A/N: Quick one, yes I know Naruto is younger than Sasuke by a few months. I made him older by choice. I've mentioned it several times. Okay enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 6: The Status Quo
Ino didn't know what to expect so she braced herself for the worst. The trek to Naruto's apartment was relatively quiet, the aforementioned boy keeping himself busy by navigating the streets based on the chakra he could see all around him. She was still curious about that, what did Naruto actually see? According to him everyone's chakra had a different colour, most possessing varying shades of blue while others ranged from sunny yellows to sickly purples.
He previously described the environment as being minimalistic, excess chakra clung to surfaces and painted a basic but serviceable schematic of his surroundings. Supposedly areas such as forests were easier to navigate since the chakra within the plants allowed for an easier reading and laid out a clearer path.
It was fascinating to think about. Sure the Hyuga had their Byakugan and the Uchiha clan had the Sharingan, but those felt less interesting compared to what Naruto had. Even more so when she thought about the potential the boy carried, however she wasn't only thinking about the pros. Naruto had to close his eyes to focus on reading chakra, which meant foreign shinobi or even targets would grow suspicious of him if he kept repeating the process. Best solution was to either find a way to do it with his eyes open (which she doubted would work) or to just give him dark tinted glasses.
"We're here." Naruto's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Oh." Ino blinked, she had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even realised they had walked past her house and made it all the way to Naruto's district.
He wasn't wrong about his place being a dump, but it wasn't his fault. The building looked like it hadn't seen a touch-up in over a decade. Its red roof had been bleached by the sun, its material flaking and falling apart, a trait shared by the drab gray walls with cracks climbing along their surface. The railings were in a similar state to the roof, rusted and crumbling, ready to collapse at any moment.
Despite this Ino was still excited to explore Naruto's apartment, especially after a long and boring day at the academy. She quietly trailed after Naruto as they both went up the short flight of stairs, eyes glued to the back of his fleece where the Uzumaki crest sat boldly on display. They had of course employed her mother's assistance to sow them onto each copy of his fleece, the woman more than happy to oblige.
'Now that I think about I see that symbol everywhere, the Uzumaki clan must have been hot stuff.' She mused recalling how the symbol was a part of the village's shinobi force standard uniform.
"We're here." He said coming to a stop before a deep teal door.
An excited Ino stood by his side as his keys jingled from being turned in the lock. He pulled the handle and pushed the door forward.
The first sight that met Ino was a small kitchen area that only had enough space for the essentials, what followed was an open space that Naruto used as the living room which consisted of a small coffee table a beat up couch and two bookshelves with sparse books held in place.
There were two other rooms which she assumed were his bedroom and the bathroom. The only signs of dilapidation she could see came in the form of a crumbling ceiling and cracked windows. Otherwise Naruto had kept the place in shape, the walls sporting a coat of paint that looked new and the wooden tiles were polished to a shine.
However, Ino was more interested in the various potted plants that her friend owned. A few sat by the window in the living room while a few were in the small passage that led to the bathroom and his room. She remembered a few of them, Naruto purchased some while at work and she was happy to see that he was taking good care of them.
"Not too shabby." Ino commented walking over to the couch and sitting down. It had seen better days and her ass felt stiff from just spending a few seconds on it, but it was something to sit on at the least.
"I try," He plopped down on the seat next to her.
Though Ino wondered what it was like to live alone. She planned to move out once she made Chunin or Jonin depending on how soon she made either rank. She loved her parents, but sometimes she desired breathing room, to do things at her own pace without them being on her heel at every turn.
"It's cozy." Ino yawned as she stretched her arms and legs before nestling up to Naruto. The place may have seen better days (or not) but it was nice and warm especially with the creeping chill of the autumn evening.
Naruto on the other hand only offered an inquisitive gaze but did not push her away. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Ino nearly dozing off as the day's wear and tear finally settled in. If it weren't for her status as an academy student she would have called it a night and slept over, but she still had a few rules to follow before she could do that.
"I almost fell asleep." She spoke through another yawn, "Wait, on that topic!" She quickly sprang to her feet, "Show me your room!"
"My room?"
Ino didn't answer instead she grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the small hallway. After a few seconds of deduction she opened the door she determined led to his room and she was pleased with her accurate estimation.
His room was almost as simple as the rest of his apartment. A small bed was pushed against the wall, having recently replaced the futon had been using out of discomfort. A plain wooden closet stood at the end of the bed partially open to reveal his clothes neatly folded and hung.
A pale green nightstand stood beside his bed with an alarm clock and a lamp as well as a framed picture of his mother. Other than the miscellaneous posters and his old jumpsuit displayed on the wall, Ino couldn't find anything of immediate interest. She walked over to his bed and sat on its edge, bumping a bit to get a feel for its comfort. It was nowhere near being as comfortable as her own, but then again she's seen Naruto sleep on the most questionable surfaces.
"I still can't get over how pretty your mom is." Ino remarked as she picked up the framed picture. This time Ino was able to see more than just her face, Uzumaki Kushina was a woman to envy.
"Yeah, I got that picture and some other stuff from a talking toad."
Ino didn't even want to start questioning that story. Naruto had a habit for attracting the weird and the bizarre and no matter how outlandish something sounded, if it was coming out of his mouth than chances are it was true. Returning the picture to its rightful place Ino looked around the room some more, it was clear that he didn't spend much time in it.
Jumping off the bed she dropped to one knee and began to scour the space beneath it, her hand blindly reaching out for something in particular. Naruto looked at her quizzically but said nothing.
"Gotcha." She said as she dragged her hand back, held in-between her fingers were various magazines of the adult variant.
Ino sifted through them, scrutinising their pages one-by-one her face darkening with each image she saw. They weren't anything crazy, most of what she saw was soft-core with very few going beyond that.
"I didn't take you for that kind of guy." She said, eyes still glued to the explicit images.
Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Oh those? I used them to get my Oiroke no Jutsu down, kinda forgot about them after that."
Ino frowned as she remembered the aforementioned technique. She had only seen it once but she could recall every detail of the blond's perverse form.
"Why did you even come up with that stupid Jutsu?"
