![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(tanagura) application.
OOC INFO
_NAME: Britt
_PLURK:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
optimismnice
_AGE: 27...
_CONCURRENT CHARACTERS: n/a
IC INFO
_CHARACTER'S NAME: Ino Yamanaka
_CANON: Naruto
_CANON POINT: Chapter 699
_CHARACTER'S (ACTUAL) AGE: 17
_CHARACTER'S (APPARENT) AGE: 17
_CHARACTER'S HAIR COLOR: Blonde
_TANAGURA (elite) OR MIDAS (mongrel)?: Tanagura
_HOUSING PREFERENCE: Eos Tower, the floor above Jean Kirstein if possible!
_HISTORY: Link!
_ABILITIES:
The Naruto world runs on chakra, of which Ino has a fairly average amount. Chakra allows her to do all the essential ninja-y things, such as walking on walls, flash-stepping, and blending herself into her surroundings. Her canon jutsus include the basic techniques that all genin ninja can perform, such as Bunshin and Henge, but she also has two specialties: healing and the Yamanaka clan techniques.
Healing
Healing is a special technique that requires a high level of chakra control, and can do anything from closing up small cuts to performing long and intense surgery, which she has done before in her work at the hospital. However, she generally has more experience as a field medic, which focuses more on emergency medicine and triage.
She isn’t shown using her healing techniques very often in canon; most notably, she attempts (and fails) to heal her sensei, Asuma, from the fatal wound that killed him, showing that she does have a limit. Later, she heals Naruto (successfully this time) from injuries inflicted by Kakuzu.
Clan Ninjutsu
The Yamanaka clan techniques, on the other hand, are highly specialized and not taught to anyone outside of the clan. They focus on the mind, and include Shintenshin no Jutsu, which allows the user to transfer their consciousness from their body to their opponent’s, and Shinranshin no Jutsu, which allows the user to “take over” more than one opponent’s bodies and cause them to attack each other. Higher level techniques include telepathy and memory-reading.
Of note before I get into specifics: in canon, she displays the ability to “sense” when other people are using techniques similar to hers, such as when the Pain’s Sixth Path read Shizune's mind right in front of her. This suggests that, because of her experience, she’s particularly attuned to these kinds of techniques, whether they’re being used on her or others in her vicinity.
Shintenshin no Jutsu. The body-mind switch technique is definitely the signature jutsu of the Yamanaka clan. The technique allows the user to transfer their consciousness into the body of their target, basically allowing them to take complete control over the target’s body.
As the name of the technique implies, it’s possible to completely switch minds with the target, allowing the target to take over the user’s body as well, though more often than not, the target’s mind is suppressed in their own body. When this happens, the user can communicate with the target telepathically and the target is aware of what the user is doing with their body.
However, there are some drawbacks to the technique: because the user is supplanting their target’s consciousness, it leaves the user’s body completely defenseless while the jutsu is active. This usually manifests itself in the user’s body going totally limp, as if they’d lost consciousness. Secondly, any damage taken by the target’s body while the user is in it immediately transfers to the user’s body as well. For example, if the target is cut across the cheek while the technique is in use, the exact same cut will appear on the user’s body.
Thirdly, the “transfer” can only travel in a straight line, and only up to a certain distance away; for the technique to work, the user needs to face their opponent directly, though the opponent doesn’t necessarily have to be facing the user. This gives the user an opportunity to “miss,” either because their target is too far away, or because they moved out of the direct line of the jutsu. When the user misses, it takes time for them to return to their own body, though the length of time is never really specified.
Finally, while it’s mentioned to be very rare, it is possible for the target to force the user out of their body. In the one instance that this happens in canon, the target (in this case, Sakura) manages to force Ino out of her mind through sheer force of will.
Ino is shown using the technique multiple times, most notably during the mentioned fight with Sakura during the chuunin exams. There, she tricks Sakura into falling into her hair trap technique, therefore immobilizing Sakura while Ino activates the body-mind switch jutsu and hijacks Sakura’s body. Just as she’s about to raise Sakura’s hand and compel her to surrender the match, Sakura manages to throw Ino out of her body.
Later, Ino shows some range in the jutsu by using it to take over the body of a hawk, allowing her to use the hawk’s mobility and senses to track Hidan and Kakuzu, two Akatsuki members her team was after.
