Ino shivered as a chill ran down her body. She let her eyes flutter open as she sat up and pulled the blankets closer to her. She blearily gazed around her room, spotting her open window that was letting the cool night breeze in. Ino slowly crawled out of bed and shambled over to the window, closing it so she can go back to sleep.
"Where are you going? You can't just leave in the middle of our conversation like this!"
Ino turned to face her door, the sounds of her mother's voice attracting her attention. "Ugh… What's happening?…"
The sounds of her father quickly gathering his gear and running down the hall with her mother chasing close behind were heard from behind her door.
"There's been an urgent call for as many available Jonin and Chunin possible! Shikaku just came by and told me that the Uzumaki kid stole the Scroll of Sealing!"
'Uzu…maki?' Ino blinked a few times, pondering the name, before deciding that she was too tired for this. She shambled back to her bed and scooted further under her covers to allow the warmth to comfort her. The sound of her mother and father's voices still echoed in her ears as the two adults bickered until Inoichi slammed the door on her face in the middle of her sentece.
'Uzumaki, huh? Why do I- NARUTO?!' Ino shot up out of bed, the gears in her head slowly but surely speeding up as she realized the gravity of the situation. Quickly running to her closet to throw on her gear, Ino let her mind run wild as she tried to come up with some sort of plan. 'What is that idiot thinking?! Stealing the- Why would he do that?! He's gonna be killed if the Jonin find him first!'
Without thinking, she opened her window and jumped out down to the street below. She took off as fast as she could, remembering what her Daddy taught her about pushing chakra to her legs to run faster. It wasn't much and it barely added any speed, but she would find him that much-
'Wait… I don't even know where Naruto could be! Ohhh! If only Sasuke-kun were here! He'd be able to find Naruto with no problem!'
"Ino-san? What are you doing out this late at night?" A haggard voice asked from behind her. Ino jumped and whipped around, coming face to face with her academy teacher.
"Iruka-sensei? I-I could ask the same to you." Ino's voice wavered slightly. Iruka seemed to notice this as well, based on the way his eyes narrowed slightly.
"I'm just, uhhh… out for a run. Couldn't sleep… What about you?"
"Same as you! Just a walk instead!" Ino gave him the best smile that she could force.
Iruka looked around before briefly letting out a quick sigh. "Alright, we'll you should go back inside. It's late and I don't want anything happening to you."
"Hai…" Ino relented.
Iruka nodded before taking off again, but Ino managed to catch him mumbling something under his breath.
"I'm coming, Naruto-kun."
Ino's eyes widened. He must know where he is! She watched as he took to the rooftops running toward the edge of Konoha. Ino resolved herself to follow him and see if she could manage to convince him to let Naruto off easy. After all, Naruto may not be her friend, but he didn't deserve the kind of punishment he would get when he was caught!
Ino felt the panic in her chest rise as Iruka started picking up speed. She put her hands together into a Ram seal and focused on pumping more chakra to her legs in order to keep up. Her speed doubled but it put a lot of strain on the young girl. She wouldn't be able to do this for very long. She could only hope that they find Naruto soon.
"Hehehehe! Score! Look at all these cool Jutsus I could learn! Ooh, what's this one? 'Kage Bunshin No Jutsu. Bunshin?! Are you kidding me?! The first one is something that I can't do! Agh!" Naruto screamed out in frustration. He looked over the other Jutsus in the scroll, realizing something. Every other Jutsu in the scroll was incredibly complicated with hand seal after hand seal and chakra control expertise that he didn't have. The only one that he could even try to do was the damned Bunsh-
"Wait a second! That must be the test Mizuki-sensei was talking about! Of course! How could I not see it! He realized that I'm just too awesome for the normal Bunshin, so of course I had to learn the cooler version! Mizuki is a genius!" With that said, Naruto stood up and replicated the single sign he needed like the scroll showed.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Naruto was, as the whole class would lovingly put it, a baka. But even then, this was stupid even for him! There had to be something going on here. Iruka knew, deep down, that Naruto was not an idiot. If anything Naruto was a genius, able to think on the fly and switch plans at the flip of a coin! He just wasn't the most book smart. He knew that Naruto would not willingly steal from the Hokage like that. Naruto respects the Hokage way too much to do that to him. There had to be something going on here. There just had to!
Iruka let his eyes scan everywhere searching for any sign of Naruto. His heart pounded in his chest harder than he'd ever felt it before. If the other ninja found Naruto before he could... No! He wouldn't think about it! He will find Naruto!
