Ino's POV (Rooftops of Residential Area - Hidden Leaf Village)
Ino held her breath as she watched Naruto's eyes widen. His frame was still, an odd sight for the energetic stamina freak. Yamanaka were expected to be masters in psychology. Able to pick information from the words and body language of the targets. As such, she was inherently aware the panicked reaction seemed to suggest that he was indeed a jinchuriki. In class, they had discussed them several times. The lessons had painted a dark picture. A human being sacrificed to be used as a pawn and/or a weapon. They were known for their unique abilities, absurd durability, and overwhelming destructive power. They tended to be emotional or disturbed in some way. Known for their frequent rampages when driven to rage. Back then, Ino felt fearful of the idea. They had supposedly stopped the practice years ago. Though now she could see it had been a cover-up.
As a rule, she was not a fan of those who kept secrets. She was a gossip at heart and truthfully relied too much on trust to support those who hid in lies. Doubly so once she was informed of psychology. Was harder to forgive such, when you knew just how the person arrived at that conclusion. But in this case, she didn't hold it against him or anyone. She just needed him to be truthful. So she knew she could trust him, Naruto had been nothing but reliable thus far.
Naruto had spent years of his life now worried over this very moment. The idea of being discovered as a jinchuriki was one he feared often. Kushina had warned the blonde years ago that people tended to look down on jinchuriki. They were considered dangerous, volatile, and above all… monstrous.
Lee had been the first person to discover it. And the blonde was still over the moon he had taken it so well. So, there should have been no fear. If Lee could look past it during their very first meeting, surely his own teammate could be supportive. She was quickly becoming someone important in his life. He found himself assured she would take it well. But dreading the idea of her rejecting him. He… no. He would tell her the truth. He would trust her, and if she broke his trust. Then, he would simply carry on. He wouldn't stop here, regardless of where she lied.
"I… I-I," Naruto audibly gulped. "Yes… I have the Nine Tails sealed inside me. Well, half of it anyway; Mom has the other half, ya know?"
Ino mentally flinched at his nervous tone and confirmation, but she patiently waited, looking him in the eyes as she did. She wanted to communicate that he could just tell the truth and they would look past this. Ultimately, though, it would be meaningless if she told him to.
"So I guess I'm half a jinchuriki? Umm… I'm not explaining this well, am I?" The blonde asked, rubbing the back of his head.
He was not. But she shook her head no calmly, inwardly pulling back the smile that had seemed to settle on her face. She had always found him a little cute when he became bashful after all. But if she wanted him to open up, being gentle would be a must.
"I guess it might be easier to tell you the story Ma told me," Naruto said nervously. He shifted and sat down on the roof. It would take him a while to tell the story, so they might as well get comfy. Ino silently followed his lead, sitting next to him. "So it went something like this. Mom was a jinchuriki before I was born. The Leaf Village had a deal with the Uzumaki, apparently my old clan were good at making hosts. In exchange for protection for the Leaf, the Uzumaki gave up one of their own to hold the Kyuubi. She only one at that. But she had lived a good life, climbed the ranks, and even fell in love. Believe it! She hasn't told me much about my father, but the little bits she tells me make him sound like an elite ninja, a really impressive kind of man... Potentially, he could be Anbu, or at least that would explain why no one seems to know him. He was kind and a natural-born leader. From how Ma talks about him, he must've been something… But they had become super close. Of course Ma became pregnant shortly after.
Ino listened intently, she had always been noisy and keen on information. Yet for once, she didn't feel scandalized as she listened. She didn't even ponder who to tell. Naruto had never been so open. And strangely enough Ino felt the need to preserve this. She liked that he opened up to her…He was friendly, sweet, and funny in a particularly cute/annoying way. Yet he kept his cards close. Information about his mother was easy. Or any of his few friends, but if there was any mention of his early life, he would clam right up. But now, being confronted, he almost seemed… meek. Resigned to what was happening. Perhaps even preparing himself for some powerful blow. Something about him being open and vulnerable made her feel protective. She would be there for him. But for now, she would listen.
"Ma says she and Father were really excited to have me. That I made their lives better just by showing up. I don't know if that's true, it seems to me my arrival into this world brought trouble. See, being a female jinchuriki is risky. During childbirth, the strain the body is put in allows the seal, keeping the beast in, to weaken. As such, during birth, it is wise to have some Fuijutsu Master during the process. Just in case the tailed beast manages to damage the seal or come close to escaping. But Ma and Father had planned for this. They got a trusted medic and powerful shinobi to guard her during this process. The student of the Legendary Sannin Shizune, Copy Cat Ninja Kakashi, and the Toad Sannin Jiraiya. Hirzuen and Danzo had also proposed an entire Anbu squad, but due to the peacetime, they had grown complacent. Who would even know of her pregnancy or of her jinchuriki status? They had been wrong… believe it.
On the night of my birth, an unknown assailant launched an assault on the Leaf. He had led an army of bleach-white men. My father, hearing of the assault, went to help repel it. Leaving the others to protect my mother. After all of the bloodshed, I was born, and he thought I and his home were safe. Shortly after he left, the leader of the assault attacked them directly however.