"At first I just did to mess with Jiji and Iruka-sensei," He scratched his cheek, "But now I want to use it for missions. Y'know like those seduction kinda stuff, I know some kunoichi aren't comfortable with that kinda thing so I'll be able to cover for them."
Ino blinked, "Wow, that's...thoughtful of you." She definitely didn't like the idea of seduction, the thought of being intimate with some complete stranger who may or may not have ulterior motives never sat right with her. It was always a possibility that such missions could come into call, she just hoped she was never involved in them.
"Yeah, so this is my place. It's not much but I plan to get a better apartment once I start doing missions." He didn't want anything too fancy, just something that didn't look like it was one bad windy day away from toppling over.
"Take me with you when you go apartment viewing," She said, finally peeling her eyes from the pages of the erotica magazines, "That way you don't pick some god awful place."
Naruto pouted, he didn't have bad taste it's just people often failed to see the beauty behind his design choices. However, he wasn't opposed to the idea of Ino helping him out, her presence might be handy around those pesky landlords that hated his guts, but hopefully he didn't bump into many of those when the day came.
"I can't imagine living alone." Ino said suddenly, "I don't know how you've managed for so long."
Her friend sighed as he sat next to her before reclining on his bed, "It sucked a lot more when I was younger. It got easier the older I became, but you know the loneliness never went away." She could hear his voice grow somber.
Having always been surrounded by her family Ino never experienced such a thing, sure there were times when she felt alone but that was in a social aspect as she lacked friends she could call her own, but the solitary life he was talking about was beyond her world. Mirroring Naruto she rested her back flat against the mattress and looked up at the ceiling with him.
"But I have you now," His tone changed, "and things have been getting better, I know it sounds corny and all, but Ino you're a great friend."
Her face tingled and her stomach tickled. Her heart swelled and her head felt light. These were all weird sensations and the Yamanaka couldn't begin to fathom what they meant, but in an odd way they all came together to fill her with warmth.
"You dork..." She giggled, "You're a great friend too Naruto, and I'll always have your back."
"Thanks Ino-chan, you mean the world to me."
That night had been restless for Ino. Each attempt to grant her eyes any rest was met with the same scene she experienced a few hours ago. Naruto's words echoed in her mind, each repetition sending a shiver down her spine and prickling her skin with goosebumps.
You mean the world to me.
It was strange to hear those words leave his mouth with such sincerity. He probably didn't even realise the severity of what he said. Ino was many things and she acknowledged that she could at times elevate herself to higher planes of self-importance, but to be considered such a thing was nerve-wrecking, it made her heart race and thump against her chest, and her head heavy with thoughts.
"That idiot..." She whispered under her breath, "He didn't mean that..."
Ino cherished her friendship with Naruto; she had someone her age to talk to, laugh with, share with, train alongside. These things were missing from her life a month ago. Her thoughts were trapped in her mind and whatever moments she had with her classmates felt flat and disingenuous.
But she still wondered if Naruto felt the same way. Sure it wasn't hard to believe that he did, but a small inkling of doubt was loud in her mind.
The rest of the week seemed to breeze by and Naruto found himself faced with the door leading into the Yamanaka home. The amber glow painting the door signified the setting sun, the sky a canvas of red and orange consumed by the night's purple.
He was nervous, this would be the first time that he would spend more than an hour around both her parents. Her parents were cool, they didn't look at him funny and they held no malice towards him; Ino's mother was sweet, kind, and caring, she would often pack lunch for him and even have dinner prepared for him when he and Ino would walk together. It was the closest thing to a mother's love that he could feel.
As for Inoichi, the man was stern when he had to, but was equally as understanding. He possessed an air of wisdom to him (not quite on the level of the Hokage's) and he was easy to work with and learn from, he struck a fair balance. Naruto was forever grateful for the opportunity the Yamanaka leader gave him.
But the idea of having dinner with both of them made him anxious. What was he going to say? What were they going to say? It was a toss up of his own thoughts filling his mind with scenarios that may or may not pop up. Unbeknownst to Naruto, Ino was having a similar dilemma.
"Awww, our Ino-chan is nervous." Kiku cooed as her daughter shot past her and up the stairs.
"I'm not nervous!"
"Definitely seems nervous to me." Inoichi chuckled from his seat in the living room.
Ever since Ino returned from her day at the academy she's been up and down the house. He could catch feint mutterings of her self-dialogue and she was seemingly adamant about this whole dinner thing being perfect. He tried to reassure that Naruto wasn't fussy and would appreciate whatever was prepared, but Ino was far too engrossed in her plans.
'He'll be here at any moment.' Ino rummaged through her room chucking any clutter into the chest resting at the end of her bed.
Although she doubted Naruto would have the urge to scour her room, Ino still wanted to make sure that there wasn't anything incriminating out in the open. There wasn't a lot that fell into that category, she had a few fashion magazines that may have some risque images but nothing on the level of what she found in his room. She couldn't even keep such things if she wanted to, her mother had the awful habit of cleaning her room whenever she wasn't at work, but hopefully that would be a thing of the past once she becomes a Genin.
"Oh good evening Naruto-kun!"
Ino's head whipped around as she stared in the direction of her mother's voice.
'He's here!' She scrambled even more, haphazardly tossing anything she deemed inappropriate into the trunk. She gave one last visual sweep of her room before rushing out and hurrying down the stairs.
She peeked her head into the archway and standing in the kitchen with her mother was none other than her whiskered friend. He gave an awkward wave with an equally awkward smile.
He was dressed in one of the casual shirts she had picked out for him, the navy (almost purple) top sat comfortably around his torso with a relatively tame shade of orange decorating the collar. A dark pair of pants wrapped around his legs and led to a pair of similarly coloured shoes. There was an obvious attempt at grooming his hair, but the golden locks showed resilience as they flared all around us head.
"Hey!" Ino greeted, quickly shuffling past her mother and grabbing a hold of Naruto's wrist.
"Hey?" He looked confused as he was pulled further into the house, only managing to utter a quick greeting at Inoichi.
"Call us when the food is ready!"
Kiku hummed in affirmation, giggling to herself at her daughter's hasty retreat.
