"No Regrets"

A One-Shot

Ino entered the tent that housed the intensive care patients; Shizune had constructed it for any of the wounded soldiers that they were able to recover from the battlefield. Sasuke and Naruto had been placed in here too, and Sakura had told them all about their final battle at The Valley of the End, how they desecrated the historical monument pounding each other to a pulp, and that they'd both lost an arm.

Suffice to say, they were all worried for their friend, some more so than others…

…The common feeling, though, all across the board was joy.

Joy, because the war was finally over. The troops were fed a feast worthy of their actions and slept like babies afterwards; casualties had been recovered and a memorial ground was being prepared for an official burial ceremony the following morning.

The Rookie 9 Unit dined together and slept in the same tent, noncompliant to the usual boy-girl division; it made no difference to them. There were few tents to spare so they thought they'd take one for the team—besides, they all had much to catch up on now that the world had finally achieved true peace.

There were many feelings to express, many held-in emotions and unsaid truths, especially about love and friendship.

They all had a blast playing wingman to Shikamaru—especially Choji—as he anted up and made the move with Temari, a move that everyone agreed, should have been made months prior; for all Shikamaru's strategical sense and his masterful wins at shōgi, he was quite terrible when it came time to take the real decisions.

Kiba, not wanting to be left out—always the yearner for attention that he was—decided to profess his 'true love' for some random Cloud-nin they hadn't even known, though they gleaned an idea of the motive behind his confession based on the mountainous proportions of the girl's breasts. She, of course, slapped him down pretty hard…

…How hard, you ask…?

Let's just say that Tsunade would've been proud at the very least.

The cold flaps of the tent brushed against Ino's arms, giving her gooseflesh, crash-landing her out of her thoughts, back into the present moment. Though, if she was totally honest, it wasn't just that. Her goosebumps were prompted by her anxiety and nervousness, and they were definitely getting the better of her right now. She hadn't thought it through completely before coming here. It was pitch-black outside and even the moon didn't shine tonight. It was 3 a.m. and everyone was either dead or asleep; Ino had gotten the time from her father's pocket watch, the one that they had recovered from the ruin in which his body was found.

All she knew was that she had been trying to sleep and had only managed to toss and turn for a consecutive three hours straight; sleep never once graced her with its humbling presence, didn't even bat an eye at her. And she knew why she couldn't sleep, of course she did. It was because of him.

She couldn't stop thinking about him. Sure, in the heat of battle it was more difficult to dwell on things, but the battle was over now, their war won…so now what? Now she was filled up to the brim of herself, unable to snap herself out of thoughts and feelings and memories that didn't even belong to her. It struck her as ridiculous and she wondered if other members of her clan ever felt this way?

She decided, somewhere between all the tossing and turning, that she just had to see him. There was no other way. It was like he said—like she'd heard his heart: "I don't ever want to say, 'I wish I did…'"

Neither did she, and she wasn't going to, not today—not tonight. Whether it landed her on her ass or head over heels, however things turned out, she wouldn't let herself regret not saying something—wondering what might have been if she had confessed that night.

She tip-toed past the many cots containing weary patients receiving water and nutrients intravenously—some of the more critical ones even had chakra receptors embedded into their IVs to help stabilize them and to speed up the healing process.

Tsunade snored faintly behind another pair of curtains, separating her from the rest of the tent, yet still allowing her to channel her chakra to heal the wounded soldiers; there were a bunch of chakra wires slithering out from underneath the curtains, connecting her to them.

On the opposite side, at the very end of the room, was another little curtain, closing off the two cots that belonged to Sasuke and Naruto. Ino made her way to it and inhaled a rather large breath of air, summoning all the courage she had left, and stepped inside, the cold flaps against her skin yet again raising gooseflesh all over her arms.

"Y-you're awake," Ino whispered, surprised to see Naruto lying in his cot, staring absently into the tent's ceiling for no reason at all.

Naruto's eyes fluttered at the sound of her voice, jostling him out of his thoughts. He turned his head to look at her—honestly, he couldn't do much more than that anyway, not in the weakened state he was in.

