Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Closer ❯ Chapter 18

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The first time Ino read over the scrolls Kabuto gave her she was thoroughly disgusted and intrigued at the same time. They were intricate jutsus that used as little chakra as they could, but the downside to that was that the chakra had to be exact. The first scroll was exercises on how to do just that. When she worked with Lady Tsunade, she and Sakura used various animals that eventually grew bigger and more biologically complex until they were able to work on donated cadavers. She and Sakura worked hard together learning and memorizing the human anatomy until the Hokage dubbed them ready to work on real people. First it was medical volunteers, and then staff and then ninja (because they had a high pain tolerance). Finally, after working their way through the ladder of people, they were able to administer to the villagers and their children. It was gradual experience. It was safe way to learn but it wasn’t the way Kabuto would teach her.

The first person she “worked” on was an underweight, balding woman who had a bad reaction to some kind of remedy that one of Kabuto’s upper medics had been working on. She was paired with said medic with Kabuto watching her closely. The medic was explaining to her that the bruises she was seeing blossoming over the woman’s flakey skin was because the experimental drug she had ingested had thinned her blood. “She’s has internal injuries. Watch.” He poked her thigh and right before her eyes, a new bruise began to form. “So we’re going to inject her with various clotting factors to counteract the effect. Hopefully we’ll find the right concoction before she gets the inevitable bleed in her brain.”

Various injections were already set up and the medic took one from the sterilized metal tray and flicked it with his fingers a couple of times before reaching for the IV tube. “Shouldn’t we sedate her?” Ino asked when the medic began to push in the first injection. The tall faceless medic shot Kabuto an amused smile.

“No. She going to die anyways. Why waste it?” He told her. The woman’s eye became wide with fear and they turned pleadingly to Ino. Ino took a step back, aghast at his nonchalance.

“What?” She turned to Kabuto who was leaning against a counter with his arms folded in front of him. “You’re using her as a human lab right?” She demanded, slamming her palm down on the table making the metal tray shutter. Kabuto grinned and he pushed himself from the counter.

“I told you I like to do things hands on.” He reminded her. Ino’s glare never left his pale face. “Of course, I can make some alternation in my lesson plan and add a degree of mercy.” Ino felt his words hanging ominously over her head. “If you do one thing for me.” He gave her one of his fake smiles. Ino only started at him and waited. “You have to start calling me Sensei.”

She paled before he even finished. “What? You’re using this woman to get me to do that?” Her throat tightened. She only had two people worthy of being called Sensei. Asuma and Anko.

Kabuto pouted. “It’s a big deal to me.” He nudged his medic nin to continue and the balding woman began to scream. Ino’s eyes widened at the ear splitting sound, staring open mouthed at Kabuto and the medic nin’s sick little smiles. The woman began twisting in her restraints. From his pocket Kabuto pulled out a glass bottle, shaking it in front of her. “You can make her pain go away.” He told her in a loud voice. Ino covered her ears in an effort to stop her ear drums from ringing, but it was no use. He was sick! They both were! The pathetic woman’s pleadings and cries jerked her heart out of her chest.

“Okay! Stop!” Ino screamed gulping back her breakfast that was making its way up her throat.

“Stop what?” Kabuto coached.

He hesitated for a second. “Stop Kabuto…sensei.” She hated the way that title twisted her lips. She hated how he was using her common empathy for human life to get things from her. This wasn’t the first time he did something like this and she knew it wouldn’t be the last. The medic nin stopped what he was doing and quickly grabbed the sedation solution from Kabuto and soon, the woman’s sunken in eyes drooped and closed. Still, the memory of her scream would forever echo in her head. And so would her submission. For the rest of the morning, Ino did everything Kabuto asked her with mechanical efficiency.

The only bright side to her training was her ranking in Kabuto’s care. Ino exploited her authority over Ume mostly. Making the girls’ life a complete humiliation was the only way she could survive. She like tormenting the girl weather it came from mislabeling things or monopolizing Kabuto’s time. The box of scrolls he handed her gave her an edge over Ume’s skill. Something she liked bragging over when she saw her do something wrong. Yeah, she was a bitch, but hey she had to have some sunshine in her life. Sasuke could only do so much.