Iruka sped off in the direction of Naruto's apartment. He doubted that he would be there, Naruto was too clever for that, but it didn't hurt to check. Hell, maybe he could find a clue as to where he had run off to.
When the apartment came into view, Iruka didn't bother to walk up the stairs to get to his room. Iruka opened a window and quickly hopped in, at once searching for anything that could help him. He spotted old ramen cups on the kitchen counter, some papers on his kitchen table, some paint bombs near his- The papers!
Iruka sped over to them and spread them all out taking a close look at each of them. Some were old papers that he had graded and there were even a few drawings mixed in that, Iruka had to admit, were good. But one paper drew his attention almost instantly. A map. A map! YES! A MAP! There were scribbles on the side and notes attached to the back, all about how Naruto would get around the security! Wait a second. They would need to update everything if he could get past that easily. Iruka studied the map, finding the section called "meet up" to be rather... interesting. Who would Naruto be meeting with? Well, if they wanted the Scroll... They were dangerous.
Iruka pocketed the map to show to the Hokage later for security purposes, before bolting out of the window and taking off in the direction he hoped was the right way to go. Little did he know, a young girl perked up and followed him to the best of her abilities.
Based on Iruka's face, Ino figured that he must have found something. But now, Iruka was slowly pulling away from her as she got more and more exhausted by the second. But then the thought of what she had seen earlier that afternoon hit her thoughts like a freight train.
She remembered walking out of the Academy and seeing Naruto on the swing, covered in shadows from the nearby trees. He looked... heartbroken... It didn't help her mood when Ino remembered that Naruto had no parents to comfort him because he didn't pass. She was about to head over and say something before her Daddy had picked her up and began to proudly show her off to his friends.
Blinking herself back to the present, Ino's will was tripled as she picked up the necessary speed to keep up with Iruka. She felt her lungs begin to burn as her legs screamed at her, but she held on. She was a Genin now. She could do it! Just see it as... stamina training! Yeah, training! Remember what Daddy says!
'Feel the burn! Love it! Keep pushing ahead! And no matter what, don't give up!'
As Ino reached the edge of the forest that Iruka jumped into, she heard strange noises coming from within. They sounded like puffs and pops? Something like that. She couldn't describe it well. Ino leaned against a nearby tree taking a minute to catch her breath. She was more exhausted than she had ever been.
But then, the sounds of Iruka yelling at someone hit her ears. And then the familiar whining she had been searching for joined. Ino grinned as she realized that she wasn't too late. She could still help Naruto!
Taking a few more deep breaths to steady herself, Ino began to run in the direction of the voices. Her smile only grew wider as she realized how close she was getting to them. Soon, she saw a flash of Naruto's signature orange and then she burst into the clearing!
"Iruka-sensei!"
"Ino?"
'Ino-san?! What are you doing here? I thought I told you to go back inside! Were you... following me?"
"Iruka-sensei! You can't punish Naruto for this I can guarantee you that Naruto had no idea what he was doing when he took it! I swear on my clan's name that he's a good ninja and he would never try to hurt our village!" Ino finally took a second to breathe in. After all her yelling, she wouldn't be surprised if she accidentally woke up half the village.
"Ino, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked, confusion etched on his face.
"I could ask the same question to both of you, my students. But let's start with the most pressing matter. Naruto!" Iruka's tone was dead serious and Ino saw Naruto unconsciously straighten his back. "Why did you steal the Scroll of Sealing?"
"Steal? Steal?! I didn't steal nothin'!"
At this, Ino couldn't help but bonk Naruto over the head for the audacity to try and lie in this situation. "Naruto! Are you crazy?! You have the Scroll of Sealing on your back!"
"Well, yeah! But I didn't steal it! Iruka-sensei! I thought this was a test to pass and become a ninja!"
Iruka narrowed his eyes in confusion. "A... test?"
"Yeah! Mizuki-sensei told me all about it! You go and get this scroll and then you have to learn a Jutsu from it! At first, I was kinda confused 'cause all these Jutsus are super hard to learn. But then I saw a Bunshin technique, and it all made sense!"
Iruka sat in thought for a moment. 'Mizuki?...'
At that moment, Iruka felt an attack coming from behind, aimed straight for Naruto and Ino. "GET DOWN!" Iruka rushed forward and shoved his two students out of the way, taking many Kunai straight into his back and legs.
Ino and Naruto looked at their sensei as he collapsed in a pool of blood, groaning from the pain.
