Walk on the Moon (Naruto SI)

[varoksa]

Glad to see you are still active, eagerly awaiting seeing how this fic plays out.

 

[TMTMTM]

Nice to see this story reposted! It has to be my favorite SI from all the ones I've read.

Edit:
Hot damn, I have not seen that worm crossover omake before now. Hope there's more of that coming too at some point!

 

[steamrick]

Happy to see this story is still active

 

[Cherico]

this is back?

FUCK YEAH!

 

[AwooTheWanWan]

Did you update walk on the moon with a new chapter when you ported it over its been awhile since I read it also worm omake get update to please

 

[SixPerfections]

Chapter 43​

000

Being a gregarious and energetic eleven year old girl Ino almost never had the time or the inclination for any sort of deep philosophical introspection. It was simply in her nature to want to do things rather than sit around and think about stuff. Being young also had a great deal of bearing on this fact. However that did not mean that Ino never thought about what certain things meant in her life.

Take her older sister for example. Rei was something that Ino thought about deeply on a fairly regular basis, at least by her standards. In fact, Rei was really the only thing that Ino put so much deep thought into at this point in her life.

It wasn't because she had a sister complex or anything (no matter what Sakura sometimes tried to tease her about) but rather because Rei was a lot of things to her that the siblings of other kids simply were not. Rei had always been more than just simply a sister to her. For one, Rei was and always had been the Clan Heir of their clan. That meant that her sister would also one day be the person (apart from the Hokage of course) that Ino would swear lifelong allegiance to unless she married into another clan. It also meant that even in the present Ino was already expected by the clan to treat Rei as her social superior and to follow her lead in all things.

However closely Ino adhered to that expectation tended to vary from day to day.

However Rei was also much more than just the next Clan Heir. She was also a genius of the likes which the clan had not produced in over three hundred years. For many people in the clan this fact was far more significant than the fact that Rei was the next Clan Heir. After all there had always a presumptive heir in one way or another, but the raw talent that their heiress had displayed her whole life was both exceedingly rare and precious. For many the fact that a genius of Rei's caliber would also be the next Clan Head was simply icing on the cake.

In addition to having the natural talent of a genius Rei also seemed to embody the very epitome of what an ideal ninja (in training) and an ideal Clan Heiress was supposed to be. Her single minded focus and devotion to training and self improvement at all times was widely known and was held up as an example for the younger children in the clan to emulate and follow. She had always been mature, intelligent, serious and refined even from a very young age. Rei also had a mind like a steel trap and a harsh ambitious pragmatism that Ino knew had many of the older ninja in the clan practically peeing themselves with excitement at the thought of what she might one day be able to do for the clan in the political arena. As far as the world outside of Ino's immediate family was concerned Rei Yamanaka could do no wrong and was considered to be basically... well, perfect, for lack of a better word. Rei Yamanaka was the sort of person every clan in the village would sacrifice their firstborn to the gods to in hopes that somehow, someday, someone like her would be born into their clan.

For Ino, all of this put her in a bit of an uncomfortable position. After all it was inevitable that people would compare her to her sister in... pretty much all things, really. That was often exactly as irritating as it sounded. Inside of the clan she knew that people rarely thought of her as Ino at all. Most of them if they saw her walking down the street all that would go through their heads was there goes Rei-sama's little sister. One way or the other Ino knew that inside of the clan who she was would always be seen and judged in the context of her older sister. On her worst days it was almost enough to make her entertain the idea of marrying out of the Yamanaka and into another clan someday, though she knew in her heart of hearts that she would never be able to bring herself to do that. Maybe one day she would be able to distinguish herself on her own merits... but even then to most people in the clan it would always be oh look how strong and capable Ino-chan has become, as expected of the sister of the next Clan Head, it's simply too bad that she's not as stupidly strong and capable as her older sibling is now isn't it?

Now one might think that all of these things would make Ino resent Rei. And sometimes, in her less proud moments, Ino couldn't help but feel a little bit bitter at her sister about the whole thing. However by and large it was impossible for Ino to get annoyed at Rei for all the dumb things the rest of the clan said and thought. The reason for this was that Ino knew Rei on a personal level unlike pretty much everyone else in the clan.

Don't get her wrong. Ino loved her sister. She respected her, admired her, looked up to her, and yes, even saw herself as a vassal to her older sister already even though she tended not to act like it. But unlike what some of the more enthusiastic members of the clan would have you believe Ino knew that Rei was very far from perfect.

Rei, for example, could be horribly selfish and cruel, sometimes on purpose and sometimes without even realizing what she was doing. She also tended to be far too highly strung and the constant pressure she put on herself would sometimes cause her to lash out or overreact. Sometimes she would get tunnel vision on some project or other and let important things fall by the wayside. These were only a few examples and Ino knew that there was a rather large list of things that made her sister very far from perfect.

The problem was that Rei was so good at faking it. If her father had not one day sat her down and explained to her that she shouldn't just blindly worship her sister and that if she wanted to help Rei she needed to look underneath the underneath, Ino might to this day still be buying into the fiction that her sister could do no wrong. It was hard not to see it that way really, when everyone expected perfection from Rei and she to all apperances seemed to deliver on it or even exceed it effortlessly every single time.

Take the latest bit of rumor buzzing throughout the Yamanaka compound for example. Apparently her sister had recently developed a jutsu that made her practically immune to Genjutsu. Who did that? Rei wasn't officially even a Genin yet! Given that her sister more or less regularly dropped bombshells like that on everyone it was hard not to look at her as someone that was so amazing they could literally do no wrong.

