A/N: Hey all I' am back with the next chapter. I hope everyone's enjoyed their Thanksgiving. Thanks again for all the reviews, you guys have really made this story very popular. I was never expecting it to get so many reviews. So thanks a lot. I would love to see this fic get 500 by the time it's done. But that of course is up to you my readers. Um, sorry this was so late but it couldn't be helped. I couldn't rush this chapter at all it was very delicate. So it needed to be written very well. I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless. It shouldn't disappoint, at least I hope you all won't be disappointed anyway. After this chapter there are about two more I believe and then we will be done. Enjoy the ride please. Oh, this has nothing to do with anything but have any of you seen the latest Naruto chapter. I won't spoil it for anyone but WOW. That's all that can be said about that, if you've read it you know what I mean. Okay enough rambling on here is chapter 17.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
'What the hell did you do!" Tenten shouted out while pointing a finger at the pink-haired medic-nin.
Sakura stood there staring curiously at the brown-haired kunoichi. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Tenten.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"Tenten-chan please calm down." Hinata spoke. "You haven't even given Sakura-chan the chance to speak yet."
The brown-eyed female took a breath.
"Okay." She nodded.
There were a few moments of silence before Tenten spoke again, stopping Sakura from speaking once more.
"Come on Sakura out with it, what did you do?" She repeated her question from earlier.
"Tenten, what are you talking about?"
The brunette put her hand to her hip and stared directly into those bewildered green orbs.
"Oh, so you have no idea what I'm talking about?"
"No I really don't know what you're talking about. If you calm down for a minute maybe you can explain it to me."
Tenten opened her mouth to speak but was immediately interrupted by a very enthusiastic voice.
"Tenten-chan!" Lee was now making his way over to the three kunoichi.
"Lee?"
The dark-haired male ran over to his girlfriend. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a hug.
"Tenten-chan, I have missed you."
"Lee!" She screamed. "Put me down right now."
Lee turned slightly red from embarrassment. He placed the flustered brunette back down on the ground.
"Eh," He laughed. "I'm sorry Tenten-chan. I just haven't seen you for over a week. Just going a day without seeing your beautiful face makes me feel depressed. How can you expect me to be youthful without you?"
She couldn't stay mad at him. Her facial expression softened towards him.
"Oh Lee, you know that I can't stay angry with you." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"Ugh.." Sakura sighed and slapped herself upside the forehead. "Not that I don't appreciate romance as much as the next girl, but can we please save this for another time."
"Right." Tenten nodded and pulled herself together. "Yeah, so as I was saying. I want to know what you did Sakura. I just saw Naruto and Ino not too long ago. Guess what, they weren't together. They did not look very happy at all. So what have you done?"
Sakura blinked again.
"Tenten I...."
"They both looked completely miserable."
"Hm." Lee nodded in agreement. "Tenten-chan is right. They were both behaving most unyouthful. I don't recall having seen either one of them looking so upset."
"Tenten I haven't seen Ino in awhile so I...."
"I know you had to have been involved Sakura. The last thing I remember you saying was that you wanted to ask Naruto something. You basically said you wanted to expose some sort of truth. The only conclusion I can come up with is that you somehow caused them to break-up."
It was the only thing that seemed to make any sense to the brown-haired female. Sakura must have somehow convinced Naruto to break off his relationship with the platinum blonde. Yes, it had to be the only logical explanation.
"What!" The pink-haired female shouted.
"I think I see how it must have happened." Tenten whispered.
(Tenten's Daydream)
Tenten envisioned the happy blond couple sitting together holding hands. Naruto took his free hand and pushed her platinum blonde locks out of her face.
"You are so beautiful Ino-chan."
She blushed heavily at his compliment.
"Oh, Naruto-kun you are so sweet." She reached over to pull him into a tight embrace.
Before long the blond duo was leaning in for a kiss when out of the bushes came the pink-haired medic-nin.
"Ah-hah!" She pointed. "I finally found you two."
"Uh, Sakura-chan?" The blue-eyed male blinked in confusion.
"Um, why are you dressed like that?" Ino asked.
The green-eyed teen was wearing a long cape, pink tights, and had a red top with a bright red "S" on the front. Her face was also covered with a mask. You wouldn't have really been able to tell it was her if it weren't for her obvious pink locks. Sakura looked like some sort of super hero reject.
"Never mind, my clothing is not of importance."
"Y-yeah." Ino laughed. "What did you do sew them in the dark. They look really bad."
Sakura frowned while the blonde girl continued laughing out loud.
"Shut up Pig!"
"H-hey don't be upset with me Forehead just because I don't look as ridiculous as you."
Naruto decided that it was time for him to intervene.
"Um Sakura-chan what's going on?"
"I'm really glad I found you Naruto, now we can talk. I need you to listen very carefully to me okay."
Naruto simply nodded.
"What is it Sakura-chan?"
"Well for one thing I' am here to put a stop this madness. Naruto you and the pig over here are not right for each other. Its just all kinds of wrong. You can do so much better than her."
The blue-eyed female looked completely offended.
"How dare you, you..."
"Shut it pig. I'm talking here. Naruto, you know what I'm telling you is true. Come on she's all wrong for you. You guys don't have anything in common. You'll only make each other miserable. I predict nothing but terrible things for this unholy union. Deep down you must realize it too. Now what is it going to take for you to wake up and smell the ramen, and ditch Ino-pig to the curb."
Ino grabbed Naruto's hand, clutching it tight within hers.
