As Shikamaru sauntered down the streets of Konoha, he found himself across the street from the Yamanaka flower shop. He paused and looked in the clearly just cleaned glass window to see Ino sitting at the counter reading a scroll of what was probably Clan Techniques, she had mentioned something along those lines to him last time they had trained together. She was angry at him then, hell she probably still was. Troublesome. That word described Ino in a nutshell. Everything about the word trouble seemed to follow Ino around in some way. She was not the typical rowdy trouble that Naruto or Kiba was, although she had her tendencies to be rash, loud and overall annoying. She was the type who would cause trouble from the inside. True to the Yamanaka Clan bloodline, Ino played with the mind. her flirtatious personality was contagious and she could make you fall in love or despise someone quickly and as she continued to grow older, the mind games just got stronger. Ino was going to be beautiful one day, she was already pretty now..but in a few years…the entire village knew it. He watched as she glanced at the clock and shoved the scroll in her holster before disappearing in the back of the shop. Shikamaru sighed he felt like a creeper standing and watching her so he wandered away, he would see her in a few hours anyway.

Hinata and Ino met later on that day, Hinata drilling and running Ino through the basic Hyuuga movements. "The w-whole p-point of these exercises is t-to ease your mind and h-help you to c-control your emotions. A troubled m-mind is a reckless mind and a reckless m-mind p-prevents you from k-keeping you c-chakara in control." Hinata explained as she made Ino do the same routine for the twentieth time. Ino nodded, she was already sweating from the difficulty of the techniques. The movements were slow and deliberate, using her body weight and holding the seemingly simple move for long period of time.

"It-it w-was your emotions d-during the battle against S-Sakura as well as Naruto cheering her on that almost k-kept you f-from winning." Hinata said softly as she stepped forward and fixed Ino's arm so that it was held straight ahead of her as opposed to dropping. This was yoga, the Warrior Position as Hinata called it.

Ino glanced at the Hyuuga girl. Holy shit she is right. I was an emotional wreck during that battle.

"That is why Neji meditates so much. He has his emotions so in check." Hinata explained.

Ino remained silent, she had been holding this position for she didn't know how long now and her arm was beginning to shake. Hinata noticed her wince and gave her a soft smile "You are almost done."

Ino gave her a weak smile. Hinata had said that when she trained with the Hyuuga that they would do this all day. Hinata used fans she liked the extension and the extra half pound made all the difference. Ino couldn't imagine doing something like that. Her muscles were already screaming at her in pain.

"You are finished" Hinata explained.

Ino nodded and allowed herself to collapse to the ground. "How did I do?" Ino asked.

Hinata deactivated her Byuukagan "Better. You still leak chakara but I think that is because you don't allow yourself to really zone out. Your mind is always wandering."

Ino blushed.

"I guess it is a side-effect of being a mind walker." Hinata said.

"Or just being restless and a loud mouth." Ino replied with a smirk.

Hinata laughed slightly. "I need to go. I will see you soon, Ino." Hinata said with a soft smile.

"Thank you. I will see you." Ino replied standing up and bowing to the Hyuuga heiress. Hinata smiled and bowed shallowly back before leaving the training grounds, probably in search of her own team. Shino had been training hard with Kiba and Kurenai and Ino knew that Hinata felt useless and decided that the least she could do was prepare lunches and cheer her teammates on.

Ino sat up and looked at the sun, she still had an hour before training with Shikamaru and Asuma began. "Maybe a slow run around the training grounds will do me some good." she muttered to herself. She began the slow jog around the training grounds smiling and waving at the ninja who noticed her as she passed. As she was running through training ground four, she heard someone scream her name before four kunai suddenly appeared, spinning crazily in her direction. She dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way as the four kunai landed. She looked up at the weapons and then around for the idiot who almost killed her.

"Ino! Are you alright?" Tenten demanded as she appeared at the edge of the training ground. Ino stood up and began dusting herself off but due to how sweaty she was as well as the humidity she only succeeded in spreading what used to be dirt turned mud on her body.

"Yeah. What was that, Tenten?" Ino asked. She hoped that her tone didn't sound too horrible from the sheepish look that Tenten gave her.

"I am sorry, I was helping Neji train and he blocked my attacks. Looks like we still were not far enough from the path." Tenten explained as Neji appeared.

Ino sighed and rolled her eyes. "No worries, Tenten." she said cheerfully before looking over at Neji. "Hyuuga." she greeted.

