Chapter Summary:

As our Genin practice their new elements, we get a closer look at the effects of Ino's unique chakra and a few calming breaks from all the chaos of the waves.

On the other side of things, Haku has a lovely conversation with his new coworker, learning more about her and how dangerous she truly is.

Kakashi lightly scratched his head, narrowing his eye at the sight of Ino. "That is… interesting. Chakra papers aren't meant to work like that… Ino, go ahead and drop the paper if you want. I also have a question for you."

Imo did as he said, letting the water cupped in her hands fall to the ground along with the soaked piece of paper. She gulped, nervous with everyone's eyes on her. After nodding at Kakashi, the man spoke. "You said you wanted to learn the water dragon jutsu, correct?" Ino's eyes widened as hope coursed through her body. Was he…? Another nod from Ino and Kakashi sighed, rubbing his one, tired eye. "I'll teach you on one condition. You have to learn it's child jutsu first. The water bullet technique." On the outside, Ino just nodded with a big smile on her face. On the inside, Ino was practically screaming her heart out with joy. As much as she tried to, she couldn't hold in her excitement as she began to vibrate with energy, the sight making Kakashi sigh as he realized what trouble he had just gotten himself into.

Another voice cut through the quiet of the night, Tsunami was calling them all in for dinner again. Ino wanted to stay outside and begin learning right away, but her train of thought was unfortunately cut off by her stomach growling. She flushed red with embarrassment just before a few more growls were heard among them. Asuma chuckled as he put out his cigarette, hanging onto the butt to throw away later. "It seems we could all use a break. Let's head inside and eat. We'll rest up for tonight and train twice as hard tomorrow. It's going to be hard and complicated but trust me when I say that it's better to be overly prepared than underprepared."

Asuma nodded for everyone to follow him as he walked to the house, Kakashi trailing just behind him. "Sasuke, Sakura, Choji, and Ino. You'll all be under my wing tomorrow. Naruto and Shikamaru, you two will learn from Asuma."

Choji was the first to respond, but he was clearly hesitant about something. His lips pulled down into a concerned frown. "Actually… I was wondering if I could practice another family technique instead? I know that having an earth jutsu would be nice, but…"

Kakashi simply smiled and nodded. "Of course. If you need any help, me and Asuma are here to always try and give tips and guidance where needed. I know the Akimichis prefer your family's jutsu over elemental jutsu, so don't worry about it. It just means I'm stuck teaching Ino her stupid dragon jutsu instead."

Ino gaped at him like he had grown a second head, making some kind of angry, squeaking noise that had Naruto sent into a giggling fit. "It is not stupid! It's cool as hell!"

"And you're also in way over your head." Naruto said, whipping a tear from his eye.

"Oh really?!" she asked glaring at him. Despite the anger she forced into her tone, she couldn't stop the small, yet competitive smile that grew on her face.

Naruto smiled and glared right back. "Yes, really! You think that badass of a jutsu is gonna be easy to learn? Hah! Don't make me laugh! You'll never pull it off!"

"Wanna bet, hotshot?! I bet I'll be summoning water dragons left and right in a week tops!" she asked, literally butting heads with Naruto. She shoved his head back with her own, a fire burning angrily in her eyes. Nearby, Kakashi shook his head, knowing how miserably she'd lose that bet.

Naruto didn't take it sitting down, shoving back against her and nearly forcing her off balance. "Has all that ramen made you snap?! You're crazy! I'm confident enough to give you a year for practice, but clearly you need a solid dose of reality! I'll give you two weeks! If I win, you're paying for my ramen next time we eat!"

Imo grumbled, slowly coming back to reality as she realized that this bet was really happening. But as much as she could've tried to back out, her pride as a kunoichi roared within her. "Well if I win, you-! Uh… Have to-! Dammit, I can't think of anything! You'll do something for me! I'll come up with it when I win!"

Naruto suddenly pulled back, sending Ino stumbling as her momentum of shoving into Naruto carried her forward. She was about to taste dirt for the hundredth time in the past two days but was saved by Naruto grabbing her hand and pulling her back, straight into his arms. It took a moment for Ino to register her position, pressed up and leaning against his chest, her head just underneath Naruto's chin as he held her up. She quickly flushed red, pushing him back and stuttering out something that even she didn't pick up despite being the one to say it. If she had to guess, it was probably something about him being stupid and making her almost fall like that.

