Chapter 16

Leaving the Asylum with a lot of questions racking her mind, Ino strolled into town, ignoring the various catcalls and greetings she received on a daily basis. Her brain was working overtime trying to make sense of things. She knew Mito's brother had gotten locked up years ago, but why was he in the Asylum? Her one and only crush from all those years ago was now in a mad house, and he seemed to be the worst patient there. Her childhood crush of course died off over the years, but it was just a strange concept to her for some reason.

She thought about all the names written on his form. All of them very good psychologists and they were unable to help this one patient. Her dad and Ibiki were the two most prominent names on there of course as her father was a genius who she has never seen fail, and Ibiki because he wasn't even a psychologist. Why have a decorated interrogator with no knowledge of the subject try his hand at helping a patient that her father couldn't help? Same case with Anko, she was far from a caring person which is what they needed.

It didn't make sense, it was like they were trying to subdue him into sanity or something. With a goal in mind, she vowed to get answers from her father later on tonight when she went over for dinner. On her stroll through town, she heard her name being called from a distance, standing at the door of a Café was the very pregnant Sakura. "Hey! Ino! Over here!"

Changing her direction, she walked over and greeted her. "Hey, what are you doing out and about?" she asked her jogging in.

"I'm just having tea with Tenten." She said as they entered the café and joined the girl with two buns in her hair.

"Hey Ino" Tenten said with a wave as she stirred her cup of coffee around with intense focus.

"Hi Tenten, it's been a while." She said with a sigh.

"That's for sure." Sakura added with a smile.

Ino looked at the girl's stomach in astonishment. "Wow… you're getting so big." She said with a smile. "How many months are you?"

Sakura smiled at her taking it as a compliment. "Six months already. I can just feel her kicking me all day and night." She said rubbing her stomach. Ino smiled at her rubbing it as well.

"I am not looking forward to that." Tenten said with a chuckle.

Sakura glanced over to her. "Aw, you and Neji already planning?" she mocked her.

Tenten's eyes shot open with urgency. "w-What! No! We're ju-.. No!" muttered out urgently.

Ino and Sakura shared a laugh at her misfortune as she blushed in embarrassment. "Ah Tenten." Ino said within a sigh of relief. "I miss you guys."

"Well, you're the one who's been ducking out on everyone. Always studying or taking missions." Sakura said.

"Yeah, weren't you going for your psychiatric license or something? How'd that go?" Tenten asked.

Ino smiled and pulled her badge from her pouch. "Read it and weep ladies." She said.

Sakura and Tenten squealed quietly in excitement for the blonde. "Dr. Ino! Paging Dr. Ino." Sakura mocked.

Ino shrugged her shoulders with a beaming smile, not even addressing the joke. "I know, I'm amazing." She said in false arrogance.

"Ino, that's really cool. So what, you can like.. tell what a person is thinking? Just by their body language and speech patterns?" Tenten asked, given her limited knowledge on the subject.

Ino only chuckled, "Well, it's a little more complicated. But uh… yeah it's something like that."

"That really is cool, Ino." Sakura said nodding her head. "That's amazing. Now you're a double threat!" she said giving the girl a thumbs up and a smile. "Brains and beauty! All in one package!"

Ino smiled and flipped her hair dramatically. "Have I ever been anything less?"

Sakura and Tenten looked at each other, clearly implying she had, "well" the two quipped simultaneously inciting a 'screw you guys' and a round of laughter from the whole table.

When they calmed down, they settled into a brief silence in which they drank the drinks that were placed in front of them. Tenten finally broke the silence. "Seriously though Ino, you should definitely get you a man." She said suddenly.

Ino gave her a weird look, really wondering where it was this conversation came up from. "uhum, I think I'm fine for now." She replied.

"She's right Ino. I mean, we're eighteen. Most people in our profession don't make it this far… we're all very lucky." Sakura said. "You shouldn't waste the opportunity."

Ino nodded her head slowly. "I understand that. And god, you sound like my mother." She said rubbing her temples in annoyance. "I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment right now."

Tenten just felt like riling the girl up a bit. So with a mischievous smile creeping up on her face, she asked, "Aw.. what's wrong? Little miss princess can't get a date?"

Ino only chuckled at the sad attempt. "Please, I could have any guy I want. Problem is, I don't want any of them here."

"Why not? There are some really cute guys in Konoha nowadays." Sakura said.