And most recently, she uses the jutsu again when sealing Kinkaku during the war. After Shikamaru traps Kinkaku in his shadow bind technique, Ino uses the mind-body switch to take over Kinkaku’s body and force him to respond to his name, allowing it to be sealed away in the Kohaku no Johei. She has to quickly leave Kinkaku’s body before he’s sealed away, to ensure that she doesn’t get trapped in there as well. Afterwards, her father comments on how much Ino’s speed and precision has improved on the technique; Kinkaku has to be restrained for only a split second for her to successfully use her jutsu, whereas she would’ve needed more time in the past.
Shinranshin no Jutsu. This is a very similar technique to shintenshin no jutsu, in that Ino is able to use her chakra to gain complete control of the target’s body; however, the main difference is that she doesn’t need to project her consciousness in order to do it, which would leave her body vulnerable.
This technique can also be used on more than one target at a time; her father, Inoichi, uses it to take control of two enemy shinobi and force them to attack one another, for example. According to the databooks, telepathic control can be exerted even from long distances.
Shinten Bunshin no Jutsu. This technique allows the user to take control of more than one target by cloning their consciousness, which gives them complete control of the bodies for a short period of time. Like shintenshin no jutsu, the user’s body is left defenseless while the technique is activated; however, by contrast, it’s able to travel in a curved line.
Telepathy
Also during the war, she reveals her proficiency in the Yamanaka clan’s technique of communicating telepathically when she uses it to broadcast a message to every member of the allied forces, some hundreds, probably thousands, of people. It takes her a visible amount of effort and concentration to accomplish this, though she uses the same technique later, on a much smaller scale, without any noticeable strain. While connecting Hashirama with the five kages, she makes a comment about her targets, the kages, being in the range of her jutsu, suggesting there’s a maximum range to her telepathy technique, though this maximum isn’t specified.
She can also use her telepathy to act as a medium between two or more people who need to communicate; she achieves this by (usually, this apparently isn’t a hard and fast rule) coming into physical contact with at least one person in the link and then broadcasting that person’s thoughts to everyone else. Everybody else in the link can also communicate with each other through her technique, making it a sort of telepathic chatroom.
There are also empathic and memory-reading aspects of her telepathy, as she can pick up on specific memories and strong emotions from her targets, which she can then pass on to others telepathically. This ends up happening during her link with the entire shinobi alliance, in which she ends up broadcasting Naruto’s memories and determination, then Hashirama’s memories as first Hokage. It doesn’t have to be accidental, either, as she and her father also convey memories and visuals to each other while he’s saying goodbye to her.
Sensing
Lastly, while it isn’t a talent specific to the Yamanaka clan, she displays some proficiency with chakra reading and sensing, picking up on other ninja’s presences and sometimes-important fluctuations in their chakra, such as when she noticed the difference in Sasuke’s chakra when he was under the influence of Orochimaru. She can also couple her sensory abilities with her clan’s telepathy, allowing her to telepathically pass on information to her allies based on what she reads from an opponent’s chakra.
Taijustu
Unrelated to chakra, she is also adept with weapons and hand-to-hand combat, or taijutsu; she has enough skill in the latter to hold her own when fighting (in Chouji’s body) against her former sensei, who is a close-range expert. She carries kunai and her tanto on her person during missions, as her standard gear, implying that she knows how to use them, though she is never really shown doing more with them than throwing a few kunai.
_PERSONALITY:
Before the timeskip, Ino is presented mostly as a foil to Sakura, which showcases her attributes nicely: even as a child, she’s portrayed as very self-possessed and self-assured, a popular girl with many friends who excels in school. She has everything that Sakura doesn’t: good looks, popularity, a family name, boundless amounts of self-confidence, and potential. Ino is at the top of her class; according to the databooks, she had the best overall grades at the Academy, proving that she also has intelligence and drive. On top of that, she doesn’t take crap from anybody, evidenced by the fact that she takes Sakura under her wing and encourages her to stand up to her bullies.
This also adds another layer to her personality: all appearances aside (and even contrary to some of her behavior), Ino is definitely not shallow. She’s kind, thoughtful, and aware of other people’s feelings and needs in a way most eight-year-olds aren’t. She sees potential in Sakura even when Sakura doesn’t see it in herself, and tells her to take her biggest flaw (her large forehead) and own it.
