A/N: Thank you for your reviews, you've inspired me to keep going :)
Ch3 of... Ino-cence
Ino's mother swings by a couple of days later, a generous offering of cuttings in her arms. She's always foibing off excess greenery to people. Ino originally thought this was terrible business sense, essentially giving your product away for free, but now she's come through T&I she sees the other aspects. Ino's mother has green fingers most cannot match, so it is rare the cuttings can grow to bear their own fruit in the hands of others, but the appearance of easy gifting is great press.
"Kaa-san," she smiles, pressing a cheek to her mother's own, "you know I've taken all the best light for my foxgloves and solanum laxum vine!"
Her mother eyes the vine, carefully directed over a wood lattice in the corner of her apartment where the sun hits longest, and hums her approval. The purple bell vine and bomarea she holds will have to go to someone else.
They exchange gossip and Ino learns that Kurenai may have been seen on her first date since Asuma died. The mention of her sensei makes her will of fire dim slightly, and she decides after her date with the T&I info group, she'll try to find Shikamaru.
He's probably training his adorable group of brats right now, which makes her grin. For someone so lazy, he simply broadens his shoulders and takes on more responsibility as the tasks roll in. Ino reckons he'll appreciate a forced break under the guise of 'I have news to deliver'.
The T&I info group meet away from the labs and facilities. There are two reasons for this, firstly that the labs and facilities are sometimes quite unappealing environments, and secondly, that keeping information reviews next to where sources are held is stupid. Like, Iwa-level stupid. Ibiki was held there one time and when he escaped brought half a dossier of overheard tidbits with him. The first thing he did was insist Konoha could not do the same.
Ino strolls into the airy courtyard and looks fixedly at the two children playing with some plucked leaves in the corner. The mirage shimmers and the genjutsu drops, leaving a bored Chunin who waves her in. They've soundproofed the rooms with a Seal Barrier so he doesn't know anything if an enemy village take him.
Idly she examines her nails, checking they're still good to go, and grey haired Houza and Anko and Rojitu join her.
"Genma's going to be late," Anko announces, lazily sprawling along her side of the traditional low table, "Anyone want some fucking tea before we start?" She exaggeratedly bites her lip.
Anko taught Ino the start of what she knows, but not all of it. She was the one with the diagrams, the demonstrations of seedier, mechanical aspects to attraction and arousal, who first had Ino try and torture someone with lust. It makes for a slightly weird dynamic sometimes, because Ino now has a wider arsenal than simple physical stimulation, and while she is grateful for Anko's mentorship she scrapes and chafes against her brazen approach.
So Ino gracefully pours the tea, and smiles at Houza, who is as ever a professional but she can still see him swallow at her gentle wrists and careful movements.
Houza would be the kind of target who appreciates tradition, who admires her proper seiza, who will gaze half longingly at a thick obi precisely because it hides so much, denoting a modesty and propriety one then naturally wonders about breaking.
Ah, leave him be, Ino chides herself. She hasn't had a challenging mission in just over a month and turning to colleagues to practice isn't good manners.
They start with the basic debrief. Although Naruto has an amazing ability to unite people through impassioned speeches, the down and dirty of it is Hidden Villages and cities work against each other, Allied Force or not. Threats of crime syndicates, smuggling, war profiteering, drug rings and racketeering are still out there. The Kages might be on board together, but the tone at the top doesn't always trickle down to everyone in the Villages.
This last fortnight, Houza Ino Anko Rojitu and Genma have been investigating a set up of extortion for farmers in the Land of Rice. It's not of direct threat to Konoha yet, but they reckon it's implicated several of the Daimyo's extended family. The middle men are frustratingly shadowy, but Rojitu as their travelling correspondent managed to uncover a local lending-house which kept apparently decent records- with, what's more, full names attached to each transaction in and out.
