Chapter 88 - Arc XIIiii: What If?- Chapter 2
Submitted January 28, 2010 Updated August 25, 2012 Status Complete | My OC is forced to play servant to Naruto and Sakura. He must ignore his own dreams to see that Sakura and Naruto live happily ever after- either as a couple, or as the two strongest shinobi ever.
Category:
Anime/Manga » Naruto series |
Chapter 88 - Arc XIIiii: What If?- Chapter 2
Chapter 88 - Arc XIIiii: What If?- Chapter 2
Yuji didn’t sulk. Not in the traditional sense of the word. But he was certainly mad enough to chew nails. People cut him a wide berth on the street. At the same time, they gave him looks of pity. They could feel the decrease in his power. He was now feared and pitied rather than respected and relied upon.
The one thing Yuji did do was actively find Ino. Once he did, he apologized to her. He was legitimately sorry for her loss of a sensei and friend, and he was even more sorry for how his words must have stung, spoken in unknowing ignorance.
Ino put on a brave face while Yuji apologized. She took what he said in context and thanked him sincerely for coming forward as he did. At the end, when each one was wondering how to end the awkward conversation, Ino told Yuji simply:
“If you need something, you know, you can always come to me. And Choji and Shikamaru, too. It isn’t healthy to be alone all the time, you know?”
Yuji thanked her for the offer and left quickly and quietly, still looking for all the world like he would gladly paint the village with the blood of the next person who got in his way.
-
The second Yuji left, Ino walked out from behind the counter of the Yamanaka flower shop, folded her apron and placed it gently on the counter. She headed for Tsunade’s office, hoping to find Sakura.
She was in luck, as Sakura was dealing with an arm full of files. She blinked in surprise at Ino’s entry.
“Ino? Can I help you?” Shizune asked kindly. But she received no reply. Ino strode right past her toward Sakura.
“Ino?” Sakura asked, setting down the files on the Hokage’s desk. “What’s going on?”
SLAP!
Ino slapped Sakura in the face. Hard. Hard enough to drop her former rival to the ground. As Sakura stood up, staring in shock, Ino explained herself just the tiniest bit.
“I don’t know what you did to cause that sweet boy to change into a demon, but it’s unforgivable, Sakura. Unforgiveable. Shikamaru, Choji, and I were waiting to walk Yuji home last night. We gave you some space once we saw you approach Yuji. For him to brush you off…even threaten you…”
Ino shook her head sadly. “No. Even in you apologized, we all can feel it. His chakra is practically gone from where it was. And it’s your fault. Just stay away from Yuji. You’ve done enough damage.”
Sakura tried to gather her bearings, calling out to Ino. Ino didn’t turn her head, but she stopped long enough to say one more thing:
“Stay away from me, too. If you’d ruin a guy who would’ve done anything for you, who knows what you’ll do to a rival like me.”
--
--
Yuji wasn’t sure of what to do. For all his anger, he really had no direction for it. He’d made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with Team Kakashi. But what happened after that? And honestly, Naruto and Kakashi were just collateral damage. Yuji had no quarrel with them; he wanted to be sure one wasn’t created. They would have to defend Sakura, and then Yuji would have to defend himself if it came to that. No, it was best this way. He’d barked out his warning and they had agreed to back off.
So what happened next?
Without that chakra…What do I do with myself? I gave up any plans I had because my future was predetermined to such a large degree. I’m a jonin, so there should be work out there. But how strong am I, anyway? Did I rely on that other chakra too much? Did my own atrophy? I don’t think that’s possible, but still. What to do about all this just isn’t clear.
Ino’s words echoed in Yuji’s head. He hadn’t seriously considered taking her up on her offer, but he found that he really didn’t want to be alone. He was scared, he realized. Scared of himself. Afraid of what he’d do without his power. His confidence had been shaken and he had no idea how to rebuild it. Ino might, though; she always had plenty of confidence.
Yuji figured he could do worse than spend some time in the company of a pretty young lady. She was still grieving, and now he was, too. Yuji’s role had always been to be the supporter to Naruto and Sakura. Maybe he could still be support; just to a different group. Kakashi had assumed command of Asuma’s team. But he already had another team. Maybe Yuji could…
--
Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino were all fine with Yuji being in charge of their team. Lady Tsunade had whole-heartedly approved it, telling Yuji what a healthy step it was that he was putting himself out there so quickly.
