Author's notes:
Honestly, I don't really have any excuse for not updating fanfiction as much as I could have. Life get's in the way and the end of day, fanfiction is a hobby and it is supposed to enhance your life, not consume it.
To be honest, after having read all of my previous stories, I don't really like any of them and I am tired of writing about the same sorts of things. That's why this new story is going to be something different. Naruto will definitely be in the story, featuring a significant amount but he will not be the main character.
I've been interested to see if I can write a female character and I have been bored writing about Naruto over the past near decade which is crazy to think about but that's a different tangent I could go down.
Anyway, here is a start of a new story. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for either potential plots that you may think might work or jutsu skillsets you think would be interesting, please let me know.
x-X-x
Coming home from work, Inoichi was greeted with the site of his lovely daughter. "Daddy!" the 9-year-old girl cried, latching onto his waist.
"What's up princess?" The father of one questioned? Wondering what caused his daughter to be crying.
"It's Sakura-baka!" This through the blonde haired man for a loop. What had happened between the two? As far as he was aware, the two were best friends.
"What happened with Sakura honey?" He liked the pink haired girl and hated to see something come between their friendship.
"Sh-She told me she likes Sasuke-kun!" Tears threatened to spill over the edge of her pale cheeks.
Oh no! Inoichi panicked. Alarm bells started ringing. He definitely wasn't ready for his baby princess to start liking boys in that way! Please tell me this is only about Sakura, please tell me this is only about Sakura! Inoichi prayed! His precious, innocent little girl was still yet to crack double digits.
"She then said we can't be friends because I also like Sasuke-kun!" The head of the Yamanaka clan sucked in a breath as he wished this wasn't the case.
"Oh Ino-chan. I'm sorry you lost a friend. I want you to remember though that you did nothing wrong. Sakura-chan was the one who ended the friendship."
"But it hurts!" Ino bellowed and tears finally fell down her face. Inoichi's heart broke when he saw his daughter like this. He hated seeing in her in pain. As much as he wanted to tell her it would be alright and that kids at these ages were stupid, he thought it would be a poignant lesson for his daughter to learn.
"I'm sure it does sweetie." Inoichi commented as he consoled his daughter, rubbing her back affectionately.
"Now why do you like Sasuke-kun, Ino-chan?" Inoichi questioned and he hoped his daughter would give him the honest answer. Both he and his wife prided themselves on the fact that they had created an environment where Ino could come to them and tell them anything, free of judgement.
Immediately, the tears dried up and a smile was brought to her face. She was much happier to talk about her crush than she was her former best friend. "Because he is so mysterious and cute daddy." The way she said this was in a tone that Inoichi was stupid for not even being able to tell why.
The Yamanaka clan head almost rolled his eyes. "So he's attractive and you don't know much about him. Tell me Ino-chan, what do you know about him?" He wanted to be careful as this was a make or break time for his daughter. In addition to this, he had a duty of care to another child. Sasuke Uchiha.
Inoichi for the past two years had been Sasuke's primary therapist and knew quite a lot about the young child who had been subjected to a lot more than anyone, regardless of age should.
Ino had to think on that question from her father for a moment. "Well he's really good at ninjutsu and taijutsu, he's pretty smart and he's an orphan somehow. Oh and he also is really quiet and doesn't have many friends. If he just gave me a chance, I could be his friend and help him from being lonely!"
Pride swelled inside Inoichi, hearing how much his little girl cared about people. "Right and what happens when you do try and speak to him. Not just you but the other girls that seem to like Sasuke?" The blonde haired man questioned to which Ino put her hand on her face to think. Her previous issues with Sakura long since forgotten.
"He mostly ignores them or says no to any suggestion."
"I see. Ino-chan, I don't want to be mean when I say this, I just want you to think critically and answer what I have to say." He prepared for his princess to get defensive. When he saw the nod though, he continued on. "Do you think Sasuke actually wants a girlfriend?"
"…No" it was painful to admit because she had a crush on the boy but she couldn't deny it.
"Not right now at least. Boys mature a little slower than girl's sweetie. If you want my opinion, you constantly asking him for dates is only pushing him away." Inoichi grinned internally when he saw the cute look of horror on his daughter's face.
"Whoa? Explain daddy!" Inoichi struggled to contain laughter as he saw his 9-year-old try and be intimidating.
"Well just think, if you had a bunch of people coming up to you, constantly pressuring you to be their boyfriend when you didn't like any of them, how annoyed would you get?"
