Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Friends ❯ Chapter Four: Training ( Chapter 4 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Alden 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.22.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 712 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.22.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 712 | Status: Completed
------------------------
Friends
By Alden-san
Chapter Four: Training
------------------------
Sounds of fighting could be heard from a small clearing as Kurenai's three students fought. Kiba, Shino and Hinata were all jumping, attacking, defending... And to the side, two figure were talking quietly. Ino had come late from her team's own practise, which had fit Kurenai's plans perfectly... She wanted to talk.
"You set us up, didn't you, Ino? Don't lie, I know that you programmed the whole thing..." Kurenai whispered to her 'student', sighing. "Ino, I'm really confused why you did this, set us up to be together-"
"-I made sure you had a chance to quit if you wanted to-" Ino interjected.
"-But I wanna thank you or what you did. My lovelife wasn't a high priority on my list to worry about, so you helped me out. I know it was an extremely manipulating thing you did, but that only shows a ninja skill used in it's own context. Ino... Thank you," Kurenai smiled.
"What? Really? What did happen, anyways? Did it turn out alright?" Ino asked, leaning forwards, interest clearly showing on her face.
"Go practise, Ino... Hey, guys! Rest for a few seconds, Ino's gonna join the fight!" Kurenai called to her team, grinning at Ino. "You're not the only one who can put people into awkwards situations, Ino. Show'em what you got, maybe Kiba will stop calling you a blondie, ne?"
Ino's eyes blazed with determination. "Yes, sensei!" She said, smiling and jumping towards her 'group members', getting into stance. The four got into position.
"This'll be easy... Shino, I'll show who's leader today! Blondie, don't even think of getting in the way. You too, Hinata, don't get yourself hurt!" Kiba yelled, facing Shino (who declined to mention that he'd been beating Kiba all day, and still had yet to be much impressed).
"GO!" Kurenai swung her hand down. Hinata hesitated, stepping back. Kiba shot towards Shino, but Ino intercepted him.
"Where you think you're going, puppy? Afraid you'll have to take a trip to the vet if ya face me?" Ino grinned, getting into her taunting mode, something she enjoyed greatly.
"Blondie, if you're ever a match for me I'll go kill myself," Kiba snarled, shooting forwards with a punch, Ino dodged both the fist and a bite from Akamaru, hiding in Kiba's hood. Ino grinned.
"Your dog came closer to hitting me than you ever will, Kiba. I think I should fight him instead, probably get a decent fight..." Ino said, throwing a kunai that Kiba lumped away from. Kiba blazed with fury - Sibling rivalry, in a way. Akamaru was NOT a better fighter than he was!
He shot forwards, punching out at her. She jumped straight over him, kicking his back and shooting him towards Shino. Turning his momentum to his advantage, he turned the punch into a horizontal kick, shaking Shino's guarding arm. The two proceeded to fight, ignoring Ino completely.
"Eugh, I won't be ignored!" Ino made a flurry of handseals, charged by adrenalin's surge of chakra. She completed the final seal, and POOF! Not one, but TWO Ino's stood behind her. Ino turned, looking confused.
"Two? But I-"
"-Can only do-"
"-One...?" All three spoke at the same time. Ino just sighed and said, "Don't worry about it. Let's just fight, alright? Try not to get yourselves killed too quickly, alright?"
"Roger that, Ino-sama!" The clones yelled, saluting. Kurenai sat up, eyes wide and staring at what she'd just seen - Two bunshins actually talking and saluting? And why did Ino look so drained?
The two bunshins raced forwards, taking each boy by surprise with a blow to the face. Both fell over, looking up in confusion.
"What the hell!?" Kiba said, jumping onto his feet. Akamaru barked from his hood in surprise. "Ino, there's two of you!?"
"Three," Ino said from right behind him. Wire wrapped around his torso before he could react, as Ino fell backwards, grasping the back of his coat, pulling him with her, and kicked the boy away from her. He rolled a few feet, before stopping, and looking up, dazed. He pulled his kunai from his waist, cutting at the wire. It wouldn't cut. He swore. At least it didn't restrict him, right?
Then she tied the other end of it to a tree.
"DAMN!" Kiba swore, trying in vain to remove his coat. "Akamaru, you can get out, right?" Akamaru barked assent, and jumping from the coat. "Yoiu can bite it, can't you?"
The two worked hard at trying to get through the wire, cutting for a good two mintue, dodgind random projectiles thrown his way.
