Ino bit into a yawn for what seemed like the tenth time in ten minutes.

The interminable journey, the fruitless and repetitive training with the clan jutsus, and the stress were taking a brutal toll on her body, and she was being carried away with every minute that passed further into exhaustion.

It would take them another day to reach their destination, a village on the border of the Land of Wind, although she estimated that they had already passed through Suna in the west earlier in the morning, hundreds of kilometers ago.

The camp scene was much more chaotic than the night before, and Ino said a very quick but very desperate prayer to Kami to confirm the theory of her sense of location and that they were in fact almost crossing the country, because she would have a spontaneous collapse if she needed to sleep in the sand again.

Ino squinted to where the Uchiha had set up a kind of tent with a canvas that he pulled out of who knows where, the dark fabric almost like a gaudy point in the middle of the sandy terrain. It was so cold that her chin was quivvering involuntarily and the buffeting wind would not even allow a fire to be lit, providing a painful contrast to the searing, dry day that had burned her skin and forced her to wear a very good t-shirt wrapped around her head and on her face, as if she were a centenary hermit.

She hated Wind Country.

Much.

Ino remembered the embarrassed and platonic flirtations with the Kazekage when she was 16, which were stopped immediately the minute Ino actually had to spend more than a week in Suna during a mission.

It was actually a funny thing to remember the old pre-war days. That memory in particular was something that involuntarily pulled a smile on her face, the brazen advances she made in Gaara, , who seemed to accept and sometimes even return. Well, later Ino discovered thats this was just Gaara being polite, totally oblivious to what Ino's looks and flirtations meant.

In the end she thanked him for his social ineptitude, because nothing could have made her accept the miles of sand entering places completely outside her body.

The Uchiha, on the other hand, didn't seem so bothered by the wind carrying sharp grains all over his face, and was at that moment propped up on a dune, with his eyes closed and his arms crossed, despite the tent perfectly erected two centimeters from his side, ready to be used.

Ino could tell that he was not sleeping, even though he had been petrified in that same position for more than two hours.

She had left him in the first moments of her vigil to go behind another dune - well it was the only thing there, just one of several heaps of sand - and had repeated the same stupid training from the day before. When Ino returned - in tatters - the man was still unperturbed as if he were a wax doll.

It was almost inhuman.

Either way, she was tired, but her patrol shift was not close to ending.

Another gust rocked her body and this time she was unable to hide the faint yawning sound that escaped her mouth.

She was almost wishing that the Uchiha would provoke her in some way, with any kind of sarcastic comment, just to distract her for the remaining half hour so she could crawl into the perfect tent screaming her name. But he didn't move, not even an inch.

"Why are you out here?" She murmured grudgingly, admitting her defeat.

At first he did not answer, feeding the disturbing silence broken only by the shrieks and whistles of the wind, but when he eventually realized that Ino would not stop looking at him, he opened his eyes and looked at her, as if it were a stupid question.

"I don't trust you to keep guard." He said simply, and closed his eyes again.

Ino waited with a frown for a complement to the meaningless sentence, when she realized that there would be none.

"Wait, what? Are you watching me to make sure I'm watching?" Ino asked, incredulous.

"You leave in the first few minutes of your shift, then come back without any sense of alertness and with a scarcity of chakra that would make you the victim of a squirrel if it showed its teeth." He replied impassively.

"That's not true!" Ino replied, offended. "I'm aware of my job, I don't need a supervisor, thanks."

Sasuke opened his eyes again and uncrossed his arms, finally seeming to pay the least bit of attention to the kunoichi.

"I have enough knowledge about the area to know that the mercenaries in this region are thirsty for any silver coin. It surprises me that we have not been attacked so far, but we will be at some point, so I think it is ethical for you to drop your... one-sided fun, because I have a lot more chakra reserve than yours, but at one point or another I'll need to sleep and I won't be able to double shift to make sure your head isn't bitten off by a squirrel. "

Ino froze, her eyes opening a little more than usual, her mouth wide open as if she wanted to say something, although she couldn't come up with anything.

