Ino drummed her fingers idly on the countertop. Tuesday. The day she most resented. Oh, how she wished she was on a mission, somewhere, anywhere, it didn't matter. She just wanted to be out of Konoha. Not to say she didn't love her village, and her friends, and her family. It was just whenever she was stuck in the village and had nothing to do, which was thankfully not too often these days, her father always somehow knew about it. Ino swore he was using their clan techniques to keep tabs on her, or it was a creepy instinctive thing to know when his beloved daughter was free to mind the shop for him. Had she known he was going to use her as slave labour any chance he got, she wouldn't have leant anything about flowers and plants to begin with.
Alas, here she was, sitting around, occasionally watering some plants, or trying to help some poor fool find the perfect bouquet to apologise to their girlfriend. It was not what she would call exciting work. There were some positives though. Ino was now unintentionally in the know of far too much gossip, ranging from new budding romances, or teetering marriages. It made for some interesting snooping, but even that had quickly lost her interest. Imagine that. Ino Yamanaka, the gossip queen of her academy years, now bored to death of hearing what was happening in peoples lives. Time, thou art a heartless bitch.
The bell on the front door range, alerting her to someone entering. It was late in the afternoon and Ino could only hope that whatever this customer wanted wasn't going to take too much time to arrange. God help her if she had to do any overtime in this accursed place. Her dad didn't pay her enough to get that kind of effort. "Welcome to Yamanaka flowers. If you need any help, just sing out," she said, not bothering to look up to see who it was. Too many people had already walked in and silently left for her to care anymore today.
"You sure make this job sound fun, Ino," Shikamaru said.
Ino's eyes lit up at the sound of her teammates voice. "Shika!" she said cheerfully. "Did Asuma-sensei send you? We have a mission. Please tell me we have a mission. I need to get out of here. I swear the flowers are starting to talk to me."
Shikamaru shook his head. Ino often got a little too stir-crazy when left to her own thoughts in the flower shop, but this time was more so. Poor girl probably hadn't seen many customers to keep her distracted today. Oh well, not his problem. "No, Ino. No mission yet," he said, ignoring the girl's pout. "Make the most of this time. Relax a little."
"Easy for you to say," Ino grumbled. "Not all of us can sleep on command you know. Some of us actually enjoy getting things done."
"Sounds like a nightmare," Shikamaru said with a smirk.
"What do you want Shika?" Ino asked. She could use the company, sure, but not if he was going to be annoying. He knew she couldn't hurt him in her father's shop, but once their team regrouped at a training ground anything was fair game.
"The Hokage said she wants to see you when you're finished your shift," he said, shrugging. "Can't really imagine why, but luckily I'm only the messenger."
"Lady Tsunade? Huh, that's weird, but okay," Ino said. "I wonder if I'll run into forehead while I'm there. That's assuming she hasn't flunked out of being Tsunade's apprentice."
Shikamaru chuckled softly to himself. "If anyone should be flunking out of an apprenticeship, it's you, Ino," he said, earning a hard stare from the blonde. "Don't look at me like that, you know it's true. That troublesome woman is corrupting you."
Ino crossed her arms in a huff. "Anko-sensei is not troublesome, Shika. She is a loyal and skilled kunoichi of Konoha," she said defensively. No one bad-mouthed Anko around Ino, no one. The woman was absolutely insane, and brutal in her training, but underneath the dangerous bloodthirsty exterior was a heart of gold that had deigned to take Ino under her wing. "You're just upset because the last time she had to take over for Asuma-sensei, she woke you up in a creative way."
"Putting a snake in my pants while I'm asleep is not creative, it is insane," Shikamaru said heatedly, shuddering at the memory of that day. He still couldn't look at snakes the same way. "I don't have to be here. You have fun, Ino. I'll tell Choji you said hey."
"Wait, Shika, don't leave me. I need someone to talk to. I'm losing my… and you're gone. You ass," she said, dropping her head to rest on her hands. The hours were not going by fast enough. Having responsibilities was bullshit.
Sadly, Ino wasn't stupid enough to fool herself into thinking that being in the flower shop was her problem. It was making things worse, but it wasn't the cause of her frustration. No, she owed her mood to none other than Naruto Uzumaki. It had been over a year now since he left, and she hadn't heard a peep. Not one letter written for her, and it wasn't like she could send one to him. No one knew where he and Jiraiya were. That was the point. Ino figured that also meant he had to be careful sending any letters to begin with, but it still hurt. Couldn't he have used the toads like Jiraiya was to keep the Hokage updated? So far, the only comfort she got was the rare confirmation from Tsunade that the pair were still alive and well. It was good, but Ino wanted more.
She wanted to know how he was going, the sights he was seeing, the training he was doing. Ino wanted to know everything, but she also knew she didn't want to simply read it. She wanted Naruto here, to tell her in person. No written word could replicate the excitement he could tell a story with. Oh, how she longed to have another late night with him, the two of them just yapping away like idiots until one of them realised that her father would likely be worried about her not being home yet. Those were such good memories. As soon as Naruto got back to Konoha, Ino swore that he wasn't allowed to do anything until they spent all night catching each other up to date on everything. Even his promised date night could wait until that was out of the way.