From the start, Yuji made it clear that he was a placeholder. Shikamaru was the rightful heir to Asuma, and Yuji would do nothing to interfere with that. Until Shikamaru became a jonin, Yuji would handle at least the administrative end of the team.
The newly formed team met up in the Hokage’s office to hear their new mission. Fresh off a big victory over the Akatsuki, they were raring to go. Yuji was especially excited- he had to show people that he was the same Yuji; that he wasn’t shrinking away because he’d lost some power. What he couldn’t have from that prophecy he would earn himself through hard work. He knew that, at first, people would still pity him. They might even think that this was a charade on his part to act as if nothing happened. Not true. Life simply went on, even when you weren’t sure you wanted it to. You had to keep on going, and to Yuji, that was all this was.
Shizune delivered the mission, reading it aloud and summarizing it.
“…So essentially, there is supposed to be an uprising of Orochimaru followers. Criminals who weren’t Akatsuki material that joined Orochimaru as the next best alternative. They’re loyal only to doing whatever damage they can. They’ve recently attacked our allies in the Sand. Since the chunin exams need planning, we’re killing two birds with one stone. Shikamaru will meet up with the Sand’s representative while the rest of you will break up this group and arrest who you can.”
That was as good a mission as any for Yuji to get his feet wet as team leader. He’d really always worked more or less alone, so this was new for him. He’d certainly never had a team to command before. He was quietly thankful that Shikamaru would be otherwise occupied. He was sure Shikamaru would respect his decisions, but he didn’t want to have to worry about handling a genius level intellect his first time out. Although if he was completely honest with himself, Yuji had another reason for wanting Shikamaru out of the picture.
More and more, Ino’s kindness had weighed on Yuji’s mind. Maybe there was something there. Friendship at least. He’d spent lots of time in the company of his new team and he had found them all to be great people. Yuji and Shikamaru had talked about strategy and history; Choji was always ready to go get a bite; Ino had been supportive and surprisingly sweet.
But could there be more? Ino had never been an interest of his before. She was fantasy fodder at most. She was hot rather than cute. Brash at times, always had the loudest voice. The exact opposite of Sakura. Maybe that helped Yuji’s mindset, but beyond that he had learned how kind she could be. And with that, some of that outer layer of what Yuji had privately termed ‘doginess’ peeled off and revealed a person who might just be as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.
For a minute, Yuji considered that, as team leader, he shouldn’t fraternize that way with one of his teammates. But then he considered that they were both adults, and she wasn’t his student. They were co-workers. And dating a co-worker wasn’t a sin or anything. And really, what good had come of just waiting around? He’d been knocked down again and again. And to hell with that at this point! He was thinking about her non-stop. He’d even quit smoking again so as not to make her think about Asuma. He always said he’d never alter his lifestyle for a girl, and now here he was. That had to mean something.
Sometime on this trip, I will ask Ino out. Yuji pledged to himself. I will do it for my happiness. That’s it.
--
--
The mission itself was fairly easy. Orochimaru’s experiments weren’t all that impressive, and there wasn’t all that many of them. Ino and Shikamaru teamed up, with Shikamaru performing a Shadow Possession Jutsu to trap an opponent, and Ino using the Yamanaka clan’s Mind Destruction Jutsu to force on of Orochimaru’s abominations against another. This trick was repeated several times while Choji and Yuji caused distractions by physically fighting with everyone else. The fight lasted maybe ten minutes this way.
The only injury was a shallow but very long cut Yuji had taken across his chest. He had shed his shirt partway through the battle and turned it into a bandage. Now that the dust had settled, he had time to get it treated properly. He was determined to tell Ino that she had been invaluable to this mission, too. More than even Shikamaru, she blamed herself for Asuma’s death. Shikamaru had responded by shouldering most of Asuma’s responsibilities and becoming a highly respected shinobi. Choji was content to support his team, as he always had. Ino was the only one who hadn’t really found a way to cope.
