IM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT. However we just have three more chapters to go! This was a short story and it will remain that way. Thanks thanks thanks for all the reviews and im glad I least I didnt leave you haning on there on Ino's future. I went and checked all of the chapters. ALL OF THEM. So if you are starting this story you might as well know I corrected a bunch of mistakes. I know no one will read it a second time but im happy I got to correct all the things that bothered me.
So with nothing else to say enjoy this! This was a fun chapter to write after such a sad chapter. Its a LONG one in order to compensate for the enourmous time I didnt update. So here, have two chapters into one!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
He felt the killer intent from almost a mile away, confused Naruto peeked his head out of the ramen shop he was at the moment, it was early in the morning of the third day of the trade and he had come by to have breakfast before heading for the train ground were the meetings have been settled.
Early he had sulked for a while but even he knew that the trade wasn't going to be cancelled, that even with a whole team in the hospital they needed to go on with it to much of the disgrace of the rest of the genins.
After a few more seconds of not seeing anything down the street Naruto shrugged and returned to his plate. He was about to put his hands to cup the bowl to empty it when he froze. He couldn't move and he frowned a bit at this... he remembered this feeling….
Before he had a chance to do anything or ponder over this sudden shock he hit himself with his own hand that was now on a fist, he grunted in pain as he forced his body to stop doing things he didnt want, before he had time to collect his willing froce he hit himself again, this time full on the jaw and he screamed more for being taken unguarded than anything else.
However he didn't have to turn around to see who was doing this, still his body reacted on his own and he found himself staring at Shikamaru standing a few feet away from him, his shadow connected with his. Shikamaru crossed his arms and NArutos arms followed. Naruto wanted to explain, sweat dropping, he would have caressed his neck if he would have been able because of his nerviouses.
"Oi! Shikamaru, I-"
Shikamaru's shadow returned to him and Naruto found balance again, he had not expected the boy to let him go that easy. He sighed, he had thought Shikamaru would do worse than this.
"Im glad that—"
Shikamaru threw him a kunai and Naruto was fast enough to bent to one side as it got stuck on the seat he had just been at a second before, alarmed he started to walk away from the Nara boy, panic on his eyes as he tried to put an easy smile on his face, hands up in surrender.
"There's no need to act like this, Shikamaru! C'mon man I just—"
Shikamaru took a step forward and Naruto froze, he had never seen that cold stare on Shikamaru's eyes.
"You have exactly five seconds to run Uzumaki before I go and call for your head."
Naruto didn't ask twice as he started to run yelling apologies over and over again over his shoulder as the other boy ran behind him throwing him kunais and muttering under his breath how troublesome this all was. Naruto, who still had a bandaged arm was trying hard to defend himself as he jumped to a roof and started to run to the meeting ground hoping there he could find help or refuge behind Kakashi.
"Did I really pull such a big string last night?!" Naruto yelled to himself as he kept running for dear life, suddenly he felt the intent for attack and jump by reflex, three shurikens passed just under him. Now this was too much.
"Oi! Stop, stop! Do you want me dead?" He said shrieking when a kunai passed just above his head by a mere reflect he had dodged in time. He heard the calmed voice of Shikamaru from behind as Naruto jumped to the next ceiling. The training ground had never ever been that far away.
"Im still thinking about how."
If Naruto wasn't scared before he was now.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Sasuke was a little bit uneasy on his feet as he talked to Neji, well more like grunting and Neji grunting in return, he didn't want to accept it but he was a little bit preoccupied about Tenten's health he had found that she was a such a good girl to just let it something like that happen to her so he expressed his feelings out loud.
"hn, So how is Tenten?" Well, he kind of did.
Neji shrugged and grunted in response. "Fine, she's getting out of the hospital tomorrow in the afternoon, however she still needs time to recover."
"Hn." Said the stoic Uchiha as he waited besides him the third and last day of the trade came upon their shoulders, all around genins were talking in low voices. They knew about yesterday incident but even then they all seemed in high spirits after getting news that the three ninjas injured were going to be fine, they were forbidden to visit them but they were glad the three of them were going to be okay.
That's when Sasuke heard him before seeing him. This time the scoff on his face disappeared to be replaced with a smirk as Neji laughed a bit by his side at the sight of Naruto running into the clearing with Shikamaru close behind. Naruto looked white and exhausted as he jumped in the air dodging a shuriken aimed perfectly to his back.