The hard cut in the Uchiha's voice had been a painful blow to her ego, and although the poisonous suggestion was very disparaging, he was not wrong. Of course, Ino would not be daunted by any petty attack, the Uchiha analogy being an idiotic understatement - she loved squirrels! - but her chakra reserves were indeed questionable, and although she trusted that no harm would come during her watch, she couldn't really guarantee it.

She was being negligent here, and she knew there was too much on her plate, which resulted in compounding the negligence. But she didn't think the Uchiha would notice that. Or care, for that matter.

Ino knew she could handle whatever was thrown at her, and she wouldn't die from a stupid attack in the middle of nowhere, but the bastard was not wrong. Damn him.

She didn't answer, choosing to lean against her backpack instead. Sasuke had already returned to his original position, making it clear that he was not expecting any response, or anything in general.

Ino felt uncomfortable, and although she knew she didn't need to defend her qualification and honor to someone like the Uchiha, she almost tripped over the words when she glanced at him.

"I wouldn't let you die here. Or me. Or anyone, during a mission, I meant," she murmured, kicking herself for her stupidity.

"You wouldn't want to leave, that doesn't mean it wouldn't happen." Sasuke replied after an awkward silence, and the deep voice, although it was not trying to be heard, sounded almost like thunder in Ino's ears. "Let it go, Yamanaka."

Ino bit the inside of her cheek and played with a handful of sand, regretting the feel of the sticky skin from the grains running down her joints.

"You know, years ago I would have died to be the girl on a mission with Uchiha Sasuke." She murmured, and frowned at herself in the same second. She didn't want to say it out loud, but it seems that her body was doing many things unintentionally.

Sasuke didn't say anything, nor did he show any recognition of the subject, and Ino thought that maybe he hadn't heard, even though that thought was more unpleasant than she would have imagined. For some reason, Ino felt an unusual need to be able to speak and be heard. She blamed the harrowing sensation of being in a place with lonely vibrations, like the desert was feeling in that moment.

When Ino resumed speaking, her voice was tired, like a constant hum, although her eyes were locked on a beetle that dug the earth beside her, not even seeming to be connected with what she was talking about.

"For many years you were the parameter that defined who I was. I chose the color of my clothes to match yours, and my appearance to please your taste. I tried to love tomatoes because you loved them, and I was so sad because I preferred cherry tomatoes much more than the ordinary ones. Even nowadays I am not in the habit of eating candies because you hated it, and I can't look at a stick of dango without remembering your grimace when I was younger. " Ino shook her head and looked away at the sky.

Sasuke didn't move, but opened his eyes, a tiny crease between his eyebrows indicating his unease with the facts. He was not ignorant of this, and he could remember one or two events back in his childhood that illustrated what Yamanaka was talking about. He just didn't understand how the subject had slipped into an emotional retrospective. Sasuke was sure that he had left no gap that could be diverted to the moment they were now. He was still gathering something to say that might excuse his presence when Ino spoke again, his mind too slow for her.

"I really did it all, but never in my ninja training. I was at the top of the class next to you, on my merit. On my talent. I was as good as you, sometimes better, much better. I was always 10 out of 10. My grades were impeccable, my skills were incredible, I had full knowledge of my clan's jutsus long before any other brat my age did. I knew how to possess someone's mind before you even woke up your sharingan. Oh, I know that, I wrote it down, I was happier for you than I was for my achievements, I had a note in my notebook so I could remember all the celebrations. A week, a month, a year of your sharingan, all because I knew how important it was to you. I never thought it was overkill, I had a family to care for me, and you had nobody. " Ino stopped her sentence too late, looking quickly at Sasuke, not insensitive enough to inadvertently hurt him. But he showed no reaction beyond the hard line on his lips. Ino could read a thousand meanings in his body language, but none that she could understand. "I wanted to be someone for you, so you could have someone in me."

She put her hand in the sand again, it was already dirty so it didn't matter, and it was a pleasant distraction. She needed to be distracted by something.

