Ino and Hinata walked back towards the village proper in silent contemplation. The gentle rhythm of raindrops breaking against the umbrellas each woman held in their hand gave a calming sensation. It was a calm that allowed the mind to freely reflect on the topics the mind had a hard time grasping. It had been three years since the Fourth Great Shinobi War had been brought to an end. The war itself had been a hard fought victory, and everyone on the Allied Forces suffered incredible losses. Ino had lost her father, and Hinata a cousin that she had come to see as an older brother. It only lasted a matter of days, making it seem less like war and more like an international conflict, but in those long and grueling days tens of thousands of lives had been snuffed out. Calling it a war just seemed appropriate. All of it happened because some lunatic wanted to capture Naruto.
Ino had found it hard not to blame Naruto for her father's death. She remembered the day she discussed the matter with Sakura. It was the day of what would have been her parents wedding anniversary, and she had been comforting her mother most of the day. She was frustrated, sad, and looking for an outlet. Sakura dropped by, knowing what the day represented, and wanted to go grab some dinner and help Ino take her mind off her troubles. Ino could never forget the conversation.
"If he had just stayed away from the fighting like he was supposed to, maybe my dad would still be alive. I can't look at him without wishing he had never been born. He is the reason that whole war began in the first place, and he is the only one I can blame."
Sakura sighed loudly and reset some of her pink tresses to rest behind her ear. "I know you are upset Ino, really I do. I would probably feel the same way if I lost my mom, but blaming Naruto isn't right."
"What do you want me to say?" Ino said with heat behind her voice. Her anger had surfaced quickly, "Do you want me to say that everything is alright, that I can just forget everything that happened during the war? I had to fight and basically kill my Sensei Sakura. It would have been different if he had been some mindless drone, but he knew who he was. He knew what he was doing, and he couldn't stop himself. He was trying to kill his students! He was trying to kill us! All he could do was hope he didn't and beg us to stop him. He begged us to end his life again. Then Shikamaru's dad gave his final strategy to stop the enemy via my father before they died. My dad's last message to me was cut off when he died Sakura. He didn't even have time to finish his last words. If Naruto had never been around then things would be better," Ino said bluntly, so sure it was truth.
"Ino I know you are suffering right now, but listen to me if Naruto hadn't been around everything would have been much worse for everyone. Think about it. Shikaku's strategy was completely dependent on Naruto so without him we would have lost the war and the world would have been pretty much over," Sakura said with a confident assurance that forced Ino to reconsider her position, and quickly concede the importance of Naruto's roll during the war.
"But let me keep going," Sakura continued after their food had arrived. Sakura took a quick drink of her tea and Ino prepared herself for a humbling experience. "Before the war, when Pein attacked the village, who defeated Pein?"
"Naruto," Ino admitted quickly.
"More so, after beating Pein who was it that managed to convince him to revive every single person that died during the attack?"
"Naruto did," Ino responded as she began shying away from the stare of her best friend.
"Alright, when the Rookie Nine all took part in the Chunin Exams, who was it that saved the village when Gaara had gone crazy?"
"Naruto," Ino mumbled. She knew it was wrong to place blame on the guy, and was quickly learning how vital he had been to her home's safety.
"When the Nine Tailed Fox was attacking the village and the Fourth Hokage had to seal the beast away to protect the village, who did that burden fall on?"
"It was Naruto," Ino whimpered feeling about two inches tall as she more than realized how much Naruto had done for the whole of the village simply by being alive.
"Ino, you were there that day. You saw what happened after Neji died didn't you?"
"Yes," Knowing exactly what her friend had alluded to she didn't wait for a follow up question but proceeded with her answer, "Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want anyone, especially another friend, to die for him. He was going to surrender himself to Madara and that other guy, and he would have if it wasn't for Hinata."
"Exactly," Sakura began. "So how can you still blame a guy if he would have willingly surrendered his life so that nobody else had to die for his sake?"
"I guess I really can't," Ino said as she began to sob.
