Ocean Ripples

By Noriellie

Summary: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him.

Warnings: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing, violence, gore.

Disclaimer: Nope, Kishimoto's still not female.

Chapter 10

Ino could feel Sasuke's killer intent grow more and more as she peeled the apple in her hand. Her right eye twitched in annoyance. It was hard enough to peel these things without cutting herself! The chair fell with a resounding clang but the noise of a loud, probably painful, smack was what echoed down the halls. Ino huffed, blowing her fringe off her face.

"I nearly cut myself because of you!" she screeched. She shouldn't have been so mad but she was. If anyone could overcome this hatefulness, it would be Naruto, not Sasuke. The Uchiha had lived most of his life for the sole purpose of killing his brother. She knew it wasn't healthy and she should have talked to him long before this but she didn't.

Sasuke answered her with a glare. "How is that my fault?" he spat.

"You think I don't feel it?" she asked with equal venom. "It's so obvious even Naruto could!"

"Guys?" Ah, speak of the devil. Ino huffed, threw the apple onto the plate and left.

Why? It was already decided. She knew that Sasuke would definitely go to Orochimaru for power. She knew he felt weak compared to Naruto's enormous amount of chakra. She knew he hated not being able to kill Itachi. She knew all this but she still couldn't help but ask; why?

Ino transferred to the roofs. This way was much faster. She sighed, feeling the cold wind whipping against her face. It was nice, in a way; pain. It made her stay in touch with reality.

Her room offered little to no comfort. There were no answers here. She plopped onto her soft purple bed. It felt nice too, to escape reality for a while. Maybe that was why people needed to sleep everyday? She rolled her eyes at her own self. Now was not the time to be all philosophical.

She didn't move even when she felt their two chakra clash. She knew this was the only way for boys to communicate. A sigh escaped her lips as she fell into a deep sleep.

She awoke late at night. The moonlit room gave off a surreal feeling. She tensed when she felt Misaki's kunai held against her throat. How did she know? Her kunai always had a weird scent that reminded her a lot of someone—someone she couldn't place.

"Be silent," the woman ordered. Ino didn't even dare breathe. She could tell when Misaki was fooling around and when she was being genuine. This was definitely the latter. But why would Misaki do this? "There are Sound around. Their objective is unclear but it seems they've taken a liking to your house. Been here the whole afternoon."

Sound nin were here? Ino allowed herself a small breath. She knew why they were here. Orochimaru had probably sent them to retrieve Sasuke but…why her house? Were they here for her father? No, else Misaki wouldn't bother with her. But then, why would they want her?

As if reading her thoughts, Misaki said, "I believe that they're here to use you as leverage." Ino struggled against the older woman's hold. "Stop resisting kid, I have an idea."

"And how often did your ideas end up with me in trouble?" she whispered angrily.

It turns out that this was one of those ideas. Ino internally fumed as she was dragged away by the four Sound nin. Damn Misaki and her ridiculous schemes. Who the hell gave up a comrade to figure out the enemy's intentions? She cursed in her mind. The redhead would get it after—not that Ino could actually beat her up.

She held in a sigh when she saw Sasuke fighting the same Sound nin. So the ones 'escorting' her were only clones, huh? She groaned when the guy carrying her roughly dropped her onto the roof. A wince interrupted her otherwise graceful flip. Sensing her, Sasuke had activated the seal. "Come with us or she'll get it," the white haired nin said.

She listened when the four explained the 'sacrifices' they had to undergo to gain power. Lose your sanity, sense of self and freedom for power? Ino didn't think she'd be willing to do that. But…Sasuke—the boy who had lived for the sole purpose of avenging his clan—pained as she was to say it, might do it, even without her as leverage. She held her breath, not wanting to hear his answer.

Thank Kami she was spared.

Ino landed next to him. He looked pretty caught up in his thoughts so she didn't say anything. Far away, she felt Misaki's chakra signature move farther and farther away, in the direction of the Hokage tower. She didn't really care if they knew at this point. Sasuke would go no matter what anyone said to him. It hurt but she knew even she wouldn't be able to stop him now. His aura was one filled with greed and rage. She sighed as she leaned against his shoulder and fell asleep once more.

She didn't even bat an eyelid when she told them where Sasuke had gone. So Misaki hadn't told the Hokage about the Sound nin? The redhead had definitely gone towards here last night. Where was she now?

"Please call for Nara Shikamaru," Tsunade ordered Izumo. The guard nodded and left. Ino waited to be excused. Unfortunately for her, the Fifth didn't seem keen on letting her leave just yet. "You couldn't stop him?" she asked. Ino raised a brow.

"I didn't try," she admitted. "I know when it's too late for something."

Tsunade sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No matter what, you must never give up on a comrade! You had plenty of time to dissuade him!" the older of the two yelled. Ino didn't even flinch, a feat she was only able to do due to Misaki's rigorous mental training. Her reply was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Enter."

