The cause of the leaf/sound war
This story will have a lot of flashbacks in it so be prepared.
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Shikamaru was coming back from an ANBU mission with his team. It was his usual squad: Neji, Kiba, and Chouji. Shikamaru went out on patrol as the rest of the squad packed up their camp.
As Shikamaru was making his rounds, he came upon a manila folder. Looking inside he found information for a Konoha spy mission, A-ranked. The mission was completed and all of the found information was inside. Shikamaru turned to the last page to see who the dumbass was that lost this was. When he got to the last page he almost dropped the folder, the name read…Ino Yamanaka. He has known her for his whole life and though she can be ditzy sometimes she would never be this careless on a mission. Hell, looking at her mission reports, they were flawless. He started to look for any clue as to what happened, and what he found was more than he was expecting.
He found Ino alright. Her hair was spew around her, her eyes open and glazed over in a spectacular blue. Her lips were red with blood against her pale skin. Her arms were spread out as if she had fallen into some leaves. Her necklace from her father-in-law shined brightly in the sunlight as did the kunai sticking out of her heart. Even in her time of death, she still held her flawless mission record. Around her, Shikamaru found the bodies of five Sound Nin. He could tell that the kunai in her chest was one of the first wounds because of the broken and torn skin around it that indicated that she moved with it in. Next to her, he found the letter that she had written to Sakura right before she left. He only knew that because she wrote it on his back, then left.
Back at camp
The others were starting to get scared because of Shikamaru's prolonged absence. Neji thought of how his wife would kill him if he didn't get home somewhat on time, so they went to search for Shikamaru.
After about five minutes they saw him in the distance. Seeing the mortified look on his face, they started to get worried. They started to run towards him, as they got closer they saw tears in his eyes. Shikamaru was crying.
As Chouji and Kiba kept their eyes on Shikamaru, Neji looked to where Shikamaru was looking. Suddenly, you saw fear in Neji's eyes. Shouting, "NO," he started to run faster. Chouji and Kiba came upon the still shocked Shikamaru. Hearing Neji's scream, they turned to see Neji holding his wife's limp body in his arms while starting to shed tears.
Realizing what they had to do, Neji picked up Ino and Chouji snapped Shikamaru out of it. They, then, ran back to Konoha. Shikamaru held on tightly to Ino's mission report and the letter to Sakura was in Neji's pocket. They ran silently and fast, going at the top speeds they could muster. Reaching Konoha, they went directly to the Hokage's office to see Naruto. When they burst through the door, the secretaries were trying to stop them. Naruto's first thought was that they ran into each other on the way back and Ino made Neji carry her, until he saw the blood running off of Ino's dangling finger tips. Then he saw the kunai. Seeing Naruto's eyes widen, Neji put Ino on the couch and Shikamaru told Naruto that she was dead. Naruto started to think that if only he had given her some back up that she would have lived. Neji turned and slapped him, knowing what he was thinking. He looked at all of them and said, "Naruto the same thing would have happened no matter how many people were there. You all know Ino, she's probably happy that she went out with a fight. She would also yell at you guys for the ways you're acting. She would want you to be strong, and I need you to be strong. I'm going to need your help, not only for me but for Inorai also."
They all felt a little ashamed. They were only thinking about themselves, not about the people who had to be told. Naruto started, "We need to tell her parents and friends first. After that I will make an announcement. I have a feeling that Ino touched more people than we think. I'll tell Sakura, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Ibiki."
"I'll tell her parents with Chouji, and Kiba can tell Hinata and Shino. I'll also tell Tenten and Lee for you, Neji," spoke Shikamaru in a soft voice.
"Thanks. I think the real problem will be my Uncle. Hiashi liked her enough to act the part of her father-in-law. I've seen him laughing and smiling with her more than I've even seen him do it with Hinata." Neji then started to really feel the weight that Ino was never coming back. As the others were leaving, Neji remembered when he first asked Ino out.
Flashback
Ino had just become a jounin and Sakura decided to hold a party in her honor and the other people who had passed. Neji was at the party too, well Tenten forced him there because all of their friends were going to be there and Sakura forced her to force him.
