"I'm sorry, please accept my condolences." Ino said with some guilt.
"You don't need to apologize for something like that." Naruto replied, taking the white chrysanthemum. As he was about to pay, he noticed a red flower.
Maybe thinking one flower was too few, he habitually added another and pointed at the red flower, "Ino, could you wrap that flower for me too?"
"Huh? That one? Okay." Ino turned around to take the flower and wrapped it up quickly, "That will be fifty ryo."
"Are you going to give it to Sakura? She seems to be training with the medical department lately."
Naruto paid, took the flowers and handed the wrapped rose to Ino.
"Ah?" Ino was stunned for a moment, "Is there something wrong with the flower?"
"For you." Naruto pushed the flower towards Ino again and Ino reached out to take it.
"Why are you giving me a flower all of a sudden?" Ino was a little confused. She didn't expect Naruto to buy a flower for her, though her family didn't lack flowers…
"No particular reason. I just thought of it. Thanks for looking out for me, Ino." Naruto put away the white chrysanthemum and said to Ino while staring at her.
"Though that makes sense, it still feels strange." Ino looked away and said with a dry laugh, "It feels very grown-up, giving each other flowers or something like that."
"Don't say weird things like that. If you don't want it, then I won't give it to you." Naruto said, reaching to take the flower back.
"No way! You can't take back a gift that's been given away. Besides... I didn't say I didn't want it." Ino clutched the wrapped rose tightly.
Naruto was just putting on a show and had no intention of actually taking it back, so he took the opportunity to say goodbye and left.
The next day.
The Anbu found the body of Gekko Hayate on a rooftop. His body had been cut by a sharp blade and there was a fatal wound on his neck.
At the same time, the finals of the Chunin Exams jointly held by the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire was about to begin. Unlike the first two rounds, the finals would be held in an arena that could accommodate 10,000 people, and the nobles of the Land of Fire would attend it.
For these well-off nobles, watching Shinobi fight was as elegant as hosting a silver party at home.
Nobles owned vast lands and production tools, and the rent they collected each year, along with tax incentives from the Land of Fire, were enough for their daily extravagance. Naruto used to envy these rich people, and he still envied them now.
Although those people weren't as rich as he was now, they knew how to enjoy life.
Unlike Naruto, who has money but can't spend it all. Buying expensive appliances, eating barbecue, and soaking in baths everywhere was his spending limit. His body was still too young to do any money-burning activities.
The atmosphere inside and outside the arena was festive, like a grand celebration. The streets were bustling with people, vendors energetically selling their goods, with drinks and dango being the most popular.
Naruto walked down the street, carrying a bag of food in the direction of the training ground.
Perhaps due to the Chunin Exams' finals, the training ground was deserted, with everyone likely heading to the large arena. After all, on such a grand day, who would go to a remote training ground to train?
Naruto wasn't there to train either, as he had never trained at all.
It was still early, and the forest in the morning was exceptionally quiet. Standing in the training ground, Naruto looked around as if searching for something.
"Naruto-kun, why are you here?"
Suddenly, Hinata's figure timidly emerged from behind a wooden stake in the training ground, and she asked nervously while clenching her hands.
At this time, Hinata was light blue long-sleeved vintage top and black three-quarter straight pants, which made her look both elegant and beautiful.
"Sending you some food." Naruto lifted the brown paper bag in his hand and said, "Didn't we make an appointment to have barbecue last time? I haven't seen you since."
"Sorry, I've been training all the time, so..." Hinata lowered her head. She didn't want to say that her father had completely ignored her, causing her to train relentlessly just to prove herself.
"It's okay." Naruto walked over, handed the paper bag to Hinata and said, "Hinata, with your effort, you'll definitely become stronger."
"I haven't changed at all." Hinata said dejectedly, "Last time, facing Neji-niisan, I could only last a few rounds because of you, Naruto-kun. If it were just me, I probably wouldn't have lasted even one round."
"You can't think like that." Naruto pulled out one dango from the bag and took a bite as he comforted her, "Hinata, the fact that you kept fighting even when you knew you couldn't win is brave enough."
"Becoming stronger is not something that can be done overnight. You have to have some confidence in yourself."
"Thank you, Naruto-kun." Hinata looked up and smiled again, "I understand. I will keep trying my best."
"Then, do you want to some?"
"Um."
Hinata felt a bit uneasy under Naruto's honest gaze and was suddenly at a loss for what to do.
"This is dango, that is fried tempura, and there's cake." Naruto said, rummaging through the bag and handing them to Hinata, "You can eat these, right?"
"Ah, I can."
"And what about this? This seems tasty too, though I haven't tried it much myself. But the shop owner said it's very popular with girls." Naruto pulled out various snacks, genuinely appearing to have come just to give Hinata something to eat.
"Naruto-kun."
"Hmm?" Naruto looked up and stared at Hinata.
"Thank you."
"Okay."
Hinata was taken aback. No one would respond with just 'okay'. Normally, wouldn't someone say 'you're welcome'? Naruto's 'okay' left Hinata at a loss for words, and her face turned red instantly.
"What's wrong?"
"I was just wondering why you're being so nice to me, Naruto-kun?" Hinata looked away and said, "I'm not a very likable person. I fail at everything I do, and I'm a coward."
"You're doing great. I don't know why you're so self-conscious, but I think you're really kind to others. Your teammates must like you a lot. Don't worry about things like that."
Hearing this, Hinata raised her head and glanced at him secretly, her movements were as cute as a kitten. Then, she quickly lowered her head again, an embarrassed expression appeared on her face, and she pursed her lips slightly, revealing a faint smile.
Naruto's unexpected honesty made Hinata show a rare smile that she wouldn't normally reveal to others. Even though Naruto didn't have romantic feelings for Hinata at this moment, his heartbeat still inevitably quickened upon seeing Hinata's current appearance.
"Naruto-kun, I'm really happy." Hinata said with a soft smile and stuttered slightly, "This is the first time someone praises me like that… So..."
"You'll hear it often from now on, so it's okay." Naruto said, "The Chunin Exams is about to begin, aren't you going?"
"Sorry, Naruto-kun, I made an appointment with Kiba and Shino to go together." Hinata said, looking apologetic.
"It's okay, I'll head over first then." Naruto said, waving goodbye to Hinata, "See you later, Hinata. Keep your spirits up!"
"Yes." Hinata blushed, smiling shyly.
"Goodbye, Naruto-kun."