In the meantime Naruto trailed behind Ino, eyes drinking in what they could capture as they blurred up the stairs and down a hallway. Ino's room lacked any subtly as the purple door screamed its presence alongside the sign with her name on it.
"No poking around." Ino said as she stopped in front of her door.
"Got it." He held back his original retort, she did snoop around his room, though he didn't feel like doing the same.
The first thing that he noted as soon as the door opened was the sweet floral fragrance that seeped out of the room. It was similar to the one that permeated in the flower shop, a serene and pleasant smell that lulled tense muscles and left him feeling at peace.
The next thing that grabbed his attention was the amount of purple in her room. Almost everything carried the colour in varying shades, from light lavender to the deepest mauve.
'And I'm the one with an obsession with orange...' He thought, but he had to admit that her usage of the colour was well coordinated and made looking at the room a pleasing experience.
Stepping inside he scoped out the size of the room, it easily dwarfed his own and they could both stand comfortably several feet apart with room to spare.
"Well?" Ino's voice called to his attention.
"Well what?" He asked and in turn her brows furrowed together.
"What do you think?"
"Oh!" He felt slight panic settle in his gut, "It's great!" He wasn't the best when it came to words, "It reminds me of a bouquet."
He sighed internaly as he saw her face light up. It was nothing fancy but it got the job done.
"I'm glad you like it," She walked over to her bed and sat on its edge before beckoning for Naruto to do the same, "Because this is what our bedroom will look like."
Naruto hadn't taken a seat before stumbling over and landing on the bed back first. A look of shock written all over his face.
"Our bedroom?"
"Yes," She smirked at him, a mischievous glint dancing around in those blue eyes of hers, "I thought you wanted me to marry you. Husband and wife share a room you know."
Naruto's golden tan cheeks bled red in embarrassment. He had completely forgotten about that whole thing. Though in his brief moment of regret he could only ponder what life would be like if he was to be her husband. Would things be any different? They got along great so maybe their marriage would adopt a similar state, but all of this was up to speculation. He liked Ino, but he didn't know how much he liked her. Besides, Ino probably still intended on pursuing the affection of the lone Uchiha.
"Oh, c'mon, don't act like I wouldn't make a great wife." Ino huffed as she leaned over towards her pillow and propping her elbow on the soft cushion while resting her cheek on her hand.
"I dunno..."
"Uzumaki, watch those words." Her threat carried no weight behind it, but Naruto kept his words to himself.
"I wasn't going to say anything."
"Good," He heard Ino shift around, positioning herself to comfortably face his direction, "So, still trying to win the heart of Forehead?"
Naruto sucked on the inside of his cheek before sighing, "Naaah, I mean she's cute but I just don't feel the same way about her anymore."
"Oh?" She blinked a little surprised, sure its been a while since she heard him proclaim his undying love for the pink haired girl, but she didn't think that the crush had withered away.
"Yeah, there's no point chasing after someone. They're not obliged to return those feelings, just gotta move on y'know." He said, recalling the talk he once had with Ayame. It was a brief conversation but it was enough to instill the young blond with an understanding that he previously lacked.
"Wow, I...uh," Ino dreaded to ask but her curiosity far outweighed her anxiety, "So, into anyone lately? Maybe Hinata?" She wanted to kick herself.
Naruto shot her a weird look, "Hinata?" He hummed as the Hyuga crossed his mind. He personally didn't know much about Hinata, the girl was practically impossible to sit down and have a conversation with, either she fled after a couple of words or just ceases functioning on the spot. He didn't know why she acted the way she did, it was strange and he was nowhere near getting an answer.
"I think Hinata's cute-" He felt Ino smack his leg, sitting up he sent her a glare, "Hey, what was that for?"
"Nothing."
He scratched the back of his head, his gaze lingering on her for a short while before he reclaimed his original position.
"As I was saying, I think she's cute but she's kinda weird...not in a bad way of course! It's just I dunno."
Ino was not oblivious to Hinata's crush on Naruto. It was clear as day to anyone with a functioning pair of eyes (excluding Naruto, he was just dense), but the girl lacked any confidence to act upon her desires. If Hinata was able to speak her mind, there was no doubt it her head that Naruto would be hanging off her arm like a glorified purse, the Hyuga clan is a prestigious clan within Konoha and practically royalty at this point. If the Hyuga princess had an ice cold edge, she could have just used her status to pressure Naruto into a relationship.
Knowing Naruto, it probably would have worked too.
She shuddered at the thought. She didn't like the idea of Naruto in such a predicament which worried her considering his status as one of the last remaining Uzumaki, anything could happen and some high and mighty bimbo could waltz in and ask (demand) for his hand in marriage. In fact Ino didn't like the idea of Naruto with any girl- wait what.
"I said are you still trying to win Sasuke's heart?"
Ino cursed at herself, she must have vocalised some of her thoughts but it appeared it wasn't enough to clue him on.
"Uh," She tried to think about the Uchiha, but that heart-throb she used to feel was vacant, "Not really, actually no." There was no point trying to beat around the bush, she had thought about it often, but she couldn't envision a future with Sasuke. The boy felt like all looks with no substance, he felt one-dimensional outside of his drive to grow stronger. That kind of attitude was hot for a while, but it grew stale and even before she got over him Ino could feel herself grow tired of being ignored.
"I'm proud of you Ino-chan, so who's next? Shika-" Naruto couldn't even finish his words as Ino leapt from her side of the bed and quickly clasped his mouth.
"Don't you dare." She didn't dislike Shikamaru, but everything about him was less than desirable for her. At least Sasuke just outright ignored her, with Shikamaru she would have to compete with his laziness and have to raise her voice or threaten him to get something done.
Naruto raised his hands in defeat. Ino freed his mouth and backed away, a glare still looking his way just in case he went against his unspoken promise.
"I was joking." Her scent still lingered.
They sat in silence for a while, the only sound filling in the space was the clattering in the kitchen. Ino sent Naruto the occasional glance as he looked around her room, eyes picking apart every decoration she had out in the open. She chewed on her bottom lip, his words from that day still roamed the halls of her mind, reminding her of the weight of their friendship.
"Hey, Naruto..." He looked over in her direction.
