Ino could still feel it, that disgusting feeling coursing through her blood, through her mind. It stained every fiber of her now, infected every thought, and with it held a sense of dread that showed no sign of wavering. Fear. Calling it that was an injustice. This was not fear. She would call it dread, but even that felt underwhelming. Were there even words to describe what she had felt, what she had seen?

Her rattled mind snapped into focus for a second only to realise she had stopped running. Her legs ached as if she had run a marathon and her lungs burnt with each gasping breath. She wasn't sure where she was, but it was somewhere deep in the forest surrounding the village. The setting sun let the trees cast massive shadows around her, and she slunk deeper into the forest, into the dark, as if trying to hide from something. Eventually she found shelter under the enormous roots of a tree, a dark and damp hole in the ground. Never in a million years would she have thought she would see herself crawl into such a confine, but here she was finding comfort in a place herself from mere hours ago would turn her nose up at.

'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!' she chorused in her mind, banging her fists down on the dirt.

Curling up on the ground, she hugged her knees to her chest, not caring for how dirty her clothes were getting, or how discoloured her blonde hair got. Her eyes had emptied themselves of tears by the time she finally got her breathing under control and the sensations from before lessened enough for her to have a coherent thought. Not that thinking was doing any good for her now. How could it? Every errant thought was about it. The image of those eyes bearing down on her, piercing into her soul, regarding her as nothing more than a scrap of paper rustling along the ground. Was that how insignificant she was? How pathetic she looked?

Ino glanced around at her current situation and let out a half-hearted chuckled. Pathetic. This was less than that. Oh, if Sakura could see her now. She would be the laughingstock of village. That raised the question; did Sakura know? Did anyone know? Surely someone would. Someone had to, someone like… her father. Of course. Things were starting to make sense now. Why her father had told her to keep her distance from Naruto, why he had forbidden her from using the family jutsu on any of her classmates outside of an emergency. He must have known. But why couldn't he just tell her? Why wasn't anyone talking about it? Those were questions she would have to save for Shikamaru. He would figure it out. As she was now, Ino could barely figure out what she was going to do next, the memory of what had happened occupied most of her mind.

The moment she had gained control of her body again she had froze. Could anyone blame her? How many people could say they came face to face with the literal nightmare that they had grown up hearing horror stories about. No amount of loud-mouthed stubbornness could have helped her power through in that moment. No, instead she had just stood there, eyes wide, staring down Naruto like a deer staring down the shaft of an arrow. It was obvious from the look on Naruto's face, his eyes, he knew. She had seen it and he knew. That was scary enough, so she ran. She ran as fast and far as she could, until she wound up here.

'Brilliant plan, Ino. Real smart,' she chided. 'Idiot!'

Her only point of reprieve was that apparently Naruto hadn't followed her. She wasn't dense enough to think he couldn't have caught her if he had chased her. Perhaps he was smarter than she gave him credit. What did he have to fear if she went off screaming about what she saw? Who's to say she wouldn't just look crazy making such accusations. Was what she saw even real? Yes. It had to be real. No trick of the mind could make her feel like it had. She had spent years training to be ready to use her families jutsu. She would know a false construct if she saw it, and there was nothing false about that.

It was the Kyuubi. No doubt about it.

But how? The fox was slain by the fourth Hokage. Was the whole story a lie? Was Naruto the fox in disguise? There were simply too many questions now. Even as she felt a chill begin to set in and her stomach grumbled, Ino didn't budge. She needed to breath. She needed to think. There was plenty of time. No way Naruto would cause a scene. It would draw too much attention. She would wait here, where it was safe, and once she figured out what to do, she would go from there.

That left her with only one question.

'What the hell am I going do?'

Contrary to Ino's assumption, Naruto was already well on the way to causing a scene. Sure, he had been caught off guard when Ino used her jutsu on him, but when he waited for something to happen, and nothing did, he was puzzled. It was only after her body sprung back to life and she looked at him like that did he understand what had happened. Before he could say anything, she had taken off in a sprint, leaving him there blinking owlishly.

