Otaku's Note: Je voudrais simplement dire combien je suis heureux avec le nombre decommentaires et points de vue cette histoire! Je ne m'attendais pas à ce un tel succès... Mais je suppose qu'il ya aussi d'autres fans INO YAMANAKA là-bas comme moi qui veulent voir se renforcer et de tous. Yay!
(Just used Google Translate. The Francis Bonnefoy trend is all the rage now in Hetalia!)
So yeah, thanks for reading, leave a review and hope that I don't die of exhaustion while writing about 4,000 words for this. I know it's not much to some of you, but to me... I usually only write 1,000 words for my Inazuma Eleven fics... but for Ino's chronicles, I'm putting in a little extra effort.
Note: Do add me on Facebook if you have any suggestions- because I hate replying to emails/Private Messages via this website... I'unno. It's a habit, I guess. My Facebook name can be found on my profile.
I'm Ino Yamanaka
Chapter 4
Leaping from branch to branch as carefully as possible so as not to break them, Ino barely dodged a bird's nest full of eggs.
The four of them had left the Konoha gates and were half-way through their mission. It was probably six in the morning- Ino could see the first streaks of dawn streaming through the greenery. It made her all the more nervous.
They were on an S-Ranked mission.
A real S-Ranked mission; not the ones she used to play during pretend with Sakura... back when they had still been friends.
Ah well, Ino decided that pondering on useless childhood memories was useless right now- she had to focus.
"We should be reaching the Daimiyo's castle in about two hours. We could take a quick break over by the stream ahead. Yamato-sensei and Kakashi-sensei said that water flowing from upstream should be safe for drinking-"
"No breaks, kid. I'unno what Kakashi or Yamato's been stuffing into your brain; but on S-Ranked missions, we don't take breaks." Anko replied coolly from in front of him, continuing to dodge branch by branch.
Sai stared at her blankly for a moment, but then he nodded.
They continued to leap from tree to tree, occasionally spotting an animal of sorts on the forest floor; be it a fox, a bear or something like that. They hadn't ran into any rogues or bandits, thankfully.
"Alright; there's a rocky clearing up ahead. After we go through that, we should be at the entrance to the city!" Akai yelled, from the front. Going at full speed now, all they could hear were their heavy panting and the wind roaring in their ears.
Even Ino had to strain her voice if she needed to say something to Sai- who was right next to her.
And sure enough, Ino almost crashed directly into a huge rock slab after leaping away from the next tree! She luckily managed to change her forward speed into a huge leap, and managed to jump right over it, onto the rocky floor ahead.
Akai scanned Ino; checking her for injuries. Relieved to find none, the redhead nagged Ino lightly and reminded her to be a little more careful.
"Yeah, princess. Wouldn't want you getting your pretty little face damaged, hm?" Anko said, smirking.
The other three had long gotten used to Anko's mean and snide comments since the day before (for Akai, maybe a few years even); when Anko made those comments, it was only her not knowing better and trying to be funny.
So they mostly ignored it or grinned back. Like the feral grin Akai was giving to Anko now.
Repressing a shudder - for the millionth time around Anko - Ino then turned her attention back to the surroundings. The area was rural; there were no signs of life except for the occasional cactus or maybe hedgehog? Water types would have been at a disadvantage in this area.
"Akai... are you a water-type justu user?" Ino asked, remembering the time when Akai put out the flames she had accidently used to... practice the forest floor on.
The redhead chuckled.
"I use more than one element, Ino. Heck, I use about four of them. I may not be as good as Kakashi when it comes to variety; but hey. All Jounins need to have at least two elements at their disposal. After passing the Jounin exams, you'll be taught how to bring out your second element by your superior. Hopefully your superior will be me, at the time." Akai explained.
"That's if you pass, missy." Anko winked rather scarily at the platinum blonde- who gulped. Sai tried not to smile.
Ino rolled her eyes... but felt inwardly insecure.
