"Ino sweetie, wake-up."
Blue eyes fluttered open, then closed rapidly when the sun rays almost blinded her. She couldn't remember. Had her room always been that sunny? Didn't she buy a while ago black curtains? And was that her mother's voice calling?
"Come on baby, you are okay. Inoichi, she must. She will be, right?" Yamanaka Emiko pleaded between sobs, seeking comfort and reassurances from her husband. Then her eyes narrowed to slits, looking straight at the medics in charge of their child. "My daughter better wake up healthy and her usual self or so help me God I will..."
That's mom right there.
"Dear, the doctors have already assured us Ino is out of danger." the calmer of the two tried amending the situation, wrapping his arms around her. "I trust them to know what they are doing." the or else remained unspoken but made clear enough for the doctors to know the Yamanaka Clan Head would raise hell if the opposite happened to his baby girl. No doubt, the Nara and the Akimichi following close behind.
Dad is here?
For a moment, Ino had strongly believed her mother had gone insane, speaking to air, to an illusion but hearing with her own ears the two-sided conversation changed everything. The shock of the realization that her dad was there, alive, was enough to get her body moving again.
The jutsu worked!
She exclaimed inwardly, eyes opened wide now to meet equally blue hues looking down at her with a mix of relief, joy and concern. Ino was dragged into a hug immediately afterwards and she wouldn't have it any other way. Being five years old again in a peaceful era, squeezed between her parents before shit hit the fan was a wonderful feeling indeed.
Hold on a second, FIVE?!
Guessing her current age was a walk in the park after receiving a scolding from her parents. She remembered the incident clearly enough. Past Ino had as many guts as Future Ino but less of an intellect. Trying the mind switch jutsu on a boar with no adult supervision at the age of five was sky rocket on the list of stupid ideas she had gotten through her life.
But why five? Had I been twelve... Ugh, what can a five-year-old do to change things anyway?
Damn it if she knew what she was supposed to do and to make matters worse, her seventeen-year-old self was clashing with the whiny five-year-old one. Nevertheless, to say, it wasn't pretty at best and it was downright confusing and painful at worst. Her natural body reactions were all over the place while her mind was busy screaming into the pillow her frustrations out once everybody had left her alone, as 'not to stress her'.
Stress my ass.
She was doing a fine job on her own, she didn't need the extra help but she was more than aware that she had just taken the biggest gamble ever known to man. Or unknown, time travel was as much fiction as the 'Icha Icha' series. Well, used to be, anyway. She had just walked all over it and made it reality.
My current reality.
Ino inhaled through her nose, deciding to put her act together, her childish emotions on a leash and her brain to good use. She was five again, back in time and armed with future knowledge. Her body was weak, no surprise there but muscle memory had to count for something. Her mind knew what to do, she just had to make her body keeps up.
Starting training early was a must, no discussion. She couldn't waltz through the Academy, learning about flowers, washing her hair enough that it shined and argue with Sakura for a second time. Ino had to make people listen to her and to do that, respect will have to be earned and their attention captured. Simply put, she had to become strong, strong enough to be taken seriously by the Hokage. Strong and smart enough to make alliances with the other clans and make Konoha's enemies trip over themselves to escape her rage. She had to be better than multiple people, combined even.
Basically? An impossible feat but luckily, Past Ino was never one to refuse a challenge, on that, was the future version counting on.
With her mind made up, Ino sprang to her feet, stubbornly ignoring how jelly they felt. It was only normal, after being immobile for so long.
No sooner had she opened the door, poking her head out, that a frantic nurse came, picking her up and putting her back where her journey started. It seemed nobody had told her that five-year-old Ino always got her way and the answer 'no' was something she rarely ever heard and even then, never spoken to her. For once, Future Ino was content to sit back and watch the show her past self was so spectacularly performing.
"I want to see Shika and Chouji right now!"
"Sweetie, you said that already but I'm afraid you can't. You had just recovered from..."
She took her words to use them in her favour, crossing her arms over her chest. "Exactly! I had just recovered and a sad patient is bound to get sick again. What are mom and dad going to do then? I wonder hmm..."
Whether the nurse realized she was just getting blackmailed by a child that shouldn't even know what that was, remained up for debate. Not that Ino cared. The woman had rushed out the door in the next second to search for her boys, just like she wanted.