And now here he was, making his personal best time leaping across the rooftops towards the Hokage tower. Naruto wasn't sure why he was panicking, but he'd be lying if he said it didn't feel like he should be. Once he finally reached the tower, he couldn't even think about stopping, instead barrelling full speed through the Hokage's window, narrowly missing the old man, and crashing head first into a pile of paperwork. The papers hadn't even settled on the ground before he was back on his feet, his hands slamming down on the desk as his eyes locked pleadingly with the Hokage's clearly unimpressed gaze.

"Oldmanyougottahelp!" he blurted out nonsensically. "Inodidherfamilythingandwentintomymindandithinkshesawthefoxandthensheranandidontknowwhereshewentandyougottahelpme!"

Hiruzen rolled his eyes at the boy's antics. "Calm down, Naruto," he said. "Take a breath and tell me properly."

Naruto gasped for air. "Ino… jutsu… fox… help…" he managed to get out before the Hokage abruptly stood from his seat, the most serious look on his face that Naruto had ever seen.

With a snap of the old man's fingers four ANBU appeared kneeling before him. "Naruto, where did you see her last?" he asked, his tone sharp.

"Uhhh, I don't remember. I think she ran towards the village gate," he said.

No words were said before the ANBU disappeared; their mission already known. Naruto looked around in confusion before awkwardly bowing his head and backing away from the desk, not daring to look the Hokage in the eye. The old man must have been mad at him for this. He just hoped the punishment wasn't going to be too severe, but he was prepared for it either way. Painting the monument was one thing but letting a village secret slip so soon after he himself had learnt it was next level bad.

He continued to stare at the ground as he heard the Hokage's footsteps approach him until he was staring at the bottom of the old man's robes, patiently waiting to be chewed out like the screw up he was right now. Instead, he suddenly felt warm, the Hokage's arms wrapped around him tightly in a hug. As he pulled away, he was met with a look of concern from the old man, and a smile.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" he asked. "Did the jutsu do anything to you?"

Naruto shook his head. "No… I don't think so," he said, bowing to the man. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I let the secret out. I screwed up."

Hiruzen chuckled. As much of a painful brat as the boy was, he was still such an innocent soul. "No, Naruto, you haven't screwed up. You've nothing to be sorry for," he said, ruffling his blond hair. "You came to me straight away and got help. I'm proud of you."

"But Ino…"

"Will be found soon enough," he interrupted. "And once she is back safe and sound, all this mess will be sorted out properly. Don't worry, Naruto, your secret is still safe. I promise." He stood back up, ignoring the pain in his back and smiled down at the boy. "Now, while we wait for miss Ino to be found, why don't you help a poor old man pick up all these papers you scattered around the place."

Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Oh…"

Ino wasn't sure how long it had been, probably far longer than she had initially planned, but oh well. She wasn't ready to get up yet. Her thoughts had calmed down now, and while the sensation of that monster's presence still lingered in the back of her mind, they no longer held a paralysing grip on her. Now she was just tired. Tired and unsure. So, she stayed. Hidden in the dark, protected by the tree, curled up on the dirt. This was the best place to be right now. She wasn't ready to see anyone, to talk to anyone, to deal with what had happened and what was going to happen as a result. She had had too long now to think about things to not realise that she was for sure going to get in trouble for this.

Her father had warned her about the family jutsu. Using it on an ally in any circumstances was an offence among her clan. Of course, she had been counting on Naruto not knowing that. To think this catastrophe was all for a stupid prank. What a fool she was. She could already here Shikamaru muttering his favourite word at her the moment he learnt what happened. God what she wouldn't give to just rewind time and forget all of this happened. At least for the moment she could have peace and pretend the world was still as it was. At least she thought she could, right up until a small flat faced dog with a forehead protector crawled into the hole with her.

"Are you Ino?" the dog asked, its voice much deeper and gruff than its small adorable frame would have implied.

"…oh look… a talking dog. I really have lost my mind," Ino said, not bothering to even lift her head from the ground.

"My name is Pakkun," the dog said. "The Hokage sent us to find you."

Ino frowned. "I don't want to be found right now."

"Obviously," Pakkun scoffed. "But we have our orders. I'm not gonna force you. I'll be waiting outside when you're ready to head back to the village. Take your time."

