Howdy!

It's the latest installment of A Living Lie, so let's just go!

Ino Yamanaka lounged in the grass, "Come on, Sakura, it'll be great. We'll just go and see what's happening, and it'll be over in a day. Easy-peezy."

Sakura was punching a tree, "Go away, Ino. I'm training."

Ino shrugged, "Suit yourself, Sakura. I'll just go on my own."

"Mhmm."

The sun had set on Konoha Village, and Nezuna had finished her evening work around Naruto's apartment. She'd just sat down on the couch, and was reaching for the TV remote when the window slid open and shut. A mountain of a man lowered himself on the couch next to Nezuna with a heavy groan. She look at him, "...Jiraiya."

Jiraiya grinned, "Nezuna-chan, happy to see me?"

Nezuna hit a button on the remote and the box turned onto a random show, "Not really." She flipped through a few channels and said, "I was looking forward to some time vegging out to dumb people in front of a camera. But now I get to deal with a dumb perv on the couch." She smacked the hand that had been snaking toward her and growled, "Keep your hands to yourself." Jiraiya laughed lightly and Nezuna scowled at him before turning back to the TV.

Jiraiya cried crocodile tears, "Why so cold, Nezuna-chan? You won't even make a guest one cup of tea?"

Nezuna snorted as she surfed past an interview about the economical climate of the Elemental Nations, "Where do you see a guest? You come by so often, you might as well live here. Make your own damn tea."

After every visit Jiraiya appeared sooner than before, to the point that he could be found lounging in front of the TV most nights. His presence had become common enough that Nezuna had completely dropped any hint of politeness toward him. After all, the white maned old man was a self proclaimed super pervert.

As he made for the kitchen, Jiraiya said, "By the way, when I was on my way back to your warm embrace I noticed a little flower lurking on a rooftop nearby."

"Or really?" Nezuna was in full channel surfing mode.

"Indeed, it wasn't poisonous, nor did it have thorns." Jiraiya gestured to the ceiling fan, "It's a wonder how such a young bud managed to make it all this way."

"Uhuh." Nezuna was unimpressed, "If it turns out to be a weed, I'll pull it."

"Indeed!" Jiraiya laughed as he returned to the couch with his tea.

Sakura was going through what had become her regular warm-ups when she noticed Ino's presence on the training ground. She said, "Oh, Ino. It's only been a few days, have you given up already?" Then she saw her friend, "You look terrible."

Ino collapsed next to Sakura, "That place is terrible." She grabbed onto her friend, "Every day, she cleans the house. And every night, she just watches cable."

"So?" Sakura grabbed Ino by the shirt and flipped her.

Ino flopped down to the ground and laid there, "You don't understand. It's exactly the same every time. The woman there never goes out, and never really does anything. It's torture."

Sakura finished her stretches and transitioned into the slow movements of one of the early academy katas, "If it's such a hassle then why don't you stop? There is so much you could do that would actually be productive."

"Like gossip?" Ino saw Sakura's frown from the ground, "I'm kidding. Mostly. Hey, I just remembered. Didn't something happen between you and Ryuto?" Sakura twitched and Ino continued with a smile, "And that's why that Lee kid wants to fight him? He beat Hinata pretty good, but doesn't he act strange?" Ino laughed, "He looks strange, too. Seems like a total loser to me."

Sakura sighed, "Don't judge him too hard. Lee's a good guy, he's just-" She paused, "Enthusiastic."

"That's one way to put it." Ino shrugged, "Still, he can fight. I might actually bet on him if he and Ryuto fight in the third stage."

"That's enough Ino." Sakura growled, "I mean it."

"Ok, ok."

Sakura glared at Ino, then she looked away and grumbled, "It's all just a big misunderstanding."

Ino smirked, "Oh?" She stretched and rolled around in the grass, "So something did happen. Come on Sakura, you can tell me."

"It's none of your business, Ino."

Ino's platinum blond pony tail swished in the breeze, "Please, since when has that stopped me?"

"Ino..."

"Fine, I'll drop it. Yeesh." Sakura nodded and when she turned back to her training, Ino added, "That's not gonna stop me from breaking into that place, though."

Ino and Sakura were crouched in the open air hallway of an apartment building. Ino had her face nearly pressed up to the door as she fiddled with the lock, and Sakura was keeping an eye out for trouble.

