Disclaimer: The story here is non-profit and for purely entertainment purposes; nor is it affiliated to Shueisha, Akamaru Jump, Shonen Jump or any other publishers of Naruto. The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto and the plot belongs to me.
Summary: On the eve of the Academy Graduation Exam, Ino finds herself crossing into another's dream, an ability unique to the Yamanaka. Ready to delve into the Shinobi world, she is eager to develop her skills as a ninja, all the while seeking the person hidden in her slumber.
Special thanks to Gia for being my Beta. I could not have done this without you.
A Long-Standing Dream
By Sketchmin
Chapter One: The First Encounter
Ino Yamanaka entered the classroom tiredly, distancing herself from Sakura as she headed toward her seat near the window. Her morning had gotten off to a bad start and she was in no mood to go along with their usual antics. Frankly, she was growing tired of competing over every little thing, as if a race to the classroom would make a difference at all.
Ino knew their bouts were petty, but she couldn't help but be pulled into them; she hated losing more than anything. She walked past her crush, eyeing him out of the corner of her eye. She had always admired Sasuke, always appreciated his handsome demeanor, his prowess, his dark allure. He was the most put together boy in class. His tragic story had made her heart even weaker toward him. Apparently, other girls felt similarly.
When Sakura had realized Ino's love interest was the same as her own, she promptly turned their friendship into a rivalry. Ino had been too surprised to react at the time, unable to understand how a single boy could cause Sakura to change so much without her help. Ino had offered no protest, merely a weak nod. Her inability to speak up at that time upset her. Where had the timid Sakura gone, the one that hid behind her shadows and looked up to her? Ino had been glad for Sakura's newfound confidence, but was saddened with the idea she was no longer needed. How did Sakura see her now? She didn't want to become just some sort of benchmark to be surpassed.
Ino glanced furtively at her pink-haired rival. Irritated as she was at the current development, she missed her friend. Sakura had been the one who knew her best. Even now, Ino sometimes turned to her, bursting to fill her in on a funny story, still used to giggling with Sakura over juicy details she had heard. She sighed heavily, grabbing the books from her bag to prepare for class.
Shikamaru who had just sat down stared at her curiously, "Good morning to you too. I didn't think you were that glad to see me."
Ino replied, rolling her eyes in return, "As if I would be glad to see your lazy ass. It's just been a bad morning. I mean, I know you think all mornings are bad. Mine started off worse than usual. I had a bad dream last night but I can't remember..."
Ino's annoyance level had risen slightly when she realized Shikamaru had already fallen asleep. Hopeless, she thought, and muttered under her breath, "Lazy ass, can't even complete a conversation. I hate you, you know that?"
Shikamaru's reply was a quiet snore, which served to irritate her more. Shikamaru and Chouji had come to fill in the void that Sakura's departure left. Sure, they sometimes annoyed her and were weird as hell, but they were alright. Not a replacement for Sakura but great friends to have nonetheless. Although Shikamaru always fell asleep after entering the class each morning, it annoyed her more today. Though she would usually scoff at how quickly he went to sleep, she felt like joining him this time. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night.
Iruka-sensei strolled into class, and greeted the class happily enough, "Good morning."
"Morning," Ino grumbled in reply.
The lesson wore on, and Ino felt herself trudging along. She could only put up a weak defense against falling sleep. It didn't help that the topic was History, Ino's least favorite subject. Iruka-sensei's voice droned on, rhythmically matching the nodding of her head. It briefly occurred to her that perhaps she had found the ultimate cure to insomnia. She fell asleep at that thought, a smile adorning her face as she rested her cheek on the desk.
"There once appeared a nine-tailed fox," Iruka's voice followed her into her slumber, "Its mighty tails could crumble mountains and cause tsunamis."
Ino's smile faded as she was reminded of the tale that had been told and retold. Yet, as many times as she had heard the account, the story itself seemed more fantasy than reality. Weren't demons fabrications parents invented in order to scare their children into listening? She didn't know.