'Today is too much…' Ino thought to herself as she sat up. Brushing the dirt from her hair and fixing her clothes as best she could, she prepared herself to face the undoubtedly world breaking shitshow she was about to go back home to. Climbing out of the throw, she was surprised to find four masked ANBU standing off to the side, with Kakashi and Pakkun being closer to greet her.

"Kakashi sensei? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well, Pakkun here is my ninken summon. He is an excellent tracker, and finding you was important enough that I was called in to help," Kakashi answered innocently enough.

Ino looked at the man warily. Naruto was his student, and he himself was the student of the fourth Hokage. He had to know something about what she saw in Naruto's mind. Her eyes drifted to the ANBU keeping their distance. The Hokage was in on it too. Just how deep did all of this go. "Was it real?" she asked, earning a curious look from Kakashi. "What I saw. Naruto. Was it real?"

Kakashi eye smiled at the girl and put a finger up to his masked lips. "Why don't you save those kinds of questions for the Hokage. He is eager to talk to you."

Ino gulped at the man's words. She wasn't sure if he was intentionally trying to be ominous or not, but she was now considerably worried about what was going to happen. Was the village secretly a cult for the demon fox? Was everyone in on it? Would they expect her to keep the secret and join them in their plans to take over the world? She was letting her thoughts get ahead of her. Perhaps there was a completely reasonable and simple explanation for this that she was overlooking. The Hokage was a kind old man. Talking to him would be fine. There was no way anything would happen to the heiress of one of Konoha's most prominent clans. Right?

As she followed close behind Kakashi, they made their way to the Hokage tower. It didn't take her long to notice that each street they took was empty despite Konoha having a reasonable night life. They were obviously taking a path specifically to avoid people, or perhaps people were being kept away. Ino supposed it didn't matter which it was, all that mattered was that they were keeping her away from anyone for the time being. If anything, that only made her question what was going on more and more. Once they finally reached the tower, the true extent of her mistake became clear to her. ANBU surrounded the building, watching Kakashi and her approach, the streets surrounding had been cleared, and standing at the front door, waiting for her with an expressionless face, was her father.

"Dad, I…" she tried to say, only to stop as Inoichi held his hand up to silence her.

Without a word, her father gestured for her to follow him inside, offering Kakashi a nod before the masked ninja departed. Ino found herself in a daze. None of this was making sense. If they knew what had happened, what she had seen, then why weren't they worried? Was her father not at all concerned that his own daughter had just come face to face with a demon? She didn't even take notice when they arrived at the Hokage's office until she caught sight of the unmistakable orange attire that only one weirdo in the village would consider fashionable.

Naruto was sitting there, just outside of the Hokage's office, watching as Ino and her father entered, his eyes lingering on her long enough to send a shiver down her spine. She shuffled closer to her father, instinctively putting him between her and Naruto, all the while studying the boy's face. To her surprise he didn't look angry or scared, instead he looked… relieved. Ino maintained her guarded position behind her father as they entered, only growing more and more confused as Naruto directed a smile at her. Not a cunning or victorious smile, but a nervous one, sad even. So caught up in her focus of him was she that she had completely forgotten where she was, or better yet, who was waiting patiently behind her.

"Ino."

Ino jumped at the Hokage's voice. Stepping away her father, she bowed deeply. "Lord Hokage," she said apologetically.

"Are you okay?" the old man asked carefully. While to most onlookers he would seem to be looking at the poor girl with nothing more than worry and concern, those that knew him better would be able to see the practiced intensity of his gaze. He was concerned, yes, but he was also prepared. There was no telling what a confrontation between a mind walker and the Kyuubi could result in. The possibility of corruption, or any form of mental damage, was something he would not put passed the fox. And so, it would be a mistake on his part to let anything slip by him.

"Okay?!" Ino blurted out incredulously. "How can I be? It's sitting right outside!"

"Ino!" Inoichi snapped. "Do not speak to the Hokage like that."

The Hokage held up his hand to the man. "It's quite alright," he said. "She has had quite the night. I think we can tolerate an outburst or two." He turned his attention back to the girl who looked like she just realised her mistake. "Now, if you don't mind dear, please tell me what you mean by it?"

"The Kyuubi…" she said, turning to look at the door, knowing that Naruto was just behind it. "I saw the Kyuubi. In his mind. Is he…"

"No," Hiruzen said sternly. "Naruto is not the Kyuubi."

