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*I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden, it all belongs to Kishimoto. Please R&R, I appreciate any feedback. Now on with the story!
*When there is typing like this it means it is a thought.
*When there is typing like this it means it is a conversation through a telepathic link.
KC = Kakashi Clone
IC = Ino Clone
BI = Blood Clone Ino
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get chapters out, but life really came at me with full force. I didn't expect to get put on chemo in 2017-2018 and while I was on it, I couldn't do much of anything, much less continue my story. But I will keep trying to get them out as soon as I can! I don't know if people are still interested in this story since my reviews have dwindled and only 2 people reviewed my last chapter, but I'll keep it going if just one person tells me they like it! Anyway, happy readings and be safe and courteous of others during these trying times in the world. Also wash your hands and practice distancing. Trust me it helps. Now that I've rambled on back to the story!
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Reporting and New Beginnings
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In Tsunade's Office:
Ino stared at Tsunade and her uncle while they stared back momentarily speechless. "It's easier if I show you how and why I got it," Ino said sighing loudly. After she had been healed from all her major injuries and her body had a moment to rest, she realized how tired she really was. She looked around the room taking its disheveled appearance in and wanted to say something about the 4 sake bottles she saw laying on the desk but chose to keep it to herself. The last time she had been in this room had been two years ago, give or take a few months, when she had gotten word about how Sasuke was no longer a Konoha shinobi and had defected. That day seemed like a lifetime ago, she was taller now, stronger and maybe just a little wiser? She felt that way anyway. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear what everyone was talking about.
"My apologize Hokage-sama." She said seriously when she was asked a question she didn't catch. Tsunade and Shikaku had noticed her exhaustion but they needed answers so they could figure out what the next course of action would be. Urging her to show them what had happened Ino nodded then asked them to sit down on the two chairs Tsunade had in front of her desk. As they sat down Ino moved in front of them and used the large oak desk for support before placing her palms on both their heads and using her family's technique to show them everything. From the moment she had fought the little boy to her encounter with Itachi. It had been a lot more difficult to show them everything simultaneously and caused her to push herself further than she had before. She had already used this jutsu on Kakashi and was forced to use it with Itachi all in the span of a week. She had never needed to use this jutsu so many times and for such extended periods of time.
By the time she had finished showing them everything (she chose not to show them how she'd been able to meet and see Shisui) her head was killing her, and blood had been dripping down her nose. Kakashi had applied and held some gauze over her nose as he waited for them to finished. He understood the urgency for them to know everything, but he also knew Ino was at her limit and needed to rest. To sleep for more than 3-hour intervals every few days, and once Ino had lowered her hands he helped hold her up. Shikaku seemed undisturbed by the jutsu while Tsunade had to use her healing hands on her head. Ino had been grateful for Kakashi's help to stay standing up, she hadn't wanted to fall in front of two extremely important people. As Tsunade regained her balance and vision she slowly walked over to the large chair behind her desk and sat down. It was a lot to take in, too much even and she could understand why Ino seemed to be fighting off her sleepy expression. Shikaku having recovered first looked at Ino with something akin to worry and remorse. She didn't know why he felt that way but knew it was best not to ask besides she was too tired.
"With this new information I believe it would be safer for Ino to stay in the village and hone that Sharingan before the Chunin Exams. Yes, it'll be dangerous for her to be here with Danzo around. He'll surely be watching over her once he finds out she's returned but we would also be allowed to keep an eye on her and keep her safe. Besides she needs to train with the team she'll be in for the chunin exams." Shikaku said as Tsunade poured herself a cup of sake. After taking a big gulp she spoke up as well, "I agree. Besides Kakashi I'm sure you'll keep a watchful eye over her before she leaves right? I wouldn't put it past you. I'll make sure you have no missions over the next month and a half so you can stay and help Ino continue her training and aid us in keeping her safe from Danzo." Ino looked up at her sensei and felt immensely relieved when he agreed. "Of course, that does mean you'll need to don your ANBU uniform when you do watch over her and make sure no one notices you. We can't tip Danzo and his men off that we're on to him. Is that alright with you?" Tsunade asked somberly. She knew he had given up the ANBU lifestyle but hoped he'd do it again just this once for his student. Without hesitating Kakashi agreed and everything seemed to be in order.