Meanwhile, Shino had been dodging attacks from both Kage Bunshin, until finally giving a blow to one. It disappead in a ouff of smoke. He finally destryoed the second, just as a kunai flew towards him. He dodged it easily, then looked around for Ino.
He suddenly looked right at her. How had he spotted her? She shook herself, trying to free herself of any bugs. It was of no use, though, as Shino leapt up into the tree she was hiding. She dodged most of his hits, being hit more often than she enjoyed, barely getting a hit in. Then she grabbed a kunai, blocking one of his attacks with the handle, then leapt back down to ground level.
"Gotcha, blondie!" Kiba yelled as she appeared from above. She twirled to avoid him, dropping the kunai, but he grabbed her ankle and pulled, causing her to fall. She twisted away from him, but not before...
"Oh no..." Ino sighed, feeling the wire slip around her ankle. Kiba grinned, and pulled. Ino fell, just as Shino came down from the trees, She twisted away, landing on one foot. Kiba pulled her foot in the air, tipping her balance, but she landed on one hand and pulled, hard, with her foot. The end of the wire slipped from Kiba'ds grasp- But Shino attacked Ino just as she regained the wire. She ducked the first attack, but he hit her shoulder- and grabbed the end of the wire.
She swore, pulling out new wire, and held the loop just as Shino aimed at her face. He kicked. She went flying towards Kiba, pulling the loop taut and tripping Shino as she flew. He flipped, reversing the momentum and bringing her flying towards him, landing on his wire-looped foot... Then tripping on the fallen kunai. Kiba fell to the ground, after hitting a tree. This was when Akamaru reappeared, flying from the trees and latching onto the fallen Shino's arm, biting his wrist viciously as Shino tried to get up..
Ino flew into the trees when Shino didn't stop her momentum by his planned attack, pulling the awkwardly positioned (he was getting up) Shino and Akamaru with her... right into Hinata.
---
"Owowow..." Hinata muttered, holding her sleeve up and wincing as Kiba, shaking nervously, rubbed some of Hinata's ointment over the bruise.
"It's okay, it's okay, Hinata... It doesn't hurt that much now, does it?" Kiba asked hopefully. "Just in case those three get it in their heads to fly at you again..." He gestured his head towards the three guilty ones.
"Hey, We SAID we were sorry! Are you okay, Hinata?" Ino asked from a few feet away. She didn't get any closer... She had a feeling Kiba was in one of his 'protective' moods.
"We are sorry, Hinata..." Shino said quietly, and Akamaru barked.
"She can't understand YOU, Akamaru..." Kiba muttered, rubbing a bit harder, as Hinata winced again. "Sorry, Hinata!"
"It- It's alright, Kiba-kun..." Hinata murmured. "Thank you... for looking after me... My wounds, I mean..."
Kiba almost blushed, grinning. "It's nothing, Hinata! It's fine..."
Ino smiled at the two. It was almost too cute to bear. She was surprised - Even dogboy had a heart, after all. She looked around: at Shino, who was doing nothing; Kurenai, who was checking her nails; and Akamaru who was just sitting there looking annoyed. Finally he barked, jumping up and glaring at Hinata. Kiba smacked himover the head.
"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled, as the two glared at eachother. After a few seconds of growling on both sides, the two faced the opposite ways. Hinata's eyes widened.
"Please don't fight because of me!" Hinata waved her hands around. Kiba immediately turned her way, tone softening. "It's not about you, Akamaru's just got a stick up his ass about us not using our jutsu..."
Akamaru barked, glaring at Kiba. This was an obvious lie, but one that made Hinata stop stressing at least. Kiba smiled. "Don't worry about Akamaru an' me. Worry about yourself! At least if your IN the fight you have a reason to be hurt! Why were you lurking there? Hinata..." Kiba sighed. "I worry about you, idiot! Just... don't get hurt, alright?"
"A-a-alright, Kiba-kun..." Hinata looked down. Kiba looked horrified with himself.
"No, no, no Hinata! I just mean, don't get yourself in troublesome spots... You gotta get out there, fight! I knowm you'd be awesome if you worked a bit, right? Who cares if you aren't the fastest learner? You've gotta be one of the best strategists in the class! Just gotta go for the goal!" Kiba pumped his fist into the air, grinning. "Try it, Hinata! Hiya!"
"Hi... Hiya!" Hinata shoved her fist into the air, smiling. "Thank you, Kiba-kun!"
"No problem... We gonna fight again? hinata, you sit this one out. You've got bruises all over. Let's go!" Kiba jumped up.
