A/N: Big thanks to those who have been reviewing- reading the comments always make me smile, and cackle with ominous glee at the predictions… Anyways, without further adieu-
Disclaimer: I'm a pretty crappy artist, there's no way I ever could have written and drawn a manga…
Kiba laughed so hard he began to snort, and had to lean against the counter of the ramen stand to remain upright.
"Holy shit, that prank was yours?! We always thought it was Naruto's!" Kiba exclaimed. His eyes were watering from laughing so hard, and were riveted on the man before him.
Iruka modestly smiled, and idly scratched at the scar across his nose. "Once a prankster, always a prankster, as they say. Besides, they had been getting uppity, and interrupted one of my classes for a field exercise. They had it coming!"
Kiba spluttered. "But- but pranking ANBU. Man, Iruka-sensei, you are ballsy. I heard the director's head is still blue, and that they never figured out how to remove those pictures of all them without their masks from the walls."
Iruka lightly smirked. "I've always been good at sticking seals- besides, I don't get caught. Who would ever suspect me, respectable chuunin Umino Iruka, goody-two-shoes extraordinaire, to ever even think of crossing ninja black opps?"
Kiba shook his head, still smiling. His day spent with his old sensei had been pretty great, to be honest- they had traded ninja tips, tales of bogus missions, and currently, funny stories. Iruka was pretty chill outside of the classroom- hell, he apparently even read Icha Icha! Who would have thought the academy sensei could be so cool?
The Inuzuka still kept up his guard a little, though. Earlier, a heavily panting Kiri jounin had burst into Ichiraku's and demanded that Iruka give him any Intel he had on The Bet. His eyes had been crazed, and his white hair a ratted mess, but his sword was still sharp, and the easy way that the intruder had held it showed he was no amateur. The Inuzuka had risen, preparing to confront the shipping crazed attacker, but Iruka had beaten him to the punch- literally.
Kiba was a firsthand witness to the usually mild-mannered chuunin's brutality. That poor Kiri shinobi left the stand with his hands and feet tied together behind his back, an apple shoved in his mouth, and covered in cooking oil.
Iruka-sensei was scary. Couldn't be too careful around him…
The academy sensei was still smiling, and opened his mouth to share another tale, but his eyes suddenly fixated on something behind Kiba. He froze, his expression turning carefully blank. Kiba whipped his head over his shoulder- what had made Iruka act like this?
Kakashi strolled into the stand, his eyes immediately locking on Iruka. He made his way over to the only open stool beside the academy sensei, and leisurely sat down, the image of lazy calm. The tension in the stand ratcheted up to the next level, and Kiba felt goose bumps ripple into being along his arms.
"Hello, Iruka- and Kiba." Kakashi drawled.
Iruka twitched, his eyes narrowing upon the Hatake. His previous conversation with Kiba was forgotten. "…Hello, Hokage-sama. What brings you here, to Ichiraku's?"
"Mah, mah, Iruka, no need to play dumb. We both know why I'm here." Kakashi leaned forwards, resting his left elbow on the counter as he turned right to face Iruka. "It's time to accept the facts, and face the truth." He smiled cheerfully, contradicting the tension between them.
Iruka was frozen under Kakashi's gaze, but after a moment he broke from his stupor. "…You're too happy about this… Don't tell me…" Iruka narrowed his eyes, anger leaking into his voice. "…You're actually okay with this?!"
Kakashi hummed. "I understand why you're upset. But I think you're overreacting. And that says a lot, coming from me- I'm supposed to be the emotionally inept one, not you."
Iruka was shaking with repressed emotion, so incensed that he didn't seem capable of speaking. Kiba darted his eyes back and forth between the two, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"What the hell are you two going on about?!" Kiba interrupted. Iruka's eyes shifted to Kiba at his sudden question. He took a deep breath, and then released a shaky exhale. Emotions now under a semblance of control, he ground out an answer.