Sitting at her own desk in Kabuto’ office, Ume was silently seething in front of her as Ino tried to look over the reports that Kabuto asked her to file. He had made Ume her assistant and Ino took total advantage of it. Ume loathed being her assistant and despised the way Kabuto treated Ino. He practically ignored Ume and then would give her one of his boyish smiles and talk all nice to her. He was sending mixed messages and Ino knew he enjoyed every second of it. He liked the control he had over his minions and Ume. Control that didn’t extend to Ino in the same way. She was harder to break into submission. It didn’t mean she never broke down (today certainly showed her that) but she was quick to get over her failure.

 But today, she wasn’t in the mood to torment the annoying Kabuto-lover. Her mind was on what had happened earlier. The massive pile of papers in front of her made her feel even more trapped and angry. All of that just to make her call him sensei? She stood up unexpectedly, making her chair fall to the ground. She needed to get back to her room and look over all his scrolls again. She couldn’t let him push her around like this. She would study harder. No matter how many people he killed to make a point across to her he wouldn’t win!

“Where are you going?” Ume stepped in front of her, blocking her way. Ino gritted her teeth.

“Move.” She ordered in anger and tried to push her out of the way. Ume’s brown eyes hardened and she pushed back defiantly.

“We’re not done here! Kabuto wants these done by dinner!”

Ino narrowed her eyes, the last bit of her restraint on her temper breaking. “I don’t care what he wants! I said move!” She screamed decked the girl’s right in the eye. Ume squealed in pain and staggered back, falling to the ground. Ino glared down at her in contempt. She didn’t feel sorry for what she did. Ume was an enemy too. She threw off her lab coat as she stepped over the sobbing girl and left down the narrow hallways to her room.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Ino sat next to an empty chair. She hadn’t seen Rei for a while now. “Where is he?” She asked Orochimaru.

He was in his original form with long black hair, pale white skin and glittering green eyes. He gave a reassuring smile. “He’s doing a few missions for me. Against his will of course, but at least they’re getting done.” Was his nonchalant answer.

Ino wondered what Orochimaru had on Rei to make him do what he was told. Her fellow Leaf ninja was probably in survivor mode as well. She could totally understand that. “When is he getting back?” She pressed, not willing to let such a vague answer satisfy her.

Orochimaru shrugged gently. “I suspect by late afternoon tomorrow.” He took a quiet sip of his tea. “Sasuke, did you tell Ino the news?” Efficiently ending her line of questions.

Ino blinked, and looked across the table at Sasuke. “What news?” She asked suspiciously.

Orochimaru spoke before Sasuke did. “Oh you didn’t, did you? I apologize Ino. Sasuke has been so immersed in his training you both hardly have time to spend together.” Her stomach dropped in disgusted at the way Orochimaru was inserting himself into their relationship. He must have lived as a woman for too long because he was quite the busybody. She was growing tired of his fake politeness.

“We’re going to West Base the day after tomorrow, in Stone Country.” Sasuke supplied, leaning carelessly back in his chair. His plate was clean. The way his lashes were cast down told her he was full and content. That he was in a good mood.

She turned to Orochimaru. “When? Will Rei be back before then?” Moving again? How often did they do that? They’ve only been at this base for a month and a half at least.

“We’ll be leaving in a few days. I’ve sent word to West Base to expect our arrival sometime this week. By then, you friend Rei will have returned.” Kabuto said. Ino didn’t look at him when he spoke. Something that annoyed him.

“Why do we have to go?” She asked Orochimaru noticing herself the bubbling whine. She winced mentally. He lifted an eyebrow at her and gave Kabuto a look. Kabuto shrugged but his brow was in a troubled furrow. He was probably concerned about her actions today and the last thing he needed was Sasuke or Orochimaru to ask him about it. Ino felt her mood lighten a little with the thought. He would probably back off of her a little. Thank God. She feigned a headache, pressing her slender fingers against her temples.

“I have some dealing with the Feudal Lord there.” He told her with a little frown. “Are you unwell? Perhaps you should go to bed early?”

Such a convincing concerned tone. If only it was her Dad who said those words and not some blood thirst traitor. “I think I will. Thank you.” She stood from her chair and left the table, back to her room. It wasn’t long after when Sasuke came to her. She was painting her toenails, her earlier headache miraculously gone.

“You’re not really sick are you?” He asked, taking a seat in her chair.

Ino smiled and shook her head. “I hate sitting at the table with them. Especially with Kabuto.” She blew on the wet lavender polish. “I know it’s going to sound weird coming from me, but if it came down to spending time with Kabuto and Orochimaru, I would totally pick Orochimaru.”

