The Aftermath

Part 12

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"Are we there yet?" whined Naruto. Ino just sighed and shook her head at her boyfriend's impatience. They were currently walking through a thick forest towards Ino's favorite place, wherever that is.

"For the umpteenth time, no. Just be a little patient." Retorted Ino.

"Oh, come on. We've been walking for like an hour. I'm tired." Grumbled Naruto which was starting to really get on Ino's nerves.

"We've been walking for 10 minutes. Just relax; we'll be there in a minute or so. If it were that easy to find, everyone would go there. Now calm down or I will do it for you." Smiled evilly Ino which promptly shut Naruto up.

Resigned to his fate, Naruto walked side by side with Ino to her special place. Despite whining the whole way, he is actually really excited to see this place. Ino holds it in high regard so it must be awesome.

After 5 minutes or so, an hour for Naruto, the forest started to clear which was a good thing for Naruto because Ino was very close to beating the snot out of him.

They made their way through the last of the thick bushes and came upon a beautiful meadow full of beautiful flowers. The clearing was vast and was beaming with life. There were butterflies everywhere, just flying around, doing nothing but enjoying themselves in this gorgeous meadow. The place looked so serene, so peaceful. A paradise, still untouched by the human world. No wonder Ino likes coming here. This is a good place to be alone and to escape from your troubles. A place to think and relax.

"Ino, this is beautiful. How did you find this place?" asked a stunned Naruto.

She giggled at his awe stricken expression. She was the same when she first saw this place.

"By chance. I was gathering flowers and somehow got lost in the forest. While I was trying to find my way home, I came across this place. Ever since then I come here whenever I feel sad or when I want to think about my life. It's a great place to just relax and be one with the nature." Smiled Ino.

"You have the damnest luck. Seriously, who gets lost and accidentally stumbles upon a paradise?" chuckled Naruto.

"I'm just that great and beautiful." Laughed Ino. They went to the middle of the field and took a seat. Naruto unfolded his storage scroll with all the stuff he prepared for the picnic. With a hand sign for Kai the, food, drinks and a blanket all appeared in the middle of the scroll.

Ino lay down the blanket and Naruto prepared the delicious food. They both took a seat on the blanket and started eating silently. They were done after half an hour or so. They lay down on the blanket, Ino snuggling on top of his chest.

"That was delicious Naruto. How do you always make such great food? I can barely make Ramen." Pondered Ino.

Naruto scratched his head in embarrassment, "Heh, heh, well I learned a lot on my own when I was younger. Ero-sennin also taught me a lot about cooking during our trip. For a pervert he is an amazing cook." Smiled Naruto.

"Lord Jiraiya cooking. Now that's something you don't see every day." Chuckled Ino and Naruto joined her. It was a funny image.

"Yeah, the persona of a cook definitely doesn't fit him. It was his own fault why people didn't believe that he had a non-pervert side. If he weren't such a super pervert, people would actually take him seriously. At least his enemies knew not to mess with him." Smiled Naruto.

"Yeah, for a pervert he sure was powerful. Tell me, who was stronger, Lord Jiraiya or Orochimaru?" asked an interested Ino.

"Ero-sennin without a doubt. He may not have been a genius like Orochimaru but he had guts and the will to never give up. They fought once as soon as Orochimaru left the village. Orochimaru won the battle but I think Ero-sennin let him get away. He couldn't fight his best friend and that's why he lost. If they were to fight once more I'm pretty sure Pervy Sage would have won." Beamed Naruto proudly.