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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 had wanted to get this chapter out way sooner, but I was hospitalized and put on a ventilator and intubated because I had gotten sick and had a seizure that stopped my heart and put me in cardiac arrest. I'm having to quarantine for the next 5 weeks because my lungs and heart are weak and susceptible to illnesses. I hope you all continue to like my story and keep reviewing. 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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Chunin Exam Begins!

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The Hokage Tower:

Ino struggled to stay upright and still while her head felt like it was splitting open and waited for Tsunade to allow her to continue. The best way to describe her pain was as if someone took a bat with rusty nails at the end of it and went to town on her brain, it was excruciating. Finally, Tsunade turned to create a soundproof barrier while Kakashi slid Ino's mask back on her face. When she turned around, she motioned for her to elaborate and continue, "The Kazekage is in danger, there's going to be an attempt to extract him of his tailed beast and kill him during the exam. He couldn't go into detail about who it would be but did say it wouldn't be an Akatsuki. Everyone was out hunting for a beast as it was so the leader asked for outsourced help. He couldn't ask who since it would look suspicious so that's all he knows." Ino started remembering moments ago how she had merged with Wolf and he watched over her. He had shown up just minutes before that had happened and explained everything to her, she didn't know how he was able to connect to her, but she assumed it might have been something like the situation she had with Shisui.

The room was quiet as they watched Tsunade pinch the bridge of her nose before rushing to her desk. She began writing up some paperwork in a fury while talking to them very carefully, "The envoy for everyone taking the exam and their Jonin left yesterday, they should get to sauna in 3-4 days since they're going at a more leisure pace. You two will go and arrive ahead of them. No masks, normal Konoha attire and hand these two documents to the Kazekage. It will be up to him whether he accepts the help and what he'll want to do about the exam. If he requests our help you will do it and if at any point, he is in danger you will go to his side. We are creating a stable relationship with them and the only way for it to be possible is for him to stay the Kazekage. Understood? You leave as soon as you can." She said handing them two missives with her seal on them. Kakashi took them and slid them into his pocket before nodding. "This will be an A to S rank mission. Depending on the severity, I expect you both to carry out this mission perfectly and keep him safe." She stressed before finally dismissing them. As she did, they disappeared while she moved around them to go back to the lower table. She had planned for them to go along with the envoy as added protection but didn't imagine she'd be sending them to also try and keep Gaara safe. Things were getting messier and messier as the Akatsuki kept making moves.

Once the duo reached the rooftop entrance they dispersed and went their separate ways. Ino made her way to her home and snuck in through the window, she didn't have to be so quiet since her father had already left for work, but she didn't want people seeing her. Not in her ANBU uniform anyway. She quickly took off her uniform and commenced packing her backpack with extra uniforms, eye contacts, scrolls containing food, weapons and her new ANBU uniform. When everything she needed was packed, she pulled on her standard black chunin uniform and tied her headband over her left thigh weapons holster. As she zipped up her flank jacket, she turned to look at herself in the mirror. She hadn't been able to see herself in the proper chunin uniform because she had immediately been recruited into ANBU and realized she looked odd in the jacket. Her face had matured a great deal as well as her body and she noticed she didn't recognize her own reflection, but she didn't have time to dwell on it and pull her backpack on and left just as she had entered. As she made her way to the village gates, she noticed how many of the civilians she grew up seeing greeted her more formally yet how many shinobi would look at her and turn to whisper among themselves. Before that would have bothered her but now, she just wished they had the decency to not make it so obvious. She knew some people didn't think it fair how she was able to obtain her rank but that was their problem.

Kakashi had been waiting in his normal outfit/uniform by the gates and waved her over when he noticed her. Ino quickly went to his side and he motioned for her to set up a link. "We'll have to move at a quick pace and have no breaks if we want to arrive before the envoy. Keep the link open and your sensory up the whole way so we don't cross paths with them. This is a very important diplomatic mission and we have no room for errors." With that he led them out of the village and into the forest treetops. Ino kept her pace right next to his but followed his lead. They had been running for the last 7 hours when Kakashi spoke to her again, "Phase 3 is about refining all your fighting abilities. It's about being able to calculate all the possibilities and being able to react correctly and efficiently to any changes. I've trained you for that somewhat but now it's not just in a controlled environment. Now you will have to compose yourself and react accordingly to every mission as they come. It also means you'll have to be able to separate your ANBU self from your regular kunoichi self. When you aren't in uniform you should act like you normally would or people will question any changes. It doesn't help that people are already questioning you, so you'll need to work harder on this than others. Understood?" He asked her. Ino thought about it for a moment and it made sense to her. She had to treat any time she was out of that mask as a mission. One where the objective was to not give herself away and keep everyone guessing. "I understand sensei." She answered quietly.

It was a lot to remember and do at the same time, but she understood the importance of it. "You don't want to end up like me." Were the last words he said as they continued to make their way towards Sauna. Ino couldn't stop thinking about that remark and kept thinking it over. Would ending up like him really be so bad? Sure, he had his problems, but he was a reliable and good person. Everyone had their faults and just because his were more pronounced didn't necessarily make it a bad thing. She had wanted to ask him what he meant by that but chose to stay quiet and just keep following him. They didn't speak again the rest of the way and Ino was grateful for that, she had a lot to think about. After the second day she spoke up, "The envoy is a few miles up ahead sensei." He nodded and maneuvered around their location. They were making great time and for once things seemed to be going smoothly for them. He just hoped things stayed that way.

