Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! How fast time flies, it's Spring already so here's a small one shot in honour of hanami, or flower viewing. Enjoy :)

Warnings: Spoilers for Boruto, but nothing major. Possible OOC-ness and fluff.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

- Story Start -

Spring had arrived in the Hidden Leaf Village and the sakura trees were in full bloom.

During the day, the local park was filled with people enjoying the beautiful sight. The grass was covered with colourful mats and blankets as shinobi and civilians alike enjoyed picnics with family and friends.

Shikamaru all but chased Naruto out of the office for an afternoon, reminding him that he was also a husband and father and should spend some time with his family. When Naruto cited his never ending workload, Shikamaru reminded him that one of the Hokage's duties was to mingle with the people, but consented to let him keep a clone in the office.

- o -

Himawari looked up from the small pile of sakura petals she had gathered and sighed. Boruto-nii-chan was keeping his promise to their parents to stay with her and not wander off with his friends, but he looked bored. Himawari was bored too.

They had enjoyed a delicious homemade bento lunch with their parents earlier, but said parents were now making their way around the park and chatting with the other picnickers.

"Tou-chan sure is taking his time," Boruto grumbled, shaking a couple of flowers off his hair.

"Mama too," Himawari added and looked around.

Their picnic mat was located near one end of the park. She could see the playground beside it, filled with children on the swings, climbing frames and playing tag with each other. There weren't any children around her age as far as she could tell.

"Hey, Boruto!"

"Denki, Iwabe, Metal!" Boruto jumped to his feet, grinning at the three boys approaching them.

"Come play with us!"

"Ah, sorry," Boruto apologised. "My parents aren't here right now so I'm keeping an eye on my younger sister."

"That's right. I saw Lord Hokage and his wife over there."

"Well, we're just going to the playground," Denki said. "You can still keep an eye on her, right? Iwabe wants to show us his new earth jutsu!"

Torn between duty and fun, Boruto hesitated.

"Just a few minutes, come on!"

"Alright," Boruto agreed and turned to Himawari. "Don't go anywhere, I'll be back before you know it!"

Himawari gave a dutiful nod and Boruto ran off with his friends.

- o -

Five minutes later, the pile of petals was much higher and Himawari was even more bored. She heard some voices behind her and looked around. There were three boys standing beside some bushes, looking down at the ground.

Curious, Himawari stood up and craned her neck to get a better look, but couldn't see anything. She looked over her shoulder at Boruto-nii-chan who was still at the playground with his friends. Then she looked back at the boys again. They weren't all that far off.

Mind made up, she stepped off the mat and made her way over to them. There was a small white snake on the ground, around a foot long. It was curled up and the boys were poking at it with sticks and laughing.

Himawari's round blue eyes narrowed and her small hands clenched into fists. She had been brought up sheltered by her parents' love and an older brother's protection, but she was by no means easily cowed especially when someone or something was being bullied.

She wasn't Naruto Uzumaki's daughter and Boruto Uzumaki's little sister for nothing!

"What're you all doing?"

The three boys spun around, smirks turning to guilty looks and then surprise.

"None of your business, little girl," said one of them.

"Run along now," said another.

Himawari glared at them as hard as she could until she felt that stretchy, itchy sensation around her eyes that she had felt only once before, when she and Boruto-nii-chan had pulled her plushy toy apart. Now she could see very faint blue lines of chakra running through the bodies of the bullies and instinctively dropped into a classic Hyuga stance. It wasn't difficult after hours of watching her mother exercise in the mornings.

The three boys exchanged alarmed looks, backing up a step. One of them dropped his stick.

"Look at her eyes!"

"She's a Hyuga, one of those shinobi clans."

"Get ready to defend yourselves!" Himawari shouted.

The boys exchanged another round of alarmed looks... and fled.

Himawari waited until they had turned the corner before straightening up, smiling in bemusement. She hadn't expected it to be this easy!

She could copy a few of her mother's moves if she had to, but there would be no power behind them as she hadn't started training yet. Not to mention the boys looked like they were about two years older than her and taller too. Good thing they had run off like the cowards they were!

Then again, she had left her father unconscious for a whole day that one time...

Grinning, she took a deep breath and felt the skin around her eyes relax. Then she remembered the snake and looked down to see it slithering towards the nearest bush.

"Oh, please wait."

The snake froze and looked back at her.

"I won't hurt you. I just want a closer look," Himawari said as she knelt down on the ground.

The snake slithered around to face her. It had a pure white body and golden eyes surrounded by strange purple markings.

"Why, you have such pretty eyes!"

The snake's eyes widened a bit. It curled up its tail and raised its head higher, preening.

Himawari giggled happily.

"I shall call you Shiro-chan," she decided. "Oh, is that blood on your tail? You poor thing, did those bullies get you?"

