#ino meta

[runabout-river]

Even more BTS stuff thanks to Lightning.

Translation bonus on Nobara "dying".

[leportraitducadavre]

Ino and Sakura

It's often said that Sakura cut off her ties with Ino for more reasons than just Sasuke. For some fans, she even did it because Ino was pushing her down purposefully in order to be always on top.

In that sense, and while this post has been written in another response, the other one will soon become a monster too huge to control, so I'll leave this here for better access and to better expand their relationship for those who are interested.

A warning you should know: Many images are shown while others are linked (pay attention to the underlined-bold words, they'll guide you to the image analyzed).

Despite the claims introduced before, on the panels we were shown their previous relationship during their childhood at no point did Ino seem to downgrade Sakura -either physically or mentally-, on the contrary, she's constantly shown trying to lift her spirits, like when she complements her looks:

Let the world see that pretty face!! Strike a pose!

At no point did Ino downgrade Sakura or put herself above; telling Sakura to show confidence doesn’t automatically put her in a higher position in their friendship.

To explain myself further: providing help when someone needs it isn’t the same as putting oneself in a morally or physically superior position. Their relationship is of equals regardless of Ino supplying emotional support. The fact that Sakura inwardly elevates Ino's relevance in their dynamic isn’t Ino’s responsibility as everything Sakura thinks of Ino is never expressed (translated, Ino isn't aware of her position inside their friendship, as she's never told her relevance). Furthermore, Ino never states that she considers herself attractive or prettier than Sakura herself, every time they speak on the matter Ino tells Sakura to be more confident as she has a "pretty face".

Him! Hah! He just struts around, acting like he’s so cool.

At no moment does Ino seem upset at Sakura for liking the same boy, in fact, she chooses to lie about how she feels for Sasuke in order not to start a conflict. This is, of course, not specified in canon, but since Ino doesn't display her feelings for Sasuke and, quite the contrary, she criticizes him, it's safe to assume she lied about her feelings.

And even if Ino is upset about Sakura liking the same boy as her, something that is neither expressed nor shown, she doesn’t act around it.

Furthermore, Sakura engages in conversations with Ino about Sasuke (Hey, Ino! Sasuke seems to like girls with long hair, so I’m going to grow mine…) and it doesn’t seem as if Ino dismisses the subject out of jealousy.

Everyone says you’re after Sasuke too, Ino…

I'm aware that some fans, specifically S//S and Saku-Ino fans, claim that Sakura assumed Ino liked Sasuke and Ino, in retaliation, started to like him back to make Sakura jealous (?), however, unlike those fans who think Ino's whole character revolves around Sakura (she is, indeed, a supporting character of her, but she outgrew her role to the point where she's barely seen with Sakura after the Chünin Exams) I do believe that Ino truly liked Sasuke and that she was indeed surprised by Sakura having equal feelings for him.

[I will here say that, personally, those who diminish Ino's feelings for Sasuke to use that "lesser" type of love (there's nothing like a "lesser" type of love, there're different ways to love someone. Caring for someone romantically doesn't reflect equally on each individual), as a justification why Sakura "deserved" Sasuke are carrying a sexist view inside their reading of the manga: Cartoon or not, Ino is still a representation of a woman yet, for them, she isn't as valuable as Sakura because she loved Sasuke in a different manner she did.

They're measuring Ino, Karin, and even Sakura's value by the way they display their respective feelings for a man.

In the same manner, Karin, who shows more sexual desire for Sasuke (I will not deny her romantical feelings, but she is clearly more driven by her sexual interest in him), is not less of a woman or less deserving of being with him because of the nature of her feelings.

There's no such thing as a "suffering-meter" that determines which character suffered the most out of love and, therefore, who deserves a happy ending with the object of their affection. That not only links love's nature primarily to suffering but also measures a person's romantic value in terms of how much pain they can endure (either for their significant other or provoked by their significant other).]

Again, Ino doesn’t act around her feelings for Sasuke (in the next flashback Ino -despite knowing Sasuke likes girls with long hair, keeps her own hair short) nor around her friend's attraction.

It was Sakura the one who decided to break their friendship because someone (unspecified) told her Ino liked Sasuke in the same way she did.

This is how we learn about their breakup:

Chapter 53

If it's true... that makes us rivals!

Keep in mind that, until then, we only knew Ino was Sakura’s rival, it's Shikamaru the one that introduces the idea of Sakura and Ino being best friends once, and we have these panels to understand a little bit more about their prior relationship.

This rumor is, in fact, truthful as they do become rivals -so why would Ino allow this break-up if she truly didn't like Sasuke? It makes absolutely no sense, meaning that this theory of Ino faking her attraction to Sasuke is completely false, as she canonically is infatuated with him. Furthermore, when confronted, she chooses not to lie about her romantic interest in him to Sakura. The expression of Ino when hearing Sakura’s words is “uh-oh!”, which means she was keeping her feelings secret from her friend.

In chapter 54, we have a sneak peek at Sakura’s development as a ninja: After Naruto and Sasuke fight Orochimaru (and pass out), and Lee sacrifices his well-being in order to save her from the Oto team, Sakura cuts her hair as to free herself from Kin’s hold. Up to this point, we know this part is significant because of what Sakura thinks before doing it, but by Ino’s reaction, there’s something far deeper going on (Hey, Ino! Sasuke seems to like girls with long hair, so I’m going to grow mine…).

Her attack against Zaku isn't successful and, after barely hurting him, she has no more energy to continue (so she bites him). And here's when we have Ino’s flashback:

Chapter 54 - The flashback continues but all have been addressed previously.

The rivalry was started solely by Sakura. There’s no denying that Ino took up on that rivalry and started to act consequentially, but she wasn’t the one initiating it.

"I noticed your hair is lot longer, Ino" "What is it to you, Sakura?!!"

Let's acknowledge something, in this specific panel, it was Sakura who started their interaction (in a hostile manner, also) because she wanted to tell Ino about her position in Team 7.

She assumed Ino grew her hair long because of Sasuke -it isn't clear when was their fallout, but it must have been years prior to their graduation, so either they didn't see each other as much (or at all) since they went their separate ways, or Ino grew her hair long shortly after the beginning of the show, so there were at least a few years after their breakup when she still has her hair short.

It's safe to assume Ino did, in fact, keep her hair long for Sasuke's sake, yet it's not confirmed she did so to appeal to him, as she keeps growing it after his departure and it's shown how most people of her clan have their hair in a ponytail style, including her father.

So Ino, you'll never beat me now.

Despite some translations stating that Sakura said “I won’t lose to you anymore” (we were shown at no point in the manga how Sakura exactly lost against Ino), the official translation states otherwise -Sakura never exactly “lost” against Ino, nor Ino against Sakura.

Sakura's statement is based on Sasuke being on the same team as her, therefore, for this fact alone, Ino will never "win". Their whole rivalry is based on Sasuke. Now that Sakura is assigned to the same team as him, she has a better chance of winning his romantic reciprocation, therefore, Sakura's prospects are better than her rival's, which makes her the sole winner.

