Sakura was just literally just a worse version of Ino.
Ino was the better shinobi, she was faster than Sakura, stronger than Sakura, prettier than Sakura, knew more jutsu than Sakura. The only thing that damn forehead girl had on her was her test scores, but that was because she had enough room in her fat head for half an extra brain.
Even Sakura's family was just a worse version of Ino's. Kizashi was a genin, they were both the same rank as the man who made most of his money as her father said 'being a best friend you paid for' to various nobles that just wanted to spend time with him. While Inoichi was a jounin, a strong capable member of Konoha and one of the elite.
Mebuki -Sakura's mother- much like her own mother, ran a business. A housekeeping business. They even paid Mebuki to clean their home and shop sometimes. It wasn't even a real shop or business, just a service!
There was no category that ino didn't trounce Sakura in. Sakura was just living a shallow reflection of Ino's life like it was some funhouse mirror.
Yet, she had Naruto.
Sasuke too, but that wasn't as important. Somehow, everything Ino loved, hated, desired, longed for, feared, and coveted was on Team Seven. Just thinking about them was enough for her to stop what she was doing, which pretty much constantly.
She tried and tried to go a day without thinking about them. To go an hour, a minute, a second. But they kept coming up to her mind reminding her that she had fucked up. If she hadn't tried to manipulate Naruto, if she had been honest with herself, if she didn't have feelings for Naruto or hell Sasuke too, then she wouldn't be feeling like a pile of shit in the middle of the desert.
Seeing them drove her crazy. But not seeing them was worse. Team Seven had gone on some C-rank mission to the wave. A few months ago. Every time she saw a blond anywhere near a shade of pink she got this weird double emotion of joy and crushing depression, only for it to be absolutely nothing.
The thought of seeing them made her stomach roil. But worse was the feeling that she might never see him again. It was the feeling that kept her awake at night, the feeling that kept her from getting out of bed, the feeling that stopped her from eating. She had lost five lbs.
Heartbreak and depression was one hell of a diet.
Ino slumped onto the countertop of the family store, she was here alone again. It was just her and the flowers, with no Naruto. It still felt unreal to work the shop without him milling about playing in the dirt or doing something stupid to make her smile.
The door jingled and Ino sighed. "Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop, let me know if you need anything."
She couldn't even bother to look up to see who the customer was. She just wanted to see Naruto again. This… this really sucked. Her first love was being wasted on a boy that loved her best friend and she set them up. She felt like puking, but she already did that twice, all that came out was the clear foul-smelling bile that burned.
She vaguely heard the customer walk behind the counter. Great, it was the annoying nosey type of customer, or worse her mother who was going to scold her… again. "You can't be…"
She turned to look at him, and it was like seeing the sun for the first time. It was Naruto! In all of his short blond orange-clad glory! He looked exactly the same, but he looked like an entirely different person at the same time. It made her heart beat, and her face heat up as she felt a smile form on her face for the first time in a long time.
"Miss me Ino?" He rubbed his nose smiling at her like he was up to something.
There were many things she could have done at the moment, snort and brush him off by going hard on the tsundere, blush, and stammer saying that she did. But none of those felt right. Instead, her body acted on its own.
"Naruto!" She half laughed half shouted as she bounded over to him throwing her arms around his neck. This was what happiness felt like. This was the pure joy that had been sapped from her life these last few months. She could already feel some tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
"Woah!" His laughter was like honey. As he caught her waist so easily and spun around with her. "Are you that happy to see me?"
He had no idea. He might have only been gone for a few months, but that felt like a lifetime filled with dull grey days that blended into one another with no variety or change. "Of course I missed you, you're my best friend, I'm allowed to be worried about you."
She took a step back hands behind her back as she leaned forward ever so slightly. She bit the inside of her lip to hold down her smile. It was like a single sandbag holding back a tidal wave. Realization hit her as she looked at him smiling at her with the slightest blush on his cheeks: She wasn't just crushing on Naruto.
She was in love with him. Or the closest thing a thirteen-year-old girl could feel to love.
"Hehe, well I missed you too, how was Konoha without me?" Naruto leaned on the counter as he so often did during their downtime.
Ino took her spot next to him, though her eyes never left his face. "It was so boring, honestly I thought I was going to die from boredom. The only thing that's been keeping me busy is the chunin exams, Asuma's been pushing us hard."
"Chunin exams?" Right, he was an idiot. But he was going to be her idiot.
"It's how we get promoted to Chunin, it's a special kind of test and all villages allied with Konoha are allowed to come and compete. Lots of Grass ninja have come by recently." Some of them were rude, but a few were nice, there was a redhead that just liked to smell the flowers.
"Wait. What? How did I miss this? Is it too late to sign up?" In true Naruto fashion, he was panicking over nothing.
Ino snorted and bumped her elbow against Naruto's arm. "Don't worry, they're having a jounin meeting about it today, Asuma thinks that my team is ready so yours should be too. It's also why I'm in the shop today, no sensei means no missions."