Sasuke snorted in amusement. His dark hair fell sexily into his dark eyes. “How has things been going with your medical training?” It was a fair question. He must have picked up on the new kind tension at the table between her and her new Sensei.

Ino suppressed her anger and expertly kept her expressions schooled. “As well as can be expected I suppose.” She looked up, through her bangs falling in her eyes. “And your training?”

He yawned, sliding deeper in the chair. “Becoming a bit lacking in quality. The old man’s health keeps him from adequately training me.” He answered. Ino smiled, placing her nail polish on the ground and stood from her bed. She sauntered to him under his dark gaze. Her heart was beating hard in her chest and her skin warmed when she straddled him on the chair.

“Poor Sasuke.” She murmured. His hands gripped her hips and their mouths eagerly sought one another. He tasted spicy like his chi tea, and sweet like the honey he used to sweeten it. Her hands danced their way up his shoulders and into his thick black hair. His fingers dug into her hips and she rocked them. It was just to get more comfortable, but it took the kiss to a whole new level. One that they had been skirting around for a while. Her blood had fire racing through it and her insides pulsed with desire. From the feel of him pressed against her, she could tell that he was just as affected.

Her body reacted to everything about him, his smell, his touch, his taste. Even the sight of him made her think of the nights they spent together, doing what they were doing now. But it never went farther than kissing. Bone melting, toe curling, lip throbbing kissing. Part of her wanted to claw out of the familiar, but part of her liked the way things were. Ino’s mouth softened. What if she pressed tonight? How would he respond?

Her mind wandered. There were always what ifs. What if he found out the reason she was here? Would he feel betrayed? What if Orochimaru found out? Would she die? What if he wouldn’t come back to Leaf? Would her mission be considered a failure? What if she wanted to stay with him? Would she actually consider becoming a missing nin for him? When did she become so confused?

Sasuke broke away from her. “You have a lot on your mind.” He told her softly. Ino bit her lip and lowered her head to his chest, sliding a little off his lap to get comfortable.

“What are we going to do?” She whispered more to herself than anyone else.

“What are you talking about?” His chest vibrated against her cheek. About the future. About your future. Her objective was set in stone for the most part. Gather info on Orochimaru and Kabuto and try to get Sasuke back to Leaf. The last part was mostly speculative. Even Lady Tsunade didn’t think he would be back anytime soon. Even if Sasuke did kill Itachi, who was to say that the village would even want him back? Betrayal and abandonment burned hotly in hidden villages. That was why punishment for both was so severe. Village loyalty was above clan preservation. Even the infamous Uchiha clan.

Ino didn’t respond. She didn’t know what to tell him. “Nothing.” She finally said, banishing the sadness in her voice. “Just thinking out loud. I do that when I have a lot on my mind.” She said lifting her head and giving him a comforting smile. He didn’t smile back.

“Not going to share?” He asked. Ino raised a brow at the hint of demand in his voice and tried to get off of his lap. But he only tightened his hold on her. “Tell me.”

Ino’s eyes iced. “Do you tell me everything?” She shot back. “If you are unwilling to share, don’t be surprised if I do the same.” She struggled from his hands, but he held her in place. “Let go.” She ordered.

“The less you know of my plans, the safer you are. Surely you understand that.” He argued. He pride took another hit. She wished he didn’t think like that. But what reason did she have to counter that way of thought? Since her capture, he only saw her once in battle. Even she was noticing how lacking her skill was becoming when she did some minor training of her own. Being kept in the lab was making her physical strengths and skills suffer. “All you need to do is trust me.”

Trust was something she knew he valued. When they were younger he asked her not to run away from him. To trust that he would control his seal. Ino pouted. “I’m still not telling you.” She said defiantly. Sasuke sighed, closing his eyes.

“Fine. Don’t tell me.” Ino’s pout quivered at his hidden pout. She could hear it in his voice. She relaxed in his arms bring his attention back from his brooding. She liked that he got over not getting his way quickly. “I don’t want you to worry about Rei. Orochimaru has use for him so he will be alright. Yasuo has been chosen to be your escort at West Base.”

Her fingers fiddled with his open shirt. “Where are you going to be?” She leaned back in his arms. “And Yasuo? Really? He’s such a jerk. I bet Kabuto put that idea into Orochimaru’s head. He’s mad because I ditched rounds today and punched Ume in the face.”