"Ino?" he said. His voice cracked and she could hear all the damage and pain that was in it. He was surprised to see her of all people, especially at a time like this; she should be asleep, he thought. But then again, he knew exactly what she was doing here now that he had a proper look at her. He'd expected this…meeting…to happen, only he had imagined it would come much later. He smiled a little—fighting the pain he felt when he moved a single muscle in his body—and beckoned her forward, happy on the inside, for he knew—she'd taken his words to heart. He could tell that much just by looking at her face.

"I had no idea you would be awake," Ino whispered, minding Sasuke, who slept peacefully on a separate cot a few metres away. "I…I wanted to…talk." Naruto nodded mutely. "About what you said?" she hinted. He caught it, yet he still did not speak.

Ino clenched her fists, digging her nails deep into her palms, bringing blood. She willed herself to be firm and to speak from the heart; he would hear her, surely he must.

"Out on the battlefield today—yesterday…" she began, correcting herself, shifting her eyes, looking everywhere except at Naruto. "…I…I felt—I mean it wasn't just me, but I mean I…felt. Literally everything you were feeling. I…"

"Ah," Naruto mumbled, fighting his body into a seated position. "I know. I'm not sure how but I knew it the moment it happened."

Ino nodded furiously, saying, "Of course. My jutsu works like a two-way connection. What comes from you transmits to me—through me—to everyone—and what comes from me, transmits to you…"

"…And through me to everyone?" Naruto asked with a vaguely funny expression gracing his bruised and battered face.

Ino shook her head and snickered. "Not exactly. I know how to control it."

"You sure about that?" Naruto asked. "I felt everything you felt too."

"Oh…I guess I lost control in the heat of the moment. It's just—"

"I understand, Ino."

Ino shifted her feet and twiddled her thumbs together, wracking her brain for the right words to say to him, the words that would make everything right in the world for her and him. Them. Together.

"Naruto-kun," she began, and Naruto's eyes widened a hair before settling back down; the movement was barely visible under the guise of all his bruises but she noted it just fine. She had never used the endearing suffix before; she surprised herself a little too.

"Learning about your life, about everything you'd been through," Ino said, fumbling through her sentences, playing with her hair. "It all gave me a new view on things. Made me feel differently about how things went down in my life. And I can't help but wish…"

Naruto sat upright on his one, good hand and listened closely.

"…I can't help but wish that I'd gotten to know you better!" Ino shouted.

Naruto stared in wide-eyed shock. He had expected a barrage of questions about his childhood and about his ideals, not this—whatever this was exactly.

Ino cupped her mouth and stared at Naruto's face for the very first time since she started speaking. His expression made her bite her own tongue. She had done what she came here to do and now it was all about to blow up right in her own face. Oh well.

"Ino…" Naruto said. "…I wish I could've gotten to know you better too."

Ino looked up in surprise, locking eyes with Naruto, nearly flinching at the utmost honesty shining behind those bright-blues swimming in his eyes.

"Really?" she asked.

Naruto nodded. "Mmhm. Of course, Ino. But that doesn't mean we aren't friends right now."

Ino shook her head. "Naruto…you don't understand," she said, but before she could continue, Naruto cut her off.

"No—you don't understand, Ino. We are friends. Don't ever think we aren't. No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you, just like I am for all my friends."

"No, Naruto, please—"

"And of course we can always get to know each other better—"

"Naruto, would you listen—"

"—I had figured we would all get together after we got back to the village, but hey—what the hell—since we're here we might as well make the most of it."

"Naruto—"

"—Let me just get out of my cot—"

"Wait is that even possible right now…?"

"—and we'll sip some saki…hahhh…just kidding. Baa-chan would kill me. I'm only allowed orange juice so you're gonna have to suck it up and deal with it somehow, even though I'm sure a lady like yourself enjoys fine wines and things like that—although, y'know, I never much had taste for those types of things to be honest—"

"Naruto!" Ino shouted, shutting Naruto's rant mid-sentence and finally earning his full attention—and now that she had it, she had no idea what she'd planned on saying in the first place.

"Yeah, Ino?" he asked.

Oh boy, she thought. "I'm not here because of that. You didn't understand what I was trying to say to you."

"Oh," Naruto said, "and what was that?"

To hell with it, she told herself, and took a deep breath. Exhaled…

"Uzumaki Naruto…I love you."

