Naruto is down!
Ino startled awake and bolted to her feet.
"Naruto is down," she whispers to herself in horror.
She quickly catalogues her surroundings. She is in some sort of medical tent—no. There are walls—so a medical building of some sort? A hospital?
She tries to calm herself as she extends her senses. There is no chakra anywhere except—her mind suddenly senses a single signature near her.
What is happening?
She sees an exit and finds herself in a hall.
Where is Shikamaru?
He was wounded.
Where is Tsunade-shishou—where is Hashirama-sama?!
Suddenly, at a fork between halls, a person appeared—no, not a person. It had no chakra—so it was a puppet. It looked very realistic—like a beautiful blond-haired woman.
The puppet shouts something at Ino, but Ino could not understand.
Is it a person? Am I suffering from shock? Why can't I understand her?
The blonde turns out to clearly be an enemy as it points some kind of weapon at her. With speed that the other woman could not physically register, Ino was behind her. Just before she plunged her hand to kill the woman, Ino stopped.
What if she's a civilian?
Ino, blinked, shook her head, and opted to simply leave before the woman found out she was behind her. Ino ran in direction she felt the signature, leaving behind a person who did not know just how close to death that came. Ino evaded the senses of the other people in the facility she found herself.
A nerve-grating alarm suddenly started to blare. Red lights flashed. She reached her hand to her head and paused as a wave of dizziness overcame her. She brushed it off and moved forward.
She reached a room where the signature resided. As she entered, she quickly disabled everyone in the room. They seemed to be guards of some sort. Perhaps soldiers.
She panted as she looked upon a ring—it was raised upon a platform. It was clearly the signature she felt. She could sense nothing else.
She finally breaks down and falls to her knees. Her whole body shook. She pulls at her hair and screams—frustration clear for anyone listening.
More guards rushed into the room. They pointed their weapons and shouted at her in gibberish.
"Stop sending these weaklings and show yourself!" she yelled out, hoping the signature continued to sense revealed itself. She let her mind imagine the guards around as white zetsu which she would destroy by bashing their heads in like Sakura.
The people around her stepped back sensing her malevolence, not used to the ways her kind projected their intent. Some dropped their weapons while others fell to their knees.
Ino stood up and forced herself to only knock them unconscious.
"Where are you?!" she yelled, looking around and extending her senses even further.
A disembodied voice suddenly spoke all around her. It was speaking the same gibberish of the puppets.
"Show yourself!" she yelled at the voice, spinning around to see if she could get visual contact with her enemy.
The voice continued yelling at her. The alarms continued grating at her. The lights attempted to blind her. So, in response, she stood still and closed her eyes.
She gathered herself. She tried to regain proper focus.
She felt a gentle prod in her mind.
Her eyes snapped open.
Father?!
She opened a connection in her mind and waited for orders. She blocked out the annoying voice and the blaring alarms. The lights. Everything.
Greetings! Where would you like to go today?
"Huh?"
That wasn't her father.
Who are you?!
I am Astria Porta. Came the reply.
"Okay—" she said, her eyebrows drawing in confusion.
Where am I? She asked.
You are on Et Sh Ha Ta Ke In. Came the reply.
What does that even mean?! Where are you, anyway?
A sudden whirring sound came from behind her.
Ino quickly turned and saw the ring rotating for a few seconds before it stopped
Was that you?
Yes. Came the reply.
That doesn't really answer my question, though. Where are you? Why won't you show yourself?
The ring came alive once more.
I am here.
The ring then stopped.
Ino narrowed her eyes and examined the ring better. She noticed a strange kanji—or whatever it was—adorning it.
Considering the ring was the only signature she could sense and that she'd seen stranger things, she had to ask the question.
Are you sealed in that ring?
She felt confusion come through the connection.
I am Astria Porta.
As if that explained everything.
"Alright, Astria Porta," she said out loud.
Where are the others? Ino asked.
A flood of information suddenly came through the connection and Ino had to put all her focus on it.
She could see stars whiz past her mind's eyes, all being marked for some reason. The stars clustered into groups. The groups clustered into—more groups of stars. Then those groups grouped into other groups that then grouped—
Many galaxies were shown.
Thousands upon thousands of celestial bodies—all marked for some mysterious reason.
