Chapter 37: Runaway

Naruto had to fight the urge to cough as the Daimyo exhaled a puff of smoke from his pipe. The two of them were seated in the secret meeting place located within the Hokage Monument, having both agreed that the situation with the High Council had to be addressed immediately. They had just concluded discussing the options, and now Naruto was just waiting for the Daimyo's approval.

A stout man, the current Daimyo was, in many ways, much like his mother. He was vain, loud and just as fond of squeezing cats. Naruto would never forget Tora, the poor little feline that always ran away from his owner. Tora, bless her soul, was no longer in this world, but Naruto highly doubted that Lady Shijimi never replaced her.

"Well," the Daimyo finally hummed after several puffs of smoke filtered through the air. "I must say, Naruto, I am once again reminded that electing you as Hokage remains the wisest choice I ever made."

Naruto fought the urge to blush at the praise. "I'm not that great."

"Nonsense," the Daimyo waved him off. "My mother is very fond of you, you know. Always talks about how you were one of the cute genin that saved her cat."

"I highly doubt you approved my nomination because your mother likes me," Naruto laughed.

"Indeed," the Daimyo agreed with a smile. His face then became serious. "I approve the changes. I think it would be wise to separate the lawmakers from the law enforcers. But, I will remain adamant that your word is the last word, yes?"

"Understood."

"As for the three individuals you have nominated to become the Tribunal Members..." the Daimyo trailed off as he leaned forward to look at the profiles Naruto had presented him with. "Interesting choices. Especially for the one you want to appoint as Magister. I would have thought you would nominate Nara Shikamaru, or his father for the job. Or even your father-in-law."

"She's most suited to the position."

"Is she not retired?"

"She is. But she's well educated when it comes to law. I daresay she knows the system better than I do. And since she's no longer an active kunoichi, she will always be in the village to attend to the Tribunal."

"Sound reasoning. Very well, I approve those too."

Naruto bowed his head in thanks.

"Is there more you wish to discuss?" the Daimyo asked when he realised Naruto remained with his head bowed.

"I apologise," Naruto muttered. "I realise the High Council was my idea, which you so faithfully supported and allowed me to create. And now look what has become of it."

The Daimyo laughed. "Naruto, we are in a world where conflict and betrayal will never cease to exist. It stinks, I know, but shit like this happens. You are not the person who committed the crime. Do not blame yourself over someone else's selfish actions."

Naruto looked up, astonished. "The other Daimyo would have sacked me by now."

The Daimyo pulled a face. "Then they are fools. Naruto, our world needs compassionate people like you. Not men ruled by their arrogance and think themselves as gods. You are a great leader, who is loved by many. I daresay, Hokage is but a title when applied to you. Your name shines brighter than the hat you put on the day I appointed you."

"You're making me look like a hero again," Naruto muttered with a roll of his eyes. The Daimyo snorted.

"And you're being a big sap. Now go home to that wife of yours, yes?"

With thirty-seven-year-old Ino...

The fingers resting against her forehead were cool, despite the desert heat that surrounded them. Ino watched Gaara, fascinated, as he navigated through her mind. He seemed to know how to tread carefully – he hadn't even knocked her unconscious. Such skill to move through such an delicate part of a human was rare. A part of Ino wondered if maybe he had Yamanaka blood.

"No," Gaara muttered. "Just years and years of practice. You learn a lot from hearings thoughts every day."

Ino smiled. "I can see that."

"You invented the Five Dimensions to Heaven?" Gaara asked.

"I did."

"Impressive. Although, I would include the Tiger seal next time – to balance the powers."

Ino blinked, surprised. Fascinated, she proceeded to sift through the mental notes she had made of the technique. Ino was excellent at remembering things, and everything she had written in her notebook regarding the technique was no different. And, indeed, when she came across the pattern of seals she had originally formulated for the technique, she noticed that Tiger was missing. Which, just like Gaara had implied, creates a gap in the balance.

