CYNOSURE

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Warnings: OC-Insert.

A/N: If you're not terribly interested in the first excerpt that is meant to channel the confusion that comes with death and squashes down a person's whole life storyinto the span of a couple of vague paragraphs you're welcome to skip the Prologue and start at Chapter 1. Like don't but if you have to :(

Promise that this is a nice, fluffy story or at least as fluffy as a story of potential death and destruction of child-killers can be :P No really, this is tagged under friendship/adventure so...

Enjoy.

Prologue

Not Timetravel?

It's a very long story.

A long story in a short time. Except, it's not a story. Not really.

She sees a girl. The girl. Her whole life is played right before her very eyes. She watches as she grows older. Learns as she cries and stumbles in tears and sweat, drowning in mud and gasping for air. Listens on as she plays around with people like puppets. She laughs as she relives her every success. And she is silent when she, the girl takes her very last breath. Early, too early, much earlier than what was expected.

(But then again, that is life at it very finest. Bright, explosive and...Oh, so very short.)

XXX

Ino's breaths came out in slow, even puffs. Steady, almost too steady for a newlyborn.

There had been, for lack of a better word, momentary shock followed by a somewhat strangled gasp of horror at the sight of her tiny hands, though only when her mind was coherent enough to actually register the entire situation. It took a while to accept the fact that she now had the absolute joy of experiencing what it would be like to become a toddler. A toddler. Albeit a very active toddler, but still a pudgy sized midget with an equally midget-sized brain to match.

Thinking, though she loathed to admit it, had been difficult for a while. And really, she needed to just take a moment and breathe.

Her hair is, was- is still blond, her eyes are still blue, but weren't all babies born with blue eyes or was it black? And really, the first thing she does is to go look in a mirror- well she got a good look at her own face before anything else- but surely there were probably a million other blond haired blue eyed babies on this planet, because when one is sick of being well, themselves then the plausible theory known as time travel was quite literally a massive curse under blessed clothing- and she thinks she is panicking a bit because not everyone is interested in reliving their lives.

(Is it not more cruel to struggle through the same childhood and being unable to change anything with a body too small, only except this time you'd have the developed enough mind to actually comprehend the whole situation?)

Because really, her heart just sinks at the very thought.

Then though, came the startling realisation that her first prediction of time-traveling was a bit off. Just a tad. Because obviously, the more logical conclusion was that she had somehow dimension-hopped and probably wasn't even on Mars, let alone Earth. So by this point, any sane person would of course now be able to make a simple conclusion that...

You're just not you anymore.

...As death does.

XXX

Her 'new' parents often spoke to her. Their voices were quiet, illegible whispers that she couldn't quite make out. They were different. The dynamic that this couple shared: a doting dad and an equally warm mum, who seemed to take it upon herself to be the strict figure in this whole new relationship. Different, yes, but it was a nice different.

Then, there were the vague memories of her 'old' parents. The ones who had also suffered an early demise. It almost made her question if the renowned curse actually existed. You know, the one where everyone is just doomed to die a horrible early death and usually involved an idiotic ancestor getting on the wrong side of an all-too-powerful someone.

Her mother, Clover's (and wasn't it just sad that she never ever got any of the luck that the supposed simple plant was supposed to bring, so maybe she really was just a three-leaved or five-leaved weed mockery instead of well-); but mother, oh dear darling Mother. She had played the soft-spoken ideal of female virtue with ease. Switching through different masks with every breath she took. Mother hardly ever spoke to her-Clover, not directly. There were always guests to entertain and beyond that, there was a tendency to drink herself to death behind those wonderful, wonderful red velvet curtains.

Such a conflicting woman. And all that Clover could do, was expected to do was to just grasp and struggle and drown and- so she learnt what she could between cigarettes and lovely corsets, and between dainty wine glasses and barrels of beers.

Clover had been born into a privileged family, a pity that she was well-

Her mother had had an obsession with perfection.

And even as just another plain, boring human; one on the very edge of her own deathbed, there had still been that insistent need to be Mother, and not well, mum. It was all very dramatic and a little silly to be honest.

By then, she was all very flustered, even squeezed out a few tears and everything and wasn't it just so very, absolutely, god-frickin' funny that their first motherly talk was just a too-thin child and a too-thin woman fake-crying at each other. And really if nothing else, at least Clover had learned how to "weave the truth into pretty little threads", because obviously "you should never lie". And wasn't it awful how everything and anything was always just obviously, because really why expect anything more when you had the obvious to try and survive and break free from.

But essentially, from what Mother had attempted and tried to say, and wasn't it funny that in the rare time she was actually sober, she sounded more drunk than ever. All dizzy and dazed from death or whatever it was that just brought her down, down, down. In summary though, it was all rainbows and flying unicorns to be an amazing ball of sunshine, but that would have to come after a slow selective process of differentiating those who were "your people".

...and then there was "everyone else" who just happened to populate the same planet.