"What is wrong with you, Ino? Someone lives here."

"Yeah, and we watched her leave a couple minutes ago. Who knows how long we've got before she comes back?"

"We wouldn't have to worry if you would just let it go."

"Why did you even come if all you're going to do is complain."

"I came to make sure you didn't do anything," Sakura looked around. The night was still, "...Too illegal."

"Yeah, yeah. Almost got it... There, we're in." Ino cracked open the door and peered inside. Then she whispered, "The coast is clear. C'mon, before someone sees us."

"This is a bad idea, Ino." As Sakura shuffled past the door behind Ino, she noticed a mirror perched on the wall. She hissed, "Someone lives here."

Ino stretched her arms over her head, "I know, you said that already."

"Ino..."

"Put a sock in it, Sakura." Ino grinned, "We have limited time, so let's check the place out."

Sakura didn't answer, but her eyes did wander. She was standing past the front door in a short hallway that opened into what was a living room of sorts, judging from the couch and TV. There was a bookshelf filled with notebooks by the window and there was a chair with a coffee table next to that.

Ino was opening doors left and right, while Sakura flipped through one of the books she found on the shelf, "It's encrypted. So whoever lives here is definitely a ninja." Then read the writing on the cover, "Jutsu notes? Is that lady a researcher or something?"

Sakura heard Ino moving things in the kitchen, then her friend grumbled, "There's no dust anywhere, and the carpet's clean too."

"Well yeah, Ino. Someone's been living here. Did you expect her to be wallowing in her own filth?"

Ino waggled her finger, "You should pay more attention, Sakura. Is your house this clean? I know mine isn't. There isn't even dust in the back of these cupboards!"

Sakura shushed her friend, "And your point is?"

A hand rested on Ino's hip, "Sakura, please. The only way this place is this clean is if the only thing that lady does is clean all day every day. Don't you find that just a little strange? How does she pay rent?"

Sakura blinked, "Oh, you have a point."

Ino rolled her eyes, "You don't have to act so surprised."

"Whatever." Sakura opened a door, "Hey, I think I found a closet! Come check it-"

"Huh? Did you find something Sakura?" Ino padded over and looked past her pink haired friend, "...Didn't that Lee kid wear one of those?" Tucked amidst the hanging coats and stacked shoes, was a single, unmistakable dark green jumpsuit. Ino looked at Sakura, "What's that doing here?"

Sakura pointed a quivering finger, "Look Ino."

"Wha-? Oh." There were one or two overcoats, but most of what was in that closet was sized for a twelve year old, "Those are for someone the same age as us."

They locked eyes, and Sakura said, "There's one more door."

It was just an apartment, after all. There was only so much space to search. Ino gulped, "It has to be the bedroom. That's the only place that's left."

Sakura closed the closet door, "It's up to you."

"What?" Ino looked at Sakura, "You're the one who wanted to know about Ryuto. You should do it."

Sakura gave Ino a look, "But you're the one who dragged me out here to break into a woman's apartment. We're breaking the law just being here."

"Psh. We wouldn't be ninja if we didn't break into someplace every now and again."

"You sound pretty smug saying something you came up with on the spot."

"Shut up." Then Ino smiled, "Here's an idea-"

Sakura groaned, "Oh no."

Ino ignored her friend, "We'll open it together."

"Isn't that kind of lame?"

"Just come on." Ino grabbed Sakura's hand and stepped up to the last door. She put Sakura's hand on the knob and kept her own hand on top, "We haven't found anything concrete yet, and that lady could show up at any time. This is our last chance, if there isn't something that irrefutably says 'Ryuuto was here' then I'll give up and we can go on with our lives. Ok?"

Sakura nodded, "Let's get this over with."

"Fine."

Their hands turned the doorknob, but before they pushed the door open Sakura and Ino heard the rustling of a key in a lock. They locked eyes, and made a break for the window.

The front door to the apartment opened, and a bag laden woman with a black ponytail flicked on the lights and glanced around, "Huh, place looks empty."

Sticking to the wall of the apartment just outside of the window, Sakura and Ino were catching their breath. Then they dropped from their perch to the alley below and fled under the cover of darkness.

A moment later, that window slid open and Nezuna leaned out. She breathed the evening air and smiled, "So how'd they do?"

