Title: Slow Burn
Chapter: 02 Changes
Author/Artist: Killaurey
Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. It's Kishimoto's and I just play with it. AU immediately after the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. Part 2 of ? Written for 50shinobi on livejournal. Unbeta'd. Shika/Ino.
It was three in the morning and Shikamaru couldn't sleep.
He had brought Ino to visit Chouji yesterday, which he thought had done them all good, even if Ino had gone quiet when Chouji had asked about the others. She'd left quickly after that. It wasn't until she'd been gone for a half an hour that they had realized what was odd.
Ino hadn't said a single word about the mission.
It wasn't that he'd thought she'd come crying and snivelling all over him (she had more sense than that, thank goodness) but it would have been nice if she'd done more than merely smile and say she was glad they were going to be fine. He expected her to rail at him, at Chouji, and make her opinion of them not taking her along known.
Not a word about her lack of participation. That made him nervous. Ino was the type of girl who didn't let any that sort of event go past without a raging tantrum.
Ino had Opinions about things. That she wasn't sharing them meant something was up.
Staring at his ceiling wasn't giving him any answers about that. Girls were weird and Ino tended to be weirder than most of them. Of course, he was biased - he was stuck with her on the same team.
In this though he had thought that he'd had her marked. A few screaming fits, some tears, and her beating him into the ground in training area ten. That would have been troublesome... but this, he thought, was rather worse.
It wasn't like he hadn't thought of her when Hokage-sama had told him to take a team and go. But Hokage-sama had been specific that only the strongest Genin could go. Ino might be in the running for cleverest or sneakiest ninja their age - but not strongest.
That she hadn't come along had also meant that she had been safe.
He valued that too, though he hadn't realized how much until he'd been home and seen her anxious face at the hospital waiting for news. Shikamaru sat up and ran a hand through his unbound hair. He wasn't going to think about what would have happened to her had she come.
He'd made the right decision. This way everyone lived - though it had been a near thing - and Ino hadn't been there. He was going to have nightmares about Chouji though. Neji, and Naruto too. Kiba had gotten off fairly lightly all things considered, but just the thought of how close they had come to dying...
Tossing off his covers Shikamaru padded over to his desk and switched on the lamp. He wasn't going to get any sleep with thoughts like that running through his mind. All he could do was track her down and see if she'd tell him what was up.
He fell asleep at his desk.
Ino was there, in a white room with no furniture but a low table - but she didn't look like any Ino that he'd ever seen. She was wearing a sky blue kimono with wide sleeves. Her hair was down and she looked like she'd been crying. When she noticed him Ino turned away and buried her face in her hands.
He took a few steps forward before he realized that she wasn't getting any closer.
"Ino?" Shikamaru was worried - this girl wasn't the Ino that he knew. For one thing, she looked older but there was the indefinable certainty that this was Ino. "What's the matter?"
For a long moment he thought that she wouldn't answer him but then one arm moved and she pointed tremulously to the left.
He looked and saw a window. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at it. That hadn't been there before. "You want me to look over there?"
She pointed more insistently.
Shrugging his shoulders he raised his hands, "I'm going, I'm going."
It was, he realized upon approach, not quite a window. Mirror was the better word. With one glance back at Ino, Shikamaru steeled himself and looked.
There was Ino. His Ino. Only it was her after she'd been tortured, and left to the mercies of the enemy until the blue eyes she looked at him with were empty of any spark that he could call Ino. Someone had broken her. Her hair was matted with blood, both her arms unnaturally twisted in several places. He could tell that someone had taken a hammer to her hands.
Shikamaru turned away, swallowing bile.
The older Ino was facing him now, her face carefully immobile, hands crossed over her stomach.
"What," he managed after a few deep breaths, "was the point of that?"
Older Ino cocked her head at him.
"Tell me."
She looked at him then, with wide eyes, "You failed." Her voice was hardly more than a whisper.
It shook him. "What do you mean I failed? Failed at what?"
Older Ino looked sad, "She needed you to be strong, to believe in her. It is your fault that it happened."
His hands shook. Shikamaru stilled them carefully. "I don't believe that."
Around them the room started to fade away. The table disappeared and older Ino bowed to him,
"As you wish."
He shook his head, bewildered.
"But remember," Shikamaru heard her say as around them darkness came creeping in, "you failed."
He came awake with a start. Shikamaru closed his eyes and breathed deeply trying to still his speeding heartbeat. "Moron," he muttered to himself, "Ino's safe. It was just a stupid dream."
That didn't comfort him as much as it might have for some reason. He'd have to watch out for her then.
Her hands hurt. Taijutsu had never been her focus before - and it was one thing that sorely needed improvement according to Asuma-sensei - and the work was hard on her hands as she hit at the practice logs with precision.
She had one hundred more strikes to do with this hand and then she would be able to switch to the other. It was early morning and the sweat that she had built up made her clothes stick to her body.
As she worked Ino thought about what she should do about the obvious bruises on her hands, training bruises yes, but they were unsightly and Ino didn't want the boys questioning her about her new found resolve. It was hers for the moment.
Ino wanted it to remain that way for as long as possible. This wasn't something she could explain in words. Anger would lash out and she couldn't afford that. Ino needed that anger now for training.
There was a quiet cough at the edge of the training area. She spun around and sank into a defensive pose, a kunai flying from her hand before Ino had quite realized what she was doing.
"Bravo, Ino-kun!" Suzume-sensei clapped her hands together, side-stepping neatly out of the path of the kunai, "It is nice to see that you've been training hard."
