"Have I really fallen that far behind?" Ino Yamanaka questioned to herself in the privacy of her family shop.

Rays of sunshine pierced through the blinds, causing Ino to lament being in customer service. How she wished she could just rock a pair of sunglasses and not have to interact with people. bags under her eyes alluded to the fact that she wasn't in the mood to control the surface level image that she allows people to see.

With the chunin exams were over and she had arrived back home in Konoha, Ino had a bit more free time on her hands. Normally, people would think that was a good thing. However, for the platinum blonde, it was far from that.

Massaging her temples, Ino wished she could eviscerate the emotions and feelings she was going through in the moment. It would be far easier that way… to just disassociate.

"Tch" she signed, planting her forehead firmly on the table in front of her. That would be the easy way out.

"I'm such a failure and a terrible example of a clan heir." She called out to herself, thankful that there were no customers in the shop. Without the patrons coming in to distract her, it forced Ino to confront the the myriad of feelings racing through her mind. How she wished she could turn off her brain for a moment or two. I wonder if that's what it's like to be Naruto, to be a bit special?

Why are you a bitch? Ino asked herself knowing full well that Naruto had no part to play in this. Words from her father rang true in her mind. 'Those who are successful and happy have no need to bring others down.'

Add guilt to the emotions she was going through. It was like she wanted to be an asshole to justify how she viewed herself right then.

More espresso, less depresso girl!

Despite saying the words that used to normally perk her up, Ino found herself flatter than ever. Not even an iced Unicorn oat latte with two pumps of white choc hazelnut could bring her out of her funk. That's when she knew it was bad.

Instead it caused her heart to race even faster as she found herself getting worked up and her breath shortening.

Getting up out of the chair, Ino started pacing back and forth. "How did I let it get to this point?" the platinum blonde questioned to herself, running a hand through her shoulder length hair.

The problem? She knew exactly what the cause was. She just didn't want to acknowledge it.

It would be bearable if it wasn't my fault…

Gazing out to the pedestrian foot traffic walking past the shop, Ino sighed.

And I was doing so well too… "Ahh!" She lamented, throwing her fist down and smashing it onto the wooden table where they packaged orders for customers. "Owieee" immediately followed as she whined at the pain in her fist.

Memories of the academy flashed back in her mind, distinctly remembering where she placed academically. I was tied first alongside Sasuke and Shino.

The pacing returned. I'm not saying I should be at Sasuke's level. She knew that despite being tied for the same grade, they were leagues apart as shinobi.

Shino on the other hand… I should be at his level at least.

I should be chunin.

"Yet, here I am with no fugly jacket to show for it. Good thing too as I'd never wear it… It'd just sit in my closet, probs get better use given to someone else."

Silence.

"ARGHHH!" Ino screamed to the top of her lungs, smashing both of her hands down on the table, this time not caring whether or not her hands hurt. Tears started falling allowing anyone in the vicinity to see the insecure crying girl that she usually kept well hidden.

Wiping the snot from her leaky nose on the sleeve of her jumper merely provided brief relief but did not absolve the blond of her thoughts.

How she wished there was someone in the room that she could verbally berate and take her anger out on.

It's not just that I'm a shit kunoichi… She thought to herself, wishing that she had brought a hair tie to the shop. Now that it had been six months since the chunin exams in Konoha where she cut her hair, it was now at the point where it would easily fall in her face.

It's that Sakura has completely surpassed me.

She knew the girl was getting training from the Hokage. The bitch never shuts up about it!

Ino was never one to doubt herself.

Seeing the way her former best friend and enemy in all things love had grown changed that paradigm.

She bossed it

She was THAT girl.

She was HER.

Ever since she entered the academy, Ino knew that she was the queen of the social hierarchy. The only person that came close to challenging her for the throne was Hinata and that was purely by surname.

Ino ran the school like it was wrapped around the palm of her hand. If she wanted something, she could get it… with ease. There were only a select few people who didn't bow down to her.

Sasuke… well because it was Sasuke. She said that as if his name was an answer all in itself. Shika and Choji don't count since they have known me since birth..

