It was raining. Of course it was raining. Since when did the weather care about anyone or anything. The dark clouds hung overhead, casting a darkness on Konoha that didn't appear to be leaving anytime soon. As if there wasn't already a dark enough cloud hanging over the village already, a great weight hanging in the hearts of all its shinobi and citizens. Some argued that it was the heavens joining in the sorrow, crying alongside them. Ino wasn't sure about that, but she didn't mind the rain. At least in the rain, no one could see who was crying, even if everyone was.

The funeral was a village wide affair. Everyone had come to attend. How could they not. The whole village had been impacted by the invasion attempt. So many lives were lost so quickly, and so much destruction brought down on their head by those they had considered allies. It was heart breaking. Everyone had lost something… or someone. The chunin exams were supposed to be a time of celebration, of pride and prosperity between the allied shinobi villages. Instead, it now marked a dark day in Konoha's history, and the passing of yet another of its great Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi. The professor. The god of shinobi. Had given his life in defence of his beloved village, fighting none other than his lost student, Orochimaru.

In the end none of the technicalities mattered now. Orochimaru disguised as the Kazekage, whom he had assassinated, leading the shinobi of Suna through deception to an act of betrayal. The unleashing of a tailed beast upon an unsuspecting village. The desecration of the bodies and souls of the first and second Hokage. The means no longer stirred in the minds of those who now mourned, only the end. The loss of loved ones, of homes, of innocence, and most importantly, of the peace that had held strong for so many years. As much as it was a heart shattering loss, the death of the Hokage was also the marking of a new era. Peace was gone. Orochimaru made that clear. Once the wounds healed and the hearts hardened stronger than before, there was no questioning what came next. Konoha would respond in kind, and it would respond swiftly and without mercy.

But for now, they could mourn. For now, they could join in the skies and water the earth to which so many had been laid to rest.

Under the cover of her umbrella, Ino kept her head bowed, both in sadness and respect as words were said for the fallen heroes. But every so often, through the stinging tears, she would look through the crowd to one person. Naruto. He was, understandably, at the front of the service. It may have irked some people, but no one dared to say anything. Not today. It was no secret how much the Hokage cared for Naruto, and vice versa. Today, Naruto was free to mourn alongside his village, without judgement, as an equal. After his own efforts to stop the rampaging Ichibi, no one was as sure of their previous disinclinations for the young jinchuuriki. He had proved himself to not only his fellow shinobi, but to the village as a whole. There wasn't a soul within Konoha's walls who hadn't heard about, and subsequently gossiped about, the 'Kyuubi brat' saving the village.

Ino didn't dare to disturb him right now. Over the past months she had learnt how he tended to deal with emotional issues. She would give him the space he needed and swoop in when the time was right. She might have been distraught at the events of the past few days, but she couldn't even begin to imagine how broken Naruto was in this moment. The boy who had already lost so much, continuing to lose just that little bit more could push him over the edge.

The rain still hadn't subsided by the time people started to depart. Eventually only a small number remained, Naruto obviously being one of them. Much to the surprise of Ino's teammates, she was also still waiting. As the crowd lessened, she slowly made her way closer and closer to Naruto, until eventually she walked up behind him and let him under the shade of her umbrella.

"Hey, Ino," he said, not turning to look at her just yet.

"You okay?" Ino knew it was a stupid question. He clearly wasn't.

Naruto exhaled deeply. "Not really," he answered. No surprise there. "I just… I know I'm supposed to feel something, but I can't. It just feels empty."

Ino reached out and gently grabbed his hand, finally getting him to look at her. His eyes were red, but he wasn't crying anymore. He had exhausted his tears for one day, and his face showed as much. Ino had never seen him look so tired before. "Come on," she said, tugging at his hand. "Let's get you home and into some dry clothes. You know the Hokage would be cross if he knew you got sick like this."

Naruto didn't argue. He didn't have the strength to. He let Ino guide him, their hands never parting, as they made their way past the last of the stragglers and towards his apartment. Upon arriving at his front door, Ino pulled out a set of keys and opened the door, pulling Naruto inside and pushing him towards the bathroom.

"Go have a shower," she said. "Get dressed and I'll have some ramen waiting for you."

"Ino, you don't have to…mmph," his words were cut off as she clasped her hand over his mouth.

Ino gave him a look of warning, her eyes promising pain if he dared to ignore it. "Are you refusing my generosity, Naruto?" He shook his head. "Good. Now go. You're dripping all over the floor."

She rolled her eyes as he closed the door behind him, not missing the whispered mutterings about her being too bossy for her own good. Entering the kitchen, she grabbed a pot and made quick work of starting to cook some miso ramen, making sure to add extra pork for Naruto. While normally she would be trying to divert his eating habits to a healthier, or at the very least, a more varied option, she figured this time she could make his favourite. She made herself a cup of tea before looking around at the apartment with a pleased smile.

