U N E X P E C T E D
Ino's eyelids fluttered open to the warm sunshine painting streaks of gold in her room. Sitting up slowly and stretching like a cat, she concluded that it was midday. She smiled to herself as she surveyed the familiar surroundings of her room. Oh yeah, it was definitely worth traveling back to Konoha in the same night of accomplishing her mission.
Very happy to be home after spending three weeks away, the Yamanaka finished off the details of her mission report and stepped out onto the small street of her apartment building to slowly merge into Konoha's main roads that brimmed with activity. However, there was something different about the crowd. There was a sort of electric buzz haunting the air, like the footprints left from a stampede. Something happened recently while she was away.
But, what?
The kunoichi slipped through the crowd, hoping to find a familiar face to fill her in. She had been gone for three weeks, could so much happen in that period of time? Apparently so. It just figures, that when something that big happens, she's out on a mission. Questions filled her head, as she noticed another peculiar incident. The usual lax attitude of the shinobi population as a whole was disturbed. The few ninja on break had taboo written all over them. Secrets oozed in their whispered debates.
Something definitely happened. Something big that affected the entire village.
Fingering the report in her hand nervously, the Hokage tower peeked at her over the rooftops. Ino grew tense as she approached the tower, the air was thick with news and it seeped through her skin. The hairs on the back of her neck grew stiff as she talked with the guards at the doorway. Calming herself down, she willed herself to block out all external influences. That didn't prevent her from getting more curious with every step however. ANBU were crawling all over the place, the security was high, and the Yamanaka noted that the usual chakra detecting jutsu's were reinforced, even a few new ones were placed here and there. The occasional ANBU and worker greeted her, however the simple "hello's" and "long-time-no-see's" were terse and cut short. Now, they were usually busy people, and the greetings were usually cut short, but there was an underlying strain to everything. The puzzled kunoichi grew more suspicious within each passing second.
She felt a strange presence in the tower and wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Whatever's going on, it couldn't be good.
It felt like a small and incredibly strange eternity to Ino before the regal doors of the Hokage's office greeted her. Despite her enforced mental barrier though, a wave of agitation passed through the wood and made her itch as she rapped sharply on the doors. The raised voices within stopped abruptly, and a moment of stillness passed. The door clicked and the Ino was surprised to be greeted by a pair of eyes bluer than her own. The boy looked as if he'd just snuck out of the hospital. He was covered in bandages, and even had a limp. What in the world was he doing?! Uzumaki Naruto mirrored her surprise as he greeted her, stepped aside to let her in. Ino processed his flushed cheeks and flustered aura and figured that he was the cause of the raised voices and the wave of agitation that made her itch.
"Back, Ino-chan?"
"Ah…yes. What the hell happened to you?"
He hobbled past her, and gave an exaggerated wave without an answer.
"Yamanaka, back already?" Ino nodded and decided to overlook the fact that she had been gone a whole friggin' three weeks.
"Yes, Hokage-Sama. I have 'solved' the Yagushi problem." The Yamanaka bowed in greeting before handing in her report. Tsunade's youth illusion was less prominent and she looked older than usual.
"Good, very good. Now take a seat. I've been waiting for you."
"You have?" Ino's eyebrows raised in inquiry. Could it have to do with the cause of all the tension in the village? If so, she wasn't sure whether she should be excited or dreading it…
Tsunade sighed a heavy sigh, the bags under her eyes grew more prominent than ever. The wheels in Ino's head turned furiously as she digested the scene before her. The buzz among the shinobi population, Naruto flustered and agitated, Tsunade stressed and weary, she didn't dare think it, but her intuition wouldn't let it go, could it be…could it be that –
"Sasuke is back."
Ino Yamanaka froze. Her eyes were as big as the moon and her breathing stilled. Her mouth hung open as she was interrupted mid revelation. Catching herself, she moved to speak, then stopped, before repeating the process only to be interrupted again.
"He returned two weeks ago, while you were away on your mission. He is currently being heavily guarded in this very tower. The Uchiha won't budge other than to say that Orochimaru along with his brother, Uchiha Itachi are dead. He's given me this as proof, and I'm currently in the process of testing them to see if they match and are in fact, real. Though I highly doubt these would prove to be fake." With that, Tsunade held up two small jars, both filled with a sickly yellowish preservation liquid. Ino squinted at them for a moment before realized that one contained the head of a white snake, and the other…a single eye. An incredibly eerie one at that. The hair on the back of her neck stood up on an end for the second time that day as she observed it. Veined and bloodshot, and a pupil adorned with a curious pattern that resembled the standard Sharingan. The Hokage quickly put the items away and looked eye to eye with Ino. "I've got another assignment for you, Ino."
Blinking rapidly to escape the surreality of her current predicament, she nodded an affirmative. Ino felt as if her voice had left her at the moment.
The Hokage drew back her imposing presence and hawk-like gaze to lean far back into her chair, taking on a familiar stance as she laced her fingers together and rested her elbows on the desk. "Are you ready?"
"R-Ready for service." Ino winced as she stumbled over reply.
With that, the Hokage drew up her file and began citing her information. "Yamanaka Ino, ranking Special Jounin. Second in command at the Head of Intelligence. Number 0012856. Another completed B-rank mission successfully. Looking at your history and recent accomplishments, they are rather impressive. The assignment I'm about to hand you is going to be a test of will, strength, and endurance. If you complete this mission to my satisfaction, then you will be promoted into the ANBU."
An hour later, Ino left the tower in a daze. She was to interrogate theUchiha Sasuke and find out "anything and everything" as Tsunade put herself. She had a 48 hours period to recuperate and rest. Giving her a two day break seemed a like a sick joke. Oh, and it was a super-duper-top-secret-mission that absolutely no one was supposed to knowFuck.It's been six fucking years.UchihafuckingSasuke had finally returned. Raven hair and cold eyes. A voice that kept everything and everyone at bay.Uchiha fuckingSasuke.Ino didn't know what to think, what the hell to feel at first, but after a few moments of wandering, she was shaken from her reverie as she spied an unmistakable head of bubblegum pink.
Sakura.
Red eyes, and hollow green eyes. A soft broken voice hoarse from crying. Bitterness. Best friends. Red ribbons. Rivalry. A flower in blooming. Haruno Sakura. Chouji, thinner. Neji. Lee. Shikamaru. Naruto. Naruto and the hole so close to his heart. Ino spied Sakura's weary state. Anger. Lot's of old rusty anger and contempt from what the bastard caused surfaced and began to spread.
That bastard was going to suffer.
A/N: Well, damn. Sorry that this is so short, but I AM currently working on another one-shot. It'll probably be up soon.