This attitude carries over as Ino grows older, though not always immediately; after her falling out with Sakura, she shows that she’s not above being petty and abrasive, usually showing up to taunt Sakura and just generally be obnoxious. She complains loudly about being stuck on the same team as a lazyass and a fatass (Shikamaru and Chouji, respectively) when said lazyass and fatass are sitting right there, all because she wanted to be on Sasuke-kun’s team, of course. She’s definitely more than a little superficial and boy-crazy (or, really, Sasuke-crazy) and not shy about it in the least, throwing herself at Sasuke at every chance she can get. It doesn’t seem to bother her even slightly that he doesn’t reciprocate her feelings at all. Ino knows what she wants, and she’ll do anything it takes to get it.
And just when you thought she couldn’t get any more thoughtless and annoying, she turns around and saves Sakura (and by extension, Sakura’s team) in the Forest of Death, even roping her teammates into fighting with her.
This shows two things: one, that Ino has a really weird way of showing that she cares; for all her posturing on the contrary, she still cares about Sakura and wants to see her succeed. It could be argued that the whole point of their rivalry, at least from Ino’s side, was just a way to get Sakura to try her hardest and perform at her best. (If so, it worked.) Even though they’re supposed to be bitter rivals, there’s a discrepancy between the way Ino acts and the way she really feels; she’s an aggressive shell with a soft gooey center.
And two, that, even as freshly minted as Team 10 is, Shikamaru and Chouji are already willing to put themselves on the line for her. She’s a natural leader—and yes, she was the self-declared leader of Team 10 since day one, but the fact that Shikamaru and Chouji never even hesitate to jump into the fight at her side, going against their lazyass and fatass natures, says a lot for their faith in her, for her loyalty to her friends and their loyalty to her.
Her interactions with her team also demonstrate how bossy and domineering she is; she never hesitates to tell Shikamaru and Chouji what to do, and constantly berates them when they do anything she doesn’t approve of. One of her favorite pieces of advice-that’s-really-a-demand is telling Chouji that he needs to go on a diet, just like her; she’s convinced that he would get more girls if only he was skinny, and though it might be coming from a good place, her tactless delivery leaves a lot to be desired.
It also brings up how superficial and vain Ino can be. She’s constantly dieting (or claiming she’s on a diet) in order to improve her looks, seemingly oblivious of the fact that she’s not even within throwing distance of fat. She picks on Chouji for his weight, and throws Sakura’s huge forehead in her face at every chance she gets.
But in spite of it all, she proves to be very focused and driven in a fight, so much so that she’s willing to hack off her hair in order to beat Sakura in their match at the chuunin exams. It turns out to be a very clever and tricky move; she acts like it’s all just a big temper tantrum before activating the technique and using the element of surprise to trap Sakura in place. Ino will stop at nothing to win, and this translates into her taking her ninja duties very seriously.
Post-timeskip, she retains all of these traits; in her very first appearance after the timeskip, she’s yelling at Chouji for making them late, before turning around and waving cheerfully at Naruto. She’s still flirtatious and a little frivolous, immediately pointing out how dreamy Sai is, shamelessly hitting on him, and blushing happily when he calls her beautiful. She still likes throwing in snide comments, like when she tells Naruto (while he’s in the middle of saving her butt, no less) that he’s acting like a tough guy—and well, what else can we expect from Naruto?
And she’s still very perceptive; in a flashback of Asuma buying flowers from her family’s shop, she correctly points out that he’s buying the flowers for Kurenai, even though his relationship with her is supposed to be on the downlow, and then proceeds to tease him about it. The scene is also a nice little demonstration of how playful she can be.
Later, during the war, she shows more of her strong character, casting herself as the pillar of strength for her team and bolstering Shikamaru and Chouji’s spirits by telling them to, essentially, man the hell up. When Chouji nearly breaks down during their fight with their re-animated former sensei (it’s complicated), Ino talks him out of giving up, reminding him of what they have to do for their village, and what they have to do for Asuma’s sake; she’s mature enough to realize that if they don’t stop Asuma, then he might hurt others—even those he cares about—and none of them wants that, especially Asuma himself.
This emotional strength is why Asuma charges Ino with looking after Shikamaru and Chouji; he recognizes that she can command their attention and keep their best interests at heart, and specifically calls out both how bossy and stubborn she is as well as her dependability and responsibility, which makes her the best person to keep her boys in line. Though she doesn’t always make her feelings plain, she still cares deeply about them and their welfare.
