Chapter 11
Hana was seated at her desk, hard at work in reviewing documents on land matters. Over the years, the Yamanaka estate had grown equal to two-thirds of Konoha in expanse. In the Fire Country, the Yamanaka Clan held influence both in economic and military matters. Only the Hyuuga could compare to it in terms of power among the shinobi clans. This social standing was the reason why a noble family had accepted the invitation she sent for her daughter's hand.
The man who had been scheduled to meet Ino during the marriage interview was from the Kasai Clan, a close relative of the Daimyo's. The Daimyo had a good relationship with Konoha, and Hana was confident that his office wouldn't get involved in this affair. Nonetheless, she couldn't underestimate the Kasai Clan's power. She didn't know how they had reacted after receiving her official letter of apology for canceling the interview with the Kasai Clan's heir. She hadn't received any reply from them yet.
Hana put down the paper she had been reading and looked up at the ceiling. She was also a product of an arranged marriage. Inoichi had been a coveted bachelor in his younger days. On top of being good-looking, he had many military achievements under his belt and was once nominated as a candidate for Hokage. Yamanaka Jun discovered him during an escort mission and never let go. Inoichi being a splendid man was Hana's sole consolation.
She was not sure if either of them felt something special for the other. They had remained married for seventeen years, so she could say that it was a successful marriage. Inoichi was important to her, and she knew that he felt the same. But she wouldn't attempt to call it love. Romance was a foreign concept to her. They occasionally slept together, when the urge was there, but not once had one of them uttered a single word of affection to the other. What they had was more of an exclusive form of friendship than the normal husband-wife relationship.
Remembering how she had tried to force Ino into a similar situation, she couldn't help but sigh. It was just fortunate that Ino had grown up to be an independent girl who knew what she wanted. Though she didn't regret marrying Inoichi under that arranged setting, she wished that Ino found something better. She had tried to separate Ino and Sasuke, but it was not because she desired an arranged marriage for her daughter. She had only detested the idea of a criminal marrying her only child.
If asked why she was willing to recognize Sasuke now as a potential son-in-law, she would answer that she had been wrong. Sasuke had shared with her his memories using a Sharingan Jutsu. Though he still withheld events from his childhood, Sasuke shared his life from when he had left Konoha. She learned that he had never hurt innocent civilians. He'd even protected them at times. Most important, he hadn't killed Michiko. It was a white, humanoid creature which had sprouted from Sasuke's abdomen that had killed her best friend.
She looked out of the window behind her and saw Ino walking down the limestone footpath to the main house. Her daughter had a bounce in her steps, and she was grinning to herself. Ino glanced up and gave Hana a big wave. Hana waved back and mouthed "lounge." Ino replied with a thumbs-up.
"Mom!" Ino bolted up the sofa and hugged Hana.
"You seem to be in full spirits," Hana said.
"I have something to tell you."
Hana had taken Sasuke's advice to befriend Ino, and she could say that it was working out well for her and her daughter. "What is it?"
"N-Naruto confessed to me today."
Hana raised an eyebrow. Ino seemed to have taken it as an expression of interest, but Hana was feeling something different. "That's surprising. I thought he was in love with Sakura."
"Right? He told me that he had kept it to himself all this time. I suspected that it had something to do with my stay at his place, you know, like because I'm so pretty, but then he said that it had started when we were kids! Can you imagine that?"
"So? What was your reply?"
"I'm still considering it. I mean, he's grown cute and all, and he's also one of the top shinobi in Konoha, but it's still too sudden for me. I want to be certain about my feelings first."
"Take your time. He has loved you for a long time, so I'm sure his feelings are not going to change anytime soon," Hana said. "How about Sasuke? Are you sure about letting him go?"
"Sasuke, huh." Ino settled deeper into the sofa. "I've never been more certain."
"And to think he was the reason for our fight."
"Mom, I know, okay. I was wrong." Ino hugged her. "And it didn't have to be Sasuke. I would've still gotten mad at you for trying to engage me with someone I hadn't even met."
After that, Ino told Hana that she was going to help prepare lunch. Hana watched her daughter leave for the kitchen, and then she left in the direction of her mother's office.
Yamanaka Jun's office was vast. It was a rectangular room, twenty by fifty meters, with its longer side facing the front. Yamanaka Jun was seated at a low table in the middle, three-quarters away from the entrance. Two female attendants with white masks were kneeling a few paces behind her. An elegant tatami mat, weaved with a scene of a woman playing her koto amidst a field of moonflowers, adorned the whole expanse of the floor.
