AN: Hello Everyone!
If this is your first time reading my works, thanks for taking the time to check it out.
If you are familiar with me through my other works, I hope I surprised you with a non-ASOIAF Fanfic!
As for why I am writing this, I have hit a very bad writer's block, as I am sure my usual audience knows I get cursed with. One reason for this, I believe, is because it is very easy for me to come up with new story ideas, but continuing them takes far more effort. I have outlines for most of my stories, some of which are near what I envision as the end point, but actually filling those out into chapters, when combined with changes in my work (new hours I need to get used to) and life (My sister is making me an Uncle in January!) can make me feel like I make zero progress on these stories.
Also, new laptop, which apparently no longer has my old Microsoft subscription that gave me Word that I would transfer from when I write on Google Drive, so that will be annoying trying to use a different method of posting these on here.
So, I figured I'd do a clean slate change to help clear my mind,and here we are. For now, this will just be a one shot, but if I can perhaps get to a point of actually making progress on one of my existing stories, then I can continue this.
Naruto has always been very close to my heart. And in many ways, it may be why I began writing Fanfics. I first made this account and posted my first fanfic (King of Thrones, a Yu-Gi-Oh ASOIAF Fusion Fic, if any new readers are curious) when I was in college. But over ten years earlier, I can recall pacing around the playground, imagining what it would be like if the characters of Ed Edd and Eddy learned how to be Ninjas like Naruto. I can't remember the actual stories themselves, and I never wrote them down, but in many ways, those days pacing and just letting my imagination run wild with ideas like that are what started me on the journey that would eventually lead me to learning that Fanfiction was an actual thing and not just something weird only I do.
So now that I got that decent size diatribe out of the way for now, sit back, and I hope you enjoy the journey.
YAMANAKA INO
YAMANAKA RESIDENCE
ONE MONTH BEFORE THE START OF THE ACADEMY
Ino awoke at the first ring of her clock. Not that it was particularly hard. She had hardly slept at all. Today was a big day.
The day she would take her first step to being a proper member of the Yamanaka clan.
She should have done it weeks ago, but an urgent mission had taken her father across the Land of Fire. He had returned last night, right before she fell asleep, and promised that today would be the day he teaches her the Mind Transfer Jutsu!
She happily jumped out of bed and put on her outfit for the day. Just a green shirt and shorts. She didn't want to risk getting any of her good clothes too dirty.
Once she was ready for the day, she rushed downstairs, where she saw her mother making breakfast.
Yamanaka Kaiyo turned to see her daughter come down the stairs and smiled at her.
"I see someone is excited for today." She said as she set the table.
Ino simply grinned as she jumped into the chair she usually sat on.
Moments later, her father emerged from the hall. He was clearly exhausted, but he put a smile on his face for his family.
"Good morning to the two greatest ladies in Konoha!" He said as he sat in his own chair.
"Flattery won't get you out of teaching Ino like you promised." Kaiyo said as she put the last plate on the table and sat down herself.
Looks like today's breakfast was Tamagoyaki.
Inoichi widened his eyes. "I would never go back on a promise to her! It's just there's been so many important missions, especially since Kumo's been upping their border defenses even after the treaty. And then there is Lord Danzo, recommending that he take Fu under his own personal tutelage…"
He turned to his daughter. "But don't worry dear! Today it will be just you and me."
"Ino, better eat quickly, before your father blabs about any more classified information." Kaiyo said, causing Inoichi to choke on his water.
Kaiyo took his flustered reaction as an invitation to continue. "I'm just saying dear, you have been taking so many missions, I'm afraid you're missing out on other things. You were supposed to teach Ino how to mold chakra, but I had to do it myself, otherwise today wouldn't even be possible."
Ino smiled as she remembered feeling her chakra for the first time. It was hard to focus at first, but it made her feel so strong when she did succeed.
After clearing his throat, Inoichi turned to his daughter. "In any case, make sure to fill up. We may miss lunch, and you'll need as much energy as you can get."
With her mouth full, Ino simply nodded.
Inoichi turned back to his wife. "So, has anything else interesting happened in the village while I was away?"
Kaiyo thought to herself for a moment. "Oh, there was one thing. That Uzumaki boy appears to be making a name for himself among the store owners."
Inoichi raised an eyebrow. "Really? In what way?"
"Pranks." Kaiyo explained. "I suppose it is to be expected, what with how they can hardly mask their contempt for him. I'm just glad that he is not using…"
Kaiyo spared a glance at Ino, who seemed more focused on the juice in her cup than the conversation.
"Not using more… violent methods of lashing out." She finished.
UZUMAKI NARUTO
MARKET STREET
"Get back here you brat!" The shopkeeper yelled before tripping due to the paint in his eyes.
Naruto turned and continued to run backwards, sticking his tongue out at the merchant that kicked him out.
The Third had just given him his monthly allowance, so for once Naruto actually had enough money to afford the prices on the signs. But the merchant wouldn't even look at the Ryo in Naruto's hands before grabbing him by the neck and tossing him outside.
