Obito's Sky Falls

After school, Shin-chan finished his daily cultivation and walked home with his wooden sword on his back.

His little head was still wondering how Adai's snot managed to fly.

He tried a few times, wanting his own snot to fly too, but nothing happened except that it almost flowed into his mouth.

Passing by a flower shop, Shin-chan suddenly stopped.

A person was standing at the entrance of the shop.

Light brown hair, wearing a light pink dress.

Shin-chan tilted his head and watched for two seconds, then walked over.

"Rin."

Rin was startled and turned her head to see him, then breathed a sigh of relief: "It's Shin-chan."

"What are you doing?" Shin-chan leaned closer, looking at the flowers, "Buying flowers?"

"Mm." Rin nodded, "Teacher Ibuki was a bit down today, I wanted to buy a bouquet to see him."

Shin-chan blinked.

"Teacher Ibuki is in a low mood?"

"Didn't you notice?" Rin was taken aback.

Shin-chan thought about it.

During class today, Teacher Ibuki was indeed a bit strange; he didn't even notice Shin-chan making small movements below.

"Oh." Shin-chan suddenly understood, "So he was feeling down."

"You just noticed?"

"Mm." Shin-chan nodded, "I thought he was just sleepy."

Rin sighed and stopped dwelling on it, turning back to look at the flowers.

"I'm thinking about which flowers to buy..."

"Aren't flowers just flowers?" Shin-chan didn't quite understand.

"They're different." Rin shook her head, "Different flowers have different meanings, and sending the wrong one can be embarrassing."

Shin-chan tilted his head.

"What's the meaning of flowers?"

"It's the meaning that flowers represent." Rin pointed to a bunch of lilies nearby, "For example, this represents purity."

She then pointed to a bunch of roses: "This represents love."

Shin-chan's eyes lit up.

"Are there any flowers that represent 'no homework'?"

Rin was stunned for a moment.

"Probably... not."

"Then what about 'can I have an extra piece of afternoon snack'?"

"There isn't one either."

Shin-chan sighed in disappointment.

Rin continued to look at the flowers in the shop, muttering to herself: "Sunflowers... represent encouragement and blessings... This one seems okay... but will it be too common..."

Shin-chan watched for a while, then pointed a small finger towards the shop: "Why don't you ask the boss?"

Rin was stunned.

"Huh?"

"The boss sells flowers, she'll definitely know which flower is good," Shin-chan said matter-of-factly. "You ask her, she tells you, isn't that it?"

Rin blinked.

It seemed... that made sense?

She had been standing there for a long time, lost in her own thoughts, and hadn't even considered asking someone.

Shin-chan had already turned and walked into the flower shop.

"Boss, is anyone here?"

Rin quickly followed.

The flower shop wasn't large, but it was tidily kept. Various flowers were displayed everywhere, and a faint fragrance wafted through the air.

Behind the counter stood a Young Woman.

In her early twenties, her Light Purple Long Hair was loosely tied at the back of her head. A small flower was embroidered on her Apron. When she smiled, her eyes curved into crescent moons.

"Welcome," she said, looking at the two young customers. "Are you here to buy flowers?"

Shin-chan nodded, pointing at Rin: "She wants to buy it."

Rin stepped forward, speaking a little shyly: "Um, I want to give my teacher a bouquet of flowers. Teacher is in a bad mood today, and I want to comfort him..."

The Young Woman's gaze softened upon hearing this.

"For your teacher? What a good child."

She thought for a moment and pulled out a few stems of flowers from the side.

"How about these? Sunflowers, representing hope and warmth, are very suitable for someone in a bad mood."

Rin looked at the few golden flowers, her eyes lighting up.

"So pretty..."

"Add a few of these too." The woman pulled out a few more small white flowers, "Baby's Breath, representing care, and they look great with sunflowers."

Rin nodded repeatedly: "This is it, how much is it?"

The woman calculated and stated a price.

Rin's smile froze. She looked down at the coins in her hand, then at the bouquet, her face turning slightly pale.

"Um... can it be a little less?"

Seeing her like that, the woman couldn't help but laugh: "Not enough money?"

Rin nodded, her face blushing.

Shin-chan patted his pockets, pulling out a candy, a crumpled piece of paper, and a small clump of fur of unknown origin.

"I have these, can I trade?"

The woman looked at the pile of things, paused, then covered her mouth and started laughing.

Suddenly, a male voice came from the side.

"Sakurako, what's wrong?"

A man walked out from the inner room, wearing a green vest, a Konoha forehead protector on his forehead, and a gentle smile on his face.

"Acheng, these two kids want to buy flowers for their teacher, but they don't have enough money," Hano Sakurako said with a smile.

Akiyama Makoto's gaze fell on Shin-chan's messy pile of things, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"What... what is this?"

"All my possessions," Shin-chan said seriously, "Is it enough?"

Akiyama Makoto couldn't help but chuckle, crouching down to look at them. "Which class are you from?"

"Class A," Rin said. "Teacher Ibuki's class."

"Teacher Ibuki," Akiyama Makoto mused. "That Young Teacher?"

"Mm."

Akiyama Makoto turned to look at his wife, and they exchanged a knowing glance.

"Sakurako, do you happen to have some bouquets to deliver from the shop?"

Akiyama Sakurako immediately understood. "Oh, yes! Would you be willing to help us out?"

"Help with what?" Rin looked up.

"We have a few bouquets to deliver to customers nearby today, but we're short-handed," Sakurako said with a smile. "If you're willing to run these flowers over, this bouquet will be yours for free."

Rin's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Really."

"I'm willing!"

Sakurako smiled and took a small basket from under the counter, placing the bouquet of Sunflower and Baby's Breath inside. She then took out several other wrapped bouquets, each with a small card tied to it bearing an address.

"Deliver these to these addresses," she said, handing Rin a hand-drawn, simple map. "Can you remember them?"

Rin looked at the map intently and nodded.

"Yes."

"Good children," Sakurako patted her head. "Be Careful on the Way. You don't need to come back after you've delivered them; the flowers are yours to keep."

Rin held the flower basket, Shin-chan clutched the map, and the two walked out of the flower shop.

"This way," Shin-chan said, looking at the map and pointing in a direction.

The two walked side by side.

Rin looked down at the flowers in the basket, a smile on her face.

"Shin-chan, thank you."

"Thank you for what?"

"If it weren't for you, I'd still be standing at the entrance."

They walked across a street and turned into an alley.

As soon as they entered, they bumped into someone.

Black hair, spiky hair, wearing the clothes of the Uchiha clan.

Obito.

He was just passing by, and instinctively looked up when he heard footsteps.

Then his whole body froze.

Rin.

Shin-chan.

Walking together.

Rin was holding flowers in her hands.

Shin-chan was beside her...

Obito's mind went "buzz."

It's over.

The sky was falling.