When she was younger, Ino had accidentally wandered upon the very spot where the fox was supposed to have appeared. The ground had been barren, almost cursed. Empty craters and broken trees still littered the area, subtle reminders that the past was very true.
Iruka-sensei's voice blended into her dreamscape, "To fight the demon, the people assembled all the shinobi from the village. One brave shinobi was able to seal up the demon, but because of that he lost his life. That shinobi was called the 4th Hokage-"
"Iruka-sensei! You've got to come quick!"
The heads of everyone in the class turned immediately to the door of the classroom. Ino frowned in her sleep, reflexively opening an eye to peer at what disrupted her from her sleep.
"It's Naruto. You won't believe what he's done."
Ino's eyes shot over to Iruka, noting him give a hasty apology before rushing out the classroom. Hoping for a better explanation, she turned to Shikamaru and asked, "What's going on?"
"How should I know?" replied Shikamaru, who had just stirred from his nap. He yawned and stretched his arms in the air. He blinked slowly and said, "I've been asleep."
"No duh, but don't you and Naruto hang out?"
"Not really. We skip class a few times together but that doesn't mean we're best buds or anything."
"Oh," said Ino after a small pause.
She was slightly curious as to what Naruto was doing this time. The last time Iruka-sensei was pulled from class, Naruto had been caught painting his face all over buildings throughout town. It's not that she disliked Naruto. It was more like he was a dumbass. He was annoying. He talked too much, complained too much and always picked fights with Sasuke. Whereas Sasuke was quiet and mature, Naruto was loud and a showboat. She laughed a little and said, "Probably something dumb."
Shikamaru shrugged and looked past her, outside the window. His eyes squinted, trying to concentrate on something in the distance and his mouth opened slightly in shock. He pointed out the window and laughed, "I bet it has something to do with that. There, look there!"
"God, boys are stupid," said Ino, staring wide-eyed at the newly altered Hokage monument, "Are all boys like this?"
Her classmates had already begun to notice Naruto's handiwork, and her voice was lost amidst the noise. Apparently, Naruto had decided the Hokage faces needed some touch up, marked permanent with paint. She couldn't help but laugh.
Ino was still laughing when a pissed looking Iruka dragged a tied-up Naruto into class. The sight of Naruto tied up, legs sprawled apart, still trying to act defiant seemed too ridiculous and made her smile even harder. She didn't think herself particularly cruel for enjoying Naruto's current state.
"Tomorrow is the academy's graduation exam and you've failed it the last two times!" scolded Iruka, exasperated at having had to chase Naruto around the village, "This isn't the time to be causing trouble!"
She could only agree with Iruka-sensei. Although Naruto liked to claim he was the number one ninja in the village, the numbers marked him as worst in class. Maybe he could talk an enemy to death, but other than that, he needed some work. Naruto was dumb not because he didn't seem to show any talent towards being a ninja, but because he wasted time doing stupid things instead of working to back up his talk. His boasts grated her ears like some pathetic attempt to gain the spotlight. Sasuke wasn't like that, she told herself, proud of her taste in guys. Sasue didn't have to yell his greatness through the streets. He had this quiet confidence that showed he knew his worth.
Ino sat quietly when Iruka-sensei suddenly decided to give the class a Henge no Jutsu pop test. She made no attempt to join the class' collective groaning. She had already taken the time to practice and had finally gotten the hang of the jutsu. She lined up alongside her nervous classmates as she waited to take the test. Her turn came. Focus. Feet shoulder's width apart. Steady breathing.
Ino concentrated on Iruka-sensei's features, and began pulling just the right amount from her chakra stores. Slowing down her breathing, she put her hands together in the familiar seals, and completed the jutsu. Feeling a small drain from her energy, Ino looked herself over to check for any glaring errors.
She smiled broadly and winked, "All good?"
When Iruka-sensei nodded proudly and returned the smile, she cheered and skipped back to her chair until she realized she was still in her Iruka henge. Giving a sheepish apology, she dismissed her jutsu and returned to her seat, trying to pretend she just didn't make her teacher's form do girly skips.