As far as Naruto could tell, the chef at the Ramen Stand near his apartment was the only one who actually liked him. Even when the other stores did let him buy stuff, they always looked at him with such hatred or fear he could not understand.
Even the parents of the kids he played with looked so scared when they saw their kids being nice to him. He had yet to play with the same kid twice.
So, partially to vent, but mainly to punish this jerk, Naruto returned a few minutes later with a balloon filled with orange paint and tossed it right in the merchant's face.
Thus leading to the current chase.
Naruto stopped while he was far ahead, but could still keep eyes on the merchant. People who were in the middle of their shopping had stopped to witness the sight.
One older kid with black hair moved to help the man stand back up. Naruto noticed a Konoha headband on his head. He also had some kind of white symbol on his back. What was that, a fan?
The Merchant wiped the paint from his eyes and saw the boy helping him. "Hey, you're a Genin right? I'll give you 20,000 Ryo to grab that Brat and bring him back here!"
Naruto gulped. An elderly merchant, he was confident he could outrun. An actual Shinobi? That would be harder.
The black haired boy looked at Naruto, then after a moment looked back at the merchant. "Apologies Sir, but I believe it would be unfair to my squadmates to undertake such a lucrative job without them."
The boy bowed as the merchant began to yell. Naruto took this opportunity to get further away.
Naruto thought about just running back to his apartment, but if the merchant found another Shinobi who wanted an easy pay day, that would be the first place they would look.
"Hey you! I'll pay 25,000 Ryo if you grab that damn kid!" The Merchant yelled at another Shinobi, who was just exiting a bar, clearly drunk.
'Well that was fast.' Naruto thought to himself.
Perhaps hiding in one of the many forested areas of the village would be a good idea. At least until anyone looking for him would get tired.
Naruto turned and ran towards the forest.
INO
FOREST CLEARING
"Bend your fingers a bit more." Inoichi told his daughter.
Ino did as her father suggested, bending her pointer and middle finger slightly more.
"Remember, left fingers should] be below the right. You want to just barely feel your nails touching the tips of your fingers." Inoichi said.
Ino flipped her fingers into the correct formation.
"Alright then, now that you've got the hand sign right, now we look for your first target." Inoichi explained to his daughter. "It's true that as a Kunoichi, you will largely be using this technique on people, but it's a clan tradition to use animals for the first time."
"...Is that why we all have 'Boar' in our name?" Ino asked with a sweatdrop.
Inoichi just chuckled at his daughter's remark. "Don't worry. No boars in this part of the forest at least. I was thinking we could grab something simple like a squirrel or a mouse. I'll restrain it so you have a clear shot. I brought just the tools for the job."
Ino smiled. She was so close to doing her first Jutsu. And she got to spend time with her dad. Ino wondered if the day would have any other exciting events in store for her.
As they were about to leave the clearing and enter into the forest proper, Inoichi suddenly put his hand on Ino's back and shoved her to the ground.
Before Ino could even yell, she heard a thud. Looking in that direction, she saw a Shuriken sticking out of the tree she was just passing.
"GET BACK HERE DAMN BRAT!" A voice called out. Ino turned and saw a young blonde boy around her own age being chased by an older man with a Shinobi headband. The older man had another Shuriken in his hands and was trying to aim for the boy.
And the boy was running right towards Ino and her father.
Inoichi wasted no time. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a pair of tools Ino had seen him prepare.
They were a pair of Bolas.
With practiced precision, Inoichi threw both bolas at both the young boy and the Shinobi. Both wrapped around their target's legs, and restrained both the pursued and pursuer.
Inoichi ran up to the Shinobi and pinned him to the ground before he had a chance to stand up.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING! NOT ONLY ARE YOU AIMING A SHURIKEN AT A CIVILIAN CHILD, YOU ALMOST HIT MY DAUGHTER. I'LL HAVE LORD THIRD BUST YOU BACK DOWN TO THE ACADEMY! ARE YOU DRUNK?!"
He emphasised each sentence with his fist hitting the Shinobi's nose.
As Ino watched her father explode at the Shinobi, she turned her attention to the young boy.
She vaguely recognized him. He was the Uzumaki boy. She had seen him at the park and other places, but she'd never played with him herself.
'Mom said he was causing trouble in the market recently.' Ino thought.
Looks like he was about to be punished for it.
Uzumaki, seeing he wasn't the focus of Inoichi's rage, looked at his restrained legs and attempted to untie the Bolas.
Ino was about to yell to her father that the boy was going to get away, but she stopped. Instead, she made the hand sign her father had just taught her.
After all, how proud would he be if she succeeded in stopping a troublemaker with her very first use of the family Jutsu?
"Ino, is Naruto alri- INO!" Inoichi said as he stopped punching the drunk Shinobi and turned to look at the kids. Instead he saw his daughter ready to perform the family technique on the one person she should never use it on.
"Shintenshin no Jutsu!" Ino yelled with a smile as she pointed the hand sign at Naruto, who looked at her in confusion.
