Drabble Seven: I Could Fall for Him

Kakashi had just returned with Naruto in tow, and all the villagers were assembled to thank him for it. As Naruto shared a heartfelt moment with the teammate that hadn't run away to be with a renowned pedophile, everyone looked on with pride. Team Ten took the time for some brief reflection on all that had occurred.

"I still can't believe he beat 'em all by himself…" Shikamaru muttered with his arm draped around Choji for support. Choji nodded in agreement with a smile on his face.

"Mm-hm."

"Y'know, I could almost fall for him," Ino sighed dreamily, causing her teammates to crane their heads at her like she had something completely absurd. Which she had. Ino didn't like goofballs like Naruto. Naruto wasn't her type of guy. Sure, he wasn't a bad looker, but it was all about the personality. Ino liked smoking hot, bishonen types with a limited vocabulary of 'Hn' and a personality that easily pissed everyone off. Y'know, the 'elite' types. Like Sasuke.

Still, they passed it off as Ino just being caught up in the moment. Most of them had recently died and been brought back to life; and even for those who hadn't, it was understandable that their brains might be frazzled after fighting an opponent as vexing as Pain. She didn't really mean that.

For the most part, Ino's declaration had gone unnoticed by the people of the Leaf Village at large. They were too caught up in watching Sakura give Naruto a nice hug. But a certain Hyuga heiress did, in fact, happen to overhear Ino's words, didn't matter to her if Ino made it half-heartedly or not. Ino might as well have declared war, because Hinata only recently plucked up the courage to confess to Naruto-kun.

Okay, sure, it was in the midst of battle, but he wouldn't forget she did that. Even someone as flighty as Naruto-kun didn't have the memory of a braindead gnat. Hinata's courageous confession had been followed by Pain brutally injuring her – nearly fatally. Naruto had gone Eight-Tails on Pain's ass after witnessing that.

He wouldn't just forget about her. Once everything cooled down, Naruto-kun would come seek her out, reciprocate her feelings, then they would kiss and have a makeout, and then Naruto-kun would take off his pants…

Oh dear. Where had that come from?

A few weeks later found Ino Yamanaka rather morosely walking down a recently reconstructed street with shops and vendors. The Hidden Leaf was still rebuilding, and that wasn't what had Ino all depressed. It was Sasuke-kun. He had apparently attacked and kidnapped the Raikage's younger brother, and the Hidden Leaf was forced to truly acknowledge him as a Missing-Nin. Now they would have to actively hunt and put him down.

Ino wasn't an idiot. Hell, she was the daughter of the Yamanaka Clan Head. She was extremely adept at perceiving people and their emotions, and she was able to tell that way back in the Academy when Sasuke-kun lost his family, he had changed dramatically. Sadly, she was also a little girl at the time. That tragic, angsty background made Sasuke-kun very desirable amongst the kunoichi-hopefuls.

As she became a Genin and observed from afar the dysfunctional Team Seven fall apart in the months they'd been together, Ino couldn't help but hope that there'd be some kind of turnaround, that things wouldn't come to a head. But of course they had. Sasuke-kun was under the influence of the Curse Mark, and that made him even more 'out-of-character', so to speak. What that really meant was that the Curse Mark was drawing out Sasuke-kun's really bad emotions like anger, bitterness, and impatience. Ino knew this because she heard from her Daddy that was exactly what happened to Anko before she began to get a handle on her Curse Mark. So of course Sasuke-kun did something crazy like abandon the village for a pedophile that wanted his body.

But even after all that, after Orochimaru utterly failed to take over Sasuke-kun's body, after Sasuke-kun had apparently carried out his revenge at long last, Ino held out some hope that maybe, just maybe Sasuke-kun would come to his senses and return home. He hadn't, of course, and him joining up with Akatsuki proved that quite spectacularly.

