3

-l-l-l-

"A guy and a girl can be just friends, but at one point or another, they will fall for each other…maybe temporarily, maybe at the wrong time, maybe too late, or maybe forever."

- Dave Matthews Band

Naruto walks through Konoha's giant gates for the first time in two and a half years, his mind centered on only one subject. Jiraiya half-heartedly attempts to stop him from running off, but he knows it's a lost cause. The only thing the blond has been able to talk about during the journey home is the young Yamanaka girl, and the Toad Sannin has filled what feels like decades by teasing his pupil about his 'girlfriend'. Every time the topic came up, Naruto vehemently denied the claim, but as he watches the orange- and black-clad back of his godson, Jiraiya knows that a time will come when Naruto finally sees the light.

Until then, though, a healthy dose of blackmail will probably come in handy in the long run.

Naruto practically sprints towards Yamanaka Flowers, opening the door and setting off the chiming of the bell. "Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers," intones the bored voice of Ino, staring at a magazine on the countertop, "how may I help you?"

"Is this how you greet all your customers, Ino-chan? No wonder business is slow."

She looks up as the familiarity of the voice resonates within her, a happy smile alighting upon her features. "Naruto! You're back!" The Yamanaka ducks beneath the side-entrance to the counter and rushes to her friend.

Naruto catches her with a laugh, embracing her tightly before placing her back on the floor. "I should hope so! Otherwise this is one really cruel dream."

Now arms-width apart, Ino gives him a good once-over. Puberty has started its work, giving Naruto height and – if the hug is any indication – musculature he didn't possess before leaving. His voice is a little different, and his face looks leaner, but Ino recognizes the unruly blond spikes, the orange in the outfit, and the blue of his eyes – were they always so blue? – shining with mirth…

And she realizes she's been staring far too long for what could be considered mere friendly appraisal. "You've really grown," she manages.

Naruto, meanwhile, also notices the changes in his best friend. Ino's hair has grown out from the Chūnin Exams, held in a high ponytail in back (similar to her father) with a long sweep of bangs covering her right eye; Naruto sees no practicality in the style, aside from the fact that it makes her look oddly alluring. Her outfit isn't too different – still purple, predictably – though her midriff is now revealed and fishnet has replaced the bandages as accessories in some places. His time with Jiraiya (and all the man's less reputable claims-to-fame) takes over, and he notices how time has influenced the girl's – woman's, he corrects mentally – body. "Yeah…you, too."

"I'm up here, you perv."

"Heheh, right." He scratches the back of his head in that same, embarrassed fashion he always has, and Ino rolls her eyes. Maybe she'll punish him at some other time for staring at her breasts, but in this moment, it's just good to have him back.

Besides, sometimes it's nice to be noticed and appreciated, even if the method it's done in is somewhat…lewd.

Naruto is telling her a story of how he once sabotaged one of Jiraiya's 'research' excursions when he's called away to go see the Hokage. He leaves, promising to return as soon as he can (and after he secures a new place to live, not wanting to continue to mooch off the Yamanakas), and Ino returns to manning the counter, a bright grin now decorating her lips.

He's finally back.

-l-l-l-

"Wait, wait, wait…you just got back a week ago and you've already saved the Kazekage's life?"

Naruto has just returned from a mission to rescue Gaara from Akatsuki's clutches to find Ino waiting for him by Konoha's great gates, one foot tapping in mixed impatience and anger. It isn't really his fault that Tsunade assigned the mission to his team, but finding out that he disappeared the day after his training trip ended caused an irrational rise in the female blonde's ire. She intercepts him upon his return, demanding to know the details.

"Mm-hm. It was pretty close though," confirms Naruto, looking skyward somberly, fingers laced behind his head. "Apparently, when Akatsuki extracts the Bijū, the host dies. But Chiyo-baa-san sacrificed her life to bring Gaara back from the dead. There was a ceremony for her and…Ino-chan?" He realizes that his friend is no longer walking beside him, but is motionless a number of paces back, expression blank.

"The host dies?" she whispers. Her eyes focus upon Naruto, whose features display only concern. "You'll die?"

He laughs nervously. "Me? Why would you think—"

"Because you contain the Kyūbi!" she whispers fiercely.

The speed at which the color drains from his face is almost comical. His mouth works wordlessly, silently trying to ask how she knows. Ino continues softly, "Tsunade-sama told us all when we made Chūnin. Everyone's fine with it…though I'm mad that you never told me."

'Fine', of course, is a matter of perspective. Initially, shock was the biggest factor, followed by an overwhelming sadness and then personal introspection for each of the Rookie 9 and Team Gai. Neji, Shino, and Shikamaru made peace with the new information quickest, probably because they had their suspicions beforehand; everyone else had their own way of integrating the news.

Ino's method was a several day long ordeal, consisting of crying, prolonged lapses of silence, questions to her father, and a brief bout of self-loathing brought on by reconciling Naruto's memories from when they switched bodies with how he was treated before they became friends. After she realized that the fact that Naruto was the jailer of a giant demon didn't change her opinion of him, it was put out of her mind.

Until Akatsuki made itself known.

"I thought about it," Naruto admits, "back when we became Genin. But I didn't know how you'd react…and I didn't want to burden you with that knowledge."

