Naruto - Konoha's Kunoichi
Back in the days when the Naruto time-skip had yet to occur, and all we had to read was Kakashi Gaiden, I came up with this story to fill in part of the blank years. Obviously, this story is outdated now. I originally started this project because I felt that the girls in Naruto were getting shafted. It's always about the boys. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but shouldn't the girls get more screen time? More depth?
With the way Naruto has progressed now, it is very unlikely that I'll ever finish this story. Naruto has lost its charm, and the Mangaka's treatment of the ladies leave a lot to be desired. I do believe that the idiot suffers from the same weakness as Charles Dickens -- their women are highly improbable and very one-dimensional.
So I'm posting this fragment as a tribute to bygone days.
This bit was written quite a number of years ago, and suffers from my penchant of using Japanese terms in the dialogue, as well as using italics to indicate thought. The syntax itself could use improvement as well... And I obviously liked Ino a lot at some point, since she seems to be a little too perfect here. Ah, well...
Without further ado,
Title: Konoha's Kunoichi
Fandom: Naruto
Summary: Their beautiful grace bewitches you, while their deadly steel slays you. They are the many layered lotus, hiding nectar and poison deep within. They are Konoha's Kunoichi.
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Characters: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Haruno Sakura
Warnings: None
She closed her eyes, allowing none of her inner emotions to spill out. She could hear the quiet breathing of the Hokage and her assistant, as well as the soft breeze that blew through the window. The faint scent of flowers could be detected even in this high tower. Spring was in season, after all.
But danger lurked every season. It was beyond the recordings of time and would persist long after man had perished, long after time itself had waned and disappeared. And danger was her mission.
“We would send someone with more experience, but you know how hard pressed Konoha is right now,” the Hokage said in a gentle voice. “Although I don’t like the idea of sending a Chuunin into this…”
“Iie, Hokage-sama,” she said in a firm voice. “As a kunoichi of Konoha, I would be glad to lay my life down for this village. I will not shirk or hesitate from my duty. I had hesitated only because I was thinking of the best way to accomplish this mission.” Tsunade smiled in approval.
Sensei, you sure raised excellent ninjas here, she thought to herself, not for the first time.
“Good. I will have Shizune prepare the items you’ll need for this mission,” she said, writing something on a paper. “You’ll need to prepare your own weapons. You should know what suits you best, but bring only what is necessary.”
“I understand.”
“And call Shikamaru in as you leave,” she said, dismissing the girl with a nod. The girl hesitated. Suppressing a smirk, Tsunade looked up, hoping to radiate authority. “He’s the team captain for this mission.”
“I see…” the girl said, emotions unreadable.
“Who knows? Maybe after the mission, he can ask you out on a date!” Tsunade laughed, watching the girl turn beet red. She resisted the urge to tease the young ninja further, and shooed her out of her office.
“Tsunade-sama, I’m still worried,” Shizune said quietly, after the girl had left the office.
“Shizune, you know there’s no one else to send,” the Hokage said irritably. How many times did she have to tell her assistant? She knew that she was gambling a bit with the children’s lives, but this was how a ninja’s life was. The uncertainty of death was something that they would have to get used to if they were ever going to become as excellent as their potential allowed.
“You could-,” Shizune started.
“No, I can’t send you,” the Hokage said, sighing a little in exasperation. “You just don’t look the part. Besides, I need you to help me here, and you’re a medical ninja, not an information specialist.”
“Neither is that child!” Shizune protested.
“She has the potential,” Tsunade calmly retorted, her mind already on other things. “Her family has always specialized in information collection anyway.”
--
Shikamaru walked down the well worn path of Konoha’s main street. The people were bustling about, engrossed in their own business, while the clouds floated freely in the sky. It was a beautiful day for watching clouds, and that was what he had planned to do, until he got called by the Hokage. He had asked for a few days’ break from the last mission, and the Hokage had seemed to grant him them, but now he realized he should have known better. Konoha was still recovering, even after a year of the attack; he didn’t have time for a break, much less cloud watching. Life was so troublesome.
He had been surprised when Ino had appeared and called him to enter the Hokage’s office. He hadn’t expected her there. But what surprised him even more was the nature of his mission. It was dangerous, perhaps even more so than the first mission he had ever carried out. While his first mission’s danger lay in battling opponents many times more powerful than they were, this mission’s danger did not lie in combat. That was what made it even more deadly than the first.
But he still couldn’t believe who the Hokage had chosen for the lead of this mission. Frankly, he didn’t think she had it in her to carry the mission out successfully. He wondered if the Hokage had been drunk again when she had handed the mission out. She certainly appeared lucid, though with Tsunade, one could never really tell.
He sighed, making his way slowly to Sakura’s house. At least he was allowed to bring Chouji in this mission. That would make the mission a little bit easier. Well, not really, but it would at least make him feel better. He sighed again. The worst part of the mission was just about to come up. Damn, girls are troublesome.
He walked up to the pink-haired girl’s house, knocking steadily. He felt like he was knocking on the wood of his own coffin. Waiting for a bit, he sighed in relief this time, thinking-hoping she wasn’t home and he could put this off until tomorrow. Unfortunately for him, fate didn’t like him very much, so the person he was seeking opened the door, smiling uncertainly in surprise.
“Shikamaru? Can I help you with something?” Sakura asked, wondering why he was standing in front of her house. It wasn’t like they knew each other very well, and Sakura could only guess that there was probably a mission coming up, and she was a part of it. She could feel herself become excited, and tried her best to calm herself down. A kunoichi must always keep her cool.
“Uh…yeah,” Shikamaru started out lamely, his hand moving to the back of his head in the telltale gesture of ‘man this is troublesome.’
“Why don’t you come in then?” Sakura asked, moving out of the doorway. Shikamaru would rather have not been closed off alone in a room with her, but it would be impolite and appear even more odd if he continued the conversation at her doorway. He just hoped he could open the door and run away fast enough before a homicide appeared in the newspapers. Girls are so troublesome, he thought again, repeating it as a mantra, hoping that it would chase away the evil that he knew girls were capable of.
Sakura gestured to the couch, wordlessly asking him to sit while she went off to the kitchen to get some tea. Shikamaru was about to tell her not to bother, but she had already left. He sighed. Now she would have ammunition when he told her the news. He hoped the tea wasn’t too hot. Sakura returned with the tea moments later, smiling.
“What is it that you wanted to talk about?” she asked sipping her tea slowly. Shikamaru decided to just cut to the chase. If he was going to die anyway, then he might as well quit torturing himself.
“You’ve been selected as one of my team members for the next mission,” he said, bracing himself for what was to come. He suddenly wished Naruto was there. At least then Sakura would have Naruto to vent on, instead of him. “The mission is an A rank mission and must be handled with delicacy. It may last for more than a month, depending on circumstances.” Sakura cocked an eyebrow up in mild confusion.
“An A rank mission?” she asked skeptically. “We’re both Chuunin. How can we handle an A rank mission?”
“By handling ourselves,” he sighed, knowing the hard part was just coming up. “It’s a diplomacy mission to the Cloud Country. We need to handle ourselves well, letting the Cloud know Konoha is still strong, without being too assertive.”
“If it’s just a diplomacy mission, then you don’t really need me,” Sakura said, knowing Shikamaru wasn’t revealing everything. “I’m a medic, not a diplomat.” Another sigh.
“This mission might get really ugly really fast,” Shikamaru said, staring at the tea in his cup. “We need a medic on our team just in case something happens.”
“You say ‘we.’ Who are the others?” Sakura asked, setting her cup down on the table, trying to read into Shikamaru’s bored expression.
“Chouji…and Ino,” he said slowly, gauging her reaction. She took it pretty calmly.
“Ugh. I can’t believe I’ll have to work with Ino-pig, but I guess I’ll just deal with it,” she said, not knowing there was more to the story.
“Well… We won’t exactly be going in as ourselves,” Shikamaru said, finding the ceiling very interesting. The plaster kind of reminded him of the clouds outside. “I’m the team leader, but the people in the Cloud will only see me as the head bodyguard. Chouji will appear to be the second bodyguard, and Ino will mainly be acting as the diplomat in this mission.”
“Ino? Acting as diplomat?” Sakura laughed, shaking her head. Shikamaru wanted to agree with her. What was the Hokage thinking to choose such a short-tempered, bossy girl as the diplomat? He wouldn’t be surprised if the Cloud shot her dead before the day was over. She could be really annoying sometimes.
“You’ll be acting as her servant.”
That cut the laughter off quickly. Sakura just stared at Shikamaru, her expression showing that she thought he was joking. He just stared back at her, a serious expression on his face.
