"Chakra Armament: Gauntlets."
A thick layer of blue chakra gathered around my forearms and hands. The energy slowly took shape until it formed a pair of solid chakra gauntlets covering my arms.
I clenched my fists.
Then I punched the tree stump in front of me.
Boom.
The stump exploded into splinters and pieces of wood that scattered across the clearing.
I stared at the broken wood for a moment and grinned.
"Awesome."
This was another addition to my growing arsenal. The chakra gauntlets felt stable and strong. They would be very useful in close combat.
Then my stomach growled loudly.
I looked down and sighed.
"Looks like I'm hungry."
It was already lunchtime. I had been training for hours without realizing how much time had passed.
"I haven't had Ichiraku ramen for a few days," I muttered to myself. "I should reward myself."
I stretched my arms once and began walking toward the village.
"Let's go then."
As I moved across the rooftops and streets of Konoha, my thoughts slowly shifted from training to food.
Hot ramen.
Rich broth.
Soft noodles.
My stomach growled again in agreement.
But before I reached Ichiraku, something caught my attention.
The Yamanaka Flower Shop.
I stopped walking and looked at the shop for a moment.
A strange curiosity appeared in my mind to check out the shop.
Well Hiroji could use some flowers in the library. It's pretty gloomy there.
"Yeah… why not?" I said quietly.
I stepped inside the shop.
The moment I entered, I was surrounded by bright colors everywhere. Soft petals and sweet smells filled the air so strongly that it almost felt like I could taste them. Roses, lilies, chrysanthemums, and many other flowers I didn't even recognize were arranged neatly around the shop.
It felt like someone had taken a rainbow, exploded it into pieces, and turned those pieces into a store.
And standing behind the counter, like she owned the entire rainbow, was Ino Yamanaka.
She had her hands on her hips and was staring directly at me as if I had personally offended every flower in the shop.
"Naruto," she said slowly.
"What are you doing here?"
That was actually a good question.
"I came to buy flowers," I said confidently.
Ino blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then she burst out laughing.
"You?" she said between laughs. "Buying flowers? Did you hit your head on the way here?"
I crossed my arms and gave her a fake annoyed look.
"That is no way to talk to a customer," I said. "And I will have you know that I am a very refined person."
Ino snorted.
"You? Refined? I always thought of you more like a brute."
I shrugged.
"Brutes can be refined too."
Ino rolled her eyes and jumped down from the stool behind the counter.
She began walking around the shop like a tiny flower general inspecting her troops.
"So," she said while looking back at me with a smug grin, "who are the flowers for?"
"…What?"
"The flowers," she repeated.
I blinked.
"They are for… a person."
Ino suddenly gasped in an overly dramatic way.
"Oh my god."
"What?"
"You are confessing to someone!"
"I am not!"
Her grin only grew wider.
"Then who is she? Emi? No, wait, Hinata? Oh wow, Naruto, you are growing up!"
I felt my eye twitch with annoyance.
"They are for a friend," I said firmly. "And I am not confessing to anyone, okay?"
"Sure, sure," she said with a teasing smile.
She leaned forward slightly and placed both hands on the counter.
"So who is the lucky girl?"
I groaned loudly. A middle aged man I wanted to reply.
"Why does it have to be a girl?"
Ino froze.
Then her eyes slowly widened.
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"Ohhhhh."
"No."
"Naruto!"
"INO."
"You are confessing to a boy?!"
"I AM NOT CONFESSING TO ANYONE!"
She slammed her hands on the counter and started laughing so hard that she almost fell over.
"You are so easy to tease!"
I pointed at her accusingly.
"You are evil."
She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye while still smiling.
"Alright, alright. Calm down, Lover boy. What kind of flowers do you want?"
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.
"…I don't know."
Ino stared at me like she could not believe what she had just heard.
"You came into a flower shop without knowing what flowers you want."
"Yes."
"You are unbelievable."
She sighed dramatically and began walking between the rows of flowers. She inspected them carefully like a professional florist deciding on the best arrangement.
