Yamanaka Flower Shop.
There were dull footsteps coming from the wooden stairs on the second floor. A refined woman looked up when she heard the sound and a gentle smile appeared on her face, "Ino, don't you have a mission tomorrow?"
"I can't sleep." Ino, who was wearing loose pajamas, rubbed her eyes, looking a little haggard, "I'll watch the shop. Mom, you should rest."
"Is it okay?" Rino asked.
The shop was brightly lit, with flowers neatly arranged on the shelves. Moths fluttered around the illuminated lamp. The street outside grew noisier as night set in, and the sounds slowly seeped through the glass door of the shop.
Outside, it was pitch dark, with the large green tree outside the shop standing silent under the dim yellow light.
Ino withdrew her gaze from the window and said with a smile, "Yes, it's fine, Mom. My mission starts in the afternoon tomorrow, so I have plenty of time."
Rino nodded, then stood up from the counter and went upstairs. Ino sat down in front of the chair and absentmindedly picked up a book to read.
The shop was quiet, and Ino found herself staring at a line in the book, lost in thought.
Since the day they returned from the camping trip, it felt as though nothing had changed. Iruka had given almost everyone an excellent evaluation on their records, except for Naruto.
She regretted her impulsiveness that day. And later on, when she thought about it carefully, she realized that there was no need to say those unnecessary things.
Being a Shinobi was an incredibly risky profession, and the higher the expectations placed on someone, the more likely bad things would happen. There was still a long time ahead, and no one could predict what the future would hold.
But once words are spoken, they can't be taken back.
Thinking about what had happened that day, Ino couldn't help but sigh. The situation had spiraled out of her control, and some words had just slipped out her mouth without her thinking.
Ding-ling.
The bell above the door chimed as it opened.
"Welcom…" Ino looked up, but her words trailed off as she saw who had entered.
The coolness of the late autumn evening seeped in, making people feel lazy. The door to the Yamanaka Flower Shop creaked as Naruto pushed it open, and the noise from the busy street outside flooded into the shop.
Ino's gaze became complicated as she looked at the person who entered. His blonde hair was disheveled, he was wearing a loose white T-shirt, casually paired with long pants, and his forehead protector was absent, revealing his smooth forehead.
He was carrying a food container in one hand. His long limbs made it clear that he had grown a lot recently. His steps were slow, and his blue eyes, hidden under his blonde hair, lazily locked onto Ino's face.
Then his pupils slightly contracted, and he smiled with a confident, almost smug expression.
Under the warm yellow light, Ino couldn't help but want to smile too, but she held it in. She pushed the book in front of her forward, her lips pursed as she spoke irritably, "If you're not buying flowers, then don't linger here."
"I am buying." Naruto leaned over, put the food box on the counter, and lazily found a high chair to sit opposite Ino, "I'll buy whichever one you like."
"I like them all."
"Then I'll buy them all."
"Yeah, right." Ino muttered, "I've seen too many flowers. Whatever you give me won't mean anything. I suggest you don't waste your effort."
"Then how about I give you food?" Naruto said.
Ino glanced at him sideways, leaning on the counter with her head half-propped up. She glanced at Naruto, then looked outside the window, before finally shifting her gaze back to the food container, where it lingered for a couple of seconds.
"What is that?"
"I just came back from a mission and haven't eaten yet. I brought some food for you, and I'll have some too." Naruto said, telling the truth without a hint of hesitation.
"Aren't you supposed to say you brought it just for me?" Ino frowned, clearly dissatisfied with his attitude, "Although even if you said that, I will still feel a little disgusted."
"But your truth is even more infuriating."
"I'm hungry," Naruto said, "If I said it was just for you, you'd probably make sure I don't get any. You might even eat it all just to spite me, even if you weren't hungry."
"Hmph, you're making me sound worse than I am." Ino turned her head and said smugly, "Sorry, but I don't have any appetite right now."
"Okay."
Naruto sat directly across from Ino and leisurely opened the food container, carefully placing a dish, a soup, and a fruit plate on the counter.
"The food is too simple." Ino commented nonchalantly as she picked up her book again, "It looks like something thrown together in a rush."
"This is the best I can do with cooking." Naruto admitted. He didn't start eating right away but instead looked at Ino and asked, "But... I suddenly want to know what you think of this dish, Ino."
"Are you trying to hint that I should take a bite?"
"Not really. But if you can tell how it tastes just by smelling it, then you don't have to bother eating."
"That's a pretty weak excuse. If that's the case, I won't eat a single bite." Ino's eyes scanned the same line of text over and over, but she couldn't focus on the words.
"Actually, I don't really care about your opinion, Ino. I just want you to take a bite, so that I can find an excuse to take advantage of you."
"Pervert!" Ino only showed a pair of eyes above the book, revealing a look of contempt, "What kind of thoughts are running through your head?"
"Maid outfit."
"Go to hell!" Ino slammed the book shut and threw it at him, her face flushing a deep red, "My mom is still upstairs, you'd better not say anything weird."
"Alright, alright." Naruto replied, looking like he had more to say but stopped himself.
Seeing his slightly threatening yet fake sincere expression, Ino immediately became furious. She stomped forward a few steps and pinched his waist.
Naruto seemed to have lost his sense of pain. He picked up a piece of bacon with his chopsticks, and offered it to her with a smile.
"I was planning to go home and sleep, but I suddenly wanted to see you, so I came straight here."
"Hmm."
Ino glanced nervously towards the staircase leading upstairs, then hesitated before leaning in and taking a bite of the bacon. Her cheeks puffed slightly before she swallowed it.
She lowered her voice and loosened her hands that were twisting the soft flesh around Naruto's waist, "I don't want to see you at all! Pervert!"
"That's too bad. We were so close to being a perfect match." Naruto said, lowering his head and starting to eat as if he hadn't eaten in ages.
"Who would want to talk to you? Your phrasing is disgusting." Ino muttered, her hands twisting together behind her back, "About that day... that day…"
"Which day?" Naruto asked without looking up.
"… On the day of the summer camp at the Academy." Ino stammered, "I said a lot of weird things that day."
"Did you?" Naruto paused, then looked up at Ino with a lazy look in his eyes, "What did you say? I thought you and Hinata were just teaming up to mess with me."
"It wasn't really messing with you... Maybe I wasn't feeling well after being in the rain, so I said some nonsense." Ino mumbled awkwardly, then looked at Naruto and quickly changed the subject, "Let's not talk about that."