"Yeah, 'sup?"
"Did you really mean it? What you said the other day, about me meaning the world to you?" Those words felt weird leaving her mouth.
"Yeah!" He beamed at her, "And I meant it with every fibre of my being."
She was stunned.
"Then...promise me that we'll be tog- friends forever." She held out her pinky, she expected an incredulous look but Naruto was quick to wrap his pinkie around hers.
"I promise, and I never go back on my word." His large grin was goofy, but it was contagious as she couldn't help but smile like an idiot. To be fair they both had their moments, and Ino wouldn't have it any other way.
"Well isn't that sweet."
Both blonds froze and in perfect unison turned to face the door. Kiku had managed to sneak up on them and open the door, allowing herself to peek right in and witness their shared moment.
"Mom!" Ino yelled much to the woman's amusement.
"Oh don't be so hasty Ino, I think what you two have is adorable. Come on now, dinner's ready."
A flustered Ino glared at her mother's retreating form, Naruto on the other hand was unsure of what just happened. He didn't even hear the door open, he'll need to work on passively sensing people, if that was even possible in the first place.
"C'mon, let's go before my dad also decides he wants to say something." Ino grumbled as she leapt off her bed, her hand found Naruto's wrist and the boy silently trailed after her as they left the room.
They both reached the dining room and to Ino's horror and Naruto's delight, her mother had prepared a bountiful serving of ramen.
"I thought you were making rice?" Her mother smirked and shrugged her shoulders.
"I was, but then I remembered that our dear Naruto here loves ramen."
Ino couldn't even be mad at her mother at this point, she's the one who always complained about Naruto's ramen addiction. Ino sighed but quickly relinquished her frustration and ushered her friend to a seat.
Her father soon followed, taking a seat across from them. He wore an amused smirk as he watched them quietly bicker, Ino picking and pulling at Naruto's shirt while the whiskered boy attempted to pull away from her.
"How is the academy going you two?" He decided to save Naruto, the boy shooting him a look of appreciation.
"It's fine." Ino sighed, "Just kinda boring." Iruka kept revising the same old content, the kind of stuff Ino didn't see being useful in any future encounter.
"Hm, back in my day-"
"You used to train to infiltrate enemy camps, heard it a thousand times dad."
"Well doesn't make it any less true." Inoichi turned to look at Naruto, clearly enamoured by the ramen gradually filling the table, "And you Naruto?"
He perked up as his eyes were drawn away from the feast. Naruto couldn't complain all too much about the academy, things had significantly improved since Mizuki was arrested and furthermore there was some reshuffling of faculty members which led to his life there being much more manageable.
His one complaint was the lack of actual practical education. They touched a lot on theory and history, with their only means of preparation being taijutsu sparring and the occasional target practice. It all felt too little for something so big.
"I just wish we learned a bit more...shinobi stuff. I get history and problem solving is important, but we're not being taught much other than the bare minimum."
"See!" Ino would throw her arms out towards Naruto, "Just like he said. Anyone who's not from a clan is really going to struggle early on because they don't have access to extra stuff."
Inoichi hummed as he acknowledged their complaints. The academy did feel like it had become lax in its teachings, whether that was something the Hokage was aware of or not was up for debate. His daughter was right, civilian kids were bound to drag behind even more so if they were placed in incompatible teams. That wasn't to say that civilians couldn't outdo clan children, the Yondaime Hokage was a sterling example of an orphan who managed to blitz through his clan-borne peers, but that kind of grit wasn't inherent in everyone.
"I see," His main focus however still rested on the two before him, "I managed to get some casuals to cover work at the IT as well as the shop, we'll be working on your training these coming two days."
Naruto was practically spilling out of his seat in excitement while Ino was less enthusiastic. Training with both her dad and Naruto meant she had to keep up with the latter, who was a workhorse when it came to training. She dreaded the morning sun and how sore she would be at the end of it all, but a part of her was happy to spend more time with her oblivious friend.
"No shinobi talk at the dinner table." Kiku lighlty slapped Inoichi's shoulder as she passed by with the last bowl of the table. Her husband shot her a sheepish grin, eliciting a groan from the woman.
"Now Naruto, Ino tells me that miso ramen is your favourite," She winked at her daughter who sighed, "And I'm no ramen expert, but I'd like to believe this should be a hearty meal."
The boy was evidently ecstatic, a large smile plastered on his face, "It looks and smells amazing."
Ino would roll her eyes, but he wasn't wrong, her stomach grumbled as she dwelled more on the food presented before her. It was by all means a far cry from a healthy meal, but maybe just this second time she could cheat on her diet. She sighed as she broke apart the chopsticks just as everyone else did.
"Itadakimasu!"
The atmosphere felt foreign to Naruto. Being surrounded by laughter and warmth, a cosy feeling creeping along his form as he downed his bowl of ramen. The scene, however, felt familiar. As a child he would often watch families retreat from the cold streets of Konoha, settling down for the night. Children surrounded by the love and care of their parents, away from the harsh winter and bellies fully fed.
"Hey Naruto..." His eyes focused on his now empty bowl, turning slightly over he saw Ino's gentle smile, a curious blonde brow arched upwards.
"It's..." He heard his voice break, a heavy feeling in the back of his throat. It was hard to say anything, to look any of them in the eyes. The boy had taught himself not to to cry, to shoulder his emotions. He didn't want to dampen the mood, to stain a marvelous meal with tears.
"Amazing, dattebayo."
'The kid's pretty good at hiding his emotions.' Inoichi watched as his daughter and Naruto pulled faces at one another. He saw the series of emotions flash through his eyes before his answer. Hiding one's emotions is always a great tool, but he didn't like it in this context.
"Didn't we get rid of that tick of yours."
"Huh! You thought!"
"We didn't bicker like this did we?" Inoichi turned to his wife, the woman having already gone through three bowls of her own.
"No, it was more of me dragging your intoxicated self from whatever dump you, Choza, and Shikaku decided to call home for the night." Inoichi groaned, how could he forget such stellar details?
Kiku laughed, "It's sweet isn't it?" Inoichi wouldn't call the scene of Ino pulling on Naruto's cheek "sweet" but he got the gist of what his wife was hinting towards.
