Disclaimer: I do not own any of the content following this statement. All titles, names, and plots are owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's Note: As this is an AU the age of graduation from the Academy is now 14 and the age of our heroes at this point are all over 18. Life has been beating me senseless

but I have refused to give in, with this chapter I declare I am back. As my hero said Nuff said

...

Only Time Will Tell

...

"What do you mean you can 'feel' everything", yelled out Naruto after Ino finished talking. They had spent the last three days touring every part of the village and now as they stood in what they had started to call the playroom, Ino found the courage to speak up.

Looking down at the gold band around his arm he looked at it as if it was going to kill him in some strange way. Reaching down, Naruto tries to pull off the gold band causing sparks to fly and the more he tried the more red chakra began to glow around him but nothing happened as Ino falls against the wall with a splitting headache and a small cry for help.

Sakura seeing what was going on steps in and tries to stop Naruto as he tries to use a Kunai to cut the band loose. He pushed her away but she hangs onto his arm with all of her considerable strength before she yelled in his face.

"Stop, you're killing Ino ", cried out Sakura getting him to listen to her for once.

"Why are you acting this way!", scream Sakura as she moved to hold Ino around the shoulders so she doesn't fall to the ground as she dry-heaved as if trying to empty her stomach.

I don't want Ino reading my thoughts all the time", said Naruto between clenched teeth fearing for the safety of anyone that had to hear the thoughts of the fox who never stopped talking to him. He had a lifetime to learn how to not hear the words but Ino would be defenseless. It had gotten better once Nariko had arrived but it still never truly ended. The thought of Ino going mad and hurting herself or others was all he could think about.

"I can't do that," said Ino between gasps of breath, "I said feelings not thoughts, it's different, like I can feel hot or cold not what you think about being hot.", Groaned out Ino shaking herself free from Sakura so she could stand on her own. This was her fault hers alone and Sakura can't help, not this time.

"Oh, so you only feel?", says Naruto putting his blade away and looking over at Nariko, now he was beginning to understand why she hadn't wanted him to touch her for the last three days. He had worried so much he had done something wrong and all she would ever say was ask Ino, so tonight he had.

"So, what's the big deal?" He asked looking into the ocean blues of Nariko but seeing a storm brewing in the back of her eyes. It was so hard to understand what she was thinking most of the time and now he was completely lost as she just stared at him like he was the village idiot.

"How do we fix this,", he says quickly before Nariko's storm c out and he has to decide on letting her kill Ino or getting between them and having to spend the rest of the week talking about why he picked Ino over Nariko's feelings. Woman, why did they have to be so hard?

"We can't, at least not now, I need to talk to my mother, she studied the old ways when she was a Jonin if anybody knows how to break the bond it would be her.", Said Ino now able to focus on the two crazy blondes now that her head doesn't feel like it's going to explode. Maybe if she tried one more time to explain that she didn't mind feeling what they felt but then again that didn't help the first time with Nariko, 'Dam selfish bitch', Ino thought with a grin knowing she would do the same.

"We have seal masters here you know," said Gaara getting everyone to jump as none of them heard her enter the room to stand against the wall and listen to the drama. This was worth the price of admission in her book.

"You know she is right, they were able to seal the one tail in her they should be able to do something about this.", said Sakura as she walked over to stand by the wall away from all of them not liking the idea of being between three Jinchūriki when their emotions are running wild. Things can happen bad things and Sakura had learned it was best to just get out of the way. She just wished Ino had learned the same lesson before doing something so stupid as bonding herself with both of them.

"I still say we just kill her, "said Nariko glaring at Ino

"You don't mean that, she is your friend, we don't kill friends.", said Naruto not sure he believed his own words.

"I know", said Nariko not really meaning to kill Ino but it still felt good to say it and the look in Gaara's eyes said she would help if asked. That, more than anything made Nariko not want to kill Ino, if Gaara was in agreement then she wasn't going to do it. She felt deep inside that Gaara would use any chance she had to pull her and Naruto apart. Killing one of Naruto's old friends would start a crack in their relationship she wasn't sure how to heal.

Seal Master!,", yelled out Sakura breaking the eye lock Nariko and Gaara were in, the silence of the last handful of seconds had felt like forever.