---
Ino wrapped the chain around her fist, breaything a bit harder. The wire had worked, but it hadn't moved as easily as thin chain would. Swinging it, she shot the weighted end against the tree, pulled it back, shot it again by pulling it back again, harder.
Ten, twenty, thirty times she did this, until the tree had a significant dent in it. She grinned, poud of herself. Now, to try something else. She pulled more chain out from her belt, swining it into the trees and snagging a branch. Then she jumped, quickly tying the other end onto a kunai's handle. Swinging from the makeshift swing-rope, she twisted in different contortions, trying kicks, punches, seals and jutsu while swinging. She was going to master these chains, and be the one with an unexpected fighting style at the Chuunin exams in just a month. Naruto had been gone for two months, and she was worried whether his team would make it back in time.
She swung, throwing, kicking, punching in different directions, trying to find the perfect grip. She'd bought chain gloves, too, from her weekly genin money. They could withstand more jutsu, sword strokes, and they hurt like hell when someone else got hit with them. They were some of the best on the market, too. Since her parents still provided for her, she could buy pretty much whatever - Her mother's shop and father's Jounin pay covered any expenses.
Then she practised some blocks with the short sword her father bought her as a graduation present - a short sword, but useful. She knew she'd never master it by the exams, but she could at least learn some blocks, right? She practised these for another hour, her mind becoming bored with it long before that. But what if she had to fight Sakura? If Sakura had a sword, then she should be able to defend herself, right?
Ino's training schedule had become more rigorous, longer, tougher since Naruto left. She hated it, but it was all she could do now. Sakura wasn't here, Sasuke-kun wasn't,. Naruto wasn't.
WHY wasn't he there with her? Why had he run off to to an important mission while she got stuck with a team she never even PRACTISED with? Why? WHY?
She punched the log harder, and harder, muttering swear words under her breath. She was stuck here with boring missions, boring training... At least she had an interesting team to train WITH. Even dogboy was growing on her.
Speaking of him... He was here? She turned around to see him and his dog walking towards her, with a determined face. "Hey, blon- Ino!"
Ino? He must want something, she decided, jogging towards him. Her hand had started to hurt anyways. She finally stopped in front of him. "What do you want, dog- Kiba? This isn't exactly your strech of the forest, is it?"
"Truce, alright?" He said suddenly, shooting his hand out.
"What?" Ino was taken aback. Was THIS what he;d come here for? A truce?
"I mean, Kurenai-sensei gets annoyed when we fight all the time, and Hinata doesn't like it, and... well... I respect you now, alright?" Kiba sighed. "Damn, I didn;'t want to tell you that, now you'll get all high and might on my ass. I don't LIKE you that much, but... you are a better fighter than I thought.
"Same here, dogboy. How 'bout a shake on mutual respect?"Ino said, holding her own hand out. Kiba nodded, and took her hand in a shake. Then the chains in the trees caught his eyes, both of which widened.
"Chains!?" Kiba looked horrified. "You're a sadist, you know that, blondie."
"I do believe I am," Ino grinned, then quirked her mouth. "You know, since Naruto's gone, I have no-one to help me annoy Iruka-sensei for ramen. You like ramen, Kiba?"
Kiba grinned. "You kidding? It's gotta be my favourite food, next to meat o' course. Need a hand, I'll go for it if ramen's involved..."
Ino grinned, and the two set off on a journey: To annoy Iruka, and get some ramen!
--
"You know, I never thought you and Kiba got along, Ino..." Iruka said, pulling out some money and laying it on the counter of the ramen bar. Ino grinned, giving her orfder to the waiter-person.
"Well, when it came ti ramen, we finally agreed on somethin', ne, puppy?: She elbowed Kiba playfully. He groaned.
"No wonder your team shipped you off to us, you're a nightmare, blondie. How long's the ramen take to come, 'Ruka-sensei?" Kiba leaned onto the counter to ask his former teacher.
"About a minute... They're fast, Ichiraku guys. They pre-prepare every type of ramen for people who order it, and if any start getting cold, they eat it!" Iruka grinned. "It's quite a good system, considering most days te waiters still only maybe get a bowl each."
"I'm Ayame, and I'll be serving you for the evening. Two miso, one pork-beef-and-chicken, and three pork and miso?" She asked, laying it down on the table. Each grabbed their portions, eagerly digging into the meal. Kiba was amazed at Ino's speed.
"Eating with Naruto, you have to be fast. Otherwise any un-gotten-to ramen bowls are up for the taking, ne, 'Ruka-sensei? Remember those THREE pork ramen's he stole from you without you even noticing?" Ino smiled, as Iruka sighed.