“You’re…kidding.”
“If I am, it really isn’t funny,” was his reply. He waited patiently. Patience was a virtue of his. Unfortunately, the fates decided that he didn’t need to practice his patience right now.
“What?!” Sakura screeched. Shikamaru sighed, knowing the calm before the storm was over. Now if only he could survive the storm itself, everything would be just peachy.
“What?!” Sakura screamed again. Shikamaru knew better than to tell her to be quiet. He wished he was a cloud right now. Girls were just so troublesome.
“Why does Ino get to be the diplomat, and I have to be the servant?” she yelled. “That’s not fair!” Shikamaru could tell that Sakura was seething. Apparently she thought she had lost to Ino again. He wanted to tell her that the positions meant nothing about their personal character, and reflected only on their individual skills, but he couldn’t think of any skill of Ino that would make for a good diplomat. He hardly thought that her mind-body-switch technique would be particularly useful in a diplomatic situation.
“You decided this, didn’t you?” Sakura accused him. He scowled.
“If you have a problem, take it up with the Hokage. I’m only carrying her orders out.” Immediately, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. He inwardly cringed as he saw Sakura get very quiet, her bangs hiding the upper part of her face.
He spent the next day recovering from his injuries. It wouldn’t do to look like a wreck for the Cloud emissaries. And he had to pay for Sakura’s broken table too. Damn.
--
He walked towards Ino’s house the next morning, a little cloud of gloom hanging over his head. He had already told Chouji yesterday about the mission, but unlike Chouji, Ino had decided not to visit her injured team mate. For some reason, that annoyed him, but he knew he was going to have bigger problems to deal with than Ino not visiting him, namely how to handle Ino and Sakura in one room.
He could already imagine the screaming match they would have, and it didn’t help that his ears still hurt from Sakura’s abusive voice the other day. Who knew that she could scream that high and that loud? Chouji was his only consolation on this mission. At least he would still have someone sane to talk to. He couldn’t say the same for Chouji though.
He knocked on the door, and heard a slight shuffling inside the house. The door opened moments later.
“Shikamaru, welcome! Come right in,” Ino’s mother said, warmly inviting the boy in. “Would you like some sort of refreshment?” He shook his head. “Well, Ino’s upstairs in my bedroom. Oh, and would you mind bringing these snacks to Chouji? He was too polite to ask for them earlier,” she said, handing him a large tray of cookies, chips, ice cream, and just about any snack that Chouji would eat, which was probably everything. Shikamaru wondered if Ino’s mother had dumped all the snacks that Ino wouldn’t eat on Chouji, but decided that was impossible. Unlike Ino, her mother was a kind, not loud, not annoying, not bossy person.
Balancing the tray as he scaled the stairs, he wondered how he was supposed to open the door to the bedroom with his hands full when Chouji suddenly opened the door before him.
“Wow! Snacks!” his friend said happily. “For me?” Shikamaru nodded, handing him the large tray, wishing he could be as happy as Chouji right now.
“Chouji, what time is it?” a grouchy voice asked from within.
“Not time to leave yet,” Shikamaru said lazily as he walked into the room. He had to stop suddenly for fear of tripping himself or walking into the wall while staring at Ino. She was… She was…
“Decent,” he said calmly. “It’s decent enough for the emissaries anyway.” She scowled horribly.
“I prepared hours for this, and all you can say is ‘decent?’” she asked angrily. “I should have known that you were only a stupid guy. You can’t appreciate a real woman, even if she hit you in the face!”
“I’d appreciate not being hit at all,” Shikamaru replied in a casual manner, wondering why on earth his heart pounded in his ears. He must still be sustaining injuries from yesterday.
“I think Ino looks pretty,” Chouji supplied between gulps of ice cream. “That kimono must have been really expensive.” Shikamaru guessed it was too. It was an elegant, white silk kimono that shined silver when the light hit it at certain angles. The light that the kimono reflected seemed to shine in Ino’s eyes, making her pale blue eyes sparkle like precious stones. If Ino hadn’t been scowling, she would have looked beautiful, unearthly even, for her light blond hair and pale skin seemed to glow with the morning light filtering through the windows behind her.
“Thank you, Chouji!” Ino exclaimed. Shikamaru was glad her attention wasn’t on him. He thought he might have been staring, but he could have just been imagining it. “At least someone appreciates what I’ve done. Although I have to admit, most of this stuff isn’t mine.”
“A loan from the Hokage?” Shikamaru asked. She nodded.
“Let’s go to the Hokage,” she said, using a few pins to pin down a few rebelling strands of hair. “I know Sakura is just dying to see us,” she said with a little giggle. Shikamaru couldn’t help but shiver at such a bone chilling sound. He made a mental note never to become Ino’s enemy.
--
As expected, the two had gone into a screaming match the moment they laid eyes on each other. Like the wise men that they were, Shikamaru and Chouji decided to hang around the hallway until the screaming stopped, entering the room only when they both deemed the situation safe.
Currently, the two girls were sitting in chairs at each end of the room, making a point not to look at each other. Shikamaru sighed. This was supposed to be the diplomatic team that he was leading? They couldn’t be civil among themselves; how was he supposed to expect them to be civil towards the Cloud, most of who would probably hate people from Konoha? It was no secret that Konoha and Cloud were old enemies, and unless they watched their step, they were going to start a war between the two ninja countries. The last thing Shikamaru needed was more time cut out of his cloud watching time.
Suddenly, quick, clicking steps approached the room they were in. A moment later, Shizune opened the door, trying her best to look encouraging, but only really managing to look nervous. Well, why shouldn’t she be? Tsunade was sending mere fourteen year-olds to do a job that not even the most experienced adult could handle well.
“Are you ready?” she asked in a quiet voice, looking at each of their faces. Shikamaru looked slightly annoyed, while Sakura tried to look angry, but actually looked nervous. Out of the four, Ino and Chouji looked the most relaxed, and Shizune hoped that her master’s wisdom did not fail her here. She didn’t want to think of these children as a gamble that Tsunade made; she knew her mistress better than that. They must have had some hidden talent, and Shizune only hoped that they would display that talent on this trip.
“The emissaries from the Cloud are about to come into this room,” she said quickly. “Please prepare yourselves accordingly.” After seeing Shikamaru’s nod, she quickly left the room. There was no doubt that she had warned them out of her own disquiet, and that only made Shikamaru feel a little nervous too.
“Sakura, come sit by my side,” Ino said in a quiet voice, taking a seat near the center of the room. For the first time, Shikamaru carefully observed the room. Each wall was lined with couches, and it was carefully decorated to display some wealth, but not offend anyone. A perfect room for diplomacy. Now if only they could handle their part…
“Why?” Sakura asked suspiciously. Ino sighed as if she were dealing with a small child, which only made Sakura angrier.
“If you’re going to play the part of my servant, then you’re going to play it well,” Ino lectured in a hard, business-like voice. Shikamaru had never heard her use that tone before. “The servant usually sits next to her mistress,” she said, making Sakura scowl. “Be a proud kunoichi and carry out your duty as it is asked of you.”
Sakura, Shikamaru and Chouji looked at her as if they had never seen her before. Sure, Sakura knew that Ino aspired to be the best kunoichi, but the conviction and belief in carrying out her mission well startled her. She had always seen Ino as someone who was like herself: looking pretty and chasing after Sasuke; their kunoichi skills only aiding them in snaring the boy. But here, Ino actually sounded like she was serious about being a ninja. Of course, during the first Chuunin exam, Sakura had been the one to tell Ino to get serious and fight her as a true kunoichi, but here, Ino was lecturing her on what it meant to be a real female ninja, and Sakura wondered if she had really known her ex-friend well at all.
Thankfully, Sakura took a seat next to Ino without screaming her head off, and Shikamaru moved towards Ino’s side, sitting next to her. Chouji took the seat next to Shikamaru, his hands fidgeting, wishing that there was a bag of chips for him to tear open and consume. Shikamaru saw Ino place her hands in her lap in a very lady-like fashion, something he didn’t think she had in her. She tilted her head down slightly and closed her eyes. Shikamaru never noticed how long her eyelashes were, and wondered idly why on earth he was noticing such things now. He must be nervous.
Two members from the Cloud Country entered the room. One appeared to be in his early twenties, while the other was older, and obviously more experienced. The latter’s age was difficult to deduce, for he was so covered with scars that they could not be distinguished from his wrinkles, if he had any. Led by the Hokage, they took a seat on the wall adjacent to where the four Chuunin were sitting. The Hokage and her assistant took a seat on the wall opposite to their guests.
