Naruto threw a kunai, which stuck with a Thud, trembling in the outer edge of the wooden post, a hand's span from the bullseye ring. Not even close.
"Dammit!"
Naruto yelled at the empty sky, making his voice echo in the stillness of Training Ground 7 as he kicked the dirt in frustration.
He dropped onto the grass, his breathing heavy, though it wasn't just the failed kunai throw that bothered him, but the boredom. A crushing, monumental, and absolute boredom.
"Three days off," he muttered to himself, watching the clouds pass by. "Three days! What's a ninja supposed to do with three days off?"
Naruto Uzumaki didn't know how to "rest," so he had spent the last two days of depressing freedom wandering the village. He'd eaten all the ramen he could at Ichiraku, and now he was here, alone.
"And my team is all over the place," he murmured.
He was happy for them, really, but that almost made it worse. Kakashi-sensei had disappeared in a puff of smoke, probably to read his perverted books on some rooftop, and Sasuke... well, Sasuke was in the hospital. Naruto had already visited him that morning, but he could only see him through the glass because he was asleep and pale, and a terrifying-looking nurse kicked him out for making too much noise.
And the girls...
Naruto closed his eyes, concentrating, and the world fell silent as he searched for that new connection, that strange and warm feeling that was now a permanent part of him. He activated his [Leader's Bond].
He could feel them, though they were more like... sensations.
First, he searched for Sakura.
Her presence was a sharp, vibrant energy. There was a piercing frustration and mental exhaustion, but underneath it all... a determination that burned. He could almost hear her thoughts like an echo: Faster! It's not enough! My chakra control has to be perfect! Tsunade-sama said to do it again!
Naruto smiled, since Sakura wasn't resting. Granny Tsunade was working her to the bone, which meant she was getting stronger.
Next, he searched for Hinata.
Hers was different, as he felt total concentration, a dull pain in her shoulders and knees from repeating katas, but also an absolute calm. One more time... smooth flow... focus the strike on the tenketsu...
He searched for the third connection, Kurenai-sensei's, and he felt her in her apartment, but she wasn't resting. He could feel her new [Mind's Eye] active, analyzing... a tactics book? He could practically read the author's intentions instead of just the words.
Naruto opened his eyes, and the afternoon sun suddenly seemed too bright.
"Great!" he yelled at the empty sky, jumping to his feet. "Everyone's training! Everyone's getting stronger thanks to the power I gave them! And me? The leader of the 'Family'! What am I doing? I'm here, bored! Throwing kunai like an academy student!"
He ran his hands through his hair, exasperated.
"The leader of the 'Family' can't be the weakest one in the group! It's ridiculous! I can't let them catch up to me!"
He needed to train, but train what? Kakashi-sensei had disappeared.
He could make a thousand shadow clones and have them run around the village, but he'd already done that yesterday.
"It's not enough," he said, his voice more serious now. "I'm strong, but my team... my 'Family'..."
An idea began to form, an idea that made him smile.
"Kurenai-sensei, Hinata, and Sakura-chan trust me, and that's why it works! But I need more comrades. A full team! If I'm the leader of the Family, I can't just have three people. I need my own squad!"
He sat up abruptly, the energy of a new mission flooding him.
"An elite squad! The 'Uzumaki Family'! That sounds awesome! But I need more believers!"
His mind went through the list of the Rookie Nine, his generation's comrades.
"Let's see. Kiba's a loud idiot, and so am I, so we'd probably just fight all the time to see who's the leader. Besides, Akamaru tries to bite Tonton. Pass."
"Shino... is too quiet, and his bugs give me the creeps. We'd be on a mission and I'd yell 'Look out, an enemy!' and he'd just say 'I'm already aware, Naruto. My insects have been devouring him for five minutes.' So creepy! Pass."
"Shikamaru?" Naruto paused. "Hmm. He's smart, but... he's too lazy. I'd tell him 'Shikamaru, I need you to let me draw on your back to give you superpowers!' and he'd just yawn and say 'What a drag. Can't you do it tomorrow?'. Pass."
His mind stopped on an image: long blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and a mocking smile.
"Ino?"
He remembered the flower shop. She was always yelling at Sakura, yeah, but... she'd never hit him as hard as Sakura-chan. And, above all, he recalled with dismay that his Falna system only worked on kunoichi to begin with, it didn't work on men.
"Her mind jutsus!" The idea exploded in his head with sudden clarity. "She can control people's minds! She can paralyze them! Or make them hit themselves! That's it!"
He jumped to his feet, all his frustration replaced by the energy of a brilliant plan.
"She'd be perfect for an infiltration team! Hinata can see through walls, Ino can possess the guard, and I... I can go in and grab whatever! It's the perfect combo! She freezes them, I hit them! It's decided!"
He slammed his fist into his palm.
