Ino is drinking coffee with her old mate Sakura, now her work colleague at Konoha Hospital. They sit in the canteen, Sakura fanning her drink with a sheaf of forms the Hokage has given her. They talk about Sakura's boyfriend, Lee, who's in hospital yet again after overzealous training - "I swear, that boy shouldn't be allowed out without a lead," Sakura moans – what Ino's favourite childhood idol is doing these days, the Hokage's moodswings, and then talk turns to Ino's conversion.
"So how're your parents taking the whole thing?" asks Sakura.
"Better than I thought," says Ino. "Daddy teases me a bit about the fact that I can't eat pork, since our name is 'pig', but that's Daddy for you, he always did have a crap sense of humour."
Sakura raises an eyebrow. "So they're not on at you about rejecting Jesus or anything?"
"Fuck no," Ino laughs. "They're not like, I dunno, Hinata's parents. Daddy was never religious anyway. And Chouza and the rabbi were never bothered."
"Shame Naruto can't get married," says Sakura. "Hinata always had a bit of a thing for him. But then he's not Catholic, so Hiashi would probably go spare." She pauses, and sips her drink. Then she says, "How are things going with Chouji's parents?"
"They're nicer these days," says Ino, "now that they know I'm serious." Chouza and Megumi, realising that Ino is making a genuine effort and commitment, have relaxed towards her and asked her to call them by their first names. When she told Inoichi this, he had said, "They probably see you as one of the family now."
"Do you see Chouji as one of the family?" she'd asked him.
"Of course," Inoichi had replied. "The Akimichi and Nara are like extended families to us anyway, we go back that far." He'd placed his hand on Ino's and added, "He's a good bloke. You did well to pick him."