Chapter Three: The Genin Challenge, Pt.2

More time passed. Choji and Shikamaru were again lounging on the grass some distance away from Ino, ostensibly to allow her privacy while she recovered herself, but really because they were both extremely uncomfortable with the emotional display. Choji was rubbing his belly plaintively, quietly praying that noon would roll around quickly, and Shikamaru was on the verge of nodding off again when they both heard a soft voice above them.

"Er… Shikamaru? Choji? I just wanted to say thank you for saving me, and… I'm really sorry I put you both through all that."

Shikamaru opened an eye and found Ino looking down at him with a markedly chastened face – gone, for the moment, was the bossy, temperamental girl who had been treating him and Choji so coldly ever since they'd been assigned to the same team. He arched his brows in surprise.

"You're welcome," he answered, the corner of his mouth twitching up slightly. Choji broke into a grin and Ino, with less uncertainty, began to smile as well. And for a minute, there was a silent truce between the three teammates.

Of course, it didn't last.

"Ino, why did you try to cross the river if you couldn't swim?" asked Choji.

Shikamaru sat up. It was something he too had been mulling over while they'd waited for Ino to stop crying.

A troubled expression flickered across Ino's face as she sat down on the grass across from them; she appeared to be wrestling with something. "It's just… I didn't want to lose to her…" she finally mumbled.

"'Her' who?" wondered Shikamaru as he curiously examined her face. "Are you talking about Sakura?" He frowned at Ino. So what the heck does that have to do with anything?

Ino looked chagrined, like she hadn't meant to say that much. She stared uncomfortably down at the grass, saying nothing.

"I don't know," began Choji tentatively. "I think that was really dan–"

"Flat-out stupid," interrupted Shikamaru bluntly. "Especially for such a lame reason."

Ino's pink face flushed deeply, and she stared daggers at Shikamaru. "I never said anything about Sakura!" she shot back defensively. "She has nothing to do with it! I just want to win, damn it!" She pointed accusingly at both Choji and Shikamaru. "And never mind me – what I don't understand is what's the matter with you two idiots that you don't feel the same way about this! Are you actually trying to lose on purpose?"

Shikamaru turned away with an annoyed grunt, while Choji looked down at his shoes dejectedly. Ino felt her disgust with the two rise yet another notch.

"Listen here! I really want to be a genin – I just have to make it! Don't you guys want to be one, too? Why did you spend all that time at the academy if you'd rather have been something else? I mean, I know you spent most of the time sleeping, Shikamaru, while you were always stuffing your face, Choji – but seriously, is that all you two ever thought about?" She pointed at Shikamaru. "Don't your relatives own a deer herd? You could have just gone into the family business!"

"No, I wouldn't; herding deer is a total pain in the butt. And conversely, Ino, why didn't you want to become a florist?"

"Who says that I can't do both? I'll make a great florist, too, and run a wonderful stall someday: Lovely Ino's Flower Shop, the best in all of Konoha!"

"I'll believe it when I see it," muttered Shikamaru, rolling his eyes. There goes that overbearing ego again.

Ino ignored him, turning instead on Choji. "So what about you? Or are you as unmotivated as this guy?"

Choji, however, looked up thoughtfully at her. "You know, when you ask me about that… I think maybe it's all because of my father." Noticing their confused expressions, he added shyly, "My father is a proud warrior, strong and well-respected. And I think I'd like to grow up like him, more than anyone else."

Neither Ino nor Shikamaru had anything to say to that.

Fingering the Leaf headband wrapped around her waist, an image of Inoichi appeared in Ino's head: a memory of the first day she had entered the academy. Her whole family had been pleased, yet none so much as her father. And even so he had said this to her: You can still be anything you want to be, Ino. I'll always believe in you. Ino smiled wistfully. She could say whatever she wanted to about someday becoming a florist, but being a ninja was the true family business.

"Maybe… you're right, Choji," admitted Ino. "I think it's the same for me, too. I didn't have to enter the academy – but I wanted to, because of him." She thought back to what Inoichi had been trying to tell her the previous night. It still wasn't entirely clear to her, but she was now certain of one thing: "We weren't kids anymore, the moment we received these things… and I don't want to let him down."