"Ahh, that makes sense, Kakashi-sensei gave us the day off too," Naruto said smiling. He bumped her back with his shoulder.
Any second now they were going to break out into a tickle fight.
This could be her chance if she told him how she felt now while they were alone and just… well, just happy then maybe Naruto would accept her feelings. But what if he didn't what if he pushed away? The thought brought the sourness back to her stomach, and once more she did nothing.
"So how are things with your team?" Naruto asked what felt like forever.
Ino brushed a bit of the hair out of her face, looking away from Naruto for just a second. The world seemed brighter, like a grey fog had been lifted from it. "Well, it's Shikamaru and Choji, you know how they are, constantly eating or sleeping sometimes both at the same time. But we make a good team."
"That's great!"
"What about you? How are things on Team Seven?" She regretted those words the moment she spoke them.
"They're okay I guess," Naruto didn't seem happy. Why did that make her happy? "Sasuke's a jerk, so we fight all the time, even when we're supposed to be actually working together, and Sakura tries to help sometimes, but... Nevermind."
"No, tell me." Years of being a gossip were kicking in. she thirsted for this knowledge. She desired it she needed to know more than anything. This was her hope. "It's okay Naruto you can tell me, I'm your friend after all."
He looked at her and sighed his shoulders slumping. "Well, it's just she's my girlfriend Ya'know?"
Ino snorted, "trust me I know."
"So shouldn't she be on my side sometimes? It's like when Sasuke's around she's a different person, she's afraid, and I... I don't know I kind of want her to be how she is when it's just me and her all the time, or at least take my side more than she takes Sasuke."
This was perfect. Trouble in paradise! Sakura was being a crappy girlfriend! Ino wanted to run and scream and shout! "Well Sakura did have a crush on Sasuke for the longest time, you can't expect her to give up on him even if she has you."
"Yea, I guess that's true." Naruto smiled. "Still I'm really happy when she's around it cancels out Sasuke being around that's for sure. Oh hey, I know! Why don't I try to set you and Sasuke up?"
"Pass." Ino blinked at how fast those words slipped out of her mouth like it didn't even deserve a second thought. This was Sasuke Naruto was trying help her with, the boy that she had had a crush on for years. But... Sasuke wasn't Naruto.
"Wait. what? Do you not like Sasuke or something?"
Ino smiled and spun around so that her butt rested against the counter and her long hair fell over it. "I guess I kind of just lost interest in him, he's kind of a jerk now that I think back on it."
"Well, darn, there goes that. Is there someone else you like though? I think a double date would be fun."
sounded like torture really. Especially if forehead was there hanging off of Naruto like a slutty flag.
"Hmm," Ino hummed placing a finger on her lip. "There is somebody I like."
Naruto looked so happy. "Really who? Do I know them?"
"Not telling," Ino's smile turned teasing. "A girl has to have some secrets after all."
"Aww, that's not fair! how am I supposed to make you happy if you can't tell me who you like!?" Naruto pouted. He didn't need to try to make her happy. He already did that all on his own.
"Well you could always lavish me with gifts, that's a great way to make me happy."
Naruto's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh! that reminds me! I got these for you from the Wave."
He handed her two bags of seeds. "One is the Morning-Glory flower, and I don't know what the other one is."
Morning-Glory, it wasn't a rare flower, but it was one that was missing from her collection. It meant beauty and affection. Giving her the seeds was like giving her the flowers themselves right? Was Naruto secretly harboring feelings for her even as he dated Sakura?
"I got you the Morning Glory because of how pretty it was, and it's purple so I think it's a lot like you."
Ino smiled and held the bags tight to her chest. "Thank you, Naruto they mean a lot."
"I don't know what the other one is though, it was kind of pink, but really pretty too. I can't wait for you to see it bloom."
"Me too Naruto, me too." More than he would ever know.
There was a scream from outside. "You little perv, watch where you're walking!"
That was Sakura.
"Ahh stay away from me you monster! Boss! help!"
Naruto sighed. "Well see ya Ino, I have to go save Konohamaru from my girlfriend."
"Yea, see you later." It was barely a whisper as she watched him leave the store running out into the busy streets of Konoha. Her heart still pounding.
Once again Naruto had given her flowers. Flowers that she could nurture and grow herself. And wait. Did he call her pretty? He did! He said that she was pretty like the morning glory! How could she have missed that?
Ino screamed and stomped her feet clutching the two seeds packs like her life depended on it. This was great! Fantastic! The boy that she liked thought that she was pretty! That meant that taking his eyes off Forehead would be all easier.
"Watch yourself Sakura, I'm not giving up without a fight."
AN: Hey guys! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. It was supposed to be a time skip heavy chapter, jumping ahead a lot to a few key moments. But instead, it turned into this beautiful chapter. Next chapter will probably jump around a bit, like skipping most of the Chunin exams... or all of it. After that I have to get the real time skip chapter set up. I'm certain you'll like what I have planned.
