The Flower Shop and the Girl with Purple Eyes

On Saturday morning, Shizuka knocked three times before Sakuya woke up.

"Get up. We're going to buy flowers today."

Sakuya buried his face in his pillow and made an indistinct sound.

"You said you'd go to the flower shop with Mom today."

...When had he ever said that?

Five minutes later, Sakuya was walking through the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village beside Shizuka, dressed in the Uchiha Clan's dark coat.

The Hidden Leaf Village was livelier than usual on weekends. There was a line outside Ichiraku Ramen, bells at the street corner rang nonstop, and several genin ran across the rooftops carrying mission scrolls.

"Mom, why do I have to come along?"

"Because you've never come with me before."

There was no logic to that answer, but Sakuya decided not to ask any further.

Yamanaka Flower Shop stood on the corner of the shopping street. Its storefront was small, but all kinds of flowers filled the entrance. Roses, lilies, daisies, sunflowers—their colors were so vivid they were almost dazzling.

Sakuya stood at the entrance, smelling the mixed fragrance of flowers. It was not unpleasant, but it was too strong.

"Welco—ah, an Uchiha."

A woman stood behind the counter, with short brown hair and a cheerful smile. The Yamanaka clan's signature feature—those purple eyes—stood out especially clearly on her face.

"What flowers would you like? The lilies that arrived fresh today are quite nice."

Shizuka was already looking at the flowers. Bored out of his mind, Sakuya walked to the entrance and crouched down to look at a potted succulent on the ground.

"Are you an Uchiha child?"

A voice came from above him.

Sakuya looked up.

A blonde girl stood before him. She had a ponytail, purple eyes, and a few freckles on her face. She was probably his age, or perhaps a little older.

Ino Yamanaka.

Sakuya recognized her.

The Yamanaka clan's only daughter, a future sensory-type ninja, the "Ino" of the Ino–Shika–Cho trio.

In his previous life, his impression of Ino had been—pretty, proud, a little temperamental, but fiercely loyal to her friends.

Ino was still young now. The baby fat had not yet faded from her face, and her purple eyes were full of curiosity.

"Why are you staring at me?" Ino tilted her head.

"I wasn't staring." Sakuya looked away. "You were looking at me."

"Because you're wearing Uchiha clothes." Ino pointed at the fan crest on the back of his coat. "Uchiha people rarely come to flower shops."

"My mom wanted to buy flowers."

"Oh."

Ino crouched beside him and looked at the succulent with him.

"Do you know what this is?" she asked, pointing at the plant.

"No."

"This is Rainbow Jade, from my dad's shop." Ino poked one of its plump leaves with a finger. "Pretty, right?"

"It's average."

"Average?" Ino widened her eyes. "It's such a cute plant!"

"Cute is an adjective." Sakuya spoke expressionlessly. "A plant's value lies in its ability to survive. Rainbow Jade is easy to keep alive. That's the useful trait."

Ino opened her mouth but said nothing.

A few seconds later, she smiled.

"You talk strangely," she said. "You're not like other Uchiha..."

"Cold?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Sakuya did not reply. He was thinking about how to handle this conversation. His social experience from his previous life told him that a seven-year-old should not say things like "a plant's ability to survive."

But he had said it.

Whatever.

"What flowers do you want?" Ino stood and brushed the dust from her skirt. "I can recommend some."

"I'm not buying flowers. I came with my mom."

"Then do you have any flowers you like?"

Flowers he liked.

Sakuya thought about it. In his previous life, he had liked sunflowers because they were easy to grow. But in this life's Hidden Leaf Village—

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Ino showed that curious expression again. "How can someone not know what flowers they like?"

"Because I haven't encountered a flower worth liking yet."

After saying that, Sakuya felt like he might have been acting edgy.

But Ino did not laugh. She tilted her head and thought for a while before saying, "Then I'll keep an eye out for you next time. I'm from the Yamanaka clan. We have every kind of flower in the shop."

"...Why would you keep an eye out for me?"

"Because you're interesting to talk to." Ino smiled, naturally and without politeness. "The other Uchiha kids don't like talking. You don't either, but the things you say are different."

"Is different a compliment?"

"I guess."

Shizuka's voice came from the counter. "Sakuya, come look at this bouquet of lilies."

"Coming." Sakuya stood up.

He looked back at Ino. A girl with a blonde ponytail and purple eyes, standing among the flowers.

"My name is Ino Yamanaka," Ino said. "What's yours?"

"Uchiha Sakuya."