Thus nearly a year ago Ino had decided, at the gentle suggestion of their father, that since she was the only one who could really see where Rei fell short that it was up to her to help her big sister overcome her various shortcomings. Rei needed someone with a healthy dose of common sense and their feet firmly on the ground to steer her back into the realm of being a more-or-less well balanced human being as opposed to a machine that only thought about being a ninja and other ninja related things. This was something that Ino felt uniquely qualified and confident to do. After all, if there was anyone better at getting along with people and at maneuvering the social waters than she was then Ino had not met them yet. The fact that it also meant she practically had a parent-mandated excuse to spend more time with her incredibly awesome sister was just a gigantic bonus on the side.

So it became Ino's self appointed job to make her sister appreciate doing normal, girl related stuff of the world whenever the opportunity presented itself. As much as she would scowl and complain she knew Rei would thank her for it one day. After all, life without a little beauty and joy in it could hardly be called living a life at all, now could it?

000

"Shopping?" asked Rei incredulously, her expression somehow a mix of bewilderment and that look that people get when they see a big fat cockroach scuttling across the floor.

"Nee-chan," said Ino, her hands on her hips as she struggled valiantly to maintain a serious expression. "You promised."

"I promised I would let you pick what we did," Rei said, eyes narrowing and arms crossing defensively. "However I did so under the assumption that you at least had the good sense to not try to subject me to something tedious, irritating and completely pointless."

"It is not pointless," Ino said, shoring up her patience to deal with her sister when the latter decided to become contrary. "You need to go shopping. Like it or not you've reached the point in your life where wearing your training clothes all day every day is no longer acceptable, if it ever was to begin with. At the very least you need to get some bras."

"Why in the hell would I need to buy bras?" asked Rei, looking genuinely baffled.

Ino gave her sister a very, very dry look. "Rei," she said while enunciating her words very slowly. "You have tits now."

Rei scowled before reaching down and cupping her chest roughly enough to make Ino wince. "I would hardly call these tiny things tits. Maybe like proto-tits or something."

Ino bit her lip before reaching over and putting a hand on her sister's shoulder in a consoling manner. "Don't worry Rei," she told her sister solemnly. "I'm sure that in a few years you'll mature to be at least a C-cup."

"So not the point I was trying to make."

"Sure, sure," said Ino with an indulgent smile before removing her hand from Rei's shoulder. "But my point still stands. You need to start getting used to wearing a bra."

"I don't," argued Rei vehemently. "I use chest wraps like any sensible kunoichi does. Ergo, I'll never need to buy any bras. And since when did you decide to start mothering me anyway?"

This. This was why she could feel useful to her sister even though Rei overshadowed her in skills, intelligence and just about everything else. This was why Ino could be an awesome sister without resentment or jealously threatening to get the better of her. Rei needed her, even if her stubborn older sister refused to admit it.

No one knew her Nee-chan like she did, and no one could help her in the way only she realistically could.

"Since three days ago when I found out that you literally own nothing but training clothes and formal wear for special occasions," Ino told her firmly. "Me and mom nearly fainted when we realized that you had literally outgrown all your other clothes without ever replacing a single piece of your wardrobe. Plus a gorgeous young woman blossoming into womanhood like yourself has a responsibility, nay, a duty to dress pretty and look good at least when you've not actively training. The collective feminine pride of all the beautiful and graceful Yamanaka women throughout the ages demands it, sister."

The look Rei leveled at her was flat, unamused and entirely unimpressed. "How about we just go training instead. You're just going to keep getting more pudgy if you keep slacking off."

Ino twitched at he sister's comment but willed herself not to react any more than that, knowing that Rei's ridiculous statement was an uncharacteristically transparent attempt to distract her and get her off track. Ino would make sure to get back at her for that slanderous and completely untrue "pudgy" comment later.

"Even if you don't like it, going clothes shopping for you is totally necessary. Come on, I'll be right there with you! Plus you said that I could pick what we did together this week. So let's go."

Rei made a face like she'd just smelled something awful, her chin tilting up stubbornly. "Absolutely not. My wardrobe is perfectly adequate for my needs at the moment and I won't subject myself to something so tedious without good reason."

Ino resisted the urge to sigh. Well, this was Rei, what did she expect? Well, if that's how you want it to be. A mischevious smile began to grow on Ino lips, a smile that suddenly had Rei looking at her a tad warily. It was time to bring out the big guns.

"Nee-chan," Ino said suddenly in a whiny, childish tone that made her sound years younger. She practically jumped to sit down next to her sister and clung tightly to her arm like a limpet, hugging it to her and giving her big sister her best wide-eyed, pleading expression. "You promised!"

Rei gave her a completely exasperated look, but almost instantly she could see in her sister's eyes that her resolve had started to break. No one knew her sister quite like she did and sometimes Ino had to use that knowledge for her Nee-chan's own good. For example, assuming you weren't someone she would murder for merely attempting it, Rei was surprisingly extremely weak to physical affection. That was the big one. Big teary eyes and acting younger worked pretty well on her too. Ino could feel her sister's resolve weakening while at the same time Rei sent her a vaguely irritated, warning look.

Ino didn't try to kid herself: Rei knew perfectly well what she was doing.

That was okay. Ino knew Rei would tolerate it as long as she didn't abuse the privilege. For all that she came across intimidating and unapproachable, Ino knew that sometimes Rei could be a huge marshmallow on the inside.

"For me? Pretty please?" Ino asked while looking up at her sister with a painfully hopeful, excited little smile that she didn't even have to fake. Not in the least bit. She hugged her sister's arm tighter.

Rei looked at her for another few seconds before making a disgusted noise and suddenly looking away.

"Fine. But if you think I'm just going to let you pick out my wardrobe you've got another thing coming."