Little did Inoichi know then that spoiling his daughter was a blessing in disguise for her and a curse for anyone planning to stand in her way. No matter, he is bound to discover soon enough.
"Inoichi-sama! Inoichi-sama!"
He looked over at the trembling nurse, feeling his own capable hands, hands that have strangled enough enemy nin to know what they could do, mirror hers. "Did something happen to my daughter?" Trying to recall a time when he had ever felt as relieved as in that moment when the nurse shook her head negatively proved to be useless. "Then? What is it? Speak already!"
It was clear to his companions that he had been on the edge ever since the boar had knocked Ino unconscious. Thus, that's how he found Chouza's large hand on his shoulder, acting as a pillar of support while Shikaku threw away his cigarette, taking over. "Yamanaka-san here is stressed enough as it is."
The lazy, baritone but no less caring voice of his old friend managed to calm down the nurse. "She demands to see Shika and... Chouji?" the woman looked confused as she asked, but still frightened by the prospect of what would happen to her if the little girl didn't get her wish.
Instantly, the three men relaxed at once, looked at each other, then burst out laughing. "So that was the fire." The Nara tactician said, openly amused.
"She is just like Inoichi was at her age." Chouza remarked with fondness, chuckling.
Said man smiled, pleased by the situation while on the inside he was busy deadpanning. One day, she is going to give her old man a heart attack. Now aware there wasn't any danger, Inoichi arched a brow. "Well? What are you waiting for? You heard my daughter's request."
As if the nurse had expected the man to scold his daughter for how she had treated her, her eyes widened comically in disbelief but she knew enough of the Yamanaka by now to spring into action, no questions asked. Shikaku and Chouza shared a look together, shaking their heads. The royalty complex just ran in the family and they wouldn't want their friend to behave any differently.
As if summoned, Shikamaru and Chouji came running. "Can we see Ino now?" the latter required concerned while the former was quick to add: "The hospital yard is boring." It was clear to the adults that their children cared about their friend and were anxious to see her.
The nurse approached them, smiling nervously. "Of course, she has been asking for you. Follow me please." The two ignored her however, waiting for their parents' approval. Once received, they fell in step behind the nurse, quietly. Damn clan children. They are so spoiled! I can't remember my parents accepting my every whim. She thought, jealous.
...
Meanwhile a certain blonde time traveller was busy testing her chakra control. Suffice to say, it wasn't as good as before but certainly better than she had expected. Ino couldn't recall being able to walk on walls at five years old, after all.
The sound of footsteps reminded her that anyone could walk in. I want to impress people, not shock them to death. She will have to make up her mind soon, however. To be a prodigy or keep a low profile. Decisions, decisions... that she has later to muse over.
All thoughts of master plans and carefully built deceit were pushed aside in favour of childish enthusiasm, nostalgia and gratitude as soon as her teammates walked in. They were little and Chouji had chubby cheeks while Shikamaru's spiked ponytail looked weird but they were her boys, untainted by the hardships of life. Ino knew she couldn't protect them but as she stood there, hugged by both, her only thought was:
Fuck it, I'm going to try anyways.
Her eyes brimmed with tears and theirs widened as a reaction. "Don't cry Ino, doc said you are okay now." Chouji said with confidence. Her only response though was to hold tighter on to them. They looked as uncomfortable as their future versions.
"I'm not crying because of that." she revealed, wiping at her cheeks furiously, angry with herself for crying so easily. Breaking the warm embrace, Ino looked at them, being as serious and solemn as her small body and childlike face allowed her to. "I want you to promise me that nothing and no one will break apart the Ino-Shika-Cho."
The boys didn't know what to make of it but they could feel it, deep down, in their hearts, bones, that was the beginning of something, something big and nothing short of amazing. Only the best was involved where Ino was concerned.
"We will." Shikamaru began, voice mirroring her own in seriousness. "but only if you promise to never scare us again." he shared a look with Chouji as he ended the sentence, nodding pleased when his best friend agreed with him.
Ino was slightly taken aback. She didn't expect a condition or that kind of maturity, not at this point in time. She wondered, if they had always been this way and she had just been too naive to notice.
"I promise I will try."
They didn't look satisfied with her answer though but they knew enough of what expected them once they become ninja to agree with it. "Then we promise too." Chouji said.
She took their hands in hers, to seal the sacred promises and the nurse, who had seen the exchange, shook her head.