"Yamanaka." Neji replied. Of course of all the people he had to almost hit it had to be Yamanaka. The Yamanaka girl was streaked with dirt turned mud from her fall, her lithe form was sweaty, and her hands were wrapped from obviously training with the dummies. He remembered the look that she had given him as she walked away a few days ago, the way that her pretty eyes were narrowed the same way that they were now and her arms crossed in a challenge just like they were now. Her stubby hair was hidden beneath the orange bun cover and the bangs that covered her right eye were sweaty. He couldn't help but think that she looked attractive, it was true that he had seen Tenten look like that, but Ino managed to make it look powerful. A thought that he quickly shook from his head.

"Anyways." Tenten started slowly. "We all have training to do. So we will be seeing you." Tenten said feeling the obvious tension in the air and grabbing onto Neji's arm. Neji allowed his teammate to drag him away. He remembered a fact that he read one about when two predators stare at one another for more than a minute they are either going to break into a fight or mate. From the way that Yamanaka was looking at him and the smug look that he was giving her, he assumed that she was preparing for the first one.

Ino nodded. "I do too. See you around Tenten! Neji." she replied with a nod to him and a friendly wave to Tenten.

Shikamaru sighed as he stood across from Ino in the middle of the river. Asuma stood between them an unlit cigarette between his lips. "The objective is simple. You are sparing in the middle of the river. The first to fall in the water looses." Asuma stated.

"Troublesome. Remind me why we are doing this again?" Shikamaru asked.

"Because neither of you have chakara control." Asuma muttered simply.

"Anything else we need to know?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yosh!" a voice yelled from above before Chouji jumped into the water, his body changing into a big round ball as he enacted the multi-size technique. He bobbed in the water like a giant water hazard marker. He soon began spinning using his clan's technique as he rolled through the water.

"And you have to dodge Chouji." Asuma said as Chouji's body rolled past.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered to himself. From the way that Ino was looking at Asuma he assumed that she felt the same way. She had her arms crossed over her modest chest and her sapphire eyes narrowed.

"Ready?" Asuma asked.

Shikamaru sighed and Ino nodded. "Go."

Ino took off at a sprint towards Shikamaru. The shadow user jumped aside and dodged just in time. He turned around quickly to see Ino's foot approaching the side of his head, he ducked sweeping his foot out to trip her but she jumped up and back. She stood catching her breath, her arms up to defend herself. Before he had a chance to think, she attacked again. Both had to jump apart quickly as Chouji rolled between them, bringing up a wave of water.

"Give it up, Ino. You know that my chakara control is better than yours!" Shikamaru cried out.

"But I have more. And your chakara control sucks." she said back as she began running towards him again. Shikamaru dodged her attack and she had to jump up to avoid Chouji. She misjudged his speed and instead of him rolling past her, she ended up landing on top of him. She struggled to keep her balance on the Akamichi boy, running on the spinning boy as if she was running on a log trying to keep her balance. Shikamaru stopped and watched amused as the girl struggled to keep her balance. It's only a matter of time before she falls in the water.

Ino was freaking out. She was going to fall and she was going to loose because she couldn't keep her balance on a freakishly fast moving ball of boy. She had to think fast if she wanted to do this. She looked around frantically trying to figure out something that she could do. She took a deep breath the way that Hinata told her and another trying to calm herself down in some way. Inhale for seven seconds. Hold it for seven seconds. Exhale for seven seconds, instead of her own voice she heard Hinata's gentle voice.

Then she saw it, a tree branch hanging out towards the middle of the river. If I make that jump I will have to drop down fast, I will be an easy target for Shikamaru. She thought to herself, but it was a better chance that just falling into the water. He might win but I am not going down without a damn fight. She looked up at the branch, if she could just stay on Chouji's body a little longer than she would be within distance of the branch. She took another deep breath and channeled chakara to her feet. She could not afford to miss this job. Then she did it. And caught the branch. As fast as she could she channeled chakara into her feet and dropped, noticing the four sebon needles that landed where she had just been. Her feet sank a few inches into the water but she was still standing. Taking another deep breath, she straightened herself out just in time to dodge another of Shikamaru's attacks.

