8: Chapter 8 GerminationOver the next few days, Naruto gradually adapted to the life of a street urchin.
He wanders aimlessly through Konoha Village every day, kicking a stone here and deliberately bumping into a clothesline there, earning meager villain points bit by bit.
I pass by the flower shop in the mountains every few days.
Sometimes, he would lean against the telephone pole outside the shop, watching Ino's busy figure without saying a word.
Sometimes, he would go in, still with that slightly arrogant yet occasionally revealing professional commentary that didn't fit his "bottom-of-the-class" persona.
"Those sunflowers have been facing the same direction for too long, and their stems have become crooked.They need to be rotated."
"Don't put daffodils and hyacinths so close together, or their scents will mix and look tacky."
"Tsk, this pot of mint has attracted aphids, can't you tell?"
At first, Ino was wary, but after a few times, she found that Naruto was actually hitting the nail on the head.
She is a girl who genuinely loves flowers, and she feels a certain sense of recognition towards those who truly understand them, even if it's the infamous Naruto Uzumaki.
Of course, Naruto never leaves empty-handed.
[Ding!Your professional floral design knowledge surprised and impressed Ino, earning you +20 Villain Points!]
[Ding!Pointing out a flaw in the store's decor has prompted Ino to reflect on her actions, earning you +15 Villain Points!]
More importantly, the more people come, the more likely they are to run into Sakura, who is looking for Ino.
Every time Sakura sees Naruto, her reaction is always the same: her face turns bright red, her breathing quickens, and her eyes dart away.
Naruto would cast ambiguous glances at her, sometimes with a smirk, sometimes just a meaningful look over her.
Each time, it would leave Sakura frozen in place as if struck by lightning, her heart battling between shame and eeriness.
[Ding!Successfully provoked Sakura, gaining +80 Villain Points!]
[Ding!Ino witnessed an incident, gaining an additional 30 Villain Points!]
Ino wasn't stupid.She keenly sensed the strange atmosphere between her best friend and Naruto.
"Sakura, lately.you seem really afraid of Naruto?" Ino couldn't help but ask tentatively after Naruto left one of her meetings."Did he.do something to you?"
"No!No!" Sakura immediately shook her head, her face turning even redder as she twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers."He.he didn't do anything."
"Really?" Ino tilted her head, her golden ponytail swaying, her emerald eyes full of doubt."Then why do you always look like a mouse seeing a cat whenever you see him?And why does your face turn so red?"
"I.I hate him!Yes!I hate him!"
Sakura raised her voice to cover up her guilty conscience.
Ino was even more puzzled by her attempt to cover up her misunderstanding.
Hate?Sakura has hated Naruto for a long time.She used to just tell him to get lost.This reaction.is clearly the other extreme.
She recalled Naruto's precise flower critiques, combined with his strange attitude towards Sakura.
This Naruto Uzumaki seems completely different from the prankster he used to be.
He was shrouded in a dangerous fog.
That afternoon, Naruto wandered over to the vicinity of the flower shop again.
He saw Sakura walking alone from the alley next to the flower shop, head down, looking preoccupied.She seemed to be saying goodbye to Ino and heading home.
Naruto's eyes flashed, and he silently followed.
At a quiet street corner, he quickened his pace and blocked Sakura's path.
Sakura was startled.Upon recognizing Naruto, she instantly recoiled like a frightened rabbit, instinctively taking a step back and pressing her back against the cold wall."Naruto.Naruto?What.what do you want to do?" Her voice trembled.
Naruto didn't say anything, but just approached her step by step, trapping her between himself and the wall.
He looked down at her, his gaze slowly sliding from her panicked eyes to her slightly parted, bloodless lips, and then to her body heaving violently with tension.
His gaze seemed tangible, and Sakura felt goosebumps rise on the places he swept over.
"I." Sakura's mind went blank.She wanted to scream, but no sound came out; she wanted to push him away, but her arms were too weak to lift.
That familiar, despairing heat surged up again.