The information flow then stopped. Ino sighed in relief. Then she balled her fists in anger.
"Hey! What was that for?" she yelled at Astria Porta.
You asked where the others were.
I just wanted to know how to get back to the Alliance. Naruto just fell and Shikamaru needs my help.
I see. Would you like me to send a distress call to the other members of the Great Alliance?
Ino smiled and hope quelled the anger she was feeling.
Yes please!
Suddenly, a sense of danger flared inside Ino. She dodged—a weak lightning jutsu flew past her.
In front of her was a rather large person that resembled some random Kumo-nin—a strange symbol was etched into their forehead.
The person fired the weapon in his hand again and she easily dodged what she first thought was lightning jutsu.
Distress call sent. Astria Porta told her.
"Thank you," Ino said between her teeth.
She flashed-stepped in front of the person and attempted to get rid of him—only to get shot by the lightning jutsu.
Ino's eyes widened.
The blond lady stood not far from the Kumo guy. The lady puppet also held the same lightning weapon.
Ino flashed back to her original position. However, she couldn't dodge another lightning blast—this time from Kumo.
Even though the jutsu was weak, it was disrupting her focus. If they kept it up, she would be unconscious in no time.
Ino dodged another lighting blast and picked up one of the people laying around her. She easily threw the unconscious guy at her attackers.
The big guy dodged.
Where are my own weapons?! Ino suddenly realised.
Ino continued flinging people around.
Astria Porta then spoke up in Ino's mind.
The distress call has been answered.
The ring suddenly became a fountain of water, or maybe a violent geyser was a better description, until it settled and became a peaceful pool.
Out of the water stepped a woman with tree branches growing out of her wild hair.
The new woman had a clear signature that Ino could feel. Deep inside, she felt comforted. Finally, besides the ring itself, there seemed to be another life in this void of non-chakra.
But something else was also clear to Ino. "Astria Porta, this woman isn't part of the Alliance."
The woman in front of the ring tilted her head in curiosity—and clear incomprehension.
Of course she is. This one is of the Nox.
Suddenly the lights flickered. The red lights faded away and the blaring alarms stopped.
A beam of bright light shone before Ino's eyes. When it disappeared, a short, grey creature with large black eyes stood in front of her.
Nyah! What a freaky summons!
Ino then smiled widely.
Sai should definitely get a contract with these ones.
That one is of the Asgard. Astria Porta told her.
"Asgard," Ino repeated.
She took a step towards it—only for a lightning blast to hit her. She crumpled to her knees and her vision blurred.
Tears start flowing from her eyes. She reaches a hand out to the Asgard.
"I don't know what's happening," Ino said.
The tree woman brings a hand to her mouth in shock. Tears appeared in the Nox's eyes as well.
"Naruto's down. Shikamaru needs my help,"
Ino's hand lowers and she falls forward onto her face.
"I just need to get back,"
The Alpha Site's stargate turned off.
"Teal'c," the crying Nox looks at the Jaffa who had given the final shot. "That was unnecessary."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "I disagree."
Colonel Samantha Carter, Sam, stepped forward.
"Lya. Thor," Sam greeted tiredly. She had a few broken ribs and a sprained ankle. "What are you guys doing here?"
Thor blinked up at her.
"The Asgard received a signal from an old distress protocol built into the Stargate," he replied.
Lya nodded as she wiped at her tears. "As did the Nox."
Thor looked around the room at all the unconscious soldiers.
"What has happened here?" he asked.
"You can ask her," Sam said, indicating the unconcious girl.
Lya walked over to the girl and placed a hand on her back.
"She sleeps," Lya said.
"Did either of you understand anything she said?" Sam asked.
"I did not," Thor said, tilting his head to the side.
Lya shook her head in response.
"She was in distress," Lya said as she caressed the girl's blonde hair.
"Well. Distressed or not, she rampaged through our facility and hurt a lot of people," Sam said.
"I believe it is due time to report in with General Landry," Teal'c spoke up.
Sam nodded with a grimace. "Yeah."
She went over to the DHD and entered the sequence for home.
Meanwhile, Lya placed both of her hands on the girl and closed her eyes in concentration.
The wormhole to earth activated and the proper codes sent through.
"Get me General Landrey and an extra medic team. We've got people down over here," Sam spoke into her radio.