Slowly, Ino opened her eyes and looked directly at the two citizens from Cloud. Shikamaru couldn’t help but be reminded of a flower blooming in spring, and no doubt, that was the effect that Ino had been going for. She offered a shy smile, then shifted her gaze down to her hands. Shikamaru had to stop himself from frowning. Ino was acting really weird.
“Welcome to Konoha, ambassadors of Cloud,” Ino said in a soft and gentle voice. She sounded like Hinata without the stuttering and possessed a sort of elegance that demanded respect from her audience. Tsunade smiled. She had chosen well.
Meanwhile, it was all Shikamaru, Chouji, and Sakura could do to keep their mouths from hanging open and gaping at who they had always thought as a loud, brash girl. Had Tsunade drugged her? She certainly wasn’t acting like herself!
“Ah, I would hardly call ourselves ambassadors,” the younger one said, scratching the back of his head nervously. He suddenly felt the glare of the older one at his nervous gesture, and quickly put his hand down. Ino’s smile increased by a fraction, as if she found their interaction amusing. “We’re more like escorts and bodyguards than ambassadors,” he amended. “We are not worthy of being called ambassadors.”
“I am sure that that is not true,” Ino said, radiating gentle beauty. “I am sure that Cloud is full of excellent people. Your modesty only reveals the quality of the people in Cloud.” The young man laughed nervously.
“Hokage-sama, are these the ambassadors you’re sending to the Cloud Country?” the older man asked, his voice gruff and obviously not used for diplomatic situations.
“Of course,” Tsunade replied calmly.
“How old are they?” he asked, thinking that Konoha was belittling the Cloud Country by sending mere children as representatives.
“In our country, we do not normally ask the age of others,” Ino interrupted smoothly. She smiled at the older man. “But I will be willing to allow this one exception. I am eighteen years of age, though I am flattered that you think me still a child.” Shikamaru resisted the urge to gape at her. She was eighteen? Since when? But in one fell swoop, she had turned the conversation pleasant again, focusing the attention on her and taking the man’s hostility as a compliment.
“Then we are only three years apart!” the younger man said brightly, laughing nervously. His hand twitched, as if it wanted to scratch the back of his head again, but the glare of the older man stopped him.
“You act quite mature for your age,” Ino said, looking at the man as if he were the only one in the room with her.
“Oh, not at all!” Another nervous laugh. “Forgive me, but I failed to introduce myself properly. I am Sosuke and the man next to me is Kosuke.”
“My, what unique names,” Tsunade said, smiling in a way that made her look like a shark. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she thought their names were phony. The older man frowned deeply, not bothering to hide his displeasure.
“Is it a custom in Cloud to give names like those?” asked Ino in what appeared to be genuine curiosity.
“Yes, only to the youngest child though,” Sosuke replied. “It’s a mark that shows the family does not intend to have more children.”
“And if the family does have more children?” Sakura asked, speaking up for the first time.
“The pattern only indicates intention, not reality,” Kosuke said in a gruff voice, annoyed that he had to sit for so long. He was a man of action, and sitting around did not suit him very well, especially since he had a feeling that the longer his young charge was in the presence of the blond haired lady, the more foolish he would become.
“What are your names?” Sosuke asked, ignoring the irritation that Kosuke was displaying. He was glad to be in the presence of those who were around his age, even if they did appear too young. The climate in Konoha must do wonders for people’s complexion. Even the Hokage looked very young, and he had heard that she was in fact a very old woman now.
“I am Ino,” Ino said, bowing slightly.
“I’m Sakura,” Sakura supplied.
“Shikamaru, and that’s Chouji,” Shikamaru said, becoming bored with this conversation. If the rest of their trip was going to be just idle talk, he was going to be very bored. After the initial shock of Ino, the mission had become surprisingly dull. At least Ino and Sakura were acting civil in front of the two ‘-osukes’.’
“I think it’s time you left for your journey,” the Hokage said suddenly. “It will take quite some time for you to get to the Cloud Country, and I’m sure the sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back.”
“Then allow us to beg your leave,” Ino said, standing up and bowing deeply to the Hokage. “Come, Sakura.” The two representatives from the Cloud stood up and exited the room, followed closely by a demure Ino and a less than happy Sakura. Tsunade grinned at Shikamaru before he left with Chouji, making him feel as if this mission was somehow a big joke on him. He didn’t know what was going on in that woman’s mind, but he had a whole month to figure it out.
--
Trudging through the thick, wet, really disgusting mud, Shikamaru realized that he had more than a month to contemplate on the Hokage’s strange grin. The rain had been pouring down on the group ever since they had entered the Cloud Country, slowing down their moderately quick pace through the Fire Country. It seemed like the sky was never barren of Clouds here. Shikamaru scowled, knowing no one would see his expression in the downpour. Sure he had wanted to watch the clouds in the sky, but he hadn’t wanted them to rain on him. He didn’t allow himself to let out a sigh. No use in wasting perfectly warm air. Even through his sweater, jacket, cloak, and then raincoat, he was still feeling cold. For the first time in his life, he wished he were a girl. At least they got to stay warm in the carriages, being carried by the horses that the Cloud Country had provided, instead of tramping through the rain looking like a wet puppy. Though in his case, Shikamaru figured he looked more like a sausage, what with all the layers of clothing on him.
The faint squishing sound on the opposite side of the carriage that he was walking along was a constant reminder that Chouji was in for the annoying rain with him. He wondered what the other boy was doing. He knew he couldn’t be munching on his chips; the rain would soak it through before it even got to his lips.
His train of thoughts stopped suddenly as he realized that the carriage he was guarding had also stopped. Walking a little forward, he turned to the driver, eyes questioning what was happening. The driver didn’t respond, only listened intently for some sort of signal. Suddenly, he could hear the pattering of shoes against the wet floor all around him, advancing closer to the carriage. A flash of lightning suddenly struck a few miles away, illuminating the dark day in a brilliant ray, imprinting the image of the scene in his mind.
There were around twenty people who were charging at him, all sorts of weapons brandishing in their hands. He didn’t have to wonder long about who they were, for the first shouts of battle soon announced it.
“Kill the conniving dogs of the Fire Country! Kill the traitors!” was the general roar from the crowd, and before Shikamaru knew it, he had kunai and shuriken out, seeking to damage the enemy and defend himself as best he could. Trust ambushes to happen during the worst conditions.
He could hear Chouji using his familiar meat tank attack to take out the few people who thought they could fight against the giant meatball, while others dispersed from their formations, creating general chaos among themselves.
“Damn rebels,” he could hear the driver curse as he jumped off from his seat, doing his best to defend the carriage, and more importantly, the people inside. He knew very well that if these people died here, an inevitable war would spring up between the Cloud and Fire Countries, and he really had no desire to fight in another war.
Shikamaru cursed. There were too few people on his team. If he left his side to go to Chouji, it would leave this side of the carriage vulnerable. On the other hand, he and Chouji could take out the enemies very quickly if they were working together. With the shadow bind and meat tank attack, these dissidents would have been sent packing in a matter of minutes. He knew that Ino and Sakura could take care of themselves if he left only one side open to attack, but he didn’t want to blow their cover. After all, only he and Chouji were the ones that were supposed to have any kind of attacks at all. The girls were supposed to just be there for decoration.
“What’s happening?” a small, frightened voice asked. It took a second for his mind to register that it was Ino speaking.
“Rebels. Don’t worry, Ino-sama, we’ll take care of these bas-ruffians,” their driver said, minding his language around the lady despite fighting off the attackers. A makeshift spear suddenly flew at the occupants of the carriage, thrown by someone a little distance away. The driver quickly knocked the spear out of its path, sending kunai flying down towards the direction of the attack.
So, he’s a ninja, eh? Shikamaru thought to himself, realizing that the Cloud, too, were keeping their secrets. He had no time to ponder that as he moved towards Chouji’s side, now confident that his abandoned side would be guarded by the driver. This would be over soon.
--
“This is going to be over soon, so I’d better brief you quickly,” Ino said hurriedly, right after she had stuck her head out to assess the situation. Of course, the man from the Cloud had seen her, so she had to go through some quick acting to cover up her purpose. “When I’m spying on them, you are to create a bunshin of me and pretend to attend to me. Try not to make me act too much like a bitch, okay?” she said, pulling out the bag underneath her, and promptly digging through it, looking for something.
“What?” Sakura asked, not quite sure what her friend was asking of her. What was this about spying? Weren’t they on a diplomatic mission?
“Use that large forehead of yours and figure it out,” Ino said, starting to search more frantically. “The reason Tsunade-sama specifically chose you to be my attendant is because she knew that you know me best, and therefore you’ll probably be able to imitate my habits best.”