After about an hour of trying to get Tenten drunk, he finally succeeded. That meant he was free. The party had been going on for two hours before he had gotten there so everyone was pretty wasted. Lee was out on a mission luckily. He walked outside trying to avoid the drunken people that were everywhere.
Finally outside he walked to the pond that was located next to the place. To his surprise, he found Ino there. She was in the middle of the pond. As he walked up, he noticed that she was meditating. Watching her, he saw how the moon's light on her made her look like an angel.
"I know that you're there Neji," she said, not even looking in his direction.
"What are you doing out here, I thought that you would be inside at the center of the party," he said as he walked out and sat beside her.
She looked over at him, "I'm meditating. I have to do it every day so that I don't lose my mind and myself. Yamanakas have to have a strong sense of self to be able to come out of someone else's being and still be the same. That's the real reason behind the Yamanaka's confidence. Also, contrary to popular belief I don't really like parties."
Neji then got up and grabbed her hand. "What are you doing, Neji?" Ino asked, standing up confused.
"I'm taking you to a restaurant so that we can continue talking. I like hearing you speak. There is so much I thought I knew about you that isn't true, and I don't like not knowing the right information," he said as he pulled her towards town.
End flashback
He was all alone with Ino now. He just sat there on the ground holding her hand, afraid to let go. He was just thinking to himself. 'What am I going to do without you? How do you expect me to be strong? I can't live without you,' he thought. Then he remembered a conversation that they had when Ino was pregnant.
Flashback
"Hey, Hyuuga, stop being so negative," Ino said with an exasperated sigh.
"First, just saying the last name doesn't really work when it's your last name too. You could have gotten killed, and I can't live without you."
"Okay, just because I go on a mission while I'm just starting to be pregnant, does not mean that I'm automatically going to die. Also, it's not that you can't live it's that you don't want to live without me. In my opinion, that's pretty weak of you."
Neji swept his wife into an embrace and asked, "How would you expect me to live in you're not here?"
"Like you would every day. Keep up my garden but otherwise don't forget, only remember the good times. As we're on the topic, I want colors, lots of colors. I would want my funeral to be happy not sad, but that won't happen for a long time." She then smiled and kissed him.
End flashback
Neji got to his feet and smirked. He knew that he had to abide by her words.
"Oh my god," he heard Sakura scream behind him. She started to cry profusely. This caused Neji to pull her into a hug and let her cry on his shoulder.
After a minute or two, Neji sat her down on a chair and gave her a note addressed to her. "Sakura, Ino wrote this for you before the mission. Stay here with her body; I have to tell my daughter and the Hyuuga clan."
Sakura nodded and watched him leave. He was so strong, Ino was so proud of him for all he overcame. She looked down and opened the note.
Sakura, I saw you the other day and you seemed so confident. It made me so proud. I still regard myself as your best friend, and I want you to know that if your confidence breaks again, you won't need me to help you. I know you have it in you. Also just so you know, the ribbon that was tied around the flowers that were tied around the flowers that Lee gave to you for your birthday, it's the same one that we had all those years ago. He asked me for something that you would hold precious. Anyway, he loves you so much and he will be there for you always. Love, your friend, Ino.
Sakura starred at the note for a while, crying profusely. Then she collapsed to her knees, hugging herself. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, looking up she saw Ino's fathers. Sakura noticed that while one arm was hugging her, the other was grabbing hold of Ino's hand.
She returned the hug, realizing that he needed her comfort just as much as she needed his.
At the Hyuuga Mansion
Neji was almost tackled to the ground as his daughter jumped into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her squeezing her lightly. He then said, "Hunny, why don't you go out and play with your friends. I hear that Shikaya is playing with Chouga at the park."
She gave her father a kiss and leapt out of his arms. Running to the park before he decided that she should train or study more, she didn't even look back.
"Neji, is something wrong? Inorai is always the one to ask to play with her friends, you are never the one to suggest it," Hinata asked her cousin walking out to greet him.
Neji pulled her into an embrace and started to cry. First Hinata ushered Neji into the house. "What's wrong, Neji?"
"Sh-she's gone. Ino's gone," he started to break down even more.