The following day around noon they arrived at Sauna's gates and were greeted by two large guards. When they noticed their headbands and uniforms one of the guards questioned where the rest of the envoy was at. Kakashi pulled out one of the missives Tsunade had given him and held it up for them to see, "We were sent by our Hokage to deliver some urgent news to your Kazekage." The Guards looked at the sealed missive to verify that it was real before calling it in. Kakashi and Ino waited 20 minutes before a young man wearing all black and face paint showed up. Ino recognized him immediately from the previous exam but couldn't remember his name. The guy looked over the sealed missive then up at Kakashi, "Hatake Kakashi? What's so urgent you need to see the Kazekage?" he questioned as he handed the missive back. Kakashi's face stayed neutral but in a nicer tone he said, "That is between the Hokage and Kazekage. She did stress it was rather urgent." He added the last part to try and make them understand.

The guy thought for a moment before nodding and motioning for them to follow him. Although Ino kept her head forwards she made sure to look around and try and memorize some of her whereabouts. She had never been to the Sand Village and it all looked the same, save for a few buildings. It was true to its name and there was sand everywhere, she fought the urge to rub her eye as some of it had been irritating her contact. They walked towards a large tall building with strange marking around the domed top. It had large windows like the Hokage Tower which made Ino assume that was their Kazekage's Tower or office. Sure, enough they entered the building and once inside she noticed the guy trying to strike up a conversation with Kakashi who only gave short answers that didn't lead to more conversations. As they went up many flights of stairs the guy's attention turned to her and he began asking her for her name and age, "You look too young to be a Jonin, maybe 13 or 14 years old?" he asked. She gave him her name and hoped that would be enough, but he lit up when he heard her name, "Oh you're Shikamaru's teammate? Wait the super loud kid from the last exams? That's you?" he asked looking her up and down again. He was about to ask more questions when they arrived at a large brown door. The guy straightened himself up before knocking gently.

They heard a low 'come in' before the guy opened the door and entered, Ino stayed behind Kakashi when they went inside and stood one foot behind him at attention once they were in front of the Kazekage. His red hair stood out against the dull brown backdrop. His eyes were different from the last time she had seen him, they no longer had a crazed bloodthirsty look in them. Even the air around him seemed different, he still had a strong presence but now it was more commanding and respectable. Gaara looked between Kakashi and the blonde girl that looked like she could be related to Naruto before asking them to take a seat. "What business do you have here, Tsunade-sama usually sends me a bird messenger before any shinobi arrive." Gaara asked watching them closely. Kakashi reached into his pocket, pulled out both missives and handed them to Gaara. "We were told to bring you these." Gaara checked the seals before breaking them and reading through both documents. He would occasionally look up from the documents and look at Ino then back down.

"Kankuro step outside for a moment please." He hesitated before excusing himself. Gaara finally turned to Kakashi and looked him in the eye, "I will not close the exam down because of a threat to my life. That is a natural occurrence I've lived with my whole life. I also can not accept your particular help." He told Kakashi, who didn't seem as surprised as Ino felt. "Unfortunately, you are listed in our Bingo book, and the elders would not allow your help, they shouldn't even know you're here and I would like to keep it that way. I have nothing against you myself since I know you are Naruto's sensei, but I cannot have you roaming the village." He continued to explain. Kakashi just sat in his seat motionless and waited until the Kazekage finished explaining himself. "I understand, we will be on our way then, just be careful and take proper precaution Kazekage-sama." Kakashi answered slowly getting up with Ino following his lead. However, before they could even start making their way to the door Gaara raised his hand, "You are not allowed in here, but she is fine. Your Hokage mentioned that she is the one that gathered the intel and it's known that she's faced off against an Akatsuki member." He said mentioning Itachi. Ino looked at Kakashi before looking back at the Kazekage, "I have a proposition. You will be allowed to stay in the village but must stay in a room here in the tower, this girl, Ino I believe your name was, will stay there as well but she will be allowed to stay by my side. That way we are able to fulfill the Hokage's wishes while also not breaking any of our rules."

Ino looked to Kakashi, to see what he thought of the situation. "Yes Kazekage-sama, that is fine. But what will you tell your advisors or personnel when they notice a leaf shinobi by your side?" Gaara thought about it for a moment before rereading both missives, "Well it seems she's been taught under Ibiki Morino. He had been the main proctor for the last chunin exams. We can say she is here for training purposes and to give us insight on how the exam is run. That way she has an excuse to stay next to me, she'll act as an advisor and if trouble comes my way she'll be there." Now his attention was on Ino who listened in and knew he was waiting for an answer from her. "Of course, Kazekage-sama, it'd be an honor." She said bowing deeply towards him. With that Gaara stood up and made his way towards the door, Kankuro was already there waiting when he whispered a few things to his older brother. "Kakashi-san if you'll please follow him, he'll lead you to the room. Ino here will stay and begin her duties." Kakashi hesitated for a moment before getting back up to follow and leave Ino in the room. He gave her one last look before exiting the room. Gaara had motioned for her to follow him which she did. They didn't speak as he led them around the tower, they passed a few sand shinobi that all bowed deeply towards Gaara before getting out of his way. Ino noticed that even though he was young they all respected him and many of his shinobi seemed to admire him.