"S-suzume-sensei!" Ino flushed, both at the unexpected praise and the fact that she'd attacked without thinking about it, "I didn't mean to - "
"Come now, Ino-kun, no harm was done and it was a very nice move." Suzume-sensei gently rebuked her while coming over to where Ino was standing. Her former teacher winked at her from over her glasses, "You must always be on guard."
Ino huffed and took a long swallow of her canteen. "Were you just passing by?" She asked politely.
"Ah no, no." She took a seat on top of one of the practice logs. Ino envied the older woman her grace and how she managed to look completely at home in the practice area. Suzume-sensei taught the girls the kunoichi specific classes. "I came to talk to you."
Now she seemed slightly embarrassed.
Ino leaned against a different log and sipped from her water again, "To me? About what?"
"Because of... current events... I have been called out on a mission." Suzume-sensei told her while holding up one finger to her mouth to show it was a secret, "But there is no one Chuunin or Jounin ranked to take my place in teaching."
Ino had a funny feeling that she knew where this was going, "M-me?" She managed to squeak out, "You want me to teach? I haven't even been a Genin for a full year!"
Suzume-sensei waved one hand as if to show that it was of no account, "It would matter in some cases, yes, but your grades are the highest in the kunoichi arts for the last eleven years."
Ino flushed. She had known that she was good at them - but to find that she was that good at them was something else entirely. "That's not the same as teaching though," she felt the need to point out, "I could be awful at that."
"You would have to work at being that." Suzume-sensei told her serenely, "It is your mission until I am back - Hokage-sama's orders you understand - so you'd best try not to be awful."
Ino went white, "I start today?"
"I am not gone yet, yes?" Suzume-sensei peeked over her glasses, "Today I'll show you the lesson plans and tell you about the girls. They are a good bunch - you shouldn't have much trouble with them."
Ino nodded her head as Suzume-sensei jumped from the log and ushered her out of the field. Her hands ached and she stuck them behind her as they took to the roofs. "How long will this... mission last?"
Suzume-sensei looked at her, "At least two weeks if all goes well I shall be back, if not then well, as long as it takes."
There was nothing that Ino could say to that. It was a fact of shinobi life that there were missions that shinobi didn't come back from. She shivered as they landed on the roof of the Academy.
"Hurry, hurry," Suzume-sensei told her as she headed for the doors, "If we are quick I will show you how to detect unmasked chakra signatures - it is a good way to know when the children are trying to disobey. It's not as elegant as having eyes in the back of our heads but it is something."
Sakura tried to keep a cheerful expression on her face as she went about the duties that she had been assigned while Tsunade-shishou was busy healing people and dealing with the paperwork that had been neglected since the Sandaime's death, but from the peculiar expressions she was getting she knew that she wasn't fooling anyone.
Naruto hadn't yet woken up. Kakashi-sensei had reported that he'd been slightly conscious at the scene of the fight - which, from what she had heard, had been phenomenal. Chouji would be in the hospital for at least another month and Neji a few more days.
She was so glad that they'd all come back alive. It had been her fault, at least partially, that they'd nearly died after all.
Sakura blinked back the tears that kept coming at unexpected moments lately and hurried down the hall. The scrolls she had to bring to Shizune-senpai were carefully cradled in her arms. She brightened a bit at the thought that the dark haired woman might teach her something if she didn't have anything pressing to do.
There was the sound of footsteps behind her and then, "Haruno-san?"
Sakura frowned as she turned. She didn't recognize the voice as one of the staff. Sakura found herself looking at a tall woman with red markings on her face. Akamaru was beside her. He barked at her, his tail wagging.
"Hello?" She tried to smile at this woman who had to be related to Kiba in some way, it wasn't so hard to make it look real when she looked at Akamaru, "Can I help you?"
"Are you busy?" The woman asked, "My brother wanted to talk to you - he's being discharged today, you know - and doesn't know when he'll have a chance to talk to you next."
She blinked, "Kiba wants to talk to me?" Sakura hefted the scrolls, "I can talk for a while, Shizune-senpai won't mind."
"Good. I'm Inuzuka Hana, by the way." The tall woman introduced herself, "I'm helping him get home."
Sakura followed the woman to Kiba's room. "I'll wait outside until you're done." Inuzuka-san said, opening the door for her, "Shout if you need anything."
Still holding the scrolls that she was supposed to deliver Sakura entered. She ignored the squirming bit of fear in her stomach that worried that Kiba would blame her for his injuries. To her relief he gave her a crooked smile as Akamaru followed in behind her, nails clicking on the floor tiles. When the door was shut behind her Sakura couldn't help but wince a bit.
"Sit," He suggested cheerfully as helped Akamaru up onto his bed. "I won't bite."
She gingerly set the scrolls down on one of the chairs and then took the other one somewhat nervously. "What did you want to talk about Kiba-kun?" The honorific slipped out before she could help herself. Well, he had earned it.
"You." He gave her a frank, appraising glance that made her wish that there were times that she wasn't so inclined to forget that the Inuzuka Clan was praised for their senses - Kiba did such a good job of being well... Kiba... that she didn't think about it that much.
She stiffened nervously, "What about me?"
"Akamaru's been telling me about you." He said it as if she should have guessed, "He says that you smell mostly of guilt and sorrow." Kiba rubbed his face, "It doesn't take a genius to guess what you'd be feeling that about."
Sakura flushed and stared down at her hands.
"Enough of that!" Kiba said sharply, "I didn't say that to make you feel bad."
"What did you say it for?" She fired back, taking refuge in anger when embarrassment became too acute.
"Stop blaming yourself." He told her simply, "Uchiha left under his own power."