“You’re acting right now though! Anyone can imitate you,” Sakura said, feeling nervous as Ino quickly handed her a scroll and packed the bag up, stuffing it under the empty space below her seat.
“No matter how great my acting is, there’ll always be little habits about me that I won’t be able to break,” the other girl replied, listening to the sounds of fighting outside. She seemed satisfied and continued on. “Now, I won’t be able to brief you again, so you better remember everything I say.” She waited for Sakura to nod, which the other girl eventually did, although in great confusion. “That scroll you’re holding; open it if we’ve been discovered.”
“Discovered? What do you mean?” Sakura asked, looking at the scroll as if it were burning her hands.
“You must be getting dumber, hanging around Naruto,” Ino said, resisting the urge to slap herself on the forehead. She had to remember that she was wearing thick make-up now. “If they discover that we’re spies, Sakura. Now, when we arrive in our room, I want you to pretend to help me change out of my clothes. Then I want you to quickly make a bunshin and change it to look like me, then perform the Kawarimi no Jutsu with me.”
“But it’s a bunshin! I can’t just perform the Kawarimi on something that I can’t touch!” protested Sakura. This mission was starting to scare her. She had thought it was going to be annoying at first, being Ino’s servant and everything, but now she saw that she had to get as serious as Ino soon, otherwise their lives were in jeopardy. No wonder Shikamaru had said this was an A ranked mission. So far, she had felt as if it were just an elaborate C ranked mission.
“Sakura, it’s your chakra, and you should have the best control of it,” Ino said in exasperation, talking to Sakura in a way that she hadn’t heard her friend speak in years. “Another reason you were selected for this position,” Ino said thoughtfully. “Anyway, just pretend that it’s solid or something. I’m sure someone with two minds in her head can figure something out.”
Sakura was about to shoot a retorting remark back when Ino suddenly silenced her with a finger to her lip. The sounds of the fight had stopped. Sakura wondered nervously how Ino had planned to brief her if the fight had never started. Obviously she had had to wait for her chance. What made the girl even more curious was why Ino had briefed only her and not the rest of the team. It seemed from the way that Shikamaru described the mission, he hadn’t known what was really going on either. That made Sakura feel more than a little uneasy. Had there been a double agent in Konoha? If so, how did Tsunade manage to brief Ino but not Shikamaru? Questions only continued to fill her mind, and she had no one to answer them.
--
The Country of the Cloud was one of the more unique nations in the world. Rumor had it that it was always cloudy there, but that was not true. It was actually enshrouded in fog in the early morning, making most of the country seem like it had ascended to heaven. When the rays of the morning sun dispelled the mist from the country, what it revealed was a spectacular sight to see. While Konoha was a labyrinth of buildings climbing on top of each other, the hidden village of Cloud had a type of regal order about it. It was situated in the northernmost part of the country, away from the dangers of other attacking ninja villages, and for that reason, it had been able to retain a type of ancient beauty that most other villages could not maintain.
While the Country of the Cloud had customs similar to those in the Country of Fire, it shared enough differences to make their enmity blossom into war. Among one of those differences, was the joining of the ninja village with the government, creating a country whose military power lay mostly in their superior ninja. For that same reason, the hidden village of Cloud also served as the capital of the country, and did its best to impress visitors both foreign and native. And impress it did.
Finally arriving at the village after three weeks of sloshing through mud, ever aware for another surprise attack, Shikamaru saw, for the first time, the jewel of Cloud Country. And what a magnificent jewel it was. The early light reflected off the tiled roofs of the buildings there, making the city shine like a star in the morning sky. The mist that had yet to disappear also hung like an angel’s gauze, giving the city an almost heavenly look. The walls of the city were perfectly white, as if its color had never been worn down with time, and the small patches of garden he could see were filled with beautiful blooms that were waiting for the order of the sun to open.
As he entered the city, still walking on the left side of the carriage, he noticed that even the streets seemed to shine. Glancing briefly at what he was walking on, he realized that the streets had been paved with shells, tiny bits of cement showing through the spaces where the shells did not manage to overlap. The sound of the hooves of horses against the street was pleasant, like the tinkling of shells on a wind chime. Shikamaru wondered how such a beautiful place was able to foster warmongers and traitors such as the ones that had attacked Konoha in the past.
“It’s beautiful,” Sakura breathed, walking next to Shikamaru. Apparently the pink-haired girl couldn’t get enough of the scenery from inside the carriage and just had to walk outside. Ino, being the diplomat and “lady” of the mission, did not have such liberties. They were moving at a slow pace towards the tallest building in the city, not wanting to wake the sleepy city by going at their regular pace. Shikamaru also suspected that the Cloud had deliberately set that pace so that they, being the ambassadors from Konoha, could stare at the city in awe and report of its great magnificence when they got back.
Finally, they arrived at the largest and most elaborately decorated building of them all. Located in the heart of the city, the castle of the Raikage towered well above the other buildings in the city, the purple roof tiles reflecting the sunlight, shining like a beacon in a sea of mists. The heavy, double doors of the outer gate of the castle were open, no doubt ready to receive the important guests from the Country of Fire.
Entering the outer court of the castle, Sakura let out an awed gasp as she saw the double rows of Cherry trees lining the stone slab path leading to another gate, this one smaller than the one she had just passed through. Each tree blossomed as if its sole purpose for existence was to impress and awe those who gazed upon it. The pastel pink and white petals of the trees contrasted with the dark bark of the tree, making the blossoms appear like a cloud that hovered above the trunk of each tree. Sakura couldn’t help but feel that she was in a sort of heaven as she walked between the trees, the quiet pattering of hooves the only sound breaking the tranquility of the outer court.
Upon nearing the gate to the middle court, the driver stopped the carriage, and a servant of the castle approached them. A cough from Shikamaru broke Sakura out of her dream-like state, and she quickly approached the carriage, suddenly remembering the etiquette that they had been taught during their academy years. The servant would lead them to the main building to meet the master of the castle, but before that she needed to do her duty as Ino’s attendant and help her mistress out.
She opened the door carefully, trying not to appear clumsy and unused to her duties. Ino slowly extended her hand, giving Sakura enough time to remember what she was supposed to do with it. She took her lady’s hand and helped her out of the carriage, shutting the carriage door after her, and standing next to her lady when she was done.
“Welcome, Children of Fire,” the servant said, bowing respectfully. “Please do me the honor of following me to the inner court. My master awaits you.” Shikamaru nodded while Ino bowed back, following the servant side by side, while Sakura and Chouji lagged a little behind the two, close enough to provide their services when necessary, and far enough to show their lower status. Sakura remembered how the kunoichi instructor had mentioned that the people in Cloud were obsessed with status and displaying the correct reverence to those of a certain station. If Ino was displaying her talents as the gracious guest, then Sakura would display her acting skills as the humble servant. There was no way she would lose to her ex-best friend in anything!
Following the servant through the various corridors and becoming thoroughly lost, Sakura fingered the scroll she had hidden in her purse, wondering if there would come a situation where she would actually have to open it. She hadn’t been stupid enough to sneak a peek inside the scroll, unlike a certain teammate of hers who had tried to cheat during the Chuunin exams. She was curious, but not so much that she would endanger the mission to satisfy her curiosity. She was secretly glad that she had kept the scroll close to her, instead of hiding it in her bags, for she wasn’t sure if the people in Cloud would search the luggage as they unloaded it from the carriage.
The servant finally led them into sunlight again, the mid-morning sun casting away any remaining mists that clung to the trees. They approached a quiet garden with prearranged flower beds and a little stream flowing in the center of it, a bridge connecting the two halves of the garden together. A man in black robes with gold lining stood atop the bridge, gazing contemplatively into the stream.
The servant approached the man, murmuring something that was out of the hearing of the ambassadors from Konoha. The man nodded, then dismissed the servant, who bowed, then backed away from her master. The man approached their group of four, giving them a speculative look. His brow seemed to arch briefly when he saw them, but he gave no other indication of surprise.
“Welcome to the Country of the Cloud,” he said in a deep voice that had a certain powerful edge to it. “Your presence here does great honor to us. Please excuse my impertinence in failing to meet you in the Grand Hall, for though I am Raikage, I am but a selfish man who had wished to indulge himself in the tranquility of his garden before venturing into the chaos of this world once more.” He inclined his head slightly, and Sakura took that as the way the Raikage bowed to others.
“The honor and pleasure is ours, Great Ruler of Lightning,” Ino said, bowing so that her body formed a ninety-degree angle. Sakura and the others followed her example. “How would we dare to part you from time well spent in this garden of tranquility? Indeed, it would be presumptuous for us to even imagine so.”
