For some funny reason, people have stigmatized that ninjas are able to protect an entire system while protecting civilians from any untimely danger.
Well, it was like that once. You could hire a considerable ninja of very good skill for a D + or C mission to get your mischievous cat out of a tree (Yes, Madame Shijimi, yes I am talking about Tora and you), but it is not how things happened anymore.
Let's go for a quick calculation of statistics. (Ino, strategy has nothing to do with statistics, God!).
The 4th Great Ninja War was responsible for the decrease of 39% of the ninja coefficient in Konoha, this counted between deaths and permanent disability. It's a big, very big number.
Let's continue. 2% retired for various reasons, because, well, war is not easy for a ninja!
Furthermore, it appears that bloody deaths, laceration, instability and abuse are very frightening, and thus, there was a drastic 79% decrease in enrollment for the ninja career in the early years of the academy.
That means that almost nobody woke up on a beautiful day and thought, maybe I want to be a ninja! Much less that the parents would pat the child on the back and say, I am so proud! Extracting the small part of children from traditionally Shinobi clans, no one else wanted to have anything to do with the military.
If that were not enough, the renegade ninjas who were not involved in the war with any nation, the bandits, the prisoners who took advantage of the security lapse in the villages, and all the rest of the ninja scum, had decided it was a good time to take advantage of the lack of good ninjas out there, and just got together to start a lot of heinous crimes everywhere.
This meant that, unless you were under 14, you would in no way receive missions of a character less than B-, which, hey again, this increased the risk by 80% from missions due to bruises or , well, death.
And I didn't even go into the issue of exhaustive journeys and missions amended without pause in the middle that also hospitalized many ninjas due to exhaustion and depletion of energy.
As much as this creates a harmful vicious circle, we cannot even blame mission managers and senior management positions because there is simply no other way out than to contain the damage as much as possible while creating an emergency plan to regain control of everything.
I would really like to understand why people think that after a war (not a battle), everything remains the same, with fun outings and everything, partying, celebrating, having fun, finding everything great because, oh, the worst passed on.
The war is not romantic, people die, people get sick, lose their arms, legs, lose their heads, and guess what, when you come home, nothing is normal, because it just doesn't happen.
War is pain, suffering, and what comes next are dire consequences that do not heal overnight.
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It was difficult for Ino to wake up that morning. It always was. She liked the unconscious inertia her body took on when she was sleeping, the way she just thought of nothing, enjoying the rebuilding of energy that every cell in her body went through.
Ino had not dreamed for five years. Sometimes voices broke out through her torpor, but she saw no image, since she had been induced to sleep soundly during the war. After that, as if she had put an iron band over her head, the dreams never came.
Anyway, it was feeling chills from the cold breeze entering the window that Ino woke up. She knew better than to just leave the window open while sleeping, it was dangerous and inconsequential, but sometimes, before going to sleep, Ino wondered if it was really worth getting back up. She knew it was stupid, she was grateful for her life, but she couldn't help thinking. So, from time to time, she did some foolish things to risk, if it were to happen, it would happen.
When her eyes opened to the darkness, still groggy from drowsiness, she felt a shiver run through her arms, sensitive to the cold nights of Konoha.
It was early, the hands of the clock determined that there was still an hour or two left until dawn, just enough time for her to prepare for the morning of training with Hibari-Sama.
During the bath, while the warm water ran through her muscles, Ino felt herself shiver at the touch of soap on the wounds she had forgotten to heal the day before. The purple spots on her arm didn't worry her much, but the thick lines of kunai on her neck, however superficial they were, would still form ugly scars.
Running smooth chakra-wrapped fingers over the wounds, she was able to quickly get rid of the small cracks, although she was unable to heal the largest one on her neck. It was useless to try to use chakra for skin repair now, there was not enough melanin production and the scar had already lost its epidermis, she would have to get used to the whitish overjet that had settled there, and hope that her hair would cover .