She waited for a few moments.
"I'm here, Colonel Carter. The medical team will be sent through in five. How many were wounded?" General Landry's voice came over the radio.
Sam looked at Teal'c who activated his own radio.
"Twenty-Five, General Landry," Teal'c reported.
Sam glanced at the still unconscious girl.
"General, the Asgard and Nox are also here."
There was a moment of silence.
"Understood," General Landry said. "Reinforcements are ready. Medical teams and the rest of SG1 are on their way."
Just then, the girl on the ground gasped. Teal'c pointed his Zat gun at her in response.
Lya raised her hands to stop Teal'c from shooting the girl.
"Teal'c," Sam said quietly. She shook her head at him and he lowered the Zat gun only slightly.
The girl stood up and looked at Lya. She said something that could have been 'Nox'.
The girl then slowly reached a hand towards Lya. Teal'c raised his Zat gun once more, but Lya spoke up.
"No, wait. She does not intend to harm me,"
Teal'c didn't lower it this time, but he did not shoot either.
The girl's hand touched Lya's forehead and the Nox gasped. The girl's eyes widened and removed her hand.
She looked back at Teal'c in confusion, then at Sam who was closer.
The girl slowly walked towards Sam.
"She means no harm," Lya quickly spoke.
"Worry not, Teal'c. My ship is ready to remove her from the premises if she shows any threat," Thor said.
The Jaffa nodded and seemed to relax—but did not lower the Zat gun.
The girl stood before Sam.
The colonel quickly activated her radio.
"Sir, please hold off anyone about to come through the Gate," she said in a hurry. She did not want this girl getting startled.
"Roger that," General Landry said.
The girl reached a shaking hand towards Sam's head. Like with Lya, the girl placed her hand on Sam's forehead.
As if burned, the girl snatched her hand away and stumbled backwards.
Sam cast uncomfortable glances at the others in the room.
"What just happened?" Sam asked.
Lya stepped forward. "Ino did not realise that you were sentient."
"How can that be? Is it not obvious?" Teal'c asked.
Lya frowned sadly. "It would seem she could not sense you. She woke up in a strange situation and found herself in a place where she felt—blind?"
"I don't really get it—but Ino," Sam said and the girl looked at her. "Is that your name?"
It was clear that the girl couldn't understand Sam, but determination came onto Ino's face
She stepped once more up to Sam and placed a hand on the Colonel's chest.
Lya gasped once more. "Amazing!"
"Indeed," Thor agreed and nodded.
Sam didn't see what they saw, but she felt her ribs adjust and knit themselves together. Pain disappeared from her body. Her ankle felt fixed.
The girl stepped away.
"She healed me, Teal'c," Sam said with awe in her voice. She'd only seen—and experienced—once someone healing in such a fashion. "Is she an Ancient?"
Lya and Thor looked at each other—seemingly having a private conversation.
The girl walked up to an unconscious soldier. She paused and looked at the Stargate. It suddenly disconnected.
Sam was startled.
"Did she do that?" she asked.
Thor nodded. "Yes."
Ino bent down so she could place a hand on the soldier. He gasped awake. When he saw Ino, he quickly scrambled away and rached for weapon.
"Stand down," Sam called.
Ino moved to the next soldier. Then the next. Then the next.
"Isn't she going to tire herself out?" Sam asked and stepped towards Lya and Thor.
"She wishes to fix her mistake," Lya explained.
"Admirable," Thor said.
Teal'c deactivated his Zat gun and lowered it to his side.
Ino paused as she went to the next soldier and looked at the Stargate.
"What is she doing?" Sam asked.
Thor looked at the Stargate as well.
"It would seem she is blocking incoming connections," Thor replied.
"That is unwise," Teal'c said. "We still require assistance from General Landry. Surely this girl cannot heal everyone."
Lya nodded and stepped up to Ino. She put a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled, shaking her head.
No one was sure if Ino really understood, but the Gate activated a few seconds after. Ino turned back to her work.
"Colonel Carter, you had us worried there for a minute," the General's voice came over the radio.
"Sorry about that, sir," Sam replied. "I think we've come to some sort of understanding on our end. Could send the rest of SG1 and the medical team through?"
"What about the reinforcements?" the General asked.
Sam eyed Ino as the girl worked.