Glancing at her teammates, Ino was startled at the sudden transformation in their demeanor. Choji had perked up, and was looking at her with something like admiration. But Shikamaru's face had inexplicably grown darker and his scowl deepened. He promptly rolled over onto his side, with his back to both Ino and Choji.

"Forget it. I'm not doing anything else," said Shikamaru crossly. "Go jump in that river again for all I care."

Ino gaped at him like she'd been slapped. Then she angrily got to her feet. "I… I didn't ask you to!" she snapped as she stormed away from them. "And you can go dream your life away for all I care!"

Listening to her go, Shikamaru could feel Choji's eyes on his back, but he made no move to acknowledge him. A feeling of resentment had seized him. Unlike the others, Shikamaru had never wanted to attend the academy. His first day at school was one of the worst days of his life, and he'd had a terrible time trying to adjust to all the sudden expectations placed upon him. He knew the reason he had been forced through three full years was because of his mother: as she put it, she wasn't going to support a lazy, useless son for the rest of his life. Only the knowledge that one day he'd finally be free to do exactly as he pleased kept Shikamaru going. It burned him that Ino could talk so blithely about parental expectations. It must be nice – he'd never been asked.

Of course, asking was not exactly Shikaku's style, either.

"Shikamaru…" said Choji quietly. "Is it really all right, leaving it like this?"

He scowled, feeling a twinge of guilt prick his conscience. However rebellious Shikamaru felt towards his mother, his father was another matter. Yoshino could nag, wheedle, and order until she was blue in the face, and Shikamaru was all indifference; but all Shikaku had to do was tell him a thing and for some reason Shikamaru felt compelled to listen. His father was also not the kind to reveal everything he was thinking – he often let his son work that out for himself. And it was through Shikaku's silence while his wife badgered that Shikamaru knew his father had wanted him in the academy as much as his mother did.

Shikamaru sighed, feeling all the fight go out of him. He pushed himself up off the ground and went off in search of Ino.

Choji just smiled as he got up to follow his friend.

Ino found herself back at the same spot she had started from earlier that morning, again staring out at the scroll rock. The challenge was a lost cause and she knew it, and she was struggling to quell a deep sense of disappointment. What would Sakura say when she found out that Ino hadn't even made it past the first mission? Never mind that – what would her father think?

"Man, what a pain in the butt this is."

Whipping around, Ino discovered Choji and Shikamaru standing behind her. Too surprised to be angry, she looked at them questioningly. "But… I thought you said you weren't going to do anything anymore?"

"Yeah, well… that's what I said…"

Ino looked at Shikamaru suspiciously: his face suggested he was struggling with something and he looked more annoyed than usual. Then, heaving a weary sigh, he stepped towards her. Unexpectedly, she felt him grab her roughly around the waist.

"HEY! What do you think you're doing, Shikamaru?" she screeched, stunned by his brusque forwardness. She felt herself being jerked as he finished tying Choji's long scarf around her torso and knotting it tightly.

"Aw, don't get all excited," Shikamaru answered as he stood back again, tossing one end of the scarf to Choji. "It's annoying." He began tying the other end around his wrist, and Choji followed suit. "Here's the deal, Ino. Choji and I are going to swim across to that boulder – and we're gonna tow you along with us. Do me a favor and try not to drown this time, okay?"

Ino's eyes widened. "Oh… Okay!"

Getting across to the scroll rock was a lot harder than even Shikamaru anticipated, given the awkwardness of hauling Ino. Yet somehow they managed it, and no sooner had Shikamaru and Choji mounted the boulder than they felt themselves being tugged forward as Ino rushed towards an iron chest.

"Can't a fellow rest for a bit?" griped Shikamaru as Ino pried open the top.

"Are you kidding? Have you looked at the sun lately? We've lost a lot of time already…"

The cover lifted up heavily on its hinges and clanged loudly against the rock. She kneeled forward eagerly, while Choji and Shikamaru peered over her shoulders, feeling excited in spite of themselves – until they got a good look at the contents.

