"Alright, Naruto. We're here. Deep in the darkness, with no one around."
Ino's voice sounded strong, though a slight tremor betrayed her nerves. She looked at the blonde, who was shaking his hands in the air.
"Are you sure about this? Because if this is an elaborate prank to get back at me for the flower shop incident, I swear I will use the Mind Destruction Jutsu on you and make you eat your own sandals."
Naruto stopped moving. Despite the dark circles under his eyes, his blue eyes shone with absolute seriousness.
"It's not a prank, Ino. I already told you at dinner. This is real."
"Yeah, yeah. The magic power that turns you into a super ninja."
Ino snorted and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
"I still find it hard to believe Sakura broke that bridge. I still think maybe she used explosive tags and nobody noticed."
"Sakura-chan doesn't need explosive tags. She is the explosive now."
Naruto smiled with a pride that caused a pang of envy in Ino.
"And you're going to be the same. Or better. You said you wanted to be the best Yamanaka in history, right?"
Ino straightened up immediately.
"I am. Or I will be. I don't need your magic for that, but... I guess a shortcut doesn't hurt."
"It's not a shortcut. It's unlocking what you already have."
Naruto took a step forward.
"Turn around."
Ino hesitated. Turning her back in such a secluded place went against her instincts, but Naruto's posture lacked any malice. She turned slowly.
"Fine. Now what? Do you recite a chant? Do we dance around a bonfire?"
"None of that. I just need skin contact. You have to... uh... lift your shirt a little. Just the back."
Ino tensed instantly.
"Hey, watch your hands, Uzumaki."
"It's for the seal! I need to touch your spine!" Naruto defended himself, raising his hands. "Sakura-chan and Hinata did it! Even Kurenai-sensei!"
"Okay, okay, don't yell."
Ino sighed and rolled her eyes toward the night sky.
"Let's make this quick before I regain my common sense and go home."
With precise movements, she gathered her long blonde hair on top of her head. With a shrug of her shoulders, she pulled up the fabric of her purple blouse.
"Ready. You have a clear path. Don't make me regret this."
"You won't."
Naruto stepped closer. Ino could feel the heat radiating from him behind her back.
"There is one more thing," said Naruto. "I need... a little blood."
Ino turned her head sharply.
"Blood? What the hell? You said it was a jutsu, not a forbidden summoning ritual. Are you going to cut me?"
"No! It's my blood!"
Naruto showed her his empty hands.
"I have to use my blood to draw the initial seal. It's like signing the contract. It won't hurt you, it hurts me."
Ino looked at him skeptically.
"Your blood on my back? That is very unhygienic, Naruto. I hope you don't have any weird diseases."
"I'm healthier than an oak tree! I never get sick!"
"Right."
Ino looked forward again, resigned.
"Fine. Do it. But if you stain my clothes, you're buying me a new outfit."
"Deal."
Naruto brought his right thumb to his mouth. Ino heard the crunch of teeth breaking skin and grimaced.
"How barbaric..." she muttered.
"It's necessary."
Naruto pulled his thumb out. A drop of bright red blood pooled on the tip. He closed his eyes, concentrating his chakra, and the drop seemed to acquire a crimson glow of its own.
"Here I go, Ino."
Without hesitation, he pressed his bloody thumb against the pale skin of Ino's back, right over her spine.
Ino expected to feel the warm moisture of the blood.
"AH!"
The scream escaped her throat. Her body arched. An absolute cold, pure and crystalline, entered through her back and shot through her nervous system.
"Naruto! What are you doing?!" she gasped, her muscles locked up. "It feels freezing!"
"Hold on!" Naruto's voice sounded tense. "It's your chakra reacting! You have a lot of Yin chakra! It's different from Sakura's!"
"I feel like my brain is freezing!"
The sensation moved up her neck and settled at the base of her skull. Suddenly, the cold stopped being bothersome and turned into clarity. The mental fog vanished, swept away by a hurricane wind.
The usual chaos of her mind—the worries, the plans, the irritation with Sakura—organized itself. Every thought became sharp. Razor-edged.
