Grar… sorry that it took me forever to get to this. School and such, y'know? Either way, I blame society XD I wanted to write this on Friday, but between school, work, and lazertag (eehehe...) I had no time. And on Saturday I was too busy with working, lawn mowing, burning things and getting drunk. On Sunday I had church, then I had to go to my sister's (er… brother's?) house for a barbecue and a nice big bonfire (more burning, w00t!)… I attempted to get drunk, and to drunken box with my drinkin' buddy (neither of which worked), and on Sunday I slept in and… … bummed around on the internet all day. Oh, I did go to the barn though. … … So as you can see, my weekend was so TRAGICALLY busy.

BACK TO FANFIC-ING I PROMISE EEEE. -hides-

Dis-claim-orz: I do-n't ow-n Na-ru-to, else Mi-zu-ki wou-ld not ha-ve bee-n j-ust a mi-nor char-ac-ter. (no, I'm not still drunk. I just like hyphens!)

P.S. – I have something special in this chapter for all y'all, for waiting OHSOPATIENTLY while I partied on this awesome holiday weekend (yay Canada! Yay may 2/4!). Well, actually, two something specials. One is plot development. The other is, well… -chuckles crazily- Juuuust reeeaaad and seeee! (Team 8 fans/Kiba fangirls, you might like this.) Ohwait. There'sthree. TENTEN. EEEEE.

A silver disk floated in the indigo-black velvet of the sky, and little sparkles twinkled and danced around it. This disk – or rather, the moon – illuminated well in its sickly light the land below. Being a beautiful Friday night, Konohagakure was alive with noise, lights, and laughter. It was on the better part of eleven o'clock, though, so the Ino-Shika-Chou formation's little dinner had to end, as the restaurant had closed up for the night.

"I'm hungry," Chouji mumbled from Ino's right, rubbing his rotund belly.

"Chouji, we just left. Can you hold out ten minutes until you get home?" Shikamaru complained back, from Ino's left.

Ino just smiled as the two bantered on. This was how leaving their hangout place – that restaurant – usually ended. Chouji would get hungry again, one of his teammates would scold him, and the conversation would continue.

"I know, but I'm still hungry…" Chouji mumbled, in what may have been a bit of shame.

…Just like that. Ino and Shikamaru would always leave full, and Chouji would always leave hungry – even though he would eat much, much more than the other two combined. It had felt good to go out with them tonight. They didn't get to get together much anymore. Ino's smile dipped to a frown for a moment. Both male members of the team were jounin now, and very busy with their own lives and missions. Sometimes, though rarely, the Ino-Shika-Chou formation would be sent on a mission together; and normally with stunning success. Of course, Ino was still just a chuunin, so said missions did not occur often.

"It's only three blocks 'til we reach Ichiraku. If you can hold out until then, I'll buy you a bowl of ramen."

"Nhnn… make it two?"

"What? No…"

"In that case, I'm still hungry."

Shikamaru sighed. "Fine, fine, two it is. You're so troublesome, Chouji…."

Ino fought back a giggle. Ah, her friends were such losers. ….In a good way. She realised she had fallen back a pace or two. She smiled broadly, and made a quick, long step. In the same motion, she hooked her left and right arms around Shikamaru and Chouji's necks, respectively. She slumped between them. The lazy one grunted in surprise, and the caught-off-guard food-fanatic nearly fell over.

"I'll buy his ramen." Ino nodded, smiling up at them both. She half-dragged half-stepped in order to walk, as she had so much weight on her teammates (whom of which just continued walking) that they just seemed to drag her along.

"Ino?" Chouji asked, mildly surprised. She had been very quiet the whole walk until now, and she was acting more friendly than usual. She just grinned in return.

Shikamaru just raised an eyebrow at her, then shook his head. "Can't complain, I guess." He muttered. Ino smiled wider, her face now enveloped by a rather goofy grin. Yep, her friends were losers all right. But, after all they had been through (including all they put each other through), they were just that – friends. No, no, they were more than that. Best friends? That term fit better, but it still didn't suffice….

Ino's thoughts were interrupted. "Hic! A-Ano saaaAAAAaaa…" someone mumbled in a cracking voice. It was followed by a fit of giggles. All of Team Ten stopped, raised their eyebrows in mild surprised, and looked up. Before them, hanging off of a heavily clothed boy, was none other than Inuzuka Kiba. His hair seemed a little more messy than usual, and he seemed to be in a state of disarray. Ino unslung herself from her teammates, standing straight up. She regarded him sceptically.

"Ano… what's wrong with him?" Chouji blinked.

Shikamaru remained silent. The man carrying him, who I forgot to mention earlier was Aburame Shino, grunted in agitation as Kiba slipped from his lean on the bug-hosting nin. Shino just heaved him back up.