"I remember, yeah. Luckily it was on half-off day, ne?" Iruka smiled back, laughing a little. "Naruto eats a lot..."
"Naruto... He was dead-last, right?" Kiba asked, raising an eyebrow. "How'd you become his friend, blondie? You must be a million times better than he is..."
"Not really. Just because he got low marks doesn't mean he's a bad ninja, he just... wasn't a good school-ninja. He could beat you, probably, Kiba."
"He could not! I'm a lot better than he is!" Kiba said, annoyed.
"He could beat you any day, pup-face!" Ino roared back, eyes aflame.
"Stop it, you two," Iruka said firmly, putting a hand between them. "Naruto is not here to prove anything, so... This is a useless argument."
"Eugh, I give up..." Kiba said, before returning to his depleting ramen. Iruka, seeing that Kiba had almost finished, ordered anothewr of the same kind, and seeing thatIno was also on her last bowl, called for another for her.
"So... Ino, what was this about you not training with your own team?That could be disastrous, seeing as in the Chuunin exams, teams have been known to be grouped together. You'll have to start training with them more..." Iruka said, poking Ino in the arm with the chopsticks. She rubbed her arm and pouted.
"Ow... Iruka-sensei... How about every other day? Is that better? It's not like I don;'t already do missions with them..." She asked, checking for a bruise. Iruka chuckled inwardly, then nodded.
"Much better. You only have a month until the exams, right? Work, study, and try your best! That's what I always say, ne?" Iruka smiled. "You have to be nominated by your sensei's first, and that'll be hard. The Chuunin exams are rough on first-year genin... some die, some are permanently injured... amybe you guys should skip this one..."
"NOT IN HELL!" Both genin screamed, then looked at eachother and grinned, sort of awkwardly. The 'friendship' between them was growing more sincere every moment.
"Hell yeah, Me, Shino and Hinata can make it through that thing!" Kiba said, cheering.
"The InoShikaCho never fails, right, Iruka-sensei?" Ino asked rhetorically. "My dad and his team passed as rookies, why should we be any different?"
'I can think of a few things...' Iruka thought, before shaking the thought away and smiling. "I'm sure you'll be fine!" He lied through his teeth.
They'd never make it. They'd die, or be maimed, or traumatized. The teachers wouldn't nominate rookies, though. They were safe. Let Ino and Kiba think they'll make it in...
"Well, if you two have eaten your fill, I have a few things to pick up, and a bath at home with my name on it. Then, papers with my students' names on it, which will last me all afternoon and night. So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, you too. Good night," Iruka smiled, and stood. He paid the bill, and the three split their seperate ways.
---
Ino woke up two weeks later, the sound of voices in her ears and a grin on her face. Jumping up, she looked out the window. The Chuunin Exams were in the air!Though it was still dark in the sky, the village had fixed that long ago with a large amount of streetlights, giving it the air of around noon instead of the early hours of the morning. Foreigners had been appearing for almost a week, first those from Stone and Waterfall, then their allies from the Sand. She loved the exotic feeling in the air, an air of danger and excitement. It wasn't only participants coming, spectators from all of the countries came daily.
The world was great. Ino stood, gathered some clothes, and raced into the bathroom. There she got ready: Staring into the mirror, undressing, staring in the mirror some more, showering, drying, changing, back to staring in themirror as she applied her small bits of makeup.
She'd decided a long time ago she was gorgeous. Others had started just after that.
She made her way downstairs, slipping on some indoor sandals (one simple formality her mother had decided on). They were comforatable, worn-in after two years of slipping in and out. She 'slipped' downstairs, into her family's kitchen set up behind the flower shop. Her mother was making pancakes, and her father was sitting at the table, looking as tired as always.
"Good morning, Ino-chan! Sit down, have some pancakes before your mission!" her mother smiled at her. She and her mother had an awkward relationship, her mother not approving of most things in her life and Ino disliking her mother's nosy tendacies - But they still loved eachother. They were pleasent enough, when not slighting eachother in small ways.
"Good morning, princess..." Inoshi said tiredly over the table. He was always like this before her mother pulled out the coffee (She didn't drink it, though, swore it murdered your indides. But she knew what a ninja's life was like, so permitted her family to drink it).
Ino grinned as her mother brought over the coffee. Her parents allowed her a tiny cup in the morning, to keep her awake through the day. Then, she wolfed down her pancakes (her unhealthy food for the week) and raced out to meet her team... And bumped into Shikamaru.