What if she couldn't pass the exams? Only barely managing to pass the Chunin exams, Ino wasn't sure if she could get another lucky break for the Jounin one. It was frustrating, really. Trying and training so hard for something that you may not be able to succeed at.
But... if she actually passed... she'd be in heaven.
"INO! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" Akai roared, snapping Ino out of her thoughts.
Eyes widening in shock, Ino quickly made a huge leap to the right, barely dodging (once again) a huge rock, although it was much sharper and rougher than the previous one. If Ino had really crashed into that- her nose might have been torn completely off.
"It is a shame, Ino-chan, to see that you have not matured from the dreamy whore you had been; despite what the rumors say." Sai said, the polite smile still on his face but smirking tone evident in his voice.
Ino resisted the urge to punch that slimy git- they were on a crucial mission... injuring your allies wasn't the hottest OR best thing to do. Akai threw Sai an incredibly intimidating stare- something the platinum blonde thought only the strange Yamato-sensei was capable of.
Sai felt this familiar aura as well- he shut his mouth as soon as Akai was three seconds into staring at him.
They continued their travels in dead silence, with the occasional snicker coming from Anko- who apparently, didn't have the knack for feeling tension. Akai was chewing on a energy bar as she leapt swiftly from rock to rock, Ino was looking and scanning the area and Sai was just being... Sai.
You could still see a trickle of cold sweat running down his forehead if you were lucky- ... I mean, observant.
oOo
"This is it guys- the entrance to the Mineral country."
The two Chunin on the team stared wide-eyed at the magnificent bejeweled gate to the city. The guards standing at the entrance were eying them suspiciously. You could see the villagers and citizens from the outside of the gate; bustling around carrying shopping bags, mothers pulling children along and the occasional lone streetwalker.
"What is your business here?" A guard demanded of Akai as the four of them approached the entrance.
Rolling her eyes, Akai threw their passports faces in his face. It bounced of his nose and landed near his feet. Giving Akai a scathing death glare, much to her and the other three's amusement, he picked up the papers and unrolled them, scanning the contents.
His eyes widened, then slowly- he practically forced himself into a bow. Handing the papers back to Akai, he begrudgingly stepped aside to let them pass. After they brushed past him, Akai and Anko immediately made a quick dash for the tea shop, Ino the toilet and Sai... just stood there.
"Well, we should report to the Daimiyo of our arrival, first. He'll get us started on our tasks." Anko said, after they had all regathered, her hands joined behind her head casually and teeth working on a new dango stick.
They made their way through the bustling crowd and up into the higher ground; where the houses were larger and richer looking. The city was probably organised according to one's social status and wealth. The Daimiyo's castle was at the very top- it was a good fifteen minutes before they finished their walk up the hill.
By the time they reached the castle gates, Anko was grunting and mumbling something about 'damned rich bastards and their stupid big, fat-assed houses'. Not that Ino disagreed much.
The castle was surrounded by a river; a moat of sorts. You could see well-bred, large Japanese koi swimming around it and lily pads in bloom floating on the surface. The architecture was definitely something to be reckoned with.
But how could they get in?
"Ino, you wanna try ringing the doorbell?" Akai said, smirking. Confused, Ino looked around for a handle of sorts, but found nothing that resembled a doorbell, only seeing the iron gates and the grassy floor.
"Um, where is the doorbell, exactly?" Ino asked, confused.
Anko decided to answer this time. "It's right in the middle of the moat- right in front of us."
Startled by the Jounin's answer, Ino and Sai looked out into the middle of the lake, and sure enough; there was a brass handle about the size of a carriage wheel surrounded by a bunch of Koi under the clear blue water.
Akai started to explain. "The Mineral country has ONLY fire and water type Jutsu users; due to the amount of heat required to melt their minerals into finer objects, and the water required to mold it into jewelery and such. So they surrounded they castle with chakra-charged water. When directing your chakra towards the lake, the waters will part, and allow you to go to the entrance down below."