And wasn't it just lovely that Clover had the wonderful honour of being stuck in the middle and was exempt from the polite mask reserved for 'everyone else' and the warm, cheerful face (if that even existed) for 'your people'. Instead, she just got the full brunt force of all her shittiness. And then life changed, or well, first life had changed from there. Because suddenly it was all like, yes, you were born into a family of prestige and could now be acknowledged as such without the one who birthed you holding you tight like a leech.

And hadn't that been mind-blowing. Drunk, angry, impatient, rude, awful Mother had been the only barrier against the harsh realities of what was her life.

Now, if Clover had to summarise her whole life into two words she might have called it a simple family spat. Maybe. If you squinted and hopped five times on your left foot and then spun around just a bit more, you would see it too. With her lovely adoring mother and her father as nothing more than the man who donated his bloodline that allowed her to gain the final victory even if it was what dragged her into the whole mess in the first place. Clover had lived her life, trudging along with the complicatedness of family matters, as they were.

It really was complicated business. Inheritance problems and that of the like. But she did manage to win in the end. Just for emphasis.

And apparently, that was it. The end that was.

Clover, now Ino, had died with victory on her side, so forgive her if she was just feeling a little more than vindictive about the whole death before benefits could be reaped thing.

So, Ino was a quiet child, too busy sulking to realise that well this was not time travel and should just revel in the happiness that she didn't have to go back and do everything again. Thus, in that sense, Ino was also a happy child. Just one who focused on eating all her veggies and may have become a tad too healthy, but really, if she wanted to grow up and become a vegetable ninja, then Ino would grow up and become- well a ninja that wouldn't meet an early demise, at least not through body failure. Because really, that was an awful end to- well, everything.

So after many blissful years as Yamanaka Ino, there are now no more "and"s or "and wasn't"s or random breaks and dashes between incoherent thoughts under moments of supposed coherence. You, I and us all together, will be pleased to find that her thoughts are no longer the jumbled up, horrified mess it was for the past few paragraphs.

And wasn't that just lovely.

Chapter 1

It was a quiet, restless day.

The light seeped through and painted tiny rainbows on the tips of one's eyelashes, dancing about with every blink. Ino's room was rather warm. Light and cheery with the simple essence that only children seemed to exude. Though all that airiness settled down with the musky smell of time that encircled this traditional home, passed down from generation to generation.

(Seven years, huh?)

Seven long years. Quiet ones.

Silences are often good for thinking. Ino had plenty of those. And then thinking led to frankly, more thinking.

How frightening though, that very moment when the world you had come to know just wasn't to be anymore. In another life, people like her would probably have been burnt at a stake, though not another actually, just her old life. With life force personified, because yes, that was how Ino saw chakra, and ninja- shinobi: killers, assassins, teachers, doctors, politicians, soldiers, police, guardians, parents and this is what she is to become.

Wordless expectations. Because really wasn't it just obvious, what else is there to do?

What can she do?

And once again, her whole life is just laid before her very eyes. Just like that.

There's a big window in Ino's room. Large and clear, with the ever-so-breathtaking view of the hokage mountain. One time, her cousin had told her that all the other clan heirs probably had the same window, Yamanaka Santa just seemed to always be the one with the weird tidbits of facts or whatnot.

Being and becoming a ninja is everything. Perhaps, some out there may disagree. But why settle and spend your days lumbering away through piles and piles of work and never be able to achieve any more than just average. When one was of no noble descent, nor possessed the mind and courage to roam the lands as a merchant, and even then most knew the bare basics to be able to keep up with ninja guards at a bare minimum; then really why not? Why not just fight? It's what you must do until the very moment you take your last breath.

Sometimes in those moments of absolute silence, Ino just looks outside, sees them- the ninja, absolutely everywhere and she thinks to herself: "This is me, this will be me" and with an almost unsure tone though, no matter how slight, the final part is perhaps the only silent promise she dares to make in this foreign world, with its foreign energies and foreign people. She's a stranger in this strange world.

("...But I will be better.")

Ino's a hardworking girl. Her smiles are bright. Her tone is cheery. She is willing to help out unless it requires stepping into the kitchen. She greets and chatters away with new faces, faces of her family, her clan. She learns her katas. No fussing or crying when she pulls a muscle or breaks a limb and practices handsigns till her fingers bleed.

Ino is a good girl. She knows, but she wants to be better than good. Because good is just escorting pompous clients and killing bandits and guarding the gates and- simply, not enough.

But Ino is also a lucky child. Because on days like these, where she is just feeling a little lost, there's always someone to talk to. With soothing pats and quiet words, then all of a sudden it's as if calmness has just weaved itself into a nice cloak and wrapped her up tightly in its mesmerising waves.

It had been easy. Almost too easy, to come to love a father like Yamanaka Inoichi.

Ino is perched on top of his lap. Eyes closed as she allows herself to relax at the sound of his steady heartbeat. His fingers are rough and tattered with scars, but gentle as they slowly smoothed down the small ruffles in her hair.