"Now then you'll need to dye your hair back to its natural color and use a blue contact for the time being. The two of you will spend the night here in the tower and tomorrow morning will 'come back home.' You'll head straight back here and 'report' to me for appearance's sake understood?" Kakashi and Ino nodded in understanding and with that she made them put their masks and cloaks back on so she could escort them to an empty room in the tower. By now Kakashi was practically carrying Ino along since she started drifting between sleep and consciousness and decided he would just carry her when he realized they were going to have to walk down a few sets of stairs. They arrived in a small room with the door covered in dust. When they opened it, the room was even worse off but not being one to complain Kakashi found a small corner in the room, cleaned it as best he could before laying Ino down. "Excuse the state of the room, it hasn't been used since the third Hokage's days," Tsunade whispered. "It's better than most places we've had to stay recently, we'll be fine. What time should we arrive in your office tomorrow?" Kakashi asked in a rather tired tone.
"Around 9 so you both have enough time to sleep and so she's able to dye her hair back." With that said Tsunade left the room. Shikaku had lingered by the door watching Ino sleep. He had a lot to think about, especially with the mission she had been given regarding Danzo. He was going to have to change quite a few things. Taking one last look at her he turned and left the room. Kakashi was finally able to let out a long tired sigh. He didn't think he'd ever have to don on his ANBU uniform again aside from having to train Ino and the last mission they had. He had wanted to stay retired from it, but it seemed that wouldn't be a possibility anymore. He was lost in thought and was moving boxes out of the way so he could also lay down when he noticed Ino had been twitching every few seconds and her face had been scrunched up in fear. In an instant he was at her side trying to wake her from her nightmare, "Hey, hey kid, you're okay, I'm right here." He said holding her in a cradled position and stroking her long hair. After a few moments of that she had stopped moving and was sleeping soundly. Choosing not to wake her by moving, he held her in that position not long falling asleep as well.
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At the Nara compound:
Shikamaru had just gotten home and was in the kitchen making himself a nice turkey sandwich when he heard his front door open followed by a quiet groan. Dad must be home. Sure enough, Shikaku had quietly made his way towards the kitchen to see who had been awake and when he saw his son, they shared a tired look. "Long day at the office?" Shikamaru asked taking a bite of his sandwich. Shikaku only groaned at him as way of answer and Shikamaru knew that meant it had been and he was too tired to talk. After making a sandwich of his own he patted his son on the back before going off to his room. Shikamaru looked around the kitchen and at the mess, they had made and had wanted to leave it there for the morning but knew his mother would throw a fit and make him clean the whole house if he didn't tidy it up. So before going to his own room he cleaned the kitchen and left it the way he had seen it when he had entered it. Once in his room he began writing out the mission's report which had gone surprisingly easy for his team.
For once he was able to stick to a mission's guidelines and didn't have to get in any unnecessary conflict. Of course, that had been because they had been traveling with ANBU members, but he was still grateful for a simple and smooth mission. It didn't take him long before he finished writing it out and was able to lay down on his bed. Kami he missed his bed. The Chunin Exams were just a few weeks away and Choji and Sakura still didn't know if Ino would show up in time for it and had been pestering him about it. As if he knew where she was or when she'd get home. He had wanted to know too and was desperate for any answers or leads as to where she was, but no one seemed to know and if anyone did, they kept it guarded. He had been having a lot of trouble sleeping since she had left but more so since a few months ago. He kept having the same recurring nightmare of finding Ino in the forest beat to a bloody pulp and before he could get to her and help her, he'd wake up in a cold sweat. Almost every night had been the same and it had been affecting his sleep and mood, he knew he should talk to his father or Asuma about them but he also felt that if he did they would have him pulled from missions for a while. That the last thing he wanted. The only time he didn't think about Ino was when he was out on a mission. That was his therapy, his escape from the pain of not knowing where she was. He knew it was going to be a long night and that he'd have to be up somewhat early to give Tsunade-sama his mission's report. Troublesome.
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That Following Morning:
Kakashi was slowly waking up just before the sun had risen when he realized his body was extremely sore and heavy. At first, he chalked it up to all that had happened the last week but as he stirred, he realized he was holding someone. Opening his eyes, he looked down and was met with his young student's wolf mask. Ah, that's right. I must have knocked out last night. Gently he shook her, trying his best not to spook her and wake her up from what seemed to be a pleasant sleep. Languidly she began waking from her deep sleep, it was the first time in a long time that she had been able to sleep without dreaming. She had enjoyed every minute of it but knew she needed to wake up, so she sluggishly started opening her eyes and was shocked when she saw her sensei had been holding her. She was grateful they were wearing their masks because a large red blush spread across her cheeks.