Ino didn't want to move. This couldn't be real. She tried to speak but no voice came out. She whimpered and felt tears start to slide out of her eyes.
"Well, well, well... this is... unexpected. Another one of my students wants to play hero it seems. This does throw a bit of a wrench in my plans." Mizuki stepped into the moonlight. Ino flinched when she saw the two massive Shuriken on his back. "But first... Naruto! Give me the scroll!"
Iruka groaned before speaking up. "Don't listen to him, Naruto! He's just using you! Don't give it to him!"
"What's happening?" Naruto managed to stutter out. "I-Ino. What do we do?"
Ino looked over to Naruto and saw the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He was scared too. "I-"
"Naruto!" The two children flinched. "I said give me the scroll! Iruka is lying to you! He just doesn't want you to pass!"
"Shut up, Mizuki! You're the liar here!"
"Oh, really? I'm the liar? I mean... Of course, I am!" Mizuki said sarcastically. "After all, it's definitely not the whole village that's lying to Naruto."
Iruka's eyes widened as he realized what Mizuki was getting at. "No, Mizuki! Don't! It's forbidden!"
"Oh, but I will!"
Ino finally found her voice, shaky as it was. "What are you saying?..."
"Ah, I almost forgot you were here. You should have left when you had the chance!" Ino whimpered at his tone. "I have a question for you, Ino-chan. " His words dripped with venom. "Ever wondered why your parents told you to avoid Naruto? Ever wondered why everyone seemed to walk around him?"
"Mizuki, STOP!" Iruka pleaded. All Ino could do was nod...
"Ever wondered why everyone hates him?!" Ino flinched. "It's because the Kyuubi no Yoko is inside him! The Fox spirit that destroyed everything and killed so many of the Leaf has taken him over. He is the Kyuubi!"
Ino felt her heart stop.
"Tell me Naruto, didn't you think it was strange how the people of this village treated you? How they seemed to despise the fact that you even existed."
"You're lying!" Naruto shouted, pain filling his voice.
"You know I'm right! You remember how everyone looked at you! You remember how everyone hated you! You just don't want to accept it! You'll never be welcome in this village! Your sensei hates you! The very friend that came to save you hates you! It's all a façade!"
Iruka watched in horror as Mizuki reached behind his back and grasped both of his Shuriken, spinning them and aiming straight for his two students.
"Die!"
Ino watched it all in slow motion. A Shuriken was heading straight for her head. She couldn't stop it. She couldn't run from it. She was going to die here. Die next to... To Naruto. Her thoughts drifted to the boy. She remembered all those times when they were younger. When she would watch him go off to play Shikamaru and Chouji. That wasn't a monster... That was a kid. She remembered when her mother told her to stay away from Naruto and how her parents had gotten into an argument over it. She remembered him swinging alone on the swing set. The way the parents would look at him when they would get their kids...
How had it not clicked? How had she not realized that there was something different about him? How had she not seen that he wasn't like the other kids... How had she not seen how lonely he was?...
The Shuriken was right in front of her now, she closed her eyes and accepted it. She just hoped it would be painless.
The sound of flesh being torn hit her ears and she gasped. A phantom pain spread through her chest as her brain thought she had been hit. But... She felt nothing. No searing pain. No weight from the Shuriken sticking out of her. She opened her eyes and felt fresh tears begin to stream down her face.
"I...Iruka-sensei..." Ino choked out before she couldn't hold it back anymore and she started sobbing. Naruto joined her soon after.
"Sensei... Why?..." The pain in Naruto's voice only made Ino hurt more.
"Because... You two are my students... And... I don't care what Mizuki says, Naruto. You're not the fox. You're not a monster. You're a kid. You're just like me, Naruto. When I lost my parents... No one seemed to care. I started acting just like you. Cutting up, getting in trouble, pulling pranks. I know what it's like to be alone. But you didn't have to be alone, Naruto. I-I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm sorry for not reaching out to you sooner." Tears streamed down Iruka's face and landed on Naruto and Ino.
"I'm sorry that I didn't help you sooner... I'm sorry... I know how much it hurts..."
Ino felt Naruto pull on her sleeve. Without a second thought, she leaned in to hold him.
"Ino... take care of Naruto for me, will ya? I know that you're a bright girl and I can already see how strong a Kunoichi you'll become... Don't ever give up. Don't ever slow down. I know you can do it..." Ino nodded as she felt her heart be plunged in pain. She wanted to throw up.