Ino felt Sakura move closer to her and embrace her in a hug. He dear friend had wordlessly allowed her all the time she needed to let out her long held back tears. It was merely five minutes before Ino's cries began to die down. This was not the first time she had openly mourned her father in this manner, but it was usually with her teammates. After the war had ended she had felt the need to put on a strong face both for her mother and for her clan. With both her duties as a ninja and her new duties as a clan head she had little time to properly mourn her father's passing. All of the pent up emotions had not found a proper outlet, and Ino knew that it was only a matter of time before the grief, regret, and anger pushed her mental state beyond the breaking point.
She tried to resolve the bouts of grief and regret in the precious few moments that she could spend with Shikamaru and Choji on either an individual or group basis. Shikamaru helped greatly in dealing with the newfound sense of loss since his father passed in the same tragic moment. Choji had been her rock. His calm and resolute presence had really been exactly what she had needed in dealing with her father's death. He would take whatever she had to dish out without complaint and without question. When she needed words of compassion and encouragement he always had the right ones, and if she needed someone to simply listen he always inclined his ears. If she had found any positive outcome from the war it was that her view of Choji, and Choji's view of himself, vastly improved. He gained an unshakable confidence and resolve. While he never put it on brazen display as Naruto and Kiba would, Ino knew it was there, and he would frequently show it for Ino by sweeping away her various troubles and insecurities. Having him say that he would be there for her, and help her with whatever she asked meant the world to her.
Sakura's continued presence in her life had reassured her of how invaluable her best friend was. Throughout her life she propped Ino up when her spirits needed lifting, and knocked her down a peg or two when she had lost her perspective. Ino would return the favor in kind, but lately this service had been one sided as Sakura was the one balancing her out in a time of great emotional instability. Ino collected herself, detached from the embrace, and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. "You're right Sakura, and you make it really hard not to like the guy. Kind of makes me wonder why you haven't told him how you feel about him yet."
Watching Sakura blush was well worth every minute Ino had felt embarrassed about crying in public. "Well, I, umm, he," Sakura stuttered as she returned to her place at the table.
"Oh, you don't say?" Ino mocked as she allowed her chin to rest upon her hands held aloft over her plate awaiting Sakura's actual response.
"Naruto is with Hinata now, you know that. He seems to be really happy with her, and I don't want to come between them," Sakura quietly responded, but Ino saw the longing in her eyes.
"Yeah they do make quite the couple, but do you honestly think that he has just dropped his own feelings for you?"
"I know that he cares for me, but he still thinks I am in love with Sasuke," Sakura answered. It was a weak response, and to Ino it sounded as though Sakura had simply accepted the status quo.
"Do you still love Sasuke?" Ino asked mustering as serious a look as she could manage, only slightly concerned at what her friend's answer might be
"No, not entirely. I'm not like Naruto, I don't think things will just go back to the way they were. I lost hope that would happen after that day on the bridge. I love Sasuke like a friend or a brother, and it kills me to see him this way. I just don't think I can move on until this whole mess is settled between Naruto, Sasuke, and myself. I guess Naruto sees my desire to have closure and mistakes it for still being in love with Sasuke. It's why he spends all of his free time trying to track him down."
"Hmmm," Ino pondered aloud. She was presently doing the two of the things she enjoyed most: armchair psychology and meddling in a friend's love life, "it sounds to me like he just wants to make you happy. He totally clueless about your feelings, but he is trying desperately to bring you happiness. So you need to let him know that he is the only guy who can make you happy."
"But what about Hinata?" Sakura protested Ino's line of thought. "She has loved Naruto since our days in the Academy, I can't break up their relationship just because I recently realized I'm in love with him."
"So you do love him," Ino smiled at drawing out the desired confession. "Look, just because she has felt that way about him longer than you have it doesn't make the way you feel about him now any less valid. Besides, you know Naruto on a deeper emotional level than Hinata does. You have been on a team together since you guys were genin. You have known all of his dreams, all of his fears, all of his secrets, and he knows you on the exact same level. There is obvious chemistry still lingering between you two, and it isn't just the chemistry between long time teammates. So I still think you should tell him. If you don't want to feel guilty about stealing away Naruto from Hinata then go talk to her. Have a heart to heart about both of your feelings for Naruto, and if she has no plans on leaving him then at least you settled the matter and can work toward moving on."