"Uzumaki's back, Ino," he said lazily. "Uchiha and Sakura too."
- End Chapter Four-
Friends
By Alden-san
Chapter Four: Training
------------------------
Sounds of fighting could be heard from a small clearing as Kurenai's three students fought. Kiba, Shino and Hinata were all jumping, attacking, defending... And to the side, two figure were talking quietly. Ino had come late from her team's own practise, which had fit Kurenai's plans perfectly... She wanted to talk.
"You set us up, didn't you, Ino? Don't lie, I know that you programmed the whole thing..." Kurenai whispered to her 'student', sighing. "Ino, I'm really confused why you did this, set us up to be together-"
"-I made sure you had a chance to quit if you wanted to-" Ino interjected.
"-But I wanna thank you or what you did. My lovelife wasn't a high priority on my list to worry about, so you helped me out. I know it was an extremely manipulating thing you did, but that only shows a ninja skill used in it's own context. Ino... Thank you," Kurenai smiled.
"What? Really? What did happen, anyways? Did it turn out alright?" Ino asked, leaning forwards, interest clearly showing on her face.
"Go practise, Ino... Hey, guys! Rest for a few seconds, Ino's gonna join the fight!" Kurenai called to her team, grinning at Ino. "You're not the only one who can put people into awkwards situations, Ino. Show'em what you got, maybe Kiba will stop calling you a blondie, ne?"
Ino's eyes blazed with determination. "Yes, sensei!" She said, smiling and jumping towards her 'group members', getting into stance. The four got into position.
"This'll be easy... Shino, I'll show who's leader today! Blondie, don't even think of getting in the way. You too, Hinata, don't get yourself hurt!" Kiba yelled, facing Shino (who declined to mention that he'd been beating Kiba all day, and still had yet to be much impressed).
"GO!" Kurenai swung her hand down. Hinata hesitated, stepping back. Kiba shot towards Shino, but Ino intercepted him.
"Where you think you're going, puppy? Afraid you'll have to take a trip to the vet if ya face me?" Ino grinned, getting into her taunting mode, something she enjoyed greatly.
"Blondie, if you're ever a match for me I'll go kill myself," Kiba snarled, shooting forwards with a punch, Ino dodged both the fist and a bite from Akamaru, hiding in Kiba's hood. Ino grinned.
"Your dog came closer to hitting me than you ever will, Kiba. I think I should fight him instead, probably get a decent fight..." Ino said, throwing a kunai that Kiba lumped away from. Kiba blazed with fury - Sibling rivalry, in a way. Akamaru was NOT a better fighter than he was!
He shot forwards, punching out at her. She jumped straight over him, kicking his back and shooting him towards Shino. Turning his momentum to his advantage, he turned the punch into a horizontal kick, shaking Shino's guarding arm. The two proceeded to fight, ignoring Ino completely.
"Eugh, I won't be ignored!" Ino made a flurry of handseals, charged by adrenalin's surge of chakra. She completed the final seal, and POOF! Not one, but TWO Ino's stood behind her. Ino turned, looking confused.
"Two? But I-"
"-Can only do-"
"-One...?" All three spoke at the same time. Ino just sighed and said, "Don't worry about it. Let's just fight, alright? Try not to get yourselves killed too quickly, alright?"
"Roger that, Ino-sama!" The clones yelled, saluting. Kurenai sat up, eyes wide and staring at what she'd just seen - Two bunshins actually talking and saluting? And why did Ino look so drained?
The two bunshins raced forwards, taking each boy by surprise with a blow to the face. Both fell over, looking up in confusion.
"What the hell!?" Kiba said, jumping onto his feet. Akamaru barked from his hood in surprise. "Ino, there's two of you!?"
"Three," Ino said from right behind him. Wire wrapped around his torso before he could react, as Ino fell backwards, grasping the back of his coat, pulling him with her, and kicked the boy away from her. He rolled a few feet, before stopping, and looking up, dazed. He pulled his kunai from his waist, cutting at the wire. It wouldn't cut. He swore. At least it didn't restrict him, right?
Then she tied the other end of it to a tree.
"DAMN!" Kiba swore, trying in vain to remove his coat. "Akamaru, you can get out, right?" Akamaru barked assent, and jumping from the coat. "Yoiu can bite it, can't you?"
The two worked hard at trying to get through the wire, cutting for a good two mintue, dodgind random projectiles thrown his way.
Meanwhile, Shino had been dodging attacks from both Kage Bunshin, until finally giving a blow to one. It disappead in a ouff of smoke. He finally destryoed the second, just as a kunai flew towards him. He dodged it easily, then looked around for Ino.