"Yes, we should go speak to lady Cho, she is retired now but her skill in seal work is still the best in the village.", said Gaara turning her back on Nariko and walking out the door expecting everyone to follow her back out into the now cool night of the village. They had toured most of the public places of the village during the day but now they would be venturing into the more secretive areas that only shinobi would enter.

It was a long walk to the other side of the village and up onto a small hill with what looked like a temple on top. Its round dome shined in the moonlight with a small persistent tentacle of smoke that anchored the temple to the moon. If one were to blink fast one couldn't tell if the moon was holding the temple on a string of smoke or if the temple was holding the moon in the sky.

Reaching the side of the small dome they walked inside to find a single room with two old shinobi in white robes sitting near the center both facing a small pool of water. They thought at first it was this water that the smoke was rising from but as they grew closer they could see the smoke was falling into the water as if filling it.

'Such chakra control to pull moisture from the air all night, it's incredible.', thought Sakura as she could see the signs of chakra in the stream of water mist falling into the pool.

"Lady Cho, we have a question to ask,", said Gaara with a small bow, showing her guests that for the first time, someone deserved her respect.

Pulling her hood back the old lady looked over her shoulder and then back to the pool as what they later learned was her bother, who pulled out a fishing pole and dropped a line into the water.

"I don't help tree huggers.", said Lady Cho reaching to pull her hood back up.

"The war is long done, listen to them.", said her brother playing out his fishing line like the water was hundreds of feet deep.

There was tension in the air between them for a moment then the old lady asked, "What is it you need?"

"There is a Yamanaka clan soul-binding seal that needs to be broken or even just weaken.", said Ino knowing this was her responsibility.

"The pair binding, I haven't seen that in a very long time.", said Cho still facing the water as if it held all the knowledge in the world.

"Yes but this one involves three.", said Ino, "and two are a soul pair from different worlds," added Ino hoping to get the old ladies interested to solve such a puzzle.

Turning to look at them again, this time for much longer lady Cho turned back, "You forgot to add they are Jinchuriki. Are you crazy or just stupid using that poisoned jutsu.", said Lady Cho with a small laugh that turned into a cough.

"Poisoned? I did it for love.", said Ino not understanding why she would use such a word.

"Love!", yelled out Lady Cho as she hopped to her feet and walked over to face Ino.

"That jutsu was used only on suicide missions to guarantee a spy would not talk.", said Lady Cho now pointing a finger in Ino's face.

"Child, your clan was rotten to its core when it used that jutsu, don't they teach you anything in that village of yours'.", said Cho now beginning to show her age as her anger burned out.

"Can it be broken.", said Gaara, this could turn into one of those long long lectures on how bad every other village was in the last great world war. She had learned to avoid those at all costs as Cho could and would talk all night and into the early morning.

Turning to look at the small red-headed Jinchuriki Cho looked disappointed, it wasn't every day she had a room full of people to tell her stories to, her bother had stopped listening decades ago.

"Depends, do you want them alive or dead at the end", said Cho now only looking at Gaara,

"It would seem they want to stay alive.", said Gaara, it took a second or two for everyone to see she was joking, it was Gaara after all.

Then I can't help you.", said Cho turning back to the pool of endless water they feed into the village water supplies used to grow the fruits she so loved.

"Can it be weakened?", asked Nariko not one to give up so easily.

Cho looked at Nariko with her masked face and blonde hair coming out of her hair covering, it was the eyes that stopped her from saying no, she used to know eyes like that in her youth, full of pain and hope all rolled into a ball of fear.

"The jutsu taps into the spirit realm for its power so it will take a lot of chakras to even weaken it, but seeing you two I don't think that is a problem.

Cho seemed to have come to a decision as she just started to walk out of the temple and down the hill heading for a house hidden in the folds of the mountains, with all the young shinobi following her she felt she was back in the war with Genin recruits to train.

Going around back they entered a workshop of a seal master with endless supplies of ink, paper, and books that wrapped around the room on high shelves. Using her chakra strings she moved Ino to stand on one side of the seal on the floor and then did the same to Naruto and Nariko she had them all facing each other in a triangle. Sending a spike of chakra into the seal on the floor it flared up and she waited until it glowed brightly and then faded out. Now with a better understanding of what she was dealing with, she pulled some books down off the high shelves with a masterful display of chakra string control.

"The problem is that you are all mutually attracted by your feeling for each other, given your initial positions to each other and the strength of your feelings the seal is essentially impossible to break due to its chaotic dynamics.", said Cho flipping through her books.

