Aftermath (A Sequel to A Flash to the Future)

Chapter 52 - Return of the Last Senju

Ino yawned as the sound of her alarm rung in her ears. With a light moan, she fumbled under sheets to stick her arm out and shut it of. Her eyes remained closed as her brows furrowed. She really didn't want to get up. Her bed was so warm and comfortable, and she didn't want to move.

"INO!" her ear twitched at the sound of her mother's call. "BREAKFAST IS READY!"

Ino sighed as she slowly got out the bed with reluctance. She mumbled something under her breath before she yawned. After she stretched to get the kinks out of her back and muscles, she lazily made her way to the bathroom. She winced as she flicked on the light and allowed her vision to get used to it's brightness.

She then stripped herself of her pajamas and turned on the shower. Once it got hot enough, Ino stepped in and drenched herself in water before grabbing the soap and washcloth to clean herself. As she washed her armpit, she frowned at the few strands of blond hair she found there. She need to talk to her mom about shaving soon. She didn't want to go round looking like a monkey and she definitely didn't want to give Sakura anything to comment on.

After she was done showering, she turned the water off and stepped out of the tub. She grabbed a towel that was hanging off her rack and wrapped it around her body before walking up to the sink. She looked at herself in the mirror, inspecting her features.

Ino had always been told she was pretty. Everyone around her had thought so. She had long, platinum blonde hair with pupil-less sky blue eyes, fair skin, and was already developing quite well. She was bold and confident, traits that had been instilled in her since she was a child, and she was very outspoken and had a mild temper to go with it. Although she got most of her looks from her dad, she was truly her mother's daughter. And her father would tell her that.

The blond genin slowly ran her hands to her hair that was now cut short. Her brows furrowed and her lips pursed. She remembered when she cut her hair during her preliminary round with Sakura during the chunin exams. It was a rough fight, but Ino felt like it needed to happen. She had never seen Sakura so determined or convicted about something. She had always been so unsure of herself.

Ino smiled a little as she grabbed her toothpaste and toothbrush before turning the sink water on. She didn't exactly know how to describe the feeling that came over her during the match that made her cut her hair. However, she felt good about herself afterwards. She didn't know whether it was the feeling of finally getting her best friend back or the adrenaline rush of a rivalry. Maybe it was both. But whatever it was, she knew something had changed that day. Much like how things changed when they saw the future a few months ago.

After she finished brushing her teeth and she washed her face, Ino turned to water off and headed out the bathroom, cutting the light off. She finished drying herself before moving to put her clothes on. She wore her usual purple outfit consisting of a high-collared blouse and matching apron skirt. She wrapped bandages around her abdomen and legs with her hitai-ate as a belt and small hoop-earrings in her ears. She tied her hair up into a short ponytail with a bang framing the right side of her face.

After putting on deodorant and moisturizing her skin, she put on perfume before looking into her full body mirror. She examined herself before nodding her head in approval. She grabbed her shuriken pouch and wrapped it around her thigh and walked out her room. Her sensei had informed them two days ago that they would be having a small practice session this evening, since they hadn't had one in a while.

Ino walked downstairs and toward the kitchen where her father was already sitting at the table with a newspaper in his hand. Her mother was setting breakfast on the table while cleaning up behind herself.

Mrs. Yamanaka was pretty woman. Unlike the others, she was a civilian who married into the clan. She had long brown hair that was tied into a bun with a red ribbon in it and strands of hair framed both sides of her face. Her skin was fair and unblemished with slight wrinkles visible near her mouth and had light brown eyes without pupils. She had a regal and classy appearance, sharing the vocabulary to compliment it. Her attire consisted of a dark teal, elegant dress that sported an aquamarine colored gem below the collar.