Her embarrassment faded as soon as she started paying attention to her other classmates. Unsurprisingly, Sasuke performed the henge with no effort. Sakura had no problem, nor did Shikamaru or Chouji.
Naruto nervously stood in front Iruka, preparing to perform his henge. Ino watched as he pushed his goofy goggles up his forehead. Naruto gave a resigned sigh before forming the hand seals. She wondered if he would be able to pull off the jutsu this time. All his previous attempts had failed, producing funny caricatures instead of replicas. It didn't surprise her really. Subterfuge and attention to detail were ideas foreign to Naruto. So she watched on, waiting to see what he would do now. Ino could only grimace as she could feel Naruto begin pushing large amounts of chakra into his jutsu, and top it off with a loud shout, "Henge!"
Naruto disappeared behind a puff of smoke, and Ino stared expectantly, waiting for what would appear. She felt the word "wow" escape her lips as a pair of very feminine legs emerged from the dust. Ino blinked a couple times to make sure she wasn't imagining the very naked girl standing before the classroom blowing a kiss at Iruka-sensei. Ino stared, a little jealous of the henge's slender and voluptuous figure, the body she pushed herself to get.
The class had frozen, apart from Iruka-sensei's stutters, and Naruto's raucous laughter filled the room as he undid his jutsu.
Still laughing, Naruto said, "I call this one Sexy no Jutsu!"
Her cheeks reddened from embarrassment, though she couldn't quite place why. God, she wanted to throw a book at him for making things so awkward. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Chouji had begun rapidly eating more of his potato chips and Shikamaru awake, seeming a tad flustered. As Iruka-sensei recovered and started berated Naruto, she rested her chin on her hands and turned slowly to her two friends.
"So," she said, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Like what you saw? Hmm?"
She smiled devilishly as Shikamaru squirmed nervously and Chouji munched his chips even faster, if that was possible. Shikamaru sighed and she could almost hear him mutter, 'Troublesome girl' beneath his breath.
"Chouji," Shikamaru paused, "We can't win here."
She laughed as Chouji only nodded in agreement.
"Hmph," she said in playful disappointment, and turned her attack to Chouji, "Chouji, you can tell me!"
Instead of replying, Chouji merely shrugged. Dropping it at that, Ino continued watching the class, waiting for the test to be completed.
Her day brightened after the morning's distractions, Ino found the strength to bear through the rest of the history review and was glad when it finally finished. It was hard to believe that she could graduate tomorrow. She would become a Konoha shinobi and these lessons would end. A myriad of emotions spread through her whenever she thought about how life would change. Ino had had her share of anxiety and worry. Many times she questioned her ability as a ninja. Though she was confident she could pass the graduation exam, she always wondered what would happened if she didn't. Ino fiddled with her fingers nervously at the thought. She couldn't bear the disappointment. Her parents would be devastated and ashamed that their only daughter was a failure.
Even worse, what if she passed the exam and then ended up dead next year? She had heard the horror stories, the hushed tragedies of ninjas her age killed ruthlessly. What if she made a mistake that would cost not only her life, but also the lives of her teammates? A scary thought.
She shook her head, dispelling the gloom that had once again creeped back into her mind. Today was the last day of class and she wasn't going to end it with doubts. Ino stood up with Shikamaru and Chouji, her bag packed and ready to leave for home.
Even though she had known them ever since she could remember, Ino couldn't say that she was best friends with Chouji and Shikamaru or knew them particularly well. She did see them often enough whenever their parents would visit each other.
"Well," she said, speaking to Chouji, "Good luck Chouji. See you tomorrow."
"You too. Bye Ino," said Chouji, waving.
Turning to Shikamaru, Ino said, "Good luck to you too, though you'll probably fall asleep during the exam and fail anyway."
"Whatever," Shikamaru scoffed, already waving her off, "See you tomorrow."