With a deep sigh she resigned herself to the fact that she just had to wait, like everyone else. There was no point stressing when she knew he was coming back at some point. He had promised as much. Even the Shinigami likely knew better than to get in the way of that promise being broken. Quickly glancing around, Ino made sure no one was around before pulling out a small brightly coloured book from under the counter and opened it back to where she had left off.
A bright blush on her face, Ino couldn't help but giggle perversely as she read. Who would have known that Naruto's new sensei had such a way with the written word. And to think, she never would have known these masterpieces existed if she hadn't 'accidentally' hit Kakashi with her mind jutsu. The world worked in mysterious, suspiciously perverted, ways. She idly wondered just how much of a pervert Naruto would be when he got back after years with the Sannin. She giggled again, a small trickle of blood coming from her nose as her eyes seemed to glaze over slightly. Ino hoped Jiraiya didn't completely destroy Naruto's innocence and charm, but dammit he had better come back with a healthy curiosity or so help her she would cry.
"Ino?"
In a show of speed that would have made a jonin proud, the book disappeared, thrown into the void never to return, along with all of Ino's dignity after being caught reading such things. With a practiced smile, she looked towards the owner of the voice, doing her best to act as if nothing was wrong. That's right, nothing happened here. Nothing at all. "Oh, hey Hinata," she said cheerfully. How the timid Hyuuga had managed to sneak up on her was neither here nor there, all that mattered was that she had, and now Ino's reputation was at stake. Curse her lack of impulse control.
Hinata could only giggle at the display Ino had put on for her. "Your nose is bleeding," she said softly, watching in amusement as the Yamanaka cursed and quickly wiped the blood away. "Slow day?"
Ino shrugged. "Yeah. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but it's getting to me," she said. Perhaps that was the idea. As a Yamanaka, she needed to hone her fortitude as much as she could, and there was nary a better test of one's mind than customer service. Whether her father had intended for that to be a method of training was yet to be confirmed. "Anyway, what brings the ever-elusive Hyuuga princess to my humble little shop?" Her curiosity was at an all time high. While she had a surplus of information and gossip regarding the general populace of Konoha, her ability to keep up to date with the rest of the rookies, save for her own team, had been sorely lacking. Hinata in particular.
Ever since Naruto had left with Jiraiya, everyone seemed to have gone into overdrive. Be it training, or back-to-back missions, they were all finding some way to be busy more often than not. But Hinata, she was the odd one out. Yes, she had upped her training, a fact no one was quick to miss, but she had also volunteered to work alongside Temari as the go-betweens in the Konoha Suna relations. It made sense for the young heiress to take an interest in some political matters, what with her potential future as a clan head, but no one had managed to hold the girl down long enough to get a clear answer out of her. Ino was committed to figuring it out.
Hinata smiled. "Nothing," she said pleasantly. "I not long got back from Suna, so I am checking in with everyone. Gaara escorted me back. You should say hello while he is here."
"I take it everything is still going well then?" Ino asked. The memory of Gaara's rampage was still fresh in everyone's mind, but the boy had come a long way since then. He was still creepy, no doubt about it, but he was trying his best and that was all that mattered to Ino. Apparently, Naruto's beatdown had given him a new outlook on life.
"Very well," Hinata said. "He has come so far already. His control over the Ichibi is almost enough to let him sleep properly now. His people are still very wary of him, but I am sure they will warm up to him soon."
Ino smirked. "Hinata… I meant between the villages," she said, earning a small 'eep' from the girl. Okay, so maybe Hinata's newfound confidence and interest in Suna was the result of a much more personal reason. That was good to know. "Something I should know about?"
Hinata shook her head furiously, a bright blush on her face. "N-no. Nothing at all. I-I just thought e-everyone should know h-how well Gaara is going. It's q-quite inspirational," she said quickly. Bless her heart, she hadn't quite been able to break the nervous stuttering when she was caught off guard like that. Looking up from the ground that she found to be so interesting for some strange reason, Hinata was met with an all too knowing look from Ino. "Please don't say anything…"
Those puppy dog eyes could melt anyone's heart, Ino was sure of it. She smiled and made a zipping motion across her lips. "Not a word," she assured the Hyuuga. "But seriously, you need to learn to hide things a little better Hinata. An enemy could use that against you." Ino didn't want to sound too harsh, but her dad worked in the interrogation department of the village, so she had heard things. Using someone's feelings, especially a cush, against them was to be expected in their profession. Hinata had a both a pure heart and a lot of skill. Normally that combination would lead to an early grave, although Ino hoped Hinata would be the exception.