He suddenly looked right at her. How had he spotted her? She shook herself, trying to free herself of any bugs. It was of no use, though, as Shino leapt up into the tree she was hiding. She dodged most of his hits, being hit more often than she enjoyed, barely getting a hit in. Then she grabbed a kunai, blocking one of his attacks with the handle, then leapt back down to ground level.
"Gotcha, blondie!" Kiba yelled as she appeared from above. She twirled to avoid him, dropping the kunai, but he grabbed her ankle and pulled, causing her to fall. She twisted away from him, but not before...
"Oh no..." Ino sighed, feeling the wire slip around her ankle. Kiba grinned, and pulled. Ino fell, just as Shino came down from the trees, She twisted away, landing on one foot. Kiba pulled her foot in the air, tipping her balance, but she landed on one hand and pulled, hard, with her foot. The end of the wire slipped from Kiba'ds grasp- But Shino attacked Ino just as she regained the wire. She ducked the first attack, but he hit her shoulder- and grabbed the end of the wire.
She swore, pulling out new wire, and held the loop just as Shino aimed at her face. He kicked. She went flying towards Kiba, pulling the loop taut and tripping Shino as she flew. He flipped, reversing the momentum and bringing her flying towards him, landing on his wire-looped foot... Then tripping on the fallen kunai. Kiba fell to the ground, after hitting a tree. This was when Akamaru reappeared, flying from the trees and latching onto the fallen Shino's arm, biting his wrist viciously as Shino tried to get up..
Ino flew into the trees when Shino didn't stop her momentum by his planned attack, pulling the awkwardly positioned (he was getting up) Shino and Akamaru with her... right into Hinata.
---
"Owowow..." Hinata muttered, holding her sleeve up and wincing as Kiba, shaking nervously, rubbed some of Hinata's ointment over the bruise.
"It's okay, it's okay, Hinata... It doesn't hurt that much now, does it?" Kiba asked hopefully. "Just in case those three get it in their heads to fly at you again..." He gestured his head towards the three guilty ones.
"Hey, We SAID we were sorry! Are you okay, Hinata?" Ino asked from a few feet away. She didn't get any closer... She had a feeling Kiba was in one of his 'protective' moods.
"We are sorry, Hinata..." Shino said quietly, and Akamaru barked.
"She can't understand YOU, Akamaru..." Kiba muttered, rubbing a bit harder, as Hinata winced again. "Sorry, Hinata!"
"It- It's alright, Kiba-kun..." Hinata murmured. "Thank you... for looking after me... My wounds, I mean..."
Kiba almost blushed, grinning. "It's nothing, Hinata! It's fine..."
Ino smiled at the two. It was almost too cute to bear. She was surprised - Even dogboy had a heart, after all. She looked around: at Shino, who was doing nothing; Kurenai, who was checking her nails; and Akamaru who was just sitting there looking annoyed. Finally he barked, jumping up and glaring at Hinata. Kiba smacked himover the head.
"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled, as the two glared at eachother. After a few seconds of growling on both sides, the two faced the opposite ways. Hinata's eyes widened.
"Please don't fight because of me!" Hinata waved her hands around. Kiba immediately turned her way, tone softening. "It's not about you, Akamaru's just got a stick up his ass about us not using our jutsu..."
Akamaru barked, glaring at Kiba. This was an obvious lie, but one that made Hinata stop stressing at least. Kiba smiled. "Don't worry about Akamaru an' me. Worry about yourself! At least if your IN the fight you have a reason to be hurt! Why were you lurking there? Hinata..." Kiba sighed. "I worry about you, idiot! Just... don't get hurt, alright?"
"A-a-alright, Kiba-kun..." Hinata looked down. Kiba looked horrified with himself.
"No, no, no Hinata! I just mean, don't get yourself in troublesome spots... You gotta get out there, fight! I knowm you'd be awesome if you worked a bit, right? Who cares if you aren't the fastest learner? You've gotta be one of the best strategists in the class! Just gotta go for the goal!" Kiba pumped his fist into the air, grinning. "Try it, Hinata! Hiya!"
"Hi... Hiya!" Hinata shoved her fist into the air, smiling. "Thank you, Kiba-kun!"
"No problem... We gonna fight again? hinata, you sit this one out. You've got bruises all over. Let's go!" Kiba jumped up.
---
Ino wrapped the chain around her fist, breaything a bit harder. The wire had worked, but it hadn't moved as easily as thin chain would. Swinging it, she shot the weighted end against the tree, pulled it back, shot it again by pulling it back again, harder.