Naruto raised his hand.
Sakura was so frightened that she closed her eyes and turned her head slightly to the side.
My heart was pounding like a drum.
However, the expected pain did not occur.
Naruto gently pinched her chin, forcing her to raise her head and open her pale green eyes, which were filled with moisture and confusion.
"Afraid of me?" Naruto asked in a low voice, his voice husky and magnetic.
Sakura couldn't speak and could only look at him helplessly.
"Or." His thumb, still warm, traced the corner of her mouth, "Do you like me like this?"
These words struck Sakura like lightning!
Her eyes widened suddenly, and she felt dizzy!
"You're talking nonsense!I hate you!I hate you the most!" She retorted excitedly with the last of her strength, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, but tears welled up uncontrollably.
Naruto looked at her excited reaction and understood.
He suddenly lowered his head, bringing his breath close to her ear, his hot breath burning her earlobe, and said, word by word, in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"fraud."
After saying that, he suddenly let go of her hand, and even wiped his fingers on her clothes as if he had gotten something dirty on them.
Then, without looking at her collapsing and swaying figure, he turned around and staggered away.
[Ding!Close contact successfully broke down Sakura's psychological defenses, gaining Villain Value +120!]
[Ding!Your actions caused the target significant psychological impact and self-doubt, granting you an additional 50 Villain Points!]
Sakura slid down the wall to the ground, buried her face in her knees, and cried silently, her whole body trembling.
He was right.
She's a liar.
She actually.really.
The next day, at the flower shop in the mountains.
Sakura seemed a little distracted, and almost cut her finger several times while helping to prune the flower branches.
"Hey!Miss Xin Kua'e, if you keep doing this, you're going to murder my flowers!"
Ino couldn't help but complain, snatching the scissors from her hand, "What's wrong with you?You've been absent-minded ever since you came back yesterday afternoon."
Sakura opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing; her eyes were just slightly red.
Just then, Naruto strolled in again.
Sakura immediately stiffened as if pricked by a needle, straightening up abruptly, her fingers nervously gripping the hem of her clothes, and lowering her head, unable to look at him.
But this time, besides trembling, she seemed to lean slightly forward, as if subconsciously wanting to get a little closer.
Naruto glanced at her, ignored her, and pointed to a pot of somewhat withered purple flowers in the corner: "This pot of chrysanthemums is dehydrated and has been exposed to too much sun.We need to move it inside to recover for a couple of days."
Ino glanced at the potted plant, then at Naruto, and suddenly laughed: "Hey, Naruto, you seem to know a lot, don't you?Are you just making up an excuse to come see someone?" As she spoke, she gave a meaningful look to Sakura, who was frozen like a wooden statue next to her.
Naruto raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I came to see you.You're much prettier than these flowers."
Ino was taken aback by his directness, her face flushed, and she spat out, "Pah!Stop talking nonsense!"
But her eyes were bright and she wasn't really angry.
[Ding!You flirted with Ino, causing her to blush slightly and show interest?You gained +25 Villain Points!]
Sakura, who was standing nearby, felt a strange, bittersweet feeling well up inside her when she heard Naruto teasing Ino.
She actually.kind of hoped that those words were said to her?
She was terrified by the thought.
Naruto didn't linger; he bought a packet of seeds and then wandered off again.
As he passed by Sakura, his hand unintentionally brushed against the back of her tightly clenched hand.
Sakura shuddered violently as if struck by lightning.
Even long after Naruto left, Sakura remained standing there, head down, looking at the back of her hand that had just been touched, where the lingering sensation seemed to still remain.
Her heart was pounding, and the bittersweet feeling was suddenly replaced by a strange longing.
She suddenly looked up."Ino, I.I'm going out for a bit!"
After saying that, without waiting for Ino's response, she rushed out of the flower shop and chased after Naruto in the direction he had left.
Ino stared in astonishment at her best friend's unusual behavior, her mouth agape.
Sakura.she actually went after Naruto?
What's wrong with this world?
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