Everywhere that Ino went, Sakura went harder. Ino had been the best kunoichi of her year, the most popular girl around, and one of the kindest people in the village. She had saved Sakura, and been strong enough to initially take charge of her team.

But Ino was, essentially, a fairly normal human being, and thus she was forever doomed to fall short of Sakura.

Sakura always ran at everything full tilt. And whilst she was running no one could catch up with her; her family had given up trying years ago, her remaining team mates could only stand back and watch, and her friends would forever be left swirling in the eddies. She charged into obstacles with a recklessness that should have broken her neck; confessing her love to an indifferent boy, standing up when she knew she could only lose, befriending the monster in the village's closet, and facing down demons.

And then she got serious.

Every day she was at Tsunade's bringing to dead to life, bringing death to the alive, before carefully dodging a legend's killer blows. She would meet up with Ino sometimes afterwards, body freshly patched together, and eagerly discuss the new technique she was working on. Ino would smile, and reply with the new outfit she had seen at the shops and would Sakura like to come shopping with her? Sakura laughed, and asked whether she would have complete freedom of movement in the outfit. Ino said no, but that she would look damn hot.

Ino won that argument, because Ino was still Ino, no matter how Sakuraish Sakura was.

For a while they were fairly even: Ino killed her first target before Sakura did, but Sakura killed three her first time. Ino got her first boyfriend before Sakura, but Sakura had a true love who she was working hard for every day. Sakura was made chuunin at the same time as Ino, but no one ever talked about Ino's match, whilst the pretty pink blur of death was well known.

Then Sakura overlapped her.

Sakura was the best kunoichi of their year, leaving Ino and Hinata behind in a trail of blood and sweat. Sakura knew more people than Ino could count, collecting their life-binding friendships as she came back from various missions. Sakura's obsession drove her ever onwards and once again Ino was left trailing behind. Sakura saved lives, and saved demons, and was recognised by the most elite ninjas from two villages.

Meanwhile Ino skulked around, spying and collecting information, making false friendships in order to get close to the targets, and never, ever being remembered.

And after it all, Sakura might shake and cry and her carefully sewn up body would fall apart, and then it was Ino who would pick her back up, with either hugs or pseudo-harsh words, and Sakura would either throw her arms around Ino's neck in a strangling hug, or plant her feet firmly and scream back, and even then Ino felt Sakura was more real than herself, because Sakura was going to be remembered dammit, and she was going to get what she wanted, and she was going to make sure everyone knew not to get in her way.

Then, once she had cried her tears out, she would kiss Ino on the cheek and dance back off to the battlefield, to her brightly lit blood-red future.

And Ino would smile, and arrange the flowers in her mother's shop whilst thinking about what type of poison to use in her next recon mission, and tell herself that this was all she ever wanted.

And maybe, one day, if she said it enough times, she would believe it.