It was at this point that Ino realized that everyone had already gone inside, and it was just the two of them alone. For some reason, that thought made her feel warmer. Despite her incessant flow of petty, teasing insults or excuses, Naruto just kept laughing it all off like it was nothing, because really it was. After a moment to calm himself down, he put his hands behind his head and started walking to the house again, humming to himself. Ino had managed to somewhat calm herself as well, no longer as flustered from the silly series of events. She took a moment to listen to what he was humming and instantly knew the tune. She smiled as she began to hum with, her soft tone joining his. It was soothing. The melody that Kakashi had introduced them to was surprisingly calming. In fact, Ino would hum to herself many nights when she was falling asleep, the melody carrying of the weight of the day with it as it sailed away from her on the wind.

"Back when I was younger, I had a lot of really bad days." Naruto said suddenly. He had stopped to look up at the moon, the slender crescent illuminating the field they were in with a soft glow. "It was hard being all alone. I'd wake up in my bed and no one would be there to greet me or make me breakfast with a smile. I'd wake up to a depressing reality and I'd have nothing else to but accept it. Because of that, I ended up staying up late most of the time. I thrived at night when I had already gone through the day and accepted the things that hurt to accept.

"I learned that I couldn't show what they said or did got to me, so during the day I'd get back up and fight back. I'd yell at them or call them names, just whatever it took for them to know that they couldn't get through to me. But… they did. They easily did. I mean, I was just a kid. It didn't take much to make me wanna cry. And there were many nights where I'd do just that. I'd cry at home and in my room where no one could see me." As Naruto gazed up at the sky, Ino's eyes were glued to him. Once again, she found her heart breaking for him, wishing that she had reached out sooner. Another thought crossed her mind, one that made her smile. She may not have been there before but… She pulled him in for a hug, squeezing him tightly to her. He laughed softly, surprised by the sudden closeness but not at all adverse to it. She was there for him now. And that's all that mattered.

"I wasn't finished with my story yet, y'know?" he said, leaning slightly into her. "There were a few times when nights got especially rough for me when some guy would show up. I had known him for most of my life. He was a trusted Anbu guard underneath the Hokage. Sometimes, he would bring me food or money when I needed it. I never found out who it was from the Hokage, but he told me that I'd find out one day. He was the one who first sang that lullaby to me. He'd sing it to me when I was at my lowest and it would always help knowing that someone was there.

"When we were in that forest with Mizuki… I remember feeling so scared and angry. All that was on my mind was protecting you because you were my first real friend. You protected me and looked out for me, even though you barely knew me, and that meant the world to me… Then on top of all that, you sang that lullaby. I hadn't heard it in years, but something in me just clicked. Ever since then, just being around you makes me feel… happy. I- " Naruto sighed and took a step away from Ino, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "I-I guess what I'm trying to say is… thank you. For being there for me and helping me. Ever since you showed up in my life, things have just been better. As much as going through all that stuff when I was younger sucked, I'd go through it again if it meant you'd still be my bestie."

For a moment, Ino didn't respond, and Naruto began to grow a little nervous. "Was that a little too sappy or-?"

Naruto didn't get to finish as Ino launched herself into him, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She buried her head in his chest, trying and failing to hide just how happy he had just made her. Her body shook with joy as her eyes leaked tears that she couldn't hold back no matter how hard she tried. Naruto was quick to reciprocate her affections, hugging her back even tighter than she was. Ino knew that this wasn't enough for her. She had to say something to him. As much as she may have done for him, he had done just as much, if not more, for her. "You dummy… You're the one that saved me, not the other way around." She knew it was cheesy, but the effect her words had on him was obvious as he began to shake in her arms. "We're both just a couple of crybabies, aren't we?" she asked with a small smile. She heard Naruto agree before another voice cut through into their little world.

"Hey, boss. Tsunami is saying to get your ass in he- Ooh… Bad time?" Ino looked over, seeing the Naruto clone slowly shuffling back inside with a small red tinge on his face. She sighed and squeezed the original one last time before telling him that they had to head inside. He agreed and slowly let her go. Ino was surprised at how cold she suddenly felt when his arms weren't around her. She just assumed it was rather chilly out that night and walked with him back inside, ready for a delicious dinner.

Ino turned to Naruto and nudged him with her elbow. "Oh, and by the way, that person that first sang the lullaby to you? I can guarantee you it's Kakashi." she said, walking past the stunned Naruto

Up on a balcony on the second floor, a young boy had watched the scene with interest, hearing Naruto's story about his life. For a moment, he bitterly thought that he had it worse than that blonde haired kid, but a man's words rang in his mind. "Don't assume things. It makes an ass out of you and me." The man had said, following it up with a hearty, comforting laugh. The familiar face that flashed in his mind was enough to make him tear up as he went back to bed to silently cry his pain away.