She could hear Naruto's heartbeat. She could feel the texture of his clothes against her skin with painful sensitivity. She calculated the exact distance to the nearest tree without looking at it.
"My mind..." she whispered, eyes wide open facing the darkness. "It's going very fast. Too fast."
"Let it flow. Don't fight it."
A blue-white light burst from her back, cold and beautiful, flooding the park clearing and casting long shadows. Ino felt a final pressure, an audible click inside her head.
Naruto's hand withdrew. The light faded, absorbed by her skin.
Ino fell to her knees, breathing hard. The grass under her palms felt incredibly detailed; she could count the blades just by touch. Behind her, she heard Naruto fall into a sitting position with a thud, panting.
"Damn..." Naruto snorted. "That was... intense. You are dense, Ino. In a good way."
Ino turned slowly, sitting on her heels. She felt light, yet incredibly present.
"What happened? Did it work?"
Naruto was looking at the empty air in front of him, moving his eyes from side to side. A huge smile broke through his fatigue.
"Did it work?" Naruto laughed. "Ino... you're amazing. Seriously. You got so much stronger! Your numbers skyrocketed!"
"Numbers?"
Ino stood up, dusting off her knees. The fatigue was gone.
"What numbers? Be specific, Naruto. I hate generalities."
"The chart," he said, pointing at the air. "You don't see it, but I do."
"Well, read the chart to the patient, doctor." Ino crossed her arms, lifting her chin. "How great am I?"
Naruto rubbed his eyes and looked back at the floating screen.
[UPDATE COMPLETE] INO YAMANAKA LEVEL: 1 STRENGTH: I-10 -> G-205 (+195) ENDURANCE: I-20 -> G-210 (+190) DEXTERITY: I-65 -> F-380 (+315) AGILITY: I-50 -> F-340 (+290) CHAKRA POTENTIAL: H-110 -> E-550 (+440) [NEW DEVELOPMENT ABILITY UNLOCKED] [PSYCHIC NEEDLE]
"Look," Naruto began excitedly. "Your physical stats... strength and endurance... were pretty low, honestly. You were at rank I, which is... well, basic."
"Hey! I take good care of myself!"
"Yeah, but you don't lift weights. Now you're at rank G. You have over two hundred points in each. You're as strong as Kiba without using chakra. Maybe more."
Ino flexed her arm. She felt a firmness under her skin that wasn't there before.
"Strong like Kiba?" Ino smiled. "He's going to hate that. I like it."
"But that's not the best part. Your dexterity and agility... Ino, you went up to rank F. Almost three hundred points at once! You're fast. I bet you can catch a fly in mid-air with chopsticks right now."
"I've always had good hands for flower arrangements. Precision is my thing."
"But this..." Naruto pointed to the last line. "Your mental chakra."
Ino leaned toward him.
"What about my chakra?"
"H-110 to E-550. It's the biggest jump I've ever seen. Not even Sakura had a jump like that her first time. You have monstrous mental potential, Ino. It's massive."
Ino felt a shiver of pleasure. More than Sakura. Those were the magic words.
"Really?" She touched her temple. "No wonder I feel this buzzing. I feel like I have an ocean in here."
"And there's something else. The system gave you a gift. A Development Ability."
"Gift? What is it? Can I fly?"
"No, but it's almost better for you. It's called [Psychic Needle]."
Ino frowned.
"Psychic Needle?"
"It says here: 'Direct Mental Offense. Allows condensing mental chakra into an invisible spike. Upon throwing it, it strikes directly at the target's nervous system'."
Ino froze.
"Wait. Repeat that part. It doesn't transfer the mind?"
"No. It says it causes intense pain, paralysis, or brain damage without physical contact. And you stay in your body."
Silence fell over the park. Ino stared into nothingness, processing the magnitude of what she had just heard. The Yamanaka Clan's biggest flaw, leaving their body inert and vulnerable, had just disappeared.
"I can attack..." she whispered, and a predatory smile spread across her face. "I can attack without leaving my body. I can shoot from a distance."
