A/N: I don't own Naruto or any other Anime/movie, or anything that might have a slight character cameo.

"Everyone…. Everyone is getting stronger…Except me….All I do is get in the way of my comrades. I've got to find a way to get stronger. I can't be the weakest one here! I'm Ino Fucking Yamanaka!"

Her hands curled into fists as she pummeled the training dummy over and over again. Tears sparkled down her bright blue eyes as she punched harder and harder, determined to get stronger. "This isn't working! Why isn't it working?" One solitary leaf rained down from the tree behind her, as the others held on firmly. "That's me. The weak one. Everyone has been improving. Shikamaru-kun and Chouji both have an arsenal of jutsu's, and billboard head is being trained by Tsunade-sama! Why can't that be me? WHY?!??" Her knees hit the plush grass underneath her as the dummy stood firm, Ino's impacts doing nothing to damage it. "My Taijutsu is weak, My ninjutsu can only stall the enemy long enough. How can I win by going into someone's body? My genjutsu is average, but even then, I haven't mastered anything but the average genjutsu techniques!" Her eyes flushed more pearl and diamond shaped tears down her face, leaving a trace of sadness and anger on her face. "I've been so blind to everything. My fight with Sakura in the Chunnin exams was dismal…Even Asuma-sensei agreed… All my life I've spent my time trying to fit in...To get the attention of Sasuke, beat Sakura, and be the leader of my team.. But all I've done is hold everyone back. Shikamaru is a Chuunin and Chouji is one of the strongest shinobi I know, besides the fact that he eats too much… and there I go again! I'm on a 1000 calorie diet, and I'm hardly eating anything! I can't even remember the last time I've had a potato chip! It's just…." A crumble of leaves, and a whish in the air signaled the arrival of another, and as her head turned to acknowledge the person, she heard the lazy drawl of her team mate Shikamaru.

"Oy, Ino. We've got a new mission for today. It'll be a troublesome but It's a long term mission, so we'll be out for a week or two from what I've heard, but I don't know... Man, why can't we ever get a simple mission?" He slowly turned back around, not even aware of the fact that Ino had been crying earlier. "We'll be waiting at the gates in an hour, see ya then." And with a flick of his hand, he poofed off, probably to watch some clouds pass by, Ino thought to herself. She slowly got up, brushing the dirt off her violet outfit. "I wonder where we'll be going this time." She quickly tossed the idea out, knowing that anywhere would be better than here. She couldn't stand watching Sakura improve everyday, while she still got weaker. She ran to the flower shop to prepare for the mission, bursting through the front door a few minutes later. She pushed a few customers out of the way, some yelling, and a few grunting and pushing her back, but she didn't mind in the least. She was leaving Konoha for a mission, and would'nt have to be stuck in this rut for a while.

Her room was a deep white color, with yellow pastel on the ceiling, giving it a feel of a flower from the inside, and as she packed a few scrolls, kunai, and other weapons, she heard her Dad make her way into the room. "Honey, Shikaku told me you, Shikamaru, and Chouji are going out for a while on a mission. I made you a pack with two weeks worth of supplies, and a little extra food. I know you get hungry on your missions." He smiled at Ino, as a twinge of guilt shot into her body. The food was hardly going to her, it was more to feed Chouji who said he would tell her father she was dieting, and the only way to shut him up was to give him the food. Shikamaru could care less. "It's your body, not mine." Was all that ever came out of him. And she just scoffed and turned around, munching on a pack of crackers she bought at the market. It was like this almost everytime. "Thank you Dad… Well, I better get going then…" The awkward silence reverberated on the walls and she found her way to the door. Her hand grasped the cold metal door knob, and was about to open, when her dad suddenly sat on her bed, and looked up at her. "Ino.. I know what you're going through. I can see that you're feeling weak. I was watching you today in the training field.." Ino's eyes grew wide, She didn't see anyone or sense anyone's chakra… All that she saw was a bird a few feet away… Then it hit her. Her dad had used their signature jutsu on her. It was so obvious. "Please Ino, all I ask is do not be rash. Our clan was never the type to charge into battle, neither were the Nara's for that matter, We'd leave that to the Akimichi of the group." A wry smile protruded for his lips. Ino knew that the pep talk had ended there, her dad never had the way of words like her mother did. She slowly finished packing a few kunai as her dad watched her with weary eyes. He got up and left the room, only to return minutes later, a box in his hands. "Ino, I want you to have this. It was something your grandfather passed to me. I was hoping to give it to my first born son, but you've made me prouder than any son I could have given birth too. " He gave her the box, and as she opened, a small glittering necklace with the Yamanaka clan symbol appeared on it. She gave a wry smile. The necklace was beautiful, and it matched her eyes, as the symbol was a sparking ice blue color. Her father gave her a solemn wink, and then escorted her outside, silently towards the lumbering gates.