Still, Ino was a Yamanaka. She wasn't oblivious to the person Sasuke-kun had shamelessly become. She might've held out a tiny hope that a miracle would happen, but that's all it would have been. A miracle. Ino admitted it – she wasn't 'devoted' like Sakura. Sakura, too, acknowledged that Sasuke-kun had changed, but she still clung to the microscopic hope that she could change him back. As a Yamanaka, Ino had to confess that there was a low likelihood of that ever happening, even with Sakura and Naruto's combined tenacity. How did you 'save' someone that didn't want to be saved? Sasuke-kun was an avenger at heart. He might be easily influenced if you pushed the right buttons and got to him first, but emotionally it was hard to run damage control. They would be hard-pressed to 'talk sense' into someone with as many issues as Sasuke-kun did. The moment Sasuke-kun started down the path of revenge, it was basically for life.

Ino knew all this. Many Yamanaka could basically be therapists with the amount of empathy they had because of their Clan's Jutsu, and now with an incident like this, Ino had to give up even that microscopic hope that Sasuke-kun would return. He wouldn't be coming back, and even if he did, it wouldn't be for a group hug. Hell, he wouldn't even apologize at this point. Sasuke-kun might as well have been the reincarnation of Madara Uchiha. Or something.

So Ino was left to mull over her options for a future husband… er, boyfriend. It wasn't like she was deficient in fanboys or good looks. She could probably charm the pants of any guy without hardly trying. But Ino wasn't a slut. She didn't want to just close her eyes and throw a dart at a dartboard. She would prefer that any relationship she developed with a man would be deep and meaningful.

Of all people, Sai would probably be her first option. He was basically a clone of Sasuke-kun, just with a different haircut and complexion. Thing was, though, that Sai was a part of a secret Anbu faction that their latest Hokage was apparently in charge of. He was trying his best to study up on normal human behavior, but he still had miles and miles and miles to go before he was anywhere near normality.

Plus, he called her 'beautiful', and Ino wasn't sure that he meant it. She put up a charmed front back at Yakiniku Q's for her friends' sake, but again, Ino was a Yamanaka, and they'd been talking about Sai's nicknaming habits at the time. The fact that he gave derisive nicknames to Sakura, Naruto, and (almost) Choji, but gave her a 'flattering' one was highly suspicious. Like he tried applying the opposite of what he thought of her.

So Sai was out, but mostly because of the struggle she would face with trying to help him be normal. Ino might like the occasional challenge, but Sai was a basket case. Seriously. Who else did she know relatively well that she could try to go out with? Choji? He was a nice guy, but Ino had never been too fond of how much he ate. Shikamaru? He was a lazy bum, and he probably had something going on with that chick from the Hidden Sand. Even though she hadn't been around in a while. Plus there was the fact that Shikamaru and Choji were her teammates, and were in fact a part of Clans that had an unshakeable alliance with the Yamanaka Clan. So it would basically be like dating distant brothers, and Ino just didn't want to deal with all the political crap that would inevitably develop with trying to date either of them.

Shino? … Try repeating that with a straight face. Kiba? He was a lot of bark, and maybe a lot of bite, but mostly bark. Lee? Ino shivered at the thought. Those bushy brows and that form-fitting jumpsuit. No, Ino had no interest in that, especially if he tried to make her wear a similar outfit. Neji? He seemed to be too obsessed with duty to the village and the Hyuga Clan. That guy was decades away from being date-able. Plus, that Tenten chick would probably get all huffy. Or maybe she actually like Lee. Ino didn't know or particularly care. She might've been used to fighting for her man, but Lee and Neji were too… unsavory for very different reasons.

Ino could try seeking out some random civilian guy, but Ino didn't want to deal with the tension that would inevitably rise between a kunoichi and a civvie who just wouldn't understand the shinobi lifestyle. The fact that Sakura was born to civilian parents and she grew to be a fierce kunoichi was a spectacular miracle.

There were always options outside the village, but then there'd be more political crap… this time related to who would be moving to whose village should they ever tie the knot. Shikamaru, if he was indeed involved with that one Hidden Sand chick, was a lot braver than he let on. And then there'd inevitably be clashing village beliefs because someone from the Hidden Mist wouldn't just believe in the Will of Fire with a snap of the fingers. And that would be just one example.

Overall, Ino didn't have as many options as she initially thought. And that depressed her even further. What did she have to do to get hooked up with a guy? Ino got the distinct impression that she was purposefully neglecting an option, one that was unorthodox and one she would really, really have to work for.

