TheDarkestShinobi: a NaruIno oneshot, they don't get enough love…
Start
"You understand that there will be casualties if you're not careful"
"Hai… hai this is a troublesome mission"
"So who will you take?"
"eh, Naruto, Kiba, Neji and Hinata, Sakura and… um that's it"
"Are you sure"
"Troublesome as it is, yes" Shikamaru said and then sighed. Six people were enough two three man teams any bigger than that and it would be too hard to split them and infiltrate.
"fine then you will leave tomorrow, don't inform anyone who doesn't need to know, remember this is a time of war"
"understood Tsunade-hime" and the jounin disappeared in a cloud of smoke
Naruto and Ino were walking hand and hand down the street. Ino had just gotten off at the hospital and Naruto was still resting from a mission a few days ago.
"ne Ino when did you decide to like me, me out of all people, I could name a handful of people who would love to be where I am"
"don't know, you seemed to be the perfect match for me, besides someone needs to keep you in check"
"I guess… well anyway I'm glad you picked me, now that you're mine I don't see how I lived without you…" she squeezed his hand tighter and leaned against him
"love you Naru" he narrowed his eyes
"Ino…"
"you caught me, I wanna go shopping!"
"maybe" Naruto shrugged, he didn't mind shopping, well not with her
"awe but…" she pouted
"Gah! No! not the pout!" he covered his eyes and opened them again to see her pouting face
"okay okay, just put that away" he pointed at her pout and she smiled
"come on let's go"
"Hey Ino, I need to borrow Naruto for a while" Kiba said running up to them
"What is it?" Naruto and Kiba walked a few steps away out of hearing distance
"We got a big mission tomorrow" Kiba whispered
"Hmm… alright I'll be ready I'll get supplies now"
"Can't tell anyone and there's a good chance we won't come back" Naruto frowned and pretended to look hurt.
"Lost your confidence in me already," he smirked "We'll all be fine, you make it sound like we're gonna die, see ya" he patted Kiba on the back and after his trademark grin he ran off to catch up to Ino.
"Let's go shopping now and I'll treat you to dinner after"
"okay let's go!" but she was inwardly frowning, what happened?
Shikamaru, Neji and Hinata were waiting at the gates. Sakura came running towards them with Kiba
"Dog boy wouldn't wake u-hey where's Naruto"
"Not here yet troublesome…"
"i-I'm sure he'll be h-here soon"
"yeah"
"Hey Guys" Naruto said running up to them "sorry I'm late had to drop something off at Ino's"
"I see… bow wow…" Kiba said and was punched by Naruto who blushed
"Let's go"
Ino woke up and looked out her window. She looked at the clouds and yawned. She went to her dresser to pick out the outfit she would wear, she knew Naruto was always with the Hokage at lunch and she wanted to surprise him today. She loved seeing his face when he smiled and it was even better when she found out that she was the one who made him smile. She ran downstairs and ate breakfast with her mom. Her mom seen her expression and smiled.
"You look happy today"
"well I'm going to go see Naruto and surprise him"
"ah well… I see you two together… you really love him don't you" Ino blushed and looked everywhere but her mother
"I hope he does ask you to marry him one day, you two complete each other…" Ino smiled and got up
"thanks mom"
"see you later honey" she opened the door to see a bouquet of roses on her doorstep. She picked it up and read the card, she smiled a bit confused
"huh? Ino what is it"
"Someone left roses for me on the door"
"That's Naruto for you, you got a good one"
Ino
I'll give you a bouquet of a dozen roses, when the last one dies I'll stop loving you
From your own blue eyed blonde
Naruto
She sighed and smelt the roses. Naruto did do these things with the symbolism lately but stop loving her? She didn't understand this
"Mom, can you get me a vase for these roses" Her mother smiled and walked out to come back with a vase. Ino put the flowers in the vase and ran off to the Hokage's office. Her mother looked at the roses.
"how odd, there's only eleven here…"
"Tsunade sama is Naruto here…"
"no, why?"