"But... what happens if you are not a water/fire type user?" Sai asked. Akai and Anko exchanged glances. The purple-haired Jounin shrugged, and Akai continued.
"The waters will form one huge wave- you'll be swallowed directly underwater. And because the waters in this moat are practically filled with chakra, it won't be easy resurfacing. Like trying to swim through jelly. It's a clever method the Daimiyo of this country uses." Akai said.
"They only go through all this shit because they've got tons of diamonds and god-knows-what in there. Akai and I had tried to get in when we were Chunin, eh Red?" Anko laughed.
The redhead chuckled and turned back to Ino, hands on her hips. Sensing that her teacher was about to say something relevant, Ino straightened up.
"Alright, Ino. Now I want you to try directing your chakra towards the handle. This could be considered the first step of me teaching you on how to control chakra in an external being." The Jounin said.
Ino almost squealed in delight- they were finally beginning her external chakra training! She had been waiting ages for this.
Taking in a deep breath, Ino thanked her sensei whole-heartedly for the advice and turned back to the water, ignoring Sai's snort of disapproval. She made a note to get back at him later on, considering that all he had been doing so far on the mission was diss her in front of the two Jounins she admired most.
Maybe she should have chosen someone else to join them on the mission...? But no use thinking about that now, Ino decided, as she placed her hand on top of the clean water.
Closing her eyes, Ino summoned the chakra from her stomach towards her hand... and slowly (with a little tickling sensation) Ino directed it out of her hand and into the water, much like when she was healing. Now that a sufficient amount was out, she had to get the chakra towards the handle.
"Focus, Ino. Think about using your chakra to tear through the waters." Akai said, watching her apprentice carefully. Even Anko had gone silent as well, observing her Junior's progress.
The platinum blonde frowned and urged her chakra to move through the waters.
It was harder than she thought. The water was already filled with other chakra... Ino couldn't do it. Sweat was breaking out on her brow and her breathing was becoming rather harsh. It was like trying to push Chouji through a small crack in the wall (not to be mean or anything, but it was true).
She was about to give up- when she heard Sai laugh. The bastard...!
"I knew it." He said, smiling falsely.
And Ino snapped, her eyes opening suddenly and glaring at the water with pure hate.
Channeling her rage towards the chakra she was channeling, she made it sharpen and slowly pushed it through the waters. Feeling the waters give way slightly, Ino then realized what she had to do. She focused on making her chakra more narrow and streamlined, and pushed it with everything she had.
Feeling even more... encouraged at Sai's faltering gloat-like expression, Ino used even more chakra and force to push through the damned waters; and finally she made it towards the handle.
Nodding in approval, Akai helped directed Ino's chakra to surround the doorknob while Anko clapped.
It squeaked, and lifted. The waters seemed to gurgle for a minute, when two huge waves formed and moved away from each other, leaving an empty path in the middle (Moses, HAHA).
They could now see a steel door with dragon carved patterns onto the sides right under the handle, which was still lifted into the air. Slowly, the doors moved aside to reveal a dark tunnel, which was probably the entrance.
Akai beckoned for them to follow her down.
oOo
Dark, slimy and extremely uncomfortable were the words to describe her 'experience' down in the tunnel, Ino decided.
FINALLY, after they resurfaced, they ended up on the other side of the moat, right in front of the grand gold doors of the castle. Was it made of pure gold? It probably was. Ino marveled at the intricate designs of Kanji carved into the grand plate of gold.
"HEY! ARE YOU GONNA LET US IN OR WHAT?" Akai roared, banging her fist violently on the doors. Crawling through a wet and dark underground passage hadn't done favors for her mood. The doors, as if they actually heard her, moved apart, and allowed them to walk past them- into the castle.
-x-
As expected, the interior of the castle was every bit as grand as the exterior. There were gigantic paintings of mountains, trees and animals hung up on the walls, the floor was made out of pure marble and the ceiling had chandeliers hanging from it, exerting a warm glow.
Anko whistled lowly, impressed.
