The sun had just begun to come up in the sky as Ino sat up in her bed. Yawning sleepily, she quickly rubbed a backhand across her eye, becoming acutely aware of her surroundings. "Ai...so tired. I have to stop going to sleep so late," she muttered aloud to herself. Father's training had been rugged thus far. After the first two weeks of training, Otoosan had told her to go back to school, something that she did not relish. After what had occurred in the field, and after the resentment that she could feel in the stares of the other girls, she didn't really feel that going to school would be in her best interests.
Yawning again, she scratched her left ear. She could feel something hop about, and she snatched it with a quick hand, smirking as she lowered the offending insect to her field of vision. It was nearly springtime now, and that meant flowers, fields of soft green grass, birds chirping, animals playing...and fleas. Lots...and lots...of fleas.
Her thumb and forefinger pressed together, effectively squashing the foreign creature without much exertion. Though they were tough opponents, Ino would always carry the day.
Running a hand through her hair to wake herself up fully, the girl threw her legs over the side of the bed, hopping down and flouncing into the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, she quickly flipped through the dozen hand-signs that made up a shinobi dictionary. Then, she flipped through the hand-signs of the shintenshin no jutsu in the mirror. Her eyes set in a momentary scowl, she growled into the pane of reflective glass. "No one beats me! I'm Yamanaka Ino! Shintenshin no jutsu!" Her hands went into a diamond shape, and she thrust them towards the mirror, defeating an unseen foe and gripping them with a technique so powerful that they were thrust into their own psyche and forced to watch as Ino made them slit their own throat...milliseconds after she released the jutsu and entered her own body once more.
Of course, that was all in her head. In reality, her hand-signs were still off by hundredeths of seconds, meaning that the jutsu wouldn't work. But, she was trying, and of course, the faster she came with the hand-signs, the better the jutsu would work.
Her father was always scolding her about hand-signs. In mock severity, she placed both hands on her lips, giving herself a pout in the mirror. "Musume, your hand-signs are weak! You are weak! Become strong! Eat your vegetables and study your homework! Plant your garden and eat your ramen! Paint that fence and do those dishes. Blah blah blah..." she said, shaking a finger at herself. Her teeth grew between her lips as she smiled. "Ha. Yes daddy. Of course daddy. Whatever you say, daddy." She would be a good girl. After all, her father was teaching her the shintenshin. Not every day did one learn to control another's body and make them do things that they normally wouldn't.
A voice from down the stairs caught her attention instantly. "Ino-chan! Time for school!"
"Ok, mother! I'll be right there!" she replied back, not taking her eyes from the mirror. Quickly, she dressed in her usual attire, a short but cute cut white shirt, complete with baggy blue pants and her bracelet that she wore at all times. It had seen her through many things, and it would continue to see her through. It wasn't anything special, really. Something that her father said had been there when he and her mother had come to pick her up from the hospital. They hadn't left it on her, they had said. Surely one of the nurses had given it to her. Perhaps it was customary?
A head poked into the bathroom, a lock of yellow hair falling down over a masculine, well-cut face. "Chichi. Hurry now."
Sighing exasperatedly, Ino gave her father a momentary glance. "Hai hai. I said I'd be there, and I will."
"Are you back-talking me, chichi?"
She gave him a snarl, and he backed up in mock-fear. "Oh no! She's a vicious beast! Help, mother! She's going to eat me alive!"
"Yes I am!" She yelled, jumping into the air and colliding with him. Over he went, and around and around the two tumbled about, knocking over a vase and causing it to collapse onto the floor. Thankfully, it was a sturdy piece of clay, so it only tinkled as it bounced across the hardwood, slowly spinning in an arc and coming to rest against the foot of her bed.
Her father laughed lightly, giving Ino a pat on the head. "I'm glad it didn't break. Your mother would have had a fit, Ino-chan."
"Ay ay. She loves that vase," Ino concurred, walking over and setting the vase down lightly on the windowsill once more.
"Ah, good as new I'd say. Now, Ino-chan, you must hurry. You can't be late again for school."
"Hai!"
"Today class, we shall be studying the art of preparing different mixtures for use in the field of combat. There will be four concoctions that we will make," Kurenai-sensei said. Walking about the classroom, she noticed that Ino and Sakura had teamed up again. Those two seem to be getting on well. Perhaps the poor girl has found a friend, she thought. She didn't really know which girl that applied to more, Ino or Sakura. The two that seemed to be having the most trouble in the realm of friendship had actually done quite well together. About the school yard, they were almost always walking about, giggling, laughing, or talking in whispered tones.
"What are we making, Kurenai-sensei?" someone in the back inquired.