Ino paused for a moment, thinking back to her time in the academy and thought about all the other kids and who she couldn't manipulate at the flick of her wrist.

There was only one name that came to mind.

Naruto.

A small smile came on her face, being reminded of the obnoxious ball of energy, leaving a trail of bewilderment in his wake.

I wonder how he is doing on that training trip?

For the briefest moments, Ino allowed herself to think of her fellow graduating blonde and wondering how things were going for him. He definitely leaves an imprint on everyone he touches.

As if a lightbulb was going off in her head, Ino had a revelation.

Why am I thinking about that annoying blonde so much today, when I am the one that failed the chunin exams?

"We are the same." Eyes widened to the point they nearly popped out of their sockets.

Not like personality wise…well actually we are kinda similar if you think about it. Any more thoughts along that topic made the scenario of her dry heaving that much more likely.

Ewww

Of all people to be compared to… Naruto Uzumaki.

She paused on the thought, regaining composure, the sudden clarity briefly alleviating the negative thoughts she had regarding herself.

No, we are the same when it comes to what drives us, our insecurities, albeit for different reasons.

We both want to be remembered, to make a name for ourselves.

To be relevant.

To be valuable to those around us.

To have people care about us.

If her eyes couldn't widen any further, this time her nostrils also flared.

Because we care so much for those close to us.

x-X-x

A doorbell rang breaking the girl out of her revere. Snapping to attention, she smiled and ran over to the entrant.

Ino took a sharp inhalation as panic set in, tapping her fingers on the table as her brain raced. Oh shit. They must be embarrassed that I didn't get promoted.

"Daddy!" She screamed and leapt into his arms with no thought for her wellbeing.

With ease, the Inoichi caught her.

"Not that I am complaining, what's brought this on?" A couple of unspoken questions remained in his mind.

"I'm just grateful to see you, that's all." She smiled, pushing the self destructive thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Anytime dear." Inoichi replied, releasing the hug before making a shadow clone which set off alarm bells in his daughter.

Oh shit.

"Come with me darling." Inoichi stated, looking at the future of the clan firmly. It wasn't a question.

Nodding solemnly, Ino placed her hand in his and let the feeling of the body flicker consume her. Opening her eyes, she found herself, in her father's office above the flower shop. The leather couch did not fill her with confidence one bit.

"I'm feeling so shitty daddy." Ino started off the conversation, her head hanging downwards.

Inoichi nodded. "I can tell. You have been avoiding me the past two days.

Ino went to speak before pausing. "I have." She didn't have the energy to offer more to the conversation. She really wished in that moment her father didn't bring up the topic that she knew he would.

"Look at me Ino." Inoichi placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "What's wrong? Let's talk about it."

Instead of looking at her dad, Ino sighed and looked up at the roof of the room they were in, avoiding eye contact. "I'm a failure." The genin placed her hair behind her ears.

Inoichi halted briefly, taking in the sight of his child. Her hair isn't made, she's avoiding eye contact. Despite the heat in the room, she hasn't wanted to take her jumper off, especially for someone who doesn't normally wear them.

How do I play this?

A couple of different paths came to his head as to how he could go about this conversation.

"You did fail." Inoichi agreed partially causing Ino to whip her head around in breakneck speeds.

"How could you!" she screamed at her father. "I bet you hate me, for not passing. For being an embarrassment to the clan, especially as your heir!" the volume rose, there were fingers being shoved in Inoichi's face and in that moment, he wondered if he was that bad as a kid. Mum did always say I had a flair for the dramatic…

"Not hate. I could never hate you my darling. I'm disappointed though." Inoichi opened up first, sharing his feelings on the matter. He reached out to hold Ino's shoulder as he knew that it would be hard to hear.

Gasp!

A sharp intake of air was quickly followed by tears appearing at the edge of Ino's eyes. "If you had told me, that my daughter, would be the one to graduate last to the rank of chunin despite being tied rookie of the year, I would be shocked and disappointed."

The tears that were threatening to fall broke like a damn as Ino burst into an ugly cry, "guh" pulling her jumper up, she held it to her face, hyperventilating as she processed the information.