"We're best friends, Naruto!" she exclaims indignantly.

"I know…and I'm sorry. How 'bout I promise not to keep anything from you ever again?"

"…I'll hold you to that," she warns. After a beat of silence, she continues, "I told you that I won't know what I'd do if you were gone." The words are an echo of her sentiment from almost three years before, after the failed mission to retrieve Sasuke. "Promise me you'll be careful."

He stares at her for a time, as if trying to puzzle out some riddle she's keeping hidden. Although the words are the same as the last time she said them, he feels like there's a deeper meaning behind them this time. Finally, he nods. "I promise. But hey, I'm the great Uzumaki Naruto! No member of Akatsuki is gonna get his hands on me!"

Ino covers the giggle threatening to escape by rolling her eyes to defuse his bravado. "Don't get so full of yourself. The last thing you need is an over-inflated ego."

"You know," Naruto says, ignoring the barb, "Sakura-chan took down one of Akatsuki's members. Apparently, he was a former partner of Orochimaru, and now we're gonna go meet with a spy he planted within Orochimaru's base. If we get lucky, Sasuke'll be home real soon for you and Sakura-chan to fight over again."

Ino lets the other blond continue to talk about the mission, mind awhirl. Truthfully, she hasn't really thought about Uchiha Sasuke since he abandoned the village. Her focuses have been more on her training and making sure her boys – Shikamaru, Chōji, and, to a lesser extent, Asuma – are taking care of themselves. Naruto's return to the Hidden Leaf has placed him again on that list of people Ino has taken it upon herself to look after, topping even her two teammates with how much danger he seems to be involved in.

Telling him that she no longer thinks about Sasuke would prove pointless for another reason: Naruto has a strong tie to the Uchiha that Ino doesn't fully understand, and finding him is part of what drives Naruto to keep moving forward. Ino's feelings on the matter are simply superfluous to Naruto's ultimate goal of bringing him back. But with Naruto chasing Sasuke, Sasuke chasing Akatsuki, and Akatsuki chasing Naruto, it's only a matter of time before one catches the other. Ino fears that that day is far too close for her liking.

If getting rid of Akatsuki is the only way to keep Naruto safe, then so be it. She promises herself that she will find a way to help take down the criminal organization once and for all. The platinum blonde nods to herself, affirming her resolution. They won't get Naruto, that's for sure.

-l-l-l-

Naruto sits on a bench outside Konoha Hospital, waiting for Sakura to show up. His mind is mostly focused upon the cold words Sasuke imparted to him upon the conclusion of their last mission, but another piece of it fixates on the horrible transformation he underwent before confronting his former teammate.

He senses another person sit down beside him, and turns to find fair skin and long, platinum blonde hair. "Ino-chan," he voices, mildly surprised. "What're you doin' here?"

"Asuma-sensei wanted to go visit Kakashi-sensei in the hospital, so he asked us to meet him here. I'm just a little early." She peers at him curiously. "You don't look so good…something you want to talk about?"

Naruto grips his shirt over his navel and clenches the fabric. "Something's wrong with me, Ino-chan," he confides quietly. "On our last mission, we ran into Orochimaru, and…I got mad. Really mad. I drew on the Kyūbi's power and I turned into…a monster. Just like everyone always used to say."

Not for the first time, Ino feels her heart go out to her fellow blond. Seeing him so despondent and morose is just so unnatural that Ino knows she has to find a way to cheer him up. She slides closer to him and places her arm around his shoulders, and is mildly disturbed when he practically flinches away at the contact. "Naruto," she says in the same soft voice he's using, "you're not a monster. You protect everyone in the village from the Kyūbi. Without you, so many more people would have died all those years ago. Maybe even my parents. You're a hero."

"I don't feel like a hero," he murmurs. "Ow!" he yelps when Ino punches him in the shoulder. "Ino-chan, what was that—"

"Quit being a dumbass! You're one of the bravest shinobi I know. You've taken on countless opponents who thought they were better than you no matter what the odds were and saved plenty of lives! Just pretend that the Kyūbi is another one of those opponents. You can beat it…I have faith in you."

"I'm a little afraid…"

"It's okay to be afraid. The important thing is to not let that fear control you. If something does happen, we'll help you control—"

"NO!" he yells, startled. His blue eyes are suddenly wide with an even deeper terror. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down and then repeats, "No…Ino-chan, if that ever happens…if the Kyūbi ever takes over…get far away from me. You have to promise me that."

"But—"

"Promise me," he demands. His hands grip her shoulders and his tone is so serious that Ino finds herself nodding in acceptance regardless of how she feels. He searches her eyes for a moment, looking for some clue that she might disobey him, but when he finds nothing, his grasp on her slackens and he collapses in on himself. "I have no control when the Kyūbi's in control…I hurt Sakura real bad when it happened. I won't let the same thing happen to you."

"Fine…but I can take care of myself, you know." He smiles joylessly at her statement, and Ino can tell that even though she's helped, there's still something else bothering him. Instead of nitpicking at it, she arches one platinum blonde eyebrow curiously, deciding to distract him. "So…'Sakura'? No '-chan'? Did something happen while you were away?" she teases.