"Mission: Recruit Ino-Pig! Believe it!"
But... how? Last time, with Hinata, he'd been honest, and she just trusted him. With Sakura and Kurenai, well, the situation was life or death, but Ino? She was different: she was... loud, vain, and would probably think he was crazy.
"I need a strategy," he muttered, striking a thoughtful pose. "Honesty worked with Hinata, but Ino is... Ino. I need an opening, something to impress her with first."
He remembered seeing her at her family's shop. Of course, she worked there!
"I'll go to the shop! Girls are always doing stuff they need help with! And I'm super strong now! I'll help her with something heavy, she'll be impressed, and then... I'll hit her with the plan! It's a perfect plan! I'm a genius!"
Naruto arrived at the Yamanaka Flower Shop feeling extremely confident, because he was no longer just the class clown, but the secret leader of Konoha's strongest "Family." Or at least, he would be soon.
He tried to walk in with a "cool" and mysterious air, imitating Kakashi-sensei.
Cling-cling-cling.
The doorbell chimed and Naruto nearly tripped on the welcome mat, but he managed to catch his balance at the last second. Well, almost cool.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming! Don't shout, you'll wilt the lilies!"
Ino's voice came from the back room, and a second later, she appeared, wiping dirt-stained hands on an apron, but she stopped short when she saw him.
"Well, well. If it isn't trouble-maker number one," she said, leaning on the counter. Her blue eyes scanned him with a mix of surprise and mockery. "What are you doing here, Naruto? We're all out of hospital flowers, if that's what you're looking for."
"Of course not!" Naruto said, slightly offended. "Why would I be looking for that?"
"I don't know. I heard the rumors about your mission in the Land of Waves. Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist. I thought maybe you were coming to buy something for Sasuke-kun." She paused, then added with a mischievous smirk, "Or are you here to buy flowers for your girlfriend Sakura?"
Naruto blinked, completely confused by the question.
"Sakura-chan? My girlfriend? No way! Why does everyone keep saying that? She's my teammate! And she's super strong now, almost at my level! She can break rocks with a single finger!"
Ino set the rag down on the counter, because this was new.
"Hold on a minute," she said, crossing her arms. Her tone became a bit more analytical. "You're not here for her? And since when are you not drooling over Sakura-Billboard Brow? Did you hit your head on that mission?"
Naruto laughed, a genuine and relaxed sound that surprised her even more.
"I didn't hit my head. And Sakura-chan's great, but she's also terrifying. Honestly, she's a little scary. I just came to see you."
A faint, almost imperceptible blush crept up Ino's neck.
"T-To see me?" she stammered for a split second, before regaining her composure. "What for? Don't tell me you finally realized that violets match your orange jacket."
"Totally! Hey, you need help with that?"
Naruto pointed to some huge bags of soil and fertilizer stacked near the entrance, which looked like they weighed a ton. "They look heavy."
Ino followed his gaze and sighed. "Ugh, yeah. My dad was supposed to move them this morning, but he had to leave for an urgent delivery to the Hyuga compound and left me with all the heavy lifting."
"Well, not anymore!" Naruto exclaimed. "Watch me!"
Before Ino could tell him not to bother, Naruto walked over to the pile and bent down, while Ino expected to see him struggle to lift even one.
Instead, Naruto grabbed two of the biggest bags with each arm, four bags in total, and his biceps barely tensed. He lifted them with an ease that left Ino speechless.
"Where do you want them?" he asked, holding the four bags without the slightest trace of effort.
"Uh... b-back there," Ino stammered, pointing to an empty corner in the back room.
Naruto walked over and dropped them with a dull thud that shook the floor and sent up a cloud of dust, then came back, grabbed the last four, and repeated the process. In less than thirty seconds, he had finished a job that would have taken her half an hour.
He dusted off his hands and smiled at her.
Ino was staring at him. "Since when...?"
"What? I've always been strong!" He laughed. "Just... a little more so now. That's what friends are for! Right?"
Ino was still processing.
"Hey, thanks," she said finally, her voice a little softer. "Seriously. You saved me a lot of back pain."
"No problem! Hey, that plant over there looks like it wants to eat me."
Ino looked at the large Venus Flytrap he was pointing to and let out a laugh; it was a genuine laugh, which surprised even her.
"That's a Venus Flytrap, idiot. It wouldn't eat you, you don't have enough brains to make it worthwhile."
"Yes, I do! I have plenty of brains! That's why I come up with awesome plans!"
"Awesome plans? You mean like painting the Hokage faces?"
"That was a brilliant plan! Everybody remembers it!"
"Well. What a... domestic scene."
The voice was sharp, cold, and heavy with exhaustion.
It made both of them turn.
