A/N: I know a lot of you guys are complaining about last chapter so I just want to put this out there, if that's okay. I didn't intend for Kiba to seem like a new love interest, I was trying to keep him in character. Also, by him giving her her "only two options other than facing the truth", she'd realise which one is her best option (cough confessing cough) and it's going to push her even more towards Naruto. (And remember, Ino sees Kiba as a little brother.)

And yeah, sorry for dragging out the story by making things more complicated, I just really love this story and don't want it to end soon, but I guess I messed up. This is how great stories turn out to fail, lol. But yeah, I hope you guys can understand, and I'm going to push the story along a little quicker, and it might seem a little rushed, but I mean, after all this time since Naruto has come back, I think it's fair to assume the feelings didn't just come out of no where.

I understand if you've given up on this story, but thank you for starting the journey with me anyway :P In the future, I'll try to keep in mind my mistakes hahah. For now, let's see where the story takes us :)

And also, thank you guys for helping me. I really appreciate your input and I take your suggestions into serious consideration. So with that, let's get started with this chapter! (Hopefully you won't be disappointed ;))

I spent the rest of the week keeping myself busy. I worked at the shop, went on a mission with the team, got some cooking lessons from Tenten, did a little bit of training, and some other stuff here and there. Even so, my mind kept going back. Naruto was right about women overthinking.

Shikamaru told me that maybe the only way to truly end this self-torment is to hear Naruto himself reject me, then there would be no hope at all for me to cling on. I know he keeps telling me to tell Naruto, but I'm really scared for that particular rejection. Kiba was also right, I'm Ino Yamanaka, and I hate losing, and rejection is not my style.

But wait, I'm not just going to follow the guys' advice, my own advice was what I needed to hear as well. After talking to Hinata and Sakura about it, it just seems like things are beginning to become clearer, rather than more muddled. I realize now that I can't wait any longer. I waited too long, and the longer I wait, the more miserable I will be and the more he'll slip away.

So here I am, sitting on a hill, sipping a cup of tea, and enjoying the brisk autumn wind Tenten. Maybe it's the calm of the day mixed with the tea that is pushing me to come clean. I used to think that the less people knew about my feelings then the easier it would be for me to move on, but now, I don't want to move on. I want to be honest.

It feels as though the wind is pushing me to it, and I let it.

"Tenten, I have something I need to get off my chest," I begin, gripping my teacup a little tighter with both hands.

Tenten raises a brow and asks suspiciously, "What is it?"

"There's something that's been on my mind since Naruto came back—actually no, before then. I tried to stop it, but I'm so tired of trying and failing to do so. And you've been such a comforting figure through all of this that I think it's fair to tell you," I pause and have to look down at my tea, "That I… I have feelings for…" I almost can't finish it, my throat feels dry, like it's weird to say these words aloud.

"That you like Naruto?" Tenten finishes.

I look to her with wide eyes, "But—What? How did you…?"

"Well I mean," Tenten diverts her eyes, as though she's known all along. "I kind of put two and two together. You acted funny for a long time, you didn't seem excited for Hinata the same was Sakura and I were, you didn't really participate in trying to get them together either, but you seemed happy or acted a lot different whenever Naruto was around, and not to mention, you cried when he broke his ankle."

A massive blush spreads across my cheeks, "I guess I didn't do as well of a job as I thought I did hiding it, huh?"

"People don't usually cry when their 'acquaintance at best' breaks his ankle." Tenten teases.

"Is that when you realized it?"

"Pretty much... I came after you to tell you to just be you because I wanted you to be able to figure things out. I'm guessing you have…? I'm hoping you have, anyway." Tenten states, taking a sip of her tea. "Do Sakura and Hinata know?"

I sigh, "Hinata figured it out before I even cried for his minor injuries. Sakura… I don't know."

"Hm," Tenten nods her head. She looks up at the clouds for a long time before saying, "I think you and I both know that Sakura doesn't love Naruto. She may have feelings for him, but it's not romantic. I think, maybe—"

"That she misses his attention?" I finish. "Yeah, I told her that, and she agreed, but I think she's trying to figure it out for herself whether or not she does have romantic feelings."

Tenten scoffs, "Ino, when have you ever sat back and let Sakura win over you in anything?" Before I can answer, she continues, "I don't think it's fair for Sakura to try something like that with Naruto. He was finally moving on but she kind of pulled him back. We all know those two could never work. What if Sasuke ever came back to the village? Sakura would go back to her old self and leave Naruto in a pile of dust—having lost his chance with Hinata and by that point giving up on anyone else but her. Do you really want that?"

"I think it's up to Naruto what he decides to do and who he decides to be with."

"Well, when you think about it, Naruto is a people pleaser—kind of like you. He's only going to look at Hinata and Sakura because they expressed their intentions. He sees that he only has two options because if he were to look at someone who hasn't been honest about her intentions, it would hurt two people and not just one. Do you understand?"