To be completely honest, Ino was just happy that Hinata was allowing herself to consider other prospects in the romantic scene. It had been a depressing couple of months after the Hyuuga's discovery of Ino's own feelings for Naruto. The two of them had never come to blows over the matter, in fact, now that Ino thought about it, they hadn't brought it up at all whenever they did run into each other. Ino had intended to apologize to her friend for so rudely moving on her own feelings despite knowing how Hinata felt, but the right time never came up. Not to say Hinata ever acted as if she was owed an apology. If anything, Hinata seemed… happier? It didn't make sense, but Ino wasn't going to take it for granted. If Hinata wasn't going to make a fuss about the whole thing, then neither was she.
"I know…" Hinata said softly, a brief expression of sadness quickly being replaced by one of determination. "Actually, if it's okay, that is part of the reason I came to talk to you."
Ino blinked owlishly. "Okay?"
Hinata bowed slightly. "Would you help me overcome myself?" she asked in her best formal-Hyuuga-ass-kissing voice. Her father would likely murder her if he saw what was transpiring here, but oh well.
"Help you… how?" Ino asked unsurely. This was the last thing she ever would have predicted. What kind of help could she offer someone like Hinata anyway?
Like a switch had flipped, Hinata was back to her nervous self, avoiding eye contact and poking her fingers together. "Well, you've always been so confident, and sure of yourself. I was hoping that maybe, if you didn't mind, you could help me be more like you," she said. "I just… I don't want to be weak anymore."
Ino reached over the counter and flicked the girl's forehead. "You are not weak, Hinata," she said crossly. "Don't ever say that again. There's nothing wrong with being a little nervous sometimes. You just have to work on controlling it and powering through, which I know for a fact you can do. You don't have to be like me either. You are your own beautiful person. Don't go ruining what makes you who you are by trying to copy other people, it never ends well. You just have to believe in yourself, Hinata, just like how the rest of us believe in you."
Hinata's eyes widened. "Y-you all believe in me?"
"Of course we do, silly," Ino said. "If we didn't believe in you then we wouldn't be able to trust you with our lives while out on a mission. Everyone believes in you. Trust me on that. You just have to start doing it for yourself, okay." Damn, when did she become a pep-talker? This would have been so much easier if Naruto were here. He was the really gifted one when it came to talking sense into people. Maybe not for Hinata though, assuming the girl could stay conscious through one of Naruto's speeches. What Hinata really needed was a little kick, that's all. She had so much potential just waiting to be unleashed. It was just too bad that Ino didn't have the heart to push the girl hard enough to make a difference.
… but perhaps she knew someone who did.
'Oh, Ino, you fiend,' she thought to herself while outwardly putting on the sweetest smile she could. "Actually, if you really think you need help getting out of your shell properly, then I think I know the perfect person," Ino said. Was she really about to do this to poor sweet Hinata? Yes. Yes, she was. "I will warn you; it won't be pleasant. You can only ask this person for help if you're serious about it."
Hinata steeled herself and looked Ino dead in the eye. "I am," she said. For too long had she been held back by her own lack of confidence. If Ino truly knew someone who could help her, then she would take whatever challenge awaited her head on. She owed it to her friends who trusted her, to her family, and most importantly, to herself. She needed to improve.
"Excellent," Ino chirped, clapping her hands together. She pulled a piece of paper out and quickly wrote something down before folding it and scribbling something on the other side. "Here. Go to this address and give her this note. Don't let her scare you away either. She might seem rough, but she will do her best to help you if you ask."
Hinata accepted the piece of paper gratefully and smiled at Ino. She knew coming to the blonde was a good idea. Kurenai was kind but seemed too content to let Hinata work things out for herself. Surprisingly, it had been Temari of all people who had helped her improve as much as she had in the last year. The older Suna kunoichi was quite the infectious personality it seemed. Spending time in Suna had done wonders. "Thank you, Ino. This means a lot to me," she said, bowing once more and heading to leave.
"Hey," Ino said, getting Hinata to pause. "You said there was something else you found me for. What was it?"
"Oh…" Hinata blushed, albeit not as bad as usual this time. "Well, I don't want to intrude. But I was wondering if you had heard from Naruto at all. It has been a year now, and I was curious of how he was going."
Ino frowned. So was she dammit. "No, sorry. I haven't heard anything," she said gloomily. "I know he's okay. Tsunade said as much. But he hasn't sent me any letters or anything." She shook her head and smiled. "Don't worry. He promised me he would come back in one piece, so he doesn't have a choice now."
"You're worried about him, aren't you?" Hinata asked.
"Of course I am!" Ino exclaimed. "I mean, come on. A whole year and not a word. And he could be gone for a few more years yet. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to think? What if he gets hurt, or killed, or loses his memory or something. What if he found a girl he likes on his travels?" Okay, maybe she was overthinking things, but her concerns were warranted, in her opinion anyway.
Hinata giggled, drawing Ino out of her own little world, much to the blonde's horror. "You shouldn't worry about Naruto," she said confidently. "He is strong, and he is with Jiraiya. He will come back, I'm sure of it. And I don't think he would risk falling for anyone on his travels knowing what he is coming home to. He did promise you a date, didn't he?"