Yet, regardless of their mutual hostility, Ino still jumps to save her former friend, which means that she still has a deep connection with Sakura. Her face when remembering their childhood was a deeply troubled one, perhaps even mournful. In addition, by this point, Sasuke is unconscious: He isn’t able to see Ino’s heroic act, something Ino is aware of yet acts as if that is the sole reason why she jumped in.

After the fight, we have these panels:

To put some context: Naruto asks Sakura who “these guys are” when seeing Shikamaru, Chöji, Lee, and Ino; and after Sakura “thanks them”, Ino thinks that she’s selling herself short. Ino is shown constantly either telling Sakura or thinking of her as someone pretty and capable yet still self-conscious, even tho Sakura would have likely died had Ino and Team 10 not intervened, as Sasuke awoke after their tactic failed. Ino and Team 10 were saved by Team Gai and Sasuke, not Sakura.

During their fight in the preliminary rounds (CH 71), Sakura is particularly cruel:

First of all, she claims control and power of decision-making over a boy who has rejected her advances twice and who's not even present at the moment (he could, and honestly would, easily deny them both of the romantical reciprocation they sought). She starts their fight by trying to downgrade both Ino’s self-esteem (physically) and status in their “rivalry” (which she claims is now non-existent, as Sakura is the "winner" by being in the same team as Sasuke) -Ino’s words are a response to Sakura’s attitude.

[Kakashi saying that Sakura isn’t mean doesn’t make it automatically true -first, Kakashi doesn’t know Sakura that well as to claim she wouldn’t bully a person just because (she often displayed such an attitude towards Naruto during their first interactions, particularly when she told Sasuke that Naruto was annoying because he was parentless, Kakashi saw and knew none of that). Second, what he knows about Ino and Sakura’s relationship is what he read on a piece of paper -he knows nothing about how they actually interacted, nothing about their “power imbalance”, and, furthermore, he does nothing about Sakura’s insecurities -he hoped that Sakura would come around when the Chünin Exams came, but the whole reason she did so was because of Sasuke’s support.]

Sakura internally acknowledges Ino’s relevance in her life (1 and 2) yet none of that is actually told to Ino -who’s left in the dark. The last impression she possesses of Sakura is about her not being good enough to maintain a friendship outside their respective crushes on the same boy. Sakura, even without them being friends, still seeks Ino’s acknowledgment -the only one who is then made to do something for their relationship is Ino.

Personal opinion: Sakura hasn’t surpassed Ino. Much less at this point in the manga.

It’s Sakura the one who makes their rivalry just about Sasuke (here), while Ino states that she will not allow her to “show her up” (thus, for her, it seems to be more than just their shared crush on a boy, even during Asuma's last speech he tells her not to allow Sakura to win in "ninjutsu and love"), Sakura solely focuses on being on the same team as Sasuke as a signal of superiority; something she did absolutely nothing to gain as it was mere luck:

The teams are to be balanced and that’s why they put the dead last (Naruto) with the Rookie of the Year (Sasuke), there’s no canonical mention of Sakura’s part in the matter. The belief that she was put there because she was the “brightest” is a fanon belief (x). Furthermore, according to the Report Cards in the First Fanbook, Ino was behind Sasuke; making her the second-best overall and the best kunoichi amongst them (x).

Furthermore, Kakashi specifically visits Naruto's house alongside the Hokage who introduces him to the team he'll be leading, and at no moment do they even mention Sakura.

Meanwhile Ino, canonically speaking, would never be put on the same team as Sasuke, as she's the Yamanaka heir -her destiny was always to be with Chöji and Shikamaru.

Here

I’m not your little tag-along anymore Ino

Sakura says this in order to gain an emotional reaction -Ino is shocked by the words because she's never shown to consider Sakura to be what her former friend claims she used to be. Sakura is then painting the memories of their relationship in a negative light, downgrading it. What for Ino was a real friendship, to Sakura was a relationship of power.

[This is not a negative thing per se, Sakura needed a support system that Ino provided as she was too shy to socialize with anyone. What she's saying now is that she doesn't need Ino in order to interact with others. For Sakura is a positive thing, as she probably hated being "Ino's tag along", however, that doesn't change the negative impact that it has on Ino who never saw Sakura as a burden.]

Sakura's views of their dynamic diminish its relevance in her life and put Ino in the wrong (almost making her the abusive side of the relationship). Ino never reached for Sakura in order to make her her “tag-along”, Sakura was the one who put herself in that position.

I'm not blatantly denying Sakura's views on their former friendship, but from what we can see in canon, those views are either a lie she tells Ino to emotionally drag her during their match (stated before by Kakashi, she wants Ino to take her seriously), or a twisted version of the events transpired.

Much like with Sasuke, the fact that Sakura puts the weight of her well-being on another person’s shoulders means that she’s not responsible for the outcome or what her actions might entail: That’s why she makes Ino responsible for their fallout -hadn’t Ino liked the same boy, she wouldn’t have ended their relationship.

Sakura calling Ino a witch.

At the end of their fight, is Ino who -again, reaches out to Sakura and waits for her to wake, and, again: She gives her support.

We have a new interaction between them in CH 93 -where we see both of them visiting Sasuke in the hospital and bringing him a flower, there, we get to see them talking outside a ninja setting and inside Ino's flower shop.

1) It's established Sakura doesn't visit the flower shop until then.

2) They still bicker over Sasuke, the basis of their relationship hasn't changed after the Chünin Exams, but they seem to get along better.

3) Sakura learned the flowers' meaning in order to compete with Ino.

They even sit together in CH 99 to see the one-on-one fights of the last round of the exams, and while both Ino and Sakura are equally concerned about Sasuke, it's Ino the one who tells Sakura to cheer Naruto on during his match. How is Ino this "bad person who diminished Sakura" when she shows nothing but concern for her crush (Sasuke), her former friend (Sakura), and her rival's teammate (Naruto)? Furthermore, in CH 105, Ino realizes Sakura's change in mood when she admits (internally) to being somewhat jealous of Naruto.

After Shikamaru's match, once Sasuke appears, Ino compliments Sakura's team, praising both Sasuke and Naruto; Sakura's reaction isn't shown as the main focus is Lee -who hears Ino speaking-, but it amazes me how many people try to paint Ino's character as "shallow" and a "bully" when she has done nothing but encourage and praise those around her even when they're not close enough to hear her.

Then, after Sasuke's Retrieval Arc, Ino even goes as far as to look for Sakura once Shimamaru's team returns (x), and she even prioritizes Chöji before Sasuke (who they don't know actually left, x). How is Ino such a shallow, careless monster (who doesn't truly care for Sakura) if she goes out of her way to find her and inform her of their friends' return? Wouldn't have she taken the opportunity to visit Sasuke by herself? Wouldn't she have chosen to visit her crush first rather than Chöji if she was that obsessed with him and against Sakura?