His face momentarily adopts a sad look different from the one he's been wearing. "No… We ran into Sasuke…and now I know that she'll never give up on him. But," he continues, face lightening into a faux approximation of its usual cheerful expression, "there's plenty of fish in the sea, right?"

Ino stares at him for a moment longer, trying to discern if there's anything else she can say to make him feel better. When she decides that all he really needs is time, she gets to her feet and stretches. "Yep! And who knows," she continues, striking an alluring pose meant to make him laugh, "maybe the girl you're looking for is right under your nose!"

The taller blond grants her a small, genuine smile before getting up and walking into the hospital with her. She continues to see pieces of the normal Naruto break through when the rest of their respective teams show up, and later, when Naruto is forced to dive across the table at lunch to prevent Sai from calling Chōji fat, Ino forces herself to choke her laughter at the absurdity of the scene.

She's immensely flattered when Sai calls her gorgeous, though Naruto's glare at the newest member of Team Kakashi stays with her throughout the day.

-l-l-l-

Ino stands behind the counter of Yamanaka Flowers, fingers deftly working on the organization of a bouquet. Her skill at arranging flora is top-notch, which is good because her mind is in a place very far away, watching blood dribble out of her sensei's mouth as she monitors the failure of his vitals.

"Ino…you're very confident, but…you know how to take care of yourself… Chōji and Shikamaru…these guys are kind of clumsy…so take care of them… And…don't you lose to Sakura…in ninjutsu or in love…"

The bell to the shop tinkles, and Ino looks up to see Naruto walk in, still wearing his black funeral clothes. She notices idly that her friend looks more mature dressed in something other than his garish orange and black outfit, with blond spikes falling into his eyes and Tsunade's necklace prominently displayed, but her thoughts are too jumbled to dwell on this particular one. He says nothing as he leans against the counter, watching Ino return to her work. "How're you doing?" he finally asks.

At any other time, the question is so asinine that Ino is sure she would respond with some sort of snappish remark. As it is, the platinum blonde isn't in the right mindset to muster up a venomous response for her best friend. "Fine."

Ino can sense Naruto peering at her intently, and she briefly curses him for knowing her so well. "Ino-chan…"

His voice is tender, as if he knows he's dealing with something very fragile, and Ino releases a sob at his compassion. "It's not fair! Why did he…why did he have to die?"

Before she knows what's going on, Naruto jumps over the counter and is holding her in a soothing embrace. "Shh, shh, it's okay, Ino-chan. Just let it all out…it's okay to cry." She cries into the taller blond's chest in a way she hasn't allowed herself to do either at the funeral or in front of Chōji and Shikamaru, needing to be strong for them…to take care of them.

Just as Asuma asked her to do.

"Asuma-sensei was a great man," Naruto says, as if she's unaware of this fact. Despite him speaking over her head, she can feel the reverberations of his words in his chest, and simply feeling his nearness comforts her. "He gave me some pointers on controlling wind chakra. One day, I hope that I can be as proficient with it as he was."

Naruto isn't quite rambling, but she can tell that he's talking about whatever comes to mind Asuma-related in order to draw her attention to the good times with her late teacher. She's grateful that he's doing so, if only because his talking is making it easier to focus less on what has happened. "He said that…I have to take care of…Shikamaru and Chōji," she hiccups.

"Sounds about right," he chuckles. "He's pretty smart to leave that task to you…you're pushy enough to keep them in line. Ow!" he exclaims when Ino punches him in the gut.

"Don't be a baby, you know that didn't hurt," she chides, now looking him in the eyes. Her own are now dry, though there are still salty tracks lingering on her cheeks.

"It's a pity he didn't tell you to look after me," Naruto wishes, "otherwise maybe you'd be less violent."

"Now you're just being mean."

"Maybe," he shrugs, crystal blue eyes searching baby blue ones, "but you're feeling better now, aren't you?"

Ino is suddenly aware that they've been standing in close proximity to each other for a long time. They're near enough that it won't take much movement for them to be kissing, and if someone walks in on them, it will probably look as if they are two lovers in an embrace.

She finds it strange that she doesn't care. "Yeah…thanks, Naruto."

He smiles at her and brushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "That's what I'm here for, Ino-chan. I've gotta go back to training, though…I'll see you later." He kisses her on the forehead and then walks out of the shop.

Ino watches him go, not quite sure how to interpret what has just taken place. When she moves her fingers through her hair, the blonde is surprised to feel a flower tucked behind her ear. She pulls it out and smiles fondly at the indigo-colored pansy in her grasp, idly wondering when Naruto picked the plant without her noticing.

Maybe the reason Asuma-sensei didn't tell me to take care of you was because he knew I needed you to take care of me…

-l-l-l-

Naruto and the rest of Team Kakashi (and why they're called Team Kakashi when Kakashi himself is only on it about half the time is beyond the blond) almost arrive at the fight too late. A searing fire jutsu is bearing down upon Kakashi, Ino, and Chōji, and Naruto and Yamato are forced to mix together a wind and water jutsu, respectively, to shield Team 10 from the scorching assault.

The Jinchūriki glares at the Akatsuki member across the forest of dead trees, the Kyūbi's chakra flowing through his body (though whether it's because of all the chakra he's expelled in training or anger at how close Ino, Kakashi, and Chōji were to death is debatable).

