-In Naruto's timeline-
*Bang*
"Ino, you need to use the blind spots you create with the puppet, don't just stick to it, your opponents will be able to see your every move!" Naruto yelled, he had sage mode activated this time as he faced off against Ino so they would both feel the pressure against one another.
Ino controlled the massive puppet with ease, and despite its large build, it was extremely agile as well.
"Got it" Ino nodded
As time went on, Naruto realised that Ino was improving insanely fast, and even with sage mode, he was starting to feel the pressure. Ino is not only adapting to close combat, her synergy with the puppet is also becoming more and more proficient as time went on.
'She's already like this mere days after getting this puppet, what would she become after years of training?' Naruto gulped, he could already foresee Ino controlling hundreds of puppets in the future, whilst fighting in the front lines.
A one-person army wouldn't be an overstatement for her when she matures.
*Bang*
The puppet landed a punch on Naruto, sending him tumbling back, and he could already see Ino approaching him rapidly from the side.
"Got you, Na-kun" Ino grinned as her chakra spread out, towards him like fine needles
Naruto saw this, and knew it was the mind body disturbance jutsu, however, he revealed a faint smile
"Sorry Ino, but it's my win today" He snapped his fingers, and a seal appeared right below her feet.
Chains shot out, binding her and sealing her chakra instantly
Ino struggled for a while, however, no matter what she did, she couldn't break free. Even her chakra strings were severed once she got sealed, so she was truly out of options.
"Urgh, Na-kun, your seals are unfair" Ino puffed her cheeks out and pouted
Naruto rolled his eyes
"My seals aren't fair? What about your mind cloning jutsu? You can send out as many consciousnesses in an attempt to take over my body as you want, not to mention, that puppet can overpower me even with four tails worth of Kurama's chakra" Naruto replied
Ino stuck out her tongue cheekily, she knew that these are indeed also very unfair, but Naruto's seals are just on a whole other level in that regard.
"I heard you're going on another mission, and it'll be a pretty long one this time" Naruto said
"Yep~, we're going to do an escort mission, some rich clan's heirs need to get to an island to complete their clan ritual of succession" Ino nodded
Naruto fell silent for a bit
"Will you be okay?" Naruto asked after a bit
"Of course we'll be okay, don't worry Na-kun, and if anything happens, I have this kunai you gave me" Ino grinned
"Yeah..." Naruto smiled, slowly easing his worries
-Back to Boruto timeline-
"Wait, why did you even start to like me in your timeline anyway?" Ino asked curiously as she leaned towards Naruto.
"It just kinda happened after graduation, we started to hang out more when I began talking to Shiki more often" Naruto replied
"Sh-Shiki? You mean Shikamaru? Wow, I didn't expect you two would be on nicknames, that's cute, what about me and you? What do you call me?" Ino asked
Naruto stared at her
"Ino, just Ino" Naruto replied
"Eh? How about me then? Do I call you by nicknames?" Ino asked with a curious gaze
"Na-kun" Naruto responded
"Eee! How sweet" Ino placed her hands on her cheeks and smiled
Hinata listened
"What about me in your timeline" She asked
"Huh?" At the mention of Hinata, both Naruto and Boruto became awkward
"What's wrong?" Hinata realised that even her son was acting strange, and was now curious as to why.
Boruto fiddled with his fingers
"I mean, mum...you have a strong personality" He coughed
"And a strong presence" Naruto added
"Really strong presence" Boruto nodded
"Like, seriously strong" Naruto agreed
"???" Hinata couldn't understand, nor could Ino, because from what they can remember, Hinata was practically invisble way back then.
"Stop beating around the bush and tell us, now you got me curious as well" Ino tucked her lips and said
Naruto coughed
"Well...Hinata, you...when you realised that I like Ino, you became more determined to become stronger so you could stand by me" Naruto said
"...really? I guess I understand, but this doesn't sound as extreme as you boys make it out to be" Hinata said
"Mum...you even made Neji-san shake at the thought of sparring with you, he looked like he couldn't wait to run from you" Boruto coughed awkwardly
"...huh???" Both Ino and Hinata were stunned, Neji was involved!?
She could vividly remember Neji's hatred towards the main clan at that time, yet she was sparring with him?
"I see...back then, Naruto did have a small crush on Sakura, but it was one sided, so Hinata didn't feel much of a threat, but in your timeline, you are actively chasing after the younger me who is willing to reciprocate your feelings, so that pushed her resolve to the extreme" Ino muttered
"But to think you even made Neji-san shiver...Hinata, I didn't know you were that strong" Ino said in surprise
"That's obviously not me anymore" Hinata said, starting to side with Naruto's argument that different timelines means they are just different people.
