Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not profiting in any way from this. Also, if you see any mistakes, please tell me.

I lied. Next update will be the last. Though, it's not really another chapter. It's that bonus. Which you can still vote for in the poll on my profile.

Part 11: Rest now

"I think… that maybe, in another life, we could've been friends."

"Maybe. What's it matter?"

"Dad, I got a feeling something big is going to happen."

"Like what?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure, but it's going to be big."

"With the whole Akatsuki thing going on, it's hard to get some break," Sakura told her friend. Ino was usually a good listener, but not at that moment. "Ino? Are you listening?"

"Hm? Ino, ah right. Sorry, I got a little lost in my thoughts, heh," said her friend. She was weird, but she's always been like that.

"Ino, let's make a promise," Sakura's tone shifted from easy to serious. It certainly got Ino's attention.

"Promise what?"

"In five- no, four years, let's go eat some daifuku."

"What kind of promise is this? We can go right now-"

"No! We have to go four years from now. We'll go together, and maybe with Naruto and Shikamaru and Chouji, and even all the others, too. We'll all go together. Promise!"

"Oh, um, okay? I promise. We'll go get your sweets in four years."

"You have to keep it, all right?"

"All right."

One day, Cousin Rei came home from a long, long mission. She came home with a gift for Cousin Ino.

A summoning contract. Ino almost couldn't believe it. Cousin Rei had a good laugh for the first time in years at Ino's wide-eyed gaze.

Since that day, Ino could be seen with various fuzzy little moths camping out in her hair. It was no secret she loved them. It was no secret they loved her.

"Ah, Shimura-san. Hello, how are you?"

"Fine, Yamanaka-kun. Can I help you?"

"I was wondering if Cousin Fu is… I was wondering if I could see him?"

"I'm sorry, but Fu is currently out right now. Perhaps, next time."

"Oh, I see. Thank you for your time."

She hated him. So. Much.

"Sakura!"

"Ino, don't worry, I'm-"

"You can't be okay! I heard there was a sword and-"

"Ino, really! I'm fine!"

"Asuma-sensei~!" a singsong voice that could only belong to his student. Specifically, Ino. He smiled as she skipped over to him. She looked oddly cheerful.

"Ino! It's been awhile. How's work?" he asked her, keeping careful eyes on her reactions. Just in case her work was no good for her. Just in case.

"All's well in T&I. Ibi-san is even considering promoting me to Jounin soon. Isn't that exciting?" she beamed. Asuma wasn't particularly thrilled. He had heard from the grapevine of rumors and gossips about Ino's recent field work. It wasn't pretty, but he guessed for Morino, it was magnificent. That sadist.

"Ah, of course. Congratulations," he grinned at her anyway. He wasn't proud of what she did (and he knew she wasn't either), but he was proud of her.

"Heh, thank you! But that's not what I want to talk about."

"Oh? What is it then?"

"Well, I heard from someone or other that there's a baby somewhere in Konoha."

"How'd-!"

"Really, you should know by now! T&I has some of the biggest gossipers in Fire Country!"

"Hey, Chouji."

"Hm?"

"Do you believe in world peace?"

"What's this all of a sudden?"

"Humor me, please?"

"Um, I guess? It could be possible. Doesn't seem like it now, but maybe one day."

"Hmmm, yeah. One day."

"Yup. One day."

Between Father and Child, their ritual continued. Eating persimmons on their balcony, watching the world tinged in a red hue. The chill crept in especially quickly that night.

"Hey, dad, do you want to hear a story?"

"Sure, what's it about?"

"It's about the me from before." Inoichi listened closely. It was rare to hear anything about Ino's situation. Whatever that situation may be, she didn't talk about it much.

"I'm listening."

"There was a war. A really big one. The whole world was involved. Entire countries and their people fell. So many years of fighting. It was hell."

"Were you…"

"No, I came much later. The war was long over by then. But the damage was done. Hehe, you know, there was this grandma. She fought in that war. And she told me, 'We used to think this war would be the war to end all wars.' Well, they were wrong."

"What happened after the war?"

"Lots of things. By the time the me from before was born, there was an underground warfare going on. There were secret empires and leaders, fighting and fighting and fighting. There was no end to war."

"And you were a soldier."

"Yeah. I was a soldier. Caught right in the middle."

"We have intel on two Akatsuki members. They're meeting up in a week. We're going to intercept them. So. Who would be best to put in a team?"

"Yamanaka-sama, I have a request," Ino bowed, forehead touching the floor. Before her, her father sat still. He didn't like it, but he respected Ino's decisions.

"Speak."

"The mission regarding the Akatsuki. I want to be a part of that team." Oh, he didn't like it one bit.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you. And also, can you make sure Asuma-sensei has time off during the mission?"

"Ah, well, I can't promise anything, but I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you so much."

"Can I ask why?" Here, Ino smiled at her father.

"I have a good feeling about this."

"Ino."

"Shikamaru."

She was smiling, as usual. He was not, as usual.

"You know what? I'm not even going to ask. Knowing you, you probably pulled some strings to get on this team," he sighed. Kotestu and Izumo watched from the side. They heard clear resignation in that sigh. They also heard fondness and love in that statement.

"Heehee, you know me so well, Shika."

"Hey, Shika, you gotta trust me, okay?"

"Since when have I not?"

"Good point!"

This was all a bad idea. Letting Ino take the front was a horrible idea. It should've been him.

Watching Ino fight was like watching a two-man skit. But with only Ino. She played both characters, and she did it somehow seamlessly and flawlessly. It was strange, really, the way she fought. Had it been a less life-threatening time, Shikamaru would have been more focused on her movements than the opponents.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Hidan exclaimed, laughing maniacally.