"Kakashi, like me, knows who Naruto will confess too. However-" Iruka's eyes flashed, his hands tightening into white-knuckled fists in his lap, "he seems to be perfectly fine with her choice of... pursuits. Despite the obvious reasons he should be just as against it as I am!"
Kiba blinked. "Why the hell shouldn't Naruto confess to whoever she wants to? She's an adult- she's smart enough to make her own decisions."
Iruka was momentarily thrown off by Kiba's remark, but clipped out a quick retort. "Trust me, the person she's set her sights on… isn't good enough for her. The age gap, for one, and don't even get me started on the unprofessional character of any relationship between them. Naruto shouldn't love someone who used to be her sensei."
The Umino seemed lost to his own internal despair, and raised his hands to clutch at his head. He was oblivious to his fellow stand occupants, and was beginning to incoherently mutter under his breath, but Kiba was no longer paying attention to him. Instead, his gaze was riveted on Kakashi.
No, Kiba thought to himself, it couldn't be…
Kakashi levelled a cool stare on the catatonic Umino."You're only looking at this from the worst possible angle," Kakashi drawled. Iruka was jolted out of his internal musings, and looked back at the Hokage. "The age gap isn't really that important- my own grandparents were seventeen years apart, and you never would have seen a more in love couple. I'll admit, the previous relationship… it's part of why I ignored the signs for years. But Naruto isn't anyone's student anymore. She's a responsible adult, and the literal saviour of the shinobi world. I think it's about time we realized that… I have- so why can't you?"
Kakashi finished his speech with a considering stare at the Umino, whose blank face betrayed none of the emotions he felt. He opened his mouth to refute the Hatake, but Kiba interrupted him.
"Why does this bug you so much?!" the Inuzuka demanded, leaning forwards in his seat as he pushed on. "I mean, I kinda get where you're coming from, but screening Naruto's love life, is just… wrong! She deserves to be treated as more than some little kid. Hell! She's gonna be Hokage someday- if you can't trust her with this, how could you ever trust her with the village?"
Iruka shifted uncomfortably under Kiba's heavy glare, his hands winding together in his lap. "Kiba, I think you're missing the main reason why I'm so against this, I-"
"No!" Kiba exclaimed. "I think it's you that's missing the main reason this isn't a problem!" Kiba exhaled, and shrunk a little on himself when he realized he had a captive audience. Kakashi, Iruka, and even Teuchi and Ayame, who had paused in their cooking, were all hanging onto his every word. Kiba shook away his nerves with a dog-like shake of his head, and continued.
"Sensei being in a relationship with their students… That is a problem. But Naruto isn't anyone's student anymore, just like Kakashi said. I don't think she really sees anyone as her sensei anymore either, other than Jiraiya-sama. It takes two to have a teaching relationship- and Naruto certainly doesn't see it that way… 'Cause of one reason." Kiba paused, before finishing off at a whisper. "She's in love. And I think Naruto deserves, more than anything, the chance to be happy. Are you really gonna stand in the way of that, Iruka-sensei?"
Everyone in the stand was silent. Iruka was frozen in place, eyes fixed sightlessly on some far off spot. After a moment, he cracked under the pressure, and let out a small sigh, his hands loosening in his lap. He smiled self-depreciatingly. "This is my karma for all those pranks over the years, isn't it? I'm finally getting what I deserve…"
Kiba snorted. "I don't know, Iruka-sensei, you had to put up with Naruto during her academy days, when she would always prank you, nag at you for extra taijutsu lessons, and make you check out her traps- sometimes by catching you in them! That was probably punishment enough."
Iruka raised his right hand from his lap and idly traced the wooden grain of the counter in front of him. "No, Naruto's pranks never really bothered me- I have a pretty good sense of humour. Besides, her first prank on me was the reason we ever became friends." Iruka quirked his lips at the fond memory, but Kakashi clearing his throat interrupted his trailing thoughts. Iruka cheeks reddened with embarrassment, and he finished off his lingering answer.