Naruto stared at Ino's face with a blank expression. He looked like he was glitching out, as if he was a machine and not a human being and that he wasn't built to process matters such as love. But he was a human after all, and he did indeed feel things like love, just wasn't quite used to being on the receiving end was all.

Ino swallowed a large lump in her throat, cleared her throat, and said, "Naruto?" He made a weird noise as if she had broken him with her declaration. "Say something please…?" But he never did, not at first at least, not until Ino's rambling went far off the rails.

"Naruto," she said, "I'm sorry. I know this isn't the right venue for us to talk about this, but I was just so inspired by your speech and your feelings that I. Felt. I swear I did and I just couldn't stop feeling…I mean thinking about them, and I had to say what I've been feeling for, honestly, a really long time. I mean when I really think about it, it goes way back to when you came to save us from Kakuzu—

"That weird, hairy, Akatsuki member?" he mumbled in between her ranting.

Ino carried on, without missing a beat.

"—And I remember seeing that same look in your eyes, and even then, I could feel this weird connection to you. I swear I heard your heart that day too—"

"Ino," Naruto interrupted, earning both her silence and her attention immediately. "I want you to link with me again," he said.

"What?" Ino said, as if she hadn't heard what he'd said even though she did. She just didn't quite understand what he meant by it.

"Link up with me again, the same way we did on the battlefield. I want to show you something."

Ino nodded dumbly. "Uh…okay."

Naruto nodded and shut his eyes. Ino approached him with hesitant footsteps, and she would be lying if she said that the thought hadn't crossed her mind to turn her back and run right out the way she came from, avoiding this situation—their talk—and Naruto altogether, for the rest of her life. But then again, she'd pledged to herself already: No regrets. So she wasn't about to forsake her newfound will to the whims of her teenage hormones barking impulsive orders at her from places she didn't even want to think about right now.

She put her hand on his forehead and closed her eyes. She didn't need to form any hand signs, didn't need to think about executing the jutsu either; she had grown leaps and bounds, made connections in different ways than her father—perhaps even stronger in some ways.

Just like that,

she was in Naruto's mind.

It was a weird thing to explain. She wasn't there per se, rather she existed as if she was simply another part of everything that composed his being; and he, by proxy—should she choose it, allow it—was allowed the same window of access to her being.

Everything was blank at first; pitch-black like the night sky outside. She felt gusts of wind blow past her in the darkness, and she knew the things that were blowing past her were memories, so many of them, she felt them brush against her skin, eliciting another round of gooseflesh for her to contend with.

Suddenly, it became very bright, and sunlight shone all across her field of vision—nearly blinding her—warming her to her very core. She felt butterflies in her stomach as the light illuminated the contents of the room. She stood upon a grassy field—a hilltop—somewhere in Konoha most likely. All of her favourite flowers grew in tandem here, without contesting with each other, without the prerequisites they always required in order to grow—and they almost always had to be kept separately—but here, right here, they could grow together, without the limitations of prerequisites.

She heard voices coming from behind her and turned her back to face them. She saw the hilltop fade off into an abstract void, lit with starlight and gold and glitter, and her immediate thought was that this is what it must look like to be feeling butterflies in one's stomach.

She saw that the voices came from two figures conversing within the void, floating in one spot. One of them was Naruto. The other, a redheaded lady; her hair was beautiful, the longest Ino had ever seen, the kind of hair she'd always dreamed of having.

She immediately felt who it was. Naruto told her. Uzumaki Kushina: His mother.

He had never met his mother (or his father for that matter). She knew from his memories. She also knew that this was his only one of her, their introduction and their goodbye, all in one, and she felt a painful twinge settle all her butterflies against the pit of her stomach.

All of a sudden, the void was swallowed whole. Ino blinked, and when she opened her eyes, the sight of a desolate battlefield haunted her eyes. She saw the Kyūbi, crouched low and close, staring her right in the eye, and she felt a kind of fear she'd never felt before in her entire life.

The sound of a baby crying boomed and echoed all around her, but she couldn't place the sound. She looked closely at the Kyūbi, noticed its arm was extended at something. She followed its length and found its claw penetrating deep through Uzumaki Kushina and The Fourth Hokage—Naruto's dad!—Namikaze Minato. They leaned over a baby Naruto crying his heart and soul out as his parents' blood slowly dripped onto his face.