"Please keep them on standbye, sir," Sam replied. "We need a bit more time to evaluate things."
"Noted," the General said. "SG1's on their way,"
A few moments later, Colonel Mitchell and Daniel Jackson stepped through. Vala followed after.
"Whoah," Mitchell said as he looked around then looked at Sam.
"What the heck happened here, Carter?" he asked with his hands in the air. Then he turned to Teal'c. "Teal'c? Buddy?"
Teal'c stepped over a few of the still unconscious soldiers to stand with his team.
"It would seem a warrior of unknown power was brought back," Teal'c said, gesturing at Ino.
Ino had stopped what she was doing and was staring at Daniel.
"Uh, guys. Why's she staring at me?" he asked and adjusted his glasses. "And why's she glowing?"
"Glowing?" Mitchell asked and looked closer at the girl. "I don't see anything. But her eyes are weird,"
"Hello Daniel," Lya greeted.
"Oh," Daniel smiled softly at her. "Hello Lya,"
Then he looked at Thor.
"Hey there, Thor," he greeted.
Thor nodded. "Greetings, Daniel Jackson. How is O'Neill?"
Daniel smirked. "Oh, just probably wishing he were here right now."
"Yeah," Sam agreed.
"Indeed," Teal'c pitched in.
MItchell looked at Vala.
"Don't look at me. I didn't really know the guy," Vala said. "But like my Daniel said, that girl is glowing, and not the kind you get after—"
Vala paused when she saw Daniel staring at her.
"What?" Vala asked.
"I see nothing, Vala Mal Doran," Teal'c said.
"Are you Shinobi? You feel weird."
Everyone looked at the girl who had just spoken. Her eyes never left Daniel, so he assumed she was talking to him.
He looked at everyone before slowly walking towards the girl.
"Hello. My name is Daniel Jackson," he introduced himself and extended a hand towards her.
Ino simply stared at him.
"Hmm… definitely not Chakra. Could it be Natural Energy? Though, I'm not really sure what that feels like,"
Suddenly, everyone in the room felt a horrible dread come over them. Daniel fell to his knees and Lya fell as well.
Immediately Ino was by Lya's side.
"Sorry! I didn't mean for anyone else to feel that."
Teal'c had activated his Zat gun but had yet to raise it.
"You okay there, Jackson," Mitchell called and warily observed the girl.
Ino looked at Daniel who was pale and shaking.
"Definitely not Shinobi. Can't even handle a little bit of Killing Intent,"
Ino helped Lya up.
"Jackson!" Mitchell called and hurried over to his teammate.
Ino's eyes fell on Vala who stood stiffly.
"You have a foreign signature on you," Ino said, pointing at Vala.
Then the girl clenched her hands and gritted her teeth.
"No one understands me anyway."
Lya took a deep breath and placed a shaky hand on Ino's shoulder.
Ino looked at the Nox with a bit of hope in her eyes.
"You understand me, don't you? Look, I think Astria Porta misunderstood something. I need to get back to the Shinobi Alliance,"
Lya looked sadly at Ino and shook her head.
"I am sorry, Ino. I am trying to understand, but it will take me a while more,"
Ino stared blankly at Lya before stepping away. She moved and continued her work on the unconscious soldiers.
Mitchell walked back to the team, supporting Daniel. He quickly spoke into his radio.
"Hold off that med team for a little while longer, sir," Mitchell said into his radio.
"Understood, Mitchell," the General's voice replied.
"What happened over there, Daniel?" Sam asked.
"You mean you didn't feel it?" Mitchell asked Sam.
"I thought it was just my imagination," Sam replied.
"You and I both," Vala snorted.
Daniel rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"She showed me my death," he said.
Everyone was silent.
"How could that be?" Lya whispered. "She is such a gentle soul,"
Sam tilted her head and grimaced. "I'd love to believe you, Lya, but that girl did beat the crap out of us. I'm surprised no one is dead."
"Where the hell did you guys find her, Carter?" MItchell asked. "Are we sure she isn't with the—enemy?"
"You mean the Ori?" Vala asked ignoring subtlety and Mitchell nearly facepalmed.
"SG7 found her unconscious on a planet that had been visited by a Prior," Sam said.
"There you go. She's working with the Ori," Vala concluded.