"NOOO!" Inoichi yelled as he saw his daughter's body go limp.
NARUTO
?
"What the…" Naruto said as he felt his consciousness spin around.
Whatever this was, it was weird. He looked around, trying to get his bearings, but none of it made sense.
Moments ago, he had been running through the forest, hightailing it out of the streets of Konoha when he realized that drunken idiot was actually throwing Shuriken at him, yet now he laid in a puddle inside some sort of sewer.
"Uzumaki!" A voice yelled, causing Naruto to turn around. In front of him was the yellow haired girl who was staring up at him after he'd been tripped. The last thing he remembered was her doing that weird hand sign and yelling…
"Hey, what did you do to me?!" Naruto stood up and pointed at the girl. "You did something to me, and now we ended up here!"
The girl stomped her foot down, causing the puddle to splash up. "Hey! You were the one interrupting my training with my Dad! And I heard my mom say you were making trouble in the market earlier! I figured you did it again and were running to escape your punishment."
"Those jerks deserved it." Naruto said before sighing. "So where are we anyway? You did some sort of Jutsu to send us here right?"
The girl looked around, just as confused as Naruto. "I… I don't know. This isn't what my Jutsu is supposed to do. I should be controlling your body like it was mine. I should be seeing out of your eyes. Not talking with you directly."
Naruto looked around. Besides the pipes and the pool of water, the only other thing of note was some sort of gate. It looked like a door to a cage, went all the way to the ceiling, and had a single piece of paper with some writing Naruto couldn't make out.
"Could we be… Inside your mind?" The girl asked as she struck a thinking pose. "Do you think about sewers a lot for some reason, Uzumaki?"
"I hid in one last week after my first prank, but not exactly my favorite place." Naruto said. "This one at least smells better than the real thing. And the name is Naruto."
It felt weird being called by his last name.
"Ino." The girl said. "Yamanaka Ino."
"...You don't look much like a pig." Naruto said.
"It's a family theme." Ino said with a sweatdrop.
Naruto shrugged. "So… How do we get out of here?"
"If it's really just because of my Jutsu, we should be able to leave once it wears off in a few minutes." Ino explained. "But if not, then my Dad should save us. He is great at entering other people's minds."
Naruto nodded before Ino continued. "Although… It is weird he hasn't already come in by now."
Ino crouched down and hugged her knees before letting out a groan. "Did I really mess the family Jutsu up that badly? I'll never be considered a Yamanaka at this rate..."
A moment later, Naruto could hear the unmistakable sound of crying.
Naruto didn't really know what to say. Normally he was the one who was sad, and the Third Hokage would try to cheer him up whenever the old man stopped by. What was he supposed to say in this situation?
'Well, I do want to be Hokage. So I should probably act like him.' Naruto thought, half expecting his thoughts to be audible, as they were technically inside his mind already.
"H-hey… I'm sure it's not that bad." He said, trying to cheer her up, but he could fear his own insecurity leaking into his words. "Jiji always tells me that the day will come when I look back on problems I thought were big and realize they were actually small. I'm sure once we get out of here, you'll master that Jutsu in no time!"
Ino was clearly still upset with her failure, but she at least stood back up. A small smile was forced on her face.
Both children could tell the other was trying to be strong for the other. It was so ridiculous they both ended up bursting into laughter.
The levity lasted perhaps ten seconds.
A chill rushed over both children, causing their laughter to cease as a red light emanated from behind the gate.
Neither of them would be able to associate a specific word with what they currently felt until years later.
Death.
"So Brat… We finally meet. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting this till years later. You're just full of surprises aren't you? I can respect that, if nothing else."
The Voice grunted, and the red glow suddenly had a red eye as well. One that went from staring at Naruto, before suddenly shifting its gaze to Ino.
"What's this? You brought me a snack!? Well Brat, I'm impressed! Looks like you do know how to make a good first impression! She's a bit on the small side, but you're young, so I won't hold that against you. What's the human saying? It's the thought that counts!"
It was at that moment that Ino's legs gave out. She fell down on her back, and did little to fight against her instinct to crawl as far away from The Voice as possible.
An evil laugh echoes through the sewer as whatever The Voice was hurled itself against the Gate, causing the whole area to shake like an earthquake.
"Come closer Child! It'll be much more fun for one of us if you were on this side! Oh to taste human flesh again! It's been far too long, and those Gold and Silver brothers didn't exactly go down easy in the first place! But I'm sure you will be much more delectable!"
The Voice laughed even more as Ino's back reached the wall. She could hardly think. She just needed to get as far away as possible.
"Hey You!" Naruto called out. He didn't know what this thing was, or why it was inside of his mind, but he wasn't going to just let it scare them like that. Even as his own legs shook, he yelled.
"You think you're so tough? Why don't you come out here then! I'll beat you in one blow! You're looking at the future Hokage!"
"Hokage! Do not speak to me of being Hokage you weakling! Or perhaps… Have you not figured out who I am?" The voice let out another deep laugh.
