6.4.i

    The evil turtle roared in the distance, soon followed by yet more explosions.

    Ino wiped the blood off her mouth with her one good hand. She tried moving the other, winced at the pain. She’d been too late to release the jutsu, suffered some of the damage as well.

    Out in the distance, the chaos of battle was dying down. The gigantic three-tailed spiky turtle was finally defeated, with limbs bound in wood, and the parts not tied down covered in boiling lava. It was a mess. How did a simple meeting with that woman, Terumi Mei, turn into such a disaster?

    She looked around, tears falling from her eyes. The field was in ruins, littered with craters and bodies and blood.

    “You’re alright?” Choji’s hoarse voice found Ino’s ears. She heard sniffling, then a muffled sob. “I thought... I thought.”

    Ino looked up from where her body had been propped against a rock. Choji’s chakra still burned in soft blue light, covering his fists, sprouting from his back, like butterfly wings. The chubby boy was no more. He looked gaunt, like someone who lived a lifetime of starvation.

    “Thank—” He started, but his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he toppled forward.

    “Choji!” Ino cried out, tried to get up, then cried out again. One of her legs was broken, bent in the wrong direction. She looked around. There was no one near her that she trusted to help. She couldn’t find Shikamaru or Asuma-sensei.

    Gritting her teeth, Ino crawled closer to the unconscious boy. Time was of the essence here. She crawled to his side and, once there, dug into his pockets and pouches until she found the antidote. She pried open Choji’s mouth and put the small pill inside. With luck, it would be enough to cancel the effects of his clan’s secret medicine.

    Ino tried to stand, but her arm gave away, and she fell on top of Choji. She didn’t try to get up again. It hurt too much, and she was too tired. The last thing she thought was: At least now Choji can say a beauty fell all over him.

    Ino gripped her crutches with white-knuckled fingers. Choji was still unconscious, but not in danger anymore. Shikamaru had suffered injuries, but his injuries were the least serious of the team. Asuma-sensei’s injuries were serious, but the man behaved like they were nothing at all. With the three of them was the other Konoha shinobi, the mokuton user called Yamato.

    The man looked even more haggard than Choji had been. Dark circle under his already large dark eyes. His uniform was in need of serious repair, and the blotches of dried blood glared against the green color of the flak jacket.

    Asuma-sensei approached, placed a hand on Ino’s shoulder. The touch should have been comforting, but it wasn’t. Ino held in a shudder.

    “Come, Ino. We have to leave. We’re returning to Konoha.”

    Ino didn’t look away from the bloody chains. Her voice was flat. “Are they giving up on her?”

    “No,” Asuma-sensei said after a brief pause. “But the trail has gone cold. Without any new clues, there’s nothing we can do here. Returning to Konoha and reporting the situation is our best bet.”

    Excuses after excuses. They were giving up. Ino knew it in her gut. She nodded, turned, and left.

    The mission to Kirigakure was reclassified as S-Rank. Her first S-Rank mission, and Ino couldn’t muster the will to care about it. Her dad tried to talk about it, but Ino ignored the attempt. She hadn’t forgiven him for what he’d done to Hinata. Her mother hinted she was there if Ino needed anything, but it felt hollow.

    In the days following her return to Konoha, Ino talked less and less with her friends, spending more and more time training. Sometimes, she’d meet with Naruto, who had also returned from a month-long trip. He cried when he heard the news. Ino cried telling him the news.

    A few times, she met with Sasuke, who was still sick, but getting better. More often, she met with Sakura, but her friend was distracted. Ino knew the signs: Boy trouble, and it wasn’t Sasuke.

    A new Hokage was appointed, Ino didn’t participate in the ceremony. Shikamaru was promoted to chunin, Ino wasn’t in the mood to celebrate with her team.

    It was silly, but all Ino could think about was getting stronger. If she were stronger, she could look for her friend on her own. If she were stronger, Choji wouldn’t have to eat his clan’s secret medicine to protect her. If she were stronger, Hinata wouldn’t need to leave Ino behind.

    She punched the wooden dummy again. Her fist was bloodied. The tears hadn’t stopped falling.

    Ino knew it was irrational. She didn’t care.