They parted in different directions after a while, Shikamaru and Chouji toward their homes, and Ino to her family's flower shop. She worked part time after school in order to help out her mom. A boring job, but it gave her a monthly allowance.
Lucky for her, today wasn't a busy day. Ino decided to spend her down time studying for the exam. She was confident that she knew how to henge, but, half-inspired by Naruto's antics, wanted to try something a little different. She had always henged into people she knew or had seen: mom, dad, her classmates, Sasuke – she had had fun with that one...
Naruto had created a henge of someone who hadn't existed, a female version of himself. The concept didn't seem too difficult, but it had never occurred to her to create something of her own imagination, say an even more beautiful version of herself. It would be fun to try.
Holding her hands into the seals, she pictured an older version of herself, curvier, with a larger bust, and amazing legs.
"Henge!" she whispered nervously, performing the jutsu.
After feeling the drain, she quickly ran to a mirror, and peeked with one eye. Grinning, she opened both eyes to an older more attractive version of herself. Her face looked mature, her body more feminine.
"Hmm," she said, feeling silly enough to strike poses in front of the mirror, "Not bad!"
After blowing a kiss at the mirror, she felt her embarrassment meter reach the threshold and quickly released the jutsu. Smiling happily, Ino was sure that if she were asked to perform the Henge no Jutsu for the exam, she would easily become a genin rank.
She thumbed down the list of requirements for her exam; Bunshin no Jutsu was next. Ino felt a little less secure, but if she could work out the kinks now, then she wouldn't have to worry later. The jutsu was a little tricky because she had to form her chakra outside her body and develop it into an image of herself. In that respect, Bunshin no Jutsu was similar to henging but required more chakra.
Ino placed her chakra outside her body and molded it into a replica of herself. When she had gotten a full detailed image, she concentrated on that picture and put her hands into the required seals.
"Bunshin no Jutsu!"
She noticed a slight drain from her chakra as an exact replica appeared. The jutsu only produced an image, rather than a body, so she had to focus on placing the clone above ground, so that its feet didn't sink into the floor. The process had been tricky when she had first learned it but now Ino could make her clone walk, run, and even fight without giving away any sign that it was a fake. Learning how to make her clone fight had been a particular pain in the ass, especially when she had to simulate the throwing of a kunai or a couple shurikans. Often, the clones would phase into each other, whether it be an arm, or kunais. Even now, they sometimes overlapped each other.
"Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Ino performed the jutsu again, creating two more clones. She felt a little tired, due to the concentration it took to direct three clones, and herself. She practiced doing jumping jacks while making her clones fight each other. The exercise, which she invented, was supposed to help compartmentalize her actions and do many things at the same time. Human minds can only concentrate on one thing at time, but shinobis were asked to do more than the norm. It had been frustrating to see her clones mimic her every move when she had initially tried making them do separate actions. Slowly, she added little changes, making them do separate things while she herself was doing something different. Eventually, she got the hang of it.
Her ability and level of concentration limited her to three clones, successfully compartmentalizing her mind into four parts.
Feeling satisfied, she dispelled the jutsu and quickly sat down. The drain was evident, marked by the sweat that drenched her body. Grabbing a glass of water, Ino took a much needed break. She still had some more genin level jutsus that she wanted to go over, but she could do that later tonight, after her shift at the shop.
Working at the shop required her to make deliveries. It was perhaps her most favorite part about the job. For one thing, it meant that her shift was drawing to a close; she saved the deliveries for last. It allowed her to take her time, enjoy the evening air while making brief visits to her customers, sometimes sharing a conversation or two and maybe come away with some tidbits of gossip.
She had one delivery that was particularly juicy with gossip material. Although her delivery was signed with an anonymous sender, the boy had come into the shop and she had recognized him. He was in the graduating class a couple years above her, though his name escaped her. Apparently he recognized Ino or the glint in her eyes because he made Ino promise to keep his identity a secret.
Reaching the Ichiraku Ramen Bar with flowers in hand, she first noticed Naruto and Iruka-sensei sitting side by side in animated conversation.