Ino had several of these now. Sometimes, she thought with a macabre irony in her childhood, when she refused to help in the flower shop without the proper use of gloves, afraid that a thorn could damage her perfectly immaculate skin.
Now, although she cared for good looks, she couldn't help the traces of the struggle from making its way through her skin. Most of them, small evidence of battle, were reduced and barely visible, a satisfactory replica of the use of Ino's medical ninjutsu, but there were still the big and ugly ones that appeared if looked for carefully.
When she got out of the shower and returned to the cold air, Ino was tempted to return to her warm covers. It had been a long time since she had been able to enjoy the comfort of her own bed, and it seemed that whenever she was back home, some indispensable commitment arose. Her items at home were so untouched that she was sure that there were enough layers of dust on the lower floors to kill someone with an allergy, and her refrigerator would probably need urgent cleaning.
Ino ran her blue eyes over her clothes, noting the purple outfit kept untouched in a corner. It had been so long since she had worn her ninja clothes. After the war she had rare opportunities to wear her Chunnin clothes, always alternating between the Anbus uniform or the Torture and Interrogation department uniform, and when none of them, simply dressed in anything comfortable that aligned with her state of exhaustion .
Now, no uniform seemed appropriate, and she found herself grabbing the purple fabric between her fingers. Probably no longer fit the developed body, especially considering that her figure was no longer as thin as it used to be, the result of scarcity of time to really maintain a decent diet, and the physical effort that had toned her muscles in a proportion that a skirt adolescent would not support.
Ino was no longer a girl, she was a woman.
Finally, she ended up taking out the black Anbu uniform pants from the closet, but her eyes lingered longer on the T-shirts.
People have always found Ino's plentiful display of skin inconvenient, but seeing her selection of T-shirts, she really couldn't find anything as useful as her sleeveless tops. She liked the freedom of movement and flexion that the lack of tissue provided for her, although she did not think it would be appropriate to train with the elders on her bare stomach.
Grabbing some spare bandages from a drawer, Ino raised an eyebrow, choosing a yellow top from her collection.
People have always found Ino's plentiful display of skin inconvenient, but seeing her selection of T-shirts, she really couldn't find anything as useful as her sleeveless tops. She liked the freedom of movement and flexion that the lack of tissue provided for her, although she did not think it would be appropriate to train with the elders on her bare stomach.
Grabbing some spare bandages from a drawer, Ino raised an eyebrow, choosing a yellow top from her collection.
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Walking through the Yamanaka complex, Ino felt the wind ruffle the hairs on her neck, happy for the warmers on her arm and the bandages on her stomach, but aware that as soon as the sun rose, she would need to get rid of the material so she wouldn't suffer from heat stroke with the absurd hot sun.
The climate in Konoha was as temperamental as a pregnant woman, and could surprise you with its dynamic variations.
Her compost was very quiet despite the rustle of leaves in the trees, fluttering, the pitch of darkness as if it were a mantle falling over in the dawn. It seemed very peaceful and reassuring to watch all the houses rebuilt after the war, and although the damage to her clan had been minimized by the actions of some retired ninjas who furnished the place at the time, there had still been grazes and collapses in some areas.
Lifting her head, Ino watched as Yamanaka's Inosho and Iamana youngest son gently landed in front of his house, an expression of relief that Ino had learned to recognize on her own face after arriving safely home. The boy must have been at most fourteen years old, but he had a very advanced ninja bearing.
"Good morning Ino-Sama." He whispered as loudly as he could, enough to get his attention but not so loud that it really made any noise.
Ino smiled, raising her hand in greeting. She didn't really remember the boy's name, but whenever she saw him he was very polite and greeted her with a huge smile, full of sympathy.
"Welcome back home." She whispered in response, sincere in her words. She cared for each of them, and although she was not intimate with everyone, it was her family.
Suddenly the door to the house opened, and Ino saw the figure of Iamana in her flowered nightgown by the yellowish glow of a lighted lamp. The woman sighed and took the children by the arm, burying her face in his neck and murmuring veiled thanks to the gods for bringing her son safely home.