000

Sometimes it seemed like Rei had every single minute of her life scheduled a month in advance. And oh boy, woe be it to anyone that tried to make her deviate from her self imposed masochistic regimen by even an inch without a darn good reason. What that translated to was that the time Ino spent with her sister had to be scheduled in and usually only added up to about four hours a week. Sometimes she would get Rei to herself for an entire afternoon but that didn't really happen all that often. The end result was that Ino jealously guarded the little bit of time that she got to have her sister all to herself.

In light of that fact it might come across as strange that Ino would invite her best friend Sakura to come along with the two of them fairly often. However, as she saw it, Ino had a few very good reasons for that.

The first was that for some reason Rei had always seemed strangely tolerant Sakura, even when she would have probably sent any other Sakura-like girl running away with tears in her eyes if she had tried to hang out with the two of them during their sister time. Some days Rei even seemed to like Sakura, which probably shouldn't have seemed as strange as it did.

The second was that, to put it bluntly, Rei needed to socialize more. As Ino saw it Rei had one default mode of dealing with people that weren't part of her inner circle: confrontational. Either she had to establish herself as their clear superior and better in all things or, barring that, she would maneuver aggressively in a more social context to gain some type of advantage. Every interaction tended to turn into a battle and Rei really needed to learn to deal with people in another way. Sakura was good practice in not acting that way all the time.

Third, Sakura was really too shy to make herself a nuisance during their outings and Sakura had never quite lost the hero worship she'd developed for Rei when they'd been very young. It was nice to be able to talk to someone who could appreciate just how awesome her big sister really was.

Plus, Ino geniunely had more fun when Sakura was around.

"Oh my gosh Sakura, isn't this top cute?! The color totally goes with Nee-chan's eyes!"

They were in a clothing store in what could be considered the "high end" district of Konoha, an area where the stores catered to the non-shinobi needs of the more wealthy and influential of her citizens. Sakura dutifully examined the expensive tank top Ino was holding up while Rei looked on from a few feet away with a mild air of distaste.

"Yes, I guess it does. It is cute, but... don't you think the cut is maybe a bit too daring?" replied Sakura, looking between the two blondes like she was afraid of offending one of them. It was too cute.

"Nonsense! That kind of V-cut is all the rage now with the more progressive girls at the capitol. Plus Nee-san is starting to get a chest and hips now, so the form hugging fabric will accentuate that." Unfortunately, neither she nor Sakura were quite there yet.

Rei for her part looked thoroughly unimpressed. "I don't think me wearing that is a good idea."

"Why not?" asked Ino, acting faux offended that her taste would be called into question. "You agreed to try on some of what I picked out for you. This will look great!"

Rei looked like she wanted to argue before she stopped, folding her hands into the sleeves of her battle kimono. A wry smile came to her lips. "If I try it on and it doesn't look good on me, will you get off my case about having to get a bunch of 'cute' clothes?"

Ino narrowed her eyes slightly. "What is wrong with cute clothes?"

"Honestly I just want to get some practical things, since we're here. And you know me," Rei said, nodding towards her training clothes. "I have a bit of a preference for traditional things that aren't too revealing."

Well... Ino didn't necessarily agree but she guessed that sort of thing was acceptable, if boring. Then again there was no chance that what she'd picked out wouldn't look good. With a smile Ino nodded her assent. "Okay, you're on. If this top doesn't look amazing on you I'll tone it back some, but once you see yourself in it I know that you'll be convinced!"

"Sure, sure," said Rei dismissively. Ino didn't particularly trust how confident her sister looked, but the girl pushed that feeling aside.

"Alright take the top and go try it on then. Oh! And try on these shorts too. They will look great together, you'll see."

Five minutes later Rei sauntered out of the dressing room wearing the clothes Ino had picked out for her, a smug and confident smile on her face.

Sakura made complimentary noises while Ino took the time to examine her sister. She'd been right, the top was perfect for her. Though she was still growing Rei was already an attractive girl who radiated power and confidence. It was no mystery that she was physically pretty since the Yamanaka, like the Hyuuga and Uchiha, had at least in part bred for good looks over the centuries just like they had for a whole host of other desirable traits. However it was everything else, from the intensity in her lavender eyes to her proud and almost confrontational stance, that really caused people to pay attention.

The outfit she had picked out looked good. Which is why Ino was initially puzzled as to why her sister looked so damn sure of herself.

Then she caught sight of Rei's left arm and cursed herself loudly in her head.

How could I have forgotten about that?!

Unpleasant memories bubbled up from several years ago, when Rei had dissapeared for a few weeks and everyone had been convinced that she was dead. From the back of the knuckles of her left hand all the way up to her shoulder and collarbone Rei still had a nasty acid scar, a reminder of that time when she'd almost gotten herself killed for that stupid Rat contract. The scars had faded somewhat over the last couple of years but they were still very obvious and very, very noticeable. A young woman flaunting heavy scarring that way could very easily be taken as something unpleasant and impolite. There was no way that they would be buying any short sleeved tops for Rei – not if they were the type she'd be expected to wear in public anyway.

Her Nee-chan's triumphant smile at Ino's dejected expression made her want to wack her older sister across the back of her head.

000

"Okay, so, we got you a few long sleeved tops. But I've been thinking, how about some long sleeved dresses? I've seen some in Hashi's a few streets down that would look absolutely gorgeous on you."

"A dress? I'm not going to wear anything that limits my range of movement. What on the Six Paths would make you think that I would want to wear a dress?"

"Well, our battle kimonos are basically a dress already, so I don't think it really would be all that different for you. We'd just have to make sure that it's short enough that it doesn't limit movement."

