Itachi was slain…
Akatsuki has been defeated…
Madara for all his scheming and planning was gone for good…
Five years had passed since these events, Sasuke returned to Konohagakure, things for the most part returned to the way they were, for the most part. Suigetsu, left to head to Kirigakure, Juugo, departed for parts unknown, and Karin, ever dedicated to Sasuke followed him to Konoha.
The Present…
Another day dawns, five years had come and gone, things had changed in the course of these events. Kiba and Hinata were now dating. And as fate had it, Sakura was now engaged to Sasuke. Everyone else was pretty much the same as they were five years ago.
Truth be told, Naruto was affected deeply by the news that two of his friends were now involved. He often told himself, that it was Sakura’s benefit to not be involved with him. It was a lie he could live with. It made it easier to deal with the pain in his heart. When he had first learned the news, it was like a knife through the heart. As time passed the searing pain had dulled, and he was able to carry on.
The way he found to deal with it was to keep himself busy, so he took up a job working at the flower shop which Ino now ran. He was running the deliveries after all he was quite the delivery boy given his skill with Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. As for Ino, well she had some horrid luck in the ways of romance too, given that Sai had come out of the closet to her, when they were on a date. On of all days, Valentines Day, but she did gain a friend she could go shopping with in exchange.
“Hey, Naruto. Don’t you think you should try dating? I mean, I dunno it just been six months. You gotta get over Sakura.” Ino said as she sat on a counter in the break room, drinking a bottle of water. She wrinkled her nose, not sure why the blonde, who was by now the most eligible bachelor in the village, liked to eat nothing but ramen.
“Like who? You? That would turn out horrible. We go out for a while, we break up then you fire me to get rid of the awkwardness!” the blonde responded, almost taken aback by the girl he had come to think of merely as a friend.
“No…no…not me, Ramen for brains!” she replied, she couldn’t believe he jumped to such a conclusion. it was utterly ridiculous. ‘Well…it wouldn’t be so bad. He did turn out looking better than Sasuke after all…’ she mused to herself, a faint blush on her cheeks, she then cleared her throat and looked seriously at her friend. “I mean you can’t give up on all the girls of the village. Or out of the village for that matter. Temari and Shikamaru are just friends I hear. After that many years I think it’s true. Tenten is single, and of course Karin is single. She’s in the same boat as you. And of course…” she trailed off and began fidgeting with her fingers. “I’m single too…” she whispered not wanting, Naruto to hear it.
“Nani? I didn’t quite catch that last bit.” the blonde responded as he lifted a bottle of strawberry Ramune to his lips. He wasn’t quite familiar with, Ino being like this. She was always bold, and brazen not timid, and blushing. That was more, Hinata’s specialty, blushing like an idiot and being shy.
“I’M SINGLE TOO!! There are you happy!? I find you attractive! There I said it!” screamed the platinum haired beauty, as she shouted her face became red in embarrassment.
“Gwaugh!?” responded the Jinchuuriki nearly choking on his drink, he couldn’t believe what he just heard.