"No, I don't think so," Daniel said quietly, still rubbing his forehead.
"Why is that, Daniel?" Vala asked.
"Let me help,"
"Holy—" Mitchell nearly jumped into Teal'c.
Ino had appeared amongst them without even a sound.
She was looking at Daniel who was looking at her in turn.
She reached out a hand towards his head, but waited for him to put his own head in her hand.
"Daniel," Vala said cautiously. "Don't even think about it,"
Daniel slowly lowered his head until her hand touched his forehead.
Ino whispered loud enough for him to hear. "Secret Yamanaka Technique: Mind-Body Healing: Soothing Hand of Regret."
She pulled her hand away. Daniel kept his position and looked at her.
"Thank you. I feel much better now," he said.
"It was a technique my father invented—for those interrogated but turned out innocent. I just hoped it would work on you. You don't understand me, but the name of the technique itself is meant to be heard."
She looked at Vala next and extended her hand.
Vala stepped back.
"No way. You stay away from me. My Daniel might have always been a bit wonko, but I'm not—that much,"
Ino simply stared at her before bringing her hand towards her chest. Her pointer and middle fingers extended. She flared her Chakra—much to the surprise of Lya, Thor, Daniel, and Vala—then fell to the ground unconscious.
Everyone was silent. After a few moments, everyone was brought out of their daze when Teal'c closed his Zat gun.
"What just happened?" Sam asked.
Lya moved forward and placed a hand on Ino's head.
"She is exhausted," the Nox said.
Everyone then looked at the soldiers who were sitting around on the ground—trying to get rid of headaches or stand up.
Mitchell clicked his radio on. "Alright General. Please send in that med team and those marines."
Ino entered the garden from her childhood—the one from before Konoha was rendered into a large crater.
At one end was little Shikamaru—he was crying.
"Why are you crying?" she asked. Her voice echoed about.
Her friend wouldn't turn as he continued to cry.
Her eyes then moved to the Hokage—the Third Hokage. He was standing in the garden too. His face was pulled into a small frown and kneeled so he was closer to her height.
"Madara killed Inoichi and Shikaku, my dear,"
Everything suddenly twisted and turned dark.
"Foolish Yamanaka," a man said.
Before her, large red eyes appeared before her—the eyes of the Mangekyo Sharingan. She somehow knew what they were.
"You can't tell reality from a dream?" he asked.
The darkness dispersed into a murder of crows that flew around her. Through the cracks all she could see was red. She would catch glimpses of a red moon hanging in the sky. Red clouds floated here and there.
"Wake up," the voice continued. It echoed all about her.
The crows started to scratch her forehead.
"Wake up!"
Foolish Yamanaka.
Ino startled awake and bolted to her feet.
Her eyes were wide and she felt a horror she didn't understand.
"What just happened?"
She quickly catalogues her surroundings. She is in some sort of medical tent—no. There are walls—so a medical building of sorts? A hospital?
She tries to calm herself as she extends her senses. There is no chakra anywhere except—there is a single signature near her.
No, wait—
Those were her memories. She could feel a couple more signatures near her now.
I remember.
She remembered the strange puppets that turned out to be people. They were some strange creatures that looked like people, but she couldn't sense any sort of energy from them.
Then there was a freaky summons and a tree girl. Some guy in glasses that wasn't a shinobi and had strange energy. Then that black-haired lady with the strange signature connected to her—
Ino's eyes widened.
When the black haired woman refused to let Ino near her, Ino instead tried following the signature to its source. Whatever, or whoever, was on the other end had knocked her unconscious and tried to do something to her.
Then there was the Sharingan. There was no logical reason why that would appear in her dreams unless—
Was that Sasuke?! Was he watching over me and protecting me?
Her face heated up and she had to shake herself out of some fantasies before they went too far.
She hit her forehead and shook her head enough to rattle her brains.
She eventually calmed herself down.
Forget it, Ino. Sasuke is Sakura's future husband. Think of Sai instead—no wait! That's even worse!
"Are you alright?"
The sudden voice and unknown language startled her.
She looked and saw it was the man with glasses. He was standing in the doorway with a mug of coffee in hand.
"Tsk. All of this is just—troublesome," Ino said as she rolled her eyes.
She walked towards the exit and the man quickly vacated the doorway.