"Nei... Naruto? Wanna get some Ramen after this is all over?..." Iruka's eyes were unfocused as he fell to the ground. Ino held onto Naruto tighter as his shaking increased tenfold.
"Hahahahaha... AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IRUKA! YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN THE STUPID ONE! Sacrificing yourself to save that demon and some stupid little girl?! What a joke!" Mizuki took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, still letting manic giggles escape every once in a while. "Hoo boy. That was a good laugh. Man, I needed that. However, I need that scroll more."
Mizuki hopped down from the branch he stood on and slowly walked toward the two kids who cowered in fear. Ino practically crushed Naruto with her arms, holding him close and trying to put herself between Naruto and Mizuki.
"Well... That's just so adorable! Ino-chan! With the way you're holding him like that! One might think that you actually care about him!" Mizuki laughed hysterically. However, when he looked back down, Ino seemed to be holding Naruto closer to her. "Wait a second, you really do care, don't you? How nice that must feel for Naruto! I wonder how it'll feel for him when I split you in half!"
Mizuki grabbed a hanful of Ino's hair and pulled her up into the air. Ino screamed in pain and kicked at Mizuki, trying anything to get away from this murderer but to no avail. Mizuki retrieved a Kunai from his pouch and brought it up to her neck. "Say goodbye, Naruto!"
Mizuki applied pressure to her neck, enough to draw blood before stopping. His hands began to shake as an ominous feeling washed over him. A burst of red in the corner of his eye made him let go of Ino and stumble backward.
'Shit! This wasn't what I wanted! I was just trying to torture him a little before I killed him! Shit! SHIT! SHIT!'
Ino gasped for air as killing intent washed over her. Her eyes shot to the source of the intent. There, she saw Naruto. Hunched over on all fours with claws and fangs bared. His blood red eyes staring directly at Mizuki. The bloodlust was so thick in the air that Ino could practically reach out and feel it. Naruto's gaze snapped to Ino. She felt her breath hitch in her throat. In an instant, Naruto launched himself toward her. Ino couldn't do anything but scream.
They had all felt it. That burst of familiar chakra. There was no mistaking it. Kakashi shunshined to the edge of the village along with many, many other ninja. Considering they were on the verge of crisis, and he was the strongest ninja there, he quickly took command.
"Alright, listen up! We all know what we're dealing with here! We need to finish this quickly! The villagers and children can feel his presence as well! First, I want all Chunin to back up and stay out of the forest. I will only allow Jonin to enter."
Most of the ninja looked at him, backing up from the group. Kakashi wasn't left with many to help, but he was sure that more could possibly join him shortly.
"You!" Kakashi pointed at a Chunin. "Go alert the Hokage of the situation. He's probably already sensed it but there's no reason not to do so." The Chunin nodded before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
"The rest of you! Secure the perimeter! Don't let anyone in or out! All Jonin! On me! If possible, subdue and capture! Do not kill! I repeat, do not kill the target! He's still a kid!"
"But sir, he stole the-"
"I don't care what he stole! You are not to eliminate the target, or I will have you taken into the ANBU and let them use you as a living training dummy!" Kakashi glared at the ninja before reigning himself in. He didn't have the time to be indulging idiots. "Alright, everyone behind me and wait for my signal. We go in on my command, understood?"
"HAI! " The ninja all responded.
With that they all took off into the forest. Kakashi was followed closely by Inoichi, Shikaku, and Choza. Good. He had the Trio to help him if the situation called for it. At the speed they were moving it didn't take long for them to reach the clearing with Naruto, Ino, and Mizuki. Kakashi's eye widened when he saw Iruka with two giant Shuriken in his back. That wasn't the work of Naruto or Ino. That had to have been Mizuki. Wait why was-
"INO!" Inoichi leapt down from the branch he was on, emotion clouding his judgment.
"Inoichi! I told you to wait for my command!" Kakashi called after him, following him shortly after.
Naruto saw the two of them and instinctually growled at them. He sniffed the air and realized that he was slowly being surrounded by strong opponents. Fear filled Naruto causing him to unconsciously draw more from the Kyuubi, a red cloak of chakra beginning to form around his body.
Kakashi's eye widened more as he watched Naruto become more bestial in appearance, his already long claws and fangs growing longer and his whisker marks becoming more pronounced on his face. "Shit..." Kakashi sighed. This was gonna be difficult.
"Step away from my daughter!" Inoichi yelled at Naruto. His only response was a glare full of malice.