For some reason, the latter feels more likely.

The wriggling black things that are sticking out of the Akatsuki member's body pulse forward when Naruto creates several Shadow Clones and sends them into battle. It's mostly impulse to do so, because spawning doppelgangers is his go-to strategy when starting a fight, but the information he gleans from their destruction proves invaluable.

Several more clones pop into existence even as Ino and Chōji tell him that he needs backup. He reassures them that he knows what he's doing as two clones go to work creating the Rasenshuriken.

Naruto runs forward with the new technique whirring in his hand, his clones running ahead of him to create the necessary distraction. They're destroyed by the Akatsuki member's attacks, but it doesn't matter because Naruto is right next to the nukenin with the tool to the man's destruction mere inches away.

These are the bastards who are hunting me…who captured Gaara. They made Sasuke leave the village. They killed Asuma-sensei. His eyes harden as his hand thrusts forward to close the gap between the Rasenshuriken and the Akatsuki member. And they made Ino-chan cry…

The force of the technique blasts the nukenin back several hundred feet before he's engulfed in a massive sphere of wind chakra. Naruto is already on his knees when the man's howls of pain reach his ears. His body slumps forward, but Chōji manages to catch him right before he hits the ground. "That was amazing, Naruto," he says, awed. "We were having so much trouble taking down Kakuzu, and you just came in and took him out with one jutsu. You're no Shikamaru, but you can be pretty smart when you want to, huh?"

"Heheh, well, I don't know about that—"

"Damn right, you don't," Ino interrupts. "It was stupid of you to go in there by yourself." Her hands become encased in a green glow as she kneels down and places them upon her friend's back. "Your chakra is practically gone and your body is under a lot of stress. That jutsu is highly dangerous to use."

"Maybe…but now Asuma-sensei's killers are gone." He turns solemn blue eyes up to look at Ino. "Isn't that what's important?"

"Asuma-sensei believed that the King was important," comes Shikamaru's voice. The Nara is walking towards them, his hands in his pockets. He looks between Naruto and Ino, as if analyzing something about them that no one else can see. "I think that he'd be happy with how much progress you've made."

Naruto grins tiredly at the dark-haired boy.

Meanwhile, Ino stares at Shikamaru, trying to figure out why it sounds like he's referring to something completely different from what the spiky-haired blond has asked…and why she feels like her teammate's cryptic message involves her more than it should.

-l-l-l-

Ino gapes in trepidation and terror at the utter monstrosity that has risen out of the water before her and the rest of the Konoha-nin. The Sanbi is a gigantic seafoam green turtle covered in spiked armor, with only one visible eye and its namesake three tails submerged in the water at its back. In the presence of the wild Bijū, Ino momentarily loses sight of her role in the mission she has been assigned.

This is the power of a Bijū? And this one's only the Sanbi!

The Kyūbi is a creature Ino doesn't give much thought to anymore. It's sealed within her best friend, and while the notion is mildly disturbing, she has made her peace with that little fact. In fact, the knowledge that Naruto is a prison for the fox ended up explaining all the disdain he accumulated in his childhood. Ino thought she understood what his status as a Jinchūriki meant.

But staring the Sanbi in the face, the platinum blonde realizes that she comprehends nothing of what Naruto lives with.

Sakura's yell brings Ino back to the current situation. She focuses her chakra to activate the sealing barrier Tsunade has created expressly for this purpose and then steps out onto the choppy water at Shizune's behest. With the Sanbi already out in the open, the searching function of the seal activates immediately, forcing Ino to distance herself from Sakura and Shizune as the binding function takes effect. The Three-Tails immediately stills, and Ino finds herself heaving a sigh of relief that she's not about to be crushed beneath one of the turtle's massive namesakes.

She shrieks when the Sanbi suddenly begins to thrash about, disrupting the placid water of the lake and forcing all the members of the sealing team to release the technique. Ino falls to one knee as the loss of chakra hits her, and she takes great gasps of air while focusing on not falling beneath the water's surface. There is little doubt in her mind that should she become fully submerged in the Three-Tails' domain, it'll kill her, deliberately or not.

Ino is only partially aware of reaching shore, and through her fading consciousness, she watches as the Sanbi dives out of the water and swallows Naruto and the crystal-user he's been fighting whole. Orange legwarmers enter her sight, and she can't even find the energy to berate Lee for how he picks her up and carries her over to the rest of the sealing team.

She's too busy healing the boy Naruto has been working to protect – Yūkimaru, she remembers absently – with Sakura to join in on the conversation her colleagues are having about how to rescue Naruto. While she's worried about her friend's well-being, she also knows that Naruto can take care of himself (for the most part) without her interference. That doesn't even take into account that, as part of the sealing team, Ino will play absolutely no role in rescuing her fellow blond regardless of whatever plan Kakashi and the others come up with.

The Yamanaka is relieved when Naruto escapes the belly of the beast early the next morning, but most of her attention is focused on making sure she is channeling her chakra correctly for the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier. A short shriek escapes her lips when a blue and white slug appears on her shoulder, but Sakura's reassurance that the gastropod is Tsunade's personal summon Katsuyu calms her nerves. As the technique takes effect, Ino finds her confidence in her abilities building, and she steadily becomes more determined to seal away the Sanbi in its own realm.