In a way, and this is not to diminish some of the writing problems the author has, Ino is a nice representation of how Kishimoto is actually capable of writing a girl with a simple crush on a boy, who still prioritizes friends and comrades above the man she likes. Sakura's behavior, therefore, can't be attributed to Kishimoto not "knowing how to write women", but to him giving Sakura specific characteristics that just happen to be disliked by the fandom. In retaliation, her stans decide to blame such personality traits on his "incapability" to write female characters before giving them the actual relevance they have over Sakura's character.

[thottyimagines]

In Naruto who moves on quickly vs who’s stuck on their ex for a long ass time even after they break up?

Amazing, wonderful question.

Onwards and upwards:

Ino would, I think, be very pragmatic about things once she gets older. If they don't want her/can't want her/are incompatible, then that's that. She can process and move on expeditiously.

Hashirama would wildly pretend to be over a lost love, and many would believe him.

Sasuke can be very "fuck it, we ball" if the ended relationship is shallow enough.

Tenten continues to be normal and move on accordingly, especially when it's young love.

Deidara jumps from love to love and doesn't feel (a) sad for his loss or (b) like his newfound love is shallower for the novelty.

Kankuro is gifted in leaving his exes in the past.

Genma may be willing to give many a chance, but once his goodwill has run out, he's all done.

Rock Lee would always honor and cherish past loves in his heart, but he would use the lessons he's learned from them to empower him into being the best possible partner to his new lover very soon.

Mired in the past:

Kakashi, who visits the Memorial Stone daily to not only think of his lost comrades, but also of his lost love and how both are all his fault for hours on end on the daily.

Naruto could never, ever get over a lost love. This whole series, in a way, his him wildly chasing a lost love.

Kurenai and Asuma both have some sort of mutual pining situation going on that makes me feel that they are unlikely to move on, especially considering Kurenai's status in the new series.

Hinata bases so much of herself around caring for someone else, I can't imagine her realistically moving on.

Kiba can only get over someone once Akamaru stops searching for their scent. This can take...well, a lot of time. But once it's done, it's done.

Let's finish up Team 8: Shino can't move on, once he's let his walls down. It's so difficult to get there, he can't imagine doing it all over again.

Shikamaru is pragmatic enough to know if he has to love again (re: clan things), but he shan't put care into it.

Konan will honor a lost love in every gesture for the rest of her life, whether or not this lost love is also still alive and kicking.

The Sannin! Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya all kind of live via references to and honoring of one another, no matter how far apart they are. They love and hate and love one another in such wildly toxic, intense measures that there could never be room for anyone else in the kind of space the others occupy. God, I'd love to make a long post on them one day.

[teamsasukes]

the chunin exams arc was so interesting for how it portrayed sakura's potential and how people in her life influenced it. kakashi lying about the team-based enrollment criteria because he thinks sakura would be likely to sign up only to appease sasuke, and being genuinely surprised when she shows up anyway. naruto being completely oblivious when sakura was upset preceding the exams and also after she cut her hair in the forest of death. naruto literally dreaming about saving sakura from enemies, being the hero to her damsel-in-distress. sakura moulding herself into a perfectly feminine lady because that's what society demanded and what she thought sasuke would want. versus sasuke calling her out for focusing too much on romance instead of her skills like she should be doing. sasuke picking up that she was upset because she felt inadequate and reminding her of what she was best at -- maybe even better than him -- and never begrudging her for it. ino hacking into her mind because she was sure, not a single doubt in her mind, that sakura would know the answers to the impossible questions on the written exam. ino and sasuke both stepping in to save her during her fight with the sound nin, but only after being spurred on by the brutal beating she took. ino and sasuke getting frustrated with naruto when he commented on how her haircut looked because it made sakura trivialize her experience and offer a fake explanation about women being fickle. the flashbacks revealing to us that ino affirmed that she would one day bloom into a beautiful flower. ino and sasuke serving as a catalyst for sakura to get stronger before pt 1 and pt 2 respectively. idk do you see what i'm seeing

[badly-drawn-pigeon]

We've all heard about the Curse of Hatred or the curse of eternal conflict between Asura and Indra, but what is really slept on is the Curse of Monogamy that seems to affect the entire Naruto world without anyone noticing. I'm not even talking about the lack of poly relationships, it's much more than that.

When it comes to canonically confirmed romantic interests, it seems to be a rule in Naruto that if you fall in love with one person, you are cursed not to ever end up in a relationship with anyone else for your whole life. Even if your love interest dies, you are cursed to stay single forever, even if it means being alone for decades. You want examples? I give examples.

Obito Uchiha

Tsunade

Itachi Uchiha

Konan

Kurenai Yuhi

Hiruzen Sarutobi

Mito Uzumaki

Rasa

Jiraiya gets a honorable mention because his love interest didn't die but his feelings were largely unrequited so he died forever single

Hell, this goes so far that The Last movie (afaik, I didn't watch it) retcons Naruto to never have really been in love with Sakura and states that he confused attraction towards her with his drive towards rivalry with Sasuke.

The only character who ever managed to somewhat escape the Curse of Monogamy is Ino Yamanaka, but it's only because Sai fulfills the role of a "we have Sasuke at home" for a large part of the narrative.

[jaguarys]

Ino and Sakura's dynamic obviously has a lot going on but one thing that I connect with it a lot is the experience of 'falling behind' growing up as a girl. It's an experience of having to accept this transition of growing into a woman where everything you had before –– a play at equality, the ability to be rough and immature and dirty and be with the boys –– is no longer accepted anymore. Suddenly there are all these expectations and conventions and things that are no longer cool or acceptable for you to do and it can be confusing and embarrassing and messy. You're no longer like the other kids around you. You're distinctly other. You're not a kid anymore, and instead you're distinctly a Girl.

But then, when you feel like you're struggling, you look at your friends and see that they're not. They've adapted to this transition, embraced it, and suddenly you're also outcast from them. Maybe they're embarrassed by you. They've been accepted into the ingroup, and you have not. It's remarkably easy to let that divide ruin a friendship, and remarkably easy for the both of you to become resentful of the other for having what you don't. Because they have acceptance, but you have yourself

[renaerys]

Hi, Jo. So, in your latest post, you wrote about canon Sakura and how people write her in their stories. I know you also write Ino, so, how do you think canon Ino was compared to the way people write her?

The people who write Ino as main tend to write her pretty true to character from what I’ve seen, but there are not very many of us writing her as main to begin with. The problem is often when Ino appears as the BFF in multi-Sakura fics. She tends to get flattened down to just the sassy/horny best friend like what you often see in romcoms. She is reduced to a one dimensional caricature who exists solely to further and support the main character’s (usually Sakura) story. This isn’t bad or anything, but it’s trite and boring. I especially hate it when people get Ino “out of the way” for Sakura to have like multiple hot male lovers in a fic. That’s so annoying and a great way to make me back out of a fic and never look back.