The war also showcases more of the deep-seated aspects of her personality: namely, her courage, resolve, and commitment to her village and her friends. In his last words, her father specifically points out her strong character, how she always protects her friends, as the trait of hers he’s most proud of.
As a soldier, she buckles down and does what has to be done, rarely showing fear in the face of her enemy or letting distractions sway her. Even after the death of her father, she only allows herself to cry for a moment after their goodbyes before throwing herself back in the fray; there’s time to grieve after the fighting is over, after all, as Shikamaru reminds her. Later, in one ploy, she invades the mind of one of the series’ biggest bads and doesn’t even bat an eyelash; if anything, she’s only upset that he managed to kick her out of his head so fast.
In spite of her almost-consummate professionalism when on the job, however, that doesn’t mean she’s still not herself. Her temper still comes through in snatches, such as when Shikamaru goads her into connecting him telepathically with everyone on the battlefield, and she snaps, “It’s not a matter of can or can’t. I’m doing it!” Even though she doesn’t have nearly as much experience or practice with her clan’s telepathy as her father, she knows that lives are depending on her, and her pride and stubbornness won’t let her fail.
She also shows a few more glimpses of her sensitivity and emotional maturity; she is shown to be visibly affected, with tears in her eyes, when Asuma tells her, Shikamaru, and Chouji that they’ve become great shinobi, but immediately pulls herself together in order to team up with them to take her sensei down. Later, she thinks of Asuma, visibly downcast, when Naruto broadcasts his memories of the people he’s lost; she’s immediately sympathetic of him.
_ITEMS:
• Her standard outfit: purple crop top, split skirt, fishnet and sandals
• Chuunin tanto
• Thigh holster (incl. scrolls and kunai)
• Fanny pack pouch thing (incl. medical supplies)
• Pair of stud earrings given to her by her sensei
WRITING SAMPLES
_GEN SAMPLE: Test drive link!
_SMUT SAMPLE: [REDACTED]
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MY CHARACTER IS THE FOLLOWING:
_SENTIENT: yes
_MENTALLY ADULT: yes
_CAPABLE OF CONSENT: yes
_CAPABLE OF SEXUAL AROUSAL: yes
_NAME: Britt
_PLURK:
_AGE: 27...
_CONCURRENT CHARACTERS: n/a
IC INFO
_CHARACTER'S NAME: Ino Yamanaka
_CANON: Naruto
_CANON POINT: Chapter 699
_CHARACTER'S (ACTUAL) AGE: 17
_CHARACTER'S (APPARENT) AGE: 17
_CHARACTER'S HAIR COLOR: Blonde
_TANAGURA (elite) OR MIDAS (mongrel)?: Tanagura
_HOUSING PREFERENCE: Eos Tower, the floor above Jean Kirstein if possible!
_HISTORY: Link!
_ABILITIES:
The Naruto world runs on chakra, of which Ino has a fairly average amount. Chakra allows her to do all the essential ninja-y things, such as walking on walls, flash-stepping, and blending herself into her surroundings. Her canon jutsus include the basic techniques that all genin ninja can perform, such as Bunshin and Henge, but she also has two specialties: healing and the Yamanaka clan techniques.
Healing
Healing is a special technique that requires a high level of chakra control, and can do anything from closing up small cuts to performing long and intense surgery, which she has done before in her work at the hospital. However, she generally has more experience as a field medic, which focuses more on emergency medicine and triage.
She isn’t shown using her healing techniques very often in canon; most notably, she attempts (and fails) to heal her sensei, Asuma, from the fatal wound that killed him, showing that she does have a limit. Later, she heals Naruto (successfully this time) from injuries inflicted by Kakuzu.
Clan Ninjutsu
The Yamanaka clan techniques, on the other hand, are highly specialized and not taught to anyone outside of the clan. They focus on the mind, and include Shintenshin no Jutsu, which allows the user to transfer their consciousness from their body to their opponent’s, and Shinranshin no Jutsu, which allows the user to “take over” more than one opponent’s bodies and cause them to attack each other. Higher level techniques include telepathy and memory-reading.
Of note before I get into specifics: in canon, she displays the ability to “sense” when other people are using techniques similar to hers, such as when the Pain’s Sixth Path read Shizune's mind right in front of her. This suggests that, because of her experience, she’s particularly attuned to these kinds of techniques, whether they’re being used on her or others in her vicinity.
