Ino Yamanaka (山中いの, Yamanaka Ino) is a kunoichi of Konohagakure's Yamanaka Clan, the mother of Inojin Yamanaka and Sai's wife. She is currently the Leader of Konoha Barrier Team and a florist at Yamanaka Flowers. Together with her former members of Team 10, she forms one third of the sixteenth generation of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio.
Background
Early Life
Ino is the only child of Inoichi Yamanaka, a member of Konohagakure's Yamanaka Clan. In the Academy, Ino was a popular student, earning the respect of the other girls from her class. She's a very smart student and a well respected lady. There, she met Sakura Haruno, who was teased by the other kids due to her large forehead. Ino defended Sakura from the bullies and encouraged her to embrace her forehead rather than hide it, becoming good friends with her and even introducing her to other children[1]. Over the following years, Ino's guidance and friendship helped Sakura become more confident and develop into her own person[2]. However, when Sakura expressed her crush on Sasuke Uchiha and discovered that Ino liked the same boy, they turned their relationship into rivalry, starting their dislike towards each other in the beginning of the series[3] fueled by a competition for Sasuke's affections or ninjutsu.
Personality
From a young age, Ino has been a confident, bold, and outspoken girl who had a mild-temper and occasionally lashed out at others if their personal habits bothered her[4][5]. She is also quite arrogant with her rivals, demonstrating that she doesn't hesitate to put others in their place to show her superiority[6], and, at times, very sarcastic and with mocking undertones[7]. At the same time, she is kind and loyal to her friends and is naturally more motivated than her teammates, having the tendency to drag them into battle or to take charge of them[8], a characteristic she would later pass on to her son, Inojin.
Nonetheless, she cares greatly for her teammates and her friends, expressing her relieve when Shikamaru and Chōji survive after the failed Sasuke Recovery Mission[9]. She shows great responsibility and affection towards her teammates, promising her sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, to look after Shikamaru and Chōji after he dies[10], and encouraging them to stay strong in the face of danger[11]. Her loyalty is present even in the midst of a bitter rivalry with her former best friend, defending her from the ninja that tried to kill her during the Chūnin Exams. However, Ino demonstrates that she can recognize a lost battle and declare her rival a worthy adversary. She becomes impressed by Sakura's growth and they rekindle their friendship, while maintaining their rivalry on more amiable terms[12].
Despite her assertiveness and uppity demeanor, Ino is a compassionate and kind person at heart, she grows to embody the meaning of the bush clover: a blunt, candid love who treasures the bonds with her friends[13]. By the time of his death, Inoichi believed that Ino had truly blossomed into the bush clover of the Yamanaka Clan, and is proud of her bonds with her friends.
She is also prideful in her appearance and often tries to lose weight by dieting in the hopes that it will make her more attractive to boys; she even jokingly suggests that Chōji should do the same to attract girls[14].
Although she didn't let it show in front of her friends at the beginning, masking it with covered lies[4], Ino also fancied over Sasuke's good looks and cool personality, like the rest of girls from the Academy. Despite Sasuke's annoyed attitude around her[15] and after his defection from Konoha, Ino showed to have retained her feelings for him in Part II and she cried when he was declared an international criminal[16]. Ino met Sai in Part II, who not only replaced Sasuke on Team 7, but also strongly resembled him in appearance. For this reason, Ino became immediately smitten with him, flirting with him when first introduced and blushing when Sai called her beautiful[17]. Although her Infinite Tsukuyomi dream revealed she likes the idea of Sasuke and Sai fighting over her, Ino's affections ultimately shifted toward Sai, showing a deeper desire to know more about him as she risked her life to save him in Shikamaru Hiden.
During this time period, Sai reciprocated Ino's feelings and it escalated into a relationship that ended in marriage, resulting in the birth of their son Inojin. Even after many years together Ino's love for Sai is as strong as ever, occasionally acting as love-struck as she did when they first met.
As an adult, Ino's personality is relatively the same, but the bitter rivalry with Sakura has been long forgotten and it's usual to see them hanging out, even with other friends, and sharing her thoughts and insecurities[18]. She has greater respect for her clan and its traditions, insisting they be passed down to the next generation to form a new Ino–Shika–Chō[19]. However, she firmly believes in not pushing her son Inojin to do something he doesn't like, even if it's learning the Yamanaka Clan techniques. Ino strongly respects her father and tries her best to carry on his will. At the same time, she is reasonable enough to recognize that all people mature at their own rate and in their own ways, openly trusting her son to find his own path as a ninja[20].
Appearance
Ino's outfit in Boruto
Ino has fair skin, light mesmerizing blue eyes and long platinum blonde hair worn in a high ponytail with bangs framing the right side of her face. In the The Last: Naruto the Movie, her hair is hung loosely and extends to her calves; as an adult, her hairstyle returns toa high ponytail with bangs covering the right half of her face. Sai considers Ino a very beautiful woman.