"So are we clear?!" Shikamaru's voice made it around the place as Naruto just shakily nodded as he dodged a kunai, seriously how many kunais Shikamaru could carry around.
Sasuke on the other hand wondered if there had even been a time were Shikamaru actually yelled. He scoffed. Leave to Naruto to pull people on the edge.
Naruto tried to defend his idea as he finally stopped under a tree, he turned and smiled, a meekly attempt Sasuke thought as he shook his head.
"Well that was your own faul, ya know? I did nothing but good."
Three kunais embedded in the three behind him, one above his head and the other two close to his ears. Sasuke wondered were Shikamaru had got all this talent all of a sudden.
"Are-we-clear?" Shikamaru was standing there just casually like he was throwing freaking droplets of water to Naruto instead of actual weapons.
"Like water!" Naruto answered as he finally found Shikamaru slowing down and stopped, finally the lazy boy just smirked at seeing Naruto's flushed face and walked to him, Naruto too scared to run and hide behind any of his friends just stood there a grim look on his face. He was so dead, all around the others were just snickering and when Naruto thought he was going to receive another punch Shikamaru just lazily put his hand on his shoulder and grinned.
Naruto jumped a bit at the lack of pain.
"Good that and by the way…" he said rolling his eyes as she smiled to one side, his voice dropping. "It worked."
Naruto smiled sheepishly and finally they parted ways, Shikamaru went to sit under a three with his hands on his pockets as Naruto jogged to catch Neji and Sasuke who were snickering. Naruto still too scared for all the things he had to dodge and everything Shikamaru had said to him the whole way here couldn't even voice his thoughts as he eyed the shadow ninja afraid Shikamaru would have another weapon thrown his way.
"What an entrance dobe." Sasuke said eyeing his friend and then his arm, he nodded to it. "Getting better or Nara just decided to break it all over again?"
Neji just grinned. "You had it coming Uzumaki."
Before the blond one could whine about it they heard a shout that covered his voice.
"Naruto!" The three boys turned to see the pink haired kunoichi running towards them, Sasuke refrained from rolling his eyes at her loud voice, he took a step back and embraced himself for the surely hug he was going to get but before he could bet on what she was going to do next she surprised him as she hugged Naruto tightly.
Naruto. Not him. Sasuke finally let some emotion show as his eyes snapped wide open. Was she suddenly blind?
"Im so glad you are okay and getting better." Sakura said with a smile as she let go a very flushing Naruto who was having a hard time breathing. Sakura looked at his arm worriedly. "You should go and have that arm checked up again, after all that's been happening it wouldn't hurt." She said as she smiled to him. "Want me to check it real quick? Im getting real good of a medic ninja you know?"
"You cant do that, Sakura-san." Neji curtly reminded her. "Remember we aren't supposed to talk to team members, besides our senseis must be here any second."
"Right, forgot about that." Sasuke and Naruto knew she hadn't forgot, still she smiled at the blond in the group. "You look really bad, are you okay?"
Naruto just painfully nodded and mumbled something, after a second or two she just turned to the other two who were speechless, what in the world? Sakura just rose a eyebrow to Sasuke for an answer as to why he was acting so werid he said nothing.
Sakura was way too worried about Naruto. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder since when?
"Are you sure are you okay?" Sakura repeated eyeing the blond once again " You look really pale." and Naruto finally found his voice.
"Yep, Shikamaru just scared me a bit Sakura-chan, all is well, how about you? You know I havent heard of you much since we arent supposed to find time to talk and all that." Naruto wanted to say 'we don't talk much either way' but refrained himself. The girl nodded .
"I know, I have lots of things to talk to you both but I guess we will have to wait till all this over isn't it?"
"Agreed." Naruto said eyeing his other teammate who just looked like he was sulking.
"Have you heard of Tenten?" Neji asked Sakura, she was under Tsundaes wing so she must know something that he didn't, the girl nodded. "Shes fine along with Ino, I went for a quick visit early in the morning so I could report to her parents."
Neji nodded in thanks.
"Im glad Ino is okay. Im goona pay her a visit first thing tomorrow." Naruto said outloud as he remembered the flower she had gave him yesterday, he had it on a watervase on his house. He smiled fondly at the memory as Sakura eyed him. Had the two of them really becaome that close?