This is going to be messy, complicated to do in the real world, as you have no exact steady-state to start from.", said Cho talking to herself as she placed her finger down on some notes on the edges of the book.

Sakura moved slowly around the room until she was standing next to Cho to look down at the page she was holding open. Sakura was smart, smarter than most and she knew it so when she got a grin on her face she looked over at Cho at her side.

"Then why can't you balance them in the spirit world where we can stop all motion.", said Sakura as she drew a line with her finger from one page on the book to another page on a different book.

Cho looked over at the child at her side then at the two pages she was pointing out, it could work if you had an endless supply of chakra.

"Do you have a master child, I would love to pass on my knowledge to someone that could use it.", said Cho

"Let me think about it.", said Sakura not wanting to talk about her old master as the name of the Hokage she felt would send Cho into one of her fits of storytelling or worst.

"Yes, first let's solve this problem and then we can talk.", said Cho thinking that Sakura wanted her to prove she was worthy to be her teacher.

"So you can break it?", asked Ino not sure if she was happy or not about the idea of losing her bond.

"Not unless you want to stay in the spirit realm, but I think we can put it under some control so you can mute its effects. That way you will not kill all three of you when one of you dies.", said Cho as she gathered up bottles of ink and brushes. This was going to be fun and if it failed it would only be some useless leaf shinobi that would die.

Lady Cho handed some of the bottles of ink to Sakura with a toothless grin using her as an unwilling assistant as she moved into the center of the room.

"OK children, take off all your clothes I need to apply the seals directly on you.", said Cho as she looked around at the three young shinobi, this was required for all seal work of this complexity and it was twice as hard with dealing with Jinchuriki and there seals.

Nariko didn't hesitate for a second as she stripped off her clothes and tossed them to the side, she had lost any discomfort on being naked around others long ago. Naruto was slow and did his best not to look at Nariko at his side. Now that they had crossed that barrier of intimacy it was much harder to look at her without feeling too much.

It was poor Ino that just stood there not knowing what to do, she hadn't let anyone see her without clothes on since returning from that failed mission, and not even her mother had seen all of the after-effects of that day. She had avoided going to any of the public hot springs even when she knew they would be only used by another kunoichi.

"Come on girly there is nothing to be ashamed of,", said Cho swirling a brush in an inkpot Sakura was holding in both hands.

Ino took a deep breath and stripped off her clothes as fast as she could without thinking about what she was doing. Only the idea of protecting her friends was on her mind as she dropped her underwear on top of the pile of clothes at her back.

"Oh my god Ino!", said Naruto as he looked at his friend, the scar on her neck he had seen before but he had no idea she had so many others over her breast and legs. The bastards that had used her hadn't been all that gentle with their blades as they ripped off her clothes. He remembered there had been a lot of blood but had done his best to turn a blind eye to her at the time. Now with her standing tall directly in front of him, he had no choice but to confront the horror that the sound shinobi had done to her.

Cho looked at Ino with a cynical eye before saying, "Your alive that is all that counts and if your team did their job then whoever did this is long dead."

As a few lone tears rolled down Ino's cheeks Cho turned to the other two and said, "The mask has to go, I said everything"

Now it was Nariko's turn to hesitate in panic and with shaking hands, she removed her mask to reveal to the room what she had been told all her life was the hideousness of her face. She knew it wasn't true, that everyone said it wasn't true but still it was an idea that had been burned into her perception of self that no amount of reassurance would ever remove.

"OK, now that that is done lay on the floor with your feet pointed to the center, no move a little to right, no my right boy Ok, now hold that pot still child, and watch.", said Lady Cho as she nudged them in place with a gentle kick of her foot and with a drip of her brush in the ink pot in Sakura's hand started to draw intricate lines starting at Ino's forehead and working her way down.

Gaara stood still as a statue as the three had striped and she got a good look at the perfection that was Nariko, the polished testament to hard work and determination that was Naruto but most of all she had seen the manifestation of pain that was Ino's and Ino's alone. The sound had paid dearly for almost taking Naruto from her, in the future it would pay even more not for Ino's pain but for allowing such creatures to be called shinobi.