It had taken time, but she had finally got Naruto to incorporate some more plants to his living space. Ino made sure none of them were particularly fragile or needy, knowing that Naruto could be called away for long missions with short notice. Imagine her surprise when he had entrusted her with keys to his apartment, asking her if she could look after the plants if he was gone too long. She had been flattered that in the span of just a few short months she had earnt his trust to such a degree, but she supposed that came with the territory now. What could he really trust her with that was any more daunting than the knowledge of the Kyuubi.

Needless to say, Ino had immediately began using her access to Naruto's apartment for evil. Well, Naruto called it evil. She would tidy up the place when she was bored or when Naruto was gone on a mission. If anyone found out, they might consider it weird, but Ino didn't mind. It was the least she could do. Ever since that night, everything had changed between the two blondes. At first it was just them stopping for friendly chats instead of only swapping pleasant greetings. Soon it turned into inviting him along to her team's lunches, much to her team's curiosity. Eventually they found reasons to simply enjoy each other's company in other ways.

The occasional training sessions quickly turned into a routine, from which they both gained surprising benefits. Ino was proud to say that her physical health had never been better, and it helped that Naruto was never shy about complimenting his friend's strengths right to their face. She still wasn't sure if he was knowingly messing with her when he did that, but she wasn't going to stop him. It wasn't like he ever acknowledged her blushing anyway.

Ino wouldn't say that it was a surprise that her and Naruto had become fast friends. Everything considered, it was bound to happen. There was no telling if her finding out about the Kyuubi had simply sped up the inevitable, or if it had been a catalyst for something that would have otherwise never occurred. She liked to hope it was the former. She couldn't imagine a world where she continued to be mean to him forever. Eventually that smile of his would eat its way into anyone's heart, surely. She chuckled at that, remembering the first time she had bought him ramen at Ichiraku's. The poor boy almost split his face in half he was grinning so wide. It didn't even matter to him that she only did it due to losing a bet with him. But after seeing that smile, she made sure those special occasions popped up a little more frequently.

None of this was to say that their friendship was one sided. Sure, she did as much as she could for him. At first out of guilt, but that didn't last long. Naruto was not the kind of person to take charity or pity lying down. At every opportunity he would go out of his way to make sure Ino was okay, helping her with everything from chores to just helping carry some groceries home for her. He lamely reasoned it as him making up for the fox nearly scaring her to death. Ino knew better though. After the first few weeks she could tell the two of them were just making excuses to spend more time together. She had to admit that Naruto was actually a very comforting person to talk to once you got past his over abundant enthusiasm for… well, everything.

She heard the water of the shower turn off and fetched two bowls from the cupboard, dishing herself up a small serving of the steamy noodle broth as well. She put the bowl for Naruto on the table across from her, not waiting for him to join her before beginning to eat. It had become apparent very early on that Naruto cared very little, if at all, for etiquette. Speaking of which…

"Dammit, Naruto!" Ino yelled out. "Put a shirt on when a lady is present!"

Naruto blinked owlishly at her before looking down and mouthing a silent 'oh'. Disappearing into his bedroom, he returned with a shirt on and a mischievous look on his face. "Are you saying you're a lady?"

Ino narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you saying I'm not?" she asked daringly, receiving nothing more than a cheeky smile. She rolled her eyes and pointed her chopsticks at the bowl across from her. "Sit."

It came as no surprise when Naruto managed to finish his entire serving before Ino, despite her starting before him. When it came to ramen, he was a bottomless pit. Thankfully he had the manners to wait patiently for her to finish before jumping up and taking both empty dishes to the sink. It was a strange really, this whole interaction. Normally, during such things the two of them would be chatting up a storm, or trading half-hearted jabs at each other endlessly. It made sense that today would be different. Ino wasn't going to question Naruto's more passive demeanour right now. He deserved this time to let his mask fall, to let the world see just how low it had gotten him, even if he was doing his best to maintain the façade.

She walked up behind him while he cleaned the dishes. He was finding anything he could to keep his mind busy. He would never wash the bowls straight after the meal. With gentle hands she grabbed his arms. "Those can wait, Naruto," she said, her voice so soft and full of warmth that it alone could have halted his actions. "You can talk to me. You know that. Don't keep it all inside. I'm right here."

His eyes were glassy again when he looked at her, a miserable downtrodden expression marring his bright features. "I couldn't save him…" he whispered.

"The Hokage?" she asked, getting a nod. "Naruto, no one could save him. Everyone tried. Those far stronger than us were just as powerless to help. Don't think for one second that it's your fault."