"As for the extra training… it was my way of acknowledging her, and she became a better shinobi because of that extra practice. And she became an even better shinobi, mature and strong, once she was your student." Iruka sighed. "This was inevitable, wasn't it? Pretending she was still the same kid… It was never going to stop her."
Kakashi smirked, removed his arms from the counter to cross them over his chest, and finally re-joined the conversation. "I think you should just give her the chance to prove her maturity- it's her future, after all. Besides, she may even change your mind. She is the 'Most Unpredictable Kunoichi'."
After a quiet moment, Iruka laughed, small and soft. "She is an adult, isn't she?… I may still not agree with this," he mused, "because I'm not sure if she's really in love… but I think I'll let her make the decision on what she wants for herself." Iruka slyly looked over at Kakashi. "You had an emotional crisis coming to terms with this, didn't you?"
The Hatake sheepishly shrugged. "Wouldn't anyone in my position? Kami, I was so worried Minato was going to come back from the afterlife to kill me if I accepted the truth and broke my promise to him."
Kiba's snickering interrupted Kakashi's admission. "That's stupid- Naruto would just punch her old man in the face if he tried to stop her from being with the guy she was in love with."
Kakashi blinked, before a surprised laugh escaped him. "Mah, Kiba, you sure are the wise one today, aren't you? Making Iruka see the error of his plan to stop Naruto from confessing, calling me out on my, in hindsight, silly fears… You actually have a pretty good head on your shoulders." Kakashi eyes took on a dazed quality, and he turned to Iruka. "How is it that it's the youngest guy here, the human shield, and the Inuzuka to boot that's that most emotionally stable? The apocalypse really is happening…"
"Hey!" Kiba interrupted, reddening at Kakashi's backhanded compliment.
Kakashi simply smiled. "My work here is done. It's been a pleasure talking with you, Iruka, Kiba." Kakashi slid to his feet, and began to meander his way out of the stand.
Kiba watched the Hokage leave, a quick scope of his direction showing that he was heading off towards the Hokage monument.
"Makes sense," Kiba mumbled quietly to himself. "The monument… it's one of Naruto's favourite places. Pretty private, too. There's no betting stations anywhere near it. If he goes there… and Naruto confesses… there won't be anybody around to make her nervous, or cause her to chicken out." Kiba smiled. "Good luck, Naruto…"
Iruka raised his head to look consideringly at Kiba. "Don't go crazy on me now, Kiba. If you start muttering to yourself all the time, you won't be the last emotionally stable shinobi in Konoha anymore," the academy sensei finished with a sly grin.
"Hey!" Kiba barked with a laugh, leaning over to lightly punch the grinning man in the shoulder. The tension that had been brought to the stand with the Hokage faded, and peace was once again restored with Iruka's joking manner.
As he sat at Ichiraku's and slowly returned to conversing with Iruka and joking around with Ayame, Kiba found himself wondering. If he really wanted, he could go to a betting station right now and win The Bet…
Iruka suddenly laughed at a joke of Teuchi's, spitting up the ramen he had been eating. Ayame giggled, before turning to Kiba and asking him if he "wanted something else to eat, on the house!" Kiba smiled. He would rather stay here over the insanity of Konaha's current shipping madness any day, bet or no bet.
No wonder Naruto liked this ramen stand so much- it was a home away from home. And the person she loved? Well, Kakashi must be a part of that home too…
Xxx
Sakura let out a heavy groan, and pillowed her head into her arms that were propped up on the dinky little desk in front of her.
To her side, sitting in the desk she occupied not so long ago, Tsunade snorted, and leaned back with her hands behind her head. "This is what you get for hiding precious Intel from me, Sakura. Besides- the 'Slug Gang' has a much better ring to it, don't you think?"