She is quiet, as usual. Basking in the glow of the afternoon sun as she sits up and turns wide attentive eyes to the man that she has learned to call Papa. She looks forward to times like these. Just quiet talks that had expanded from the one-sided conversations to a relaxing avenue where she can just talk, without being told to hold her tongue.

"Look, it's Akira-jisan* and Santa again," Ino says after a moment.

Eyes lingering on the duo, with the elder chasing the down the latter with a rather formidable cane. She had learned the other day that Akira-san had specialised in bo-staffs before he had been forced to retire from active duty. Because obviously, no one would ever do so willingly.

Inoichi just lets out a somewhat amused hum, before shaking his head.

"Akira-san is one of the first to graduate from the academy when it got established or as the Ninja Training Institution as it was called."

Ino nods, noting this down in her head. That was almost fifty years ago. Akira-jisan is the current oldest living Yamanaka.

"There are so many people in the clan, I'm never going to remember all their names and everything that comes with it," she says.

There's a whining tone underlying her words and a slight blush on her cheeks as she pouts. She immediately perks up a bit when she feels a large hand ruffling her head with an endearing pat, which also messed up the hair that said hand had been combing through just minutes before.

Inoichi doesn't say anything like "you are already lots better than I was at your age". He has always been more of a 'improve against yourself' rather than 'compete against others' type of person. Instead, he smiles, the smile that Ino subconsciously tries to channel in her own before pointing at a rather battered-looking kunoichi gracing her ways through the clan compound.

"Do you know who that is," he asks.

Ino pauses for a bit, mind whirring before she replies.

"That's Kaori-san, she's not wearing her flak jacket today."

"And why do you think that is?"

She tries to remember what she can of Yamanaka Kaori, which honestly is not a lot. There's a rather blurry image of a kind-looking young girl holding her as a baby. But other than that, all she knows is from tidbits gained from conversations here and there as well as the "naming game" that Inoichi plays with her from time to time.

"Because, the flak jacket...it doesn't have enough defense and she looks like she has just been through a rough mission, so, she um, is not wearing it."

Inoichi tries to hold in a laugh. It is actually rather adorable when Ino thinks as if you could literally see all the gears turning in her head one by one.

"Hmmm, but Kaori-chan seems to be fond of the version adorned with metal padding. Her grandparents were one of the ones who had been reluctant in switching to the new shinobi gear after the First Shinobi War, so she usually has a bit of metal armour on as well. But, she doesn't have that today."

Ino frowns a bit, she had heard that Kaori had come from one of the more traditional families which is just putting it nicely.

"Kaori-chan has been a chūnin for quite a while now. She was actually one of the first to be promoted from her year, only a year after graduating from the academy. Shiori-san had been ecstatic," Inoichi adds.

She silently files the information, 'first to be promoted', 'family stuck in the glory old shinobi days', 'chūnin for a long time'.

Then an odd mixture of pity and dawning realisation comes across her face. A rather odd look on the five-year-old Ino.

"She got sent to Kumo, didn't she?"

Inoichi simply gave a nod.

Ino sighed at the confirmation, becoming a jōnin was hard work. There was the matter of rising fame, proving yourself as being nicely rounded - in terms of abilities, of course - as well as an approved recommendation of an authorised figure. As for what exactly 'approved' and 'authorised' actually stood for well the terms tend to blur ever so slightly. It seemed to waver with violently frequent mood swings at different times.

Getting promoted was tough work. More so in a time when the village was more in need of those doing all the gritty work to get into the graces of the daimyo rather than paying their own shinobi more money for missions that were currently not a high priority at the moment. At least the ones that needed doing were not to be trusted in the hand of green jōnin. Funny how the word seems to follow you forever, from your very first itty pitty promotion to a freshly green genin.

The newly offered jōnin exam*, set deep in the every so charming village of the Cloud, seemed to be a well-approved and all round less-of-a-hassle, that is if you considered putting your life and sanity and well-wounded pride on end was enough of a cost which the benefit of saving time would outweigh. Seriously as a Konoha resident and Konoha-nin to be, the Kumo-nin were batshit insane right from their kage to their rapping jinchūriki, like life-threatening weird.

And from how rumours went, the chūnin exam in Kumo had been bad enough. Yamanaka Santa, the "loudest and most obnoxious of his generation and all generations to come" (Akira's very wise words) had come back scarred and quite frankly horrifyingly quiet for a whole month and that was only because no had actually died that time round.

"Ne papa, I never want to take an exam in Kumo, like ever," Ino says to Inoichi in an utmost serious tone.

The days passes by slowly. Floating past page after page as Ino grows older.

As the times of light start to get longer, the sun seemed to rise up higher and higher each passing minute to encompass the whole village in a massive cloak of heat. The air is alive and crackling. Stifling, apart from the occasional breeze wobbling about. It is kind of wheezy, like a dying butterfly giving its last flaps. Pitiful in terms of wind strength and not very helpful amidst the heat. But it does serve to spread some form of coolness that stops people from fainting so they at least have enough time to make their way towards the closest shelter.