"Do you know what happens when you try to run in a short dress? It rides up. If I'm going to be wearing a dress around my waist I might as well just wear shorts."

"That really depends on what type of dress we're talking about, Rei. It's not nearly as bad as you're making it out to be."

Rei rolled her eyes and then very suddenly veered off to look in the window of a rather expensive jewelry store they had just been about to pass, more to give herself a momentary break from the argument about clothes than any real interest in jewelry Ino suspected. Knowing her Nee-san as well as she did Ino decided to go ahead and give Rei a few minutes alone to cool off. Even if her sister did love her, Ino knew there was only so much pushing the older girl would take before she snapped.

"Does she want to get something?" asked Sakura as she stepped up next to Ino, having been lagging a few feet behind.

See? Another reason to bring her best friend along. If she needed to give her sister some space for a bit she had somebody close by to talk to. Handy!

"Who knows?" said Ino before grabbing Sakura by the hand. "Come on let's see if we can get a snack while she browses. I'm starving."

Ino then tugged Sakura away, fully intending to find something to munch on before retrieving her sister. They found a dango stand a short distance away and were standing in line when Ino caught a flash of dark blue out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to look Ino practically growled in irritation.

"What is that girl doing here?" Ino bit out, her voice suddenly going angry.

"Who?" asked Sakura, bewildered by Ino's sudden change in attitude. She looked in the direction her best friend was looking and frowned. There was someone familiar in the street full of shoppers. A girl their age from their class and an adult she didn't recognize were walking some thirty feet away seemingly going about their business. "Hinata?"

"Yes Hinata, who else?" Ino replied snappishly. Of course that girl would show up now of all times.

The girl looked oblivious, going around shopping with an older female clansman who was clearly there as her minder. Sure she didn't look like she was doing anything shifty, but Ino knew better. That whole innocent act was nothing but a blatant and not particularly subtle attempt at manipulating everyone.

Ino would never accept that greedy, selfish girl.

Sakura sighed. "I still don't get what your problem is with her."

Ino ignored her and started muttering to herself. "Of course she would show up now, when I'm out with my sister. No doubt she was stalking Nee-chan with those creepy eyes of hers and wants to 'accidentally' bump into us and hog Nee-chan all to herself. As if she and her stupid clan don't already monopolize my sister's time enough."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, simultaneously amused and exasperated at Ino's reaction. "And you say you don't have a sister complex."

"I don't," Ino insisted hotly. "I just don't trust her. Somehow she managed to worm her way into my sister's confidences with her little act. Come on, you and I both know how she is in a spar now days. Her 'shy, innocent little mouse' act is a joke when we can all see what she's really like on a weekly basis."

Sakura considered this and conceded that maybe there was something to what Ino was saying. Hinata had slowly changed and was... different now than before. Whereas Sakura remembered Hinata being insecure and almost apologetic when she fought in academy spars years ago, now days it was drastically different. Hinata would just sort of... go cold when she sparred now. Almost like she somehow lost all personality and became empty inside. In those moments Hinata somewhat reminded Sakura of a dead fish. Hinata had also become a lot less... careful about injuring her sparring partners. While she didn't seem to go out of her way to hurt anyone, she had also become a lot less careful about holding back when she saw an opening she could exploit.

Frankly, it was a little scary to spar against. The girl was still perfectly nice and polite after a fight though, if somehow a bit more confident than before. The fact that Hinata had shot up in the class rankings recently to make the top ten might have had something to do with that as well.

As for Ino, she couldn't help but feel that Hinata had some kind of nefarious plan for her sister. It was obvious to her that Rei had developed a gigantic blind spot where the Hyuuga heiress was concerned. Does that harpy really think she's going to get away with trying to manipulate my Nee-chan? Ino despised Hinata because of how fake she was and because of how she was clearly always trying to get her hooks deeper into her sister.

It had nothing to do with the fact that, because Rei had agreed to unofficially mentor Hinata, her sister ended up spending more time with the heiress than she did with Ino.

It had nothing to do with the fact that for the past year Hinata had been coming over to their house and staying for sleepovers in Rei's room every one or two weeks.

It also had nothing to do with the fact that she sometimes got the feeling that Hinata of all people knew things about Nee-chan that she, her own sister, somehow wasn't privy to at all.

In her mind, doing her best to socially alienate and isolate the Hyuuga heiress at school was just the girl getting her just deserts. Not like it had been that hard. Even if you're the heiress of the biggest clan in the village, no one is going to take your side if you don't make any move to stand up for yourself. Making Hinata's life as miserable as possible was just another way that Ino was protecting her sister. After all, the lower her standing in the eyes of everyone, the less damage she would be able to do in the long term. Right?

Right.

As Ino watched, Hinata's eyes finally drifted in her direction. When they made eye contact Hinata's eyes widened in surprise while Ino's blue eyes narrowed in hostility. Ino offered the other girl an entirely fake, almost vicious little smile. Hinata for her part tried to smile back politely but it ended up coming out as more of a grimace. Ino debated whether it was worth it go over and give Hinata a piece of her mind in thinly veiled polite words when the choice was suddenly taken away from her.

Hinata's eyes flickered over Ino shoulder and suddenly her whole expression, nay her whole body from head to toe even, seemed to light up and practically glow with surprise and happiness. Ino found the whole transformation unsettling and cursed silently inside her own head. So much for my time with just me and my sister.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" her sister exclaimed from behind her, Rei's voice uncharacteristically chipper and excited.