A long tail of white hair dangled in front of the window, and then Jiraiya swung himself into the room, "Not too bad for a couple of amateurs. You cut it pretty close, they almost stumbled upon our dear Naruto."

Nezuna crossed her arms, "I know what I'm doing."

In the dead of night, Ino and Sakura sat in a grassy field.

While still catching her breath, Ino said, "I haven't run like that since the forest of death," She wiped the sweat from her brow, "Well, I don't think my informant was lying. What do you make of it, Sakura?"

Sakura was a bit less out of breath than her blonde friend, "It's definitely suspicious. I'll give you that much, Ino."

"Ooh! I wish we could've looked behind that door for at least a little bit! We don't have anything else to go off of!" Ino yanked some of the grass out of the ground.

Sakura cleared her throat, "There is this." She held up the notebook she'd seen earlier, "It's coded, so it's got to have some kind of secret."

Ino's grin sparkled in the moonlight,"Nice catch, Sakura! You're a natural."

Sakura deadpanned, "I don't want to hear that from you."

Ino rolled up to her feet, "We should totally do this more often. It's so much fun."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Let's just get to work on this."

In the large room where the Kyuubi was sealed, Naruto shivered. His tears had run out, and he was hugging his knees to his chin.

A drop hit the surface of the water.

Naruto blinked, and his eyebrows scrunched together, "Did something just move?" He stared at the ripples until the water calmed, but he only saw the reflection of a wall lamp. His mumbled thoughts came out, "A shadow?"

Another drop disturbed the water, and Naruto was on his feet, "Who's there? Show yourself!" He scanned the area carefully, turning in a slow circle. His ears strained, and his muscles were aching with tension. A hand drifted to his kunai pouch.

The water splashed, as if someone were running through it.

"I've got you!" Naruto's arm whipped a kunai out of his pouch and toward the sound behind him, "Hm?" The knife had bounced off the iron wall, next to the only exit. The sound continued, and Naruto charged for the door, "You won't get away!"

When he passed the doorway, Naruto didn't see anyone. He looked down both sides of the corridor, "-The water!" Down one way, surface of the water was still rippling. There were more splashing footsteps just around the corner.

It took only a moment for Naruto to reach the end, but he only found more rippling water. And he charged on.

In the light of the rising sun, birds sang to each other overhead. Sounds of nature drifted over the nearly empty training ground where two young genin were trying to crack a code. Ino groaned and rubbed her eyes, "It's already morning, I'm cold and wet, and I still don't understand any of this! What about you, Sakura? Have you gotten anything?"

Next to Ino, Sakura had a notebook in one hand, a pen in the other, and another notebook on her knee. She made a mark in one notebook while staring at the other. Then she set everything down and rubbed her own eyes. With a yawn, she said, "It's similar to the standard codes they taught us in the academy, but the cipher is completely different."

Ino rolled her eyes, "From what you just said, it doesn't resemble the standard codes at all."

Sakura rolled her eyes back, "It does. The pattern is there, but because the cipher is so different it doesn't seem like it." Sakura stifled another yawn, "Trust me, I can see it."

"Oh, well in that case." Ino stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Home, so I can take a long bath and sleep in my cozy bed."

"What about this?" Sakura shook the notebook she'd stolen with Ino.

Ino waved back at Sakura, "I'll trust you with it. I wouldn't be any help with that anyway. Bye!" Then she started running.

Sakura's words came out as a cloud of steam, "Ino Yamanaka! You-!" Then she let out a sigh and grabbed the stuff off of the grass, "You have the right idea. Maybe I'll see something new after some rest? Yeah, that is a good idea. Then it's decided, I'll go home and then the library's next."

A man emerged from his bedroom early in the morning, his slippers clung precariously to his toes and dragged on the floor.

Before he got far, his wife looked up from a magazine and said, "Good morning, dear." Then she got up from where she was sitting and made for the kitchen.

The man rubbed his eyes as he watched her go and mumbled, "Good morning." Then he settled into his chair at the table. His gaze rested on a worn spot in the wood across from him and he sighed.

The man's wife returned with a ceramic mug filled with steaming coffee. She set the coffee in front of the man with a light clack, "Hm? Is something troubling you?" Then she saw where he was looking, "Oh." Her face sagged, "Sakura still hasn't come back."

