Chapter 42

Ino continues, "I realize you're teammates and since there's nothing I can do about that, rule two is you have to hang out with Naruto more." The flames of indignation race back to Sakura's jade green eyes. The furious kunoichi tightened her shoulders and clenched her fists ready to punch Ino's nose through the back of her head. It took all of Ino's considerable effort to mask her startled panic and subsequent fear for her physical well-being, remaining as still as possible. It took several moments for a fist-raised Sakura to stop huffing her seething outrage and forcibly unclench her fists.

When Ino was sure Sakura was calm enough, she continues, "I'm not saying you have to date the idiot, honest. Even I wouldn't be so cruel, but I do want you to train with him-"

"I can't," Sakura growls, holding back her anger. "I just can't! I know the moment I see him, I'll feel this overwhelming urge to kill him! Literally, kill him!"

"Makes sense, but if you do, he won't know why," Ino comments.

Baffled, though through rage filled eyes, Sakura demands to know, "what do you mean? He's in the picture. Obviously, he was a willing participant in raping me!"

"No, actually, he didn't even know it was you," Ino says as she displays the photo again. "You know it's Naruto because of his pants, his hands, the jacket, his mouth, chin, and a few of his birthmarks, but what you can barely see is the edge of the photo is a blindfold I made him wear. Now, I didn't really need to blindfold him, but it helped with this neat little jutsu Daddy taught me. By the end, I made Naruto forget the last ten minutes and he went straight to sleep."

Wide-eyed and hopeful, Sakura desperately asks, "...so he doesn't know?"

"Or he thinks it was a dream," Ino suggests, easily enforcing the lie to a willing Sakura. It's clear she doesn't want anyone to know, and it also helps her plans if Sakura doesn't do anything reckless. "But again, the blindfold helped make the jutsu possible since he didn't actually see anything. I doubt he even remembers you walking into his gross apartment, telling him how much you loved him instead of Sasuke-kun, getting on your knees, ripping down his pants-"

"Alright!" Sakura bellows. "Alright."

"He doesn't know, or else he would've been knocking on your window every hour since then to see you," Ino reasons, impregnating the lie. "Rule two; spend more time with Naruto. In fact, you're going to join him every single time he trains, without fail."

"Ino-pi- Ino, please," Sakura pleads. "If Sasu- if the others, anybody really, sees me spending so much time with that Baka, they'll think I like him."

"Maybe, maybe not," Ino shrugs callously. "I don't care either way, but unfortunately for Sasuke-kun, he's stuck with the two of you, and I will not have either of you slowing him down, or causing him injury because you're both too stupid and weak. I want Sasuke-kun to stay safe from enemies and incompetent team members, so, keep learning Iryō-ninjutsu, but from now on, you're training with Naruto as well. Is that understood?"

Sakura simply nods.

"Rule three," Ino continues. "I expect a report every two weeks, obviously written by you, on certain topics."

"What topics?" Sakura curiously asks, more surprised by the rule than the curiosity of the topics.

"Whatever I choose," Ino answers. "I could ask for a report on the best ways to give a blow job and you'll do it." Sakura blushed, though angered by her reaction and the memory of her trauma. Ino pays her little mind as she continues, "I want objective, comprehensive reports using your own experiences as examples. The first topic is on obsession, specifically on love obsession. If you finish early, start on the next topic, superficial love. If you finish with that one, start on the third topic, what is real love? Provide examples with a minor comparison to obsessive love; all due two weeks from each other."

Sakura actually looks surprised by this rule, and can't help but ask, "why?"

"Are you kidding me," Ino asks with a mild look of disgust on her face. "You're like the poster child for obsessive love. I've been telling you for ages that you're love for Sasuke-kun isn't real, but you always brushed it aside thinking that I was trying to trick you. I bet you never once considered that the Yamanaka clan are students of the mind, of society, and that I've been exposed to more social/behavioral sciences than you ever have. If you don't want to believe me, fine. I'll make sure you read how perfectly you fit the definition of superficial and obsessive love."

"You won't change my mind," Sakura asserts. "I love Sasuke-kun no matter what you make me read."

"I actually wanted to help back then," Ino explains truthfully. "But you don't even realize because you have no frame of reference. If he was a murderer or a rapist, would you still love him? All you cling to is this, 'I love him no matter what,' bullshite! But you don't have the self-respect necessary for love! Now you have no choice. If you want to stay ignorant after a couple dozen reports, fine. At that point, I'd say you're beyond medical treatment, though for your sake, I hope you're lucky and decide to grow and learn."

"Is that all," Sakura practically spits. "I'm getting really sick of seeing you spout your utter horse crap."

Getting up and moving to put back her empty cup of tea, Ino answers, "you break any of these rules, Sasuke-kun sees them first, then your parents, and so on."

"What guarantees do I have you won't just show him on a whim, or to prove some point?" Sakura angrily asks after the retreating blond. "What if you find out that he loves me just as much as I love him? Are you going to poison our love just because you had a bad fucking day?"

"I don't know," Ino easily states. "I suppose I'll ask him why he thinks he loves you, after, of course, we give him a full medical work up to make sure he's not being controlled somehow," she says with a winning smile. "As for your guarantee, you don't have one. It's not like I'm asking you to do anything heinous here; just train, and read. Pretty easy compared to the damage I can do, so just be a good girl and do as your Ino-hime commands."

Sakura says nothing as Ino drops a white bag on her bed, tell her to, "enjoy the dumplings," before she leaves.