Sakura clapped her hands once seeing that the atmosphere in the group, to put it simply, was off. She didnt want to keep thinking how much he looked to be hurting from what had happened to Ino. "Well, just wanted to make sure you were okay." She said smiling to the three as she waved and finally and lastly turned to the blond to give him a kiss on the cheek. The world all but stopped to the three guys. "If Kakashi finds me talking to both my teammates I'll get an earful. See you tomorrow guys and take care of that arm you moron."
And with that she left, before any of them had a chance to ponder over it Kurenai appeared alongside Gai. Naruto glanced at Sasuke who glanced back at him and then turned his head stubbornly.
"Don't get your hopes up, Dobe."
"Hai hai…" Naruto scoffed as he parted ways his free hand went to touch his skin. This was all just to troublesome as Shikamaru would say. First Ino and him getting all friends and everything, discovering how much of a good person she really was; then the Hinata case which he still had a long way to figure it out how to ask her to train with him- for reason beyond him- and now Sakura giving him a kiss and asking for his health. He needed advice on girls. Soon.
Finally the two sensei's rounded the genin up and delivered todays team as a very confused Kiba asked what the others were thinking.
"Why can't we call it a day? Almost one of each team is injured there's no point on doing this anymore." Kiba said matter of fact to Naruto who had walked to his side in order to not get yelled for talking to Sasuke nodded in agreement. Naruto added another thing to his list as now he was finding it more normal than ever to just agree with the half part dog boy, besides Shikamaru had actually tried to kill him. So out of character but he might as well deserve it. Just a little. He shuddered and turned to say something to Sasuke just to found himself on the other side with Hinata.
"Having a nice day, Naruto-kun?" Hinata smiled and Naruto smiled too in return, she turned red but didnt faint. She seemed to do that every chance she got, after that she walked away to talk to Lee. Naruto didnt know why but it was because if she kept on standing there she would faint but Naruto was just too annoyed because he had wanted to ask her to train!
He mumbled something under his breath about how the world was turning upside down. By the end of the month he might as well be son the fourth Hokage. Kiba laughed at that as he patted his back jokinly.
"Stop sulking, Naruto, now whine with me." Kiba said as he kicked him gently on his 'broken arm'
"What?" Naruto said looking annoyed at Kiba as he 'protected' his 'injured' arm as Akamaru barked and pretened to do an 'ouch' that wasnt very convincing.
"Oi! Kurenai-sensei. Lets call it a day. Three people are injured there's no need to do this, arent we supposed to share our knowledge? What god is that if half of them are on the hospital?"
Naruto was sure Kiba was just a lazy ass but he found himself nodding in agreement. See? Something was very off today.
Kurenai smiled at her student fondly something that made Kiba raise a confused brow. She knew that the only reason Hinata was standing with them was because of the— at the time childish—bet they have done before the trade, no other thing that water till it ended.
She had never been so grateful for her students to never be able to lie properly, if something had kept Hinata out of danger was Kiba's bet so she answered kindly when asked. Forever grateful that Hinata was not in the hospital and that she once again had escaped a horrible experience. She loved her three students like her own children and she was glad the three of them were now scattered around the small crowd.
"When out in a mission sometimes injured comrades will be left behind to be attended, other times you must leave the village knowing a person you care is left in the hospital and others you must continue a mission knowing the comrade you just left behind might or might not die." She said that in an even tone and she didn't miss Shikamaru's face when she said those words. Out of all of them he was the only one who had carried that burden.
Kakashi on the other side looked to Sasuke who didn't flinch but he could see how his eyes turned slightly to the floor. He smiled under his mask. He had learn something, even if it had been by the hard way.
Sasuke glanced at Shikamaru as he heard the words of Kurenai and he could see the shadow ninja face fell for a moment.
He never said so but he knew if Shikamaru will ever felt guilty about something was almost losing his friends in order to rescue him more than a year ago. He had never been so grateful towards him and as he glanced back at Kurenai he felt a pang of pain and surely, guilt. Kiba, Chouji, Neji, all of them had almost died because of him. After all it had been his fault, it didn't matter how many times Naruto said they were still alive and breathing and he was home, he still felt guilty that he had to put them through it.