The two cried silent tears as they stared at the face of the child they would never be able to know, and they both made promises to each other and to Naruto that they would always love him, no matter what. She heard Kushina's words clearly boom, heading right in her direction, as if Naruto had intended for her to hear something she'd said, something he didn't truly understand at first.

"Naruto," Kushina said, summoning her every ounce of strength left in her to say her words clearly, as if the newborn Naruto was going to remember them for years after. "As for women…well, I wouldn't know what to say, except…find someone who loves your heart, not your wallet; someone who cares about your feelings, who raises your chin up high when you're down and feeling low; someone who can look you in the eyes and tell you that she loves you and mean it; someone who makes you smile. Hah. I guess what I'm trying to say is…find someone just like me, Naruto. That'll do it."

Ino stared at Kushina. She swore the redhead broke eye contact from Naruto to look at her, smiling through her bloodied teeth, as if appraising her, and apparently, she approved.

Ino heard a snap and the scene disappeared in an instant, replaced by the battlefield they had all just fought on against The Masked Man and Uchiha Madara—except, neither Madara, nor The Masked Man were there. Instead, all nine Bijuu sat comfortably in a circle, encompassing Naruto, Sasuke (they hadn't fought yet, Ino could tell because they both still had their arms), Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, all five of Konoha's Hokage, Uchiha Madara, and an old man she didn't recognize; he resembled Lord Third a little bit, yet appeared entirely different as well, alien-like she would argue, as if that meant anything.

His name was Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, also known as the Rikudō Sennin.

He spoke to Naruto directly: "Well done, Naruto," he said, smiling grimly. "Now I will undo the Edo Tensei and return the dead back to the afterlife where they belong…"

Naruto stared at the man in shock, and Ino knew exactly why. He turned to look at Lord Fourth. The Nine-Tails—Kurama, she reminded herself to call to him—told him to go. To say goodbye.

Naruto leapt to Lord Fourth.

He smiled at the fine, young man his son had become, and said, "I've been meaning to say something to you, Naruto…"

Naruto's eyes lit up in anticipation.

"…Happy birthday, kiddo," Minato said. A brand new sunrise dawned behind them and Ino felt its warmth bring new life to the butterflies in her stomach.

Naruto took on a saddened look. "Tou-chan…" he muttered, knowing their time was up.

"I'm not really alive, kiddo. After all, at the end of the day, we all have gotta go where we belong, right? You've proven that best, I'd say." He smiled brightly at Naruto and shut his eyes. "I'll make sure to tell Kushina all about you…I promise!"

Naruto raised his head and stared into his father's eyes with a thoughtful expression on his face. He smiled. "Dad," he began, holding his hands out, prepared to gesticulate his every word like an elaborate game of charades, "tell Mom that I'm doing just fine and not to worry! Tell her I'm eating right, that I'm not picky at all and eat all different types of stuff—I eat tonkotsu ramen, miso Ramen, shoyu ramen…but obviously I eat more than just ramen!"

He scratched his head in embarrassment; Minato stared on in melancholic amusement.

"Ah…also tell her I try and bathe every single day—except for sometimes when I can't when I'm out on missions—and I even visit the Leaf's Hot Springs every now and then, though, to be honest, people are always telling me I get out too quickly, but I think I stay in just long enough…what else, what else…"

Ino watched on with held-back tears, biting her lip just to contain herself.

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed. "Tell her I made lots and lots of friends like she told me to, and that they're all good people—great, really!—and tell her I was a lot like her in that I was pretty much terrible in school, but I never let it get me down and I always had the highest confidence!"

Even if it was a little unearned at times, Ino agreed.

