"Dad! Teach me our clan's hidden jutsu!" Ino aggressively demanded.
"Don't you think it's a little early? Why don't you go into the village and play with your friends." Inoichi rubbed the back of his head, blindsided by his daughter's request.
"I want to learn it. I want to learn every jutsu our clan has." Ino crossed her arms while stomping her foot and looking up at her father.
"Can you at least tell me what brought this on? Why do you want to learn so badly all of a sudden? Just yesterday, you were excited about learning more about the store's flowers from Mama." Inoichi wanted to understand.
"Yeah, well, now I want to learn our clan's jutsus more," Ino told him. "I can learn about the flowers when I'm done." She soon realized.
"Why do you want to learn so early?" Inoichi repeated his question. "You still have a year until you're ready to attend the academy."
"I want to learn because I want to learn." Four-year-old Ino explained the best way she could.
Inoichi couldn't help but laugh at his determined little girl. He didn't plan to start her training until she was much older, but he knew of others who started around her age. There wouldn't be harm in starting her training early. She'll probably just drop it once she realizes just how difficult it is.
…
"I asked for clan jutsu. Why are we studying flowers and meditating?!" Ino demanded.
"You need to build your spiritual energy first, sweetheart. The only way of doing that is by studying and meditating." Inoichi calmly answered her, looking forward to her dropping the whole thing now that she had to do something she didn't like.
The clan head of the Yamanaka Clan didn't know if he was fortunate or unfortunate when his daughter stubbornly chose to keep going. Even a week later, she continued to follow his lessons despite grumbling about them. A month of building her spiritual energy passed, and she was ready to begin learning Mind Transfer Jutsu.
"Let me warn you before we begin, Ino. Our clan's signature jutsu is very dangerous and takes a lot of training to master. Are you sure you want to train instead of going out and playing with your friends?" Inoichi asked despite knowing the answer.
"I already told you, Papa! Now hurry up and teach me!" Ino demanded with some annoyance.
"Alright, alright. I was just making sure. Let's begin from the beginning, I suppose." Inoichi began explaining the Mind Transfer Jutsu in explicit detail to try and bore Ino from wanting to learn it.
Just like his past attempts this month of trying to get her to get bored of training, she somehow only looked more and more excited as she heard about it. "What do you mean it's slow? Can't I just train to send my consciousness faster? Why does it shoot in a straight line? Isn't it just my consciousness? Can't I just lock in to who I want to possess? That way, I won't even have to aim it, right?" Ino fired off question after question upon her papa.
Leaving him to wonder the same things she was asking. "Only if you work really hard at it, maybe it'll be possible. I never heard of anyone managing to do it, but you might be able to if you try hard enough." Inoichi decided to give her hope.
"Hmph! I'll master this jutsu in no time!" Ino did not decide to start small in her training.
She aimed right for him while shouting, "Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Inoichi slowly walked out of the line of fire as Ino dropped face-first into the ground. He went over to his daughter's body, wiped the dirt off her face, and propped her up while waiting for her consciousness to return back to her body. It took several minutes before she managed to find her way back, and she looked at him with anger.
"Why did you move?!" She angrily beat on his chest.
"Because a real ninja wouldn't just stand there and let you use your jutsu on them." He explained.
Ino grumbled something under her breath as she stood back up. "Alright, let's keep going. I won't give up so easily, Papa!" For some reason, she could feel that he didn't want to train her for some reason. Inoichi helplessly smiled at his daughter's endless energy and willpower. "What are you working on first, my little sunflower?"
"Speed and aim!" Ino boldly declared.
"Let's work on one thing at a time, honey." Inoichi decided for her.
…
Years passed with Ino training to master the Mind Transfer Jutsu. She was making incredible progress, in Inoichi's opinion. Even he didn't realize it was possible to improve their technique in such a way. Sure, he always thought it could be possible, but why bother when it's always worked out just fine the usual way?
"I need to learn medical ninjutsu. Help me intern at the hospital learn, Papa." Ino requested of him by making it a command as she always does.
"Now, why does my cute daughter want to learn medical jutsu?" Inoichi curiously wondered.
"Because if I get hurt after possessing someone's body, I need a way to heal myself." She explained reasonably.
"Don't you know what happens in a hospital? People die, get hurt, and a bunch of other gross and scary stuff." Inoichi tried to warn her away from becoming a medic-nin.
"Papa, I'm training to become a ninja. A Yamanaka ninja." Ino looked at him as if he was dumb.
"Fair point. But becoming a medical ninja isn't easy, Ino. Are you sure you want to do that while you're in the academy? You will have to study at the hospital, study at school, train at home, and try to make time to play with your friends from school." Inoichi laid out everything she was planning to do at once.
"Yes." Ino rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't ask you, Papa, if I didn't want to do it." She informed him.
"Alright, Ino. I'll see what I can do." Inoichi didn't know who she took after with such a hard-working attitude.
Neither he nor his wife had such a personality. Not now and not when they were young. His wife was a regal blossom, graced with the elegance of a moonlit dance, she was a vision of grace and sophistication. Her presence, like the soft caress of a silk petal, left a trail of tranquility in her wake. Her eyes, twin pools of mystery, held secrets only the stars dared to whisper. As a moonflower unfurling in the twilight, she radiated an aura of timeless allure, captivating hearts like the moon captures the tides. A beacon of poise amidst life's tempestuous storms, she embodied the essence of refinement, a flower that thrived in the garden of high society.