Ino's eyes widened. No one was supposed to know about that. "You followed us?"
"Naturally," Hinata said innocently. "I had to confirm my suspicions."
'Well… fuck.' Ino sighed. And here she thought she was going to be able to avoid this topic with Hinata for the rest of her life. "So… I guess I should say I'm sorry, huh?"
"What for?" Hinata asked curiously.
"For stealing your crush."
"Oh, that," Hinata giggled. Finding out that her crush on Naruto had been glaringly obvious to literally everyone, including those who barely knew her (namely Temari and Kankuro), had been a humbling experience to say the least. "Don't worry about it."
Ino tilted her head curiously. "You aren't upset about it?"
Hinata shook her head and smiled. "Maybe at first, I was," she said. "But after thinking about it, no. You were there for him. You were his friend. You cared for him. I wasn't able to do any of those things, and that is no one's fault but my own. He cares deeply for you, and you care deeply for him. That much I can see, no Dojutsu required. That night on the Hokage monument proved that. As much as part of me hoped I would have all the time in the world to work up the nerve to finally talk to Naruto, it was silly to think the world would wait for me. As Neji says now, fate is what we make of it."
"Are we sure Naruto didn't hit Neji too hard during the exams?" Ino asked. "I don't think someone should be able to beat a better outlook on life into people. It's unsettling." Don't get her wrong, Naruto was very likeable and persuasive when he needed to be, Ino could attest to that, but some of his influence seemed to be unnatural.
"Maybe," Hinata said, sharing a laugh with Ino at the thought. "I'm sorry for interrupting your day, Ino. I should be going to find my team now. Kiba is likely very keen to go out on a mission now that I am back."
"That's okay. You're welcome any time, Hinata," Ino said, waving the girl goodbye. In the back of her mind, she did wonder if sending Hinata Anko's way was perhaps a tad too mean, but it was too late now. The outcome of that little meeting would be… interesting. "Oh, wait, you didn't happen to see where my book went did you?"
Hinata blinked, the veins around her eyes bulging slightly. "Over there, third shelf, behind the empty pots," she said, a faint blush on her cheeks and her eyes not being able to look straight at Ino for the moment. She was very aware of the contents of that particular series of books, having used her byakugan to peak at one Kakashi-sensei was reading once. Hinata blamed Kurenai for her curiosity on the matter. Had her own sensei not chastised the cyclops for reading such material openly, then the young Hyuuga would have thought nothing of it. Nevertheless, Hinata was now very much tainted, and no one was ever allowed to know it. What she wouldn't give to have her innocence back.
"Thanks," Ino said quickly, rushing over to find the book. She had been coming up on a juicy scene before Hinata interrupted her and it looked like she was going to have plenty of time to herself to enjoy it once the girl was gone. By the time she found the book and took her place back behind the counter, Hinata was already gone. With a shrug, Ino opened the book and continued reading.
Hopefully no one else walked through the door.
Tsunade had been waiting patiently for Ino to show up for some time. Not that she was complaining. The more time it took the girl to get here, the more time Tsunade had to think about what she was going to say. Her years as a medic had been paramount in developing her understanding of when to handle things carefully. Wording things properly was top of the list most of the time, but never more so than right now. Hokage or not, Tsunade owed a certain level of care and courtesy when dealing with her shinobi. Ino was just lucky that Naruto had such a soft spot for her, otherwise Tsunade might not have cared as much. Not that that fact made what was to come any less stressful.
She sipped lightly at a small glass of sake. A noted improvement over her previous drinking habits, but no doubt still a questionable act while on duty as the leader of a hidden village. Oh well, baby steps. With a sideways glance she reminded herself of her company. Tenzo, or rather Yamato now, was stood silently off to the side. The former Anbu was respectably unreadable for the moment, but Tsunade knew he was also just as curious as to the reason of him being here as Ino would be. Turning her eye to the file in front of her, she sighed. How did her sensei ever manage to hold this position for so long? Tsunade could already feel the age catching up to her and it hadn't even been two years.
"Lady Tsunade?" Ino said quietly, poking her head in through the door.
"Oh good, you're finally here," Tsunade said, gesturing to the seat across from her. "Come in and take a seat Ino."
Strolling into the Hokage's office, Ino eyed the blank faced man off to the side warily before shrugging and sitting down. He must have been one of the Hokage's guard. "What did you want to see me about?" she asked.
"Before we get into that, there is something I would like to show you," Tsunade said, picking up a small vial of red liquid from her desk and showing it to Ino. "Do you know what this is?"
Ino blinked. "A blood sample," she answered.
"Correct. To be specific, this is your blood sample," Tsunade said. "Well, one of the ones that we had readily available anyway." She popped the cap off the vial and place it upright in a stand before picking up a small syringe full of a thick purple liquid. She emptied the syringe into the blood sample and put the cap back on the vial, giving it a quick shake to mix it well before setting it back down and turning her attention back to Ino. The poor girl was now thoroughly confused if the expression on her face was anything to go by.
