Morning light washed over the streets of Konoha.
A blonde girl raced through the alleys, her cream-colored outfit fluttering behind her. Her long hair, tied in a high ponytail, bounced with every step. She had already lost count of how many streets she'd crossed or how many corners she'd turned. More than once, she nearly bumped into pedestrians, though no one seemed to mind just a child, they figured.
Finally, as she rounded another corner, a small lake came into view. Beneath the trees on its bank stood a group of kids her age.
She took a few more steps, then stopped, leaning forward with her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.
"Everyone… sorry I'm late!"
Before she could explain, one of the girls in the group beat her to it.
"You're late, Ino."
Yamanaka Ino straightened up and walked toward them, letting her back rest lightly against the tree.
"Whew…"
"Sorry, everyone," she said between breaths, trying to compose herself. "My mom needed help at the shop again."
"It's fine, Ino. We weren't waiting that long," a boy replied with a wave of his hand.
"Really? Yasuhiro, that's not what you said earlier," another kid teased, his face full of mischief. "Weren't you just complaining nonstop?"
"Mind your business!" Yasuhiro flushed crimson, clearly embarrassed.
The group erupted in laughter. Some of the boys exchanged knowing grins, their teasing light but pointed.
Yasuhiro clenched his fists, then loosened them with a sigh, dropping his gaze. He remembered when things hadn't been like this. When had the distance started growing between them? When had teasing turned into exclusion?
And why?
Perhaps it was just desire no matter how small, it found a way to twist friendships.
Ino pretended not to notice.
"Everyone brought what they needed?" she asked calmly, brushing aside a strand of hair from her forehead.
"I've got the fishing gear!"
"I brought the pot!"
"I've got the seasoning!"
"And… I brought snacks."
One by one, they raised their hands, showing off their backpacks and gear.
"Injaku, why'd you bring a pot? Planning to cook the fish on the spot?" Ino turned to the chubby boy with a sigh.
The group burst out laughing.
"Ah… I wasn't sure, sorry." Injaku scratched his head sheepishly, cheeks turning red. "I thought we might need it."
"Did anyone bring a grill?" Ino asked, scanning the boys.
"…"
They exchanged glances.
"…"
Everyone shook their heads.
Ino pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
"It's fine. We'll manage."
She turned to another boy who had been staring off into space. "Hachibari? What did you find?"
"Uh-" He blinked as if waking from a dream. Realizing everyone was looking at him, he straightened up.
"Well… I checked the spot. You can definitely fish there."
"But…?" Ino prompted.
"It's just… upstream there are usually some older kids fishing too."
"Older kids?" Ino repeated.
"Not graduates," Hachibari clarified. "Just a year above us fourth-years."
"That's nothing to worry about," Ino said with a nod. "Let's go."
With her taking the lead, the group fell in step behind her without question.
"Huh? Ino's not home?" Sakura stood at the doorstep, blinking in surprise.
"That's right. She left early this morning. Said she was going fishing with friends," Ino's mother explained warmly.
"Oh… she didn't invite me."
Sakura's voice was soft. She kept her head down.
"Oh." Ino's mother hesitated for a moment, then offered a gentle explanation. "Maybe it's just that you don't know the others she's going with. She might have worried you'd feel out of place."
Sakura didn't answer.
"Ino was invited by someone else too. I'm sure she didn't mean to leave you out."
She smiled, stepping forward to place a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder.
"I see…" Sakura murmured, almost to herself.
"Well then, sorry to have disturbed you." She gave a polite bow, then turned and walked away.
Ino's mother watched her go, frowning.
"That girl… I hope they don't end up falling out. Ino, really…"
West of Konoha, Ino's group followed the river upstream. The girls walked beside Ino at the front, while the boys carried the gear behind them.
"Ino, why are we heading upstream?" one of the girls asked.
"Yeah, aren't there more fish downstream?"
"I've gone fishing with my parents before always downstream."
Their chatter picked up as curiosity spread through the group.
"You guys don't get it, do you?" Yasuhiro, carrying several fishing rods, hurried forward, cutting in before Ino could answer.
"What do you mean?" one girl asked.
"Heh. Sure, there are more fish downstream, but they're all just the common kind," Yasuhiro explained confidently. "If you want to catch a purplefin, you have to fish upstream."
He held up a hand as if delivering a grand proclamation.
"Why do they live upstream?" someone asked.
"Well, um…" That one stumped him. He scratched his head, fumbling for an answer.
"Maybe… more food up there?"
"Cut it out, Yasuhiro. Everyone knows downstream is where the food is."
"Quit pretending you know things," another boy chimed in.
