A/N: I usually try to get out a chapter every two weeks but these past couple of weeks have been crazy for me with a death in the family and the ridiculous Blizzard Nemo. It's a shorter but necessary chapter. There's also a lot of capslock (blame Sakura and Naruto :D) Enjoy!
Rating: M for language, violence (of the Torture and Interrogation kind) and adult situations.
Disclaimer: Naruto is still sadly, not mine, but Kishomoto's.
And So
Chapter 4: Impasse
Her father had warned her early on that many people would be opposed to her joining the T&I division. For the most part, the other Special Jounin loved Ino (Out of the fifteen or so shinobi in the department, men outnumbered women nearly five to one) and were deliriously happy to have the future head of the Yamanaka clan amongst them. Once Inoichi started slowing down missions and Intel work, other clan members had been brought in to take his place but none of them had his particular mind and memory reading skills. Only Ino, who had trained directly under him and had always excelled at using their secret techniques, could ever hope to match his speed and precision.
As good as Ino was, as much potential as there was for her to be greater, there were certain shinobi who were tired of being under the command of a Yamanaka. It didn't seem fair that they had a monopoly over T&I. They felt that the Yamanaka jutsus gave them an unfair advantage and in turn, the Yamanaka clan had the most access to valuable Intel information. Most of them didn't have the guts to confront Ino; instead there were some mumbles and grumbles and the occasional rumor about how exactly she got Ibiki to take her on as an apprentice (most of them involved the secret bondage chamber that they were sure Ibiki had in the basement of his house).
She pretended that it didn't bother her, that she was blind to the fact that if she were a man instead of a woman it would be a non-issue, but it killed her. How much harder did she have to work until they realized that she had real talent? That she could do this? How many more excruciating headaches and nosebleeds and chakra exhaustion did she have to endure until they recognized her as a future leader?
"Well, well, if it isn't the Princess of T&I. Deigning to do mere paperwork and hang out with the commoners?"
Of course, she was stuck on duty with the most annoying guy in T&I. He in particular made his distaste for her known to all, which suited Ino just fine. She preferred to face her opponents head on.
Codename: Iga. Real name: Unknown. He was an ANBU transplant, much like Yamato had been for Naruto's team, which made Ino even more frustrated because his records were sealed tightly and even Sakura, the Hokage's right hand man, couldn't dig up dirt on him. He was the perfect ANBU: Average height, average build, short brown hair, somewhere between the ages of 25-35, no discerning features, scars, or marks.
Annoying.
"I'm busy. Find someone else to harass. Or better yet—do some work of your own," Ino said nonchalantly, not looking up from her work. She willed herself not to get emotional. That was always her downfall. She was quick to anger, quick to attack, but she was working on it, really, she was. Ino thought of quiet lakes and butterflies and cupcakes. She was zen.
He reached over the desk and fingered some of the hair that had fallen out of her braid. Ino nearly hit the roof. Iga was trying to intimidate her. Humiliate her. She thought of Ino-Shika-Chou karaoke. Barbecue with Asuma. Playing dolls with Saki-chan. "I've heard about your busyness, Princess. Engaged to not one but two potential future clan leaders and the next Hokage? How impressive."
Ino took a deep breath. Shopping. Feeding the Nara deer. Sleepovers with Sakura. "Well, you know me. I work hard for what I want. And what I want? Is the best."
He absently twirled her hair through his fingers. "Ah, yes. A woman of your stature could never settle for 'mediocre'. Is that your price? Fame? Power? A whole division under your command?"
"Whatever my price may be," Ino took out her kunai and swiftly cut the strands of hair that he was touching. "It's much too expensive for the likes of you."
Iga laughed heartily, looking down at the golden hair that Ino had cut off. Like his touch had made it diseased and she had to cut it off before it infected the rest of her. His smile was cold. "Enjoy this all while you can. There will come a day when the idiots in this department finally wake up and Ibiki will be forced to reconsider his decisions."
"Is that a threat?" Ino rose from her chair. She hoped it was a threat so there was a good reason for her to punch her coworker in the face.
He leaned in closer. Ino resisted the urge to spit in his face. "Why don't you read my mind and find out?"
That asshole. It was near impossible to get through the seals and genjutsu traps in a Konoha ANBU's mind. Her father might be able to do it on a good day but even Ino wasn't confident that she could get out of there unscathed. "Why don't you piss off?"
"As you wish, Princess," Iga mock bowed to her before exiting the room in a puff of smoke.
Ino sat back down at her desk, her hands shaking as she continued to write her reports.
Flower arrangement. The look on Sakura's face when she finds that hickey on Naruto's neck. Expensive high heeled sandals.
It gave Ino little comfort to know that she was not the only one dealing with the political bullshit that plagued their adult lives. On her way to the Hokage's office to give Tsunade T&I's weekly report (yet another chore that Ibiki gave her to do for "training" but Ino was beginning to think that he just didn't want to miss his soap opera), she was stopped by a female ANBU outside her door.
"You don't want to go in there," ANBU Codename: Panda told her. "Trust me."