My eyebrows scrunch up in confusion, "No, I don't understand."

"It means that Naruto doesn't know that he would be hurting you as well if he were to choose one of them. Right now, he thinks Sakura and Hinata are the only ones who care."

"But then, if I were to tell him he'd be hurting two people, then wouldn't that make things harder for him?"

Tenten taps her chin, "Yeah, it would make things harder, but at the same time, it would make it easier. Because at that point, all the cards would be out on the table, being played. It's honest, and I think that's the best way to go. I think Naruto would appreciate it that way."

I sigh, "Yeah, I know. That's why I want to be honest, I just don't know how to be."

Tenten looks over my shoulder and whispers, "Speaking of the devil,"

I turn around to see Naruto making his way up the hill. His cast and sling are gone, his injuries healed in just a week. He's grinning like a child as he approaches us, lifting a hand in greeting while saying, "Yo!"

"Hey, Naruto," Tenten greets.

I turn back to her with a horrified expression but she glares at me to speak. I lift my head to see him directly behind me, staring down at me. I smile, "Oh, hi, Naruto…"

"I see your leg's better," Tenten observes.

"You bet," Naruto shakes his left leg to prove it. "Anyway, I was looking for you all week, Ino. It's like you went into hibernation or something this week."

"Me?" I ask, pointing at my face.

Naruto nods and crouches down so we're eye-level. He grins and says, "Remember when you took me to your favourite place? I told you I'd take you to mine, didn't I? So you wanna go now?"

I'm surprised he even remembers. I peek at Tenten who is nodding her head eagerly, and I just know she's thinking this is the perfect opportunity. I turn back to the grinning Naruto who's staring expectantly at me. "Sure?"

"Great!" Naruto grabs my wrist and pulls us up and heads down the hill. He calls over his shoulder, "See you later, Tenten!"

I slap Naruto's forearm until he finally lets go of my wrist, "You idiot! Why are you in such a rush? You left Tenten to clean up the picnic mess all on her own!"

"Oh, yeah," Naruto says as though he hadn't thought of it, but he shrugs, and grins again, "I'm just excited! Come on, let's go faster!"

I groan and try to keep up with Naruto. We head west, past the hospital, and I suspect I know where we're headed. I feel my eye twitch just at the thought, "Naruto, I swear if you're taking me to the ramen stand-"

"Don't worry about it," Naruto interrupts. I look over to see him with a small smile on his face, filled with anticipation. I'm relieved when we pass the ramen stand, but grow more curious as we go. Perhaps he's leading us to the hot springs? The only other place in this direction is the hokage office.

We pass the hot springs.

"Naruto," I whine, "Just tell me where we're going already."

Naruto snickers, "We're almost there."

Sure enough, we arrive at the hokage office. I don't mean to be rude, so I don't voice my thoughts, but seriously? What's so special about the hokage office? I turn to Naruto with a questioning look, "So this is it?"

Naruto smirks, "Not exactly."

He takes my wrist again, despite my complaints, and leads me around the building. Now I understand. I look up at the five faces of our village's hokages. I feel my face soften, and I turn to Naruto, "Naruto…"

"Wait, this isn't even it yet." Naruto says, pointing towards the stairs, "We're gonna go up."

"Wait a minute, look at how many stairs there are!" I say, feeling reluctant.

"You have chakra," Naruto simply states, already getting started on the climb. He looks at me—standing at the bottom of the stairs, still a little apprehensive—and says, "Come one, you won't regret it."

I sigh and chase after him. I use chakra like he suggested and we both get to the top speedily, although it's still quite troublesome. I stand at the top of the stairs, catching my breath while Naruto is a few steps ahead, his body turned towards the village. I stand next to him and finally understand why this is his favourite place. The view is amazing, who knew our little village was so beautiful? I always knew this place existed, I just never bothered to come up.

"Wow…" I comment breathlessly. Staring down at the village causes memories to flood back. I can see just about everything, from the restaurants to the training grounds. "Oh, look! There's the flower shop!" I point at it and turn to Naruto, who follows my finger and shares my excitement.

"Isn't it great?" Naruto asks. He moves to the edge and takes a seat. This could be viewed as dangerous, but this is Naruto.

"It's amazing," I say, taking a seat next to him.

"You wanna know why it's my favourite place?"

"The view?"

"Kind of," Naruto leans back on his hands and sighs, "I spent a lot of time here during our academy days. Seeing all the villagers below just made the village look a lot more alive than just walking through town. It gets even better in the night, actually. Somehow, I'm always alone when I come up here. I like it that way, it makes it feel as though this place is mine."

"Well that's too bad, because I intend on coming here more often." I state defiantly.

