Title: Another Mistake

Synopsis: The sequel to same mistake. This time the mistake isn't Ino's. InoxNaru and Sakux?

Disclaimer: "It's all been done before" – Barenaked Ladies (see even my disclaimer doesn't belong to me

Author: Nimacu

A/NGlad to see that I've got some of my fantastic readers from the first story back. Enjoy!

Now that things with Ino had been worked out they both knew that it would be only a matter of days before he left, he'd spent the evening two days before in Tsunade's office discussing the mission with her.

"Now that you're going to be a Jounin, it's past time that we retrieved Konoha's most dangerous missing Nin. If Orochimaru's is allowed to transfer his spirit into Sasuke's body in four weeks time it will mean the end of Konoha"

"I know"

"Your objective will be to stop Orochimaru from obtaining the sharingan. If he won't come back willingly, your number one objective is to destroy his eyes. Whatever happens Orochimaru must be stopped." Tsunade didn't want to tell him that he had to kill his former teammate, after all it'd taken her twenty some years after Orochimaru had defected before she could pursue him with killer intent.

Naruto cringed at the thought of leaving his rival blind, there would be no greater punishment for the man than to live without his Sharingan, no matter the mixed feelings of affection and hate he had for Sasuke, he could never do that to him.

"I will bring him back dead or alive"

"I'm glad that you say that, I wonder if the Third or Jiraiya or I had been able to pursue Orochimaru with killer intent when he first left Konoha if any of this would have ever happened."

"I won't make the same mistake" The boy who spoke was no longer the excitable young man she'd met all those years ago, for better or for worse he'd become a man and a proud shinobi of the leaf.

"If you were worried that I couldn't complete the mission, why send me?" Naruto was no longer anybody's idiot; he knew what had to be done.

"Because, this is your load to bear. No one else can do it for you. In you and Sakura lay our last hopes of bringing Sasuke back alive, you're the only people left alive that he cares for."

"Pushing a whole through my chest isn't exactly caring enough to send the very best" Naruto was tired of talking about Sasuke, and he was tired of people insinuating things about team seven, it all seemed so long ago and distant now. Could they have ever been that young?

Tsunade didn't know how to respond to that, the best response she had was that in the end Sasuke had left him alive. But Naruto knew that, he lived everyday knowing that. So instead she said nothing and they spent the rest of the night fine tuning Naruto's strategies and going over the team that he'd picked.

Ino and Naruto had closed the flower shop for the day and were picking up all the pieces of the glass that Ino had broken.

"We're going to be leaving soon" Naruto felt like he had to put into words what was hanging over their heads.

"Do you know when?" Ino's heart clutched in fear as she heard it out loud

"I'd like to leave by tomorrow morning." He knew she'd expected more time before the mission.

"Well you should probably start gathering your team together tonight"

"I was hoping to be able to do that this afternoon" He hated to leave her but he knew he had to

"I don't need help picking up the glass, you should go" She needed him to leave the shop right this minute, if he stayed a moment longer, she might break like all the glass at their feet and beg him not to go. And she knew that even if she begged he'd leave, she didn't want to face that.

"Can I come and see you tonight" He could see her shutting him out and it scared him

"You idiot!" She smiled as tears were already forming in her eyes

"So is that a yes?"

"Of course it is; why would I'll tell you no?" They were no longer forming but instead falling down her face.

"I'm just…" Now he knew why so many ninja's never married, now he knew why Kakashi, Gai and Asuma were still single. If he had to do this every time he left on a dangerous mission it'd kill both of them…

"Don't worry about it; I'll wait up for you." And with that she pushed him out of the shop.

She knew that this was a part of being in love with a ninja, and she knew that in someway and at sometime it'd be Naruto who'd watch her leave on a mission that could cost her her life. But right now it was still new and it still hurt, and it was Sasuke they were going after, and no matter what happened on the mission it would change things for all of them forever, she was almost more afraid of losing the precarious peace that she and her comrades had developed between them since the loss of the Uchiha. She was afraid that they were all going to come back different people, if they came back at all…

I need to see the Hokage! A long haired blonde was yelling in the young Chuunin guards face.

"I already told you, she's busy!"

"Does this look like a face that cares whether or not she's busy" The blonde (who happened to be Ino) continued to shout at the Chuunin

"Look I'll go see if she's done being busy" The blonde was scary and he knew as well as she did that the Hokage's idea of busy was a game of five-card stud with several of the Jounin in her office.

But before the Chuunin could enter the Hokage's office the door opened and out walked Kakashi, Ebisu, and Genma all muttering about how it was unfair that they had to let the Hokage win, they were just turning the corner of the hallway when Genma turned his head and spoke,

"The fifth says to let the loud mouth blonde into her office" Ino decided to ignore the part about a loud mouth, because if she didn't she'd have to spend the next hour dueling with a Jounin who had no sense of propriety.

Instead she walked into the Hokage's office, not giving the fifth time to speak she declared "I NEED MY OWN MISSION"