Any ninja worth their salt would use a fake name, or someone else's name to implicate them, but these show transfers for at least three middle men (one of which had a cut of what they presume is profits sent to that political prisoner she lightly skimmed in the Hokage Tower) who they had already marked as likely, using faces alone.
Anko has a surprisingly good artistic hand for being able to draw out what Ino learns from the Mind Transfer Jutsu, so she is the profiler.
Houza is currently collating the reports, to send up to the Hokage for a weekly briefing. Intelligence is gold dust for assigning missions and turning profits, so even if it doesn't actively involve an attack on Konoha, the T&I team are busy trying to find out.
Genma ambles in, chewing senbon as ever. He, like Rojitu, is more of a travelling correspondent, part of the intelligence network that Jiraiya helped set up decades ago. He's here on this case as he was the first one to put together the pieces of systemic extortion, and Anko decides on the spot that he'll help Ino in finding the middle men.
"Go to the Daimyo's court, if you have to," she authorises after a moment, "Liaise with Hatake and see if we can bundle you onto any other missions headed that way- we don't want your timing to show up as suspicious."
Houza documents their next steps, carefully adds a risk matrix (their Hokage has a short attention span sometimes so they have developed shorthands) and chakra signs it.
"Thank you for your time, everyone," he acknowledges, rising in a stately manner. Ino beams back; she likes Houza's approach. Short and sweet.
As she leaves, she blows a kiss to the poor bored Chunin guard, just to mess with him. The Codebreakers are only a four minute walk away, and the sun is gleaming on her, and she knows she looks fabulous. It is always exceedingly important to make an entrance going into Shikamaru's place of work.
There is a blonde girl called Shiho who works there who is helplessly attracted to Shikamaru. Ino told him once while they were in the hot tub together. Her teammate had just scoffed and "I like blondes who know how to use their assets." She'd fluttered her eyelashes at him and he'd given her an appreciative once over and then burst into laughter.
People used to say that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio could never find anything more than friendship in each other, not when they'd grown up so closely. Ino knows differently. That was before her skillset expanded. But her teammate is wonderfully analytical, logical, can distance his mind from his own body. He's tactful, so he doesn't ask too much. But there's a lot unsaid between them, and he notices absolutely fucking everything. He knew about her seduction training within two weeks. They respect each other as teammates, and for that reason he doesn't blow her cover, and she doesn't manipulate him physically.
Verbally, however, is still fair game.
She wanders into the Codebreaking facility, a plain non descript office, which has a sign over the door proclaiming it to be accountants for a small merchant family.
"Shika, my love," she calls, making her voice as sweet as possible, "are you around?"
And as ever, Shiho is sitting by the door and as ever, Shiho bristles.
"Ohayo, Ino-san." the blond murmurs reluctantly.
"Ah! Shiho-chan! I didn't see you there- why, is everything alright? You look so pale today you almost blended in with the walls!"
"Oh, no, no, I'm fine," Shiho adjusts her glasses. "What can we do for you here?"
"Well, I'm just madly keen to get a message to Shikamaru. He had genin training planned today, is he in yet?"
Shiho looks like she would rather give this information to Kumo-nin than her, so Ino adds some sweetener. "...sorry, I can go ask one of the other Chunins if that's easier, I just presumed you would know."
This reminds Shiho that she knows more about Shikamaru than Ino does, which means she can lord it over Ino. People love feeling like they're the one on top.
Primly folding her hands, Shiho fixes Ino with a hidden smugness. "He told me," she announces to her supposed rival, "that he was briefing the head of the hospital about some... things."
"Things?" Ino queries, and Shiho looks like she can't help but be happy that she's going to have to break this to Ino.
"You know, um. Important things. Beyond your clearance. Shikamaru told me they might be going code Black."
Ino looks chastised, and carefully brings a blush to her cheeks. This idiot is good at her job but Ino is better at hers, taking information without giving real back.
"That's okay, I guess I'll call on him another time," she nods, stepping away, "thank you for your time Shiho-san. Shika says you're always reliable."