"But… I could have," he said, placing his hand on his stomach. "I could have been stronger. If I could have used the fox… maybe none of this…"

"No!" Ino said sharply. "Don't think like that. You know what happens when you use its power." She still remembered his recounting of the mission to wave country. The fear he had for what the Kyuubi's chakra had made him feel like, what it made him willing to do. Even now as he had started training to use it, it still made him uneasy. The last thing he wanted was to lose control. "The Hokage would never have you risk your life like that. You know that. Everyone knows that. And I know that he would be damn proud of what you did. Naruto, you fought the demon of Suna, and won. Who knows how many lives you saved."

"But…"

"No buts!" she said, pulling his hand away from his stomach. "You did a great thing, Naruto. You protected the village, and all of Konoha knows it. Don't let things out of your control overshadow that." Ino took a deep breath and calmed down. She reminded herself that an argument was the last thing either of them needed right now. Naruto would come to acknowledge his accomplishments soon enough. She just had to help him through things here and now. "Gaara… he's like you, isn't he?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes. But he is different," Naruto said. "He's… lonelier. Scared. He is what I could have been, what everyone hoped I would be."

"A monster?"

"No," Naruto said quickly. "He's just… broken. He needs help. A friend. Like you are to me."

Ino smiled as Naruto took a hold of her hands as he said that last part. As awkward as he may have been at times, it was never a secret how much he appreciated their newfound friendship, and he reminded her of that often. "You could have killed him," she said carefully. "Why didn't you?"

"How could I?" he said.

Ino nodded in understanding. While it took some digging in the library, they had found the history of the jinchuuriki. What little there was that is. As soon as Naruto had learnt there had been others like him, and that were more out there in the world, he had wanted nothing more to meet one. Now he had. She could see it wasn't what he was hoping for. He never said it outright, but Ino knew Naruto had hoped that the other jinchuuriki were treated better than he was. Those hopes were crushed with Gaara. But in its wake, she could see something else spark to life. Sparing Gaara wasn't just a whim or impulse. In his eyes, everyone deserved a chance; a fellow jinchuuriki more so. How could he possibly bring himself to kill someone who had never been given a chance to be anything more than a monster before. It wasn't in his heart to do it.

"I think I'm going to go to the training grounds," Naruto said.

Ino pouted. "You just got dry. Do you really think raging out in the rain is going to help right now?"

Naruto smiled. "No."

"Argh, fine," she grumbled, shoving him away playfully. "I'm using your shower. If I'm not here when you get back, I'll be at the shop." The flower shop would be very busy for a few days and Ino's dad would need the help keeping up. Grabbing a spare change of clothes out from a bag she conveniently left in Naruto's apartment for emergencies, she headed for the bathroom.

"Ino," Naruto called out, catching her just before she closed the door. "Thanks."

Slipping on his orange jacket, he left Ino in his apartment and headed for the training grounds. He knew she was just trying to help him talk about things, but he wasn't ready yet. Destroying a training ground wouldn't help, but he needed to vent somehow. If he was lucky, he would be able to find Jiraiya and hound the pervert to help him with some training.

The rain had finally stopped. Repairs were already being planned, and as Sakura made her way through the village, she felt proud of how resilient Konoha and its people truly were. She hoped deep down that nothing like this would ever happen again, that their display of strength in fighting the invasion back would deter anyone else from attempting something so horrible. But she knew anything was possible. Since becoming a kunoichi she had been forced to face the reality that life, and everything in it, was unpredictable. The loss of the third Hokage proved that. The man might have been old, but his strength and prowess had been legendary even at his age. He was a pillar of Konoha, always upholding his beliefs in the will of fire. Konoha wouldn't be the same without him.

Sakura had stayed at the funeral for a while, doing her best to be supportive for her teammates. For the most part, Sasuke seemed to be handling it well, but she knew he was angry at himself for not being able to do more. No matter how much she tried to assure him that his efforts hadn't been pointless, he simply wouldn't hear it. She didn't push the matter too hard. The Uchiha had been through a lot, and who was she to judge his way of grieving. When it was finally time, she had walked with Sasuke back to his home, if only to make sure he knew he wasn't alone in this time. Much to her surprise, he did say a curtly thanks before leaving her in the rain. Baby steps were still steps.

Wandering back to the site of the funeral, Sakura fully expected to see Naruto still there. She knew he was close to the third Hokage, even if she didn't fully understand their relationship, and it made sense that his passing would have a heavier effect on him. It would make sense that he would be here for as long as he could. She was surprised to find that of the few stragglers still mourning, Naruto was not one of them. A certain masked pervert, however, was still hanging around.

"Kakashi-sensei," she said.

"Sakura," the man greeted cheerfully. "What brings you back here? Come to check on your dear old sensei? I'm flattered."