"But for some reason, you were the prodigy and I was the petty one. Equal skill was not enough. It was my fault. I let that happen." Ino said softly, realizing with surprise that she actually still remembered the past fondly, and not with the nausea of shame that she used to feel. "You grew up a powerful ninja. But what happened is that while you went down the despicable path of power, I had my own path. I am not weak, I never was, but without you as the icon to unconsciously determine who I should be, I think I was lost for a long time. Sometimes, I think I was happier before. In the meanness. But I am strong, and I am proud of it. "

Sasuke turned his face to look at her and the movement caught the attention of Ino, who turned her face to see him too. They stayed like that for long minutes, in silence, just looking, almost like strangers seeing each other for the first time.

Ino noticed how Sasuke's hair moved with the wind, Rinnegan's eye looking at her indecipherably. She found herself counting the black spots in the lavender, an afterthought about how she had never actually stopped to analyze the man's... acquisition.

She liked black orbs better.

"I'm not." He said at last, and Ino looked confused.

"Pardon?"

"I am not proud of my power. Or of how I achieved it." Sasuke looked at Ino's mouth when she slid her tongue across her dry lips, although she couldn't tell the direction of his gaze from that distance. "I grew up in someone's shadow too"

"Your brother?"

He did not say anything, but his silence confirmed the question. Ino looked up at the sky again, Sasuke mirroring the movement, almost influenced.

It somehow made sense, and she almost understood more than she wanted. In a distorted and very pronounced way, they were not so different.

"You don't need to know who you are now. The journey does that for you before you can realize it, or like it." Sasuke spoke after a few minutes of meditative silence.

Ino looked back at Sasuke, her blue eyes suddenly looking much darker than normal.

"Is that what you're doing? Finding out who you are?" she played along, her voice a lot rougher than she intended, almost as if it were an accusation.

Sasuke shook his head, a discrete movement that was practically imperceptible, and if it weren't for the silver moonlight, Ino would have almost missed it.

"Redemption," he said, and turned to look at her fully.

Ino smiled, a sadistic giggle escaping her throat, which made Sasuke frown. For some reason, he was talking about personal matters with Yamanaka, something he didn't even imagine in the most remote and sickly part of his head, and now in reality the woman was laughing in his face. At the very least, he was insulted.

"It's a beautiful word, for sure. For cowards," she explained.

"Is remission stupid to you?" he asked irritably.

"What do you want the atonement for all the evil you did for? To be able to live comfortably with a light conscience? Our world is not like that, Uchiha. We cannot seek redemption for every failure we have, for every decision ... for every death. Accidental, purposeful. None."

"You weren't where I was, you didn't see what I saw, you didn't do what I did." Sasuke grunted, his previously unmoved body language being replaced by tension.

Ino straightened her spine, but her eyes softened at the sight of the man. He looked almost lost, and for the first time she could see behind the cold visage, the despair veiled behind the intense eyes.

"Redemption is an excuse for you to live peacefully with your past, Sasuke. We cannot be forgiven for what we live. Or for our lives. Our mistakes will be a cross that we must carry, it will be with us forever. We will never live in peace, but happiness can be achieved when we stop living for it. " Ino looked for something in Sasuke's eyes, strolling between the black onyx and the lilac spheres. "And we learn to live despite that."

"You do this?"

"I should?"

Sasuke said nothing, and Ino decided not to wait for an answer after a few minutes, contenting herself with his simple presence and the howling wind between them.

"Yamanaka."

"Hm?" Ino blinked, the lashes feeling heavy.

"How much do you hate me?"

"I don't hate you, Uchiha. I'm just mad at you. Hate is a very serious thing for people who are never sure if they will ever see tomorrow again. You're not worth it."

Snuggled up against her backpack, Ino didn't even notice when sleep won the battle, but if she was awake, she would definitely have had one or two things to say when Sasuke wrapped his arm under her knees and behind her back, carrying her to the makeshift tent, where sand slipped from her hair onto the pillow.

And if it weren't for that, the confused and sublime expression with which Sasuke watched her for a very long time, surely would have caught her attention.

.

.

Ino woke up abruptly, trying desperately to inhale the air. She felt tremendous pressure on her stomach, as if someone had deliberately sat on top of her to prevent her breathing.

However, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was still dark, and she had to get up on her elbows to take note of her surroundings.