Hours passed and Cho worked as if she was 50 years younger as she danced around the bodies on the floor with quick strokes of her brush humming a mindless tune only she knew the words to. Sakura did her best to keep up with her, always keeping the pot in reach and filling it over and over as Cho's brush found the bottom. She had cried silent tears for her friend but now as they were all almost completely covered in elaborate lines of confusing detail she had lost all understanding of what these serpentine lines were going to do, lines that avoided the seals on both fox Jinchuriki leaving their stomachs bare.

A childish thought popped into her head as her arms drew tired after so many hours of holding out the dammed clay pot. They had stripped bare in front of her and just to be fair she almost told Gaara they should join them. Looking over at Gaara's still form she noticed Gaara had locked her eyes on the wall beyond them taking all the fun out of that idea.

"Good, Good, now back away child,", said Cho pointing to a spot she wanted Sakura to stand outside of the larger circle carved into the floor.

"Gaara, I need you to push your chakra into the containment seal.", said Cho pointing at the carved seal on the stone floor getting a nod from the green-eyed terror.

"Now listen up you two,", said Cho standing between the two fox Jinchuriki getting their attention, Naruto had fallen asleep and Nariko wasn't that far behind, only Ino had stayed wide awake during this whole process.

Seeing she had their attention Cho continued, "When I activate the seal you will feel a pull on your chakra, that is the sign for you to push as much of your chakra into the seal, at the same time Gaara will activate the barrier seal creating an enclosure to safeguard us from any blowback if you lose control. Don't lose focus and fair warning, this is going to be a little painful.", Cho knew full well this was going to be very painful but again they were only leaf shinobi so if they turned into ash it was no real loss.

"How much chakra do you want me to use?", asked Naruto trying to clear his head from a crazy dream he had been having with Nariko and Ino in the same bed, with him.

"Just like you did when you help reseal me.", said Nariko remembering that day not so long ago.

"OK, if you say so Nariko-Chan.", said Naruto thinking that just like that day he would just use all his chakra, if a little was good then all of it was better.

Cho walked around the circle until she was standing over Ino's head, kneeling down she placed both hands on either side of Ino's face as she leaned over the now scared blonde girl.

"This is all on you now, they will only provide you the chakra you need.", said Cho, and before Ino could ask what she needed to do Cho triggered the seal and jumped back as all three shinobi on the floor lit up as if they had swallowed the sun. Gaara squatted down and placing both hands on the floor pulled up the containment field as she was buffered by the force of the chakra being used. Each blonde arched their backs in pain leaving only their feet and heads still touching the floor before they all slowly floated up into the air stopping only when the top of the barrier prevents them from going higher.

Looking up Sakura ran to the edge of the glowing shield wall before turning to look at Cho standing to the side, "Are they going to be OK?", she asked Lady Cho

"If her will is strong and the spirits allow it,", said Cho taking a seat on a stool now that it had begun she felt every year of her long life weighing down on her.

….

Ino found herself floating in the void of white, once the pain faded into the background she knew this was no longer the real work. Willing herself down, at least down from her point of view she looked around once her feet touched something that felt like bed sheets over still water.

Walking forward she looked at herself and found she was covered in gray robes that reminded her of the shōzoku vestments worn by Shintō priests but devoid of color. Touching the top of her head she didn't find the traditional headdress, why she was dressed as a priest and not a Miko was a question she would have to deal with as there was no one to ask.

Moving forward in the void thinking that any direction was as good as any other she did her best to keep her head up and act the part of calm in control Yamanaka clan heir but inside she was in a panic not knowing what was going on. In the far distance, a small flicker of light caught her eye making her breath catch as she quickened her pace.

The light was from a candle floating in the air as if it was on a table that she could not see. Once within reach, she reached out to touch it and as soon as her fingers felt the cool wax below the flame the world went dark and she could only see what was in the circle of light from the small flame.

Pulling her hand back the form of a wooden table appeared below the flame as it floated down. It was a chabudai made of dark black oak with short legs that looked solid not the normal collapsible ones she was used to. Stepping back her foot hit a zabuton with gold edging and the back had the emblem of her clan.

'I guess I should sit', she thought as she lowered herself and placed her hands in her lap waiting to see what would happen next.

"o-hayō gozaimasu, Ino-san", said a voice behind her making her jump a little as she turned her head to see a man walking out of the dark, he was old, older than even the third looked before his death but his back was straight and steps steady as he moved around the table and sat facing her. His robes matched her's but for the headdress he wore.

"Arigato Gozaimasu Ojiisan, how do you know me.", said Ino bowing low in her seat thinking she should know this man.

