はじめ　まして 。

I hope I got that greeting "Hajime mashite." right in Hiragana.

Anyway, for those who still haven't noticed it yet , I'm following the Far East Asian naming convention, so last names precede their given names. When I say "Nara Shikamaru", I mean "Nara" is his last name while "Shikamaru" is his given name. For your information.

I know, I know… It's been months since I last updated, and I apologize to you all… big time! I hope this much-awaited chapter won't disappoint, but I suppose it's all up to you now, isn't it. Whatever you may think of this, please don't forget to review, okay? Thanks!

Just to answer some of my reviewers:

someone – First off, your unsigned name is quite clever… I'm just grateful that there's 'someone' looking out for updates! Anyhow, sorry for the mishap. It's really 'Hana'. I've reloaded the chapter to correct the errors. Also, Ino indeed thought that Suna only recruited male Kazekage successors, much to her surprise. That is why I tried to be careful in making Ino think the Kazekage was a male at first, only to realize that the 'he' was a 'she' when Temari uncovered her robes. Thanks for asking; I hope that clarifies things a bit.

Hikari-03 – Haha! Actually, I've thought of making him appear somewhere else later, but I can't do that if this story is supposedly Shikamaru-centric now, can I? Do you think he would be better changing part of his personality, or keep it as a whole? I always thought he could use some sort of personality adjustment, although I want to keep the cool him intact, if you know what I mean. I'm glad you find it exciting.

Thanks a bunch! Here, have some cyber-sushi, courtesy of me, of course!

Memories

Troubles of a Lazy Shinobi

Chapter Ten : Restless

Konoha Administrative HQ

"And so for this mission…"

The mission jounin who was giving the briefing continued to discuss the details for this week's missions, but Ino wasn't really paying attention. The only words that registered in her brain every now and then were 'man', 'black', and 'vest'. Now that she thought about it, that man – if he was indeed the person she thought he was – never got his vest back from her before he rushed back to his assignment.

Ino you baka! Why didn't you go after him?

"Ino…"

Then again, was he even telling me the truth? Could it be that he's really…

"Ino…"

He can't be… he just… can't possibly… but could he have…

"INO!"

"Hai!" The blonde yelled in surprise as she was jolted back to reality and stood from her seat. As she looked around, she discovered that she was deep into her one of her reveries yet again. Everyone else was giving her such a reprimanding look, so she blushed with embarrassment and apologized to everyone else as took her seat once more.

"Yamanaka-san," Ryoko called to her from one side, "are you alright? Haruno-san had been calling out your name three times now but you did not seem to notice. You seem to be out of it lately… are you alright?"

"Nandemonai, it was nothing… I guess I've been feeling a bit more tired than usual…"

Ino sunk into her seat a bit lower and nodded an "I'm OK" to Sakura who was seated at the other side of the room.

"Is something the matter with Yamanaka-san," Ryoko asked Hana in a low whisper. Hana could not pinpoint what was exactly wrong but indeed felt that something was amiss. "We haven't been to any missions that are higher than class C lately, so what could be stressing her?"

"That's all for now," concluded the mission jounin. "Dismissed."

§

Everyone who had been present at the briefing filed out of the headquarters. While others were casually marching out of the building, only three were slowly making their way outside… one blonde kunoichi, in particular.

"Yama-"

"INO!" It was Sakura yet again, and she was more than worried this time around. She was making her way towards her distressed best friend, not intending to back away until she found out exactly what was bothering the blonde.

"Sakura! How are you? What's up," the Yamanaka answered in reply as she attempted to put on a cheerful smile.

"How am I? The question we should be answering is, 'How are you?' What was all that commotion back there about? Are you feeling alright?"

"Sakura… Could we please not talk about it? I've had my dose of embarrassment today already so could we please just drop it?"

The pink-haired kunoichi stepped back a bit and motioned for Ryoko and Hana to take some time off and let her handle things for the moment. The two nodded their sincerest thanks and meandered towards the opposite direction.

"No," Sakura sternly answered as she caught up with her distressed best friend. "Something's obviously upset you and I'm not about to let you handle it on your own."

"But I don't WANT your help," Ino yelled, but as she realized what she said, she added, more gently this time, "…at least, not for this particular problem. I just have to handle this one on my own."

"Are you sure?" her friend ventured cautiously after a few moments. Ino nodded, begging with her eyes.