Ino grit her teeth as her sister gave her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder before walking past her with a muttered "be right back" and heading off to talk with Hinata. Though Ino tried to glare more daggers at the Hyuuga it was all for naught, for the second the blue haired girl had spotted Rei the rest of the world might as well have ceased to exist. As Rei reached Hinata and the two of them began to talk Ino couldn't help the ugly feeling that rose up in her chest at how at how completely at ease and in sync the two seemed to be around each other. Ino's eyebrow twitched when Rei casually reached out to pull a strand of hair out of Hinata's face. Hinata's eyes as she looked up at Rei were filled with so much admiration and worship that Ino might have bought it if it hadn't been so ridiculously over the top and thus, obviously, fake. The whole time they talked the two of them were smiling, with Rei radiating confidence and happiness while Hinata seemed rather more shy and coy about the whole thing.

That bitch.

Ino stayed in line and bought a stick of dango, even though she found she'd suddenly lost her appetite. Thankfully it didn't take more than ten minutes until Rei was finally done with Hinata and headed back. Ino couldn't help herself. As soon as her sister was within range Ino swung her fist back and punched Rei in the arm as hard as she could.

"Hey!" exclaimed Rei, more startled than hurt by the sudden outbreak in violence as she rubbed at the arm that Ino had just hit. "What was that for?"

"For taking too long," Ino said waspishly. "Now come on. We have more shopping to do and I don't want any more distractions taking up any more of our time."

Ino stalked off, leaving a slightly bewildered Rei to follow. Sakura gave the older sister an apologetic smile and shrug before following after her best friend. Shaking her head and muttering something about "moody sisters" Rei followed after them, counting the seconds until this whole shopping trip would finally be over.

000

"Okay, so, I think we've finally got you enough casual and day-to-day clothes for you to wear-"

"Which I'm probably never going to actually wear, just so you know."

"-so now I think all we need to do is get you something nice to wear. You know, something better than causal clothes but not quite as stuffy as what you would need to wear for formal clan meetings and such. After all, if you ever wanted to go on a nice date or something like that you need something that fits in between."

Rei made a half thoughtful, half "I am so done with all of this" noise in the back of her throat. Then Rei spotted a store near the end of the shopping district and froze.

"Say Ino," asked Rei with a voice just a little too casual to be entirely believable. "What kind of things do they sell in that store?"

Ino looked over and saw what store Rei was looking at. "Oh, that? Matsumoto's. Yeah that place is pretty nice. They import a lot of high quality, shall we say, non traditional clothes and accessories from all over the continent. Why? Do you want to try looking for something in there?" Ino asked, trying to mask the excitement in her voice. If so this would be the first store Rei had actually been willing to go into without prompting and prodding on her part.

Rei just looked at the store before a slow, mischievous smile spread out across her face. "Tell you what. I'm going to go in there and buy something nice, like you said. The catch is I want the two of you to wait out here. If I'm going to do this then I want it to be a surprise."

Ino narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her older sister. "You're not going to sneak out the back while we're out here waiting for you, are you?"

Rei rolled her eyes. "If I wanted to ditch you I wouldn't have to go through that much trouble to do it. I just want to pick out one or two things without having two people looking over my shoulder and constantly giving their opinions on everything. Is that too much to ask after the day you've subjected me to?"

Rei's aggrieved, put upon tone of voice made Sakura giggle which earned her a quick but genuine smile from the older girl. Ino however wasn't quite so easily distracted. "You're not going to make this into a big joke are you? You seriously need to get a couple some nice, potentially date-level worthy outfits."

Rei shrugged, as if to say she didn't particularly care about that sort of thing. "I'll tell you what. If you can look me in the eye and tell me I don't look good in whatever I pick out then I'll let you veto the outfit. I'll even let you pick out whatever it is that you want me to wear. What do you say?"

Huh. Okay. She could work with that. Ino clapped her hands together and gave her sister a broad, happy smile. "Okay. Deal! Now get your butt into that store. I want to see what you can do!"

Ino and Sakura killed some time by browsing in another nearby store for a little while until finally, half an hour later, Rei came out of the store she had been shopping in. The first one to spot Rei was Sakura. Ino was alerted to this by the choking noise Sakura suddenly made and the very suspicious tinge of red that was suddenly coloring her cheeks. Turning to see what Sakura had been looking at Ino's eyes very nearly popped out of her head.

Rei was wearing, well... it was very modern fashion that had recently become increasingly popular with wealthy businessmen and merchants, especially further up north in the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth. The outfit Rei was wearing was almost uniformly black from head to toe. Black slacks with crisp lines and shiny polished leather shoes that Ino instinctively knew had also been chosen with functionality in mind made up the bottom half of the outfit. Up top the shocking ensamble was made up of three different pieces that she could see. First there was a stiff collared grey button-down dress shirt with a black suit vest covering it. An expensive looking black jacket went on top of everything else, with black buttons and cuff links that were made from some type of polished dark stone. A pitch black tie and a pair of black leather gloves completely covering her hands completed the outfit. The whole thing had obviously been tailored specifically for Rei in just half an hour, somehow. The outfit hugged her figure expertly in a way that unmistakably marked her as female while at the same time giving the whole package an absolutely undeniable air of strength and masculinity. The outfit somehow managed to make Rei look both cute and powerful at the same time. Ino and Sakura both looked on at Rei's new outfit with wide opened mouths, though not exactly for the same reasons.

"Do you like it?" Rei asked with a wide cocky grin. She then twirled around once to show off her outfit in all of it's perfectly tailored glory before stopping and arrogantly putting one hand on her hip. "I think I'll call it my Saber outfit."

"Because it will spear any girl who sees it right through the heart?"

It took everyone an awkward moment to realize that yes, that comment had indeed just been blurted out spontaneously by Sakura. A Sakura whose face was suddenly rapidly approaching the complexion of a sun dried tomato after her brain caught up with her mouth.