"…Damn Nara… stupid bet… s'not fair-… should be the 'Sucker Gang'..." Tsunade couldn't hear everything Sakura mumbled due to her words being muffled by her arms, but she got the gist of it.
"Oh, stop complaining- at least you'll still be rich once Naruto confesses." Sakura lifted her head, her hair mussed and face pale. She seemed to finally be over the worst of her downfall, though, Tsunade mused to herself. With a hum, the lone remaining sannin rose to her feet, and made her way to doorway, which still lacked a door from her abrupt entrance earlier that day.
Tsunade cocked her head behind her, and drawled out, "No use sitting around waiting for The Bet to end- we might as well do something useful. Now that the hospitals open again, patients should be flooding in. I could use your help to deal with the injuries…"
For a moment, Sakura stared blank faced at the ex-Hokage in front her. Finally, she let out a sigh. With a small smile, she rose to her feet, and despite her emotional exhaustion, beamed at her sensei. "Let's do this then, shannaro!"
Tsunade grinned back at her, and together, they went to deal with the continuing aftermath of the greatest bet to ever exist.
Using her usurped power, Tsunade quickly took control of the situation- "Everyone trained in first aid, follow Sakura! Anyone not- code B12! Find any injured shinobi and bring them back to the hospital. Make sure to spread the word that the hospital is once again open for patients!"
The Bet may have driven most of the shinobi in the elemental nations to madness, but under direct order from the imposing figure of a woman born to lead, (and who had lead them in the past), they quickly shaped up.
"YES MA'AM."
Xxx
Ino wrenched Shino by the hand, pulling him out of the way just in time to save him from the suddenly descending net.
"Thanks," he mumbled, still holding her hand as they continued to sprint through the misty alley. Ino rolled her eyes and let herself be guided through the minefield of traps, occasionally asserting her superiority by saving Shino himself from a hidden trap. They were almost there…
After they had cleaned out their pockets, they had left the semi-nude Anko and her Minions in the alley. The two had then continued on with their perilous quest to reach the betting station in the shopping district. Shino had been… surprised by her choice of bet. ("-Ka-Ka-Ka," he had incoherently stuttered, staring at her with disbelieving eyes when she told him who their hopes were riding on. Ino had snorted, and continued to drag his nearly catatonic form by the hand). However, he had soon overcome his shock with the skill of a true Aburame, and they had seamlessly worked together since.
They had managed to enter the shopping district almost a half hour ago, but making their way through towards the betting station was slow. It didn't help that this was apparently cult central, or that the station itself was in a salon (a place Naruto would never willingly go), which was across the entire district.
"On your left; 3, 2, 1-" Shino whispered, and swung Ino around by the arm as he finished his count. Ino lashed out with a furious kick, deflecting a fuuma shuriken that had flown from seemingly nowhere (this mist was starting to get really annoying!). With her remaining momentum, she swung back to Shino's side, and they continued on their journey.
Also, the damn traps. They were everywhere, and the mist made avoiding them a real pain!
The gradually louder sound of banging drums brought them to a halt. Ino made a split second decision as the ominous Thump! Thump! came closer. She pushed the Aburame into the crumbling remains of a nearby store, and jumped in after him to hide within the rubble.
The unlikely duo peered over the edge of a broken-in window, eyes furiously attempting to cut through the opaque mist.
A large, indistinct shape approached, vaguely brownish –yellow, though the colour of the massive blob was coming into better focus as it drew nearer. Quiet chanting could be heard from the large mass of what was now revealed to be people, all dressed in the same horrendous orange outfit. Ino narrowed her eyes at the sight- those people had terrible fashion sense.
Shino's hand tensed in hers when the approaching mob came to a sudden stop in the middle of the street. By now, their chanting was understandable.
"By the power of Orange, The Bet is ours, the Ramen our meal, the Broth our drink… By the power of Orange…" they droned on.
