Principle of Nature
Chapter 2
Deliberation
Posted: Oct 14, 2012
xXx
Naruto,
Perhaps you could just kill one of them. That would help. Or at least, it would cut down on mouths to feed. As to your questions, I am fine, and I never thought you were homosexual. However, your former teammate Sai is another subject entirely. I believe he may be physically attracted to you.
Do not worry. Your opinion on Haruno-san will remain a secret, mostly because I rarely ever see her anyway.
In all seriousness, I do not know how to approach that problem. I have not had the misfortune of having to deal with it myself, and thus do not have the experience necessary to advise you. Perhaps you should ask Hatake-san. He seems to be knowledgeable in such matters.
I am also less than experienced in relationships in general than he, and thus a poor choice for a confidante. As you suggested, separation for a short time may be a course of action to be considered. It could help you better determine if they are truly suffering difficulties due to their relationship, or if the cause is something else entirely.
I hope I have helped, but if not, I am sorry and hope you can find a way to come to a decision before any harm befalls your kunoichi or her partner.
-Gaara
Naruto looked up from the letter when there came a knock on the door. "Ah! Sai. Just the person I wished to see..."
xXx
Ino sighed and stared out the window, mouth pulled into a pout. She had three days left to make up her mind about going to Suna. Three days, and she still wasn't sure if she should go. Sure, she'd have Kiba with her, so it wasn't like she would miss him.
But... but Gaara was there. As in the Kazekage. As in the guy that tended to scare her shitless and turn her on harder than a flipped switch on a vibrator. It was probably the danger.
Even when she and her teammates had been scared out of their minds, the thought of the redhead had made her shiver with excitement. It still did, more than anything Kiba could ever incite.
"You know," a familiar voice drawled boredly, "I heard once that if you scowl so much, your face'll stick that way."
Blue eyes lifted, narrowing, at her former teammate at the interruption. "Shut up, Shika," she retorted sourly.
He just shrugged and sat down, heaving a sigh. "So, I'm here."
Ino's frown softened. "Sorry for bothering you, Shika... I just didn't know anyone else that could even possibly shed some light on the situation." She frowned faintly, poking at her muffin.
"Is this about your trip to Suna?" he asked, brows lifting.
She huffed. "How do you even know about that?"
A careless shrug was his answer. "I am the Hokage's strategist. That kind of implies that he tells me everything about the missions." He waved a hand dismissively and stole her water. She didn't really protest. "Anyway, are you worried about going with Kiba?"
Ino blinked. "What? No. Not... Kiba." She grimaced and pushed her muffin away, no longer hungry. "No, it's... Eh... well..." But she suddenly felt incredibly foolish. What could she say? 'I'm crushing on the Kazekage, who may have flirted with me once, but I'm not sure?' "Uhg. Forget it."
Shikamaru's brows lifted again as he picked up a chunk of her muffin. "Ino. You insisted I come out here, pulled me away from a clan meeting - not that I'm particularly complaining or anything - and now you're going to just not say anything?"
The blonde thought about it for a moment, before giving him an innocent smile. "At least you got out of the meeting?"
"You're so troublesome," he groaned, and stuffed the bit of muffin in his mouth. Then he just stared at her, clearly waiting for her to say something.
Oh God. Now he's not going to leave until I spill. She glared back, though, determined now.
He picked up another piece of muffin and gave her that same look. "I could try guessing."
She blinked. Guessing? And this was Shikamaru. Guessing about her trepidation. She sat up straight and scowled at him. "No, don't you dare," she growled. No way in hell was she about to let him spin his theories about her love life!
Predictably, her former teammate ignored her. "Hmmm. Let's see... Kankuro, perhaps. I guess he's an okay looking guy, objectively. And he's definitely eyed you more than once, then again, who hasn't?" He popped the muffin into his mouth, looking thoughtful as he chewed.
Ino wasn't sure whether to deck him for guessing after she told him no, or flush at the backhanded compliment. She settled for a mixture of both, thumping him solidly on his head. "I said no!" she yelled irately as he cringed. She snatched the rest of the muffin away. "And this is mine, Baka-Shika!"