"he left me roses and I need to thank him and I thought he would be here"
"he won't be back in the village for awhile"
"I see… did he get one of those missions" she asked nervously
"those missions?" Ino's expression faltered
"you sent him on a suicide mission"
"No, Naruto wouldn't die on us" Tsunade smiled
"maybe…" Tsunade frowned
"What he'd do now"
"he left me a bouquet of roses and said when the last one dies I'll stop loving you"
"so what do you think it means"
"Naruto knows or rather thinks he's gonna die in a week" Ino started to cry "he's sent me a bunch of messages before about stuff and he's always right, let me go after them…"
"No, and don't worry about Naruto"
"bu-"
"No we need you here and that's final"
They group of Konoha shinobi made their way into the nearby village and met in a hotel room to discuss their plans
"Tsunade said there will be a high casualty rate if there is any trouble. We will divide into two groups of three and invade. From there we can destroy the base and get the secret scroll, remember the scroll has priority"
"hey we get it shika, now let's rest up we need all our energy"
"hm… we'll meet on the outskirts of town before right before dawn now get some rest"
"hey mom…" Ino said without looking up and her mother. She sat at the table and looked at the roses and the note
"uh oh, honey what happened"
"Naruto was sent on one of those missions" she started crying "what if he doesn't come back… what if"
"honey…" she put an arm around her daughter "you sound like a worried wife, don't worry he's a strong boy"
All of the shinobi met in front of the city before dawn and they set out running for their destination. They were cautious about their surroundings and anything else. Neji and Hinata had their bloodlines activated and were looking for signs of anything unusual. They traveled well into midday before they stopped to take a break. They would reach the base by noon the next day.
"Honey did you take a rose out"
"no why"
"there's only eleven here"
"… that's so like Naruto" she wiped the tears away. "He left the last rose for me to find" she got up and smiled. "I'll be back"
"Dinner is at 5 don't be late"
"Thanks… bye mom"
Ino walked into her families store to get supplies, those flowers were going to live. She barely made it home in time to have dinner. After dinner she tended to her plants. The roots were cut in a way that they would die but she would keep them alive as long as possible, she had to because Naruto said that he would stop loving her when all the roses died and Naruto never lied. She went to sleep and had nightmares about her blonde but she told herself in wasn't true. Naruto would not die. Naruto would not leave her.
"this is harder than I anticipated, troublesome we will need to work in pairs…"
"so what do we do"
"we need even teams… Me and Hinata, Neji and Sakura and Kiba and Naruto would be as even as we can get them…"
"alright don't worry we can do this"
"let's split up we have one day to infiltrate the base"
"Hai"
Ino looked at the still healthy flowers as she went to her job at the hospital. She felt good to know that she was able to help people when they were down and hurt.
"Ino chan, he fell again"
"Now Suki what did I tell you about climbing trees"
"sorry Ino chan ney, where Naruto"
"he outta town for a bit" the boy frowned and muttered a small 'o' and shut up for the rest of the visit
"don't worry he'll be back…" but at this point she didn't know if she said that to calm the child or convince herself.
"Naruto watch out!" Naruto caught the arm and turned. A sikening crack was heard and then Naruto took out a kunai and chopped off the man's head.
"got it Kiba what do you think I'm like 5?"
"sometimes. The entrance is over there and buddy, I'm sorry for everything I ever did to you, I want you to know just in case we don't make… it…"
"I won't accept your apology" he looked to the base solemnly "you just have to live so I can accept your apology later" Naruto said flashing a grin. He patted off his black outfit, everyone wore the same black on and they all went in
Ino sighed as she played with her dinner. She was worried about her boyfriend. She can't think of anyway she would be able to live without him. Tsunade sama and her mother and everyone else she spoke to tried to convince her that he'd be okay. The flowers were still healthy today and Ino set them by her counter at the flower shop, of course it was not for sale.
"Are you all ready?"
"Hai, hai"
"Be careful, I have a bad feeling"
"D-do your b-best e-everyone"
"Ney, stop sounding so worried"
"Don't sound so nonchalant"
"Wow Kiba, that's a big word for you"
"Hey!"
The flowers were starting to wilt. She was doing her best to keep them alive but nothing seemed to work. She gave up trying to find the 12th flower and figured it was Naruto being an idiot again.
"we're in" Naruto said into the receiver but all he heard was static. Until Shikamaru's voice came over
"Naruto get outta there it's an ambush"
"NARUTO" Kiba yelled from bedside him and Naruto turned to see a group of enemy nins.
"Kage bunshin no jutsu" Naruto's clones were fighting off the men as Naruto grabbed Kiba and ran
"Akamaru is waiting for us by the surface" Kiba said "If we can meet him there we'll be good"
Naruto jumped back as a man tried to stab him. Kiba kicked the man and Naruto jumped and pushed off Kiba shoulders to do a rotational kick and hit three others.