Naruto sighed helplessly
"Poor Neji...when I had lunch with him, he said that you were terrifying during the sparring matches, and he stated that he has never once seen the gentle fist be used in such a violent manner, yet still flow so well with the movements" Naruto gulped
"You would smack boulders with your bare fist until you shatter them, even when your hands bleed, you don't falter nor flinch, and you're willing to take hits in order to land hits on Neji" Naruto couldn't fathom Hinata's growth rate at this point, it was beyond insane.
She changed from someone who couldn't even land a hit on Neji, into someone whom he respects and fears a little.
Hinata and Ino were both silent, whilst Boruto had his head down, not wanting to see what his mum was looking like at the moment.
"Th-This..."
"You quite literally created a variant of the gentle fist" Naruto said seriously
"I...isn't your timeline too wild?" Hinata said bitterly
"Indeed, but it's fun, no?" Naruto chuckled
"I guess so"
As they chatted, they soon brought up Sasuke
"I know this may sound weird, but what about Sasuke of your timeline? Is Sakura and me infatuated with him at the start?" Ino asked
Naruto nodded
"Yeah, you and Sakura, one would compete as to who can scream about your love for Sasuke the loudest" Naruto chuckled
"...please don't bring up my dark past" Ino covered her face and blushed
"You're the one who mentioned it" Naruto rolled his eyes and said
"Urgh, so, how did you and I get together if I was so infatuated with him?" Ino asked
"Simple, you're not an idiot like Sakura" Naruto replied
"...you should not say that if she's around" Ino said with a wry smile
Naruto huffed, he would dare say it in front of her face, so why wouldn't he say it here?
"Anyway, after spending many days choosing a present with you, you couldn't decide what to give him for Sasuke's birthday, so you decided to make a scarf by hand" Naruto said
"Wait, wait, wait, you were picking presents with me!?" Ino asked
"Yeah, you were seriously heartless, you know that? The previous day, I stated I had some feelings for you, then you asked if I'd go pick presents with you for another guy" Naruto sighed as he revealed an exaggerated look of bitterness.
"...if you're so annoyed by it, why did you agree?" Ino asked with a perplexed look
Naruto chuckled
"Because Ino looked seriously cute when she was smiling, so I should at least let her keep smiling" Naruto replied
"Is your tongue always this smooth? If so, it's no wonder you bagged my younger self" Ino let out a faint chuckle
"Naturally" Naruto nodded confidently
Boruto on the other hand, received his bowl of ramen and was eating in silence. Hearing so much love talk is making him sick...
"Well, keep going with your story" Ino smiled
"Ah, yeah, on his birthday, when you went to give him the gift, you saw him reject Sakura heartlessly, and also received a cold rejection before you could state your objective" Naruto said slowly, his hands clenched slightly at the mention of it
"I see, and then?"
"And then I pulled you over to a bench, had a small chat, and since then, you gave up on Sasuke completely" Naruto replied
"Hahaha, how sweet" Ino smiled
"But isn't Sasuke too much? To do such cruel this" Hinata muttered
"Yeah, so I beat the sh*t out of him during the chunin exam"
"Ah? You actually won against Sasuke?" Hinata gasped
"...I feel insulted that I'm compared to that Uchiha brat" Naruto clicked his tongue and grumbled
Boruto nodded
"Yeah, half dad is seriously strong, even Sasuke-san lost to him under certain restrictions" Boruto said
"Which Sasuke?" Ino asked
"Who else? Sarada-chan's dad" Boruto replied
"Ah!?" Both Hinata and Ino gasped in shock
"He also turned Sasuke-san into a woman" Boruto added
!?!?!
Wait, what!?
Naruto smiled, it seems this son of his his learning well, to know how to drop casual bombs during simple conversations like that.
He chuckled
"Take this as a meeting gift, I'm glad we got to talk" Nauto said as he passed the two dazed women a talisman.
The two were still in a daze, thinking about Sasuke as a woman. How did he do it? And why did he do it?
They received the talisman without much thought, but mere seconds later...
*Puff*
"H-Huh!?" White smoke puffed up from them, and when it dispersed...
"Oh, Hinata actually looks a little like an older version of Neji after being gender bent, and Ino, you look a little like a younger version of Inoichi-san" Naruto gasped as he formed a seal to record the scenes of the two.
"Very handsome if I must say" Naruto added
"..."
The two were stunned, they stared at one another, then at Naruto who gave them a thumbs up and grinned playfully...