"W-what do you mean gone?" Hinata asked not knowing if he meant kidnapped, left him, or, heavens forbid, dead.
"She was killed on her mission," Neji said trying to regain his composure.
"WHAT?" Hinata and Neji turned to find Hiashi behind them.
"Father, Ino was killed on a mission," Hinata said with tears falling down her face as she remembered what Ino had done for her.
Flashback
They were 18 years old.
"Hey Hinata-chan," Naruto yelled as he ran past her. Hinata just blushed profusely.
"You're never going to catch him like that you know," Ino said as she walked out of the flower shop.
"What a-are you talking about, Ino-chan?"
"Fine, this is going to be hard, but I'll give you the same treatment that I gave Sakura when she was shy. Come on, you're coming with me today. We have a lot to do, so be prepared to get your hands dirty."
Hinata swore that they had met everyone and done everything. They had helped weed every garden, get groceries for some stay at home moms, and they even helped the baker with dough preparations.
"How did you meet all of these people Ino?" Walking down the street, almost every person said hello to Ino.
"I've met a lot of people through the flower shop, but every week end I help out at the orphanage and kindergarten. I also help the farmers harvest because in the spring they help me with flowers. A lot of the moms know me through their kids. I teach some shinobi classes in the spring to help out Iruka with learning about spying. Normally the spies want their identities to be kept silent. In my mind, if you're a good spy then the enemy wouldn't know if it was you. A lot of the other people I just helped out along the way. Sometimes they don't have enough money to hire a ninja to help, so I help them for whatever I can get. I guess it's just in my nature, they all except me and would do it for me so I should be able to do it for them."
End flashback
It was then that Hinata realized the real weight of the situation. "Neji, father, we are going to have a problem."
"Why, Hinata?" her father asked.
"Well, I think that this will be the final straw. The sound has taken too much. Sasuke left and everyone was sad but not everyone knew and liked Sasuke. Ino, on the other hand, helped everyone that she could."
"Yea, even when she was nine months pregnant and ready to burst," Neji snuck in.
"I'm going to a council meeting and I'll bring it up there. Also, I'll make Naruto tell the truth."
As Hiashi left, Hinata ushered Neji to his room to sleep. When she walked back into the living room, her husband was there.
"The funeral is tomorrow and the whole town knows. Apparently a guard saw Ino and told everyone," he said as he slumped into a chair. Hinata walked over to him and kissed his cheek.
"Neji is asleep."
"You know something amazing. This will be one of the most extravagant funerals ever and it's going to be completely free. Everything is going to be donated."
"That's because she touched a lot of people and will be very missed"
"You don't need to let me know that she helps everyone. I have my own personal experience."
Flashback
"Naruto are you sure that you want to tell everyone about the kyuubi?" Tsunade asked a little unsure about this whole thing.
"I'm going to be their Hokage; I should have no secrets from them."
Twenty minutes later
"Naruto," Tsunade was worried. People were starting call him names, little kids were shaking with fear. She could see that it was affecting him. Even his friends were looking at him strangely.
"Ino," Naruto gasped as Ino pulled him into a hug. Among the many things he felt in it, he didn't feel any fear. He felt warmth, care, and a mother like love the most.
She then pulled Naruto to walk with her. "Come on, you say the reason why you're the way you are is because of how bad your life was, well I like you the way you are so suck it up. AND you guys, quit acting like babies, it's still the same idiotic Naruto."
Everyone seemed to snap out of it at her yelling. Shikamaru laughed and thought, 'I should have expected this.' He then walked over and helped Ino take Naruto to Ichraku's at their friends' expense.
End flashback
'If Ino hadn't been there, I doubt that I would have been accepted.'
The day of Ino's funeral was perfect. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and the bees were buzzing. All of the flowers were open and blowing in the wind. There were even white puffy clouds for Shikamaru. Everyone agreed that this was the day Ino would have wanted for her funeral. Inorai was standing with her Shika and Chou, as Ino would call them.
There was a mass of shinobi standing behind all of them, mostly ANBU and jounin.
Today was the day of Ino Hyuuga's funeral. It was also the day that Konoha went to war with Oto.
The sound was worried; no country would come to their aid knowing Ino's friends and family.