A/N: Unfortunately I will not be able to finish NaNoWrimo this year. I just don't have the time. However, I have a plan for this story and I will finish it.

The Notebook

Naruto woke up with his face buried in paperwork. He sat up, surprised to find himself asleep in his study. When did he fall asleep here? Annoyed that he now had a crick in his neck, Naruto stood up and headed to the kitchen, expecting to find Ino making breakfast.

She was nowhere in sight. Brushing the fact off, Naruto poured him a glass of milk and grabbed some aspirin for the headache that was forming. With one gulp he swallowed it down. Naruto moved to the living room, hoping Ino was perhaps reading, but she wasn't there either. She was probably still asleep.

Naruto went to their bedroom, but the bed was empty and neatly made. Frowning, Naruto retreated to the bathroom and stripped. He might as well shower and get ready for work. He was already running late as it is. Ino must have left early for a change.

After his shower, Naruto pulled on his uniform and made his way to his office. Sakura was waiting for him by the door, her hands on her hips.

"Morning Sakura," Naruto greeted warmly.

"What have you done?" Sakura asked, her voice cold. Naruto blinked, surprised by her tone. He hadn't seen Sakura this angry in months.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Shikamaru sent me a message this morning," Sakura explained, "apparently Ino showed up on their doorstep last night in tears. Did you have an argument?"

Naruto was surprised to hear that Ino had left the night before. Groaning, Naruto rubbed his temple, his head still aching. The aspirin wasn't helping.

"Why did she leave?" Naruto asked, more to himself than Sakura. Sakura sighed and grabbed Naruto's arm, leading him into this office and forcing him to sit down. She sat down on his desk, facing him.

"Do you love her?" Sakura asked.

"Of course I do," Naruto replied, but then trailed off, his eyes wide. Sakura noticed and raised an eyebrow.

"Naruto?"

"Oh shit," Naruto cursed, running his hands through his hair, "I told her I don't know if I do love her."

"That was stupid."

"You think?"

Sakura sighed and leaned back on her arms. "Will you apologise to her?"

Naruto closed his eyes and leaned forward. "I don't know Sakura…she's been really pushy lately. She expects me to do all these things and meet all these expectations….I have many responsibilities to carry. She can't see that."

"True," Sakura nodded, "but as your wife she is also of high importance. You can't ignore her."

"If only she would listen to me," Naruto grumbled, "she cuts me off before I can explain things properly. She accused me of having an affair last night."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Are you?"

"No!" Naruto exclaimed, horrified that his team mate would even suggest such a thing. "I am not having an affair! I only smelled like perfume last night because I was with a…client. Yes, a client."

"A client?" Sakura asked, an eyebrow raised.

"It's top secret Sakura," Naruto explained, "I can't even tell you."

"I see. Does Ino know that?"

"I tried to explain it to her, she wouldn't listen."

Sakura stood up and sighed. "Look, you two need to sit down and talk this over. Only then will things be able to be resolved. Do you want me to organise a meeting?"

Naruto turned in his chair and looked out the window down on Konoha. He loved this village and he could not bear parting with it just to satisfy Ino. He had worked all his life to become Hokage, and he did love Ino with all his heart, but why couldn't he have both? Why were there conflicts?

"Maybe we should stay separate for awhile," Naruto finally said, "maybe space will do us good. We can talk then."

Sakura gave her friend a sad smile, then nodded and left him alone to wallow in his misery.

Ino did not go to work that day. She called in sick and spent most of her day in the Nara family's living room, reading a book. It kept her occupied, but only to a certain extent. True to the warning, Asuma had woken up at seven and caused a racket within the house. For the child of someone as lazy as Shikamaru, Asuma was very outgoing and active. He reminded Ino of Naruto when they were younger.

"Tag! You're it!" Asuma cried as he poked Ino's leg. Ino looked up from her book and laughed as the little boy ran off. Asuma was still too young to join the Ninja Academy, so he stayed at home with Temari. They home schooled him in preparation for when he would finally be able to attend the Academy.

"Asuma," Temari scolded the little boy, "don't bother her."

Asuma pouted, and slowly slumped his way back to his room. Ino felt bad for the poor boy.

"I'm sorry," Temari apologised, "he has far too much energy."

Ino shook her head. It was good to see at least someone was happy. While thinking of this, Ino felt a nasty churn in her stomach, and before she knew it she was rushing to the bathroom. Temari followed her, worried when she heard Ino throw up.

