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: ...I'm most definitely not male.


Chapter 10

Shikamaru groaned as he was once again dragged towards a random restaurant. Why didn't she victimize Chouji for once? He scowled at her back. He'd much rather be cloud watching than following a hyperactive blonde around. He glanced at the glaring men as they passed. Okay, maybe it did have its advantages but the cons way outweighed the pros.

He stared at the clear sky. Oh how he envied the clouds right now. At least they didn't have to deal with loud blondes. First, meetings and escorting another blonde, now he had to deal with this troublesome blonde. As if Temari wasn't enough of a handful.

"I have to go train," he said. He knew the half-assed excuse wouldn't work but he had to try.

"Stop lying," she replied. "I know you're just going to go cloud watching again."

He sighed as he followed her into a booth. She sat across him. It had been two and half years. She'd grown quite a bit. It's amazing how much a person could change physically in a few years. Not much could be said about her personality though. She was still the same old troublesome Ino.

He might as well strike up a conversation. "The crazy woman still up to her crazy schemes?" he asked, referring to her sensei. His answer was a tinkering laugh that had his cheeks heating up. He quickly concealed it with a yawn.

"I'd be worried if she wasn't," she said with a fond smile. She'd gotten quite attached the older woman. He just hoped her sadist ways wouldn't start influencing Ino. He hoped but it had already started. Ino was already smirking like her sensei. It gave him the chills sometimes.

"Naruto's coming today," he said. Her smile turned into a full out grin. He loved making her do that; her grin always made him feel an unexplainable joy.

"I know!" she gushed. "I'm so excited. He's probably grown a lot. I wonder what he'll look like? He'll be taller of course. And probably thinner. Or maybe not. I bet all he's eating is ramen."

She talked like a mother would a child. He smirked at her compassion. He hoped she wouldn't change.

"Ino!" Sakura interrupted Ino's tirade. Ino blinked a few times before zeroing in on the pink-haired kunoichi. "Naruto's back!"

Ino was out there in a second. Naruto was back…Naruto was back! She laughed as she rushed towards his familiar chakra signature. Just from his chakra alone she could tell that he'd gotten stronger. Her grin widened when she rounded the corner.

"Behold, the new perverted jutsu!" he yelled.

The loud blonde was immediately held in a deadlock. "What was that?" she demanded. He hadn't changed one bit!

"N-N-Nothing, Ino-chan!" he gulped. She snorted before letting him go.

"You better hope I heard wrong or else," she threatened. She wouldn't let him go back into the idiotic phase again. This time around, he'd get a girlfriend! Resolve set, she hugged him tight. "Welcome home."

"Ah…" he replied, returning the embrace. "I'm home."

Kakashi cleared his throat. She let go. "That's nice and all but first, I want to see just how far you've come," he said as he dangled the bells in front of them. She chuckled, overcome with nostalgia.

"You better watch your back!" she taunted. Naruto agreed with a confident 'Yeah!' Although not complete, Team Seven was back.

They arrived in the nostalgia-inducing training field. The three tattered wooden poles were still there. She smiled as took in her surroundings. She eyed the still water. That would be useful during the battle.

"This is where we had our first training, wasn't it?" Kakashi said. She nodded.

"Team Seven, the three-man team," Naruto murmured.

"Only Sasuke was with you, ne?" Kakashi asked.

The mood immediately shifted to a depressed one as she and Naruto curled into balls on the ground. She'd gotten over it but…Sasuke was still a taboo word around her. They snapped out of it when Kakashi clapped his book shut. She froze into attention. Although it wasn't the real thing, Kakahsi never closed his books unless he was being serous.

"Well then," he said. "Shall we begin?"

She sweatdropped when Naruto immediately started attacking. Kakashi hadn't even said start yet. She looked on with approval. Naruto's use of clones had greatly improved; even his timing was superb. But he still had a ways to go with patience.