And when it hit her like a ton of bricks, Ino stopped in her tracks as a blissful smile came to her face. Sakura wouldn't give the time of day, and her only competition would be a meek Hyuga heiress who hadn't even hung out with the blond that much. Did he even know she existed? Well, Ino supposed that was a bit mean, considering that he definitely did, but with how oblivious the blond could be in many things, he probably didn't have an inkling of Hinata's true feeling.

And that made Ino feel slightly guilty, but hey. Naruto was fair game, and maybe if things didn't pan out between her and Naruto, her forwardness would finally prompt Hinata to get with the knucklehead. But Ino had no intention of going into this half-heartedly. If Hinata wanted a chance, she would have to fight back. Hopefully the fireworks wouldn't be as painful as they were between her and Sakura, 'cause Ino regretted getting into that with Sakura all those years ago. Ino vowed to herself to be… nicer about it. But still play it forward enough to the point that even Naruto would acknowledge, hey, maybe this hot kunoichi has a thing for him.

Maybe she could fall for a guy like Naruto. Time for some light research!

Turns out Naruto wasn't in the village very much in the coming weeks. Neither was Ino for that matter, but then, every able and willing shinobi was needed in this trying time. There was that Kage Summit where they lost their Sixth Hokage before he could even settle into his role, a reunion between all the members of Team Seven that basically boiled down to Naruto and Sasuke promising to meet each other in the thick of battle, and oh, that's right, the Fourth Shinobi World War was declared.

And Sakura apparently made a confession of love to Naruto that was so obviously fake. She even knocked out Sai, Lee, and Kiba, who she had brought along as backup. Clearly she still had the hots for Sasuke-kun. How obsessive could you get?

… Not that Ino was one to talk, but she preferred to not think of her latest 'mission' as some sort of obsession. During the little intervals of time she was in the village, Ino simply used that time to use what means she had available to her to learn more about her latest target of affection. A little known fact was that the guy liked to garden, even if it wasn't a full-blown hobby of his. If that wasn't enough of a similarity between them – hey, her family ran a legitimate flower shop, so she knew a thing or two about gardening, okay? – there was also the fact that Naruto's unorthodox way of fighting more often than not had a way of influencing his opponents to strive to live a better way of life. It was a Therapy Jutsu, if you will.

There were exceptions, like a few members of Akatsuki (and Sasuke-kun), but just look at what Naruto did when faced with the damn leader of the Akatsuki. Naruto beat all those weird corpses and then went to confront the mastermind. The village was devastated and a lot of people were dead, but he somehow convinced the guy who instigated it all to bring the dead back to life. If that wasn't therapy, Ino didn't know what was.

Ino already knew the guy had a big heart for his friends, his makeshift family. Discovering he was their village's Jinchuriki… Well, if hearing about and seeing firsthand the kind of treatment Naruto suffered before proving himself wasn't enough to melt your heart and cuddle the blond, Ino didn't know what was.

On the downside, Naruto had a fixation on ramen, he was an orange traffic cone of a shinobi, he hadn't really improved in the area of book smarts, and he was utterly hopeless in the romance department. Well, okay, that last one was just assumed, but based off the fact that Naruto kept asking Sakura for dates in the Academy, Ino guessed that because of the few connections he had, the blond seriously lacked experience in romance, let alone friendship. At least he had improved in terms of friendship, but he was utterly clueless when it came to romance, Ino would bet her life on that.

Ino just didn't know how right she was.

"Hi, Naruto! Wanna get some ramen with me?"

"Sure, okay!"

All throughout their 'date', Ino's probing into Naruto's likes, dislikes, dreams for the future beyond being Hokage, it all ended in vain. Mostly because the talk kept coming back to ramen, and how Ichiraku's was the best in the world.

Ino had only succeeded in getting a heated glare from Hinata for her trouble.

"Hey, Naruto, do ya mind if I walk around with you for a bit?"

"Sure!"

This time Ino told Naruto all about herself. He listened, which was a good sign, but the moment she was done talking about her ambitions and whatnot, Naruto got into an 'inspirational' friendship speech that boiled down to beating the shit out of Sasuke and dragging him back to the village. Nothing had changed there, despite their last confrontation. Ino complimented Naruto's tenacity, claiming that if anyone could do it, it would be Naruto. And in a way, she genuinely thought that.