Shikamaru came in, looking bored as usual. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, as she knew he was doing too, and felt slightly sorry for him. He had looked up to Sasuke. To hear the person you idolized had left the village must have been slightly off-putting. She breathed a little easier when he finally left the room. She knew why he didn't choose her for this mission. She was fast but she wouldn't try to get him back. A lost cause was a lost cause. She fingered the necklace Sasuke had given to her. It felt cold in her hand now.

"Think about what your actions have caused," the Fifth said. Ino stared back with defying eyes. "You're dismissed," Tsunade sighed. Ino nodded and headed for the village gates.

When she got there, Sakura and the rest were talking. She'd almost forgotten about Naruto's crush on her rival. It saddened her so, to see such a thing. She knew Naruto would make good with his promise but she also knew it would take time. When the others were about to leave, she made her presence known.

"Ino," Shikamaru said in surprise. She let her gaze wander over the group. No doubt he already had a strategy in place. Her eyes stopped to meet black ones.

"Don't die on me," she whispered.

There was no humor in his eyes when he replied. "I won't."

"You guys too, ya hear?" she said to the rest of the group. Naruto, Chouji and Kiba grinned at her. Neji merely smirked.

"I promise to you too, Ino-chan," Naruto exclaimed.

Ino smiled. "Don't," she said. "You don't need to promise me anything, Naruto."

Shikamaru eyed her with something akin to concern. She caught his eye and sent him a silent plea. He'd better not get distracted because of her. She'd kill him herself if that became the case!

The five and Akamaru headed out and she was left with Lee and Sakura. She had nothing to say to the other girl but she did smile at Lee as she passed.

Ino rushed into the Hospital when she heard the news. She tried visiting Chouji first but he was still in critical condition and wasn't allowed any visitors. She'd ran straight to Naruto's room next. She jumped him the moment she saw he was sitting up. She didn't even acknowledge the other people in the room for a while. Naruto…the kid probably blamed himself for everything.

"Ino-chan…"

"We'll definitely get him back next time," she said. "Ne, Naruto?"

A grin instantly found its way on his face. She returned it immediately. He had to know that she didn't blame him. He had done nothing wrong.

Sakura and the Fifth left the room shortly afterwards. She, Shikamaru and Naruto talked for a while. It was nice…to be able to talk to them like this. She was just glad they were safe and alive. She glanced at the dark haired boy on Naruto's bed. She'd speak to him later.

"I've to go," she said. They nodded and said their farewells. She smiled at them.

She walked out of the hospital, glad to be rid of the aura of death that always surrounded her when she visited. She trudged on, towards the Hokage Tower. She had business to take care of. Naruto…the pervy old man would probably train him. Ino had to ask someone too. While Kakashi was a good teacher, he couldn't teach her what she wanted to learn.

Ino barged into the Fifth's room. Inside, Sakura was already asking the Fifth to become her apprentice. She knew the Hokage would say yes. Ino sighed. Compared to Sakura's chakra control and intelligence, she was only second best. She smiled at them, apologized with a half-assed excuse then left.

Her next stop was Misaki. The woman was still a pretty good teacher, even if Ino would have rather learnt some medical ninjutsu as well. She knocked on the wooden door. The piece of wood had seen better days, she noted with a slight smirk.

"What do you want, kid?" the Jounin asked.

"Train me," she replied, fire burning in her eyes. Misaki smirked.

"Don't I already do that?" she teased. Ino glared back with unexpected intensity. Misaki rolled her eyes. "Calm down will you? I'll do it…but be prepared for lots and lots of pain, got it?"

"I didn't expect anything less!" Ino said, eyes alight with joy. She had someone who could make her stronger! She had hope.

After three months of rigorous training, Ino was beat. Misaki didn't know how to show any form of mercy. She groaned. Her whole body hurt. The redhead had literally crushed her in a coffin of sorts. She hadn't been let out for three days. She should have gone to Kakashi instead. At least he wasn't sadistic.

She walked down the familiar streets. It was as if an invasion never even happened. The houses looked unscathed, children played happily and business was bustling once again. The Leaf's ability to recover was something to marvel at.

"Yo," Shikamaru greeted. Ino grinned and waved. She immediately noticed something odd. The Sand siblings were nowhere to be found. She raised a brow at this.

"Where are Gaara and the others?" she asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Why? You miss him?" he asked. She huffed with indignation.

So what if she had taken a liking to trying to break the redhead? He was interesting! Besides, she hadn't met someone as hard to break as him in a while. Her insanity was not something anyone could just not react to. So naturally, she felt herself trying to annoy the Sand kid more and more. Of course all her efforts proved to be futile but she didn't give up. Even Neji and Sasuke had snapped at one point. Why, Sasuke even…a sad frown tugged at her lips but she quickly shook that away.

"Just odd seeing you without your girlfriend," she teased back. Two could play at his game.

"Girlfriend?" he choked. She grinned.

"Yes, girlfriend," she repeated. Seeing him this flustered was funny and surprisingly cute. "Everyone's already guessed."

"She's way too troublesome to be my girlfriend," he replied, seemingly recovered.