"How could you say that!? Don't you care about me at all!?" Ino voice tremored as she shouted in his face, shaking off the hand on her shoulder.

Even as the words were coming out of her mouth, Ino regretted them but couldn't quite hold back. She saw the light in her father's eyes dim, noticing the glaze of unshed tears appear. So used to seeing a smile, instead Ino a look of pain that she had never seen before.

"Quite the opposite." Inoichi tersely commented, hiding the hurt behind his eyes at the accusation levelled to him by his reason to live. "I love you so much that I am willing to have this difficult conversation. It would be easy to ignore what happened, leave you to figure it out yourself." Inoichi sighed, purposefully looking away so that he could regain his composure. Taking a big deep breath, he returned to the conversation.

"But, that would create resentment." He stated as the confidence returned to his voice, firmer than before. "As a family, we pride each other on our honesty and communicating our feelings. I want to help you however I can and to do that, we need to bring everything out in the open."

"You could have waited! Don't you think I already feel like enough of failure! I don't need my fucking father telling me that too! You're no better than Hiashi of the Hyuga clan!" the teenage girl yet again screamed at her father before reaching into her hands and sobbed uncontrollably.

Words came out of Ino's mouth that she wished she could take back, the millisecond they came out. Right before her eyes, a memory that will be forever imprinted, she noticed her father age 10 years.

Fragility was never a word that Ino would associate with her father. He was her rock. He was her everything. Whenever there was a mere minor inconvenience, her dad was the person that she looked for. Now though, she could see his aging face. She could see the humanity, she could see the betrayal etched onto his face.

The image of a god, of a hero she had of her father was taken away. In its place was a person who she had burnt.

And it was all her fault.

It was like the world shut off, Inoichi froze in place, desperate to go back in time and not hear the words spoken.

As much as he wanted to yell back and he truly did, the Yamanaka clan head caught himself.

"Remember why you came here." Inoichi whispered to himself as he closed his eyes, shutting off a sensory input, allowing him to focus on what was necessary, his daughter who was hurting.

Reaching over, the man pulled Ino into his warm arms, securing her in his embrace, only further serving to increase the noise from her wails. "I love you unconditionally. Nothing will ever cause me to see you as a failure." Moreso for himself than Ino, he squeezed tightly, as he scrunched his eyes together, willing the tears away but fighting a losing battle.

Shortly, the crying slowed down before stopping. The girl reached down to her jumper, not caring about the state of it and blew her nose before wiping the droplets from her baby blue eyes.

"But you said…?" Her lower lip quivered with eyes that darted around the room. He could feel her body shaking in his arms. Just being so close, Inoichi pushed his own feelings to the side in the moment. It didn't take him being able to hear the breathing pattern to know that she was hyperventilating.

"I said that you failed. I never said that you are a failure." The pause in the air was deafening. The seconds of silence felt like an eternity.

For the first time since the conversation went tense, Ino's curious eyes drifted back to Inoichi's seeing the smile on his face. Taking it in for a couple of seconds, she returned of her own, reaching into the cuddle and squeezing tightly. Taking a big deep breath, Ino released it, breathing out a lot of the negative headspace she was in, allowing herself the freedom to explore her emotions.

Slightly unsure of trusting her own voice, the teen went to speak a couple of times only to stop. Her brow furred and her eyes locked on whilst she sounded out her words, seeing whether they fit her emotions.

"I'm scared daddy."

Inoichi's default, subconscious response was to squeeze to near uncomfortable levels. Glancing through the window, he saw the bright sunny day, with no cloud in sight. As much as he knew it was a fantasy, there was nothing more Inoichi wanted than to remove any negative feelings Ino had. "Scared of what Honey?" He questioned, keeping his focus on the window to allow Ino to sound out her feelings without the pressure of direct eye contact.

Grateful for the hand rubbing her back, Ino emboldened, continued to flesh out the emotions she was going through. "I'm scared of being a nobody, of being forgotten about." She admitted with a sigh as she then locked her fingers and cracked her knuckles. Ever so slightly a small smile appeared on her face.

Shifting his focus from the window, it seemed like the light from outside was shining on his daughter the way he thought it did.