"But I saw it!"

"You did," he admitted. "And foolishly so. I'm sure your father warned you against using such techniques on your allies, and yet you did so anyway."

Ino cowered and looked up at her father who didn't bother returning her gaze. "I didn't think…"

"No, you didn't think, Ino. And that is the problem," Inoichi said with barely disguised anger. "Your actions tonight have put more at risk for this village than you could possibly begin to understand. Some secrets are supposed to stay secrets. We of the Yamanaka should know this truth better than anyone. And now I must deal with the embarrassment of my own daughter so carelessly disregarding our clan rules; rules that are the only thing solidifying the trust our village has in our clan and our abilities."

Tears welled up in Ino's eyes. She didn't dare to talk back to her father. No matter how much his words hurt her, she knew he was right. She had screwed up. No one would care how unintentional it may have been, and she had to deal with the consequences. But that didn't mean she still didn't want answers. Turning her attention back to the Hokage she swallowed the lump in her throat and readied herself. "You said he wasn't the Kyuubi. But then, how did I see it inside of him?" she asked.

Hiruzen nodded in response to Inoichi's nervous glance. "Before I continue, Ino, I need you to understand that what I am going to tell you is a village secret. Nothing that is said in this room tonight can ever be repeated, to anyone, ever, unless direct permission is given. If that is too much responsibility for you to handle then say so and I will send you home with your father to have your memories of what has happened corrected. Do you understand?" Ino nodded and the old man sighed. "The fourth Hokage was a powerful shinobi, an amazing man, but even he couldn't hope to defeat a tailed beast outright. In order to protect the village, he gave his life to seal the beast away. But the Kyuubi is not so easily caged. No mere item or construct could contain it. Only the strength of a human sacrifice could hope to hold back the fox. And on the night of its attack, there was a baby, and orphan. A boy who had already lost everything to the fox, who the fourth was forced to use as this sacrifice."

"Naruto…" Ino choked out.

"Yes, Ino. Naruto was used in the sealing, his body now a cage to the very beast that took his parents from him," he confirmed. "There are only so many who know of this fact. Above all, Naruto's anonymity is important in this matter. I'm sure you can understand why. The last thing we need is anyone thinking they can get revenge on the fox through Naruto."

"Does he know?" she asked.

"Of the Kyuubi within him? Yes. He is also aware that you invaded his mind and faced the fox," Hiruzen said, earning a worried expression from Ino. "You can imagine how worried he was. He came to me immediately to begin the search for you. You should consider yourself grateful; in that moment, all Naruto cared about was your safety."

"If I may, lord Hokage," Inoichi started. "My daughter has shown a level of immaturity that is unbecoming of my clan and her station as a genin of Konoha. While your willingness to trust her is generous, I do not think that letting her further in on such information is wise. With your permission, I would personally see to it that this night never happened, for everyone's sake," he said, ignoring Ino's look of betrayal. "I will accept full responsibility for her actions and make amends with both Naruto and you."

"You can't be serious!?" Ino said.

Inoichi continued to ignore her. "Lord Hokage?"

Hiruzen rubbed his temple, a headache already forming. It was one thing for this to be an issue regarding the accidental uncovering of Naruto's secret, but getting the clan politics involved was more than he wanted to deal with for one night. Inoichi had his right to be as furious as he was with his daughter, but at the same time, Hiruzen didn't feel right giving the man permission to go messing with people's minds over what was likely an innocent mistake. Speaking of…

"Ino, why was it you used your families jutsu on Naruto?" the Hokage asked.

Ino blushed and looked away. "I… he… it was supposed to be a prank," she muttered miserably. "I was going to parade him around the village in a dress…"

Hiruzen chuckled at the thought. Even Inoichi'c cold expression nearly faltered. "Well, I am sorry that such lighthearted intentions have led to this unfortunate moment," he said. "But nevertheless, a solution needs to be met. Sadly, this is not a decision I can make."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ino asked.

"The secret of the Kyuubi is no longer mine to uphold," he said. "Such responsibility has passed onto young Naruto. Since his learning of his burden, he has been in control of who can and cannot know his secret. I will not deny him his right to make the choice." With a wave of his hand an ANBU appeared near the door and opened it, motioning for Naruto to enter.

