How far she come since their days at the Academy? Her progress far surpassed his own. She was a top kunoichi, a botanist and a medic. She excelled at the techniques of her clan. These accomplishments made her a worthy rival of the fifth Hokage's apprentice. Yet to Chouji she was more than that.
She was a good teammate and friend. Someone who he could rely on when times got tough. When the Third died and when their sensei Asuma had been killed she was at his side. She was one of his closest friends. However, he was not sure what he could do for her now.
The news of the decision of most of their friends to execute that traitor, Sasuke Uchiha, had shaken her. Despite the number of years that had passed since his betrayal of the village, Ino still had some feelings for him. He wondered how strong those feelings were and how they could still exist. They had not been mutual; the Uchiha had overlooked her completely. He wondered if her reaction had something to do with her best friend and rival, Sakura, who had truly loved that traitor. Any answer that did not confirm her lingering feelings for him.
The sound of her cying brought him out of his pensive state. Her eyes were red; tears ran down her cheeks. Protectively he wrapped his arm around her bare shoulders and pulled her closer.
"Ino," he said, looking her in the eyes to express his question without words. Noticing the signal, she replied, "Why did it come to this?" She put her head on his shoulder.
"You know as well as I do," he answered plainly. He then added, "Any other missing-nin would have been disposed of by now, especially one who is recognized as an international criminal."
"He isn't any other missing-nin. He's someone from our class at the Academy, who took the Chunin exams for the first time with us, who grieved with us at the Third's funeral, who cared deeply for his teammates." Her argument was one he could not deny; everything she had just said was true. However, they applied only to the person he had been four years ago.
"That Sasuke doesn't exist anymore. I realized it after the retrival mission. Did Sakura tell you what happened on their first mission with Sai? Sasuke tried to kill Naruto!" His voice shook from anger. An expression of shock crossed Ino's face.
"How did you know that? Sakura said it was classified when she told me." He laughed. "Naruto told me."
"Still it seems almost wrong that we're going to have to kill one of our own," she said. Her loyalty to fellow shinobi ran deep, even when it was undeserved.
"This life is full of tough choices. Iruka-sensei taught us that. Asuma-sensei told us to depend on each other in those hard times," he replied. He then decided to take a risk.
"Depend on me," he told her. Blue eyes met dark ones.
"I always have," she replied. She then pulled him into a hug. He held her as she whispered in his ear "You're the strongest person I know."