The boy looked awkwardly at Ino and shook his head, being pulled by his mother inside, the door closing soon after.
Her heart sank. She remembered the same expression on Inoichi's face, his eyes heavy and his face contorted in pure relief every time Ino dropped her sandals by the door. Even at sixteen and fully aware that his daughter was a fully capable ninja, her father never rested properly when she was away. She thought of her mother, the dozens of candles lit in her room, and the heartbroken lament that her little girl was in such a dangerous world. She didn't understand the need for her precious little gem to need to do something like that. Inoichi was always in charge of whispering words of comfort in his wife's ear, even though his worried face gave away the rush.
Ino would never have that again.
When Asuma died, Ino felt her world being swallowed up. She had never felt the weight of death before, and added to the weight of guilt, it felt like lead burying her body. It hurt to watch the meeting of the Rookies without her Sensei's presence, it hurt not to be able to share her Shinobi anxieties with Asuma anymore. He was their support, he was responsible for their ninja ambition, he was the present example, and they were Asuma's children.
But Asuma died.
It hurt like hell, but her father was there. He offered his shoulder, and taught the ways of a ninja, he shared his own experience, and when Ino killed someone for the first time she had her father to comfort her crying.
And now she had no one.
She came to an empty house, and when she felt any kind of fear, she learned to deal with it on her own. She no longer had anyone to guide her, and Ino found that learning by making mistakes was painful but effective.
Asuma and Inoichi could no longer be her knights, and her mother would no longer be her queen.
Ino intensified her expression, almost forcing her brain to stop wandering, turning her thoughts to more useful things than brooding over something she couldn't change.
The Sepulcher of the Yamanaka clan was a large building, with several types of ornamental flowers, many of which would not even be conducive to living in an environment like Konoha, but which bloomed perfectly simple there.
This was where his father's body was truly buried, buried under thousands of flowers along with all the other Yamanakas. Not next to her mother as he would have wanted, but next to all the other leaders, where her own body would one day be, no matter how much her daughter cried and fought.
It was just beautiful, and despite the morbid context, Ino was at peace there. It was comforting, and a little bizarre, but she felt very close to her parents and all of her ancestors.
Next to the garden, a very large temple with white mahogany walls rose, and it was there that Ino looked forward to the presence of the elders, sitting on her knees on a cushion in front of three others, several candles lit irritating her nose.
When the sun started to rise, Ino started to get irritated. Hibari-Sama had ordered her presence before the sun came up, and now, seeing the golden glow bathing the whole scene and hearing the gradual hum of life from the rest of the clan, she wondered if she had heard correctly.
As expected, it was starting to get hot, and Ino took a heater off her arm, the other strategically posted to hide her Anbu brand.
It was only after, what she imagined to be, two hours past Hibari's deadline, when a droplet of infernal sweat slipped from her neck to the end of her spine leaving an itchy trail, that the three elders appeared through the door.
Ino just narrowed her eyes, choosing to remain wisely silent in pure respect for the code of conduct of a good lady, although her expression was very clear about her discontent.
"Happy to see you here, Yamanaka Ino." Inaia-Sama said, both hands hidden inside the sleeves of the traditional kimono, her very pale blond hair that almost reached her knees and the asymmetrical cut made her look intimidating.
Ino pursed her lips in a toothless smile.
"I keep my commitments Inaia-Sama, it's the right thing to do." She shot in a politicized tone, the crease in the other woman's forehead almost going unnoticed by her eyes.
"This is a good thing to hear, Ino-Chan. Commitment is a forgotten virtue these days, especially for you young people. "Yuta-Sama's face was much more passive, although Ino did not prevent her eyebrow from rising involuntarily.
Leave it to three crazy old folks to call their generation uncommitted after being late for nearly three hours.