When they arrived at a mid-level floor he turned and began walking through the hallways and finally came to a stop in front of a smaller door. "I will introduce you to the other proctors, so they aren't alarmed by your presence then I'll send word about you to the rest of my shinobi and council, so you aren't questioned." He told her in a low tone before opening the door and entering. Ino walked in behind the Kazekage but made sure to keep a respectable distance. She was momentarily shocked to see Shikamaru among the many shinobi in the room filled with monitors but remembered hearing that he was helping them with the exams and would be one of the main proctors. She didn't allow the shock to show and only made quick eye contact with him before looking forward at everyone else. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and had gotten into an attention stance when he entered. He motioned for them to relax then began the introduction, "This is Ino Yamanaka, she has been sent as an advisor and student from Konoha. Her sensei was the main proctor for the last exam, and they believe she will be a great deal of help to us. She will work directly under me but if there is anything you all don't understand or wish to know more about, you may approach her when she is not by my side." Everyone's attention was directed at Ino and she noticed a few of the shinobi seemed extremely unimpressed. She didn't blame them; she was a no-name kunoichi and they probably thought she was getting preferential treatment because of who her teacher was. Gaara also noticed this but observed how it affected Ino and was pleasantly surprised when she didn't show any strong emotions about the situation.

Temari had watched how Shikamaru tensed up when he saw his old teammate and how even though Gaara had been speaking his attention was zeroed in on the blonde. He even leaned forward as if he was going to go to her but caught himself. She was sure no one else noticed, not even his teammate but it unnerved her how easily Ino was able to capture his attention. "Ah, Shikamaru could I ask you to show her around and fill her in on everything and everyone before bringing her back to my office?" Gaara asked when he spotted the spiky-haired young man. "Yes Gaara-sama." He answered quickly as he made his way towards them, Gaara turned to leave but not before looking back at the blonde. Is she related to Naruto? He wondered as he left the room. Once Gaara had left Shikamaru quickly pulled Ino to a corner and began asking her what she was doing there. Ino remembered how Kakashi had told her not to abstain from speaking to him or others around her so she spoke up to him for the first time since they'd seen each other, "It's as the Kazekage said, Tsunade-sama and Ibiki want me to get more experience with these sort of matters and thought this was an opportune time." Shikamaru had been surprised by her answer. She's talking to me again, not exactly like before, but she sounds normal. He thought momentarily before taking a longer look at her.

Ino didn't like being under his gaze, she felt he'd be able to pick her apart and find out all her secrets, but she pretended it didn't bother her and even gave him a small smile. "So, you're working for Ibiki now? Uncle must be proud." He said trying not to let the excitement of her talking to him show. Ino looked down and smiled a real smile, "Yes daddy is very proud." When he heard her mention her father so affectionately, the way she used to do when they were young made him want to hug her to make sure he wasn't imaging it all. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a cough from behind them, when he turned, he saw Temari standing with her arms crossed watching them. Without thinking he reached out and grabbed Ino's hand as he led her to the other kunoichi, Ino had wanted to remove her hand from his warm grip but knew it would look poorly on him so she endured and pretended not to notice. "This is Temari, I don't know if you remember but she is Gaara-san's older sister and the main proctor for the exam this year. Temari this is Ino, she's an old friend and teammate from our genin days." Temari had noticed how he still hadn't let go of the girl's hand but ignored it and nodded towards Ino. "It's a pleasure and honor to be working with you Temari-san," Ino said bowing shallowly towards her. She had noticed how much the older girl kept watching her but ignored it, there was no sense in angering her so she would do her best to appease whatever was bothering her.

Temari again just nodded and Shikamaru went around the room pulling Ino along and introducing her to most of the people in the room and explaining what each person's job was. One man did stop Shikamaru before he continued and turned to look at Ino, "Would we possibly know who your sensei is if you told us?" he seemed to be among the many that seemed displeased with her presence but Ino smiled at him anyways before answering, "Morino Ibiki." When she mentioned her jiji's name many of the shinobi that had been eavesdropping stopped and turned to look at her again. Of course, they knew who that man was he had a large bounty on his head from many villages in the bingo book and was known to be one of the top torture and interrogators in the world. The man only smiled back at her but Ino noticed the change in his attitude. Well anyone that doesn't know him personally reacts the same way towards him. She thought to herself. At that point Temari walked up to the pair again and looked Ino up and down again, "The man with the scars all over his face, that's your sensei?" she asked not really believing it. This time Shikamaru answered for her, "She's a Yamanaka, all her family works with him. He's also her godfather." At that Temari looked visibly shocked.

Instead of continuing the conversation, Ino got Shikamaru's attention by tugging on his hand, when he turned to look at her, she asked, "Was that everyone? I should go back to the Kazekage, he's expecting me." Shikamaru nodded in understanding and excused himself from Temari before pulling Ino along behind him and out the door. When she closed the door behind her she gently pulled her hand away from his. That's when he realized he had been holding on to her for so long and his ears slightly turned pink. "Sorry, I didn't notice." He apologized as he began to lead her back to Gaara's office. Ino stayed quiet and followed him, she hoped he wouldn't ask her any more questions, but he spoke up again, "Did you come alone? Do Asuma and Choji know you're here?" Ino made sure to memorize the way back to the office but still answered him, "Kakashi-sensei dropped me off here, for various reasons he's not welcomed here. No, they don't know I'm here. I doubt they'll find out since I'll mainly be by the Kazekage's side or working for him." Shikamaru took in the information and was about to ask her where or what hotel she was staying at, but they had arrived at the office doors and Ino immediately knocked on it. Before entering she thanked him for showing her around, gave him one last small smile then turned to go inside. Shikamaru stood there still trying to verify if what had happened was real. Ino was talking to him and seemed somewhat like her old self just not loud and bossy. Although he missed those traits, he didn't mind this version of her, she was still nice to everyone around her and she attracted people's attention. That was the Ino he was more used too.

