His Soul Forever Burned Bright

"Where is Uncle?" Naruto asked after drying his hair.

"Work," Ino said, resting her elbow on the counter and looking up at Naruto. "You know perfectly well what I mean."

"Just asking," he chuckled sheepishly. "Is it really appropriate for me to stay here like this?"

"Yes." Ino nodded solemnly.

"Okay, but it's no use if it's not good." Naruto said with a fearless expression, shrugging his shoulders. "We're already here anyway."

Ino couldn't do anything about him, so she stopped talking. From her angle sitting at the counter, she could clearly see Naruto's facial features and Adam's apple, and suddenly the atmosphere became strange.

The rain pounded against the window outside, Ino reached up and grabbed a handful of her thigh. She was wearing a cotton dress, and the red marks sank into her skin, turning white after a moment.

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

She was lost in thought when she was startled by her own trembling voice. When did she become so nervous?

"It's raining quite heavily; the rain might blow in." Naruto glanced out the window, then turned to Ino with a questioning look. "Are you sure you want to open it?"

"Hmm." She tried to appear calm, but she stood up again.

"I'll go get it," he said.

"Huh?" Ino suddenly realized when she had stood up.

But she was already standing up due to excessive nervousness, and she felt a little awkward sitting down again, so she spoke first.

"No need, I can drive it myself." She hurriedly got up.

The rain intensified, and the wind howled. The windows trembled in the cold wind, as if they were about to fall apart. Ino hunched her shoulders and walked over.

It wasn't high enough; the window was about a meter higher than her.

Below are neatly arranged flowers and soft soil on the shelf. If you just open the window and a few raindrops drift in, it really won't have much of an impact.

Ino wanted to jump up and close the window, but the thought of wearing a skirt immediately dissuaded her from the absurd idea. That guy was just standing there watching; if he saw her, she'd be laughed at for the rest of her life.

Thinking about it this way, her irritability towards Naruto increased even more.

She pulled over a tall stool, took off her shoes, and was about to step onto it. But then, as if suddenly remembering something, she pulled her feet back and turned to look in Naruto's direction.

The latter had already come over and was holding onto the stool.

You'll fall if you do that.

She initially wanted to tell him it was none of her business, but then she thought that he hadn't done anything wrong. If he could just look away from staring at her feet, he would be a decent gentleman.

"Don't look around like that," Ino complained.

"Good."

Ino felt a little helpless, but fortunately, her cotton skirt didn't go past her knees, so it wasn't easy for her to expose herself. She gritted her teeth, stood up slightly, and stretched out her fair arm to open the window.

Her delicate, jade-like fingers flicked erratically in the air before easily grasping the knob on the window. She twisted it with considerable force, and with a whoosh, the window opened.

A gust of wind mixed with rain rushed in, Ino's mind Qingming Festival for a moment. She lowered her head, wanting to get down.

Their eyes met. Naruto stared at the girl in the cotton dress, watching her hair being ruffled by the wind, and his heart suddenly felt a little itchy.

The urge to reach out and touch her hair almost turned into an impulse.

"Are you done?" His voice was unusual, carrying a hint of an indescribable emotion.

Ino felt her heart race, her body felt unwell, and her legs inexplicably went weak. She glanced at Naruto and suddenly felt a dryness in her mouth.

Something's wrong, something's very wrong.

Ino couldn't understand it. They had been alone together before, even sleeping in the same bed. But she was just shy; their relationship had always been completely innocent.

But now she feels that not only Naruto is acting strangely, but she herself seems to be acting strangely as well.

Is it because we haven't seen each other for so long?

"Hmm." Her voice was very soft as she slowly squatted down on the high stool, preparing to step down, one foot tentatively touching the ground with her shoe.

Naruto suddenly grabbed her hand and supported her waist.

"You!" Ino pounded, and she turned to look at him in surprise.

She was completely speechless, her feet went weak for a moment when they touched the ground, but she quickly regained her balance. Her cheeks were burning, and her breathing became rapid.

The tingling and numb sensation extended from my spine to the back of my head and spread throughout my body.

"What's wrong?" Naruto released her hand naturally, looking at her with Qingming Festival eyes. "I was afraid you would fall."

"No, it's nothing." She put on her shoes, blushing, and returned to the counter.

She muttered something under her breath, her voice indistinct. Naruto sat opposite Ino, the two separated by a counter. There weren't many customers on rainy days; those who did come only sought shelter under the eaves.

Almost unconsciously, I would glance into the store a few times, my gaze sweeping over the flower stand before finally settling on the young man and woman in front of the counter.

The boy sat casually, looking languid, almost slumped on the table. The girl seemed to be sulking, turning her face away and refusing to look at him.

The rain was pouring down, and Naruto turned his palm over and said aloud.

"Your waist is so flexible."

These words were like igniting a powder keg. Ino instantly stood up, leaned half her body out, and twisted Naruto's arm.

