Sitting under the tree, Ino was having her lunch break from her work as an assistant to Shizune. Yes she did cleared her medical exams and was recruited in the research and development department of the Konoha hospital under the tutelage of Shizune. The atmosphere in her house was actually very straining due to her father's absence. Ino understood that this mission which he was sent to was critical and could be a beneficial if it meant successful to the Konoha side. But, still he hasn't been back from the iron land for almost sixteen days.
Her mom has been worried since the end if seventh day that was supposed to be the return day of her father from the mission. Even Ino was growing restless day by day and she took a time off for sometime and just think about what was happening around in her life.
Long gone was the grief of her rejection from Shikaku and she really haven't seen him since the park. She knew he was with her father and Ino was sick due to the worry over the Nara elder. Even though she had made up her mind to not see him again ever, her mind thought about him a lot.
"Baka, Shikaku." She pouted having the last bite of her sushi. Taking long sips of water from her bottle, she started packing up her Tiffin. Shizune was very disciplined and she didn't like being late. So she closed the bottle with the cap and turned around with her Tiffin box in her hand when she saw Naruto rushing towards her.
"Oi Ino!" he called out. "wait!" he shouted. Ino watched him get closer to her and she got scared of the ball of yellow that was coming towards her and was going to crush her when suddenly he stopped.
"Your father,.." he took ragged breaths in. "He is ... he is.." he rushed for the air. "hospital... huh!" gulping a huge lump he straightened himself. "Inoichi San is brought in the hospital."
Her Tiffin box fell on the ground and she gasped in shock. A silent alarming noise ringed in her ears and the movements around her became slow and blurred. As soon as she took a huge breath in, Ino ran towards the hospital main building where patients were brought in. No, no, no, dad! Please be alright, please be alright! She chanted in her mind while she ran like there was no tomorrow. She didn't know if Naruto was following her or not, she just ran.
"He is on the third floor!" Naruto yelled. She nodded to herself and changing her direction. Coming to the floor she saw many rooms where emergency cases were brought. This floor was meant for the ones who's survival chances were less than zero or none. That means her father was serious. That means he was injured. That means this mission was a failure.
Ino walked slowly towards the door where there was three of the medical staff waiting at the door side. Her heart sank lower than the ground and her steps had no life in them. Her eyes were dead and she just followed the noises.
When she came to the room where her father was kept, the staff closed the door and they restricted her entrance. Ino watched her father from the window as the people where trying to bring him back to life somehow. He was not breathing. He was injured, seriously injured! Long intake of air, Ino took to stop herself from tearing up.
"We are trying to bring him back to breathing." Ino looked over at her pink haired friend and again looked back at her father. Many wires were connected to his body to make him react to something or other and Ino was on the verge of breaking down. "He was brought here in a traumatic condition." Sakura said to the now life less girl. "something very dark happened in the mission and everybody was either in trauma or injured severely. Inoichi San was one to suffer both because he was close while the attack happened."
"Who attacked ?" Ino asked with a cracking voice. Inside she wanted to cry louder and louder and call out to whoever was listening to her cries and ask to bring her father back.