Shintenshin no Jutsu. The body-mind switch technique is definitely the signature jutsu of the Yamanaka clan. The technique allows the user to transfer their consciousness into the body of their target, basically allowing them to take complete control over the target’s body.
As the name of the technique implies, it’s possible to completely switch minds with the target, allowing the target to take over the user’s body as well, though more often than not, the target’s mind is suppressed in their own body. When this happens, the user can communicate with the target telepathically and the target is aware of what the user is doing with their body.
However, there are some drawbacks to the technique: because the user is supplanting their target’s consciousness, it leaves the user’s body completely defenseless while the jutsu is active. This usually manifests itself in the user’s body going totally limp, as if they’d lost consciousness. Secondly, any damage taken by the target’s body while the user is in it immediately transfers to the user’s body as well. For example, if the target is cut across the cheek while the technique is in use, the exact same cut will appear on the user’s body.
Thirdly, the “transfer” can only travel in a straight line, and only up to a certain distance away; for the technique to work, the user needs to face their opponent directly, though the opponent doesn’t necessarily have to be facing the user. This gives the user an opportunity to “miss,” either because their target is too far away, or because they moved out of the direct line of the jutsu. When the user misses, it takes time for them to return to their own body, though the length of time is never really specified.
Finally, while it’s mentioned to be very rare, it is possible for the target to force the user out of their body. In the one instance that this happens in canon, the target (in this case, Sakura) manages to force Ino out of her mind through sheer force of will.
Ino is shown using the technique multiple times, most notably during the mentioned fight with Sakura during the chuunin exams. There, she tricks Sakura into falling into her hair trap technique, therefore immobilizing Sakura while Ino activates the body-mind switch jutsu and hijacks Sakura’s body. Just as she’s about to raise Sakura’s hand and compel her to surrender the match, Sakura manages to throw Ino out of her body.
Later, Ino shows some range in the jutsu by using it to take over the body of a hawk, allowing her to use the hawk’s mobility and senses to track Hidan and Kakuzu, two Akatsuki members her team was after.
And most recently, she uses the jutsu again when sealing Kinkaku during the war. After Shikamaru traps Kinkaku in his shadow bind technique, Ino uses the mind-body switch to take over Kinkaku’s body and force him to respond to his name, allowing it to be sealed away in the Kohaku no Johei. She has to quickly leave Kinkaku’s body before he’s sealed away, to ensure that she doesn’t get trapped in there as well. Afterwards, her father comments on how much Ino’s speed and precision has improved on the technique; Kinkaku has to be restrained for only a split second for her to successfully use her jutsu, whereas she would’ve needed more time in the past.
Shinranshin no Jutsu. This is a very similar technique to shintenshin no jutsu, in that Ino is able to use her chakra to gain complete control of the target’s body; however, the main difference is that she doesn’t need to project her consciousness in order to do it, which would leave her body vulnerable.
This technique can also be used on more than one target at a time; her father, Inoichi, uses it to take control of two enemy shinobi and force them to attack one another, for example. According to the databooks, telepathic control can be exerted even from long distances.
Shinten Bunshin no Jutsu. This technique allows the user to take control of more than one target by cloning their consciousness, which gives them complete control of the bodies for a short period of time. Like shintenshin no jutsu, the user’s body is left defenseless while the technique is activated; however, by contrast, it’s able to travel in a curved line.
Telepathy
Also during the war, she reveals her proficiency in the Yamanaka clan’s technique of communicating telepathically when she uses it to broadcast a message to every member of the allied forces, some hundreds, probably thousands, of people. It takes her a visible amount of effort and concentration to accomplish this, though she uses the same technique later, on a much smaller scale, without any noticeable strain. While connecting Hashirama with the five kages, she makes a comment about her targets, the kages, being in the range of her jutsu, suggesting there’s a maximum range to her telepathy technique, though this maximum isn’t specified.
She can also use her telepathy to act as a medium between two or more people who need to communicate; she achieves this by (usually, this apparently isn’t a hard and fast rule) coming into physical contact with at least one person in the link and then broadcasting that person’s thoughts to everyone else. Everybody else in the link can also communicate with each other through her technique, making it a sort of telepathic chatroom.