"Maybe," Sakura said with a far off look in her eye before returning her gaze to Ino. "What about you and Choji? Is there anything going on there that I need to know about?"
"Maybe," Ino said while growing a bright red glow on her face.
Tears began to fill the corner of Ino's eyes as she recalled the simple moment with her best friend now gone. Her hands gripped her umbrella tightly as she once more realized that she would no longer share moments like that with Sakura. She no longer held such ill thoughts of Naruto, and never had them in earnest. After getting to know the man a little he had really impressed her with his determination and loyalty. These were qualities that she had also found in the man who had captured her heart not too long ago. At Sakura's urging, she had accepted Choji's offer for a date. Ino was reluctant initially. Many who did not have an understanding of who she was took her hesitation as simply being shallow. Choji patiently waited for her decision knowing her thoughts on the matter, and respecting them completely. For all of the years that they had known each other the new generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho combination had come to have a very close knit relationship. They viewed each other as the siblings that none of them had ever had.
'To think at one point I was worried that a relationship with Choji would be like dating my brother or something. Sakura saw my apprehension and she just pushed me right through it. I would have never gone out with Choji if she hadn't convinced me otherwise. I wonder if she ever knew how grateful I am for her?'
Ino slowed to a halt and turned in the general direction of the memorial stone and gazed at the horizon 'I hope you know, Sakura. I hope you know how much you mean to me. You were my best friend. I will never forget you and all that you have done for me.'
"Is everything alright?" A still voice fell on Ino's unheeding ears. She was lost in her own thoughts briefly before she realized that someone had been talking to her.
"Ino?" At that Ino turned to see Hinata standing a few feet away holding her own umbrella with a concerned yet curious look on her face, "Are you feeling okay?"
Ino felt a small smile grow on her face as she looked at the concern written all over the woman before her. Hinata always cared about her friends. Even in spite of the tension the two women shared on a frequent basis Hinata had given Ino all of the support and compassion she needed. Ino understood why they didn't always get along, and had learned to deal with the fact that there might be some rough patches in their friendship. She was, however, always amazed at how quick Hinata was there to lend a hand when trouble arose. If there ever was a person to fit the definition of a true friend, then Hinata fit quite well.
"I'm alright Hinata. I'm just thinking," Ino said wiping the remaining tears from her eyes.
"Oh, alright," Hinata responded meekly. "If anything is wrong I will do my best to help you."
"Thank you Hinata. It's just kind of a shock, you know. I think I'll be alright, but it will be pretty rough."
"I understand," Hinata responded with a far off look. There was no doubt in Ino's mind that her friend was thinking of the recent hardship in her own life. Ino did not know much of the girl's personal life, but had a firm grasp on the major events since she always did keep an ear to the ground for good gossip. There was, of course, the war which changed so much in Hinata's world. She had lost her cousin to the enemy in a drastic last ditch effort to save Naruto from certain death. The return home had been a bittersweet moment. For soon after the homecoming Hinata had begun to take an increased role in clan leadership, not as the heir, but as an advisor to her father regarding changes in policy. With the news of Neji's great sacrifice gaining attention in the village and Hiashi's very vocal talk of change for the sake of future generations, enough support had been gathered to make the difference the Hyuuga girl had hoped for. Hinata had finally seen the use of the Caged Bird Seal forbidden. No longer were the branch family members branded, and no longer did they have to fear the ones who were their family by blood. The only downside was that the sealing technique had never been designed with removal in mind, and so a safe and effective removal technique was being developed by the only sealing master still alive in the village. Those who were branded were patiently awaiting the day where the seal could be removed without taking their Byakugan away.
"Hinata, I was thinking about going and getting some nice, hot, tea, and maybe a bite to eat," Ino paused letting the idea sink in a bit. "Would you like to join me?"
"Yes, I think I would like that," Hinata said quietly. Ino was unsure if Hinata was just being her quiet old self, or if she had reservations about being with her longer than necessary.
"Good," Ino said wondering if it was a good idea to press forward with her line of thought, and decided upon the reasoning of 'Why not?' "I know that we haven't gotten along that well lately, but I do think of you as a good friend and I hope that we can become closer."
