After the training, Naruto's relationship with team Guy has gotten much better. Even Neji has warmed up to him, with occasional chatters.
*Bang*
Naruto fell to the ground during a spar with Neji, who was able to deflect his attacks with relative ease.
"Damn, and here I thought Lee was the strongest of the team" Naruto sat up and rubbed the back of his head which hit the ground pretty hard after Neji sent him flying.
"Your strategies are impressive, if not for the difference in our physical capabilities, I'd be in a much tighter situation" Neji smiled as he lowered his hands.
Naruto sighed and got up, his strategies were rendered useless before Neji's eight trigram palm that practically gave him a three sixty degree vision of everything when paired with the Byakugan.
"Your battles were most exciting" Lee clapped his hands
"You're pretty impressive for forcing Neji to use so much, only Lee has gotten him that serious during spars thus far" Tenten complemented
After this, Naruto went to have lunch, in which the three decided to tag along.
Not far, Ino saw Naruto enter Ichiraku ramens, and a playful grin appeared on her face as she headed over.
Inside, Naruto was about to dig in when a pair of hands covered his eyes
"Guess who"
"Sup Ino" Naruto guessed immediately, after all, is there another girl in this village who would do this to him?
"Aw, Na-kun guessed so quickly, that's no fun" Ino pulled his head back and ruffled his hair with a grin
She quickly realised that there were three others in here with him, and waved
"Hi" She said with a bright smile
"Uh...hi" Neji nodded
"Hello!" Lee gave an energetic response
Tenten stared at her and smiled
"You're Ino of the Yamanaka clan, right?" She asked
"Yes" Ino smiled and sat down next to Naruto
"You seem quite close with Naruto, even calling him by a nickname" Tenten said with a teasing smile, but Ino didn't seem flustered.
She laughed without embarrassment
"I call people I'm close to by nicknames, Choji and Shikamaru included" She replied
"Oh~" Tenten nodded, but she saw a faint spark in Ino's eyes when she approached Naruto from behind.
She kept it to herself, after all, it seems the two has it figured out themselves as well, so it was fine to let them slowly develop themselves.
Lee was oblivious as always as he smiled at everyone getting along.
"Right, Ino, the Chunin exam is coming up, take these with you for self-defence" Naruto said as he took out a small pouch that was filled with various things.
Ino looked in the bag and saw bottles, some cigarettes, metal balls and a few pills...
She looked up
"These...aren't drugs, are they?" She asked with a hesitant look
Naruto rolled his eyes
"Do I look like I dabble in those things?" He picked up one item at a time
"This metal ball contains poison gas inside, it will explode when you throw it after infusing Chakra into it, the poison will dumb senses and paralyse the body" Naruto said
He then picked up the pill
"This is the antidote for it, in case you get yourself or allies caught in it" He said
He then picked up the bottle
"Inside is a cream that will hide your scent, apply a bit anywhere, and it'll mask your scent for an hour"
Last was the cigarette
"This thing is for stamina recovery, if you find yourself tiring out, smoke one, it won't harm your health so you don't need to worry" Naruto said
Ino, and the rest were all amazed by these things, from the metal ball to the scent covering cream in the bottle. Each were very useful, and would be very beneficial to bring on any missions!
"But why a cigarette?" Ino asked, she's sick and tired of Asuma sensei smoking already, she didn't want to start smoking either
"If it's liquid, it will be too bothersome to use mid-combat, and pills have a reduced effect, a cigarette can be held in the mouth at all times, and can be carried whilst taking up minimal space" Naruto replied with a serious expression
Faced with all these reasons, Ino felt that this was a losing argument on her end...but a cigarette...
Won't a girl be seen as barbaric if she used it during combat?
"Naruto, why didn't you give us any of those? You didn't even spare an extra cigarette for us, but you gave Ino a full pack as well as other things" Tenten grinned
Naruto snorted
"I'm biased" He replied with a proud look
Ino giggled, seeing how proud he was to announce such a thing was adorable.
"Thank you Na-kun" She wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and gave him a big hug before sitting back down.
[Officer, right here]
[Hm, give him a tough mission that will get him arrested]
[Sure thing officer]
[Mission, kill a villager in broad daylight]
[Reward: Prison sentence]
Naruto's lips twitched, he knew that this was just a joke mission, but the initial thing it said really annoyed him.