"If you say that again, you're a pervert! Do you really enjoy taking advantage of me?"

"I like it." Naruto winced in pain.

"What do you like?"

I like everything.

"I can't do anything with you." Ino looked away and withdrew her hand, not knowing where to look, but finally felt a little better.

It wasn't because of that ambiguous expression of liking; it was because I was getting revenge.

She wanted to say she liked him, but didn't want him to take advantage of her, so she said nothing. However, she felt guilty, so she asked, "Does it hurt?"

"It's alright," Naruto replied.

He vaguely understood that Ino wasn't asking if it hurt when she pinched him, but rather offering a comforting response. It was like hugging a tree, and the tree couldn't hug you back, so a few leaves fell onto his shoulder.

Gentle people often find it hard to be truly happy, as they constantly have to consider others' feelings and maintain appropriate boundaries. Thinking too much makes them unhappy.

Whether you hurt others or are hurt, you will suffer a mental illness.

Ino didn't know before that liking someone could be reciprocated, without losing face or abandoning dignity, and without actively revealing her past in front of the person she liked.

She raised her hand to shield him from the rain, and he would hold an umbrella for her when it rained. He cared about her feelings and made no secret of his affection for her.

Even if she subconsciously wants to suppress her feelings, that person will definitely drag her out of the darkness and ask, "Are you sick?"

Naruto is that kind of person, his soul forever burning bright. His personality is incredibly bleak, yet he always tells others not to be afraid, that there is light ahead.

The rain continued to fall softly, and the flower shop fell silent once again.

Ino shifted her posture and coughed lightly to hide her unease. Even though the person opposite her hadn't said anything particularly unusual, she felt a burning sensation in the parts of her body being stared at.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and couldn't help but ask him.

"You"

The words had barely left his mouth when he heard him speak first.

"I'm a little thirsty. Aren't the guests even offered a drink of water?"

"Who do you think you are as a guest? You have hands and feet, why don't you go and pour it yourself!" Ino said irritably, swallowing back the question she was about to ask.

Never mind, I won't ask anymore.

Despite saying that, Ino still got up and went upstairs to make him a cup of hot cocoa, pushing it in front of him as if she were settling a personal score.

"Drink."

As Naruto gazed at the steaming cup of cocoa, a cloying sweetness welled up inside him, and his stomach instinctively rejected the sweetness.

"I don't want to drink this."

Ino glanced at him. "Do you want a drink or not?"

He thought for a moment, then moved the cup closer to him, pinched his nose, and took a sip. It was supposed to be cloyingly sweet, but it tasted like bitter medicine.

"This is sweet," Ino said, standing at the counter.

"Things that are too sweet taste the same as things that are bitter," Naruto said.

"Troublesome," Ino said, then got up and poured him a glass of water. "Drink this."

"Okay." Naruto replied, then pushed the hot cocoa to her. Ino paused for a moment, then took it without making a sound and held it in her hand.

With a ring, the flower shop door opened.

The two turned their heads simultaneously, looking towards the doorway. Yamanaka Rino was about to call out to Ino when she suddenly saw Naruto sitting there and froze for a second.

She was used to seeing her daughter hunched over the counter reading or dozing off. From a young age, she had always been so well-behaved, sitting there quietly.

Even before Yamanaka Rino entered the room, she already guessed that her daughter would be sitting there. She would be wearing an apron or with her blonde hair up, revealing her fair neck, sitting there.

On a rainy day, the main overhead light in the store was off, making the lighting rather dim. Only the bright yellow side light next to the counter was on, illuminating a corner of the counter with its warm glow.

Like a lighthouse in the sea, bright yet lonely.

At this time of year, Ino would usually be the only one sitting there, looking up and calling out "Mother." She had been calling out to her from when she was six or seven years old until she was a teenager, and in the blink of an eye, she realized that her daughter had grown into a graceful young woman.

Looking at the yin and yang lines where the light and shadow met at the counter, and at the familiar boy in the white short-sleeved shirt, Yamanaka Rino suddenly realized that she seemed to have aged.

Ino saw Yamanaka Rino and seemed a little embarrassed, but still called out to her.

"Mother is back?"

"Hmm." Yamanaka Rino stepped inside, put down her handbag, and felt a sense of restraint for the first time in the shop she had run for over ten years.

"Naruto's here?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes, Auntie." Naruto stood up and said politely, "We're both on vacation."

"Oh, I'm going upstairs now, I'm a little sleepy." Yamanaka Rino wasn't sleepy, she just wanted to go upstairs to calm herself down.

Perhaps it was the rainy day that made her sentimental, and she felt the melancholy of becoming a parent for the second time; she seemed to have really grown old.

The Hokage come and go, but the advisors remain constant!

"As a consultant, I only do three things: treat people to meals, behead them, and take in people as dogs!"

Book Recommendation: Konohagakure: The Village Lovers of the Uchiha

A parrot writing about Liu Bei, a forum moderator who has gone ashore to write books.