"Th-This...please tell me this isn't permanent" Hinata said, looking like she was on the verge of tears
"Nah, it's only for five minutes, if it makes you feel any better, this is the first time I've done this on girls" Naruto smiled
"It doesn't" Ino grumbled
"What if I said I also taught this jutsu to Boruto" Naruto's eyes curved into acrescent shape, which made the two shudder.
"Bo-ru-to" Hinata stared at Boruto as she revealed a terrifying glimmer in her eyes
"Eep! Why'd you tell them that!" Boruto gasped
"Hehehe, take this as a lesson, never trust adults with your secrets" Naruto smirked
"You're younger than I am!" Boruto exclaimed
Naruto merely chuckled and began eating his ramen
"Well, if it's only for five minutes" Hinata sighed
"Oh right, I have a recording of it here, wanna see?" Naruto asked
"No!" The two replied in unison
"How about one where I gender bent Sasuke?" Naruto asked
"...just a peak" The two couldn't control their curiosity in that regard and nodded
"I also have some more, this one is Jiraiya, this one is Orochimaru, here's one of Tobirama and Hashirama, ah, almost forgot, this one is for Hiruzen, here's one for Inoichi, Kisame, and last but not least, Itachi" Naruto pulled out many scrolls and passed it to them one by one
"Wait, did I hear my dad?" Ino questioned
"Yeah, it's right here" Naruto said as he showed them a recording of Inoichi
"...dad's pretty cute as a girl, huh?" Ino stared at it and muttered
"He lookes a lot like you" Hinata nodded
"I guess I take after him more than I thought" Ino laughed
But as they spoke, they started to wonder...
'Just how many people has he used this on!?' Not just Ino and Hinata, even Boruto was stunned, and why did they even hear the names of the first two Hokages!?
When in the world did he manage to genderbend those two legends!? Tobirama Senju and Hashirama Senju! Even the Akatsuki's Kisame and Itachi were not spared from such a cruel jutsu...
"Oh right, I forgot, I also have one for Urashiki" Naruto added
"..." At this point, they were numb to it...
"How did you get time to turn that monster into a woman?" Boruto asked
"During the fight with him, he was acting too pretentious, but at least his face was nice to look at afterwards" Naruto replied
"..."
-Back to Naruto's timeline-
"Swing harder! Don't stop until this candle burns out" Zabuza stared at Naruto as he swung the executioner blade without any help from neither sage mode, nor Kurama.
"Yes, sensei"
"Steady your arm, and your posture here is incorrect, here, here, and here, change it" He held a wooden stick in his hand as he smacked Naruto's arms and legs to correct his posture.
Haku watched from the side with an ice mirror in his hand as his gaze became more solemn with each swing Naruto made. Every now and then, he spars with Zabuza, but every time they spar, he felt a greater distance between them. From what he could observe from Naruto, they are both improving incredibly fast, while he is being left behind.
His hand clenched tightly, and the ice mirror started to crack
'Do I...need to ask him to help me train?' He has seen how Naruto helped Ino improve, and he could tell that Ino, who used to be weaker than him, became overwhelmingly strong over the course of a few days...
Zabuza has long understood Haku's struggle, but he wanted him to work it through himself, so he didn't intervene, simply ignoring it.
"You'll be fighting me now, no chakra, no jutsus, pure swordsmanship" Zabuza took back the executioner's blade, whilst Naruto simply used a dagger.
"Sensei...isn't your weapon a little unfair compared to mine" Naruto smiled wryly
"Humph, when I obtained the executioner's blade, I killed the previous user with nothing more than a kunai" Zabuza sneered and began launching a series of attacks at Naruto.
Naruto sighed and did his best to parry the attacks whilst launching counterattacks, however, they would all fail to reach Zabuza who simply made it impossible to get close.
"Don't lose focus, whatever is on your mind right now, forget it" Zabuza said coldly
Naruto tucked his lips, he's been worried over Ino as she was going on a rather long mission this time.
'She beat me in raw combat even if I use sage mode, she should be fine' Naruto let out a faint breathe as his gaze became sharper
"Good eyes" Zabuza smiled faintly when he saw Naruto firm up suddenly
-Just outside Konoha-
"Ino, what's gotten you so happy? You've been smiling ever since we left on the mission" Choji asked, Ino hasn't stopped grinning to herself since they left the village, and even now, she's still smiling
Ino giggled
"Na-kun was so worried that I'm going on an escort mission, his worried expression was adorable" She said gleefully
"You're starting to look like the time when you were head over heals for Sasuke" Shikamaru said with a sigh
"Ah!? Am I?" Ino's smile dropped instantly
Asuma laughed
"Don't worry Ino, I can tell the difference, it's a much healthier form of love compared to your previous one" Asuma was quite glad, when he first got Ino, her infatuation with Sasuke was certainly a headache as she didn't bother to improve herself.