The walk towards Konoha's gate felt more like a death walk as her dad walked with her the whole way, solemnly, making no attempt to say another word to her. Each step weighed down on her harder and harder, crunching over dried leaves, and splashing into the water, as the gate neared, beckoning her towards it, as if calling away from Konoha. In front of the gate sat Shikamaru, Chouji, Asuma, and more surprising Shikaku and Choumaru both with their sons as well. As she approached, Asuma's face drew a grim look as if preparing farewell speech. "Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, I assume you have packed for a long trip?" Hai's rang through the air, and Ino eyed her captain suspiciously. 'Whats going on?' she thought to herself. Shikamaru looked even more puzzled as Asuma requested that the children leave while he talks to their fathers. The talk lasted for a good 10 minutes as Shikamaru fell asleep under a tree and Chouji started on his 6th bag of chips. "Chouji! You know those go straight to your thighs!" She let out a long sigh, her team mate never stopped eating, and always had something stuffed in his mouth. He was easily provoked and almost always predictable. "Ino, maybe you should stop worrying about how much I eat, which is a part of how I train, and more about your own training." She looked more surprised than anything at Chouji's statement. It wasn't his expected whiny comment back, and it left Ino speechless. Chouji glared at Ino as she clamored up, she didn't want to get into another yelling fit with Chouji, not if she was going to have to see him for a while anyway. The silence grew tenser as Asuma continued his talk with the adults, drawing the occasional gasp or shout of protest that ended merely in silence that melded with theirs, drifting over their heads.

I wish I knew what this mission was about. Why is he being so secretive about? What's going to happen?

Ino's thoughts scattered through her mind as Asuma walked up towards team 10, a slightly exhausted look, but ready none the less. "I just finished the briefings with your fathers on this mission," Chouji's mouth stopped chomping and Shikamaru lifted an eyelid, " It seems they were in a deal of protest for us to have been assigned this mission, but we must complete it. Now if you're all ready, I'll repeat the mission specks, and we'll go over our strategizing from there." Ino nodded and the others followed suit. The prospect of hearing what all the fuss was about drew the curiosity out of all three, coaxing away any laziness or hunger in the team. "We've been assigned an over sea's mission." Ino gaped, Chouji let out a groan, and the faint whispers of troublesome rose into the air. "Now now, it's not that bad. We've been assigned to deliver a secret scroll to one of the villages. It seems a warrior from that village stumbled his way to our town, and is paying a hefty fee to deliver this while he recovers in the hospital. This mission will pay well, and we getta leave behind all this sadness that's been floating around Konoha." Ino looked towards Asuma, the sadness he must have faced when Sarutobi died must have been overwhelming. And then there was Sakura who lost both of her team mates, even though all three are now trained by the three legendary Sannin. As expected of Sakura. She's beating me again… "Now the scroll is top secret information, but it seems we're taking it to a tribe near the winter poles. I'm sure I didn't need to warn you to pack warm or bring extra money and supplies." Asuma looked at the group and nodded. "The trip there will be a 4 day trek to the docks, followed by a 7 day boat ride, 2 more days to reach the town, and then back to Konoha, not counting the time we use to take rests in-between towns and villages. Does everyone understand the base of the mission so far?" Shikamaru let out a groan almost as loud as Chouji's but nodded. Chouji looked over to Shikamaru and nodded his head after his friend, Ino though quickly asked her question. "Why did Konoha pick us? Especially delivering it to a place of unknown origin?" The confusion on her face was obvious, and Shikamaru let out a laugh as if he already knew the answer. "Ino, that's a good point. But from ANBU'S investigation record, the man is not lying to us. And as the rule of shinobi, we must take on any mission given to us in the name of our village and by the approval of the Hokage. Gai's team has also received a mission like ours, and if if I'm correct, so has Kurenai's. Because of the incident with Sasuke and Naruto leaving with Jiraiya, team Kakashi will not be joining the missions, and Sakura will stay behind with Tsunade-sama." Ino looked shocked at the information presented to her. She knew that Sakura would have joined this mission in a heartbeat, but to know that she stayed behind for special training infuriated her! All her life she and Sakura had competed, over Sasuke, over ninjutsu, and everything else, yet she was the one that always lost. 'but this time, I know I can do this! I'll prove them all wrong!' Ino looked toward her team in envy, Chouji had proved his worth in the mission to retrieve Sasuke, even though the mission failed, he had defeated a very powerful Konoha enemy. And Shikamaru? He passed the Chunnin Exam over all of the entrants, including Neji and Gaara! Asuma was a highly trained shinobi, and one of the strongest in Konoha, directly related to past Third Hokage! She knew that each of them had something that she didn't. Strength.