He began slurping up the ramen
"Oh right, what does Asuma sensei teach you all?" Naruto asked
"He teaches us Chakra control" Ino replied
"I see...perhaps I should go ask him to help with that" He knows that Asuma can infuse Chakra into weapons to increase its lethality, which he has tried to replicate, but failed as he didn't know the correct method of doing so.
"Sure, bring a few packs of these cigarettes to him, and he may even consider taking you in as a son" Ino joked
"Great idea, bribery!" Naruto clasped his hands together and said
"Forget what I said" Ino coughed, how can he interpret that as bribery?
After a good meal, Naruto bid them farewell, and went back home. Once he left, Tenten leaned over to Ino as she pushed the guys aside.
"Shoo, this is a girl's talk" She rushed them away before pulling Ino off
"So~, how's the progress with your dear Na-kun?" She asked with a grin
"It's going rather well" Ino smiled
"Oh? This is juicy, tell me more, I heard you were a Sasuke fanatic, how did our dear yellow haired fox boy charm you?" Tenten asked with eyes glimmering with curiosity.
Ino paused a bit at the mention of Sasuke, but she quickly brushed it off
"Don't get me started, I can't believe I fell for him in the first place"
"Sasuke or Naruto?"
"Sasuke" She replied
"Did something happen between you two?" Tenten grew more curious
Ino shrugged
"I just realised what quality a guy needs to become a good partner, Sasuke doesn't even put a girl in his eyes, how can that cold-hearted person be considered a good partner?" Ino huffed with a pouty look.
Tenten poked her cheeks and giggled
"Aw, so Naruto has those qualities?"
"I mean, yeah, he's pleasant to talk to, and often looks out for me" She grinned
"I heard Sasuke graduated at the top of his class" Tenten said
"Na-kun wouldn't lose out by much" Ino huffed
Tenten smiled even more, the relationship between Naruto and Ino has been the juiciest story she has heard thus far, and she wanted to hear more.
"True, Naruto is very skilled in combat, he's able to occupy Lee and Neji during spars which is impressive"
"Really?" As a fellow member of one of the major clans in the hidden leaf, she knew that Neji is considered a prodigy amongst his age, so the fact that Naruto can keep him occupied means that his skills were very high.
"You are so cute, your expressions are just so readable" Tenten said with a wide smile
Tenten then leaned closer
"So, when will you make Naruto yours?" She whispered, making the usually composed Ino reveal a faint layer of pink on her face.
"A-Aha, well, actually...I'm still trying to figure that out"
"Ah?" Tenten was stupefied
She grabbed Ino's shoulders
"Look at that guy, he clearly has a thing for you, and now that you see him that way, one sentence should decide that, no?" Tenten exclaimed
"Yeah, I know, he said he liked me a while ago" Ino scratched the side of her cheeks and said
"???" Now Tenten was even more confused
"It was when I still liked Sasuke" Ino coughed awkwardly
"Ah!" So that was why
"And he said he'd even support me in my choices" Ino covered her face as she explained her conversation with Naruto during that time.
When Tenten heard all that, she was speechless
"You...need to bag him! That guy even went to choose gifts with you for Sasuke, he's a one in a million dedicated man, don't let others snatch him" She said with a shocked look in her eyes, still trying to process Naruto's incredibly open mindedness for going with Ino to choose a gift for Sasuke!
"That's the thing, he's always been there for me, and more than half the time I've known him, I've been a love struck idiot for Sasuke, I still don't know much about him"
"Yeah" Tenten gulped
"So for now, I wanna get closer and know more about Na-kun" Ino smiled
"How are you this precious" Tenten gasped with an adoring expression
The girls hit it off so well that they were practically best friends by the end of the day. When Tenten told Ino abut the training Naruto had with Guy sensei, she covered her mouth and laughed as she imagined the scene of three Genins, running with a cigarette in their mouths.
That scene would confuse many, not to mention Lee who was seeing it for the first time in person.
"These cigarettes are seriously amazing, use it sparingly" Tenten said
"Yeah" Ino smiled
-Days later-
Naruto returned to Kakashi for some combat training. Though Lee and Neji were good enough for it, he was hiding many things from them, and only Kakashi knew about most of his cards.