"Uumm… okay?"
Tsunade smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. It's just a little test is all," she said, opening the file in front of her. "Now, I know we've been keeping up to date with your more frequent checkups, but is there anything you want to add? Any strange feelings? Changes of any kind?"
Ino pursed her lips in thought. "Not that I'm aware of," she answered honestly. "In fact, I've never felt better." Not to say that feeling the best she ever had physically didn't help Ino from feeling uneasy in this moment.
She wasn't dense. Ino knew exactly what Tsunade was pertaining to. All the frequent check-ups, medical examinations, hell, even phycological evaluations courtesy of her own father. All of them had been for one specific purpose. To ensure her interactions with the Kyuubi had no lasting effects. So far, it hadn't. Ino was relieved to know as much. But even she knew that what little of the bijuu's chakra that had lingered in her system after the incident had failed to dissipate the way Tsunade had hoped. What that meant was up for some debate, but if this out of the blue summons meant anything, then Ino could only assume that Tsunade had come to some conclusion on the matter.
Tsunade hummed thoughtfully. "Yes, I figured as much," she said, picking up the vial just in time as the blood inside began to glow a dull orange colour. "Watch."
The two of them observed the vial closely, the orange glow holding steady as the blood, blackened and sickly looking from the added purple liquid, began to slowly clear until soon only a clean red liquid was left. Tsunade put the vial down with a smirk, receiving only a perplexed look from the Yamanaka. Even Yamato watched on with some near discernible intrigue.
"And that was?" Ino asked.
"That-" Tsunade gestured to the empty syringe that had previously housed the strange purple liquid. "-was a sample of a poison we have from the snake summons, courtesy of Anko. Let's just say that as far as poisons go, that was one of the more lethal we have on record. Even I would be hard pressed to fight it back. But your blood, or rather your chakra, just purged it out like it was a common cold."
Ino felt herself sit up a bit straighter. This wasn't going to be good. "So that means…"
Tsunade nodded. "The Kyuubi's chakra isn't going anywhere I'm afraid. Your body has adapted to it, and now it is there to stay, albeit with some benefits on your end," she said.
Ino silently mouthed an 'Oh' as her eyes widened slightly. That had always been a possibility, Tsunade had said as much, but the chances had been so insignificant that no one cared to prepare for it. The only known records of someone being able to contain a stable amount of bijuu chakra without being an actual jinchuuriki were so rare that it bordered on being a myth altogether. And yet, here she was. Ino had to wonder if this was just a matter of bad luck on her part, or a twisted sense of humour on the Kyuubi's part. She still remembered that night, when the Kyuubi had chosen to help her, to save Naruto, and by extension itself. At the time it had seemed too good to be true, and perhaps now was the time to find out just what such a benevolent act was going to cost. Ino could only imagine the stupid grin the fox would be wearing if it could see her now. God she was stupid. There was no way her little stunt didn't come with strings attached.
"You understand what this means, don't you?" Tsunade asked seriously, receiving an unsure look. "For the time being, you are to be restricted to the confines of Konoha. You may return to your duties and team once an accurate assessment of your condition has been made and we are certain you pose no potential risk to yourself or others. I'm sorry, Ino."
Ino didn't even try to argue with Tsunade, merely hanging her head at the words. "I understand," she said. To be completely fair to Tsunade, this whole interaction could have been done in a far less friendly manner, so Ino was at least comforted with the knowledge that the older woman was being as kind and accommodating as possible. "So, what now?" That didn't mean she had to just sit on her butt and wait. The faster she could prove she wasn't a risk, the sooner she could get back to normal shinobi life. The process couldn't take that long, could it?
Tsunade gestured to the man silently sitting to the side. "Yamato here will be conducting your physical assessment regarding the Kyuubi's chakra," she said. "He has the Mokuton bloodline which has proven to be uniquely effective at neutralising the chakra of the bijuu. Should what your body contains show any signs of instability, then he is the best bet at ensuring you don't lose control or get hurt. Obviously, I will be overlooking all of your medical assessments and general health. As soon as both of us are confident that your condition isn't going to cause any ill effects, then you will be free to continue life as normal."
"It's that bad?" Ino asked softly. She knew the Kyuubi was dangerous, but Naruto had the whole damn fox sealed away inside him, and he was still free to be a shinobi. Sure, he had only ever lost his cool a couple of times, and he had the willpower to boot the bijuu back into the seal, if need be, but was he not also a risk? Ino was feeling extremely singled out to say the least. She only had a small amount of its chakra in her, didn't she? She couldn't even feel it.
"No," Tsunade said, shaking her head. "From a medical perspective, the amount of bijuu chakra in your system is negligible. The fact that it hasn't dissipated in the slightest is what draws concern. Without a source, the chakra should have burnt itself out over time. The only thing I could think of that would negate that would be if the chakra was sealed inside of you, but since that didn't happen, we aren't entirely sure of what to expect. I don't pretend to understand how your clan's jutsu works, but somewhere along the line with the stunt you pulled to save Naruto, you have taken a piece of the Kyuubi into yourself. Without a seal to keep it contained, and with no bijuu to control it, we need to be prepared for anything."