But after she dropped him and went for Naruto, she became much more enthusiastic to learning whilst even surpassing most the other genins in mere weeks.
"That's good" Ino heaved a sigh of relief
"I heard you're training with Naruto almost every day now, how is it?" Choji asked
"It's going great" Ino smiled brightly
'More than just great if you ask me' Asuma thought to himself, and he couldn't help but remember the time Ino wiped out those bandits on their previous mission.
It was certianly a sight to behold...
Along the way, Shikamaru noticed that Ino carried a small scroll on her waist
"What's that on your waist?" He asked
"Oh, Na-kun made a small storage scroll for me" Ino grinned as she showed him the scroll
Shikamaru stared at it, not really surprised as he's heard of Naruto's depth in seals. Making a storage scroll should be a piece of cake for him.
The group soon made it to a town where their employers were gathered. It consisted of two young men, and a girl, all around sixteen to eighteen, with the eldest being one of the boys, and the girl being the second eldest.
"Hello, I'm Asuma, the supervising jonin for this team" Asuma walked over and offered them a handshake, however, only the eldest son smiled back as he shook his hand, whilst the other two ignored him completely.
"Sorry, these two aren't fond of strangers" He said
"It's fine" Asuma nodded
"I'm Erin, the oldest son, this is Eris, my sister, and Eric, our clan's youngest" Erin said with a warm smile
'The naming sense is quite consistant, is the mum called Erina, and the dad called Eren?' The four of them thought to themselves in silence, but didn't ask.
"I'm Ino"
"Choji"
"Shikamaru"
The three introduced themselves, however, Eric and Eris gave them a rather distrusting gaze, almost as if they were also looking down on them.
"How old are they? Our clan paid a lot of money and this is all we get?" Eris frowned and said with an annoyed look
Ino crossed her arms and scoffed in reply
"Stop talking as if you're hot stuff"
"What was that, you blonde bimbo" Eris growled
Ino didn't back down as she glared at her
"Enough, enough, we have a schedule, and we can't have you two holding us back" Asume placed a cigarette in his mouth and pulled the two apart.
"Shut up!" The two snapped at him before returning glares at one another
"Urgh...Shikamaru, do something" Asuma groaned
Shikamaru rolled his eyes
"Too bothersome" He replied
"Choji?" Asuma sighed
"Um...Ino, Naruto wouldn't be happy if you're arguing with someone and get distracted if danger arises, you'll get an earful" Choji said as he munched down on his snacks
Immediately, Ino's fire died down as she slumped back
"Right..."
Asuma's eyes lit up
"Choji, I'll treat you to a meal when we get back" He grinned
Choji returned with a thumbs up as he continued to eat. Eric scoffed silently, seeing that the drama has dies down. His distrust towards their abilities still remained, and he felt that only Asuma is somewhat reliable given his age.
The group soon got a move on in a carriage, with the team walking beside the carriage
"Thanks for the heads up, Choji" Ino smiled
"I got a meal out of it, so don't sweat about it" Choji grinned
Erin poked his head out the carriage
"Say, can I know more about the type of Shinobis you all are?" He asked with a friendly smile
Asume rubbed his chin
"Well, I'm quite proficient in close combat, as for the kids, you should ask them yourself" He smiled back
"Too much of a drag" Shikamaru replied as he ignored further conversations
"...how about you two?" Erin smiled towards Ino and Choji
"Secret" Ino grinned as she placed a finger over her lips
"Food" Choji responded
"..." Erin's lips twitched, he got absolutely nothing out of all that...
He pulled his head back into the carriage, and sat down, facing his siblings with a warm smile.
"Don't be too nervous, after the successor is chosen, we'll still be siblings" He said gently
"Tch, what a fake smile" Eric scoffed
Eris ignored him completely as she continued to look out the window in silence. Erin sighed faintly when he saw his sibling's reaction towards him, feeling rather helpless in this regard.
The trip was peaceful, with the only chatter coming from Ino and Choji every now and then, otherwise, it was completely quiet.
"Can you two shut up?" Eric growled at Ino and Choji
"Mind your own business" Ino huffed
"Tch, brats" Eric clicked his tongue
As he was about to turn away, Ino suddenly appeared in front of him and grabbed his head
"What are you doi-" She pushed his head down, and right as she did so, an arrow shot past and stuck itself into the floor within the carriage.
Cold sweat broke out as Eric shuddered, had Ino not pushed his head down, he would have died right now.