Everything seemed very reasonable and exactly as it had been when she closed her eyes, but for some reason she couldn't feel the Uchiha's presence anywhere.

She checked one, two, three times, a then quick scan and a more thorough one to make sure there was really no sign of his chakra.

Getting up quickly, she pushed the tent's canvas away to go out into the cold air, proving that the only person in the camp was herself. Ino brought her hand to her thigh, her fingers touching the cold metal of the kunai.

That was when a flash of gold in the corner of her eyes caught her attention and she quickly went into a defensive position, an entire dictionary of swear words coming out of her mouth as she realized it was a person, a totally random and unknown one.

"I see you, damn it!" She screamed, her fingers flexing in tension on the weapon's handle.

"I see you, too!"

Ino narrowed her eyes when a woman came out of the trees. She was tall, her blond hair was short at the jaw, but it was her eyes that gave her identity. And although the recognition was almost instantaneous, the grip on the kunai intensified, and Ino's heart sped up.

"What the hell?" Looking her dead in the eye with a giant smile, there was a disturbing version of herself.

It was a taller, more mature Ino, with lines in her facial expression, a thin, whitish scar running down from her left eyebrow to her neck, crossing the entire side of her face, but basically a perfect spitting image of herself.

"KAI!" Ino said immediately, her features coarsening when nothing happened.

"Oh dear, this is not a jutsu, I am-"

"Me." Ino completed in disbelief. "How? Where's Sasuke at?"

"Uchiha." She corrected. "Not here."

"Where, I asked."

Ino moved away as her bizarre version approached, and she hissed when she realized that the rest of her weapons were still inside the tent, although her chakra was strangely fully powered.

"Not here." She repeated. "You don't have to be afraid, I won't hurt you, I already told you. I'm you."

"What does that mean?" Ino asked frustratedly.

"Let's say your little training had consequences. You know, Ino, you were very careless with your own mind."

Ino looked suspiciously, her position softening a little.

"That worked?"

A laugh filled the room.

"Oh, no, dear. Not at all. It was a miserable mistake."

Ino blinked confusedly and suddenly the image of the woman disappeared and reappeared right in front of her.

"But don't worry, I'm here now," the woman whispered and a shiver ran over Ino's scalp.

.

.

.

When Ino woke up, well, truly this time, she felt like she was reliving everything again, with her chest rising and falling desperately in search of oxygen. Ino would have cringed in terror if it weren't for the sight of Sasuke staring strangely at her.

"Yamanaka, it's time to go." Uchiha seemed to repeat it and Ino closed her eyes, running a hand over her sweaty face, swallowing to calm the rush in her chest.

Sasuke frowned at that.

"What's your problem?."

When Ino didn't respond, her breathing still heavy, Sasuke's expression deepened and the man crouched down beside her, his eyes darting over her in search of something that could indicate what was wrong.

Say something

"I'm fine, I'm ... fine." Ino said quickly, wincing at the voice in her head.

Sasuke stopped to gaze into Ino's face, looking suspicious, only pulling away when she started to get up.

"Give me ten minutes to get ready." Ino said, standing up with a silent groan.

Sasuke hesitated before leaving the tent, pressing a point of tension between his eyebrows. His head was aching, the two sleepless nights were taking their toll in one way or another.

He had spent the night listening to the woman's snorting inside the tent amid uneasy and disconnected murmurs. It had been annoying in the early hours, but it had become almost fun in the gloomy night, although now it seemed that Yamanaka was not having such fun.

"Come on." Ino passed him a few minutes later, establishing a comfortable run across the top of the sand dunes, the slight hitch in her steps not going unnoticed by Sasuke.

.

.

.

Fuya was a large village, but nothing comparable to the size of Konoha, or any of the other capital cities. In fact, the Land of Stone was very pleasant; even though it shared a border with Wind, it had no trace of sand, an extremely pleasant fact for Ino, and despite the symbolic name, the roads were greenish. The only things related to rocks were the gigantic mountains flanking the whole landscape, like a valley.

The small village of Daima, on the other hand, was very small and far from the metropolises, but Ino felt as if she had reached the end of the rainbow when she saw the inviting little houses. She would have almost vocalized her joy if she hadn't been so tired.