Sitting her down next to him he stood up to stretch his aching body. "We have 3 hours before we need to meet with Tsunade-sama. We'll have too sneak out of here and go to my house so you can dye your hair. We also desperately need to shower and have a proper breakfast; I think we've earned that." Kakashi whispered to her holding out his hand to help her up. She hadn't been as sore but followed her sensei's lead and stretched as best she could with their limited space. When they were both loose and felt their bodies circulate their blood properly, they set out to leave the Tower. Luckily, they didn't really need to sneak out of the tower since they were in their ANBU uniforms and were able to leave without being questioned. Interesting. I knew people avoided ANBU members but to be able to walk around the tower as one pleased without being questioned. This could be useful. They did however have to stay in the early morning shadows when they exited the tower since they didn't know if they were being watched.
When they were on top of a building Ino noticed Kakashi signal for her to set up a link and she did right away. "I don't feel anyone's eyes on us, but we can't be too careful. I need you to use your sensory abilities until we get to my house. If you feel anything off tell me immediately and we'll figure out how to deal with it. Understood?" Nodding Ino sent out her chakra. She could feel the people of the village both shinobi and civilian alive start waking up or moving around them and it gave her a sense of security. It had been too long since she'd been home, she was able to revel in the feeling of security for a split second when Kakashi started off into a wooded area towards the far eastern side of the village. Ino stayed one step behind him making sure to distinguish every chakra signature that they passed. They went on like that for 15 minutes until Kakashi stopped on a treetop in front of a quaint apartment complex. It hadn't been what Ino expected, she had assumed he had a lot of money from all the missions he had gone on and had gotten a home at an early age, but she guessed he had his reasons.
The jumped onto the building's rooftop and before anyone could see them slipped into a window with a seal attached to it. Kakashi had been able to break the seal easily since it only required him to pour a small amount of his chakra into it. Once inside Kakashi showed Ino where the bathroom had been so she could begin to dye her hair. The apartment had been incredibly compact with only the most essential things. A bathroom that doubled into a shower, one room and a small hallway leading to a kitchen/living room. It was very practical. Ino knew it would take her about two hours to completely dye her long hair and have it styled and ready, so she set off to try and finish as quickly as possible. After she had finished dying it, she put her hair up in a large bun and walked out of the bathroom only to find her sensei knocked out on his bed. She wanted to tease him but knew he had slept quite uncomfortably the night before due to her fault and opted to let him sleep. Making her way towards the kitchen she pulled out the remaining scrolls she had marked for food and looked to see what she could make for them before meeting with the Hokage.
She had rice, some fish and instant miso soup packets. It wasn't going to be a grand or rather nice meal but at least it was going to be warm, so she began preparing all the food. Luckily Kakashi had some spices and sauces in his cabinets which helped give the food some flavor. By the time she finished cooking she had managed to make fish congee with miso soup on the side. She set the small table with the food and was about to go wake her sensei up when he appeared by the hallway entrance. "Sorry, I had wanted to go into the village and get some groceries, but I seemed to have fallen asleep." He said sheepishly rubbing the back of his head before sitting down. Ino sat down across from him and chuckled, "What, and miss this amazing gourmet meal I slaved over to make?" she said laughing in a teasing manner. They had no longer been wearing their ANBU uniform so Ino was able to see the crooked smile he gave her. She had missed moments between them like this. They had been able to get close when she was training in the Yamanaka Mountains and were always able to banter this way, but it had stopped after her first encounter with Itachi. After that it seemed they were always too on edge, always expecting the worst to come. She wasn't going to lie and say she'd miss these moments with her sensei once they went back to their respective roles in the village. So she enjoyed it as long as she could.