"One day, I'm going to get the Hokage title and then I will surpass all the previous hokages!" Naruto shouted, his chopsticks poised to poke Iruka's face, "and then I'll make the village acknowledge my strength!"
Although he was loud and an idiot, Ino admired Naruto's frankness and confidence. He didn't care that he annoyed her or gave her a headache with his constant shouts. He knew what he wanted, and Ino could respect that resolve, sort of. She slowed her pace, curious. She hadn't thought the two were close, what with Iruka-sensei yelling at Naruto all the time.
"Can I borrow your forehead protector?" Naruto pleaded, arms begging.
"Oh this?" Iruka said, tapping the object in question, "No, no, this is what you get after you graduate. This is a symbol that you've come of age. Maybe you'll get one tomorrow…"
"Hi Iruka-sensei!" Ino said, then performing a half curtsy directed to Naruto, "Hokage-sama."
Iruka-sensei greeted her kindly. Naruto crossed his arms and gave a loud hmph, muttering something about Sasuke-idiot.
"I'm here to deliver some flowers," she explained, "For Ayame."
"What for?" Naruto asked.
"Well you see Naruto," Ino said, gesturing with her arms, "When a man likes a woman…"
Naruto stared back, waiting for her lesson to continue.
"He will buy her flowers," said Ino, pointing to her package, "You should try it sometime."
"Oh…" Naruto said, pausing to think.
She giggled lightly, imagining the gears inside Naruto's brain slowly winding, computing the information. It was no secret that he liked Sakura; all his actions toward her were laced with infatuation. It was too bad Sakura didn't feel the same. Perhaps their friendship would still be alive if she did. After dropping off the flowers to a very surprised and blushing Ayame, she bade Iruka-sensei and Naruto good night. Wishing Naruto luck in both tomorrow and love, she departed for home.
As she walked home, Ino hummed quietly, her mind wandering back to last night's dream, something she'd forgotten. Odd that she thought of it now, making her way back home in dimly lit streets. She couldn't recall it, the image always escaping her grasp. She only knew she dreamed, but couldn't quite place what it was. Ino had woken up, tears trailing down her cheeks, feeling a loneliness that she had never experienced. It was despair, a gripping hopelessness that chilled her to the core.
Whatever it had been, Ino thought as she reached for the door to her house, she hoped for better dreams tonight. She needed a good sleep for tomorrow's challenges.
Ino spent the rest of the night practicing more jutsus. With dad away on missions and mom enjoying the night with her girl friends, Ino had the whole house to herself. Although dinner was a little lonely, the place was peacefully quiet.
Ino hopped into bed and hugged one of her stuffed animals tightly.
"Good night," she said, fondly patting the top of its head and fell asleep.
Ino opened her eyes to an enveloping darkness with a faint feeling that she was dreaming. Her sight was fuzzy and her body tired.
Ino crawled around slowly, struggling to make sense of her surroundings. She had a sense of déjà vu that she had experienced something like this before. She wondered if this had anything to do with last night's dream.
It seemed time had frozen, leaving Ino to wander aimlessly in darkness. She was growing tired of this.
"Hello?" she called out wearily.
Ino hadn't expected any response. This was such a strange dream. Hers were usually fragmented snapshots of memories or desires. She could never remember any of her dreams. The feeling of knowing something but having it just out of the grasp of recollection annoyed her deeply, as if it were an itch she couldn't find.
"Hello?" she said again, taking the moment to remind herself to write this one down when she woke up.
It occurred to her that she might not wake up. The thought of being comatose scared her. Death? She shuddered. Hope not. The face of her late uncle flashed through her mind.