"Behold child. The source of your torment! The reason no one in the village will ever accept you!"
Through the bars in the gate, large orange tails shot through.
"One, Two, Three…" Ino counted barely loud enough for Naruto to hear. "...Nine. Nine Tails."
"Kyubi." Naruto said as both of them realized just what was behind the gate.
The tails retracted back behind the gate, only for one of the Kyubi's Claws to strike the gate, causing the sewer to shake once more.
"Know this Brat! If not for this seal, I would lay waste to you and this whole village that has kept me trapped! You may think the villagers hate you, but rest assured, my own hatred makes theirs look like love! But I consider myself generous. See this paper on the gate? All I ask is that you rip it off. I swear I will leave you alone as a reward for your service. And I will even punish the whole village that refuses to accept you. All you need do is rip off one little paper, and all your problems will be solved."
Naruto, still gripped in fear of the beast that had required the Fourth Hokage to defeat, made no move to follow the Fox's demands. Instead, he looked at Ino.
Ino met his eyes. She was scared. But not of him. It may have been the first time Naruto saw fear not be directed at him.
"Enough!" Suddenly, a man appeared. Naruto recognized him as the man who was with Ino in the forest. It must have been her father.
Without giving the Fox a moment to gloat, Ino's father grabbed both Ino and Naruto by their clothing.
The next thing Naruto knew, his eyes were opening.
He was laying on the ground, his feet still tangled up by whatever was thrown at him.
"Ino?" Naruto rolled over, looking for the girl he had met in his mind.
He saw her in her father's arms.
Ino was sobbing uncontrollably, as if she had never cried before.
"I'm sorry." Her father said. "I had to prepare myself for whatever was in there, else I would not have been able to grab you. Just moving in the presence of the Kyubi took everything I had. I'm sorry I took so long."
Minutes passed with the only sound being Ino's sobs. Her father held onto her the entire time.
'Is that what having a parent feels like?' Naruto thought to himself as he did nothing but watched. Every sound Ino made just made him hurt.
Whatever had happened, it was clear it was his fault. Her sobs were because he had caused her to be hurt.
Eventually, she ran out of air.
Her father held her still, and finally turned to Naruto.
"I'm sorry Naruto-Kun, but we all need to go to the Hokage's office. He is expecting us."
Ino's dad pulled out a kunai and freed Naruto's legs. The three of them left the drunken Shinobi on the ground, clearly unconscious.
SARUTOBI HIRUZEN
HOKAGE'S OFFICE
Hiruzen looked wistfully at the portraits hanging above the entrance to the office. The portraits of his predecessors and successor.
'Sensei, Hashirama-Sama, Minato-san, how would you have handled this situation?' Hiruzen thought mournfully as he turned his attention to the three blondes standing in front of him.
This day has been quite busy so far. On top of the mountain of his usual work, one of the Academy instructors had stopped by to inform him that Fugaku Uchiha had requested that Sasuke be removed from the list of students enrolled to start at the Academy next month. No doubt a sign of just how frayed the relationship with the Uchiha was becoming. He had just been preparing to head to the Uchiha's section of Konoha when Inoichi had sent him the alert about what had happened during young Ino's training.
The Uchiha issue would not be resolved in a single meeting, but this new development was of utmost importance.
Inoichi stood behind the two children, allowing fear to dominate his face, shamed that his inaction caused his daughter so much harm.
Ino herself stared more at the floor, occasionally glancing both at Naruto and Hiruzen himself.
Naruto sat silently, waiting patiently for Hiruzen to give an explanation.
Naruto's uncharacteristic silence was what ripped Hiruzen's heart the most.
"Lord Third," Inoichi began with a deep bow. "I take full responsibility for everything that happened. I let my anger get the best of me when I should have simply secured Naruto myself. I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit."
Hiruzen raised his hand, signaling that Inoichi could end his bow. "Yamanaka-san, I would likely have done the same thing if Asuma or Sandayu were in Ino's position. I think it would be best that instead of assigning blame, we focus on repairing the damage done for this accident."
Hiruzen then turned to the two young children.
"Naruto-kun, Ino-chan, I understand you just experienced something no one your age should ever have to experience. But if we just try to ignore it, it will just fester and grow. So I have decided to instead give you the whole story." Hiruzen said after a moment. He let his words hang in the air, waiting for the children to respond.
Naruto was the first to speak. "Was that… was that the real Kyubi?"
It was the most obvious question, but still one that Hiruzen took a moment to consider how to answer.
"It was. The story you have heard, how the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to kill the Kyubi… It is only half right. The Kyubi is essentially a giant pool of living chakra with a physical form. There is no known way to permanently kill it. Even had he been vanquished back then, by now he would have returned to a physical form. But what the Kyubi can not escape from is being sealed away, so that it can harm no one. That is what the Fourth did to protect the village. At the cost of his own life, he sealed the Kyubi away, using the single strongest seal known to the village. That way he ensured it would never again harm this village, or any other."