"Let it go already forehead. Naruto-kun is with me now, and we're happier than ever. Aren't we?"
Naruto didn't answer her right away. Slowly he let her hand go.
"Sakura-chan you are right."
"Huh?" Ino and Sakura spoke together.
"I have seen the light." Naruto jumped up from where he was sitting. He then gave Sakura an appreciative smile. He then turned to face the platinum blonde.
"Ino you have to admit Sakura-chan makes some pretty good points. We we're never really right for each other at all. You don't even like ramen, or the color orange. And you made fun of Gama-chan." He spoke about his frog wallet. "I can't let those things slide."
Ino blinked.
"Naruto what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that it's over Ino. I'm going to listen to Sakura-chan's advice."
She stood up as well, rage written all over her pretty features. How dare he do this to her, after everything they had gone through.
"Unbelievable! After everything I've done for you. I ate ramen for you for gods sake, that alone was cruel and unusual punishment. And now you are dumping me fore the pink blunder over there?"
"Hey!" Sakura spoke. "Don't be angry with me because Naruto finally woke up and saw the light."
"I'm sorry Ino, uh goodbye." He gave her a small smile and walked off with the pink-haired teen.
"You asshole!" The platinum blonde screamed. "I will never forgive you for this Uzumaki Naruto."
(End)
Sakura just looked completely stunned. Did the brunette have an overactive imagination or what?
"Ten, do you hear how ridiculous that sounds?"
"Alright." She agreed. "So maybe you weren't dressed in comic book hero fashion, but I know you had something to do with this. Sakura I can't believe you would be this way. I knew you were jealous but to actually destroy your two friend's happiness."
"Wait a minute." Sakura interrupted.
"No!" Tenten remained firm. "I never thought of you to be that type of person Sakura." She sighed. "I can't even look at you right now."
"Tenten you don't understand....."
Before she could say anymore the brown-haired kunoichi was gone.
"Tenten-chan, wait." Lee called out. "I' am sorry Sakura." The black-haired male spoke. "I will try to calm her down."
"Right." Hinata nodded. "Uh, sorry Sakura-chan. We'll talk to her." And with that the blue-haired teen ran after Lee.
A sad sigh escaped Sakura. One of her friends had pretty much called her a manipulative back-stabber. And in Tenten's eyes she was now responsible for the down fall of Konoha's favorite blond couple. As hurt as she felt at that moment, realization soon hit her hard.
"Wait, how am I responsible for breaking up a couple that never even existed in the first place?"
She didn't get the chance to explain to Tenten about the charade the two of them had been putting on. There had never been a real relationship for Ino and Naruto. But that wasn't important right now, talking with Tenten would have to wait. Right now she had more important issues to deal with.
"I need to talk to Ino." She decided.
She knew where Naruto stood and what his feelings were. But she really needed to get the other side of the story. Because there was always another side to each story. She would seek out the platinum blonde and not leave her alone until she gave all the details. She made her way to the Yamanaka household. In all honesty she was a little nervous about this upcoming conversation. She hoped it wouldn't turn ugly. The last thing she wanted was to cause a scene in front of Mr and Mrs. Yamanaka. But considering how both she and Ino could behave. She was more than sure that some words were bound to be said.
Fortunately for the pink-haired teen she would not have to wait until getting to the Yamanaka household. So if words were going to be said, they would be spoken out here in the open. She was about to walk by when she saw Shikamaru and Ino in what looked to be an intense conversation. They were sitting very close to one another. She couldn't help but notice that.
"Shikamaru, Ino?"
She ducked behind a tree to keep from being seen. She had no idea what they were talking about, but whatever it was it looked to be of importance. The platinum blonde put her hand to the dark-haired male's shoulder. Sakura's eyes widened slightly.
"What?" She whispered.
It looked innocent enough. They were good friends, known each other since they were children due to their families. And they had been teammates for years. Despite knowing this information Sakura still couldn't help but to jump to some type of conclusion. They remained in conversation for awhile longer. Soon Ino stood up to leave with Shikamaru standing up as well. Sakura watched Ino smile for him. She whispered a few words and then hugged him tightly. The pink-haired teen fell back against the tree. Her eyes never leaving the two of them. It looked like she got her answer.
The reason why Ino had rejected Naruto was because of Shikamaru. She hated to jump to the wrong conclusion, but they looked so much like a couple right now. The way they seemed to be hugging a little too closely. Why did that hug seem to last just a few minutes too long?
"Oh Ino." She whispered. "How could you do this to Naruto? He really likes you. It's very real to him now."
Ino released Shikamaru from the hug. Sakura watched her smile warmly once more. She whispered what looked to be a goodbye and with that she was leaving. Sakura waited a little while before going after the platinum blonde. The pony-tailed male looked up to see the pink-haired girl walking. She was headed in the same direction Ino had left in. he didn't have a very good feeling about this.
"Sakura?" He whispered.
She turned back for a moment and looked at him. He stared back at her as well. She frowned slightly and then kept walking. No, he truly did not like the feeling he was getting right now. Should he go after Ino to make sure nothing happened? He thought about it for a moment. He then realized he shouldn't go after her. Whatever it is that was going to happen was not any of his business. Ino would need to handle this on her own. In fact he was more than sure she would be able to. The only thing he could do was to be there to listen to her after it was all over.
"She'll be okay." Shikamaru decided.