When she entered Gaara allowed her to stand next to him even though he was currently meeting with some shinobi, Kankuro found it odd but didn't say anything as he stood on Gaara's other side. He wasn't going to lie every few minutes his attention would gravitate back to her and he'd observe her, how she stood and carried herself. If he hadn't known she was Shikamaru's old teammate he wouldn't have recognized her. She had grown up nicely. When the meeting ended Gaara turned to Ino. "The envoys will begin to come in any minute now, you will stay by my side like Kankuro as all the Jonin sensei's come and greet me and sign in." He explained to her, Ino nodded and stayed in her spot as he began working on some paperwork. A peaceful silence fell over the room and she chose to connect back up with Kakashi, "Sensei, are you alright? Is this fine?" she asked unsure of the situation she had found herself in. After a few seconds Kakashi responded, "It's not ideal but this is better than leaving him alone. If anything, you can connect to me and I'll be at your side ready to help. But it will be mainly up to you, you'll need to be extremely alert and try not to leave his side once all the envoys begin coming." Ino smiled to herself, it gave her great comfort that her sensei would go to such lengths for her. Kankuro had noticed the smile and it made him wonder why she seemed so pleased. He moved over to her side quietly and nudged her arm, "Why the smile?" he asked in a somewhat teasing yet probing manner.

Ino steeled her face immediately before replying loud enough for Gaara to hear, "I just feel very honored to be working with such a great shinobi." Kankuro thought over what she said and was going to ask her what she thought about him when there was a knock at the door. Quickly he went to check who it was and when he slightly opened the door, he announced the arrival of the Kiri envoy. As he opened the door, he made his way back to his original spot and watched as 4 older shinobi dressed in all black with grey vests filter into the room. They all bowed immediately to show the Kazekage their respect and began stating who they were and who their students were. Gaara during the whole introduction process had handed Ino a list of names and she began checking off all the names they stated before he could even instruct her to do so. He liked that he didn't need to explain things to her, she just seemed to know, she wasn't afraid of him like most people but also didn't seem incredibly interested in him. He had only met those two types of people in his life, the latter more so since he became Kazekage. The Kiri shinobi noticed the younger leaf kunoichi and found it odd to find her there, but they decided not to question her presence. Once they finished introducing themselves and stating who their students were Gaara thanked them for coming and proceeded to dismiss them. When they left, he continued working on all his paperwork and the calm silence fell over them again. The day went on in that fashion and soon every hidden village had shown up except for Konoha's envoy.

By now Gaara had finished his paperwork and Kankuro quickly left the room, the sun had already set by now and she realized she hadn't noticed how quickly the time passed. She wondered if it had to do with her ANBU training, but she didn't find it difficult to stay in one place or do boring mundane tasks or pretend like she was part of the backdrop. She found it comforting to be able to do this sort of work, it allowed her time to think and gather her thoughts without being disturbed too much. That didn't mean she was taking her job for granted and was meticulously remembering every face and name they encountered, anyone that struck her as odd or she felt off about she'd mentally note it and kept it all neatly filed in her mind. Gaara broke her out of her thoughts when he turned his chair slightly to face her and asked, "Are you by any chance Naruto's relative? Is he doing well?" Ino had been thrown off by the question but when she logically thought about it, she assumed it wasn't that bad of a guess. They did have a lot of similar physical characteristics, so it only made sense he thought that she chuckled lightly before answering him, "No Kazekage-sama, we are not related. But I did go to the academy with him and on a few missions together." She thought about the second question briefly and wondered if he had been doing well. She hadn't really thought too much about him, but she knew he was with Jiraya the Sanin and knew he was safe with that man. "He is safe." She said giving him a small reassuring smile. "I see," he said quietly before turning his chair back.

Kankuro came back in a moment later with tea and set it in front of Gaara. The tea smelled bitter yet had undertones of an earthy aroma. It made Ino realize how she hadn't eaten since the day prior, but she kept to herself and stayed in her position. Gaara and Kankuro had noticed how little she moved and any time she did it was careful and done with a purpose, had she not had such a bright appearance because of her hair and eye color they could have forgotten she was there. Kankuro also noticed how Gaara seemed to relax by this girl's presence, normally when he was around other people aside from his sister and himself Gaara would do everything to try and work alone. It's not that he didn't like people he was just comfortable working alone and without someone asking him needless questions. This girl barely spoke to either of them but when she did it was short precise answers and he knew Gaara appreciated it. He might even go far as to say he found her presence agreeable which was huge for his younger brother. Kankuro was interested in her and wanted to ask her more questions but before he could dwell too much on his thoughts another knock came from the door. As he had done so before Kankuro went to go check who it had been before announcing them. It was Konoha's envoy and he watched Ino as the three older shinobi entered the room. Guy, Kurenai and Asuma entered swiftly and bowed immediately when they first stood in front of Gaara but visibly showed their shock when they noticed Ino standing next to him checking off some things on a clipboard. Guy was the one to speak and made the introductions, Gaara's interest grew when he heard Lee's name and even went so far as to ask how he had been.