"Doesn't it hurt you, too?" Ino asked. Her leg felt like it was on fire.

"Well, yeah, but it's good pain. And I won't die."

"You won't die. Can you die?"

"What part of immortal do you not understand? Are you dumb or something?"

"Yeah. I'm really dumb."

"Ino, what are you saying?" Shikamaru yelled from his place. He wanted to fight. To watch her back. Yet, he remained.

"Shikamaru, do you trust me?"

"What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes! What are you thinking?"

Ino did not respond to him. Only smiled and returned her attention back to the creepy immortal man.

"Let's dance."

It was all a bad idea. He shouldn't have given in and taken that day off. It should've been him.

Ino was amazing.

Ino was beautiful.

Even when she faced death, she was graceful.

Hearing Shikamaru's theory on Hidan's jutsu (theory confirmed by Hidan himself, actually), Ino adjusted her position accordingly. She placed herself inside the strange diagram, preventing Hidan from entering. Any attempts at drawing a new diagram was thwarted by Shikamaru's shadow.

Ino was plotting something, Shikamaru belatedly realized. He knew that gleam in her eyes, that ingenuine twitch in her lips, that crease of dissatisfaction between her brows. She was plotting something, waiting for something, and he didn't know what.

But he trusted her.

Honestly, it was the last time he trusted her.

"It must be hard being immortal," Ino broke the relative silence with those words.

"Don't know what your jabbering about," Hidan was getting agitated. He wanted to tear her to shreds, and he'd enjoy every second of it.

"I heard about a thing called mercy," she went on.

"The hell you talking about?"

"He's a good person, so I want to be like him. I'll show you mercy."

"HAH! I'd like to see you try!"

As it happened, Hidan managed to knock Ino out of what he claimed his rightful place. Though, really, Ino let him. But no one had to know that.

Shikamaru thought his world was crumbling. Ino lay in a pool of blood. Her own blood. And that immortal fucking bastard was still standing, laughing. And laughing. And laughing. He wanted that fucker to shut up. Where was backup?

But then, Ino was laughing, too. That shut Hidan up like a charm. It was deathly quiet save for her laughter and a quiet humming. Where was that coming from?

Ino stood up, slowly but steady. She stood up, still laughing like some sort of deranged person.

"Ino?" Shikamaru whispered, afraid of her response.

"A good person," she whispered back. She was so quiet, he almost didn't catch it. And charged right toward that bastard. She charged with her hands in a familiar yet unknown hand sign. It looked like the traditional Mind Transfer seal but a bit different. Something was off.

He should've stopped her.

The humming was her moths. She had summoned them at some point. Who knows when. They were always with her. She loved them, and they loved her.

Right when she had activated her jutsu (whatever it did), she had collided with Hidan. Right when they collided, the moths summoned their own weapons. Giant needles, somewhat reminiscent of Hidan's. The moths impaled them both.

And then there was no longer Ino and Hidan.

Just two bodies.

Ino's technique was successful. Her mind was intact, though she knew her body was not.

Ino had dragged both her mind and Hidan's mind out of their bodies. And now, they only had a brief moment before darkness would inevitably overcome them.

"What did you do?" Hidan questioned. He knew he should be furious with whatever just happened, but he wasn't, oddly enough.

"I'm showing you mercy," that girl replied. Always smiling. Always smiling. She was always smiling.

"How?"

"Immortality sounds like such a burden, you know? Instead of leaving you alive in some pit somewhere, I decided this is a much kinder fate."

"And what is this fate, anyway?" She ignored his question. Perhaps, even she did not know.

"I think… that maybe, in another life, we could've been friends."

"Maybe. What's it matter?"

"Heh. Hehe. Nothing. It's just… wishful thinking."

Two bodies. Everyone was silent. In shock. They couldn't move. Even that Kakuzu was shocked at the sight before them. The immortal man was lifeless.

So was Ino.

If there was anything Shikamaru could do for Ino in her death, it was to bring her to her compound. Her compound where her father was. Where flowers grew. Where she'd want to be.

Asuma's place was wrecked. It reeked of alcohol, cigarettes, tears, and regret. He opened his window and screamed at the Heavens. The clouds were heavy with raindrops. He thought it fitting. Even the sky mourned his loss.

"She did something like this," Shikamaru held his hands up loosely, copying Ino's last action.

"Ah, that… I taught her that," her father confessed. The confession felt heavy on this tongue. He wished he never taught her. Shikamaru didn't want to know what it did. But at the same time, he did. He wanted to know what Ino was thinking.

"What does it do?"

"In essence, it's suicide." Shikamaru felt his heart stop. Inoichi carried on, trying desperately to stay put together, "The Yamanaka clan members… We value our minds. Our minds are our lives. Without it, we are dead. That technique, it forcibly ejects the user's mind along with its victim's. Their minds will mix, and they'll never be able to return back to their bodies."

Shikamaru took a breath. Inoichi looked like he was going to die from heartbreak. The younger man left soon after.

"Ugly, are you-"

"Shut up, Sai," Naruto hissed.

"Did you know?" Sakura started. Her heavy sobbing had stopped long ago, but she had not spoken a single word until then. "Did you know she promised? To have daifuku with me in four years?"

Sakura should've known. Ino was a master at lying.

Inoichi laid on the balcony. It felt larger than normal. More spacious. Emptier. There wasn't even a bowl of persimmons. He had no appetite.

In the garden, he saw a bloom. Ino had planted a bunch of daffodils in the garden some time ago, and it seemed one was an early bloomer. The rest would come in time. Inoichi vaguely remembered her telling him about the importance of the number of daffodils. One meant misfortune. A bunch meant rebirth.

Inoichi wondered when the rest would bloom.

"Go in peace, my child. Rest now."

note: Did you expect this? I didn't lmao.