So, this is the edited, and hopefully less crappy, version of Chapter 5. This story is still very much a work in progress, so any suggestions or criticisms will be received gratefully.

Thanks, especially to those who've reviewed!

"I don't want to be a man," said Jace. "I want to be an angst-ridden teenager who can't confront his own inner demons and takes it out verbally on other people instead."

"Well," said Luke, "you're doing a fantastic job."

― Cassandra Clare, City of Ashes.

The match was short and brutal.

An idea formed in Ino's mind even as she climbed down to meet an impatient Sakura.

"I don't know what you and Sasuke-kun were talking about, but know this: Sasuke-kun will be mine." Sakura hissed.

Instead of the indignation Ino had expected to feel, all she felt was pity, and disgust. Had she really been so wrapped up in this? Sakura was speaking with the air of a three year old being denied a toy. She rolled her eyes, though internally, she was still off-kilter from the images she had just seen.

"You don't believe me?" Sakura gritted out, incensed, just as the examiner spoke:

"Begin!"

Ino began weaving hand seals, dodging neatly out of the way as an enraged Sakura barreled towards her, nearly blind with fury.

Sakura paused her next attack, turning towards the stands, where she heard Sasuke calling her.

Ino smirked as Sakura began blushing, and leisurely strolled over to the other kunoichi, placing a kunai to her throat.

" I want to be with you, Sakura, forever." Sasuke exclaimed passionately. "I was only talking to Ino to inform her of our eternal love. Now forfeit the match so we can be together forever."

"Oh, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura tittered. "I never thought you'd confess your love to me in such a public place. She paused, mind racing; Sasuke wouldn't do such a thing, at least, not in public. Which meant—

"Kai."

The genjutsu dispersed, and Sakura blinked, noticing Ino's position next to her. She hesitated for a second, then smiled. "You wouldn't dare, Ino."

"Try me," the other kunoichi returned, pressing the kunai harder against Sakura's collarbone, so a thin line of blood welled.

Sakura sputtered in outrage. "Ino!"

"Forfeit, or I'll keep going." Ino spoke nonchalantly.

"Fine! I- I forfeit." The pink-haired kunoichi murmured shamefacedly.

"This match goes to Yamanaka Ino," Hayate announced.

"Wait, Ino!"

Ino turned, "What?"

"This doesn't mean I'm giving up. I'm still your rival for Sasuke-kun!"

Ino looked up at the stands. "You can have him," she said over her shoulder, but didn't look back.

It was time to prioritize, she thought to herself grimly. She walked up the stairs, intent on finding the rest of Team 7, so that she could get her answers.

As she passed her own team, Shikamaru reached out to snag her arm.

"What?" she asked softly, images of his death still imprinted in her mind.

From his arched eyebrow, he obviously noted her change in tone, but didn't question it.

"What you said about Sasuke, did you mean it?"

"Yes." She replied confidently. She looked at the rest of her team; both Azuma and Chouji looked shell-shocked by her sudden transformation.

"I'm going to go visit Naruto at the hospital, but afterwards, do you want to go celebrate our victory?"

"We haven't even gone yet," Chouji gestured towards himself and Shikamaru.

"So?"

Shikamaru's eyes sharpened at Ino's response, while Chouji gaped. "I'm coming with you."

"To the hospital?" She fidgeted under his intense scrutiny.

"Unless you're planning on going somewhere else."

"You can't!" She protested weakly.

"Why not?"

"Because- your match is starting!" She pointed at the board, not checking to see if she was right, taking his brief moment of surprise to dart away.

She reached the hospital quickly, half-convinced Shikamaru was discreetly tailing her. She nodded to the nurses she knew, blatantly ignoring their attempts to start conversations, only pausing to ask Naruto's room number.

She received the room number with a grimace from the usually sweet receptionist, which she resolved to analyze at a later date.

As she reached the room, she heard raised voices:

"I told you, you shouldn't have brought me here. I haven't even fought yet! And there is no way I'm going to stay genin forever."

"You passed out. In the middle of the the Exams! You're here because the doctors can tell us what's wrong with you."

"As if the doctors would tell me what's wrong with me, even if they knew."

A brie,. tense pause ensued, as though Sasuke was attempting to get Naruto to confess by increasing glare-power.

"Do you know what happened?"

"Nothing. I just wasn't on guard, that's all."

"Naruto."

"I—he made me remember. The last days. It's a simple genjutsu."

Ino decided to enter, not liking Naruto's somber tone. She noticed that Sasuke was sitting on Naruto's bed, features flushed, presumably due to their argument.

The blond, who'd been frowning as she came in, quickly pasted a smile on his face. It looked fake, and yet strangely familiar.

She felt herself mirror his previous frown as she wondered how many times in their childhood he'd faked a smile that way.

She tapped her foot, feigning impatience, and got straight to the point, hoping her composure would last. "Well? Would anybody like to tell me why Sasuke's mind is full of dead shinobi?" The waver in her voice detracted from her casual tone.

Both Naruto and Sasuke paused, looking as though they were looking for a way to soften a harsh blow.