Sakura continued after the blue-eyed teen. Now that she knew the real reasons behind Ino's actions. She wouldn't let this go easily. She would confront the platinum blonde. Oh yeah, Ino would hear a mouthful from her. When the platinum blonde finally did come to a stop. She stood there for a moment with her back turned. She looked up, gazing into the afternoon sky. Sakura stood close by, only just arriving herself.
"You can stop following me now Sakura." Ino spoke. "Why don't you just come over already?"
She turned around and waited for the green-eyed girl to come over to her. Sakura came walking towards her friend. They stood feet away from each other. They weren't very far away from each other, but there was still a good amount of distance between them.
"Ino." Sakura whispered.
The two of them stood staring at each other, neither one of them looking away.
"So," Ino started. "What did you want?"
Sakura did not speak right away. She looked around for a moment. There was something sort of familiar about this place. She just couldn't put her finger on it right this moment.
"Are you going to talk or what Forehead? Or did you just want to follow me all day? I planned to do a little shopping and then go home to take a very hot bubble bath. I don't think you want to be there for that though, unless that sort of thing turns you on."
Sakura repressed the urge to hit or scream at the blonde. She needed to keep calm.
"That's not funny pig." She added the nickname in as well. "This is important. We need to talk."
"Alright then." Ino nodded. "Then why don't you get to talking so we can both get out of here. Since you did follow me all the way here, I'm guessing that it really must be important.
"Yes." Sakura nodded. "It is important"
Ino could think of a lot of other things she wanted to be doing right now. She didn't even really want to talk to the pink-haired teen. Sakura was one of the last people she wanted to have a conversation with.
"Alright then what do you want?"
A sigh escaped Sakura. She closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing the anger she was feeling towards the blonde.
"Ino you're my friend. I will always consider you a friend, you were my very first friend." Sakura added that part in a whisper.
The platinum blonde blinked in confusion. What was the point of this opening sequence.
"Hey Forehead, are you sick or something? Why the sudden trip down memory lane?"
"Friends are supposed to understand each other. They're supposed to be able to relate to choices and decisions that they both make. But....I don't understand this Ino."
"Understand what Sakura? What are you talking about?"
The green-eyed teen gripped her fist. So now Ino wanted to pretend like she had no idea what she was talking about. Like she hadn't realized that she had hurt Naruto. Did she even care?
"I'm talking about what you've done. Don't you realize how upset Naruto is over you? You rejected his feelings just so you could be with Shikamaru!" Sakura raised her voice.
Ino looked like she had suddenly gotten the wind knocked out of her.
"Did you even think about how he would feel? Did you even give him the chance to tell you how he felt? I can't believe you would do something like this Ino. That's what I can't understand. Do you even care at all about what you did?"
Ino swallowed and regained herself.
"What I did!" She shouted back. "I didn't do anything to Naruto. He should know why I didn't want to listen to what he had to say. And what the hell are you talking about saying I rejected him for Shikamaru?"
Sakura blinked twice. She took a second before she spoke again.
"I saw you Ino. I saw how close the two of you were. If you wanted to be with Shikamaru you should have just told Naruto that. Why even lead him on? But then again it was all a game for you right? The whole let's pretend to be a couple thing was your idea in the first place."
The platinum blonde was not surprised by the fact that Sakura knew about their little charade. She was very determined to get down to whatever it was they were hiding. More than likely though Naruto had probably told her the truth that day she had seen them on the Hokage Monument. She shuddered slightly from the bad memory.
"So you know about what we did. I'm not really surprised. But I won't have you yelling at me like this. I didn't do anything wrong except try to help a friend. You do know one of the reasons why we started the whole thing right? I'm sure you do."
Sakura only nodded, deciding not to comment any further.
"Shikamaru and I...." She started.
"You were with him Ino." Sakura cut her off. "Don't pretend that it was all innocent either.
Ino frowned.
"Yes we were talking so what, he's...."
Before she could finish though Sakura continued speaking.
"Just admit it already pig, you're with him. There's no reason to lie about it anymore."
That was it. She couldn't take it anymore. She shouldn't have to explain herself to the pink-haired teen, but right now she simply felt like she had to. Sakura had no right to accuse her this way.
"Shikamaru and I were talking about Asuma-sensei!" She shouted. "The anniversary of his death is coming up soon and I just needed someone to talk to."
Sakura looked suddenly sad. She knew how hard it been for Team 10 to loser their beloved sensei. She now felt badly for jumping down the platinum blonde's throat in the way she had.
"I shouldn't have to explain my relationship with Shika to you Forehead. You're going to believe what you want anyway so I'm not even going to bother." She stopped talking for a moment.
"Ino I'm...." She was about to say she was sorry only Ino spoke again.
"If anyone should explain anything its you and your relationship with Naruto!"
She paused. She hadn't meant to let that slip. Sakura stared into those upset aqua- colored orbs.
"Naruto and I," She started. "Ino I don't think you..." She turned away from the blonde female for a second.
"I shouldn't have said anything. It's not really my business what goes on between you and Naruto." Ino told her. "I don't even really want to know either way."
"Ino, really you've got it wrong."
Anger quickly flashed across her features. The last thing she needed was for Sakura to pretend that there wasn't anything between the two of them. She was not an idiot.
"Stop Forehead! Don't even bother lying about it. It's okay, really. I'm glad I didn't waste my time completely on that stupid plan, at least Naruto got the thing he wanted most out of it."
"Ino calm down it isn't....."