"Sakuya... that's a nice name." Ino waved. "See you next time."

Sakuya nodded and walked toward his mother.

Shizuka chose a bouquet of white lilies and paid. When the two of them left the flower shop, Ino was still behind the counter, busy arranging bouquets. She did not look at them again.

"Did you make a new friend?" Shizuka asked as they walked.

"Not really a friend."

"That blonde girl was from the Yamanaka clan, right? One of Ino–Shika–Cho's Yamanakas."

"You know Ino–Shika–Cho?"

"Of course. Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi—those three are old clans of the Hidden Leaf Village." Shizuka smiled. "There was someone from the Nara clan in your father's class. A very smart person."

Sakuya hummed.

He was thinking about what Ino had said earlier—"You're interesting to talk to."

To him, that was a signal. In the original plot, Sakuya—if this person had existed at all—should not have had any connection with Ino. Ino's social circle was Ino–Shika–Cho and Sakura. She would have had no dealings with anyone from the Uchiha Clan.

But things were different now. Because he was not the original Sakuya.

"Mom."

"Hmm?"

"Yamanaka Flower Shop... will we come again?"

Shizuka looked at him, a trace of surprise in her eyes.

"You want to come?"

"Just asking."

"If you want to, we can. The Yamanaka family is easy to get along with."

Sakuya nodded and said nothing more.

After returning home, he put the lilies into a vase and placed it on the low table in the living room.

The white lilies had not fully bloomed yet.

Shizuka was busy in the kitchen. Takuma had the day off and was cleaning ninja tools in the living room.

"You're back?" Takuma asked without looking up.

"Yeah."

"Bought the flowers?"

"They're on the table."

Takuma's hand paused as he wiped his blade. He looked at the lilies on the table, then continued wiping.

Sakuya returned to his room.

He sat at his desk and opened the Sharingan guidebook, but his eyes did not settle on the pages.

Ino.

A variable different from the original plot.

He needed to record these variables—all the things that changed because of his existence. They might be minor, or they might be crucial.

He took a blank notebook from the drawer—one he had secretly bought last week to make private notes.

When he opened the first page, he found that he had already written some entries:

[Variable Record]

V001 - Own existence (confirmed)

V002 - Contact with Naruto (ongoing)

V003 - ?

After V003, he wrote:

V003 - First contact with Ino Yamanaka. Time: first year at the Ninja Academy, May. Location: Yamanaka Flower Shop. Result: Ino thought I was "interesting to talk to," which may lead to further contact.

After writing that, he closed the notebook and shoved it back into the drawer.

The cawing of crows came from outside the window.

Sakuya leaned over the windowsill and looked down.

Several adult clan members were walking along the roadside in the Uchiha Clan district. They were speaking quietly about something, but the wind scattered their voices.

Sakuya pulled back and drew the curtains.

He sat on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

Seven years old.

Everything had only just begun.

And the tragedies that were about to happen were still waiting for him two years in the future.

During Monday's Ninja Academy class, Iruka taught the basics of chakra control.

Sakuya listened below while comparing it to the setting details he remembered from his previous life.

Chakra was the combination of spiritual energy and physical energy—he had known that concept for a long time. But actually sensing it and controlling it were entirely different matters.

"Sakuya?"

Iruka's voice snapped him back to attention.

"Tell me, what are the two components of chakra?"

"Spiritual energy and physical energy."

"Correct. Please sit."

Iruka nodded in satisfaction and continued the lesson.

Sakuya sat down and noticed Naruto at the neighboring desk staring at him.

The blond, blue-eyed boy had a scar on his face. There was curiosity in his gaze, and also a little... loneliness.

Sakuya met his eyes for two seconds, then looked away.

Naruto did not look away.

After class, Naruto came over.

"You're amazing," Naruto said. "You always know the answer whenever Iruka-sensei asks you something."

"Because I read."

"You've read a lot of books?"

"Enough."

Naruto scratched his head, seeming to want to say something but hesitating.

Sakuya waited for him to continue.

"Um..." Naruto finally spoke. "Can you teach me? I... I'm not very good at chakra control."

This was the first time Naruto had taken the initiative to ask him for help.

Sakuya looked into those blue eyes.

In the original plot, Naruto had not truly begun training at this point. The Nine-Tails' chakra suppressed his control, but he himself did not know the reason.

"Sure," Sakuya said. "After school, by the Naka River."

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Great!" Naruto clenched his fists. "I'll definitely learn properly!"

Sakuya watched him and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Very slightly. It was not a smile. But it was close enough.