So, sitting in the tent the team had shared on the way to and from their mission’s location, Yuji approached Ino. But to just congratulate her felt so…empty. He needed some sort of preamble. The answer was the increasingly bothersome wound on his chest.
“Ino, could I bother you to heal this? For all I know there could have been poison on that blade.”
Ino had been distracted, or at least lost in thought, because her reply was a hollow ‘Sure’ that carried no emotion behind it.
Shikamaru and Choji had stepped out to keep watch for any enemies that might be approaching. Now was as good a time as any. So as Ino got to work on healing Yuji’s chest, Yuji spoke up.
“You know, you really were the backbone of that mission. That jutsu of yours… You and Shikamaru make quite a combo on the battlefield.”
Ino sort of grunted in reply, focusing on healing Yuji. So Yuji gulped a bit and continued.
“I really wouldn’t have fit in without your help. And I’d like to thank you for that, not to mention healing me now. How about dinner sometime?”
It took a moment to sink in, but when it did Ino looked up quickly. She uncharacteristically fumbled for a reply, eventually coming up with “Yeah, sure. I’d like that.”
Yuji gave her a grin and thanked her again. He got up as quickly as politeness would allow. He had to relieve Shikamaru and Choji, but even more so he wanted to get out there so he could congratulate himself. This was a major victory for him no matter what came of the date.
--
Ino had been taken aback by Yuji’s rather sudden interest in her. She knew he valued strong, capable women. At this moment, she felt like none of those things. Her looks were fine- that much she knew, with no hint of modesty. But she seemed woefully inadequate in every other aspect.
Then it occurred to her- the slap. She had slapped Sakura in defense of Yuji. She had stepped up without really thinking about why. Sitting there in the comfortable semi-darkness of the tent, free for the moment from any company, she settled down on the ground to relax and think.
He’s attractive enough. Young looking, but that’s not bad. He’s also older than I am by, what, six or so years? Is that a lot? Or maybe I’m misunderstanding his intentions. He could just be asking me out to thank me. That’s something he would do, for that matter.
Shaking her head, Ino decided that she would go into this date assuming nothing. She would read Yuji’s actions and react accordingly. She just didn’t know where she wanted things to go.
He’s hot and single. I’m hot and single. So maybe we’ll just click.
The one thing Yuji did do was actively find Ino. Once he did, he apologized to her. He was legitimately sorry for her loss of a sensei and friend, and he was even more sorry for how his words must have stung, spoken in unknowing ignorance.
Ino put on a brave face while Yuji apologized. She took what he said in context and thanked him sincerely for coming forward as he did. At the end, when each one was wondering how to end the awkward conversation, Ino told Yuji simply:
“If you need something, you know, you can always come to me. And Choji and Shikamaru, too. It isn’t healthy to be alone all the time, you know?”
Yuji thanked her for the offer and left quickly and quietly, still looking for all the world like he would gladly paint the village with the blood of the next person who got in his way.
-
The second Yuji left, Ino walked out from behind the counter of the Yamanaka flower shop, folded her apron and placed it gently on the counter. She headed for Tsunade’s office, hoping to find Sakura.
She was in luck, as Sakura was dealing with an arm full of files. She blinked in surprise at Ino’s entry.
“Ino? Can I help you?” Shizune asked kindly. But she received no reply. Ino strode right past her toward Sakura.
“Ino?” Sakura asked, setting down the files on the Hokage’s desk. “What’s going on?”
SLAP!
Ino slapped Sakura in the face. Hard. Hard enough to drop her former rival to the ground. As Sakura stood up, staring in shock, Ino explained herself just the tiniest bit.
“I don’t know what you did to cause that sweet boy to change into a demon, but it’s unforgivable, Sakura. Unforgiveable. Shikamaru, Choji, and I were waiting to walk Yuji home last night. We gave you some space once we saw you approach Yuji. For him to brush you off…even threaten you…”
Ino shook her head sadly. “No. Even in you apologized, we all can feel it. His chakra is practically gone from where it was. And it’s your fault. Just stay away from Yuji. You’ve done enough damage.”