Ino sat down at the table, a little disappointed that Sakura had already taken the seat next to Sasuke, but happy that she was able to still be next to Naruto. Tsunami came into the dining room, followed by multiple clones of Naruto that were all carrying a plate of something that smelled delicious. As a Naruto gave Ino her plate, she was surprised by how simple the meal was compared to how good it smelled. Rice topped with bean sprouts and chicken. A little seasoning could be seen atop everything, but Ino never really cooked anything which stopped her from recognizing them. She knew this style of cooking… This was Naruto's work.

"Thank you for helping with dinner. Those clones of yours make it a lot easier to get enough food made for everyone."

Ino looked over at him and arched an eyebrow, causing Naruto to blush slightly. "What? I wanted to help. Is it bad to want to help her cook when all she's done is us with kindness?"

"No, I'm just surprised that you're training while also having clones cooking."

Sakura looked at her meal, surprised about her teammates hidden talent. "Naruto made this?"

"I-I only helped out, it was all Tsunami, really!"

Tsunami, however, was having none of it. "Nonsense! You were practically spoiling me with how little I had to do. I was just overseeing things. It gave me plenty of time to rest and relax for a bit."

Naruto drew a blank now that his excuse was shot down. In truth, he was nervous about everyone's thoughts on his cooking. Everyone except Ino, of course, the girl having already been treated to his cooking more than once at their apartment. However, when Choji began chowing down and saying something about it being delicious, Naruto's fears subsided and were quickly replaced by an awkward joy from the boy complimenting his work. Pretty soon, everyone was eating, pleasantly surprised by Naruto's skills in the kitchen and the boy couldn't help but feel very happy with the results.

Sakura took a bite of the chicken with some rice to go with it and savored the blend of flavors that hit her tongue. "When and where did you learn to cook, Naruto? This is really good!"

Naruto laughed sheepishly, his smile somehow growing brighter. Imo loved his smile. She thought it was far too cute for his own good. "I'm uh, self-taught. There were many burnt meals I had to stomach before I started getting any good."

"Well, your practice payed off 'cause this tastes awesome!" Sakura said with a smile. As Naruto's face heated up at her compliment, Ino felt her own smile fall a bit. She felt something strange in her stomach. Tendrils of bitter selfishness tried to claw their way through to her heart, but she quickly shut them down. After all, nothing happened that should have made her feel that way. Sakura's smile didn't piss Ino off and Naruto's blush wasn't making her feel any kind of envy at all. None whatsoever.

However, the feeling and moment passed quickly, her rationality returning to her. She chose to focus on eating rather than her thoughts and was thankfully rewarded with a delicious meal that she happily scarfed down after that long, tiring day of training. As the word crossed her mind, she couldn't help the excitement that coursed through her at the prospect of learning such a badass jutsu. In her mind, tomorrow could not come soon enough.

"Rise and shine, lazy bums! We've got work to do!"

Ino groaned into her pillow, sorely wishing to go back to her dream. It was such a nice one too. Or at least, she thought it was. Unfortunately, as her mind woke up, the memory of the dream was quickly scrapped. The one thing the Yamanakas couldn't remember was their dreams and Ino despised that fact quite a bit. All she could see in her mind's eye were flashes of orange and yellow and the warm, comfy feelings that came with them.

She sighed and flopped over, slowly and literally crawling to her bag. She picked out a similar outfit that she wore yesterday, her tired mind not really caring about what she put on. Taking off her sleeping shirt that she definitely didn't steal from Naruto's dresser if he ever asked, she slipped on her fresh clothes and made a mental note to hand wash her old clothes later, seeing as they were going to be here for a while. Following Sakura down the stairs, she was greeted by the sight of Shikamaru face down on the floor, snoring away his troubles. She kicked him lightly a few times before giving up and flipping him over, grabbing him by the ankle to drag him outside on his back.

Naruto was a little more awake today and the sight of Shikamaru being dragged behind Ino gave him an idea. It was a very, very bad idea that he knew Ino would love. He bounded over to her, an all-too-familiar smile on his face that Ino instantly recognized. After a very brief whisper into her ear, Ino giggled evilly to herself, reaching down and grabbing his other ankle while Naruto grabbed his hands. For a moment, the other three Genin looked confused as they carried him outside, the Jonin joining them in their confusion upon seeing what was happening. However, all became clear as they brought him scarily close to the edge of the water.