"And he sealed it… Inside me?" Naruto asked. "Why?"
Hiruzen had always planned on revealing Naruto's parentage and the Kyubi at the same time. But for now, it was clear such information would only do more harm to Naruto's psyche than good.
"Normally, seals are used to place items inside other items. This is true. But the Kyubi was simply too powerful. Had he been sealed in a scroll or a box, his power would eventually overwhelm the seal. But a child? A child grows and gets stronger. And as the child grows, so will the seal. The Fourth took you, a child that had been born perhaps an hour earlier, and sealed it inside of you. Even now, with as much growing as you have left to do, the Kyubi is incapable of escaping."
Hiruzen took a long smoke of his pipe while he let Naruto process the information.
"Also, Inoichi told me of the offer that the Kyubi made to you. He overheard it while entering your mind. And you must know, the Kyubi was lying. You could have ripped his seal off, freeing him, but you would not have been spared. Or rather, the process of releasing him would have killed you without him having to harm you himself. As long as you live, we need not worry about the Kyubi at all."
"Is that all he is meant to be?" Ino spoke up for the first time. "A prison for the creature that tried to destroy our Village?"
Hiruzen was glad that Ino was not completely silent. No doubt with her father's help, she would make a full recovery from the trauma she had endured.
"It was the wish of the Fourth, that Naruto be regarded as the hero who saved the village." Hiruzen began. "The Fourth viewed Naruto as the true hero of the night, while he was simply the one who put things into motion. Naruto, Ino… If nothing else, know that it was not a decision he made lightly. Had there been any other way to protect Konoha, he would have taken it in a heartbeat."
Hiruzen expected Naruto to speak up next, but Ino beat him to it.
"So if Naruto is supposed to be seen as a hero, why isn't he?" Ino asked. "The Kyubi mentioned that everyone hates him."
Hiruzen sighed. "After the attack five years ago, I had made Naruto's status top secret, known only to those who had fought the Kyubi or been informed by the Fourth directly. But someone ended up leaking the information while we were still focusing on recovering from the attack. By the time I learned of the leak, it had spread to nearly half of Konoha. So I instead issued a decree that would punish anyone who spoke about the Kyubi to those not already informed. Mainly, your generation. It was my hope that this would allow Naruto to grow up without being stigmatized by those he would be growing up with."
He turned to look at Naruto directly. "Yet, I noticed that it was not working. Even if the children do not know the reason, they see the fear and hatred their parents hold for Naruto, and that causes them to feel the same way. It was my wish that once his Academy year starts up, that seeing Naruto in person would counteract any second hand rumors and accountings that caused such negative views in the first place."
Hiruzen then bowed his head to the children. Something that definitely took them both by surprise.
"Regardless, I must ask you two to also abide by the law. Please do not tell anyone else in your generation. I know it may be a lot to ask for your silence, but I truly believe it is for the best."
After a moment, both children nodded in agreement.
Hiruzen let out a sigh. "If either of you have any further questions, please ask them."
Hiruzen waited several minutes, but neither child asked anything else.
Nodding, Hiruzen stood up. "Should either of you think of any, know that the door to my office is always open. But for now, there are other things that I must do. Forgive me, but I will personally check in on both of you when I can."
Hiruzen turned to Inoichi. "Once they are ready to leave, please escort Naruto home."
Inoichi nodded, and with that Hiruzen walked out of the office, stopping to look at Minato's portrait once again.
'Forgive me for not revealing everything.' He prayed to his brief successor. 'But the time is simply not right for Naruto to know everything.
INO
YAMANAKA RESIDENCE
THE NEXT DAY
Ino's alarm rang next to her, letting her know she had not slept a wink all night.
Instead of dreams, she had reviewed her memories. Remembered the words that the Kyubi had spoken. Going over each one in her mind. Some of them stood out to her more than others.
'The reason no one in the village will ever accept you!'
'You may think the villagers hate you, but rest assured, my own hatred makes theirs look like love!'
She then remembered the Hokage's words.
'It was the wish of the Fourth, that Naruto be regarded as the hero who saved the village.'
She tried to remember the times she had seen Naruto herself before yesterday. She had seen him in the park playing with kids a few times. But when she tried to think back and compare, she realized she never really saw him with the same kids more than once. There were some kids that Ino herself either refused to be with after one meeting, or who her parents warned her to stay away from because they thought they would be a bad influence on her. But to never talk with the same kid more than once?
Just how lonely would that be?
Ino was friends with some kids around the village, and she had her mom and dad. She also tolerated Shikamaru and Choji whenever their dads came over to visit, but she didn't really consider them friends. But she still knew them well enough to know they would help her if she needed it. Even if Shikamaru complained while helping her.
But Naruto, he had none of that. He seemed to have Lord Third, but he was the Hokage. He couldn't be with Naruto whenever he needed someone.
Finally growing annoyed by her alarm, Ino turned it off and got out of bed. She was still tired, but that she could deal with later.