Ten, twenty, thirty times she did this, until the tree had a significant dent in it. She grinned, poud of herself. Now, to try something else. She pulled more chain out from her belt, swining it into the trees and snagging a branch. Then she jumped, quickly tying the other end onto a kunai's handle. Swinging from the makeshift swing-rope, she twisted in different contortions, trying kicks, punches, seals and jutsu while swinging. She was going to master these chains, and be the one with an unexpected fighting style at the Chuunin exams in just a month. Naruto had been gone for two months, and she was worried whether his team would make it back in time.
She swung, throwing, kicking, punching in different directions, trying to find the perfect grip. She'd bought chain gloves, too, from her weekly genin money. They could withstand more jutsu, sword strokes, and they hurt like hell when someone else got hit with them. They were some of the best on the market, too. Since her parents still provided for her, she could buy pretty much whatever - Her mother's shop and father's Jounin pay covered any expenses.
Then she practised some blocks with the short sword her father bought her as a graduation present - a short sword, but useful. She knew she'd never master it by the exams, but she could at least learn some blocks, right? She practised these for another hour, her mind becoming bored with it long before that. But what if she had to fight Sakura? If Sakura had a sword, then she should be able to defend herself, right?
Ino's training schedule had become more rigorous, longer, tougher since Naruto left. She hated it, but it was all she could do now. Sakura wasn't here, Sasuke-kun wasn't,. Naruto wasn't.
WHY wasn't he there with her? Why had he run off to to an important mission while she got stuck with a team she never even PRACTISED with? Why? WHY?
She punched the log harder, and harder, muttering swear words under her breath. She was stuck here with boring missions, boring training... At least she had an interesting team to train WITH. Even dogboy was growing on her.
Speaking of him... He was here? She turned around to see him and his dog walking towards her, with a determined face. "Hey, blon- Ino!"
Ino? He must want something, she decided, jogging towards him. Her hand had started to hurt anyways. She finally stopped in front of him. "What do you want, dog- Kiba? This isn't exactly your strech of the forest, is it?"
"Truce, alright?" He said suddenly, shooting his hand out.
"What?" Ino was taken aback. Was THIS what he;d come here for? A truce?
"I mean, Kurenai-sensei gets annoyed when we fight all the time, and Hinata doesn't like it, and... well... I respect you now, alright?" Kiba sighed. "Damn, I didn;'t want to tell you that, now you'll get all high and might on my ass. I don't LIKE you that much, but... you are a better fighter than I thought.
"Same here, dogboy. How 'bout a shake on mutual respect?"Ino said, holding her own hand out. Kiba nodded, and took her hand in a shake. Then the chains in the trees caught his eyes, both of which widened.
"Chains!?" Kiba looked horrified. "You're a sadist, you know that, blondie."
"I do believe I am," Ino grinned, then quirked her mouth. "You know, since Naruto's gone, I have no-one to help me annoy Iruka-sensei for ramen. You like ramen, Kiba?"
Kiba grinned. "You kidding? It's gotta be my favourite food, next to meat o' course. Need a hand, I'll go for it if ramen's involved..."
Ino grinned, and the two set off on a journey: To annoy Iruka, and get some ramen!
--
"You know, I never thought you and Kiba got along, Ino..." Iruka said, pulling out some money and laying it on the counter of the ramen bar. Ino grinned, giving her orfder to the waiter-person.
"Well, when it came ti ramen, we finally agreed on somethin', ne, puppy?: She elbowed Kiba playfully. He groaned.
"No wonder your team shipped you off to us, you're a nightmare, blondie. How long's the ramen take to come, 'Ruka-sensei?" Kiba leaned onto the counter to ask his former teacher.
"About a minute... They're fast, Ichiraku guys. They pre-prepare every type of ramen for people who order it, and if any start getting cold, they eat it!" Iruka grinned. "It's quite a good system, considering most days te waiters still only maybe get a bowl each."
"I'm Ayame, and I'll be serving you for the evening. Two miso, one pork-beef-and-chicken, and three pork and miso?" She asked, laying it down on the table. Each grabbed their portions, eagerly digging into the meal. Kiba was amazed at Ino's speed.
"Eating with Naruto, you have to be fast. Otherwise any un-gotten-to ramen bowls are up for the taking, ne, 'Ruka-sensei? Remember those THREE pork ramen's he stole from you without you even noticing?" Ino smiled, as Iruka sighed.