"These guys are nut jobs," Ino muttered. She tugged at Shino's hand, and gestured to the back of the decrepit store. "Let's escape out the back- we have to get to the betting station before it's too late."
Shino nodded, and they slowly slid along the ground, careful to not disturb any broken glass. They had made it halfway through the store when a sudden cry chilled Ino to the bone, freezing her in her tracks.
"I don't want to eat anymore ramen!" a familiar voice called out. Ino whipped up her head, heedless of Shino's attempts to drag her back to the safety of the ground.
In the midst of the mob was Chouji, tied to a palanquin supported by three brawny Iwa-nin. His stomach was bloated, and his eyes held such despair that Ino was able to see it from even her distance away. A cloaked figure at his side raised a pair of chopsticks to his mouth.
"To divine the answer, someone must eat the sacred Ramen… 42 bowls of it, as Naruto had done upon her return from exile!"
The woman ignored Chouj's exclamation, "It was her training trip, damnit! Not some religious exile!" and shoved the heaping chopsticks into the Akimichi's mouth while he was still yelling. The Akimichi resisted the food, and attempted to spit it out, but the woman at his side was having none of his rebellious attitude.
"If you don't eat this Ramen, I'll turn you into a pincushion!" she exclaimed. Eventually, with much threat of stabbing and a forceful hand to his mouth to make him chew, she managed to get the Akimichi to chow down the rest of the mouthful.
"Bowl Number 36!" the woman cried out, raising her hands dramatically to the sky. The empty ramen bowl flew from her hand, and a large scramble broke out as members of the mob attempted to catch it.
Ino turned back to her companion. "We have to help him, Shino!" she furiously whispered. "Chouji has avoided ramen since his last eating contest with Naruto- this is probably worse than torture for him!"
Shino raised his free hand to rub at his forehead, gaze locked with Ino's, frustration and hopelessness leaking into his eyes. He furrowed his brow as he responded. "There is nothing we can do. Why? There are far too many of them- in the face of their collective force, there is no way for us find a favourable outcome."
Ino huffed through her nose, anger shining in her eyes, but after a moment the rage left her. She deflated with a sigh into Shino's side. He lifted his arm to accommodate her, and gently stroked the ragged mess of her hair.
"I know you're right," she whispered. "But he's my teammate… If only those bastards weren't so crazed with shipping…"
After a moment, Ino grudgingly lifted herself from the Aburame's side, and began to once again crawl towards the back of the store. "Come on- we have a bet to win."
Shino hadn't moved from his spot- he was frozen still with shock, eyes wide and unseeing.
"Shino?" Ino called back.
The Aburame turned to the Yamanaka, a grin slowly stretching to spread across his entire face. "Wouldn't it be terrible, for a group as shipping crazed as this," Shino murmured, eyes alight with unholy glee, "to find out that The Bet has already finished, before they could divine the answer? Why, I'm sure there would be an uprising, infighting to the highest degree as they attempted to take out their anger on each other… Too 'shipping crazed' to question if it's the truth..."
Ino stared back with wide eyes, before beaming at the Aburame. "You're a genius!" she whispered. She lunged forward from her kneeling position, back into the Aburame's lap, sending them thumping to the ground. Smiling lips joined as they shared an explosive kiss, eyes both closing in bliss. After a moment, they broke apart. Shino reached up a hand to cup Ino's face while his other fell to rest easily on her hip, and the Yamanaka fisted her hands in his soot covered coat.
"Well, m'lady," Shino said with a wry grin, helping Ino to her feet with the hand around her waist as he stood. "Shall be go… Fuck some shit up?"
Ino charmingly smiled back. "I would love to!"
Joined at the hip, they made their way out onto the street.
"That was amazing!" Ino obnoxiously exclaimed, turning to Shino with stars in her eyes. "Who would have thought it would be him?" A large portion of the mob turned at Ino's exclamation, eyes wary but curious.
"It was the obvious outcome, really," Shino loudly pondered, acting oblivious to the numerous eyes upon him. "I'm just glad it's over- now, I can go cash in."
