Chapter 16: Unexpectedly Closer

Ino splashed her face with water and looked up in the mirror. Her short hair was still something she had to get used to, but she really admired the way the style suited her. Satisfied that the make-up was removed, Ino moved back into the bedroom where she sat down and started to blow-dry her hair.

Naruto came in and closed the door behind him silently. "The kids are in bed. Minato woke up again, but he quickly dozed off when I told him we're home."

Ino smiled. "Thanks."

Naruto shook his head and removed his robes. Ino froze, but sighed in relief when she realised he wore a black shirt and pants under the Hokage robes. Naruto glanced at her, smirked, and then moved to the bathroom. Ino continued to blow-dry her hair, while trying to calm her sudden erratically beating heart.

The banquet was a huge success. Everyone felt good about attending. Hinata offered for Ino and family to stay the night, but Ino declined. She really wanted to get the children home and make sure they were well rested for the upcoming week. Hinata understood and complimented Ino on how quickly she has taken to motherhood. Ino merely blushed.

Now they were home, and Ino could not deny that she was nervous. It was silly of her to be nervous, she was after all the one who invited Naruto back into their bedroom. But she couldn't help it. Can't be blamed, she was only a teenager at heart.

With her hair dry, Ino moved to the wardrobe to find her pyjamas. She was still only dressed in a cotton nightgown and it was starting to become chilly. Ino finally found a blue tank top with matching pants with pink rabbits on it and quickly got dressed, since Naruto wasn't going to stay in the shower much longer. Satisfied, Ino moved to the bed and made herself comfortable with a book she had found early that morning in the study.

Naruto came back in from the bathroom with nothing on, but a towel. Ino glanced at him, blushed deeply and quickly looked away. Naruto didn't seem fazed by her reaction at all, since he ignored it and moved to the wardrobe to find something appropriate to wear. Ino tried to fight the urge to stare, but she couldn't help it. She abandoned the book and locked her gaze on Naruto as he searched through some drawers in the wardrobe. She had to admit, he was extremely attractive. She had never noticed it before...strange. He had a toned body due to excessive training and his skin was tanned, but the battle scars were all still there. Ino wished she could reach out and kiss all those scars so that they would go away, but she knew that would be stupid.

Naruto seemed to be enjoying the fact that Ino was staring, since he chuckled and dropped the towel around his waist, leaving him bare. Ino shrieked and quickly buried her face in her book. Naruto laughed and pulled on some underwear.

"That's not funny, Naruto!" Ino stammered, without moving her face from the book.

Naruto pulled on a pair of shorts and moved to the bed. He got in next to Ino and pulled the covers over him. "Sorry, I just love teasing you."

"I noticed," Ino whispered, "all clear?"

"Yes."

Ino sighed in relief and peeked at Naruto. When she realised that he was indeed decent, she closed her book and put it away. She made herself comfortable and turned off the lamp, leaving the two in darkness. Now that she could no longer see him, Ino was nervous. She knew he wouldn't do anything, but the nerves were still there. After all, she had never shared a bed with a man before.

"Relax Ino," Naruto's voice whispered soothingly. Amazingly, Ino found herself relaxing. She closed her eyes and snuggled deeper under the covers. And as she lay there, Ino found herself feeling incredibly aware of her situation. It was strange, but all of a sudden reality hit her. She was a sixteen-year-old stuck in a body of an older and alter version of herself. She had suddenly been drawn into a new, foreign world where she was expected to be a mother, a wife, a friend and so much more. She was no longer little Ino, she was now the Hokage's wife. Up until now, she thought she could handle it, but with everything that she has learned, the things were really piling up. Tears slowly formed in the corner of her eyes, and before she knew it, Ino burst into tears.

"Ino?" Naruto asked, surprised when he heard her sob. He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her closer and held her tightly. Ino was in such a state that she didn't have time to react to Naruto's gesture, instead, she continued to sob into his chest. Naruto slowly started to stroke her head. "Shh, it's okay. Everything will be okay. We'll figure this out, I promise."