There are also empathic and memory-reading aspects of her telepathy, as she can pick up on specific memories and strong emotions from her targets, which she can then pass on to others telepathically. This ends up happening during her link with the entire shinobi alliance, in which she ends up broadcasting Naruto’s memories and determination, then Hashirama’s memories as first Hokage. It doesn’t have to be accidental, either, as she and her father also convey memories and visuals to each other while he’s saying goodbye to her.
Sensing
Lastly, while it isn’t a talent specific to the Yamanaka clan, she displays some proficiency with chakra reading and sensing, picking up on other ninja’s presences and sometimes-important fluctuations in their chakra, such as when she noticed the difference in Sasuke’s chakra when he was under the influence of Orochimaru. She can also couple her sensory abilities with her clan’s telepathy, allowing her to telepathically pass on information to her allies based on what she reads from an opponent’s chakra.
Taijustu
Unrelated to chakra, she is also adept with weapons and hand-to-hand combat, or taijutsu; she has enough skill in the latter to hold her own when fighting (in Chouji’s body) against her former sensei, who is a close-range expert. She carries kunai and her tanto on her person during missions, as her standard gear, implying that she knows how to use them, though she is never really shown doing more with them than throwing a few kunai.
_PERSONALITY:
Before the timeskip, Ino is presented mostly as a foil to Sakura, which showcases her attributes nicely: even as a child, she’s portrayed as very self-possessed and self-assured, a popular girl with many friends who excels in school. She has everything that Sakura doesn’t: good looks, popularity, a family name, boundless amounts of self-confidence, and potential. Ino is at the top of her class; according to the databooks, she had the best overall grades at the Academy, proving that she also has intelligence and drive. On top of that, she doesn’t take crap from anybody, evidenced by the fact that she takes Sakura under her wing and encourages her to stand up to her bullies.
This also adds another layer to her personality: all appearances aside (and even contrary to some of her behavior), Ino is definitely not shallow. She’s kind, thoughtful, and aware of other people’s feelings and needs in a way most eight-year-olds aren’t. She sees potential in Sakura even when Sakura doesn’t see it in herself, and tells her to take her biggest flaw (her large forehead) and own it.
This attitude carries over as Ino grows older, though not always immediately; after her falling out with Sakura, she shows that she’s not above being petty and abrasive, usually showing up to taunt Sakura and just generally be obnoxious. She complains loudly about being stuck on the same team as a lazyass and a fatass (Shikamaru and Chouji, respectively) when said lazyass and fatass are sitting right there, all because she wanted to be on Sasuke-kun’s team, of course. She’s definitely more than a little superficial and boy-crazy (or, really, Sasuke-crazy) and not shy about it in the least, throwing herself at Sasuke at every chance she can get. It doesn’t seem to bother her even slightly that he doesn’t reciprocate her feelings at all. Ino knows what she wants, and she’ll do anything it takes to get it.
And just when you thought she couldn’t get any more thoughtless and annoying, she turns around and saves Sakura (and by extension, Sakura’s team) in the Forest of Death, even roping her teammates into fighting with her.
This shows two things: one, that Ino has a really weird way of showing that she cares; for all her posturing on the contrary, she still cares about Sakura and wants to see her succeed. It could be argued that the whole point of their rivalry, at least from Ino’s side, was just a way to get Sakura to try her hardest and perform at her best. (If so, it worked.) Even though they’re supposed to be bitter rivals, there’s a discrepancy between the way Ino acts and the way she really feels; she’s an aggressive shell with a soft gooey center.
And two, that, even as freshly minted as Team 10 is, Shikamaru and Chouji are already willing to put themselves on the line for her. She’s a natural leader—and yes, she was the self-declared leader of Team 10 since day one, but the fact that Shikamaru and Chouji never even hesitate to jump into the fight at her side, going against their lazyass and fatass natures, says a lot for their faith in her, for her loyalty to her friends and their loyalty to her.
Her interactions with her team also demonstrate how bossy and domineering she is; she never hesitates to tell Shikamaru and Chouji what to do, and constantly berates them when they do anything she doesn’t approve of. One of her favorite pieces of advice-that’s-really-a-demand is telling Chouji that he needs to go on a diet, just like her; she’s convinced that he would get more girls if only he was skinny, and though it might be coming from a good place, her tactless delivery leaves a lot to be desired.