"This one is empty," Ino whispered over her shoulder to Sasuke, pushing on the window of a two-story house.

It was a beautiful, furnished house, although the appearance of it indicated that it had not been inhabited for at least a month, and Ino almost felt at home with the layers of dust and the smell of moldy fabric.

"I thought that trespassing didn't fit Konoha's moral standards." Sasuke said looking cautiously around.

"You will notice that Anbu, otherwise, has standards, but few morals," Ino replied with a smile. "We need to change clothes. It's a civilian village, walking in like ninjas would be like hanging a target on our backs."

"Do it fast, the indications point to our target's meeting being today." Sasuke murmured up the stairs to the second floor.

"I know, I'm the leader around here, in case you forgot!" Ino shouted, watching him disappear from view.

With a tired sigh, she followed the same path, noting that the house was much larger than it initially appeared from the outside. Ino went into an empty room, thanking Sasuke for leaving her alone to do her own thing. If it were Shikamaru, the man would be lying down behind her so that he could organize a strategy and achieve it simultaneously, saving time, effort and energy- his favorite style.

For a minute, she let the silly thought steal a smile from her.

In the middle of the room there was a large bed, and Ino was very tempted to rest her head on the fluffy pillows to regain her vigor, but she had to be content with the hot spray on her aching muscles in the shower of the adjoining bathroom. It was as satisfying as she imagined after three days of traveling through random terrain.

Her head felt strangely light and calm, despite the foreign manifestation of her psyche that she had accidentally invoked. She had no idea how to get rid of her mental form or how the hell she had come about, let alone what the hell she meant.

What she knew was that it was a total pain in the ass and she needed to get rid of it soon.

With a relieving sigh, Ino rubbed her hair, sending the dust and sand running down her neck and body, until she felt she was clean.

Bathing was always her most sacred ritual, the moment when she was able to relax and think, even in the middle of an S-level mission.

Ino was used to reconnaissance missions, and she knew there was nothing more innocent than the image of a pretty girl in a dress and slippers. The yellow cloth was like a decoy that accentuated the color of her own hair, cascading down her back, her bangs pulled back to give a good view of her face.

And just in case it was necessary, Ino was sure to leave a good space of skin uncovered on her legs to have something to play with in some situations that she had created in her head.

"You look so ... Uchiha." Ino mumbled when Sasuke walked down the hall in black pants and shirt. He looked exactly the same as always, attractive despite his dark face. "Come here."

"Yamanaka, what are you doing?" Sasuke spoke uncomfortably when Ino applied an alarming amount of hair gel on her hands and approached him. The man grabbed the thin wrists in his hands to stop her from advancing, his brows furrowed.

"Patting that duck's butt down on your head. It may be surprising to you, Uchiha, but some people may recognize one of the heroes of the new world. At least you got rid of the thing in your eye" Ino said, indicating both Sasuke's now black eyes, breaking free of the grip to rub the strands of hair on the back of his head.

Sasuke did not move, his arms falling at his sides as he looked away from Ino's bust, while she stretched to touch the back of his neck, the difference in height forcing her to go up on her tiptoes, her neckline wrinkled in front of his eyes. She did not seem to notice the awkward position, the expression focused on what she was doing, although Sasuke could not be quite sure that she was totally unconscious of their situation. Yamanaka's cunning personality was something to keep in mind.

"That's enough," he commanded and pulled away, suddenly hating the pallor of his skin, turning around so the woman wouldn't see the stupid blush in his ears.

"It could have been better, but no one will look at you from my side." Ino sighed, taking a small long-handled bag and placing it on her shoulder.

Sasuke didn't respond, but the dismay on his face was a palpable indication of his skepticism.

The walk to the center of the village was quick and pleasant, and Sasuke seemed very aware of his surroundings, analyzing the entire landscape carefully. Ino, on the other hand, was distracted and relaxed, reading a pamphlet about the tourist spots in the village.

"They have a zoo!" she said suddenly, pointing to a random image on the piece of paper.