Sasuke looked amused. “And why did you do that? Did she make some scathing remark about your hair or something?”

Ino shook her hair back. “She wouldn’t move. And I asked her nicely too!” She looked up at the ceiling with a thoughtful finger to her bottom lip. “Well, I asked her at least.” She admitted in defense. “She has a disgusting crush on Kabuto.” She scrunched her nose and stuck her tongue out. Sasuke chuckled lightly at her face. He hardly laughed anymore so the sound made her skin prickle with pleasure.

“West base is different from other bases. Kabuto has more medics at his disposal so maybe you won’t always have to be around him. Besides you heard Orochimaru. He’s going to Stone Country for business. Maybe we’ll both have a break.”

Ino tilted her head to one side quizzically. “You? Sasuke Uchiha? Taking a break?” She teased. “Unheard of!”

“It’s not because I want to. I told you Orochimaru is running out of things to teach me therefore he is struggling with the lessons.”

“Humm.” She linked their hands together. “I guess it’s good for me then.” She murmured, leaning down. “Because that means more time to do fun things with you.” She locked eyes with him. “Did I ever tell you how good you taste?” She asked before nipping his bottom lip and then giggling when he growled low and deep in his throat and pulled her roughly against him.

It was early when he awoke, sweating a bit with a racing pulse. A nightmare, one he thought he would have gotten used to by now. But it stuck to his brain like glue. He had come to think of the gruesome blood bath he would dream about as a reminder. A reminder of what he had to do, of why he left his home and friends. He would become like Itachi had wanted, full of hatred. He would get stronger…no, he was stronger. Just a couple more months he thought, only a couple of more months until he would be able to shake off his rusted chains Orochimaru placed on him, then he would destroy Itachi. His world was like a dark typhoon right now, but one thing kept his head above water.

“Sasuke?” He turned to her sleepy voice. Her hair was down, around her shoulders and her blue eyes were heavy lidded with sleep and the blankets were tangled around her waist. “Are you okay?” He raised a brow, his eyes unwillingly flashing red but he blinked back his bloodline and settled back on his pillows, rubbing his forehead. “Another nightmare?” She asked, but he knew she didn’t expect an answer.

It was true that since they arrived at Orochimaru’s main base they had little time to spend. His training took up most of the day and when he was finished, he barely had enough energy to eat. She would watch him closely from her position across the tabled with a hooded expression. At times he was tempted to activate his seal to hear her thoughts but he had a feeling that she would somehow find out. He would rather avoid that confrontation. After all, it was Ino. He knew he would never hear the end of it. He was alright with how things were, though he knew they could be better. When they were together (limited as it was), she was her usual self for the most part but over these past few weeks, some of the light had died in her eyes. He knew why. Kabuto was just as bad as Orochimaru when it came to training.

“I’m fine.” He answered back, his voice scratchy from sleep. It was too early to be awake he thought and turned to his side. Ino’s arm slid across his bare waist and she gingerly began running her nails across his abdomen in a soothing way. She sighed again, a soft sound that made his pulse erratically speed up. He only now realized that he was in a bed with a half naked girl (Ino’s night clothes really left nothing to the imagination). Sasuke was used to the fact that the opposite sex would always be an unwanted part of his life. Girls were vain clingy things that fluttered easily with the most smallest of smiles. They were mostly an annoyance in his life and part of him was glad that his training kept him busy because it kept him safely away from them. So this aloneness he was feeling with Ino was a bit…nerve racking. He couldn’t fall asleep fast enough.

Right before they were set to leave for West Base, a familiar face greeted her at breakfast. “Rei!” Ino gushed in excitement. He looked a bit haggard, but his half smile made her instantly think of home. “I’m glad you’re back!”

His red hair looked longer and the orange color looked to be fading. Looking closer, she noticed that his roots were dark red instead of orange. They fell back from the rest of the gathering group with Yasuo keeping an indifferent eye on them. “Your eyes are changing colors.” She told him, crossing her arms in front of her. Rei snorted and pressed his thumbs against them. Ino knew why they were fading from green to golden brown as soon as she noticed his hair roots. “Is Rei even your real name?”