No wonder the technique had backfired on her! When she had activated it, it was incomplete and thus could only work to half of its capacity. So she was only transferred halfway, and due to the inaccuracy of an incomplete technique, she basically had no aim for a transfer. That was how she ended up with another person's mind within her own. They must have collided and the technique couldn't separate them due to the imbalance.

She had mulled months over what could have caused the technique to backfire and nearly kill her. And Gaara found the answer in seconds!

"Thank you," Ino whispered. "If I revise the technique with what you just told me, I could probably reverse it."

"Don't thank me," Gaara replied. "It was quite obvious, which is probably why you missed it."

"Shut up!" Ino laughed.

Gaara just smirked, but the smirk quickly vanished.

"What?" Ino asked when she noticed his sudden serious expression.

"I've reached your tampered memories," Gaara stated. His brow puckered. "But something is not right."

Ino frowned. "Well, don't leave me in the dark."

"They were not tampered with, rather, they are just blocked off. I can't get across the barrier."

Ino blinked, then frowned again. "It's a good thing they weren't tampered with, it means if we can break the barrier my memories should just return."

Gaara nodded, but he still seemed perplexed. She felt him dig a bit deeper and winced at the sliver of pain in shot through her spine. Gaara pulled back.

"My apologies," he muttered.

"No, it's fine."

Finally, Gaara seemed to give up and pulled away. Ino watched him, bewildered that he had broken the connection. He turned away from her.

"You are not honestly going to give up so quickly, are you?" Ino asked, frustrated.

"I'm not the one that gave up," Gaara hissed. "You are the one who gave up."

Ino blanched. "Excuse me?"

"The barrier around your memories was not erected by some external source," Gaara pointed out. "Nobody attacked you and fiddled in your head as we originally believed."

"What are you trying to say?" Ino snapped.

"It was you. You are the one who sealed your own memories."

Now shaking, Ino clenched her fists and looked down at her feet. It was impossible! Why would she block her own memories? The only possible conclusion for her choice to do so would mean the information the memories held were dangerous. Or...

"Why would I seal my own memories?"

Gaara shrugged. "No idea."

Ino sagged to the ground. Either she was trying to protect something...

...or she was running away from something.

With sixteen-year-old Ino...

Naruto found Ino asleep at her desk. It was just past sunrise, and the fact that she was still dressed, with three used cups sitting beside her, made it very clear she had pulled an all nighter. When he placed a blanket over her shoulders, he glanced her notebook open underneath her arms.

He sighed. Looks like he was in charge of getting the kids to school this morning...again. Not that he minded, he loved taking care of his two angels. But, he was worried about his wife. The Five Dimensions to Heaven was eating away at her.

"Morning," Kaguya mumbled from the doorway. "Did mom fall asleep here again?"

Naruto turned to his daughter. "Seems so. Go wake up Minato, would you?"

Kaguya pulled a face, but did as told without argument. Naruto, meanwhile, moved to the kitchen to put on the rice cooker. There should be some leftover fish and Miso soup he could heat up too. Simple, easy breakfast.

"Morning, Papa!" Minato chirped as he skipped into the room. "Where's Mama?"

"Asleep, so quieten down a bit," Naruto responded.

Minato saluted in response. "Aye, aye, Captain!"

"How do you have so much energy in the morning?" Kaguya asked as she stomped into the kitchen. "It's irritating."

Naruto chuckled as he placed the soup on the stove and the fish in the microwave.

They were halfway through breakfast when Ino joined them, blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. Her short hair was a spiky mess and there were dark circles under her eyes. She sat down at the table without a word. Naruto handed her a bowl of rice, also without a word. Kaguya fetched her some soup.

"Mama!" Minato exclaimed excitedly as he bounced in his chair. "Can we have ice cream after school today?"

"Sure," was the unenthusiastic response. A yawn escaped Ino's mouth.