Laughter rippled through the group. Even the girls smiled, covering their mouths.
Yasuhiro's face turned red again. He glanced sideways at Ino, but she seemed uninterested, her gaze focused ahead.
His pace slowed. He dropped behind the girls.
"Trying to show off and flopped," Injaku whispered beside him.
"Better than bringing a pot to stew fish," Yasuhiro shot back.
"You-!"
"Tch." Injaku turned away.
They kept walking, the climb growing steeper. Just as everyone was starting to feel tired, the river leveled out. Up ahead, they spotted four or five teenagers already fishing, with firewood and cooking gear beside them.
"Those must be the fourth-years."
The group hesitated.
"The purplefin are famous this time of year. It's not surprising others are here," Ino said calmly. "We're lucky it's a secluded spot no adults."
"What if we fish a little ways downstream?" Hachibari suggested.
"They're already at the top of the stream. If we fish below them, we won't catch much," Injaku pointed out.
"So what do we do?"
Everyone turned to Ino.
"Simple. We ask them to leave," she said casually.
"…"
"…"
"They're older than us. They won't just go because we asked," one of the girls muttered.
"It's fine," Ino said, already stepping forward. "I know someone there."
The others watched in stunned silence, no one daring to follow.
"She'll be okay… right?"
"…She should be."
Ino approached the older kids confidently. They noticed her immediately.
"Hey there," she greeted them with a cheerful smile.
They all paused, some mid-cast, turning to look at her.
"Isn't that Yamanaka Ino? The year below us?"
"What's she doing here?"
"She's cute, though."
They whispered among themselves, eyeing her with interest.
"Yoshihiko!" Ino waved at one boy who hadn't looked her way.
"…Ino," Yamanaka Yoshihiko stood up awkwardly, forcing a smile.
"You know her?" someone asked.
"She's… my cousin," Yoshihiko said with a touch of hesitation.
"Never mentioned her before."
Yoshihiko said nothing.
"Ino, did you need something?" he asked, face tight.
"Actually, yes," she said brightly. "My friends and I heard there are purplefin up here. We came all this way to fish but I didn't expect to see you guys here."
"You and your friends should join us, then. We've been here for two days. Plenty of fish to go around," one boy offered generously.
"Yeah, come on!"
"Bring them over!"
Yoshihiko said nothing.
Ino's smile didn't waver.
"Thanks, really," she said. "But my friends are a little shy. They're not great with strangers."
"Yoshihiko?"
He looked away.
"…Sigh." After a long pause, Yoshihiko gave a small, forced laugh.
"What a shame," he said. "Well, we've been eating fish for two days now. Honestly, we're ready to pack up anyway."
"Right, everyone?"
He turned to the others with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Huh? What do you mean, Yoshihiko?"
"Yeah, what?"
He ignored them. His face turned serious.
"I said, we're leaving. Any problem with that?"
"Uh…"
"…No."
"…Fine, let's go."
"Yeah, sure. I'm tired of this place anyway."
One by one, they started gathering their things, muttering half-heartedly as they followed his lead.
"Bring your friends over," Yoshihiko said to Ino.
"Thanks," she replied with a bright smile, hands folded behind her back.
"It's nothing."
He turned and began packing his gear in silence.
"Thanks, everyone," Ino called sweetly as they left.
"No problem!"
"You're too polite, Ino."
"Let's hang out sometime!"
Back at the clearing, Yasuhiro and the others approached in amazement.
"They really left?"
"How'd you do that, Ino?"
"Do you know them?"
Everyone crowded around her with questions.
Ino's smile faded. She glanced at them and shrugged.
"Just happened to know someone."
"Alright, enough about that. Let's get to work."
"Alright! I'm going to catch the biggest fish today!"
"Yeah right!"
"Let's see who wins!"
"Quiet down! Boys, go collect firewood before you start fishing!"
Farther down the river, Yoshihiko walked with his friends, rods and pans slung over their shoulders.
"Yoshihiko, why'd we leave?"
"Yeah, we were doing fine!"
"What were you thinking?"
They all complained, voices overlapping.
"They wanted to fish. No harm in letting them have the spot," Yoshihiko said, hands behind his head, face unreadable.
"Ino, huh…"
"She's really cute."
"Totally. Prettier than anyone our year."
The boys started talking excitedly again, still too young to understand much but old enough to admire what they saw.
Yoshihiko snorted.
"What's so funny?" one of them asked, annoyed.
"Yeah, you got something to say?"
"Don't flatter yourselves," Yoshihiko said flatly. "Unless you're someone like Neji, she won't even look your way."