Discontinued...
The more I read this, the more I don't like it. It's a good thing it's being retired into the scrap pile.
With the way Naruto has progressed now, it is very unlikely that I'll ever finish this story. Naruto has lost its charm, and the Mangaka's treatment of the ladies leave a lot to be desired. I do believe that the idiot suffers from the same weakness as Charles Dickens -- their women are highly improbable and very one-dimensional.
So I'm posting this fragment as a tribute to bygone days.
This bit was written quite a number of years ago, and suffers from my penchant of using Japanese terms in the dialogue, as well as using italics to indicate thought. The syntax itself could use improvement as well... And I obviously liked Ino a lot at some point, since she seems to be a little too perfect here. Ah, well...
Without further ado,
Title: Konoha's Kunoichi
Fandom: Naruto
Summary: Their beautiful grace bewitches you, while their deadly steel slays you. They are the many layered lotus, hiding nectar and poison deep within. They are Konoha's Kunoichi.
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Characters: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Haruno Sakura
Warnings: None
She closed her eyes, allowing none of her inner emotions to spill out. She could hear the quiet breathing of the Hokage and her assistant, as well as the soft breeze that blew through the window. The faint scent of flowers could be detected even in this high tower. Spring was in season, after all.
But danger lurked every season. It was beyond the recordings of time and would persist long after man had perished, long after time itself had waned and disappeared. And danger was her mission.
“We would send someone with more experience, but you know how hard pressed Konoha is right now,” the Hokage said in a gentle voice. “Although I don’t like the idea of sending a Chuunin into this…”
“Iie, Hokage-sama,” she said in a firm voice. “As a kunoichi of Konoha, I would be glad to lay my life down for this village. I will not shirk or hesitate from my duty. I had hesitated only because I was thinking of the best way to accomplish this mission.” Tsunade smiled in approval.
Sensei, you sure raised excellent ninjas here, she thought to herself, not for the first time.
“Good. I will have Shizune prepare the items you’ll need for this mission,” she said, writing something on a paper. “You’ll need to prepare your own weapons. You should know what suits you best, but bring only what is necessary.”
“I understand.”
“And call Shikamaru in as you leave,” she said, dismissing the girl with a nod. The girl hesitated. Suppressing a smirk, Tsunade looked up, hoping to radiate authority. “He’s the team captain for this mission.”
“I see…” the girl said, emotions unreadable.
“Who knows? Maybe after the mission, he can ask you out on a date!” Tsunade laughed, watching the girl turn beet red. She resisted the urge to tease the young ninja further, and shooed her out of her office.
“Tsunade-sama, I’m still worried,” Shizune said quietly, after the girl had left the office.
“Shizune, you know there’s no one else to send,” the Hokage said irritably. How many times did she have to tell her assistant? She knew that she was gambling a bit with the children’s lives, but this was how a ninja’s life was. The uncertainty of death was something that they would have to get used to if they were ever going to become as excellent as their potential allowed.
“You could-,” Shizune started.
“No, I can’t send you,” the Hokage said, sighing a little in exasperation. “You just don’t look the part. Besides, I need you to help me here, and you’re a medical ninja, not an information specialist.”
“Neither is that child!” Shizune protested.
“She has the potential,” Tsunade calmly retorted, her mind already on other things. “Her family has always specialized in information collection anyway.”
--
Shikamaru walked down the well worn path of Konoha’s main street. The people were bustling about, engrossed in their own business, while the clouds floated freely in the sky. It was a beautiful day for watching clouds, and that was what he had planned to do, until he got called by the Hokage. He had asked for a few days’ break from the last mission, and the Hokage had seemed to grant him them, but now he realized he should have known better. Konoha was still recovering, even after a year of the attack; he didn’t have time for a break, much less cloud watching. Life was so troublesome.
He had been surprised when Ino had appeared and called him to enter the Hokage’s office. He hadn’t expected her there. But what surprised him even more was the nature of his mission. It was dangerous, perhaps even more so than the first mission he had ever carried out. While his first mission’s danger lay in battling opponents many times more powerful than they were, this mission’s danger did not lie in combat. That was what made it even more deadly than the first.
But he still couldn’t believe who the Hokage had chosen for the lead of this mission. Frankly, he didn’t think she had it in her to carry the mission out successfully. He wondered if the Hokage had been drunk again when she had handed the mission out. She certainly appeared lucid, though with Tsunade, one could never really tell.
He sighed, making his way slowly to Sakura’s house. At least he was allowed to bring Chouji in this mission. That would make the mission a little bit easier. Well, not really, but it would at least make him feel better. He sighed again. The worst part of the mission was just about to come up. Damn, girls are troublesome.
He walked up to the pink-haired girl’s house, knocking steadily. He felt like he was knocking on the wood of his own coffin. Waiting for a bit, he sighed in relief this time, thinking-hoping she wasn’t home and he could put this off until tomorrow. Unfortunately for him, fate didn’t like him very much, so the person he was seeking opened the door, smiling uncertainly in surprise.
“Shikamaru? Can I help you with something?” Sakura asked, wondering why he was standing in front of her house. It wasn’t like they knew each other very well, and Sakura could only guess that there was probably a mission coming up, and she was a part of it. She could feel herself become excited, and tried her best to calm herself down. A kunoichi must always keep her cool.
“Uh…yeah,” Shikamaru started out lamely, his hand moving to the back of his head in the telltale gesture of ‘man this is troublesome.’
“Why don’t you come in then?” Sakura asked, moving out of the doorway. Shikamaru would rather have not been closed off alone in a room with her, but it would be impolite and appear even more odd if he continued the conversation at her doorway. He just hoped he could open the door and run away fast enough before a homicide appeared in the newspapers. Girls are so troublesome, he thought again, repeating it as a mantra, hoping that it would chase away the evil that he knew girls were capable of.
Sakura gestured to the couch, wordlessly asking him to sit while she went off to the kitchen to get some tea. Shikamaru was about to tell her not to bother, but she had already left. He sighed. Now she would have ammunition when he told her the news. He hoped the tea wasn’t too hot. Sakura returned with the tea moments later, smiling.
“What is it that you wanted to talk about?” she asked sipping her tea slowly. Shikamaru decided to just cut to the chase. If he was going to die anyway, then he might as well quit torturing himself.
“You’ve been selected as one of my team members for the next mission,” he said, bracing himself for what was to come. He suddenly wished Naruto was there. At least then Sakura would have Naruto to vent on, instead of him. “The mission is an A rank mission and must be handled with delicacy. It may last for more than a month, depending on circumstances.” Sakura cocked an eyebrow up in mild confusion.
“An A rank mission?” she asked skeptically. “We’re both Chuunin. How can we handle an A rank mission?”
“By handling ourselves,” he sighed, knowing the hard part was just coming up. “It’s a diplomacy mission to the Cloud Country. We need to handle ourselves well, letting the Cloud know Konoha is still strong, without being too assertive.”
“If it’s just a diplomacy mission, then you don’t really need me,” Sakura said, knowing Shikamaru wasn’t revealing everything. “I’m a medic, not a diplomat.” Another sigh.
“This mission might get really ugly really fast,” Shikamaru said, staring at the tea in his cup. “We need a medic on our team just in case something happens.”
“You say ‘we.’ Who are the others?” Sakura asked, setting her cup down on the table, trying to read into Shikamaru’s bored expression.
“Chouji…and Ino,” he said slowly, gauging her reaction. She took it pretty calmly.
“Ugh. I can’t believe I’ll have to work with Ino-pig, but I guess I’ll just deal with it,” she said, not knowing there was more to the story.
“Well… We won’t exactly be going in as ourselves,” Shikamaru said, finding the ceiling very interesting. The plaster kind of reminded him of the clouds outside. “I’m the team leader, but the people in the Cloud will only see me as the head bodyguard. Chouji will appear to be the second bodyguard, and Ino will mainly be acting as the diplomat in this mission.”
“Ino? Acting as diplomat?” Sakura laughed, shaking her head. Shikamaru wanted to agree with her. What was the Hokage thinking to choose such a short-tempered, bossy girl as the diplomat? He wouldn’t be surprised if the Cloud shot her dead before the day was over. She could be really annoying sometimes.
“You’ll be acting as her servant.”
That cut the laughter off quickly. Sakura just stared at Shikamaru, her expression showing that she thought he was joking. He just stared back at her, a serious expression on his face.
“You’re…kidding.”
“If I am, it really isn’t funny,” was his reply. He waited patiently. Patience was a virtue of his. Unfortunately, the fates decided that he didn’t need to practice his patience right now.
