Well, since I got a review for this one, here is the next chapter!
Still don't own Naruto.
Ino had been able to work her legs through their painful stiffness on the way over. Now she was walking mostly normally.
There was here team, waiting at the gate, and... Wait, was that Lee?
What was he doing here?
"Hey Ino! What took you so long?" Chouji said cheerily.
Ino grinned back.
"You wouldn't get it, it's a girl thing. We like to look good."
Shikamaru muttered something that sounded like 'troublesome woman' and turned to Asuma.
"We're all here now. Can we go?"
When Asuma nodded, Lee exploded.
"Yosh! Let us go with the full power of youth!!"
He sped down the path, coating them all in dust and leaving them all far behind.
"T-that idiot! He ruined my hair and clothes! Doesn't he know some of us care about our appearance?!" Ino sputtered, trying to dust herself off.
Shikamaru sighed, but didn't say anything. He didn't want his head bitten off.
Asuma also sighed.
"Well, we'd better get going if we want to catch up with him."
And they took off, Ino still pouting about her messed up hair.
They caught up to Lee about a mile later, where he'd stopped because he realized they weren't behind him.
"I am sorry I left you behind! I will go more slowly next time!"
He was oblivious to the venomous look Ino gave him.
They went more slowly this time, and encountered no trouble.
As they were setting up camp for the night, Shikamaru essentially handed off his chores to Lee, who was more than happy to do them.
Ino prepared the food while Asuma and Lee set up the tents. Chouji scouted out the forest farther away from the camp.
Lee came bouncing over, declaring that the food smelled delicious and Ino was a good cook.
Chouji came back near the same time and agreed with Lee, mostly the food part though. Ino had gotten the food out of a can after all.
They ate around the campfire, Shikamaru turned around so he could be lookout.
Ino leaned over to take the teapot off the stand and bumped one of her worst injuries.
It took a lot of self control not to cry out, but the others couldn't help but notice the way she bit her lip and froze for a full minute.
"Are you okay, Ino?"
"Did you hurt yourself?"
"I am just fine." She said, enunciating each syllable.
She started to pour tea while her teammates looked on with concern. Usually she would explain an injury, like 'I hit my head on the mirror while I was washing my face' or 'We were in a battle, you know'.
But no one said anything.
Chouji took first watch as they finished eating, and everyone else went to bed.
Lee had the watch after that, and then it would be Ino's turn.
When it was Ino's turn Lee went over to rouse her.
He did this by shaking her, a habit he had picked up from Tenten.
Ino squeaked because, duh, it hurt, and she shoved poor Lee into the campfire.
"What is your problem?! Don't you know how to wake somebody without killing them?!"demanded Ino.
"I didn't shake you very hard..." Lee said a little meekly.
"Yes you did! You have the grace of a donkey!"
Lee looked offended. He certainly didn't deserve to be called a donkey.
"Well, it's not my fault you can't handle anything," he said annoyedly.
"Handle anything! I'll have you know I am one of the tougher kunoichis! I got hit with a kunai and I didn't scream!"
"That doesn't prove a lot. Tenten does that all the time."
"Well, she's weird!"
"She is not! Take that back!"
"I won't unless you apologize." Ino declared haughtily.
Lee frowned.
They remained in a stareoff for most of Ino's watch.
Then it was Asuma's turn, and fortunately he roused himself, because Lee and Ino had fallen asleep.
Next chapter: Is her secret discovered?