"I know all of the children of me children's children but you have made yourself known even beyond that with your request for the binding, it had been many many years, and never has it been asked to be done out of love.", said the old man who reached out and pulled a pot of tea from the darkness and pour it into a cup Ino didn't know was on the table.

"Honored grandfather, that is why I am here, the bond is too strong, the link is too private, and in my foolishness, I bond myself to two others.", said Ino bowing again before looking into the eyes of her ancestor. It was then she noticed his eyes were not the pale match of her own but a black void filled with distant stars. She had to turn away before she was pulled into the void she found within his gaze.

"It is, as it should be, as you added that which can not be broken. Love my child is not something you can just throw away.", said the ancestor sipping his tea.

"But I do not love him,", said Ino without thinking or even considering who she was speaking to, her heart was the one thing in the world she felt she knew.

"The lies we tell ourselves are the most believable child,", said the ancestor tapping his teacup down onto the plate making it ring out into the blackness around them causing a floor and then walls to appear until they sat in a room decorated in the style of a tea house from the old stories, even the smell of flowers she knew from her childhood flowed in from the window.

"I do not understand.", said Ino dropping her head down and covering her face in stands of gold.

"In the days before villages, the bonding was used to bind a wife to a husband and a husband to a wife. It was later that some found it useful in spying on other clans as killing one would kill the other. When my father's father learned of this he placed within the jutsu the symbol of the bush clover which symbolizes a "positive love", that same symbol our clan uses as our own.", said the ancestor.

"You are the first of our clan to use the bush clover sign or as you say "Love" in using this jutsu. Five thousand years of Yamanaka looked down from the pure world and seeing your love was truly blessed you with a gift and now you want to shame your family by returning it, girl!", said the old man yelling out the last part in his anger as thunderclouds broke the silence and the room shock from the mighty clap of lightening flashing in the void.

"What gift grandfather, all that it has brought me is pain and hate.", cried out Ino as the wind blew and the roof of the small house flew off into the night, then as rain and thunder roared a mighty wind ripped the walls from the ground and sent them spinning into the night's sky. Ino found herself sitting on the rocky ground at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean far below. The storm was raging sending great waves to smash against the wall of rock as she jumped to her feet.

Alone and in the middle of a raging typhoon Ino searched for her ancestor as she backed away from the cliff edge as a piece of it broke away and fell into the foaming waves far below. It was then in a flash of lightning she could see but for a moment she was on a small island that was getting smaller by the second as the ocean ate away at the ground she was standing on.

"Grandfather!", Ino screamed in hope that the old man would come back, "Please Grandfather forgive me!", again Ino screamed into the storm not knowing what else to do.

"Do not cry for old men with bruised pride child."

Spinning around at the voice Ino fell to the ground as the wind stopped she looked around frantically as the clouds parted and she found herself in a field of flowers as the warm sun beat down on her. It was the flowers she smelled from inside the tea house and as the dark clouds faded away like they were never in the sky she stood back up.

Seated on a wooden bench on the other side of a small stream running the length of the flower garden was an old woman with the eyes of her grandfather but a smile that made her feel loved. Moving over she took a seat on the bench as the woman patted the seat next to her.

"Your friends fight hard to anchor you to the world of the living, they must love you greatly.", said the woman

"The storm?", asked Ino looking around and only seeing an endless field of flowers off into the distance.

"No,", laughed the old woman, "That was Urashima your very great grandfather, it was your friends that pulled me to you."

Ino looked around again hoping to see a sign that this was true but jumped as the old woman took her hand.

"Even the power of the children of the fox god can not hold you here forever child. Now listen closely, there is a prophecy of 'The One' who will bring peace to the world", said the old woman as Ino's eyes widened in fear.

"Don't you worry,", said the old woman as she patted Ino's hand she still held. ", it's not you but the one you love."

"Nariko is going to bring peace?", asked Ino not believing that the heartless killing machine was the one.

"You still do not see it?", questioned the old woman, "She is but half of the whole, the Ying to the Yang, the war to the peace. To love one is the love the other."

Shaking her head in disbelief Ino felt the world move and the sun fading away but not by setting in the west but just fading away.

"We are running out of time it seems, now you came here for a reason, what is it you need child.", said the old woman.

"The bond is too strong, the binding was more than I expected, I feel everything all the time, from both of them, its too much.", said Ino as quickly as she could as the light was fading fast.