Twas the intensity of the summers that faired in the depths of the Fire Country.

Red is already starting to spread out from Ino's cheeks, causing messy patches on her pale skin. There is a familiar ache in her limbs. Her muscles are groaning as she stretched for her warm-up. Ino is already starting to feel rather sweaty and she is trying her hardest not to scratch the sunburnt patches on her arm.

Nevertheless, she musters up a smile as she turns around at the sound of footsteps. Her blues eyes curving into crescent moons as she greets her temporary tutor.

"Santa-san."

Yamanaka Santa had only been recently promoted to Chunin and like many others he had chosen to adorn the rather bulky standardised green vest, or at least figured a change in wardrobe would be a change in mood enough to rid himself of his quiet phase. Giving a slight bow, or not even that - a cross that looked like the illegitimate child of a nod of the neck and the twist of the waist and formalities are all but done in Santa's eyes. His serious face really did his cheeky smile no justice. Though perhaps, that oddly trustworthy air about him when his face is wiped clean was what gave Santa an edge in peculiar times like these. Looking menacing and intimidating is an art. One rather handy in a clan that specialised in Interrogation and Torture.

Konoha's reputation is a building block wiped rather un-cleaning-ly following the Kyuubi attack. While, its kind and sympathetic name remain, gone are its serious, professional and fearful reputation.

On another note, Ino's taijutsu is coming along nicely, or rather the frames of what will become her style in the future. There isn't much to be done about her short limbs and baby fat, though that will be slowly polished by the aging hands of time.

"Ne, Santa-san. Do you know when I will be able to start learning the basics of the clan jutsu?" Ino asks. "I've already finished reading the scrolls," she adds in.

There is a slight quirk of the brow at her progress, but Santa is used to her fast pacing in learning. He is brushing over the small bump on his index finger with his thumb, as he thinks over the best way to spend the rest of the morning practice.

He had been rather excited when he had been informed of the decision to watch over the clan heiress as she went through with her daily training, while Inoichi-sama was preoccupied with other missions. There had been words here and there about a growing prodigy and like many others there had been a spark of pride at the thought of the next clan head being skilled. They had been growing rather tired of praises for the Uchiha and Hyuuga lately. Though he had reserved the benefit of doubt for their first introduction. That was quickly dismissed when he actually met the girl and saw fit to mentally compare his own progress to the heiress' at the same age. Humility, thy name comes with the brunt force of cruel harsh reality.

Thinking back on the request, Santa supposes it won't hurt to show the basic hand sign. Looking at the rather hopeful look, he muses that a short demonstration may also be helpful. Besides, he has already received permission from the clan head himself. Although, it had been meant as a plan for quite a few weeks from now. But of course, it is always quite fun to tell people of the expected task once they are all set to learn their clan jutsu. It is a special privilege and one that Santa has already reserved for, being the one to tell his wonderful 'half-student'.

Flashing through all the pros and cons in his mind. Though that soon comes to an abrupt halt with a brief grimace when he realised that he has been starting to act more and more like his lazy teammate ever since he has been bombarded with the new responsibilities after his promotion. So, he decides to just go through with whatever had popped into his mind at first. A more instinct and heads-on person, that he is. Just one born with rather misleading and responsible facial features. Perhaps, it's the frown lines. Or firm eyebrows that help to convince people that he completely knows what he is doing. Turning his attention back to the girl who is patiently waiting with a smile, he gives his answer. Though he can't quite hide the brief quirk of his lips.

His fingers move to form the basic seal for the Mind Body Switch Technique, without infusing any chakra and watched carefully as Ino followed through. Or at least the baby proofed version that can't do much beyond possessing anything that had a larger brain capacity beyond that of a frog. A normal frog.

Now, what is next? Ah, Santa puts on his utmost authoritative 'I'm qualified enough to be a chūnin instructor so don't worry~' face and gives a satisfied nod and stops Ino right at the moment that she is about to complete the technique. It is looking pretty good so far, from what he can sense.

"Now, now, don't want to get too ahead of ourselves here. Aww, don't pout Ino-chan, it's your favourite time of the lesson coming up," he says.

Patting her on the head and ignoring her pout, Santa leads her to a shaded area before starting to quiz her on the nuts and bolts of the most boring information and basics that he can think of. Ones that he knows that she has already mastered.

There is another brief pout shot in his direction, but Ino still walks behind him quietly. Her feet taking care in leaving minimum marks on the ground as he leads her to sit under a tree. Dragging her up by the bends of her arms before she can plop down onto the dirt in an ungraceful heap. Though Ino does manage to flash a grateful smile in between when she feels the burning on her skin reduce when they reach the shade. An almost-grateful smile, to be exact.

"...it's mostly meant for reconnaissance and was first introduced in the Hakuba War when the Yamanaka had only recently established their alliance with the Nara and subsequently the Akimichi Clans..."

After detailing every single bit of information on the Mind Body Switch Technique, Ino is not surprised to find a smirk on her tutor's face. Really, there seems to be a rather evil streak behind that serious face. Though if anyone asks, Santa will always deny it with a straight look. And sadly, it actually works.