"And Naturally, I always obeyed Lord Third and Kakashi-sensei, and I respect them both very much! They're right here, so you can even ask them if you don't believe me, haha! They'll tell you the same thing! I promise! And I learned a lot about those 'Three Prohibitions of Shinobi' while spending time with ero-sennin—although, he was pretty hopeless when it came down to abstaining from them if I'm being honest. But nonetheless, he was an amazing shinobi and the strongest of the Sannin and my master, and I respect him the most! Y'know, I just turned 17 today, so I don't really know much about alcohol or girls…but Mom said to find someone just like her!…and…and…there's a girl, and she's just like Mom. I just haven't found the courage to say my feelings out loud to her yet…but I promise I will, dad, I won't waste anymore time…anyways!—not everything Mom told me about went down the way she hoped, but just tell her that I have been, I am, and I will keep on doing the best that I can! Tell her about my dream to become Hokage! And I swear I'll do it too! And just…when you see Mom over there…just tell her…tell her that she doesn't have to worry about me at all! Tell her I'm doin' my best!"

Minato smiled at Naruto and nodded his head, his apparatus floating gently away into the atmosphere. He whispered: "Ah. Got it, Naruto. I'll make sure to tell her everything…"

And he dissipated into the atmosphere, leaving behind only ashes of the corpse used to reanimate him. Then it all disappeared…

…The Valley of the End materialized before her very eyes, a barren and desecrated version of it, the one that existed now, after all the damage Naruto and Sasuke had incurred over there.

Ino leaped off a few rocks to gain a higher vantage point, trying to figure out what it was Naruto wanted her to see exactly—though she was getting the picture in bits and pieces—and then the feeling hit her again, and she knew exactly where to look.

She stared at Naruto and Sasuke, lying on a rock side by side, each with one of their arms severed off.

"I wouldn't move too much if I were you," Naruto said, nudging his head at their severed arms. "We move too much and I'm sure we'll end up dead. But hey, it's your choice at the end of the day."

Sasuke glared daggers at him at first, then his gaze softened and became weary, as if he'd had enough of everything and everyone. "Why?" he asked. "Why do you constantly force your way into my life, disregarding my every decision about the way I want to live? Why?"

And Ino knew it before he even said it, and she whispered it along side him, her tears falling freely now, unafraid of being vulnerable to someone else's pain.

"Because I'm your friend," Naruto—and Ino—said.

Sasuke stared at him in surprise, and he remembered all the times before this that Naruto had stated that very same thing as if it were a simple matter of fact, except it was totally lost on him.

"You say that, but what exactly does it mean to you?" he asked.

Naruto looked away, staring off into the ruined valley, and for a second, Ino thought he looked at her when he spoke.

He said, "It's just that…when I see you take on all these things, these burdens, and you get all messed up, it…it kinda…hurts me."

Ino felt all of Naruto's memories flood her field of vision, and it felt as if she was seeing two things at the same time; it disoriented her. His memories spun on a wheel and they came to a sudden stop at an image of Uchiha Itachi.

Then, all of a sudden—as if it was a movie—the scene played out, and Itachi said: "Naruto, I'll let you deal with Sasuke, then."

"That was my plan from the start," Naruto responded.

"Entrusting you with Shisui's eye was the right thing to do from the start, after all," Itachi said.

Ino felt Sasuke's presence viewing the memories alongside her. It wasn't genjutsu. This is what Naruto showed Sasuke at The Valley yesterday, and this is how Sasuke saw it. It was surreal, the way Naruto was able to connect with people, the way he allowed Sasuke to peak in on his own psyche, to feel the things he felt, and to be so vulnerable. And now he allowed Ino an all-access pass. She felt honoured yet nervous at the same time.

The reel spun again and this time she felt bits and pieces of Naruto's life whizz by her, hearing phrases that resonated deeply with him echoing at her from everywhere at once:

(I'm gonna become the Hokage, then everyone's gonna have to acknowledge me!)

(There's no such thing as a shortcut to Hokage!)

(I never go back on my word! That's my Nindo!)

(I won't die until I become Hokage, and I swear I'll become the greatest and strongest of them all! To surpass them all…that's my dream!)

(There's no way someone can become a Hokage…if he can't even save a friend…isn't that right, Sasuke…?)

Ino saw images of Kushina and Minato and all the comrades Naruto had made up to now; from his travels on his missions; all the villagers; every soldier he inspired out there on the battlefield to fight alongside him.

(I'll become strong enough and I'll bear it all alone—all your hatred. I'm the only one who can…)

Then she heard Itachi's voice again: "No matter how strong you become, don't try to shoulder it all alone. Becoming Hokage doesn't mean everyone will acknowledge you…but it is when everyone acknowledges that you can become Hokage. Never forget your friends!"