"Why is there only one scroll inside the chest?" wailed Ino, seizing the sides and attempting to shake it violently, as if to coax an extra scroll forward. "Didn't Asuma-sensei say there were several?"

Shikamaru frowned. "No – technically he said that 'whoever hands him a scroll' passes the test… that tricky jerk." He gave a disgusted snort. "And it's no wonder he didn't have to stick around."

"What do you mean?" asked Ino as she and Choji turned to look at him.

Shikamaru plopped down on the rock, sighing. "Well, I'd been wondering about the whole point of this stupid 'mission.' In the end the sole way we could make it to this rock was by swimming… but obviously without any tools we have no way of carrying the scroll back without ruining it. So the only way we could possibly get a scroll back across was by cooperating – say, having someone hold the scroll above the water while another person drags them. But because there is just a single scroll…"

Now it was Ino's turn to look disgusted. "What kind of test is this? We can't complete it unless we work together, and even if we cooperate –"

"Only one of us is going to be able to pass in the end," finished Shikamaru. "What a pain."

"Er… so what are we going to do now?" asked Choji.

They fell silent, contemplating the solitary scroll. A sense of ill-will settled over them.

"I've already said I wanted to be a genin," declared Ino, firing the opening shot. "I'm not planning on being sent back to school!"

"That's true," sighed Shikamaru, crossing his arms behind his head. "But man, going back to the academy would be such a drag, too. Three years of boredom was plenty for me."

"Yeah, I don't really want to go back, either," agreed Choji. "It's much nicer to be able to eat whenever I want without getting in trouble."

"Don't act like you're both so keen to be out of school now!" yelled Ino, pointing accusingly at Shikamaru. "Just awhile ago weren't you the one who didn't even care if you passed this test or not?"

"Maybe you were just too convincing, Ino," said Shikamaru dryly. "How does that make you feel now?"

Ino glared angrily at the pair of them, but Shikamaru remained unrepentant and Choji, though anxious, said nothing. She finally gave an exasperated sigh. "Look – we can't all pass this test. We have to figure out a way to decide who gets the scroll!"

"Rock-paper-scissors anyone?" suggested Choji hopefully.

"That's so childish," scoffed Ino. "Look, we're all academy graduates; why not fight for it?"

"Not my style," said Shikamaru, eyeing Ino with a shrewd gaze. "Let's do something mature and just give it to the person who comes up with the best reason, eh?"

"Fine. With. Me," hissed Ino through clenched teeth, irked by his choice of words.

"Great," said Shikamaru, indecently pleased. "And here's my reason: you can't get across the river by yourself anyway, Ino – so I guess you lose."

Ino stared at him, momentarily stunned. Then she balled her fists in anger. "So you'd abandon me here if I don't give up the scroll?"

"Bingo."

Ino let out a scathing laugh. "Nice try, Shikamaru – but it won't work. You can't get back across the river without me to hold the scroll above the water!"

"Wrong," Shikamaru smiled. "That's where Choji comes in – right, buddy?"

Choji grinned, catching on. "Yep, that's right."

Ino sputtered. "Why you – that's not fair! Just because you two are best friends, you gang up on me…!" A light switched on in Ino's head, and she smiled grimly. "But then again, because you are best friends… who is going to get the scroll between the two of you? It's not like you can split it."

Shikamaru just smirked. He looked over at Choji. "Rock-paper-scissors work for you?"

"Sure, that's fine," said Choji brightly.

"Well, Ino, I guess we've got that settled. So what's it going to be?"

Ino grit her teeth, frustrated at being cornered so easily by Shikamaru. She glanced angrily between the two smug boys, a feeling of great resentment building up inside her. Damn it all, I never even wanted to be stuck with these two idiots in the first place –

And then it came to her.

"All right, Shikamaru. You and Choji have had your turn. Now here's mine: you two are going to give me the scroll – willingly – and you're even going to help me get back across the river – again, willingly…"

They both looked back at her skeptically. Shikamaru smirked. "Oh, yeah? And why would we 'willingly' do that?"