Inoichi took a step forward and Kakashi felt a chill down his spine as the bloodthirst in the air increased. "Inoichi stop."
"He has my daughter, Kakashi!"
"Inoichi. Stop." Inoichi scowled but listened. "Look closer, Inoichi."
"At what?!"
"Inoichi! You are a Jonin for Kami's sake! Calm yourself and properly assess the situation! Look underneath the underneath!"
Inoichi took a second to study the scene in front of him. Mizuki had blood staining his torso as it dripped from huge claw marks across his chest. He shivered at the sight. They were deep gashes that would definitely leave very large scars if he didn't die from blood loss. He looked at his daughter. His precious Ino. He felt his anger rising again at the thought of her getting hurt but he pushed it aside for Kakashi. He looked closer at them, and it finally clicked. Naruto was crouched over her. He wasn't attacking her, he wasn't threatening to attack her either. He was protecting her. From whom? Was it Mizuki?
"Daddy?" Inoichi's eyes widened. She was still awake? How had she not passed out from the Killing Intent?! Perhaps it was because it wasn't directed at her.
"Ino-hime! Are you okay?"
"I don't know what's going on! But Iruka needs help and Naruto won't calm down!"
"Are you able to move?"
"Naruto won't let me! I'm scared, Daddy!" Inoichi's heart throbbed in pain. His poor baby. She probably had no clue what was going on. And all that exposure to that malicious chakra. He had to do something, but what? Inoichi took another unsteady step forward only to hear Ino groan in pain. "What happened?"
"Naruto has his claws on my arm and he's squeezing really tight! You're scaring him, Daddy!"
"Well I don't- What do I do then? I'm scared as well! I-I can't lose you!"
Shikaku spoke from the branch he was on, keeping his voice gentle and soft to not agitate Naruto. "Can you try to calm him down, Ino? I wish I had a better solution but there's not much we can do without risking your safety."
"What do I do?" Ino pleaded.
"Ino-san. Can you hear me?" Kakashi spoke up over the chaos, his calm voice helping to slightly de-escalate the situation.
"Hai..."
"My name is Kakashi Hatake. I might be able to help you but you're going to have to trust me, okay?"
"Okay."
"I want you to sing a lullaby for me."
"A lullaby? How will that help?"
"It will help, Ino-san. Trust me."
Kakashi took a deep breath and closed his eye. A gentle breeze flowed around them, helping calm his nerves. He opened his eye and took a careful step forward. Naruto's gaze snapped to him and Kakashi flinched as he watched the start of a tail begin to form in the chakra cloak. The sound of a chain hit his ears. Strange...
"Ow... Kakashi it's hot! Hurry!"
Kakashi took another step forward, noting Naruto eyes trailing over everything, looking for an attack from any angle. He was scared. Kakashi took another breath in and began to hum. It was a gentle melody. A melody Kakashi's father used to play for him on the flute when he was younger. Naruto's eyes shot to Kakashi's and the two stared at one another. It didn't take long for Ino to join in.
The two of their voices seemed to only agitate Naruto more but their fear subsided when the tail retreated into the cloak. Kakashi let Ino continue to hum as he opened his mouth to sing.
"Don't try to live so wise. Don't cry 'cause it's alright. Don't dry with fakes or fears, 'cause you will hate yourself in the end." Kakashi hoped beyond all hope that Naruto would remember. Remember the melody, remember him, and remember that Naruto doesn't have to give in to his anger and fear.
Naruto's breathing seemed to have slowed down and Kakashi was busy thanking Kami when he heard Ino start to sing. Her voice wavered but... it was beautiful. She followed his melody perfectly and the sound brought him back to before his father had...
Kakashi blinked back tears as he forced his old memories back, focusing on Naruto's form instead. He watched as Naruto began to faulter, the red chakra slowly receding back into him. Kakashi felt a smile pulling at his face. "He remembered..."
Soon, Naruto was falling limp in Ino's arms as she held him again, still gently singing into his ear. Kakashi heard someone land behind him and turned around, his eye widening as he bowed in respect.
"Hokage-sama."
"Please, Kakashi-san. With how you handled this situation before I got here, I should be the one bowing to you."
"Thank you for the high praise, Hokage-sama."
The Sandaime chuckled at how professional Kakashi was acting. Normally, Kakashi wouldn't mind giggling into his book in front of him. But he understood the need for professionalism tonight. A lot had happened. A lot of very important and dangerous things.