But for the most part, from what I personally have read, if someone loves Ino enough to main her, the results tend to be better more often than not. Better in the sense that they are truer to canon and you can recognize that character in the fan work. Not everything is great, obviously, but I think the people who are drawn to Ino like her for very different reasons than why people like Sakura.

Ino is much more difficult of a character than Sakura and therefore cannot easily be flattened into a self-insert, cardboard, YA heroine like Sakura usually is. She is more abrasive, less afraid of being unlikeable, less “relatable” to the average girl. Ino fans like Ino because she has a more uncompromising personality, and she doesn’t fit into a personality-stripping box that is massively appealing to the lowest common denominator of fans so that they can self insert. (To be fair, I personally don’t think Sakura fits into that box either if you’re talking about the actual canon character rather than the bland BAMF yass queen her multi-Sakura fans have distorted her into, but you just don’t see that kind of treatment so much with Ino as you do with Sakura.)

The same logic applies to other less popular female characters with more difficult personalities, like Karin or Temari or Tsunade, for example. When you find an author who loves these characters enough to main them, I think you are just statistically more likely to get something that resembles canon personalities more than not, because it is precisely those divisive traits that make those people love them (while the same traits make others hate them). It’s a matter of preference, and while I think everyone has the right to have their preferences, I do wish more people would try expanding their horizons and try something other than plain oatmeal for a change.

[chaosnojutsu]

wait hold on i can’t tell if this is a big brain thought or not. but like. ino’s whole thing was that she had to beat sakura, right. including “in love,” as asuma said.

but what would have been the BIGGEST victory for ino over sakura in matters of romance? not if she had gotten sasuke instead. i don’t even think it’s anything that could be said about the fact that ino’s husband is around more often than sakura’s.

i think the biggest victory for ino over sakura would have been if she ended up with rock lee. she’d have a devoted and supportive husband, happy marriage, an adorable kid (with a little blonde bowl cut until the time skip when they have a grown out ponytail), on top of her great job and friends. everything she has now, but also everything sakura very much could have had if she hadn’t had tunnel vision on sasuke. lee was down bad for sakura from day one. he wanted to dote and give all kinds of love and attention, which sakura rejected, but also which ino openly wanted all along. (not from him, but there’s always room for character development.)

[i don’t hate sai or inojin, or legitimately ship this, or think ino or sakura are miserable in canon, or want to open the floor for any character bashing or ship wars. this was just a media analysis.]

[primnroses]

— Explaining Konohagakure’s Barrier Team from Naruto to Boruto:

The information presented in this post has been checked and revised. My aim is not to hate or to discredit any of the characters mentioned. Please read about me for further information.

This post will contain evidence in picture format directly from the manga Naruto (1999 - 2014) created by Masashi Kishimoto and published by Shueisha in 1999. I will also use information from the official databooks.

This informative post will explain the role and utility of the Barrier Team from its debut in Naruto to its role in Boruto. I will use information present in the novels and the Boruto manga because it includes character development within canon compliance.

This meta is crossposted in AO3.

I give my permission to use or share this thread with informative purposes as long as you credit me.

I do not support the anime or the work of Studio Pierrot in regards to Naruto because I consider it over exaggerated and beyond biased. Furthermore, these fillers include some actions that these characters are unable to do in the canon according to official sources and they also generate unnecessary debate.

This meta does contain anime scenes from Boruto because it is a monthly manga draft that depends heavily on anime for context.

Please, take this into consideration.

This meta will include a small discussion from my own point of view about the Barrier Team and its members. There will be criticism and complaints, comparisons with other characters, previous leaders, etc.

HISTORY

The Barrier Team (結界班, Kekkai-Han) is an organization formed by sensor-type shinobi and regular shinobi in charge of maintaining the Sensing Barrier, a giant sphere surrounding Konohagakure and its outskirts, which detects any foreign chakra that crosses the border of the village. Many years after the Fourth Shinobi World War, it has been mechanized and transformed into an automated sensing system composed of a few sensor-type shinobi and led by members of the Yamanaka clan (although right now that is up for discussion, as it is self-sufficient by the Hokage's orders).

It is unknown for how long this team has existed, but the Barrier Team debuted in chapter 415 of Naruto. Based on its development, Konoha has kept a Konoha-wide exclusive sensing technique through the ages and, among their ranks, they count with sensor-type shinobi like Hyūga clan members.

This team also has their own unique crest in the shape of an inverted triangle with three circles inside, worn by their members in their clothes in armbands or hats.

Sensing Barrier and Sensing Water Sphere according to the fourth databook.

Naruto:

During the era of the Fifth Hokage, the Barrier Team was a rather small team located inside a room (most likely inside the Hokage Residence) where the large Sensing Water Sphere was guarded and monitored by three sensor-type wearing Shinto robes. According to the fourth databook, Kakoi, one of the sensor-type Shinto priests, was the leader at the time of debut. 

The Sensing Water Sphere represents the invisible Sensing Barrier around Konoha, and the role of the Shinto priests was to inform of any unfamiliar chakra signature that crossed this barrier. When someone or something charged with chakra bypassed the barrier, the Sensing Water Sphere rippled around the area where the aura had been detected; a team of stationary chūnin were automatically sent to the location of the disturbance to investigate the threat.

Unofficially, the Barrier Team used to be divided in two groups:

The Detection was the division formed by the sensor-type Shinto priests.

The Interception was the division formed by chūnin, with Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane among these shinobi, in charge of investigating the threat and fighting the intruders. 

The Barrier Team headquarters and both divisions.

The Sensing Barrier extends from the small portion of forest before the very entrance and walls of the A-Un gate, to the portion of land behind the Hokage Rock, according to the view the manga offers, from the right side. This means that anyone entering the barrier will be detected before they reach the proper gates of Konoha, but not if they halt before the start of the barrier itself. Only Pain could come undetected to the very limit of the barrier due to the visibility his Rinnegan granted him; however, it is to assume the exact spot of the barrier is unknown to non-Konoha shinobi.

According to Pain, it is revealed that the Barrier Team has a special jutsu to get through the barrier without being noticed applicable to ANBU and probably Konoha shinobi, which allowed Kisame Hoshigaki to enter with Itachi Uchiha without alarm.

The view of the full sensing dome from the right angle (Hokage Monument to the right, A-Un Gate to the left).

The Sensing Water Sphere, the Sensing Barrier and the sensor-type Shinto priests, or more specifically Kakoi, and all the staff members in the Detection group in the current era, are symbiotically connected with each other. This means that Kakoi’s sensory range and the rest of the staff, only correspond to the range of the Sensing Barrier and not farther, just confirmed by the presence of Pain and his summons by the limit, undetected. This detail also applies to future leaders who are currently replacing Kakoi.

Kakoi's symbiosis with the Sensing Barrier when he only detects Chikushodo (Animal Path) upon bypassing.