Once all the food had been eaten Kakashi told her he'd wash everything so she could shower and change. They had 30 minutes left and he also needed to shower. Quickly Ino went into the bathroom and began undressing, for a moment she looked at herself in the mirror. She hadn't seen her reflection in a mirror since she had left Konoha and was able to really see how much she'd grown. How she had new scars all over her body. Before she might have even said they were ugly but now she saw them as accomplishments and reminders to not make the same mistakes again. She did look weird with one black eye but knew she'd get used to it. Hopping into the shower she took the quickest most calming hot shower she had in almost a year. Kami she was never going to take hot showers and baths for granted ever again. Once she was done, she opened the scroll with all her clothes in it. She didn't know whether she needed to dress the way everyone expected her too or how she usually dressed now. "Sensei?" she called out to him hoping he was within earshot after a few seconds she heard footsteps come close to the bathroom door. Before waiting for him to reply she asked him about her dilemma.
"Well it depends how do you want everyone to see you?" he murmured to her then walked away. Looking at all her close she decided on a black mini kimono with small bush clover detailing on the right side of her chest that extended into the sleeves. Under she wore short black shorts and paired it all up with black heeled sandals. She would figure out what to do with her hair in Kakashi's room while he showered. When she went to tell him, the shower was free he stopped for a moment and took a good look at her. She was no longer the little kunoichi he remembered from the genin exams but a graceful yet strong looking kunoichi and that gave him a sense of pride. As he walked past her, he patted her head and said in a low tone, "Good choice. I'm glad it fits." Ino stood there smiling looking down at her outfit, she hadn't remembered buying it or having it in her possession when she remembered Kakashi had gone out to a village after the first night with the children. He must have bought it for her and not told her. It was a rather nice outfit; it was the first gift he had given her, and she knew she would treasure it forever.
Kakashi only took about 5 minutes before he stepped out of the bathroom showered and dressed in his usual Jonin attire. His Konoha headband rested over his left eye and his face was hidden once again by his face cover. What a shame. Ino thought when she realized she most likely wouldn't get to see his bare face again for a while. She had put on her blue contact and her hair up in her signature high ponytail and had pulled her bangs over her left eye. It felt weird to have her hair in that style after almost two years of wigs and side braids, but it gave her a sense of strength and grace. Once they were both ready, they made their way out of Kakashi's apartment through the window they had entered and went straight to the walls protecting the village. They needed to get out of the Village and pretend to arrive through the front gates to keep up appearances, so they waited until the guards changed and quickly scaled over the wall. The moment they were outside they ran about 3 miles away from the village before getting on the main road. On the main road they were able to catch their breaths and fix their disheveled hair before walking towards the village gates. Once they made it to the gates Izumo stopped them and was about to ask for their identification when he noticed who they were and quickly let them through. As they walked towards the tower Ino was able to take in her village, her home. The streets and all the vendors hadn't changed much, and she was grateful for that, as they made their way through the market a lot of people she knew would double-take and look at her completely surprised.
It had felt weird that so many people seemed to look her way, she had gotten used to being in the shadows and living it somewhat quiet life. When they started getting closer to the Tower, they passed by Kurenai and she stopped Kakashi before he could walk away from her. "Kami Kakashi! Where have you been? Guy has been even more annoying than usual without you here; you should go tell him you've come back. I'm sure he'll want to have some sort of competition with you." As she was rambling on, she looked to his side and noticed the young kunoichi standing next to him. Ino had kept a stoic face on throughout the whole time she had been talking and only shallowly bowed as her way of greeting the older woman. "We don't have time Kurenai, Hokage-sama is expecting us." And with that they were off again. Ino wanted to tell him that had been rude but knew it wasn't her place to say anything, so she merely nodded towards Kurenai before following Kakashi to the tower.
Once inside the tower she saw a lot of shinobi she knew but couldn't spare them a moment and went to the receptionist desk with Kakashi. The moment the receptionist saw them he quickly got up and told them Tsunade had been waiting for them and led them up the stairs to her office. So far Ino had seen Iruka sensei at the market, Neji and Hinata taking a stroll near the center of the village and Shino, Kiba and Akamaru at the reception area. All of them had turned to look at her and whispered things between them but she didn't really have any interest in knowing what they were saying or thought about her. Maybe she had grown mentally. When they arrive at the Hokage's door the receptionist knocked on the door before announcing their arrival. Ino could hear Tsunade talking to someone in a hushed tone before yelling out to let them in.
