#hcpeborn

@hcpeborne from here:

Ino wondered if Sakura knew how easy she was to read. She had her judgement bleeding into those keen, green eyes. Once, those green eyes had held nothing but admiration and awe towards Ino-Chan. Now… they were nothing short of… mild disgust. How could Sakura keep such conflicting emotions side by side?

The fair-haired girl swallowed hard. She knew it was unfair to make Sakura re-think on her decision to quit being a shinobi. Even… fighting against the shinobi system. It felt like a personal attack against her.  It always did, though. Where Sakura was concerned, Ino felt like she had personally failed. Like she had been that terrible a friend… that terrible a support system, that Sakura could not come to her.

The fair-haired girl could grind her teeth into frustration and physically shake Sakura’s body- as if willing to shake that inferiority complex right out of her.

How could Sakura not see how terrible and beautiful she was? Monstrous strength, a keen and sharp mind- - -take a good look at my back! she had declared that with steel in her eyes and a blade in her mouth at the age of twelve.

And now… it was like all the fight, all that fire, had left her.  

How could she shun the life they had dreamed about? Right when she had got everything back - the dream of her fractured team was back… her parents were alive. Her Sensei was alive.

Maybe shot full of holes in places like their heads, hearts and lungs… but they were still living and breathing and alive. Ino would give anything to have her father back with her.

“Uhuh… because not caring is your speciality?” Ino smiled in amusement at her friend. “Sakura… you’ve always been a bleeding heart. Talk to me... look... I know... I know what happened to Naruto is wrong. What happened to Sasuke-Kun’s family is wrong. I hate that! I am just as ashamed of Konoha for it... I love this village. 

@hcpeborne from here:

Ino did not understand why they were moping about on their day off. Other kunoichi their age were off in Tanzaku Gai, having the time of their lives and enjoyed being chatted up by foreign, sexy shinobi or simply enjoying each other’s company. Because admittedly, the boys in their village left a lot to be desired- at least from Ino’s point of view. Lazy, unmotivated, gluttonous, stoic… she could go on. But she did not.

Instead, she focused her attention upon her friend, who still pined for Uchiha bloody Sasuke. Yes, he was extremely talented- but a girl should keep her options open. Ino supposed it must be a lot harder for Sakura, who had been on Sasuke’s team. And yet…

“If we could control the heart, we’d be the scariest ninja imaginable,” Ino pointed out with only half her usual amusement. After all, if Ino wished it, she could make people hang themselves and exit their bodies at the last moment. That lack of control would leave a terrible taste in anyone’s mouth. She shook her head. She didn’t want to think about controlling others.

She wanted to lose control! Lose her inhibitions!

“Geez, you’re wound up so tight! Why do you have to hyper-analyse every single guy you meet. The last guy was perfectly okay, he worked in the Cipher Corps and could even keep up with your smart brain,” Ino pointed out, almost accusingly. “You know… you can try and help your own heart.”