He sighed, rubbing what was sure to be a lump on his head. "Why don't you just tell me, then? You're the one that dragged me out here, and," he crossed his arms, "I know you're just going to worry yourself about it for ages before you break down and tell me anyway."
Scowling didn't do much more than make his frown back at her, so she quickly gave it up. "Uhg, okay, fine. Geez," she muttered, fully aware that he'd just mind-tricked her into telling him. Stupid strategists.
Exhaling slowly, she leaned forward to tell him, making sure her voice was low. "It's... Gaara." And she sat up, pretty sure her face went through about five different shades of red in quick succession.
Shikamaru blinked at her. And then blinked again. After the third time, he sat back in his seat. "Huh." A brief pause, then, "I wasn't expecting that."
Any other day, she would have done a mental victory dance over surprising her teammate. Today, she felt far too embarrassed. (Also, was it just her, or were they being watched?) "... yeah," she managed after quashing her paranoia with a ten ton brick.
"So... I mean... do you like him or something?" the Nara asked, brows furrowing as he thought about it.
She could almost see the cogs in his brain turning round and round, and huffed irritably. "I guess. He's sexy as hell. I get all hot and bothered around him."
The strategist made a face at her. "Okay, too much information," he declared flatly, and shook his head. "Basically, you're physically attracted to the Kazekage."
"Uh huh. Basically."
"Uhg. You're so troublesome," he complained. He reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose, frowning at her. "So... what exactly do you want from me? If it's advice, I'd say forget it. That guy's way too troublesome."
The kunoichi scowled at him. "What? Why? He's not so bad!"
"No, you're misunderstanding me," he said, waving one hand in a vague gesture that was probably meant to be placating. "I just mean that he's the Kazekage. I mean, there's a good deal of politics to consider, not to mention that you aren't even from his village, and you both know very little about each other. Also, you don't even know if he returns that attraction." He shrugged, sinking a bit into his chair. "Well, there is his personality to consider too, but I'm more worried about the fact that he just doesn't have time for any relationships. Physical or otherwise."
"You think so?" she asked, shoulders slumping, and received only a nod in response. "Well, I guess... then it'll be alright, for me to go and stuff, right? Since nothing could even possibly happen."
Shikamaru gave her a faint smile. "You'll be alright. Besides, aren't you seeing Kiba again?"
"How do you know this stuff!"
xXx
Naruto heaved a sigh as he stared at the monument before him. He had somehow managed to sneak out of Izumo's grasp, leaving a shadow clone in his place, and was now hiding out on a random rooftop. Of course, he'd had to search for a while before he found a rooftop that was sufficiently blocked off, but with a decent view of the Hokage Monument.
Ojiijii, look at me, he thought with a fond smile as he gazed up at the third. I've been Hokage for two years already, and I haven't screwed up too bad. Yet. He wished the old man was here, to give him advice if nothing else. What would he have to choose? Separate Ino and Kiba? Or let them linger, and hope for the best? Even as he thought it, Naruto knew he couldn't do that, but he still didn't know if separating them was the right course of action.
"So what, then, ojiijii? Just pick and watch it play out? I can't do that," he muttered to the wind, frowning up at the man. Sarutobi may have been able to do it, but Naruto certainly wouldn't.
Eyes like the ocean shifted to the man on Sarutobi's right, and Naruto's smile faded slightly. Otosan. He'd been absolutely stunned when, after gaining his office, Naruto had discovered who he was related to. To think I'd been his son all along.
The young man sighed, even as he felt a presence behind him. He turned his head, and smiled up at his former teacher. "Kakashi-sensei. You caught me," he said cheerfully.
One eye creased in a familiar smile. "Izumo-san is quite upset with you," the Copy-Nin commented. Despite his off-handed attitude, his back was straight and senses aware. He hadn't let his guard down around Naruto since the Hokage had pounced him in a playful mood six months previously.
The detail amused Naruto, who just continued to grin. "Ah, I know! Isn't he funny? Sakura-chan says I shouldn't tease him, but I can't help myself."
