Time skip.
The sky was dark and red like a volcano eruption, I was far from the front lines but I could see the large creature from here, its nine large tails flicking the dark sky. The screams and yells made me panic like I was back in the war and I just pushed it down.
I turned to help random people as I was not allowed to help out there and was sent to protect the villagers. People running in every direction sucked as the village was finally at peace.
Some old women was not moving easy with a Childs hand in hers.
I picked up the kid, got the granny on my back and ran towards the safe area, it was awkward. She was bigger then I was. I set them down near the cliff where everyone was headed inside.
I ran forward looking for anyone when I heard the noise. The creature was about to spit a bomb somewhere.
I watched it fly to the village to my right, it was far from me and yet to close. I hit the ground covering my ears. The shockwave passed over me, a second to make sure it did not blow out my eardrums I got up and ran towards it looking for more hopefully unhurt and doing my job.
A bright light flashed and then world got quiet. All noise stopped making me stop as well, I stood alone on the large stone road. A dark cloud hung over the silence a feeling that something real bad just happened but this was also over.
Someone bumped into my shoulder grabbing her bleeding left arm she ran a little staggered towards the main area I just stared at the sky where the creature used to be.
I found a black dress sliding it on and slid on my knee length black Shinobi boots I now wear all the time. I fixed my long hair into the ponytail and adjusted my bangs before frowning at the mirror sad.
It was a massive funeral for everyone who died and that was many. I lost some slight friends and some family but we lost the amazing fourth Hokage and his wife. I guess the nine tails was now sealed in some kid.
The third is taking the village back over and missions will be suspended other then watching the area and making sure no one knows how many people we lost and how weak we may be right now.
I am still here in town.
I stood up and slowly walked out of the compound, meeting up with more Yamanaka and headed over together. I liked him as Hokage, kind, smart and skilled. I met him a few times even without just getting missions. He was doing well and I found him so cool.
It was long, sad and after it I moved to help rebuild near the shopping district.
"There you are." I turned to see Itsuki standing there. "Did not see you at the." I nodded sadly. The whole town worked together in quiet sadness. He stepped forward and picked up a hammer from the ground to join me.
Peering at his calm but naturally angry face put butterflies in my chest. His hair was getting a little long leaning to one side, bangs almost covering his pretty dark eye's. He has gotten larger and more toned.
A jonin now.
We lightly chatted, he would glance at me and look away when I looked at him and the other way around a few times.
The air got a weird tense to it until some yellow dressed man went running by screaming with one syllable scream and then was gone making us both lean back and look where he went.
"What the fuck was that?" I asked.
"No idea." His voice was so much deeper then it used to be making me check him over again before I used chakra to instantly bash in a nail a little to roughly. He leaned over and smashed a few and we stepped back finishing this wall.
I got to do the left side now when his name was called.
Looking back there was this large group of older Uchiha looking at him like he was doing something stupid and nodded at him to follow. He handed me his hammer and walked off a little stiff.
I watched him go fully checking him out now he can't see me, I saw one mans lip say something to him about 'being to good for' but he turned away.
I stepped watching them leave towards the left side that still needs walls.
My foot hit something making me trip, I tried to stay up as I fell forward my foot landing in the discarded tool box as I fell right into the wall. Standing up and unsticking my foot I looked around as everyone stared at me.
This young boy with with long brown hair, a chunin vest and a stick in his mouth just started to laugh at me. I turned away to finish what I started feeling a little ashamed.
"Shut up Genma." I spoke and he laughed more.
Way to ninja Kei.
"Hey I am here to talk abou..."
"No thanks." I said walking passed some man with paper trying to get people to listen.
"Rude." He mumbled making me pause and look at him. "Ninja's suck." I spun and stepped to him, he looked at me a little huffy.
"Would you rather me listen politely about your product or issue for ten minutes just to say I will think about it but never buy it or do anything wasting your time and mine?"
He was quiet. "Good point." He then held out the poster for me, with a sigh I looked at it making my heart sad. "The orphanage needs donations since the nine tail attack."
"Fuck you." I sighed. "Nice job, where do I donate?"
He gave me a large smile when Kakashi was next to us pulling the paper from his hands. Not seen him in so damn long, I had a mission with him almost year ago as we tracked down some missing nin. I seen him around but not talked in forever.