"I remember, yeah. Luckily it was on half-off day, ne?" Iruka smiled back, laughing a little. "Naruto eats a lot..."
"Naruto... He was dead-last, right?" Kiba asked, raising an eyebrow. "How'd you become his friend, blondie? You must be a million times better than he is..."
"Not really. Just because he got low marks doesn't mean he's a bad ninja, he just... wasn't a good school-ninja. He could beat you, probably, Kiba."
"He could not! I'm a lot better than he is!" Kiba said, annoyed.
"He could beat you any day, pup-face!" Ino roared back, eyes aflame.
"Stop it, you two," Iruka said firmly, putting a hand between them. "Naruto is not here to prove anything, so... This is a useless argument."
"Eugh, I give up..." Kiba said, before returning to his depleting ramen. Iruka, seeing that Kiba had almost finished, ordered anothewr of the same kind, and seeing thatIno was also on her last bowl, called for another for her.
"So... Ino, what was this about you not training with your own team?That could be disastrous, seeing as in the Chuunin exams, teams have been known to be grouped together. You'll have to start training with them more..." Iruka said, poking Ino in the arm with the chopsticks. She rubbed her arm and pouted.
"Ow... Iruka-sensei... How about every other day? Is that better? It's not like I don;'t already do missions with them..." She asked, checking for a bruise. Iruka chuckled inwardly, then nodded.
"Much better. You only have a month until the exams, right? Work, study, and try your best! That's what I always say, ne?" Iruka smiled. "You have to be nominated by your sensei's first, and that'll be hard. The Chuunin exams are rough on first-year genin... some die, some are permanently injured... amybe you guys should skip this one..."
"NOT IN HELL!" Both genin screamed, then looked at eachother and grinned, sort of awkwardly. The 'friendship' between them was growing more sincere every moment.
"Hell yeah, Me, Shino and Hinata can make it through that thing!" Kiba said, cheering.
"The InoShikaCho never fails, right, Iruka-sensei?" Ino asked rhetorically. "My dad and his team passed as rookies, why should we be any different?"
'I can think of a few things...' Iruka thought, before shaking the thought away and smiling. "I'm sure you'll be fine!" He lied through his teeth.
They'd never make it. They'd die, or be maimed, or traumatized. The teachers wouldn't nominate rookies, though. They were safe. Let Ino and Kiba think they'll make it in...
"Well, if you two have eaten your fill, I have a few things to pick up, and a bath at home with my name on it. Then, papers with my students' names on it, which will last me all afternoon and night. So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, you too. Good night," Iruka smiled, and stood. He paid the bill, and the three split their seperate ways.
---
Ino woke up two weeks later, the sound of voices in her ears and a grin on her face. Jumping up, she looked out the window. The Chuunin Exams were in the air!Though it was still dark in the sky, the village had fixed that long ago with a large amount of streetlights, giving it the air of around noon instead of the early hours of the morning. Foreigners had been appearing for almost a week, first those from Stone and Waterfall, then their allies from the Sand. She loved the exotic feeling in the air, an air of danger and excitement. It wasn't only participants coming, spectators from all of the countries came daily.
The world was great. Ino stood, gathered some clothes, and raced into the bathroom. There she got ready: Staring into the mirror, undressing, staring in the mirror some more, showering, drying, changing, back to staring in themirror as she applied her small bits of makeup.
She'd decided a long time ago she was gorgeous. Others had started just after that.
She made her way downstairs, slipping on some indoor sandals (one simple formality her mother had decided on). They were comforatable, worn-in after two years of slipping in and out. She 'slipped' downstairs, into her family's kitchen set up behind the flower shop. Her mother was making pancakes, and her father was sitting at the table, looking as tired as always.
"Good morning, Ino-chan! Sit down, have some pancakes before your mission!" her mother smiled at her. She and her mother had an awkward relationship, her mother not approving of most things in her life and Ino disliking her mother's nosy tendacies - But they still loved eachother. They were pleasent enough, when not slighting eachother in small ways.
"Good morning, princess..." Inoshi said tiredly over the table. He was always like this before her mother pulled out the coffee (She didn't drink it, though, swore it murdered your indides. But she knew what a ninja's life was like, so permitted her family to drink it).
Ino grinned as her mother brought over the coffee. Her parents allowed her a tiny cup in the morning, to keep her awake through the day. Then, she wolfed down her pancakes (her unhealthy food for the week) and raced out to meet her team... And bumped into Shikamaru.
"Uzumaki's back, Ino," he said lazily. "Uchiha and Sakura too."
- End Chapter Four-