(That bit is kind of true, if you leave out most of the quote= 'She is always reliable, dependable even, at making errors- it's these two same transcription mistakes. Mendokusai.')
So now Ino hops to the hospital to drop in on Sakura and Shikamaru, ostensibly to deliver intel on the Rice farmers, but really to give them some entertainment.
"Hey pig," Sakura greets affectionately, kissing her cheeks, "glad you've shown up. I'm staging an intervention with Shika-kun here. He's been ignoring me for twenty minutes!"
Shikamaru, for his part, raises an eyebrow at her (she didn't miss the shadow twitch in the corner in case she were an imposter). "She wants me to ask Temari to marry me."
Ino grins, wide and mischevious. "Well, you do like blondes who can use their assets, right?"
"I like her very much but marriage is troublesome."
"If you say that one more time without a good testable reason I will punch you." Sakura's temper has not cooled over the years- it's just got a longer fuse. She tends to give people warnings first now.
"But the kids and the nagging and the housewifery and just... ugh", Shikamaru whines, hands in his pockets.
"Shiho-san sent me to you both, she's still desperately trying to have Shika's babies. Also told me you were on some Code Black material," Ino interjects, "I've come to bring you an update on the Fields of Ryo project."
"Thanks for the save darling, but I think Sakura will eat me alive on this one, no distractions."
The Team Ten members watch as Sakura's forehead starts throbbing dangerously.
"She's building up a proper rant in there," Ino observes, in a side stage whisper, "let her say it or she'll chase you around the walls for the rest of the day!"
Sakura appears to have had enough of this, and she slams one fist into her other palm.
"ALRIGHT LISTEN UP SHIKAMARU," she bellows, pink hair writhing, "YOU HEAR ME OR YOU'LL FEEL MY FISTS!"
"Kinky," Shikamaru mouths to Ino, amusement in his dark eyes.
"IF YOU EVEN EVEN THE SLIGHTEST RESPECT TEMARI-SAN, YOU SHOULD ASK HER TO MARRY YOU! SHE DOESN'T NEED TO SAY YES BUT ASKING IS A SIGN THAT YOU TAKE HER SERIOUSLY, NOT LIKE SOME- SOME, FALLEN WOMAN! AND SHE'S-"
"Wow there's actual logic in this. Want me to get popcorn?"
"-THE KAZEKAGE'S SISTER SO THE LONGER YOU STAY CASUALLY TOGETHER WITHOUT ASKING HER THE MORE IT'S A SLIGHT TO SUNA-KONOHA RELATIONS! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO WELL BRED WOMEN WHO GIVE UP THEIR PURITY WITHOUT ANY PROMISE OF SECURITY?"
That hits a little bit for Ino. She's had more than a few missions where her target was a crime ganger who liked the idea of defiling purity, of breaking the aristocratic classes because they couldn't reach them simply by money. The girls that aren't Ino don't recover.
She's reminded of how delighted a target seemed at 'making' her 'learn' to perform and enjoy oral on his frankly undersized junk. He'd been a slow repeat seduction, and at high dinners he would stare at her heavily before suggesting his delicate little flower might want to go downstairs. There are men who like to break. In the end, after she got what she wanted, she made him sterile. Ino never stuck around long enough but she's pretty sure he was murdered. A line of criminals, broken.
Ino examines her nails critically. One is not as perfectly almond as the others, she'll need to grab a file.
Sakura meanwhile has grabbed Shikamaru's shirt and is haranguing him- he hasn't bothered to move the shadows or ask for Ino's help, so she's sure he's fine. Sakura means well, at least, and Ino does kind of think Shikamaru would be a good life partner with Temari, if the whole distance and two different citizenships and politics thing doesn't get in the way.
She was here to deliver a report though, wasn't she? Kami, what a fuzzbrain. Ino places a hand lovingly on her own hip, cocking it out and coughs a prim little 'ahem'.