He looked to the side surely to find the pink kunoichi smile at him, at least she didn't hate him and was always up to make him feel better, instead he turned to find the stoic Neji standing there ignoring him and his existence. Sometimes Neji could do and act like nothing had happened but when the topic would arise he would ignore him. Neji was fine but he hasn't forgiven him just yet. Sasuke didn't mind at all.
He pushed the feeling that came over him and again focused on what was being said. Pushin Neji's cold attitude and Sakura's missing body out of his mind.
Gai was talking excited about something. "So now we will continue this trade in honor of our comrades. That's what you do on missions kids! You go on with it with all your young fire in your hearts! So lets be grateful that my amazing pupil Tenten, little chubby guy—" Shikamaru grimaced. "and Yamanaka Ino are fine and within the comfort of the hospital getting better and better. Yosh!"
"Yosh!" Somewhere around the crowd Lee nodded and Neji had to refrain himself from hitting him. Tenten would hit him back so even if she wasn't there he would so he refrained himself and just glared at his direction.
Gai smiled and then out of nowhere he pulled a more serious face rasing a hand. "This day trade will teach you patience and overall trust in your fallen comrades. If you don't trust them then there's nothing you can do. So none of you can see them till the day is over is that clear?"
Shikamaru muttered something under his breath, about troublesome and his imminent dead, nobody asked.
"The first team of course is Ino Yamana, Chouji Akimichi and Tenten" Kakashi said to the genins who all nodded, no shocking news there.
Shikamaru's mind drifted back to the blond girl in the hospital, she was going to kill him the second she realized he was not going to show up at least till eight o'clock and he was sure that by that time visit hours would be done for the day, he could only wish he would get a good team today to work fast and have it all done before visit hours expired. However he pushed that thought aside as he heard todays teams and grimaced.
Today was definitely not his day.
-.-.-.-.-.-
"Im boooooooored." The young girl whined a bit as she turned on her hospital bed, she eyed her companion and sighed. "Are you going to talk to me or something?"
No answer. She whined once more and still silence persisted. Finally annoyed at the whole thing she took a kunai from under her pillow and started playing with it, throwing and catching counting how many turns she could give it with the momentum before she caught it. By the fourth attempt someone had snatched it away from her in the air. "Oi!"
"I already to you, this puts me on the edge." Ino said sitting back wearily on the chair besides Tenten's bed with the kunai on her hand, she hastily put it away. "How can you play with weapons anyway? It scares the soul out of me."
Tenten shrugged and smiled at her— now she knew— friend. Early in the morning she had woke up after a long night of sleep just to find Ino creeping into her room a few hours later saying she was too bored to say on her own room.
Relief had cursed down the brunet at least she wasn't alone in this but after a minute of 'are you okay' and 'have you seen Tsundae today?' they had stopped talking and so Tenten had gone to bored again.
"At least that caught your attention, besides we are kunoichis, having kunais around us all the time is normal."
Ino nodded and crossed her arms, her body still ached but she preferred to be seated with someone that alone in that room, she couldn't stand the bare walls and the white tiles, it reminded her of Shikamaru and what had happened so she focused in Tenten. Her usual two buns were not there and her hair flowed around her, Ino thought she looked beautiful but really if was not her place to tell the girl if she should or should not let her hair lose. She smirked, let Neji do that.
"I know. The thing is to protect yourself, you are just plain playing with them." Ino rolled her eyes. "Psycho."
Tenten giglged a bit, she knew better now, it was Ino's way of saying she didn't want her hurt and finally she just put her hands up grimacing a little at the effort. "Fine, fine…"
Ino watched her for a long time unsure of were to begin. She had come here to talk about yesterday events, not about Shikamaru but rather what had happened to them in the mission finally she sighed as she crossed her arms and legs putting an air of resolution.
"Any idea of what happened? Asuma came early in the morning and explained but I still find all that too amazing. Poisoned. Just like that."
Tenten nodded. "I know, we just…"
She didn't finish, it had nagged Tenten since she had woke up hours ago, they had just slumped to the ground, they didn't even register there was a battle going on inside the house, that their lives were actually at stake, it had felt so weird waking up to find that the person they were building the fence for was dead. That Kakashi had been injured and that the only one that had gotten away had been Hinata..