Seeing both kids happy was the kind of thing a parent lived for.
"So which sounds better, Uzumaki Ino or Yamanaka Naruto?" Both kids stopped and turned to Kiku.
Of course it took a bit longer for Naruto to catch on, but Ino was quick to glare at her mother, as for Kiki it was difficult to take her daughter seriously with her face all red and flustered like a ripe tomato.
"Whoa now, let's not get hasty." Inoichi cut in, placing his second bowl down.
"A sensible adult at least." Ino said with a hint of relief in her voice.
"Obviously Yamanaka Naruto has a good ring to it." He grinned seeing the horror on her face.
"Wait, me marry Ino?" Naruto caught up to the conversation.
"No! No marrying me!"
"Maybe a combination of the two? So it would be Uzumaki-Yamanaka Ino." Kiku suggested, at this point both parents were purposefully ignoring the other two occupants of the table.
"Good idea," Inoichi hummed, "But, I think Yamanaka-Uzumaki Naruto would work a bit better."
"You're so adamant about Yamanaka appearing first."
"I'm just saying, if they're going to helm the Yamanaka clan, might as well."
"Mom! Dad! What the heck!" Ino then gestured to Naruto was still trying to process everything else that was being discussed, "Look, you broke Naruto!"
Both adults shared a laugh, "We're just teasing you kids."
"For now."
Ino let out an exasperated sigh, deciding feeding fuel to the flames of her parents was not conducive at all. She returned to her bowl and dished herself a second serving. Naruto seemed to adopt a similar train of thought as he slumped in his seat, cheeks holding a red tinge as he went after another round of ramen.
Naruto didn't keep track of how much he ate. He was lost in the moment, hearing both of Ino's parents share stories about her youth and less than triumphant tales much to Ino's dismay. He laughed and shared his own, the few happy moments that he could recall from his childhood, most revolving around successful or failed pranks. The hours had passed and before Naruto knew it, it was almost midnight.
"I better get going." He said, eyes shooting to the clock just above the archway.
"Oh, dear, has it really gotten this late?"
"Don't worry I'll walk him home." Inoichi said, besides he wanted to discuss some stuff with the kid.
The table clattered as they all stood, Kiku began gathering the now empty bowls and used cutlery while Inoichi headed towards the front door with Ino and Naruto trailing behind him.
"And you didn't want to come." Ino playful bumped into him, the older blond rolling his eyes at her teasing, but she was right. He almost passed up the opportunity, he would have been in his dingy apartment just reading or doing the same old things that he did.
"Fine, you were right. This was fun."
Ino's cheek-splitting grin was annoying but enough to bring a chuckle out of him, they meandered within the hallway not sure what to say while in the presence of her father.
"See you tomorrow?" She asked.
"Yup, tomorrow." The two embraced Ino taking the extra time to squeeze her friend and poke his stomach as they seperated.
"Hey!"
"Just making sure you're not getting pudgy."
He pouted but ultimately the two bid their farewells leaving Naruto to brave the chilly night alongside the Yamanaka patriarch. The streets had become empty with the sparse few occupants of the village hopping from one bar to the next, and the odd patrolling shinobi keeping the peace.
The sky above was dark and coated in thick grey clouds that obscured the full moon and the stars.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, crossing the small bridge arching over a small stream connecting to a larger water channel.
"You know I'm not opposed to you marrying my baby girl."
"Who starts a conversation like that?"
Inoichi laughed, having not expected Naruto to respond in such a manner. He couldn't even be offended.
"Just had to break the ice," He managed to calm his laughter, "But listen, thanks for being around Ino and helping her out. Never thought I'd see her this serious about anything that wasn't a hobby of hers."
Naruto felt as if he was the one to be thankful. Ino pulled him out of a deep slump that he didn't even know about.
"Now how's about an apprenticeship under yours truly?"
Naruto blinked, "Shouldn't that be something you ask Ino?"
"Well," Inoichi cleared his throat, "Ino is technically always under my apprenticeship, she is my daughter and the heiress of the clan. But there's nothing that's stopping me from having another apprentice." Inoichi really wanted the kid to be on his team, not only because it would cut his workdays in half, but also for the safety of the village!
"I dunno..."
"Come on kid, that ability of yours uh..."
"The Shingan."
"Shingan?"
"I like the way it sounds."
"Right, your shingan," Inoichi thought about it and the kid was right, it had a nice ring to it, "Could crack most cases wide open in a matter of seconds. And I'm not saying it would give you bonus points on your whole Hokage goal, but it's a possibility."
Naruto hummed in thought. He still wasn't sure what this whole apprenticeship entailed and even though Ino told him what her father did, the job was still murky and clouded in mystery. But if he could put his Shingan to use then maybe it was worth giving it a shot?
"And maybe I can throw in a few clan techniques your way," Those words were sacrilegious coming out of his mouth, but he was the clan head, "But that would mean that you'd need to marry Ino." And it all circled back to the conversation from earlier.
"I can't tell if you're being serious and I don't think I want to know right now, Inoichi-san."
"I'm just pulling your leg kid...unless-"
Naruto suddenly stopped, head turning and cranking up to gaze towards a building their right.
"We're being followed." Naruto announced. Inoichi adopted a serious look as he looked off in the same direction, he couldn't quite pick up on what Naruto was sensing but he knew the feeling of being watched.
"Give me details."
"Feels weird, there's two of them." Naruto's face scrunched up as he narrowed on the chakra signatures, "They feel cold, emotionless. Their chakra is incredibly still."
His eyes snapped open, "They're gone."
"Probably got spooked by your nest trick there." The older blond muttered, "I've got a hunch but I'll have to confirm it later. Don't worry about it right now."
Naruto only nodded, but he couldn't help but shudder at the thought. Something felt unnatural about those chakra signatures, it was like peering into machines, they lacked any unique qualities to them and their flow was uniform and unmoving.
"Oh, we're here." He hadn't recognised his surroundings due to the weird occurrence, but spotting the ugly roof of his apartment complex was enough to remind him of where they were heading in the first place.