Ino didn't really have to think on that at all. For the past few weeks, she had seen Naruto asking Sakura for dates and it wasn't cool. Is that how I come across to Sasuke-kun!? Ino thought to herself in panic.
"I'd get really annoyed daddy. What do you think I should do?" When Ino looked up at him as she asked this, Inoichi was completely wrapped around his little girl's finger. Steeling himself, Inoichi steeled himself. Little did he know just how much one piece of advice would change his princess' outlook on the world.
"I'm not saying that you shouldn't be interested in a boyfriend Ino-chan." He had to pick his battles and that was something that he could deal with at a later time. "What I want you to do though is promise me that you will put yourself first. Focus on making yourself the best kunoichi you can be. Once you graduate from the academy, you can see if getting a boyfriend still interests you that much. Plus. I'll give you a hint. If Sasuke sees that every girl is focused on making him their boyfriend and not really focusing on their skills as a shinobi, something that he cares quite a lot about… well it's going to make you stand out, isn't it?"
Eyes widened as she realised what her daddy was saying. It's true! All those girls including Sakura-baka, they all chase him around. I want to be different. I want to be better than that!
"Daddy! Train me!" Ino proudly proclaimed, hands standing proud on her hips and she stared as forcefully as she could into her father's eyes.
"I wouldn't have it any other way princess. Follow me."
The father and daughter duo left the entrance way to their house and walked into the back yard. "Alright honey. Now that you are serious about training, this isn't going to be easy but I know you are strong enough to complete it!"
The thought of working out didn't sit all too well with the nine-year-old however she didn't want to disappoint her father. "Okay daddy!" And so begun the workout of hell as Ino would call it. She did everything from dips to pullups, squats to planks and every other exercise in between. The sprints were what she hated the most.
The Yamanaka princess didn't like the idea of working out and gaining muscles, thinking it would make her look bulky. In the back of her mind though, she knew that she promised her dad that she wouldn't focus on boys and focus on herself. That way, with no boys to impress, she didn't need to keep a skinny figure as much.
After an hour and half, the girl was drenched in sweat. It was the first time that she had finished workout, sweating like a mess. The training session was far from easy; it was simple though. Just put in the effort and you will complete it.
"Dinner is almost ready Ino-chan." Ino's mother, Asuka Yamanaka called out to her daughter. She was proud to see the willingness her daughter was showing.
Food had never sounded so good. The second her mind heard that amazing word, Ino's stomach made its feelings about the situation known. A grumbling stomach was soon heard much to the nine-year old's embarrassment.
"I'm hungry mama, what's for dinner?"
"Well darling, we have miso soup, rice, a chicken dish, pork dish and finally a fish meal." It all sounded good as far as Ino was concerned and she couldn't wait to eat.
"You have to have a shower first missy." Ino knew better not to argue it as her mum was one of the biggest clean freaks in the world.
10 minutes later and a shower was had. Ino came down the stairs in her pyjamas, the smell of food assaulting her senses.
"Mmmh. That was really yummy mama." Ino said with a grin on her face. She was surprised with the amount she ate. The blonde haired girl at more than double what she normally used to eat.
And what was Inoichi's opinion on all of this? He couldn't be happier. He knew just how much what you ate affected your ability as a ninja. Hopefully this would be the start of a new Ino which would take training seriously. He couldn't wait to rub it in the faces of Shikaku and Chouza.
"Ino-chan, you did the hard part of training, do you want to do the fun part?" Inoichi questioned to which his little girl's face lit up with a massive smile. It melted his heart.
"Are you finally going to teach me some clan jutsus!?"
"I'm going to teach you some prerequisites." He countered. It wasn't quite the same but Ino couldn't complain too much.
"Okay daddy!" The nine-year-old happily replied as she skipped outside, eager to learn.
"Right so what we are going to learn about today is the next step up from the leaf balancing exercise. This one is called tree climbing." Ino was rapt with attention as she focused on every single word her father said.
"What I want you to do, is to lay on your back, with your feet touching the base of the tree. Gather chakra into your feet and try walk up the tree as you normally would. Each step, you will need to regulate your chakra and make sure you use the right amount. Too little and you won't stick to the tree, too much and you will blow right through the tree and not grip it."
After he said this, Inoichi demonstrated the action whilst making his chakra visible to the naked eye, making it easier to grasp. Nodding, she placed her feet against the tree just like her dad said and started to channel chakra.