In true Guy fashion he informed him how his student had recuperated and been enjoying his springtime youth with tears running down his face. Ino wanted to laugh at Guy's antics but chose to remain silent as Kurenai tried to calm him and apologized to Gaara for his loud answer. Ino had noticed how Asuma kept looking at her and hadn't been really paying attention to the conversation in front of him. To try and get his eyes off her she gave him a quick look and smiled but that seemed to throw him off even more. Gaara noticed this and coughed to try and get everyone's attention. "Ino, why don't you go with the envoy, I'm sure you'd like to see your peers before the exam starts." Ino had been surprised by the way he casually called her name, but she recovered and answered back, "I couldn't possibly leave your side Kazekage-sama. I'm sure there's still plenty for you to tell me to do." Gaara thought about it for a while and realized she didn't want to leave her post. She's dedicated. He thought to himself. "That is true, alright. You'll have to wait after the exam is over then." He told her before dismissing the Konoha envoy. Ino had been grateful that he hadn't forced her to go, she had already dealt with Shikamaru earlier that day, she didn't want to deal with Asuma-sensei as well. Especially since he knew she was now possibly an ANBU member, she was sure he had many questions for her and now wasn't the time to be distracted. After they left Gaara enjoyed his tea and asked for the clipboard back. He had noticed the small notes she had made on the side as potential suspects but made sure to keep it from Kankuro's view.

It wasn't that he didn't trust his brother, but he knew that if he or Temari knew people were after him they'd try and talk him into canceling the exam. Something he couldn't do. The sun had finally gone down and Gaara finally stood up from his chair, he motioned for Ino to follow him with Kankuro trailing behind. "We will show you where you will be staying, after that we will show you the way to our home in case anything comes up and you have questions or concerns. The room isn't big but it's comfortable and you should find everything you need in there." Gaara said as they descended a few sets of stairs and turned into a quiet hallway. This part of the tower looked more like a mini hotel and on the last room on the left they stopped. Kankuro had found it odd how Gaara had decided he was also going to show her their home, it was uncharacteristic of him, but he supposed his younger brother was just being kind for diplomatic reasons. When they unlocked the door and entered Ino found Kakashi sitting upon a small red sofa reading his little book. When he saw her, he went up to her and looked her up and down before turning his attention to Gaara, "I hope Ino has been of some help to you so far and hasn't disturbed you Kazekage-sama." Gaara noticed how Ino demeanor changed around Kakashi and she seemed to visibly allow herself to relax. He oddly wanted to know about their relationship since she didn't seem to act the same when she had seen her old sensei, but he knew it wasn't his place to pry. "She has been very helpful and respectful. I'm sure your Hokage would be pleased." Gaara said quietly as he also watched Ino. That seemed to please Kakashi and he patted her head affectionately. On the outside the pair seemed very close and comfortable with each other but he didn't understand their closeness. "We have one final stop before she will be released for the day, we just wanted to show her the way to this room," Gaara said to Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded and let Ino follow them off but not before walking her to the door and patting her head again. As they left Gaara and Kankuro noticed how she became ridged and serious again. The hallways had mostly been dark by now and Ino guessed it was because most of the staff had been dismissed for the day. As they stepped outside into the sandy wind it took everything, she had to not let the sand irritate her eyes. She didn't have a coat like the other two and decided to just endure the sand. Both brothers noticed but Gaara was the first to remove his hooded coat and place it over her shoulders and head. Ino was speechless and Gaara seemed to like the reaction she showed him. Finally, she recovered and began trying to take it off and hand it back to him, "Kazekage-sama I couldn't possibly dare. I'll be fine." But he put his hand up to stop her from trying to return his cloak and turned to head to his home. Kankuro had also been surprised and thought it was sly of his younger brother to do such a thing since he had wanted to seem like a gentleman but just put his hand on her shoulder and told her to accept the act of kindness. She thanked him for the coat but Gaara continued to walk. After 15 minutes, they made their way to a two-story clay house, it was big but didn't scream out opulence, it was homey even. The porch's light had been lit and as soon as they entered the small fence Temari stepped outside to greet her brothers but stopped midway when she noticed the extra person and the white coat said person was wearing.

Gaara didn't seem to notice Temari's reaction and motioned for Ino to enter the home, which she did carefully. Temari looked at Kankuro for answers but he only shrugged his shoulders and gave her an equally confused look. "Prepare some tea and snacks and bring them to my office." He said quietly at Temari and continued going into the home with Ino following right behind. He held the door open to the room at the back of the house, took the coat from her and told her to sit down on the chair in front of the small desk. Ino thanked him and quickly did so, he moved to sit behind the desk, and they sat in silence. Ino found it somewhat awkward but didn't dare speak before him so she sat in front of him in silence. A few moment's later Temari came in with a small tray of tea and biscuits and set them in the middle of the table, she stayed in the room until Gaara motioned for her to leave. She didn't seem to like leaving the room but didn't say anything and did as she was instructed to do. Once his older sister left, he began putting up a soundproof barrier. Ino sat there nervous as to why he would do such a thing in his own home but again stayed quiet. "Tsunade mentioned you worked with Ibiki but how did you gather the intel about this attempt on my life? Why did you report it? I'm not a friend." He said plainly in his low voice. Ino seemed a little surprised by his question but with the cup of tea in her hands she looked down into the dark green brew.