She walked through the familiar halls. This time noting that the puppets—the real-people-with-no-energy moved to the side and let her pass unobstructed. Behind her, the man with glasses did his best to keep up with her stride.
She entered the room with the ring.
"What is she doing here?!" a hateful voice called out.
She looked at the man.
"Colonel Pierce. Well—" the man with glasses behind her had spoken.
"Forget it Jackson, just get her out of here,"
Ino ignored them and left them to their conversation. She turned to the ring and stepped towards it.
Astria Porta. She called out with her mind.
The ring started to rotate in response.
"What the—"
Hello. Where would you like to go today? Astria Porta asked Ino.
I need to get back to the Shinobi Alliance. Tell me how to get back.
The man with glasses stepped up to her side and lightly tapped her shoulders.
"Hey, um, we kind of need you to stop whatever you're doing—please," he said to her.
She ignored him and awaited the ring's reply.
Please choose a destination. Astria Porta replied.
What the hell? The Elemental Nations of course!
Suddenly, thousands of stars appeared in her mind.
Please select the location of the Elemental Nations. Astria Porta said.
"Is that supposed to be a star map?!" she said frustratedly out loud.
Unbeknownst to her, the man with glasses looks at Colonel Pierce and shrugs in defeat.
Show me a proper map!
Would you like to view constellations as seen from Et Sh Ha Ta Ke? Astria Porta asks.
Ino pauses for a moment.
That's what you called this place, right? Then do you have a land map instead?
Of course! Such data is a necessary primitive for Astria Porta to generate a requested model for any planets Astria Porta is on.
Before Ino could ask anymore questions, Astria Porta suddenly put her under a genjutsu—or at least, that is how she perceived it.
Everything faded away. The bickering voices behind her and the entirety of the room. In its place showed the entire expanse of the planet they were on. Along with every conceivable filter and pre-made analytical models open for Ino's use.
"You're starting to give me a headache," Ino muttered more to herself than anyone.
What am I even looking at? I just want a simple map.
Please provide more data for the model you wish to generate. Astria Porta happily requested.
Ino pondered for a moment.
Just point me to where the war is going on.
There is no war going on at Et Sh Ha Ta Ke. Astria Porta provided.
Impossible! Point me to the closest group of Shinobi.
Shinobi? Astria Porta sounded confused.
People like me.
The genjutsu faded away and she did not even need to dispel it. Whispers could be heard in the background.
"She's been like that four hours,"
"C'mon Daniel, can't I just knock her out already?"
"She hasn't technically done anything to impede our use of the gate, so no. Plus, I'd rather Teal'c be here to do that,"
"Why? You think I can't do it?"
"Without getting me killed? No."
"Hey, what about me, Daniel? I could get killed too,"
Ino looked back.
It was the bespectacled man and the dark-haired woman—who still has that foreign signature.
The black-haired woman stood straighter and pointed at the bespectacled man.
"It was all his idea. I had nothing to do with it," the woman elbowed the man. "Tell her Daniel."
"What? It's been mainly you talking this whole time. I'm the one who has nothing to do with your ideas. And I still can't speak her language, much less understand her. So you tell her."
Ino ignored the pair and looked back at the ring who seemed to have something for her.
I have found the closest 'Shinobi' to your location. Connection established now. Pa Le Sh Ma Ni Ba At.
What seemed to be water exploded from the ring before it settled into a peaceful, shimmering pool.
"Oh, this isn't good," the man said behind her.
Astria Porta. There are shinobi beyond that pool?
Yes. Came the reply.
Are they in the immediate area?
Define immediate. Astria Porta requested.
How about this—will I be hidden from them when I go through?
Yes. They do not seem aware of the activation of Astria Porta. Came the reply.
How many shinobi are there?
Four. Came the reply.
What are their ranks?
I do not understand.
Ino sighed and hung her head. She turned and saw the man standing next to her once more—staring at her intently.
"Stop being weird," Ino told him, but of course, he did not understand.
She turned her focus back to the matter at hand.
How powerful are these Shinobi?
Powerful in what sense? Astria Porta asked.
Like—compared to me. Are they more powerful?
I still cannot comprehend the question. Astria Porta felt sad.
What village are they from?