Turning Ino's hand over so her palm was up the old woman drew a seal on her palm in the shape of the bush clover then folded Ino's fingers over it saying "Seal!" causing a flash of pain to shoot up Ino's arm and fade away.

"This will mute the one but awaken the other, you can only choose one over the other but once a day. Choose wisely.", said the old woman.

Ino nodded not really understanding what she meant and looked at her hand and then up into the endless void that was the eyes of the woman at her side.

"What of the gift grandfather was talking about?", asked Ino as the light had faded so they were now sitting in a small circle of light.

"Yes, the gift.", smiled the old woman as she patted Ino's hand. "You will know when to use it, don't worry so much dear child, you will know." With those words, the world around them went dark with a crack.

Waking up floating in the air high above the floor Ino tried to scream as she felt herself drop and land on the hard stone floor slamming into the stone so hard her breath was knocked out of her and pain shot into her body. It hurt so much so rolled on her side and curled into a ball wanting nothing more than to scream as her whole body felt like it had been stretched and pulled like bread dough at Akimichi's baker's shop.

'Nice Ass', Ino heard Naruto say as she rolled to a sitting position to stare wide-eyed at him, He was rubbing the back of his head where a large lump was forming but otherwise no longer looking at her.

'I wonder if my breast is bigger than hers.', she heard Nariko say but she was looking right at her and her lips hadn't moved. 'What is Naruto looking at', again Nariko's voice rang in her head but she wasn't speaking.

"Can you feel this,", said Naruto rubbing the back of his head as it hurt more, pulling his hand away it had some blood on it from a cut on his head when he fell.

'No, I only feel my own cuts, thank you.', Ino tried to say not waiting to tell them what was happening, now she can't feel them but their inner voice was clear as if they were speaking in her ear.

Seeing they didn't respond she shook her head no.

"Good,", said Nariko, 'I guess I don't have to kill her, she better get dressed before Naruto starts staring', again Nariko's inner voice was in Ino's head as she moved to her clothes and pulled them on as fast as she could without giving Naruto to much of a show.

Listening to the inner monologue of the two blondes as they got dressed Ino felt a little panic run down her back. Was this better? She found herself looking into Sakura's worried face as Sakura said, "You don't look so good, let's go get some fresh air."

With that Sakura put her arm around Ino's waist and walked her out the door into the bright afternoon sun. As soon as she walked around the corner into some shade she looked up and turned around like she was lost.

"Ino? What happens in there? You OK?"', asked Sakura seeing the confused look on Ino's face

'There gone, I don't hear them.', thought Ino as she looked at Sakura trying to form words but unable to get them to come out. 'What! Did! That! Old Woman Do to me!,', screamed Ino in her own head unable to form any words. Ino whole life revolved around talking and now that was gone.

Holding Sakura still, she took a step back and formed some basic clan hand signs reached over the touched Sakura's forehead.

'Can you hear me now.', thought Ino through the link

"Yes I can hear you, what happen in there, it's been almost two days.", said Sakura standing still with Ino pressing her finger onto her forehead.

'I can't speak, my voice is gone.', thought Ino touching her neck with her free hand.

Placing both hands on Ino's neck Sakura used her chakra to check Ino's voice box and other internal organs but didn't find anything out of place.

"I can't find anything wrong but once we get back to the village we can have Master Tsunade check herself.", said Sakura giving Ino one of her little smiles as she stepping back.

Watching her pink-haired friend walk back into the building Ino looked down at her hand seeing the faint outline of the seal the old woman burned into her skin. Now if only she knew how to use it she thought as she walked back inside.

Seeing Nariko wiping the back of Naruto's head with a wet rag trying to get the blood out of his hair both of their inner monologues floored her mind as soon as she was within their sight but this time she was a little more prepared and didn't give any outward sign she was hearing anything.

"Ino, you Ok, Sakura said you can't talk", yelled out Naruto from his seat.

"She can't talk, But I am sure she can hear you fine so stop yelling.", said Sakura from the side of the room as she helped Lady Cho, they were looking over some seals in one of the ancient books.

Feeling useless Ino walked over to stand behind Sakura and look over her shoulders as she flipped the pages of the book. It was clear she was scanning for a clue as to what happened. Ino wondered if she should tell her what happen in the spirit world when she heard.

