They have all grown up, Ino thought. She got more considerate and less superficial; at least that was what she liked to think. She also saw Shikamaru becoming less lazy and less sexist, and Choji less obsessive about food and less naive. Sakura became more independent and much stronger, whether Ino liked to accept that or not. Naruto returned seemingly less loud and obnoxious. Yes, that was what growing up was about, wasn't it? They all matured in a way she more-or-less expected and hoped for.

And then there was Team 8. The team that not many of her friends worked with and that she always considered a bit mysterious as a consequence. Their growing up proved to be just as mysterious.

From what Ino could tell, Shino became even more emotionless and cold, talking to someone other than Kiba and Hinata only if forced to. Hinata was still shy, but based on what Ino had heard about her, when the situation required, she rose like a Phoenix from the ashes and obliterated anyone who attempted to as much as touch her teammates without a second thought. Kiba matured somewhat, but when she once saw him fighting, he seemed to have become even more reckless, as if not at all caring about his safety or life.

Then there were those random instances, which, when Ino thought about it, started to become more of regular occurrences as time went by. Team 8 not showing up to social events or even anywhere outside of their houses for days. Team 8 turning down missions despite being completely healthy based on their medical files and Tsunade not even questioning it. Team 8 avoiding questions about their missions and showing a complete lack of enthusiasm even after the reportedly successful missions were over.

She has never considered anyone from Team 8 to be her close friend, so she did not feel as if it was her responsibility to really care. But at the same time, she was a medic - and a medic, who knew human minds better than anyone else given her ninjutsu style. She could not truly not care, she just had no idea how to even approach this issue.

And she thought that perhaps she did not even need to. Well, at least until now.

It was an early morning and she was walking to collect a few flowers for her shop before her shift in the hospital started. As she approached the field near the forest, she noticed a figure in dark clothes lying on the ground, completely motionless. Ino ran towards the figure and as she spotted the presence of another being nearby - a big, white and fluffy one - she did not need the legendary Hyuuga eyes to figure out who it was.

The loyal dog was sleeping next to his master and only woke up as she came closer. Akamaru simply just looked at her, licked her on her thigh and backed away as if to give her space, which Ino interpreted as him letting her examine his owner. She dropped down to her knees next to Kiba and after making sure that he was still breathing, she patted him on his cheek gently to wake him up. She only needed one better look on his body to realize that Kiba was not simply just sleeping.

She used some of her medical ninjutsu to quickly treat some of the damage she could see, but no amount of medical ninjutsu could treat the complete chakra depletion that the dog-nin was showing signs of - and she wondered what had happened that got him into such a state. She sighted. She would have to go find someone to help her carry him to the hospital, but was it safe to leave him here like this? Or perhaps-

"Leave it, I will take care of him." She turned around to see Inuzuka Hana standing behind her, who Ino knew to be Kiba's older sister.

"Uh- " she only managed to get out. She had so many questions, but at the same time, the Inuzuka females have always scared her a little. "I-, well-"

"Yes, no, yes and yes." Hana responded to her unintelligent comment with a small smirk on her face.

"Huh?" Ok, Ino now had even more questions. And just made herself sound even less intelligent, she figured.

"Yes - I know what happened, no - he did not get into a fight, yes - this happens often and yes - I will take care of him from now on, so you can go."

Ino's eyebrows just shot up as she watched the girl pick Kiba up on her back and walk away, with Akamaru following behind them. She wondered once again what had happened. If this was not due to fighting, did Kiba get to this state by overtraining or was it something else? And since Hana came to pick him with no surprise showing on her face, was this something normal? In any case, whatever it was, Ino found it very disturbing.

Ino wanted to let that slide - Kiba was none of her concern and he was in good hands now. But again, Ino was a medic; being concerned about people was her job, especially if those people were her fellow shinobi. She thought that perhaps, she could ask Shino about it as she walked back to the store.

And yes, that was a good idea, as she had to talk to Shino anyway. Due to their large flower fields and Aburame's connection to insects, they often worked on projects that benefited both clans. And when it came to Ino to decide who to talk to from the Aburame clan, it would always be Shino - all of the Aburames were weird and cold if you asked her, but Shino she at least knew a bit from the academy and felt somewhat comfortable around.

So she headed towards the Aburame compound and when Shibi opened the door, she requested Shino right away.

"He is not available."

"Oh… is he on a mission?" she inquired. She knew better than to attempt to make small talk with an Aburame, but this was an actually relevant piece of information.

"No, he returned yesterday. But he is in a healing trance. You may discuss with me instead."

A healing trance? Now she got worried. Again.

"Thank you. But was he injured? I can try to help, I am training to be a medic."

"I appreciate the offer. His state is not concerningly unusual. Let us discuss the project now instead."

Alright, and that was an implicit call for her to stop inquiring about personal matters, she understood.

They proceeded to discuss the pollination of their new flower types and after an hour, she was ready to go back to the town and start her shift at the hospital.

Her hands focused on the job at hand - healing one of her many patients, but her mind did not. Kiba passed out on a field, Shino in a healing trance. During the lunch break, she dropped her medical attire and went to see Hinata, hoping to get maybe at least some answers.