"WHAT DO YA MEAN THAT YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEND MORE AID TO SUNA!?" A familiar voice boomed.
"Although we worked together during the war and our relationship is stable, we still have our own economy to think about—"
"OUR ECONOMY IS FINE! THEY'RE OUR ALLIES AND THEY'RE STRUGGLING, DAMMIT!"
Ino winced both at the volume of Naruto's voice and the weight of his words. Of the hidden ninja villages, Suna had always been the poorest in terms of money, military strength and sheer numbers. Ever since the Fourth Shinobi War where they had lost manpower and depleted their few resources, they had been unable to get back on their feet without the help of their closest allies, Konoha. From what Naruto had told Shikamaru (and in turn, Shikamaru told Ino), the council wanted to cut off Suna financially once and for all.
That's the way of the ninja world, Shikamaru had explained calmly, while Ino was predictably outraged. At the end of the day it's a business. Regimes end every day. Who's to say the next Kazekage will be our ally? They want to cut their losses.
Tsunade had been strangely quiet on the matter. Maybe she had wanted to give Naruto as taste of what being Hokage was really like. It wasn't just wars and battle and glory. It was bureucratic red tape and betrayal and making the hard decisions no one else wanted to.
"Want to go for a drink later?" Ino asked Panda, dodging a potted plant that had flown through the door.
"Can't; Sasuke duty," Panda's ceramic mask shielded her from the splintered wood of the door but a few shards had caught in her hair buns. "I have a twelve hour shift."
Ino didn't bother to hide her disgust. "Ridiculous. I can't believe we're wasting precious manpower on a depressed—"
The door (or what was left of it), finally flew open. Ino guessed their argument had come to a stalemate. Either that or Tsunade had punched Naruto out of the office for sending a potted plant through her door. Sakura told her that property damage usually came out of Tsunade's gambling funds and she was not a happy Hokage when that happened.
Now Ino could give her report and go back to her house, put on pajamas, and eat a gallon of pudding while angrily cursing her job and life. Maybe she would make Chouji come over and cook for her and tell her that she was the prettiest girl in the village. It was the best kind of therapy.
"We're out of here!" Naruto suddenly grabbed Ino, pulling her along as he stomped out of the tower.
"W-wait! My report!" More importantly: Her pudding.
Panda gave Ino a parting wave suddenly feeling very, very sorry for her friend.
"OI! DON'T JUST STAND THERE! HELP FIX THE DOOR!" Kotetsu and Izumo ran past Panda, scrambling to get materials before their Hokage unleashed her misplaced fury on them. Technically, it wasn't part of ANBU's duties to play handyman but Panda valued her life too much to argue with an irate Tsunade.
Just another dysfunctional day in Konoha.
"CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!"
"Naruto—"
"THOSE JERKS ACTUALLY WANT TO LET SUNA GO COMPLETELY BROKE! STARVE! DIE! AFTER GAARA WORKED SO HARD!"
"Naruto—"
"IT WAS FINE TO TEAM UP WITH THEM WHEN WE NEEDED THEM BUT NOW THAT WE DON'T, WE'RE JUST GOING TO ABANDON THEM!?"
"Naruto—"
"DAMN IT! THOSE STUPID, SENILE, OLD FARTS THINKING THEY KNOW EVERYTHING—"
"NA. RU. TO!" Ino screamed. "Will you put me down?!
Naruto blinked and looked down to see Ino was dangling from under one of his arms, her face red from embarrassment and annoyance. "How did you get there? Hey! How did we get to my apartment?
She shoved him once he put her back down on the ground. "You went on a tirade like a lunatic and kidnapped me from the Hokage Tower," Ino brushed herself off, ignoring the looks from the people around them. She was going to be the topic of gossip again. Great. "I was trying to give my report and go home!"
He laughed a bit nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, sorry, I get a little caught up sometimes."
Ino snorted. "You think?"
"Wanna come in?" Naruto asked hopefully, rant momentarily forgotten. Ino was about to refuse and yell at him some more but he was looking at her so adorably with big eyes and a matching smile. Whoever said Naruto had no game when it came to girls had clearly underestimated him.
Damn that smile.
She breezed past him into his place against her better judgment. One day she would start making good decisions in her personal life. Today was not that day. "You better have something more to eat than instant ramen."
"I do! Look in the fridge!" he said happily. "I even cleaned!"
Her chest ached. She had to tread carefully—if she was careless, Naruto would actually steal her heart (Seriously, he had won the hearts of an entire village and 99% of his enemies, so it wasn't unheard of) and that was unacceptable. But looking at him so excited to have someone—her—at his place made her feel…
… like she was such a bad person.
Ino dropped down onto his bed since there was nowhere else to sit in his one room apartment and looked up at the ceiling. There was a poster of some scantily clad ninja from Icha Icha Syndrome. It made her laugh; even though Naruto was the savior of their village—of their world, she reminded herself—he was still such a kid at heart. He wanted to believe in the good of people but more importantly he wanted to help everyone he could. That's why she understood his anger at the council, even if logically they were right. Why couldn't there be a little light in the shadows of the ninja world? Just a little?