Ino's nose curled. She knew that smell. "He's drunk." She answered Chouji's question blandly.

Kiba snorted, then giggled, "Ano saaa," Kiba repeated, breaking free from his teammate and stumbling towards the bemused trio.

"What a drag…" Shikamaru muttered. "What do you want, Kiba?"

Shino didn't make a move for the dog-using shinobi; he just crammed his hand in the pocked of his black coat. Ino wondered, for a moment, why he wore those dark shades during the night, even if it was a bright one….

"H-have… hic… have you seen… uuuuuh… ShhhiiiiIIIInnnOOOO," He cried, turning around and nearly falling over.

"What?" Shino snapped in a monotonous way (he got skillz), obviously annoyed.

"Whadd're we lookin' for ag'in? Hic."

Shino sighed in an exasperated manner. "Akamaru."

"OOOH, riiii't!" Kiba slurred. He spun to face Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji again. "Have you seen… ano… …er… … AAAH!" He suddenly screamed. His slit-pupiled eyes flew open, and he jumped, looking around frantically. Team ten screamed back in surprise, eyes bugging out of their heads. Shino's eyebrow twitched.

Kiba spun to face his hooded teammate. "Shino, Shiiinooo! I think… hic… I THINKILOSTAKAMARRUUUU!" He screeched, looking frantically for his rather large dog. He even went as far as to open his leather jacket, and peer inside of it.

Shino sighed. "Hai, hai, I know, we've been looking for him for the last hour, baka."

Ino looked to a confused Chouji, and then to an unamused Shikamaru. "Uhhh, we better get going," she said quickly to Shino, "Chouji-kun is hungry."

Shino nodded as the blonde kunoichi grabbed her friend's arms, and dragged them past the rambling, confused, drunken Kiba, and the annoyed, babysitting kikaichu host. "If we see his dog, we'll let you know." She told him briskly.

Shino shook his head. "That won't be necessary. Akamaru is with Hinata-san."

Ino stopped dead in her tracks, and the Akimichi and Nara behind her ploughed clean into her (though miraculously, she didn't fall over). "You know where he is?!" she practically screeched. "Then why don't you tell Kiba?!"

Shino turned to face her. "He's the one that left him there. He knew he would be drinking and he didn't want to expose his dog to that."

Ino blinked. Shikamaru asked, "Then why don't you at least tell him that Akamaru is safe and sound with Hinata?" He asked the annoyed Aburame.

"Simple," he replied, turning back to Kiba, who was now sobbing wildly, "This is entertaining."

All three shinobi stared blankly. "Riiiiight…." They replied in unison.

"We have to get going, bye!" Ino said. Sweatdropping a little, she shoved her teammates along down the road. "That guy is weird…" she muttered when they were in the clear. She removed herself from behind her teammates, and placed herself, once again, at a walking pace between them.

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed, nodding. "I coulda swore that he was pissed off."

"… I'm still hungry," Chouji interjected. Ino laughed. Yep, just another normal night with the Ino-Shika-Chou formation.

The Yamanaka kunoichi and another woman, with brown hair tied back in two neat buns, stood patiently inside the Hokage's office. Ino had met Tenten on the way to the tower, and with a little shared conversations discovered the brunette weapons mistress was headed to the same place she was. The two shared the walk, chatting aimlessly all the while.

But here they stood now, Tenten relaxed and casual, her hand holding securely onto the strap of a large scroll on her black-clad torso. She was the living definition of confidence, and right now, Ino envied that. She envied it so because she, herself, was currently quite nervous. It didn't take a trained ninja to figure that out. Her hands were folded in front of her, gently touching the purple fabric of her skirt, her fingers fidgeting and prodding at each other.

"Ah, good, you're both here. Ohayou, Tenten-san, Ino-san." Tsuande said, strolling into her office. Tenten smiled and waved, and Ino nodded in greeting. The Hokage brushed past the two and took her seat behind her large, oak desk.

"Now," she said, stretching and yawning. "I've got a lot of paper work so I'm going to make this quick." She turned her head, cracking her neck soundly. Ino flinched at the noise, only because she was so goddamned nervous.

"Tenten."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama?" She asked happily, straightening up in the presence of her idol.

"I've been keeping an eye on you and I think you're ready for a promotion."

"Promotion?" Tenten's brown eyes blinked, as though the jounin did not understand.

"Hai, promotion. There's an ANBU exam starting on Monday, and I want you to take it."

Ino didn't know how it was possible, but the already cheery kunoichi just got about ten times happier. "Oh, yes!" She said, clenching her fists and smiling broadly, bowing in thanks. She began to wriggle a little, barely being able to contain her excitement. "I'll gladly take part in the ANBU exam! Arigatou!" She replied, bowing again in thanks.