Hana sat down in seiza in front of the old lady at a distance too far for a daughter. Jun looked up and beckoned her to come closer with a gentle gesture of her fingers. Hana bowed in appreciation and settled down an arm's length across her mother. Now closer, Hana could see what was in Jun's hand. It was a cheap stationary popular with teenagers some years back.
"Mother, I have something to confirm."
"Look at this, Hana, look at how much this boy loves our Ino," Jun said.
"Boy? What do you—wait, Mother, you didn't!" Hana blurted out, forgetting about proper etiquette and lunging to snatch away the letter from Jun.
Jun moved the paper out of Hana's reach.
"I can't believe you! What did you do to them?" Hana said.
"I was trying to help them focus on making one decision at a time, especially Ino," Jun said.
"You're doing it again. Why are you always like this?"
"Like what?"
"Why do you like playing god so much?"
Jun smiled at Hana, shaking her head a little. "Calm down, Hana. I sealed only the memories related to these letters and their knowledge about Naruto's feelings for Ino. The seal is not permanent."
"It's not the issue!" Hana cursed under her breath.
Jun continued smiling at her, serene and unperturbed. "Daughter, do you have so little faith in me?"
"You know the answer to that."
Jun folded the letter in her hand and placed it back into the envelope. She then brought out more envelopes from a side drawer. After stacking them up neatly, she pushed the bundle towards Hana. "Yes. I agree that it looks like I stripped away a portion of their freedom to decide things on their own. But whether with or without my intervention, life will catch up and push them into a corner. It can be another person or an unexpected event, but just the same, it will force them to make a choice they feel they have to make. And this choice won't likely contain their honest feelings. Isn't it better that I provided a direction?"
"Yeah, right, like how you arranged my marriage."
Jun stood up and walked, stopping by Hana's side. "If I didn't do that, you'd have continued searching for the ideal man in those perverted books you loved reading."
Hana gaped at her mother.
Jun grimaced. She seemed to be recalling one book in particular. "Men depicted effeminately…indulging in acts too horrendous to mention."
"I was a child!"
"You were sixteen."
Hana clammed up.
"What's done is done, and if you ever break the spell by hinting them about it, I might accidentally tell on your little kissing scene with your potential son-in-law."
"What?" Hana said, feeling the sting of tears in her eyes. "How did you know that?"
"It was out of concern for your sudden change of behavior towards Ino. I had to know what happened. In any case, I expect your full cooperation," Jun said and exited the room.
When Jun's presence was gone, Hana glared at the two attendants she had known since childhood. "Ami, Emi, two things," she said.
"The perverted books," Ami, the one on the left, said.
"The perverted act," Emi, the one on the right, said.
"We will never say a word," both of them said.
"They are not perverted!" Hana stomped away from the room, face all red.
…
It was time for lunch. Jun sat at the head of the table as usual. Hana took her left. Sakura seated herself next to Hana, and Sasuke settled in the chair next to the pink-haired girl. Naruto sat across from Sasuke, leaving two empty seats next to Jun's. One was for Inoichi, which was reserved even if the man himself was not present, and the other was for Ino.
Ino entered the dining room carrying a bowl of braised pork in coconut milk, the same dish she had made for Naruto back in his apartment.
"Oh, I remember this," Naruto said. "Smells great."
"T-thank you," Ino said. She took her seat and pulled it a tad closer to Naruto's chair. Naruto seemed oblivious to the gesture, but the others noted it.
"I made it less spicy for you," Ino said as she ladled a serving onto his plate. "Hope you like it."
Hana and Sakura cleared their throat at the same time. Ino and Naruto caught themselves and looked away in embarrassment.
"Thank you for the food," Jun said, a smile tugging a corner of her lips. "Let's begin."
…
That afternoon, Yamanaka Jun summoned Ino, Sakura, Hana, Sasuke, and Naruto to her office. They sat in one row in front of her.
"I called you here to explain the detail of your mission in Michiba," Jun said. "The Village Chief of Torihana and I will convene one week from now. I will be sending you for a reconnaissance mission to map in detail the venue of the event and to observe its state of affairs. I want you to send me in five days all the information you will have gathered and then stand by in that place until I arrive.
"Village Chief Sakaki is already informed of the details, and he will also be sending his representative with a shinobi team to do their surveillance. You will be my envoys so I will not appreciate anything that will ruin the Yamanaka name. I don't want you running afoul with the local authorities of Michiba. If you think your action will precariously attract unwanted suspicion, abort.