Did he really? She wondered, he hadn't been the same since the Forest...
"I know he's your teammate." Kiba said with a sharp laugh, "I don't know what I'd do if that happened to Team 8, so I can't tell you to forget him - but don't keep thinking about it like that, just don't. He's not worth that - he's the one that left Konoha."
"That's what you wanted to talk to me about?" She asked him, her heart feeling heavy in her chest.
"Well, yeah," He gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "You're one of us - and he's not. It's that simple."
But it wasn't that simple, Sakura thought, Sasuke-kun had been on her team. That he had left after both Naruto and she had tried to keep him just meant that they hadn't been good enough. Tsunade-shishou had told her what Orochimaru no doubt intended for Sasuke's body. She shuddered. It wasn't simple at all. How did you explain that there was a hole in the team that couldn't be filled by anyone else?
"Think on it." Kiba told her, his eyes for once solemn, "Your opinion of Uchiha isn't going to be shared by many. I'd talk to your friend about it."
She nodded and holding the scrolls said awkwardly, "I'm glad that you're feeling better."
"So am I." He laughed.
She left already making room in her schedule for another meeting - she'd have to talk to Ino.
Nobody had ever called him stupid - except for Ino.
As such it didn't take him long to figure out that she was avoiding him. The first day he'd put it down to the fact that they both had separate missions - as a Chuunin he was needed on higher level missions than they could let Genin on - and with Asuma-sensei being flooded with missions there was no way that Team 10 could function as a team. The second time it had happened he'd been more irritated because he'd asked around the Mission Center and learned that she was supposed to be free.
Whatever, he'd figured she was out with friends.
Two weeks later though he was starting to get the hint - and it was pissing him off. He hadn't done anything to her to make her avoid him. Shikamaru tried not to think about how much he wanted to see her. It only made him crankier.
He'd gotten a bare glimpse of her, or at least someone who looked a great deal like her a week ago talking with the kunoichi teacher from the Academy. The next time he'd gotten a glimpse of her, later that same day, she'd been heading towards the Mission Center with a resolute expression on her face. He'd barely had time to notice that she was wearing bandages on her arms and hands before he'd had to get back to work.
A bit of surreptitious finagling had gotten him her last few mission reports. She hadn't been hurt on any of them and he was tempted to think that the bandages were just another crazy fashion statement of hers.
Except that she hated things on her hands.
Wandering past the Academy he let his eyes skim disinterested over the sight of a kunoichi class. The sound of the teacher's voice reached his ears.
"As kunoichi each and every one of you is a precious flower – "
He paused. Blinked. Then took a second look. Was that Ino? Teaching?
Concealing himself under the boughs of a nearby tree Shikamaru watched, hardly listening, as Ino conducted her class of kunoichi wannabes. She looked alright, he admitted, grudgingly. The bandages were on her hands and all the way up to her elbows but they didn't seem to affect her movement. Ino, while fashion conscious, would never wear something that interfered with her being a kunoichi. She was as graceful as always, her hands emphasizing what she was telling the class.
She looked… happy.
It rattled him, just a bit, to see her like that. If you'd asked him about Ino teaching he'd have laughed. Teaching required more patience than she had. Yet, there she was, blue eyes bright as she lectured.
He'd learned something new today then. It irritated him that he hadn't already known it - after all he knew her since before they could walk.
"Alright class, spread out and gather the flowers for your first arrangement. Remember, you just have to pick a center piece and then build the rest around it."
"Hai, Ino-sensei!" Her class of children scattered with bright laughter.
Shikamaru decided to amble over looking nonchalant. He'd not get to the bottom of this, and she was his teammate so it was his right to know, if he didn't put some small effort into it, "This is your current mission?" As if that wasn't obvious, he scoffed.
Ino didn't jump as he'd half expected her to. She'd known he was there then. She gave him a smile that looked just a bit like a smirk. "Suzume-sensei was needed for a mission and she recommended I take over in the interim."
Shikamaru gave her a long glance, before saying, "Only Chuunin and above can teach at the Academy." You're not qualified Ino.
Her mood changed instantaneously, "They need all the Chuunin they've got on more important missions, you stupid fool," her eyes dared him to deny it, and worse was that he couldn't, "the only Chuunin we've got at the Academy is Iruka-sensei. The rest are like me - jumped up Genin with excellent grades."
"Ino," He said slowly, "you're still not qualified."
"I am." She glowered at him, and he scowled right back, "Suzume-sensei recommended my for the post herself. Once Konoha's back to normal then I'll revert to Team 10 again. For now though, I'm in charge of the kunoichi classes."
Man, this was troublesome. Why had he been worrying about her again? She was more than fine. Chouji had been right - nothing was up. With the mission… maybe she'd realized that things were going to have to change.
Ino wasn't going to be able to come along on all of the missions. She was a girl.
"What's Hokage-sama thinking?" He muttered peevishly, "What if you mess up the training?" Taking one look at the glare Ino had on her face he wondered if there had been a better way of putting it. He didn't regret saying it though, poor training could and would cost lives.
'I'm doing just fine." Her voice was hard and cold. That was new, that she had the control not to shriek at the slightest provocation. "I'm not teaching combat – that's what Iruka-sensei's handling. Hokage-sama herself said my marks in the kunoichi classes are the highest in over ten years." There was wounded pride there and Shikamaru winced, fully expecting her to slap him. He might even deserve it.
She turned her back on him, radiating fury, and called to the class, "Time's up, gather around and I'll see what you've got."
"Ino, look, I didn't – "
"Shikamaru, piss off. I'm on a mission."