The guards at a door crafted entirely out of Jade ushered them over, ignoring Ino's startled shriek as one of them accidently stepped on her foot (they wore full-body armor), much to the platinum blonde's irritation.
"Taijiya Ken-sama is ready to see you." The guards said, bowing respectfully.
Akai nodded and banged her fist on the door three times, not seeming to care whether or not it would break under her impressive strength. PMS was probably on the way, Anko decided, fiddling with her kunai under her coat.
And finally the doors opened...
... To reveal (WHAT ELSE) a grandly decorated room with a chair carved out of glass (... or was it DIAMOND...?) right in the middle. The Daimiyo sat there, donned in silk robes. His servants were spread out equally around the room, ready to tend to his every need.
Ino hated people like this. Even Konoha's Hokage never took her power for granted- or required this much servants, wealth and treasures. The Hokage's job was to ensure to well-being of her people, and to protect the village with her life.
She was suddenly thankful that Konoha had Tsunade as their leader instead of... this.
"You are late by half-an-hour, fools." The Daimiyo's secretary barked from his side. He looked scrawny, old and just mean. Although most old people did have an excuse to be crabby- this were international agents he was dealing with here.
Just as Akai was about to snap back with an irritated remark, the Daimiyo held his hand up for silence.
"What Tseung says is true, but I only care for the fact that you are here, and ready to do your job, I presume?" Taijiya Ken's voice held much authority, although you could definitely sense a pinch of irritation. He did not look like a pleasant person- fat, old, with sausage-like lips ready to bark an order at you, the Daimiyo glared at the Konoha Shinobi.
Akai nodded. "Yes, Ken-sama," The sarcasm was detected by the Konoha Shinobi but luckily, not the Daimiyo or his crabby assistant. "We are the Shinobi from Konoha- here, ready to serve you and fight."
The Daimiyo nodded. "Very good. The Suna Shinobi have already arrived. We will now proceed to the grand hall for the mission brief." The old man held up an arm covered by a silk sleeve, holding it towards the right direction of the hall, where another Jade door was.
Following him cautiously, Ino glared daggers at the back of Tseung's and the Daimiyo's heads. Bloody bastards, ordering them around... when they had just stepped foot into the damned room, too.
"You've gotta learn how to deal with people like that, missy. They come in pretty often on missions like these." Anko whispered to Ino.
The platinum blonde nodded, though it didn't help her anger any.
Temari looked up from her tea, delighted to see Ino Yamanaka standing there. Not taking note of her new look (Shikamaru had already sent her a picture), Temari beckoned the platinum blonde to come sit next to her.
"Ino! You're here." She said, giving Ino a beaming smile. The platinum blonde smiled just as brightly and waved in return. "How've you been, Temari? Shikamaru really misses you- he says you need to come over and visit more."
Smiling to herself, Ino mentally noted to tell Shikamaru about how Temari blushed when she had said that. She had known about their mutual feelings for each other long, long ago. It was driving her crazy- WHEN were they going to confess to each other?
And seated beside the older Suna Jounin, was Matsuri. Ino vaguely remembered seeing her a few weeks ago when she had been on a mission to deliver a message to the Kazekage- the girl had been all over him, gushing over his well-being and asking him if he needed anything.
It had kind of irked Ino- it was really hard to pass him the message with the brat jostling and pushing past her every time she tried to say something, in her haste to practically throw herself onto Gaara.
"Ladies, and gentleman," Tseung stressed, noticing at the last-minute that Sai was very much NOT a lady, but actually a guy. Ino giggled. "Please take your seats."
They sat down.
"The Country of Tea's festival is extremely important to our country- it is when we get to meet the Lords and Daimiyos of other nations and countries; where we get to trade or make International Relations. There has been reports from my generals of a planned attack on me, by Rokuo Kuro, the S-Ranked rogue ninja that assassinated the Bear country's last Daimiyo." Ken said, while Tseung handed out reports to each of the Shinobi gathered in the room.