Kakashi entered first in his usual slouching slow walk and Ino followed in with her back straight and her hands behind her back. Inside they found Shikaku sitting in front of Tsunade's desk with some paperwork in his hands and Shizune holding Tonton standing on the left side of her. "Ah! If it isn't Kakashi and Ino! Welcome back, my its been quite some time hasn't it?" Tsunade asked in a booming humorous voice. At this Shikaku stood up and excused himself, as he was leaving, he gave Ino a 'congratulatory' handshake and she noticed the paper he had slipped in her hand. As he left the room Ino swiftly hid the paper in her kimono sleeve as she moved to stand closer to Kakashi. "Almost two years Hokage-sama" Ino said bowing deeply towards her. "Oh my, such manners, Kakashi what did you teach her?" Tsunade asked laughing in a teasing manner. Shizune had been watching and was surprised when neither of their demeanor changed, he stayed looking rather bored and Ino-san had the same stoic indifferent look on her face. "Now I know there's a lot to discuss but I'm positive you're both tired from your journey and Ino I'm sure you'd like to go see your father as soon as possible. But there are three people I'd like you to meet up with first before I let you both go." After that was said Shizune excused herself and left the room quickly.
Quickly Tsunade told Kakashi, "Just write up some report about how her training went and give it to me before the week is up. I'm sure Danzo will manage to find it and look into it so make mix a lot of lies into it and hand it to Shikaku when you're done." Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Tsunade smiled at them before telling them to enter. Sakura was the first to enter followed by Asuma and Choji and Ino wish she could've taken a picture of their faces. They were mixed with shock and disbelieve and of course the first one to recover was Choji when he pushed past the other two and embraced Ino in a huge tight hug. "Ino oh Kami we've missed you so much! Why didn't you tell us you were leaving? You didn't even say goodbye! How've you been?" Not long after Sakura joined Choji in asking multiple questions including calling her 'Ino-pig' but they realized something was different when she didn't retort back and call Sakura Forehead. Asuma had noticed as well but gently pushed both genin out of his way and gave Ino a long look. "Good to have you back kid." He said awkwardly.
Ino just nodded then turned back to Tsunade who had been waiting for all the pleasantries to be over with. When she saw Ino and Kakashi were ready for whatever news she was about to give them she cleared her throat loud enough for everyone else in the room to stand at attention. "As you all know the Chunin Exam is just a few weeks away and unlike other teams that have been together since they became genin you three have never worked together as a team. I want you three to enter as a team but before that, I need the three of you to train together as much as possible, so you'll be ready for the exam. The Jonin that will escort you will be Asuma but there is a strong possibility that Kakashi may join you all since he's also Ino's sensei." When she mentioned that last part Asuma and Sakura seemed visibly uncomfortable and hurt but Tsunade chose to ignore that. "You all have gotten your recommendations from either your parents or sensei's so I have no doubt in my mind that you three will figure out a way to work well together and make Konoha proud." With that she dismissed them.
Kakashi and Ino had stepped out of the room first and were speaking amongst themselves when Asuma and Choji came up to them wanting to speak with Ino. Kakashi looked down at his student and patted her head affectionately before disappearing in a gust of smoke. Sakura had been walking behind the other two and when she saw the way Kakashi treated Ino she felt a small pang of jealousy but quickly hid it. "This calls for a celebration, all of team 10 is back! We should celebrate later today right Asuma-sensei? Choji asked bringing Ino in for another hug, this time she returned it gently. "Of course, I'm sure you have a lot of interesting stories to tell us, we all have to catch up," Asuma said in between puffs from his cigarette. He still felt awkward around her but chalked it up to her drastic change in appearance. "That would be nice. But before that I'd really like to go see my father." Ino said quietly before shallowly bowing to the three of them and leaving in a similar puff of smoke. That had left all three of them rather shocked, Ino had be quiet. Too quiet and polite and she never once argued or yelled back at Sakura as they used to in their younger days. "Maybe she's just tired." Choji said speaking up for the other two.
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T&I Building:
Inoichi had been working diligently in his office when there was a knock at his door. Looking up from his desk he saw Ibiki enter and look around his room. "Is there something you need Ibiki?" Inoichi had asked slightly annoyed, he had been working all night and was in no mood to deal with any extra work he most likely had for him. He wanted to go back home and sleep and maybe have a drink with his friends but that was it. "Well excuse me." Ibiki said in a hurt tone, "Here I am trying to deliver a package to you, and I get treated so harshly. Maybe I should just keep it for myself seeing as how you're in no mood." Ibiki kept emphasizing the work package. Finally, Inoichi sighed, "I'm sorry okay? I'm just tired of doing paperwork all night." He said trying hard not to roll his eyes at Ibiki's antics. No one would ever believe him if he told them this was how he really was. "Since you apologized so nicely, come in," he called out.