At first she started with a small amount and didn't feel any grip at all. It too 20 seconds after progressively increasing the amount used to get the right amount but when she felt confident, Ino started walking up the tree.
Proud was an understatement as Inoichi watched his little girl complete the tree climbing exercise for the first time on her first go. Sure, he, as a sensor could tell she had miniscule chakra reserves, but that was not the point. They could easily be worked on, especially as she was only nine. There was so much time for her coils to grow in size.
Ino slowly came back down the same side of the tree. "I did it daddy!"
"You did! That was great honey! You should be so proud of yourself!" Looking at her father's reaction, she wasn't entirely too sure who was happier despite the fact that she was the one who did the exercise. She beamed with excitement when her father came up to her and gave her a hug.
"Does this mean I get to learn clan jutsus now daddy?"
"Soon Princess." He said affectionately, rubbing her hair, much to her annoyance as it messed up all the effort she put in just after the shower. "I promise, if you keep training hard between now and your birthday, I'll promise to teach you some clan jutsus and even a few other things!" A grin was on his face.
My birthday is in two months. "But daddy! That's ages away!" Ino called out, none too happy with that suggestion.
"I promise Ino, I will. Sometimes the life of a shinobi isn't glamorous and it doesn't always go the way you would like. I'm only doing this for your benefit, please trust me." As he said this, Inoichi placed his hand on the shoulder of his daughter. As much as Inoichi was wrapped around his daughter's fingers, Ino was daddy's little princess and admired him the most out of anyone in the world.
She would trust him even if she didn't like it. "Okay daddy."
"Hey! You will be thanking me for it later. Don't think that we will stop your training. Doing all of this now, you're going to be that much better prepared for when it comes time to learn our clan ninjutsu."
Inoichi paused for a moment before continuing. "Now Ino-chan, I want you to keep walking up and down the tree. Your chakra control is very good; however, your chakra reserves are fairly small. If you want to be able to use our clan jutsus well, you will need to have both good chakra control and also have larger reserves."
It wasn't fun but it lit a fire in Ino as she was determined to do her clan proud. After all, she was the clan heir and her daddy's princess.
x-X-x
"Arrrgh!" Ino screamed as she didn't pay attention to where Sasuke was and just sat down between Shikamaru and Choji. It wasn't a surprise for Ino to sit near her childhood friends, it was just her body language that surprised the two.
Shikamaru popped his head up off his outstretched arms and looked at his long-time friend who was as close to a sister he assumed he was going to get. There's no point asking her, it's too troublesome. She's going to tell us anyway no doubt.
"Chip?" Choji questioned, holding out the bag, not expecting Ino to take any because she was trying to keep her figure in check for Sasuke Uchiha.
Absentmindedly, Ino took one which spoke volumes to Choji and Shikamaru. Something must have seriously pissed off their friend if she was acting like this. The Nara clan heir actually paid attention for once, wondering what was going on and if there was that he could do to help. Sure he was lazy but he was not insensitive.
"I just don't get how she could say something like that!?" Ino ranted, not caring who heard her. Iruka-sensei was out of the class.
"What happened Ino?" Shikamaru bit the bullet and spoke up.
"Suzume-sensei! She said that girls could never be as strong as boys! That we had to focus on things like flower pressing and tea ceremonies!" It went against everything her father had taught her. That, if she put her mind to something, she could achieve anything she wanted.
It was a backwards view that Ino definitely did not agree with. She wasn't going to live her life, always having to be weary of boys. To have to be careful and make sure she didn't offend anyone.
Little did any of the three know but there was a girl hailing from the Hyuga clan who was intently listening.
"That's bullcrap! If I put in the effort, I bet I can be just as good of a ninja as the boys! Heck, I'm better than the resident dumbass."
"Oi!" Naruto shouted out, not liking the comment.
Ino ignored him, the little ball of sass was on a rant. "I'm better than both you two, no offence."
"None taken." And Shikamaru honestly didn't care. That was far too troublesome.
"I'm the best damn kunoichi in this class and that's without even trying, I bet I can become the rookie of the year with trying!"
"That's it!" Ino shouted proudly, an idea forming in her head. It was a lofty dream but she knew that if she set her mind to something, she could complete it. "I'm going to become the best ever kunoichi and show the world that girls can be just as strong as men if they put in the effort!" Once she finished her impassioned speech, she slammed her fist down on the table, open palm.
It freaking hurt.
Not that she was going to let anyone see that however. That pain only strengthened her resolve in her plan for the future.