Ino didn't shy behind her father as Naruto entered, but the tension was still apparent. She watched as he entered cautiously, being much more reserved than he normally was. Despite what she now knew, Ino couldn't help but still see the fox when looking at him. The whisker marks on his cheeks that she had once thought to be a weird quirk were now glaringly obvious. Even his presence felt off. He had always given off a strange aura, but now it was a constant reminder of the monster inside him. How was she supposed to go back to seeing him as the goofy, dead-last, orange wearing idiot she had always seen him as? Maybe getting her memory wiped wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Old man?" Naruto asked nervously. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, Naruto," the Hokage said. "I have explained the situation to Ino. She understands what she saw now. But you oversee your secret, so you have final say in what happens from here."

"What happens?" he asked.

Inoichi stepped forward and bowed to Naruto. "If it is your wish, I can remove the memory of tonight from my daughter. It will be as if nothing ever happened, and I will ensure another incident like this never occurs."

Naruto gawked at the man. "But won't that like… hurt, or something?"

"Not at all," Inoichi assured him before walking up to the boy and kneeling before him. "Did Ino's jutsu harm you? I promise to make amends for any discomfort she might have caused you."

"Uhhh, not really. It just felt funny for a little bit," Naruto said, looking over the man's shoulder to see Ino. She was standing there, looking down at her feet, her eyes red and puffy. Her hair and face were covered in dirt with the clear lines of dried tears running down her cheeks.

He had never gotten along well with Ino. Throughout their time in the academy together she had always looked down on him, not that that was uncommon. He knew she was once friends with Sakura, and that they were now in a bitter rivalry over who would win Sasuke's heart first, but none of that really mattered to him. Deep down, Naruto knew Ino was a good person. From what he had heard of her from Chouji and Shikamaru, she was always a stern but supportive teammate. While her methods might have been a tad aggressive, she always had their best interests in mind and always did her best by them no matter how much they got under her skin. He wasn't sure why she had tried to get into his mind, but he knew all of this was just a big accident. An accident that could have been avoided if he had not kept his secret from his allies.

"Ino…" he said, getting the girls attention. "Are you going to tell anyone?"

Ino was caught off guard; not by his question, but by the look in his eyes. He was scared. With what she now knew about him, she could destroy him, make him more of an outcast than he had ever been before, and he knew it. It was one thing for the Hokage to talk about keeping the secret to ensure Naruto's safety, but to physically see why, to see how scared Naruto was of the possibility of everyone learning the truth. It crushed her. That desperate, pleading look. She couldn't wait for him to make up his mind and have her memory erased. What she wouldn't give to never remember seeing him look at her with such fear.

"…No," she said softly, returning to looking at her feet, awaiting the inevitable.

"It's your decision Naruto," Hiruzen said. "You may choose to trust her. The consequences are yours to wear."

Naruto took a deep breath. He knew at some point he was going to have to face the reality of what he was, but he never imagined it would be so early. "Don't make her forget," he said, receiving a surprised look from Ino and her father. He smiled at Ino. "I trust her."

Ino stood there dumbfounded, her father sharing much of the same expression, albeit with a new found respect for the boy. To have such faith in his fellow shinobi even after what had transpired was commendable indeed. Hiruzen couldn't help but feel proud as he smiled at Naruto approvingly. It always surprised him that no matter what, the boy always found a way to be kind and trusting in the face of adversity.

"Then it is decided," the Hokage said. "Inoichi, if you wouldn't mind taking Ino home. I am sure you two still have much to talk about."

Inoichi nodded and made for the door, Ino following close behind, only to stop suddenly and give his daughter a stern look as he gestured to Naruto.

Knowing what her father was meaning, Ino quickly turned back to Naruto and bowed. "Thank you, Naruto," she said, standing up to look at him once more before leaving. "I'm sorry."

She turned and left quickly, Inoichi offering Naruto one final nod of thanks before closing the door behind him. Naruto let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. Why did everything have to be so stressful and complicated?

"You handled that remarkably well, Naruto. I am proud of you," Hiruzen said.

Naruto smiled at the old man. "Thanks, but I hope I don't have to do that again… 'least not for a while anyway."