There are multiple villages, however, the 'shinobi' do not seem local to any of the local villages of the planet at Pa Le Sh Ma Ni Ba.
Ino remained silent for a moment, then felt a small amount of panic build up.
What do you mean by planet?!
I do not understand your question. Do you seek a definition for the word? Astria Porta asked.
"S-so—"
This place I am in now, and the place I will end up after entering that pool—are two different worlds?!
Correct. I am Astria Porta. I am on many many 'worlds', as you have put it. You may access them through me.
Ino was struck silent for more than a few minutes.
"Daniel,"
"Sam. I know how it looks—and it's exactly how it looks. I've got no idea how to get through to the girl,"
"Hey I know, how about we knock her out!"
"She is extremely hard to 'knock out', Colonel Mitchell," a deep stoic voice said.
"Hey, it was my idea to knock her out first. Tell them, Daniel,"
"So, let me get this straight," Ino said out loud, interrupting everyone. "There are no shinobi on this world, but on the world beyond that pool there are shinobi?"
Correct! There are Shinobi as you have defined them. Astria Porta supplied.
"How close are they to the war?"
Please be more specific.
"A giant war with tons of Shinobi fighting plants and resurrected shinobi!" Ino nearly yelled.
"Hey Daniel, who is she talking to?" a woman mock whispered.
"Shh!"
The Shinobi on the other side are near no such war. Came the reply.
Ino took a deep breath and made a decision.
"Astria Porta, have the shinobi changed their location?"
"Did she just say 'Astria Porta'?" a man's voice asked in near disbelief.
"She has said that multiple times yesterday, Colonel Mitchell," the Stoic voice replied.
"And you didn't think it was important enough to tell us?" Colonel Mitchell said.
"Actually I noticed it yesterday too," the bespectacled man said.
"So did I," the blonde woman said.
Colonel Mitchell threw his hands in the air. "C'mon guys!"
"I wasn't paying much attention at the time either," the black-haired woman said.
"Thanks, Vala. Though, you only pay attention when there's something to steal," Colonel Mitchell said.
"Will you guys just shut up!" Ino snapped at them.
The shinobi have not moved from their initial location. Astria Porta supplied an answer to her question when her attention had turned back to it—conveniently allowing her to focus elsewhere without interruption.
"Thank you," Ino said as she climbed the few steps to the dais the ring was set on.
"Thor said he'd be here as soon as he could. We just have to stall now," Colonel Mitchell said.
"Um, Ino?"
Ino turned to look back at the call of her name. It was the blonde woman she had healed yesterday. She waited for the blonde woman to say more.
The blonde woman had an uncomfortable smile.
"Where are you going?" she asked Ino, pointing at something behind the girl.
Ino looked, but all she saw was the pool in the ring.
By the way, is this transportation Jutsu safe?
Of course! Countless beings have used Astria Porta.
So, it won't use much of my chakra?
Chakra? Astria Porta asked like a curious child.
Ino frowned. How could Astria Porta not know of Chakra?
Chakra. The stuff I use. My energy?
Oh, I see. Astria Porta will not take any of your energy unless you want it to.
Ino blinked then smiled. She desperately wanted to believe something and Astria Porta felt like her only real friend in this strange situation. It would be horrible to find out her foolishness stabbed her in the back, but desperate times require desperate measures.
She then looked back at the blonde woman who was sharing glances with her apparent comrades.
"Astria Porta," Ino said, pointing at the ring.
The blonde nodded with an uncomfortable smile.
"Where to?" the woman asked, making a gesture.
Ino didn't have time for conversation, so instead she turned and walked through the pool of—not water?
The last thing that reached her ears were:
"Vala! Don't!"
Ino exited from the long, winding, tunnel of lights into rocky terrain.
Welcome to your destination. Please clear the way. Another traveller is coming through. Astria Porta said to Ino's mind.
Ino turned and looked at the pool. She stepped to the side.
After a few moments, the black-haired woman from before exited the pool in what seemed to be a half lunge.
The others seem to be preparing to travel. Deactivation paused. Astria Porta said cheerily.
"What?" Ino asked.
Deactivate! Ino demanded.
The pool disappeared from the ring.
Deactivated. Astria Porta replied.
The black-haired woman whirled around to look at the ring before turning back to Ino. The woman stepped away from the ring and to the side.