Sakura could only look on in jealousy, wishing that she could have that same amount of confidence her former friend had. The pink haired girl wished she could go back to yesterday and not say that they couldn't be friends. Pride was a powerful crutch though and Sakura's wouldn't let her say she was sorry and that she was wrong.
Shikamaru looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow. A multitude of thoughts were going through his head. If she gets so powerful she does all the work on the team, that will mean that I don't have to!
She's so confident! Hinata looked on in awe at Ino. What she sore now was the same thing she saw in Naruto. That drive and determination which she did not.
Sasuke merely narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the idea of someone taking his title of rookie of the year, especially a girl. Sasuke, being only 9 years old was unaware of misogyny and merely thought that girls had cooties.
"You show 'em Ino!" Naruto proclaimed which surprised the blonde. She turned around and flashed him a smile which Sakura didn't like too much.
"Quiet kids! The lesson is about to start." Iruka mentioned as we walked into the room, unaware of what had just transpired. Ino turned around and sat back into her seat, a furious expression marring her face.
x-X-x
Training up until the night before was something that Ino did and if she was honest with herself, she wasn't really putting in effort, she was mainly going through the motions and completing the required amount for homework.
Not today though. Not after her run in with her sensei Suzume. Now that she had made her declaration of becoming the best ever kunoichi to live, Ino knew that she couldn't become the best without giving it her all. The blonde-haired girl knew that there was someone out there willing to give it absolutely everything they had and if she wasn't willing to commit similarly, then she wasn't going to be able to reach her goal.
Ino had been called a prideful, stubborn bitch. She never saw that as an insult though. In her eyes, she was a headstrong, assertive girl who knew how to get what she wanted.
She got home first before everyone and headed straight for the backyard. It was where she did her training and the academy student had a serious amount of frustration to vent. Much like the night before, Ino focused on her physical training first and foremost.
Out of all the areas one could train, the girl knew that this was the one that she knew that she could improve on the most. At least, in terms of effort. She hated doing it because it hurt.
Instead of simply going through the motions, Ino put thought into the movements and pushed herself, shortening the rest periods between exercises and sets to as little as possible. She was sweating, her body hurt. Despite this, Ino knew she gave it her all and was happy with the performance. That, included with the endorphins running through her body right now actually felt pretty good.
Ya know, this isn't all that bad Ino thought to herself, pushing her small frame off of the ground. Gathering her things, Ino walked back into the house and was surprised to find her mum waiting for her with a glass of orange juice and a sandwich. Ino was too hungry to think about her former diet and inhaled the food.
"Mama! The academy was bad today!" A frown was formed on the girl's face as she remembered what had happened
Flash Back
'This is boring; how come we have to learn how to make tea. The boys get to work on their taijutsu while we have to do this?' Ino thought to herself as she did what she was asked. Ever since her speech the day before, she realized how the boys had an advantage as they got more training sessions in something that mattered more when it came to being a ninja.
Her opinion was one that Ino was definitely not shy in voicing. "Suzume-sensei, why are we doing this, why do we have to learn how to do these crappy tea ceremonies." Admittedly, she wasn't as critical in having lessons on flower pressing because she enjoyed that and had a hobby in flowers.
Tea ceremonies though, she had no interest in them whatsoever.
"Well because this is something that a kunoichi has to do. As a lady, you may need to do this on a mission." Suzume replied although she was hesitant to mention the real reason was that it was a stepping stone to go towards more adult, lessons that women will need to learn.
Ever inquisitive, Ino couldn't take that as the sole answer. "But why sensei? Why is it something that only kunoichi have to do? Why don't boys do this as well?"
Suzume shifted slightly in her seat. A sign that she was feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Tea ceremonies and flower pressing are skills that will help you when you go on to learn more advanced lessons."
"Such as?" As the discussion went on, more and more girls stopped what they were doing and focused on the conversation between Ino and their sensei, Suzume.
In the end, the black-haired woman sighed. It was a harsh truth that they tried to shield the girls from but unfortunately, the life of a ninja, let alone that of a kunoichi was not always as glamorous as it seemed. "Infiltration, seduction. Not all missions are combat missions. Some, you will need to use what makes you feminine to complete your objective. Men are physically bigger, faster and stronger than women and are stronger shinobi. Not all battles are won through might." As she said this, Suzume still tried to be delicate in her delivery.
Ino, aghast at the revelation that men were in what the teacher was saying that women had to act a certain way because men were stronger was not something that sat well with the Yamanaka clan heir.