"Actually, I was wondering if you had seen Naruto," she said, looking around once more for the head of spikey blond hair. "I thought he would still be here."

Kakashi eye-smiled at the girl. It made him happy to see that his little team had come a long way since the bell test. Sure, they weren't as close as he'd wished, but the effort was there. Sasuke and Naruto had developed an adorable rivalry. They were constantly pushing each other to do better even if they wouldn't admit it. Sakura was doing her share too, and even though her attention was still heavily focused on the Uchiha, Kakashi could tell she was warming up more to Naruto. Naruto's noticeable improvements in socialising and not getting under his teammates skin was also a very important step in the right direction. Such improvements in such a short time had left Kakashi curious, but a little bit of harmless stalking and a few eye-opening conversations with Asuma had told him everything he needed to know on the matter.

"Your compassion and concern for your teammates is a true embodiment of the will of fire, Sakura," he said. "The third Hokage would be proud of you, as I am." He almost chuckled at the poor girl when her face flushed nearly as pink as her hair. Oh how he loved stirring up his beloved students. "Naruto was here not long ago. He left with young Ino, so I think he is in safe hands."

Sakura furrowed her brow. "Ino? Are you sure?" she asked.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. They left heading towards Naruto's apartment. Very kind of her to walk him home."

'Weird,' Sakura thought to herself, turning to leave for Naruto's place. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. I'll see you tomorrow for training."

Weird was an understatement. Since when did Ino care about Naruto? Sakura knew that her teammate was always running off to have lunch or dinner with team ten, but she assumed that was to hang out with Shikamaru and Chouji. Now that she thought about it, however, she did remember Ino asking a bunch of questions about Naruto a few months back. It had been weird then, but now it was suspicious. Sakura would be the first person to admit she didn't like Ino. At least, she would have been until they started to repair their friendship before the chunin exams. She had to say, it was nice to finally not be at each-other's throats. For whatever reason, the blonde had decided to drop her pursuit of Sasuke. Ino still boldly claimed that the Uchiha would realise what he wanted and choose her in time, but Sakura was beginning to question the sincerity of that statement. At the same time, Naruto had mysteriously stopped asking her out all the time and, as if by a miracle, had even learnt some manners in some sense.

'Oh god…'

There was no way. She would have known. She would have seen something, caught onto it before now. She could not have missed something so… so… impossible. Sakura almost tripped over as her thoughts began spiralling out of control. With a deep breath she regained her composure and increased her pace to Naruto's apartment. Sakura was convinced she was overthinking things. She had to be. Naruto couldn't keep a secret to save his life, and Ino, well, Ino could lie with the best of them. But there was no way. No way at all. Sakura was sure of it. Ino must have just been walking Naruto home to be kind in this dark time. Sakura would have done the same for him if she didn't need to walk Sasuke home first.

Sakura hadn't even noticed she had worked herself up into a light jog until she was already coming to a sudden halt at Naruto's door. Shaking her head dismissively of the crazy thoughts, she knocked and waited, trying her best to think of what comforting words to say to Naruto.

"What did you forget this ti…" Ino said, her words dying suddenly as she opened the door and came face to face with an equally shocked Sakura. 'Oh crap,' she thought to herself, quickly smiling. In times like this it was best to act as if nothing was wrong. Nothing at all. "Oh, hey Sakura. If you're looking for Naruto, you'll have to go find him. He went to blow off some steam at the training grounds."

"Ino… you… and Naruto… apartment… what the…" Sakura stammered out, the gears in her mind colliding and grinding together in ways they simply weren't designed for. "You're dating Naruto!?" she all but yelled, pointing accusing at the blonde.

"What!?" Ino returned the tone. "I'm not dating him! Don't you think it's a bit rude to go around accusing people of things you don't even know are true? What gave you that idea anyway? Who said it?"

Sakura took a step back and gave the blonde an up and down glance, finishing with a questioning but knowing look. "Uhhh…" she gestured to Ino and where they were standing.

Ino's eyes went wide and she looked down. She cursed mentally as she realised she was wearing one of Naruto's jackets, while in Naruto's apartment, and Naruto wasn't here with her. "Oh…" she said. "This isn't what it looks like."

"Uh huh," Sakura said smugly, crossing her arms. "Then what is it? Cause from where I'm standing you sure look guilty."

"Guilty? Guilty of what?"

"Getting tangled up with Naruto and trying to keep it a secret," Sakura said. "And doing a bad job of it too. I've had my suspicions for weeks now. This just proves it." She was lying, obviously, but hopefully Ino wouldn't pick up on that. A little white lie was worth pressuring Ino into admitting the truth, and Sakura needed all the details. "But seriously, Ino. Naruto? Of all people? I thought you were better than that."