Sakura was mortified, Sasuke couldn't care less, Choji couldn't stop himself from snickering, Kakashi quickly joining him, while Asuma looked on with a small smile. Naruto quietly counted them down. "On go… Three…" They swung him back. "Two…" Forward. "One…" They brought him back once more. Naruto's excitement was obvious in his voice and Ino couldn't help but giggle with glee. "GO!" They slung him forward with as much force as they could muster, sending him flying into water. They knew that had instantly woken him up when he came up to the surface, screaming bloody murder and threatening the culprits with many fates worse than death. Ino lost her shit and fell back onto her ass, laughing at him while Naruto waded into the lake, laughing as well.

He helped Shikamaru back to dry land and pat him on his back while whipping a tear from his eye. Nearby, Ino was sitting up and slowly catching her breath after laughing harder than she had in months. She stood up and walked over to Shikamaru, putting an elbow on his shoulder to lean on him. "Sorry, Shikamaru, but you made it so easy to do. We couldn't resist the temptation. We'll make it up to you, promise." she managed to say between her fits of giggles.

Shikamaru stood there, soaking wet and already wishing for the day to be over. The two chaotic blondes on his left and right were too troublesome for him. Far too troublesome. With a heavy sigh, he walked forward and stood in front of his sensei, waiting for the inevitable jutsu he was going to be forced to learn. Damn it all, he just wanted to watch the clouds.

Once everyone had calmed down and lined up, they were all assigned to their teachers for the day. Choji stepped off to the side to practice his family technique. He told Asuma that his goal was to be able to expand his range of sizes while maintaining his shape instead of just becoming a big ball. Asuma gave him the okay and sent him to an area in the field where he'd have plenty of space to work with.

However, before Ino and Naruto were allowed to begin practice, the two Jonin agreed that although their prank might have been funny, it was still rude and undeserved. Hence, their punishment was to follow Kakashi's instructions and "warm up" for the day. Essentially, he had Naruto do his usual physical training routine while gauging how well Ino could keep up.

Shikamaru didn't see it as much of a punishment at first, but then it clicked when they whined about how much they wanted to learn their cool jutsu 'Ah, a stalling punishment. I'll take it.' he mused, shrugging as Asuma led him away from the trees. They stopped near the water, where Asuma turned to look at him before performing a few hand seals as he spoke.

"Shikamaru, I'll be teaching you a jutsu that I think could serve you well, if you use that big brain of yours." With one final seal, Asuma finished molding his chakra and inhaled, spitting out a fireball that looked like it split into five. The fire flew around the area, circling the two of them before dipping into the water to put itself out.

"That is called the Phoenix Flower Jutsu. After molding the chakra within me, I released multiple small fireballs that I was able to control. It can be used offensively by tracking your opponent, or defensively by hovering them around you and warding off any attackers unless they want to get burned."

Shikamaru chewed at his bottom lip in thought. "It could also be used for area control, similar to my shadow."

"Exactly." Asuma said with a smile. "But I'll make an adjustment to your wording. In conjunction with your shadow. Let's say you're in a fight with an opponent that's been dodging your shadow before it could reach them. How would that jutsu assist you?"

It took only a moment for Shikamaru's eyes to light up with an answer as a small smile grew on his face. "I could use the fireballs to manipulate my enemy's movements, coercing them into a certain position where my shadow is waiting for them."

Asuma beamed with pride. "We'll begin immediately."

"Sakura, Sasuke, you two are familiar with the concept of elemental manipulation, aren't you?" The two nodded. "Alright, so I don't have to explain it then. Sakura, the jutsu I'll be teaching you is simple, but through its simplicity it can be used in thousands of different ways. I know this jutsu will serve you well. Watch my hands." Sakura watched as closely as she could, the four seals being made slowly enough for her to watch. "Earth Style: Mud Wall!" He called out, before slamming his hands into the ground.

Sakura felt the ground beneath her move before she was lifted into the air on a low, but wide wall. "I barely put any chakra into that, so it's not going to be that big, but it's enough for a demonstration. Normally, the wall you create will be much taller, at least enough to cover yourself or maybe your allies if needed. However, I want you to put your hands on the wall and tell me what you feel."

Sakura did as he asked, her eyes quickly widening in recognition. "It's covered in chakra!" Kakashi nodded before performing a few more hand seals. He turned to a part of the wall that they weren't near and unleashed a huge fireball from his mouth, the heat enough to make Sakura sweat despite how far away she was from it. Yet despite the intense fire, the wall held strong, and the flame seemingly had no effect on it.

"Depending on how much chakra you coat the wall with, you could have it hold against the hottest of flames and biggest of tidal waves. However, it will also heavily drain your chakra if you're not careful. The exercises I've been putting you through should have helped your smaller chakra reserves grow. If need be, I might have you meditate to help balance it out and help it expand more. If you're ready, we'll begin immediately."