Just as she thinks they're about to experience success, the Bijū breaks through the barrier and stirs up a deluge of waves. Ino catches sight of Sakura going under the water right before the surf hits her and plunges her into the lake's depths. For the second time in as many days, the blonde is thrown towards the shore, and though she remains conscious (probably because Katsuyu has been giving her chakra for the seal, preventing her from exhausting her own), she scrapes up against a rock, opening a gash on the upper part of her right arm. The Sanbi rushes toward the cliff face overlooking the lake, and she can barely make out two brightly-colored forms standing next to a more humanoid figure with bright yellow hair.

She watches in stunned disbelief as her friend manages to repel the Three-Tails by way of some sort of massive fire jutsu. The situation seems strangely reminiscent of the stories of the Yondaime subduing the Kyūbi, and Ino is surprised by how much Naruto resembles Konoha's savior.

The thought of the Yondaime's fate befalling Naruto is suddenly all too real, and Ino finds herself terrified to her core despite her faith in him.

Shino appears next to her. "We are rendezvousing at the cabin," he intones. "Are you capable of moving?"

Ino grips her wound with the opposite hand and stands up. "Yeah, let's go."

When the entire team meets back up, the three Jōnin cordon themselves in the other room with Yūkimaru while Sakura tends to Ino. Five minutes later, the pink-haired girl wipes her brow and releases a breathy huff. "That's all I can do for you right now," she says. "I'm going to bandage your arm so it doesn't get infected."

"Here Sakura, Let me do that."

Both girls look up to find Naruto standing over them. He kneels down and holds out his hand for Sakura to deposit the bandages in; she hesitates a moment before handing them over. "I'm going to look after the others," she says, standing and dusting off her clothes before moving away.

Naruto begins wrapping the upper part of Ino's arm in cloth. "This'll be quite the battle scar, Ino-chan," he comments lightly.

"Once I've recovered my chakra, I'll finish healing it myself." There's a momentary lapse in conversation, and then Ino prompts, "Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"…I'm sorry."

The taller blond looks at her, confusion shining in his blue eyes. "For what?"

"That you've had to deal with something like that," she gestures outside, to where the Sanbi is residing somewhere beneath the surface of the lake, "for your entire life."

"Neh, it's okay, Ino-chan. You don't have to apologize. After all, it's not your fault I've got the bastard fox stuck inside of me." He pauses briefly and then continues, "Actually, I think that I owe you."

"Huh?"

He finishes tying the bandage and turns his gaze to the ceiling. "Well, if it wasn't for you becoming my friend, my life probably would've been a lot worse."

"But what about before we became friends?"

Naruto shrugs. "Nothing we can do about that. The past is the past. You've been there for me whenever I needed you." Blue eyes find hers, and he smiles. "So thanks, Ino-chan, for being my friend."

Ino isn't quite sure what to say in response to that, so she speaks the only words that come to mind: "You're welcome."

-l-l-l-

Naruto sits on a bench outside a convenience store, retaining a tenuous grasp on a popsicle which is melting. The news that Jiraiya, his beloved mentor, has died is still fresh in his mind, despite the knowledge being almost half a day old. He's grateful for the dark of night, which disguises the tears dripping to the ground next to the liquefied drops of his frozen treat.

"It's a lot harder to track you down when you aren't visiting any of your usual haunts."

The blond's head swivels to find Ino taking the seat next to him, draping her platinum blonde hair over the back of the bench as she stares at the moon. Naruto rubs his forearm across his eyes and sniffs, trying to remove any sign of his tears. "I heard about Jiraiya-sama," Ino continues, voice soft.

Naruto finds himself grateful when she doesn't try to sympathize with his loss by apologizing. "I wanted him to see me do something great," he whispers, "to see me not be a screw-up."

"He was your sensei," she states simply. "I'm sure he was proud of you no matter what you did. And you're not a screw-up…you've done plenty of things no one ever thought you capable of."

"How do you know that he was proud of me?"

"Because Asuma-sensei was the same way with us," Ino tells him with certainty. "It's probably a requisite of being a teacher, to be proud of your students." She moves her head so it's resting on Naruto's left shoulder. "And because I'm proud of you, so I know that others are, too."

Naruto doesn't say anything, but he puts an arm around Ino's shoulders and leans his cheek against her scalp. "You give good advice on benches," he says finally, referring back to when she soothed his fears about the Kyūbi in front of the hospital.

"I give good advice in other places, too," she tells him matter-of-factly. "Are you going to be okay?"

The spiky-haired blond tries to shrug, but his best friend's head on his shoulder hinders the motion. "Maybe…eventually…" They sit in silence for a long time, simply enjoying each other's presence in the light of the moon. "Ino-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Can you…spend the night tonight? I don't really want to be alone."

"Sure."

As they head back to Naruto's apartment, Naruto reaches out and grasps her hand in his own. She doesn't resist the gesture, and when they reach the taller blond's abode, she disappears into the bathroom with some of Naruto's casual clothes to use as pajamas. When she finishes changing and exits the bathroom, Naruto is sitting at the head of his bed with his knees drawn up to his chest, staring morosely at his feet. Ino climbs onto the small futon and sits next to him. "Someone once told me that it was okay to cry."