The moment Inoichi saw his daughter his face lit up and was quickly going over to her to give her a huge hug. Still holding her protectively he turned to Ibiki and yelled, "You could have told me my baby was here! How dare you make fun of me when you know I've been missing her so much!" All Ino could do was laugh at her father's actions and at how her godfather merely shrugged and ruffled her hair affectionately. "Should we go home then father? A lot has happened, and I'd also like to go home, catch up and sleep." Ino said in a gentle voice. "Ibiki you heard my princess. I'll be going home for the rest of the day and if anyone asks why ask them why they're questioning me activities." At that Ibiki roared with laughter. As if anyone would question either of them. After giving Ino a quick hug they were off. It seemed rather childish to her, but her father held her hand the whole way home. She did secretly love the fact that he treated her the same and had missed her father plenty.
When they got to their home her father went into the kitchen and brewed some tea for them. When he finished, he motioned for her to follow him into the living room and sit down next to him. When they were situated, and each had a cup in hand he reached over to caress his daughter's face. "So how did it go? How have your Ice Jutsus come along and our family's techniques? From what I had seen the last time you were here you had surpassed my expectations. Will surprise me again?" Smiling fondly at her father she began regaling him or her training, most of it had been modified so he wouldn't find out about her mission involving Danzo and she decided to omit the parts about Itachi and the gift he'd given her. She wanted to tell her father so badly but still had to read the note her uncle had given her and knew her father wasn't allowed to know anything pertaining to the mission. When she talked about Kakashi's training she changed it and made it out to be that they continued training the way they had on the mountain but all around Konoha. She was going to get into more detail about her Ice jutsus when there was a loud banging on their front door.
Inoichi tried ignoring it telling her if it was from work they would just leave and tell him tomorrow, but the banging continued and seemed to get more intense. After a few more bangs on the door Inoichi got up with a huff and yelled out, "I'm coming, I'm coming. Don't break down my door!" When he opened the door, he saw a very frazzled and out of breath looking Shikamaru. Sighing loudly Inoichi yelled over his shoulder, "Honey, it's for you." Ino hadn't been expecting anyone and assumed it was Kakashi-sensei until she walked around the corner and caught a glimpse of Shikamaru. Act natural. Ino thought as she went to the door, her father stayed at the door until Ino asked him if they could leave to talk. Although he didn't want to since she had just gotten home, he agreed while pouting towards his daughter. "I'll be back daddy, you go take a shower, eat something and rest. You need to sleep." She told him seriously and all he could do was lower his head in defeat and when back inside. Shikamaru had been watching her the whole time, looking at her as if she wasn't real. She closed the door behind her and stood in front of him, waiting for him to say something.
After a few minutes passed and he kept staring at her she sighed and put her hands behind her back. "Want to take a walk? We could go visit your mom? Father mentioned how she constantly asked about me." Before he could react, she started walking past him towards the direction of his family's compound. They walked in silence for a while and Ino wanted to talk to fill the silence, but she decided against it. That would make her seem like she hadn't changed or grown at all. As they were arriving to the compound Ino could see the fields that housed the Nara deer and smiled softly, she missed the summers all three of them spend camping there when they were younger. Simpler times. Shikamaru suddenly stopped reached out his hand to grab her wrist so she'd stop and turn to him. "You're really here?" his voice broke a little when he asked her that and it broke her heart. Was he that mad at her that she had left? Not wanting to argue with him or ruin their reunion she looked up at the sky for a moment then looked him in the eyes with an apologetic smile and said, "Yes." Shikamaru kept staring at her as almost as if he blinked, she'd disappear.
She looked down at his hand that was still holding on to her wrist and smiled to herself, it was like when they were children and she'd get lost he'd go looking for her, find her and lead her back while holding her wrist because touching hands was "gross". She was about to mention that when suddenly he pulled her in for a hug, something uncharacteristic of him. She was about to push him away because she could feel her face heat up until she realized he had been trembling. Without any words she held him and rubbed soothing circles on his back the same way she had done to the small boy. She didn't say anything or mention the fact that she felt the side of her face getting wet probably from his tears and waited. Giving him whatever time, he needed. Her face was no longer red, she felt genuinely bad for hurting his feeling this way. They had never been apart from each other their whole lives except for a few missions that wouldn't last over a week. She felt some guilt, but the blame was not entirely hers, she had been left behind far too many times. Asuma had never tried to train her the way he did with Shikamaru and Choji and between the three of them she knew he was the favorite.