And that was that. He stalked off, head aching with the discovery of this new Ino. He'd go see Chouji, maybe he'd be able to make sense of the changes in Ino.
Changes he didn't like one bit.
Stretching her arms and rolling her head back Ino yawned. It had been a long day, but overall she was pleased. The girls were coming along well, after a few false starts where she'd had to lay the law down. Some of the older girls hadn't been impressed with being taught by someone that they'd been in school with. She didn't have any marking to do – though she would tomorrow. The only thing had had pissed her off today was Shikamaru. He was such an idiot at times. She'd wanted to slap him.
The tenpura-ya Sakura had agreed to meet her at was brightly lit. The booths were comfortable and the server that had brought her water had been friendly. Ino could see why Sakura would like the place beyond her fondness for deep fried vegetables.
Sakura came in a few minutes later looking just as harassed and exhausted as she felt. Because of the shortage of available shinobi they were both being worked harder than normal. It was good training. She smiled at that, her father had agreed to start explaining the theory behind another Yamanaka technique. That he thought she was ready warmed her insides.
"Hey, Ino-pig." Sakura cheerfully greeted her, taking the other side of the booth and smiling at the server that brought both a menu and a glass of water for her.
"Forehead." Ino flapped one hand at her, a grin on her face, "Just hurry up will you? I'm starving."
The speed with which Sakura read the menu hinted that she too was hungry. Once they'd placed their orders, Sakura looked slyly over the edge of her menu while toying with the straw in her water, "Guess what I'm doing right now?"
Ino closed her eyes and thought a moment, before sighing and shrugging, "No idea what you'd do." When she'd gotten the teaching assignment Ino had half expected to see Sakura there as well.
"Tsunade-sama took me on as an apprentice." There was no mistaking the pride in her voice.
Well, that was news. Ino blinked and took a long swallow of her water wondering why she hadn't heard from Sakura about it before. Some of her hurt must have shown because Sakura continued on hurriedly.
"It's pretty new, less than two weeks, but she's working me hard – you should see the pile of texts that she made me take home and study…"
Ino relaxed a bit as Sakura's chatter washed over her. New, then? It seemed the both of them had had the same idea. It wasn't only the boys that would prove their worth to Konoha. And, Ino had to admit that once she thought about it… it would suit Sakura perfectly. Her perfect chakra control would be an asset in her chosen field. It was good choice.
Not for her though. Ino wrinkled her nose, being a medic held no appeal to her - she was a Yamanaka for a reason. Though… that did give her an idea, thinking on it Ino gave her friend a real smile, "You sound like you enjoy it."
Sakura beamed at her, "It's hard though, but Tsunade-sama explains things better than Kakashi-sensei ever did."
That's because Hatake-san wasn't a teacher. Though Ino would rather bite her own tongue than tell Sakura that. She'd over heard Asuma-sensei talking with Yuuhi-san about it. Ino had done her own research, Hatake-san was no doubt an excellent shinobi but for a teacher… she was glad she'd gotten Asuma-sensei.
"You've got bandages on your arms." Sakura noted, "Are you hurt? They're not in fashion."
"Nah," Ino stretched to show that she had full mobility and remained quiet as their order was brought out. When the server was gone she grinned at her friend, "just bruises from training. "
"You've been training hard then." Sakura observed with a familiar competitive glint in her eyes.
"Of course," Ino took a long swallow of her drink and picked up her chopsticks, "like I'd lose to you."
They ate and talked about inconsequential things for a while before Ino voiced her question, "Do you think anyone would be willing to teach me medical ninjutsu?" She didn't think that it would be a bad thing to learn a bit of. She could handle more training and this kind would be an asset in the field.
Sakura looked startled, "Do you want to be a medic-nin?" Her voice was suspicious and Ino could tell that she was gearing up if the answer was yes to turn this into another competition. Well, while there was a part of Ino that wanted to do just that… Ino was too busy these days to seriously consider it.
"No," Ino shook her head lightly, "I just thought that it would be a useful thing to know some medical ninjutsu while out in the field. Just a precaution, you know?"
Sakura relaxed. "I could probably find someone at the hospital." she admitted easily, "Tsunade-sama isn't going to object - she's been advocating the creation of more medic-nin for years and while what you want isn't the same thing… she'll approve. I wonder if Shizune-senpai could…"
"That'd be great, thanks Sakura." Ino meant it. This was something that she could use and it would also benefit her team as a whole… though, she frowned, Shikamaru might keep her even further from actual combat on the basis that she was the medic and had to stay safe. Ugh. He was such a boy at times.
Sakura, seeing her changed expression, raised her eyebrows, "What's the matter?"
"Ugh." Ino wrinkled her nose, "Shikamaru came by during my mission and – he makes me so mad!"
"You're teaching the kunoichi right?" Sakura looked interested, "I saw the confirmation papers for that – specially recommended by Suzume-sensei. Not bad."
Ino nodded her head, "Anyways, he started going on about how I'm not qualified and that I might mess up their training – "
"Like he'd know anything about kunoichi training." Sakura commented dryly.
"Exactly!" Ino rolled her eyes, "I told him that Iruka-sensei's the one who is handling the taijutsu training in the interim. Tenten-san, from Rock's team, is doing the weapons."
"There's no way you'd have any problems teaching the actual kunoichi arts." Sakura agreed, "You always were the best at that in school."
Ino fought the urge to preen. It would have cost Sakura something to admit that out in the open and the least she could do was not rub it in. "Isn't he an ass though?"
"I'm surprised that you didn't hurt him."
"I wanted to." Ino admitted ruefully, "But I was teaching and I've learned that the girls follow my example. That's not what I want them to pick up, and on a mission that's not acceptable behavior."