"Your haste hasn't changed," Kakashi commented. "Start!"

With that, the white-haired nin disappeared. Ino sprang to action. She used her sensory powers to detect him. Underground, huh? She leapt up just as he made to grab her ankles. She grinned at him, already forming her seals. He would copy the technique but she didn't really care. She activated the jutsu just as he sprang out of the hole he dug.

"Water Style: First Wave!"

The Jounin was lost in the raging wave that encompassed his entire form. Naruto gaped but quickly recovered. He created clones that swam straight to their sensei by linking together. She commended his quick thinking.

"Now, Ino-chan!" he yelled. She released the jutsu, the wave dissipating in an instant. Kakashi coughed. He hadn't expect something like that. They smirked at him. He was being held by Naruto's clones. They were about to take the bells from him his body turned into water and splashed onto the ground. A water clone, huh? They were underestimating him.

"Naruto," she said, beckoning him over. "We need to form a plan!"

"You're right," he said.

She smirked as she relayed her ideas to the other blonde. His lips were already starting to form a smile. They would definitely get him now…

Kakashi furrowed his brows. Where were those two? He'd been hiding but the two hadn't come anywhere near his spot and it was already evening. They hadn't given up, had they?

His question was answered in the form of two badly injured blondes. "Kakashi-sensei!" Ino gasped. This was no genjutsu, they really were hurt. But, just to be safe, he kept his distance. "The Akatsuki—"

He was by their side in an instant. Akatsuki? Where were they? He felt surprise when Ino started grinning. They had the bells. What dirty tactics.

"That was dirty," he accused. The kunoichi shrugged.

"But it got the job done," she defended. Naruto laughed.

They chattered all the way back. That is, until Naruto's stomach rumbled. She laughed. His appetite hadn't changed either. "Kakashi-sensei, you're treating right…" Naruto trailed off. The Jounin had disappeared. The cheapskate.

"If it isn't Naruto," Shikamaru greeted. "Was wondering when I'd run into you."

"Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed. "So you're going on a date too, huh?"

She laughed. "What? No. This woman's way too troublesome," Shikamaru replied. Ino rolled her eyes at him. No manners at all!

She watched, amused, as Naruto heard the news that everyone from the Rookie Nine had become Chuunins. His reactions were hilarious. It was even funnier when he found out that Neji, Temari and Kankuro had already become Jounin. As for Gaara…he'd already become Kazekage. They had all celebrated then. Heck, she'd even gone to his inauguration.

"Why don't we all go to Ichiraku's?" Naruto suggested. For once, she didn't object. Hey, she was hungry too! Hunger is the best sauce after all.


The trio was receiving their mission when a nin came in. "The Sand's Kazekage has been taken by an organization called Akatsuki!"

Ino tensed. Gaara…Gaara had become a friend to her these past few months. She ground her teeth. Akatsuki again, huh?

"Your new mission is to back Sand up," Tsunade announced. "This is an A-rank mission, don't mess it up."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered. Yup, he definitely didn't change. He still had that same determination.

They dashed to the Konoha gates with the Hokage. "Let's go!" Naruto grinned, pumping his fist into the air. Ino rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm. Trust him to be excited about potentially deadly missions.

"Ino!" Shikamaru interrupted. He eyed the Hokage. He'd always been such a smart kid. His smirk made her cheeks flush…just a teensy bit. "Don't die on me."

She grinned at him. "I won't."

"Geez, let's go already!" Naruto whined. She laughed as she ran after him. His patience was even worse than hers.

The path to Sand was a familiar one. She'd gone on it often enough. She sped up when she noticed someone's chakra down below. "Temari!" she called. They stopped to relay the information they'd acquired.

"I had a bad feeling…" the other blonde murmured.

Now a foursome, they headed towards Sand with a renewed vigor. It took three days to reach Sand, two if they minimized rest stops which she knew they had to. Temari was another impatient person. Nerves would attack and she'd get really grumpy really soon.