And as they lay there, Naruto felt his heart break for his wife, for he could never bare to see her in such pain.

Kaguya was already gone the next morning when Ino sat down for breakfast. She gave Naruto a questioning look, and he mouthed 'mission' to answer her silent question.

Naruto and Minato ate quickly, then proceeded with their daily routines as well. Minato got his bag for school and waited for his father so that they could leave together. Ino was still eating, and she felt rather alone and lost, since unlike her family she had nothing to do during the day. Naruto came downstairs in his robes, kissed Ino on the cheek and then headed for the door. Just as he was about to leave with Minato he turned, "You should try to go to work."

Ino blinked. "What?"

"I said you should try to go to work," Naruto stated, "I'll let them know that you are not feeling yourself, so they'll leave you be. At least you'll have something to do."

"I have a job?" Ino asked, surprised.

Naruto laughed. "Of course you do, you're a botanist at The Greenhouse."

"Really?" Ino asked, "I'm a botanist in my world too!"

"Well, then I assume it won't be hard," Naruto grinned, then left. Ino felt somewhat excited at the prospect of having something to do, so she quickly finished her breakfast, cleaned up, then got ready to leave. She wasn't exactly sure where The Greenhouse was, but she was sure she would find it – greenhouses were not that hard to find, after all.

The Greenhouse was the largest greenhouse in Konoha and was located about a metre away from the hospital. There was a collection of wild flowers planted around the greenhouse in an orderly fashion and a stone path that led to the door. It was beautiful. Ino nervously headed towards the greenhouse and opened the door. She was greeted by warm air and the familiar and welcome aroma of herbs and spices. She loved plants and she loved her job even more.

Several people were bustling around, watering and harvesting plants. There was even a nurse or two working with a medic on some antidotes. Ino glanced around her, mesmerised by the size of the place.

"You're back!" a female voice exclaimed. A young woman, not even older than her teens appeared around the corner. She had silver hair and dark eyes. Ino recognised her from the banquet, she was with Masahiro and Akemi. The funny thing? She looked like a female version of Kakashi, without the mask.

"It seems so," Ino stated, careful not to give any hints away. A lot more people knew about her condition than she already planned to let know, but she was still heeding to Naruto's advice to not share it with the entire public.

"The Hokage stopped by earlier," the woman stated, "he explained the details with us. Well, he told the others you weren't feeling well, he told me the truth."

Ino's eyed widened. "He did?"

"Yes," the woman stated, "I'm second-in-command here, so he left you in my care."

"Who's in command then?" Ino asked.

"You are," the woman stated, causing Ino's eyes to widen, "or well...you used to be."

That was news. Ino never expected that she would be the boss, the head botanist to run this entire place. That means the entire village depended on her knowledge for survival when the time came. The thought was rather daunting.

"I'm Kana by the way," the woman introduced herself. The name rang a bell, and it took only a few seconds for Ino to remember Akemi mentioning a Kana sometime ago.

"Nice to meet you," Ino smiled, "this will probably sound weird but you look an awful lot like.."

Kana cut Ino off, "Kakashi? Yes. I inherited most of my father's looks it seems, my poor mother was forgotten in the process."

Ino was astonished. She had only guessed that Kana was Kakashi's daughter, seems she was right.

"I'll show you around," Kana said and turned around, obviously stating that Ino must follow her.

Meanwhile with thirty-seven-year-old Ino...

The sun's rays shone through the window and woke Ino from her slumber. She sat up, groaned and pulled her long hair into a ponytail. She was tired of her long hair already, no matter how beautiful it looked. With a yawn, Ino stumbled to the bathroom, stripped and took a shower. She then stumbled back to her room, got dressed and went downstairs where she greeted her parents.

"What do you plan to do?" Inoichi asked.

"About what?" Ino asked as she smeared butter on her toast.

"About the whole travelling dimensions thing?" Inoichi asked.

Ino sighed and took a bite out of her toast. "I'm not sure yet. I know how I got here, I just need to figure out who did it. It certainly wasn't me – I don't have a death wish."