“What?!” Sakura screeched. Shikamaru sighed, knowing the calm before the storm was over. Now if only he could survive the storm itself, everything would be just peachy.
“What?!” Sakura screamed again. Shikamaru knew better than to tell her to be quiet. He wished he was a cloud right now. Girls were just so troublesome.
“Why does Ino get to be the diplomat, and I have to be the servant?” she yelled. “That’s not fair!” Shikamaru could tell that Sakura was seething. Apparently she thought she had lost to Ino again. He wanted to tell her that the positions meant nothing about their personal character, and reflected only on their individual skills, but he couldn’t think of any skill of Ino that would make for a good diplomat. He hardly thought that her mind-body-switch technique would be particularly useful in a diplomatic situation.
“You decided this, didn’t you?” Sakura accused him. He scowled.
“If you have a problem, take it up with the Hokage. I’m only carrying her orders out.” Immediately, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. He inwardly cringed as he saw Sakura get very quiet, her bangs hiding the upper part of her face.
He spent the next day recovering from his injuries. It wouldn’t do to look like a wreck for the Cloud emissaries. And he had to pay for Sakura’s broken table too. Damn.
--
He walked towards Ino’s house the next morning, a little cloud of gloom hanging over his head. He had already told Chouji yesterday about the mission, but unlike Chouji, Ino had decided not to visit her injured team mate. For some reason, that annoyed him, but he knew he was going to have bigger problems to deal with than Ino not visiting him, namely how to handle Ino and Sakura in one room.
He could already imagine the screaming match they would have, and it didn’t help that his ears still hurt from Sakura’s abusive voice the other day. Who knew that she could scream that high and that loud? Chouji was his only consolation on this mission. At least he would still have someone sane to talk to. He couldn’t say the same for Chouji though.
He knocked on the door, and heard a slight shuffling inside the house. The door opened moments later.
“Shikamaru, welcome! Come right in,” Ino’s mother said, warmly inviting the boy in. “Would you like some sort of refreshment?” He shook his head. “Well, Ino’s upstairs in my bedroom. Oh, and would you mind bringing these snacks to Chouji? He was too polite to ask for them earlier,” she said, handing him a large tray of cookies, chips, ice cream, and just about any snack that Chouji would eat, which was probably everything. Shikamaru wondered if Ino’s mother had dumped all the snacks that Ino wouldn’t eat on Chouji, but decided that was impossible. Unlike Ino, her mother was a kind, not loud, not annoying, not bossy person.
Balancing the tray as he scaled the stairs, he wondered how he was supposed to open the door to the bedroom with his hands full when Chouji suddenly opened the door before him.
“Wow! Snacks!” his friend said happily. “For me?” Shikamaru nodded, handing him the large tray, wishing he could be as happy as Chouji right now.
“Chouji, what time is it?” a grouchy voice asked from within.
“Not time to leave yet,” Shikamaru said lazily as he walked into the room. He had to stop suddenly for fear of tripping himself or walking into the wall while staring at Ino. She was… She was…
“Decent,” he said calmly. “It’s decent enough for the emissaries anyway.” She scowled horribly.
“I prepared hours for this, and all you can say is ‘decent?’” she asked angrily. “I should have known that you were only a stupid guy. You can’t appreciate a real woman, even if she hit you in the face!”
“I’d appreciate not being hit at all,” Shikamaru replied in a casual manner, wondering why on earth his heart pounded in his ears. He must still be sustaining injuries from yesterday.
“I think Ino looks pretty,” Chouji supplied between gulps of ice cream. “That kimono must have been really expensive.” Shikamaru guessed it was too. It was an elegant, white silk kimono that shined silver when the light hit it at certain angles. The light that the kimono reflected seemed to shine in Ino’s eyes, making her pale blue eyes sparkle like precious stones. If Ino hadn’t been scowling, she would have looked beautiful, unearthly even, for her light blond hair and pale skin seemed to glow with the morning light filtering through the windows behind her.
“Thank you, Chouji!” Ino exclaimed. Shikamaru was glad her attention wasn’t on him. He thought he might have been staring, but he could have just been imagining it. “At least someone appreciates what I’ve done. Although I have to admit, most of this stuff isn’t mine.”
“A loan from the Hokage?” Shikamaru asked. She nodded.
“Let’s go to the Hokage,” she said, using a few pins to pin down a few rebelling strands of hair. “I know Sakura is just dying to see us,” she said with a little giggle. Shikamaru couldn’t help but shiver at such a bone chilling sound. He made a mental note never to become Ino’s enemy.
--
As expected, the two had gone into a screaming match the moment they laid eyes on each other. Like the wise men that they were, Shikamaru and Chouji decided to hang around the hallway until the screaming stopped, entering the room only when they both deemed the situation safe.
Currently, the two girls were sitting in chairs at each end of the room, making a point not to look at each other. Shikamaru sighed. This was supposed to be the diplomatic team that he was leading? They couldn’t be civil among themselves; how was he supposed to expect them to be civil towards the Cloud, most of who would probably hate people from Konoha? It was no secret that Konoha and Cloud were old enemies, and unless they watched their step, they were going to start a war between the two ninja countries. The last thing Shikamaru needed was more time cut out of his cloud watching time.
Suddenly, quick, clicking steps approached the room they were in. A moment later, Shizune opened the door, trying her best to look encouraging, but only really managing to look nervous. Well, why shouldn’t she be? Tsunade was sending mere fourteen year-olds to do a job that not even the most experienced adult could handle well.
“Are you ready?” she asked in a quiet voice, looking at each of their faces. Shikamaru looked slightly annoyed, while Sakura tried to look angry, but actually looked nervous. Out of the four, Ino and Chouji looked the most relaxed, and Shizune hoped that her master’s wisdom did not fail her here. She didn’t want to think of these children as a gamble that Tsunade made; she knew her mistress better than that. They must have had some hidden talent, and Shizune only hoped that they would display that talent on this trip.
“The emissaries from the Cloud are about to come into this room,” she said quickly. “Please prepare yourselves accordingly.” After seeing Shikamaru’s nod, she quickly left the room. There was no doubt that she had warned them out of her own disquiet, and that only made Shikamaru feel a little nervous too.
“Sakura, come sit by my side,” Ino said in a quiet voice, taking a seat near the center of the room. For the first time, Shikamaru carefully observed the room. Each wall was lined with couches, and it was carefully decorated to display some wealth, but not offend anyone. A perfect room for diplomacy. Now if only they could handle their part…
“Why?” Sakura asked suspiciously. Ino sighed as if she were dealing with a small child, which only made Sakura angrier.
“If you’re going to play the part of my servant, then you’re going to play it well,” Ino lectured in a hard, business-like voice. Shikamaru had never heard her use that tone before. “The servant usually sits next to her mistress,” she said, making Sakura scowl. “Be a proud kunoichi and carry out your duty as it is asked of you.”
Sakura, Shikamaru and Chouji looked at her as if they had never seen her before. Sure, Sakura knew that Ino aspired to be the best kunoichi, but the conviction and belief in carrying out her mission well startled her. She had always seen Ino as someone who was like herself: looking pretty and chasing after Sasuke; their kunoichi skills only aiding them in snaring the boy. But here, Ino actually sounded like she was serious about being a ninja. Of course, during the first Chuunin exam, Sakura had been the one to tell Ino to get serious and fight her as a true kunoichi, but here, Ino was lecturing her on what it meant to be a real female ninja, and Sakura wondered if she had really known her ex-friend well at all.
Thankfully, Sakura took a seat next to Ino without screaming her head off, and Shikamaru moved towards Ino’s side, sitting next to her. Chouji took the seat next to Shikamaru, his hands fidgeting, wishing that there was a bag of chips for him to tear open and consume. Shikamaru saw Ino place her hands in her lap in a very lady-like fashion, something he didn’t think she had in her. She tilted her head down slightly and closed her eyes. Shikamaru never noticed how long her eyelashes were, and wondered idly why on earth he was noticing such things now. He must be nervous.
Two members from the Cloud Country entered the room. One appeared to be in his early twenties, while the other was older, and obviously more experienced. The latter’s age was difficult to deduce, for he was so covered with scars that they could not be distinguished from his wrinkles, if he had any. Led by the Hokage, they took a seat on the wall adjacent to where the four Chuunin were sitting. The Hokage and her assistant took a seat on the wall opposite to their guests.
Slowly, Ino opened her eyes and looked directly at the two citizens from Cloud. Shikamaru couldn’t help but be reminded of a flower blooming in spring, and no doubt, that was the effect that Ino had been going for. She offered a shy smile, then shifted her gaze down to her hands. Shikamaru had to stop himself from frowning. Ino was acting really weird.