"Okay, so it seems that you do have a hold on your basics," Santa says. "However, going by your current chakra reserves, despite the fact that they are quite large, given that you have been working on that lately," here there is another discrete smirk, "the best target for you to practice on would have to be," again, there is a dramatic pause, and Ino is really starting to get annoyed. He may have noticed by the twitching brow, as he continues, "the goldfish that Akira-san keeps."

He seems a bit disappointed when Ino merely smiles and nods at his suggestion. Mentally deciding that rolling her eyes will be beyond her current stature, Ino graces Santa with her sweetest smile. The kind that held so much sugar, one might gain diabetes.

"...now, Akira-san usually leaves the compound at around ten in the morning to go out for his usual walk and visit the marketplace. That would be the best time for a plan of attack- I mean practice," Santa says.

Santa quickly explains the unspoken tradition in which every Yamanaka child knows by heart. It is the rule that upon learning their first clan technique, that every child must receive the honourable task of causing great mishap in the prized goldfish pond of the oldest Yamanaka member. Akira has luckily been on the suffering end for the past decade, which really does wonders for his already explosive temper. Santa gives a not very sincere sorrowful look at that fact.

Though, Akira-san does seem to hold a soft spot for the quiet Yamanaka heiress. Everyone does.

"Are you up to it, Ino-chan?"

Her lips may have twitched slightly, though she does manage to give a serious nod. Giving a brief glance at the position of the sun, she waves a hurried and very welcomed goodbye when she realises that they had spent most of this morning planning an attack on the poor goldfish. Unfortunately for the poor little fishies who haven't suffered an attack in a while (as Ino is currently the youngest Yamanaka), yet another child is all geared up for the task.

There is always the habitual stare-down at the end where they both just look at each other with their most serious gaze and try to keep their faces straight. Santa wins, again. Mostly because it is just really hard to look strict when your face is still chubby and round with the youth of childhood. And also because it is just hard to look him in the eye when you know his true personality, despite the fact that Yamanaka Santa had literally been born with the most reliable-looking face any ninja could hope to gain.

Though as Ino is leaving she does cast a rather meaningful glance at the bear charm that Santa carried everywhere. One of the more distinguishing traits that he possessed. A gift given by girlfriend-dearest. 'Kuma-chan'.

As just a final thanks for all his hard work today, Ino's fingers move to form the sign code for 'time', which is luckily one of the few that she has been taught. Her smile grows when she hears a hurried shout in the distance after she leaves the clearing. Of course, Ino is the one who always has the last laugh. That was the greater victory, is it not?

Yep, Yamanaka Santa has once again left his girlfriend hanging when he has promised that they will be going out on a date during one of her rare days off. He really shouldn't have gotten too carried away with his goldfish plan. Though to be fair, Akira-san had left quite the lasting impression that one time Santa had been 'watched over' during his pre-academy days. Needless to say, the old man hadn't been amused when he realised just who started the 'age-old' tradition of bothering his goldfish. And so began the start of a silent feud between the two. That lasts even to this day.

Though before Santa could reap the benefits of getting yet another innocent young one to participate in the trial of invading the minds of goldfish, first, Santa has to deal with his cranky girlfriend, who threatens to dump him on a daily basis and with good reason too.

Sadly, being a pair of fools who are madly in love, there isn't much they can do in terms of reluctant acceptance to the nervous placating of a rightfully infuriated woman who has just been stood up for the umpteenth time. Sometimes, Santa's reliable face just made 'Bear' want to hit him more, as Ino cheerfully quoted.

It seems to be a common occurrence.

Ino's mother is out at the flower shop today.

She had left in the wee hours of the morning, leaving a light peck on Ino's cheek and ensuring that Inoichi was still lying down.

Inoichi has been down for a while now, having been caught in a nasty shock from a nuke-nin with a mean lightning jutsu on his last mission. There had been a few laughs here and there once they were sure that everything was fine and that he was all set for recuperation. Which meant no training and just not doing much in particular. Mama seemed amused when she had just barely caught the shadow of Papa's figure hobbling out of the compound the other day. She muttered something under her breath about "how she should've known".

Ino had seen him when he was just about to leave through the back door - there was a rule that they weren't allowed to shushin in the house, not that Ino could even if she tried. But, Mama got rather annoyed with the leaves that would be left scattered on the floor.

Inoichi had held his finger to his lips, before patting Ino on the head. He was out on a top secret mission, he mumbled quietly to his not very gullible daughter. They both knew that he was just sneaking out to drink with his teammates, but Ino let him keep on the illusion of the 'responsible father' for a little longer. Mama found it funny, or rather 'cute', the way that he was trying so hard, though she did chastise him when he did finally return.

Her father's teammates, having probably sensed the trouble that would no doubt occur, had just dropped him on the edges of their clan compound before returning to their respective houses. Mum merely shook her head at the sight. With a grudging shake of the head, she had tucked her giggling daughter into bed before dragging her husband's drunken self across the clan compound.