Naruto grins weakly. "He sounds very wise."

Ino seesaws her hand back and forth in the air. "He has his moments." Her fellow blond tries to pout at her, but the expression comes off as more forlorn than anything else. "You know, if you want to talk about Jiraiya-sama, I'm willing to listen. I know what it's like to lose your teacher."

"I know. I just…I'm not ready."

"I understand."

Silence overtakes them, and both blonds eventually fall asleep, Naruto's arms wrapped around Ino's waist in a parody of a child looking for comfort from a stuffed animal.

The next morning, Shikamaru is surprised when Ino answers Naruto's door dressed in his clothes. "Come on in," she beckons.

"…So…" he begins, stepping across the threshold, "you and Naruto finally…" he coughs awkwardly, unwilling to continue.

"What? No! No, he's just…not taking Jiraiya-sama's death very well."

"Ah…and you…?"

"He asked for some company. You remember what it was like when Asuma-sensei—"

"I know," Shikamaru interrupts. He looks thoughtful for a moment before nodding to himself. "Look, I know that now's a really sensitive time for him, but I need his help. Can you get him to come with me?"

"I'll see what I can do."

Ino convinces Naruto to follow Shikamaru out, and then decides to tag along behind the boys, curious as to what her teammate is planning. Her curiosity is piqued further when the Nara takes them to meet Kurenai coming out of the hospital, and he explains his intentions to become the child's sensei. She's a little surprised to hear Shikamaru's resolve given his laziness, but his words seem to have an effect on Naruto, who allows a slow smile to spread across his face. When Naruto agrees to help Shikamaru crack the code his late-sensei has left behind, Ino finds relief flooding her body.

Good job, Shikamaru…and welcome back, Naruto.

Shikamaru glances back at her as he and Naruto head for the headquarters of Konoha's Cryptanalysis Squad, analyzing her with dark eyes. His gaze reminds Ino of his assumption about her relationship with her fellow blond earlier that morning and of his knowing look back in the forest after Naruto killed Kakuzu, and she feels a blush creep up her cheeks.

What does Shikamaru see that I don't?

-l-l-l-

Ino exchanges glances with the rest of the Konoha 11 as Naruto walks away from the piles of wood being used to reconstruct Konoha, his departing words ringing in their ears. "That guy…" growls Kiba, "I don't understand what he's thinkin'."

"Perhaps Naruto-kun has a plan," Lee suggests.

Tenten snorts. "Hardly."

"Whether he does or doesn't is irrelevant," Neji insists. "He needs to accept the consequences of Sasuke's actions and understand that we will not just let the Uchiha go free."

Ino turns to leave, and Shino asks, "Where are you going?"

"To get answers," she replies.

She catches up to Naruto part of the way to Ichiraku Ramen and strolls next to him quietly for a moment, trying to come up with the right words to say. "Why are you doing this?" she finally settles on asking, hoping the direct route will work. "Back when we were kids, he never really treated you like that good of a friend. I don't understand your obsession with him, and I want answers. And don't lie to me."

Naruto laces his fingers behind his head and gazes into the sky solemnly. "Sasuke's trapped in the darkness," he tells her, "and he's determined to take revenge upon Konoha. He's caused a lot of people pain…and to end the cycle of hatred, the only one who can kill him is me. If I don't, more people will just continue to suffer…I'm the only one who can understand what Sasuke's going through, who can bear his burden." He looks at Ino. "Shouldn't you be sadder about this? Sakura was devastated."

Ino shakes her head. "That's because Sakura still loves him. I haven't cared about Sasuke for a long time now…and I agree with what Neji and Shikamaru said."

"Really?"

"He nearly killed you, Naruto! Several times, in fact! He indirectly almost killed Chōji, Neji, Kiba, Lee, and Shikamaru…and he joined Akatsuki, which did manage to kill Gaara, Asuma-sensei, and Jiraiya-sama! You can't possibly be so blind!"

They arrive at Ichiraku Ramen and sit down. Teuchi notices that they're in the middle of a conversation, and instead of asking what they want, immediately sets to work making the noodles and broth with his best guess. "I'm not," he reassures her. "Look, I need you to understand that this is something I have to do, whether you get why I'm doing it or not."

His blue eyes are steely with determination, and Ino finds that she can't deny him his request when he looks so seriousness and sure. "…Fine," she allows at length, "but you know that you can rely on us if you need to, right?"

When Teuchi sets a steaming bowl of ramen before each blonde, Naruto picks up his chopsticks and dips them into his meal. "I know," he says, twirling some noodles around the chopsticks and bringing them to his mouth. Before he inserts them in his mouth, the blonde adds, "Thanks for understanding, Ino."

Several drops of ramen broth splatter onto the counter as a bunch of noodles slip out of Ino's chopsticks. "Ah!"

"You okay?" he manages around his ramen.

"Yeah, just…surprised. You dropped the '-chan'…something you want to tell me?"

Naruto blinks. "Oh. No, I…I just figured that we're close enough friends…not that we weren't before! But I never really thought about droppin' it, and now that I think about it, it's, you know, not…necess— why're you laughing?"

"You," she giggles. "Seeing you so flustered over something so simple…that's the Naruto that I'm used to. For a moment there, I thought that you…you know, might…" she trails off, gesturing uselessly with her hand.