Without saying a word, Temari held back Ino's hair while she emptied her gut. When it was over, Ino stood up, flushed the toilet and washed her mouth.

"Sorry you had to see that," Ino mumbled, "I must have ate something funny."

"Or you're stressed," Temari suggested, "stress can make someone vomit too."

"I'll be fine," Ino reassured the other blonde. Temari wasn't convinced.

Ino couldn't sleep that night. She was plagued with dreams of when she was happy with Naruto. The dreams did no good for her esteem; she woke up crying and could not get back to sleep. So she got out of bed, made herself a cup of tea and sat down in the living room, staring out the window. She was too tired to read.

Ino was in such a daze that she didn't notice Temari sit down next to her.

"Can't sleep?" Temari asked.

"No," Ino stated.

"Sakura sent me a message," Temari whispered, "Naruto thinks you should spend some time apart."

"I see."

"Do you want to?"

"Does it matter? Our marriage is falling apart anyway."

Temari frowned. She didn't think their marriage was quite over yet. They still had a chance to fix the situation, to redeem the love they once had. Why was Ino giving up so easily?

"Are you giving up?" Temari asked.

"I guess that's what I'm doing," Ino shrugged, "yeah, I'm giving up. I can't take it, Temari. I don't want to be hurt anymore."

Temari understood how the woman felt, all to well. There had been a time in her marriage with Shikamaru that they also had a major fallout, but they had been able to work it out in the end.

"So, are you going to file for a divorce?" Temari asked, knowing it was a very heavy question.

"I don't know," Ino admitted, "maybe, I need to think about it."

"Alright, just don't make the decision lightly."

Naruto was surprised to find Temari standing outside his office the next morning. First Sakura…now Temari. Soon the whole village's kunoichi was going to rally against him. With a sigh he unlocked his office and let her inside.

"What can I do for you?" he asked as he opened the window to let some fresh air in. Temari sat down in the chair opposite his and waited for him to also sit down. Taking the hint, Naruto made himself comfortable.

"Ino is thinking of filing a divorce," Temari finally said.

Naruto froze. Feeling his blood go cold, he sat several moments in absolute silence. He didn't know what to say, or what to think. She wanted to divorce? Did she really hate him that much? Had he really been that rude to her?

"Naruto?"

"Huh?" Naruto snapped from his reverie, "Oh, sorry."

Temari noticed that the Hokage was nervous. "You don't want to divorce, do you?"

"No," Naruto whispered.

Temari smiled, which surprised him. He had thought she would take Ino's side in this situation. "Good, I don't want you guys to divorce either."

"But what can I do?" Naruto asked, running his hands though his hair. "There is no way I can stop her from divorcing me."

Temari's smile widened. "Is that what you really think, Naruto?"

Naruto raised a eyebrow, intrigued by what the former Sunagakure kunoichi could be suggesting. "Are you saying there is?"

"Did you know Gaara and his wife nearly divorced a few years ago?" Temari asked out of the blue. Naruto gaped, his eyes wide. No, it couldn't be. There was no way Gaara and Mikan would ever even consider the option of divorce, no matter what. Gaara loved Mikan, and she loved him. They had been the first of their age group to marry, and their love for each other was obvious.

"It's true," Temari laughed at Naruto's expression, "it was a tough time for our family. Mikan ended up living with one of her sisters, it was that bad."

"How?" Naruto interrupted, "How did they fix it?"

Temari smiled and pulled out a notebook from her bag and handed it over. Naruto took it, confused.

"A notebook?" he echoed.

"Yes," Temari smiled, "forty days. You'll need forty days to complete every step in that notebook."

"Uh," Naruto trailed off, "I'm confused."

"Basically," Temari began, "read an entry every day and follow its instructions. It might just change your life forever. It worked for Gaara and Mikan, and I am positive it will work for you and Ino."

Naruto glanced at the notebook in his hands. It didn't seem like a bad idea; after all, what could possibly go worse?

"Why are you doing this, Temari?" Naruto asked.

"I don't want your relationship with Ino to end like this Naruto," Temari explained, "the two of you have always been so happy together. How can we, as friends, let that fade away?"

A/N: Mikan is one of my main OCs as seen on my deviantART. However, she's really just a supporting character in this story, so the events of this story is not part of her actual timeline.