"We are on a mission, Yamanaka." Sasuke grunted. "It's not a vacation."

"Wow, I almost forgot, your presence is so pleasant that it almost made me feel like I was on a spring break." Ino replied sarcastically. "I know that we are on a mission, but it is unusual for two people to visit a tiny place like this. We need a backup facade in case anyone doubts it."

"People will only assume that we are a visiting couple. It is a village famous for its matchmaking shaman." Sasuke said, taking the pamphlet from Ino's hand, then frowned.

"How the hell do you know that?" she asked.

Sasuke nodded to a large decorative plaque, saying "Welcome to the home of the matchmaking shaman!" in flashy cursive letters on the village's main street.

"Oh."

Pay attention Ino

Ino quickly closed her eyes, making a face at the voice in her head.

The village was very busy despite its tiny size, which Ino quickly found to be justified by the Agni Kai fact, the number of couples passing them was much greater than the people who walked alone on the street, and Sasuke and Ino mixed together more than they would like.

"Here it indicates that the target is Tabu Hyuna, but the photo is very outdated." Ino murmured the last part, noting just now that the file indicated the photo dated from three years ago.

Ino gently slid the image across the table, crossing her legs and smiling in the most relaxed and natural way possible, as if showing Sasuke an itinerary.

They had stopped by a cafe near a square. Ino found the menu of teas and cakes interesting, despite having ordered a savory pie, and even with all the tables occupied, the conversation was soft and whispered; no one was as loud as in Konoha.

"His physiognomy cannot have changed much, this man does not look like someone who would go on a diet." Sasuke said, looking at the stark image of the bearded man, the volume of his body a mess of muscle and fat.

Ino raised both eyebrows, almost surprised by Uchiha's attempt at humor. "Intelligence got the information that Mr. Tabu is going to be in a bar tonight, but it is not clear who he is going to meet, probably some potential bandits." Ino looked up at Sasuke. "Our mission is to gather information about Mr. Tabu's involvement with a Mr. Damuda, one of the nominees to be the leader of an expanding organization that is responsible for the mass murder of smaller villages. It is not to capture, nor kill, nor get close to other criminals. Just gather information. "

Will you be able to do that?

Ino scoffed, the scorn escaping louder than she intended, drawing Sasuke's attention.

"I have no problems with direct orders, Yamanaka." Sasuke spoke, returning the information file.

Ino folded the paper and put it in the bag, propping one elbow on the table and holding her chin in the palm of her hand, unconsciously bringing a fingernail to her teeth as she tried to keep the annoying whistles out of her head.

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes running over the attentive face of the woman in front of him. There was something wrong with Yamanaka.

Since the beginning of the mission, she had always displayed a distant and cold image, and she never bothered to make clear her unhappiness at participating in anything with him. It hadn't changed much, but unlike the explicit and intentional anger at the beginning, now Ino's obliviousness seemed greater, she seemed almost apprehensive.

Despite this, he was able to classify Ino's company as ... tolerable. It was a surprise, but Yamanaka did not insist on meddling in his business and in the rare moments when they actually talked, he never found himself bothered or waiting for it to end. In fact, he found himself enjoying the conversation.

He dropped his gaze lower, where the yellow fabric of the dress slid down a velvet thigh and narrowed his eyes.

There was something sensual about the woman that brought stupid impulses to his body, something he didn't approve of, but grudgingly, he couldn't help but notice.

Sasuke rose abruptly from his chair, his expression dark with thoughts. The movement caught the attention of Ino, who looked at him strangely.

"What?"

"Let's go." Sasuke said, dropping some coins on the table and waiting for a confused Ino to get up to accompany him.

"What is wrong?" Ino fell in at a slow pace beside the Uchiha, as she was not inclined to run after the boy. Sasuke seemed to understand this by slowing his steps so they could walk side by side. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked at her out of the corner of his eye, one eyebrow raised.

"Are we informal now?"

Ino crossed her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes.

"I did not mean that." She mirrored his image arching an eyebrow, slowly clicking her tongue as she spoke. "Uchiha."