She got dressed and went downstairs. She heard her parents talking, but could not make out the exact words.
"Hello darling!" Kaiyo said happily upon seeing Ino, her smile clearly forced just as it was when she learned about what had happened yesterday.
Kaiyo wanted to do whatever it took to help her daughter get over her trauma.
One look at Inoichi's face confirmed he held the same desire
Perhaps that would let Ino do what she had planned…
"Hey mom? Is it okay if I invite a friend over for lunch?" Ino asked.
Her parents shared a quick look. Ino knew they were probably using one of the more advanced Yamanaka Jutsu to talk with each other. She wondered when she would get to learn that one.
Probably not for a while, seeing how she had made such a mistake with just the Mind Transfer.
"Of course you can, dear!." Kaiyo told her daughter with that forced smile.
"But lunch isn't for a while." Inoichi said. "Come on, let's have breakfast first."
Kaiyo nodded. "Let's eat. I made your favorite!"
Ino sat down at the table, and saw her mother had prepared an omelette practically drowning in cherry tomatoes.
'Mom must have bought a lot of eggs.' Ino said, remembering the Tamagoyaki from yesterday. Though even that felt like so long ago.
"So Ino," Kaiyo asked as she started eating her own breakfast. "What do you think we should do for lunch?"
Ino thought it over, but gave up after a minute. "I'll ask them what they like. Hopefully something you can make quick. But I suppose I can give them a tour of the house while we wait."
"Sounds like a good idea, Ino." Inoichi said. "So this friend, you do know where they live right? Or do you want me to go grab them myself?"
Ino shook her head. "I know where they live."
After all, they had just been there last night.
NARUTO
HIS RESIDENCE
Naruto laid on his bed and put his hand over his stomach. For perhaps the twentieth time today. He had hardly slept at all, just stared at the ceiling, thinking about what his stomach actually was.
The prison for the Kyubi.
He thought back on all the adults in the village who had stared at him with such hatred.
As far back as he could remember, he would always look them in the eye and ask himself why they did it.
Was it because he was an orphan?
Because he was alone?
No.
It was because they looked at him and saw a monster.
And now that Naruto had seen it himself, he could understand their hatred.
Jiji had said that the point of keeping it secret was so that other kids would judge Naruto as himself instead of as the Kyubi.
Would that actually work though?
He had seen Ino's scared face in his mind. Heard her sobs once they were safe.
At the time, they had not been directed at him, but at the overgrown fox directly. But would that always be the case? Now that they were outside of his mind, when Ino looked at him in the Academy, would all she think about is what was inside of him?
Was there really any hope that Jiji's wish would become reality? Or was it inevitable that everyone in Konoha would look at him the same way they do now, no matter what he tried to do?
Naruto covered his face with his hands.
He was never any good at thinking too hard.
A knock at the door took Naruto out of his mind and back into reality.
'Who could be knocking for me?' Naruto thought.
The Landlord had come yesterday when Jiji had dropped off Naruto's allowance. Did he think that the Kyubi deserved a rent increase?
It didn't sound like Jiji's usual knock, and Naruto also knew he was too busy being Hokage to spend too much time with him, no matter how much he wished for it.
Who else would have a reason to come see him?
Naruto walked over to the door and opened it. Seeing Ino on the other side of it was the last thing he expected.
"...Ino? What are you doing here?" Naruto started, but seeing her just made him think about yesterday all over again. "...Listen, about yesterday…"
Ino stuck her finger in Naruto's face, getting him to be quiet.
"May I come in?" She asked.
Naruto was unsure of what to say for a second. "Uh, yeah, come on in."
Ino stepped through the door, and began to take her shoes off.
"You don't have to if you don't want to." Naruto offered. He never really went anywhere that doing that was required, so it was weird to see someone do it in his home.
Naruto had expected Ino to sit down somewhere, but instead she looked around. She went up the stool Naruto had in the kitchen to look in the cabinets and saw they were basically empty.
Naruto briefly recalled that he had decided to prank that merchant before going to get any food to take home. It seemed so long ago now.
Ino turned to look at Naruto directly.
"Come with me." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"...Huh?" Naruto was confused.
Ino sighed and covered her face with her hand. "You have no food in your apartment. So you are coming home with me!"
"What?" Naruto said in shock as Ino grabbed his arm and dragged him out of his apartment.
"So, what is your favorite meal?" Ino asked him even as she ran down the street.
"Ramen." Naruto found himself answering automatically. "But… Ino, why are you doing this?"
That caused Ino to slow down, but not stop. She turned back to look at Naruto, a smile on her face.
"Because… Us blondes have to stick together!" She said with a laugh.
INOICHI
YAMANAKA RESIDENCE
"N-Naruto." Inoichi said in surprise as his daughter revealed who she had chosen for their lunch guest.
"...Uh, Hello Yamanaka-san." The blonde boy said nervously even as Ino brought him into her house.
"Take off your shoes Naruto-kun." Ino said. "Just leave them by the door."
"Uh, right." Naruto said as he took off his sandals.