"Well, I suppose my work here is done." He stared at the building with a bit of a grimace, the place definitely could use a bit of patching up.
"Thanks Inoichi-san!"
"Now don't forget, Naruto, tomorrow I'll be overseeing your training with Ino. We can also iron out some details while we're at it."
"What about the shop?"
"I got some clan members to fill in, now rest easy and don't be late tomorrow."
Naruto nodded and waved the man goodbye as his form began to shrink in the distance. Contempt and ready to crash for the night he hurried to his apartment and called it a night, however as he curled under his sheets he felt warm and cosy, his mind replaying the memories of the night.
Ino didn't know what was worse, Naruto's training regime or her father's routine. Both felt tortuous, the only difference between them being the areas of focus. Whereas Naruto's program focused on honing the body's physical capabilities, her father's on the other hand pushed her chakra and mental prowess to the limit.
"Don't push too hard Ino, remember to strike a fine balance between willing your spiritual energy forward and using your chakra to keep its form." She heard her father coach from the sidelines.
It was easier said than done. Once her "consciousness" left her body it was hard to maintain any control over it, and considering how long it took for her to regain control of her body, mastering the Shintenshin no Jutsu was a game of patience and attrition.
Inoichi switched his attention over to Naruto who made the grave mistake of revealing his training method to him.
Due to Naruto's particular case, he had access to insane chakra reserves which allowed him to create an absurd amount of shadow clones. This coupled with the unique trait of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu that allowed them to pass on information and experience to the user meant Naruto could cut down the time spent on learning something to a fraction of what it would normally take.
The Yamanaka head wanted to take full advantage of this by having Naruto create groups of clones and assigning different tasks to them. However, he didn't want to overload the boy so he made sure to keep things light and have his clones mostly focus on chakra control exercises. Although he didn't need to make regular clones any more that wasn't an excuse for poor chakra control.
While his clones were working on sticking leaves to their brows and climbing trees, the original was tasked with working on his Shigan.
"Okay, I need you to work that Shingan of yours, I want to see what you see so I'll use the Shindenshin no Jutsu."
"Got it."
Naruto focused on Ino's chakra and watched as it shifted and swirled before projecting outwards in a sphere of sorts. There were two instances of it, the main dense source and a thin layer that swirled around it. He assumed that was her consciousness by how it felt and the light shade of lavender that it carried compared to the rest of her chakra that appeared more like a plum.
'Shindenshin no Jutsu.'
Naruto felt a moment of slight discomfort, it didn't take a genius to realise that the Jutsu was now in effect and that he was now linked with Ino's father. He heard the man's hum bounce around in his head a bit, undoubtedly taking a moment to adjust to the odd sight.
'Fascinating...'
He was currently watching his daughter through the lense of Naruto's Shingan and it was unlike what he imagined. Seeing Ino's chakra in motion was seperate to regular sensory, this was far more visceral and in-depth, as if he could see every minute detail on each wisp of chakra.
'I need you to focus on me.'
Naruto nodded and turned his attention towards Inoichi's form.
It was quite a strange experience observing his own body in such a manner. He could see a faint trail of his chakra reaching out towards Naruto, creating a tether reminiscent of the Nara's shadow techniques. But what was more fascinating to him was how the chakra in his head was shifting around, spinning in a steadied pace like a cog in a machine. The more he thought the more the chakra fluctuated and spun to match his pace.
'Kid...this is amazing.' but it was equally disorienting, but this proved a theory of his correct. Any Yamanaka could tap into Naruto and share what he was seeing with allies. The best strategy would be to have Naruto create clones and station them around a parameter, that way the main Naruto could still be in action and his clones could act as quick sensory for the Yamanaka.
'Err, want me to tap into someone else?'
Inoichi hummed, he wondered what Shikaku was up to.
'Think you can find me the lazy bum known as the Nara clan head?'
Naruto vaguely remembered how the man's chakra felt, it was similar to Shikamaru's just a bit more...aged. Expanding his Shingan's reach Naruto immediately zoomed towards the Nara clan's compound and after sifting through many similar feeling signatures he found Shikamaru's, and right next to him was the clan head. Both Nara members were stalking through the dense forest of their property.
'Give me a heads up next time you do that,' He felt queasy, having not expected to race through the village and bounce from chakra signature to the next in such a rapid manner.
'Right, sorry about that.'
Having cleared the uneasy feeling from his stomach, Inoichi snickered as he spied on his friend. The pair of Nara were disgruntled as they went about checking on the deer they looked after.
'I'm not one for envy, but this is one hell of an ability you've got.'
He could practically feel Naruto beaming, and he couldn't blame him. He'd be smug too if he could just find anyone, anywhere, at anytime. But it could probably use some improvements.
Releasing the Shindenshin no Jutsu, Inoichi shook his head as his vision re-adjusted to the normal sights of the world.
He definitely needed the kid on his team, ASAP. But he could also see many other divisions making arguments to snatch him away, especially the sensory and barrier teams, but he couldn't imagine Naruto choosing such stationary roles.
"Wait, why didn't I think about doing that!" Ino marched over, seemingly giving herself a break from her training.
She's been curious about Naruto's Shingan ever since she learned about it, but it never crossed her mind to just use the Shindenshin no Jutsu.
"Don't be too hard on yourself Ino-chan, your old timer's just a quick thinker." It was petty but he was more than happy to rub it in her face.
"But before you hound him about it, I want you both to take five. Tapping into this Shingan is nauseating and puts a bit of a strain, you need to rest before you throw yourself into that experience."
Ino pouted over the momentary denial but complied as she treaded towards the large tree in the area that had become their designated rest area. She slumped against its base and stretched her legs out feeling and hearing several pops as she did so.
The sun had made it to its apex casting its rays behind languid clouds that sailed above them. It wasn't as hot as their previous training sessions, the chill of autumn finally winning its sway in the battle of the seasons. A calm breeze swept over them brushing up against sweat drenched skin and providing a moment of cooling, one that Ino could drink in a bit more.
"You good?" She felt Naruto's arm brush up against hers as he claimed a seat next to her.
"Yeah, using the Shindenshin gives me a headache, but I'll be fine in a couple of minutes."