Ino reached out and grabbed Sakura by her dress, pulling her in close with a glare. "You got something to say about him, billboard-brow?"

Sakura couldn't help but grin victoriously. "Oh? So protective already," she said in a sickeningly sweet tone.

Ino quickly let Sakura go and stormed back into the apartment, muttering to herself about nosey pink haired friends. Grabbing her bag and clothes she marched back out, closing the door behind her and locking it, doing her very best to ignore the smug shit-eating grin she could feel directed at her.

"You have keys to his place?"

"We aren't dating!" Ino exclaimed. "We are just friends."

"Of course, Ino. I believe you," Sakura said sarcastically. "But I can't say that everyone else will. You know how people get when gossip gets around. What will your teammates think?" The way she said it, the wicked smile on her face and evil glimmer in her eyes was more than enough to make Ino stop in her tracks. 'Checkmate, Ino-pig.'

Ino narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

Sakura chuckled menacingly. "Ino, Ino, Ino," she chided. "You know I would."

Ino sighed in defeat. "What do you want?"

At this point it didn't matter that she was telling the truth. Ino knew all to well how easy it would be for Sakura to twist what little she knew right now into what would no doubt become the talk of the village overnight. She didn't care if anyone knew she and Naruto were friends, that much she had never tried to hide. But it was different if people found out just how close they had gotten and how much Naruto trusted her. Neither her or Naruto knew how careful to be with that aspect of their friendship, and with the Hokage gone there was no telling what risks could arise. The last thing she wanted was to become a weakness for Naruto, a way for people to get to him. She also really didn't want to inflict upon him the embarrassment of a romantic accusation. He was far too sweet and innocent to handle that right now.

"I want to know everything," Sakura said.

With a deep defeated sigh Ino started towards the flower shop, gesturing for Sakura to follow her. "I need to go and help my dad at the shop," she said. "Come and help and I'll tell you everything after." She almost let out an audible groan of disdain as Sakura literally began cheerfully skipping to catch up.

'Why God? Why?"

When they reached the flower shop Ino was glad she had Sakura tagging along. Her father was swamped, and many customers were starting to get irate. Many were more sad than angry, only here buying flowers to decorate new graves that now held their family's or friend's names. Others were more patient, having only old memories brought up by the attack. Today was a day to mourn everything it seemed. New wounds and old. It was exhausting, but with Sakura's help Ino was able to help her dad get most of the work done before night finally fell, for which Inoichi promised to pay them for. Thankfully he didn't feel the need to stick around after Ino offered to close up shop and left the two girls to themselves.

"Alright then," Ino said, dropping herself into a seat. "Ask."

She regretted saying it as soon as the words left her mouth. Sakura's squeal of delight as she ran across the empty shop to join her might as well have been a death sentence. There was no way Ino was going to leave this conversation with all her dignity intact. She knew it, Sakura knew it, hell, even her dad probably sensed it. That would explain why he took her offer so easily and hightailed it out of the shop. The tension between the two girls had been perceivable by even the civilians passing by.

"How long?" Sakura asked as soon as she sat down.

"I told you we aren't dating."

"Fine. Then how long have you two been hanging out all buddy-buddy like?"

"A while," Ino answered vaguely. "We started spending more time together a little while before your mission to wave country."

Sakura blinked. "Wow, you two sure kept things quiet."

Ino scoffed. "We weren't keeping it a secret. You just never paid enough attention to where Naruto went to notice."

Sakura frowned. Ino wasn't wrong, but it sure made her sound like a pretty lame teammate. "Why are you two even hanging out?" she asked. "I understand why he goes and has lunch with your team. Shikamaru and Chouji are his friends. But it seems like you two have been spending a lot more time together than that. What kicked that off?"

"I…" Ino paused and thought about her words carefully. She couldn't just tell Sakura the truth, but she also needed to give her a believable answer. "I tried to pull a prank on him. It failed, spectacularly. He pointed out what I could have done better and then helped me set up a prank for Shikamaru. I guess we just never noticed until we were already meeting up every other day to come up with new ideas."

"Trying to prank the prankster. You should have known better," Sakura said, seemingly accepting the answer. "The keys to his place?" she asked.

"I water his plants when you guys are on missions."

"Wearing his jacket?"

"It was cold."

"His favourite food?"

"Miso ramen with extra pork," Ino answered without thinking, freezing only after she had said it.

Sakura's grin could have rivalled Naruto's. "And does he like it more when you make it for him or…?"

"Dammit, Sakura. I told you it's not like that."

"Does Naruto know that?" Sakura asked.

"Of course he does." Ino said sharply. "Why do you even care?"

Sakura shrugged. "It's just all very surprising," she said. "Can't blame a girl for being curious. I mean, come on, Ino. It's you and Naruto. Anyone would be curious what force of nature could get the two of you to spend time together."