The man looked to his wife and traced the bruising under her eyes that peeked from under her makeup, "It was different when we knew what was going on. Even when we were afraid for our daughter's safety, at least we knew what she was doing. Now, she's come back from that crazy exam and she's nowhere to be found. She has a chance to take a break, but we never see her." The man's wife held his hand to her face with warm, trembling fingers. He embraced his wife and whispered, "Was this a mistake? Should we have stopped her from ever becoming a ninja?"

The woman gulped, "Dear,-"

The front door swung open, "I'm home!" There in the doorway stood Sakura, burdened with books and pens, "I would've been back earlier, but I took a wrong turn and ended up at the library. Anyway-" Then she was at the top of the stairs moving down the hallway, "-I'm really tired, so don't bother me in my room, ok?" The click of a shut door punctuated the end of the conversation.

The man and woman looked at each other and the man's wife smiled, "Did you see, dear? She's so full of life."

Staring at his wife's serene expression, the worry bled from the man's face, "I suppose."

"We said we would support whatever choice our daughter made, if she's still so determined then it's our duty to match what she's putting into this." Their faces were already close, and she let her eyes drift closed as she leaned into her husband.

The man let out a little laugh, "You're right, as always."

His wife giggled, "Of course."

"Get a room!" Sakura's muffled yell only made her parents laugh harder.

"It's great that you were released from the hospital in time for today, Choji. Otherwise I would've had to cheer for Shikamaru on my own." Ino Yamanaka, the blonde beauty of her class was perched backwards on a seat at the front of the stands in Konoha's coliseum. Next to her, Choji, her rotund teammate was munching away at his mountain of snacks.

Choji crushed his newly empty bag and reached for the next one from the top of his pile, "Ino, did we really have to come as soon as the gates opened? It's been like an hour and all we've done is watch everyone else find their spots. I'm starving!"

"Choji, you haven't stopped eating since we got here. Besides, if you want a spot in the nosebleed section, then be my guest." Under her breath, Ino grumbled, "It'll free up about three seats anyway..." She continued, "The only way to guarantee a decent seat at an event like this is to come earlier than anyone else. The place is already mostly full, anyone who shows up now won't be able to see the action unless it turns into some kind of giant monster battle." Ino laughed and pumped her arm, "That is, unless someone is saving a seat for them-" When she turned to look at her teammate, her face lit up and she jumped into the air, "Oh, Sakura! Sakuraaa! SA-KU-RA OVER HERE!"

When Ino paused for a breath, Choji uncovered his ears, "Geez Ino, you think she got the message? Maybe you should say it a little louder?"

Ino rolled up an imaginary sleeve, "Challenge accepted."

"Oh no!" Choji quickly covered his ears again.

Ino sucked in a huge breath, "S-"

The pink speck disappeared from Ino's field of vision, and from behind her she heard, "Ino. What are you doing?"

The blonde tried to look behind herself, but choked on her own breath.

From behind his snacks, where he'd taken cover, Choji let out a sigh of relief, "Oh thank goodness."

Ino cleared her throat, "Sakura, I saved you a seat."

"Thanks Ino." Sakura let herself fall into the seat next to her friend, "I lost track of time last night and overslept. Out of all days it had to be today, right?"

Ino giggled, "I know, right? For such a smart cookie, you can be such an airhead sometimes." Ino wiggled in her seat, "Well?"

"Well what?" Sakura tilted her head.

Ino crossed her arms, "You know very well what! You're killing me with the suspense! Were you able to find anything out?"

"Heehee." Sakura's smirk was sharp.

"You did." Ino's eyes sparkled, "Tell me, tell me. Don't leave a girl hanging."

"I'll tell you later, Ino." Sakura nodded down to the center of the stadium where the contestants were lined up for the start of the event. She blinked and looked again, "Something's wrong."

Ino and Choji whipped their heads to look at Sakura.

"Hm?"

"What?"

Sakura pointed, "It's almost time for the tournament to start, but I don't see Ryuto anywhere."

Ino's eyes widened, "You're right! Sasuke's missing, too!"

To be Continued...

And that's a wrap!

This episode was mostly development towards Sakura's route. With the help of her trusty sidekick, Ms Piggy, will Pinky find out who the dragon warrior really is?

Warning, next episode will most definitely have shenanigans and maybe Sharingans.