"You really shouldn't," the Hatake agreed, also still smiling. "He might have a heart attack."
"Well, he shouldn't let himself get so over-stressed," Naruto retorted, and sighed as he returned his gaze to the cliff side. "Oh, you're right. I'll apologize later and bring him some wipes or something."
A silence lapsed between them for a few moments as Naruto mused how grateful he actually was for Izumo. If not for his assistant, he would definitely have screwed up ten times over. He could still remember the day that Izumo and Kotetsu had come in to report to their Hokage, to find him panicking over the sheer amount of paperwork that had piled up just over night.
The both of them had taken a few minutes to calm Naruto down, before Izumo took control and helped him systematically work his way through it all. Kotetsu had also helped at first, but after a while had given up and left. The two of them had managed to get it taken care of by about dinner time, and Naruto had dragged Izumo out to Ichiraku for thanks (and also insisted that Ichiraku-san just call him Naruto, and not 'Hokage-sama' every other sentence).
The next day, Izumo had popped up asking if Naruto needed help again, and Naruto had been the most thankful person on the planet. If not for Izumo, the blond would have long since killed himself from paper-avalanche. He'd never truly appreciated just how much work Tsunade had done while training him. She hadn't been kidding when she'd told him she did her half.
Naruto sighed, making a mental note to buy Izumo something really nice. His assistant really was pretty much his life-saver. "Alright, fine," he muttered. "Wipes, a trash can and dinner."
"... Naruto-sama," Kakashi chided, tone exasperated, and the blond just laughed. "Are you going to be returning to the tower any time soon?"
"Probably. Was thinking about ramen first, though," Naruto replied, finally climbing to his feet. He turned to regard his former teacher thoughtfully. "Can... I ask your opinion on something, Kakashi-sensei?"
The pale-haired jonin blinked at him, and then his single visible eye roved around pointedly. "Here?"
"Well, it's fine. I suppose," Naruto muttered, frowning. "Aw, alright. Let's have dinner, okay? I can be more at ease around Ichiraku's."
His mentor nodded slowly, though he was clearly perplexed. "Alright. Dinner sounds good."
That's when Naruto's grin came back, turning impish. "Last one there buys!" And he vanished.
"Wha- Dammit!" Kakashi took off after his Hokage, cursing stupid jutsus.
xXx
Naruto sighed as he sat back, at least a dozen bowls stacked near him on the counter. He was quite smug. The blond had long since tagged Ichiraku's shop; before he was Hokage, even. It had actually been Sai's fault, since the two of them were racing and Naruto had lost. Of course, he'd been forced to pay for the ramen, but had secretly vowed never again. That had been when he'd tagged the booth, knowing that teleporting was quicker (even if it was slightly cheating).
Kakashi, needless to say, was not amused. Still, he didn't argue and ate two bowls of miso-with-chicken ramen before sitting back. "Gochisousama," he mumbled, frowning darkly at Naruto the entire time.
Ichiraku smiled and handed over a bill, knowing that Naruto was done. Kakashi took it. And blinked. "Wait..."
"Oh, Naruto-sama eats half-off, of course," Ichiraku said, amused. "He would be free, but... he eats a lot."
The blond chuckled at Kakashi's pout. "Ne, thank you for the food, Ichiraku-san! Don't mind us; we'll leave after a bit."
Ichiraku nodded, smiling at him, and turned to start washing the dishes. Kakashi heaved a sigh and pulled his mask back up over his face, settling it in place once more. "Alright, you wanted to talk?"
"Yeah. About Ino and Kiba," Naruto murmured, grin fading. "I don't know what to do with them. Ino... I believe that a part of her really cares about Kiba. A lot, in fact. Maybe she even loves him. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, but... the more time passes, the more often she returns from a mission injured. I keep getting reports from her teammates saying that she spaces out a lot, or loses her temper, or lets the enemy get the jump on her. Now, I know it's a lot to just assume it's relationship stuff. But that's why I want your thoughts on the matter. I don't know it's that, but... I'm pretty sure."