Hana will be Captain and Sasuke Vice-Captain for this mission. Hana will not participate on foot. She will establish HQ at the Michiba Grand Inn and support you politically if something comes up. Meanwhile, the four of you will pose as couples. Michiba is holding its annual Moon Banquet Festival, and it is known as one of the most popular festivals for newlyweds. I don't want any mistake, so Ino and Sakura, you should discuss between the two of you with whom you'll be more comfortable doing this. You girls are the key to make this disguise work.
"Any questions?" Jun said.
"I would like to confirm if we are safe not disguising our appearance in this village," Sasuke said.
"Michiba is a non-military village," Jun said. "Thus, she is not privy to classified information regarding the shinobi world. She has the local police, but this organization only reacts to present threats. The only thing you should be wary about is creating suspicion on yourself. Keep it all lovey-dovey out there, and I assure you the guards will be too embarrassed to look your way. Any other questions?"
No one spoke.
"Okay. Hana, I want to talk about the finer details of the mission with you. You four are free to go."
Once the four were gone, Hana glared at Jun. "You're so evil, Mother. You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"I don't have any idea what you mean."
Hana grunted and looked away.
…
When they were out in the hallway, Sakura grabbed Ino's hand and told the boys, "Don't follow us." Sasuke and Naruto nodded and left towards the opposite direction. Sakura led Ino into the gazebo in the middle of the flower garden. The mellow light of the afternoon, the colorful flowers, the soft breeze, and the perfect shade provided by the low hanging trees made it an ideal place to take a nap.
"Hey, what's the matter? You look kinda scary," Ino said. She spotted a passing maid and requested cold drinks and snacks for her and her best friend.
Sakura pulled Ino to the bench, eyes cast down. The maid arrived with cold barley tea and mochi, excused herself and left, but Sakura still seemed not to know how to begin.
"Sakura?"
"Did you know that I invited Naruto to go out with me at the Flower Festival?" Sakura said, eyes still on the floor. "It had been a long time since we did something like that, I mean, going out together, only the two of us. I thought he'd be happy to go on a date with me, but he was not. He was distracted. In the end, he bailed out on me, said he was feeling unwell. He didn't forget to apologize and take me back home, I can give him that, but it was frustrating. He used to fuss over me very much, trying things to touch my hand, making attempts to kiss me."
"That jerk!"
Sakura looked up at Ino. Ino felt Sakura's hand tightening around hers. "A few days ago, we fought. I couldn't take that he'd keep your stay at his apartment a secret from me. He said something to me about you, but I don't remember it, clearly. It could be because I was struggling with my emotions that time, I don't know. But I have a vague feeling that he was trying to say something important." Sakura paused and looked into Ino's eyes. "You know where I'm going with this, aren't you?"
Ino couldn't answer. She couldn't miss something that obvious.
Sakura heaved a deep sigh. "I'm beginning to feel I'll lose him if I don't do this now."
"Sakura, are you…?"
Sakura shook her head. "That's not important. Ino, let me be Naruto's partner for this mission."
Ino tried to formulate excuses in her mind. She hadn't had the slightest idea things would develop in this direction. In all the years she was with Sakura, she had never expected that her best friend would develop feelings for Naruto. Sure, they were too close they could take turns feeding each other or drink from the same bottle without getting embarrassed. But despite this intimacy, everyone who saw them understood that these gestures were platonic. In Naruto's words, it was all an act.
"I-I think it will not work if I pair up with Sasuke," Ino said, pulling her hand away from Sakura's grasp. "I'll be too stiff to play my role as his partner. You know how I feel about him, right?"
"Aren't you doing rounds with him every day? I don't believe you aren't used to being around him, yet."
"If we were alone, it could work, but we are talking about a festival here. Besides, wouldn't it feel awkward for you to pair up with Naruto, too, considering, you know, your feelings for him?"
"No, I'll play my part well. I promise you that."
"I still think I ought to pair up with Naruto in this mission."
"Why?"
"I already told you."
"No, I don't believe it's as simple as that, Ino. I think you're hiding something from me."
"I'm not, okay. Quit imagining things."
"Did you do it with him?" Sakura said.
Ino froze upon hearing that question. She heard a faint voice in her head asking her the same thing. "No," she mumbled. "Didn't something like this happen already?"
"Did it feel good?" Sakura's voice was filled with venom.
"Wait, what? No, I didn't do it with him! What the hell is wrong with you?" Ino said.
"Then tell me why!"
"Because I don't want to lose him, too!" There. She said it. How stupid can I be?
Sakura glared at Ino for a few seconds, and then she marched away, wiping her tears with the heel of her hand.
"Goddammit," Ino muttered, as she slumped down the bench. She put her arm across her eyes. "Where did that come from, Ino? He just confessed to you this morning. How can you already say you don't want to lose him?"
To be continued…