"we make a good team" Naruto said grinning
"Akamaru now" Kiba growled grabbing his arm where he was bleeding from.
"got it"
One flower died
"SHIKAMARU" Hinata yelled as Shikamaru was impaled by a long blade.
"AH, troublesome… bastard…" Shikamaru did a jutsu and the man fell to the floor dead. Shikamaru fell to his knees
"get sakura…" He said and closed his eyes
"no…" she ran towards him with a green chakra coming out of her hands and tears rolling down her face.
Another flower died
"AKAMARU" Naruto yelled as he approached the surface and he stared
"he's in trouble" Kiba said as he ran behind him. Kiba dropped to his knees
Akamaru lay in a pile of his own blood. Dead nins surrounded him on the floor a sick man might even call it art.
"Damn… Kiba come help me with this, I know a medical jutsu that might help"
"Akamaru…"
More roses died
Ino looked at the roses with worry. They were all very close to death
You don't lie, but for once I wish you did.
She counted four roses that were still alive.
"Hinata…" Shikamaru coughed "Get outta here…"
"I won't leave you behind"
"the others… they need you more… than I do…" he close his eyes and Hinata laid him on the floor. She looked around and put Shikamaru in a tree away from the fight.
"Hey girlie let's play" Hinata dodged the blade and spun away into a clearing away from Shikamaru. She narrowed her eyes, gathering her chakra
"Lets"
Ino started to panic and all her friends told her to relax. Choji and she went out to eat and she was finally able to have a little fun and get her mind off of things. So they were supposed to be back yesterday, they'll all be okay. She got home and her good mood disappeared.
Three roses were left.
Hinata was breathing heavily. She brought the remains of her chakra to her hand and thrust forward. She struck! Both fell to the ground and fainted. One becoming one with the Earth as the last of their life faded.
Kiba was bleeding profusely apparently he was struck in an artery. Naruto began healing Kiba and Akamaru. When they were stable enough they went to look for the rest.
Sakura and Neji stood back to back as the fought off their enemies. Neither one giving an inch but the signs of fatigue were evident on both of their faces. Finally one managed to slice Neji's arm and hit a nerve.
"Sakura can you heal this"
"yeah I'm healing it now… on your left." The blade was flung away but the man managed to stab sakura across her chest; faltering slightly she seen Neji's worried gaze as her world turned black
The second rose's petal fell off and Ino left the house. She stood on the Hokage monument.
"You were lying… you won't die, right? We'll live to be 100 and have grandkids and… and..." she started to cry
"don't worry" her best friends voice said and she was offered chips. "He loves you too much to die on you, and I know all about the roses, maybe you're taking it the wrong way or something" he started munching on some more chips. "I bet he doesn't want to come back and find out that his love died because of a stress induced heart attack"
"maybe you're right" she sighed and leaned back on him. He stayed with her that night and they looked at the stars.
"Guys! Answer Me" Naruto yelled into the receiver but all he got was static. Finally a voice spoke, it made Naruto freeze in his tracks. Kiba also froze hearing it
"Naruto kun"
"WHERE ARE YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"
"relax, let's make a deal, you for them, I have two hyuuga's and a girl with pink hair… there is also another but I'm not sure if he's alive"
"and the other nins"
"relax, I knew of your mission, the nins are dead and the scroll is in my hands" Naruto growled in his throat
"well I take that as a yes"
Ino looked at the patient in front of her and sighed. She turned to Tsunade
"Tsunade sama, may I have the day off" Tsunade nodded and watched as the other blonde left the hospital.
Naruto and Itachi stood facing each other.
"despite everything I know that both you and I live by honor" Itachi nodded
"as it may be, do we have a deal" Naruto looked at all his friend passed out and nodded. Kiba turned to him
"are you crazy" Naruto took out a letter and gave it to Kiba
"Give this to Ino chan for me, tell her I love her" Kiba shook his head
"YOU tell her, don't pull this sacrifice shit"
"It's better for ALL of us this way" Naruto said in monotone looking at Kiba.
"so we have a deal"
"yeah" Naruto walked over to them and was stopped by Kiba
"What are you do…ing…" he faded off as he fell to the ground. Naruto let a tear out as he retracted his hand. Itachi or Kisame must have knocked him out, because his world became black.
The last flower in the vase was dripping petals. Ino walked with Choji along the beach.