Be it the flying raijin or his poisoned weapons, he kept it hidden, and wanted to keep it that way until the Chunin exam.
"You've gained a lot from Guy" Kakashi nodded in satisfaction as he trained with Naruto, avoid his attacks and often throwing in a few kicks to correct his form.
*Puff*
However, just as he was speaking, the kick delivered to Naruto felt as if it hit nothing, and caused him to turn into a puff of white smoke.
Behind him, Naruto appeared with his hands clasped together.
"Hidden leaf secret jutsu, thousand years of death!" Naruto attempted this jutsu on Kakashi once more, but when he struck, Kakashi also became a puff of white smoke.
Before he knew it, Kakashi was behind him, with his eyes glimmering as two fingers struck out...
"This is how you truly use it, thousand years of death!" Kakashi said
Naruto quickly tried to escape using the flying raijin, but realised...
"Sensei, using the Sharingan is cheating!" Naruto almost cried, Kakashi actually used it to send him into a genjutsu that slowed down his movement just so he cannot escape!
Where's the fairness!?
"All is fair in war" Kakashi replied
Sasuke and Sakura covered their eyes as they watched Naruto fly into the sky, screaming and crying as he held his rear...
"That idiot" Sasuke sighed, had Naruto been more normal during the spar and not use that stupid jutsu, Kakashi would have let him off easy, yet he actually tried to use that secret technique on him again!?
Isn't that simply asking for death!? In fact, a thousand years of death!
"Sensei, it was just a joke" Naruto was on the ground, holding his rear with his hands as he whimpered.
"Yes, I was also joking" Kakashi smiled
"..."
Sasuke and Sakura walked over, though they had to admit, Naruto was very impressive when he fought Kakashi.
"You reap what you sow" Sakura said
Naruto sat up and groaned
"Kakashi always has that calm expression, I just want to see his expression if he was struck from behind"
"That's just creepy" Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine when she heard that
*Tap*
Sakura heard some footsteps, and from afar, they saw Ino running over, which made Sakura's expression sour immediately.
She was prepared to start telling Ino off once she arrived and even stood in front of Sasuke to block him.
But what she didn't expect was, instead of Sasuke, Ino snuck up behind Naruto, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Na-kun, I came to see you" She grinned as she ruffled his spiky yellow hair
Naruto's head ducked down from all the ruffling
"Ah, no, don't press me down" He still felt pain on his rear, so when she pressed down on him like that, it intensified!
Ino stuck out her tongue
"Hehe, did Kakashi's jutsu hurt that much?" She asked
"Y-You saw that?" His expression paled when he looked back
Talk about bad timing! Last time, it was him shouting "My youth is burning" or something along those lines, this time, she arrived just in time to see the thousand years of death performed on him!
"I saw a~ll of that" She grinned
Sakura watched with her eyes wide open, when did these two get so close? She felt that every time she saw them, the distance between them shortened, and not by a small margin either!
"Oh, hi Sakura" Ino waved at Sakura, and completely ignored Sasuke
Sakura was in so much shock that she didn't respond right away, and only waved back a few seconds after the greeting.
"H-Hey" She said
Ino quickly turned her attention back to Naruto
"Say, Na-kun, why did you decide to try that on Kakashi sensei? He's a Jonin for goodness sake, I'd be surprised if you actually landed that" Ino sighed as she poked his cheeks
Naruto coughed
"Curiosity killed the cat" He replied, he was just too curious to see what expression Kakashi would make if it did land!
"More like curiosity got the chrysanthemum picked" Ino replied
!!!! Naruto felt his rear clench up tighter, damn, she just had to bring it up!
Watching the two laugh, Sakura wondered...is Ino going to give up on Sasuke?
She was quickly fluttering in joy at the thought that her biggest rival is now gone, but at the same time, Naruto's words resurfaced...
'Once Ino is out, I'll be your rival...'
She suddenly felt a surge of anger and annoyance, will Naruto really become her next love rival?
*Bang*
"Naruto, it's time to excercise our youthfulness!" Guy raced over suddenly, and picked Naruto up
"N-No, I'm still recovering!" Naruto gasped
"No time like the present! Hahaha" Guy laughed
"Kakashi sensei! Say something!" Naruto turned to Kakashi
Kakashi, however, merely smiled at him as he responded
"Take care" He replied
"No!" Naruto cried as Guy pulled him away
His hands reached towards his team, however, everyone ignored his cries for help...