Naruto sighed again. "Minato, finish your breakfast, so you can get ready for school. Kaguya, you'll help him, yes?"

Kaguya nodded, but her attention was more focused on her mother, who was sleepily munching on some rice. She seemed out of it today, more so than usual.

Once Minato and Kaguya disappeared upstairs, and Naruto gathered the dishes and dumped them in the sink, he turned to his wife, who still sat at the dining table in a daze.

He crossed his arms. "When is this going to stop?"

Ino looked up, surprised. "What?"

"The all nighters," Naruto snapped.

Ino blinked. "I thought we talked about this already. Something went wrong when I activated the Five Dimensions to Heaven, and I want to fix it."

"Something went wrong?" Naruto snorted. "It nearly killed you!"

Ino rolled her eyes. "And yet, here I still am."

"I thought I asked you to stop working on that technique and just scrap it as forbidden," Naruto hissed.

Ino fidgeted and looked away from her husband's gaze. "I can't give up now. I'm so close."

Slam!

Ino jumped at the noise from Naruto slamming his hands against the sink counter. She turned to him, not surprised to see his face red in anger.

"Dammit, Ino!" he yelled. "I know you want to prove something by completing this technique, but it is dangerous! Another human being's conciousness bled into yours! You nearly died! Think of the children!"

This time, anger flared up Ino as well. She stood up, the chair clattering on the ground.

"I am thinking about the children! But I can't just leave it now, not when I am so close to making a breakthrough! This can make Yamanaka history!" she yelled back.

She expected him to yell back again. This wasn't the first time they have had this argument. She knew his next words would be something along the lines of 'as Hokage, his orders were absolute'. And she would yell back that he was her husband first, not her Hokage. Then that would start a whole new argument.

But this time, it was different. Instead of continuing the argument, Naruto's face drew blank. Ino quivered under his cold stare. Then, without a word, he stomped out of the house, the door slamming loudly behind him. He had never, in their several years together, looked at her like that. She sank to her knees, tears starting to flow down her cheeks, unaware that Naruto was still outside, watching her from the window, his own tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

Naruto gasped and jolted up, his heart beating dangerously in his chest. A dream. Closing his eyes and allowing the cool air of the bedroom to calm him, Naruto took a moment to inhale deeply. He had nearly forgotten about the problems he had before his wife swapped places with a younger version of herself.

"Naruto?" Ino's voice shattered the silence. His eyes snapped open, and he turned to face the blonde now sitting up beside him. Her hair was a mess, very much like in the dream, but there was no dark circles and her eyes were much younger. To be expected, the Ino next to him now was not the one from his dreams.

"Just a dream," Naruto whispered. His hands clenched into fists. It was a dream, yes, but it was also very real.

Ino noticed that Naruto was shaking slightly, so without a word she reached out and placed a comforting hand on his arm. For a few minutes, she allowed him to gather his wits in silence.

Finally, she asked: "Do you want to talk about it?"

Naruto wanted to shake his head at first, he was the type to bury his problems and put up a happy front at all times. But with Ino, those barriers never really stayed in place, not even with a younger alternate version of her.

"We had an argument," Naruto whispered. "The morning of the day before I came home and found you in her place."

Ino blinked. It was a strange thing to imagine, Naruto arguing with her older self. From what she's heard, witnessed and experienced herself, they seemed to be the perfect couple. Arguing just doesn't seem to be part of their marriage, but that notion was, of course, unrealistic and silly.

"And it bothers you because you are yet to resolve it?" Ino asked.

Naruto sighed. "I suppose. I think what bothers me more is the way I walked out on her that morning. I saw the look on her face – she was terrified and deeply hurt."

Ino scooted closer and wrapped her arms around Naruto's shoulders. It was a bold move, but he did not stop her and it felt natural.

"I'm sure she has forgiven you."

Naruto smiled weakly and patted one of Ino's arms.

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Ino asked.