The role of the Barrier Team has remained the same through the eras, meaning that their job is to sense disturbances detected by the Water Sensing Sphere and inform shinobi teams to attack the possible threats. The Sensing Barrier has always remained Konoha–wide too. 

Although the Barrier Team does not appear again until the Blank Period and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, we could see a similar version of it during the global conflict but on a greater scale. 

Ao, a former ANBU and outstanding sensor-type from Kirigakure, was appointed the captain of the Sensor Division during the conflict. Alone, he could detect the presence of the reincarnated shinobi among the hundreds of White Zetsu clones in every division of the Allied Shinobi Forces through his Sensing Water Sphere, including natural energy which only a few selected sensors can perceive.

Ao maintaining the Sensing Water Sphere and sensing the White Zetsu army.

Blank Period

The next time the Barrier Team appears is in the Sasuke Shinden and Sakura Hiden novels:

According to Sasuke Shinden, after Pain’s attack, Konoha set up a more powerful barrier. However, the exploding humans could bypass the Sensing Sphere because they were Konoha shinobi, and thus, they are not considered intruders. The novel also confirms that the Interception group still exists and they also send messenger shinobi to alert the Hokage.

In Sakura Hiden, we notice a few modernizations. After Sakura Haruno defeated Kido Tsumiki, Kakashi arrived at the scene but was shortly cut by an instant Mind Body Transmission message from the Barrier Team alerting him of ANBU leaving the village.

Sasuke Shinden (above) and Sakura Hiden (below).

This detail is key to the development of the Barrier Team in Boruto, as telepathy via Chakra Transmission Communication Device becomes one of the most used tools by the team.

Boruto

By the era of the Seventh Hokage, the Barrier Team has continued to function the same was as before, with the exception of a few changes:

Although there are not any significant changes in headquarters, the Hokage Residence was reconstructed after Pain's invasion and so was the Barrier Team chamber. The location of the team has been confirmed in the anime inside the Hokage Residence.

The room has decreased in size and the area for the Interception Team has been replaced, in favor of a new Detection Team about the same size as the previous one and with the same amount of people monitoring the Sensing Barrier, although instead of Shinto priests, the staff is composed of regular chūnin.

In the manga, the room only takes a corner of an unknown location in the Hokage Residence. The automated sensing sphere has been replaced by monitors instead.

The Barrier Team headquarters in the anime and the manga.

According to Kashin Koji, Konoha used to have a Sensory Team led by members of the Yamanaka clan. However, this information is false. 

Kashin Koji explaining the "role" of the Yamanaka clan.

The Yamanaka clan, or at least the only member of the clan in Konoha (apart from Ino) was Inoichi Yamanaka, who was in charge of the Analysis Team by performing Psycho Mind Transmission on targets that could not be interrogated by Ibiki Morino. There are no Yamanaka clan members aside from those two in Konoha, as Inoichi’s subordinates in the Analysis Team are all shinobi of other origins such as Mawashi Dokuraku, Tonbo Tobitake and Aoba Yamashiro. The latter being the only person other than Inoichi capable of performing Psycho Mind Transmission as seen in chapter 507 and Sasuke Shinden.

(I personally want to remind you that the Yamanaka are not known to be sensors of that calibre. They use Yin Release to control other people or even animals to take advantage of their senses. Masashi Kishimoto described this as a form of sensing in the third databook. By using Mind Body Switch, Ino controlled a bird to find the Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu even though they were nearby, meaning she does not have sensing skills past her surroundings. Mind Body Transmission does not use sensory skills to connect people either as it is a telepathy area like Bluetooth. Telepathy works by sharing their chakra with others as stated by Inoichi.)

Ino's sensing through controlling other species and the Mind Body Transmission range.

Moreover, the people in charge of the Barrier Team were Kakoi and his team of Shinto priests. This information was fixed in the anime, acknowledging the presence of the Shinto priests and Kakoi after Ukyō Kodachi rewrote the history of Konoha. 

Kakoi described as a predecessor of the Barrier Team.

Ukyō Kodachi has renamed this team as Sensory Team or Sensory Unit, although it is still called by its original name, Barrier Team, in manga and anime.

To shed more context into the new era, according to Ino Yamanaka, the Barrier Team has been mechanized and modernized to replace sensor-types with an automated sensing. The Sensing Water Sphere has been replaced by a Scientific Ninja Tools sphere that detects intruders automatically and sends an alarm to the headquarters of the team.

In the manga, the Sensing Water Sphere has been replaced by screens and the area only takes about a room corner.

The new automated system also includes a database with the imprint of Konoha shinobi memorized in it, so anyone not registered within the system will be spotted.

Ino Yamanaka explains the new sensing system made by Katasuke Tōnō.

The range of the Sensing Barrier has decreased drastically, to the point of only covering from the gates to the Hokage Monument, instead of adding the portion of forest like previously established.

This is confirmed by Delta and Kashin Koji speaking on a tree branch by the A-Un Gate and passing undetected by anyone, even though they were within the previous range established by Kakoi in the Pain Arc. As soon as Delta crossed the walls, she was detected, but not before.

The new Barrier Team did not think about erasing the chakra signature of the deceased Jiraiya either, therefore, Kashin Koji, a Jiraiya clone, is able to come and go in and out of the village undetected.

Delta and Kashin Koji (to the left) right by Konoha's main gate, A-Un, undetected.

Led by Ino Yamanaka herself, the Barrier Team only counts with the Detection group, formed by three chūnin in charge of sensing, or rather, looking at the screens for any intruder and informing anyone they must. According to Shikadai Nara, the Interception group has been disbanded, now only informing Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha of danger so they can take care of it themselves. 

The new Detection group informs via telepathy using the Chakra Communication Device, a tool used by the Allied Shinobi Forces to connect each division scattered across the map with each other. This device can cover greater distances than Inoichi or any Yamanaka, therefore we see him, as well as his assistants from the Intelligence Division and other members of each division, wear it. We also see Ino wear it during The Last: Naruto the Movie to receive messages from other villages, clearly outside her range.

The new Chakra Communication Device from the Barrier Team is a much more modern version of the previous one used by the Alliance. Moreover, all communications performed by the Barrier Team, the content of all mind transmissions, are stored in their own database in order to be analyzed or monitored. The Chakra Communication Device is connected the the rest of the automated sensing system to save all images, chakra prints and telepathy relays.

The telepathy device has a stationary version and two portable versions. Ino using it in the Blank Period and the modern version used by Barrier Team.

As aforementioned, the role of the Barrier Team continues to be that of detecting unfamiliar chakra signatures and informing teams to go and investigate. This time, as soon as someone is detected, Ino contacts headquarters to ask them if the presence is registered by the database, and, if not, she will contact Naruto and Sasuke to investigate.

