Konoha: Gu Master

After chatting for a few minutes, Shinho left Training Ground Seven. Team Eight was training, and he didn't want to take up too much of Hinata's time.

Not finding Team Ten around after walking around for a while, he decided to head to Ino's family flower shop.

"Look who's here!" Mrs. Yamanaka said with a smile, gesturing toward the door.

"Who's sneaking around… Shinho-kun?" Ino perked up, immediately running toward the door.

"Your apron," her mother reminded her.

"Oh, right." Ino untied her apron and tossed it to her mother.

"Such a handful," Mrs. Yamanaka sighed, shaking her head. "Remember, you're a young lady. Don't be careless."

"Shinho-kun!" Ino called out cheerfully, waving at the door.

Shinho's eyes brightened slightly as he noticed her.

Today, she was dressed without her usual bandages, her toned and fair abdomen exposed to the sunlight, which lent it a soft glow and made it look enticingly delicate. 

"Don't you have any training today?" Shinho asked as he approached.

"Nope," Ino shook her head. "We finished our training a couple of days ago."

"Seems like it went well," Shinho said, glancing into the shop and noticing Mrs. Yamanaka heading upstairs. 

She was probably giving them a chance to be alone. Shinho realized the mothers of his friends were all quite thoughtful in their own ways.

"It was fine," Ino said, tilting her head slightly. "The only issue is Shikamaru always says it's too much trouble. His match is against exactly the type he hates."

"A pretty girl?" Shinho laughed, recalling that Shikamaru's dreams in the original series didn't quite pan out. 

He married the "princess" of the neighboring village, became the Eighth Hokage's advisor, and handled some of the most troublesome tasks.

"Mm-hmm," Ino nodded, blinking curiously. "Shinho-kun, do you think Temari's pretty?"

"It depends on your preferenced," Shinho replied ambiguously.

"Preferences?" Ino pressed, her curiosity piqued. "What kind of girl do you like?"

Realizing how direct her question was, Ino blushed, averting her gaze.

 I—I was just curious, is all."

"I like long hair," Shinho replied casually.

"Ah…" Ino glanced at her high ponytail. Did that count as long hair? It seemed a bit on the short side.

"So… are you here to buy flowers?" she asked, quickly changing the topic. "Actually, don't worry, it's on me."

"I wouldn't know what to buy," Shinho said, scanning the shop's shelves.

 His eyes landed on a white chrysanthemum—usually meant for the deceased. He couldn't help but recall the upcoming Chūnin Exam finals.

A thought crossed his mind about the "Death of the Third Hokage" episode from his past life. 

Why hadn't any ninja tried to help the Third Hokage? They'd all stayed back to watch, including Jiraiya, who busied himself fighting Orochimaru's summoned creature for half the battle. 

Guy had been the only one to suggest stepping in, but Kakashi stopped him.

The only plausible explanation Shinho could think of was that everyone had full confidence in the Third Hokage to handle Orochimaru and the two summoned Hokages himself. Surely, they couldn't have all hoped he'd die…

"Who do you plan on giving them to, Shinho-kun?" Ino asked confidently. "I bet I can recommend something perfect."

"What would you suggest as a gift for a teacher?" Shinho asked, mulling it over.

"Lady Hokage, huh?" Ino thought for a moment. "Carnations would be best."

"Carnations?" Shinho asked, intrigued. "Aren't those usually for mothers?"

"Teachers and mothers are both respected women, after all," Ino replied with a smile. "Would you like a bouquet? I'll pick some out for you."

"Sure, let's go with red," Shinho agreed.

"Red?" Ino blinked, surprised. "Pink would be more fitting."

"What's wrong with red?" Shinho asked with a grin.

"Nothing… Red carnations can show respect, it's just—"

"Let's stick with red," Shinho interrupted, smiling. "I just happen to like red."

Red, huh? Ino mentally noted it, already planning to give him something red in the future.

"Here you go," she said proudly, handing him a neatly wrapped bouquet of red carnations. "How's my work?"