Well, so much for getting answers.

"She is unable to receive visitors right now." was what Neji said after he opened the door to their villa. Somehow, after this morning, this did not shock Ino. She also did not expect Neji to be any more talkative than Hana or Shibi.

"Why?" She could still try anyway.

"She returned from a mission yesterday." Neji replied. Yes, Ino knew this by now. She could also guess what would follow.

"... was she injured?"

"She returned in good health. She is now however nearly blinded by her overuse of the Byakugan. She must rest. If you excuse us- "

"No!" and woah, did she just scream into Neji Hyuuga's face? Ino did not realize before now that she perhaps had a secret death wish.

But she was getting frustrated and wanted answers. She knew she would get none from Shino. Kiba was by far the most talkative and open from the three, but he was also an adolescent guy, most likely unable to openly admit that anything was wrong. Hinata was her only chance.

"Sorry, but no, listen, Neji-san, please ask her if I can talk to her. Just as a friend."

Neji seemed to have contemplated that for a second and then left, disappearing into the house. When he returned after a few minutes, he nodded his head and left Ino to enter without a word.

Ino quickly made her way to Hinata's room and found the girl lying in her bed, with a bandage over her eyes. She could see Hinata stiffen as she entered the room.

"Is that you Ino-chan? Sorry if my cousin gave you trouble." she said and smiled kindly. How this girl could murder anyone in cold blood as the rumours described, Ino could not understand.

"No worries Hinata-chan! I am sorry that you are hurt. Did this happen during the mission?" She was going to try her luck again.

"N-no actually… but it is okay, it will get better soon. What brings you here, Ino-chan, if I may ask?" Avoiding the topic, again, as expected.

"In fact I came because I-"

Hinata loved her teammates, that much Ino knew. She could as well start from that end.

"I came because I found Kiba-kun passed out on a field this morning and then heard that Shino-kun was also in a bad state. I got worried and wanted to ask about the mission…"

And did Hinata just cringe? Ino felt as if she crossed some imaginary- but a very important line. Well, that's what lines were for, weren't they? To be crossed if needed.

"Look, if- if it is none of my business, I will leave right away, I just got concerned and now hearing that you also are injured…"

"It is alright Ino-chan, I appreciate that you care…"

Hinata seemed like she needed some time to compose herself. Ino was ready to give her as much of it as required.

"Look it's- we are all shinobi, we know what that means. It is just that we are still coming to terms with the type of missions we are usually assigned to."

The type of missions we are assigned to? What did that mean? To be honest, since none of the people Ino knew worked with Team 8 directly, she had little knowledge about the kind of missions they usually went on. She only knew Asuma, but he would never talk about the life of his fiancé.

Seems like Hinata could distinguish her confusion even without seeing her.

"It is usually the track, surveil and kill missions. Very simple on paper, but- well, these people that we usually haunt have a lot of …blood on their hands, and oftentimes very innocent blood. And it is only through this… blood that we can find them. It does not make it easier."

It made some sense, Ino thought. They were a team focused on tracking, she knew that much, but she never considered the implications. While Ino's team's missions so far generally focused on protecting and saving others, which sometimes involved killing when necessary, it seemed that the missions Hinata and her teammates got were often about hunting down and killing people directly.

She had many other questions but she knew better than to interrupt the shy girl who finally started talking. Perhaps she finally needed to get it off her chest.

"S- sometimes it is okay, sometimes it is not. The last mission, well, it- it was not. But that is how some missions are, right?" Hinata smiled but Ino could tell that the smile was not genuine.

"So is that why your team has a… -" how could she even phrase such a question?

"-... a hard time… completing these missions?"

"We do not have a hard time completing them, really. Yesterday, we returned with only a few scratches, completely fine."

"B- but, Kiba was completely chakra depleted when I found him and Shino is in some kind of a healing trance! And you are nearly blind, you cannot tell me that all is fine!"

It took a few seconds but Hinata eventually replied.

"The- the man we hunted down had experimented… on children-" Hinata's voice cracked and were there no bandages on her face, Ino was sure she would see tears.

"and experimented on them in all… sorts of twisted ways. And- and the details of all of that… I could see them, Kiba-kun could smell them and hear them and Shino-kun could feel them through his insects. It was too much and it- it stays with you, Ino-chan."

Ino's eyes widened. She was starting to finally understand and she did not like it.

"We are just coping, Ino-chan. Surely, this is not the best way, but it is a way and that is what counts for now."

Oh, no way!

"You cannot keep doing this, destroying yourself each time you return from a mission like this!"

"I- Ino-chan, we know. But we will get used to it. After the first of such missions, Shino-kun refused to leave his house for a week and Kiba-kun could not stomach anything solid for several days. We are getting better, it is just taking some time."

"You should talk to Tsunade-sama. She might be able to help."

"Oh, Tsunade-sama knows. But she also knows that, well - things like these we have to figure out by ourselves. It is what we will be doing as shinobi after all, for the rest of our careers. We all still have some… growing up to do."