"I'm not stupid Sakura. I saw the two of you up on the Hokage Monument. The worst thing you could do is stand here and tell me that I didn't see the two of you together."
Realization hit the medic-nin. Ino hadn't rejected Naruto because she was already with Shikamaru. Ino didn't give him the chance to tell her how he truly felt because of her. Ino was under the wrong impression about the two of them. She was upset about what she had seen on the Hokage Monument. Which had been nothing more than two good friends in a conversation. But of course just like Sakura had done the platinum blonde had jumped to the wrong conclusion. The whole thing could be resolved simply.
"Alright." Sakura nodded. "We were up there."
"I know, I saw."
"But Ino I'm telling you it's really not what you were thinking. Nothing happened between Naruto and me."
"I don't believe you Forehead. You don't get it at all." She folded her arms and started to walk away. She had enough of their conversation.
"No, Ino you can't leave. We are not done here."
"I'm tired." Ino said simply. "I'm through talking Forehead."
Sakura knew the only way to make the platinum blonde stay was to provoke her. She needed to make her angry enough to stay.
"So that's it then. You're just going to walk away. You're going to give up and throw in the towel. You're just going to walk away from Naruto for good. You're being a coward Pig! And you call yourself a kunoichi."
The blue-eyed teen turned around quickly.
"Shut the fuck up!" Ino shouted. She ran up to slap Sakura across the face but stopped herself.
"Go ahead it it will make you feel better." Sakura spoke calmly. "But I won't hit you back Ino. I'm not going to let it come down to fists. I won't fight you."
Ino allowed a tear to stroll down her eyes.
"You don't get it Forehead, you don't have to fight me. I was the one that had to fight with you. I can't compete with you when it comes to Naruto. He has these feelings for you that I couldn't even begin to compete with. Knowing that hurts more than anything."
Sakura felt herself get teary-eyed as well. Only she wouldn't allow herself to cry at this moment.
"Ino." She whispered sadly.
"He'd choose you over any girl and you have to know that Sakura. No one would be able to come between feelings that strong. The bond you have with each other, it's not something me or any other girl could or would feel secure about."
Sakura slowly placed her hand to her friend's shoulder. So everything was coming to the surface now. Deep down despite her confidence Ino was completely insecure about this issue. It had obviously affected her more than Sakura first imagined. She never thought Ino of all people could be this way. But it just proved how human she was. Everyone had insecurities, fears, and other normal concerns in life.
"Ino you're right about one thing. I' am close to Naruto. How could I not be after everything that's happened with us. But you don't need to fight with me for him at all. Because you have you own connection with Naruto. You and he have your own bond now."
Ino shook her head while wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Sakura you and I both know that you could have him at the drop of a hat. I refuse to throw myself into a situation with a guy who doesn't want me as much as I want him. I don't want to wake up one day and be left because he really wanted someone else. I will never be anyone's second choice."
Sakura allowed a sigh to escape her. Ino was determined alright. She was being completely stubborn. But there was something else happening here. Sakura could see that this was possibly turning into another Sasuke situation. She didn't want to have history repeat itself.
"Ino you need to listen to me okay. You can't let a little insecurity keep you from something that might be the best thing for you."
"What don't you understand Forehead. I'm not able to compete with you. I've already given up gracefully, why can't you just except it?"
"Ino am I really the only reason why you're doing this. I guess what I'm saying is that I do not want another Sasuke situation. So if you're also giving up because of what happened years ago."
The blue-eyed girl blinked, her eyes still misty from her tears.
"You think this is about that asshole. This is much bigger than a stupid little crush I had years ago. Naruto..." She started. "He means so much more to me than that meaningless little crush. He is is more important to me."She whispered.
Sakura began to realize just how deeply the blonde cared for him.
"You love him don't you Ino?" She whispered.
It was no wonder why she was so insecure. She had strong feelings for the whisker-faced boy. It wasn't a silly crush, this was much more than that. These were feelings Ino had probably never had before. Love could be a scary thing especially when you're falling in love for the first time. And why shouldn't the thought of the one you love being in love with someone else scare the hell out of you. Sakura began to understand everything completely.
"If Naruto really means as much to you as you say then why the hell are you giving up on him? I shouldn't even be an issue Ino. I should be the farthest thing from your mind actually. He really likes you Ino. I'm telling you the truth. And I do care about him too, I want him to be happy. He's my best friend Ino. I promise you that he's only my best friend. Nothing more, nothing less."
Ino backed away from the pink-haired teen.
"Sakura." She spoke quietly. "Please just leave it alone." She then turned to go, looking around at where they had been standing. She quickly realized where they were.
"Does this place seem familiar to you Forehead?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "It took me awhile to remember it's kind of strange isn't it."
"Yeah," Ino agreed. "Its funny how we had this sort of conversation right here at this place."
The wind blew Sakura's pink locks across her face.
"The place where we first ended our friendship." Sakura whispered.
"No." Ino shook her head. "This is the place where you ended our friendship. You walked away from me and left me standing here. It's my turn now, I'm only sorry I don't have anything to give back to you. I think I lost that ribbon. Oh well, goodbye Sakura."
She didn't wait for the medic-nin to say anything else. Sakura only watched until she was gone from sight.
"You are still my friend pig." She smiled sadly. "I will help you if its the last thing I do." She promised.