"I wonder…" Tenten said after several minutes, Ino barely just moved her eyes to see her, she was still tired and her body wanted to be left alone so she just moved when she needed to move.
"What?" Ino said quietly, her loud self just shy at the moment.
"If Neji had been there would he had noticed? I wonder if with his byakugan he would have been able to see the poison… Gai sensei told me Hinata was able to see it through our veins."
Ino shrugged. "Stupid question then, if Hinata didn't notice then Neji wouldnt have done too."
"I know but I wonder if he had been able to stop us from drinking it, he is very… special when it comes down to rest, he always uses his byakugan when we are going to eat in case someone is nearby, always aware of the little possibility of being ambushed, a weird habit but he always does it. Even in stupid missions. "
Ino didn't say anything, it was moot poing to ponder over that. Again her mind drifted to Shikamaru, if it had been them… Shikamaru would have been able to notice? She snorted. Probably not. Genius and all he would have trusted that what they were eating-even more if a comrade was giving it to you- was poison free, plus he didn't own any special skills like Kiba, Shino or Neji to help them.
For a second she was in pure wonder. If the team had consisted on any of them they could have been saved. So weird how the universe worked at times. And for the moment she was pissed with it.
"How do you think they did it anyway?" Ino said after a while. "The ninjas who attacked Kakashi sensei and Hinata."
Tenten just started at the window bored out of her mind, she gazed at the sky and thought of Chouji and his habit and wondered if Ino had it too. "Gai sensei told me they poisoned the food in Hinata's backpack, remember she had it far away under a three?"
"Yeah but they could just simply killed us don't you think?" Ino didn't want to think about it but she had to say it out loud, it had been there in her mind since yesterday as Shikamaru had cried thinking she had really been dead. She promised herself to get better, next time dead wanted her gone she would give a better fight. "Instead they just decided to ignore us."
Tenten smiled at the blond as she noticed the annoyed tone, Tenten was relieved they had just collapsed to blackness instead of fighting in a way. If were put in a fight she was sure what the countermatch would have been. Four amazing skilled ninjas against three kunoichis? Yeah right. At least now they both were alive, for much frustrating she knew the blond one felt for being able to do nothing to defend themselves.
"It scares me how we were so vulnerable." Ino finally said it as she glanced at the door of Tenten's room, where were Neji and Lee? She wondered for a moment. "I would have rather fight."
"Well Im actually happy about it, really." Tenten said looking at the ceiling once more. "At least we had a chance, if the four of them trained assasins had tried to end us I don't think we could have put that much of a match."
"We could have, you know? I could have taken over someone's body and killed the next who looked lost at what was happening, there's two down, Hinata would do her gentle fist, Kakashi would hear the conmmotion, you could have done that dragon thing technique…. It looks to me they wanted to get rid of us just because they thought it would be easy that way, not because we weren't a match."
"They didn't want to bring attention to themselves, Ino." Tenten sighed as she had to explain this to a two year old. "They wanted it all done with. Go inside the house, kill the owner, go. They poisoned us in the way just if we checked on it later and decided to call for help, they never expected to have Kakashi sensei there though."
"Tenten…"
"They thought they would be wasting their time at fighting us."
Ino finally snapped to the brunet. "Stop that."
Tenten looked confused by the moment. "What?"
"Stop that! Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" Ino said as she got up from the chair and finally decided against it and dropped back. "We are a good match to anyone, okay? Stop that, next time I will hit you, seriously, whats up with you? You are very, very good fighter Tenten, I think you could kick Shikamaru's butt anytime, not mine of course." She snorted and waved a hand. "Could try though."
Again Tenten felt something weird inside her, just like when Chouji had told her she was actually a good ninja, Tenten smiled and for once did not tear a little.
"I think I could." Tenten smiled that smile of hers and Ino wondered if that cheeky smile was her true smile.
Ino smiled faintly and waved her hands. "Yeah. Try it."
Finally Ino had stood up and went to peer outside the door, Tenten sighed and snuggled in her covers. "What are you doing?"
"I want to go down and see Chouji, Asuma told me he was here too, he got himself injured yesterday… seriously, I leave my team for two days and two of my teammates seems to lose it, they so need me."
"Both? What happened to Shikamaru?"
Ino just shook his head and turned to his friend. "So coming or not?"
Tenten stared at Ino like she had grown a second head not forgetting the fact she had avoided the question. "What?"