Ino scoffed. Sakura had no idea just how right she was. A force of nature was one way to describe the Kyuubi. The blonde hated to attribute her and Naruto's friendship to that cursed fox, but it was the truth. If not for her finding out his secret, she would have no reason to get so close to Naruto. "Are you done?" she asked, hoping this interrogation would be a short and easily forgettable affair.

Sakura hummed thoughtfully. "How can you stand him?" she asked. "He's always so over the top. Everything is all or nothing with him. I didn't think you would have the patience."

"At first it was infuriating," she admitted with a smile. "But he grows on you quick. He's actually quite considerate once you calm him down, sweet even." Ino would die before she admitted that the best method she had found to calm Naruto down so far was to hug the idiot. Sakura was already getting too many ideas.

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something on a mission?"

"Is it really so hard to believe that I gave Naruto a chance and he turned out to actually be a pretty decent guy?"

Sakura sighed in defeat. "I guess not," she muttered. "I was hoping for some juicy details. Oh well, I guess its not so bad. It's not like you like-like him or anything…" she narrowed her eyes as Ino quickly looked away and blushed ever so slightly. "Right?"

Ino desperately fought down the blush, but to no avail. Sakura's evil grin was already forming again and that knowing look in her eyes spelled doom for the poor Yamanaka. It wasn't as if she had anything to hide. She was being honest. She liked Naruto, but not like that. Right? Oh no. What if she did? Was that wrong? Sure, she enjoyed seeing him, and he was such a nice guy, but it wasn't like she had ever thought about being with him or anything and… 'Oh no… Do I?' she thought. Almost as soon as the idea had blipped into her poor mind had it lingered a second too long before being utterly squashed down by her own embarrassment. It was one thing to consider it, another to actually think about it, and Ino had just taken that all too dangerous step. It terrified her. Not because of Naruto, or the Kyuubi, or how her friends might look at her for it. No. It had scared her because for that split second, that brief moment of panic, she had caught herself feeling… happy at the idea. Did she really see Naruto like that? Had they really gotten that close so soon?

For Sakura, this was a dream come true. Finally, she had the upper hand on Ino. Finally, it was her turn to feel the power one had over another with the knowledge of a secret. It was everything she had hoped. She watched gleefully as the poor blonde tried so desperately to look like nothing was wrong, the faint blush on her cheeks giving her away. "Well, well, well," she started, her sickly-sweet tone returning full force. "I wonder what Naruto will think when I…"

"I will end you," Ino hissed, silencing Sakura with a glare.

"You so like him," Sakura said smugly, grinning like an idiot.

"I don't know! Maybe? Kinda. I mean yeah, but… argh," Ino said exasperatedly. "It doesn't matter, because you aren't going to tell anyone. Right?"

Sakura made a zipping gesture across her mouth. "My lips are sealed," she said, letting her words sink in just enough to have Ino relax a little before… "So, when are you going to ask him out?"

"What?!"

Naruto groaned as he stirred to the unmistakable sound of knocking. He could almost fondly remember a time when he had never been woken up to such a sound. What a wonderful time that had been. But a fond memory it would stay, because he wouldn't dare want that back if it meant losing what he had now. Slipping on a pair of pants he groggily headed to the door while trying to wake himself fully, the knocking getting louder and more frequent as he went.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he called out, unlocking the door and grabbing the handle. "Geez, Ino. Just use your key already." He opened the door, his face quickly falling as he was met not with the frustrated expression of Ino, to which he was now very accustomed, but instead to the all too interested expression of a certain inappropriate old man.

"Ino, huh?" Jiraiya said. "Don't tell me a brat like you has a girlfriend and didn't tell me."

'Noooooooo!"

"Ino's not my girlfriend, pervy sage," Naruto said. "She's my friend."

Jiraiya placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Ah, my poor uncultured student. Allow me to impart some wisdom on you," he said sagely. "If your friend is a girl, and that girl has a key to your apartment, she is no longer just your friend."

Naruto huffed and pushed the man away. "Yeah, like I'm going to listen to a pervert like you," he said. "But you're right. She isn't just a friend. She's my best friend."

Jiraiya pouted and shook his head in shame. "I have much to teach you. But fear not, for Jiraiya the gallant will guide you on this most sacred path to manhood. And that training starts today," he said. "Pack a back, brat. We are hitting the road."

"Huh? What for? We can just train at the training grounds."

"You and I have a mission. We are going to go and track down my old teammate, Tsunade," he said. "And with any luck I can knock some sense into that thick skull of yours before I have to bring you back to your lovely Ino-chan."

"Do I have to?" Naruto whined. "Last time you said you were going to train me, you threw me off a cliff."

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Why do we need to find your old teammate anyway?" Naruto asked.