Hibari-Sama led the way of the elders to the cushions in front of Ino, taking his place in the middle as the oldest of them, Inaia just to his right and Yuta to his left. Hibari's milky eyes looked serious but complacent, analyzing the shape of Kunoichi in front of him, as if he were really seeing even her soul, when Ino doubted that he could see a span in front of him. In the end, he cleared his throat and held out his hand to Inaia, who took a very simple white-covered book from inside her sleeve, slightly larger than her own hand.
There was something uncomfortable about being in this situation, even if it was expected, because I was in front of the most influential people in your clan, but it still caught you unprepared. She could hear every subtle breath of the elders, she could feel every nerve ending in her tense body that from time to time forced her to move a finger or her neck to ease the stiff muscles.
It took a few minutes, intense minutes, with Hibari-Sama just there staring at her, holding that book, Inaia with her eyes closed and her arms still crossed, and Yuta really looking like a character apart, sometimes looking out the windows, other times running his fingers through his hair.
In the end, Hibari-Sama cleared his throat and held out his hand with the book. Ino looked at the white cloak, and then back at Hibari, unwilling to grab it without the elder's explicit permission.
"This is the clan policy book, Ino. These are essential rules that cannot be broken, and that have governed all our people since the times when we lived on top of the mountains. You must know what awaits you, and the submission of having to choose among priorities that you will need to exercise in assuming your role as the leader of the Yamanakas. Take it, it's yours to keep until you have your firstborn child. "
Ino held out her hand, thin fingers curling around the hard cover of the book, feeling the irregularities of its edges.
"Above all, you are expected to know a lot about the fundamentals of our clan's techniques, we have no doubt about it, and for example we can take all of its powerful manifestations both in war and in your own work in the areas of Konoha intelligence. But, the complexity of the mind, Ino, that we can never explain to you. We were responsible for dissecting the most powerful organ in the human body. The mind is the most powerful weapon in a nation, as we all have it, but few know how to use it correctly. "Hibari held out his hand again to Inaia, and Ino followed the movement with trained eyes, absorbing the words of the elder.
From inside the sleeve, this time, Inaia took out a parchment, which, unlike the old book in her hand, looked very preserved and almost untouched, with golden details.
"This is the most powerful asset in our clan. On this scroll, there are three secret jutsus powerful enough to break a nation. I'll give you them Ino, for a month. You will have sufficient power in your possession to annihilate us, or to save us until your last breath of life. "
Ino looked again at the parchment, the simple piece of paper, and she suddenly felt anxious. She never had that much responsibility thrown in her face at once, and now having to garnish something like age-old techniques weighed like stones in her stomach.
"Yamanaka Ino, these techniques are not just ordinary Yamanaka jutsus, they are not something that can be taught. They are dangerous, and only you can learn this on your own. The mind is your playground, but it can also be your graveyard. The power that comes with this scroll can drive someone crazy, and the track record is not optimistic. "
Inaia's voice filled the room, her high tone very serious as she looked dead into Ino's eyes.
"Are you saying that I can go crazy? How, out of my mind? "Ino asked, looking at Hibari. She didn't feel confident enough to question Inaia, but in the end, it was Yuta who answered.
"Yes, Ino. The mind is a delicate maze, and before using any S-level technique on someone, you need to understand your own, so you don't lose it. There are reports of heirs who tried to understand the technique and lost their sanity, but we have faith that it will not happen to you. "
"You have a month to learn the techniques," Inaia said.
"What? What do you mean? "Ino raised her head, both eyebrows so arched they almost reached her scalp. Nobody talked about deadlines.
"What Inaia means is that the clan's techniques are only taught in the event of a mutual willingness to transfer the leader's title to some direct heir. In ordinary cases, the transfer would only take place when the heir learned the techniques, this could be within a month, a year, two, ten, as many as needed, as long as the previous head was still in a position to lead. "Hibari explained , the still voice.
"But we don't have a leader, so I don't have time." Ino concluded, acknowledging the situation, her shoulders tense.
Hibari nodded.