"Im going to see Chouji and while I am at it find a candy machine, I feel like chocolate and all they give here is awful and definitely not tasty food."
Tenten two days ago would have refused, actually two days ago she wouldn't even talk to the blond one in front of her, all mighty with just her white robe and grin plastered on her face. Two days ago she wouldn't even trust herself to break the hospital rules but now hastily and wearily she stood from the bed, grin and all, it was time she behaved like the strong girl she was. Team eight had told her more than once now.
"C'mon I know where is one. " Tenten walked slowly to the door as Ino. "Got money on you?"
"Like five bucks, why?" Ino questioned as she opened the door to find the hall deserted the other shook her head as Ino waved her hand and started to walk down the hall forcing her senses to detect the chakra of Tsundae if she found out they were missing she would go furious.
"Five bucks worth of chocolate… Chouji won't like that."
Ino hated to say it but Tenten was right.
"Fine, we'll eat before visiting him."
-.-.-.-.-.-
Chouji was trying to convince his nurse to just let him see his friend that was two floors above and again the nurse had refused, his injures were getting better since none of them had been deep, however he did have thousands of them on his arm back and face so it would take time to pain to finally leave him.
Chouji sulked on his bed as the nurse went to find him some food—at his request— and finally slumped back in bed, he was sitting, the only way it didn't hurt that much, after a while the door opened, he looked to the door, he thought that maybe it was Asume coming to check up on him or rather the nurse but found nothing there, his eyes squinted. He wondered if the door had opened on his own and then a pair of blue eyes startled him appearing aparrenlty out of nowhere in front of his face.
"I-Ino?" Before he had time to do anything else he received a beautiful—and very painful—hug from his friend. "Im glad—"
"How stupid can you get?" Ino said first thing as he let go of him. Shikamaru had never been a touchy person and a very loud one either but Ino never doubted on speaking or rather showing how much she care. Chouji smiled contently and decided to not let her know of how much that had hurt.
Ino sat on the side of his bed as Ino motioned—and he had just noticed—a grinning Tenten sitting on the chair on his other side.
"Guy are stupid by nature, Ino." Tenten smiled softly at Chouji who nodded back at her.
"Tenten-san. Ino. Im glad you both are fine."
Ino waved a hand and grinned. "A poison. It would take more to take us down that jus poison."
Chouji wanted to say that she indeed was took down and that she indeed had been close to die but he was just too happy to see both of them were fine.
"Asuma talked to me early in the morning and say you were fine, however the nurses didn't want me to go and check on you, im glad they let you… however-" He noticed how pale Tenten seemed to look in the chair as chatty as she was she looked pale and tired and Ino was nowhere near better. Ino's grin just place all the pieced together. "You scurried away, didn't you Ino?"
He sighed as Ino giggled.
"Don't say anything and I will give you chocolate."
Chouji cursed on his mind, he was such an easy guy. "Fine, however, what now? Are we supposed to meet the other for the trade."
"Nope. Gai sensei told me Tsundae-sama made us a team for today, so officially we are in the trade… but not at the same time since we don't have a mission or whatever." Tenten said slumping more in the chair. "Fine for me if you ask."
Ino from her robe pulled a chocolate and gave it to Chouji, who gladly ate it in a glance. Tenten facepalmed as Ino bit her own chocolate slowly. Tenten had refused chocolate she went better by potatochips.
"So…" Tenten said eyeing Ino and then Chouji, she smirked, it was time to put some fun on her gloomy day. Lee and Neji hadn't visited her and meanwhile Chouji and Ino were chatting. This was not fair.
"So?" Chouji said addressing her as he tried to bit Ino's chocolate and Ino scoffing at him and his modals.
"Shikamaru."
Tenten wasn't sure what she was looking for at his sole name but the reactions were priceless. She had noticed how Ino had inmently ignored when asked so now she was pushing the topic.
Good she did.
Ino went red on the face as she stammred on her words as Chouji chuckled quietly.
"Wha—what about him?"
"Just… curious why all of the sudden you are all red." Tenten was having a great time. On her team she could never tease Neji this way, he didn't like anyone and for starters she doubted the ever so calm Neji Hyuga would be ever be caught unguarded, and Lee she doubted he knew the word embarrassment but Ino was another story.