Like a lightbulb going off in his head, Inoichi pieced together all of the information he knew about his daughter, making connections all over the place, bringing everything under the one banner. How did I not see this before? That makes perfect sense!

Bravely, she felt the words on the tip of her tongue, feeling confident to speak up. "I am afraid of being left behind. I see Shikamaru and Choji both getting promoted." As every word came out, Ino felt more and more confident in speaking.

Breaking the hug her father had on her caused Inoichi to raise his eyebrows, curious to see what happened next. "I'm noticing Sakura doing really well, under the guidance of the Hokage and it scares the shit out of me!" Her voice rose, finding its rightful place once more, loud, brash and most of all, upmost confidence.

Making her way over to the window, Ino took in the village. "All my life, I've been that girl! This has been my village to run!"

The father couldn't help but chuckle and notice his cheeks straining due to the size of the smile taking over. Relaxed shoulders unwound, allowing for a sense of ease to develop, knowing that everything was going to be good, fantastic even.

Seeing the beautiful sunlight shine down, radiating off his daughter, pride enveloped Inoichi. Spinning around, Ino soon mirrored the facial expression, it was infectious. Goosebumps started forming as the small hairs stood up to attention. It wasn't cold.

The near vibrations coming off her body were on the verge of becoming visible. The energy filling the room was becoming contagious. "I owned the academy. If I wanted something, I got it."

Pacing around, a familiar smirk that Inoichi had seen all too often appeared.

"I used to be Queen Bitch."

"Then do it." Inoichi broke the musings of his daughter, garnering all of her attention.

"Be that HER, be that girl." Inoichi reached up and grabbing the hair tie to his ponytail, sashaying as he flicked his head, causing the hair to follow suit, letting the bangs frame his jawline.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

"HAHAHAHAH"

Collapsing to the floor with a dull thud, the teenager cackled to herself, struggling to comprehend what she had just committed to memory.

The visage of her father being a dramatic teenager was not going away anytime soon.

"Hahahahahah. OH MY GOD." She laughed, processing what had just happened.

Triumph and delight surged through Inoichi, the vibrant sound of laughter filling the room was the best symphony he had ever heard. The silly gesture allowed for a warm, heart warming sensation on the verge of overflowing. The sense of accomplishment in making his daughter laugh with pure, unadulterated joy… nothing could have ruined his mood in that moment.

Still got it. Inoichi thought to himself, closing his eyes ever so slightly as he pursed his lips and nodded.

Literally, minutes later, Ino slowly came back to the world of consciousness, regaining awareness for the room and those that were in it. Seeing her father again, still with his hair down only served to send her to the land of giggles.

"In all seriousness Ino" Inoichi paused, letting silence fill the room as he redirected the conversation. "What's stopping you from being… as you said 'that bitch' again?" Inoichi grimaced as the word came out of his mouth. He wasn't the biggest fan of swearing but if it helped his daughter than he would be willing to overlook it.

Allowing for the cogs to turn and the wheels to spin, Inoichi continued speaking. "What's stopping you from becoming the girl who can command a room the second she walks in like you were at the academy?"

"Let's be really honest with one another." Inoichi pressed on, causing Ino to wince in anticipation. "You achieved everything that you did during your time at the academy without even trying."

A small breath was released as Ino heard her father speak. Coulda been worse I spose.

"You spent your entire time chasing dick and you were still able to become the tied rookie of the year." Laughter ensued, never expecting her father to use language quite like that. That is until a look of shame came over her face, processing the words.

"You're right. I spent so much time focusing on Sasuke." Looking down at her hands, in that moment, Ino regretted how much time she spent focusing on the Uchiha, wishing she spent at least a quarter of that focused on herself.

"That changes now Ino." Inoichi said firmly, purposefully both elevating and deepening voice whilst folding his hands across his ribcage. Right away, the teenager heard the shift in tone from her father. Feeling the shift in the air, Inoichi knew that now was the right time.

"For too long, you have been to caught up in whether or not a boy likes you." It didn't take a rocket scientist to work out who he was referring to. Ino had the grace to at least blush and appear admonished.

