Reliable

Hinata and Ino sat on the swings, waiting for Uzumaki Menma, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji to return from delivering the flowers.

But Ino had a bad feeling.

Ino forced a rather strained smile and asked Hinata, "Hinata, Menma and Naruto are pretty reliable, right?"

Hinata tilted her little head and thought for a while.

Reliable?

She thought of Uzumaki Menma and Naruto climbing over the wall into her home, then climbing over the wall again to take her away right in front of her father.

Then they had taken her to the Hokage Office, lured away the Hokage, and stolen the Hokage's Crystal Ball.

The word "reliable" really did not seem to have anything to do with Uzumaki Menma or Naruto.

But...

After finishing her thoughts, Hinata said with absolute certainty, "Menma and Naruto are very reliable!"

"Really? Then that's good."

Ino relaxed slightly. After all, Hinata looked much more reliable than those four, so she probably would not lie to her.

But why was her right eyelid twitching faster and faster?

An hour later.

Shikamaru and Choji had already finished delivering their flowers and returned.

Yet another half hour passed.

Uzumaki Menma and Naruto were still nowhere to be seen.

Ino muttered in confusion, "Why have they been gone so long? Why aren't they back yet?"

"Shikamaru! Choji! Hinata! Ino!"

Uzumaki Menma and Naruto's voices came from the distance.

Ino sprang up from the swing in surprise and looked toward Uzumaki Menma and Naruto.

She saw Uzumaki Menma and Naruto saying something, while several people chased after them.

"Huh? What's going on? Why are so many people chasing them? What are they saying?"

Shikamaru, Choji, and Hinata also stood up and looked toward Uzumaki Menma and Naruto.

Choji tried hard to read what Uzumaki Menma and Naruto were saying from their lips. "They seem to be saying 'delicious'?"

"How could they be saying 'delicious' while being chased by so many people? Run... They're saying run! We need to run!"

After reading Uzumaki Menma and Naruto's lips, Shikamaru immediately took off running.

When Choji saw Shikamaru run, he hurried after him.

Ino stared blankly at the fleeing Shikamaru and Choji, then looked back at Uzumaki Menma and Naruto, who were about to reach them.

"What the heck is going on?" Ino felt like her head was about to explode.

Hinata said to Ino, "I don't know what happened, but Ino, we should run too."

Hinata ran forward a few steps, then noticed Ino had not followed. She turned around and called, "Ino, hurry up!"

Ino gritted her teeth and stomped her foot.

Forget it, she would run first and ask questions later!

After an intense chase.

The six of them regrouped in the woods, all collapsed on the ground and gasping for breath.

Ino frantically scratched her hair. "Menma! Naruto! What did you do to make so many adults chase you?! I only asked you to deliver flowers, not Exploding Tags!"

Uzumaki Menma put his hands on his hips and defended himself and Naruto. "This isn't just Naruto's and my problem! Shikamaru and Choji, you two were involved too!"

Shikamaru and Choji exchanged bewildered looks. "We were involved too?"

"Of course you were. We did it together!"

Shikamaru had already realized something and guessed, "Was it about Hokage Rock from a couple days ago?"

Uzumaki Menma and Naruto nodded their little heads at the same time. "That's right!"

Ino asked in confusion, "Hokage Rock? What happened?"

Hinata perked up her ears curiously as well, wanting to hear what had happened at Hokage Rock.

Shikamaru curled his lip. "Ino, you've heard about Hokage Rock being vandalized, right?"

"I heard adults in the village mention it. They said four little brats who loved pranks kept sneaking off to graffiti Hokage Rock every few days, making a mess of the stone faces of all the previous Hokage... Don't tell me those four little pranksters were you guys?!"

Ino looked at the four of them in disbelief.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, that was us."

Ino did not even know where to begin criticizing them, especially since she had never expected Shikamaru, who usually had no motivation at all, to do something like that.

Ino looked at Uzumaki Menma and Naruto and asked, "So while delivering the flowers, you two were discovered by those adults and then got chased, right?"

Uzumaki Menma and Naruto scratched their little heads awkwardly. "Sorry, Ino. We lost your flowers when we got chased halfway through."

Ino sighed. "Forget it. They were only a few bouquets. I'll deliver them tomorrow. Come with me."

Uzumaki Menma and Naruto froze for a moment. "Where are we going?"

"To the flower shop, obviously. Didn't I promise you? After delivering the flowers, you could each choose a flower from my family's shop."

"But we didn't deliver them at all. Can we still get one?"

"It's fine. Hurry up, or it'll get dark."

Uzumaki Menma and Naruto cheered, "Yay! You're such a good person, Ino!"

The group arrived at Ino's family flower shop.

Ino's mother, Yamanaka Rino, was delighted to see Ino bring so many people to the shop. "Ino, are these all your friends?"

"Yeah, friends I just met today. I want to give them flowers. Is that okay?"

Yamanaka Rino said warmly, "Of course. Pick whatever you like from the shop."

Uzumaki Menma chose a hydrangea. It was round and looked fun.

Naruto chose a bird of paradise flower because it looked like a crane's beak.

Neither of them cared whether the flowers were pretty. They only cared whether they were fun.

Hinata picked out a sunflower. With a daisy in her left hand and a sunflower in her right, the smile on her face showed that she must have really liked both flowers.

Shikamaru and Choji were already familiar with Yamanaka Rino, and neither of them liked flowers very much, so they did not choose any.

By then, it was getting late, and everyone began saying goodbye one by one.

"Ino, we'll come play with you again tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll wait for you tomorrow."

Ino waved to the five of them, feeling that the days ahead would surely be very interesting.

Next, they had to take Hinata home.

Uzumaki Menma said to Shikamaru and Choji, "Shikamaru, Choji, you two head home first. Naruto and I can take Hinata back."

"Are you sure?"

Hinata's father had looked rather stern, and Shikamaru was a little worried that Uzumaki Menma and the others would be scolded.

"Don't worry. Hinata's father isn't going to eat us. Maybe Naruto and I can even mooch a meal at Hinata's house."

At the mention of food, Choji became even hungrier. His little belly rumbled wildly. "Menma, Naruto, I need to hurry home for dinner. See you tomorrow, then."

"See you tomorrow."

Shikamaru did not insist any further. If he went home too late, his mother might beat him up too.

Shikamaru clasped his hands behind his head. "Then I'll leave her to you. I'm heading home."

After watching Shikamaru and Choji leave, Uzumaki Menma stretched and said:

"Alright, Naruto, let's take Hinata home now!"