And that's how Naruto found himself in this predicament. She chuckled at his pouting face. They had no choice, he was too slow even with chakra. But…the image of Naruto on piggyback was enough to send her into fits of laughter. Worser still that Kakashi was the one carrying him. It wouldn't have been so amusing in the past but now… She giggled.

They reached the village in two days, just as she'd predicted, only to be met with more bad news. She ground her teeth. While she wasn't as good as Tsunade or maybe even Sakura, she would have to do. She didn't even ljjjhave time to relish the Sand's glorious sunshine.

They entered the medical ward. "Konoha's White Fang!" an old lady gasped. Naruto blocked the attack intended for their sensei as she stood in front of him. She'd heard about the genius White Fang. Looked like this lady had a grudge in their sensei's father.

"Take a good look, sister," another wrinkled man said.

"Gyahahahahaha! I was just pretending to be stupid!" the old woman laughed. Ino sweatdropped. Another interesting character.

"I need to see Kankuro!" she yelled, already forgetting the recent incident. She stood before his bandaged form. Her hands glowed sapphire, not the usual emerald that the Mystical Palm Jutsu entailed. She scanned the liquids inside his body, quickly but efficiently locating most of the poison. Using precise chakra control that she'd mastered through Misaki's tough training, she guided the poison out his sweat glands and into a conveniently placed pot beside his bed. She sighed. "He's not in critical condition anymore but I still need to remove the remaining poison in his system," she announced. The spectators looked visibly relieved.

"Wow…" Naruto gaped. "Where'd you learn that?"

Ino grinned. "Sakura's not the only one with a genius master!" she exclaimed. Misaki hadn't developed the technique herself but she had come up with the idea of using her natural affinity with water to get rid of poisons. She inwardly chuckled. The woman had only said that because she'd grown tired of her whining about Sakura getting medical training.

"Hn…" her teammate hummed as he inspected her hands. She smacked his head. It wasn't that great. Compared to the Mystical Palm Jutsu, her technique wasn't much help when it came to injuries.

"Please lead me to your greenhouses," she requested as she took the basin with the poison with her. A medic nin nodded and led her out.

The greenhouse was huge. Exotic plants littered the area, creating an effective jungle of sorts. The variety of colorful plants was amazing. She set the basin down on a table. She stared at it for a while. She didn't know much about making antidotes but herbs were her thing. This was one of those rare instances where everyday life crossed over to her shinobi life.

Half an hour later, she'd successfully created four vials of the antidote. While not as fast as she'd have liked, it was swift enough. But she cut herself some slack. She hadn't had Sakura's training or experience with making antidotes. If anything, they should be calling her a genius!

She returned with the antidote in hand. "You could have been faster," the old woman remarked with contempt. Ino felt a vein pop out.

"You should be calling me a genius for even creating an antidote!" she defended, voicing her earlier thoughts.

"And why would I do that? You said you had a genius master!" the elder replied.

Ino huffed. "My master may have great ideas but she's no medic. In fact, this is the first time I've healed anyone!"

Everyone was silenced by that. "Wow, Ino-chan!" Naruto yelled, looking even more amazed than before. She felt her ego swell just a little bit. "I bet you'd beat even Sakura-chan!"

She shook her head. "No, Sakura would have done it in seconds. We'd already be after the Akatsuki if she were in your team." She made Kankuro sit up and drink the antidote. She let out a sigh of relief when she felt the microscopic pieces of poison dissipate within his body. Her first antidote, a success. She grinned at him. "There, you'll be fine now. Just make sure to rest for a while."

"Uzumaki Naruto…" Kankuro muttered. "Please save my brother."

"Leave it to me!" Naruto said. She smiled at his willingness to help others.


She wondered how it came to this. Ino wiped a brow as she tried to release the genjutsu on Naruto. It was a stronger type, one that took more than just a simple Kai. She placed her hand on his forehead, disrupting the flow of his chakra and effectively waking him.