"Just imagine baby… You achieved being rookie of the year without trying, being so concerned about appearances and boys." Inoichi allowed for a silence to permeate the air, emphasising what he was about to say next. "Imagine what you could achieve by actually trying?"

Once more, he allowed for a silence to fill the room, giving Ino the space to focus and challenge the thought he had given her.

He could see the genuine smile appearing, he saw how her eyes moved, he could feel how much brain activity was going on. The silence was there for two minutes as Ino allowed herself time to think.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Ino became bashful. "I don't know what exactly I would be able to achieve, but I'd like to find out daddy."

Inoichi smiled and walked over to his firstborn. "Darling. I know what you'll be able to achieve." He said with the upmost confidence. Grabbing her shoulders, he forced Ino to stare into his eyes.

"You'll become the biggest nightmare Konoha has ever produced." Ino could feel the confidence emanating from her father. It filled her with calmness, knowing that she would always have this support system giving her the freedom to go big.

Bringing her hand up to her hair, she raked it through, mimicking the body language her father displayed recently. Smiling with genuine sincerity, she spoke. "I prefer the term Psychopath myself."

Reaching in, Inoichi pulled his daughter into a deep embrace, allowing the silence of the room to fill the gaps. No words were needed to be spoken.

"Thank you for everything daddy. I love you."

The emptiness in his heart was long gone.

Kids…

A wiry smile came over. "You're going to cause me to get grey hairs you know…"

"What do you mean?" the teen asked, ever so innocently. "You already have them" and as she said this, she reached up, grabbing one of the strands.

Immediately, Inoichi got defensive. "No I don't!" breaking off the hug, he inspected the hair follicle his daughter illuded to. A crease soon followed in one corner of his mouth as he rolled his eyes. Shortly thereafter, laughter filled the room much to his pretend annoyance.

A look of uncertainty appeared. "Do you think I can catch up?" Ino questioned, dragging her foot on the ground, the reality of the situation dawning on her and how far behind she was.

"Come sit back down honey." Inoichi motioned, pleased to see that there was no hesitation.

"The greatest privilege you can have in the world, is not talent, is not some kind of bloodline." Inoichi shook his head, happy that Ino was giving him all of her attention. "No, the greatest privilege you can have in life is your mindset." He paused, allowing his message to sink in.

"What good is having all the talent and bloodlines in the world but you are depressed or so anxious that don't do anything?"

The cogs were turning and Inoichi could see the information being processed.

"And in your case, what happened to you at the chunin exams could be the best thing that ever happened to you!" Inoichi confidently stated, already having come to that conclusion.

"Huh, how so?" She curiously questioned, trying to get on the same wavelength.

"Listen to me Ino. The strongest motivation is never a goal that you are running towards like becoming the Hokage." Immediately, Ino's mind went to Naruto, purely due to the amount of times that he wouldn't shut up about becoming the Hokage.

Then she thought about her own motivations when it came to being a ninja. I've never really had a desire to train or put effort in… Dad's logic checks out.

"No, the best motivation is the one you are running from."

"Are you going to allow yourself to be forgotten as those around you succeed? As Shikamaru and Choji become the leaders of their clans? As Sakura becomes the second coming of Tsunade?"

Anger filled Ino. "Are you reading my mind?"

A dry stare was what she got in return. "It doesn't take a genius to know what is going through your mind."

She sighed, still grateful for the hug. "I'm sorry daddy." Taking another breath, Ino thought on the conversation that had just transpired. Eyes widened. "I am really sorry! You're nothing like Hiashi." Guilt weighed on Ino's shoulders as she couldn't even face her dad. Looking down at the ground, she felt another wave of emotion. The weight of what she had earlier now truly dawning on her.

"I know." Inoichi said quietly. Still, the remnants remained.

A stillness filled the air. Both parties felt drained yet inspired. They sat their in the silence, appreciating the moment for what it was, a father daughter bonding moment.

Surrounded by the embrace of her father's side hug, the Yamanaka princess made a vow. It was a promise to herself, to her father and to her future. It was a promise to grow, to inspire, to challenge herself and become the best kunoichi she could be.

If she happened to find love along the way, all the better.

x-X-x