Hiruzen chuckled. The boy was indeed not ready for politics just yet. "What say we go get some ramen? My treat. I think you've earnt a nice meal."

"Yes! You're the best, old man!"

And with just the mere mention of free ramen, the stress and fear of the night's events had all but vanished.

It had been days since that night, and Ino hadn't had a decent night sleep since. The truth had been eating her alive, and she knew it was starting to get under everyone else's skin. Her team and sensei could tell her training and performance was off. Shikamaru and Chouji had stopped by several times already to make sure she was okay. She always told them she was fine, but they weren't so dumb as to believe her. She was so not okay. She knew the truth, and she wanted nothing more than to scream it from the rooftops. But she couldn't. Consequences aside, she couldn't betray Naruto like that. Not now. Not after he had put so much trust in her. Her, of all people. Someone who had practically treated him like dirt.

Ino wasn't stupid enough to think her lack of sleep or endless mental and emotional summersaults had anything to with the Kyuubi. Perhaps that first night, sure, but she had long since come to terms with how the beast fit into things. No, it wasn't mindless fear that plagued her mind anymore, it was guilt. She had treated Naruto poorly, as everyone else did. At the time it seemed harmless enough. Everyone was doing it, she just followed along to fit in, and Naruto never showed that it bothered him much. But now that she knew why, she couldn't stop herself from reliving every harsh word or mean slur she had directed at him. How was she supposed to live with herself knowing she had belittled and picked on the one person who had lost more than anyone else, who had unwillingly sacrificed everything for the sake of the village.

Sakura would kill her if she knew, but in the past few days, Ino had concluded that Naruto deserved more support and compassion than even Sasuke. 'Thank god Sakura can't read minds,' she thought to herself. She almost didn't believe it herself, but after her father had assured her that, if anything, the Hokage had downplayed the true extent of Naruto's sacrifice and struggle as a result, she couldn't see things the same anymore.

But she needed to sleep. She needed closure… at least she thought she did. She needed… something. Something she wasn't going to get by moping around and being miserable at home, dragging those around down with her. Ino knew what she had to do, and exactly who she had to talk to about it. And so, with tired dark marks under eyes, her hair tied up in a messy ponytail, and her clothes put on with little care for neatness, she made her way across town in search of Naruto. It didn't take her long to realise that she had no idea where she was supposed to look for the elusive boy. You would think a blond haired, orange clad, louder than life teenager would be easy to find, but you would be wrong. Ino walked around aimlessly, for what felt like hours, until finally she caught sight of Sasuke. While certainly not who she was looking for, the Uchiha was still a step in the right direction.

"Hey, Sasuke," she called out, running up to the surprised boy. "Have you seen Naruto?"

Sasuke observed the girl carefully, fully expecting this to be some kind of trick to get close enough to attempt another show of affection that she and Sakura were so well known for directing at him. "Naruto? You're actually looking for Naruto?" he asked sceptically. "Why?"

"Doesn't matter. Do you know where he is?" Ino asked. Had she been in the right frame of mind she might have noticed that this was the closest Sasuke had let her get to him, also the most engaged he had ever been in what she had to say. She would likely also be horrified at her appearance currently; not that Sasuke was going to mention it to her anyway.

Sasuke pointed off to the distance. "Naruto is usually finishing up at the training grounds this time of day," he said. "If you hurry you might catch him."

He had barely finished his sentence before the girl was running in said direction, offering no more than a quick wave and calling out a 'thankyou' as she disappeared, leaving a very perplexed, if not mildly amused Sasuke in her wake. 'That was… weird' he thought to himself. He would be curious enough to follow and find out just what it was that had apparently cured Ino of her fangirl obsession of him, but he dared not take the risk. If for whatever reason the blonde's interests had turned to Naruto, then who was he to interfere. The less girls pining for his attention the better. He did, however, feel a sudden sense of sympathy for Naruto, for he was now a fellow sufferer of the most brutal curse he had ever known.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Every hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he leapt into a dead sprint, a certain pink haired girl closing in against all possible logic. 'Dammit, Naruto. Why couldn't you take both of them!'