"You'll do fine." Sakura assured her and then took a look at the clock, "l should start heading home – studying, you know - "
"Hey, no problem." Ino daintily used her napkin and pushed her plate aside, digging out the money to pay, "I'm going to go visit Chouji." Then she'd go and train. Ino tried to keep Chouji up-to-date on everything she heard.
"I haven't seen him." Sakura admitted, "I feel awful about his injuries… like it's all my fault that he got hurt."
"Hey," Ino patted her comfortingly, "It's Uchiha's fault. Not yours."
'Not Sasuke-kun?" Sakura had a strange expression on her face.
"Never Sasuke-kun again." Ino said firmly, her eyes blazing, "Not after what he caused both Chouji and Shikamaru to go through. How's Naruto doing?"
Sakura shook her head and Ino took that as a clue to remain silent until they could talk more freely. Leaving the tenpura-ya they walked through the streets of Konoha for a few minutes before giving each other a long look and taking to the rooftops.
"He's…" Sakura hugged herself, looking depressed, "Physically, he's doing better. He's taken his failure bad though. Jiraiya-sama's talking about taking him on a training trip, which might help him feel better."
Ino didn't know about Naruto, but being exclusively trained by one of the sannin would have made her feel better. Still though, she was more concerned about Sakura, "What about you?"
"I don't know." Sakura laughed, a brief self-conscious laugh, "I don't know what to think so I'm trying not to at the moment. It's easier that way."
"You should come see Chouji." Ino offered, "That's the least you can do, after all that's happened. Have you seen any of them besides Naruto?"
"Kiba." Ino glanced at her with surprise and Sakura elaborated, "I was doing something for Tsunade-sama and Kiba was checking out with his family. We talked."
"Did that make you feel better?" Ino asked as they deftly jumped from one building to the next, "I haven't really seen the others. But then, I have my teammates to worry about."
"It did." Sakura seemed surprised, "It did make be feel a bit better. Do you think Chouji would mind if I talked to him?"
"Nah," Ino knew that he'd be pleased to have another visitor, "Chouji will be glad to see you, he's like that."
When they got to the hospital Sakura stopped her from going to the receptionist and instead led her down a hallway different from the one she normally went down.
"Where are we going?" Ino asked after a minute, "We are visiting Chouji aren't we?"
Sakura stopped and looked at her, "I thought Shizune-senpai might still be here – often she works late – and that you could talk to her while I… talk with Chouji."
Ino nodded her head. That was a good plan, it took care of two things at once and it gave Sakura a bit of privacy. "That's fine then, do you think Shizune-san will take me?"
"If she's got the time." Sakura continued down the hall with the ease of someone who has learned their way around the place, "She very busy after all, so she might have to find someone else to teach you."
Pausing outside of a closed door Sakura knocked, "Shizune-senpai? Are you in?"
"Come in, Sakura."
Following Sakura into the room, which was wide and neat holding a desk and a few chairs.
Against the walls were several filing cabinets that looked to be full, what wall space that the cabinets hadn't taken had bookcases in their place. Before she knew it Sakura had introduced the two of them, made her excuses and left to seek out Chouji.
The silence she left behind was slightly awkward. Ino fidgeted.
Shizune-san was a pretty looking woman with dark hair held back by pins. She looked tired enough that Ino suddenly felt hesitant in asking the woman to do yet another thing.
"So you're Sakura's friend." Shizune-san observed, her dark eyes giving her a once over, "I've heard a bit about you."
What Sakura had told her, Ino wasn't sure she wanted to know. They were friends yes, but also rivals. She held back the questions that sprang to mind – if Sakura had said anything unflattering then Shizune-san would probably lie.
"Sit down and tell me what you've come for." The medic-nin gestured to the chair in front of the desk, "Sakura's going to get a bit of a lecture on manners. "
"She's was thinking about something else." Ino murmured, staring at her hands, "please forgive her."
"Huh?" Shizune-san looked startled, "I suppose it's not that big a deal and I am glad she's got a bit more confidence. What did you want from me then, Yamanaka-kun?"
Straight and to the point. Ino found herself warming to this woman. "I was hoping you could point me to someone who would be willing to teach me the rudiments of the medical art."
Shizune-san frowned at her, "Your Clan's specialty is in assassination, infiltration and sabotage. Why would you want to learn medical techniques? They aren't easy even if you've got a flair for them."
Ino sat up straighter, "The missions that my Clan is made for I wont be given until I'm Chuunin at the least. If we were operating under full war-time conditions, I might have a chance at being sent out, but even with the current disarray…" she shook her head, "As it stands knowing medical ninjutsu might one day save my teammates life."
Shizune-san thought it over.
Ino bit her lip and said nothing. This a decision she would have to accept, no matter what the end result was. It was dangerous attempting to learn medical jutsu's without a teacher. The chakra could easily escape her control and kill her.
"It won't be easy," The woman warned, "if you don't have some talent for it there isn't going to be much I can teach you."
"I know that," while Sakura's revelation had come as a surprise, Ino had made it her business to know as much as she could about all types of shinobi and there had been plenty of material in the Academy libraries, "but I still want to learn."
Shizune nodded thoughtfully before turning and looking at the calendar on the wall behind her,
"What are the current hours of your mission?"
That sounded promising. "Five-thirty until one, Monday to Saturday. At the Academy. Sometimes a bit later." She'd not been free until three today – several of the class had stayed behind to ask her questions.
"And after that?"
"Mostly training," Ino said simply, "and helping out part-time at the flower shop." If it was for training Ino thought that they'd understand if she cut her hours at the shop even more.