But this was Sasuke they were talking about, and Ino still harbored doubts about whether he could change.

Ino got the sense that she still wasn't getting through Naruto's thick skull. Their walk still felt like they were doing it as good friends by the end. She could sense Hinata stalking them, however, and could still tell she was glaring daggers at her back.

It was highly irresponsible, but while the Fourth War was going full tilt and everyone was on the battlefield, Ino had her Daddy connect her to Naruto mentally the moment she caught wind he was moving out to the battlefields, out of his little hideaway with the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki in tow.

Their chat was brief because Daddy quickly caught on she was abusing the system. But at least she learned that Naruto basically beat the Nine-Tails even after releasing the Seal, and now he had command of its Chakra. Ino had to admire his mental prowess for sure.

The one time Ino made any real progress at getting through Naruto's thick skull was when she wound up underneath Sasuke-kun's Susano'o with Team Seven when the Infinite Tsukuyomi was initiated and everyone got yoked to an ancient tree. Sasuke-kun was annoyed at first that he was stuck with "the people he hated the most" – particularly her and Sakura, who had been his biggest fangirls. Yet Ino made it very clear she was over his emo ass.

And she proved it when she connected Naruto and Sasuke's minds at Naruto's behest. They seemed to be locked in a battle of wits for a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long time. Honestly, Ino was scared she broke them and what Sakura would probably do to her for breaking Sasuke-kun, but eventually they did seem to come to a consensus.

Apparently, their most inner thoughts were revealed to one another, and now Sasuke-kun was just going to give up the secret revolution he had been plotting after defeating Madara. Not because Naruto had changed his whole worldview, but because Naruto had talked his ear off with a 'friendship' speech. Sasuke shamelessly admitted he wouldn't mind bathing in Naruto's valuable lifeblood after the Hell he had just experienced – Sasuke-kun muttered he didn't know the word 'friendship' could be repeated so much – but he didn't want to risk setting Naruto off. Again. Ever.

Naruto thanked her a bunch for helping him sort that out. And Ino could tell that there was a slightly different look in his eye from then on. It wasn't anything approaching romance quite yet, but Ino was making progress. She had definitely fallen for him at this point, and she was working hard to make that feeling mutual.

Wouldn't Hinata be pissed when this was all over?

Author's Note: Really introspective, and I was really borderline crackfic with this in some aspects… But it was fun, and I hope you enjoyed it a little. I list all those characters, and I end up going with someone completely different. lol

Do I honestly think Naruto and Ino would work out as a couple? Eh. I personally outlined my thoughts on their similarities, what could make them click, and I dunno if they would or not. If I'm completely honest, I'm not a hundred percent devoted heart and soul to NaruHina. It happened in canon, and I'm happy for them. I still don't like how Kishimoto worked with it (saving all the big-time development between them for one movie), let alone some of the other pairings that ended up happening. Not because I'm a passionate shipper (I'm reeeally not), but because some of those pairs just came out of left field, while others were lucky to be 'well, I can see it if I squint…'

I guess you could argue NaruHina was a long time in coming, but you could also argue that it was very open-ended because of Naruto's character. My point is, don't bash someone over this stuff. You like a certain pairing and probably don't want others to challenge you over it, so don't get snippy with someone else's favorite pairing, no matter how 'illogical' it is to you or who knows how many others.

Me? I'm open-minded about most pairings (even I have a few that I don't particularly like). Heck, I don't like yaoi/yuri pairings. That's just me. But instead of actively going and reviewing fanfics with my disapproval of such pairings, I tend to steer clear of them. In some cases I can't when I like a particular plot (The Somewhat Cracked Mind of Uchiha Itachi), but in those cases I ignore those bits. I like everything else about that fic, so I find that relatively easy.

Well, that's enough of a rant from me. I just wanted to prevent any derogatory pairings comments from being made, if possible. But that's entirely your guys' opinions, so I will respect them to the best of my ability. Just don't expect a reply if you do make a comment about, "But I don't like NaruIno." I repeat that this is a crackfic, so I'll do as I please just as much as you'll do as you please. Free speech and all that, so make those comments if you want. :P