"It was by accident, Kakashi-sensei and I encountered some Akatsuki members and I was able to extract a bit of information before they defeated us. It had been about you and Naruto and how they planned to take the tailed beasts you two possessed." The next part she said more carefully, hoping the answer would be enough for him, "I did it because you are Naruto's friend. I'm sure he wouldn't want you to be in harm's way and would try and protect you. I wouldn't want to let him down." At the sound of the blonde boy's name, Gaara looked up from his tea a little taken back. "I don't think we're close enough to be friends." He said quietly to which Ino smiled gently, "You helped save him and a lot of my friends. I know how Naruto thinks, he and I may not be particularly close, but I know he would consider you a friend. I myself am grateful to the three of you, if you all hadn't shown up and backed up my friends, they'd probably be dead." Gaara thought about it for a moment before speaking up, "I knowingly held the exam here to try and draw out the Akatsuki, I was not all that surprised when I read it but I was surprised you all chose to inform me of this." He stated seriously. Ino didn't really know how to answer so she remained quiet. "I will do everything in my power to keep myself and everyone here safe. That is my duty. You do not need to worry." He said to help ease her worry, but it didn't help.

Ino knew how strong Itachi was so she could only fathom the strength of the whole organization. Even if Gaara had a tailed beast, she felt in her heart that it didn't make him indestructible and although he was a Kage it was still dangerous to face them alone, but she kept that to herself. After another moment of silence, he thanked her and unsealed the room. Calling Kankuro in he stood up and walked Ino to the front door and pulled his coat over her again. He instructed Kankuro to walk Ino back to the tower and come home when she had made it back safely to which her brother readily agreed. Ino thanked Gaara and Temari again for the hospitality before turning to follow Kankuro back to the tower, as they exited the small fence gate he spoke up, "So what's your deal? You and that Hatake man a thing?" Ino stopped for a moment in her tracks and looked at him incredulously. No one had ever asked her such a question before, and it made her wonder if that was how people viewed them. It made her uncomfortable to think such thoughts and quickly corrected him, "He's my sensei, isn't everyone close to their sensei? He trained me when no one else could and made sure I got to where I am today. I'm grateful to him and only want to make him and Konoha proud." Kankuro could tell the question had bothered her but he couldn't help himself, she acted so differently around Kakashi that it made him question their relationship. He was going to apologize when she suddenly slammed into him and shielded him from a barrage of kunai.

He had been extremely surprised at her strength to bring him down but more so when he noticed a kunai jammed in her left arm. He got up and looked around while taking one of his puppets out but again was hit with a barrage of kunai and shuriken. Ino quickly began trying to sense the attacker's location and pinpointed it above on a building's rooftop. Once she spotted him, she rushed up leaving Kankuro on the defensive since she noticed the attacks were mainly aimed at her, when she arrived at the rooftop, she noticed the attacker's clothes were those of a Suna resident. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to stop and question the man because he lunged at her with a kunai to which she dodged and attacked back with the tanto she had kept hidden on her back. Ino ducked just as the man aimed for her head but it ripped her hood off and revealed her hair. The moment the man saw that he muttered curses under his breath saying things along the lines that she wasn't Him. Kankuro had managed to follow her and saw the man's face and called out for him to desist. When the man realized he was cornered he opened his cloak and revealed his body wrapped in explosive tags. In seconds both Kankuro and Ino began rushing through hand signs but activating her Sharingan she was faster and built and Ice Prison around the man then turning as fast as she could, tackled Kankuro off the building as the man set off the explosives. Kankuro had managed to use his puppet as a shield between them as they fell, and they only heard a muffled rumbling sound. They landed hard on the ground but were quickly on their feet waiting for the backlash of the explosion.

After a few minutes of nothing else happening they both agreed to go back up and check out the situation and to Kankuro's surprise the Ice Prison was still solid and in place but inside was just a pool of blood and liquified human parts. Ino undid her jutsu along with her Sharingan and the smell of burnt human flesh spread around them. "He thought I was your brother," Ino stated as she turned to look at Kankuro while holding her injured arm. Immediately he turned to go back to his home and Ino followed. The arrived back at his home in a few seconds and he slammed the door open calling out to Gaara and Temari. Temari had still been in the kitchen washing the tea set and was surprised to see Kankuro so disheveled but more so that Ino had been injured. She began asking him what had happened but Ino rushed past them to the office where she still sensed Gaara's powerful chakra and knocked on the door like a mad person. Gaara was surprised to see an injured Ino at his door and let her in with both his siblings following behind. When Ino saw that he had been fine she visibly relaxed and leaned back on a wall. Temari had been shouting at them for answers but both shinobi just seemed breathless yet happy to see the other two were safe. "There was an attack, she was wearing your coat and I guess the man thought she was you," Kankuro said finally catching his breath and helping Ino to the small sofa in the room. Before he could ask anything Kankuro continued, "I saw him, I don't really know exactly who he was, but I know he was one of our own shinobi. She shielded me when he first attacked us then encased him in some Ice Jutsu and pushed both of us off the building afterward. She saved me and made it, so the explosion didn't cause any harm to the people in the building. I doubt anyone even noticed it too much, it all happened so fast."

