fantastic, Naruto was just a novice, how could a novice grow anything like this? Surely he had made a mistake at some point. Surely he had been in error, a swipe of the spoon was nothing compared to a literal gulp. Surely his ginger was diseased, maybe bitter or God-forbid, tasteless. Had he lied to himself? Looking into the glass, Naruto could see the bits of ginger Hinata had grated, floating about, squirming and twitching like grubs as the seltzer bubbled and popped. Feeling his stomach churn, Naruto suddenly set the glass down, quickly excusing himself. Startled, Hinata and Shino could only watch in bewilderment as the young man disappeared behind the kitchen curtain.