"Ino, you're depressing me"
"I'm sorry, it's just… they were supposed to be back 6 days ago…"
"They're okay, trust me" Ino looked at him
"I want Him to be okay, more than anything…"
Kiba awoke to Sakura's yelling. Everyone was seated and treating their wounds while wondering the same thing
"What happened and where is Naruto? How'd we get the scroll"
"let me explain" Kiba said shaking "Naruto and me were searching for you when we got a message from Itachi" Sakura fell to her knees.
"he said that if Naruto didn't go with him then they'd kill us all and burn the scroll" Kiba pulled out the scroll "Naruto went" Shikamaru stood up
"We need to get to the village, fast. We can get help there" Sakura stood up and grabbed Shikamaru's coat
"What about Naruto? The longer we-"
"We were no help to him before, why would we be of any help now" Shikamaru said harshly and everyone looked down. "we are also injured and would only be a hinderance if Naruto decided to fight them" Sakura let him go and they started heading back
Ino walked home and seen Choji there
"hey choji"
"Hey ino, they're back" he said in a normal voice as if talking about the whether
"OH! I'm going over there now!" She yelled and ran out and Choji sighed
"but he's not" A crash was heard form the kitchen and Ino's mom ran out
"That boy" Choji looked away and Ino's mother shook her head, tears falling down.
"Ino's gonna be heartbroken"
"I know"
Ino ran to the Hokage building and knocked over the guards as she ran in
"and then Naruto…" Ino stopped and clenched her chest in worry
"he… he… saved us-"
"by sacrificing himself-"
"NO!" Ino screamed ramming down the door. She looked to her left, a battered Sakura sat and next to her was a sobbing Hinata. Neji was sitting on the other side and Shikamaru and Kiba laid sprawled at the floor by her feet. She shook her head back and forth
"No… no… no no no no no" she repeated clutching her head. She fell to her knees and shook. "Naruto…" she whispered and she was overcome with tears
"Ino…" everyone seemed to say at the same time and she turned to them with a hard glare
"And you just let him do it" she said with Malice. She knew they probably couldn't help it but she didn't care right now. She screamed again and ran out.
Naruto woke up to the smell of fire. Itachi was blowing a small stream from his mouth to cook their dinner. Naruto tried to sit up but was held in place by chakra binds, he groaned and Itachi looked over to him.
"can't have you escaping from us can we" Naruto growled
"I think the Kitsune has more of an effect on you than I thought" Naruto looked at the fish cooking. There were only two
"Kisame doesn't eat fish" Itachi held one towards Naruto
"unless you plan to eat with your toes" Naruto frowned and took a bite.
"Itachi if you wanted a pet fox I could have found you one" Naruto growled again and Kisame laughed
"territorial aren't we"
Tsunade threw her hand up in frustration, the council found out about Naruto and refused to let her send a team after him
"Tsunade sama"
"what is it Kakashi"
"I wish to take a two week vacation, out of the village"
"What we are at… granted" Kakashi went up in a puff of smoke
Naruto was picket up by Itachi and slug over his shoulder. Naruto sighed and relaxed for now. They were leaving and it wouldn't do him any good to struggle
"Choji I know you're Ino's best friend"
"Hai"
"she hasn't been home, sine then"
Naruto's eyes shot open after talking to the Kyuubi. He felt his system being flooded with Kyuubi's chakra. His eyes turned red and he turned animalistic. His hair even reddened and He let out a burst of Chakra and Itachi dropped him
"Naruto" Itachi said in warning, his eyes turning red
"not quite" Itachi and Kisame eye's widened
"Kyuubi"
"Hai, Hai" Kyuubi said and burst out of the bindings. He rose and chuckled deeply
"thought you could catch me, not him, me this easily"
Kakashi ran faster when he heard the yell. He recognized the voice to as belonging to no other then Kisame. As he grew closer he sensed the mass amount chakra and ran even faster.
"Hold on Naruto… I'm coming"
Choji seen Ino on top of the Hokage monument. He ran up there and she looked towards him. Her eyes were so empty and void, gone was the happiness she once had.
"Choji, do you think he's watching me from up there."
"he's not dead yet Ino, did you hear the whole report, Naruto s alive, he's just captured is all."
"so why is everyone here" She looked towards the Hokage tower, her legs dangling off the side. He sat next to her
"I don't know"
"I do… it's the council, they don't want anyone to save the Kyuubi so they'll sacrifice him"
"yeah… I guess that's what it is… you're a lot calmer now,"
"He wouldn't want me to get so angry"
"don't act like he's dead yet"
"Choji…"
"what"
"thanks" she gave him a hug and then she looked over the village.