By now Ino had ripped out the kunai that had been sticking out of her arm and began wrapping it in gauze and bandages. Kankuro helped her fasten the bandages and Temari and Gaara watched as Ino stood up ignoring her wound and swatting Kankuro away. "Kazekage-sama I need to go back to Kakashi-sensei, he'll think it's odd I haven't returned and might try to come and find me." She said earnestly and pretended that her injury wasn't a big deal. "You need to get treated for that injury, it wasn't deep, but you could lose a lot of blood or it could have been coated in poison," Gaara told her forcing her to sit back down. "I'm sorry but I can't do that, this is nothing, trust me Kazekage-sama." She said ignoring his pleas and both Temari and Kankuro watched in slight horror that she had tried to defy Gaara. "Temari bring a medic here and tell them its an emergency," he said to his older sister who left in a puff of smoke while he turned to look at his older brother and Ino, "Go inform Kakashi about what just happened but make sure to stress that we are taking care of her and will send her back once she's healed. You will stay here and be checked by a medic, that's an order." He said finally at Ino who grudgingly agreed and sat back down. Kankuro was gone in a puff of smoke as well and Gaara looked over her bandaged arm. Ino said nothing as he inspected her. "Why did you do it? Why did you protect my brother?" he asked her quietly. Ino thought about that as well, her body had just reacted. She didn't think twice about any of it, especially after she heard the man say he had been after Gaara. Her mission was to help keep him safe so she didn't question her own actions, "You said you would do everything to keep everyone here safe, it was only right for me to do the same. It was also my way of repaying the debt for you guys saving Choji and Shikamaru." She answered him.

Gaara had expected her to just say it was because of the heat of the moment but was touched to know that she was looking out for him even when he had told her it was not necessary. Temari showed up with a medic and he quickly started tending to her arm. "The laceration isn't that deep so she should be fine after it's patched up," he said quickly to Gaara. As the medic worked on her wound Kankuro also showed up with a frazzled looking Kakashi. He was at her side instantly and watched the medic like a hawk as he worked on her arm. "Show me." He instructed her and she quickly obliged with her right hand placing it on his forehead and showing him the events that had just happened a few moments ago. "Good job kid," Kakashi said after he saw everything but stayed glued to her side until the medic was done. On the side Kankuro and Temari argued with their younger brother to stop the exam from happening. Clearly people still didn't fully accept him, and he could continue to be attacked but he shut down their pleas and reminded them that he knew the risks. The reward outweighed the risk and he was determined to do this so they could see how much he cared for the village and its people. Ino and Kakashi just stood there and watched them argue and waited. When the medic announced that he had finished they all turned to the duo. "Thank you for saving my brother and our people," Temari said, even if she didn't like Ino it didn't mean that she couldn't show her appreciation for her. Ino only nodded at her. "The exam will continue; it is up to you two if you want to stay in Suna," Gaara announced.

Kakashi seemed hesitant but knew Ino wouldn't back down from this and agreed to stay under the condition that he be told if anything happened at any time immediately. Ino agreed with Kakashi and Gaara promised to keep those terms, with that the three siblings escorted the duo back to the tower and to their room. On the way back they stopped by the building where everything had happened and found the puddle of blood and flesh still on the ground surrounded by shards of ice. "Ice? Shikamaru never mentioned she could use Ice Jutsus." Temari thought aloud. Gaara looked at the crime scene and called up the two ANBU that were always guarding him and told them to clean up everything. Once he did that they went back to their home while both his older siblings continued to urge him to stop the exam. Ino had been fine until they were comfortably alone in the room and she collapsed on the sofa, Kakashi was ay her side worried until he heard a rather loud growl coming from her stomach. He chuckled lightly while going to the small fridge and pulling out the bento that had been delivered by Kankuro hours ago. He handed it to Ino and watched her eat it greedily, he smiled remembering how when he first started training her, she'd rarely eat in front of him. She hadn't been on a diet at the time but would insist it wasn't ladylike and would have her meals separately. He thought about what she had shown him and worried that maybe he should call off the mission, but he stopped himself from thinking those thoughts. He couldn't baby her any longer and she needed all the experience she could get, pulling her out of this mission would only hurt her in the long run.

After she finished eating, he told her to go and shower, she didn't even argue with him and did as she was told. Ino had been too lost in her thoughts to enjoy the warm shower and before she knew it, she was done blow-drying her hair. It was late in the night and all she wanted to do was sleep, the following day was the first day of the exam and she was dreading it. Without thinking she went to lay on the bed and knocked out as soon as her head hit the pillow. Kakashi had watched her come out of the shower in a trance and knew she was exhausted when she fell asleep, he pulled the covers over her and made sure she was comfortable before going over to the sofa and falling asleep too. He prayed to Kami the next few days wouldn't be as eventful, still, he couldn't shake off the foreboding feeling in his chest and only sighed before falling asleep as well. Ino didn't even dream that night, she just closed her eyes and was wrapped in darkness. She felt she had closed her eyes for just a few seconds until she was woken up by a knock at her door. Kakashi was also woken up by the knock and quickly moved to hide in the bathroom. Ino pulled her bangs over her black eye before opening the door, she was thankful she chose to sleep in the black pants and long sleeve shirt because Shikamaru was at the door. She had been too startled to see him that she wasn't able to stop him from going into the room.

"Temari told me about what happened last night, are you alright? Ino it was dangerous and stupid to attack the man without proper backup." He immediately began reprimanding her, but she put up her hand to cut him off. He did so and watched as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "What happened last night should have been kept confidential, especially from an outside shinobi, even if you are the diplomat for Konoha. So, I don't know why she told you and second, we are the same rank. You can't tell me what I can and can't do when you don't even know where I stand. You have no right to barge into my room unannounced and ask questions you have no need to know about." She stated exasperatedly. While moving around him to put up her hair in a high ponytail and pull on her green flank jacket. Shikamaru watched as she moved around him and spoke to him, she was technically correct when she said that he shouldn't know about the previous events. He had forgotten she was no longer a genin as he watched her pull on the same vest he wore. She also seemed uninjured, so he knew she had been able and capable of handling the situation calmly and smoothly. He mentally berated himself for not thinking these things through, he really had no say in what she did or how she handled things because he was no longer her superior. They were equals and that was still something he needed to get used to. Ino was glad he seemed lost in thought and hadn't noticed the covers on the sofa and quickly moved towards the door while pushing him out of the room. "If you don't mind, I need to finish getting ready and go meet the Kazekage in his office." She said rushed then closed the door on him before he could ask any more questions. Once she felt his chakra leave, she opened the bathroom door.