"What—nothing happened… what uh… he's fine, just fine he…I haven even seen him."
"Oh you mean Shikamaru?"
"Of course she means Shikamaru! What other Shikamaru you know?" Ino say trying to pull herself together, as she bit another piece of chocolate she tried to think or rather not to when he had kissed her… if any she went redder by the second.
"You know, something happened and you are not telling. Spill." Tenten said in a low voice as she winced at her sudden movement, she looked in her robe for her pills and found them, Chouji motioned for her to take his vase of water and she gladly accept it.
"Nothing happen." Ino repeated as she looked away. "I haven't even seen him today."
Chouji and Tenten shared a look as Ino tried with al her force to look normal as she glared at the door. Tenten drank her pilss and smiled mischivioulsy and Chouji for once nodded. After everything that had happened yesterday they both still acted like kids. Chouji was done.
"Well he was very preoccupied yesterday, he even came to my room to wait for your operation to be over, he refused to go home."
"Course he would he's lost without me, just like you. Talking about that how on earth did you got yourself into this?" Ino motioned to hiw whole body as she frowned. "Its like a thousdans cats had just decided to attack you."
"A glass broke."
"A glass broke." Ino dead panned as her eye twitched.
"After Sakura let go of the other end and Lee passed running by the street." Chouji half explained, he didn't want to drift from the conversation. "I was preoccupied about you, same as Shikamaru."
"Really? What about Neji?"
Ino took this to have some leverage on her sudden attack.
"Yeah, Tenten's been worried to death because said boy hasn't visited."
"Like you aren't suffering because some boy hasn't showed up yet." Tenten smiled as Ino grumbled. "Seriously sometimes I think Naruto is slow with Hinata but I might as well change my mind."
Tenten thought she went too far but for her surprise Ino just looked to the ground with a light pink on her cheeks. Chouji stared at her and them smiled. So Shikamaru had told her.
"So Naruto's prank actually worked?" Chouji asked as Ino raised her brows.
"Naruto's prank?" They both echoed as they shared a look, at that moment they heard footsteps outside the door and quickly Ino went pale. They had been found. There was no time to hide anywhere and Chouji just calmed them saying it was probably just someone passing by.
"Im blaming you." Tenten hissed annoyed as the door opened. Chouji was glad to see the nurse bring him food but his smile froze as he saw another blond steeping in. It wasn't the nurse.
"What on earth do you both think you are doing?" Her voice dripped of to a low tone but the aura around Tsundae wasn't friendly. Tenten looked at Ino defiantly. "I went to look for you both and what was my surprise to find both go you gone. You have ten seconds to explain yourself! You are injured for god'sake!"
Shizune who was behind the hokage nodded. "Girls you went through an operation yesterday, yes you are fine but you need rest." She then mumbled something about teenagers being so stubborn.
"She made me." Tenten said with a smile and Tsundae's rage went back to the blond. Ino smiled sheepishly.
Ino stammered on her words. "I—I was uh, just… preoccupied about Chouji…Im sorry."
"I thought I had sent Asuma to tell you he was fine."
Ino was sweat dropping. "Yeah… but… uh…." She suddenly thought of Shikamaru. "I was just worried. Asuma wasn't clear about anything and I was preoccupied something had happened as to why Shikamaru hasn't visited and wanted to ask—"
Whatever she was going to say died when Tsundae suddenly felt very grim. Ino scurried closer to Chouji who was doing nothing to help.
"Don't even mention his name or Naruto's at the moment I don't know how's more stupid, I had always known Shikamaru was a genius but yesterday his brain seemed to not be working at all." Tsundae said relaxing just a bit as she barked over her shoulder. "Bring another chair and a medical staff here!"
"Hai" Shizune answered before leaving.
Five minutes later another chair was in the room and Tsundae made Ino sat on it as he plunged a medical assistance on Tenten, like a staff with water dripping connected to her veins. Ino and Tenten shared a look. This meant they could stay.
Tsundae went to check on both of them before she turned to Chouji as Shizune left after Tsundae had given her some more orders.
"Now the three of you stay here, you two, don't get up. I wont bring you beds because you had disobeyed my orders so you might as well go along with the actions of you own misbehavior."
Tenten and Ino nodded swiftly afraid of talking at the moment, Chouji was munching on the food that he had just received, Tsundae smiled a little at that.