As Ino gave Naruto instructions on how to act as a guest, Inoichi looked at Kaiyo. He made a quick hand sign for the Mind Body Transmission Jutsu.
'I was expecting her to bring one of the neighborhood kids.' Inoichi telepathically told his wife.
'So did I.' Kaiyo confirmed.
"Mom." Ino grabbed Kaiyo's attention. "Can we have Ramen for lunch?"
"Ramen?" Kaiyo asked before looking at Naruto. "Of course! Just give me a bit to get it ready."
'Well, I suppose we don't have to worry about her hating Naruto throughout the Academy.' Inoichi said, looking at the brightside. His daughter had seen Naruto's secret, and instead of rejecting him, had chosen to embrace him. It made him proud of his girl.
'True.' Kaiyo agreed as she moved to the kitchen to prepare lunch. 'But I don't know how well this will go if it goes on for longer than one meal. As if the Elders needed another reason to question me on my loyalty to Konoha. Getting close to the Jinchuriki will just revive all their old suspicions.'
Inoichi sent a telepathic laugh to his wife. 'And we will prove that all those suspicions are unfounded, just as we always have.'
Kaiyo glared at her husband from the kitchen, then went to watch over the kids as Ino gave a small tour of their house to Naruto.
Half an hour later, the three of them sat down at the table as Kaiyo placed bowls of Ramen in front of each of them.
"I hope you enjoy it." Kaiyo said. "Apologies if it's a bit plain, if I had been planning to make it earlier I would have stocked up on some more ingredients."
"Itadakimasu!" Ino and Inoichi said in unison, while Naruto repeated after a moment. Then the family and their guest began to dig in.
Inoichi watched the boy at his table cast his gaze at each of them before he picked up his chopsticks.
'No doubt this is all uncharted territory for him.' Inoichi remarked in his mind, which Kaiyo overheard.
'I see he already won you over.' Kaiyo's thought entered Inoichi's mind. 'You did always want a son after all.'
Inoichi looked at his wife. Her outward expression was that of someone simply enjoying the meal in front of them.
The words might sound like an admonishment, but they had long moved past that. It was a simple statement of fact.
They both understood it was for the best that Ino was an only child. The risks were simply too great.
'It's not simply that.' Inoichi thought to Kaiyo. 'We were so worried about how Ino would react to what happened, but Naruto's reaction is just as important. Lord Third said just to treat this as an accident, but I do still blame myself for letting that situation occur. His trauma is just as much my fault as Ino's trauma. Which means I must do what I can to atone for it.'
Kaiyo turned to him, and gave a silent smile.
'I know.' She thought. 'After all, if you could just abandon responsibility like that, then we wouldn't be married in the first place.'
The two parents looked at the kids. Naruto's comfort food had clearly overpowered his feeling of not belonging and he was slurping up the noodles practically without stopping, while Ino took a moment to stop eating and admonish him for his lack of manners.
'She really does make a good older sister.' Kaiyo thought with a giggle as Inoichi smiled at the sight.
NARUTO
HIS RESIDENCE
THREE MONTHS BEFORE GRADUATION
"Naruto! We're going to be late! Hurry up!" Ino yelled at her fellow blonde as he searched for the homework assignment Ino had helped him with the night before.
"Got it!" He yelled, relieved to find the correct scroll. He could deal with a bad grade, but Ino would have killed him if her help had been for nothing.
"Finally." Ino said as Naruto jumped down to the street where she was standing. "Once the final exams get closer, you should just stay with us. We'll save time on our way there, and we can study longer. Plus I'm sure mom and dad would love it if you picked up an extra shift behind the register."
Naruto sighed. "I'd love the extra cash, but I don't want to give the landlord an excuse to kick me out for not living here enough. And do we really have to study more than we already do? I mean I did manage to get that A."
Ino shot him a look. "First off, the only reason you got that A was because I quizzed you on the history of the village for over a week. Second, that A was from two years ago. Third, it was just one point above being a B."
Naruto smiled as he remembered that day. "Suzume-sensei was so sure that I had cheated. Iruka told me that Mizuki had to buy her some onigiri to get her to drop it."
"That reminds me." Ino handed one of the two bento she had been holding. "Mom made Yakitori with rice."
"Ino, is it just me, or does Aunt Kaiyo really like to make food that she gets to stab before serving?" Naruto asked as he accepted the bento.
Ino raised an eyebrow at him. "You're just now figuring that out? You've been eating her food for seven years."
"No, I just finally built up the courage to ask." Naruto replied.
The two blondes finally approached the Academy. They could see some of the younger classes already starting their morning exercises under the watch of Iwame-Sensei.
"Three months left." Ino said. "Then we will be Genin."
Naruto smiled. "And I know the perfect way to mark such an occasion!"
"You're still going to pull pranks?" Ino admonished. "We are going to be actual Genin. Don't you think it's time to grow up?"