She felt Sasuke's feelings too then, paired with Naruto's immense desire to save his friend. She felt his deep sense of loneliness and jealousy and hatred towards all things opposing him. She saw all the people who stood alongside Naruto, all of his friends, saw herself, standing right there, in the middle of the crowd, right beside him, accompanied by Choji and Shikamaru…

The Valley appeared again, and it seemed some time had passed. A new sun had nearly risen, and they had fallen asleep on the rock, bleeding out slowly throughout the entire night.

Naruto blinked awake, mumbling, "Where are we?" He almost thought it was Heaven for a second.

"Looks like we fell asleep," Sasuke said. "It's morning…and we failed to die again."

Sasuke began to laugh, almost nonsensically, amused by the whole ordeal they had gone through, and Naruto just stared at his face as he laughed, thinking his friend had lost his marbles and that he'd have to find the strength from nowhere to beat him down once again. But none of that happened. Instead, Sasuke said:

"I admit it. I lost."

Naruto struck a face at him and said, "Huh?"

Sasuke snickered. "I just acknowledged you, Naruto. You won."

Naruto thought he was seeing a mirage but Sasuke really was crying.

Ino couldn't believe her eyes. She'd never seen the boy vulnerable in her entire life.

"So now what?" Naruto asked.

"No clue," Sasuke said, snickering all the while. Naruto joined him even though it hurt like hell. "I suppose," he began, "if someone finds us and we make it out of this alive…do you think I should talk to Sakura?"

"Neh?" Naruto said. "Of course you should idiot. She's your friend. Besides, I'd kick your ass if you gave her the cold shoulder all over again—"

"No, you idiot," Sasuke interjected. "That's not what I meant."

Ino understood immediately, though it took Naruto a few moments.

"Ohhhh!" he exclaimed, and he shot his friend a thumbs up with his eyeballs (Ino didn't even know that was possible). "Go for it, Sasuke!"

"Hm," Sasuke grunted.

They laid still for a long while, and Ino wondered what the point of this all was, trying to fit all the pieces Naruto had given her throughout this odd psychical journey he'd taken her on. Then he said it outright and Ino couldn't believe her ears.

"I think I'm in love with Ino," Naruto said.

Sasuke stared at him in genuine surprise. "Really?" he asked.

Ino couldn't believe it. She, herself, had believed that Hinata would be the girl Naruto would've gone for. She had loved him all her life, and sure, Ino was a little late to the party, but her feelings had existed for a long time. She loved him just as much, if not more. She didn't understand why he loved her, though. He didn't even know her. Not really.

"Yeah," Naruto said. "Ever since that moment on the battlefield. I don't know…something just clicked for me. I just haven't been able to say it."

"Are you being straight with me?" Sasuke asked, a little disbelieving, although he had good reason to be.

"Oi, Sasuke, I'm being genuine with you here, as a friend—as a brother," Naruto said. "Could you just give me your opinion?"

"Sorry, of course," Sasuke said. "I mean, I'd tell you go for it."

Naruto smiled. "Ah. Thanks, Sasuke."

Sasuke smiled. "Anytime."

Naruto began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shook his head funnily. "Nothing…it's just…in all our time spent battling our enemies and saving the world, I kinda forgot that I'm just a 17 year old kid."

Sasuke shared a few laughs too at that, and said, "I never really gave it much thought…but I guess you're right."

"Hey, Sasuke…?" Naruto whispered.

"Yeah, Naruto?"

"If we make it home alive, let's have a drink together, huh?"

Sasuke smiled. "You bet, dobe."

Naruto smiled and stared at the sky. Eventually, the sunlight became too bright to handle, and Ino blinked her eyes and when she opened them

she was back in the tent, her hand on Naruto's forehead.

She blinked a few times, reorienting herself with her immediate surroundings. Her palms were sweaty, and she could feel Naruto's forehead pulsating underneath her hand. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard—everything she just saw, that Naruto showed her.