The Sandaime's smile left his face as he began to order the ninja present around, trying to bring peace and order to the situation.
"You! You have medical training, don't you?" The ninja nodded. "Good, do what you can for Iruka-san. I can still sense his chakra so we can still save him." The ninja nodded and immediately got to work. His hands began to glow a faint green as he did his best to stop the bleeding.
Hiruzen turned to Inoichi when he heard Naruto begin to lightly snore. He turned back around and smiled lightly, walking slowly to Ino. Hiruzen could tell that she had been crying. A lot, it seemed. This had to have been a hard night for her. "Perhaps questions can wait until tomorrow. Let's get you home, Ino-san."
Ino lazily looked up at Hiruzen and stared at him for a few seconds. Tears filled her eyes again as she sniffled. Hiruzen gave her the warmest smile he could muster before beckoning Inoichi over. The man quickly walked over to his daughter and got down on his knees, bringing her into a tight embrace as she let it all out. All the anguish, confusion, anger, sadness, everything. All of it... right into Inoichi's jacket. The man couldn't help but choke back a sob as well. His baby, his princess, had just had one of the hardest nights of her life. He held her close and tight for as long as she needed. He would have held her all night if he had to, but it didn't take long for her to join Naruto in his slumber. Inoichi reached to sperate Naruto from Ino but stopped himself.
"Hokage-sama? Might I make a request?" Inoichi turned to his superior.
"What is it that you would like, Inoichi-san?"
Inoichi sighed, knowing that her mother would be against this. But he would stand his ground against her. He wasn't taking no for an answer this time. "Naruto shouldn't be alone tonight. He's scared, Hokage-sama. And if... If he were to wake up tonight. Alone. I don't know if I would be able to forgive myself. May I take him back to the Yamanaka clan household?"
"I would like nothing more from you, Inoichi-san." A large smile crossed Hiruzen's face. "Thank you so much for caring about Naruto's wellbeing, both of you." The Sandaime said turning to Kakashi as well. He then bowed to both, leaving the two of them both surprised and flustered.
"P-Please Hokage-sama, there's no need to do that." Inoichi sputtered out.
"Oh? And here I was, thinking about giving the two of you bonuses as well for your excellent work tonight."
Kakashi elbowed Inoichi in the side. HARD. "We thank you for your words Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen chuckled as he brought his pipe out from under his coat. He lit a match and slowly breathed in, creating a few smoke rings as he blew out. "I will be at the Yamanaka household tomorrow at noon. The students still have a little less than a week until official team assignments, but we might have to talk about team swapping."
Inoichi looked puzzled at that. "Team swapping?"
"Of course. Ino knows about the fox. I'll bring Shikaku to speak with us as well. Inoichi, Kakashi. I expect you two to be there at noon. Especially you, Kakashi. This is a very serious matter. Please show up on time just this once for me. If you do, I'll overlook your tardiness from now on."
Kakashi's eye widened at the prospect of being able to show up late whenever he wanted without getting in trouble. He stood up straight and saluted his Hokage. "Hai! Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen chuckled knowing that he had just dug his own grave, but he didn't mind. This is just one of those cases where he needed Kakashi on time and he couldn't excuse tardiness. He took another hit of his pipe and leaned his head back to stare up at the full moon.
'Minato... Kushina... What should I do here? Now that Ino-san knows his secret, she may resent or fear him. I just hope that isn't the case. All we can do is wait for tomorrow.'
The Hokage began to slowly retreat out of the forest as many ninja passed by him. Thank Kami, it was over. As soon as Hiruzen had felt Kyuubi's chakra, he could himself grow older by the second. In fact, he was sure he had a few new wrinkles on his face. This was going to be so much paperwork...
Inoichi watched as the Hokage slowly drifted down the path he came from. His eyes trailed back to his daughter. She was so beautiful in the moonlight. He reached out and lightly ruffled her hair, just enough to let her feel it but not hard enough to wake her. He got back down on his knees and scooped both Naruto and Ino into his arms. He furrowed his brow. Naruto was lighter than Ino. And Ino dieted too often. Sure, she was a couple inches taller but...
He sighed. Something else for tomorrow. Kakashi offered to take Naruto, but Inoichi respectfully declined. It appears Ino had a death grip on the poor boy. His fatherly instincts told him to separate them, but he knew they should be allowed to sleep. He gently pushed off the ground and into the trees, going slower than normal to stay steadier for them. He felt the cool wind blow against his frame. He would need to get them home soon. It was going to be a cold night tonight.