"I get that sometimes," He ran a hand through messy locks of gold catching stray blades of grass, "When I look too far or use the Shingan for long, I get this splitting headache." It was rare, but when it happened it sucked, royally.
Ino opened and rolled her eyes to glance over at her friend, "Then don't use it as much, dork." She jabbed at his side with her elbow.
"Haha, real funny."
"I'm serious," She leaned against him, watching as her father instructed Naruto's active clones, "I don't want you getting hurt. Please, just be careful."
"I'll...I'll be careful, but only if you do the same."
He felt her nod and hum, but after a few passing moments he could feel her shift around. She was asleep, undoubtedly drained by repeatedly using the Shindenshin no Jutsu since morning.
This was the scene Inoichi returned to. He knew the toll that their techniques took on them, but he was surprised that Ino managed to push through such training for so long. Normally she would have whined after the first hour, but seeing her train for five hours straight put a proud smile on his face.
"Hey Naruto, I think we can actually just call it a day. I'm happy with what we managed to do today, I'll catch you kids later."
"Alright." He gave a thumbs-up and watched as the man left the training ground. He would have to dispel his clones but at steady intervals as to not fry his brain from an influx of memories. But for now he'll just watch the clouds as they drifted off to some part of the world.
She didn't know where the time went. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Between attending the academy, training, and working at the flower shop, Ino's perception of time was warped. It only felt like yesterday that she was butting heads with Sakura over the acknowledgement of the last Uchiha, but now it was time to prove themselves as being worthy of the rank of Genin.
Ino balled her hands into fists as she stared at the sheets of paper on her desk. The written test consisted of a mostly trivia testing their knowledge on world history, Konoha shinobi protocol, and theory behind most concepts that they employed. It wasn't anything outrageous and besides a few questions, she wasn't worried.
Her eyes darted over to the other end of the classroom. Naruto sat next to Ami since they were shuffled around to prevent cheating and friends assisting one another. She didn't like the way the purple haired girl was sitting so close to her dumbass. Ami previously found joy in ridiculing Naruto, so the idea of her cosying up to him did not sit right with her.
But she couldn't do anything about that right now. She had to focus on the test.
And so the test's completion time elapsed and Iruka began his round of collecting the written exams.
Naruto was confident, for once he wasn't scratching his head at the questions on his paper.
"So, how do you think you did?" He turned over to face his temporary desk-mate.
"Not bad, I think I might have messed up the eighth question, but that's about it." He answered, said question was worded in such a way that he found himself erasing his answer multiple times.
"Mhm, I think I know which one you mean." The girl stretched her arm over the desk and laid her head against it, "Say Naruto wanna hang out some time this week?"
The blond blinked taken aback by the offer. His history with Ami mostly involved her mocking and making fun of him, but at this point it was rare that someone hadn't thrown the occasional jab at him in the past.
"Hang out?" He asked.
"Yeah, just hang out maybe at my place. We can think of something."
Yes, Ami was aware of who she was speaking to. The same boy she used to bully, but was this Naruto the same as the Naruto from a couple of months ago? He was in essence still the same person, but the air of confidence he carried set him apart from his slouching and orange-clad former self.
She didn't know what Ino did to the boy, but she quite liked it. He reminded her of those golden furred dogs that were always eager to please, or well that's what she observed as she occasionally watched the two blonds hangout.
"I-"
"Hey, Naruto." Another voice cut into the conversation, this time originating from Sakura as she turned to face them from her seat ahead of them.
"Sup, Sakura?" He was grateful for the save, but he felt as if another headache was incoming.
"I've been struggling with my taijutsu, do you think you can help me out a bit?" That sounded...simple enough.
"Beat it Forehead, I was talking to him first." Ami growled as she sat up from her relaxed position, a scowl sitting on her features.
Naruto internally groaned as he watched the imaginary sparks fly between the two girls. He didn't know why they all bore such fierce grudges for one another, but each time they clashed he was afraid that he would leave the bout more scarred than them.
Iruka was his saving grace as he cleared his throat, casting a steely gaze on the sea of hopeful students.
"Next we will move on to the accuracy demonstration and the taijutsu test."
The excited and anxious youths made their way towards the door, Naruto taking the opportunity to sneak past both Sakura and Ami as they traded bitter words.
"There you are." Ino pinched the sleeve of his jacket and pulled him to her side.
"Where else would I be?" He asked with a cheeky grin, and she in response groaned and pushed him away. He snickered but followed after her as they moved through the academy's winding hallways before exiting to the massive grassfield with a slight hill sloping towards a couple of trees.
There were a few targets set up each placed at varying distances and heights with a select few obscured by wooden walls and logs.
It was simple and meant to ensure that students had the appropriate dexterity to use standard shinobi tools such as kunai and shuriken.
As expected most students were able to meet the passing criteria of hitting six of the ten targets, there were a few outliers who failed to meet the target and there were those who excelled such as the Uchiha who felt cheeky enough to add some flair to his technique.
And then there was Naruto who managed to be on par with Sasuke, but with less spectacle and a mishap that still managed to score him a ten out of ten purely on luck. Ino herself missed two targets, and her reasoning boiled down to sweaty hands, an excuse that Naruto found humour in.
The following portion of the exam was focused on taijutsu, but was not an actual spar. They were tasked with striking a pad that the assistant instructor held while he moved it around. Points were based on the amount of hits landed and how close they were to the target's centre.
Hinata shined the most in this portion of the exam, employing her clan's stance to slip through the instructor's guard and land a total of fifteen hits, with Sasuke following a close second once again tying with Naruto who had the height advantage and managed to land hits on the more trickier spots.
Ino landed herself somewhere between Kiba and Shino, which she believed was respectable. Kiba was more geared towards taijutsu and Shino, just like her friend, held a height advantage over most of them. But she wouldn't dwell on it any longer, making it into the top five was something she was still proud of.
"Alright, now for the final portion of the exam, ninjutsu."
They were once more back in the main building but this time they were all lined up, waiting for their names to be called. Ino leaned against Naruto, subconsciously pulling on the zipper on the side of his pants keeping his pocket sealed.
"Can't believe we're finally here." Ino whispered.
"Third time's the charm."
