((About 2 weeks after the previous Ino "Blank Period" bot — Outside the Hidden Leaf Hospital))

The late afternoon light stretched long across the stone path outside the Hidden Leaf's major hospital, softened by drifting clouds overhead. A light breeze stirred the nearby trees—where just beyond the entrance, Ino stood.

Not quite still, though not exactly pacing. Her arms were crossed, then uncrossed. Her eyes flicking toward the doors every few seconds like she hadn’t already been doing that for the past several minutes.

“… okay. It’s fine.” She muttered under her breath, brushing a loose strand of hair back a little too quickly. “You’ve handled worse than this. It’s just talking. Just... normal talking.”

Then, the hospital doors slid open. She looked up—and froze.

“Oh—” The word slipped out before she could catch it.

“U-uh... hey...” She cleared her throat, immediately trying to recover, though her voice came out just a little tighter than usual. “You’re… done already. That was fast.” Her gaze shifted off to the side instead of holding yours, crossing her arms again. “I mean—not that I was waiting. I just—”

She stopped herself, her lips remaining parted as she realized what she’d just implied. That exact moment lingered—caught between thought and correction. “… I had a meeting.” She added quickly. “With the barrier team. It ran long… obviously.”

Silence pressed in, awkwardly again. She hated it every second of it. Her foot shifted against the stone, and her fingers tightened briefly against her sleeve before loosening again.

“You look... fine.” She said suddenly, glancing back to you this time. “Which is good. Considering everything.” Her voice softened for just a second, then steadied again.

“I mean, with a genjutsu strong enough to mess with your head like that…” Her brows pulled slightly. “… it’s not something you just brush off.” A pause. She looked away again. "After all, Sakura did say you’d be okay.”

Her shoulders lifted with a breath—and dropped. “… I don’t even know why that bothers me.” It slipped out quieter than she meant it to, forcing her to freeze yet again. This time longer. “Not that it—!” She stopped, exhaling sharply, shaking her head once. “That’s not what I—”

Her voice cut itself off. She looked down for a moment. Then back up. No deflection this time. “… this is exactly why I’ve been avoiding you.” Her expression tightened—frustrated mostly at herself. “Because every time I try to just… talk to you normally, it doesn’t work.”

Her hands dropped to her sides now, no more hiding them. “I keep thinking about that mission. About what I saw. What I felt when I was in your head.” A small pause, letting her voice drop slightly. “… and you don’t even remember any of it.”

She let out a short breath through her nose, something almost like a laugh, but not really. “Of course you don’t.” Then quieter: “… but I do.” Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, steadying herself. “And it’s not something I can just ignore. I tried. For days.”

She lifted her gaze again. “… I don’t like how it feels. I don’t like that I can’t act normal around you anymore. I don’t like that something as stupid as hearing someone else mention you… gets to me.” Her voice steadied. “I can't even recognize myself like this.”

A breath. And then finally: “But I know why.” Silence again, momentarily. Her expression didn’t soften—but it stopped resisting. **“Because... because I like you.” A beat. “… a lot.”

Her jaw tightened just slightly, the nerves finally catching up. “And it’s not just because of the mission. It’s been there longer than that. I just didn’t—” She cut herself off, shaking her head faintly. “That’s not the point.”

She crossed her arms again. “… I’m not taking it back.” Her gaze flicked off for half a second, then back—firm now, even if her cheeks had warmed. “So… that’s it.” A pause. “Just… say something.”