Moreover, they can only detect things charged up with chakra, but not objects like Delta’s drones or shinobi erasing their chakra. This is pointed out by Kawaki, who can fool the Barrier Team by erasing his chakra signature and complains that they are “incompetent” and “only rely on sensing chakra”. This hinders Konoha's protection. 

Delta sneaking a drone in Konoha to search for Kawaki. Kawaki complaining about Konoha's sensing system.

It seems that the new modernized version has not only decreased the sensory range of the Sensing Barrier of Kakoi’s time, but it also appears to be unable to deploy a boosting sensing system. In fact, Boruto was flaring his chakra on purpose while he was still inside the village. However, nobody in the Barrier Team was able to pick this up.

Not only does this inaptitude make it impossible to predict upcoming danger before bypassing the A-Un Gate, but it also makes it an impossible task to follow enemies when they have fled away from the borders.

Ino explains they are unable to trace anything beyond the gates or erased chakra.

For this same reason, Naruto Uzumaki had to step in and track Kawaki and Boruto by himself with Sage Mode.

When Kawaki and Boruto Uzumaki left the village, the Barrier Team could not detect them 40 kilometers outside Konoha because they were too far away from their limits. However, Naruto could finish what Ino or headquarters could not, even despite not having Kurama’s power for the extra boost.

Boruto flares his chakra to no response. Naruto detects Boruto in the battlefield against Code around 40 kilometers away with his sensing skills.

One of the most interesting details about the new Barrier Team is that they are self sufficient and automated because they possess technology to detect chakra imprints without the use of sensor-types, as well as being able to perform telepathy via Mind Body Transmission thanks to their Chakra Transmission Communication Device without the need of Ino Yamanaka. 

This clearly makes the role of their leader very questionable.

We have already witnessed the Barrier Team function perfectly without Ino Yamanaka. Not only during Kakoi’s time, whose job and abilities are the same and above the current Barrier Team, but also during this era.

During the cohabitation mission with Team 7 and the cyborgs Eida and Deimon, as well as during Code’s invasion, the automated sensing and the staff detected (or undetected Kawaki) chakra signatures using their alarms and their screens, and also contacted Shikamaru Nara through telepathy using their Chakra Transmission Communication Devices.

As of chapters 77, 81 and 88 (and future chapters) of Boruto, Ino Yamanaka is deemed not necessary for the Barrier Team, her role taken over by the staff wearing telepathy devices and monitoring the sensing screens at all times.

One worker of the Barrier Team detecting the Grimes and Boruto and alerting Shikamaru Nara. Other worker also contacts Shikamaru about Kawaki erasing his chakra.

How does the Barrier Team work and what is their role?

Detect chakra signatures that bypass the Sensing Barrier.

Inform the Interception group and send them to investigate. In the new era, inform Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha telepathically.

DISCUSSION

How important is the Barrier Team?

The Barrier Team has experienced a surge of utility in Boruto compared to Naruto. However, being written into the story does not equal being more important.

Originally, they were introduced quite late in the story. Konoha has experienced invasions since Orochimaru infiltrated during the Chūnin Exams disguised as the Kazekage, although their role during Pain’s invasion was decisive to demonstrate that Konoha has countermeasures against enemies looking to enter the village. 

Masashi Kishimoto created a group of shinobi exclusively to lead the Barrier Team. This was neglected by Ukyō Kodachi, and he also made it that any sensor-type could replace Kakoi and company.

The equivalent of Konoha's Barrier Team was the Sensor Division. They worked in tandem with Mukta Aburame to discover that the enemy possessed an army of White Zetsu ready, and their captain, Ao, was also responsible of discerning the reincarnated Edo Tensei from the White Zetsu and informing Darui that Ginkaku and Kinkaku were among the ranks.

Ao senses the White Zetsu among the Edo Tensei and the presence of the twins.

So, the Barrier Team is essential to safeguard Konoha from the inside. Detecting anyone on the spot that has entered is one of the first steps to keep its villagers safe.

In Boruto, the Barrier Team suffered a downgrade compared to the previous appearance. Also counting 15 years of technological advancements that could have been implemented within their ranks, but have not happened. Because of Kara’s interests in Kawaki, who is currently protected by Konoha, they must maintain their Sensing Barrier in top condition to detect enemies.

A mistake made by Ukyō Kodachi, who made the Yamanaka clan, or rather, Ino, the leader or responsible of this team, is that he made someone without sensing feats in Naruto, a representative of sensor-types in Boruto. Choosing someone that cannot at least equal, maybe not surpass because it is impossible, Naruto’s sensing techniques granted by Sage Mode even after “nerfing” him, leaves much to be desired about Konoha’s resources and their range of sensor-types.

The failures of the Barrier Team

One of the reasons behind the surge of importance of the Barrier Team is due to Kara’s interests in Kawaki and Code’s desire to destroy Konoha. However, they also shine for their lack of resources and skills; and their lack of applying experience to reforming the new system learning by previous mistakes.

After fighting a large scale global conflict with reincarnated bodies and White Zetsu able to imitate shinobi chakra signatures (i.e White Zetsu impersonating Neji Hyūga to assassinate Sakura Haruno), Konoha’s new automated database and sensing system has not flagged chakra imprints from deceased shinobi like Jiraiya, prompting Kashin Koji to walk into the village as he pleases. 

Sakura Haruno discovers White Zetsu's way of copying unique chakra imprints to fool sensor-types.

Moreover, they rely solely on detecting chakra, making shinobi like Kawaki and Boruto, who can erase their chakra flare thanks to their Karma, and Karin, who can erase her chakra at discretion, to be able to enter or escape the village without being detected by the system or lookouts who are extremely apathetic. Not to mention none of the gates have lookouts like the ones in the War or use other sensing methods like Inuzuka clan, Hyūga clan (who used to be members) or Aburame clan alternative sensing skills that do not require sensing chakra. 

Hyūga with their eyes, Inuzuka with their noses and Aburame with their beetles being pivotal in tracking and sensing.

The sensors working for the Barrier Team are very limited to sensing only what is inside the Barrier, making their sensory feats only Konoha-wide or Sensing Barrier-wide. This sensing symbiosis with the Sensing Barrier is a problem, which means that sensors' skills scale to a machine rather than having abilities of their own. This problem results in them only sensing people when they have already entered Konoha, but not their approach, thus not preventing anything. If the enemy masks their chakra, these efforts are useless because they will not be detected.

This is more apparent for Ino Yamanaka, who was made into the leader of a sensing team and given prominence as someone that can potentially have above average sensing skills, but has failed to compel.

After having no sensing feats in Naruto, she is given a Konoha-wide sensing range equal to the Sensing Barrier’s Konoha-wide sensory to increase her importance. This way, her sensing power scales to a machine. However, after she debuts being able to sense Delta enter Konoha like a competent Konoha sensor, she gets gradually worse when it is discovered that she could not sense Delta plotting her entrance with Kashin Koji a few meters from the A-Un Gate to trying to sense Kawaki and Boruto knowing she cannot detect anything beyond the gates of Konoha or even being unable to sense Code’s ear on Shikamaru despite being a body part charged with chakra. 

