13: Chapter 13 Touching in the FlowerbedThe morning light of late summer shone through thin clouds, dappling the streets with light spots.
As promised, Naruto arrived at the entrance of the mountain flower shop on time.
He was still wearing a simple orange tracksuit, his hands in his pockets, with his usual lazy expression, but his eyes were a little brighter than usual.
Ino had already opened the shop door and was moving some delicate potted plants outside to a well-ventilated area.
Upon seeing Naruto, her eyes lit up.She patted the dirt off her hands and laughed, "You're pretty punctual, aren't you, you street hustler clerk?"
Naruto greeted them with a smile, his gaze habitually sweeping over the flower display in the store.
The air was filled with a sweet fragrance of various flowers.
"Your first task"
Ino pointed to a pile of fresh flowers that had just been delivered and were still covered in dew in the corner."Sort them, remove any bad leaves and petals, and then put them in different buckets according to their type.Do you know how?"
"Just watch." Naruto rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms, walked over, squatted down, and began to work.
His movements were a little clumsy at first, but he quickly became more nimble.
Her fingers, though seemingly rough, were surprisingly precise when handling delicate flower stems and leaves.Her movements of removing damaged leaves and pruning roots were swift and efficient, displaying a level of efficiency distinct from Ino's delicate style.
Ino watched from the sidelines, initially intending to offer some guidance, but gradually her expression turned to admiration and surprise.
"Wow, you really know how?" She couldn't help but move closer, bending down to watch his skillful movements, the tip of her golden ponytail almost brushing against Naruto's arm.
"I told you, I learned it from books." Naruto didn't even look up, focusing on the work in his hands.
The air around my nose was no longer filled with the scent of soil and flowers, but also with the faint, sweet fragrance of a young girl emanating from Ino.
[Ding!Demonstrated professional floral arrangement skills, gaining Ino's surprise and approval, villain value +20!]
Arranging flowers requires two people working together.
Ino was responsible for carrying the sorted bouquets to different buckets, while Naruto was responsible for trimming and arranging the flowers.
Sometimes, when Ino hands over a bouquet of flowers, her slender fingers will inadvertently brush against Naruto's calloused palm.
Sometimes, when Naruto gets up to get the scissors, his shoulder will gently brush against Ino's back as she squats down arranging bouquets.
Every brief, unintentional touch made Ino feel as if she were struck by a weak electric current, her heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
She found that she didn't dislike this contact.
Naruto seemed completely oblivious, continuing to work diligently as usual, but every time he touched the screen, the system would promptly sound a notification.
[Ding!Slight physical contact with Ino caused her heart rate to increase, villain value +15!]
[Ding!Physical contact, Villain Value +10!].
Around noon, a heavy potted ornamental pomegranate tree needs to be moved to a high display shelf.
"I'll do it," Naruto gestured for Ino to move aside.
"Let's lift it together, it's very heavy!" Ino said worriedly.
"No need." Naruto held the bottom of the flowerpot with both hands, used his waist and abdomen to lift it up easily, and placed it steadily on the designated high stand.
As he moved, his sportswear outlined the smooth muscle contours of his back.
Ino watched from the side, subconsciously holding her breath, her gaze lingering on his body for a moment.
[Ding!Displaying masculinity has drawn Ino's attention and caused her to blush slightly.Villain value +25!]
"Th.thank you." Ino felt her voice was a little dry.
"It's nothing," Naruto said casually, brushing the dust off his hands.
The entire morning was spent in this busy yet subtly nuanced atmosphere.
Naruto is a man of few words, but he works hard and is highly efficient.
Ino found herself drifting off into her own thoughts, her gaze drifting toward the blond boy who was focused on his work.
During her lunch break, Ino brought a bento box and rice balls from home.
"Here you go, employee perk." She pushed an elegant double-layered bento box in front of Naruto and picked up a rice ball for herself.
Naruto looked at the clearly meticulously prepared bento box (containing omelets, fried chicken nuggets, and vegetable salad, with even cherry tomatoes carved into the plating), then glanced at the simple rice ball in Ino's hand, and raised an eyebrow.