Sakura was nervous. Far more nervous than she ever had been before. Even inviting Sasuke out on a date wasn't this nerve-wracking. Her sensei had so many high expectations of her. Would she even be able to pull it off? She knew what the process of molding chakra into the earth element was from a book she read, but she had never put it into practice. With a nervous breath, she began to copy his four hand seals.

"Woah, slow down there, Sakura. I didn't mean you had to try the jutsu now. I just meant we'd begin instruction on learning to mold your chakra into the earth element in the first place." Sakura let out the breath she didn't know she was holding before blushing slightly, embarrassed at misinterpreting her sensei's words. Her inner voice spoke up, complaining about how his words were so vague in the first place. She swiftly, silently agreed. And if the twinkle in the man's eye was anything to go by, he knew that fact as well.

"Here." Kakashi said, picking up a leaf from the ground. "This is where all chakra manipulation practices start, at least for us in Konoha. You'll simply be getting the feel of how you want to manipulate your chakra. For the earth element, I condense my chakra as small as I can make it until it feels like a solid. When you put that chakra into the leaf, it should crush itself and almost look like it turns into dirt. Like this." As if it was as easy as he said, the leaf crumbled up in his hand, turning into a small ball before it spread out, now turned into dust in his palm. "It looks like it's become dirt, but really, it's just been crushed into tiny little pieces. In a way, this is just a visual representation of your chakra. The more you condense it, the closer the leaf gets to becoming dirt. Once it's been sufficiently crushed, your chakra has successfully been turned into the earth element."

Sakura nodded and grabbed her own leaf before giving it a worried look. 'Might as well get started.' she thought, closing her eyes as she began to try and condense her chakra.

With Sakura focused on her task, Kakashi moved onto his next student, Sasuke. "Seeing as you already know how to mold chakra into an element, I know that you already have experience with this." Kakashi handed him a leaf before smiling. "You'll need to make your chakra vibrate incredibly fast. When the leaf starts shocking you, you'll know you're doing it right. The leaf shouldn't burn, but it should turn black as the electricity overloads it and kills the cells. I know you've got this, but if you need help, you only need to ask. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a problem child to deal with.

Said problem child was just finishing up her very tiring exercises and marveling at the fact that Naruto was not only still going but was only "About a quarter of the way through." as he had put it. While exercising, Ino couldn't help but get heavily distracted by her mind, wondering just how strong Naruto was and if those muscles were well defined underneath his-

"Ino, it's time. Come with me." Kakashi said, interrupting a blushing Ino's thoughts. He led her to the shore, the waves gently lapping at the sand beneath them, and told her to walk in until she was about knee deep. She followed his instructions, wading in and feeling bad for Shikamaru with how cold the water was. She'd make it up to him. After all, she had promised him.

"What's interesting is how the chakra paper reacted to your chakra." Kakashi started. "That doesn't happen. It wasn't designed to do that. So, with that anomaly in mind, I want to test something, Ino. I want you to reach deep within you and feel your chakra. Tell me what it's like to experience your chakra flowing through you."

Ino looked up at the Jonin, a nervous frown on her face. "I-I'm not very good with my words, Kakashi-Sensei."

"You don't have to make up poetry on the spot. Just give me some basic adjectives so I can test my theory."

"A-Alright…" Ino closed her eyes and focused on her chakra. Or at least she tried to. It was so nerve wracking with Kakashi standing over her like that. "I uh… don't really know what I'm supposed to do."

Kakashi chuckled softly before lifting a hand up to his headband. "Here, I'll help you out."

Before she could react, her eyes were drawn to his Sharingan, mesmerized as the Tomoe spun in a slow, hypnotic circle. Her mind went blank as she focused on his eye. They were spinning so quickly now. Spinning and spinning and… spinning… and… spin-

Ino rubbed her eyes and sat up, squinting as she adjusted to the light of her surroundings. She was in a small, confined field that was brightly illuminated by the sun above her, trees lining the outskirts along with the entrance to a cave behind her. She was in the middle of the field and just in front of her was a statue of some kind. A large, cubed pillar of stone held up a sculpture of a creature Ino recognized right away. Looking up, Ino stared down the maw of a stone dragon, unmoving and still. Lifeless, as it should be. Yet, Ino couldn't shake the feeling that it was watching her.

The statue was large and imposing, the time and dedication it must've taken to make such a work of art astonished her. The craftsmanship was evident in its design, each fish-like scale fully realized in its own unique detail. It had no wings, the only semblance of appendages outside of its snake-like body being four legs that ended with sharp, deadly talons like that of a bird of prey. Behind its intimidating teeth and face, was what Ino assumed was a mane of sorts, long and beautifully made. Mixed in with the stone hair was a pair of majestic yet terrifying antlers that ended in tips sharper than any spear. Two long whiskers trailed the length of its head and flowed off to the side, finishing the grand creature's design.