"It looks great," Shinho complimented.

"Thank you!" Ino beamed. "I used to think if I didn't become a ninja, I'd run this flower shop."

"No, I should be thanking you," Shinho said, taking the bouquet. "I'll have to return the favor with a gift sometime."

"I'm already looking forward to it," Ino's eyes sparkled.

"How about I get you a bouquet of flowers?" Shinho teased, raising an eyebrow.

"No way!" Ino huffed, hands on her hips. "You can't just give back the flowers I gifted you!"

Her shirt shifted with her movement, revealing a bit more of her waist—smooth, slender, and perfectly toned.

"Fair point," Shinho nodded. "I'll get you something else."

After saying goodbye to Ino, Shinho headed to the Hokage's office.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, noticing the tense look on Tsunade's face.

"Where did you get that bouquet?" Tsunade asked, glancing at the red carnations.

"They're for you," Shinho said, handing them to her.

"What's with the sudden flowers?" Tsunade asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Give them back,if you don't like them," Shinho said, reaching for the bouquet, only for Tsunade to snatch it from him.

"I just happen to need flowers for my office," she replied, setting the bouquet down before her expression turned serious. "This morning, ANBU found Hayate Gekko's body."

Shinho was taken aback. So he'd still met his end.

In the original storyline, Hayate had overheard Kabuto and Baki discussing their plans. Unfortunately, he was caught by Baki, who then killed him.

"There were multiple lacerations on his body," Tsunade continued. "Either a bladed weapon or Wind Release."

"Hayate was a Tokubetsu Jōnin. For him to die in the village without alerting anyone suggests his killer was more than an average Jōnin," Shinho said thoughtfully. "If Wind Release was used, that raises suspicions of someone from Sunagakure."

"I considered that, but it doesn't quite add up," Tsunade replied, frowning. "With their current strength, Sunagakure wouldn't risk provoking Konoha."

"Better to be cautious, than sorry," Shinho suggested. "It's possible that Sunagakure has allied with Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed. After a moment's thought, she nodded. "It's possible."

"I'd recommend that you use a shadow clone for the Chūnin Exam finals," Shinho advised seriously.

"There's no need for that."

Tsunade paused, then shook her head. "If Rasa suspects a shadow clone, he'll think Konoha's afraid of Sunagakure."

"Then why not have the Third Hokage attend as well?"

Witnessing Tsunade's firm response, Shinho decided not to press the matter further. Tsunade could be lazy, but when it came to Konoha's reputation, she would never back down.

"He's planning to attend anyway," Tsunade replied, watching him closely. "Wasn't today supposed to be your day off?"

"Alright, I'm going," Shinho said, waving goodbye before turning to leave.

"Yūg—" Tsunade started to call out but then stopped herself, remembering that Yūgao had taken the day off. 

Hayate Gekkō had been her boyfriend, and she needed time to grieve his loss.

"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune knocked and entered just then, holding a file. "This is the guest list from Sunagakure for tomorrow's event."

"Mm." Tsunade glanced at the bouquet of red carnations. "Oh, Shizune, find me a vase for these."

Shizune smiled knowingly. "Which admirer sent them?"

"An admirer? They're carnations, not roses." Tsunade opened the file, waving the comment aside.

"Lady Tsunade, didn't you ever attention to your flower arrangement class? Red carnations signify admiration and respect, yes, but they also carry a hint of affection."

Tsunade stiffened, gripping the file tightly. This brat didn't know the meaning of carnations? Even if he didn't, the florist would have pointed it out, wouldn't they?

Was this on purpose or just an accident?

"So… who's it from?" Shizune leaned in, looking curious.

"It was probably a mistake," Tsunade replied casually.

"Then… should I throw them out?" Shizune asked, her tone just a bit suspicious.

"They're here already, why would you waste them," Tsunade replied after a pause. "Just get me a vase."

"Of course," Shizune said with a smile.

After she left, Tsunade rubbed her temples, lost in thought.