"Honestly, I have a hard time believing that with all that you have done," Hinata said calmly, but Ino did not fail to notice that the calm attitude did nothing to belie her subtle irritation at Ino's rather bold words.
"Perhaps I have given you some pretty good reasons not to believe that, but my only reason for doing anything was so Sakura could deal with her own feelings toward Naruto, but we can talk more about that when we get there."
"I would really rather not," Hinata said plainly
"Look, I told you that I want to be a better friend to you, and if that is going to happen then we are going to have to work through this," Ino replied matter-of-factly.
"Do I really mean that much to you?"
"Yes," Ino said with obvious agitation "If you didn't I wouldn't bother. I mean honestly, how could you still see yourself in such a poor light?"
Silence was Ino's response, which was fine since her question really was a rhetorical one. Ino had a lot of ground to cover if she was going to get Hinata to view her as a true friend, and she would do it. The number of women both Hinata and Ino could turn to for comfort, guidance, support, or just a simple conversation, was beginning to dwindle.
"What do you think about Naruto's declaration?" Ino asked, curious about Hinata's thoughts.
"I, I um," Hinata sighed, "I am unsure of what to think."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Sure it makes sense that Naruto would keep his promise even now. That's just the kind of guy he is. On the other hand, why would he waste his time trying to bring Sasuke back at this point?"
"I am worried that Naruto is not planning to bring Sasuke back the way he originally planned," Ino noticed Hinata's downcast face and was curious as to what she meant in saying such a thing.
"What do you mean?" Asking the obvious question. Subtlety was so often overrated when trying to learn how people feel on matters.
"I am worried that Naruto is going to get revenge for Sakura's death," Ino noted that the look on Hinata was one of fear. She was clearly afraid that Naruto would succumb to the darkness that lie in the heart of every man.
"Normally I would disagree, because it would take something truly traumatic to make Naruto want to kill somebody. However, since something truly traumatic just happened to him I can't help but think you may be right," Ino admitted seeing a downcast expression find Hinata's face once more. 'She is still madly in love with this man,' Ino thought as she began turning her mind to ways to bring the pair back together.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it though," Ino said with a chipper tone trying to lift Hinata's spirits. "Kakashi-sensei didn't seem too worried about Naruto leaving, and before he went to talk he did say something about not standing by and watching as another student walked down the same dark road, or something like that. That guy is always so cryptic."
"Maybe," Hinata seemed hesitant to believe that everything would be alright, "Naruto was always really good at hiding his true feelings. Would Kakashi-sensei really be able to see through all of Naruto's masks?"
"Of course, he was Naruto's Sensei for years so he would know exactly how to read Naruto," Ino declared confident that it was truth.
"I hope you're right Ino. I don't think I could bear losing Naruto. Not like that."
There was another silence growing as the pair was able to see their destination in view. 'Hinata must feel entirely helpless right now. The man she loves just left the village for who knows how long, and to top it all off he left to kill the man who just killed the girl he had been in love with for most of his life. How troublesome,' Ino thought.
"Great! Thanks a lot Shika," Ino grumbled to herself, annoyed that she was even thinking in the lazy man's vocabulary.
"What was that?" Hinata asked meekly.
"Oh nothing I was just thinking," Ino replied as her voice drifted off. They were nearing the door of the tea house, and Ino noticed that the pitter patter of falling rain on their umbrellas no longer made its way to her ears.
"If I may ask, what were you thinking about?"
"Oh I'm just trying to figure out how I can lift your spirits, and work through your insecurities so you can get back together with everyone's favorite knuckleheaded ninja," Ino answered with a wide grin on her face. She closed her umbrella confirming her ear's suspicions that the rain had stopped. She held the door open for her friend and her grin persisted seeing the growing red glow of a blush form on Hinata's cheeks.
"Do, do," the woman stuttered. "Are you really wanting to do all of that? Do you really think Naruto would want to get back together with me?" Hinata's words stumbled out of her.
"That and more Hinata. Come on we'll talk inside," and as the tea house door began to close two hearts began to open and started forming the bond of spiritual sisterhood found between two friends.