At least she knew how Ino really felt now. Both she and Naruto had the same exact feelings for one another. The only thing that seemed to be holding them back was Ino's obvious fear and insecurity. One they broke past that it was bound to be smooth sailing. Sakura would do this for her two friends. If she had to be the one to bring them together somehow she would do it. She needed to do this for her two closest friends. Especially since it was obvious the feeling was completely mutual and they wanted to be together.
A simple little issue like insecurity was not enough to back out of a relationship that looked like it was going to be a good thing.
"I guess I just have to do whatever I have to do." Sakura decided.
From there she headed straight to Naruto's house. He needed to hear the new-found information she had to tell him. If anyone had to be the one to convince Ino it would have to be him. Ino didn't want to listen to anything she had to say. So somehow Naruto had to get through to her. Sakura would do whatever she could to help. But she had the feeling Naruto would be the actual one to fix everything.
"He can do it." She thought.
The green-eyed teen knocked on Naruto's apartment door. He soon came to the door, a little surprised to see her.
"Sakura-chan?" He spoke with surprise.
"Naruto we need to talk right away."
"Okay." The whisker-faced male nodded and let her in. He had no idea what she wanted to talk about, but nonetheless he would listen.
"Alright Naruto we don't have much time to waste. You have to get over to Ino-pig and...."
"It's okay Sakura-chan. You don't have to tell me anymore."
"Huh?" She wondered with confusion written all over her face. "Naruto, I don't know what you're talking about. But Ino she..."
"I already know Sakura-chan." He interrupted her.
She noticed a somewhat sad expression on Naruto's face.
"Hey what's wrong Naruto? Did something happen?"
A sigh escaped the blond male as he sat down by his window.
"I think I know why you're here Sakura-chan. You came to tell me about Ino and Shikamaru. I already know, I already saw them together." He added.
It was earlier when the blue-eyed male witnessed Shikamaru and Ino together. They looked to be very close while they sat talking with one another. He couldn't forget how she had hugged him. Sure it was only a hug and they were friends. But for some reason it felt like so much more to Naruto. He simply couldn't get the image of the two of them out of his mind. Sakura shook her head.
"Oh no Naruto, not you too. Look I jumped to the wrong conclusion as well. It's not like that between them."
Naruto just gazed out of his window. He didn't say anything for awhile. His silence worried the pink-haired girl.
"Naruto, Naruto say something?"
He gripped his fist slightly.
"Don't lie to me to spare my feelings Sakura-chan. I just wish she would have told me this before."
"Naruto you have to listen to me okay. I'm telling you that they are just friends. There's really a simple reason on why she treated you the way she did."
"Yeah, she didn't want to listen to me because she's with him now. All she had to do was say that."
"No." She shook her head. "She's scared Naruto. I don't think I've ever seen her act like this."
"Scared?" He whispered.
"Yes, she's insecure about being with you because...." She paused
At this Naruto let out a laugh interrupting the pink-haired teen.
"Ino isn't insecure about anything Sakura-chan. She just might be one of the most confident people I know. Stop saying things like that to try and make me feel better. I'm not going to waste my time anymore, especially not now."
It pained Sakura to hear him speak in such a way. She wondered if he was also behaving in such a defeatist attitude because of how harshly she had rejected him. Perhaps he didn't want history to repeat itself either.
"Naruto you can't give up. You can't throw in the towel, if you just let me explain."
"Sakura-chan just do me a favor and let it go. I'll be okay." He promised. "I want to be alone for awhile. How about we meet up for Ichiraku's later, my treat." He added with a brave smile.
What could she do? She had to respect his wishes. But she would give it another try.
"Naruto will you please just listen to me."
"I don't want to talk anymore Sakura-chan, so please go. We'll meet up later I promise."
He said no more and turned back around. She took it as a sign that she should probably just go.
"Fine, okay. You're just as stubborn as the pig is. You guys belong together I swear." She sighed. "But since you won't listen to me right now I'll go. It's not over though, its far from over." She promised. "Bye." She added.
He heard the door close behind her indicating she was no loner in his apartment. He then made himself a cup of instant ramen and sat down on his bed to eat. The image of Shikamaru's arms wrapped around Ino's waist stuck in his mind. He groaned in frustration and slammed the now empty cup of noodles on the table. There was soon another knock at his door, which grabbed his attention.
"Sakura-chan!" He shouted. "I thought I asked you to let it go...." He opened the door to see someone else. It was a person he really hadn't been expecting to see at all.
"Y-Yamanaka-san?" He questioned.
Inoichi Yamanaka himself stood there staring down at the teen.
"Hello Naruto is it alright if I come in?"
"Uh, sure wait a second please."
Naruto then dashed back inside of his apartment to quickly tidy the place up. Mr. Yamanaka may have never wanted to kill him, but there was still that initial sense of fear still lingering in the depths of Naruto's mind. It had to be the serious look in the older male's eyes. Or the face that the man seemed to exude a sort of presence that would naturally strike fear into the heart of any teen boy. Naruto assumed it was one of those things that couldn't be helped. Like his love for ramen or Tsunade's excessive gambling or drinking. It was just a natural thing. Maybe Inoichi couldn't help but to come of as a scary, intense person. Naruto soon came back to the front door.
"Okay Yamanaka-san you can come in now. If I had known you were coming I would have hired a maid to clean up or something." Naruto laughed, not at all serious about hiring someone to clean up his apartment.
"Yes." The sandy-blond male nodded as he eyed a suspicious looking pair of green boxers lying on Naruto's bed.
"Heh," Naruto let out a nervous laugh and quickly threw the boxers aside. "Sorry."