Once she felt the tears dry, she gently pushed him away and released his grip from her wrist. She turned away allowing him to compose himself and continued walking until they were at the doorsteps of his home. Shikamaru remained quiet, unsure of what to make of her actions while opening the door and removing his sandals and in the same manner Ino followed. "Mom, you home?" he called out from the foyer as they made their way into the living room. To his surprise he found his father lounging over a go board, too focused on looking up at his son. "Aren't you supposed to be at work? Where's mom?" Shikamaru asked bored while motioning for Ino to sit down next to him on the floor in front of his father. As Shikaku looked up he noticed their guest and immediately got up, "Ah, Ino just the person I was looking for, we need to discuss something pertaining to the few missions you had while you were away. Kakashi gave me most of the information but I need to hear some of them from you, just for verification purposes. You understand." Ino looked briefly over to Shikamaru before nodding her head and following her uncle as he got up to leave the room. "Your mother should be here soon; she went to the market. Let her know Ino is here for me, will you?" Shikamaru heard his father say over his shoulder. Before he could protest, the two were gone deeper into the house.
Once they were in Shikaku's private study he put up a soundproof barrier. "I see you read my note asking you to come see me." Ino had wanted to tell him that she hadn't had time but weakly nodded her head. "Ino we need to talk about the mission. Too many variables have changed, it can't be the way we had originally intended for it to go. Without a proper teacher for your eye Kakashi might need to get involved in this mission. We may even have to cancel it altogether. Once word gets out about your 'gift' you'll become more of a target. You're already in the bingo book in Oto for Kami's sake. I wanted to talk to you about this and see what you wanted to do or if you had any other input." Shikaku stated monotoned yet serious. He didn't want to let go of such an opportunity, but he was starting to see how out of hand things could get. Any time Ino faced some new adversary she ended up meeting an Uchiha or a fucking Sanin, well his experiment's anyway. Ino had stood before him stealing her facial features, thinking hard on what to say. After a few minutes that seemed like hours of silence she looked up into his eyes, "I have a proper teacher. The best part is no one knows about him or will ever be able to find out about him." Ino stated also monotoned now donning her kunoichi mask, giving none of her emotions away.
Shikaku was about to question her when she walked up to him and placed her fingertips on his temples. He did not fight her jutsu and allowed her to show him whatever it was she wanted too. She showed him her memories of Shisui and the small training session he had with her. Once she was done, she put her arms down and kept looking up at him. "I have a teacher and he might be one of the best ones available. I don't want to rely on this eye and agree that I should finish my ANBU training, since I suspect I didn't get the whole version of it. But I do not want to give up on such an opportunity either. I think after the chunin exams id like to be recruited into ANBU and get the full experience. That way I can get Danzo's attention even more and I'd be getting the training I needed. It would also give me a reason to only report to you after I would graduate, of course that's if I graduate. I don't believe it would be a good idea to tell anyone else about my teacher, once the exams are over, I believe we should still proceed with the mission and erase and modify Tsunade's memories of everything as per her request. I will change Kakashi-sensei's memories as well and make it, so he'll believe we only did regular training and never encountered Itachi, to begin with. My father will fight me on this, but I know ill be able to persuade him and he'll willingly let me modify his memories. The only one I believe we should let this in on is Ibiki-Jiji. He is the head of T&I and I believe he'd be willing to teach me as much as he could while I also did my ANBU training. If anything goes wrong and we believe he becomes compromised I could alter his memories as well."
Again, Shikaku gave her that same look of remorse and guilt but she pretended to ignore it and waited for his answer. Shikaku had been pacing back and forth until he sighed deeply. "I had hoped you'd say this was enough and you wanted to go back to your normal life. You deserve to live a normal adolescence but it has been anything but. I agree with all your terms for this mission and if Ibiki is involved we wouldn't have to directly meet unless it was for regular missions. There's still a huge risk and too many things can go wrong but I also believe this would be our best opportunity to get him. I will talk to Hokage-sama about continuing the mission and leave out the part of your new teacher, the less you have to erase from her mind the better." Ino bowed deeply at him as a sign of agreement and gratitude. Quickly he put down the barrier and started talking to her in his usual bored tone about how her father had been missing her deeply. Ah, he's trying to make sure no one catches on. Ino returned his stories with a lighthearted laugh and apologized for her father's antics. By the time they got to the living room a new guest had appeared. When Shikamaru looked up to see them coming in he got up to go to her side.