"She does have a nice ass, I wonder if Naruto noticed.', the thoughts of Nariko broke past her weak mind barrier as if she was screaming the words in her ears. This sent a shiver down her back now knowing that both fox Jinchuriki had a thing for her butt.

"I think it would be best if we returned to the village and find something to eat,", said Gaara from the shadows of the room making everyone jump at the sound of her voice. She had been listening to Naruto's stomach growl and felt she had to do something about it.

In no time they found themselves in the village at one of the more upscale restaurants that Gaara liked. As they sat at the open-air tables on the roof overlooking the Kage's tower Naruto was joking that Gaara would be the first woman Kage of her village and Nariko was holding his arm to her chest as if to remind him she was right there.

After Gaara said Naruto would be the first blonde idiot to be a Kage Nariko burst out in laughter and the food quickly arrived. The wait staff was quick and efficient but moved away as fast as they could leaving the group alone.

Ino was at a loss, she was normally the one doing all the talking at the table and now with Gaara making jokes and Sakura reading one of the old dusty tomes she had somehow convinced lady Cho to let her take from her library, Ino was lost in her own thoughts having blocked most of the blonde's inner monologue from her mind. Their voices were there but like someone taking in a room, if you didn't pay attention to them you didn't really hear what they were saying.

"I had no idea, Ino look, if you inverse a seal matrix and add Yang instead of Ying it reverses the polarity and moves the chakra into congruity.", said Sakura pointing at the book in her lap and grinning like she found the end of the rainbow. Ino just nodded not understanding a word her little pink friend said but it sounded tedious.

With the meal done and the table cleared of the ten empty bowls of ramen, Naruto said, "I think we should head back to Konohagakure in the morning. It's been great staying with you Gaara but we have a village to take care of."

"I understand.", said Gaara standing up and moving from the table, if she felt something, anything about Naruto leaving she didn't show it as she led them back to the mansion each of them made their way back to their rooms.

Now laying in bed Ino could only stare at the clock on the wall as it neared midnight. Holding her hand up she stared at the seal and Sakura's words came flooding back to her. So if you reverse the seal and add yang or something. With that idea, she ran her finger over the seal backward and pushed chakra into it at the same time. When the seal glowed and seemed to flip over on her hand the feelings of what Naruto and Nariko were doing in the bedroom below her engulfed her.

The scream she let out was of pure pleasure as a massive climax exploded into her body as days of passion were released all at once shaking her whole body in throes of passion only two people who are truly in love can give each other.

When Sakura bust into the room having heard Ino's scream she could only stare as Ino flopped around on the bed clearly having the time of her life as laughed and cried only to stop and let out an impassioned moan.

"Ino what is going on?", said Sakura standing by the bed, at least this time Ino was fully dressed and in her pajamas but it was clear what was happening.

"I… I… I reversed the seal and I can talk.", said Ino hugging her knees to her chest as they took a break downstairs.

With that Ino told Sakura the whole story of what happened in the spirit world hoping her friend would understand more than she did and what to do or why this is happening, not that she wanted it to stop, oh she only wished they would continue.

As she felt hands moving over her body in ways only a lover would use Sakura climbed on the bed and took her hand in hers to look at the seal. Hearing the clock on the wall chime midnight a thought popped into her head.

"So this grandmother that put on this seal said you could change it once a day, right?", said Sakura shaking Ino's arm to get to her focus as she felt little kisses run down her back.

"Ya, I..hum. Ya so she said once a day.", said Ino wishing Sakura would just go away and let her enjoy this, no one had to know, it would be her little secret. She could play dumb in the morning if this is her reward.

"OK, then it's a new day so do it again.", said Sakura looking over her shoulder at the clock and then back to Ino to help her hold her hand steady as she mindlessly repeated what she did before.

With a flash of the seal it was gone, all the soft and not-so-soft touching ended along with her voice as she tried to scream at Sakura for making her reverse the seal. Kicking her feet on the bed she looked like a small child having a fit as Sakura jumped off the bed.

"Ok, so you're good now. Good night.", said Sakura as Ino threw a pillow at her and then started to reach for the lamp on the bedside table.

…...

Poor Ino, she got friend blocked. Ok so in all seriousness I need help with what Ino's gift would be and how to use it. Any ideas are valid at this point as I painted myself into a corner and need your help.

The next chapter will be Naruto focused unless I get overwhelming feedback to stay in the Ino point of view. Until next time.