"Asuma-Sensei?" The team had been traveling for 3 days, and was nearing the docks, yet something didn't feel right when they got there. No boat, no village, and no dock. "Where is everything? All I see is the beachfron---" She was suddenly hushed by Shikamaru and Asuma-sensei. The three men of the team glanced around the forest they were still in, and then looked towards the beach. Nothing. The waves beckoned out to the open sea, calling forth, but no dock, and no boat. "Asuma-sensei! What's going on?" Ino couldn't help but be frightened. The docks coordinates were given by a strange man no one had ever met before. She knew it was a bad idea to go from the start. "Ino please keep your voice down. We may have fallen into a trap." Asuma shushed her again and gave a signal to Shikamaru. He nodded his head, clasped his hands together, and in a low voice murmured, "Shadow Bind Jutsu!" Shikamaru's shadow bended and waved, using the shadows of the trees around him to make it's way through the area. Ino caught on to his plan and looked at Chouji, and as if in synchronism, Chouji activated his Partial Size Jutsu: Hand, and extended it after the Shadow, and firmly grabbed the shinobi hiding in the brush. "Chouji! To your left!" Asuma threw a kunai that landed right between the eyes of a shinobi who was swarming in with the rest of an ambush squad. "Ino, run! Get back to Konoha! We'll follow as fast as we can! I know it'll be troublesome, but take the scroll with you, it cant get into the enemies hands" Shikamaru grunted his words out, as he caught three more nin in his shadow and ran them off towards Chouji who unleashed another swipe from his enlarged hands, knocking all three into a few of the attacking nin. Shikamaru then threw the scroll towards Ino who caught it, and then went back to shadow trapping more enemies. Asuma grabbed his trench knives and started slashing the air around him until the blades on his knives grew larger and larger, then rushed the enemy, arms raised, as his voice bellowed, "Rising Swallow!" Sending his body into a spin that rushed a smaller group of nin about to ambush Ino. "Ino, get out of here! Your jutsu is no use in close combat! Listen to Shikamaru!" Ino looked at her sensei in fear and disappointment and nodded her head, she knew herself that all she would become was a nuisances that needed protection. She bolted towards the beach, where none of the Nin seemed to have gone towards, and ran for her life. Kunai's flew past her head and disappeared into the beach's now foggy banks as she got closer. "AHHHH! Wait why is this fog here? Asuma! Shikamaru?" Ino suddenly started spinning, spinning faster than she ever had in her life, and disappeared in plain sight of her comrades.
A/N: 1st chapters are always the worse, but trust me, in the next chapter you'll see what happens to Ino. I'm doing a story on her because I hate the way that her character stays weak, and this is how I wish things could be.

END OF CHAPTER 1