Sakura was standing in the doorway, the bell still tinkling softly above her head. She was wearing her usual clothes, but she looked completely disheveled, pale, with dark circles under her eyes, and she had small ink stains on her fingers and cheek. Tsunade's hellish training was leaving its mark.
Her green eyes, normally bright, were fixed on Naruto and Ino, and they were shining with an intensity Naruto didn't recognize.
WHAT? WHAT IS HE DOING!? Sakura screamed inside her head, as panic and an irrational fury took hold of her. YESTERDAY HE WAS ON A 'DATE' WITH HINATA BUYING DANGO IN THE PARK, AND TODAY HE'S HERE, FLIRTING AND LAUGHING WITH INO-PIG! SINCE WHEN DOES INO LAUGH AT HIS STUPID JOKES!? AND HE... HE DIDN'T EVEN SEE ME ARRIVE! IDIOT!
"Naruto," Sakura said, and her voice came out flat, cold, dead. "I see you're very busy. Shouldn't you be training? Or is 'pot-lifter' your new ninja rank?"
Naruto turned, his smile fading slightly at her icy tone.
"Oh, Sakura-chan! Hey! No, I was just...!"
Ino, however, saw exactly what was happening. She saw Sakura's expression and recognized that tension in her jaw, that way she was clenching her fists, so her old rivalry, which had been dormant, ignited instantly.
"Calm down, Billboard Brow," Ino said, putting a hand on her hip and smiling at Naruto in a way she never had before. "We were just talking. Naruto was being a gentleman and helping me with some heavy lifting. Something I'm sure you don't see very often, being so busy."
Sakura turned completely red.
"A gentleman!" she scoffed. "Naruto, what are you doing here wasting time? Kakashi-sensei gave us the day off, but that doesn't mean we can slack off!"
"I'm not slacking off!" Naruto protested. "I was just helping Ino. Why are you in such a bad mood? Did Granny Tsunade make you memorize too many weird herbs?"
"I'm not in a bad mood!" Sakura yelled, taking a step into the shop. "I have real training to do! Not waste time with... with flowers!"
"Ooh, 'Tsunade-sama'!" Ino mocked, imitating Sakura's voice with a high-pitched, teasing tone. "Pardon us, Princess Sakura. I didn't realize being a Sannin's personal assistant made you so important." Ino moved closer to Naruto, brushing her shoulder against his. "Or what's the matter, Billboard Brow? Are you jealous?"
"J-JEALOUS!"
"Yeah. Jealous," Ino continued, savoring the victory as she watched Sakura falter. "Jealous that Naruto's finally noticed there are other girls in the village. Maybe some who don't punch him every five minutes? Some who appreciate it when he's nice?"
The blow landed perfectly. It combined their lifelong rivalry with the new, confusing guilt Sakura felt about how she'd treated Naruto.
"Jealous!? Me!? Of you! And him!" Sakura let out a laugh, a high-pitched, forced sound that fooled no one. "Don't be ridiculous, Ino-Pig! I have to go see Sasuke-kun at the hospital! Some of us actually care about our teammates!"
She spun around so sharply her pink hair whipped through the air, and she stomped out of the shop. The door slam caused several small pots to fall off a shelf.
An awkward silence filled the shop.
Naruto watched her go. "But Sakura-chan, I already went to the hospital to see Sasuke...!" He shrugged, scratching the back of his neck. "Ugh. What's with her? She's been extra grumpy lately."
Ino watched him, and her analytical Yamanaka mind was working at full speed. Sakura's reaction had been completely disproportional, and Naruto... Naruto hadn't even run out after her, begging for forgiveness. He was just standing there, confused, but not devastated.
"Wow," Ino said slowly, turning back to her counter. "So... I heard the rumors about the mission. They said you faced Zabuza."
"Not just Zabuza!" Naruto exclaimed, the frustration with Sakura instantly forgotten. "There were other guys! And Sakura-chan shattered a bridge with one punch! And Hinata took down a ton of guys! It was awesome!"
Ino listened, fascinated. This wasn't the Naruto she remembered, as he spoke about Sakura and Hinata with pride, treating them as equals, not as girls to impress. And the way Sakura had reacted... Interesting. Very, very interesting.
"Well," Naruto said, rubbing his hands together. "Better for us. Now I can talk to you about what I came here for."
Ino leaned against the counter, her full attention on him now. "Alright. I'm all ears. What's so important you couldn't wait for Sakura to leave?"
Naruto saw his chance. It was now or never. He took a deep breath. Here goes. He would use honesty, just like with Hinata.
"Ino," he said, his voice turning serious, instantly capturing her attention. "I have to ask you something. And I need you to hear me out before you think I'm crazy."
"Naruto, I've seen you try to use the 'Sexy Jutsu' to get free ramen. Your 'crazy' bar is set pretty high. Try me."
"Okay. This is going to sound really, really weird. The weirdest thing you've probably ever heard. But... do you trust me?"