"Ino-chan…" he murmured, visibly shaken. She gave him a reassuring smile and comforting pat on the head.

"It's alright now," she whispered as she wiped the sweat off his face. He smiled back.

"Thanks, Ino-chan!" he said, finally back to his old self.

"Fire Release: Grand Fireball!"

"Water Release: First Wave!"

The fire was instantly doused by the waves she'd procured through her summoning scroll. It was Misaki's idea. She should really thank her mentor, she decided.

"Nice, Ino-chan!" Naruto praised. She gave him a thumbs-up.

Throughout the exchange, Kakashi had somehow dug a hole. He shot up, punching Itachi in the jaw. It would have been funnier if he socked him in the groin, she thought, and a whole lot more painful.

"Get him and my clone, Naruto!" the real Kakashi ordered. Naruto nodded and started forming a jutsu she'd never seen him do before. It reminded her of Sasuke's Chidori, only more powerful.

All that and it wasn't even the real Itachi. It was a man named Juura from the Sand. She listened as the old woman explained what happened to Jinchuuruki who had their Tailed Beasts removed. Her heart beat stopped. Naruto…and Gaara would die if…?

She was moving in an instant. No way. There was no way she'd let anything happen to her friends! They'd have to get through her first! Those bastards. If they thought they could do as the wished then they had another thing coming. They'd better watch out, Team Seven's coming for them!

Naruto's speed increased a fair amount. She grinned at his back. No way would she be left behind! With a grunt, she propelled forwards, almost on par with Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra boost. He grinned at her.

"Keep up, will you?" Naruto called back to the older members of the team. Kakashi sighed as he and Chiyo sped themselves up as well.

They arrived at the hideout in a matter of minutes. Ino smiled at the water on the ground. This was the perfect battlefield for her. She didn't even need the summon scrolls! She waved as they greeted the other team.

The boulder was huge. Her hand instantly bounced back when she tried to poke it. It was an interesting barrier. She listened as Kakashi explained the mechanics of a Five Seal Barrier. So they had to look for tags with the word 'Kin' on them then? With that taken care of—Neji's Byakugan sure was useful—they attached their radios on themselves. Ino made sure to disguise it as a ribbon of sorts on her flowing hair.

The others were fast in locating and removing the seals, much to her relief. "We'll proceed with a buttonhook entry," Kakashi said. She nodded, already forming the seals of her jutsu.

"Chiyo-san, please stand back," she said as she activated the jutsu. "Water Release: Giant Fist!"

A fist made entirely of water emerged, smashing the boulder to pieces. They entered on Kakashi's signal. Were they too late? Inside was a man who looked like her and a bulkier, shorter form with the bottom half of his face concealed. Behind them was a large bird made of clay and…Gaara! And he still had chakra in him! Tears welled up in her eyes. He was alive. Close to death but alive.

The two Akatsuki members bickered. The big guy wasn't even looking and he deflected Naruto's shuriken! She watched as the bird swallowed the redhead and escaped. Naruto being Naruto, he went straight after the strawberry blonde.

"Naruto and I will handle the one with Gaara. Ino and Chiyo, stay here and take care of this guy," Kakashi ordered. "Until Guy's team comes back, don't overdo it."

Ino stared at their opponent. His aura screamed 'dangerous!' and it had her tensing. "Stay behind me," Chiyo ordered. Ino nodded as the old woman used chakra strings to control the numerous kunai. She gasped as the Akatsuki member took of his cloak. What was he? "His name's Sasori and that's just a puppet."

So this guy was the same as Chiyo and Kankuro. She glared at him. He was probably the one who poisoned Kankuro. "Nice eyes," he remarked. "Your body would be perfect for a puppet." She bristled. She'd show him how nice her eyes were!


A/N: Whoo. Another one of the longer chapters. What do you think? Reviews are always welcome!