"That's good then." Shizune-san gave her a smile, "I'll be seeing you then, starting tomorrow, every day from four to eight."
"You'll be teaching me? Sakura thought you might be too busy." Ino blinked her surprise, she hadn't dared think that Shizune-san would actually teach her.
"I could do nothing else." Shizune-san told her with a rueful grin that Ino couldn't help returning,
"Tsunade-sama is very vehement about training more medic-nin, and she'll approve of this once I tell her about it. The second question she'd ask is who's teaching her - and she'd never let me live it down if it wasn't myself. So long as I'm teaching you, I'll be one of your sensei."
"Yes, Shizune-sensei. Thank you very much!"
The woman got out of her seat and went to one of the bookshelves and tugged down five or six volumes. Putting them on the desk in front of Ino she said casually, "Sakura might have mentioned having to read a lot – that's true. These are what I want you to start with, they're in order so don't mix them up. If you want to compare notes with her keep in mind that her education is progressing differently. Sakura's getting everything Tsunade-sama's got to teach while you'll be getting enough to make you an effective field medic."
"Yes, Shizune-sensei." Ino carefully took the books.
Her newest teacher looked at her for a long moment, "Try to read the first few chapters in the top book tonight – it'll give you a better idea of what I'll be starting with tomorrow."
Ino, knowing a dismissal when she heard one, bowed as best as she could with a stack of books in her arms then excused herself from the room.
It was all very well, she thought ruefully, to promise that she was going to go and talk to Chouji. Sakura though was finding it a different thing altogether to actually bring herself to knock on the door and go through with her promise.
Biting her lip Sakura steeled herself and knocked. Hearing him say come in she cracked the door open and peeked her head inside. "I'm not disturbing you am I?"
Chouji gave her a grin from his bed, as a man that had to be his father turned to look at her. "Oh no, Sakura-san, dad was just leaving."
That got a rumbling laugh from the man. "I'll be back later."
Sakura bowed as the man went by, when he'd shut the door behind him she edged further into the room feeling all of a sudden uncomfortable. "So, um," she stared at her feet, "are you feeling better?"
"Come have a seat," Chouji invited her, "I don't get so many visitors that I want to chase one off."
That made her feel worse that she hadn't come before. Some of that must have shown on her face because his next words were gentler.
"Come on, sit down."
She sat, noting that the chair was still warm from his father sitting there. Sakura twisted a strand of her hair between her fingers, "I wanted to come by earlier." This was said at hardly more than a mumble, "But I wasn't sure of my welcome."
He reached out and patted her shoulder, "Why would you think that..?" Chouji shook his head, "I don't blame you for the mission Sakura."
A bit of weight that she'd hardly been aware of faded. Of all of them she had felt the worst about Chouji - he'd done worse in the exam than she had after all.
"If anything," Chouji continued brightly, "I should be blaming Shikamaru - he's the one that picked me. Let's talk about something else."
Sakura looked at him, startled, "What did you want to talk about?"
"What's been going on lately for you - anything good?"
She flushed, but this time with pleasure, "Tsunade-sama took me as her apprentice!"
Tracing her way back to the lobby took more time than she would have liked but she was pleased to see Sakura entering the lobby on the opposite side at the same time.
The girl gave a rueful smile at the stack of books. "Shizune-senpai took you on?"
"You knew she was going to. I bet you just wanted to see me squirm." Ino accused her good naturedly, "Now look at the reading I've got to do."
"Shizune-senpai would never hear the end of it if she hadn't taken you on. Tsunade-sama is very… determined… that all those who want training get it." Sakura, Ino noted, didn't deny the accusation.
"Do you know why?"
Sakura shook her head, "I haven't had the nerve to ask, though what she'd has told me makes sense. It often can mean the difference between life and death on a mission."
Ino let the subject drop and changed to a topic that was far more interesting, "How'd your visit go?"
"It went… well." Sakura fiddled with the hem of her shirt, "Chouji's so nice. You're lucky he's on your team. It was nice to talk with someone who'd gone on the mission and wasn't spouting off about racing after Sasuke the moment he's healed."
Ino winced, "That's Naruto, huh?"
"He made a promise of a lifetime." Sakura rolled her eyes, "I think he should train first. Tsunade-sama told me that we've got nearly three years."
Ino didn't ask what the time limit was for – she doubted Sakura would be able to tell her, and besides drawing attention to her slip of the tongue would only cause both of them trouble thanks to all the confidentiality laws the shinobi operated under.
"Well, I've got to go visit Chouji now." Ino said brightly, then frowned, "Could you do me the favor and drop these off at my house?"
"I could, it's on the way home," Sakura nodded, "But why?"
Ino shrugged, not really having a good reason except that she didn't want to tell Chouji she was studying medical ninjutsu while he was still in the hospital. And if she told Chouji it would get back to Shikamaru and she wasn't talking to him at the moment.
Some of her frustration must have shown on her face because Sakura held out her arms for the books. "You pay the next time we go out?"
Ino gave her friend a real smile. "Sure, forehead. I'll do that once we've both got time." It didn't sound like she'd have much time for anything in the next while. Shizune wasn't going to go easy on her. That was a good thing.
Then Sakura was gone and Ino, with a wave to the receptionist was heading off to see Chouji. She knocked first on his door – it wouldn't do if he was asleep. When his voice answered she poked her head in with a smile.
He gave her one back. "Ino! How're you?"
"I should be asking you that." She fussed over him and drew up a chair.
He gave her a sidelong glance as if, he wasn't so sure about that. Ino bristled, "What, do I look like there's something wrong with me?"