"Shikamaru it's rude to not introduce your guests and even more so to ignore them," Shikaku said bored. Shikamaru caught himself before he reached out for Ino's wrist again and when Ino noticed this she put her hands behind her back patiently waiting, pretending to not have noticed and smiling. "Sorry Ino this is Temari from Sauna, she's Gara, the Kazekage's older sister. She came to deliver some paperwork for the exam." Ino looked over to the older kunoichi and noticed she had been watching her intently since she had entered the room. Shallowly bowing to greet her she remained quiet and looked to her uncle, choosing to ignore both Shikamaru and Temari. "Uncle I really could return to my father. If I stayed out any longer than this, I'm afraid he'd send a search party and Jiji would most likely be a part of it." Shikaku laughed a hearty laugh and ruffled her hair. "You know what, I think you're right and I for one do not want to be on the receiving end of their wrath." Temari had been surprised to see the usually stoic and serious older Nara show such outbursts of emotions, in the last year she'd been coming to the village and working with his son she'd never seen the man's expression change. It was odd, she didn't really remember this girl and wanted to know more about how she was able to get such treatment from such a respectable man and why Shikamaru seemed so careful around her. It was all odd.
"Alright kid, tell your dad I'll be seeing him later tonight for some drinks to celebrate your return." Shikaku said before patting her head rather affectionately. Ino smiling warmly at him she replied, "Of course uncle, I'll let him out this once, Kami knows he needs to rewind and relax. Just make sure to bring him back home at an appropriate time." That earned her another hearty laugh from the older man. Swiftly walking around Shikamaru and Tamari Ino made her way to the foyer before saying over her shoulder, "Tell aunty I'll try coming to visit her when I find some time. Goodbye." Shikamaru had gone to walk her to the door but as soon as he got close to her she disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving him dumbfounded. Outside and already running on the treetops to race to her home she felt a small pang of guilt for leaving so abruptly but she told herself it was because they had company over and because she needed to start her training again. Once she was in her home it had already been noon and she found her father knocked out on the sofa. Smiling tenderly at her father she moved to put a blanket over him before scribbling out a not for when we woke explaining how she'd be in the basement training. Slowly making her way back down into the basement, the room where all her training commenced, she allowed a calm peace wash over her, she was home. Sitting down in the center of the room she dove into her mind and tried to feel out Shisui, she hoped that it hadn't been a one-time thing. After a few moments her heart started to panic a little, maybe he had been able to come only once to her. Then slowly she felt his presence on one of the training grounds in her mindscape. Running at full speed she got there in no time and found him sitting down at the center of the training ground with a tranquil look on his face. As she got closer to him, he yelled out, "Ready for more?" and with that they started Ino's training. This was going to be fun.
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InoFan: Sorry for the lack of drama but I promise it'll be there in the next chapter, also the chunin exams will finally begin! I kind of wanted him to be able to figure her out but at the same time it would have ruined the mood, plus he didn't know her well to begin with so I felt they could get away with it. I'm glad you liked it and hope you continue to like it and read my story! Thank you, so much and happy readings. :D
Jxl367: Thank you so much I'll try!
MinakoTrickster: I'm so glad you read the whole thing! I know my first chapters are super rough, but I typed most of them down on my phone and at the time I couldn't get my words across correctly. I agree with a lot about how Ino and other characters deserved more than what they got. I'm trying to do her justice since I didn't get it in the manga or anime. I wanted to and still want to build her up, I didn't like believing that the Sharingan or the Byakugan were these impenetrable Kekkei Genkai. I also didn't like how Itachi died the bad guy and never got true recognition for everything he and Shisui had to go through. I'm still figuring out how to deal with the new mission but I have a few idea's and the Chunin Exam will have a pivotal change for Ino and the way everyone views her so I can't wait. Thank you for the lovely review and words of encouragement. I will keep writing this story and try to finish it though that does seem too far away. I hope I can keep doing her justice. Thanks again and happy reading! :D