It really did wonders for his image as clan head.

Though speaking of that, Inoichi had promised to take Ino out to show her something rather 'special'.

They were trekking through the forest, which was located in the depths of the shared land owned by the Akimichi, Nara and Yamanaka clans. It was rich with towering trees shattering the sunlight into tiny little fragments that were scattered amidst the thick forest floor. Ino's sandals made a soft crunch as she stepped on yet another branch, one hand held tightly by Papa as the other played with the leaf-sticking exercise that she had been taught.

Inoichi did offer her a piggy back though that had been refused much to his disappointment. They were walking at a low gait, as he took the chance to point out various plants and such. Some edible, others not, though the herbs that were necessary for cooking were further on the other side of the forest closer to the Akimichi compound, just as the deer were grazing near the Nara's.

"Ino. You're a bright child, aren't you?"

She looked up, blinking. Before, ending up with a big smile on her face once more. Though it appeared that Inoichi wasn't looking for an actual answer as he continued to speak. He carried on, pointing at various items here and there, before he launched into the subject once more.

"What do you think of the clan?"

"It's..."

Ino thought of the various people that she had met over the years. Of sweets being shoved into her hands with a subtle wink by various clan members and the other Yamanaka children, who were mostly older than her and spun wild stories from missions and from school. They all shared the same cheeky grin, one that Ino had also adapted. Help was offered, whenever she was stuck and it wasn't uncommon to see someone stop by and help her back to the house when she was exhausted from training. It was the little actions, that really got to her. Even if everyone seemed obsessed with patting her on the head.

"It's like family," she finally said. It was hard to put all those warm fuzzy feelings into words, but the word 'family' seemed to fit her clan more than it ever did for her old life. "A real family."

She received a pat on the head. People seemed to like to do that a lot. Ino was certain that it would change once she got taller. She was sure of it, face twisting into a cute frown that was really just more of a pout.

"I'm glad," Inoichi said.

His words melting away into a mixture of relief, happiness, but mostly just pride. They had stopped in front of a grey rock-like structure. Inoichi gave her a little nudge as Ino gazed at the monument in question.

"Recognise this?" He asked.

Ino gave a hum in response, eyes immediately zeroing in on their clan symbol. Hands tracing the Yamanaka mark lightly, Inoichi spoke. Ino listened quietly as he spoke of the three clans' history. He spoke of their alliance with the Nara and Akimichi clans, going into further detail than what she had been studying. His voice held a soft lull as he guided her through the years of history.

Her hands were still fiddling with a leaf. A new one that she had plucked off the tree, since the last one had suffered an untimely demise when she put too much chakra into it. It was starting to become a habit, she thought as she stuck yet another leaf onto her palm. Her mind was reeling over the information, fascinated by the events that were being recited in a story-like manner.

It was a long, peaceful afternoon. Inoichi spoke and Ino listened.

The forest held a mystical aura. There was a calming wave that passed by with every rustle of branches and an overwhelming life force that oozed out of the towering trees. "Hashirama trees", Inoichi explained, "a signature of our village".

Ino was slightly confused, or at least she had been. She understood the idea of the village beyond the clan. But she had been baffled, not for the fact that it wasn't considered rare for certain people to die a quick unnatural death. But more for the fact that it was accepted as a way of life and not shuffled under some dark creepy corner.

She stretched out her stiff muscles with a slight yawn. They had been out here for a while.

"...the village protects you when you're young. It allows you to flourish and learn, but at the same time the village is also vulnerable. So when the time comes, I want you to know that I will be trusting you to protect it as the sixteenth heir of the Yamanaka clan."

Inoichi's blue eyes were gentle as he smoothed down the ruffles in Ino's hair. His sigh seemed to be lost in the wind as he crouched down to gather his daughter up in a hug.

"We should head home now, eh?"

Pausing from her chakra exercise, Ino's blue eyes widened when she heard the unspoken words. She was silent on the whole way home. Her hands gripped tightly on the arms holding her as she looked back at the rock-like monument.

It seemed rather small compared to the Hokage mountain.

("When the time comes, I will be the one to die before you.")

It probably wasn't the best timing.

There was a brief pause as Ino searched for the name of the boy with the telltale red swirls on his cheeks. Which was what had caught her attention in the first place.

She had left the clan compound this morning, having been told by Mama to stop training for once and just enjoy the sunshine. The Academy would start in a couple of weeks, so she hadn't been terribly opposed to the idea. Though her initial plan had been to just find a nice bushy tree with lots of shade and then mind-body-switch with a random bird to try and get the hang of flying again.

And not, you know, barge in on what seemed to be an incredibly childish confrontation.

The boy was small. Slightly shorter than her, she idly noted, with the chubby stature that she had come to associate with the Akimichi clan. He was standing there, looking lost. His hand was holding onto his chip packet, as if it would provide some form of comfort. Though, it probably did, for all she knew. Which...was not a lot, she admitted with a slight frown. Though what she did know about, was the Ino-Shika-Chou alliance and that he, the boy himself, was looking like a kicked puppy.