Keeping an eye on the woman, Ino extended her senses. She sensed the four signatures that Astria Porta had told her about.
The woman never broke eye contact with Ino, but seemed to squirm uncomfortably.
"So. Daniel thinks you don't work for the Ori—I can't say I agree with him. Though, my Daniel and I disagree on almost everything,"
"Look, lady. I don't really understand what you're saying," Ino said absently. She sensed one of the signatures depart from the group and move towards the location she was in.
"Right," the woman said.
Ino turned her back to the woman and faced the direction the signature was coming from.
Since the person seemed to be walking at a sedate pace, she decided to meet with them.
She glanced at the dark haired woman and sighed.
Astria Porta, send this lady back where she came from.
She started walking sedately towards the signature as a whoosh sounded behind her. She ignored the sounds of lady speaking and muffled voices replying.
They must have a radio or something.
"Child," a voice called out.
Ino whirled her head around to see an old man.
"Do not go further. If you choose to meet with the Prior of the Ori, we will not stop you," he said.
"I can actually understand you," Ino said with relief.
The old man's features softened.
"I am Orion," he offered. "We have come to an understanding on what to do."
"What?"
"Hello, Ino," a familiar voice said.
She looked and saw a beautiful woman.
"Astria Porta?" Ino asked, unsure of herself.
The woman chuckled and shook her head.
"No, I am La," she said with a warm smile. "When we noticed you interacting with the Astria Porta, I took control of it after you awoke the second time."
"Yamanaka," a monotonous voice that gave her chills called out.
She looked and her eyes widened in surprise. "Uchiha Itachi."
"When we first sensed you, we were studying a rip in time," Orion spoke again.
"A rip in time?" Ino repeated questioningly.
"Yes," La confirmed. "You have appeared in our time from aeons ago."
"What?" Ino asked, confused.
"Whatever it is you remember, that is long in the past," Uchiha Itachi said, then indicated Orion and La. "These are descendents of the Shinobi world. Though in their time, they had grown to rely on technology over Chakra."
"Shinobi," the old man chuckled and shook his head. "In our time, we did not even know the word 'Shinobi'. You, our ancestors and their history were long forgotten. We had our own problems to focus on. In this galaxy, we are known as the Ancients."
"Okay," Ino said slowly and looked at Uchiha Itachi. "I don't need to be rude, but I need to get back. Naruto was down when I came here and my teammate was injured."
"There is no return," Itachi stated with finality. "As for Naruto, in his time, he and my brother won the war and defeated the Otsutsuki and brought about a few decades of peace."
Ino's world began to spin.
"What do you mean?" Ino said. "I've time travelled and I'm stuck here?"
"Ino," La began softly. "We are here to offer you ascension to our plane of existence."
"Should you refuse, we will bother you no longer," Orion said.
"You have nothing in this plane of existence," Itachi said. "However, if you join us, you may meet your Akimichi teammate."
"Choji?" Ino asked. "And Shikamaru?"
Itachi shook his head. "Your Nara teammate, along with most of your generation, and the ones before you, chose to disperse themselves across the universe long ago after going through many cycles of Samsara."
Ino's lungs felt constricted and tears fell from her eyes. She hung her head for a long moment.
"Is there really no going back?" she asked.
"No," Itachi replied.
Aboard Thor's ship, Vala was beamed to the bridge. There, SG1 waited alongside Thor.
"Where's Ino?" Sam asked.
Teal'c raised his eyebrow as he noticed Vala looked rather serious.
"Daniel," Vala began. "What's that glowy thing you described you did in the past?"
Daniel looked confused for a moment. "You mean ascension?"
"Yeah, that," Vala replied.
Daniel blinked and then came to a realisation. "Ino ascended?"
"What, really?" Mitchell asked. "Did we ever find out anything about that girl?"
"No," Sam replied.
"Well," Vala said nonchalantly and held up a metallic object. "At least, I got this really cool dagger."
"Vala," Daniel said in exasperation.
"What?" she asked innocently. "It's not stealing if they leave behind, is it?"
The End.
Author's Note: I have had this in my Google Drive since 2019. I forgot exactly where I was going with it, so I just touched it up, gave an ending, and decided to post it. If anyone wants to take it, or any ideas from it, and run with it, they are more than welcome.