Shikamaru groaned. Damn it, she has never had that kind of balance before. She was supposed to fall. Plan B. He rushed at her, causing her to dodge him, skidding to the side on the water. I need to distract her, and get her stuck in one spot. I am not sure if I can use the shadow possession while on the water. I know for a fact that Ino won't be able to use her mind transfer technique. He sighed and stopped before the Yamanaka girl. She stopped before him, and drew a kunai from her holster. "Give it up Yamanaka." he taunted. I just have to get her angry and distracted. Ino is driven by emotion.

"Not to you, Nara." she replied.

"You can't win in the exams. You barely beat Sakura and we both know where she graduated in the academy."

"Shut up, Shikamaru! At least I wasn't a dead last." she cried out.

Shikamaru smirked. "And yet, here I am. About to compete in the chunnin exams with you."

"Shut up!" she screamed throwing her kunai at him. Shikamaru blocked the attack and quickly preformed his shadow binding technique. To his surprise she noticed it and dodged it. But the dodge instead sent her into Chouji's path. The Akamichi boy hit her and Ino went flying before landing in the water a few feet upstream. She resurfaced and glared daggers at Shikamaru before she swam to the bank and climbed out of the water. She had lost yet another bun to the water and frustratedly she ran her fingers through her hair trying to shake the water out. Shikamaru let out a breath. He had to admit that Chouji had been part of the plan but he wasn't supposed to show up just yet. Shikamaru did not predict that Chouji would turn at that moment and that Ino would have landed in that spot. He was expecting to catch her in the bind and then wait until Chouji came. But this ended up working better. That plan went through better than expected.

"Good job you two. Ino you have to be more aware of your surroundings. Shikamaru when Ino was trying to keep her balance on Chouji, you should have attacked instead of just watched. You had that as well as the moment that she caught herself on that tree branch to catch her." Asuma chided.

Both students nodded. Shikamaru could still feel Ino's sapphire eyes on him.

"Barbecue!" Chouji cried out appearing back on land, he was as wet as Ino and smiling brightly. Ino gave out an unexpected laugh. "Looks like we all need to change before heading to the restaurant."

"Troublesome." Shikamaru sighed.

"Or you can just go wet. I don't really care." Ino scoffed.

Asume chuckled at the two teammate's antics. He sighed and watched as Ino walked off. "See you there!" Asuma called out. He turned to Shikamaru. "She had you. You got lucky that Chouji was there."

Shikamaru scoffed. "No she didn't."

Asuma chucked. "She had significantly more chakara than you. She was willing to play it out. She figured out your plan quickly, what neither of you were expecting was for Chouji to make a quick turn like that."

"I already had three other plans if that one didn't work. Unlike her I can use my kekki genkai on this particular exercise." Shikamaru replied.

"Why don't you tell me about those plans on the way to lunch." Asuma said simply as he placed an arm around the boy's shoulders before leading the way to Chouji's favorite restaurant.

Ino walked down the streets practically fuming. She was still soaking wet and had opted to take off her arm warmers and the bandages wrapped around her torso in hopes that she would dry out faster in some way. Under normal circumstances she would have enjoyed the looks that a few of the shinobi were giving her, but right now she was just too pissed. If she had been paying attention to Chouji as opposed to getting angry at Shikamaru's taunts she would have beaten him. So lost in thought she bumped into someone that she didn't expect to see. She stumbled backwards blinking rapidly. "Sasuke?" she asked.

Said Uchiha stepped back and put his hands in his pockets.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital? They have been looking for you." Ino said her anger already disappearing at the prospect of seeing and flirting with Sasuke.

"Yes. And if you really care about me, you will let me go. Without causing a scene." he stated.

Ino was at a loss for words. Part of her wanted to embrace him saying that she was so glad that he was alright. Another wanted to slap him for being so stupid. "Okay." she said simply.

Sasuke stepped around her and paused turning back. "By the way, Ino. I like your hair." he said to her softly before he vanished.

Self consciously Ino's hands went to her hair that she had yanked back into an irritated half falling down ponytail. I thought he liked girls with long hair she thought to herself. "He is making fun of me." was all she said before walking home and changing into dry clothes.

Asuma walked with Shikamaru and Chouji to the restaurant, as they walked Shimakaru explained not one or two, but three excellent plans that would have indeed defeated Ino. Each plan had a contingency plan and if the contingency plan didn't work, he would move on to the next plan. In total he had six plans thought out in his head if one didn't work. Asuma couldn't help but admire Shikamaru, the boy really was a genius. Albeit a lazy one. This kid really might end up winning something.