She took a moment to appreciate the creature in its magnificence, slightly embarrassed at how obsessed she was over nothing but a statue. Yet despite her thoughts and awkwardness, she instinctually bowed in reverence toward the dragon, keeping her head low and holding it there until something in her told her that it was enough. Looking back up at the statue, Ino was surprised to see that it was still the same. Unmoving as ever. She questioned her feelings, confused why she'd be surprised that a statue hadn't moved. Yet they never left, sticking to her heart like glue.

She let her gaze fall from the dragon, looking at the base of the great statue and noticing a deep pool of water beneath it. She began to walk toward the pool, taking step after step while the water never seemed to get closer. After a minute or so of walking, the dragon seemed to be closer, but Ino wondered if perhaps her eyes were playing tricks on her. After another five minutes, Ino was able to confirm that she was indeed getting closer, but her eyes had clearly lied to her. Ino was not beneath the statue like her brain thought she was. No, the dragon had played a trick on her.

It wasn't until after another twenty-five minutes of silent walking that she was finally, truly beneath the dragon. She got down to her knees, swallowing her thick saliva as she bowed her head once more, eyes wide with fear. This statue was not made by a human. It was impossible. This was something beyond her. The statue was far larger than she ever thought it could be. Ino compared it to a mountain, but still doubted her inferior judgement on the matter. Could a single raindrop truly measure the endless oceans and seas as it fell from the clouds?

Having paid her much due respects to the dragon, she lifted her head once more, gazing into the pool of water that she could finally touch. For a moment, she reached out to feel it, but she hesitated, drawing her hand back to her side in fear. A sudden urgency coursed through her as she backed away, clutching at her throat. She coughed and choked, her lungs burning for air as she breathed in, but that only made her seem to choke more. She fell to her knees, her eyes drifting closed as the sound of stone cracking filled the field.

Ino awoke for the third time that day. However, she was still standing this time and looking at Kakashi who had apparently just put her under a genjutsu. She coughed again before feeling something shoving its way through her throat. She couldn't hold it back as she vomited up... water? What came up didn't burn and there wasn't anything gross in it. It was just... clear and tasteless. Like water. She coughed a few more times, her lungs finally clear of what was blocking them before looking up at Kakashi.

"What... just happened...?" she demanded between deep breaths.

Kakashi narrowed his one eye in confusion, the Tomoe in his eye stopping in their tracks as he lowered his headband once more. "I'm not sure. I think you'd have a better answer than I would. I was trying to put you under a genjutsu that would make you believe you were in an empty room so you could focus, but just after I cast it on you, you started coughing and threw up that water before... well, here we are."

"W-What? I-I was in there for so long! I walked so far! I had to-!"

"Ino, it's only been about five seconds since I put you under the genjutsu."

"No, that's... that's impossible! I was there beneath the statue! But it was so big, so I thought I was, but I really wasn't! And-!"

"Hey, calm down. It's okay, you're okay. Take a deep breath, Ino. Just breathe with me c'mon."

Ino nodded and tried to calm down, slowly evening out her breathing as she collected herself. She put her hand on her heart and felt it beat beneath her palm, finding comfort in it as it slowly began to beat at a normal speed once more. She walked back to the shore, Kakashi recommending that she sit down before he listens to her. She took his advice and Kakashi was quick to follow suit, wincing as his muscles complained from moving around so much. He'd need to rest more if he could.

"I know you probably won't believe me, but I truly didn't mean to put you under any genjutsu that would hurt you."

"I know, Sensei. What I saw wasn't anything truly terrifying, just…"

Ino sighed, leaning back and putting her weight on her hands as she gazed up at the clouds. "I was in a field, just beneath a statue of a dragon. But it was unlike any statue I had ever seen. There was so much detail and work put into it that I couldn't help but be mesmerized. Just beneath it was a pool of water that I was going to try and look at, but as I started walking toward it, it wasn't getting any closer. It took me thirty minutes to walk from the middle of the field to the true base of the dragon.

"Sensei… it was like a mountain. No human or group could've made it. It's impossible. When I reached out to touch the water, I got scared and pulled back. Then, I couldn't breathe, and I woke up again here. Only five seconds later and throwing up water."