The spiky-haired blond seems to understand what she's implying, for he chuckles weakly. "Haha, yeah, well…" He swirls the ramen broth in his bowl, looking for something to say. "Hinata told me she loves me," he blurts.

Ino finds it strange that Naruto doesn't grant her unfinished statement with an answer, but she chooses to accept the subject change without commenting, unsure if she wants to hear the actual response. "Took long enough."

"Wait, you knew?"

She rolls her eyes. "Of course I knew. Our entire class knew. When did she tell you?"

"When I was fighting Pein," he admits. "She told me she loved me, and then I thought Pein killed her, and then…I drew on the Kyūbi's power."

"I know…I felt it."

Naruto turns to look at her with sad eyes. "What do I do?"

"Well, do you have any feelings for Hinata?"

"No," he concedes, "and I feel bad that I don't. I mean, Hinata's a really nice girl, but…" he shrugs helplessly. "…Hey, is that why she always fainted around me?"

Ino stares at him for a moment before sighing. "You're absolutely hopeless. Just…tell her that you care about her, but not in the same way. She'll understand…I hope," she mutters.

"And that'll really work?"

"Well, it's not exactly what a girl wants to hear, but it's probably your best bet. I think her infatuation with you will probably do the rest of the work."

"Okay. Thanks for the help, Ino."

"Anytime, Naruto."

-l-l-l-

Ino stands in one of the circles all the shinobi at the shore have carved in the terrain, waiting impatiently for Naruto's arrival. The past 24 hours have been a hectic mess of emotions, and her mental equilibrium is a bit unbalanced.

She and her teammates have sealed one of Hidden Cloud's legendary shinobi (and a pseudo-Jinchūriki to boot, giving her a good idea of why Naruto made her promise to stay away from him if he ever transformed), come face-to-face with their personal nightmare in the form of resurrected Akatsuki member Kakuzu, and been forced to fight against their deceased teacher Asuma. Not to mention the loss of life on the battlefield caused by the tenacity of the enemy. The blonde was quite worried when she found Tenten suffering from chakra exhaustion, and was sure not to let her fellow kunoichi anywhere near the Banana Palm Fan when she learned the reason behind it.

That, in combination with the tenuous White-Zetsu-infiltrating-the-Shinobi-Alliance-as-clones situation (which led to the sitting-in-circles situation), gives Ino plenty of time to focus on the whole reason they are at war in the first place.

Naruto. Somehow, everything always boils down to a scenario involving the spiky-haired blond. Ino considers it a sign of how important he is, not just to her, but to everyone. After all, if Akatsuki gets its clutches on him, the entire world is essentially screwed.

Ino's busy trying to convince herself that she's merely concerned for her fellow blond – her best friend, her confidante – when he appears before the entire squad wearing a chakra cloak of yellow-white and orange-red. It's surely coincidence that he lands in the midst of the rough triangle she, Shikamaru, and Chōji are the vertices of, orange eyes – and she wonders why the strange chakra is changing the color – fixed upon her. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's fine," Shikamaru assures him. "We needed the break anyway."

"You'd take any excuse to slack off." The Nara shrugs, but there's a telling grin playing about his lips. Naruto's gaze returns to Ino. "I'm glad you guys are okay, though."

There's a brief lull where Ino doesn't know what to say; fortunately, Chōji decides to pipe up. "Hey Naruto, shouldn't you check for any imposters?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Everyone's clear here."

Shikamaru cracks his back and steps out of his circle. "Well, back to work, I suppose." He raises an eyebrow when Naruto remains where he is. "Shouldn't you be checking the other battlefields?"

"Other clones are handling it…I've got a minute."

Ino suddenly finds her voice; she moves forward so she's standing within Naruto's personal space. "I can't believe you were so stupid as to leave the island! Don't you know that we're all out here sacrificing ourselves to make sure that you stay safe?"

"Ino—"

"Honestly, don't you have any sense of self-preservation?"

Shikamaru snorts. "No."

Ino chooses to ignore him. She's on a bit of a tirade now, irritated at the lack of any real activity, at her inability to keep her friend safe when that's the entire purpose of the Shinobi Alliance, and it doesn't even matter that Naruto's newfound ability to detect evil intent is needed to rid the field of the White Zetsu imposters. "Sometimes you can just be so irresponsi—"

"I NEEDED TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE OKAY!" Ino's too stunned at the outburst to respond, so Naruto takes a breath and continues on. "When I found out what was happening, I knew that I couldn't let other people die on my behalf. I needed to know that you…that all of my precious people," he corrects, but it's added on so late that it sounds a bit like a cop out, "were still alive. If something happened to you—" and this time, Ino is under the distinct impression that he's talking directly to her, "—because of me, I just…I don't wanna think about it. So I had to check. And I'm not gonna apologize for it."

The platinum blonde remains silent for a long moment, trying to digest his words. Finally, she turns her head to the side, whipping him across the face with her ponytail, and crosses her arms. "Well, I'm fine. And now that you're out, you might as well make yourself useful."

"Don't worry, the real me's on his way to fight Madara right now. I'm gonna end this war!"