"In the current conditions of the village, we do not know when the appointment of a new Hokage will take place. We are on a destructive bias, and weekly meetings are held with all the heads of the clans. It's been five years since Inoichi's death, and five years since the Yamanakas have no representation or voting power at all, Ino. We cannot have a political isolation like that, the Nara and Akimichi have our backs, but they cannot be our voice for so long. There are rumors that the appointment of Uzumaki Naruto will be delayed, and the aptitude test will be checked by all the Leaders. We need to be there. "Yuta concluded.
Ino took in the new information, feeling like a rabbit trapped in the middle of lions, her face still impassive as if she were really pondering her options, when she knew she really had none. With the mention of Naruto's name, she hid her veiled interest, disliking the way Yuta suspiciously referred to him, as if he wasn't sure if Naruto deserved that position.
She knew that, by accepting all this new madness of leading a clan, the interests of her people would be over her individual interest, and that it really meant evaluating things with much less selfish eyes and doing things that might not be pleasant.
But still, when referring to the Hokage post, it was likely that even if Naruto presented himself dressed as a clown, her vote would be unyielding in favor of the blond's immediate possession. She simply did not believe that there was anyone with a superior ability to take the reins of Konoha.
"I understand." Ino replied. "I thought we were going to train." She added quickly, really remembering that even before this whole meeting, there was supposed to be training with Hibari-Sama.
"We are not going, not now. You have a month to learn these techniques, and we can't help you, but we can prepare you. Once a week you will have mental strengthening training with me, Yuta and Inaia. This is very important. We start next week. "
"What if I don't agree with any of these rules?" Ino asked, holding up the book.
"The clan rules are not negotiable." Inaia replied dryly.
"What if I don't agree with something? What happens if I can't learn the techniques? "
"So I'm afraid we'll have to give Santa or Daisuki a chance. It never happened before, but it would be the only option. We believe in you Ino. "Yuta said, a small smile on his pursed lips.
"Remember, child, the secret to a strong mind is to have your heart in the right place."
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When Ino managed to leave that temple, almost half an hour after watching the retreat of the elders and being released to do whatever she wanted for the rest of the week, it looked like someone had put the world on her back, and she could even swear that her spine was half curved.
Her body seemed forty times more tense than any spy mission she had ever been on before, and suddenly she felt very aware of the invisible weight of the book and the parchment in her pocket, as if they were too exposed, even if she knew with it. absolute certainty that nowhere could be more safe than under her surveillance.
Part of her rational mind thought that the training should start at that moment, and that she had to return home and find out what were the techniques that would decide her future, so that she could enhance the level of difficulty and unlock the best way of learning.
The other side of her mind, more peaceful yet still rational, made her leave the gate of her Compound, and take the quickest route to the center of the village, her steps involuntarily following a known path.
She did not know why every time she felt unstable or fearful, she always sought the Uzumaki boy's physical support. Ino had never been to his house during the day, it was something that just didn't happen, she preferred to stay away from the sagacious looks of the gossipy villagers, but at that moment, with her dizzy information mind, she was scared and just wanted to be able to share her screaming silence with someone who would not suffocate her.
When she reached the main road, Ino let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding, feeling much safer in the middle of the crazy movement in the center of Konoha. Involuntarily, she reached into her pocket, her fingers caressing the two precious objects in a casual motion.
The village market was full, and on the way, as she dodged hurried passers-by, she considered whether it really was a good idea to show up at Naruto's house so early. In her sane mind, it seemed that the percentages of something wrong happening were substantially higher than achieving the peace goal she was looking for.
It was when, from the peripheral vision, Ino saw an orange blur that caught her attention.
Through the glass of the steakhouse, Ino was able to see Naruto sitting without a care in the world, his back relaxed against the bench and both hands behind his head, while talking to Sakura in front of him, a giant smile on his face.
Ino wrinkled her nose, not really satisfied with having her plans foiled. Even though in the end she chose not to go to Naruto's house, she didn't like having the options out of her hand. Again.