"I wouldn't mind your company," Naruto says, then laughs to himself, "Man, the amount of times I've vandalized this place is a little ridiculous. It's funny, but at the same time, I feel kind of bad about that."

"Ugh, I remember that," I say, rolling my eyes. "It made me so angry. I remember wondering how you could disrespect our hokages like that."

Naruto shrugs, "I don't know."

We sit for a while and try to spot our friends. It feels nice to just talk and not worry. When we're together, things feel easy. I'm glad Naruto feels that way as well.

"You know," Naruto says suddenly, "One of these days I'm going to become hokage."

"Yeah, then someone new can vandalize your face," I joke.

"I don't care, I'm going to protect this village. That's all that matters."

I blink, surprised by his seriousness. "But why? This village… It didn't treat you well when you were young… Why would you want to protect it?"

"To prove to everyone that I can do it. That I'm strong enough to protect them. There are more reasons, but the point is that I set that as my goal and it's going to be what I work towards in life." Naruto snickers, "Life would be pointless if we didn't have goals, right?"

I nod in understanding, but… What are my goals?

I really do like the vacancy of this place. I try to take it all in, the view, the fresh breeze, just everything about it. I turn to Naruto, a spurt of courage rising within me. "Naruto, there's something I want to say to you."

"Hm?" Naruto turns to me curiously, "What is it?"

"You're the best." I say, surprising myself and him. My mouth seems to have a mind of its own as it continues, "I trust you. If you say you're going to become hokage, I know you will. I just know it."

"Really? Thanks, Ino!" Naruto has a huge smile, touched at my words. "That means a lot."

I nod, then turn to look back at the village. Somehow, time moves quickly and the sun begins to set, creating a beautiful display of colors in the sky. I almost told him how I feel. I didn't do it, but I can feel myself getting closer to it. The more time I spend with him, the more I want to say it. I want to be selfish this one time.

"Naruto," I say again, still a little unsure. "There's something else I need to say to you."

Naruto turns to me expectantly and I can hear my heart beating as though it's about to jump out of my ribcage, but this time, I can't hold back. No, I won't be weak.

I look up directly into Naruto's eyes and let it out, "I like you."

I don't know what I expect. Him to brush it off and think I mean it as a friend and be the dense guy he is? Or for him to say it back? I don't know. His eyebrows jump up for a moment, but his expression remains unreadable. I don't even know what else to say. If I open my mouth again, I'm afraid I'll vomit. But this is it, I've done it. There's no going back.

We sit there staring at each other for a long time. My eyes beg me to look away but my mind refuses to lose this stare down. But I can't take it any longer, and turn away. I clear my throat and rise to my feet, "I should go. My dad's on a mission, so I'm in charge of the shop and house."

As I turn to go, I feel Naruto's hand grip my wrist. My breath catches, and I look back down at him. He's not smiling, but his expression isn't one that's turning me down, either. He says, "Let's go somewhere."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm so tired of thinking." Naruto states, climbing to his feet as well. "I wanna do something. Let's go. Get out of town and don't look back."

"Naruto-"

"Come on." Naruto says. His voice is vacant, but there's urgency in it as well. "Just us."

I don't know what causes me to jump on his crazy train, but I nod and say weakly, "Okay."

He doesn't even address my confession, and it makes me wonder if I'd confessed at all or if it was just my imagination. Part of me expects to wake up and realize that this is all a dream. Even when I trip over my feet on the way to the stairs, I almost don't feel the ground beneath me. No, it's real. If it wasn't, then I would force myself to wake up.

We climb down the stairs, then Naruto instructs me to meet him at the gates in one hour. I nod in understanding, heading home to grab essential clothing and items. I know it's crazy, but there's a thrill in this. Naruto's tired of thinking? Well so am I. For now, no one else exists. Nothing else matters. It's just us.

I make sure to lock everything before heading out. It's night now, and I'm sneaking out of a vacant house, on my way to meet Naruto and go somewhere—anywhere, but not here. I wouldn't have expected this outcome at all.

"Ino," Naruto calls out in the night. I turn to see his form approaching. When he reaches me, he runs a hand through his hair and asks, "Ready?"

I nod, and we exit the gates as stealthily as we can. When we're far enough away from the village, I ask Naruto, "Where are we going?"

Naruto shrugs, "I didn't think about it."

"Naruto," I groan, "We can't just sneak out in the middle of the night without a destination in mind."

"Okay, then how about we go back to Shukuba Town," Naruto suggests.

Sense is beginning to return to me, so I stop in my tracks, causing Naruto to stop as well. I look down at the ground as I speak, "Naruto, what are we doing?"

Naruto shuts his eyes for a long moment, "Well, you're thinking. That's what I don't want to do."

"You don't have to think, but you need a plan." I state, feeling the thrill leave me.

Naruto sighs, "'kay."