Naruto liked clouds. He had never paid them much attention until he hung out with Shikamaru and Chuoji, and he didn't like them as much as the lazy Nara did, but he still found them pleasing to look up at after a long training session. His inability to move without everything hurting was just a side note for the moment. With each passing cloud came a moment of shade, a comforting break from the shining sun. So, you can imagine his surprised when one such moment of shade came out of nowhere, belonging not to a cloud, but to something much more frightening.

"Naruto."

Eyes wide, he scrambled to his feet quickly. "Ah, Ino. What… what are you doing here?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "I need to talk to you." Why else would she be here.

"Uhhh, okay? Is something wrong?" he asked. "Do you need to find Sasuke? Cause I don't know where he is."

"No. I need to talk to you," she said sternly, walking right up to him. "I have questions."

Naruto gulped. "I don't know anything more about Sasuke than Sakura does, I swear."

"I'm not talking about Sasuke, idiot," she said. "It's about the… you know. The secret."

Naruto's eyes widened in understanding before looking around carefully. "Wouldn't the old man be better to talk to about this?"

"No."

"Okay, fine," he grumbled. "But not here. We can talk at my place, if that's okay."

Ino nodded in agreement. She followed Naruto back through the village until they finally reached his apartment. While Ino was fully aware that Naruto was an orphan, she had assumed he had lived with someone, or at least lived in his late family's home. But no, he was alone, in this small, humble little flat. She would give the boy credit; the place was much tidier than she had expected. Whether that was due to a lack of possessions, or just him being a minimalist was up for debate. A small collection of potted cacti sitting on his windowsill did catch her eye though. A small watering-can hanging not too far, and a singular orange flower blooming from one of the prickly plants.

'His enthusiasm even infects his plants,' she thought amusedly.

"Do you want a drink?" Naruto asked, his hands fidgety and his eyes scanning for anything in his apartment that might be embarrassing. "I think I have some milk but… ah, no, that's out of date. Is water alright?"

"Yes, please," Ino said, taking a seat at his small dining table as he poured her a glass. She accepted it and drank nearly the whole glass greedily. In all her efforts today, she had forgotten how thirsty she had gotten.

"So… you want to ask me something?" Naruto asked. Sitting down across from her. His hands didn't seem to know what to do as they shifted and organised the handful of items on the table.

"Are you okay?" Ino asked. She knew he was antsy but this was a bit much even for him.

"Um, yeah, I think so. I mean… I don't know. No one's ever visited me before, except the old man, but that's just to check up on me. Oh, and Kakashi, but only to wake me up if I slept in or something."

"What about Sasuke and Sakura? Don't they at least pop by?" she asked. Naruto shook his head. Ino took a second to take that in. Did Naruto seriously have no one? Not a single person who thought enough of him to visit him in his own home? Just what kind of life was he living? "Wait, am I the first girl you've had here?"

"You're the first anyone…"

Ino blushed a little at that. "Oh…" she shook her head and got her thoughts back on track. She was here with a purpose after all. "We can worry about that later. I need to know, Naruto. Why?"

Naruto tilted his head curiously, an image that Ino would not soon forget. "Why what?"

"Why didn't you have them erase my memory? I know your secret now. Why let me keep knowing it? How can you even trust me with it?" she asked.

"You're my ally." He said it as it were the most obvious thing in the world. As if it needed no further explanation. But, if Ino's frustrated expression was anything to go by, he knew she wasn't pleased with that as an answer.

"But we aren't even friends!"

"Maybe not now, but one day, who knows. If we became friends in the future, I would feel bad for making you forget something. And even if we don't become friends, I still trust you. I know you're a good person, even if you're a little mean sometimes," he said, either ignoring or being completely oblivious to the bright red colour invading Ino's face. "And… I guess… I just wanted someone to know… ya know?"

Those last few words broke Ino out of her blushing stupor. If he wanted someone to know then why didn't he tell someone before now? A frown set in as she remembered that no one even visited him. Who was he really going to tell such a personal and life changing secret to who didn't already know. "How long have you known about it?" she asked.

Naruto chuckled awkwardly. "Umm, I found out the day we graduated from the academy," he said. "Mizuki-sensei made me steal the forbidden scroll from the Hokage tower and then told me about it. He was going to kill me too, but Iruka-sensei came in all badass and protected me and…" he froze, noticing Ino's horrified expression. "I don't think I was supposed to mention that."