Ino regularly wears a purple outfit consisting of a high-collared blouse and matching apron skirt. In the Blank Period, she wears a longer skirt that reaches her ankles, high-heeled sandals and pink lipstick[21]. As an adult, Ino wears her purple outfit again exposing her midriff with one mesh warmer on her left arm and open-toed sandals. She also dons the standard Konoha flak jacket while on missions[22]. When she works in Yamanaka Flowers, Ino sports a white apron that cover her chest and skirt.
Abilities
In the Academy, Ino boasted the best overall grades among her fellow female classmates[23]. As a genin, Ino was noted to be an exceptional kunoichi among the rookie females by Asuma[24]. During the time-skip, she becomes a chūnin and a medical-nin[25], and her improved skills ultimately earned further praise from her father in the Fourth Shinobi World War[26]. Around the era of the Seventh Hokage, Ino's talents made her the leader of the Konoha Barrier Team and many members of her own clan look up to her[20]. In the anime, she can use the Psycho Mind Transmission to delve into people's minds like her father used to do in the Analysis Team[27].
Chakra and Physical Prowess
Human Bullet Yo-yo formation.
While a genin, Ino showed to be skilled at chakra control, as seen when she used her own cut hair to bind Sakura during the Chūnin Exams. In Part II, her chakra control improved greatly, having been made a medic-ninja.
Although Ino falters in taijutsu and has never been used it in a real combat, she is skilled enough to hold her battle against Sakura during the Chūnin Exams[28]. As a chūnin, she is able to avoid direct attacks from her sensei, a proficient taijutsu user himself, and is strong and fast enough to tackle Chōji (with a partially enlarged arm) away from Asuma's Wind Release: Dust Cloud Technique[29] during the Fourth Shinobi World War with the help of her teammates[30]. Two years after the war, while usually positioned near the back lines during close ranged combat situations, her taijutsu has improved enough to support Sai in handling multiple amounts of enemies[31].
She rarely fights alone and her battle style revolves mostly around her combination attacks with Ino-Shika-Chō, a traditional secret formation passed down from generation to generation. Ino's position in this team is essential, becoming the link that connects her allies and the enemy.
Ninjutsu
Ino's chakra affinities are Earth, Water and Yin and Yang nature transformations[32]. Although Ino has never been shown using elemental chakra, during the Fourth Shinobi War, she relayed the hand seals to use Earth Style: Practice Wall Technique a simple jutsu to create a wall and block attacks.
Sensory Perception and mind reading techniques
Ino senses chakra around her.
Ino has a great sensory perception, able to detect changes in another person's chakra[33][34]. She can lock onto an enemy's chakra signature and transfer the information to her allies for their benefit[35] with a technique called Human Bullet Yo-Yo[36]. In later years, she became able to instinctively detect a person's chakra signature without first molding chakra and also determine the potency of a chakra[37]. Her sensory skills are currently noted to be the best of her clan[20].
By the era of the Seventh Hokage, in the anime, Ino could skillfully probe people's minds for information. She could delve into the mind of a severely injured individual to extract his memories without the help of a machine.[38] This also aided in interrogating people to learn their true nature and determine whether they are under the influence of someone else[39].
Yamanaka Clan Techniques
As a Yamanaka, Ino specializes in her clan's Hiden, which consist in mind-affecting techniques. Her signature jutsu is the Mind Body Switch Technique, which allows her to possess a target and take control of their actions. She can also use this technique on animals for reconnaissance and espionage, as it was originally intended[40]. Ino's body, however, is left vulnerable to attack while the technique is active and shall the target receive damage, this would befall on the caster too; therefore it is not suited for battle[41]. She can also be forced out of the body if the opponent's will is strong enough[42].
Ino using the Mind Body Switch Technique.
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Ino's speed with the Mind Body Switch Technique has improved greatly[43]; able to quickly save her allies from incoming danger on multiple occasions[44][45]. Ino has also learned the Mind Clone Switch Technique, which allows her to control two targets at once[46]. With the Mind Body Transmission Technique, she can communicate telepathically with someone, and convey memories and feelings to them[47]. It is said that her range can cover up to around 100km. She is quite skilled with this technique, able to connect the entire Allied Shinobi Forces through a telepathic link. She can also transmit what she senses into a target's mind[48]. By making physical contact with a person, they can also communicate with one another while the technique is active. In The Last: Naruto the Movie, Ino's telepathic range has expanded enough to receive and broadcast messages across the Five Great Shinobi Countries in a short period of time with the help of a machine.
In addition, Ino is able to remove booby-traps laid in people's memory by directly entering into their minds using Mind Body Switch Technique, witnessed when she saved Aoba Yamashiro from such a trap or when she freed Sai from Gengo's genjutsu[49][50].
Medical Ninjutsu
Ino learned medical ninjutsu during the time-skip. She is skilled enough to assess the condition of a patient[51]. Following regulations, she can use anesthetic-laced weapons to immobilize the enemy[52][31].