Her cheeks felt wet and when she grazed on with the tip of her finger, it appeared as if she had cried a great deal—and she had; Naruto's life was a tiresome journey, and it saddened yet inspired her at the same time that the boy had never given up, despite having all the cards stacked against him.

She moved her hand up, brushing her fingertips through his hair. He leaned in to her touch and she held him close to her for a long time, basking in the silent glory of reciprocated love.

He pulled away from her and held her hand with his good one. Staring deeply into her eyes, he said, "I just thought you should know. You deserve to hear the truth. After everything you've been through—I felt everything you've known that moment when we linked on the battlefield—and all the pain you've felt…Sasuke's betrayal—your grief and your regret and not acting sooner…Asuma-sensei—your pain at losing the teacher you wished you listened to more often…your mother, your father…you know pain like I do, and you never had a say in the matter. For that, you deserve the world, Ino. And I…I want to give it to you…because…I love you too."

He breathed a deep sigh of relief, glad that they had said their piece, that they'd confessed the truth to each other. Funnily enough, for all the time they spent connected on the battlefield, seeing each other's memories—their deepest regrets and their share of sadnesses—they'd never known that they were falling for each other, perhaps because they took that decision after the fact…after they'd read each other's hearts.

Ino smiled at him and leaned in close. He shut his eyes. Felt her breath…

"Get a room."

Ino nearly fell into Naruto's lap in shock, and when she opened her eyes, she barely managed to avoid a headbutt from Naruto—he was an even easier scare than her.

They both snapped their heads in the opposite direction, staring at spot where the voice originated from.

Sasuke shot them an amused expression. "Glad to see you two are making yourselves comfortable at the expense of another man's sleep," he said.

Ino looked back at Naruto and noticed that his face was extremely close to her breasts. She pulled back quickly, waving her hands and snapping to-and-fro between Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto glared at Sasuke, yelling, "Oiii, Sasuke-teme, why'd you interrupt? Now you've got Ino-chan all flustered—"

"Oh?" Sasuke said. "Ino-chan now is it?"

Naruto's cheeks burned and his face flashed beet-red. "O-oii, teme, y-you know what I'm t-trying to say!"

Sasuke snickered. "Calm down, dobe. I'm just pulling your leg."

Ino and Naruto both regained their composure and stared at Sasuke.

"Congratulations, you two," he said.

Naruto and Ino looked at each other for a brief moment, caught a quick glance in each other's eyes. Nodding, the two of them beamed at Sasuke and said, "Ah, arigato!"

Sasuke bowed his head in mock-nobility, eliciting snickers from the both of them. "I apologize for my behaviour over the years, Ino."

Ino raised her brows in genuine surprise. "I-it's alright, S-sasuke…d-don't sweat it."

Naruto smiled. He'd always hoped life would become a little simpler some day. The time had come for them to put down their arms—and that was not a pun—and be together. The way he'd always wanted. A family to call his own.

The three spent the rest of night talking and laughing, enjoying their renewed friendships and basking in the feeling that had finally caught up to them, the joy that had found them now that their own, personal battles were won—and they, too, could say that the feeling was mutual and at last enjoy it with the rest of the Alliance; their worldwide family.

"This dream is good enough," Naruto said.

Sasuke nodded. "Ah. I agree."

Ino smiled and said, "I hope it lasts forever."

And it would…

…So long as Madara lived, The Infinite Tsukuyomi would keep their dreams alive forever.

A/N: Just an idea I had while thinking about the events that transpired after Naruto ended.

Kinda sad with the direction the studio-heads and Shonen itself have taken with "Boruto"; I hate that a franchise that accomplished so many things can become tainted by something as creatively irresponsible as the "Boruto" manga/anime (there are very few redeeming qualities that solely exist in the manga, if at all).

I've always loved the idea of Naruto x Ino. I don't know why. Maybe it's because they're both the same character essentially. Ino being the female version of Naruto to some degree. I also always loved Ino's unique clan ability. In my head, I've always romanticized the capabilities of it (as seen in this one-shot). I truly hope whoever reads this, albeit short tale, enjoys it...

Leave a review with your thoughts. I'm sure the twist might be a tad gut-wrenching for some of y'all true NaruIno-lovers out there, and I'm truly sorry it had to end that way, but that was the way the story came to me, and that's the way I told it.