The Hokage merely chuckled then gave a little wave. "Yes, yes. Your teammates tipped me off that you've been training hard and waiting a long time for this." Tsunade shrugged, leaning back comfortably into her large office chair. "And I took that hint, because I honestly believe you can pass that exam. I would fill you in on details, but I suppose Neji-kun could do that. So thank your team, not me."

'That's right,' Ino thought, 'Hyuuga Neji is an ANBU captain already. And now… now Tenten-chan is as good as ANBU.' Her face darkened into a nervous frown. 'And I'm still a measly little chuunin.'

"As for you, Ino-san," Tsunade said, her serious mood returning. She folded her hands, rested her elbows on her desk, and leaned her mouth against her hands. This was an all too familiar pose to both kunoichi present, one that meant business of utmost importance. "Do you remember Morino Ibiki?"

"Morino… Ibiki…?" She asked, confused. Her brain was refusing to process anything. Damn, damn, damn, she was too nervous. Her stomach felt all clenched up now, too.

"The chuunin exam proctor?" Tenten asked, looking curious. Ah, that was right! He was that big, scarred up guy that was the proctor for the first stage of the chuunin exams – the written test. Tsunade nodded.

"Hai, I know who he is." Ino finally managed to respond.

"Ah, good." Tsunade cocked her head to the side, and a smile peeped out from behind her hands. "How would you feel about training under him?"

It took Ino a few minutes to think. Those few minutes seemed to be hours to her, but she finally stammered something out. "I-isn't he a… a tokubetsu jounin? Specialising in torture?" Ino was a prime example of confusion. Why would Tsunade-sama think she – of all people – was fit for TORTURING people?

Tsunade shook her head roughly. "Nononono…"

"He's the head of Konoha's interrogation unit," Tenten explained, casting her soft brown eyes on Ino, "Torture does fall under his jurisdiction, but he's primarily just an interrogator. If I remember correctly…" she said, looking up and tapping her chin in thought, "he specialises in the mental breakdown of people, not the physical."

"Exactly." Tsuande closed her eyes and grinned broadly. "Yamanaka Ino," her face hardened into a forceful, serious (almost scary) mask. "I want you to consider the apprenticeship of one Morino Ibiki, a toku jounin for Konoha's interrogation department, and the eventual rise to the rank of toku jounin, specialising in the same area. Do you accept?"

Ino stood in shock. The world around her was one of glaring light, dulled sounds, and since she couldn't breath, atmospherelessness. She had been expecting a promotion of some sort, but she hadn't expected this. What was she going to answer? Should she answer yes, or no? Her previously numbed mind spiralled into a chaotic realm of whirling thoughts and lack of direction.

"Easy there," the fifth Hokage chuckled, seeing Ino's utter lost look. "You don't have to answer today. You're both dismissed.

Ino didn't move. Tenten bowed. "Arigatou, Godaime-sama!" She said cheerily. She gently prodded Ino, then took the numb girl by the arm. "Goodbye!" She called to the Hokage on her way out. She gently pulled a still-confused Ino along out the elaborate double-doors. Her blue eyes were blank and wide, staring around as though she had just woken from a coma and had amnesia. Was any of what just happened real?

The weapons mistress led her out of the tower. By that time, Ino had considerably recovered. "Tenten-chan?" She asked.

"Mm?" Tenten answered with a hum.

"Do you… do you think I should take up Tsunade-sama's offer?" Her brow furrowed in confusion and over-thinking, as she stared at the kunoichi in the black Chinese shirt, with floral decorations.

Tenten grinned, cocked her head to the side, and nodded. "Hai! I think it would be good for you, Ino-chan. And though tokubetsu jounin is technically a lower rank than jounin, it's a position that seems to get a lot more respect. And instead of worrying about hard, long missions, you just get to go with missions that require your specific skills – you only really need a few talents, and you don't need to spend a whole whack of time honing your other skills." She sighed, almost wistfully. "It seems a lot easier and a lot less riskier than ANBU, don't you think?"

Ino nodded. What Tenten had said made sense. It was a logical choice, that probably anyone would pounce on if giving the choice.

A few moments of silence later, and the two kunoichi parted ways. Tenten bid Ino good-bye and told her to think it over for a while, and the blonde Yamanaka said farewell to the brunette soon-to-be-ANBU and wished her luck on the exam (though she probably didn't need it).

Ino looked to the clouds on the way back. Shikamaru had once mentioned envying the clouds, for they were carefree and taskless. Ino wondered now, for a moment, just what it would be like to be a cloud – unplagued by thought, unplagued by important decisions….

I'll beat you with a stick if you didn't like it.

I jest! XD Please review?