9 Chapter 9 - The Eternal Flower

After meeting Tori for the first time, Yahiko gathered together with his companions and Jiraiya for dinner when he had returned. It was fish as usual, but surprisingly delicious - Konan had prepared the food with a spicy base which was his favorite. The girl surprisingly didn't forget his previous comments.

When they were done, he went back to the room they shared, feeling frustrated as he threw himself face-first on the mattress.

"Hey Yahiko, is something up? You've been having that stressed look for quite a while."

There was the sound of a door creaking open and he turned to see Nagato sitting down beside him.

"It's Konan's birthday today. I was thinking of giving her a flower origami - since she likes them a lot. But that would be pretty rude, wouldn't it? I mean it's just … paper."

Yahiko had no ulterior motive. They were friends, and the girl had been taking care of them by helping to cook the meals on top of her training with Jiraiya. It was a thankless task and he just thought it would be a good idea to show appreciation to Konan on her special day.

He didn't have any Ryo as well. So buying something for her was out of the question.

A smirk spread across Nagato's face. "No. It'll work out. I'm sure she will love it."

"... alright."

"You sound kinda unsatisfied." The red-haired friend crossed his arms.

"It's' not that …" Yahiko's voice trailed off.

He'd never done something like giving a gift to the opposite sex apart from his mum and sister in the previous world. It was a first for him and he wasn't sure if Konan would like it. Paper was pretty much worthless, but it wasn't like he had anything else he could give her. They were orphans with nothing to their name.

"Hmm … oh! I have another idea." Nagato rubbed his hands together and grinned.

"And that would be …?"

The red-haired boy leaned close to him, whispering. "You could hold both her hands, look her in the eye and say happy birthday, Konan."

"B-BAKA!" Yahiko jumped. "You've been reading sensei's stories secretly too haven't you? Only couples do that … This isn't a romantic novel! We're only nine! It's too young to start a relationship at this age."

"I wonder about that." Nagato's grin grew even wider. "As your friend, I shall help you tell Konan that you want to meet her *alone* at the small pond outside at night later. Good luck."

"Hey! Don't go making my decisions on your own. Nagato!"

The only reply was a door slamming shut.

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(A few hours later)

Yahiko sat at the edge of the pond, gazing at the full moon that hung in the skies.

Amegakure's weather was normally rainy and the current sight was a rare one. Amidst the croaks of frogs and rustling of leaves, the tranquillity was strangely soothing. A gentle breeze blew against his face, and he closed his eyes; enjoying the moment.

Jiraiya-sensei told him before that the moon was supposedly said to be created by the Sage of Six Paths. Just what kind of incredible jutsu was able to do that? It sounded like a fairytale, to be honest.

Footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned to see the blue-haired girl walking towards him.

"Yahiko, what's the matter? I heard from Nagato you had something important to tell me."

He didn't answer, and simply petted the ground beside him, gesturing for her to sit.

The moment Konan did so, hesitation seized him. Giving gifts to the opposite gender didn't come naturally to him, but there was no other choice; so he grabbed the blue origami flower wrapped clumsily in a piece of cloth beside him and showed it to her.

"Here, this is for you." he placed the wrapped gift on Konan's lap.

"What's this?"

"It's your birthday right? It would be hard to forget it as we both share the same date."

Her amber colored eyes flickered over to meet his gaze, before shifting to the item on her lap.

"You remembered it? Yahiko …"

"It's nothing! I'm just showing appreciation to you for always preparing such delicious food for everyone." His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly turned to look at water lilies floating on the surface of the pond.

"Can I see what's inside?" the girl asked.

"Yeah. Go ahead."

Konan carefully unwrapped the cloth, revealing a blue origami flower that he had folded for her. It took him many tries to get it right but in the end it worked out.

"Sorry that I couldn't get you something better. It's kinda cheap, but I'm not trying to say that you're not important. I-I mean important as a friend! It's not the most practical as well but there weren't a lot of choices."

The girl's arms embraced the flower gently. "Thank you ..."

Even now, he was still nervous that the girl was putting on a front to avoid hurting him. Yahiko knew he was simply terrible at stuff like this and was already preparing for the worst. He swallowed hard. "I'm glad to hear that. I was worried that you wouldn't like it. It's not like you have to force yourself to keep it. I won't be offended if you throw it away later on. I promise."

Konan turned sharply to face him. "I would never do that!"

Yahiko flinched, stunned by how firm the girl was in her response, and the girl's eyes focused back to the blue flower in her lap again.

"I'll treasure this … always." Konan brought the gift close to her face, treating it as though it was the most priceless item in the world.

For some reason, seeing the innocent and soft expression that she wore made him nervous, and determined as well.

He definitely was going to get out of this dumpster of a life sooner or later. Once they became skilled shinobis, their lives would improve. Or better yet, if he could become a leader of a village or an emperor over the entire shinobi world - they would have everything and anything they wanted, and he could get out of this shitty life and pay Iwagakure back for what they did to his parents.

But for now, all these were just dreams. Without strength in the shinobi world, one was doomed to perish. He had to work hard to grow stronger.

(1000+ words)

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A/N: The story is going to be no-harem. Even though later on the Akatsuki that Yahiko makes will have some girls as well. That doesn't mean it's harem ya, they might have feelings for MC and MC might feel a little attracted to them but that doesn't mean he has to reciprocate and he is going to stay faithful to one girl only.

If you're looking for a harem novel then sorry for that but this won't be harem :/. I've updated synopsis to include that tag.

The Akatsuki members of the organization in the future will also have some different members from the one in canon, some will be the same but others will be changed. Going to take a while before we reach that point though.