She had been studying for an exam when her dad had burst into her room with a sense of urgency, almost borderline panic. When he had told her to come to the hospital with him, she didn't hesitate, could only wonder who it was. In their hurry, Ino was only able to register fragments of her father's explanations as they leapt on rooftops. Mission gone wrong… uncle… missing-nins. Ino had cried when she saw her favorite uncle whisked away into the emergency room, looking pale from a blood-drenched wound. It had been the last time she had seen him alive; they had his funeral just one week later. Everything happened too quickly. She had hugged him before his mission and now would never be able to see him again. Even now, Ino sometimes expected him to walk through that door and pick her up, tease her about boys...
"Is anyone there?" Ino said aloud, growing a little irritated and worried.
She wandered for some time when the darkness suddenly transformed into the bright streets of Konoha. Her eyes winced as the light hit her vision. Although she stood there for a while, trying to adjust to the new scene, her vision still blurred. Despite her impaired sight, Ino immediately recognized the courtyard of Konoha Academy. Having grown up here, she could recognize it in a heartbeat. Ino curiously walked around the crowds of parents and children.
What was this? Parents only waited with their children on the first day of classes.
"Hello?" Ino called out, seeing if she could reach anyone's attention.
They looked past her, unaware of her presence. She tried shaking some people but the actions proved futile. No response.
Frustrated, Ino took a step back from the scene, attempting to retrace her steps. She had fallen asleep. Her consciousness had awoken to this, whatever this was. She reasoned that she could be dreaming. But, if this were a dream, she couldn't understand why she could think with such clarity. Also, no one responded to her, or even acknowledged her. She never had any dream like this. It could still be a dream though. Maybe.
Genjutsu made sense. Sort of. Genjutsu were illusionary techniques; they could create alternative worlds like this. She frowned. But it wouldn't make sense for anyone to attack her. She wasn't even a ninja yet. Placing her hands together, Ino was glad she remembered how to repel Genjutsu, a lesson they had learned long ago.
"Kai," she shouted, stopping her chakra flow to search for foreign chakra that she could disrupt.
Ino blinked steadily, waiting for something to happen. She sighed. She knew a failed attempt when she saw one. Well, she couldn't rule Genjutsu out completely because there was a high chance that her attacker - if there even was one – was strong enough to keep up the jutsu. If that were the case, there was nothing she could do but enjoy the ride. She didn't think it was Genjutsu though.
"I could be dead," she said aloud, suddenly wishing she had company, "I could have died in my sleep, alone like a sad old lady. I could be in a coma, like in the stories."
She mulled over the idea that only a kiss would awaken her from this nightmare. She wondered who would come running to save her.
She paused, straining to listen. Someone was crying. As she approached, she made out the image of a boy, but her vision was too blurred to see him clearly.
She had gotten down on one knee, ready to console the young boy, when she had heard the cold jeers from the crowd in front of him.
"He stinks, doesn't he?"
"There he is… no one cares about him."
"Disappear from here…"
"Monster."
The boy had been fighting back the emotions but the last comment must have hit harder than before because he started crying uncontrollably now. His whole body shook as tears poured down his face.
Ino wrapped the boy in her arms, had already began comforting him. She felt herself wanting to cry too. The sorrow this boy showed chilled her.
"It'll be alright," she whispered to him, before realizing that he probably wouldn't be able to hear.
She was surprised when he tightened under her embrace, and even more so, when he grasped onto her arm. There was little other response showing that he had heard her, for he had continued sobbing, shaking in her arms.
Ino sat there in that moment, holding him tightly, not knowing what else to do.
Her alarm rang, tearing her away from her dream. Drowsily turning it off, she woke feeling the same exhaustion she had felt the morning before.
"What was that?" she murmured dizzily as she sat up in her bed.
Ino placed her feet out of bed, still thinking about her latest dream. Who was he? She didn't recall seeing such a boy before. She wondered what he must have done to garner that much hate. She could cry again if she thought about it harder. When she had held him, she had felt him lean into her, as if tired of standing on his own. Maybe she could keep her eye out for that little boy…
"Shoot," she said, remembering the date.
Her academy graduation exam was today. Glancing at the clock to check the time, she slipped out of bed to get ready for the big day. Ino got dressed quickly. The mystery boy would have to wait.