“Welcome to Konoha, ambassadors of Cloud,” Ino said in a soft and gentle voice. She sounded like Hinata without the stuttering and possessed a sort of elegance that demanded respect from her audience. Tsunade smiled. She had chosen well.
Meanwhile, it was all Shikamaru, Chouji, and Sakura could do to keep their mouths from hanging open and gaping at who they had always thought as a loud, brash girl. Had Tsunade drugged her? She certainly wasn’t acting like herself!
“Ah, I would hardly call ourselves ambassadors,” the younger one said, scratching the back of his head nervously. He suddenly felt the glare of the older one at his nervous gesture, and quickly put his hand down. Ino’s smile increased by a fraction, as if she found their interaction amusing. “We’re more like escorts and bodyguards than ambassadors,” he amended. “We are not worthy of being called ambassadors.”
“I am sure that that is not true,” Ino said, radiating gentle beauty. “I am sure that Cloud is full of excellent people. Your modesty only reveals the quality of the people in Cloud.” The young man laughed nervously.
“Hokage-sama, are these the ambassadors you’re sending to the Cloud Country?” the older man asked, his voice gruff and obviously not used for diplomatic situations.
“Of course,” Tsunade replied calmly.
“How old are they?” he asked, thinking that Konoha was belittling the Cloud Country by sending mere children as representatives.
“In our country, we do not normally ask the age of others,” Ino interrupted smoothly. She smiled at the older man. “But I will be willing to allow this one exception. I am eighteen years of age, though I am flattered that you think me still a child.” Shikamaru resisted the urge to gape at her. She was eighteen? Since when? But in one fell swoop, she had turned the conversation pleasant again, focusing the attention on her and taking the man’s hostility as a compliment.
“Then we are only three years apart!” the younger man said brightly, laughing nervously. His hand twitched, as if it wanted to scratch the back of his head again, but the glare of the older man stopped him.
“You act quite mature for your age,” Ino said, looking at the man as if he were the only one in the room with her.
“Oh, not at all!” Another nervous laugh. “Forgive me, but I failed to introduce myself properly. I am Sosuke and the man next to me is Kosuke.”
“My, what unique names,” Tsunade said, smiling in a way that made her look like a shark. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she thought their names were phony. The older man frowned deeply, not bothering to hide his displeasure.
“Is it a custom in Cloud to give names like those?” asked Ino in what appeared to be genuine curiosity.
“Yes, only to the youngest child though,” Sosuke replied. “It’s a mark that shows the family does not intend to have more children.”
“And if the family does have more children?” Sakura asked, speaking up for the first time.
“The pattern only indicates intention, not reality,” Kosuke said in a gruff voice, annoyed that he had to sit for so long. He was a man of action, and sitting around did not suit him very well, especially since he had a feeling that the longer his young charge was in the presence of the blond haired lady, the more foolish he would become.
“What are your names?” Sosuke asked, ignoring the irritation that Kosuke was displaying. He was glad to be in the presence of those who were around his age, even if they did appear too young. The climate in Konoha must do wonders for people’s complexion. Even the Hokage looked very young, and he had heard that she was in fact a very old woman now.
“I am Ino,” Ino said, bowing slightly.
“I’m Sakura,” Sakura supplied.
“Shikamaru, and that’s Chouji,” Shikamaru said, becoming bored with this conversation. If the rest of their trip was going to be just idle talk, he was going to be very bored. After the initial shock of Ino, the mission had become surprisingly dull. At least Ino and Sakura were acting civil in front of the two ‘-osukes’.’
“I think it’s time you left for your journey,” the Hokage said suddenly. “It will take quite some time for you to get to the Cloud Country, and I’m sure the sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back.”
“Then allow us to beg your leave,” Ino said, standing up and bowing deeply to the Hokage. “Come, Sakura.” The two representatives from the Cloud stood up and exited the room, followed closely by a demure Ino and a less than happy Sakura. Tsunade grinned at Shikamaru before he left with Chouji, making him feel as if this mission was somehow a big joke on him. He didn’t know what was going on in that woman’s mind, but he had a whole month to figure it out.
--
Trudging through the thick, wet, really disgusting mud, Shikamaru realized that he had more than a month to contemplate on the Hokage’s strange grin. The rain had been pouring down on the group ever since they had entered the Cloud Country, slowing down their moderately quick pace through the Fire Country. It seemed like the sky was never barren of Clouds here. Shikamaru scowled, knowing no one would see his expression in the downpour. Sure he had wanted to watch the clouds in the sky, but he hadn’t wanted them to rain on him. He didn’t allow himself to let out a sigh. No use in wasting perfectly warm air. Even through his sweater, jacket, cloak, and then raincoat, he was still feeling cold. For the first time in his life, he wished he were a girl. At least they got to stay warm in the carriages, being carried by the horses that the Cloud Country had provided, instead of tramping through the rain looking like a wet puppy. Though in his case, Shikamaru figured he looked more like a sausage, what with all the layers of clothing on him.
The faint squishing sound on the opposite side of the carriage that he was walking along was a constant reminder that Chouji was in for the annoying rain with him. He wondered what the other boy was doing. He knew he couldn’t be munching on his chips; the rain would soak it through before it even got to his lips.
His train of thoughts stopped suddenly as he realized that the carriage he was guarding had also stopped. Walking a little forward, he turned to the driver, eyes questioning what was happening. The driver didn’t respond, only listened intently for some sort of signal. Suddenly, he could hear the pattering of shoes against the wet floor all around him, advancing closer to the carriage. A flash of lightning suddenly struck a few miles away, illuminating the dark day in a brilliant ray, imprinting the image of the scene in his mind.
There were around twenty people who were charging at him, all sorts of weapons brandishing in their hands. He didn’t have to wonder long about who they were, for the first shouts of battle soon announced it.
“Kill the conniving dogs of the Fire Country! Kill the traitors!” was the general roar from the crowd, and before Shikamaru knew it, he had kunai and shuriken out, seeking to damage the enemy and defend himself as best he could. Trust ambushes to happen during the worst conditions.
He could hear Chouji using his familiar meat tank attack to take out the few people who thought they could fight against the giant meatball, while others dispersed from their formations, creating general chaos among themselves.
“Damn rebels,” he could hear the driver curse as he jumped off from his seat, doing his best to defend the carriage, and more importantly, the people inside. He knew very well that if these people died here, an inevitable war would spring up between the Cloud and Fire Countries, and he really had no desire to fight in another war.
Shikamaru cursed. There were too few people on his team. If he left his side to go to Chouji, it would leave this side of the carriage vulnerable. On the other hand, he and Chouji could take out the enemies very quickly if they were working together. With the shadow bind and meat tank attack, these dissidents would have been sent packing in a matter of minutes. He knew that Ino and Sakura could take care of themselves if he left only one side open to attack, but he didn’t want to blow their cover. After all, only he and Chouji were the ones that were supposed to have any kind of attacks at all. The girls were supposed to just be there for decoration.
“What’s happening?” a small, frightened voice asked. It took a second for his mind to register that it was Ino speaking.
“Rebels. Don’t worry, Ino-sama, we’ll take care of these bas-ruffians,” their driver said, minding his language around the lady despite fighting off the attackers. A makeshift spear suddenly flew at the occupants of the carriage, thrown by someone a little distance away. The driver quickly knocked the spear out of its path, sending kunai flying down towards the direction of the attack.
So, he’s a ninja, eh? Shikamaru thought to himself, realizing that the Cloud, too, were keeping their secrets. He had no time to ponder that as he moved towards Chouji’s side, now confident that his abandoned side would be guarded by the driver. This would be over soon.
--
“This is going to be over soon, so I’d better brief you quickly,” Ino said hurriedly, right after she had stuck her head out to assess the situation. Of course, the man from the Cloud had seen her, so she had to go through some quick acting to cover up her purpose. “When I’m spying on them, you are to create a bunshin of me and pretend to attend to me. Try not to make me act too much like a bitch, okay?” she said, pulling out the bag underneath her, and promptly digging through it, looking for something.
“What?” Sakura asked, not quite sure what her friend was asking of her. What was this about spying? Weren’t they on a diplomatic mission?
“Use that large forehead of yours and figure it out,” Ino said, starting to search more frantically. “The reason Tsunade-sama specifically chose you to be my attendant is because she knew that you know me best, and therefore you’ll probably be able to imitate my habits best.”
“You’re acting right now though! Anyone can imitate you,” Sakura said, feeling nervous as Ino quickly handed her a scroll and packed the bag up, stuffing it under the empty space below her seat.