The writing made the Yamanaka clan into a sensory clan instead of sticking to their original role (or Inoichi’s role because he was the only member in Konoha like aforementioned) as mind interrogators to gather intel, which was scrapped and the whole family rewritten. This inclusion makes it all the more forced and nonsensical. 

Inoichi Yamanaka and the Analysis Team using Psycho Mind Transmission.

Her lack of skills and Naruto’s necessity to use Sage Mode to do the job of the Barrier Team, has led the writers to dispose of Ino and keep writing their failures without her, as she really makes no difference in or out of the team. This means that any sensor, even Moegi Kazamatsuri who according to Ukyō Kodachi in her character trivia, got perfect sensing skills to replace her; just like Kakoi was serving the same purpose and was replaced.

Ino’s skills as a sensor and telepathist are easily replaceable by the Barrier Team’s automated sensing and Chakra Transmission Communication Devices. So her accomplishments could be replaced or she could be removed from the story (like she already has been) because she is fulfilling a role that should not be hers while also failing to do it decently. Connecting Eida, Shikamaru and Amado could be performed by headquarters with their telepathy devices and sensing is performed by a machine. 

Could they be redeemed?

The greatest disadvantage of the Barrier Team is their small sensing range and their inability to rely on other sensing methods than chakra perception. 

After exposing the main problems related to not erasing deceased people’s chakra imprints from their database and failing to boost their system in case of emergency, there are a few points to make in order to make the Barrier Team a competent and compelled facility:

Keep Ino away from their ranks as she makes no difference, while maintaining the automated system which includes alarms, visual screens and instant telepathy.

Reuse Kakoi’s greater Sensing Barrier to track Konoha’s forest area before the A-Un Gate.

Use other sensory and perception techniques from other clans like Aburame’s beetles, Hyūga’s Byakugan and Inuzuka’s ninken/sense of smell to counter shinobi’s ability to erase their chakra signature.

Put the Akimichi clan in the lookout by every gate like they used to guard the Logistical Support & Medical Division during the Fourth Shinobi World War, this way being able to see approaching danger and fighting them before their entrance to give Konoha time to elaborate a plan.

Considered the most powerful shinobi village, using past experiences and the full power of Konoha's shinobi forces, their clans and their technology, could prevent infiltrations; as well as giving each member of a clan their deserved time to show their abilities.

Note: The Fourth Shinobi World W4r has been replaced by global conflict to avoid mature content flags.

[thegirlking]

Occasionally, I've seen people complain that Inosuke never got his "big moment" in the manga (as in no epic power-ups, no big feats, generally playing a supporting role in others' battles rather than getting one of his own). And I get this, because those things tend to be very important in battle shounen, but I honestly think that it kinda works for his character development?

Inosuke was introduced as this reckless, foolish boy who is fixated on being the strongest and extremely battle-hungry to the point of cruelty - he was willing to hurt and even kill Zenitsu just to slay another demon, not even because it's the right thing to slay demons but because it's fun for him. Even after befriending Tanjirou and Zenitsu and softening up a bit, during the Mount Natagumo arc he's still prideful and wants to do things on his own in order to show off his abilities, he rushes to fight on his own without thinking and that ends up almost costing his life.

But after that arc and the crushing defeat he experienced there, you can see him beginning to accept (even if he doesn't admit it out loud and tries to keep his "I'm the boss" act) that there are stronger people than him and that he can't always win on his own. He learns to work with others, rely on others and becomes an excellent battle partner to have - for Tanjirou and Zenitsu and also for Kanao in the final arc. He fights at his best precisely when he's fighting together with his comrades.

Learning friendship and teamwork is such an important, defining aspect of Inosuke's character. That's why I think him being more of a support fighter in the battles works and it's meaningful in its own little way, it shows the strong friendships he's built with others and the lessons he's learned thanks to his friends and mentors. In many ways it benefits his character more than some "cool" battle feat or power-up would.

[runabout-river]

Was Maki also saved by Todo's technique?

While reading the chapter that question didn't even cross my mind because of the picture above where Maki, Ino and Yuji are depicted as heads about to be swapped by crows. The flow of the chapter also didn't lend itself to question if that worked or not.

But did it?

Boogie Woogie can only be used on living and inanimate things that have CE so right from the get go our problem is that Maki doesn't have any. But like I said, the setup right now clearly points to Maki being alive so how would the clapping have worked on her?

1. Todo swapped the Split Soul Katana and Maki simply went along because she wasn't recognized as another being but an inanimate attachment to her sword. Like how clothes are also swapped around otherwise we would've much more nudity in JJK.

2. Same principle as above but Todo swapped out Miwa instead (if that is Miwa). Maki went along with being switched out because she and Miwa were clinging to each other.

3. In case the "clinging on" theory is completely wrong, Todo could've instead targeted Miwa's Simple Domain (intentionally or by accident) while wanting to get Miwa herself. If Miwa was strong enough to keep her SD up until the end unlike Yuji, then Todo targeting her in that instance might've transported the entire SD over including all its contents regardless of what they are.

Also, poor crows. They're the real heroes in this fight.

[leportraitducadavre]

I've made this addition on the pertinent posts regarding this form of Ninjutsu (here but most importantly, here) so please if you liked this addition reblog the aforementioned posts instead of this one; but I guess there's no harm in putting it as a separate post to ensure people reading it:

Medical Ninjutsu and delicate chakra control: 

There’s a constant misconception in Naruto’s fandom about how Medical Ninjutsu works and the importance of Chakra control. Having delicate chakra control (delicate being the canon word used to describe Sakura’s control on her chakra flux) implies having control over a large sum of their own chakra in a small part of their body (palms) in order to release it either with their medical ninjutsu or, in the case of Sakura and Tsunade, their fighting technique (they don’t boost their physical energy, as they don’t use such control to run faster, for instance. Rather, they concentrate a large sum of their chakra on their fists and they release it upon contact).

This is canonically proven through the Byakugou seal, as both Tsunade and Sakura are able to save a total of three years of their chakra inside a small diamond-shaped seal that they need to release in order to use more energy-consuming jutsu: Mitochondrial Regeneration, summoning one-tenth of Katsuyu’s body, replenish people with larger chakra pools than them -like Obito or Onoki (the former needed Naruto and Sakura’s chakra combined to cover the bare minimum of his chakra as to perform Kamui to save Sasuke from Kaguya’s dimension), and to have more powerful attacks.

“Chakra control” in the vast use of the term (nor “delicate” preceding it), has more to do with being able to withstand and use large sums of chakra, as Sasuke says “Naruto has control over this much chakra?” During their final fight –the more chakra the shinobi has, the more difficult to control and use it. Danzo was getting poisoned by Hashirama’s cells and had to cut his arm as he lacked the Uchiha chakra to counteract it, unlike Obito whose vast amount of energy allowed him to use Hashirama’s cells at will; Sakura got poisoned due to a small scratch from Naruto’s three-tailed version, the chakra was too dense and powerful and she lacks the stamina to counteract it (Naruto, through Minato’s seal, was exposed to short amounts of this chakra since birth, yet it's likely that his natural reserves are larger than Sakura still).