Aren't you going to eat?
"I'm on a diet!" Ino mumbled, taking a bite of her rice ball, her eyes slightly evasive.
Naruto didn't say anything more, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat slowly and deliberately.It tasted very good.
[Ding!Accepting Ino's bento has triggered her sense of satisfaction, villain value +30!]
The two sat on small stools at the shop entrance, watching the pedestrians coming and going on the street.They were silent for a moment, but the atmosphere was not awkward.
Just then, a familiar figure walked past the street corner.
It's Sakura Haruno.
She seemed to be just passing by, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards the flower shop, where she happened to see Naruto and Ino sitting side by side eating.
Naruto ate his bento in a relaxed manner, while Ino tilted her head, smiling and saying something to him, her eyes bright.
The sunlight shone on them, and the scene looked.somewhat dazzling.
Sakura's feet were rooted to the spot, and the color drained from her face little by little.
She looked at Ino's natural yet slightly shy smile, at Naruto's expressionless but calm acceptance, and then recalled her own panicked and embarrassing state every time she saw Naruto.
A sharp, sour feeling and a strange sense of grievance suddenly rushed into my nose, and my eyes instantly welled up with tears.
She abruptly turned her head, as if fleeing from something terrifying, and quickly disappeared around the street corner.
[Ding!Sakura witnessed your harmonious lunch with Ino and felt intense bitterness, jealousy, and self-doubt.Villain value +80!]
Naruto paused slightly as he chewed, a slight smile playing on his lips as he sensed the unexpected windfall.
Ino seemed to catch a glimpse of Sakura's retreating figure.She paused for a moment, her smile fading slightly, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and continued chewing her rice ball, only at a slower pace.It was a bit slow.
The afternoon work continued.
While passing a bouquet of thorny roses, Ino accidentally pricked her fingertip on a thorn on the stem.
"Hiss." she gasped softly, her delicate brows furrowing as a bead of bright red blood oozed from her fingertip.
"Clumsy." Naruto put down what he was holding, naturally grabbed her wrist, and pulled it up to his eyes to examine it.
His palms were warm and rough, still bearing the strength of someone who had just finished working, and they held her slender wrists tightly.
Ino froze, her cheeks flushed red, and she stared blankly as he looked down to examine the side of her fingers.
Naruto checked it and found it was just a minor puncture wound.
He let go of her hand, took out a band-aid from the first-aid kit next to him, and applied it to her face with what was not exactly gentle movements.
Be more careful next time.
"…Oh." Ino lowered her head, looking at the slightly crooked band-aid on her finger, her mind a jumble of thoughts.
[Ding!Taking the initiative to show concern and touching Ino's wound, causing her heart to beat rapidly, villain value +50!]
As the sun sets, another day of work comes to an end.
Naruto accepted the reward Ino handed him—a small bag of money and a few leftover rice balls.
"Will you come again tomorrow?"
Ino looked at him, her eyes filled with a hint of expectation that she herself didn't realize.
Naruto weighed the money pouch in his hand and nodded."Hmm."
Watching Naruto's departing figure, Ino stood at the shop entrance, motionless for a long time, unconsciously rubbing the crooked band-aid on her finger.
Meanwhile, in the distance, in front of the telescope jutsu crystal ball in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the scene at the entrance of the mountain flower shop, exhaled a smoke ring, and relaxed his brows.
"It seems that keeping Naruto in the village wasn't all bad.Spending time with Ino has made him more mature." he murmured to himself, seemingly putting aside some of his doubts for the time being.
But he couldn't see the subtle, unspoken feelings that were quietly growing between Naruto and Ino.
Even more unseen, in the shadows of a tall building far away, unnoticed even by the Anbu, was a figure wearing a swirling orange one-eyed mask, gazing into the direction Naruto had left, a strange and profound light swirling in that single eye.
"The Jinchūriki.seems to have changed." The low, hoarse voice faded into the wind.
Prev Next