"Well," Sakura sighed in resignation as Ino turned away, "if that's what you want, then I'll leave you be. However," she stressed as she made Ino turn around to look at her, "I'll always be around to listen to what you have to say, alright? We're best friends, after all…"

"Okay," Ino answered guiltily. "Thanks. You're the best."

I'm sorry, Sakura, but there's just no way that I can tell anybody about this, not even you… at least, not until I myself have confirmed my suspicions. I can't afford the entire village going after his neck, not after all that I've been through… not after all that he's been through… probably.

Still plagued by her own worries, Ino headed back to her own apartment.

At the Konoha Medical Laboratory

"I'm sorry I had to call you away from your leisure time…" Sakura began to speak just as she was mixing herbal extracts and as her guests arrived by the door.

"Ie, I felt that this was really important," a mature male voice echoed.

"It's alright, Haruno-san," a gentle female voice responded, "we both felt worried as well."

"Very well then, Chouji, Ryoko-kun, Hana-chan," Sakura said in a business-like tone as she washed her hands and turned to her guests, "I feel that you sense something is amiss with Ino. I know that you're just as worried as I am, perhaps even more. I've had a short talk with her this morning, but she says that it's something she needs to handle alone. Do you have any ideas about what could possibly be troubling her?"

The four kept silent for a moment, putting together bits and pieces of clues they might have missed about the troubled blonde's problem.

"Well," Ryoko began, "like what Hana and I have been discussing this morning, Yamanaka-san and the two of us haven't been to any missions that are higher than class C."

"That crosses out missions as the source of her stress," Hana concurred.

"Ino's still in good shape, I'd have to say," Chouji commented, albeit a bit hesitatingly, "so I don't think that her looks or figure would be what's bothering her."

"Let's take a look at the past few days… when has she been acting like this?"

"Looking back," Ryoko spoke up, "I'd have to say that it was around the 29th of September, though I haven't gotten to see her around a week prior to that."

"I visited her apartment on the 27th," Hana pursued, "but I didn't manage to catch her there. The elderly neighbors did mention, however, that her spirits were so low that she had been failing to give them their daily share of flowers and warm greetings in the mornings."

"Now that I think about it," Chouji blurted as he perked up, "I managed to see Ino visiting the village grave memorial on the 25th. I had to rush off to a mission in the north, but I thought it was rather unusual for her to visit the site just days after-"

"-HER OWN BIRTHDAY!" the four chorused. At last, they felt they were getting somewhere.

"But what could've happened on her birthday," Ryoko almost immediately.

"Well, we can count on her being very preoccupied with her gifts, because she enjoys her time going through each and every one of them," Chouji supplied.

"Then could she have had a really bad present this year?" asked Hana.

"If it has something to do with that baka Naruto," Sakura fumed, her ire slowly rising, "I'm going to make sure he-"

"-I'm sure that he's got her a nice present this year," Chouji nervously interrupted. "I should know; I helped him find a decent gift."

"Well, I'm glad that he's at the very least considered what Ino would like to receive, for once…"

"Anyway…" Ryoko apprehensively butted in, "if it does happen to be related with one of her presents, what could have possibly made her so upset these days? It's not like there's anything that anyone could have given that would have disturbed her so much…"

The room was filled with silence, but Sakura and Chouji were exchanging knowing stares with each other. Hana noticed their discreet gazes, but Ryoko never was as sharp when it came to these things.

As Hana was about to speak up, a bird had gone crying from outside the building, its sound entering through the greenhouse vents and echoing throughout the shelter.

"You know what that means, don't you, Sakura?"

"I do, Chouji. Well, I don't want to leave Ino be with her problems, but I guess Hokage-sama has more urgent business she wants us to deal with. Let's end this meeting of ours for now."

"Hai," Ryoko and Hana agreed in unison as the four of them immediately headed for the assembly.

Back at the Administrative Headquarters

Where is she? She's rarely tardy for assemblies, and she comes about thirty minutes ahead of time when she knows a meeting's this important!

"Calm down, Sakura," the rotund chuunin whispered as they were waiting inside the hall with so many other shinobi. "She may be distressed right now, but she never forgets her duties and responsibilities. She'll arrive soon enough."

"I just hope you are right, Chouji-san," Ryoko sighed wearily.