I could not stop my eye's from looking him over. He was older, maybe sixteen now? His arms were open in his Anbu outfit looking fit and toned. He was looking a little hot with that mask now. I wonder what is under there, I have never seen him without it.
He was colder and a lot less readable and I thought it was bad when he was like thirteen.
"Hey there." I said to him, he nodded not looking at me.
"I am creating a team and you would be perfect." He handed some money over to the man. "Come." I got the information about where to donate and followed him away walking fast.
"What we doing?" He did not speak.
I was able to grab my Hyuga teammate on the way out making this a perfect team for the mission. I sat next to him hidden in the tree's as far away as we could from the stone compound we are raiding, a map at our feet.
Kakashi, an older man about nineteen called Jin, a elder Anbu and a guy named Hikari who just joined them or wants to join them? I had them linked to my mind as we moved them around the place unseen as many stone were working here. Hyuga watched with his eyes.
War may be over but we still have beef with them. We came to get a new kind of medicine they made along with some information. Someone is stealing people we think it was them.
I just sat there trying to push around the words as fast as I could.
"Kakashi, go in until you reach the third room, it is a closet go in and wait." I pushed Hyuga's words to him. "Hikari, stop, go left, no stop in the door, go in the door." I tried to push as fast as I could but there was a little delay that might get this guy spotted. He might be the fail to this mission.
Hikari filled his bag with the medicine but now moved around like he knew better.
"I did, I did, Can you make me move any faster, This bag is full and is making noise." Hikari spoke into my head, I sent it out not really hearing it at first.
"Really? Let the girl do her job." Jin yelled into my head a little loud. "You want to be Anbu, listen and be patient, it takes a second to move the thoughts around."
"It is a stupid boy crazy young girl, I don't trust she knows what she is doing." I opened my eye's and closed them again.
"Okay you game piece, you sound a little fannytroubled, never have a girl like you?" I calmly spoke to him.
"Shut up you child." I did not send that one around I just let him talk to himself as he insulted me.
Kakashi and Jin were in the scroll room doing what they do.
"I am going out the window." Hikari said.
"You do you will get your teammates known." Hyuga spoke.
"Fine, I hate her but I am listening."
"Don't push this to him." Jin spoke as I cut off Hikari. "He is not Anbu material." Jin spoke.
"No." I finally had Kakashi said something.
I sat alone at an outdoor table just eating the best meal alone, happy. A few girls walked by pulling on there headbands talking about how they just graduated and they should go clothes and weapon shopping.
I would have graduated maybe last time had I not been in the war.
What a different world that would be for me.
I never got to be a real genin, I never got to do the chunin exams and was just promoted mid war. They started talking about boy's as I watched them stroll away feeling sad. I don't have a single female friend and I crave it deep inside.
I have no one to tell about the growing feelings for Itsuki, no one to shop with like a young girl. My only friends are Itsuki and my team, there is not even one female my age in my family even if I am sure we would not be friends.
Itsuki's family is close and warm, shockingly as they always look cold and detached. Someone is always at his home, his little sister running around.
It was just me.
My mood was gone as I leaned back and stood up, tossing my food into the garbage. I could use a new mission, maybe if I ask for one I might make a new friend.
I spun ramming my foot into his chest and rolled away from the long spiky weapon coming for my head. I moved in close like I was about to punch him as I did the two hand signs in my other hand.
He moved gripping my small hand in his large adult hand stopping my hit and looking at me like I was weak but for close combat I was. A small wind blade that was almost invisible popped out of my hand like a dagger cutting his fingers off, I shifted as my hand was free without his fingers, slashing his throat.
"Underestimated me huh."
I kicked him over and raided his pockets for the list I was after and then stepped over the second body and headed towards my team that was no fun, detached, uncaring and a group of guys I don't care to even try and be friends with.
This group was robbing, burning and killing people as they moved through the land of fire.
This mission sucked.
I dragged myself home with a bag of easy food just wanting to pass out but I was filthy and needed a shower. I heard a scream making me pause and looked up from the ground when I heard it again. I dropped my food following the scream of a women somewhere near the main family's home.
I slid to a stop and almost screamed myself before I spun and looked away feeling sick at what I just saw. "Oh fuck."
"Don't swear." She yelled. "She can hear you now!" She screamed getting louder. I peered back as the gray dressed women between the legs of Inoichi's wife, blankets and a large tub of water as she leaned on the steps to the main building.