Ino leaned back in her seat. "Oh yes, tons of cute guys that just expect me to be some dumb blonde bimbo who wouldn't know her own hand if she stuck it out in front of her." She said a little angrily.

"Ah, so they all think you're dumb?" Tenten asked. "Is that why you were doing the whole psychiatry thing?"

"What?" she exclaimed. "No. I'm just saying. Every guy I meet tries to treat me like I'm nothing more than a pretty face who 'shouldn't be allowed to work in fear of damaging perfection'. Actual words from the last guy I tried to date."

"Aw, well that just seems like he was trying to be nice." Sakura said in sympathy.

Ino snorted. "Uh, no. Because then he said, 'If you were my wife, you would never go out into the field again. Pretty girls like you don't last too long out there anyways.'" She said mocking a deep man voice as best she could.

"Oh, yeah. That's a jerk." Tenten said. "Konoha has a lot of guys like that, but we've also got guys that are genuinely sweet."

"Mhm!" Sakura said in joy. "And I've got the best one." She said thinking about Menma while Tenten and Ino made fake puking gestures while her eyes were closed and laughed about it when she opened them wondering what happened.

"Okay Sakura." Tenten said. "We get it, you've got the prince of Konoha. For the rest of us though, it's hard… not for me of course. I've got my Neji… I meant Ino." She clarified.

"Gee thanks Tenten." Ino said with a deadpan look. "Look guys, I'll be fine. I just need time to adjust to my profession. Who knows, maybe I'll meet someone at work." She said.

"Ah, of course!" Sakura said a little too happy. "You'll fall in love with one of your coworkers who can see how smart and beautiful you are!" she cooed.

Tenten seemed to get the picture as well and she smiled. "Oh! That would be so.. cute." She said with a smile.

Ino just rolled her eyes at the two ridiculous girls coming up with her own love story as if they were plotting a romantic movie. "Yeah Ok Sakura" she said with a chuckle of her own.

Sitting in his room doing push up after push up, Naruto stared at the white wall with a blank expression. His white shirt discarded somewhere within his barren room. His breathing steady and unaltered from his activity. Every rep done with ease.

His mind was lost in thoughts that bounced around sporadically. He had no idea how long he had been trapped in this place. His last session was years ago. He didn't know how many, but he knew it was more than one. He hadn't seen another human being since then. The most he got was when a guard came by and pushed his tray of food through the slot at the bottom of the door. Other than that, isolation was his life.

The walls of white that surrounded him had driven him crazy long ago. He had tried all he could to escape this place, but it was impossible with him being inside his room every hour of every day. His last session was his last chance to escape and he tried to get the help of Dr. Yager, but the man was too weak minded for him to manipulate. He pushed too hard too fast and lost him. That was his last chance and he regretted his urgency.

Naruto was certain at this point that he would die in this room. He would die as he lived, alone. The world was truly intent on screwing him over until the very end. His whole life had been the setup and this, this isolation was the punchline. The bitter, cruel punchline. A punchline that he would fight till the very end. He wasn't ready to die just yet, he had things to do.

Ending his workout routine, he laid on his mat and stared at his ceiling. A task he's done so many times it was unbearable. When you're alone all the time, you learn a lot about yourself and what you want to do. Two years left Naruto enough time to know exactly what he wanted. He didn't want to make it out of their so that he could rejoin his family, no he was too far gone for that. He didn't want revenge on the people that put him in there, that was too… unnecessary of a task. Why dwell on the tools of your enemy? It wasn't the Uchiha clan or the council that was to blame for his suffering. It wasn't his father or Orochimaru, it was life in general.

Life was laughing at him, so he would return the favor and laugh at all of life and the people who enjoyed it. Whom ever happened to be in his path, he would cut down to do so. Whether it be his old friends or family it wouldn't matter. He had a goal, a mission. No longer was he a soldier of the leaf village. Or a shinobi even. Naruto Namikaze was an agent of chaos, and he would get them to see that the world they are living in is nothing but an illusion. Everyone was quick to demonize him when he was at his worst, so he would see how they reacted when they were at theirs. All he needed was a way out. Patience was key in this situation. Patience and luck, and he had time to spare.

Sitting at the dinner table, Ino twiddled her chopsticks around the plate her mother, Kiori, had prepared for her. Her father sat on the other side listening to her mother talk of some event that happened to her today while working the flower shop. Inoichi himself was far from interested but listened to his wife regardless. As a husband it was his duty.