The unknown man had been absurdly powerful, efficiently managing to overwhelm the experienced and powerful shinobi guarding her. Even Jiraiya of the Sannin seemed helpless in stopping him. Once they had been defeated, the man attacked my helpless mother. Managing to unseal the Nine Tails in the process. After a pitched battle, my father and the counterattack forces replied to the army and their leader. Just for the Nine-Tails to attack the already hurt village. Father raced back to me to confirm Ma and mine fates. When he arrived, Ma said he and the criminal had fought. It was a long and pitched battle for my father. He was desperate to win as he witnessed the rest of the Leaf's forces begin to be overwhelmed by the Nine Tails' absurd strength. Somehow, my father won the battle. The man perished, cursing my father's name before promising there would be another.
My old man took off and launched an assault on the beast. He and the village fearlessly clashed with it. But the beast was immortal, it seemed. They needed to reseal it. Another little-known fact about jinchuriki is how hard it is to meet the requirements. To survive having one sealed into you, your body must be durable. Uzumaki are some of the few that meet that standard. The Sealing Corps was unable to seal it into a single being, so they sealed it into my mother and myself. My father died as he held it back. Somehow, I am holding it back with the help of the Fourth Hokage. " Naruto finished with sadness ringing in his tone. "I understand if you hate me for being a monster. I hate that I was born into this. I hate that my father decided this not only for me but for my own mother as well. Did he not care about the burden he had placed on us? I feel so angry at him for that. Yet sometimes I just wish I could've talked to him just once. At the very least, I wish I could find his name…"
Ino held the silence for a moment as her mind raced. She had known he was a jinchuriki with the battle of that crazy sword guy… guys. But to hear the tragedy of his birth. To hear the pain in his voice, the uncertainty. She wasn't sure what to say, but she would help in her own way. Naruto gasped as Ino laid her head on her shoulder. She was often labeled a flirt because she was so often physically affectionate. But that's just the way it was for her. But Naruto deserved it much more. And she did it purely for the sake of supporting him. But there was no denying the context made it feel more intimate. But she minded little. He needed some comfort. And honestly, she wanted to be close to him at the moment. Naruto seemed to finally relax, and she lay against him. He said nothing but slowly wrapped an arm around Ino's shoulders. She sent him a smile, and his eyes widened as he looked away. Ino chuckled at the shy, vulnerable side Naruto showed. But in truth, she was a little concerned. She thinks she might actually be interested in the fellow blonde. The old her would've dived in. Enjoying the quickly earned attention from most men. But here she was, just happy to be next to him.
"Naruto, I forgive you, of course. You should tell Neji as well… Team Seven has to stick together, ya know?" Ino said with a smirk, copying the blonde's verbal tic. "There is a condition, though, Blondie."
Naruto's forehead creased at the insult, but he seemed focused on ensuring he and Ino were cool and nodded his head frantically.
"No more secrets. At least not between you and me. I got your back, and so does Neji in his own weird way. So you don't need to suffer alone. I'm your… comrade. We need to trust each other." Ino explained.
Naruto seemed to beam at this immediately. "Sure thing! You're in the know from now on! Believe it!" He cried joyously. Usually, she was trained to look into statements like that and discard them as the empty promises they were. Yet somehow, just by looking into his eyes, Ino could tell he was being truthful. There was something incredibly enduring about Blondie when he got fired up. She would have to keep an eye on him. Because they were… something.
Hiruzen's POV (Hokage Manor - Hidden Leaf Village)
Hiruzen took a heavy drag from his pipe. Exhaled it with practiced smoothness and silently pondered to Kami why he must deal with this. But ever the dutiful shinobi, these feelings were absent from his face. For all purposes, the room saw an older man enjoying a smoke in light of the bad news delivered. He glanced at each of them slowly. Using the time to formulate his words. This meeting was a rare but important occurrence in his life. A meeting with his most trusted comrades, ones trusted enough for most of the village's secrets. "Safe to assume this report is confirmed?" Hiruzen asked the group. Tsunade and Kakashi merely nodded silently. While Tsunade's lieutenant gave an odd thumbs up. He sighed heavily at this news. "Horse, Deer, and Bear leave us for now. Ensure the area is clear on your way out."
Quickly from three corners of the room, the Anbu in question left. The one with the Bear mask stopped to weave hand signs quietly. "Four Point Seal: Sound Suppression!" Various kanji climbed up the walls and spread on the room's roof before glowing and disappearing. With a nod to him, Bear left. Hiruzen sat for a bit as the three other people sat quietly. Patiently awaiting his words. Hiruzen raised a hand sign, and suddenly, the room was flooded with chakra. Two cloaked and masked men arrived before they could question the odd action. The men were hard to distinguish. They both were standard blackened Anbu gear and strange spiral-pattern masks. One was white, while the other was black. The three shinobi before the Kage flinched as they felt the powerful chakra the two contained. "Remove your mask. These are some of my most trusted." He ordered. The two men offered no response, merely removing the mask as asked. Tsunade and Dez both gasped at the reveal.
"Is that?" Tsunade called out in shock.
"This doesn't make any sense. These bastards are supposed to be gone…" Dez added.