She closed her eyes and searched for that new sensation. It was there. A cold, sharp pressure point, waiting for her command. It required no hand seals. Just thought.
"It's perfect!"
Ino jumped for joy, leaping much higher than she expected, landing with feline grace.
"It's absolutely perfect! I'm not just support anymore!"
She looked at Naruto, her eyes shining.
"Naruto, you're a genius. An orange and weird genius, but a genius."
"Heh, heh," Naruto laughed, scratching his nose. "I told you. The leader takes care of his family."
Suddenly, Ino stopped and brought her hands to her face.
"Wait."
"What? Does something hurt? Side effects?"
"No..." Ino touched her cheeks. "My skin."
"Your skin?"
Ino frantically searched her ninja pouch, ignoring the weapons, until she pulled out her compact mirror. She snapped it open under the moonlight.
"It can't be!"
"What's wrong?" Naruto came closer. "Did you grow a third eye?"
"Shut up, idiot! Look!" Ino pointed at her own face. "Look at my skin! My pores! They're gone!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes, getting close to her face.
"Uh... did you always have pores?"
"All girls have pores, Naruto! But look at this!" Ino ran her hand over her cheek, fascinated. "And I don't have dark circles. I haven't slept well in two days because of nerves and I don't have a single mark."
"Oh, yeah, you look... very shiny," Naruto conceded. "Like Sakura-chan."
"Sakura? Did this happen to Sakura?"
"Yeah, her hair got prettier and shinier. But you..."
Ino didn't listen. She let her hair down. The blonde cascade fell over her shoulders, heavy and silky, with a volume that defied gravity. It shone in the moonlight as if it were made of platinum threads.
"My hair!" Ino spun around, feeling the softness hitting her back. "It's perfect! Not even the most expensive conditioner in the village does this!"
She stood on her tiptoes to inspect herself better.
"And my pants... they're short."
"I think you grew a little."
"I grew!" Ino let out a triumphant laugh. "I'm taller! I am definitely taller than Billboard Brow now! Ha! In your face, Sakura!"
She stretched, feeling her body respond.
"Naruto," she said, putting away the mirror. "Forget about the strength. Forget about the Psychic Needle. This is true power."
She walked over to him and grabbed his hands with an impulse of joy.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You are the best leader in the world!"
Naruto blushed, grinning from ear to ear.
"I told you! I'm awesome! And now you are too!"
"I am a goddess!" Ino corrected, posing with a hand on her hip. "I am strong, I am lethal, and I am beautiful. The full package."
"You look... great, Ino," Naruto said, but his smile faltered. His skin looked pale. "Mission... accomplished..."
Naruto's legs trembled. The chakra cost to update that mental potential had been brutal. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed forward uncontrollably.
"Naruto!"
Ino reacted before thinking and extended her arms. She caught him in mid-air, stopping him dead against her chest.
Ino blinked. She was holding Naruto and the boy's feet were dragging slightly, but she felt nothing. It was like holding a pillow.
"Huh?" She frowned. "Why isn't he heavy?"
She lifted him a little more. Ridiculously easy.
No... she thought, looking at her thin arms. It's not that he's light. It's that I... I am much stronger.
She looked at Naruto's sleeping face. He was totally knocked out, drooling a bit on her new blouse. He looked vulnerable. For the first time, she saw the boy who had just given her all this power in exchange for nothing but trust.
A soft smile, less vain and warmer, appeared on her face.
With a fluid movement, she adjusted him into a princess carry, lifting him up to chest height.
"Wow... Naruto. You really weren't kidding," she murmured. "I guess now it's my turn to take care of you, partner."
She started walking toward the park exit. She felt incredible. The wind moved her perfect hair, her muscles responded effortlessly, and she carried her unconscious leader like a war trophy.
I'm going to brag about this all week.
She didn't get very far. As soon as she stepped out of the circle of trees onto the main path, the bushes to her right shook violently.
"I KNEW IT!"
Sakura jumped onto the path, landing in an accusing stance, with her index finger pointing directly at Ino's heart. Her green eyes were shooting sparks.