Inoichi frowned. "You know how you got here? So you know the technique's name?"

Ino nodded. "And I am not the only one, I just hope Naruto remembers about it before something terrible happens. The longer we stay like this, the worse things may get."

As Ino continued to munch on her toast, Inoichi pondered on his daughter's words. There must something he could do to help her. He wanted to help her, she was his daughter, whether she was from another dimension or not.

"What is this technique called? Who developed it?" Inoichi asked, hoping that perhaps the information could assist them in finding some answers.

Ino gave him a blank stare. "That, I'm afraid, I cannot tell you."

Ino, in her sixteen-year-old body, was bored. Being thirty-seven and only stuck in a teenage body didn't give you many options for entertainment. For starters, drinking was out of the question because it was illegal, and Ino could really do with a drink right now. Another problem was the fact that was she was entirely different personality in a world where she wasn't familiar with her surroundings. How was she to find something to do when she didn't know where to go or who to call?

So Ino decided to go to the hospital and annoy Sakura, since it seemed like the only thing to do. Not to mention, it's been years since Ino had ever come in contact with Sakura, since she was after all dead in the dimension where she came from.

Sakura was giving immunisations today. Several people, mostly children and their mothers, were waiting for their turn to be shot with a needle. Ino personally always hated needles, but she knew how useful the things were.

"Good morning, Ino," Sakura greeted as she cleaned a patient's arm with an alcohol swab.

"Morning," Ino returned the greeting.

"Do you need an immunisation?" Sakura asked as she prepared a needle for the patient. The patient stared at the needle anxiously, Ino understood the patient's discomfort.

"No," Ino stated, "I was just swinging by to say hello. I was wondering of we could get a drink after work."

Sakura seemed surprised. "That sounds fine. I'll be done at five today. Meet at the tea house where we usually have a drink?"

Ino nodded, despite not having a clue where the tea house was. All well, she would find out, one way or another. "Alright, do you know where Naruto is today?"

Sakura seemed surprised by the question. "He's training outside the village, why?"

Ino smiled and turned to leave. "No reason, I just think he has a cute butt."

Ino walked away, leaving Sakura flabbergasted.

Sure enough, Naruto was training outside the village by doing sit ups while hanging upside down from a tree. He was shirtless and looked as sexy as always. Ino leaned against a nearby tree and watched him with a grin. He continued training, not having noticed Ino's presence, and she intended to keep it that way for a little while longer. She just loved watching him.

Several minutes passed and Naruto finally finished and jumped down and landed on his feet. He sighed and stretched his arms above his head, giving Ino one hell of a view. Her grin widened. Naruto wiped some sweat from his brow, then he picked up his jacket and moved to pull it back on. Ino moved from the shadows and headed towards him.

"Hello, Naruto," she greeted, causing him to jump.

"Gah," Naruto exclaimed, "don't scare me like that!"

Ino chuckled. Naruto gave her a glare, then he laughed and zipped up his jacket. Ino watched the zip move upwards with a pained expression. Naruto noticed and gave her a confused look. She smirked and shrugged.

"So," Naruto started, "what you doing here?"

"Hoping you would entertain me," Ino stated, "I'm bored."

Naruto seemed confused, but he shrugged. "I'm heading to Ichiraku's now. You're welcome to join me."

"I'd like that."

The two turned and returned to the village where they settled at Ichiraku's and ordered Ramen. Naruto was telling Ino about his training routine, and she listened.

"So," Naruto finally finished, "why were you watching me?"

"Oh ho," Ino smirked, "what makes you think I was watching you? Maybe I was interested in the tree."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "Seriously? That's just stupid, Ino."

Ino threw her head back and laughed. "Alright, so maybe I was watching you. You have nice abs, has anyone ever told you that?"

A blush crept to Naruto's face. Ino smirked and took a sip of water. Naruto silently slurped on his Ramen, since he could not think of anything to say.

"Sakura and I are meeting at the tea house tonight," Ino finally said, "want to join us?"

