CHAPTER 5

TWO MONTHS LATER

man stood over Yuri, giving her a small smile as he examined her facial expression.

She looked up and smiled at the stranger: as usual. "Hello!"

"I'm Jiraiya. Naruto's my student." He sat himself down in front of her lazily, not minding the flowers that were scattered all around.

"Nice to meet you, Jiraiya-sama." Yuri held out her small hand for the older male to shake, keeping her smile plastered on her face. "Why isn't Naruto here as well?"

Jiraiya tapped his fingers on the ground while using his other hand to return the greeting. "He was...injured. You didn't hear about the whole thing with that Uchiha brat, did you?"

"That he fled." She rolled her eyes. "To find a greater power. That's all I heard."

"Well, he went to get him back, but was injured in the process." Jiraiya explained curtly. "Did it for that pink-haired girl."

"He did it for Sakura?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

He sighed and leaned back slightly, basking in the heat.

"You're exactly as Naruto described you, you know." Jiraiya chuckled, picking up a sunflower from her basket.

Yuri's eyes widened in suprise. "Oh, yeah? I didn't think he talked about me."

"The mission we were on recently? He wouldn't stop. It was actually quite annoying." He nodded. "'Yuri this, Yuri that. I miss Yuri.'"

"That's embarrassing." She let out an awkward laugh.

"But didn't you miss him too, Yuri-shi?"

The bleach-blonde looked up from what she was doing. "Of course. Why?"

"I have a theory." He said simply, dropping the yellow flower back into his basket.

"Can I hear it?" Yuri asked eagerly, clutching onto her basket.

"First, why don't you tell me that nickname you have for him again? Something about..."

She bit her lip. She wasn't surprised he knew about her name for the jinchuuriki. It was like her to do something like that.

"I call him the Sun God." She answered quietly.

"Right! That's the one." He nodded. "Here's my theory."

She adjusted her position on the grass, moving her legs to her side.

He hummed. "You see, flowers and the sun connect in a certain way. Do you know why?"

She shook her head slowly.

"Flowers need the sun to grow and prosper." He gestured to a flower that sat in the middle of them. It was in the middle of blooming, and had its colorful flaps covered.

"I see." She mumbled. "But what do flowers have to do with this?"

He grinned. "Yuri. He has a nickname for you too."

"You're the Flower Goddess."