Inoichi was a gentle zephyr that whispered wisdom upon all who sought his counsel. Like a tranquil pond reflecting the moon's radiant glow, his soul emanated a profound calmness, calming tempestuous hearts that crossed his path. A canvas of compassion adorned his every gesture as he wove empathy into the tapestry of life. His mind, a blossoming garden of understanding, nurtured seeds of knowledge that bloomed into a symphony of delicate thoughts, showering the world with the sweet petals of enlightenment.
Ino was a radiant lily of confidence, stood tall and proud, an indomitable force of nature. She embraced herself wholly, unapologetically, and with a heart that beat to the rhythm of her own drum. In her confidence, she bloomed, unfurling her petals to the world, unafraid to let her brilliance shine and illuminate the hearts of those lucky enough to bask in her glorious presence. Inoichi didn't know if the shinobi world was ready for his daughter…
…
"So this is the big forehead everyone was talking about…" Ino stood over the hunched-over pink-haired girl crying by herself. "I don't see what the big deal is."
"W-Who are you?" The girl wiped her tears.
"Ino. Ino Yamanaka, princess of the Yamanaka Clan." Ino introduced herself to the pitiful girl.
"I'm Sakura… Sakura Haruno."
"Well, let me give you some advice." Ino looked into the girl's eyes. "Toughen up!" She yelled loud enough to cause Sakura to jump. "If a few little words are enough to make you cry, you'll never be worth crap as a shinobi! Come here tomorrow morning. I have something to show you. If you still want to cry over a dumb nickname after tomorrow, I'll deal with those girls myself." Ino declared before leaving.
Sakura didn't feel like crying anymore and stood up. She looked in the direction that the princess girl left. Why didn't she know there were princesses in the village? Was she important like the Hokage? Sakura gasped. Was that the Hokage's granddaughter?! They didn't look anything alike…
…
The next day, Sakura shadowed Princess Ino. They met early in the morning, with Ino having a couple of bruises on her body. Sakura didn't know if she should ask if Ino was okay or not, but she did it anyway. "This is nothing. I just failed to beat up my papa earlier. You'd think a mind specialist would be easy to beat up, but he isn't a jonin for no reason…" Ino proudly looked forward to smashing her dad into the ground one day.
"Why are you fighting with your dad?" Sakura wondered.
"A ninja needs to know how to fight. So, I'm training, so I know how to fight." Ino explained.
"We do?" Sakura didn't really understand what a ninja was.
"Do you even know what a ninja is? Why we're in the academy?" Ino questioned.
"My mom and dad said I was old enough to come to the academy. Now I'm here learning to become a ninja like everyone else." Sakura explained.
"Wow." Ino sarcastically replied this girl had no clue what she was in for.
Her dad tried to scare her off by telling her exactly what ninjas did for a living during the start of her training. It only invigorated her desire to train. If she became a strong ninja, what couldn't she do?! The world was hers if she became strong enough! Ino Yamanaka was going to become the greatest shinobi in the world or die trying. After all, the whole world wouldn't just jump into her hands. She had the make the effort to force it into submission!
For some time, Sakura shadowed Ino. From dawn to night, she learned about a princess's tough and difficult lifestyle. She woke up early when the sun was rising to train taijutsu with her dad, went to the hospital to study and practice some jutsu on a fish, then went to learn about flowers and poisons with her mom while running the flower store their family owns, and then after that she goes to train with her father in their clan's special jutsus till night!
Even when Ino was tired and exhausted, she never thought about giving up or crying. She smiled while saying that even wanted to be pushed harder in her training and studies. Something that Sakura couldn't ever imagine asking for herself. The things Ino put herself through were unbelievable. Thinking back to when she cried over the girls making fun of her forehead, Sakura realized what she went through wasn't anything at all…
______________________________________________
"Hey, look, it's Forehead Girl!" Fuki laughed while pointing at her.
"She's really giving us a show with that big thing." Kasumi giggled.
"Why don't you cover it up with your bangs again? At least that way, we won't have to see it so much." Ami snickered.
"I don't care what you all say about my forehead." Sakura crossed her arms. "You're just dumb bullies." Sakura stuck her tongue out at them.
"What did you call us?!" Ami and the other two walked up to Sakura.
Sakura shook as they got up in her face. She was about to step backward as they got louder, scared that they would actually gang up on her and hit her. But she balled her fists and yelled right back at them. Their shock at seeing the crybaby forehead girl stand up to them infuriated the three girls. As Ami, the ringleader, raised her hand to hit Sakura and put her in her place, she met face-to-face with the Ino Yamanaka.
"Go on. Hit her." Ino dared her as she stood behind Sakura.
"This isn't over, Forehead Girl!" Ami knew not to push her luck with someone like Ino Yamanaka. It looks like they'll have to find someone else to make fun of since Sakura was friends with the princess.
"I'll take you on anytime, Lamey!" Sakura pulled her down her eyelid and stuck out her tongue.
As the girls went to play somewhere else during recess, Ino stood next to Sakura. "That was a good start, Sakura-chan. Keep it up." She left her with those words as she went back to trying to climb a tree by running up it. Sakura didn't understand it, but if Ino was doing it, there had to be a good reason for it. The young pink-haired girl felt her heart lighten hearing Ino's praise.