"Excuse me…" Naruto said in a sarcastic tone. "I suppose I must have imagined you being my lookout for when I replaced Mizuki's smoke bombs with stink bombs. And was that someone using a Henge to look like you to distract Sakura while I replaced her mild curry with the extra spicy version?"
"...Point taken." Ino conceded. "Still, I doubt whoever your Jonin leader is will appreciate you constantly pranking the village. For all you know, you will be assigned to someone you've already victimized, and they are currently just counting down the days they can avenge themselves against you."
Naruto grunted. "Anyone stupid enough to fall for one of my pranks isn't going to be a good Sensei anyway. But don't worry. This next prank is going to be my final one in the Academy, perhaps in my life. I want to make it big. Big enough to be a fitting send off, and to mark an end to this chapter of my life!"
Naruto looked up. He stared at the Four Hokage Stone Faces, which represented the four men who had led and defended the village for its entire existence.
'Maybe I will take Ino up on crashing with them.' He thought to himself. 'Afterall, the more I make in the Flower shop, the more paint I can use.'
AN: Hope you enjoyed this!
So yeah, the general premise of this fic is that Ino meets Naruto and learns about the Kyubi extremely early. Even before she meets Sakura, which is also something that would likely have happened before the Academy.
The main difference of course being that while Sakura had a normal family, Naruto is completely alone for the most part, so Ino's desire to help means she goes even further than she did with Sakura.
Beyond just that, I hope I set up some good nuggets for additional plotlines in this chapter.
I think that what I will do going forward is set it to the time of the main story, but occasionally start out chapters with relevant flashbacks, that way once I figure out how relationships should work out, I can show it when relevant instead of having to figure out everything while they are in the Academy before moving on what would be chapter/episode 1 of canon.
Now then, some general notes of what to expect going forward.
First off, my plan is for this to be the classic NaruHina coupling. Back when I watched Naruto on CN, I had rooted for Hinata so much that it only makes sense to use the pairing for my first and possibly only Naruto Fanfic. I have read some good NaruIno stories over the years though, but I want to try to keep their relationship that of siblings. So barring something like a sheer mountain of constant support for NaruIno, it will not happen, and even then, I'd probably make it a poly ship.
One of the reasons I would even be considering this is because while I do have an idea of a pairing for Ino, one I have not personally seen done before, though I am sure they exist, I am debating whether it should be long term or just a small part that doesn't get far before fizzling out.
As for other character relationships, I must admit, Bashing fics are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. So there is some bashing planned, but it would largely be in the early arcs, and for the most part I will aim for development that allows them to grow. (Except for the Elders, they exist just to make things harder for the Hokage, and I plan to relish pulling them down a peg or twenty. Seriously, how are they still alive?!)
In other general plans, fair warning, I have not read or watched every single piece of Naruto media, so if there is something more obscure I mention that does not line up exactly with how they actually exist, expect it to be something I found on the Wiki.
Now then, there is the matter of rating this Fanfic. Since my previous ones were all ASOIAF, I set them as M to fit the setting. But Naruto is much more clean, and I myself have questioned if M was too high for some of the pics based on what I've actually had happen so far. So for now, I'll set this one to T. If I approach things that seem to bump it up to M, please let me know and I will consider it.
And of course, there is the matter of how other fanfics for Naruto have done things. A lot of them stick with using honorifics, and the Japanese names of the Jutsu. I will for the most part try to stick with those when the Jutsu are actually in use, but it may be easier to use the English name when brought up in conversation. I hope this works for everyone.
One last thing I want to set out for this fic is an actual timeline. I love Naruto, but between mistranslations, vague statements, Fanbooks, and characters dying with no known exact cause, the timeline can get pretty messed up. (One good thing about writing ASOIAF stories so much is that the timeline is pretty set in stone, with minor alterations depending on if you want the characters to be the show or book age. Probably the biggest timeline change I made was in my Avatar story, where I altered a character's age to make him the Avatar and match up when his predecessor died). So on my profile, I am going to post a vague outline of the timeline, and will attempt to stick to it as well as possible. Though I may also adjust it depending on how the story branches out. If I write more Naruto in the future, I will likely try to use the same timeline as a jumping off point for those as well.
Also, it occurred to me that plenty of people must have made timelines like this before, but as that thought did not occur to me until 2 days after I started writing my own, this is the one I will be trying to work off of. Plus, some of the timeline just seems to be too close together in my view. For example, Hashirama and Tobirama die within the same year, and the whole First war appears to last only a year. Or the fact that Obito and Kakashi are the same age, yet by the time Obito became a Genin, Kakashi had been a Chunin for over 2 years, and then would have participated in the exam with Obito and Rin. Or the fact that in said exam, we see Anko's Genin team participate, even though she would have been 4 and didn't graduate the academy until she was 10. I have stretched it out in some places, and outright changed others, with my main concern being largely character ages remaining as close to what they should be.
With all that said, I hope you all enjoyed reading my first foray into a series that defined my childhood. I wish you all luck in all your endeavors, and hope we meet again in the next chapter.
Jaehaerys . Joestar