"Say," began Ino slowly, her voice positively dripping with both suspicion and amusement. "Is there something that you want to share with the class, Sakura?"

"N-no!" cried out Sakura, flailing her arms jerkily as all of her blood volume seemed to become concentrated on her face and ears. "I don't – I mean I wouldn't – I mean I-I don't think – I mean, I mean, I... – S-Sasuke-kun. Sasuke-kun is the one for me!"

Rei for her part looked deeply amused and even pleased by Sakura's unintended outburst and subsequent spazzing out. Her Nee-chan got that look in her eye and Ino very quickly sent her older sibling her best death glare to warn her off. As funny as it might be Ino wasn't cruel enough to leave Sakura at the tender mercies of Rei when the older girl had smelt weakness and had decided she was going to exploit it for everything it was worth. With a childish pout Rei huffed and looked away, somehow managing to make the act look both refined and attractive in that tailored suit that she was currently wearing.

I really should know better by now than to bet against my sister, Ino thought with a sigh.

Moving to console a mortified Sakura while at the same time thinking of how to get across that her best friend had better not get any ideas, one very firm thought solidified itself in her mind.

I can never let Hinata see my Nee-chan in that outfit!

000

A/N: Well, this was a little more slice-of-life-y than usual, but Ino is a very important character for Rei and we hadn't seen her at all in a while. I'm also rather happy how, while this chapter was from Ino's POV, it also served to give a lot of info as to some other things that have been going on in the world. Still this was a transitional chapter any way you want to look at it. Next chapter we return to the meat of the plot.

In case you were wondering where Rei's outfit in the last scene came from she ripped it off from Sabre in Fate/Zero.

 

[steamrick]

As for Ino, she couldn't help but feel that Hinata had some kind of nefarious plan for her sister. It was obvious to her that Rei had developed a gigantic blind spot where the Hyuuga heiress was concerned. Does that harpy really think she's going to get away with trying to manipulate my Nee-chan? Ino despised Hinata because of how fake she was and because of how she was clearly always trying to get her hooks deeper into her sister.

Click to shrink...

Someday Ino will reflect back on this and feel really really stupid...

Ino knows Rei better than most, but she's far from perfect.

 

[AwooTheWanWan]

Ray X Hinata is perfect I forgot how hard I ship them in this I'm glad this is coming back it's just too good to be abandoned

 

[SilverEagle2121]

I have been reading on FF.net and saw that this was over here as well. I will probably be following it here now as there are the wonderful additions such as the omakes which are all just great. Please keep up the good work and update again soon.

 

[Pwnbot]

the top was prefect for her

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Found a typo.

 

[TheOne320]

Arturia's outfit from Fate/Zero?

 

[UrsaTempest]

Huh. So does Hinata really goes yandere?

Still, girl in suit is indeed really nice.

 

[ChaosTheVoid]

Saw your notice on FF.net. been following since SV and SB. Then had to go to FF. Glad to see it here.

 

[anechoic]

Denial isn't a river in Egypt, Ino...

 

[Abhorsen]

I could not stop laughing, while bemoaning the fact I can't fanart, because if something ever needed fanart, it's Rei in a suit.

 

[Yers]

Glad this is back, nice to have a Ino PoV.

 

[Fonteius]

Thanks a lot for the chapter, it's better to read this in QQ, for the reviews and general aesthetics of this site.

This is an amazing SI story for Naruto universe, most people focus on the rose colored view of Naruto (the MC) for the ninja business, but you managed to make it much more real and interesting, Rei's emotions and state of mind during the fic are really detailed and are made a focus instead of other MCs that jump straight into a new life in Naruto.

It is refreshing to see Ino's perspective for a chapter, she does see some of the real dealings in the village but it's also tinted with her positive mindset and care for Rei, she really is needed for Rei state of mind and to help aliviate some of her depression.

Now, regarding Rei's relationships with any other character, I don't see much future for any romantic feelings in her for any male, Neji is the only one who could fit this role but due to his loyalty to the Hyuga I don't see that happening.

Now in the case of Hinata or Sakura I really see a chance for if not romantic atleast a real comrade bond with Rei, as she is now Hinata is completely fanatic towards Rei and Sakura does have a crush on her. If we compare with the anime Hinata spent her whole life as a stalker due to a single kindness from Naruto, and Sakura was completely obsessed with Sasuke even when he betrayed everyone (and her) time and time again, as it is Rei already replaced Naruto in Hinata life and she even spends time with her (instead of Naruto during the anime), as for Sakura, a single crush on Sasuke took her whole life to resolve, and Rei acts much better towards her than Sasuke ever did.
As I see it, "when" Rei leaves or betrays the village there is a really high chance of Sakura and Hinata following her, and Rei really needs someone like either of them to keep her "mostly" sane.

I don't mind if you don't go for any relationship during the entire story, but for now the only ones I see having a chance of helping Rei stay loved and sane are either of those three and Ino, as far as her future team, I see her acknowledging Rock Lee desire to become strong, his hard work and not dismiss him like Neji did, but he could at best be a partner in the team, no a friend.

As far as combat applications you are using for Rei, it fits amazingly well with a true Assassin (not ninja), or ANBU specialist, she is certainly strong and due to that Neji and Tenten have a much higher base strenght (compared to manga/anime), for example I don't see either of them losing during the Chunin exam. She is still developing her true "S-Rank" characteristic for now, but if what you implied during your Omake is true then a Rei with either the Rinnegan/Mangekyou/Byakugan makes for an extremely scary opponent to face, more so due to her Yamanaka clan skills, that for some reason are disregarded for the entire of Naruto, but massive Telepathy and Sensory range is incredibly overpowered for any team, as for her skills in acquiring information that is one of her best traits for now.