"I'll tell you all the details while we are going. Meet me by the gate when you're ready. I'll go let Kakashi know I'm stealing you for a while." Jiraiya said. "Oh, and I'll even sweeten the deal for you. If you come and help me find Tsunade, I'll teach you a jutsu used by the fourth Hokage."

Naruto watched as the man disappeared in a swirl of leaves before he could question what he had just heard. Not that he needed to hear any more. A jutsu used by the fourth Hokage was too good to pass up. Any ideas of going back to bed were gone as he tore through his apartment like a hurricane, frantically packing a bag and watering his plants. He considered leaving a note for Ino, but he knew that would just earn him a lecture about manners and consideration. The fact that he even knew the word consideration now was alarming. Just how much of an effect had Ino had on him?

As soon as he was done packing, he sealed everything into a scroll and locked his apartment behind him. He didn't need to find Sasuke or Sakura. If Jiraiya was telling Kakashi then they would find out from him in time. With that in mind, his one and only destination was the flower shop. Naruto hoped Ino was there otherwise he was going to have to annoy Jiraiya and be late for the mission. It had been a couple days since the funeral, and Naruto hadn't seen her. He just hoped she wasn't on a mission as well or his precious plants were as good as dead if he was gone too long.

Ino absentmindedly twirled a kunai in her hand as she walked back to her place some yards away from the training dummy. Without any visible effort, she spun on her heels as soon as she reached her desired distance and threw the kunai at the dummy. Bullseye. Reaching into her pouch she pulled out several shuriken, sending each one flying with practiced ease, the same bored expression on her face as each hit their mark in the form of wooden planks hanging from the surrounding trees. She wanted to be engaged in her training, she really did, but hitting stationary targets just didn't do anything for her anymore.

Ever since she started training with Naruto, using his shadow clones to perfect her accuracy, she had found that her old ways of training were useless. Shikamaru and Chouji could neither produce shadow clones, nor were they willing to take the risk of acting as moving targets for her. At least they both didn't hold it against her that she was training with someone else, although Ino suspected it was because it took the heat off them. She still made it a point to try and drag them off their lazy butts and actually train, but there was only so much she could do. Asuma appreciated her newfound effort and enthusiasm for training, and Naruto was always happy to drop whatever he was doing if it meant training with her.

Speaking of Naruto, Ino had specifically chosen not to bother him to come train with her. Actually, she had been avoiding him for a couple of days now. She hated doing it, but she knew she needed some time to think. Ever since her little heart to heart with Sakura, her mind just hadn't been able to rest. She was plagued with thoughts about what to do, how to approach it, and whether or not she needed to be thinking about any of this in the first place. All of this snowballing from a single, painfully simple, question.

Did she like Naruto?

She did. There was no point trying to hide from the facts. Naruto had grown on her in so many ways in such a short time, it was the most obvious thing to anyone paying enough attention. But that didn't make it easy. Admitting to herself that she liked him was easy enough, but to figure out to what degree, and to even bridge the thought of admitting it to his face was…

'Dammit!'

Her kunai missed its mark, clobbering the wood with its handle before falling to the ground. Ino muttered a string of curses as she walked to retrieve her weapons, all the while fighting down a blush that threatened to turn her the same shade as Sakura's hair. Sakura. This was all her fault. None of these thoughts needed to exist, and they wouldn't have, at least not until Ino deemed, if Sakura hadn't brought it all up in the first place. Why was it so hard anyway? She had experience with proclaiming her feelings, didn't she? She had done it for Sasuke of all people. It should have been a cakewalk.

She knew better of course. The brutal truth of the matter was that she hadn't actually liked Sasuke. A 'schoolgirl crush' as her father had so eloquently put it. Ino regretted opening up to her father about such things, but she had no one else to talk to. He was right, much to her frustrations. He even had the gall to ask about Naruto. It was no surprise that he had discerned much from his observations. That didn't mean Ino had to like it. She liked it even less when he advised her to be more open about such feelings with Naruto, even encouraging her newfound fondness for the jinchuuriki, albeit with a suspiciously mischievous look in his eyes.

That was the problem. Ino knew she had to talk to Naruto about it. She knew she had to be honest, not just to him, but to herself too. Her feelings were real. She needed to know if they could go anywhere. But how? What would she do if Naruto didn't feel the same? What if he thought she was only doing it out of pity for his being the nine tails jinchuuriki? What if the idiot rejected her for fear of how people might treat her for being with him? There were just too many ways it could all blow up in her face. If admitting her feeling to him was going to destroy the friendship they had right now, then Ino would rather stay silent. But it was killing her to do so.

Thankfully, she had time. Time to think, to plan, and to orchestrate the perfect scenario for her to express how she truly felt. All she had to do was keep her distance from Naruto and everything would…

"Ino," Naruto called out, running towards her.