"I knew you were plotting something indecent!"
Behind her, Kurenai and Hinata emerged from their hiding place. Kurenai looked resigned, and Hinata worried.
"Sakura, lower your voice, it's late," Kurenai tried to mediate.
"Don't ask me to calm down, Sensei! Look at her!" Sakura pointed frantically at Ino and the bundle in her arms. "Ino! What did you do to him? Why is he unconscious?! And why the hell are you carrying him like he's a bride?!"
Ino stopped. Her rival's appearance was exactly what she needed to complete her perfect night.
She smiled. With a deliberate toss of her head, she brushed her shiny hair out of her face so the moonlight would make it sparkle.
"Oh, hello Forehead," Ino said with maddening calm. "You're late to the party. Calm down, will you. Naruto is just exhausted from... well, giving me all his power."
"Naruto?" Hinata stepped forward. "Is-is he okay?"
"He's sleeping like a baby, Hinata. He just fainted at the end," Ino assured. "And it turns out I'm now strong enough to carry my dear leader home without breaking a nail. Jealous?"
Sakura opened her mouth to scream, but stopped. Her eyes, trained by Tsunade, scanned Ino. She noticed the relaxed posture with which she held the weight, the immaculate skin, and the hair.
"Wait..." Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Is your skin... glowing?"
Ino widened her smile, posing with Naruto in her arms.
"Can you tell?"
"And... did you grow?" Sakura looked down at Ino's ankles, where her pants were short. She looked up with horror. "You're taller! And your hair!"
Sakura grabbed her own pink locks. They had improved since her update, but Ino's situation was ridiculous. She looked like an angel from a cosmetics commercial.
"It's not fair!" Sakura shrieked. "He made me prettier too, but you look like a walking lightbulb! And he gave you height! Why do you get the full model package?!"
Ino let out a musical giggle.
"Maybe the jutsu highlights natural best qualities, Sakura," she said with a wink. "Beauty, elegance, and mental power for me. Muscles and brute force for you. Makes sense, right? The universe puts things in their place."
"I'm going to kill you!" Sakura clenched her fists, cracking her knuckles. "Put Naruto down right now and fight!"
"Sakura-san, no!" Hinata intervened quickly. "Please! Naruto-kun needs rest, not a fight."
Kurenai approached Ino, ignoring the dispute, and placed a hand on Naruto's forehead and another on his wrist.
"Pulse stable. Chakra low, but recovering," she diagnosed. She looked at Ino with approval. "I see the update was very effective."
"Very effective, Sensei. I feel incredible. I feel like I could control half the village without sweating."
"Good. Don't try it. Let's go. Sakura, help her with Naruto. Take turns carrying him."
Sakura stepped forward, arms outstretched.
"Give him to me. I'll carry him. He's my teammate and you're going to drop him if you break a nail."
Ino turned her torso, moving Naruto out of Sakura's reach as if he were her exclusive property.
"No! I'm carrying him. It's my responsibility. He gave me the power, I'm taking him home. It's only fair that I protect him now."
"He's my teammate!" Sakura protested.
"And now he's my partner and leader," Ino replied, starting to walk with her nose in the air, passing right by Sakura. "Besides, with your clumsy, super-strong hands you might break him by accident. I have the delicate touch and the perfect strength."
"My hands aren't clumsy! I'm a medic apprentice!" Sakura ran after her.
"Apprentice! I am an expert in delicacy."
The group left the park and entered the streets of Konoha.
Ino walked in front, carrying Naruto with evident pride and casting haughty glances. Sakura walked beside her, seething with jealousy over her rival's "Glow Up" and watching her every step like a hawk. Hinata walked on the other side, silently making sure Naruto's head didn't hang uncomfortably. Kurenai brought up the rear, shaking her head but smiling.
The "Family" had a new member. And she was dangerous, strong, and terribly vain.
"Just wait until he wakes up," Sakura muttered with resentment. "I'm going to ask him why he gave you the spa treatment and me the gym treatment."
"Maybe because I'm worth it," Ino hummed.
"I hate you."
"I know, Forehead. I know."