"Sure," Naruto mumbled between some noodles, "it's the tea house opposite your house, right?"

Ino nodded slowly. At least now she knew which tea house it was. Thank Naruto. The two finished their Ramen, paid and then left. Naruto poked Ino, yelled 'tag, you're it' and ran off. Ino snorted, then started run after him. At least she wasn't bored any more.

Sakura was already at the tea house when Naruto and Ino arrived, out of breath. They have been playing chase the entire day. It was rather entertaining, especially when Naruto pushed her into the river. Ino couldn't remember the last time she felt like such a child.

Sakura gave them an odd look, then she rolled her eyes and motioned for them to sit down. Ino collapsed on a seat and pulled her fingers through her wet hair. Naruto sat down next to her, which was a surprise to both girls.

"I've ordered Oolong for now," Sakura stated, ignoring the tight clench in her chest when she saw the look Naruto gave Ino.

"Sounds great," Ino smiled. "How was work?"

"Good," Sakura explained, "everything went smoothly. One patient fainted from the shock of having to get a needle, but he is alright now."

"Really? I guess some people do fear sharp things that severely," Ino stated. Sakura nodded. Their tea arrived and Sakura poured each a cup. Ino ordered some snacks. Naruto stared at the tea, sniffed it, pulled his nose up, then quickly swallowed it down.

"Tastes better than it smells," Naruto stated.

Ino laughed. "Indeed." The three sipped on their tea in silence for awhile.

"Are you alright, Ino?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Ino asked.

"You just seem different," Sakura stated, "and the other day you didn't seem to be aware about Sasuke at all."

Ino smiled weakly. "I didn't feel very well, so I got confused." Luckily, Sakura seemed to buy the excuse, which was a relief. Ino glanced at Naruto, who seemed to be in deep thought. She wondered what went on in that beautiful mind of his.

Their snacks arrived and Ino immediately grabbed a pork bun and broke it in half. She lifted one to Naruto's mouth, which alarmed him. He looked her in the eye, then opened his mouth and allowed her to feed him. Sakura watched this, shocked and confused. Just what was Ino up to? Ino smiled and took a bite of her half of the bun. She noticed Sakura's glare, but shrugged it off.

Naruto was staring at Ino, trying to figure out why the blonde was suddenly so interested and affectionate towards him. It was strange...he might be ignorant, but he wasn't ignorant enough to not notice something was brewing.

Sixteen-year-old Ino...

Kana was very informative and helped Ino through the day at The Greenhouse. She never left Ino's side, just in case another worker noticed something was off. The two mainly walked around and made sure everything was in working order. Once they did that, Ino watered some plants while Kana removed stray weeds.

Once Ino finished watering plants, she decided to see what the medic was up to. The medic was male and unfamiliar, but Ino recognised the soldier pills he was developing when she reached the station where he was working. He greeted her, then returned to focusing on what lay before him. It was getting late, but it didn't look like he was anywhere near leaving yet. Kana joined them.

"He always works late into the night hours," Kana stated, "we usually have him lock up."

Ino nodded, glancing at the medic again.

Ino bid her goodbye to Kana, then turned to go home. The walk home was peaceful and Ino was glad to arrive home and be greeted by Minato the minute she walked through the door. She knelt on her knees and pulled her son into a tight embrace.

"How was work?" Naruto asked when she entered the kitchen. Naruto was standing in front of the stove, preparing dinner. It smelled delicious.

"Good," Ino stated, "Kana was very friendly."

"She gets it from her mother," Naruto grinned, "everything else seems to come from Kakashi."

"I noticed."

Silence fell. Ino sat down at the dining table and watched Naruto move around the kitchen. She thought of the medic and the soldier pills he was developing.

"Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"I want to visit Chouji. Think you can take me there tomorrow?"

Naruto froze and looked over his shoulder at his wife. He swallowed. "You know how I told you I would tell you one things a day?"

"Yes?" Ino asked, confused.

"Well, here's today's fact: Chouji is dead."

Ino froze. She could have sworn her heart just shattered.