While everyone had complete faith in the sealing prowess of the fourth Hokage, the bijuu were still literal living beings of pure chakra, and the Kyuubi was the strongest of them all by a large margin. The chances of it finding a way to circumvent the seal that imprisoned it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. Ino's condition might be an accident, but it could also be the work of an ancient and cunning beast. Neither option was entirely to Tsunade's liking.
Ino slumped in her chair. Her dad was going to lose his shit once he learnt of this, assuming he didn't already know. "Can we get it out?" she asked.
"Unlikely," Yamato said, finally speaking for the first time. "Even if we could, it would be a painful, if not life-threatening process. All we can do is test you and ensure that the presence of it is truly of no concern. After that, you can forget it exists. Consider it nothing more than a simple boost to your health and chakra."
Ino nodded in understand. That would be the best-case scenario, but something else was bugging her. "Who knows?" she asked.
Tsunade hummed thoughtfully. "Outside of those present, very few," she said. "Your sensei, obviously. Anko was the one to bring up your surprise resistance to poison, so she knows. We have yet to inform your father, but I'm sure you understand that he has to know. For now, those are the only people I deem need to know, and they all know better than to go spreading such information."
"Naruto?"
Tsunade's eyes widened a little at that. She knew the girl had her sights set on Naruto, hell, the whole village knew at this point. Tsunade thought it was cute, but newfound circumstances made her curious about some things. What exactly would the children of an Uzumaki jinchuuriki and a pseudo jinchuuriki be like? Would Konoha even survive such a thing? "No," she answered. "I wasn't planning on telling Naruto. You know what the brat is like. He would blame himself for this."
Ino gave the Hokage a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She was glad to know that Naruto wasn't going to be dragged into her mess, but she was also saddened by that fact. That made two. Two secrets she had to keep from him, even as she knew he never kept any from her. What kind of friend did that make her? Would Naruto even be able to forgive her once, if, the truth came out? A part of her was beginning to understand that the weight of responsibility as a shinobi was perhaps not as bearable as it had been made out.
"Can… can I go?" Ino asked gently, looking to Tsunade for permission to leave. She wasn't sure if she was allowed to leave given the circumstances.
Tsunade smiled warmly at the girl. "You aren't a prisoner, Ino," she said. "Yamato will find you when he is ready to begin his testing. Until then, you are free to go about your business within the village."
Ino stood and bowed deeply. "Thank you, lady Tsunade. And you, Yamato," she said.
Tsunade watched as Ino made a quick departure. She was no doubt going to run off and find somewhere quiet to stress out over everything. "Do you think that was too much? I knew I should have had Inoichi here for this."
Yamato merely shrugged. "She is a shinobi; she can handle it. I think she took the news rather well, all things considered," he said.
"And your thoughts? Now that you've been close enough to her."
The man took on a thoughtful expression. "She is clearly not being influenced by the chakra, but we aren't out of the woods yet." Oh yes, Mokuton pun for the win. "The chakra is acting on its own to protect its host. So far, cleansing poison is nothing too worrisome, but I will have to find out just how far the will of the Kyuubi is ingrained into the chakra within her. With your permission of course."
Tsunade waved him off. "You're free to do as you like so long as she doesn't die or get so injured that I can't fix her. If either of those happen, then you'll be the one explaining it to Inoichi."
Yamato gulped audibly at that. Mokuton or not, even he knew better than to mess with the Yamanaka clan head. The man could do things to a human mind that would leave most S-rank shinobi trembling. Yamato didn't need to live the rest of his life thinking he was a seven-year-old girl named Tsumaki with a deep love for all things pink. No, Ino would be getting the utmost of care, that he would make sure of. "Are we sure it is wise to keep lord Jiraiya out of the loop on this?" he asked. If the Kyuubi truly was trying to reform itself from inside of the young Yamanaka, then it only made sense to get the toad Sannin back to Konoha as a precaution. No one else could possibly have the sealing knowledge to halt such a process.
"Probably not," Tsunade admitted. "But we don't have a choice. Naruto needs to complete his training, and Jiraiya needs to stay on the move for the moment. Bringing them back now would only make things worse, especially if Naruto found out about Ino." That, and it could very well have been the distance between the two genin that was keeping Ino safe. Bringing the Kyuubi back to Konoha simply wasn't worth the risk.
Yamato nodded and the two fell into an odd sort of silence, with Tsunade enjoying the man's calm demeanour that opposed the often uptight nature of most Anbu. Yamato himself was simply content with sitting around in the Hokage's office. He was both hard at work (guarding the Hokage), and yet hardly working. This was the perfect role for someone of his rank.
"Wanna make a bet?"
Yamato paused, internally wondering if taking advantage of his superior, a woman known to have the worst luck at gambling in the world, was morally acceptable for a man such as himself.
"I'm listening."
