"I went back to the war."

"Back to the medical camp?"

"Yes. One of the emergency tents. Overcrowded, loud, and the air…" Ino shivered just recalling back to that damming moment. "I can still feel the air in that tent."

"And this nightmare…has it become recurring?"

"Not yet."

Tsunade breathed out her nose. Like a great deal of veterans after the war, Ino had become stricken with PTSD. Most of the medical officers that suffered the same symptoms had gone under the radar thanks to several reasons: self-diagnosis, self-medication, and several just believed that the trauma would fade by itself over time. Tsunade only met two other medical officers that actually admitted they had PTSD and wanted professional help.

"I'm already in the tent." Ino continued on to explain the dream in more detail. "There's barely any room to move around. On my left is a chunin who had her leg ripped off by a wolf. Next to her is her son, who's currently fighting for his life after nearly being eaten by the same wolf." Ino gulped. She could clearly recall where exactly the bites wounds were and how deep they went into the eleven-year old's flesh.

"You don't need to recall it." Tsunade stated, rapping a ruler against the side of the desk to get Ino back into reality. "At least for now. Today, I think it would be easier if we were to work our way to that point." Ino, clearly disturbed but starting to land her feet back into reality, nodded and leaned back to relax in her chair. "Tell me. Do you want to get better?" Ino again nodded. "Good. It's going to be a long road, but I know you will pull through."

"Thank you for putting up with me." Ino muttered. Tsunade took a quick second to consider her plan. A combination of depression and PTSD is a deadly one that will require great care and attention. It wouldn't take much to snap Ino in half and it would take a great effort to keep her together and fix her. The poor blonde girl looked so worn down…it looked like she would just collapse at a moment's notice.

"Sakura told me the two of you had a good experience the other day. Went around town, just the two of you, shopping and enjoying some quality time."

"It was nice." Ino meekly admitted.

"Can…could you provide more details? Perhaps talk about something specific that happened during your time with Sakura?"

Ino looked down in thought and slowly breathed through her nose. "Me and Sakura…were looking at some coats. Something that would keep us warm in the fall season, something that could…last for a good amount of time, and it had to look halfway decent...we didn't want to wear something that made us look like complete idiots."

"You went to that bargain bin place in the middle of the town, right?"

"Yeah…we hoped to find one of those diamonds in the rough. Hinata found one of her jackets there, so we helped to have some luck with that. We didn't…" Tsunade held her breath, hoping that Ino wouldn't go on a tirade against herself. "…but I figured if I did find something from there, it wouldn't last." She sighed.

"Let's set a goal for you." Tsunade started to write down on hr paper pad. "You want a new jacket. One that's comfy and fashionable. Now." Tsunade looked up to face Ino. "How will you get what you want?"

"Save money?" Ino just blurted out, not really answering the question.

"Okay." Tsunade nodded. "How do you plan on making the money?"

"Working some job?" Ino boringly waved her hand towards the question.

"What kind of job?" Tsunade tilted her head with a small smirk. "I know it's not the flower store, that money goes to supporting your family. You need a job that will earn you some mad money."

"One…that pays money?" Ino blankly replied.

Tsunade shook her head. "What kind of job do you want, right now? What work are you up for right now? Physical or mental?"

Ino blinked as she leaned forward. "…mental?" She asked.

"Paperwork, teaching?" Tsunade gave two examples. "It would help you jog your mind back into working gear. Or if you want, we can get you a job that can get you back in shape. You can earn the money you need for the new coat as well as get you back to being healthy again."

"Shouldn't I take things slow?" Ino questioned. "If I overexert myself, I could wind up in a worse place that I was before."

"Let's start out small and work up." Tsunade affirmed. "Like, moving boxes and organizing paperwork. Simple, easy stuff. After that, you can move up to tougher jobs. It will help you to get back into shape."

"I guess." Ino yawned. By the look of her face, she was clearly that one back. Tsunade averted her gaze for a bit to avoid getting infected with the yawn virus. She had enough problems with her sleep as it is. "You know any openings?"

"I could use a little help myself." Tsunade admitted without actually thinking. Yeah, make the depressed girl who sheltered you from the rainstorm work for you. Might as well have Ino send her a hotel bill. Tsunade already had Shizune, and she could easily do the work of five people in a single hour, sometimes double that work!

…but then again…Shizune could use a vacation. A good long one, one where she could have someone take care of her for once. Plus, having Ino doing simple household chores in her own home would make it easier to gauge her progress. Tsunade wouldn't force Ino to do anything too strenuous, just the stuff she would normally do at home.

"…Tsunade?" Ino asked, sounding incredibly impatient.

"Oh." Tsunade shook her head to get herself back into reality. "Yes, I need to send my assistant on a vacation. She really does deserve one. You could stay with me for a few days, and help me keep the place from falling apart. Nothing too extreme, I'm not expecting you to file my taxes and clean my bathroom…just to help out with normal household chores. I'll gladly pay you for your efforts, as well for other luxuries."

"Sure." Ino merely agreed. "Whatever."

"All right." Tsunade sighed. It was going to be a uphill battle to get Ino back into working shape. At this point, she was too listless to barely move. "I'll contact your mother and explain the situation to her. Make sure to get everything you would need, we might get rained in again."

"Sure." Ino repeated.

Tsunade kept on smiling. Baby-steps.