"Alright," she said after a moment. "Let's think about this. If it is for a girl, roses are the obvious choice. Although they are a bit too obvious. Lilies are elegant. Daisies are simple but cute."
She turned around and looked at me again.
"So which one do you want?"
"First, they are not for a girl," I reminded her. "Second, which flower says… 'thanks for not kicking me out when everyone else did?'"
Ino blinked slowly.
"…What?"
"Yeah."
She stared at me as if her brain had just restarted.
"You are thanking someone… for letting you stay in their shop?"
"Not exactly a shop," I said. "But yeah."
She tilted her head slightly.
"…Naruto."
"Yeah?"
"You are weird."
"That is rude."
Before she could say anything else, the curtain behind the shop counter suddenly moved.
A woman stepped out from behind the curtain while carrying a small watering can.
She had long brown hair and a calm smile on her face. However, her sharp eyes made it clear that she noticed everything happening in the shop.
She had to be Ino's mother.
The wife of Inoichi Yamanaka.
"Ino," the woman said gently, "who are you yelling at this time?"
Ino immediately pointed at me.
"Him."
The woman turned her eyes toward me. Her warm smile grew a little wider.
"Oh," she said kindly. "Are you Ino's friend?"
I gave a small awkward wave.
"Uh… hi. I am Naruto Uzumaki."
She nodded politely.
"Welcome. I am Isumi Yamanaka, Ino's mother."
She walked closer and looked between the two of us with a curious expression.
"So," she said casually, "is Naruto buying flowers for you?"
Ino nearly choked.
"WHAT?!"
I almost fell over.
"NO!"
Isumi blinked innocently.
"Oh? I thought maybe he was confessing."
Ino's face instantly turned bright red.
"MOM!"
I raised both hands in the air and shouted loudly.
"I DIDN'T COME HERE TO BUY FLOWERS TO CONFESS!"
Isumi laughed softly.
"My mistake."
Then she leaned slightly toward Ino and whispered something in her ear.
"MOM!"
I tried very hard not to laugh.
But I failed.
Ino quickly pointed her finger at me.
"Don't you dare laugh!"
Too late.
I was already laughing.
Isumi clapped her hands lightly to get our attention.
"Alright, children. Back to work."
Then she looked at me again.
"So who are the flowers for, Naruto?"
I hesitated for a moment.
Then I shrugged.
"…Shirozu Hiroji."
Both of them blinked.
"The librarian?" Isumi asked.
"Yep."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Why?"
I shrugged again.
"He was the first person who didn't hate me or ignore me. He helped me."
Ino stared at me for a few seconds.
Then her expression softened just a little.
"…You are weird."
"Still rude."
She walked over to a small pot sitting near the window. The pot contained bright yellow flowers that looked cheerful and lively.
She picked it up and walked back toward me.
"These," she said, placing the pot into my hands, "are perfect."
I looked down at the flowers.
"They are simple," she continued. "But they feel warm and friendly."
Then she smirked slightly.
"Perfect for a librarian."
I looked at the flowers again.
They were actually pretty nice.
"How much?" I asked.
Ino opened her mouth to answer.
But her mother spoke first.
"Free."
I blinked in surprise.
"Really?"
Isumi smiled kindly.
"Consider it good advertising."
"For what?" I asked.
"For kindness."
I stood there for a moment, not sure what to say.
Then I nodded.
"…Thanks."
I turned around and walked toward the door.
Behind me, I heard Ino whisper loudly.
"You are coming back next time with flowers for a girl."
I didn't even turn around.
"Nope."
Her mother laughed.
"Don't worry, Ino. Give him a few years."
I stepped back out into the street while holding a small pot of yellow flowers meant for a librarian.
As I walked away, I could still hear the argument happening inside the flower shop that smelled like a rainbow explosion.
"YOU EMBARRASSED ME!" Ino shouted.
"Oh please," her mother replied calmly. "He is adorable."
"MOOOM!"