Spoiled or not, they understand the meaning of bonds and loyalty more than half of Konoha's seasoned shinobi.
And this little girl knows what she wants and how to get it.
Mayu couldn't have possibly felt anything less than awe and respect.
...
As soon as she was released from the hospital and her parents stopped fussing over her wellbeing, Ino made a habit. Every day, she'd sneak out of her clan compound to go on walks around the village. Granted the fact that Konoha had been razed to the ground by Pain and then rebuild from scratch, she could only recall echoes of what it used to be once, thus getting familiar with streets and important buildings was a must.
Of course, that habit came to a screeching halt quickly enough once her parents got the hang of what she was doing, well, almost. They just knew she had suddenly gotten an interest that didn't exist before. She had Shikamaru's dad to thank for supporting her 'childish curiosity' and convincing her father there was no harm in letting her do some exploring.
The catch? She could do so but only supervised by an adult. By her older cousin, the biggest pain in the behind you'd ever find. Why was that? Ino's threats did nothing to scare her off, for one. Not that it was surprising. The Yamanaka were no pushovers, as dumb as some of them were. Cough, her cousin, cough. Brave and stupid was one way to describe Suki. It was a bad combination, bad for her plans, at least. It certainly didn't help her case that she adored babysitting.
Ino had half a mind to show her just how useless her babysitting was but she refrained herself.
You are five and not supposed to be independent.
She scolded herself, kicking pebbles as she trudged on the street. Being small was torture. She missed her height terribly. With the way Konoha was crowded, she couldn't make out very much other than feet, which didn't really fit her purposes.
"Suki-onee-san!" she made sure to be as loud and needy as possible.
The answer came instantly. "Yes, Ino?"
Donning the saddest and cutest expression she managed to muster, she complained. "I want to see the village! I can't see anything from here."
Knowing her cousin didn't have the heart to refuse such a harmless request, she soon found herself with the Hokage Mountain right behind her and the entire village for her to marvel at. Five-year-old Ino was excited beyond measure while the one from the future was nostalgic at best and heartbroken at worst. She couldn't have possibly known how much she missed the sight until then.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Suki asked from beside her, voice slightly breathless. Ino didn't really understand why. She must have already seen it so many times before.
She nodded her head vehemently, taken with the view. Feeling genuinely curious, she asked: "Why did you become a ninja?" Her thirteen-year-old cousin chuckled with fondness and if asked when did she start looking up to her, Ino would later answer with this. This moment right there.
"To protect what's standing before us. Konoha is my home, Ino but it's also so much more than that. It's legacy on top of legacy. The tears and sweat of our ancestors, the hope and loyalty of present people and the Will of Fire passed on the descendants." The way Suki spoke, with so much passion, had her struggle not to cry. Her cousin was far from the word stupid. She was simply idealistic.
And Ino couldn't hold against the jonin a trait that they had once shared together. The war made sure to strip it away from her but Suki's was still intact even if she had fought in the Third Shinobi World War.
She hoped it'd stay that way.
Ino continued to observe the village and her mind became a blank parchment when she spotted the Uchiha fan in the distance, in all its glory. She cursed her stupidity. She was five. Which meant Sasuke was also five. Five and indifferent to the meaning of 'revenge.'
Could it be...?
The blonde spun around, tugging at the sleeves of Suki's green vest to get her attention. "Tell me more about the Police Force!"
"Well, they are in charge of protecting civilians and of stopping any conflicts happening within the walls of Konoha. The Uchiha make up the majority of it. Why?"
Ino shrugged innocently. "Just curious. Have you ever been on a mission with one?"
Suki made a show of rolling her eyes, ruffling her hair playfully. "One of my teammates is an Uchiha, silly. Don't you remember Shisui?" The swirls in her brain were turning. Her cousin had an Uchiha as teammate. Shisui. The name was familiar, too familiar but there was little she remembered from her early childhood. So, Ino just nodded and continued to stare at the old Konoha who knew nothing of Shinra Tensei.
Later that day, she'd find her father in his study, fast asleep, with one copy of the bingo book, conveniently opened at a certain page. Her cousin's teammate was no one but Shunshin no Shisui, she discovered. So, things were either going to backfire or turn out amazingly good.
What's one more gamble anyways?
Future Ino and Past Ino were ready, ready to rewrite the future and one couldn't win without taking risks but was Present Ino ready for the repercussions, should they come?
Only time will tell.