"It's alright." Inoichi nodded. "I' am just grateful I did not see anything strange. I'm sure you have hidden all the dirty things am I right son?" He teased, clearly joking with him.
"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "Oh, wait I mean no." He shook his head. "There are no uh, dirty things here Mr. Yamanaka I promise."
Inoichi simply chuckled at the boy's nervous expression. He seemed to be on the verge of some sort of panic attack.
"Calm down son, I was only kidding. You need to learn how to relax better. You're too jumpy."
"Yeah, well Yamanaka san to be honest you do scare people."
Inoichi gave a slight nod. A frown suddenly spread across his face.
"I thought we were passed all of this already. I don't want to hurt you Naruto. I'm not lurking outside of your house with a kunai, just waiting to strike." Inoichi demonstrated the action which made Naruto jump back slightly. The idea of the possibility starting to scare the young man.
"Y-yeah of course not." Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.
Inoichi looked serious for a moment making Naruto wonder if there was something wrong.
"Mr. Yamanaka..." He began.
"Naruto there is a reason why I stopped by. I was hoping to talk with you, it's about my daughter."
Naruto nodded but did not say anything right away. The two of them sat down at the table. Naruto wasn't really surprised to hear Inoichi bring up Ino. He had to know a little something about what was going on.
"Mr. Yamanaka I don't know what you want me to say."
"Ino-chan has not been acting like herself lately. She has been," He paused. "Well to be honest she seems down right miserable these days. I think it has something to do with you Naruto. You don't come around much anymore. I suppose what I'm saying is that she was a lot happier when you were around. Could you tell me what happened? I' am just worried about her."
Naturally as her father he would be concerned with any change of behavior.
"Yamanaka-san, I don't know what's wrong with her. Did you try asking her?"
"She will not talk to me." Inoichi admitted. "She tells me that everything is fine but I know that she is lying. She won't even talk to her own mother."
"She wouldn't talk to me either sir. Maybe you should try asking Shikamaru. They're pretty close." He spoke with a hint of bitterness which didn't go unnoticed by the sandy-haired male.
"So I' am right then, something did happen between the two of them." He thought.
Inoichi took a moment to put his thoughts together. He didn't have all the details and maybe he really didn't need to know them. The one thing he knew for sure was that ever since Naruto stopped coming around his daughter's behavior changed drastically. He had never seen her have so much interest in a boy. Not even when she had a crush on that Uchiha kid.
"Naruto I don't need to know all the details if you don't want to tell me. The only thing I care about is my daughter's happiness. Anyone could see she was happy with you. Naruto you've sort of become a part of the family in a way. My wife adores you, so does Ino-chan. It's obvious to me that this is more than a silly crush to her. And me..." He paused. "Well I have a great respect for you son."
"Really?" Naruto spoke with a hint of surprise in his voice.
Mr. Yamanaka nodded. How could he not have a great respect for the whisker-faced male. Naruto had been through a hell of a lot for a person his age. Dealing with the fact that he had to be Kyuubi's container was a hell of a burden alone. And he had dealt with it so well. He was able to deal with so much, yet remained so strong. Inoichi respected determination, it was a most admired quality. If he had to choose someone for his daughter it would be someone like him. So, the boy seemed to be a nervous wreck around him. That was a minor issue they could always fix later.
"Yes. I honestly believe you are what's right for my daughter. But when it comes right down to it, whatever happens between the two of you is up to the both of you. I have a feeling though that you truly care for Ino-chan."
"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "Of course I do. I tried to tell her but she wouldn't listen to me."
Suddenly a small smile appeared on the older man's face.
"I thought so. The only thing I can say is if you can deal with everything you've gone through. I think you can easily deal with someone as stubborn as my princess. It's your choice in the end son. I should be going now it was nice to see you again Naruto. We do miss your presence around the house."
"Yeah." Naruto agreed. "It was nice to see you again Yamanaka-san."
"Inoichi." He stared. "Call me Inoichi son."
"Alright, Inoichi-san."
"Very well that'll do I guess. Goodbye for now Naruto. I hope you will take into consideration everything I said." And with that Mr. Yamanaka left the blue-eyed boy's apartment.
To have the approval of Inoichi made Naruto feel a sense of relief. He knew he had warmed up to him, and that Inoichi didn't actually want him dead. But to learn that Mr. Yamanaka actually had a great respect for him. It just made him feel like was truly appreciated by the Yamanaka family. It was always nice to feel appreciated by anyone, even more so when it was the girl you loved family who cared so much about you. Did he somehow have a permanent place in the Yamanaka family. He knew the only way to see this as his reality was to get through to the platinum blonde herself. Whether or not she listened to him was all on her. The only thing he could do was try. Naruto felt he had it in him to give it another try.
"I hope I can get her away from Shikamaru long enough to talk to her." He thought.
To him the pony-tailed male was an issue. Nonetheless he had to ignore it and talk to Ino again anyway. Things were still very much unresolved between them.
"We'll see what happens I guess."
Unfortunately for Naruto he would have something else to deal with before getting the chance to talk to the blue-eyed female. One day he and Sakura were entering the village. They had just returned from a last minute mission they had gone on together.
"The mission was a success." The green-eyed teen said with relief.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "I'm just glad it's over with."
"Yeah." She agreed.
She had wanted to ask the blond boy if had gotten the chance to talk to Ino at all before they left for their mission. Before she could ask him though Naruto ended up speaking up.
"Let's go report to Baa-chan now. There's something I want to do after this."