It was.
(One month later)
Ino carefully placed a plate of dango next to her as she sat atop the wall that surrounded Konoha. With her legs hanging precariously off the edge, and the gentle evening breeze blowing through her hair, she could feel all her worries and stress of the day melt away with the setting sun. It was embarrassing to admit that she came here more often than she should, to watch the sun set and stare longingly at the horizon, hoping that she would spot Naruto and Jiraiya returning from their trip earlier than expected. A silly thing maybe, but she enjoyed it none the less.
The last month had been… interesting. Ino would have described it with much more colourful language if she weren't worried that such descriptions would earn her the undivided attention of Yamato. Speaking of the strange ex-Anbu, he had finally given her the all-clear regarding the Kyuubi's chakra. It might have taken him a month of pushing Ino to her absolute limits, and Ino might have developed an acute dislike for wooden furniture, but the results spoke for themselves. Call Yamato what you will, the man was nothing if not thorough. Of course, being given the all-clear didn't mean everything was back to normal. No, it just meant that she was free to return to her shinobi duties with her team.
Turns out that despite having no source, and no seal associated with it, the chakra that now resided in her was there to stay whether she liked it or not. Apparently bijuu chakra had the potential to simply become its own entity when enough of it was separated from the main body. The only plus side being that instead of forming a mind of its own, it latched onto Ino's subconscious and built itself from there. Hadn't that been a fun discovery. She could still hear her father's inane ramblings about the absolute indestructible wall of defence the chakra now put around Ino's own mind. Being immune to her own clan's techniques was something she was going to lord over her dad for many years to come.
Thankfully, there wasn't much more to it. The chakra was boosting her own reserves, and keeping her at peak physical health, but outside of it defending her mind, it seemed to be mostly benign. No apparent effect on her emotions, no fancy schmancy chakra cloak (Ino was most upset about this), and no risk to herself or others. Anko had of course been the most peeved due to Ino's newfound immunity to practically all of her poisons that wouldn't outright kill her. Speak of the devil.
"Hey, Anko-sensei," Ino said pleasantly, not bothering to turn around to look at the woman who was trying to sneak up the wall behind her.
Anko cursed under her breath as she abandoned her stealthy intentions and clambered up the wall, regarding the plate of dango suspiciously. "Okay, not being able to sneak up on you anymore is fine, but this-" she gestured to the plate "-is bullshit. I am not that predictable."
Ino smiled innocently. "Uh-huh, and I'm not a natural blonde," she said sarcastically.
"Oh, ha-ha, very clever. Just because I can't poison you anymore for my own amusement doesn't mean I can't still run you into the ground," Anko said. "Kyuubi chakra boost aside, you're still years away from keeping up with me, princess. So, fess up. Who told you I was looking for you?"
"Maybe I just keep a plate of dango here in case you ever show up," Ino suggested.
Anko's eye twitched before she sighed in defeat and sat down next to Ino, wasting no time in claiming the dango for herself and not showing any signs of intending to share. "You figured out how you're gonna tell your boyfriend yet?" she asked.
Ino sighed. The whole time she had been training with Anko, the woman had always referred to Naruto as her boyfriend. Ino didn't mind the idea of it, but the reality wasn't there yet, and Anko had a bad habit of blabbing her own opinions on things to anyone who would listen. The poor Yamanaka had already been forced to defend several rumours about her and Naruto. The last thing Naruto needed was coming back to the village thinking Ino had run around prematurely claiming him as her own, even if that was totally something she had thought of doing. Ino was confident she would get what she wanted, but there was no point in jumping the kunai on it.
"He isn't my boyfriend," Ino groaned for the millionth time, pouting only when Anko gave her a deadpanned expression. "…yet. And no, I haven't figured out how to tell him." There wasn't a good way to just come out and tell someone that they had unknowingly dumped a portion of a giant demon fox's chakra in them and then run off to galivant around the world. Such conversations were simply not designed to go down smoothly, no matter who it involved.
Anko shrugged. "Would have made more sense if he had just knocked you up," she said, before pausing and raising a questioning eyebrow at the blonde. "That isn't how this happened is it?"
"Sensei! No! God no! We were kids. We are still kids. What is wrong with you?" Ino exclaimed with a blush. She hadn't even kissed the boy yet dammit. And no, thinking about doing things with Naruto didn't count. Her innocence was still very much intact.
"Damn you kids are lame," Anko said, snickering as Ino continued to glare at her. "Okay, okay, I'll give you a break. But seriously, how you coping? Take it from someone else who had some dark twisted shit stuffed inside them without their knowledge, it gets better. And hey, at least no one really knows about your situation, so that's cool." Had anyone leaked Ino's condition to the populace to any negative response, Anko would have gone on a rampage. It was bad enough she had to deal with it, and she had been too young to do anything when it happened to Naruto, but she would sooner kiss Orochimaru's bare ass then let someone else get ostracised in the village for something that wasn't their fault.