Shiro looked down at its tail which had a crimson smear on it. When Himawari moved closer, its head whipped up, tongue flickering out.

Slowly, Himawari extended her hand and touched its head with a gentle finger.

"I won't hurt you, but we need to get that cleaned up," she declared, not realising she sounded exactly like her mother did whenever she or Boruto got a scraped knee.

Shiro hissed softly, sounding doubtful.

"It won't take a moment," Himawari assured it and stroked its head again. Its skin was cool and dry, not slimy at all. She scooped it up in her hands and stood up. Shiro coiled itself neatly in her palms, looking a bit alarmed.

Biting her lip, Himawari looked back at the park to see Boruto-nii-chan still talking to his friends. No one seemed to have noticed the Uzumaki picnic mat was empty.

Then she remembered the lake. Before her papa became Hokage, the four of them would go for evening walks with her riding on his shoulders and Boruto-nii-chan's hand in their mother's. She was sure it was close by the park...

Mind made up, she set off with Shiro-chan in her palms. It looked resigned now and gave the impression it would have rested its chin on a hand if it had hands. Or a chin.

Himawari started chatting to it about sakura flowers and picnics. It wasn't until they reached the lake that she realised it was further than she thought. She couldn't even see the park from here, or the playground. Oh well, she would just have to be quick about it.

There were steps leading down to the edge of the water so she made her way there and squatted beside it. Carefully, she lowered her hands to the surface of the water. Shiro uncurled itself, dipping its tail in the water and swishing it about. Then it lifted its tail, shook it a few times and looked up at her to say, 'There, I'm done.'

Himawari smiled at it before going back up the steps and looked around, frowning. She looked to the right, to the left and to the right again. Sighing, she looked down at the snake.

"I think I might be lost," she said. "Mama and Papa will be worried. Boruto-nii-chan too."

Shiro raised its tail and pointed it to the right.

"Oh! You know where the park is?"

It nodded and pointed to the right again.

"And you can understand me, you clever thing! Nod once - no, nod twice for yes!"

The snake nodded twice.

"You're so clever! Where did you come from? I wish I could keep you... but no, I should get back to the park, right?"

The snake nodded again - twice - before pointing right with its tail again.

"Let's go then."

They set off in that direction with Himawari carrying Shiro before her like a compass.

- o -

It only took a few minutes for the park to come into view. Himawari was relieved to see their picnic mat was still empty.

"Here we are." She crouched down near the same bushes. Shiro slithered onto the ground, looking as relieved as she felt.

"I have to go now," she told it. "Thank you for bringing me back."

Shiro nodded twice and turned around.

"Oh wait, I'd like to give you a present!"

She quickly selected the prettiest sakura flower from the ground and placed it against the snake's head. With the tip of her pink tongue sticking out, she concentrated and stuck it there with a bit of chakra, something she had just learned from her mother last week.

Shiro had the same resigned look on its face again. Then Himawari heard Boruto's voice calling out her name, sounding rather panicked.

"That sounds like onii-chan. I'd better go."

The snake nodded twice again.

"Goodbye, pretty little Shiro-chan."

The snake stopped to preen and after a moment, bowed its head with the flower still stuck in place. Then it slithered under the bushes.

Smiling, Himawari stood up and headed in the direction of Boruto's voice, waving her hand.

"I'm here, onii-chan!" she called.

- o -

Three hours later...

The underground lab was quiet with its three inhabitants working on their respective projects. Then Jugo raised his head and looked at the door.

"The boss is back," he said.

Sure enough, the door opened after a minute and Orochimaru stepped inside.

"You're back!" Karin leaped up from her seat and almost pounced on him. "Was Sasuke in the village? Did you see him?"

"No to both your questions."

"He's still away on a mission, but you never give up, do you?" Suigetsu smirked.

"Shut up! It's none of your business!" Karin flounced back to her place, muttering about how she was just enquiring.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes and turned to Orochimaru.

"Did you get the chemical, Orochimaru-sama?" He asked. "And dinner for us?"

"Yes to both your questions." Orochimaru handed over the bags he carried.

"Oho, stopped to smell the sakura too?" Suigetsu said with a grin.

Orochimaru frowned and then his eyes widened.

Oh no. Had he really gone to the hardware and convenience shops adorned with a flower?

He reached up, fingertips brushing against the delicate sakura petals above his left ear. That Uzumaki child's chakra was as stubborn as her character. Attempting to remove the flower now would only damage it.

He lowered his hand and shrugged.

"It is hanami week after all," he said calmly. No harm letting the flower stay where it was. It would only last a couple more hours before withering... like that child's memory of him, he was certain.

But she had called him pretty and that had felt... rather nice, actually.

- Story End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it, would love to hear from you :)