"Honestly," Naruto began, "I was so busy trying to get used to you and all the other problems, that it just got pushed to the side. But now I am stressed about the High Council, and I suppose everything is just piling up."

Ino lay her head on Naruto's shoulder and closed her eyes. "You still have a few days. You will gather the Tribunal members and be ready to face the council. I believe in you."

Naruto smiled weakly as he gripped Ino's hand and laced their fingers. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

With thirty-seven-year-old Ino...

Ino neatly scribbled the sequence of hand seals on the scroll Gaara had given to her, ensuring to include the Tiger seal. Once she was done, she sat back and scrutinised her work. She delicately traced every seal with her index finger.

Yes, it will work. With this, Ino had finally, after years, completed the Five Dimensions to Heaven. She can finally go home. But as that thought settled, dread rose within her. With a frustrated sigh, she pushed away from the scroll, stood and moved to the window that overlooked Sunagakure.

"What are you running away from?" her own voice echoed through her head. She had asked the same question several years earlier, when she had found a runaway bride on the roof of the very temple she was supposed to tie the knot in.

Karin did always have a flare for the dramatics.

But Ino doubted her reason for running away was similar to Karin's reasons. For starters, this was not her wedding day, and she wasn't marrying the grump that is known as Uchiha Sasuke. And this time, she was dealing with the person she knew best – herself. She had barely even known Karin all those years ago. But that one conversation on the roof had revealed to Ino just how similar she was to Karin. They both wanted to prove themselves. And so, once she had convinced the redhead to walk down the aisle, a friendship had unconsciously formed between them.

And yet, she still could not fathom what it was that made her seal her own memories. And she did not understand her hesitation to release the seal and have a look. Closing her eyes, Ino placed her hand on her flat belly, where she could sense the small and weak chakra of the baby she had placed in such a dangerous position. How could she hesitate in such a situation? She had to think of her unborn child! So many uncertainties.

Ino did, however, know one thing for certain.

She was a coward. And she was ashamed to admit it.

With sixteen-year-old Ino...

Convincing Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi to become Tribunal members had not taken much. Naruto had barely stepped foot in his father-in-law's house when the blonde man had simply stated that he would do his duty for the village, even if he was an old man who should long be retired. Shikaku had said something similar, after grumbling about how troublesome it was.

Only one person left. Naruto stared at the wooden door before him, the nerves bubbling in his gut.

"Knock!" he berated himself. But as he lifted his arm to do so, his nerves got the better of him, and his limb dropped back to his side. He sighed and looked down at his feet that barely stuck out from under his robes. He had never visited this house before – the family had only moved after the war, and in his shame and regret, he had never dared disturb them.

"Oh!" a female voice exclaimed suddenly. Naruto turned around, coming face-to-face with a heart-shaped face, honey hair and emerald eyes. The woman squeaked again when they made eye contact and bowed deeply. "Lord Hokage."

Naruto sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I thought I told you ages ago to just call me Naruto, Renge."

Renge straightened, but her posture remained stiff. "I don't think it is appropriate."

Naruto shook his head. Arguing with her was useless, she was stubborn, just like her sister had been.

"Is your mother home?" Naruto asked.

"She should be," Renge replied. "Is she not answering the door?"

Naruto laughed nervously. "Actually, I haven't had the courage to knock."

Renge raised an eyebrow, then with a shake of her head, she pushed past Naruto and unlocked the door.

"Come in, I'll go find her."

"Thanks," Naruto mumbled as he stepped inside and pulled off his shoes. Renge disappeared into a room at the end of the hallway, leaving Naruto alone in the strange house that smelled like freesias, apples and cinnamon. It was a scent he had not encountered in years and made his heart clench.

A figure appeared in the doorway which Renge had disappeared through. A woman with greying blonde hair, green eyes and wearing a white qipao stared at him, her eyes wide.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise," she stated.

Naruto bowed. "It's been a long time, Mrs Haruno."