Ino was about to comment again on the little scene in the cafe when her eyes thought to capture a ghost of a smile on the man's face, and for that brief second she felt the need to look more closely, leaning forward a little so that she could see Sasuke's face openly.

It was at that moment that Sasuke wrapped an arm around her waist, giving a slight tug that caused her to bump the side of the man's body, an involuntary sigh escaping Ino's lips.

Ino looked shocked at Sasuke, the feeling soon changed to confusion and then anger when she tried to walk away.

"Chill," he whispered, his face approaching inches from her face.

"What are you doing?" Ino asked, cursing herself mentally when she felt the flush on her face.

Isn't that what you want?

"What?" Ino took a breath trying to push Sasuke, which made him hold her tighter.

"Yamanaka," he groaned, his eyes straying to some point to his left. "I said chill."

Ino followed the look and realization hit her, her body automatically softening against Sasuke, her expression more relaxed.

Less than ten meters away from their conjoined stroll, the burly man, with an image precisely identical to the one in the mission information documents, walked alongside a beautiful woman, a vague look at them until the man seemed to realize that there was nothing but another couple doing their gummy things.

Ino turned to Sasuke, a flirtatious smile playing on her lips, while covering the arm that was around her waist with her own hand.

"And luck smiles on us."


WHAT'S UP GUYS! I'm back!

This chapter was really fun to write, and this time I had the help of my newest BETA aka super amazing newest friend aka sensational aka I don't know how I was doing it without you, ILUMINADO !

Seriously, this guy is awesome, he did a lot of supervision and I'm so happy about it. Thank you very much, the notes helped me a lot.

For this chapter we have our part II (we will still have part III - and final - which will explain what the hell was going on with Ino in the previous chapter), and a little more Sasuke-Ino interaction.

We see that things are really weighing on Ino's head, and Sasuke's presence is a totally different thing that she never dealt with. She doesn't quite know how to act, she is not the outgoing and talkative Ino, but all the external factors do not allow her to simply ignore the Uchiha. The result of that? INTERACTION!

Let's see how this mission ends. It is an important thing that Sasuke does well and shows that he is capable of getting back on track. For that he will need to demonstrate to Ino that he is trustworthy, but the whole situation is not very inclined to that lol poor Sasuke

I miss Naruto too, I can't wait for them to finally be in the village all together and we can finally see how they will react to each other back to everyday life.

Now let's go to my loyal (and new) readers. I missed you so much !

Guest I - I don't really know what you mean, but ok lol thanks

BJJF691 - aaaahhh I understand hahaha, it's an interesting way of looking at things. Don't you like drama? because I think there will be a lot lol

LeahMfkn'Clearwater - Hello my dear friend. Yes! I love to write this evolution between the relationship, although I always think that I am being very abrupt. Ino has changed a lot because of the war, and I think that although she is not that bubbling bubble, I don't want it to be too dark either.

And yes, about sexual tension: Come on, even in real life, if you are around someone super hot, you react in some way, even if it means being super embarrassed. For Ino it is natural to play with this, because well, she is hot too and has a natural confidence in these aspects. As for Sasuke, he's used to women all over him, and the way Ino is hot, he doesn't mind getting into that game a bit, although he pulls away when he realizes that it could be something more serious. (We can see it in the scene where Ino does his hair.)

Yes it is! I love the ShikaIno relationship too, the friendship I say. I think they are like brothers, but they ended up walking away a little later, because I see that Shikamaru was always much more rational and Ino much more emotional, and I think they lead with the loss of different ways, and ended up walking away accidentally . But I will make it all go back to heaven. At any moment. I think: 3

ANYWAY THANKS FOR BEING HERE FOR ME MY DEARRRR

Acronym: Heyyyy yoooouuu! Jesus, don't even tell me, the pandemic never ends here in Brazil, it only gets worse T_T

My God, writing Sasuke for me is so difficult, because no matter how he is, it's still difficult to predict how his reactions to things would be.

I'm trying to be light on the SasuIno relationship transaction here, but I think that during a mission they wouldn't have much choice and would need to be at least civilian, or it would be hell and end up compromising everything. I managed to soften Ino a little in this chapter, because I think that despite being much more mature and introspective, and less bubbly and super cheerful as we are used to, Ino still needs to find her balance and understand who she is.

