Naruto : Back to the Past

You can consider this chapter to be chapter 36 or just part of the Special Chapter. This chapter will be a part of volume 2. 

While Volume 2 will begin much later after this special event. 

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As Naruto entered another shop, the delightful scent of various flowers filled the air. He was immediately welcomed by the owner's friendly greeting.

"Welcome!" Ino's face lit up with a bright smile upon recognizing Naruto. She was very happy to see Naruto in her shop. 

"Hello, Naruto-kun! What a surprise to see you here!" Ino said cheerfully.

She and her mother co-managed the flower shop as a shared hobby. Ino's mother, being a housewife had a ton of free time in her hand. So She opened the store to pursue her passion for flowers and also to not be bored. Ino also inherited her mother's love for flora. She often assisted in the shop.

There were times when Ino would take over her mother's duties which allowed her parents some time for dates or her mother to catch up with old friends. Ino also sat in the store when she was bored and had nothing to do. 

"Hey, Ino-chan! Shikamaru mentioned your store!" Naruto said though he wasn't entirely truthful. But Ino believed in his words. She beamed with pride. She was very pleased knowing that their store was being talked about positively among her friends. This was a really good sign to her. 

Ino was very enthusiastic as she eagerly asked Naruto about his flower preferences. "So, Naruto-kun, what kind of flowers do you need today?" She inquired with a bright smile. 

"And who will be the lucky person receiving these flowers?" She asked in a teasing tone. She half-expected Naruto to mention a girl. She secretly hoped it wouldn't be Sakura.

However, Naruto's response took a more solemn turn. "I'm actually visiting my Dad's grave, so I need some appropriate flowers for that." He explained gently. For some reason, the small smile on his face looked like a sad smile from Ino's perspective. It was as if Naruto was hiding his pain behind that small smile of his. 

Ino's expression softened at his words. "Oh, I see..." She murmured. 

"In that case, chrysanthemums would be a good choice. They're often used for graves and symbolize respect and honor." 

Naruto nodded in agreement and selected a few chrysanthemums. As he reached for his wallet to pay, Ino quickly stopped him. And then with a playful wink, she said. "No need to pay this time, Naruto-kun. It's your first visit here, after all!!!" She insisted with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Ino-chan!!" Naruto said. 

Naruto had visited his father's grave multiple times with his mom. This was his first time visiting his grave alone. 

"By the way, Naruto-kun, I have heard that you, Shikamaru, Choji, Shino, and Kiba are planning on going on a trip outside of the Hidden Leaf village, is that true?" Hearing her words, Naruto wondered from where Ino heard this. 

"Yes.....!!!" Since the cat was out of the bag, there was no use in hiding it. They are going to know about it this Thursday. 

'I get it now. The word must have come out from Hinata's mouth.' Naruto could see a scenario where Hinata told what he said to her to her sister Hanabi. And Hanabi revealed this to the girls when the girls.

From what Naruto knew, Hanabi and Hinata did not tell anyone that Naruto was training Hinata. It was kind of like a secret. Sarada knows about this but she never told anyone about this. 

"You see, I had a favor to ask you of." 

"...." - Naruto now felt that he shouldn't have told Hinata their plan so soon. He could have told her one day before Thursday or on Thursday itself. 

"I will be going now. See you later, Ino-chan." Naruto left Ino's store. Ino kept staring at Naruto's back with an excited smile on her face.

She was super excited right now. 

After visiting Ino and Tenten's family stores, Naruto took some time to pay respect to his dad. Even if it was a different world, it was still his dad. Once he was done he stretched his body feeling somewhat tired. Today has been a long day. 

'I should head back.' Naruto thought to himself. 

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Scene change_____

The whole week was filled with excitement and anticipation for the boys' and girls' groups. Everyone was busy shopping and making plans for their much-awaited three-day, two-night trip outside Konoha. The idea of such an adventure felt like a dream come true. And the main reason their parents had agreed to let them go was because Naruto would be with them. Otherwise, there was no way that their parents would let them go outside of the village for this long. 

Before they knew it, Thursday arrived. Once School ended everyone would have an hour to grab a quick meal and pack their bags before meeting at the Konoha gate. The girls were more excited than the boys for this trip. The girls had meticulously packed their bags the night before. For the girls, packing their bags was a detailed process involving careful selection of clothes, accessories, and other necessities.

In contrast, the boys approached packing more straightforwardly. It would hardly take them 10 to 15 minutes to throw together a few days' worth of clothes and essential items. Their packing list was simple and to the point. The boys focused more on practicality than variety. 

Because they were going on a long trip, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, and the girls had taken one extra day's leave. 

"Naruto....!!!" After their second period ended, Naruto was preparing for the 3rd period which was History. After the war, Naruto felt that he would learn more about the history. Also as long as the teacher knew how to make a subject interesting, any boring topic could also become very interesting. And ever since Kushina became their teacher, Naruto has never slacked off in her class as he found her teachings to be very interesting and easy to understand. 

"Yes, Sakura-chan.....!!!!" Meanwhile, Sarada who was sitting next to Naruto glanced at Sakura from the corner of her eyes for a brief second before she ignored them. 

"Can we talk outside for a few minutes?" Sakura asked Naruto. 

"Alright. But we have to be quiet. If mo.....I mean if Kushina-sensei does not find us in her class then we are going to be punished severely." Remembering the punishment that Kushina gave Naruto when he tried to skip classes using shadow clones still gave him goosebumps. 

Seeing the frightened expression on his face, Sakura quickly nodded her head. Sakura clearly remembered the day when Naruto was punished. Even though Naruto was her son, instead of showing him mercy or going easy on him, she punished him extra. 

Sakura and Naruto went out of the class. They were standing in the corridor. Naruto was leaning against the wall. 

"So, Sakura-chan, what did you want to talk about?" Naruto asked. 

"Naruto, how should I say it? You see, we are all going on this trip, right?" Naruto nodded his head. 

"We girls have asked Sarada many times to come with us. But each time, she firmly refused our offer. We see Sarada as a friend. I know we girls want Sarada to come on this trip. So please help us." It has been over 3 months since Naruto joined this Academy. Thanks to Naruto, Sarada and the girls have come together. Sakura, Ino, Hanabi, and Hinata saw Sarada not as a stranger but as a friend. On this journey, they wanted to take Sarada with them. 

"So please talk to her." Sakura requested Naruto. 

"Why do you think that Sarada will listen to my words?" Naruto asked while rubbing the back of his head. 

Hearing his words, Sakura rolled her eyes. She wondered if Naruto was purposely playing it dumb. 

"Just try to convince her." Sakura said knowing that Naruto was the only person who was close to Sarada. After 3 months, Naruto and Sarada had grown really close. Naruto might be the only person who could change Sarada's mind and make her come along on this trip. 

"Kushina-sensei is coming. Let's head back. You can talk to her later." Hearing Sakura's words, Naruto also saw his mother. Both of them quickly returned back to the classroom. 

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