Ino arched a blonde eyebrow. "Trust you? For what? Not to overwater my plants? Barely."
"No! Seriously! Trust me to make you incredibly strong!"
That stopped her. Her mocking smile faded. "Strong? You mean like what happened to Sakura and Hinata?"
"Exactly!" Naruto was thrilled she'd made the connection. "What happened to them wasn't an accident! It was me! I have a secret power!"
Ino crossed her arms, her gaze now sharp, skeptical but hooked. "A secret power. Keep talking."
"It's a jutsu! A secret jutsu that nobody else has! It's... like a blessing from a ramen god or something. It's a power that can awaken your true potential. It takes all your training, all the stuff you're good at, and BAM! It turns it into real strength. It made Sakura-chan super strong and Hinata super fast!"
"A secret jutsu," Ino repeated, her intelligence-analyst mind weighing the possibility.
"Yeah! But it has... weird conditions!"
"Conditions," she said. "There always are. What's the catch?"
Naruto hesitated, as this was the hard part. "Well... for it to work... I have to, uh... draw."
"Draw?" Ino's expression tensed. "Like, a portrait? You want me to pose for you or something? Because I'm not interested in..."
"No, no! Not like that!" he said quickly. "I have to draw... on your back!"
Ino's expression froze. "...on my back."
"Yeah! And... and I have to use a special ink!"
"Special ink."
"Yeah! Made... made from my own blood!"
Ino stared at him, her face completely blank. She didn't move or blink, as she processed the words in the silence of the shop.
"Draw."
"On."
"My."
"Back."
"With."
"Your."
"Blood."
"YES!" Naruto yelled, desperate for her to believe him. "It sounds crazy, I know! But I swear on my life, on my love for ramen, it works! It worked for Hinata! It worked for Sakura! Even for Kurenai-sensei! You'll be the strongest kunoichi ever! Your mind jutsus will be unstoppable! You'll be the greatest Yamanaka in history!"
He was leaning over the counter, his face barely a foot from hers, his blue eyes shining with desperate sincerity.
Ino remained silent for five long, long seconds. Naruto could almost hear the gears turning in her head.
Then, she smiled.
It was a sweet smile. Gentle. Almost sympathetic.
"I see," she said softly.
Naruto's face lit up. "Yeah! You get it? Awesome! So, we can...!"
CRACK!
The punch was clean, direct, and loaded with all the fury of a Yamanaka girl who had just been insulted in the most creative and disgusting way possible. It didn't have Sakura's destructive force, but it had flawless technique.
Naruto went flying backward, crashing through the open shop door, and soared through the air before landing on his back in a pile of potting soil bags... that he himself, ironically, had moved.
Ino stood in the doorway, her face red with anger, her fist still smoking.
"OF ALL THE PATHETIC, DISGUSTING, PERVERTED LINES I HAVE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE, NARUTO UZUMAKI!" she screamed, making people on the street stop dead in their tracks to watch the spectacle. "THAT IS THE WORST! THE MOST REVOLTING! 'DRAW ON MY BACK WITH YOUR BLOOD'!"
People started to murmur, "Pervert..." "Poor Ino-chan..."
"But... Ino... it's true!" Naruto groaned from the ground, covered in dirt and flower petals.
"GET OUT OF MY SHOP!" she yelled. "AND IF YOU EVER COME NEAR ME AGAIN, I'LL USE MY MIND TRANSFER JUTSU TO MAKE YOU CLUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET! YOU PERVERT!"
She slammed the door so hard the bell nearly broke off the frame and several more pots fell from the interior shelves.
Naruto stayed lying on the ground, as the world spun and a small child walked over to poke his forehead with a stick.
"Ugh..." he moaned, rubbing his jaw. "That hurt."
He sat up, spitting out dirt.
"Hmm. 'Mission: Recruit Ino' was a total failure. A disastrous, painful failure."
He stood up, brushing the dust off his orange jacket, and looked at the closed shop door.
"I need a new strategy," he muttered. "A much better one. People are too complicated. Granny Tsunade's right, sake is easier."
He shrugged.
"Maybe... I should have brought her flowers first? Yeah, that must be it. Girls soften up with flowers. I'm a genius!"
He turned and started walking toward the hospital, limping slightly.
"First, I'll check on Sasuke again. Then... Plan B! And this time, I'm bringing flowers!"
*****
Author's Note:
Hey everyone,
Alright, I know! This chapter might be a bit different, and hey, maybe you'll love it or maybe you won't, but I honestly just had to write it.
I had an absolute blast with this one. Getting to explore Sakura's jealous side and finally giving Ino a moment in the spotlight was so much fun for me. I'm personally really happy with how this chapter turned out and the dynamic it sets up.
Thanks as always for your amazing support! If you enjoyed this one, don't forget to leave a like!