It was not uncommon for Naruto to be seen hanging with Sakura, even after explicit rejections, the boy still professed his undying love for the billboard brow. Hinata's confession thrown to the corner.
In fact, to be honest, in one of their brief bedside conversations, Naruto had explained that Hinata was in his heart, and that he hadn't rejected the girl, just asked for time to get to know her enough to be able to reciprocate her feelings. .
Sometimes, when she had time, Ino would stroll through the village and actually see Naruto in some awkward encounter with the Hyuuga heiress, eating ice cream or strolling through the park.
Hinata was her friend, as was Sakura, and she felt bad about sharing moments with Naruto without their knowledge. It was as if she was betraying the trust they had, and she knew that her actions would cause painful hurt, even though there was no feeling at all in their relationship.
Even so, that did not stop Ino frowning in annoyance seeing Sakura bite the straw of the juice she was drinking, much less prevented her eyes from rolling when she saw the slight flush in the hyperactive ninja's mouthpieces with the simple movement of the pink.
Maybe Ino was too engrossed at the moment, and how ridiculous her two friends looked in the whole platonic lovey dovey scene, but it took a few humiliating seconds for her to notice Uchiha Sasuke's dark presence beside Sakura, the shadows of the ambience camouflaging the man.
Her face was still tied in a disgusted grimace when her eyes caught the younger Uchiha's arched brow, his expression of pure boredom looking almost puzzled staring at her.
Ino returned the look, refusing to be the first to look away from the Uchiha, a silent war of power and stubbornness taking shape.
Uchiha SasuKe had become an undeniably attractive man, in the same proportions as he was a bastard. That is, he was very handsome. Maybe it was his arrogant aura, or the fact that he was a cold traitor who fed Ino a violent grudge every time she saw the Uchiha, but something just triggered a rage that was difficult to mask.
Sasuke's situation was complicated, and Ino really knew very little about it. She was aware that the last Uchiha was inspected daily, and every week she felt his presence on the premises of the Interrogation department.
He went through frequent analyzes, through the hands of Ibiki, and through the hands of her cousin Daisuki, and although she knew that jobs like this were her specialty, she understood that her past proximity to the boy generated doubts about her ability to work.
Not that it was going to interfere in her performance in any way, but she understood the reasons.
The passion she felt for Uchiha Sasuke was dead and buried, even though in the end she had turned her face away from the black eyes, because something in those irritating eyes made her want to run back to the hole she had come from.
"Yamanaka."
Ino shivered, the golden hairs on her arm stood up like a frightened cat, Hyuuga Neji's very calm voice always seemed so flat and serious that it was unmistakable, even without looking.
"Damn Neji, are you watching me?" Ino asked, indignation palpable as her hands automatically went to her hips, her neck spinning to actually find Hyuuga's imperturbable figure in his impeccable ninja clothes, his arms drooping beside the body.
Neji frowned.
"I thought you knew I was here, I didn't want to interrupt your connection with Uchiha."
"Connection? With the Uchiha? God, I would rather have a connection with a mangy dog than reach less than two meters from the bastard. "
"Ino-Chan!"
"God, kill me."
Unlike Neji, Naruto's voice was unmistakable and at least three-quarters louder than any cacophony in the environment. There he was, a stupid smile on his face, closely followed by Sakura - still sucking on the damn straw of juice - and a hateful Uchiha with an expression of death, even if she was a necromancer, she could almost feel the vibes of "I don't I want to be here" leaving his body.
Ino was out of luck. If she tossed a coin, she would probably go back to her own eye.
Hi guys, I'm back. Sorry for the delay. Know that I read each comment very affectionately, and I am very happy with everything, each criticism is very important to me.
I still feel very insecure about writing, I know a lot about English, but little about storytelling and the way of writing. But I am doing my best.
These first chapters are very boring, but necessary, it is basically introductory chapters for you to be able to understand the plot.
Please don't give up on me!
About couples, I'm still not sure of anything, but let's see how it will flow.