Sakura tried to gather her bearings, calling out to Ino. Ino didn’t turn her head, but she stopped long enough to say one more thing:
“Stay away from me, too. If you’d ruin a guy who would’ve done anything for you, who knows what you’ll do to a rival like me.”
--
--
Yuji wasn’t sure of what to do. For all his anger, he really had no direction for it. He’d made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with Team Kakashi. But what happened after that? And honestly, Naruto and Kakashi were just collateral damage. Yuji had no quarrel with them; he wanted to be sure one wasn’t created. They would have to defend Sakura, and then Yuji would have to defend himself if it came to that. No, it was best this way. He’d barked out his warning and they had agreed to back off.
So what happened next?
Without that chakra…What do I do with myself? I gave up any plans I had because my future was predetermined to such a large degree. I’m a jonin, so there should be work out there. But how strong am I, anyway? Did I rely on that other chakra too much? Did my own atrophy? I don’t think that’s possible, but still. What to do about all this just isn’t clear.
Ino’s words echoed in Yuji’s head. He hadn’t seriously considered taking her up on her offer, but he found that he really didn’t want to be alone. He was scared, he realized. Scared of himself. Afraid of what he’d do without his power. His confidence had been shaken and he had no idea how to rebuild it. Ino might, though; she always had plenty of confidence.
Yuji figured he could do worse than spend some time in the company of a pretty young lady. She was still grieving, and now he was, too. Yuji’s role had always been to be the supporter to Naruto and Sakura. Maybe he could still be support; just to a different group. Kakashi had assumed command of Asuma’s team. But he already had another team. Maybe Yuji could…
--
Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino were all fine with Yuji being in charge of their team. Lady Tsunade had whole-heartedly approved it, telling Yuji what a healthy step it was that he was putting himself out there so quickly.
From the start, Yuji made it clear that he was a placeholder. Shikamaru was the rightful heir to Asuma, and Yuji would do nothing to interfere with that. Until Shikamaru became a jonin, Yuji would handle at least the administrative end of the team.
The newly formed team met up in the Hokage’s office to hear their new mission. Fresh off a big victory over the Akatsuki, they were raring to go. Yuji was especially excited- he had to show people that he was the same Yuji; that he wasn’t shrinking away because he’d lost some power. What he couldn’t have from that prophecy he would earn himself through hard work. He knew that, at first, people would still pity him. They might even think that this was a charade on his part to act as if nothing happened. Not true. Life simply went on, even when you weren’t sure you wanted it to. You had to keep on going, and to Yuji, that was all this was.
Shizune delivered the mission, reading it aloud and summarizing it.
“…So essentially, there is supposed to be an uprising of Orochimaru followers. Criminals who weren’t Akatsuki material that joined Orochimaru as the next best alternative. They’re loyal only to doing whatever damage they can. They’ve recently attacked our allies in the Sand. Since the chunin exams need planning, we’re killing two birds with one stone. Shikamaru will meet up with the Sand’s representative while the rest of you will break up this group and arrest who you can.”
That was as good a mission as any for Yuji to get his feet wet as team leader. He’d really always worked more or less alone, so this was new for him. He’d certainly never had a team to command before. He was quietly thankful that Shikamaru would be otherwise occupied. He was sure Shikamaru would respect his decisions, but he didn’t want to have to worry about handling a genius level intellect his first time out. Although if he was completely honest with himself, Yuji had another reason for wanting Shikamaru out of the picture.
More and more, Ino’s kindness had weighed on Yuji’s mind. Maybe there was something there. Friendship at least. He’d spent lots of time in the company of his new team and he had found them all to be great people. Yuji and Shikamaru had talked about strategy and history; Choji was always ready to go get a bite; Ino had been supportive and surprisingly sweet.
But could there be more? Ino had never been an interest of his before. She was fantasy fodder at most. She was hot rather than cute. Brash at times, always had the loudest voice. The exact opposite of Sakura. Maybe that helped Yuji’s mindset, but beyond that he had learned how kind she could be. And with that, some of that outer layer of what Yuji had privately termed ‘doginess’ peeled off and revealed a person who might just be as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.