He lied down next to her, their shoulders touching. His brow furrowed in worry. "Do you think they'll really pull all aid to Suna?"
"I don't know," Ino said honestly. "But you can't just punch your way through every problem if you're going to be Hokage, you know? You just have to appeal to the council on Suna's behalf. Maybe show them that we need them just as much as they need us." Ino wanted to believe, too, maybe a bit foolishly, that Naruto could convince the council to keep helping Suna until they were stable.
She was not like Shikamaru, who could easily cast away his emotions in favor of logic. His sometimes-sort-of girlfriend lived in Suna as the Kagekage's sister and he still didn't get angry or upset or even annoyed which was his default emotion. Ino wondered if anything could incite some sort of passionate feeling in him.
Naruto rolled to his side and up onto his elbows, looking down at her with that expression again. Lost, nervous, lonely, but just a little hopeful. She reached up and put her hand on his head, giving him a reassuring smile. He gave her a brilliant smile back before leaning down and kissing her.
Oh boy, Ino thought as Naruto eagerly reached for the hem of her shirt, Sakura was going to kill her
Since Asuma died, Shikamaru had very few shougi partners. Most people gave up the hope that they could ever beat him and so avoided it all together. Some people (mostly Ino) were such sore losers that they had been banned from playing shougi all together because they beat up Shikamaru whenever they lost and he was tired of waking up in a pool of his own blood because of a checkmate.
Sakura was a good sport, however, and sometimes came over to play against Shikamaru. She realized that it wasn't about winning—it was more about losing less and less badly each time. It was a good lesson in humility and it was a nice change of pace from her hectic life. They barely spoke as they played and that suited them both just fine.
Not today. Today, Sakura had things to say.
"Did you notice that Ino is currently dating Neji, Kiba, and Naruto?" she asked mildly, accepting a rice cracker from Chouji. He and Shikaku were in the background relaxing and taking in the scenery (aka slacking off) while Yoshino was off doing errands.
Chouji and Shikaku looked at each other warily. They started inching away as a precaution, feeling the heat of anger radiate off of Sakura. She was very volatile, not to mention obscenely strong. One wrong move and they would all be sharing a hospital room.
"Hm," was all Shikamaru said, moving his next piece.
"'Hm'?" Sakura repeated, her smile bright. "'Hm'? Is that all you have to say?"
Shikamaru looked up at her, eyebrows cocked in confusion. "Hm?"
Sakura stood up and flipped—yes, flipped—the shougi table right in Shikamaru's face. Chouji and Shikaku disappeared, having run away to avoid Sakura's wrath moments earlier. Cowards. Shikamaru held his aching, bleeding nose, his expression clearly asking What the hell?
"ARE YOU STUPID?"
"That was my grandfather's shougi set," Shikamaru wiped his nose with his sleeve. He was seeing stars from that surprise attack and the shougi pieces littered the front of the Nara house. It would take forever to pick them up. Troublesome. This is why he didn't like to associate with women. "An antique."
Sakura was beyond reason, her chakra blazing behind her like a storm. Well, Shikamaru thought, he lived a pretty good life. He could use his shadow jutsus to restrain her but Sakura's chakra reserves and control were superior to his. It would only buy him time. Maybe this was finally how he was going to die.
"What were you thinking?! All of you!" Sakura clenched her fists and Shikamaru winced, imagining being hit by them. "You've unleashed Hurricane Ino and her terrible life choices! She's ruining everything for everyone and it's YOUR fault! Kiba is one thing but NARUTO? He's so dumb sometimes he doesn't even know when he is being played! And Neji! Ino is going to be the downfall of the entire Hyuuga clan!"
Shikamaru shook some shougi pieces out of his turtleneck. He truly doubted that the entire village was going to implode because Ino screwed a few future clan leaders but he wasn't about to voice that out loud. He might actually get out of this alive if Sakura was feeling generous. "It's not my fault. Blame tradition."
"NO I AM BLAMING YOU AND YOU KNOW WHY," Sakura shrieked. "You let this happen! You KNOW what kind of person she can be! You're the only one she'll listen to!"
They both knew: Selfish, arrogant, conniving, petty. Ino would do anything to get what she wanted and didn't care who got in her way. It made her a great interrogator and a not so great person sometimes.
"She's going to do what she wants regardless of what I think or say," Shikamaru pointed out. "Ino always does whatever she wants."
Sakura wished so badly she could just punch him into the stratosphere. For a smart guy, he could be so stupid. "ALL I AM SAYING IS THAT YOU—YOU ALL—BETTER FIX THIS, GOT IT!?" The medic shook her fist. "OR ELSE."
With that, Sakura stomped off, leaving a trail of broken shougi pieces in her wake.
"You pissed off the wrong kunoichi," Shikaku whispered from his safe spot behind a tree.
"Thanks for the back up," Shikamaru said dryly. At least his nose had stopped bleeding. Now to pick up the rest of his shougi set before the deer tried to eat them. "It's good to know I can count on my old man to have my back."
"Anytime, son."