Ino froze. For half a second, her face went blank.

“Hina, I gotta go… a customer has appeared, I’ll call you some other time” she said and quickly disconnected the call

For a second, Ay stood still, like a kid caught peeking into a room he wasn’t supposed to be in. His weight shifts as if suddenly very interested in a nearby pot of Orchids. His eyes flicked casually to the side, as though trying to play off the fact that he had been eavesdropping

If you're looking to buy something sir, you better hurry up. The shop’s closing soon” Ino said, folding her arms with just enough edge in her voice to suggest she wasn’t entirely buying the act.

“Mm hmm” He nodded, still pretending to browse. “I’ll be quick”

After a minute of idle loitering that fooled no one, Ay finally made his way back to the counter with a large bouquet in hand

“This one please” he said simply, voice deep and smooth.

Ino worked in silence as her hands steady as she wrapped the bouquet. But there was a shift in the way her eyes followed his movements now — a flicker of awareness.

Her gaze paused on the subtle glint of his shoulder guard, then up to the faint gold lining of his cloak. His dark skin, muscular build and towering height.

Her hands didn’t stop moving, but her voice came quieter.

“You must be Lord Raikage right? Here for tomorrow’s Kage meeting” she asked

“You’re right about that… I thought I was gonna attend the meeting empty handed buy luckily your shop was open” he said with a small chuckle

His gaze flicked upon the small Yamanaka clan symbol carved into the counter, then back to her.
“And you must be Ino, from the Yamanaka clan”

Ino continued to work in silence

“I’ve heard about you,” he continued. “Battlefield medic, intel ops, head of the Sensory Division. Your name comes up in more than a few reports”

His voice dipped just slightly.

“Though none of them mentioned you were this easy on the eyes”

Ino didn’t flinch. She secured the last corner of the wrap with a crisp fold and slid the bouquet across the counter.

“Reports don’t usually waste ink on details like that”

Ay let out a small chuckle “Haha, you’re a funny one, I like women like you”

Ino remained silent

Ay lifts the bouquet from the counter, “Ahh such a pleasant smell… and a pretty nice package too” he comments while his eyes thoroughly scan Ino’s body

“Excuse me?” She asked

“The flowers of course…” He replied while showing her the bouquet in his hand

Ino rolls her eyes and sighs a little, and before she could say anything Ay spoke up

“By the way… Sorry I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help but overhear that conversation”

Ino froze up for a second, but Ay continued with a sharp smile on his lips

“Doesn’t sound like you’re asking for too much. Just someone with open eyes”

“Haha right, now about the payment these flowers…” Ino says, trying to stay professional

“Hard to believe anyone would walk away from a body that at home”

Ino clinches her fists, with a fierce expression on her face

“You may be the Raikage sir, but passing remarks like that to a woman you just met? This definitely makes it to the top 5 ways to get slapped”

Raikage plays this off with a soft chuckle

“Hehe, you don’t need to get so worked up Ino-chan, all this is just stress from your sexual starvation”

Before Ino could say anything, he leans forward and adds with a slightly softer voice “I can give you what you want… what you desire, I promise you will be more satisfied than you’ve ever been”

“I’ve had enough of you, perverted old geezer” Ino says, slamming her hand on the counter

“Watch your mouth woman, see who you are talking to” Ay said in a high pitch as he moved back

“You think an old fart like you can get away after passing comments like this just because you’re the Raikage? Let me check how many fucks I can give to your title… Uhh.. none”

Ay clinched his teeth “You’ve got a pretty sharp tongue Yamanaka, use it carefully”

Ino lets out a sarcastic laugh

“Funny coming from the guy who just tried to shoot his shot thinking I’d be desperate for a flappy old wiener… Do you even get an erection at your age for talking that big?”

“Enough” shouts Ay as he swiftly grabs her wrists before she could even react and pins her against the wall behind the counter

For a moment, her expression faltered with shock, only for her to clinch her fists and start resisting

“Let go,” she hissed, chakra starting to surge through her arms

“I’ve broken holds from a lot of men your size, I’m a war veteran”

Ay didn’t tighten his grip. He didn’t need to, the message was clear — he was stronger, and in control

“Ohho… Just try doing it then”

She tried jerking free, but he didn’t budge.

Ay leans in, his face gets closer to hers

“You look this even when you’re pissed off”

She tried breaking free of the grip by focusing her chakra but still he didn’t budge. That’s when she realized she can’t break free of the grip, the difference in physical strength is too large for that.

She then noticed a smirk on his face, a look of proud… she realized she needs to use her brain rather than her brawn, she quickly came up with a plan to escape his grip

“All this muscle, all that rank — and still, you need to trap someone to feel in control?”

A flicker crossed his face

”What do you mean?”

She passed a cunning smile

“You want something, Raikage? Then fight fair”

His lips twitched a little

“Interesting… and what is your idea of a fair fight?” he said while slowly letting go of her wrists

Ino didn’t back down. Not for a second

“You’re stronger. We’ve established that... but if I can’t beat you physically, I’ll outplay you another way. You wanted my attention right? Earn it… I propose a deal”

Ay folded his arms, amused

“And what is this deal?” he asked

“We’ll compete, in absolutely anything but physical brawl, and the winner gets to decide”

Ay considered it, then with a wide mischievous smirk on his face

“Deal… I’ll give you fifteen whole minutes to make me cum by any means possible. If you succeed then I’ll leave and never return here, but if I win, you’ll have to keep going until I’m satisfied”

——————————————————————————————————————————

Author’s Note

This chapter marks the end of the free release.

The uncensored continuation - including everything that follows, is already available at https://ero-eddie.itch.io/deception-at-the-flower-shop