"Yeah, don't fail."
"As if."
They watched as students left the room either proudly brandishing their Konoha hitai-ate, or missing the embellished forehead protector. The line gradually thinned and soon Sasuke was called up and returned a few minutes later with the steel plate held in his hand.
"Don't disappoint me, dumbass." Sasuke shot him a smirk.
"I'm not done kicking your ass." Ino rolled her eyes at their quick little exchange.
'Boys.'
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"Well that's my name." He pushed off the wall, but before he left he felt Ino squeeze his hand.
"Good luck."
She knew he didn't need it, but she didn't want any screw ups, she had faith that Iruka wouldn't mess with Naruto like that bastard Mizuki did, however small fragment of doubt remained.
Naruto walked into the room and was met with the sight of Iruka and another lady with dark curly hair and glasses.
"Alright Naruto, I'm going to need you to perform the Kawarimi no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu, and the Bunshin no Jutsu. Are the instructions understood?"
Naruto nodded, and with affirmation from Iruka the first technique was performed as a dull kunai was thrown his way. It made contact but a puff of smoke filled the air and a log dropped to the ground, Naruto appearing right next to it.
"Good, use of the Kawarimi no Jutsu confirmed." Iruka jotted down a few things.
"Next, the Henge no Jutsu."
Naruto didn't think hard on who wanted to transform into, in mere moments he mimicked the appearance of Ino's father without a single detail missed.
"Yamanaka Inoichi, excellent." The scarred Chunin hummed in satisfaction.
"And lastly, the Bunshin no Jutsu."
Of course Naruto still struggled to create regular clones, but after speaking to the Hokage several times about it, Naruto learned that he could just use the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.
And so he did, creating three identical replicas of himself, all physical and solid.
"Impressive, going above and beyond." Iruka smiled as he tallied Naruto's total score. A few minutes of silence passed before he was directed towards a table with a multitude of headbands presented on its surface.
"Congratulations Uzumaki Naruto, you have passed the Genin exam."
Naruto's lips curled into a large grin. He was eager and ecstatic as he glossed over the variety of colours. Unfortunately there was no orange, but he found joy in knowing that Ino wouldn't be getting purple either. He ended up deciding on grabbing one with a black cloth.
"Thank you Iruka-sensei."
"It's been a pleasure being your instructor, now please stay out of trouble."
"Not making any promises." He laughed as he left the room, hitai-ate proudly wrapped around his forehead and creating some order in his unruly locks.
Ino didn't give him a chance to say anything before she threw herself at him in an embrace.
"You did it!"
"Yeah, it's all thank to you."
"Team 6..."
It was team placement. Most were nervous, many hoping they would be teamed up with their friends. Time for Ino flew by once more, from celebrating their graduation to now sitting and waiting for her inevitable time spent grouped with Shikamaru and Choji.
"Team 7 will consist of Akimichi Choji, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke. Your Jonin instructor is Hatake Kakashi."
To those who knew of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation were shocked. A vital part of the team had been paired with the Uchiha and a civilian. Ino looked over at Shikamaru who looked equally puzzled, but the dark haired boy had a hunch what would follow. It was something that he entertained a long time ago, but he didn't think it would actually happen.
Choji was stunned, he previously wasn't worried about team placement. But hearing his name not followed by either Ino's or Shikamaru's left him concerned and puzzled. What was happening?
"Team 8 will consist of Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba. Your Jonin instructor is Yuhi Kurenai."
Hinata was a bit saddened. She had hoped that she would be paired with Naruto, but she wasn't against her current team.
"Team 9 is still in rotation. Team 10 will consist of Nara Shikamaru, Uzumaki Naruto, and Yamanaka Ino. Your Jonin instructor will be Sarutobi Asuma."
Shikamaru groaned as he dropped his head. He jinxed himself all those months back and now he was paired with the troublesome blond duo.
Ino stared at her friend, she was surprised, but that was an understatement. The Ino-Shika-Cho formation was a staple for many generations and to suddenly have it split up was something she had never expected.
"So...this is awkward." Naruto mumbled.
"No...no...this is great." Despite the shock, Ino was rather happy, excited even! Her friend was on the same team as her!
"Speak for yourself." Shikamaru muttered glaring at the blonde as she stuck her tongue out at him.
A/N: First of all I'm so sorry for my absence! I've been sick for a while now (the place I was working in was all sorts of dusty and just gross) and I've been struggling to write or well do most things. I managed to churn out this chapter bit by bit and admittedly I rushed through certain points because I didn't know when I'd get better and I wanted to give you guys something after such a long absence.
I decided to blend the two promised chapters into one, having both the dinner scene and graduation just happen in one chapter. My plan was never to dwell this much on pre-graduation, but I wanted to establish a few things before they were together in a team. Speaking of team yes Naruto took Choji's place, many of you saw it coming because the Hokage hinted towards it, but yes it's now Ino-Shika-To or something, I'll think of something when I'm better.
Originally there was more stuff between Sakura, Ino, and Naruto planned but I'll squeeze that into its own chapter in due time, probably going to have one massive chapter once I get better to make up for this one.
Also thank you for the amazing response, I was honestly surprised to see the amount of people following the story and the amount of stellar reviews. As sick as I am you guys give me the motivation to put some together because I don't want to disappoint yall and want to continue giving you more and more chapters. I can only show my gratitude by continuing this story to the end and getting better as a writer.
On a side note, I want to share some stuff that I might illustrate for the story such as character outfit changes (where applicable), any minor ocs that may show up, and just scenes between our two favourite blonds. But I'm not sure what platform you guys would prefer, I'm not big on Discord because I find it overwhelming and confusing, so anything else I'm open to hearing your feedback on.
Now I'm probably missing some stuff regarding the chapter, but yeah Ino's parents can see it coming from a mile away, both Ino and Naruto aren't sure about their feelings, Ino is ready to throw hands to keep any tempted hands from her orange dumbass, and the new team ten is going to kick ass.
I'll clear any uncertainties in the next chapter, hopefully I get better soon and can write something more concise. But with that said, I hope you guys enjoyed this snippet, and once again thank you for your continued support!
Ciao!