Ino had been introduced to the other two heirs, back when they had all just been crawling, slobbery toddlers. She might have had the urge to mumble something old-fashioned about how much he had grown, if the Akimich boy's image in her head wasn't just another blurry blob, albeit a rather important blob. But to be honest, Ino really didn't remember much about her 'childhood' friend beyond the few meetings where they had basically just been laid together along with the Nara heir while their fathers got the chance to drink in the when their mothers were busy. That had been the whole purpose of the so-called 'socialising'.

It was a rather cloudy day. The sun was somewhere, quietly napping behind the sheer whiteness of the sky. Perhaps, just fed up with all the stupidity in the air. Ino sure was. But that didn't really do much to change the current predicament.

There were a group of boys. All around her age. The sun had seemed a lot brighter before she happened upon this scene.

They were jeering and taunting the poor boy, Chouji, she thought it was. Making snipes at his slowness and weight. Pointless comments that really seemed to be getting to the poor child.

Snapping herself out of her thoughts and having decided that the Akimichi would probably classify as one of 'her people', being a likely teammate in the future, Ino decided to intervene.

Besides, his chakra seemed quite well-developed and despite the distraught that she was feeling from him, he had managed to hold back from punching his bullies. Which made him out to be a kind? If not a bit meek. Though something in the boy had caught Ino's attention, which was why she had been deciding on whether or not to intervene in the first place. Maybe because of a vague memory of him shyly presenting her with a butterfly when they were much younger.

Ino walked up to the crowd. Lips already curving up into her signature smile, as she gently batted away the bodies that were blocking her path. Well, as gently as physically removing people out of her way could be. She really couldn't be bothered to get into an endless spat with people who enjoyed the misery of others. So the best way to do 'this' would be to just leave, hopefully sometime rather soon.

"Chouji!" She shouted, because yes there were actually quite a lot of kids and she really didn't understand why they were all gathered up to taunt another boy when they could be doing something more useful with their lives.

Said boy looked up at the sound of his name, though confusion clouded his eyes when he saw a blonde girl that he didn't quite recognise. He was really starting to regret joining in that game of 'ninja' and he had already apologised for making his team lose. But it didn't seem to help.

"I've been waiting for you," Ino said, her brow easily creasing into a concerned frown. "Where've you been? I was looking for you everywhere."

His mouth opened, though before some kind of reply could be formed, a brown-haired boy who had been at the front of the group turned around to face Ino with a critiquing look in his eye.

"And who're you?" He asked with his hands crossed in front of his chest.

The boy was taller than her. He was also pointing at her with a snot-covered finger. Ino decided that she disliked him on the spot.

Her hands were casually fiddling with the leaf she had picked up on her way here. Eyes still focused on Chouji as she let it fall, before sticking it to her palm again. She smiled.

"Yamanaka Ino."

At that, there seemed to be recognition. There was a hustle amongst the crowd. Quiet whispers as the children registered the identity of the new addition. Huh, so apparently she was quite infamous.

Ino was an only child. But she wasn't the only Yamanaka child. She had older brothers and sisters in the clan. Older siblings who left the compound more frequently than her and loved to talk or rather gossip. Which was really starting to becoming a clan trait, or at least among the younger generation. So it was only coincidental that they spread around the news of the Yamanaka heiress that had already mastered a clan technique and not because they wanted to reserve bragging rights after growing up hearing stories of the Hyuuga and Uchiha geniuses. No, why ever would you think that?

"Ne, we're kinda in a hurry today. So would it be alright, if we leave now?"

Without waiting for an answer, she walked up to Chouji. Gently grabbing his left hand, Ino gave the boy a reassuring smile, before leading him away from the crowd.

There, problem solved and confrontation successfully avoided. With the minimum amount of violence involved of course, she thought as she pushed her way back out of the crowd, this time with the boy in toll.

Chouji was silent they walked. He seemed rather subdued when they stopped at one of the taller trees, far away from the other children. A bit unsure of what he was supposed to do.

"I'm Chouji," he finally settled on saying. He offered her a shy smile before holding out his chip packet, which was rather wrinkled from the way that he had been gripping on it. "As a thank you," he elaborated.

Taking a chip, and ignoring the fact that she didn't really like oily foods, she sat down and leaned against the trunk of the tree that she had spotted from a mile away. Hand already reaching out to stick the fallen leaves, she patted the spot next to her, smiling when the boy shuffled in beside her.

"Chouji-kun, Are you going to be starting the academy this year as well?"

"Yeah, with Shikamaru too."

He seemed more relaxed as Ino started to fill the air with aimless chatter. Ino talked as she settled in the calm atmosphere, getting used to the occasional crunch and munch as she filled the conversation.

It was comfortable. And Ino found herself reclining back as she leaned against the weight of the Akimichi. They talked about various subjects. She taught him some of the flower codes that her mother usually used and he spoke of all the delicious dishes that his mother would whip up.