Sakura nodded and followed after her blue-eyed friend as he led the way to the Hokage's office.
Meanwhile the blonde-haired Hokage sat in her office gazing out of the window. Her mind weighing heavily on the decision she had made a while back. She had given a lot of thought to what she had decided to do. In no means had she taken any of it lightly. A sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes.
"Tsunade-sama." Shizune whispered.
The black-haired woman stood gazing at the back of the chair. She knew what the Hokage was thinking about. She would always get pretty quiet when she those thoughts on her mind.
"Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this?"
The hazel-eyed woman turned around in her chair. She looked up into Shizune's dark eyes. She gave a firm nod.
"Yes I've put it off long enough. I have made my choice. It's time." Before she could say anymore Naruto came bursting through the door with Sakura smiling nervously behind him.
"Hey Baa-chan!" He shouted and gave her a cheerful smile.
Sakura grabbed her friend, placing her hand over his mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was piss Tsunade off.
"Eh, sorry Tsunade-shishou."
Tsunade simply nodded and to both the teenager's surprise she didn't yell or threaten Naruto in anyway. She seemed very calm, like there was something else on her mind. Something much more important.
"Hey Baa-chan are you okay?"
"Yes I'm fine."
"Are you sure Baa-chan. I don't feel any lumps on my head." Naruto rubbed his head and let out a laugh.
"How was your mission?" The blonde-haired Hokage asked, completely ignoring the boy's statement.
"Oh, it went great." Naruto nodded, giving her the thumbs up. "But of course it did I was there right Sakura-chan."
The pink-haired teen rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, sure, whatever."
"I'm glad you're mission was successful. Sakura, Shizune would you mind giving Naruto and I some time alone please?"
Sakura blinked and so did Naruto. What did she want to talk about with him that required just the two of them.
"Tsunade-shishou?"
"I take it that won't be a problem."
Sakura slowly nodded.
"It's okay Sakura-chan. I'll see you later alright." He promised.
"Okay then, bye Naruto, Tsunade-shishou." She added and then left the room with Shizune. She was sure Naruto would tell her about what happened later. Things were quiet for awhile in the Hokage's office.
"Naruto sit down okay."
"Uh, sure Baa-chan. It must be pretty important if you want to talk to me alone."
Tsunade nodded. She wanted to talk with him the young man alone. What she had to say was for his ears only. It would be up to him to decided how he was going to deal with the information she was about to tell him.
"How how have you been Naruto?" She decided to ask.
"I'm fine." He nodded. Only he was getting the feeling that she was intentionally trying to make small talk. If she had something important to say he would rather she just tell him.
"Baa-chan is there something wrong? Are you okay?" He wondered.
Was she hiding a secret of some sort? Was she maybe ill? And she didn't want anyone to know but him.
"Naruto..." She started.
'Oh my god you're in some sort of trouble aren't you?"
"Naruto please..."
"What did you do Baa-chan? Did you rack up a really high gambling debt that would take the rest of our natural lives to pay off? Did you go on some sort of rampage because there was no more sake?"
"Naruto calm down."
"You must have been completely drunk and made some bad choices. Don't worry Baa-chan I'll help you somehow." He promised.
A groan of frustration escaped the hazel-eyed woman. Leave it to Naruto to get carried away.
"Naruto I'm not in trouble okay. I appreciate your concern and your willingness to help me. But I promise you I'm okay."
'Oh," He sighed in relief. "Good I'm glad you almost had me really panicked for a minute Baa-chan."
"Yes I can see that. You were really worried about me huh." She gave him a small smile.
Naruto nodded. Tsunade was one of his important people. In many ways she really was like a grandmother to him. How could he not be concerned about her.
"Oh, come on Baa-chan you know I care." He grinned.
He didn't have to say anything else. She completely got the message.
"The feeling is mutual Naruto." She took a moment, gathering up her thoughts. "It's because I care so much that I'm going to tell you this. It is very important for you to learn the truth Naruto.
The whisker-faced male blinked. He literally felt the serious vice in the room. Whatever she was about to tell him would be important like she said. Naruto knew it was not the time for games.
"The truth." Naruto repeated.
"Yes I need to be the one to tell you this Naruto. I wish Jiraiya could have been the one..." She paused as she mentioned her late friend and teammate.
"Yeah." Naruto smiled sadly. "I miss Ero-sennin too Baa-chan."
"It's just not the same without him. And although he should have been the one to tell you the truth. I believe that the duty falls to me now. He was my dear friend I can do this for him."
"Okay." Naruto nodded. "The truth about what Baa-chan?"
She wasn't completely sure how he would react to the news. She couldn't think of the aftermath right now. The only thing that mattered was letting him know the truth.
"I thought about telling you for a long time. It wasn't an easy decision to make but you deserve to know the truth. It has been kept from you for far too long."
Naruto watched as the blonde-haired woman stood up to retrieve a brown-colored box. She placed it on her desk.
"What's with the box Baa-chan?" He wondered.
"There are some important items in here Naruto. It's yours but we'll get to that in a minute. What I' am about to tell you will affect you greatly. How you choose to handle the information will be in your hands. But no matter what just know that I am here for you." She promised.
Naruto didn't understand why was talking like this. He already knew he could count on her. She did not need to remind him of that.
"Baa-chan I know you're here for me. What's going on though, just tell me already?"
She nodded then reached into the box and pulled out a picture. She then handed it to the whisker-faced boy.
"Here, take a look at it."