Furious mutterings broke out in the orange sea of people as they looked consideringly at the Aburame. Some whispered to themselves- "No, it couldn't be… is The Bet?..."
"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded a balding Suna jounin that was standing in front of Chouji's palanquin, interrupting the mutterings of the crowd as they instinctively turned to hear his words. "You're interrupting an important ritual to determine the winner of The Bet! Leave now, or face the consequences of 'The Orange'…"
The mob, under some unspoken command, began to surround the seemingly unworried duo, much like Anko's Minions had circled Ino earlier. The Yamanaka was not nervous like she had been then, though- the solid weight at her side was encouragement enough.
"Determine the outcome of The Bet?" Ino asked back, and then let out a breathy laugh. "How silly! The Bet finished just twenty minutes ago!"
Shino nodded. "Yes- we saw Naruto confess to him near the vegetable market. This ritual of 'The Orange' is foolish- why? Because you are already much too late…"
Some of the crowd began to angrily advance towards the duo, unbelieving of their "Blasphemy against The Orange!", but most were staring with wide eyes at the at the unlikely partners, and others still had turned to face the Suna Jounin in front of the palanquin, killing intent slowly beginning to form into a heavy cloud within the air.
The mist, which had cloaked the shopping district the entire day, began to dissipate as many of the shinobi who had been holding the jutsu lost concentration, the emotional blow of The Bet's possible completion sending some of them to their knees. The Killing intent itself carved a path through the fog, allowing light to finally pierce down and illuminate the increasingly panicked faces of the crowd.
"Lies!" the woman feeding Chouji his 37th bowl of ramen cried. "We couldn't have missed it- the Ramen would have foretold it. It was my salvation after shipping NejiNaru for years! This has to be a lie- we- we couldn't have missed it..."
Ino snorted, and turned disinterested eyes down at her nails. "Believe whatever helps you sleep at night," she drawled, "but we're going to go cash in on our win. We only came here because the Nara in charge of the vegetable market betting station went crazy and lost control, probably from having to deal with all the people who were angry about losing The Bet… Just. Like. YOU."
For a single, shaky moment, no one made a move. Then, after a tense pause, absolute chaos descended.
"I only joined this goddamn cult to win The Bet!" a furious kunoichi cried, ripping away her orange robe.
"This cult only got me to join because it promised it was legit, blessed with Naruto's favourite food… and I believed it!" another exclaimed. He turned rage filled eyes at the inner circle of Ramen zealots, who had congregated around their balding leading as tensions began to rise.
"Get them!" Tenten cried, throwing off her cowl to reveal that it was she who had been feeding Chouji the sacred ramen this entire time. "I wasted my entire day forcing ramen down my friend's throat- you'll pay for this!"
As one collective rage filled entity, the previous members of 'The Orange' turned on their leaders, crazed no longer with shipping, but revenge.
Ino and Shino weaved through the chaotic battlefield, ducking under countless kunai and shuriken. At one point, a screaming member of 'The Orange' almost managed to hit them with a torrent of ramen from a large pot, but a quick shunshin saved them from a salty end.
The Yamanaka heiress let go of Shino's hand to race to Chouji's fallen palanquin, quickly undoing the knots that had tied him. With a groan, the Akimichi rose, Shino giving him a hand to help him stand.
"Chouji, we have to get out of here!" Ino furiously whispered, tugging on her teammate's arm. "Things are about to get even crazier- if you stay here, overeating will be the least of your problems…" Shino nodded grimly at the Akimichi, giving his wordless agreement with Ino.
Chouji shook his head, and gently pulled his arm away from Ino's grip. "I'm sorry, but there's something I have to do," he whispered. An unholy fire lit within his eyes, and with a deranged smile he proclaimed, "DEATH TO 'THE ORANGE'!" After giving one last borderline psychotic smile to the stunned duo, he charged back into the fray, using his clan techniques to turn into a raging ball of ramen-induced fury.