For a minute, Yuji considered that, as team leader, he shouldn’t fraternize that way with one of his teammates. But then he considered that they were both adults, and she wasn’t his student. They were co-workers. And dating a co-worker wasn’t a sin or anything. And really, what good had come of just waiting around? He’d been knocked down again and again. And to hell with that at this point! He was thinking about her non-stop. He’d even quit smoking again so as not to make her think about Asuma. He always said he’d never alter his lifestyle for a girl, and now here he was. That had to mean something.
Sometime on this trip, I will ask Ino out. Yuji pledged to himself. I will do it for my happiness. That’s it.
--
--
The mission itself was fairly easy. Orochimaru’s experiments weren’t all that impressive, and there wasn’t all that many of them. Ino and Shikamaru teamed up, with Shikamaru performing a Shadow Possession Jutsu to trap an opponent, and Ino using the Yamanaka clan’s Mind Destruction Jutsu to force on of Orochimaru’s abominations against another. This trick was repeated several times while Choji and Yuji caused distractions by physically fighting with everyone else. The fight lasted maybe ten minutes this way.
The only injury was a shallow but very long cut Yuji had taken across his chest. He had shed his shirt partway through the battle and turned it into a bandage. Now that the dust had settled, he had time to get it treated properly. He was determined to tell Ino that she had been invaluable to this mission, too. More than even Shikamaru, she blamed herself for Asuma’s death. Shikamaru had responded by shouldering most of Asuma’s responsibilities and becoming a highly respected shinobi. Choji was content to support his team, as he always had. Ino was the only one who hadn’t really found a way to cope.
So, sitting in the tent the team had shared on the way to and from their mission’s location, Yuji approached Ino. But to just congratulate her felt so…empty. He needed some sort of preamble. The answer was the increasingly bothersome wound on his chest.
“Ino, could I bother you to heal this? For all I know there could have been poison on that blade.”
Ino had been distracted, or at least lost in thought, because her reply was a hollow ‘Sure’ that carried no emotion behind it.
Shikamaru and Choji had stepped out to keep watch for any enemies that might be approaching. Now was as good a time as any. So as Ino got to work on healing Yuji’s chest, Yuji spoke up.
“You know, you really were the backbone of that mission. That jutsu of yours… You and Shikamaru make quite a combo on the battlefield.”
Ino sort of grunted in reply, focusing on healing Yuji. So Yuji gulped a bit and continued.
“I really wouldn’t have fit in without your help. And I’d like to thank you for that, not to mention healing me now. How about dinner sometime?”
It took a moment to sink in, but when it did Ino looked up quickly. She uncharacteristically fumbled for a reply, eventually coming up with “Yeah, sure. I’d like that.”
Yuji gave her a grin and thanked her again. He got up as quickly as politeness would allow. He had to relieve Shikamaru and Choji, but even more so he wanted to get out there so he could congratulate himself. This was a major victory for him no matter what came of the date.
--
Ino had been taken aback by Yuji’s rather sudden interest in her. She knew he valued strong, capable women. At this moment, she felt like none of those things. Her looks were fine- that much she knew, with no hint of modesty. But she seemed woefully inadequate in every other aspect.
Then it occurred to her- the slap. She had slapped Sakura in defense of Yuji. She had stepped up without really thinking about why. Sitting there in the comfortable semi-darkness of the tent, free for the moment from any company, she settled down on the ground to relax and think.
He’s attractive enough. Young looking, but that’s not bad. He’s also older than I am by, what, six or so years? Is that a lot? Or maybe I’m misunderstanding his intentions. He could just be asking me out to thank me. That’s something he would do, for that matter.
Shaking her head, Ino decided that she would go into this date assuming nothing. She would read Yuji’s actions and react accordingly. She just didn’t know where she wanted things to go.
He’s hot and single. I’m hot and single. So maybe we’ll just click.
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YunieXTidus on February 10, 2012, 4:20:53 PM
YunieXTidus on
I love this. I remember the Yuji/Ino pairing you did for a one-shot, and this seems to be more of the same awesomeness. Can't wait to read more!andr28a on January 29, 2012, 8:18:11 AM
andr28a on
Hrm well this could turn out to be an interesting couple.