"Chouji you seem to be going fine but im afraid you cant leave until a two more days, your body needs more time and for you two—" She glanced at the girls who cowardly dropped more on the seat. "If you dare to get up from those chairs I wont dispatch you tomorrow morning but till a week form now hear me?"
Again both nodded, Tsundae sighed and finally relaxed smiling at the three of them.
"Im glad to say the three of you will be fine but you might as well share the rest of the day here together since I myself put you three on a team. Even now you are in a mission."
"How can we have a mission on a hospital?" Ino wondered now seeing that the Hokage had gone back to normal.
"Sometimes there's more than just attack and defend, there's also strategy. By the end of the day I want a full report on what happened yesterday and three methods on who to prevent it."
Tenten glanced and Ino and sighed, so that was why none of their teammates hasn't visisted and why their owns sensei's hadn't as much explain much. It was task. Tenten mumgled under her breath.
"Talk about yesterday's events if you want to pass this test by the end of the day. With the three of you here you might get a glimpse of the truth. Sometimes in a mission you don't know a lot of things and missing pieces can be filled only by other observers, only trusting what you know and what are you informed. If you don't convince me of this and what you tell it is farfetched from the reality I will stretch the trade for another day and I will let every genin know it was your fault."
Ino smiled as sweat dropped. Shikamaru would kill her for this.
Tsundae turned to each of them one last time before reaching the door.
"One more thing though." Tsundae eye's met Chouji's and then Ino's. "If you fail Shikamaru will never get back his head band along with the disintegration of team Gai."
"What does that mean." Tenten said suddenly perking at that.
"It means that yesterday Shikamaru quit being a ninja, as the moment we speak he has been put under custody until the end of the day. Neji on the other hand is on a cell because of treason."
In a matter of a minute the world stopped. The information slowly setting in.
"Treason?! What?!" Ino yelled as she pushed herself from her chair and she didn't back down even when Tsundae ordered her to sit. Tenten was just too stunned, it was impossible. What on hell had happened?!
"On custody?" Chouji asked alarmed too. "What did they do?"
Tsundae looked grimly at them both and sighed. "You have two tasks. You gotta put the pieces of what happened yesterday together along with three methods to avoid what happened to you. Solve them and the trade is over. Second, tell me why Shikamaru and Neji quit yesterday along with their reasons to commit treason and they can have their headband back along with their freedom. This is all the information you get."
"This is insane!" Tenten said with her bright chocolate eyes staring directly at the hokage, she wanted to stand up too but she was more damaged than Ino so she tried to convey her feelings by just her voice. "Shikamaru wouldn't quit! Neji wouldn't either!"
Wouldn't he? She doubted that. She stubbornly put her hands into fist. Wouldn't he? She shook his head, she wasn't sure.
"Exactly." Ino said crossing her arms defiantly totally getting wront Tentens actiosn. "He loves this city too much for that. If this is a joke Tsundae-sama, please stop it."
However Tsundae pulled out something from her robe and out it came two headbands. Chouji and Ino stared at it for the longest of time before Ino gasped. He wouldn't. It was his headband. Ino slumped on the bed as Tenten refused to see Neji's black headband besides the blue one.
The three genins were silent for a minute before Tsundae left the headband on the bed near Chouji's feet and went to the door.
"You have till nine o'clock tonight."
She left the room with a complete silence behind her.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Hope you liked it. Im starting to really love Tenten's fondness on Ino and Chouji and how Sasuke is getting really fidgeting about Sakura not more caring about him. he he might do a "lets trade" focused on Sasuke and Sakura's relationship. We'll see more of the others next chapter and how this days had changed them for the better.
As for the part of Nejis and Shikamaru's betrayal and the reason before Tsundae's actions they are already wrote down you'll have to wait till next chapter but im sure you all know that at least nor Neji or Shikamaru commited treason, they are fine and doing their task for the day. Shikamaru did quit though and that problem should arise next chapter along with an explenation and the rest of the teams work.
See this chapter as how the first time worked on their third day of the trade even in the hospital they are a team... Stubborn kids. Leave it to Ino to mess around. (If she had never left her room all this could have been avoided but as Shikamaru is always sayin she just LOVES to get into trouble)
Well thats it for tday! Leave your review and lots of thanks!
-Juliet'lovestory-