Rei sighed and motioned her to follow him further from the group. She was well aware that Yasuo had actively become interested in their doings because he moved closer to them. She even felt Sasuke’s chakra spiral around her in warning telling her to stay where he could see her. He never did warm up to Rei. “I was telling the truth when I said I was captured on a mission from Lightning.” He paused, his expressive face turning to stone. “An ANBU assassination mission. My team and I had to change our appearances to get close to the targets.”

Ino’s eyes widened. “You’re ANBU?” She loudly whispered looking around to make sure no one including Yasuo heard her. Rei looked bored and he shrugged. Sasuke had said that Orochimaru had found use for him. “What is your real name?” She demanded a hand landing on her hip.

“You can call me Rei for now.” He said soberly, ruffling his hair.

“No.” Ino shot back, eyes narrowing. “Tell me.”

Rei shoved his hands in his pockets and tipped his head back with a groan. “Fu.”

“Fu what?”

“What? My first name isn’t sufficient? You need my surname as well?”

Ino raised a brow at his irritated tone. It was the first time she heard him talk to her that way. Why would he be annoyed with telling her his last name? It only peaked her interest more. “I insist.”

He gave a cocky smile. “Just because you insist doesn’t mean I’m going to tell you.”

Ino gave him a cocky smile back and held out her arms, fingertips touching in her family seal. “I can always find out this way.” She warned, keeping her tone light. Fu’s large hand covered her seal to stop her.

“It won’t work on me Ino.” He murmured a bit soberly. Ino lowered her arms to her sides with a frown. They way he got all serious had her believing what he said, which was crazy. No one could escape the Yamanaka mind jutsus unless…they were Yamanaka themselves. Ino stared at him in serious contemplation. If that were true why couldn’t he just tell her? If he was ANBU then he could have probably escaped by now during all those missions Orochimaru and Kabuto sent him on. Why did he stay? If he was Yamanaka there was a reasonable answer. She was from the Main branch. All others from the Yamanaka clan served the Main branch. It was the way most clans worked. It wasn’t as strict on that servitude as say, the Hyuga but it was an inbred rule none the less.

“Are you two done gossiping? It looks like we’re moving out.” Yasuo stepped into their conversation and motioned them to get going. Ino nodded and gave one last look at Fu before joining Sasuke in the back of Orochimaru’s decorated horse drawn cart. Various Sound Ninja then dashed out all around them and Kabuto and his medics followed close behind.

Ino was walking beside Rei (she decided to stick with his fake name) and Yasuo, through the unfamiliar halls of the new experimental base. West Base was just a tad smaller than the Main Base and each room was filled with strange things and stranger people. There weren’t many prisoners here and there was a lot more medical personal. Well, that’s what Kabuto called them. Ino called them his evil-mindless-minions. Even the annoying and slightly crazy Ume came along. The frizzy haired girl never took her glare from her, but Ino didn’t really care. She was enjoying the fact that despite healing her black eye, it was still puffy and red rimmed.

“Here.” Yasuo halted them and opened a locked door. The lights she flipped on were dull and depressing. He was taking them to their new sleeping quarters. As soon as she saw the place she pouted. It wasn’t as nice as her room back at the Main Base and it was a lot smaller too. “Orochimaru wants to see you after you get settled Rei and Kabuto wants you, Princess, to meet him in the basement lab.” Yasuo told them, blue eyes flashing in the flickering torch light that lined the carved walls.

“You’re so weird.” She blurted out of nowhere making Yasuo and Rei exchange looks which Ino flushed at. “I mean, when I first saw you, you had hazel eyes, then grey and now they’re blue.”

Yasuo scratched his chin. “A useless bloodlimit.” He explained with a carless shrug of his shoulders. Huh, Ino thought looked behind her shoulder at him as she left to find Kabuto.

Settling in the new base wasn’t very hard and Sasuke spending the night in her room made her feel better. It was mid afternoon the next day when Kabuto sent her into Specimen room 5. There she was “to feed specimen 3”. Whatever that meant. He never explained things to her but expected her to do it right anyways. How annoying.

Specimen room 5 was a strange room, and Ino had seen plenty of strange things since her ‘apprenticeship’ as Kabuto called it. One wall was filled with shelves and jars with gross looking things in them. One wall was a huge bulletin board, and the other two had big fat pillar-tube like things with blue liquid in them (Ino knew for sure that it wasn’t water). She studied them for a while before finding them uninteresting. Turning she approached a long lab table and gasped at what she saw. Floating peacefully in a large jar hooked to various tubes and ventilators was what looked likes to her, a developing fetus.