"Because if I hand in the scroll to Asuma-sensei, it will ensure that I won't be on the same team with either of you anymore," pointed out Ino sweetly.

Shikamaru blinked.

"Damn. That really was a good one," he muttered after a moment. Then Shikamaru sighed deeply and shrugged. "Oh, screw it – I'm convinced. Let's do it for Ino's sake, Choji."

"Sure, if you say so," agreed Choji.

"Jerks," muttered Ino. But she still couldn't help smiling in victory.

Noon arrived, and as promised Asuma returned to the river, carrying three box lunches with him. Stopping a few feet in front of the trio, he said nothing by way of greeting and just stood waiting expectantly.

Ino quickly stepped forward and pressed the scroll into his hand. Asuma examined it, noting its condition. Satisfied, he looked over his three students.

"Does this mean that everyone on this team has agreed that Yamanaka Ino will be designated as the one who has officially completed the challenge?"

"Yes!" beamed Ino, barely restraining herself from dancing with glee. Inside she was already squealing like a little girl. I did it! I did it! I'm going to become a real genin after all – take THAT, Sakura!

"Uh-huh," nodded Choji as Asuma glanced his way, his eyes already greedily focused on the lunch boxes. Well, at least I'll be in class together with Shikamaru. I guess another year at the academy won't be so bad.

"Yeah, yeah," shrugged Shikamaru as he silently mulled over his resigned fate. Damn, the things I'm forced to do on account of women – but at least this one worked out to my advantage. More or less…

Asuma blinked, looking genuinely surprised. Then he broke into a broad smile.

"Well… I guess that means one thing. Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji – all three of you have successfully passed the challenge! Congratulations!"

There was an audible snap as three young necks jerked to attention. "What?" they all shouted together.

"You've all passed the test," repeated Asuma patiently. "You're all officially genin now."

"B-but Asuma-sensei," sputtered Ino, recovering first. "How can that be? With just one scroll – wasn't the challenge figuring out how to get help crossing the river even though only one person could ultimately win?"

"Oh, no – cooperating to cross the river isn't the challenge," said Asuma. "Most teams are smart enough to figure that out. It's dealing with the single scroll that really throws everyone off. Mission success often depends on being able to sacrifice personal interests in favor of the group objective. You all should be proud of yourselves – you're the first team that actually agreed on who would hand in the scroll." He pulled out a fresh cigarette and lit up, unmindful of the flabbergasted stares of his three pupils. "Pretty good teamwork, kids. That's exactly what a three-man cell needs."

Ino felt her legs give out from under her. She plopped onto the grass in an undignified heap, where she was shortly joined by Shikamaru and Choji. Taking this as a cue that they were hungry, Asuma passed out the box lunches and took a step back, surveying his new team with satisfaction.

"Well, go ahead – eat up! What are you waiting for? Tomorrow morning you're all going to start your first official mission with me, so I want you fed and well-rested. Go on!"

Giving into his appetite in spite of his confusion, Choji eagerly tore into his lunch while Shikamaru and Ino began half-heartedly picking at their boxes. Looking pleased, Asuma wandered off towards the river's edge, taking long drags on his cigarette as he watched the water. After some time when they felt their sensei was sufficiently engrossed in his own thoughts, the three drew closer together.

"So… after all that, we're still going to be on the same team?" whispered Ino as she played with her salad.

"Uh-huh," grunted Shikamaru. He slowly speared a fish ball and grimaced.

"D'you tink we 'ould tell him the twuth?" asked Choji through a mouthful of rice.

Ino glanced up and then abruptly turned away in distaste. "Do you want to end up back at the academy?" she retorted.

At this they all immediately looked up from their boxes, gazing uncertainly around at one another's faces. A minute passed as no one said anything, and then Shikamaru snorted.

"It's unanimous then – we're all a bunch of idiots," he sighed.

"Yeah, I guess so…" admitted Choji.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Good to see we've all finally agreed on something," she muttered.