“No matter how great my acting is, there’ll always be little habits about me that I won’t be able to break,” the other girl replied, listening to the sounds of fighting outside. She seemed satisfied and continued on. “Now, I won’t be able to brief you again, so you better remember everything I say.” She waited for Sakura to nod, which the other girl eventually did, although in great confusion. “That scroll you’re holding; open it if we’ve been discovered.”
“Discovered? What do you mean?” Sakura asked, looking at the scroll as if it were burning her hands.
“You must be getting dumber, hanging around Naruto,” Ino said, resisting the urge to slap herself on the forehead. She had to remember that she was wearing thick make-up now. “If they discover that we’re spies, Sakura. Now, when we arrive in our room, I want you to pretend to help me change out of my clothes. Then I want you to quickly make a bunshin and change it to look like me, then perform the Kawarimi no Jutsu with me.”
“But it’s a bunshin! I can’t just perform the Kawarimi on something that I can’t touch!” protested Sakura. This mission was starting to scare her. She had thought it was going to be annoying at first, being Ino’s servant and everything, but now she saw that she had to get as serious as Ino soon, otherwise their lives were in jeopardy. No wonder Shikamaru had said this was an A ranked mission. So far, she had felt as if it were just an elaborate C ranked mission.
“Sakura, it’s your chakra, and you should have the best control of it,” Ino said in exasperation, talking to Sakura in a way that she hadn’t heard her friend speak in years. “Another reason you were selected for this position,” Ino said thoughtfully. “Anyway, just pretend that it’s solid or something. I’m sure someone with two minds in her head can figure something out.”
Sakura was about to shoot a retorting remark back when Ino suddenly silenced her with a finger to her lip. The sounds of the fight had stopped. Sakura wondered nervously how Ino had planned to brief her if the fight had never started. Obviously she had had to wait for her chance. What made the girl even more curious was why Ino had briefed only her and not the rest of the team. It seemed from the way that Shikamaru described the mission, he hadn’t known what was really going on either. That made Sakura feel more than a little uneasy. Had there been a double agent in Konoha? If so, how did Tsunade manage to brief Ino but not Shikamaru? Questions only continued to fill her mind, and she had no one to answer them.
--
The Country of the Cloud was one of the more unique nations in the world. Rumor had it that it was always cloudy there, but that was not true. It was actually enshrouded in fog in the early morning, making most of the country seem like it had ascended to heaven. When the rays of the morning sun dispelled the mist from the country, what it revealed was a spectacular sight to see. While Konoha was a labyrinth of buildings climbing on top of each other, the hidden village of Cloud had a type of regal order about it. It was situated in the northernmost part of the country, away from the dangers of other attacking ninja villages, and for that reason, it had been able to retain a type of ancient beauty that most other villages could not maintain.
While the Country of the Cloud had customs similar to those in the Country of Fire, it shared enough differences to make their enmity blossom into war. Among one of those differences, was the joining of the ninja village with the government, creating a country whose military power lay mostly in their superior ninja. For that same reason, the hidden village of Cloud also served as the capital of the country, and did its best to impress visitors both foreign and native. And impress it did.
Finally arriving at the village after three weeks of sloshing through mud, ever aware for another surprise attack, Shikamaru saw, for the first time, the jewel of Cloud Country. And what a magnificent jewel it was. The early light reflected off the tiled roofs of the buildings there, making the city shine like a star in the morning sky. The mist that had yet to disappear also hung like an angel’s gauze, giving the city an almost heavenly look. The walls of the city were perfectly white, as if its color had never been worn down with time, and the small patches of garden he could see were filled with beautiful blooms that were waiting for the order of the sun to open.
As he entered the city, still walking on the left side of the carriage, he noticed that even the streets seemed to shine. Glancing briefly at what he was walking on, he realized that the streets had been paved with shells, tiny bits of cement showing through the spaces where the shells did not manage to overlap. The sound of the hooves of horses against the street was pleasant, like the tinkling of shells on a wind chime. Shikamaru wondered how such a beautiful place was able to foster warmongers and traitors such as the ones that had attacked Konoha in the past.
“It’s beautiful,” Sakura breathed, walking next to Shikamaru. Apparently the pink-haired girl couldn’t get enough of the scenery from inside the carriage and just had to walk outside. Ino, being the diplomat and “lady” of the mission, did not have such liberties. They were moving at a slow pace towards the tallest building in the city, not wanting to wake the sleepy city by going at their regular pace. Shikamaru also suspected that the Cloud had deliberately set that pace so that they, being the ambassadors from Konoha, could stare at the city in awe and report of its great magnificence when they got back.
Finally, they arrived at the largest and most elaborately decorated building of them all. Located in the heart of the city, the castle of the Raikage towered well above the other buildings in the city, the purple roof tiles reflecting the sunlight, shining like a beacon in a sea of mists. The heavy, double doors of the outer gate of the castle were open, no doubt ready to receive the important guests from the Country of Fire.
Entering the outer court of the castle, Sakura let out an awed gasp as she saw the double rows of Cherry trees lining the stone slab path leading to another gate, this one smaller than the one she had just passed through. Each tree blossomed as if its sole purpose for existence was to impress and awe those who gazed upon it. The pastel pink and white petals of the trees contrasted with the dark bark of the tree, making the blossoms appear like a cloud that hovered above the trunk of each tree. Sakura couldn’t help but feel that she was in a sort of heaven as she walked between the trees, the quiet pattering of hooves the only sound breaking the tranquility of the outer court.
Upon nearing the gate to the middle court, the driver stopped the carriage, and a servant of the castle approached them. A cough from Shikamaru broke Sakura out of her dream-like state, and she quickly approached the carriage, suddenly remembering the etiquette that they had been taught during their academy years. The servant would lead them to the main building to meet the master of the castle, but before that she needed to do her duty as Ino’s attendant and help her mistress out.
She opened the door carefully, trying not to appear clumsy and unused to her duties. Ino slowly extended her hand, giving Sakura enough time to remember what she was supposed to do with it. She took her lady’s hand and helped her out of the carriage, shutting the carriage door after her, and standing next to her lady when she was done.
“Welcome, Children of Fire,” the servant said, bowing respectfully. “Please do me the honor of following me to the inner court. My master awaits you.” Shikamaru nodded while Ino bowed back, following the servant side by side, while Sakura and Chouji lagged a little behind the two, close enough to provide their services when necessary, and far enough to show their lower status. Sakura remembered how the kunoichi instructor had mentioned that the people in Cloud were obsessed with status and displaying the correct reverence to those of a certain station. If Ino was displaying her talents as the gracious guest, then Sakura would display her acting skills as the humble servant. There was no way she would lose to her ex-best friend in anything!
Following the servant through the various corridors and becoming thoroughly lost, Sakura fingered the scroll she had hidden in her purse, wondering if there would come a situation where she would actually have to open it. She hadn’t been stupid enough to sneak a peek inside the scroll, unlike a certain teammate of hers who had tried to cheat during the Chuunin exams. She was curious, but not so much that she would endanger the mission to satisfy her curiosity. She was secretly glad that she had kept the scroll close to her, instead of hiding it in her bags, for she wasn’t sure if the people in Cloud would search the luggage as they unloaded it from the carriage.
The servant finally led them into sunlight again, the mid-morning sun casting away any remaining mists that clung to the trees. They approached a quiet garden with prearranged flower beds and a little stream flowing in the center of it, a bridge connecting the two halves of the garden together. A man in black robes with gold lining stood atop the bridge, gazing contemplatively into the stream.
The servant approached the man, murmuring something that was out of the hearing of the ambassadors from Konoha. The man nodded, then dismissed the servant, who bowed, then backed away from her master. The man approached their group of four, giving them a speculative look. His brow seemed to arch briefly when he saw them, but he gave no other indication of surprise.
“Welcome to the Country of the Cloud,” he said in a deep voice that had a certain powerful edge to it. “Your presence here does great honor to us. Please excuse my impertinence in failing to meet you in the Grand Hall, for though I am Raikage, I am but a selfish man who had wished to indulge himself in the tranquility of his garden before venturing into the chaos of this world once more.” He inclined his head slightly, and Sakura took that as the way the Raikage bowed to others.
“The honor and pleasure is ours, Great Ruler of Lightning,” Ino said, bowing so that her body formed a ninety-degree angle. Sakura and the others followed her example. “How would we dare to part you from time well spent in this garden of tranquility? Indeed, it would be presumptuous for us to even imagine so.”
Discontinued...
The more I read this, the more I don't like it. It's a good thing it's being retired into the scrap pile.