Chouji smiled at her, and she couldn't stay mad. "No. It's just – " he hesitated and she frowned at him until he continued, "Shikamaru was here earlier and he was angry." Chouji told her finally in a voice that was just above a mumble. He didn't add that it was rare enough to piss Shikamaru off enough that he went and complained about it hours after the fact.
"That makes the two of us then." Ino told him crossly, "I don't want to talk about it."
Chouji frowned but didn't press. He wouldn't she knew unless this state of affairs continued on longer, and while he was still in the hospital if would make it difficult to keep track of the disagreement.
"How much longer until you're out?" Ino asked him instead, "You look a lot better."
He did. It had broken something inside of her the first time she'd seen him lying in the hospital bed with so much weight gone.
"A few more weeks." he told her, "Tsunade-sama wants to make sure I wont have any problems heading back on active duty."
They chattered a while longer about inconsequential things and Ino made sure to keep him up to date on the latest doings of their friends. That was important, and it made him happy. Ino liked to see her friends happy.
When she left him, they both were smiling. After promising to drop by when she could Ino went to the training ground to get a bit more done after all just because it was almost eight didn't mean she hadn't things to do before she had to do before getting up at four.
He watched her train, he'd been heading home from his mission and stopped by the training area for a bit of relaxation. He'd been surprised to find her there practicing her taijutsu.
At first Shikamaru had considered going over and speaking with her but watching how she went at the logs with barely contained anger decided that it would be the better part of prudence to let her be for the day.
He could argue with her tomorrow about it. Teaching was serious work after all - no matter who had recommended her to the post. It wasn't fair that she flew off the handle at him when he merely pointed out the holes in her logic.
Instead of going home though, he found himself sitting up in a tree and watching Ino. It was soothing to be able to watch her without any idea that he was there.
Ino knew, of course, that he was watching.
While she was still angry with him - how dare he doubt her abilities on a mission? - the taijutsu practice was taking more energy from her than she cared to admit. She didn't want to think about the amount of work that Rock had gone through to obtain his level of proficiency.
His being stuck up in that tree though meant that she wasn't going to practice her ninjutsu the way that she had planned. Just another thing to blame him for.
Finishing up her taijutsu then Ino raced home without a single glance in Shikamaru's direction.
Reaching home she found her father, Yamanaka Inoichi, fussing with a flower arrangement in their kitchen. He didn't tell anyone, but the stupendous arrangements that sat in the windows of the shop were made by him, rather than his wife. Ino had always figured that he was embarrassed by it. Such an un-macho talent. She loved him anyway.
"It's that time already?" He looked up at her with a flower caught between his lips and she fought not to giggle as he glanced at the clock. "So it is. Give me a few seconds, princess, and then we'll go down."
Go down. She shivered happily. Downstairs was the room that every Yamanaka had made once they'd found the home that they planned to live in for life. A Balance room. It was a place to study the mind further and perfect the fine control that many of the jutsu's her family specialized in required. The very walls had sealing jutsus woven around and into them to keep their spirit from leaving the room.
She waited impatiently for him as he finished up the bouquet. "Is that a commission or just something you thought up?'' It was a glorious arrangement, very bold and eye catching.
"Commission." He told her absently as he gave the flowers a once over and satisfied set it on the center of the table with a smile. "You mother can take it to the shop tomorrow."
Then he turned and tossed out the scraps, then without another word headed out of the room. Ino followed hot on his heels. He was a bit abrupt she knew, but while some people had found it upsetting she thought it made it easier to get along with him. She was a bit biased however.
The Balance room was a regular room the naked eye. It was only with a doujutsu or the innate sensitivity to it of the Yamanaka's that you could tell it was something different. There was a closed feel to the room that she found comforting. Down here, she would never become lost.
Her father sat at the low table and she took a seat across from him. He looked her over for a minutes. "I've got a mission tomorrow. So we won't be learning the jutsu I promised you." His voice was regretful.
Ino swallowed hard to keep her frustration from leaking out. It was hard - she'd wanted to take the next step into her family's techniques – too often in the Chuunin exam she'd felt like a one trick wonder, "What will I be doing instead?" Because if she wasn't going to be doing anything then he would have told her upstairs.
"I said you wouldn't be learning the jutsu." Inoichi repeated, blue eyes mildly amused, "But you can start learning the control that you'll need."
That was better, even a little bit was a good start. Trying to keep her eagerness in check, Ino leaned forward. "What do I have to do?"
"You told me that your sensei has taught the three of you how to walk up trees and stand on water."
Ino nodded her head. Both activities had helped smooth her control of Shintenshin no Jutsu. She had been pleased with the progress.
"This is quite similar," her father told her, "you'll practice on this ceiling."'
She looked up and couldn't see anything different about it. Of course, not seeing anything didn't mean much amongst shinobi. "There's something on it that'll make it harder to stick?" Ino hazarded a guess. Because really, she could stand upside down for a few hours no problem and not be fully exhausted. The water one was harder.
"Of course." He gave her an approving look, "You won't be using your feet either. You'll start with your hands."
That was new.
"Asuma-sensei said that the hardest place to gather chakra was the bottom of the feet." Ino mused aloud, "What will gathering elsewhere help me with?"
"A good shinobi must be varied." He told her , "And the ability… what if you fall while on water? You wont always be able to catch yourself and land upright. There are times when using your feet won't be possible. While I'm gone I want you to practice sticking to the ceiling with various bits of your body. "
She gave the ceiling a long look. She and it would be getting well acquainted it seemed. At least she could read while stuck to the ceiling. Once she got the hang of it that was, "Yes father. Was there anything else?"