Perhaps, for shinobi, growing up was not only becoming mature and responsible, but also familiar with blood, death and trauma. Perhaps growing up was not that simple, at least not for all of them.

Ino left the Hyuuga house feeling a bit confused, but now also determined. This could not continue, at least not if she had something to say about it.

The medic in her knew what people needed, the ninja in her knew how human minds worked and well - the botanist in her figured out what could be done about it.


After a few weeks of preparation, Ino was ready. She had also talked to Shibi, Hana and Neji - and despite the fact that all of them were a bit reserved or weird according to Ino, they all cared deeply about their relatives and listened to her suggestions.

So it was no surprise that she found her fellow shinobi from Team 8 waiting in front of her house after what she guessed was another tough mission that they just returned from. She greeted them with a smirk, finding the confusion painted on their faces rather cute.

"Ino-chan." Kiba acknowledged her. "Hana, Neji and Shibi all sent us here."

"Right." she replied with another smirk, ready to execute her plan and without any other word, led them inside. After passing a few rooms, they made their way to the other side of the house. The shinobi murmured something between themselves as they walked, surely trying to figure out what was going on, but all the noises stopped when she opened the door to one of their gardens.

Through the door, they were looking at one of her masterpieces and she knew that of all people, they were the ones who could appreciate her work fully. The garden was filled with flowers, painted with colors covering the entire spectrum, from vibrant blue to soft pink and yellow. The unique combination of flowers gave the garden an intense mix of smells, which would change from one place to another. And finally, after her discussions with Shibi, she also made sure to fill the garden with flowers that were a literal feast for insects.

Kiba and Akamaru were the first to drop down to the ground, closer to the flowers, letting themselves become overwhelmed with the breathtaking scent - most likely to rid themselves of the smell of blood and death, Ino assumed. Hinata just stared at the flowers using her Byakugan - but this time, not to search for mutilated bodies, but instead to make out the colorful details of the botanic miracle lying in front of her. Finally, Shino released his insects and relaxed as soon as the insects found their way to the delicious pollen. She gave each of them a key to the garden and left them in privacy.

From then onwards, she did not need to go around and ask to find out whether Team 8 members had returned from a tough mission. She would find them here, usually together, sometimes sitting and lying in the garden for hours. She found it odd, but better sit in a garden for hours than beating yourself up to death, she figured. She still did not understand them too well, but if the thanks that she received from Hana, Neji and Shibi were anything to go by, she knew she did the right thing.


Growing up was perhaps indeed about getting used to death, Ino reflected. This week marked one of the toughest periods of her life. Asuma was almost like her dad and she had never realized before just how close they became until he passed.

After the funeral, she found a note on her door telling her to come to the Inuzuka compound with her teammates that evening.

Ino did not feel like going at all. She wanted to grieve alone, to burst into tears and screams without anyone seeing her break down and let the dark thoughts and depression finally take over her in privacy. She did not feel strong enough to be around other people and hold herself together for any longer.

At the same time, she was scared of being alone, scared of her thoughts and emotions that would for sure resurface in the dark, silent room and perhaps someone like Kiba could bring her mind to some other places. After the dozens of hours that they spent together in Ino's garden, the dog-nin grew on her a little.

With Shikamaru and Choji, they made their way to Kiba's house later that day. Without a warning, still good 50 meters away from the house, an army of white and brown fluff emerged on the horizon and not long after, brought the trio to the ground with the force of jumping, licking and demanding cuddles. Ino has never been too fond of dogs, but even she succumbed to an army of excited cute puppies and let a smile appear on her face, probably the first time that week. The puppies did not give her a chance to look around too much, but when she heard a soft giggle coming from her left, she knew that Choji was also enjoying the fluffy surprise, which meant that Shikamaru was as well. Kiba soon emerged to manage his dogs and after a few apologies and helping them stand up, they all made it into the house.

When he opened the door to their dining room, Ino was left speechless. The room was full of colorful butterflies flying around. On the table, there were delicious looking cookies and muffins with sprinkles and chocolate flakes on the top, which Ino guessed were baked by Hinata. Soon, the room also filled up with the puppies that attacked them earlier and not long after, Kiba and Shino emerged from the kitchen, holding a pan full of tasty looking steaks, followed by Hinata bringing in freshly made tea and sake. Ino saw what Team 8 was doing and she could not have been more grateful.

They sat there for hours, eating, cuddling with puppies, playing with butterflies and listening to Team 8. Kiba would be telling them stories about his dogs - some of which even Shikamaru had to laugh at. Shino was contributing to the chat with random facts about his insects, which honestly, Ino found a bit boring, but having the bug-ninja talking to her in such a relaxed setting was so rare that Ino made sure to cherish every second of it. Finally, towards the end, Hinata pulled out her shamisen and started singing traditional songs. Choji, Kiba, Ino and even Akamaru joined her in singing (or howling in Akamaru's case) and Shino pulled out a board of chess with which he occupied Shikamaru for the rest of the evening.

No tears were shed that evening. Shikamaru had not even used the word troublesome once. They left late at night, parted with a greeting and exchanged soft smiles. Ino now finally understood what growing up was about.