The blonde, however, was still nowhere to be found even as the hall was slowly getting packed with various shinobi from all the different clans. The heads of the Hyuugas were already gathered up front, the Kibas and Aburames were talking at one side of the hall, while the Yamanakas and Akimichis – Chouji and Ino not with them right now, of course – were having their own conversations over at the other side.

The same mission jounin from that morning appeared in front of them all, carrying a clipboard with various files and photos. The atmosphere immediately grew tense, and all sort of discussions was halted as the Hokage herself, accompanied by none other than Shizune, made her way just behind the platform.

Just as the jounin was about to speak, however, a rather panting Yamanaka Ino drenched down to her inner clothes managed to make it. She looked around, spotted Sakura – who turned to look back at her worriedly – and mouthed a little "Just made it." her way with a small and brief smile. Ino did not make her way towards them, however, and headed for her father who was just as worried as the four but decided to pay attention to the announcement first.

"We have just received word from our reconnaissance agents from Sunagakure…"

At that point, everyone held their breaths, expecting that Kaze no Kuni have yet again declared hostilities with Hokuni. It wasn't really anything new, but then again they must always be on their guard. The jounin sighed a heavy breath before he continued.

"…Sunagakure has fallen… and so has the government of Kaze no Kuni."

As expected, various cries as to how such a thing could happen so suddenly or which nation had assaulted a village second only to Konohagakure or whether some other nation had fallen as well all mixed together in the air, bringing utter confusion to an increasingly restive assembly.

"If I may have everyone's attention now…"

The jounin in front was obviously trying his hardest to get the attention of all that were gathered there, but alas everyone was still preoccupied with formulating their own theories and questions.

"Ano… I'm here to clarify some matters regarding…"

Unfortunately, no one was still paying attention, and it seems that the jounin had completely given up at this point.

"SILENCE!" came Tsunade-sama's booming voice. Her scream echoed throughout the hall as she grew impatient of everyone's restlessness, and from there on out she took over the assembly.

"I understand your confusion. 'Who did it?' 'How is this possible?' 'Could we be next?'" That last question struck them all as it was something even harder to imagine… Then again, if Sunagakure would fall so easily just like that, who is to say that the same won't happen to Konohagakure?

"As of the moment, we are still gathering intelligence reports from all the shinobi dispatched to the Wind Country, but I am now recalling most of them back to our borders to secure our land. Since we have very little useful information right now regarding the development of the situation at Suna, we are going to fortify our village's defenses, bolster our forces in the southwestern districts of our country, and, more importantly, gather intelligence information to give us a more detailed description of the Wind Country's state of affairs."

After those statements, Ino felt that her team was once again to be assigned to another mission very soon. She glanced towards her teammates Ryoko and Hana who both nodded their acknowledgement of their impending reconnaissance operation.

"Therefore, all intelligence units are to immediately report to the briefing room after this assembly, while all tactical and defense forces are to gather over at the stadium to await orders for mobilization…"

Everyone was quiet. They were expecting more details about the political turmoil as they couldn't help but feel anxious and restless.

"I understand that you are tired of war after war," Tsunade continued after noting their silence, speaking in a much calmer tone this time around. "Just when we have begun to rebuild our village back to normal after only a few years, we face yet another conflict, one that leaves you all just as confused and weary as I am.

"Moreover, some of you may not still be as forgiving as the others for what shinobi of the Sand had done to us in the past. However, we are shinobi of the Leaf, and I believe that all the Hokages before me would agree that we must never desert our neighbors in their time of need, even those who have been our enemies in the past.

"Let us not let our fears and anxieties overwhelm us! Instead of worrying, let us use our time and efforts wisely to channel these apprehensions and turn them into something we could fight with! So let us not dilly dally on things such as these right now; it is my duty to you all, as Hokage, to do everything that I can to keep our village strong and standing! I hope you understand my sentiments…"

Yet another moment of silence filled the hall. This time, however, all the anxiety and restlessness was replaced with courage and resolve.

"I take it that everyone is with me… Now everyone, move out!"

A strong "Hai!" resounded as everyone marched out of their places and reported to their respective posts. Sakura and Chouji bade their farewells to each other as they gave one good look towards Ino before parting ways. Ino, on the other hand, called over Ryoko and Hana and instructed them to prepare their gear and wait for her outside the entrance of the building after the meeting. After all that was finally done, the Yamanaka headed for the briefing room.