He saw that it was a picture of the Yondaime.
"The Yondaime?" He thought.
Only in the photo the 4th Hokage was not alone. Standing next to him was a pretty red-haired woman. Naruto was sure he had never seen her before. But in the picture the two of them looked very happy.
"Baa-chan why are you showing me a picture of the 4th Hokage and this woman?"
"Naruto don't you feel anything when you look at this picture? I told you everything in the box belongs to you. Naruto..."
"Baa-chan?" He whispered.
"Naruto this is a picture of your parents. Minato Namikaze, better known of course as the 4th Hokage and Uzumaki Kushina."
Meanwhile Ino had been on her way to see Tsunade as well. She wanted to make sure she had no surprise missions coming up for today. She had plans with Shikamaru and Chouji, plans that she did not want to see get interrupted because of any last minute surprises. She paused when she saw Sakura standing there.
"Ino?" Sakura spoke.
"Forehead." She responded.
"Are you on you're way to see Tsunade-shishou?"
"I was." Ino nodded.
"Can we talk for a minute please. I really need you to listen to me."
The platinum blonde did not speak for a minute.
"I don't know what else you have to say Sakura, but I honestly don't care right now. Today is an important day." She whispered.
Sakura only nodded, remembering it was the day of Asuma Sarutobi's death.
"Yeah." Sakura whispered. "I know."
"I have to go." Was the only thing Ino said before walking away.
Upstairs silence filled the air in the Hokage's office. Naruto was now standing up as he gazed down at the photo Tsunade gave to him.
"My-my parents?" He repeated in a low tone of voice.
"Yes these are your parents. Naruto I' am truly sorry it was kept from you for so long."
His eyes never left the photo. He was hunched over slightly, his hand gripped firmly on to the picture.
"The fourth Hokage...."
"Is your father, yes. And the woman with the red hair is Kushina Uzumaki your mother. She was a refugee from the now extinct hidden whirlpool village."
Naruto didn't know what to feel at this moment. He had so many different emotions spinning around inside of him. Anger, joy, happiness, sadness, frustration. So many different emotions to go through in a moment's time.
"Naruto I know it's a lot to take in. And it's probably hard for you to believe because it was held from you for so long. But please say something."
"You can't tell me this Baa-chan. How can you just tell me this out of nowhere? You..." He paused. "You have to be making this up. Yondaime is my father and she...." He stopped again. "She's my mother?"
She wasn't really surprised he would be in denial at first. It was a normal reaction. Actually she had anticipated something like this.
"Naruto I would never lie to you, especially not about something very important like this. Didn't you ever wonder about your parents? Didn't you ever think about the people who were your family? I know you had to have some sort of questions about them."
He felt some tears threatening to come down his eyes. But he wouldn't let them. Not here, not now in front of Tsunade. He couldn't let her see him break down. He clenched his fist, biting down on his bottom lip. Of course he had wondered but to actually hear this information now, was too much to handle. He needed to get out of here right this moment.
"I don't know what to say. This is.... this is just too much right now. I... I have to get out of here."
"Naruto! Wait!"
But the young man stormed out of her office, not completely noticing he still had the picture in his hand. Naruto ran out into the hallway, running into Ino.
"Naruto?" She whispered as she collided with the blond boy.
"Sorry." He managed to mutter without even really looking at her. She had seen him though. The look on his face and in his eyes told her that something big had just happened.
"Naruto?"
She watched as he quickly made his way out of the building. She took a few minutes before stepping into Tsunade's office.
Tsunade-sama?"
"Oh, Ino what brings you by?"
"I wanted to ask you something but never mind it. Um, what happened to Naruto? She couldn't help but be immediately concerned.
A sigh escaped the older woman.
"He just learned something that shouldn't have been kept from in the firs place. It's a lot to for him to process right now. I know he's going to need some space. But I really don't want him to be alone at this time."
Ino nodded. She could see it wasn't the time to bother Tsunade. She seemed to be very worried about Naruto. And in truth when she saw the look on his face. Ino had become concerned as well. She then bid farewell to her Hokage and left. Once outside she saw Sakura still standing there.
"Ino, did you see what happened? Why was Naruto so upset?"
Sakura had tried to talking to him only he didn't stop once. He didn't even turn around to look at her when she had called out to him.
"I don't know what actually happened." The blonde female asked.
"But you saw the look on his face right? Something is really wrong with him. I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen. Ino you have to go after him."
"Me?" Ino whispered.
"Yes." Sakura nodded. "I don't care if you refuse to talk to him because you think that there's something going on between us. Naruto should not be alone right now. And I think he needs to be with you, in fact I know he does. You need to be the one to see how he's doing. I know you want to see him too Ino. You can't ignore the look on his face anymore than I can. Go to him!" Sakura said in a firm voice.
The platinum blonde knew Sakura was right. She was worried about the whisker-faced male. She did want to see him right now.
"Hm." Ino nodded.
"He went in that direction." Sakura pointed. "I hope you can find him."
"I'll try to talk to him."
With that Ino ran off in the direction of where the blond male had run off. She didn't understand why Sakura felt like she was going to be the one to get though to the blond boy. But nonetheless she would give it a try. After all she couldn't just forget what Naruto still meant to her.
"Okay Naruto." She thought. "I'm on my way."
A/N: Okay so its a wrap for this chapter. I hope you all have a kick-ass Christmas and a great New Years and I will see you all for the next chapter. Thanks and read and review plz.