"Darlings, as much as I adore you both infinitely, I have come on business. Forehead, you can wring Shika out later but I have to debrief him first."
Grabbing Shika and Shunshin-ing out to the nearest park is totally not a selfish or tactical retreat.
Shikamaru lazily grins at her once he regains his balance.
"Look at you, miss saviour," he teases, "should I get you a medal?"
"Only if it matches my outfit," she smiles back, twirling around. They share a moment to laugh at Sakura, and it's just plain easy team camaraderie. Shikamaru has been there for her, forever. He's seen her be an idiot and be amazing and be everything in between and for all his grousing about how troublesome things are and how annoying she is, they work well, and they like each other because they work well.
He folds his arms and settles against the nearest tree, shifting into work mode. "So, Field of Ryo- new developments, hit me?"
"You'll recall we already had a shortlist of likely candidates to be involved based on our understanding of the political arena. Our travelling correspondent has uncovered a lending-house with financial records which featured three names cross referenced on that shortlist, including record of transactions to Codename Scarlet Hopper whom I personally conducted a Level 1 interrogation on, no mind techniques, which was useful but irrelevant to Field of Ryo. The three names are now our main focus of priority.
"We have now engaged an additional travelling correspondent, set up the profiling for the three targets and are requesting time at the Rice Daimyo's court subject to other mission statuses. I will be using mind-scans where possible, re-engaging with Scarlet Hopper and preparing to go into the field if a match is made."
Shikamaru nods, stroking his chin lightly. It's a habit he picked up from Asuma- he still uses his hands for the most high concentration encounters but it is an increasingly common sight.
This reminds her about the Kurenai news, and she holds her tongue until Shikamaru has finished digesting and sorting the intelligence into his bigger picture. She knows when that is because his posture changes and he makes eye contact with her again.
"You didn't happen to watch Mirai last week did you?" Ino teases him, the opening bait. He sees straight through it, but plays along anyway; Shikamaru can be very generous sometimes (Temari rarely gossips but Ino picks up stuff, has wandered through her mind in her cautions about Suna-nin and loyalty, and well... Ino just knows Shikamaru.)
"I didn't," he answers her in his drawl, "funny you should say that though, Kurenai mentioned Hinata looks after her sometimes on the weekends but Kiba took an evening."
"Not Shino?" Ino is actually surprised anyone would leave a kid with Kiba. He's, kind of... rough and tumble and gung-ho in a way that says 'we'll break every rule a parent sets in five minutes flat'. Shino at least seems like he'd have a creepy but responsible vibe going on.
Shikamaru shrugs in that endless way he has. "Maybe he wasn't free. Kiba stepped in last minute."
"Huh."
"I'm glad she's making a bigger family, aren't you?"
And Ino smiles, bittersweet memories of Asuma and Kurenai together. She is, actually. Kurenai deserves another chance at happiness. And they had that- happiness, concealed because of their work.
"Yes.." a pause, "It's never enough, is it?"
"No." He tightens his grip on his jounin flak vest. She sends out a thread of her chakra, soothing and calm, and as their minds join (as easy as breathing, after years of practice) they exhale revenge and inhale resolve.
They will be better, for him.
This resolve follows Ino as she trails through the market on one of her routine chats and shops. She picks up a civilian trade dispute in the making, and a supplier issue with the smaller ninja sandals; the Academy standard-issue might have to be more flexible in the near future. People talk to her when she wants them to, the old mothers and gossipers and indignant traders. People dismiss her when they're asked about her, when she wants them to.
Asuma knew what she was worth. He was the one who suggested her path, who pushed her to her father and Anko and the first of the whores that she studied. He was the one who tailed her on her learning missions. In the early days, Ino resented and chafed and felt betrayed, but now she has a broader view on things. He kept her useful, relevant, specialist, moulded her into what she is now and she can never thank him enough for it.
A/N: Thank you for reading, and hope you stay safe :)
~featheredblades