He leaps away – where to, Ino doesn't know – and she yells, "You better come back alive, you hear me?!" The clone waves an arm to indicate his receipt of the message before disappearing before the squad's eyes.

"…Way to save face," Shikamaru remarks dryly.

"Shut up." Please come back alive, Naruto…

-l-l-l-

Ino realizes belatedly that the line defining the separation between 'friends' and 'something more' has blurred.

It's early September, only a couple of weeks until her 18th birthday. Despite the cool autumn weather, the wind chill is tolerable, and Naruto's body leans slightly against hers for support. "'M fine," he assures her, trying to pull away.

Ino scoffs. "You can't walk straight. I'm not letting you try to get home on your own."

"But the gentleman's supposed to walk the lady home!" he protests half-heartedly.

"Since when have you been a gentleman?"

"…'M fine."

"You're drunk."

"Nuh-uh," he pouts childishly. "Ero-sennin made sure I knew my limit."

Ino sighs, but lets the argument drop, choosing not to point out the light slur of his speech or the slight flush to his cheeks. He deserves the night anyway. After years of being behind his peers, Naruto has finally been promoted to Chūnin. Of course, there was never any doubt in anyone's mind that he would eventually get the title, but between Akatsuki and Sasuke causing all sorts of problems (and the repercussions of stopping them), there was never any time to conduct a proper analysis of his skills. In commemoration of his achievement, his friends decided to get together and throw him a party.

Naruto was perhaps a little too enthusiastic with his promotion, downing several quick cups of alcohol (provided by Anko, who was a firm disbeliever in the drinking age) in his excitement.

The platinum blonde giggles to herself. Despite the joy at finally matching his graduating class in rank, Naruto seems unaware that several of his peers have recently advanced further. Shino and Lee are both Jōnin, while Kiba has attained the rank of Tokubetsu Jōnin; Shikamaru is Head of Intelligence and Tactics, and Ino herself is undergoing an apprenticeship in the Torture and Interrogation Forces.

Still, she supposes that she should allow the blond to have his moment…for now. She readjusts their positions, carefully maneuvering her arm to support him under his armpits instead of around his shoulders. "You're too tall," she complains.

"Maybe you're too short," he returns childishly.

She punches him lightly with her free hand. "Jerk."

"Midget." She swings again, but he wriggles out of her grasp and twists nimbly away in a surprisingly dexterous movement. "Can't catch me!" he calls, running off-kilter down the street.

Ino growls and gives chase; even not completely sober, he's still faster than she is. "Stupid drunk!" she yells.

"'M not drunk!"

It takes 15 minutes before she catches up to him, stopped in front of a looming archway. "Gotcha!" she exclaims , sneaking up on him and slugging him violently. "That's for calling me a midget and making me chase you around town." He merely shrugs, and she looks up at the building, recognition shining in her baby blue orbs. "Hey, this is—"

"Your home," he answers simply. Indeed, Ino finds herself standing in front of the main entrance to the Yamanaka clan compound. "A gentleman always walks a lady home," he lectures, a cheesy grin decorating his features.

Ino rolls her eyes, but smiles regardless. He always seems to have that effect on her. "Thanks, Naruto."

The spiky-haired blond nods and offers her his arm. She takes it with another roll of her eyes, allowing him to walk her into the compound and to her house. Ino steps up into the shadow of the door frame, spinning around to face her fellow blond. "I'm taller," she asserts, standing on the single step and bringing her total height to just above his.

Naruto chuckles; to Ino, the sound is deep and soothing in its familiarity. "If you say so, Ino."

"Say it!" she demands, stomping down with one foot like a stubborn child.

The teen steps forward, bringing the two friends closer together. He raises his left hand and brings it up to slowly brush Ino's fringe of hair out of her eye, placing it behind her ear; half of it escapes and partially covers her eye again. With the light of the moon shining down, she notices just how good-looking her best friend is, the bangs of his messy, bright yellow hair – unrestrained by his usual forehead protector – falling into his eyes and giving him a strangely sexy quality she's never paid attention to before. "You're beautiful," he says instead, voice soft. Her breath hitches in her throat; she can sense that the situation is different from every other time they've shared a moment like this.

"You're drunk," she whispers, attempting to explain this strange behavior.

"Nuh-uh," he replies just as quietly, the corner of his mouth hitching upward in a small, gentle smile. The previous flush of red in his cheeks is gone.

He kisses her then, his hands finding her waist and gently resting there. Caught in the moment, her hands move up to encircle his neck of their own accord, and Ino finds that a pleasant shiver runs down her spine at this previously forbidden contact. The sensations that she feels are so raw, so unbelievably amazing, that she wonders why they've never tried something like this before.

Because you're best friends, niggles a voice in the back of her mind, and she begs the voice to be silent for just a little longer because this feels so good.

Naruto breaks off the kiss all too soon, and Ino stares him in his crystal blue eyes, finding so much – joy, fear, uncertainty, a dozen other unnamed emotions – reflected in those windows to his soul. He offers her another soft smile, a brief upward quirk of his lips, before he's gone, and Ino's left standing at the entrance of her house all alone.

Ino touches her fingers to her lips, thinking that she can still feel them tingling from the sensation of Naruto's own. "Now what?" she asks aloud.

She notices morbidly that there's no answer.