The woman smiled. "Ah, today we are making combat potions. Each of these different potions will aid your team greatly when a battle situation arises. Each has their own unique ability, and each can be harnessed to give your team the edge when it is needed. Now, everyone take a sheet of paper here," she said, patting a pile of papers, where three other piles also stood, "and then get your ingredients. Everything you'll need is here in the laboratory, so you won't need to go searching. That includes you, Tenten-chan. No more wandering the school."
The girl in question tittered something in the back, and the girls around her smiled, some giggling. Kurenai waited for the peace before motioning the class up front. Silently, one partner walked forward, picking up a piece of paper before walking back to their seating arrangement to discuss the ingredients needed with their team member.
Ino waited until Sakura came back, looking pleased with herself. Handing Ino the parchment, she folded her hands. "See, Ino-san? Strength enhancement potion. Can be used to make soldier pills. I got the last one."
"Wow, Sakura. Good work," Ino said, reading off the list of ingredients to herself. Getting up, both girls headed to the ingredient table, where other teams were busy picking out their ingredients. Looking down at the list, the two began to pick and choose from the items on the table. Sugar and flour for hold. Extract of vanilla for taste. Highly diluted formulated testosterone, and watered down steroids. Grabbing for a small bottle of hormone inducer, Sakura bent over to look at the paper again, her hand slipping and reaching for a different bottle instead. Unaware of her change, she smiled at her blond cohort as Ino grabbed for extract of nightshade. "Ok, Sakura-chan. I think that's everything."
"Right," Sakura said, nodding. Walking back to their table, they sat their ingredients down, walking back around and sitting.
"Ok. The sheet says that we need to mix the ingredients in a large bowl, and then chill for thirty minutes. Once that's done, we need to add the gelatin to the mix, to harden the substance and create a...con...con...constinuency..."
"Um...consistency, Ino-chan. Consistency is the word," Sakura corrected, grabbing for a pink vial.
Ino blinked at the paper, then nodded. "Oh...hai. Thanks. Consistency of paste. Then, we can form it into balls, and eat it!" She smiled at the pinkette. "This is like cooking."
"Um...um..." A voice from behind them turned their attentions around to a small girl. Her fingers poked anxiously together, and she averted her eyes to the right side as she tried to form syllables. "Uh-u-um...y-y-you got the wr-wr-wrong b-b-bottle, I thi-nk. You...you ne-ee-ee-ed this o-o-one." Slowly, she lifted a bottle of greenish juice up, with the words Hormone Inducer written in bold letters.
Sakura blinked at it, and then smiled. "It's ok, Hinata-san. I've got hormone inducer. See?" She lifted her own bottle up, until her eyes read the words on the side. Big, bold letters. Scent of Lilac. She continued to blink as Ino hastily grabbed the vial from her, handing it to the other and taking the bottle she offered.
"Thank you, Hinata-san. It would have made our stuff smell good. Probably not so good to eat, though."
"Y-y-your w-w-wel-wel-welcome..." Throwing the two a quick bow, the girl left just as quickly, returning to her own seat where the girl named Tenten sat, waiting for her impatiently.
"I...I never get the wrong bottle. What happened?" Sakura said out loud to herself, her hand scratching a part of her head, as if that very movement would solve the dilemma better than Hinata had just done.
"Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan. I'm sure that it was an accident."
"Accident? Accident!? I don't make accidents!" Slapping her forehead with a hand, the pinkette sighed. "Stupid idiot that I am."
"No you aren't, Sakura. You're the smartest girl I know. Besides, I'm sure that..."
"Is everything all right here, girls?" The voice of their sensei made them jump slightly. Kurenai gave them a steady glance as they nodded.
Ino was the first to talk. "Oh...hai, Kurenai-sensei. We grabbed the wrong bottle by mistake. Scent of Lilac...not Hormone Inducer. It's ok, now."
"Good," Kurenai said, turning. "I'm glad you found that out."
"We are too," Sakura piped in, her head hitting the table.
"Yes. If you had added lilac extract to your strength enhancement potion, it probably would have poisoned you when you ate it. Best to leave the Medical Balm ingredients with those that aren't going to need to eat their concoction, eh?"
As their teacher walked away, a smirk on her lips, Sakura turned to Ino. "See? Poison! I almost poisoned you, Ino-chan! How can you like me when I almost poisoned you?"
Ino shrugged. "Eh, could've been worse. I could've poisoned you."
"You wouldn't...would you?"
Ino turned, a feral smile on her lips. "Depends. What does my tail make me look like again?"