Kakashi nodded, gaze shifting away from Naruto to flicker over the immediate area as he considered the problem. "You can always separate them to be sure," he commented after a beat.
Naruto pouted. "Yeah, Gaara said the same thing." He sighed. "But is that the right thing to do? I mean, if the problem is their relationship, what if separating them just makes it worse?"
Sighing, the Copy-Nin turned to face his erstwhile student. "Naruto-sama, I cannot give you guarantees. I can offer suggestions, and I can offer assistance, but I do not know the future. I do know that sometimes separation helps. It may even force both Ino and Kiba to rethink their relationship as it is." He smiled and shrugged at the younger man. "But I don't know for sure."
The blond chewed on his lip for a long moment, thinking it over. "Can I ask you a favor then?"
xXx
"Are you ready?" Kotetsu asked, watching the blond approach the gates.
"For what?" Sai replied, blinking at him. But Kotetsu was just nodding toward Ino, and the former Root nin looked at her. "She looks upset."
Kotetsu snorted. "That's putting it mildly." Actually, Ino looked pretty pissed off, and he wondered if it was because she and Kiba had gotten into another fight, or that Kiba wasn't going to be coming with them. Except she probably doesn't know yet... So they'd gotten into another fight, then.
Taking a bracing breath, he lifted his hand in a wave. "Hello, Ino-chan! Lovely morning, isn't i-"
"Bite me," she snarled, stalking past him.
Sai smiled. "Did you have a fight with dog-breath?"
The blond whipped around and stalked up to him with such suddenness that Sai actually took a step back. She jabbed a finger into his chest. "Don't call him that! And yes I had a fight with him! We're through! I hate him! I hope he gets lost on the way to Suna!"
"Uhh... about that," Kotetsu said slowly, drawing her attention. "He's... been replaced."
He expected her to shout at him in anger, not grin brightly. "Great! Wonderful! Thank you, Kotetsu-san, you have officially made my day!" And then she hugged him.
He quickly extricated himself and stepped behind Sai. "Uh, yeah, thanks? I think... Um, just so you know, I'm in a relationship and not at all available. Kay?"
Predictably, the blonde scowled again. "I'm not interested in you, idiot. Anyway, you said Kiba was replaced? Where's his replacement? And who is it?" Then she frowned. "He's late."
Kotetsu wisely did not point out that so was she. "Hokage-sama didn't tell me who the replacement was. Just that there was one and he'd show up today."
In fact, Naruto's exact words were, "He'll show up the day you leave, eventually, but don't be surprised if he's late. That idiot's always late."
Thus far, Sai and Kotetsu had waited an hour, and the latter assumed that Ino was late due to her tiff with Kiba. That didn't explain their mystery teammate, though.
As if summoned, there was a poof of smoke to Sai's right, and Kakashi was smiling at them as it cleared, a familiar orange book clasped in one hand. "Yo!" he greeted.
Ino twitched. "I should have known," she said irritably. "Why the hell did you keep us waiting?"
Sai opened his mouth, and Kotetsu elbowed him to shut him up. Anyway, Kakashi was already answering. "Ahh, sorry about that. A cranky lady kept me." A thoughtful pause followed this announcement. "I'm pretty sure she was trying to kill me..."
Snorting, the blonde rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Kakashi. Can we get going already?"
"Ah, right!" Kakashi nodded and smiled through his mask at Kotetsu. "After you, taicho."
Why do I feel like these teammates are going to stress me out horribly? Kotetsu wondered. He tossed a wave toward Genma and Shino, who were the guards at the moment, on his way out the gates.
xXx
Le gasp! Did I actually finish a chapter (roughly) within a week and post?! Well, one day over a week. Bite me.
Anyway, sorry if things are a bit... eh, rough. This is unedited, and I'm getting used to the idea of writing a story about Ino instead of Sakura or Hinata. Never done that before. XDD It should be interesting, at least, ne?
Please review, thank you for reading, and have a nice day!
As always,
Lost to the Hoping.