After your previous chapter I can't wait to see what Rei manages to develop with a Fire affinity, if you consider that Madara could destroy armies with a single fire jutsu, the potential is there for her to make something worth being SS-Rank for her endgame. Even if fire does not mesh well with her current skill set, it makes it more interesting to see what you made of it. Maybe high temperature based instead of only flashy flames all around her. (Not that it wouldn't be awesome to see some epic explosions).

Thanks again for the story. Good luck.

 

[SixPerfections]

Someday Ino will reflect back on this and feel really really stupid...

Click to shrink...

I really enjoyed the irony in writing that, tbh. Shows you how different the world can look with a biased opinion. Jealousy (not a sister complex!) is not very compatible with level headed and impartial assessments.

Found a typo.

Click to shrink...

Thank you. Fixed.

Arturia's outfit from Fate/Zero?

Click to shrink...

Yup. I'll put a note at the end of the chapter just to clarify that

Huh. So does Hinata really goes yandere?

Click to shrink...

A Yuno Gasai-eske Omake would be a lot of fun. But no, you need a certain balance of self-confidence, obsession and delusional thinking to be a true Yandere. Hinata is lacking in at least two of those categories at the moment.

Still, girl in suit is indeed really nice.

Click to shrink...

I always thought Arturia in a suit was extremely cute/attractive, personally.

I could not stop laughing, while bemoaning the fact I can't fanart, because if something ever needed fanart, it's Rei in a suit.

Click to shrink...

Doesn't every major anime/manga out there have a bunch of promotional art of the main cast wearing a suit? If anyone has any skill with Photoshop they might be able to whip up something really quick.

 

[ItsComplicated]

"I don't," Ino insisted hotly. "I just don't trust her. Somehow she managed to worm her way into my sister's confidences with her little act. Come on, you and I both know how she is in a spar now days. Her 'shy, innocent little mouse' act is a joke when we can all see what she's really like on a weekly basis."

Sakura considered this and conceded that maybe there was something to what Ino was saying. Hinata had slowly changed and was... different now than before. Whereas Sakura remembered Hinata being insecure and almost apologetic when she fought in academy spars years ago, now days it was drastically different. Hinata would just sort of... go cold when she sparred now.

Click to shrink...

Typo? Did you mean "nowadays"? Or "these days"?

It had nothing to do with the fact that, because Rei had agreed to unofficially mentor Hinata, her sister ended up spending more time with the heiress than she did with Ino.

It had nothing to do with the fact that for the past year Hinata had been coming over to their house and staying for sleepovers in Rei's room every one or two weeks.

It also had nothing to do with the fact that she sometimes got the feeling that Hinata of all people knew things about Nee-chan that she, her own sister, somehow wasn't privy to at all.

Click to shrink...

This PoV is turning out to be a great way to show the relationship between Hinata and Rei and all the ways in which it's become a little less fucked up during the timeskip!

In her mind, doing her best to socially alienate and isolate the Hyuuga heiress at school was just the girl getting her just deserts. Not like it had been that hard. Even if you're the heiress of the biggest clan in the village, no one is going to take your side if you don't make any move to stand up for yourself. Making Hinata's life as miserable as possible was just another way that Ino was protecting her sister. After all, the lower her standing in the eyes of everyone, the less damage she would be able to do in the long term. Right?

Click to shrink...

Oh god. Is Rei aware of this? This seems like it'll be the source of a major argument later is she isn't. It's a horrible situation, but it makes so much sense! I love it! Well, I hate it, but you know what I mean.

All in all I'm very happy to see this update! And although this update was very self-indulgent, it was still great because it provided more character interactions in a "show, don't tell" manner (even though there was a lot of telling in this chapter, it wasn't all monologue or perfect analysis or crazy physical cues that should be almost unnoticeable outside of an anime). And these character interactions and development are the main draw of your fic so far!
Still, I loved the chapter!

 

[Dakkaface]

I've mostly been a silent reader, but I figure its worthwhile to make a comment. I'm not one of the Rei/Hinata shippers - if anything I'm an anti-shipper there. I think they're a fantastic pair but I want it to remain platonic. At the moment Rei's protests of being too young to be doing anything like that are relatively accurate considering her monofocus on gaining power. That said the unintended reveal by Sakura is pretty funny.

 

[Freed]

I've always greatly enjoyed this series. Glad to see that you are working on it again. That said, I've found the Rei in Worm omake even more enjoyable. Looking forward to see how you develop the plot in either/both.

 

[Prince Charon]

If Rei wears that suit on a date, she's going to get a lot of reaction from kids in her age group.

I do wonder if we'll see more of the Rei Visits or Born Fifteen Years Earlier omakes. I think I meant to ask about them in an earlier comment, but it looks like I forgot.

 

[BrokenGrass]

Came here from FF.net, been reading it there for a few years now. Had no idea about this SB drama but I just wanted to let you know that I'm happy to see wherever you're going with this fic, and your portrayal of the Dom/Sub relationship between Rei and Hinata (platonic or not) has been an interesting read. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Also had no idea you've written a Worm crossover, it's badass. I can see Rei doing some serious Mastering and power-theft with her clan jutsu in order to stay untouchable from the Protectorate, Endbringers and Scion, if only because she can't stand anybody out there being stronger than her. Hope you continue it and maybe even give it it's own thread!

 

[EVA-Saiyajin]

I always thought Arturia in a suit was extremely cute/attractive, personally.

Click to shrink...