"She is coming keep pushing." The lady yelled, my eye's seeing the head of the baby making me spin and try not to scare them as my face drained. Oh fuck, that is not pretty. I am to young for this.
I gripped my face covering my eye's trying to compose myself.
I did not look at them as I walked up the steps to stand with the others where I could not see between her legs.
Inoichi was sitting with her head on his lap as he rubbed her hair and she gripped his hand so tightly it was turning purple but he let her. It was honestly cute from this side of things. "I take it the other two will be born soon?" I leaned into grandpa and he laughed and nodded.
"One more for the formation."
Thinking of three people trying to have baby's at the same time was odd and funny. I wonder if they like, chat about it.
It took so long I felt bad for her, I ran off to be a helper. I got water and towels and anything they needed. I now wanted even less to have children as this was a freak show.
How is labor so fucking long?
Three hours later there she was, pink, gross and crying. A small fuzz of hair on her head.
"Ino." She said happily holding her child.
Okay, just Ino?
That seems, confusing. Why everyone calls me Kei.
Like just Ino or Inoino?
"Come hold her." She looked at me as I stared at the tiny thing in the pink towel. "You helped so much to bring her to this world."
"I don't know." I said awkwardly she nodded me over with her head. I picked her up and held her for a second, so breakable, I got scared and placed her in her fathers arms. "Ya, nice, cute." I mumbled handing her over making him laugh, he was so happy as he stared at her with such love.
I was kind of glad to see this, I almost missed it.
I helped clean up as they got her to bed with the baby before I finally headed home. I found my bag of food torn and eaten by some creature. I picked up the garbage and walked to my home. I kicked off my feet, not caring I was disgusting and laid in my bed to sleep.
I had two books, one was about poison and the other was how to secretly talk with flowers and there meaning, I knew the basics but was pushed to learn fully as family owns the flower shop, I wanted to make sure I had it all right as a few times people have tried to talk to my family with flowers and once I got it wrong.
That was mess when I told Inoichi someone was in love with his wife.
I looked for a fun fiction story. I stepped to the clearance section, mostly filled with crap but sometimes you find a good one for cheep. I picked up some romance about a farm girl and a thief. I looked at the back and read the story wondering if I should give it a shot.
"That one is okay." I looked over. Kakashi was in the next row staring at some book, he glanced my way quickly and put it down picking up another.
"Just okay?" I eyed him over as he barely speaks to me and I wanted to talk to him.
"Something is missing."
"Ya, What?"
"I don't know, I just could put it down." I leaned on the shelf almost knocking them over and I stepped back as he shook his head at me without looking at me.
"Got any suggestions?" I asked.
"Not really, still looking for one that I can't stop reading." So he loves to read and it is a way to actually hold a conversation with him.
"Ya, so many to go through, I am running out of shelf space in my home."
"Been there, I just donate crap to the library."
"That is unfair to the ones who use that place." I said the end a little annoyed.
"That place?" He looked up at me blankly.
"There is more 'crap' there that is harder to find what you want to read about compared to a book store, other then some basic training and somethings to learn." I looked and smiled at him. "Is that your fault?"
"Maybe." His eye squinted and it startled me, there was no emotion so it looked a little off but I think he tried to smile. It was weird so I looked down at this shelf. The large word 'science' was big and bold on the blue cover.
"Hmm, science." I peeked in it.
"That one is just about medicine really, not worth turning the page unless you want to heal or deal with pills that make peoples chakra grow and stuff like that." How much does this guy read?
He tossed one over the shelf as I caught in the hand with the large book. Looking at it it was romance and I just noticed he stood in that section.
"So, you like romance?" I smiled as I read the book about two polar opposite people lost in the woods and they fall in love, naturally. He just stayed quiet looking around. "Not sure why that is shocking to me." I tossed it back and he caught it without looking or speaking and put it back.
"I like the story's where people are in different worlds." He looked up. "The last one was the coolest place, they lived in this huge strangely built home on this hill in the middle of a large mountain without chakra, filled with this group of..." He did not look up and read another book looking bored.
I am sure he can do both but I felt a little stupid and sighed. "Anyway, ya." I put the science book back and headed to the till. "Hope you find your book." I said and walked off.