"Ne Chouji, you and Shikamaru-kun are both older than me, right?" Ino asked.

Chouji nodded, his eyes lighting up in as he gobbled up the last chip in the packet with a pleased grin.

"So you guys are gonna have to look after me, because you're older. When we start the academy, you will protect me from bullies like that, right?" She said as she gestured off into the distance.

He hesitated for a moment, as if unable to imagine his lazy friend committing the action of 'looking after' anyone, before her next words registered.

"Yeah," he said, before saying it louder. "Course, we will. But I will have to introduce you to Shikamaru next time, he's probably sleeping at his house again."

Ino laughed. She gave him a playful nudge in the shoulder as she got up from where she had moved to sprawl across his back. Her hand held up the flower crown that she had been idly weaving when she got bored of playing with leaves.

"A present," she said. "You'll come visit me, right?"

She smiled when he nodded as she balanced the crown on his spiky hair and gave him a quick hug. Offering him a hand, Ino pulled him up and they both started to walk back to their homes. They reached the crossroad, stopping in front of a barbecue shop, where Ino turned right and Chouji turned left.

"Well, you have to remember to visit me soon," she said. "And drag Shikamaru-kun with you, I would like to meet him too," she added as an afterthought.

She got a muffled reply and another smile, this one greater than the last.

Ino walked home with a light skip in her step and a promise for a future meeting. She was for once not fiddling around with leaves or flowers as she held the chip packet that Chouji had stuffed into her arms at the last minute.

She made it back to the compound just as the sun was setting. A warm glow was casted on the familiar building as she quickened her pace. Ino was humming, a tune that she had heard from her mother when she busied herself around the house.

Mama was standing there by the door when she had finished greeting the people she had passed by, somehow ending up with even more gifts in her arms as she made her way home. She ushered her in with a coat that was quickly wrapped around her shoulders, because "it's cold when it's dark and what were you thinking leaving without a jacket?"

Ino managed a sheepish grin, before swearing that she would remember for next time. She fiddled with the chip packet in her hands. The other goods had been dropped off somewhere along the way to the kitchen.

Somewhat amazed by the 'homely skills' that she will probably never learn, Ino watched as Mama whipped up a cup of hot milk and somehow managed to balance a plate of steamed fish as well as chopping up a couple of pieces of fruit at the same time.

"You're smiling," Mama remarked idly.

Ino paused in the midst of her meal. "I'm always smiling, that's what you said, remember?"

"Well, that's not a no, is it? I'm your kaa-san, I know when something's happened even if it's just the slight increase in the curvature of your smile by two degrees," she said as her hand reached out to release her long brown hair from the tight bun.

Ino shrugged. "Nothing much, made a new friend today. And he even comes with a 'plus one'," she added with a grin.

Mama paused from where she had been doing the dishes and looked over her shoulder.

"Hmmm, is that so?"

Ino merely nodded, before smiling even harder. "I might have also scared a bunch of stupid kids who fancied themselves as bullies by fiddling around with my chakra for a bit. You know, the subtle things that change a person's approach and tone that you showed me yesterday."

Funny, how Mama's lessons always seem to come into handy so soon. Said woman gave a light scoff in response, "Well as long as nothing permanent happened..." She trailed off with a meaningful glance.

Casually ignoring the fact that a couple of kids might have gotten a scratch here or there from when she had forced her way through the multitude, she nodded. Mama seemed to be content with whatever she saw and just returned her gaze back to the fine china.

A comfortable silence fell between the two as Ino fiddled with the chip packet that she had placed next to the vases of flowers on the table. Her stomach was warm and satisfied from the meal, so she's not quite sure what to do with the gift that she hadn't sorted along with the others.

There was a deliberate creak of the chair, as Mama seated herself opposite. Her hands were still holding onto a towel as she looked at her expectantly.

"It's getting late so if you're not going to eat that, you should really be getting to bed, young one. We all know how much you hate junk food," she said. "Sometimes though, I swear you eat healthier than I do," she ended with a shake of her head.

Ino only smiled at that as she got up and placed the packet down, taking care not to let the wrapping crackle as she knew that it was starting to get on Mama's nerves. Though as she walked back to the room, she seemed to change her mind.

"Nah, I think I'll eat it tomorrow. Just leave it on the table."

Mama simply raised a brow at that comment. She laid a gentle kiss on Ino's forehead as she was leaving, before settling back at the table. Her brown eyes were filled with mirth as she heard the familiar click of the door that suggested that her daughter had retired for the night.

The kettle let out a whistle as it bubbled merrily in the background. The lights were mostly off, apart from the one that hung directly above from the kitchen ceiling. Various flowers were spread in front of her as she silently worked on arranging them in the night.

She still had another blonde to wait for, after all.

A/N:

(1) "Akira-jisan" Can jisan be used as a suffix or must it be used like Ojisan as more like a title?

(2) I don't there was actually ever a jounin exam in the manga, but it was mentioned at one point in the anime, so yeah.