As did I. Though it helped the kind she was wearing was, as you so articulately described, both masculine and feminine in the best ways for a woman.

So, I'm digging it for Rei.

 

[C4d]

Im happy to see this story getting posted here.

Oh god. Is Rei aware of this? This seems like it'll be the source of a major argument later is she isn't. It's a horrible situation, but it makes so much sense! I love it! Well, I hate it, but you know what I mean.

Click to shrink...

Its kind of funny and sad at the same time that all Ino accomplishes by bullying Hinata is driving her even further into the co-dependant relationship she has with Rei.
So i could see Rei being at least aware of the fact that Hinata is being isolated but not that its Ino orchestrating things to make it happen.

 

[Morat136]

Its kind of funny and sad at the same time that all Ino accomplishes by bullying Hinata is driving her even further into the co-dependant relationship she has with Rei.
So i could see Rei being at least aware of the fact that Hinata is being isolated but not that its Ino orchestrating things to make it happen.

Click to shrink...

I had a similar thought, but the conclusion I drew from it was a suspicion that Rei might actually be cold-blooded enough to let it continue even if she is aware that it's Ino who's responsible. At least until Hinata asks for her help, at which point Rei can have a talk with Ino and more than likely solve the problem immediately, just like she does with every problem in Hinata's life, isn't Hinata lucky to have someone like Rei looking out for her.

 

[SixPerfections]

Sakura was completely obsessed with Sasuke even when he betrayed everyone (and her) time and time again, as it is Rei already replaced Naruto in Hinata life and she even spends time with her (instead of Naruto during the anime), as for Sakura, a single crush on Sasuke took her whole life to resolve, and Rei acts much better towards her than Sasuke ever did.

Click to shrink...

Well, my take on it is that for Sakura it was more than "just a crush" on Sasuke. It was an echo chamber of competitiveness with other girls (including Ino), some sunk cost fallacy (stupidly gave up her best friendship over a boy, so he HAS to be worth it), and tying her self esteem to the idea that Sasuke would like her. Having a bit of a crush shouldn't have nearly that kind of effect. I know everyone in this story has unhealthy emotional issues, but sometimes a crush is just a crush

This PoV is turning out to be a great way to show the relationship between Hinata and Rei and all the ways in which it's become a little less fucked up during the timeskip!

Click to shrink...

What gave you the idea it is less fucked up now? I mean we certainly get to see a positive side of it here. But who knows what has been going on behind the scenes? Maybe it's better, maybe it's worse

Oh god. Is Rei aware of this? This seems like it'll be the source of a major argument later is she isn't. It's a horrible situation, but it makes so much sense! I love it! Well, I hate it, but you know what I mean.

Click to shrink...

Rei, as perceptive as she CAN be when she turns her attention to something, also can be incredibly disinterested in things that dont immediately affect her. Rei is unlikely to know unless Hinata tells her. And can you really see Hinata complaining to Rei about what Ino is doing?

I've mostly been a silent reader, but I figure its worthwhile to make a comment. I'm not one of the Rei/Hinata shippers - if anything I'm an anti-shipper there. I think they're a fantastic pair but I want it to remain platonic. At the moment Rei's protests of being too young to be doing anything like that are relatively accurate considering her monofocus on gaining power. That said the unintended reveal by Sakura is pretty funny.

Click to shrink...

Platonic it is, because Rei wont be interested in the opposite (or same) sex until they're developed enough to start looking mostly like adults, so it will be a while. The Sakura revel was pretty entertaining to write . Thanks for commenting!

I've found the Rei in Worm omake even more enjoyable. Looking forward to see how you develop the plot in either/both.

Click to shrink...

Was there a plot? The Worm Omake felt like fun self-indulgent bit of power wank when I wrote it tbh haha. I wouldn't object to writing more of it, especially since it seems popular. Though I'm not one hundred percent sure where I would go from there.

I do wonder if we'll see more of the Rei Visits or Born Fifteen Years Earlier omakes. I think I meant to ask about them in an earlier comment, but it looks like I forgot.

Click to shrink...

There is a good chance we will. I like to take a break from the main story to write Omake from time to time.

 

[varoksa]

I really want to see an Omake of the canon timeline where the village is being attacked by Pein and Rei shows up and saves the day.

 

[ItsComplicated]

What gave you the idea it is less fucked up now? I mean we certainly get to see a positive side of it here. But who knows what has been going on behind the scenes? Maybe it's better, maybe it's worse

Click to shrink...

Point. But at least there is a good side! Think positive! She doesn't have Hinata in permanent despair scrabbling and suffering for the tiniest bit of positive attention!
Or at least she's willing to give her some in public, which is better than nothing.

Rei, as perceptive as she CAN be when she turns her attention to something, also can be incredibly disinterested in things that dont immediately affect her. Rei is unlikely to know unless Hinata tells her. And can you really see Hinata complaining to Rei about what Ino is doing?

Click to shrink...

Would Rei even care about her being isolated from her classmates? Rei is isolated from most of hers, after all. She would probably just try to get Hinata to stand up for herself better (don't grimace when you see Into for example) instead of trying to make her popular.
And of course, Hinata being isolated is convenient for Rei.

Edit: Omakes are far better than nothing (powerwanks can be fun from time to time), but I'd vastly prefer more of the main story. If Ino is 12, Rei will graduate soon won't she? I hope it works out! And I hope that things go well for Tenten is Rei is out with Gai, Lee and Neji. A Sakura-in-Dreaming-Of-Sunshine scenario situation would be sad, even if it does end well.

 

[Yuki]

I usually don't haunts around SFW section of QQ since it's not really active, but I guess I'll check it out more often just for this fanfic.