Naruto: The Otherworldly Cultivator

Chapter 187: Meet the Yamanaka

Disclaimer:

Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 187: Meet the Yamanaka

"Mmm… did I get the address wrong?" Naruto wondered, staring at the closed entrance of a flower shop with yellow walls. "I was sure she told me it was a yellow building next to the dango shop… it should be here."

It was his first time visiting the Yamanaka clan, so he had been expecting a large manor. But there were no houses in this neighborhood, just shops and apartments.

A small door on one side of the shop opened, and a woman he didn't recognize stepped out.

Naruto glanced at her. She was a tall, middle-aged woman with long brown hair and brown eyes, dressed elegantly in a simple green dress.

He assumed she might be the owner of the shop, who had noticed him standing outside her business for too long.

"I'm not a robber," Naruto said quickly, just in case she misunderstood.

The woman chuckled at his blunt comment. "No need to worry. We've been expecting you, Naruto."

"Oh? I see. Then…" Naruto turned back to look at the building again. "The Yamanaka Compound must be hidden behind this inconspicuous shop. Very clever."

He scrutinized the woman again. She had very little chakra, just like a civilian.

'She doesn't look like Ino or her father, so maybe she's a servant or maid,' Naruto thought but decided not to ask anything until he had more information.

The woman smiled. "Why don't you come in and see for yourself?" she said, motioning him inside.

Naruto followed her up a narrow staircase leading to the second floor of the building.

'So far, this looks like a normal civilian house,' Naruto observed. He saw no signs indicating a ninja lived there.

The entrance was decorated with a large painting of a peaceful meadow, and there were flowers everywhere.

He left his sandals at the door and was given a pair of indoor slippers. The woman led him through a hallway with several traditional-looking doors on both sides.

If he hadn't already sensed the chakra of Ino and her father nearby, he might have thought he was in the wrong place and this woman was leading him into a trap.

"Here we are," she said, stopping at a door. She turned to him with a kind smile. "My daughter has been waiting anxiously for your arrival, so if she says or does something strange, please… try to ignore it."

"You're Ino's mother…" Naruto realized he had nearly made a big mistake.

If he'd called her a maid, Ino would have been furious. He shuddered to think about it.

The woman made a surprised expression. "Oh no, where are my manners? I am Noriko Yamanaka, and yes, I'm Ino's mom. It's nice to meet you, Naruto." She gave him a polite bow, which he returned.

Noriko opened the door and gestured for him to enter first.

Inside, he found Ino and her father sitting at a table with drinks and snacks. They both turned to him as he stepped inside.

"Our guest is here. Welcome to our home, Naruto," Inoichi greeted him.

"Hey!" Ino smiled and waved. "Come sit down." She gestured to the chair next to her.

Naruto returned the greeting and walked over to the table, his eyes scanning the living room.

Everything seemed so… normal. The room resembled an ordinary civilian home, and, to his surprise, he sensed only the three people present.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Where's the rest of the clan?" Naruto asked.

"The rest?" Inoichi looked confused.

Noriko chuckled. "I believe Naruto was expecting a large clan compound. He asked me if it was hidden behind the flower shop."

"Oh… I see," Inoichi said, nodding.

"Wait, you really didn't know we had a flower shop?" Ino looked baffled.

"You never mentioned it," Naruto replied. To be fair, he had never asked.

Most of their conversations had been too casual or too serious, so she hadn't talked much about her family.

"So you were expecting something like the Hyuga compound? You must be very dissatisfied then," Inoichi teased.

Ino glared at her father. "You thought I was a rich princess like Hinata? Sorry to disappoint you." She huffed, clearly annoyed.

"You do act more like a princess than Hinata, though," Naruto pointed out, earning a frown from her. "And no, I didn't anticipate that much. I know the Hyuga and Uchiha clans are larger than most. I just didn't expect such a normal-looking house."

"Most clans in Konoha are composed of ten members or fewer. Maybe a family or two. This is very common," Noriko explained.

"We do have a couple more members, though. A cousin of mine works at the Interrogation Department, and my younger brother… well, he was been recruited into a secretive branch of the village." A frown crossed Inoichi's face as he mentioned his brother, making it clear he didn't want to elaborate.

"Yes, so the Yamanaka clan is on the smaller side. This means we'll have to rely on Ino to bring more members into it," Noriko said, giving her daughter a playful wink. "Are you up to the task, Naruto?"

"Mom! What in Kami's name are you saying?!" Ino exclaimed, her cheeks turning red.

Inoichi cleared his throat. "Dear, that was a bit inappropriate…"

Noriko chuckled. "My apologies. I'll go bring dinner, and then we can have a nice chat," she said, smiling at Naruto.

Ten minutes later, Noriko returned with several trays of food, and they began to eat.

The dinner was mostly peaceful, though for Naruto, the situation felt a little strange.

He had little experience with family gatherings like this, so he didn't feel completely comfortable. But it wasn't unpleasant either.

Neither parent questioned his relationship with Ino, though Noriko asked many personal questions, such as his favorite food and what it was like traveling with one of the Legendary Sannin.

Once dinner was over, Ino grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the dining room in a hurry.

She led him up to the third floor, which seemed to contain only two rooms.

"Here," she said, opening a door at the end of the hall and urging him inside before closing it behind them.

"This is…" Naruto glanced around the room.

"What did you think of dinner?" Ino asked. "It wasn't too bad, right? I hope my mom wasn't too much… she can be a bit…"

"She did ask a lot of questions," Naruto admitted with a shrug. "But I didn't mind." None of her questions crossed any line, as far as he was concerned. "But more importantly… is this your bedroom?"

"Yep!" Ino said with a grin. "Do you like it?"

The room was fairly normal, with a desk, a large bed, a wardrobe, and some decorations. But one thing caught his attention.

"It's… very pink," Naruto remarked. All the furniture was the same bright shade.

Ino smiled. "I know… I've been meaning to redecorate, but I'm hesitant to change it. A friend helped me pick it out years ago…"

"Mmm…" Naruto didn't need to ask who that friend was.

"But it's a nice space, and very private. That other room you saw is just for storing seeds, so I have this entire floor to myself." She walked over to the windows, closed the curtains, and sat on the bed.

"By the way…" Her expression turned playful.

Naruto glanced at her.

"I talked to Hinata this afternoon. She told me about what you two did the other night," Ino said.

"She did?"

"Well… she didn't want to at first, but I can be very persuasive. And she went into great detail…" Ino grinned.

"I know you can be persuasive," Naruto replied.

Ino, wearing a turquoise one-piece dress that matched her eyes, she then pulled down the top part, revealing a sexy black bra. "I want you to…"

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