Standing outside the Hokage building, Shinho thought about where he might go and decided to check in on Chisori and Karin. 

Tsunade's worry over Orochimaru had kept him from leaving the village in the past month, so it had been a while since he last visited.

Wondering how the mother and daughter had been, Shinho raised his hand to knock on their door. Noticing it was already ajar, he let himself in.

Karin was lying on the sofa, her eyes closed.

"Mom, you're back?" she mumbled, eyes still closed.

"No, not yet," Shinho chuckled.

"Shinho-nii?!" Karin's eyes flew open, and she jumped up in surprise, beaming. "You haven't visited in so long!" She crossed her arms, pretending to be upset.

"Been a bit busy lately," Shinhos said apologetically, smiling sheepishly.

Karin pouted, but after a few seconds, she huffed. "Alright, I forgive you."

It was impossible for her to stay mad at him.

Shinho reached out, giving her head a gentle pat.

Karin took the chance to hug him tightly.

"Is Aunt Chisori out?" Shinho asked, used to Karin's affectionate gestures by now.

"She went to buy groceries. She should be back soon," Karin murmured.

"Got it," Shinho replied, smiling. "I could use some lemonade."

"I'll get it!" Karin hopped off the couch, her bare feet tapping against the floor as she dashed to the kitchen.

"I'm back" Chisori called out as she pushed open the door, her hand full with shopping bags. 

"Mom, we've got company!" Karin's voice echoed from the entryway as Chisori stepped in.

"Aunt Chisori," Shinho greeted, walking over.

"Shinho? When did you get here?" Chisori asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Just a little while ago," Shinho replied, taking the shopping bags from her. "You bought quite a bit."

"There are a lot of merchants from other nations for the Chūnin Exams, so I picked up a few items," Chisori explained with a smile. "Your timing's perfect."

"I'll pour another glass." Karin set down his lemonade before dashing back to the kitchen, soon returning with another glass for her mother.

"Thank you, Karin," Chisori said, taking a sip.

"What's this?" Shinho asked, pulling a dusty-looking pastry from one of the bags.

"The vendor said it's called a sand cake—a Sunagakure specialty," Chisori explained. "It's basically a red bean cake."

Karin immediately leaned in, mouth open and ready to take a bite.

"Karin." Chisori frowned slightly. "That's impolite."

"It's fine," Shinho chuckled as Karin bit into the cake, biting off a missing chunk.

"Hmm, a bit sweet," Karin said, savoring her bite with a look of satisfaction.

Chisori shook her head in quiet exasperation, unable to suppress a smile.

"Here, it's yours." Shinho handed her the rest of the cake. "Any other finds?"

"Yes, I also got some premium beef from Kumogakure," Chisori replied, pulling out two transparent containers, "and some cactus rice balls from Sunagakure."

"Cactus rice balls?" Shinho raised an eyebrow, intrigued, to say the least.

He bit into one out of curiosity. The taste was better than he'd expected, though it was mostly a novelty item.

After an enjoyable meal, Shinho returned to the Senju residence. Tomorrow was the Chūnin Exam finals, and he didn't want to waste any more energy.

As night fell, Tsunade arrived home. Observing her, Shinho noted that she looked much the same as usual.

The next day, Shinho was up early, along with Tsunade and Shizune, who needed to get to the venue in advance to meet the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, as well as the nobility from both the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.

Shinho, however, had a more relaxed schedule—the finals didn't start until 8:30. As he strolled through the streets of Konoha, he felt an energy unlike anything before.

Crowds of people and vendors filled every street corner, creating a sea of activity.

The finals were to be held in Konoha's arena, a venue capable of holding thousands.

"Guess who?" a playful voice said from behind him.

"Only Hanabi would greet me so cutely," Shinho laughed as he turned, his smile freezing slightly. 

It was indeed Hanabi, but beside her were Hinata and Hiashi.

Hinata offered a small smile, while Hiashi's expression held a brief flicker of caution.

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