Not the Ino shaped for Sasuke. Neither does Ino who people expect her to be, always a flirt and an extrovert. Not even the bitter and dark Ino it would be after the war. I think Ino is like a balance between it all.

Yes it is! I totally hate how Ino is antagonized even though she has had the same training as Sakura. Well, considering she has a Yamanaka lineage and a much higher ninja propensity, I always thought it would be obvious that she would have incredible abilities, but Kishimoto only killed me inside with her weak development. Not that it's Sakura's fault, since Kishi also described her as being a total useless bitch because he obviously wasn't much interessed in having a female protagonist, using the Kunoichis just as love interests for the males one.

Anyway, I'm just trying to give Ino what would be rightfully hers. lol THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS SUPPORT ME!

megan:Yeah, we always love Sasuke hahaha, thanksss

Guest II: I appreciate that, thankss

Guest III: Gracias!

erikalu53006: Thank you so much for your support! I'm glad you like it. Unfortunately we will only know in the next chapter what will happen to Ino and the muscular man. Hehehehe, I hope you like it

Blacklivesmatte: Well, I can't say that I updated soon, but I'm here now! Yes, I hate how there are few stories with Ino, tell me about Sasuke Ino AND Naruto. But I'm glad you like it, thank you very much!

HadeCharon93: Exact! Where the hell is Sasuke ? We'll find out in the next chapter! I hope you enjoy the interaction in this chapter too, I think the interaction between them is evolving. I still can't say what the pairing will be (because I don't know lmao either)

I'm so excited that you like my writing, I got help now, so I think it will be even better. Sometimes I get a little unsure about how it sounds, or if I'm being too abrupt with things, or out of character TOO much. If you notice any of this, I would like you to tell me, because sometimes we need to hear from outside; anyway THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENT!

Guest IV: Thanks!

livinginamakebelieveworld: Thank you ! Yes, don't even tell me, I don't know what the final match is going to be, but I feel bad for either of the boys. Maybe I'll leave Ino alone so I don't have to decide lol

Aya Kazuki: Thank you! I hope I can keep you happy with the development. Tell me what you think about it later!

abuseBroken-Strings012: I think about that too, I think Kishimoto was totally stupid with the development of all kunoichi, but Ino, being my favorite, really caught my eye. She has so much potential, seriously, she would have all the elements to be legendary, but Kishi made her "just another lady", and the worst thing is that people see her that way most of the time. It pisses me off so much.

Anyway, thank you very much for your comment, I hope the chapter will please you, and I must say that the next one will have many more actions, and we will be able to see Ino with her strength in practice.

LostInJapan: Well, I don't really know who the final pair is going to be, but I think even if it's Sasuke, it won't be that weird. Both pairs will be developed enough to keep the choice, but we'll see later.

Sakura's development, on the other hand, was totally stupid in the manga if you let me tell you. She was like an insect that Sasuke literally crushed, but remained wrapped. Ino on the other hand did not have that contact, so the Sasuke-Ino encounter is another piece of history. They are getting to know each other, instead of meeting again, because I don't believe that they really know who they are.

Sakura for me was blinded by what she thought Sasuke was, and she wanted so much to realize this idealization that she was content with what was given to her. On the other hand I think Sasuke accepted it for the sake of convenience, why, come on ? Where was the love? Ino will get to know Sasuke for real, and since she has no romantic pretensions with him - yet - it will be much smoother.

Naruto for me, on the other hand, is a much easier connection. I see both as natural complements, and there is no reason why it shouldn't happen. He sees in Ino instantly what few people see, and I think they both have this aura of wanting to help people, you know? This thing of wanting to embrace everything and everyone. Ino being an example since she was a child for Sakura. I still want to write a story about NaruIno interaction as children, because I doubt Ino was complacent about the cruelty they did to Uzumaki.

They are two totally different couples, with a vibe, an involvement with totally opposite criteria. If I'm honest, I'm afraid to write about it. I may have to kill Ino to not get to that point. (THAT WAS MORBID, I AM SO SO SORRY.)