"Build your chakra reserves, at the moment the jutsu I want to teach you would wipe them almost out. You don't want to be drained so fast, chakra exhaustion is dangerous."
That was irritating but Ino couldn't say anything because it was likely true. Her father would no better than she. It was depressing sometimes how far behind everyone she was.
"You may read this." He tossed a small scroll at her, she caught it gently and didn't peek, "You can read that in this room only – it's not to leave the room. "
"Of course." Ino nodded her head, she'd never be allowed to take anything that contained information about her family's techniques out of the room. "What does it contain?"
"A jutsu. Not the one I originally planned to teach you but one I think you'd find more useful at your current level," he told her quietly, "not the seals, because I want to be near to make sure nothing goes wrong but the scroll has the theory behind it, how it was developed, and some of its most common uses."
She nodded her head. While she still wished that her father had the time before his mission to teach her the other jutsu she knew that there was no use complaining about it and that her father was just as irritated by the whole event.
"I'm giving that scroll to you because you wont abuse my trust by attempting to work out how to do it without proper guidance. Not that you would – you're my daughter after all, and know the possible consequences of messing up when it comes to the mind." Under his pleased regard she tried not to preen.
"Yes, Father." Ino hesitated and then took the plunge, "I talked to Shizune-san today and she agreed to teach me medical ninjutsu."
Her father went very still. "I had heard that your friend was apprenticed to the Hokage. Is that was this is about Ino?"
He was irritated with her. Well, she'd put a stop to that - it wasn't what he was thinking anyway, she was a Yamanaka to the bone. She'd never ignore that, "It's not about Sakura. I wanted to learn a bit – not enough to actually be a medic-nin but rather stuff that could keep my team alive until real aid came. A field medic."
By the end of it he was nodding his head. "Alright, yes, I can see that. You can take the training then, but no more than a standard field medic." Ino relaxed, if her father agreed then her mother was hardly going to object. Not if it was to protect her friends.
"How long do you think 'just enough to help' will take?"
She flushed, "Yes, I don't know how long I'll be taking the lessons – a few months at least." Shizune–sensei hadn't struck her as the type to skimp on training and hurry her through it faster, just for the sake of getting it over with.
"What time are the lessons?"
"Four to eight." Which was bit of a pain, as it completely killed her free time, but it was training that would make her stronger in the long run. She thought she could live with it for awhile. Which made her ask, "Do you know if Asuma-sensei's in town?" Ino would need to tell him about her change in studies.
Her father raised one blond eyebrow, "Why don't you just tell him during one of your team meetings?"
She sniffed, her irritation from earlier bubbling up, "Because Shikamaru's the one who he gets to make the strategies and if he knows about it he'll never let me do all I can. He came by today, you know, while at I was at the Academy and straight-out said that I couldn't handle the job they'd given me."
He was frowning at her. "I don't like the idea of you lying to your team. You should tell them Ino, that's something a team is supposed to know."
Ino stared at her hands, unable to fully explain why she didn't want to tell them. She had the feeling that whatever she would say would come out sounding childish when it was anything but. She needed this right now.
"But…" her father continued, with a sigh, "I suppose, if that's the case then tell only your sensei and let him make the final decision. If you explain your reasoning out to him I'm sure there's a chance that he'd keep quiet. He understands that sort of thing Ino."
Ino bowed her head. It was as good as done then. Other children might have tried to change their parents mind but Ino knew her father and when he looked like that it was best just to let it go. She hoped one day to be so formidable.
"Yes, Father." He looked like he was getting up to leave and she tilted her head up at him, "Do you have to leave early for your mission?"
Gone where the days when she'd begged him to tell her where he was going. She understood better now that she was a Genin that he couldn't. A shinobi had to operate in secrecy, otherwise the mission might be jeopardized by loose lips. It was a fact of life. But she could ask what time he had to be up.
"Around nine." He looked amused, and settled back in his chair, "Did you want to practice with Shintenshin or work on your mental defenses?"
"Both if we could." She said plaintively. After her tie to Sakura, Ino had badgered her father into showing her how to improve the defenses of her own mind. At the moment in consisted of separating everything onto two different layers – one important, the other a trap – and then wrapping her presence around the whole until it looked like a single empty plain. Her father's was more complicated, he'd let her have a glimpse of his mind wrought like an underwater garden. The point was to confuse the intruder into thinking they'd made a mistake and then strike out at them from behind.
Nobody beat a Yamanaka at mind games.
He huffed lightly and she knew he was well pleased with her audacity. "Let's work on the mind shield. Shintenshin no jutsu, you know well – it is just a matter of practice and refinement. Practice it on animals – they can serve as a spy when a human would be noticed." She could do that – it was more than she'd hoped for since the moment he'd told her about his mission. It would have been irritating for him to go and not let her practice anything.
They spent the next hour diving in and out of her mind. Tracking down the blurry, uneven lines of her shield and firming them until her mind was in two separate layers and that there were nasty little traps scattered through out the landscape.
The unwary would find an unpleasant end. It was true that in Konohagakure the Yamanaka Clan was the only one with the sort of mental techniques they practiced but new jutsu's were always being invented and it was a fool that didn't prepare for the worst.
When her father let her go, just past ten, she was well pleased with her improvement. Her enjoyment didn't falter after her shower when she found the textbooks Sakura had taken back for her stacked neatly on her bed.
With a sigh, Ino moved them to her desk, grabbed the one Shizune-sensei had told her to start and curled up in bed.
She was working hard. Next time she wouldn't be left behind.
C&C, please!