Kakashi walked out of the bathroom and went back to lay on the sofa, "You shouldn't be so harsh on your teammate, he was just worried about you." Kakashi mumbled to her as she went to put on a new contact on her black eye. "Sensei he needs to understand that he can't keep sheltering me, besides I needed to get him out of the room, or he'd ask why there was an extra set of covers and blankets on the sofa." She said logically. He couldn't really argue with her reasoning, so he stayed quiet. "I'm going to get going sensei, I don't want to keep Gaara-sama waiting. I'll contact you if anything new happens or if I find myself or Gaara in danger." With that she was off and headed to Gaara's office. She knocked before entering and wasn't surprised to see both his sibling in the room next to him. Ino stood in front of them and waited for Gaara to speak. "Did you sleep well? Yesterday must have been a lot to take in. I would like to keep the events that happened yesterday a secret for obvious reasons." He told her to which Ino looked over at Temari, "I thought that was what you wanted Kazekage-sama so imagine my surprise when Shikamaru somehow knew where my room was and questioned me about it. I didn't know you two were so close that you'd discuss such confidential information." At that Temari visibly stiffened and clenched her fists. Gaara and Kankuro seemed surprised to know this and Ino knew they had no part in it.

"Temari why does Shikamaru know about this?" Gaara asked her in a quiet tone. She seemed to tense up when he said her name but cooled her expression as she began to explain how as one of his advisors, she thought they could use his genius to find out more about the attacker. "Temari you were not present during the attack so you don't really have the position to speak to others about it, next time you will run things by me before talking to anyone about such matters. You will not tell him any more, no matter how much he asks, and you will refrain from mentioning Ino around him, is that understood?" Gaara asked his older sister callously. She only nodded her head at him in understanding before looking back at Ino with a glare. Ino ignored her glare and waited for her orders. With that Gaara dismissed Temari and motioned Ino to stand on his left side as she had the day before. "The first exam begins today but we will stay here, and I'll continue working on some paperwork. The main proctors will handle today's part of the exam. Tomorrow I will make an appearance while they explain the second part of the exam. Understood?" he asked as he began working on the mountain of paperwork on his desk. Ino didn't reply but stayed perfectly still as he worked, and he took that as her way of agreeing with him. She hoped the day went by fast, she felt the next day would be incredibly eventful. Although she prayed nothing would happen. Kami I'm tired.

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JenniJ: Fico feliz em saber que você está indo bem nesta quarentena, sim mesmo! Consegui acompanhar muitas das fanfics que eu realmente amei alguns anos atrás. Deus, estou feliz que você tenha gostado, pensei que tinha colocado muito nele, mas simplesmente não consegui tirar nenhuma peça. Quando comecei a escrever, não conseguia parar e foi por isso que saiu tanto tempo. Eu sei, mas me coloco no lugar dela e sei que não teria gostado se fosse deixado para trás. Além disso, ela ainda precisa crescer e entender por que eles fizeram o que fizeram, e nos capítulos posteriores não se preocupe. Shika / Ino vai acontecer, vai demorar um pouco. Naruto ainda precisa voltar e ele adicionará mais à minha história. Eu apenas senti que seria injusto para ela e seus colegas se ela tivesse que fazer o exame como todo mundo. Sim, todos treinaram duro para isso, mas ela teve um treinamento especial com Kurou e Kakashi, eles a treinaram para estar acima do nível chunin. Mas estou feliz que você tenha gostado dessa surpresa e da parte de T&I. Eu sinto que Kakashi e Ino formam uma boa equipe e sensei / aluno. Lobo teve que ir; ela só deveria ficar o tempo suficiente para ajudar Ino a chegar a um certo ponto de sua vida. Eu realmente espero que você goste deste capítulo e se prepare para o próximo. Mal posso esperar para ler sua próxima resenha, boa leitura! :)

Sweet-sun-tea: Thank you so much and yes everyone seems to be telling me they don't mind if it becomes a kakaino story but unfortunately my heart belongs to shikaino. I'm glad you like how I'm portraying them all, I feel like I could go darker with this fic but am still undecided. I can't make any promises, I'm sorry! But trust me when I say if it does happen it won't last too long. I hope you enjoy this new chapter and look forward to the next one!

InoFan: I felt he would have joined ANBU regardless of the moment he found out she was recruited so I figured he should join sooner rather than later. Thank you for the hug! I'm trying my best to stay healthy and not end up in the hospital. Since I'm medically being quarantined I have a lot of time to write so I'm looking at it as a good thing. Lol. I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next one.

Guest: I hope this was enough Shikaino interactions for you, there will be way more in the future don't worry! Yes, thank you for understanding that. In my fic at this point Kakashi has taught Ino longer than Asuma did so even if he feels emotionally attached to her as his student he has no claim over her skills. The whole Danzo Root thing is going to happen soon and I feel people might hate me for what she'll have to do but I swear it'll all be worth it. Happy reading!

LeahMfkn'Clearwater: Hope you like this new chapter and look forward to the next! Thanks for leaving a review!