In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

The next morning, the sky had indeed turned gloomy.

Naruto struggled to keep his eyes open as he forced himself out of bed to wash up. Kurama was still sprawled out on the couch, thankfully he didn't sweat, so at least the sofa remained clean.

After hearing the noise, Kurama opened one eye and instinctively reached for a nearby sake bottle.

"Where are you going?"

"Yamananaka Flower Shop." Naruto's voice came from the bathroom.

"Boring." Kurama found nothing of interest in Naruto's response and promptly closed his eyes again.

The sky was overcast, thick black clouds rumbling with occasional thunder. The scent of damp earth mixed with the coolness of rain, and the instant Naruto opened the door, the breeze blew it all into his face.

Wind swept down his neck and out through his sleeves as he stepped outside, umbrella in hand.

Inside the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Ino sat at the counter absent-mindedly. The warm light above her cast a clear glow, while outside, the rain poured harder and harder. The cold wind snuck in through the gaps in the door, casting a white haze at the shop's entrance.

Asuma had mentioned during their dinner last night that while they had seven days off, there was no guarantee they would get the full break. If there were any movements from Sunagakure, they would have to end their holiday at any time.

It was likely to be a coordinated Genin mission, and at this crucial moment, they were the only ones left in the village that could be mobilized at will.

Outside, the rain fell heavily, completely obscuring her view. Ino was restless, so she stood up and walked to the door and carefully opened a small crack.

She wanted to see if that guy was coming, but she just happened to see a black umbrella pressing down, blocking her view.

Ino was momentarily stunned, recognizing those tactical sandals and the rain-soaked bare ankles beneath them. As she looked up, she saw a smug face peering at her, the black umbrella lowered.

"Were you waiting for me?" He asked.

"It's hot, I just opened the door to get some fresh air." Ino rolled her eyes at him, "Don't think you're so important."

There were several crashing sounds on the street, which seemed to be the sound of some iron frame falling to the ground. She looked at Naruto, whose hair was half wet, pursed her lips and made way.

"Come in."

"This is the first time I've woken up this early. You should at least give me some kind of reward, right?" Naruto shook the black umbrella vigorously, then leaned it against the corner.

"You're the one who insisted on coming." Ino muttered, pulling a towel from beneath the counter, "Dry your hair first."

"Thanks." Naruto reached out to take it, and after wiping his hair for a while, he realized something felt off. He examined the towel closely and a strange look appeared on his face.

"Turns out you like rabbits, huh?"

"Huh?" Ino was confused for a moment.

It wasn't until Naruto completely unfolded the white towel, revealing a purple embroidered bunny, that Ino's eyes suddenly widened. She let out a small gasp, and quickly snatched the towel back.

"I got the wrong one!" Her face flushed instantly, and she clutched the towel tightly. "This one's for my own use! I-I'll get you a new one."

As she said that, she hurried back to the counter, pulled out a dry white towel from underneath and handed it to Naruto.

He didn't take it, instead sniffing the air a bit.

"Personal use?"

"Go to hell, you pervert! It's just for wiping sweat!" Ino angrily threw the new towel at Naruto's face.

Naruto just smiled and used the new towel to dry his hair.

"Where's Uncle?" Naruto asked after drying his hair.

"Work." Ino rested her elbow on the counter, looked up at Naruto and said, "You ask even though you already knew the answer."

"Just asking casually." He chuckled awkwardly, "Isn't it kind of inappropriate for me to just hang around here?"

"Yeah." Ino nodded seriously, agreeing with him.

"Alright, but being inappropriate doesn't matter now." Naruto shrugged, looking completely unfazed, "I'm already here anyway."

Ino couldn't do much about him, so she fell silent. From her angle behind the counter, she could clearly see Naruto's profile and Adam's apple, and she suddenly felt the atmosphere became strange.

The rain outside pelted against the windows, and Ino reached down and pinched her thigh. She was wearing a cotton skirt, and the red mark briefly indented her skin before fading to white.

"Can you open the window? It's a bit hot."

She had been lost in thought, but her own trembling voice startled her, 'Since when had I become so nervous?'

"The rain is pretty heavy, it might blow in." Naruto glanced outside before turning back to Ino, looking puzzled, "Are you sure you want to open it?"

"Yeah." She tried to keep her composure, but she ended up standing up anyway.

"I can open it." He offered.

"Huh?" Ino suddenly realized she had stood up at some point.

But she had already stood up due to excessive nervousness, and it would be a little embarrassing if she sat down again, so she quickly insisted, "No, I can open it myself."

She hurriedly walked out of the counter.

The rain poured harder, the wind howling. The window shook in the cold wind, as if it might fall apart at any moment. Ino, with her shoulders hunched, walked over to it.

She's not high enough, as the window was about one meter higher than her.

Below it were neatly arranged flowers and soft soil on shelves. If she just opened the window, some rain might get in, but it wouldn't be too much of an issue.

Ino thought about jumping up to reach the window, but when she remembered she was wearing a skirt, she immediately gave up this absurd idea.

'That guy was standing there watching, and if he saw me like that, I would be laughed at for the rest of my life.'

With that thought, her irritation towards Naruto grew a little more.

She pulled over a high stool and took off her shoes, ready to step on it. However, as if she suddenly remembered something, she suddenly retracted her feet and turned to look in Naruto's direction.

The latter had already walked over and was holding the stool steady.

"You could fall like this."

She initially wanted to tell him it was none of his business, but then realized he hadn't really done anything wrong.

'If he could just move his eyes away from my feet, he would be considered a gentleman.'