"This is… a lot to think about. Here." He handed her a leaf. "I need to speak with Asuma about this. While I'm gone, I'll have you do the basic water elemental practice. Now, I'm not as used to molding my chakra into water, but from what I remember, it feels like I'm swirling my chakra around, making it flow this way and that. If you're doing well, you should feel the leaf grow soggy, just like the paper… or I guess. Like the paper should. You'll know it when you feel it. I'll be back to help explain it a bit more, but for now you should be okay."

Kakashi backed off and walked away to Asuma, his head hung low in thought. Ino felt her nerves begin to act up again, her fingers involuntarily twitching at her sides. She was… normal. Wasn't she? Sure, a lot of weird things were happening around her, and trouble may have always seemed magnetized to her whereabouts. But that was all normal… Right?

"Ino, guess what? I finished my exercises! Man, those things were tiring!" Naruto said, plopping down next to her with a sigh. "I'm ready to learn a kick-ass jutsu, though! What about you, how's your progress so far?"

"Oh, uh, fine. It's going great actually. Better get ready to pay up on 'cause I'm winning that bet!" she said, mustering as much false confidence as she could into her voice.

"As if, what've you got so far? A leaf? Oh man, I'm shaking in my sandals."

"It's… a work a in progress. Look, don't you have somewhere to be right now?"

Naruto chuckled and stood up, patting Ino on the head. "Don't worry, I'll eat a few less bowls than normal so you won't have to pay as much." he said, walking away with his hands behind his head. "Glad to see you back, Ino. You look cuter when you smile."

The girl raised an eyebrow as her cheeks tinged red, but she quickly shook her head clear of any confusion or embarrassment. She had more important things to focus on. Like this stupid leaf. If she wanted to prove Naruto wrong, she'd have to get this jutsu down sooner rather than later. The first step was to drown this stupid leaf in water and damn it all, she was going to make that happen.

The sound of a piano hit Haku's ears. The melody was slow and erratic, jumping up in pitch before falling low once more. It was melancholic, bittersweet to his ears. He opened his eyes, keeping his body still while he woke himself up. Zabuza was still asleep to his side. He had awoken from his coma earlier that day, but he still needed rest before he'd be able to move around more. The sound of thunder echoed softly outside of the house while rain lightly pattered against the windows.

He stood up slowly, leaving the room to follow the gloomy melody. Walking into the house's living room, Haku was met with the sight of their new coworker, sitting on a blood-soaked stool and playing the piano. Her eyes were closed, her smile having been replaced by a deep, brooding frown. The woman payed him no mind as he stood at a comfortable distance away from her, still playing that same repetition of keys.

For a moment, he wondered if she even knew he was there, but he knew better than to interrupt her. She was strange and unknown. And the unknown was a terrifying thing. As the haunting melody continued to echo through the house, the woman suddenly spoke, her fingers still playing despite her focus on Haku. "Have you ever thought about learning an instrument?" Her voice was steady and even, almost devoid of emotion if it weren't for the small amount of curiosity in her question.

Haku refrained from answering. The woman however, interpreted his silence as an answer. "A shame, really. I think everyone should learn how to play music. Whether it be through their voice or instrument, it's an excellent way to communicate with one's soul."

Her fingers continued to dance along the keys as she softly cleared her throat. "I've just realized that I never introduced myself. Growing up as an orphan of war in Amegakure, I was never given a name. For the longest time, I roamed between different lands, taking on different monikers or aliases. However, I met a man a long- so very long, time ago. I learned many things from that man, and he's gifted me rewards for my loyalty and dedication toward him. One of which was the name that I bear today: Akki."

Despite the tense atmosphere, Akki was, for the time being, acting cordial with Haku. The boy may have felt unnerved by her presence, but the least he could do was offer back some form of peace offering. "It's a pleasure, Akki-san. I am known as Haku."

"Such a pretty name. And please, call me Akki-chan."

Haku nodded despite her not being able to see him do so and sat down on a clean chair nearby, one of the few that wasn't covered in some form of blood or gore. He hated this house. "How do you feel about that swordsman? I can tell that you care for him a great deal. Perhaps, more than you care for yourself?"

Again, Haku nodded, but this time he knew the woman was watching him closely. He could feel her eyes glancing at him every so often. "So, it's as I thought then. We are one and the same." she said, her smile slowly coming back to her. "On a different subject, I was on the outskirts of the village today and I noticed something rather strange. On my way here, before I knew the job's details, I had noticed some Konoha ninja training in chakra control. It was fun to watch them from afar, seeing them struggle to walk up the trees with just their feet. Three of them were even learning to walk on water.