"I don't wanna have to be nice to people because I have to! I wanna be nice to people 'cause I want to! Boys would still have to do infiltration and seduction missions." She still didn't get why she had to do tea ceremonies when Sasuke, someone who was stronger than her got to work on something that would directly help them get even stronger.
Annoyed at not being able to get through to her student, Suzume got short with the headstrong girl in front of her. "Women are physiologically weaker than men. We are the homemakers, the ones that care for children whilst the men make the money. It's a fact of life. Get used to it." Suzume had to.
The thing was though, Ino grew up in a different time compared to Suzume. The world was more progressive and open to ideas such as equality. The world wasn't equal, but there was more chance of a woman these days being on the same footing as a male.
Not that Ino knew any of this. She just didn't see the same obstacles in front of her that Suzume saw as a child going through her formative years whilst there was a war taking place.
End Flash Back
Ino finished telling how her day went to her mother. To a degree, she saw where the teacher was coming from, however, she didn't agree that you should impart gender stereotypes on people so young. It was basically telling them what they can and can't do, also telling them how to live their life.
Not wanting to give her own opinion on the matter, she wanted to see what her precious little daughter was going to do. "Now, Ino-chan, what are you going to do about it?" Asuka questioned to her little girl. After being married to a ninja who focused on the mind, you tended to pick up a few things on how to steer conversations where you wanted them.
"I'm gonna prove her wrong! I'm going to become the best kunoichi ever and lead by example, showing other girls that they can do the same if they put their mind to it." You couldn't begin to believe the amount of pride that swelled in Asuka when she heard her daughter's passionate speech.
Admittedly, she didn't think that Ino really realized just how much of a proclamation she was making and just how hard it would be to change the way the world worked. That being said, Asuka was not going to crush the dreams of her daughter. It was a wonderful dream to believe in and she was going to help in any way she could because she loved her daughter. She was a mum after all.
x-X-x
So focused on her training, Ino barely realized that two months had passed by. The blonde had a one track mind when it came to progressing as a kunoichi and it the fruits of her efforts showed.
Every day after school, she was getting home and getting stuck into her workout. Every few days her dad changed it up on her in terms of exercises but they were all just as hard. Ino was starting to see progress in her body and to her eyes it looked like she was losing weight!
What she didn't realize was that, not including normal growing that children do, she was actually staying at the same weight, just converting tiny amounts of fat into muscle. All of this happened whilst increasing the amount of food she ate.
The increase in calories made her mood better, her hormones more stable, her skin nicer and a whole host of other benefits that Ino didn't initially realize would happen.
Her taijutsu was improving as well, now with the increase in muscle, she was able to push harder, strike faster and keep up for longer. Whilst she wasn't the best in taijutsu, now that she had been training seriously for the past 2 months, she had noticed rapid improvements.
It was addicting in a way, seeing the amount of progress she was making, the blonde wanted it to continue. All of her hard work and she had physical proof that it was working!
This significant physical improvement was contributing to her increased ability when it came to chakra. Her spiritual energy was high and overpowered her physical energy quite a lot. The balance was slowly shifting towards an even split.
It wasn't just her physical training that helped this though, Ino had been practicing the tree walking exercise every single day, before moving onto the water walking exercise. The water walking exercise took her a week to get to the point where she could stand on it without issues, another to be able to walk on it and then an additional week to be able to run on it.
Of course, there were a few mishaps along the way where she got wet, much the amusement of her watching parents. The second she could though, Inoichi made Ino complete as much training as she could on the water's surface.
It was a three-fold strategy to not only increase his girl's stamina but also to increase her ability to multi task, an important asset to have whilst increasing her chakra capacity. Ino had been told by her mother than women, on average had better chakra control than boys however, boys had a bit more overall chakra.
As it was explained to the girl, it was a fair trade as far as she was concerned. Boys had more chakra but wasted it whereas girls had more finesse with their chakra and were more efficient, leaving it to be fairly even.
What did Ino do with this information though? She vowed to increase her chakra reserves!
Initially, Inoichi saw this as a fad but it was now two months in and his daughter whom he loved so dearly didn't show any signs of slowing down. He was proud of the amount of effort his daughter was putting in her training to be a kunoichi.
He had a few ideas for gifts for his daughter's upcoming birthday.
Watching his little princess train, Inoichi knew that Ino was going to be training outside for the next hour or so if her previous training sessions were anything to go by. He grinned. "Asuka-chan, Ino's going to be outside for a while which means we have the house to ourselves."