"That's what happened to Mizuki-sensei? Wait, how did he know about it?"

"I think most of the grownups know," Naruto said uncertainly. "The old man said that someone who knew about the Kyuubi told some people and that's why everyone avoids me now. But that's okay, because when I'm Hokage they won't be able to ignore me, even with this stupid fox in my stomach."

Ino frowned deeply. It made sense to her why her father would know about the Kyuubi being sealed. Obviously the Hokage would know, and the ANBU. But to know now that so many in the village were aware of what Naruto was, what he had inside him… it left a sinking feeling in her stomach. Suddenly all the parents telling their kids to stay away from Naruto made a sickening amount of sense. His constant over the top desire to be the centre of attention and rebel against everything. All the pieces were coming together in Ino's mind, and it was making her sick. She had joined them, without question or thought, and picked on him as relentlessly as the rest. 'And yet he still trusts me. He trusts all of us. He wants to be the Kage of a village that doesn't even treat him like a person.'

"How…?" she asked softly. "How are you so… motivated, so forgiving, so kind. How?"

Naruto's cheerful demeanour fell suddenly and he looked at Ino in a way she had never seen him look. He looked tired, almost defeated. Broken. "I have to be," he said. "Everyone sees the fox. I didn't know that the whole time, but now that I do I understand. If I give up, if I let it get to me, then the fox wins. My parents, the fourth Hokage, everyone who died that night. It all would have been for nothing. The fourth Hokage trusted me to be strong enough to carry this burden. I can't let him down. I can't let the village down. Even if they hate me, I have to smile. I have to be everything the fox tried to destroy. Even if it hurts."

"You can forget if you want," he said sorrowfully. "I'll tell the Hokage I changed my mind. This is my burden, not yours. I don't want you getting hurt or anything. I'll understand."

"Naruto…"

"For what it's worth…" he interrupted. "It has felt good to talk about it with someone."

Ino didn't try to hide the tears in her eyes. If Naruto cared about that he did a good job of not showing it. With an indignant grunt, she stood from her seat and in a single step cleared the distance between them. The dam holding back her tears almost burst as Naruto flinched in response, no doubt expecting to be beaten on like she and Sakura had done so many times before. She wasn't sure how she was going to forgive herself for that. Grabbing his jacket, she pulled him to his feet, and before he could even try to figure out what was happening, she wrapped her arms around him tight and buried her face into his shoulder.

"Naruto…" she sobbed, the tears now soaking into his jacket. "I'm sorry. For everything. I'm so, so sorry."

Ino couldn't believe it. She had come here expecting simple answers. Closure. And here she was, hugging a boy that wasn't Sasuke, crying miserably and no doubt looking terrible while doing it. But she couldn't help it. As much as she needed a hug and to let her own frustrations out, she knew Naruto needed it more.

Naruto stood there in stunned silence, feeling each shaking motion of Ino as she cried into his shoulder. Her arms were wrapped around him so tight that he could feel his breaths getting tighter. "Uhhh, Ino…"

"Just shut up and hug me back, idiot!"

He didn't wait to be told twice. While an awkward and unfamiliar thing, he did slowly wrap his arms around the girl, albeit with slightly less pressure than she exerted, and let her lean into him. Ino couldn't see it, but after a few moments, and despite his own tears fighting to escape, Naruto couldn't help but smile. Not a fake smile, or a forced smile. Not a sad smile or even a nervous one. For the first time in a long time, he had a real, true to the stars, warm goofy smile plastered on his face for the world to see.

"Thank you, Ino."

A/N:

This is just a weird little idea that popped into my head. For now it will act as a one-shot. Just a cute little NarutoxIno piece, but it is very likely that more parts will be written for this. I have no intentions of this becoming its own full length story. At the very most it will simply receive a couple more parts that show how the two of them develop and handle important events that would occur in the later story. So, if any updates do come, be prepared for it to involve several time skips of varying sizes.

Other than that, I hope this was at least enjoyable. Never written Ino as much of a POV character so I hope I did her some justice.

Reviews are welcome and appreciated.

Thank you to any return readers of my account and other works, and hello to any newbies.

Until next time.