"for seeing what no one else could." She stood up and jumped off, landing on a building and waving goodbye, Choji smiled, happy he could lift her spirits, now if only he believed it as well…
Naruto shuddered looking at the corpses of the once akatsuki members. He slipped the rings off their fingers and sealed them in a scroll. He then put the giant scroll on his back and fell against a tree
"think I deserve a nap…"
"Kuso" Kakashi cursed as he lost track of Naruto
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu" in a poof of smoke a squad of Ninja dogs appeared.
"Kakashi sama, what do you need us for" Pakkun asked and Kakashi quickly explained the situation
"Naruto's scent is all over, we can try to find him but that's it"
Naruto awoke stretched and then went toward a river he seen before. He took off his clothes and bathed, he also scrubbed his clothes clean of any blood and caught a few fish to eat.
"Katon…" Naruto whispered and a small stream of fire came from his mouth, when the fish were cooked he began to eat them.
"she healed me awfully quick, time to head back" Naruto said and keep going forward.
"Kakashi, this is the farthest, the scent is lost from here" Kakashi looked at the forest, or what once was a forest, there was only ash and broken trees, and what might have been two bodies, he couldn't tell. The ground was all dirt and ash, no grass in sight. He pulled up his hitae ita and seen traces of Kyuubi's chakra all over the battlefield. He dismissed the dog and searched for any clues
"Tsunade sama will want to hear about this" Kakashi turned and ran full speed back to the village.
Kakashi arrived in the village and ran to the Hokage
"Tsunade sama"
"Kakashi…" she said disheartened seeing that he was here and she couldn't sense Naruto
"He appears to have fought them, there is a giant battlefield in the middle of the forest to the north.
"any sign of him"
"I lost his trail there,"
"I see… dismissed"
Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a kunai. He waited until he seen his opportunity, he threw it and heard it hit its mark. A brown rabbit lay on the floor. Naruto roasted it and ate, covering up all tracks afterwards. He realized how close the village was now and started to run. He still had one wound over his shoulder, from Kisame's shamada. Naruto stopped at nightfall, he would reach the village by daybreak if he kept going but he wanted to arrive midday, to see everyone at once.
Tsunade walked into her office early morning and took out two sake bottles, not noticing the figure in the corner.
"eh baa chan sake so early" Tsunade's eyes shot open and she dropped the sake bottle, but it never crashed. A tan hand caught it and put it on the table.
"Naruto!" she yelled and gave him a bear hug. Shizune ran in at her outburst only to join in hugging Naruto. Until Tsunade punched Naruto in the head, he rubbed it and pouted
"You baka… making us all worry about you" Naruto laughed and Shizune patted him on the shoulder. Naruto gasped in pain and Tsunade narrowed her eyes and took his shirt off.
"This is from Shamada isn't it" she said inspecting the wound. It was blocking the chakra from healing it. She got some medical supplies and patched it up
"It'll be better by the mourning"
"can I give you my report later I have to see some people"
"Hai, go on" she released him and he threw his shirt on,
"Thanks baa chan"
Naruto knew he had to tell Ino of his success first. He checked his breath, hair and clothes and then knocked on the door. Ino's mother answered and almost fainted
"you're alive" she whispered and hugged him. He returned the hug and she grabbed his hand.
"Ino, there's someone here to see you"
"is it choji" Ino was sitting on the floor, back against the back of the couch, just looking at the wall
"No"
"go away" Naruto stepped into the room and looked at her, boy did he miss her, he cleared his throat and said
"but I have a present" she froze, not that she was moving but she tensed up. She slowly turned around and seen him holding a white marble rose. Her mother left and went back to the kitchen
"Naruto…"
"hey Ino…"
She ran up to him and slapped him across the face
"Don't you ever do that again"
He smiled softly as he wiped the tears off her face and she gave him a hug, she pulled back and kissed him, he responded gently but lovingly. She pulled away flushed and looked into his blue eyes. She felt the life return to hers as his warm hands trailed the skin on her arms.
"I missed you"
"and I you, here, my twelfth rose" he said giving her the white marble one. She looked at it and smiled, tears rolling down her face. He wiped them away and held her gently. She smiled as she held him, remembering those words
I'll give you a dozen roses and when the last one dies, I'll stop loving you
End