"I'm fine," Ino answered honestly. "This is nothing compared to what Naruto went through when he found out about the fox, and he still came out of it with a smile. I can't do any less than that. I just… I don't like keeping secrets from Naruto."
"I wouldn't stress about it. It's not like you can just go over to his place and tell him. He's a big boy, he'll understand that you had to wait to tell him when he got back," Anko said. "Unless you plan to keep it from him forever. Not a bad idea and completely up to you if that's the route you wanna go."
"No. I'm going to tell him about the Kyuubi chakra. But there's something else, something I know," Ino said softly. "If you knew something about someone, something really important that they deserved to know, would you tell them even if got you in trouble?"
Anko blinked in surprise at the question. "How much trouble we talking?"
"Whatever kind of trouble you get in for disobeying a direct order from the Hokage and spilling the beans on an S-rank secret."
The older woman let out a low whistle at that. "That's a tough one, but I guess it would depend. Does this secret protect anyone?" Anko asked. She was a brash and loudmouthed person, but she knew when to keep her mouth shut, even if her requirements for doing so were much greater than her superiors would have liked.
"Yes. At least I think so. It's… complicated," Ino said.
"Best to keep it yourself then," Anko said in a surprisingly serious tone. "If the Hokage told you to keep it a secret, then she must have good reason behind it. And if they haven't had your dad or someone scrape the knowledge from your mind by now, then that means she thinks you're trustworthy. Do not go undoing that image she has of you. Tsunade can hold a grudge, and the last thing any shinobi wants is their Kage knowing they can't be trusted. Besides, the truth has a funny way of getting itself out there, so don't worry about it."
Ino looked at her sensei with wide eyes. "Wow. That was actually some good advice. Who would have thought you had it in you."
Anko scoffed. "Easy, princess. Just 'cause you sent some fresh meat my way doesn't get you any free passes to take a jab at me," she warned. "I might be crazy, but I'm still technically a jonin. I didn't get to where I am without being smart, so don't ignore what advice I freely hand out. Got a literal goldmine sitting up here, untapped." She tapped her head while nodding sagely.
"How is Hinata doing by the way?" Ino asked. The mention of 'fresh meat', as Anko liked to refer to the shy Hyuuga, reminded Ino that she was not alone in suffering at the hands of the snake summoner. Hinata had rightfully blamed Ino for sending her in Anko's direction, but even with all the embarrassing, painful, and downright humiliating things that Anko had put the girl through, Hinata never backed down. Hiashi nearly had a heart attack once he realised that the backbone his daughter was growing was at the behest of the village's most deplorable shinobi (in his eyes anyway).
"Oh, little white-eyes is doing just fine," Anko said with a grin. "Give me another six months and she'll have that Suna boy eating out of the palm of her hand."
Ino shook her head. Only Anko would be bold enough to say something like about Hinata… Gaara too actually. Now that Ino thought about it, Hinata had stayed in Suna a little longer than usual on her last mission out there. She would tease the girl about that later. As the last light of the day began to fade beyond the tree line, Ino got up and dusted her clothes off. "Well, no such luck on them coming back today. Guess I'll have to and wait and see about tomorrow," she said. "I'll catch you later, sensei."
Anko waved the girl off lazily as she finished her dango, a curious expression forming on her face as she tried to wrap her brain around a concept that she simply couldn't let go of. "Now I have to wonder… is Naruto's stuff actually Kyuubified?" she mused aloud, thankful for once that no one was listening in on her. She didn't need the village thinking she was interested in Naruto of all people. God no. Her tastes were much more refined.
Speaking of her tastes, Iruka would be nearly getting home by now. What perfect timing. A mischievous grin formed on Anko's face as she stood up and stretched for what was to come. Apparently, no one ever informed Iruka that a chunin wasn't supposed to be able to run that fast. Not to say Anko was complaining. The chase was most of the fun anyway.
Across the village, a certain academy teacher felt a very real chill shoot up his spine as every instinct screamed at him to run for his life.
A/N:
So, this is just a little snippet into what Ino went through while Naruto is gone. Next chapter will be in Shippuden timeline, with some minor tweaks and changes. Sorry if this was boring, but I just had to flesh out the idea I had with Ino accidentally taking a part of the fox into herself. I love the idea that the Yamanaka clan jutsu can come with far more risks, and I kinda wish there was some better pseudo jinchuuriki content out there ya know.
Also, just to sate some of your guys' curiosity about how I was going to handle Hinata, here you go, I guess. The thought of Hinata unknowingly having a thing for jinchuuriki is amusing to me, so for this story her eyes have turned to our dear little Gaara. Poor boy. And she's getting her shell broken down by Anko, so I'm leaving myself open to writing some comedy there. I have a weird One/Two-shot idea burning in the back of my mind for a Gaara/Tenten thing, so let me know if that's of any interest for anyone. Much like this story, it would just be a character interaction mushy fluffy mess so keep that in mind.
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed. I am blown away by the responses to this fic so keep it coming. Reviews as always are appreciated.
Till next time.
Soul out.