Ino was still lost in the thought of her first true session that was set to take place tomorrow morning. It was nerve racking to think about. What if she failed? What if she wasn't able to help him? Would that make her a failure? If her own father couldn't even do it, could she just rationalize that he was just unsalvageable and just be done with it?

God, she was already coming up with excuses for why she failed. That wasn't a good sign. No, she would attack this task just as she had the previous week, with courage and professionality. Still, it couldn't have been a worse person. Naruto Namikaze had been the first and only person Ino has had a genuine crush on. Sure, she 'fawned' over Sasuke in the past when he was the guy every girl wanted, but that was just her younger self's attempt at maintaining popularity.

When she was younger, she was all about presentation. Because, the way you presented yourself meant absolutely everything in the social world. Standing out meant being different, and being different got you laughed at. It was a simple formula that is understood by even children. Ino knew it better than anyone and she knew how to manipulate it to suit her best. That was why she was good friends with Mito. Because Mito and Menma were outside of such a formula. Their village wide popularity transferred to the classrooms and playgrounds without them doing anything. They were loved, and if you were friends with one of them, then you were loved.

That's what her reasoning was when she was younger, but in truth, it was the boy she had seen and fallen in love with years before she even met the two. 'Fallen in love' used loosely of course as she was only five. Five years old and she witnessed this nine year old Genin boy rescuing her cat that was stuck in a tree. Cliché of course, but to her five year old self, it was the most amazing thing she had seen. She didn't even ask him to. When she ran to find help, she returned to see him walking up the tree with no hands! Which was a big thing for her at the time. He brought the cat down and pet it a few times before setting it free. Just a random act of kindness.

The cat ran back to her, rubbing its body on her leg, but she watched that nine year old boy walk away until she could no longer see him. Thinking about how cool he looked, and how nice he must've been to just randomly save a cat. At that moment, her crush sprang to life even though she had never spoken to him. She would however see him walking around the village when she went out with her mom. He never noticed her though of course, as he wasn't interested in five year olds. Meeting him at her tenth birthday party was the best day of her life.

The thought of how ridiculous the start of her first crush came about always made her smile. It was a sign of pure innocence on her part, and it made her realize how much things have changed. Now girls, including herself, fell in love with a guy who could do something for them. It was a sad truth but a truth none the less. Saving her cat from a tree wouldn't be enough this time around. Sometimes she wished it was.

"Ino dear." Kiori said getting her attention. "Are you alright? Do you not like the food?"

Ino shook her head to focus back into the conversation. "Uh, no mom. I uh, I was just thinking is all…" she said taking a bite to reassure her.

"You ok?" Inoichi asked, noticing how spaced out she seemed.

She nodded her head vigorously. "Mhm. I was just thinking." She repeated. Her mother got a mischievous smile.

"ooh, was it about a boy?" she said in amusement.

Ino rolled her eyes. "No, Kaa-san." She said.

"What boy?" Inoichi asked comically aggressive.

"There is no boy Tou-san. Your wife is just drunk." She said with a chuckle as her mother just mocked her laugh and took another sip of her wine.

"Two glasses, I've only had two." She said with a grin.

Inoichi just chuckled at the woman before looking back to Ino. "Two too many." He said jokingly as he and Ino chuckled at her misfortune. She just hummed a song over their laughter before heading back to the kitchen to fetch the desert. "Sooo…" he said drawing her attention back. "Will there ever be a boy?" he asked… hopefully?

Ino raised an eyebrow at that. "Uhm… why?" she asked timidly.

Inoichi shrugged his shoulders shoveling another piece of food into his mouth. "I don't know… I mean, you don't want to wait too long you know?" he said.

"Tou-san?" she said timidly. "Are you saying I need a boyfriend?" she asked him cautiously.

"No, no of course not." He said quickly so that she didn't get the wrong idea. "No, I'm not saying you need one. I'm just saying, if you wait too long.. it may be too late."

"God, I'm getting this talk from you too?" she asked in exasperation. At that moment, her mother walked back in with the desert in her hands. "Tou-san, I'd really rather work on establishing myself in my profession first before I think about all of that."

"Oh" Ino's mother bud in. "Are you guys talking about your new patient?" she asked.

'Fuck' Ino thought. She was hoping to wait till a bit later before she told her dad. She told her mom earlier that day. Inoichi was curious now. "New patient?" he asked. "Geeze, what is that? Three now?" he asked her. Ino nodded with a smile, hoping he didn't ask more questions. Against her as always, he pressed on. "Wow, you'll break records working like that." Then the inevitable. "Who is it?"