"My daughter, Satsumi Taijiya, will be travelling by my side during this trip. Temari and Matsuri from Suna will be guarding her, while the Konoha ninja will be my bodyguards." He stated.
"How come you get more bodyguards than your little girl, huh?" Anko sneered. Remembering Tsunade's warning about not provoking the Daimiyo, Ino nudged Anko's foot from under the table, sending her a look.
Waving off the Daimiyo's hard glare and Ino's anxious stare, Anko chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, my bad. Now carry on."
The Daimiyo grunted and turned away from them, facing the door. "We will be leaving in an hour. Be sure not to fail me or my daughter... or you will be hearing about this from your Hokage- or better yet... the Fire Daimiyo himself!" Ken said, haughtily.
As soon as the Jade exit doors closed behind him and Tseung, Ino flung a kunai in the direction of whence he had came and left. The blade latched itself onto the door's surface, a magnificent crack blooming right in the middle of the door's surface.
"That old man pisses me off too, Ino, but try to control yourself." Akai said, winking from her seat opposite of Ino.
Nodding and breathing deeply, the platinum blonde grinned at Anko who flashed her a thumbs up. Sai just remained indifferent and smiled at Ino- only slightly more real this time. It seemed as though Ino's kunai throwing impressed him somewhat.
"What do you think his brat's gonna be like?" Temari asked, leaning back casually in her seat.
Matsuri raised an eyebrow at her senior's rude way (in HER opinion) of speaking. "Temari-senpai... with all due respect- we should be more polite to our clients when on missions. Gaara told me that."
Ino raised an eyebrow, not sure if she was supposed to be surprised that Matsuri had actually talked back to her senior or that she had addressed the Kazekage by his name only.
oOo
Back at the gates of the Mineral Country, Ino turned to Temari.
"What's with her?" Ino asked, nodding in Matsuri's direction. The mentioned Suna Chunin didn't seem to notice- she was too busy discussing with the country's Daimiyo about relations with Suna. Temari could only roll her eyes in exasperation.
"Ever since she started dating Gaara- her head kinda swelled. No- make that a lot. Matsuri used to be pretty cool, but now she just reminds me of the Haruno girl."
Snickering, Ino and Temari high-fived each other before turning back their attention to the Daimiyo.
"Everyone, this is my daughter, Satsumi Taijiya. She is the jewel of our family- to be engaged to the prince of the Tea country, as well." The old man said, a hint of gloating in his voice. Ino shook her head in disbelief.
This princess was no 'jewel'- her face was caked with makeup, her dress a little too short for her own good, and jewels hung off her like an ornament did a Christmas tree. Just because you came from the Mineral country didn't mean you had to decorate yourself with EVERY Mineral available to you, Ino thought, repulsed by Satsumi's fashion sense.
But Satsumi seemed to think otherwise.
"Thank you, father. I get my beauty from you and my mother." The girl simpered. Akai and Anko stiffled laughter, and made choking sounds while Temari fought the urge to gag. Ino seemed torn between amusement and disgust while Sai remained indifferent, though you could notice his left eyebrow twitching a little.
On the other hand, Matsuri immediately gushed on how great the princess looked. Looking pleased, Satsumi told Matsuri to walk right next to her, and Matsuri immediately began to talk to the Daimiyo's daughter, but as Anko put it, she started to 'KISS-ASS'.
As Temari's eyebrow twitched in irritation and anger that Matsuri was being a stupid show-off, Ino placed a hand on her older friend's arm to console her. "She's acting like a real bitch, yes. But you don't really have to hang out with her anymore now that I'm here, yeah?" Ino grinned.
"Uh-huh. Thanks, Ino." Temari said, grinning at her companion. The two of them kept a slight distance from the Daimiyo and his daughter, and chose to trail behind the entourage, so that they could talk about stuff.
Girl stuff, you know.
"Don't mention it, Temari." Ino said, and the two of them laughed, continuing to follow the group towards the Land of Tea.
Little did they know about what dangers awaited them.