"Listen up," the rather embarrassed jounin from earlier said as everyone else in the reconnaissance division gathered. "The Hokage has already given you a very short glimpse of what had transpired in Kaze no Kuni in the last 36 hours, so I'm here to brief you about the next step you're supposed to take…

"All reconnaissance teams are to depart from Konoha within the hour. You shall head towards the southwestern border where we have already set up an intelligence outpost. Once you arrive, you should immediately report to the shinobi in charge of the operations in the meantime and get further orders from him. Understood?"

The team leaders sounded their agreement as various lists of equipments to bring for this task were handed out to each of them. Ino had some last-minute consultation with the jounin in charge of the briefing before she stepped out of the room and met with her team resting beneath the cherry blossom tree.

"Yamanaka-san," Ryoko began as he called out to his leader. "So, what are we supposed to do?"

"We're headed to the Wind Country border. I presume that you have your desert outfits packed?"

"Hai. We're geared up and ready to go," replied an ever-prepared Hana rather nonchalantly. "You only have to say the word, Yamanaka-san."

"Alright. But before we go, let's take a detour to the armory first and get all the additional equipment on this list… they figured that they'd need us to bring as much weaponry as we can to the defense forces over at the border. Come on."

In a matter of seconds, they managed to reach the armory. Unfortunately, there are quite a number of shinobi who were all lined up to receive their equipment as well. The three of them lined up at the end of the queue for reconnaissance personnel, but they were still a long ways from the front.

"You know what," the blonde kunoichi suddenly said, "I still have a few things to prepare for the mission. Rather than waste my time waiting here, I want you to grab the things on this list for me and then meet me at the western gate. I'll be there in about half an hour, alright?"

"Hai," Ryoko and Hana answered simultaneously, and so the Yamanaka leaped away from the armory.

About twenty minutes later, Ino appeared at the southern gate, carrying a number of various scrolls and other small equipment. As she slowly removed some of the materials loosely tied to her waist, Ryoko and Hana stood from the bench with the former carrying a much bigger pack full of weapons than the latter.

"Are you all set?" asked Hana.

"Guys, I'm sorry that I was late, but unfortunately Hinata said that Sakura was calling for me. She didn't tell me what it was about, but if it was something so important then I guess I can't let it wait."

"Then we'll wait for you right here," Ryoko offered.

"No, don't wait for me," the blonde interjected. "Everyone else is already scrambling out of the village and I can't afford to delay this team any longer than I have. Just go ahead and I'll catch up with you at the outpost."

"But if you aren't going in the meantime, then there's no use in us going ahead of you anyway, seeing as you're supposed to be the one to report to the head of operations at the outpost for the briefing. And at any rate, I don't think Haruno-san would take long seeing as you're needed elsewhere."

"NO!"

Ryoko and Hana were taken aback as Ino realized her sudden outburst.

"I mean, no," Ino said, much softer and calmer this time, "you have to go ahead of me. If you don't, then… you're never going to hear the end of it from me when I get there, understood?"

The two exchanged shocked and confused glances before they gave their leader their word.

"Good. Now take care of yourselves, alright," bid the blonde.

"It's not like we're not going to meet again, Yamanaka-san," Ryoko attempted lightheartedly.

"I mean it, Ryoko-san, Hana-chan," Ino said rather seriously. "Take care."

"Alright, Yamanaka-san," Hana replied for the two of them, "we give you our word. Take care of yourself, too."

"I will, don't worry… I will."

And with that, Ino sprinted away from the gate and back towards the village center. As she took off, Ryoko whispered to his companion, "I hope she's alright… it's been a long while since she was that serious."

"I know," sighed Hana in agreement. "I just hope that Haruno-san could help her before we engage in what could be our team's – no, our village's biggest mission yet."

A/N: I realized that it was highly unusual for Japanese to address each other with –kun, -san, or –chan appended to their given names, so I decided to append it to their last names. Since I haven't told you whether Ryoko or Hana were given or last names, let's just say those are their last names.

My undergraduate studies are now finally over! I now have graduation to look forward to, but I still have some work to do before I'm ready for the working world. At any rate, I wish to dole out some two or three more chapters before our favorite pair's birthdates (i.e. September 22 and 23), so please review so that I could get feedback and improve the story.

Liked it? Hated it? Share your comments in your review! Dômo arigatô gozaimasu!