"Today, however, they had seemingly skipped a few steps in the process. They were practicing elemental jutsu. Jutsu that could be quite annoying should they use them in cooperation during a fight. I couldn't help but wonder what could have possibly made them want to learn such jutsu. After all, it can be dangerous if they don't have good enough control over their chakra. I was wondering if perhaps, you had seen anything on your watch the other night?"

Haku stayed silent, his eyes narrowing under his mask.

"It was so sudden when you asked if you could do the patrols for the night. Gato told me how you were practically locked by the swordsman's side for the past week. You never moved or ate. Only left to drink water when it was necessary. So, I wonder why you would suddenly want to leave your precious master's side when I show up. Why, if I wanted to, I could've killed him in his sleep while you were gone. It would've been so easy to do."

Haku felt his blood run cold. As he thought about it, he couldn't deny the fact that she was right. It was foolish of him to leave Zabuza alone when he was defenseless. He was so focused on seeing that girl and warning her that it hadn't even crossed his mind. However, before he could dwell on it anymore, Akki continued.

"What's even stranger than all that put together, was the fact that the kunai I used for my little joke disappeared. You remember the one, right? The chip on your mask is still there, after all. So, imagine my surprise when I'm on my patrol earlier today and what do I see but a masked, Konoha shinobi inspecting the missing kunai." Akki had stopped playing the piano, her fingers resting gently on the keys she would've played had she continued. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you Haku-san?"

Haku's throat felt dry. Killing intent flowed off her body in waves of pure, unadulterated malice that made his hands shake lightly. Slowly, he inched his hand backward toward his tool pouch, ready to pull out a senbon at a moment's notice. He timidly shook his head. "No." he said. Quickly adding on, "Akki-chan." For a moment, Akki just sat there leaving him alone with his thoughts and the sound of the rain. He stared straight at the side of her head, too scared to blink lest she attack him in that split second of weakness.

She turned to him, smiling like usual and giggled softly. "That's good to hear, Haku-san." she said, standing up and walking to the front door. "I'll be taking tonight's watch again as per usual." Akki slipped on a black, blood-covered coat that belonged to the previous owners of the house, flipping the hood up and over her head. She turned to Haku once more, staring at him with those empty, soulless eyes before asking one last question.

"Haku-san, you wouldn't lie to me, would you?" This time, there was no hint of emotion in her voice whatsoever, her smile gone like it had never existed in the first place. Haku shook his head once again as he felt his skin crawl beneath his kimono. Her manic smile returned just before she spoke. "That's good to hear. I hate liars."

She turned and walked out the door.

Ino had a love/hate relationship with the rain. On the one hand, rain was calming and cleansing. An excellent excuse to stay inside, wrapped up in covers with a nice, steaming hot cocoa. On the other hand, rain was incredibly annoying when she was trying to focus on making a leaf soggy. Especially when the leaf was already soggy from the rain itself. And yet, somehow, Naruto had convinced her to "go chill in the rain" because then she'll "learn how to become one with it and totally master water manipulation" before she knew it. She sighed and facepalmed, her wet hair sticking to the sides of her face.

This was a stupid idea. How was she supposed to tell that she had succeeded in making the leaf soggy when it was already wet? She rubbed the leaf, surprised at how sturdy it still was despite being rained on for the past hour or so. Obviously, it still wouldn't take much for her to rip it, but she was half expecting it to fall apart when she touched it.

Looking over at the group on the porch, Ino noticed that Kakashi was still missing. He had left earlier that day, putting Asuma in charge of things. Ino didn't know why the man had disappeared, but she wondered if perhaps what happened between her and him had anything to do with it. Asuma clearly didn't mind overseeing all these Genin, despite what he may want them to think, his smile giving away his true feelings on the matter.

Their eyes met for a moment, the man raising an eyebrow in question before Ino gave him a feeble thumbs up. Asuma nodded and looked down, reaching into his pocket for his carton and lighter. As he looked away, Ino heard something splash softly behind her. She whipped around, the sudden noise scaring the hell out of her. However, nothing was there. Ino slowly stood up, keeping her eyes peeled in the direction she thought the noise came from. Maybe it was Kakashi coming back?

A sharp pain flared on the side of her neck. Everything went dark.

AN -

I don't know what the fuck happened. All of a sudden, writing is just fun again! I wasn't planning on posting for another week, but I'm already close to finishing the next chapter. So, enjoy an early update I guess! I hope you enjoyed it and had fun reading it! Let me know your thoughts on things and what you thought about the chapter summary. I wanted to try something new with it, y'know? Make it a hook for you fellas to hype you up for the new chapter. Advice for those things are greatly appreciated as I'm not familiar with using them. ;p

Tune in next week for a 10k+ chapter with some hype ass shit. Have a good week! 3