As Ino skipped home from school, half of a baggy of a weak strength enhancement potion under her arm, she was suddenly aware that someone was watching her. She couldn't quite pinpoint the exact location of whoever it was. Somehow, she just felt weirded out, as if someone, somewhere, was watching every movement she was making. Anxiously, she glanced about her into the throngs of the market place. Of course someone was watching her, she thought. With everyone around, someone would have to notice the tail draped behind her. Her ears were still covered by her cap, so no one would notice those off-hand, but her tail was a dead giveaway. "You're being paranoid," she scolded herself, continuing to walk. "No one cares about you. Just stop worrying about it." Silently, she headed home, her gait just a little faster than it had been.
At home, her training continued. More kunai throwing, more dodging. After dinner, her father and she practiced hand-signs together, going over each one, doing them right time and time again.
As the sun began to fade, they had a sparring match, the first one that Ino could remember having ever thrown her father.
"Oof!" As he hit the ground, skidding to a stop, she rushed over, propping him up.
"Chichi...are you alright? I didn't mean to..."
"It's alright, Ino-chan," Inoichi said, getting up and brushing himself off. "It isn't too serious. Very excellent throw, may I add. It's almost as if you've been practicing non-stop for days at a time."
She blushed, bowing. "Hai, chichi. I have."
"Or perhaps," and her father's arm extended down, gripping her left arm and pulling it out of her pocket. In her grasp, two small, round objects, nearly bite-size. Her father smiled down at them, taking them and releasing his daughter, who backed off slightly. Still smiling, Inoichi tossed the two objects into the air, catching them deftly, only to throw them once more. "Hn. Strength potion, huh?" As the objects fell, his mouth opened. Both doughy objects fell directly into his gaping maw, and with a smirk, it snapped shut, not taking the time to chew as he swallowed. Instantly, Ino could feel a change overcome him. He was much stronger now. She was sure of that, just like she had been when, under the cover of a roll, she had snuck three of them into her own mouth.
Inoichi cracked his neck getting into stance as a very nervous Ino got into hers. "Now, musume. Are you ready? I've taken two of your strength potion pills, and I've noticed that you've taken three." Ino gulped. How did he know that? She thought to herself. "I let you take them because I wanted you to know that one can become much more powerful than they originally appear. But, you became overconfident. Now, can you beat an opponent who has also enhanced his strength? Begin!"
The next hour was spent dodging, ducking, and barely managing to avoid serious injury, much less each and every punch, kick, and throw her father threw at her. She was only seven, by Kami! It wasn't fair!
As both combatants stood, shoulders heaving, sweat beading down their brows, Ino suddenly felt herself get light. Fluffy even. Putting a hand to her brow, she blinked, her vision blurring. "I...I don't...don't..." Suddenly, she collapsed, slamming into the ground hard enough to lose her breath and lying prone, her eyes open but not seeing. Inoichi chuckled as he walked to his daughters form, bending over and picking her up.
"Hai hai. It's too bad that she didn't learn about the risks of taking strength enhancers. On someone like me, whose taken them before, it doesn't have a lasting effect." Standing, he began walking to his home, where he would deposit his sleeping daughter in her bed. "Yes, too bad. She was a great opponent. Next time, she'll go all natural. No enhancers at all."
Asleep in her bed, Ino would sleep peacefully. Her body was attempting to rid itself of the toxins involved with the strength potion, and in the morning, it would be as good as new. Until then, she would be hard to wake. Had she been awake, she would have told no one otherwise. She liked to sleep.
When she was asleep, anything could happen. When she was asleep, Naruto-kun was all hers. Just hers.
Forever.
On the other side of Konoha, a messenger shinobi waited patiently. Silently, the northern gate opened, and a hand extended out. "Here you are. Take this. You know what to do with it. Be sure that he gets it personally."
"Hai!"
"Also be sure that you are not questioned along your journey."
"Hai! The mail will never falter! Through wind and rain and sleet and snow, we messenger shinobi will boldly go, to deliver the mail, and bring good cheer, to those that you hold the most dear!"
"Enough! Go now. Hurry!"
The messenger saluted smartly, turning and beginning his jog up the road. He didn't know his targets exact location, but surely someone would know. Then, he would deliver his message, and he would be rewarded, and then he would find another person to help, and so on and so on. The life of a courier was never done.
Inside the wall, the mysterious figure turned, putting itself back into the darkness. I hope that he gets it soon. Please...we need you now more than ever.
Next chapter: After five years, Ino has begun to learn other basic shinobi techniques. The boys and girls have become mixed, and are in the same class. Naruto throws a party at his home...but his mother sees some problems with one of the guests.
Next Time: Party Pooper...
A/N: Thank you to Anniria, who reminded me to get off of my butt and add a chapter to this story. Thank you for being a fan!