"Uh...I don't know what's going on, but fight on Na-kun!" Ino waved and shouted, causing Naruto's heart to ache.
Ino stuck out her tongue and giggled, she glanced back at Sakura and a faint smirk crawled onto her face.
"Girl's talk time" She said and pulled Sakura away
"So~, how is Sasuke treating you?" Ino asked with a triumphant gaze
Sakura glanced at her, not knowing why she looks as if she won something.
"Cool as always" Sakura placed her hands on her cheeks and giggled like a love struck puppy.
"Mn, but that doesn't answer my question, how is he treating you? Hm?" Ino smiled as she leaned closer to Sakura with her hands behind her back
Sakura stuttered for a moment
"Tr-Treating me...?" Her smile froze
Ino's smile became wider
"He's so cold, I even gave him a present, but he said it was a waste of time, unlike Na-kun, hehehe, he said he'd fight Sasuke for saying that" Her eyes curved into a crescent shape as she bragged.
"..." Sakura suddenly realised what this was about...
"S-So what, now that you're chasing Naruto to replace Sasuke because he rejected you" Sakura huffed
Ino shrugged
"Well, that's not completely false, but I'm not replacing him, I'm finding a more suitable person, someone who actually would treat me like a person" She replied, her eyes were glimmering with smugness.
Sakura clenched her fists, why does facing Ino become more frustrating now that she gave up on Sasuke?
"S-Sasuke-kun is more handsome than Naruto" Sakura tried to fight back
But her retort didn't Ino angry one bit, she just chuckled
"Choosing a partner based on appearance alone is kind of sad, y'know? Na-kun is fun to talk to, listens to me, and is cute to tease, what about Sasuke?" Sakura realised that Ino also no longer refers to Sasuke with -kun anymore, and everything she said about Naruto struck her where it hurts the most.
"B-But Sasuke-kun is very smart and skilled in combat"
"You say that as if Naruto isn't, I'm sure you're well aware of that" Ino replied
Everything Sakura has to say, she had a retort. In fact, anyone would be able to retort, as what she is saying are all facts that Sakura cannot deny.
It also made Sakura understand why Ino decided to stop pursuing Sasuke, however, none of it mattered to her. She liked Sasuke, and was willing to see it through to the end.
"I...don't want to compare the two, I like Sasuke, and you like Naruto, I am fundementally different to you, so this talk is becoming pointless" Sakura said with a frown
Ino glanced at her eyes filled with determination, she smiled gently. Her originally malicious expression became warm as she stared at Sakura.
"Now that's the Sakura who took number one in the theory exams" She reached her arms over and pulled Sakura into an embrace, which she did not expect at all.
"You're right, we're both different, I also wanted to see how deeply you like Sasuke, whether it was like me...superficial...or did you genuinely like him till the end" She said as she held Sakura tightly.
She pulled back a bit so the two could see one another's eyes, no hidden expressions, no beating around the bushes.
"If you truly like him, then I wish you the best of luck, Sakura" Ino revealed a dazzling smile, making memories resurface in Sakura's mind.
Memories of when they were young, long before their rivalry...these memories rushed back to her like a torrent, and before she knew it, she felt moisture form below her eyes.
"Ino..." Sakura muttered as her eyes slowly blurred from the tears rising.
When Ino saw her start sheeding tears, she was stunned, but she smiled
"H-Hey, don't start crying now, y-you'll make me cry as well" Ino tried to hold it together, but when tears began running down Sakura's face, she couldn't cold on for long either.
The two held each other for a while. Ever since Ino woke up from her love struck dream over Sasuke, she remembered Sakura's expression on the day she gave him a present as well, the look of a heart broken maiden.
But unlike Ino, Sakura was able to steel herself and keep pushing through with her feelings, whilst she had moved on.
Their rivalry with one another rose because of Sasuke, but now that she has moved on...couldn't they return to the way they used to? Just like when they were during ninja school...
From afar, Kakashi watched the two make up, and a smile appeared on his face
"And here I thought that they were going to start fighting...Ino Yamanaka, she's matured a lot since knowing Naruto, Inoichi will be quite pleased" Kakashi chuckled