“You must ne new.” Someone said in back of her. Ino bolted from the tube and spun around to see a pair of purple eyes emerging from the water like a desert mirage. Okay Ino, calm down. Things are strange here and floating eyeballs fall into that category. Talking floating eyeballs.

Ino cleared her throat and lifted her chin. “Actually I am.” She put both hands on her hips to keep her fingers from fidgeting. “Are you part of the welcoming committee?”

A mouth materialized, grinning with sharp pointed teeth. “Cheeky but I guess I can let that slide since you’re so hot.”

Ino grinned, the tension easing from her shoulders. “Yeah I know.” She approached the table again, captured once more by the floating fetus. She didn’t know much about babies but learning the basic stages were part of the mandatory lessons she learned with Lady Tsunade. “Can you tell me if this is specimen 3?” She asked, looking at the floating face with purple eyes.

“Yep it is. Are you taking over for that bitch Ume?”

Ino grinned. Anyone who hated Ume was a friend of hers. “For now.” She slipped her hand in her lab coat pocket and took out the push syringe with icky looking brown and red stuff in it and fed it to one of the tubes the way Kabuto told her to. Once she was done she all together slipped off her lab coat and sank into one of the many lab swivel chairs.

“Tiring day?” The floating face asked, eyes running down the length of her legs in an appreciating manner.

“I can’t wait until I escape this place.” She muttered.

The face gave a little smile. “You dream big Sexy. No one ever escapes Orochimaru’s labs alive. He sends his dogs out to retrieve them.”

Ino rolled her eyes. Another underestimator*. “You sound like Sasuke and Kabuto.”

The purple eyes narrowed, removing themselves from her legs. “You know Sasuke? He’s Orochimaru’s top dog.” Ino raised a brow at his tone. It was something between disdain and admiration.

“What’s your name?” She finally asked.

“Tell me yours first.” He shot back flirtatiously.

Ino saw no harm in his request even though she asked first. “Ino Yamanaka.”

The face grew a neck and then everything else followed until he floated buck naked in front of her without a hint of shame. Ino was taken aback by his boldness, but she allowed her eyes to lazily wander down the curves of his form to show she wasn’t shy. She liked the color of his hair. The short, pastel purple matched with his eyes perfectly. If you couldn’t tell, Ino was a sucker for purple.

“I’m Suigetsu Hozuki from the Village of Hidden Mist. Nice to meet you.”

Ino slowly met his crinkled eyes, unabashed by his nudity. “Yeah nice to meet you too.” She said with an even tone. “Do you greet everyone the same way or am I just special?”

He chuckled, floating to the tube closet to her. “I figured it was impolite to talk to you without being all there.” He said leaning nonchalantly against the tube wall.

“Oh well thank you for being so polite.” She rolled her eyes.

“So how long have you been with the rag tag team of sadists?”

Ino shrugged. “Almost two months.”

His lips quirked. “I see. Escape plans still in the making then?” He teased.

Ino flicked her bangs back. “Things take time. Kabuto told me we were going to be here for a while so I can get more serious.” She leaned back in her chair. “How long have you been here?”

Suigetsu shrugged. “I lost track of time. It’s been a pretty boring but now that you’re here I think things might become a bit more interesting.”

Ino looked slightly insulted. “A bit? I’ll try to do more than just a bit.” She assured him with a playful smirk.

“We’ll see.” He said. Both turned to the creaking door. “Oh, it’s the top dog.” Suigetsu sneered returning to the middle of the three tubes.

“You’re still alive?” Sasuke asked dryly. The two had a stare off before Suigetsu looked away with a ‘humph’. Ino stood as he approached her. “Come with me to town.”

Ino leaned her hip against the table. “Is that an order or are you asking?”

His lips turned up. “Both.”

Ino snorted. “We’ll since you asked so nicely.” She looked back to Suigetsu. “See you.”

He grinned. “By Sexy.” Then he nodded at Sasuke without a word.

Sasuke grabbed her wrist and led her out of Specimen room 5. Once the door was closed he turned to her.

“Sexy?” He mused.

Ino preened. “I rather like that nickname don’t you?” He didn’t say anything to that, but the hand he put to the small of her back told her he was going to keep a much closer eye on her now…