Okay, well, there goes all the fun. I turn right around, heading back to Konoha. I can hear Naruto calling out to me, but what's the point in following him to nowhere? I just told him that I like him, and all he wants to do is run away. And to where? He doesn't care. He doesn't care whether I'm with him or not. What the hell was I thinking? How could I be so stupid? Why couldn't he just outright reject me instead of doing this?

I don't even realize I'm crying until I feel something wipe against my cheek. I nearly growl at the gesture, but Naruto doesn't flinch, and continues to wipe my face with his sleeve. I slap it away and turn to him with a glare, "Do you think my feelings are a joke?! That you can laugh in my face because you know how much I care?! Naruto, I like you! You idiot! But sometimes I feel like I hate you more!"

"Ino," Naruto says in his vacant voice, only making me angrier.

"I waited for you, you know. Hinata wasn't the only one counting the days. I missed you. You were annoying but you were familiar and in ways that I can't describe, I needed that. You're stupid sometimes but you're the kindest, strongest, and bravest guy I know. I hate that I can't compare to you or to the other girls who feel the same way as me, but I just wish that you would acknowledge the years I spent devoted to you! Not Sasuke, not some other insignificant boy from the village, but you! I don't know why but it's you! Goddamn it Naruto!"

"I can't respond to your confession, Ino, because I'm still trying to work things out in my head!" Naruto snaps. "What am I supposed to do? I care so much for all of my friends, and now three of them say they like me? I hate it, too, you know. I don't want to be in this position! You don't know why you like me? Well I don't know either."

"Do you even know how hard it was to finally confess? I put you first because I wanted to be honest." I scoff, "You said girls over think? What about you? What are you so afraid of that you're so indecisive?"

Naruto is silent, but I can read the answer on his face. He's scared of making a mistake.

"Naruto, forget about this stupid situation for a minute," I say, my voice finally calm, the tears pausing. "Can you be honest with me? Please?"

Naruto sighs, running a hand through his hair. This is definitely a new habit of his, possibly one that I created. "Okay. Honestly? Between Hinata and Sakura, I felt like I had to make a choice—one or the other. But I was putting it off for a lot of reasons, one of them being that I just don't want to. I asked you if it was possible to fall in love with two people. The truth is that… I don't know if I've ever really fallen in love. Yeah, maybe I was crazy for Sakura, but she didn't feel the same way. I want to fall in love in a way where I can't control myself, I'm so in love. I want to have something where the feelings are met halfway. And… I don't think I could get that from either Sakura or Hinata."

"..." I feel a blush creeps its way onto my cheeks but I can't be weak or flustered now. "What about... me?"

Naruto once again runs a hand through his hair, "I don't think I'm ready to tell you. Really. I haven't figured it out. Honest."

I nod and after a few moments wipe my tearstreaked face, before saying, "If that's how you truly feel, you need to let them know."

"I know. I just haven't been able to figure out how. I still don't want to hurt them..."

"Well, I've been told that there are two ways to move on. Let nature take its course, or find someone new."

"You want me to bring back Sasuke?" Naruto asks. "Look, I'm gonna try as hard as I can, but I can't guarantee it or predict how long it'll take."

"Or," I drag out the word, "We could have Hinata move on and Sakura be the one to have nature take its course."

Naruto looks confused, "What do you mean? Hinata's liked me since forever. It's not going to be easy for that to happen."

"Yeah, but Hinata's also a lot stronger than she looks—a lot stronger than me. When it's time to move on, she'll do it."

"You're kinda scary, you know that?"

"I think we should head back to the village." I simply state, feeling exhausted.

"Hey, we could still go to Shukuba Town!"

"I'm about to pass out, I've had enough Naruto for one day."

"Sure you have," Naruto wiggles his eyebrows teasingly.

I groan and punch him in the stomach, "If you ever try to make fun of me for liking you again, you won't ever be able to make fun again, you got it?"

Naruto rolls his eyes, "Yeah whatever, let's go back into town."

"My dad knows where you live, Uzumaki!"

Naruto gulps, and I laugh in victory. I honestly don't know how the night came to this. How did things go this far? And yet… I got more than I could have hoped for, but not enough to completely ease me. For now, we'll start with this. I think both Naruto and I would both like the take things easy for now and keep it simple. I'll wait for him, so long as he remains honest along the way. I know a thing or two about devotion, don't I?

A/N: Naruto's not necessarily afraid of Inoichi because he knows Inoichi would never actually hurt him (and Naruto doesn't fight people back who don't intend on really hurting him).

Review to let me know how the story is going and hopefully give me tips to improve.

I've started school so I'm probably going to focus on that primarily. Idk how much motivation I have, tbh. Looking back, however, I write 5 chapters this past month, approximately 20,000 words. I'm beat. This is just a warning that this story might once again go on hiatus.