"Not really, no." Naruto attempted to lighten the situation.

"Don't beat around the bush. I want the truth." She demanded, her voice cracking slightly. She clenched her fists, hardening her tone as she appealed to Sasuke: "Isn't that why you told me to come here?"

"Are you familiar with the concept of time travel?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto smacked his forehead. "Subtle, Uchiha."

"She asked for the truth." Sasuke protested indignantly, sounding like a petulant child.

"Actually, yes." Both Naruto and Sasuke looked appropriately shell-shocked. She rolled her eyes; honestly, just because she'd spent half her time in the Academy chasing after a boy didn't make her stupid. "My father was friends with the Yondaime."

Naruto had a strange expression, and Sasuke absentmindedly squeezed his shoulder. Ino filed both their reactions into the growing pile of Things To Investigate, but didn't comment.

"You've heard of his Hirashin jutsu, right?"

Both boys nodded.

"The Yondaime was experimenting with the idea that he could move through time with that jutsu if he gathered enough chakra. He had some brilliant theories about it; that's what my dad says, anyways."

Naruto was gripping the metal bar of the hospital bed with white knuckles, and with a whisper Ino wasn't sure she was supposed to hear, murmured "he was right."

Ino paused, considering the ramifications of Naruto's comment.

"So, what I saw, that was the future?"

"No," Naruto answered, hands clenching further. "That's not going to happen. Not again."

Sasuke, who'd turned pale –well paler— at the mention of the future, began exuding anxiety. Ino followed his gaze to where an anxious Maito Guy was following his unconscious student being led on a stretcher.

"Is that Lee?" Ino inquired concernedly, not noticing Sasuke's signals that she should stay quiet.

"Shit." Naruto swore, features contorting with guilt. "I knew I forgot something!"

"Shut up, Uzumaki." Sasuke said. "It's not your fault."

"But-"

"You want to blame someone, blame me. I knew it was going to happen, and I wasn't unconscious."

Naruto visibly quieted at that. Ino glanced between the two shinobi, a smile appearing on her visage.

"What?" The blond shinobi probed curiously.

"Nothing, just thinking that if nothing else, your friendship with Sasuke proves you're not from this time."

"We weren't so bad," Naruto nudged the shinobi sitting next to him. "Ne, Sasuke-kun?" He batted his eyelashes, embellishing the honorific, enjoying how Sasuke flinched upon hearing it.

Sasuke snorted. "Yes we were."

"Shut up, teme. Oh, it's almost time— listen, I need you to go give this to Tenten, Ino."

Ino tilted her head to the side in silent query at the seal Naruto handed her.

"Her match is about to start, you should go." Sasuke prompted her when she hesitated.

"Ok, but when I get back, you two are telling me more about the future. And, you're telling me what I have to learn to prevent it."

"We're here for five minutes, and you're bossing us around already." Naruto grumbled, a smile playing at the edges of his mouth despite his words.

Ino glared at him for a moment before visibly softening, noting the faint lines of guilt still etched on his face. "I'll check on Lee too, alright?"

Naruto smiled, the lines lightening somewhat. Sasuke shot her a grateful look.

Ino took a breath and smacked the Uchiha lightly on the arm. "Look after this idiot," she commanded, tilting her head towards Naruto, and rushed out; missing the fond look Naruto shot her.

"Just like before, hey teme?" She heard, just as she left.

Ino rushed to the stadium, and slipped the seal to Tenten, just as her match was announced.

The older kunoichi raised an eyebrow, discreetly analyzing the seal before visibly starting: "This—it looks like—"

"Naruto made it, so it's probably the exact opposite of what it looks like, but trust me, you'll need it." Ino reassured, ignoring the increasingly pointed looks Shikamaru threw at her the moment he noticed her reappearance.

The seal's usage, it turned out, was to release a fog of mist, confusing Ino (and reminding her of the Hiding in Mist Technique) until Tenten used it to distract Temari, managing to get the kunoichi off her fan and defeat her using an impressive barrage of weaponry.

Ino watched in amazement as Tenten skillfully finished the match with a swift blow to the Suna kunoichi's temple, and so was oblivious to Shikamaru as he approached her.

"Interesting match, yeah?" Shikamaru asked innocently, acting as though he hadn't seen Ino slip Tenten the seal.

The façade was ruined as Tenten came up to Ino, offering a nod and a grateful look as she slipped past her, heading towards her team.

"Tenten?" Ino called, just as the other girl turned to leave, "I was wondering, do you want to train sometime?"

Tenten shot her an assessing glance. "Sure."

"I didn't know the two of you were friends," Shikamaru probed, as the brunette kunoichi left.

"Chouji!" Ino exclaimed, seizing the distraction that appeared in the form of their plump teammate. "You want to get that victory dinner now?"

Chouji glanced unsurely between the two, deciding not to point out that he hadn't gone yet. "Sure.."

Meanwhile, in the hospital.

"Wait, if Ino came here—does that mean Sakura lost?"

"Oh, shit."

So, not worse than last time, right? Love to hear your thoughts!