'There is no god,' Ino thought, forcing herself to smile without letting her internal panic escape. "Hey, Naruto," she greeted pleasantly. If she played dumb, maybe he wouldn't question her avoidance. "What's up?"

Naruto was grinning like an idiot by the time he reached her. "I'm so glad I found you," he said. "I was going to leave a note with your dad, but he told me you would probably be here. Good thing too. I don't have much time."

'Note to self: Kill my father post-haste.' "A note? Don't have much time? What are you talking about?" she asked curiously.

His grin only got wider. "I've gotta go on a mission with pervy sage," he said. "We are going to find his old teammate and bring her back to the village. I thought I would come and let you know I was heading out and I don't know how long I will be."

Ino smiled warmly. He could have just left a note, but she was glad he didn't. These little send offs meant a lot to her for some reason. They had a dangerous profession, so maybe she was just worried any time together could be their last. "I'll look after your place, don't worry," she said. "But who is pervy sage?" Ino had heard of this so called "pervy sage" but never bothered to ask about the man properly. Naruto just told her that the Hokage had organised for him to try and train with the Kyuubi's power and that his teacher was a massive pervert. She thought that was the end of it.

"Jiraiya," Naruto answered. "He said he's a Sannin or something, but he's just a big pervert."

"Jiraiya… of the Sannin?" Ino asked incredulously, earning a nod from Naruto. "Author of the Icha-Icha books, student of the third Hokage, sensei to the fourth Hokage, and arguably one of the most powerful shinobi to still be serving Konoha? That Jiraiya?"

"Huh, I guess he is kinda famous. Still just a pervert though," Naruto said, before narrowing his eyes at the girl. "How do you know about his pervy books?"

"And he's the one who has been teaching you how to use the Kyuubi's chakra?" she asked, ignoring his last question. "And now he's taking you on a mission with him? To find Tsunade of the Sannin? Is your team going too?"

"No. Just me and him," Naruto said like it wasn't a big deal. "He said he's going to teach me an awesome jutsu that the fourth Hokage used. It's going to be so cool."

Ino stood there, mouth agape, eyes unfocussed, trying with all her might to understand how… just how the hell did Naruto not realise what was happening. Any back shelf thoughts she had about confessing to Naruto in this moment were immediately squashed down. The fool was being groomed to be the next student of Jiraiya of the freaking Sannin and he didn't even realise it. Her feelings could wait. History was literally unfolding before her, and she'd be damned if she got in the way of that. Besides, with Jiraiya looking after him, Ino had no doubt that Naruto would return safe and sound. She could deal with the awkwardness once he was back and use the time until then to figure out what she was going to say.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Ino yelled, catching Naruto off guard. "Go. Go. Don't keep a Sannin waiting you idiot."

Naruto laughed as Ino began pushing him towards the gate. "Woah, calm down, Ino," he said, only to receive a stern look and a finger pointed towards the village gate. "Okay, I'm going, I'm going. I just had to come say goodbye."

"And you've said it," Ino said, giving him another shove. "Now go, before I drag you there by your ankles."

"What, no hug this time?" Naruto whined.

Ino blushed but kept pushing him. "Plenty of time for that when you get back. Now go. I won't tell you again."

Naruto waited until she tried to push him again and weaved around her arms, wrapping his own around her in a quick hug, thankfully not paying any mind to the brighter shade the poor girl turned. "Gotcha," he said victoriously before letting her go and running off towards the gate, waving to her as he went. "Thanks, Ino. You're the best."

Ino stood there, silently fuming at the audacity of that cursed boy. Her blush refused to leave even as he vanished from sight. This was exactly why she needed to keep her distance from Naruto until she was ready. How was she supposed to get anything done with him messing with her like that. Ino was sure Naruto had no idea what he was doing, but that just made it worse. She was defenceless against such dumb innocence.

With a growl she threw another kunai, this time missing the target altogether as it flew past the dummy and disappeared into the woods behind.

"God dammit!"

She knew she should have made Naruto leave her with some shadow clones to obliterate. He owed her that much for leaving her so flustered.

A/N:

Just some more fluff for the furnace. Hope you all enjoyed it.

I will admit the first chapter got more attention than I was expecting. I'm not complaining, it's great, and I hope this little idea lives up to everyone's expectations. As you can clearly see, I've already begun jumping around the timeline as I said I would with this story. I'm standing firm that this will not be a standalone fleshed out story, merely several small snippets of the timeline that I intend to use for cute fluff pieces. That being said, I apologise for this story being almost completely made up of dialogue and character interactions, but that is what I'm good at and what I want to focus on for this one in particular.

All reviews are welcome and appreciated.

Until next time.

Soul out.