It also brings up how superficial and vain Ino can be. She’s constantly dieting (or claiming she’s on a diet) in order to improve her looks, seemingly oblivious of the fact that she’s not even within throwing distance of fat. She picks on Chouji for his weight, and throws Sakura’s huge forehead in her face at every chance she gets.
But in spite of it all, she proves to be very focused and driven in a fight, so much so that she’s willing to hack off her hair in order to beat Sakura in their match at the chuunin exams. It turns out to be a very clever and tricky move; she acts like it’s all just a big temper tantrum before activating the technique and using the element of surprise to trap Sakura in place. Ino will stop at nothing to win, and this translates into her taking her ninja duties very seriously.
Post-timeskip, she retains all of these traits; in her very first appearance after the timeskip, she’s yelling at Chouji for making them late, before turning around and waving cheerfully at Naruto. She’s still flirtatious and a little frivolous, immediately pointing out how dreamy Sai is, shamelessly hitting on him, and blushing happily when he calls her beautiful. She still likes throwing in snide comments, like when she tells Naruto (while he’s in the middle of saving her butt, no less) that he’s acting like a tough guy—and well, what else can we expect from Naruto?
And she’s still very perceptive; in a flashback of Asuma buying flowers from her family’s shop, she correctly points out that he’s buying the flowers for Kurenai, even though his relationship with her is supposed to be on the downlow, and then proceeds to tease him about it. The scene is also a nice little demonstration of how playful she can be.
Later, during the war, she shows more of her strong character, casting herself as the pillar of strength for her team and bolstering Shikamaru and Chouji’s spirits by telling them to, essentially, man the hell up. When Chouji nearly breaks down during their fight with their re-animated former sensei (it’s complicated), Ino talks him out of giving up, reminding him of what they have to do for their village, and what they have to do for Asuma’s sake; she’s mature enough to realize that if they don’t stop Asuma, then he might hurt others—even those he cares about—and none of them wants that, especially Asuma himself.
This emotional strength is why Asuma charges Ino with looking after Shikamaru and Chouji; he recognizes that she can command their attention and keep their best interests at heart, and specifically calls out both how bossy and stubborn she is as well as her dependability and responsibility, which makes her the best person to keep her boys in line. Though she doesn’t always make her feelings plain, she still cares deeply about them and their welfare.
The war also showcases more of the deep-seated aspects of her personality: namely, her courage, resolve, and commitment to her village and her friends. In his last words, her father specifically points out her strong character, how she always protects her friends, as the trait of hers he’s most proud of.
As a soldier, she buckles down and does what has to be done, rarely showing fear in the face of her enemy or letting distractions sway her. Even after the death of her father, she only allows herself to cry for a moment after their goodbyes before throwing herself back in the fray; there’s time to grieve after the fighting is over, after all, as Shikamaru reminds her. Later, in one ploy, she invades the mind of one of the series’ biggest bads and doesn’t even bat an eyelash; if anything, she’s only upset that he managed to kick her out of his head so fast.
In spite of her almost-consummate professionalism when on the job, however, that doesn’t mean she’s still not herself. Her temper still comes through in snatches, such as when Shikamaru goads her into connecting him telepathically with everyone on the battlefield, and she snaps, “It’s not a matter of can or can’t. I’m doing it!” Even though she doesn’t have nearly as much experience or practice with her clan’s telepathy as her father, she knows that lives are depending on her, and her pride and stubbornness won’t let her fail.
She also shows a few more glimpses of her sensitivity and emotional maturity; she is shown to be visibly affected, with tears in her eyes, when Asuma tells her, Shikamaru, and Chouji that they’ve become great shinobi, but immediately pulls herself together in order to team up with them to take her sensei down. Later, she thinks of Asuma, visibly downcast, when Naruto broadcasts his memories of the people he’s lost; she’s immediately sympathetic of him.
_ITEMS:
• Chuunin tanto
• Thigh holster (incl. scrolls and kunai)
• Fanny pack pouch thing (incl. medical supplies)
• Pair of stud earrings given to her by her sensei
WRITING SAMPLES
_GEN SAMPLE: Test drive link!
_SMUT SAMPLE: [REDACTED]
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MY CHARACTER IS THE FOLLOWING:
_SENTIENT: yes
_MENTALLY ADULT: yes
_CAPABLE OF CONSENT: yes
_CAPABLE OF SEXUAL AROUSAL: yes