. The girl with two minds
Ino wondered if Sakura knew how easy she was to read. She had her judgement bleeding into those keen, green eyes. Once, those green eyes had held nothing but admiration and awe towards Ino-Chan. Now… they were nothing short of… mild disgust. How could Sakura keep such conflicting emotions side by side?
The fair-haired girl swallowed hard. She knew it was unfair to make Sakura re-think on her decision to quit being a shinobi. Even… fighting against the shinobi system. It felt like a personal attack against her. It always did, though. Where Sakura was concerned, Ino felt like she had personally failed. Like she had been that terrible a friend… that terrible a support system, that Sakura could not come to her.
The fair-haired girl could grind her teeth into frustration and physically shake Sakura’s body- as if willing to shake that inferiority complex right out of her.
How could Sakura not see how terrible and beautiful she was? Monstrous strength, a keen and sharp mind- - -take a good look at my back! she had declared that with steel in her eyes and a blade in her mouth at the age of twelve.
And now… it was like all the fight, all that fire, had left her.
How could she shun the life they had dreamed about? Right when she had got everything back - the dream of her fractured team was back… her parents were alive. Her Sensei was alive.
Maybe shot full of holes in places like their heads, hearts and lungs… but they were still living and breathing and alive. Ino would give anything to have her father back with her.
“Uhuh… because not caring is your speciality?” Ino smiled in amusement at her friend. “Sakura… you’ve always been a bleeding heart. Talk to me... look... I know... I know what happened to Naruto is wrong. What happened to Sasuke-Kun’s family is wrong. I hate that! I am just as ashamed of Konoha for it... I love this village.
But... you have to admit... the shinobi system has been here for years. Fighting for your hokage, for glory - - isn’t that what we always wanted?”