"So you do have a girlfriend!" she exclaimed in fake astonishment.

Shikamaru lot out a frustrated groan. "Gah! Whatever, Ino," he said. She laughed at his response.

"Whatever to you too," she said, sticking out her tongue at him. "I'm going to see Naruto off."

"Yeah, sure," he said with a dismissive wave. She punched his shoulder before leaping away, careful of his shadow technique. She giggled at the frustration clearly evident in his chakra.

Just like she predicted, Naruto was going to be trained by Jiraiya. She was excited for the blonde boy. Light glinted off her shiny platinum blonde hair. She'd taken to wearing it down lately. While it wasn't very practical, it helped a lot when it came to getting out of trouble quickly. A saucy wink here and a flip of her hair there, she was out of there in a pinch. Not only that but ninja underestimated her too, thinking she was just another weak and vain kunoichi.

Naruto was about to leave when she called out. His surprise was evident. Her only visible eye twitched. Did he really think she wouldn't see him off?

"Ino-chan?" he asked.

"You didn't even tell me you were leaving," she accused.

He replied with a sheepish grin. "You were always so busy with training and I didn't want to bother you."

"Excuses!" she scolded. "You know I would always put you before training."

His eyes softened. "Yeah but you come home tired everyday…even now you look exhausted."

Did she really look that bad? Sure she just escaped that coffin thing last night but…"Are you saying that I look horrible?" she challenged, a nerve popping out her forehead. Naruto quickly recoiled with a horrified look. She giggled. "Just kidding."

"Ah, you scared me, Ino-chan," Naruto said with a sweatdrop. She smirked at him.

"Make sure you get stronger, okay?"

He grinned. "I will."

With that, she watched him go. He would be stronger, she knew. Naruto never went back on his word, no matter how impossible. She smiled at his retreating form. How much would he change, in a few years? She shook her head, already heading to her and Misaki's training spot. Not much, she guessed.

The training ground was devoid of any life. The grass was brown, plants wilted and trees dead. Even the lake, which was once lively with fish, was inanimate. There was not a single living organism to be found. Ino sighed at the destruction she and her sensei had caused. Water was supposed to be nurturing but it could also destroy.

"Ready for more?" Misaki asked. Ino nodded.

"Born ready!" she cheekily replied.

Misaki scoffed. "We'll see about that, kid."

Ino immediately ducked, having sensed the kunai poised just above her head. She flicked her wrist, procuring some senbon from her sleeves. She'd also changed her clothing, opting for the civilian look. She'd found it effective when it came to infiltration missions. Her attire was now composed of a purple vest with detached sleeves and a free-from skirt—allowing her legs swifter movements—and boots with thigh high socks. She'd gotten the idea from her sensei. Boots were able to conceal a lot of things, especially senbon. Her tanto was hidden in her left sleeve, ready for use whenever she needed it.

Misaki formed some seals. Ino quickly recognized it. She cursed and hurriedly formed seals of her own.

"Fire style: Grand Fireball!"

"Water Style: First Wave!"

The fire was immediately put out by the massive wave of water. She thanked the heavens that they were standing near a lake. She'd have been toast by now! Her rejoicing was quickly cut off when more, albeit smaller, fireballs were hurled towards her. She retaliated by producing balls of water that quickly doused the fiery embers.

"Focus, kid!" Misaki chastised. "Distraction can be the difference between life and death."

Ino paid closer attention after that. When she put it that way…quickly forming seals, she activated the genjutsu that never seemed to work on her sensei. Hey, at least she tried! But that really wasn't the purpose of this. She used her other hand to perform a different seal. She smirked as she disappeared from her sensei's view. Soon the genjutsu would break and Misaki would lash out. Except, there'd be no one to attack. Ino praised her own cleverness.

"A little egotistic, aren't we?" Misaki taunted. Ino froze. How did she— she glanced back at the other Misaki. A clone, huh. She must have made the switch during her distraction. That didn't explain how Misaki was able to see her though.

"How?" she asked.

Misaki smirked. "I can't see you per se…rather, hear you." Hear her? Were her ears that good? "I might not have your sensor abilities or any bloodlimit, but I do have my owls."

Ino's eyes widened. Owls had the sharpest hearing in the animal kingdom. A low hoot startled her. How long had those owls been there? Oh, she realized. Beaten by her own technique. She laughed at the irony of it all. But of course she didn't just give up. So what if there were a few kinks in a plan? She'd plow right through!

She leapt forward, narrowly avoiding the kunai. Forming seals in rapid succession she yelled, "Water Style: Second Wave!" She watched as the familiar mop of red hair was engulfed by a wave even larger than the previous. This stage was her limit though, the next took way too much out of her. Her chakra stamina was improving but it still had a long way to go if she wanted to go neck to neck with someone like Naruto. Not that she'd ever need to.

"Impressive," her sensei commented. "But still not enough."

Ino blacked out.

A/N: Time skip to two years next chapter. Finally, time skip time!

Reviews are always appreciated.