There’s a reason why Tsunade nor Sakura ever use complicated jutsu, as having delicate control over their chakra does not extend as much how many complicated techniques they can perform: To explain in lesser terms, the more complicated the jutsu, the more chakra it needs and neither Tsunade nor Sakura has a large pool as Sasuke or Naruto do. Their delicate control only means that they won’t waste any energy, as they can concentrate the required amount without wasting the rest; for instance, if a jutsu requires 80% of their energy, while the average shinobi will use at least 90% (wasting 10%), Sakura is able to delicately control her chakra to use only the 80% needed, while maintaining the 20% remaining. The primary difference between Naruto and Sakura is that, while a jutsu takes 80% of Sakura’s chakra, it takes, perhaps 10% (if he wastes a portion as he has less control over his energy and I'm still likely exaggerating the number) of Naruto’s, as he has immense reserves thanks to Kurama.   

[pallas-cat]

actually thinking about genya and aoi because of that tiny post episode clip

[lxspedeza]

  friendly reminder that Ino won against Sakura in the Chuunin exams~

and Hayate conveniently ignored it.

[jaguarys]

The thing about Sai/Ino is that you first look at it and you go 'I dunno... it just kinda feels like forcing two characters together for the sake of it... I'm not sure...' and then when you think about it for two seconds more and you go Oh I get it now. I get it

[renaerys]

This is just for fun, but how do you compare Sakura and Ino characteristics and personalities in your writing? Do you ever found them to be overlapping or do you consider them to be opposite or both?

I think they're very different but complementary characters. These are my personal takes under the cut, since it's a bit long.

To preface, I base everything on the original Naruto manga. I don't read Boruto, don't care about it, don't want to know anything more about it beyond what I've been forced to absorb through cultural osmosis. My takes on Ino's and Sakura's characters are probably going to be different from others who do subscribe to Boruto.

Ino

Ino would have followed in Inoichi's footsteps to become the prime Yamanaka mind reader for Torture and Interrogation post-war. She'd be a top Sensor type, would have worked closely with people like Ibiki and Anko and Shikamaru, and become a high ranking member of Konoha's tactical division. Those interactions would influence and augment certain aspects of her personality and proclivities quite a lot, and they inform how I see her in a post-war world.

I talked a lot about Ino's personality in this post. Ino is someone who I see as the better "people person" between Sakura and her. Meaning, she's above average good at reading people and anticipating what they will do or how they'll react in certain situations. Crucially, she's the type of person who will also act on that information if the situation calls for it, such as to benefit herself, her social standing/reputation, her goals, etc. And in that same vein, whether it's these personality traits or straight up shinobi abilities, she's the type to set a goal and get it the fuck done no matter what (remember her badass moment in the 4th war when she telepathically connected to everyone? Queen shit.). The other post I linked goes into this a bit more, so I won't repeat it here.

I see her as someone who isn't afraid to use tactics like lying and manipulation and charms if they will benefit her endgame. She's cunning and crafty and suave, but she's not a malicious person. Rather, she's demonstrated a high capacity for empathy and compassion (the basis of her friendship with Sakura, to name the earliest example of that). But I think she is also the type who is willing and able to get her hands dirty, keep secrets, and condone tactics that other personality types (like Sakura) would deem going too far or would find reprehensible. Two things can be true at the same time, and they make her a really interesting and contradictory person. She's your bitchy BFF. She's the person who will dig too deep into something because she is a dog with a bone, and this makes her capable of hurting people, however unintentionally.

Which is why she really benefits from having a friend like Sakura who will check her on that.

Sakura

Sakura is very much what you see is what you get. She's not cunning or crafty or manipulative the way Ino is (she can be those things insomuch as any person can be those things, but I wouldn't call them defining or key traits like I would for a character like Ino). Sakura wears her emotions on her sleeve, is straightforward and to the point, and highly determined. Like Ino, her personality is complemented by and reflected in her abilities and fighting style. She is front line, in your face, honest and unsubtle and no bullshit. The opposite of Ino in many ways. I think Kishi made those choices purposefully (although, I always hesitate to give him too much credit considering his track record with women).

Sakura has protagonist-chan vibes, which makes sense considering that is who she is in the manga. She gets the underdog story, the smurfette "I can keep up with the boys and I'll prove it to you" story, and that makes her relatable to literally anyone who grew up with insecurities and worked to overcome them. (Crucially, Ino doesn't have that arc because she never had those same insecurities or competition with her boys.)

All of this makes Sakura a lot less complicated and more vanilla than Ino. I don't mean that in a bad way at all, I just mean that given her standing in the manga as a deuteragonist, she is THE female character and therefore much easier for people to project themselves on to. That's why there are so many more fics and fanworks centering her than Ino. Sakura is hashtag relatable to so many people, and that's her main appeal and why she's so successful as a female character. But, unlike a lot of cardboard female protagonists in other media, she's able to be those things and have a distinct personality and unique traits, and I really like that about her! Ino is a harder pill to swallow because her personality is messier, rougher, more jagged than Sakura's. Again, none of this is bad! It's just the way a lot of archetypes go. Think about any of your favorite media. The relatable "everyman" protagonist female character usually has a "sassy best friend" type who doesn't share her insecurities and, instead, acts as a cheerleader to help her move past them. That's how Sakura and Ino are set up in the manga. It's a very traditional and oft-used archetype, which doesn't make it bad. It just is.

That archetype dynamic makes them great together, which is kind of the whole point of characterizing them in that way. Ino is often the sassy BFF in fics about Sakura, but I really love to see Sakura has her very important BFF in Ino fics too. I think it's an underutilized dynamic (just purely from a statistical standpoint since there are exponentially more Sakura fics than Ino fics). But if we consider that they are best friends, it stands to reason that they have a lot in common too. You can't tell me Sakura is best friends with someone like Ino and is just vanilla protagonist-chan a la Hallmark rom coms. Nah, that girl is some bless-this-mess chaos. Her bull in a china shop tendencies make her such a great complement to Ino. Sakura can be hilarious, chaotic, and weird and keep up with Ino's sharp wit and unapologetic judgment. They're like a comedic duo where one of them is the "straight man" and the other is clown shoes, but the fun twist is those roles are seamlessly interchangeable between them. I write them this way in my fic The Heiress and the Hierophant.

Sakura and Ino both are fantastic characters with plenty of room to build upon their canon foundations if you put in some work. I do wish more people would give Ino a fair shake as main and let Sakura live that fun BFF life. She's excellent as the BFF. And I haven't even touched on the excellent InoSaku romantic dynamics that exist! There's so much there between them, and all of it is good.