"Enemies, thirteen total" Ino scanned the surrounding with her chakra and immediately identified the clear amount of enemies.
Asuma took out two daggers and casually deflected a few incoming arrows, whilst Shikamaru crossed his hands as his shadow trailed out into the woods.
"Choji, you got the drink?" Shikamaru asked
"Yep" Choji took out a small bottle and drank it quickly
*Urgh*
From the trees, Shikamaru pulled out two men, who had their faces covered, using his shadow. Choji jumped up and his body expanded rapidly, and began rolling towards the two he just pulled out from the woods.
"A-Attack" They bulled out swords, prepared to slash at Choji, which made Asuma frown a little.
However...
*Clank*
Upon impact, the blades actually snapped! Asuma was a little surprised, as he didn't think Choji was at the level where he could break weapons so easily with his human pinball jutsu.
"Ino" Shikamaru called out
"Three to the left, five towards the right, the rest are behind" Ino said
"Choji, second formation" Shikamaru said
"On it" Choji leapt into the air, and began rolling in the air whilst Shikamaru connected his shadow to Chojis.
Arrows shot out, however, Asuma took care of it very quickly.
*Bang*
"Human yo-yo" Shikamaru said as he used his shadow to help Choji turn
His body crashed through the woods, right where Ino pinpointed, and ripped apart the trees and rocks, whilst sending anyone in there flying. He rolled through every location Ino pointed out, and was constantly updated by her.
"Two remaining" Ino said as she formed a circle with her hand towards the woods
'Oh? At this distance?' Asuma was surprised by her action
*Fwee*
After the jutsu activated, but Asuma was stunned to see Ino still consciois after she used that jutsi. Meanwhile, in the woods, a figure walked out, dragging another man.
"Caught him" The man stuck his tongue out and grinned
"Ino, stop making that face with a grown man's face, it's disgusting" Shikamaru said
"Aw, why not?" The man, or rather, Ino pouted as she released the jutsu
Shikamaru glanced at Ino, who was still conscious despite using the jutsu, and a thought emerged in his mind.
The man dropped to the ground once she left, laying motionlessly on the ground. Once they were taken care of, they tied them all up and threw them to the top of the carriage.
"I-Incredible" Eric and Eris looked out the window in awe, they had their doubts at first, but after watching them fight back the attackers, they felt that their previous attitude towards the team was a bit childish.
It is the very definition of don't judge a book by the covers.
Erin stared at the scene, still wearing the same smile as before, making it hard for anyone to read his mood.
"Good work team" Asuma chuckled
"Thank you for your hard work" Erin said kindly
"It's part of our job" Asuma nodded in response
With the enemies taken care of, the group proceeded to travel. During the travel, Ino realised that a pair of eyes has been on her every so often. When she turned to the source, she noticed Eric staring at her, and when he was caught, he looked away.
"What? Got a problem?" Ino huffed
Eric slowly shifted his eyes back at her as he bit the bottom of his lips
"...ank y..ou"
"Huh?"
"Thank you" Eric said quietly
Ino's eyes widened, but then she burst into laughter
"What's with that, so you can be nice" She laughed
Eric stared at her smile, and turned his gaze away soon after.
Shikamaru noticed this, and sighed
'What a drag...Naruto won't be happy'
Eris also took notice of her younger brother's subtle expressions, and revealed a teasing smile.
"What's this? Are you shy?" She grinned
"Shut up" Eric glared at her and scowled
"Hehe"
Eris looked out the window
"Yo blondie, sorry bout calling you a bimbo" She said with a smile
"Apology not accepted" Ino puffed her cheeks up and said
"Take it or leave it~" Eris replied with a huff and turned back into the carriage
As they got a moving, Choji glanced at Ino
"Not going all out?" He asked
"Nah, most of those people didn't evne have chakra, it'd be an overkill" Ino replied with a shrug
Shikamaru's interest was piqued when he heard this, wondering what they meant by not going all out. He felt that he knew Ino's capabilities rather well, so he wanted to know about what else she has up her sleeves.
"Do you have another trump card?" Shikamaru asked
"Something like that" Ino grinned
As they were chatting, Asuma leaned in
"Ino, how did you send out your consciousness, whilst mainating consciousness in your main body" He asked
This question made Choji and Shikamaru wonder as well, they were too busy cleaning up the aftermath to notice it earlier, but now, they were just as confused.
"Hehe, Na-kun's training" She replied
"...I see" Anything related to Naruto, Asuma practically ignores it
He has seen how much Ino improved, so if Naruto is mentioned, he decided that it'd be easier to drop the matter.
Erin listened silently, and his eyes revealed a sharp glimmer that was quickly hidden away.