Ino blinked, before letting out a small laugh. She turned back to Shino and extended her hand once again. "Well, partner, lets extend our reach," she drawled.
Shino's eyes crinkled with his smile as he took the Yamanaka's hand. "…To the stars above." Ino beamed at Shino- he had understood the reference! They seamlessly joined hands, and raced back through the raging battle.
Now that the mist was gone, it was easier to spot any lurking traps, and the duo swiftly made their way to the salon. Ducking under a hanging beam, they entered the battered looking shop, the door swaying loosely on one hinge.
The Nara in charge spastically lifted his head at the sound of their entry. He menacingly raised a kunai at their approach. "NOT ONE MORE STEP!" he yelled, eyes crazed. The counter he stood behind was riddled with gouges and burn marks, and to its side the unconscious forms of some orange robed figures could be seen.
"ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE ORANGE BASTARDS?!" he demanded. "WEARING NORMAL CLOTHES WON'T FOOL ME- I WON'T LET THIS BETTING STATION BE TAKEN LIKE THE HOSPITAL'S, LOST LIKE THE VEGETABLE MARKET'S, OR BURNED DOWN LIKE THE SHINOBI HOUSING SECTOR'S!"
The duo blinked in surprise at the Nara's uncharacteristic exclamation- lot of Nara's were going crazy today, it seemed…
"We have no relation to the cultists," Shino slowly said. "In fact, we just disbanded their organization. So why are we here, you ask?"
Ino cautiously approached, raising placating hands. "We're just here to make a bet," she calmly intoned, continuing Shino's sentence.
The Nara wearily inspected the two as they approached the counter, but after a moment his tension faded and he let out a sigh. "This entire goddamn day has been the worst drag ever," he mumbled. After a moment, he shook his head, and in a more professional tone asked them- "What is your bet?"
A heaping mess of ryo was promptly dumped on the counter, emerging from within a sealing scroll Shino had kept safe in his jacket. Ino added more to the pile, fisting out wads of paper bills from within her shoes and the confines of her bra.
The Nara blinked in surprise at the small fortune in front of him. "How the hell…" he whispered.
"I always keep an emergency fund on my person," Shino drawled.
Ino grinned. "And I made sure to take out my life savings before I even took Naruto out on her shopping trip this morning. I added even more to it today- shinobi, after all, are great pick-pockets- especially when their victim is a semi-nude snake-summoner that deserves it."
The Nara blinked, then sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "I don't even want to know. Well then, what's your bet?"
The duo smiled evilly. "All of it," Shino began.
Ino smirked as she finished the answer. "On…"
The Nara froze after the Yamanaka said the name, and then broke out into obnoxious laughter. "You can't be serious!" he wheezed out. "That's a losing bet if I've ever heard one!" Still breaking out into giggles occasionally, the runner of the shopping district betting station collected the money, and had the duo sign the necessary paperwork.
It had taken a mad race against Shino, beating Anko at her own game, and destroying a cult, but Ino had finally done it. She had accomplished her goal- the entire reason she had blackmailed Naruto into shopping with her. As Ino finished signing her name with a flourish of the pen, she triumphantly smiled. So what if she broke the rules of The Bet, and accidently started the apocalypse? Naruto was about to confess thanks to her actions, and find the happiness that she deserved with the man she loved…
And Ino would be all the richer for it.
The cherry on top of her fantastic day was holding her hand. Ino had gotten the most exciting date of her life, with hopefully more to come. Sai was a distant memory compared to Shino. Who need an artist with a tragic backstory? With Shino, she could laugh, smile, and be appreciated for exactly who she was.
Bet or no bet- Ino had already won.
Together, Ino and Shino left the shop with hands joined tightly together, grins wide on their faces as they headed towards the Hokage monument to face the end. The end… of The Bet.