Intelligence
Ino is quite intelligent, graduating at the top of her class in the Academy, alongside Sasuke and Shino Aburame. She mainly depends on strategies and tactics in battles due to her skill-set being oriented for tactical purposes rather than destructive purposes and she is notable for coming up with strategies suitable for escaping her enemies[53]. She can be very deceptive in battle, able to get Sakura into lowering her guard by cutting her hair and seemingly using the Mind Body Switch Technique, despite Sakura being a moving target. While Sakura thought Ino had already used her jutsu on her, she actually didn't use the technique and scattered her hair to create a chakra rope to restrain Sakura's movements, and thus, guaranteed that her Mind Body Switch Technique won't miss[54].
During Pain's Assault, she found a connection between Pain's technique and the Yamanaka Clan's mind techniques and concluded that Pain's real body must be around the village for his technique to work[55]. She was moreover made into a medical-nin, which requires intelligence and knowledge.
New Era
Inspired by her father's commitment to the village and noble sacrifice, Ino took the lead in rebuilding the village's sensory network after the Fourth Shinobi World War with the collaboration of the Scientific Ninja Weapons Team, earning herself great acclaim[20]. Ino and Sai eventually got married, and sometime after had a son named Inojin, whom they help train to become part of the new generation of Ino–Shika–Chō[19].
Sarada Uchiha Arc
In the anime, Ino takes Sakura on a surprise trip to a seaside cliff where Sasuke and Sakura went on their first date. She leaves Sakura alone in order to let her enjoy reminiscing about her first date[56].
Ino and Sai waiting for Inojin.
On the day of the Five Kage Summit in Konoha, Ino becomes irritated that her son Inojin didn't turn up to his training since he normally is so motivated for it as Sai attempts to calm her. Ino tells Karui of the importance of their children practising the Ino–Shika–Chō formation even in such peaceful times[57].
A few days later, at the village gate along with Chōji, Ino spots Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, Chōchō Akimichi and Sarada Uchiha returning to the village. She muses about Chōchō's shock towards her father's changed figure. While Ino happily greets Sasuke since he has not been seen in the village for a number of years, Sarada interrupts her due to having just dealt with the situation involving Karin which amuses Sakura and confuses Ino[22].
Graduation Exams Arc
In the anime, after Inojin loses his ability to perform the Super Beast Imitating Drawing technique, he becomes frustrated at not being able to find the reason why and instead seeks his mother's help to teach him her Mind Body Switch Technique. Whilst working in their flower shop together, Ino begins to worry about Inojin and that he may end up giving up trying to discover the solution to his problem on his own. Sai comforts Ino by telling her he has faith in Inojin because he is their son causing Ino to become flustered. Ino then shows amusement on how awkward her husband remains. Whilst Inojin prepares to throw away his old drawings, Ino and Inojin discover one of his old drawings he made of his family and Ino remarks how happy Sai was when he saw it which motivates Inojin to retry performing the technique again. Shortly after at the Academy, Ino and Inojin took part in a meeting with Shino to discuses her son's progress and future goals following his graduation.
Naruto Shinden: Parent and Child Day
Main article: Naruto Shinden: Parent and Child Day (novel)
Naruto and Himawari visited Yamanaka Flowers in search of Kurama dolls. Ino pointed out that they of course would not sell Kurama dolls, but instead gave Himawari free sunflowers as a thank you gift for helping Inojin during his art slump and also for simply finding her so cute. In their home at the end of Parent and Child Day, Sai rests on Ino's lap as she affectionately comforts him while Inojin laughs on watching his parents from a distance following their own exertions during the day.
Versus Momoshiki Arc
Ino watching the Chunin Exams.
Main article: Boruto: Naruto the Movie
Ino hangs out with Sakura and Temari one day and they see Naruto's shadow clones running around to help out villagers. The three women later sat together to watch the Chūnin Exams' final round, where Ino becomes exasperated when Shikadai Nara mirrors his father's actions in his youth by giving up against Boruto Uzumaki. When Momoshiki and Kinshiki Otsutsuki attack the arena, Ino helps the villagers to escape, and leaves the audience along with Hinata and Himawari Uzumaki and observes the ensuing battle.
Mitsuki's Disappearance Arc
In the anime, when two chūnin guards were attacked at the village's main entrance and Mitsuki disappeared, the village went into lockdown. Ino was called to prob the mind of one of the chūnin using Psycho Mind Transmission to extract his memory and further information about the attack upon Hokage's orders, only to discover that Mitsuki willingly left with attackers[58].
Time Slip Arc
In the anime, when the grown-up Sasuke and Boruto were sent back in time to shortly after Sasuke's defection, they pretended to be travelling performers and were put under watch by Naruto. During which, past-Ino and her friends helped Boruto and Naruto clean up a bathhouse after the commotion Naruto and Jiraiya caused. Days later, Ino and the rest of her team invited Boruto and Naruto to join them in an after-mission Barbecue dinner at Yakiniku Q. Later, Konohamaru, Moegi Kazamatsuri and Udon Ise approached Ino and her friends for help, telling how Naruto and Boruto were battling a dangerous foe. They quickly agreed to help. By the time they arrived however, the battle was already over. The group then escorted their injured friends to the hospital. Days later, after Sasuke and Boruto recovered and prepared to return to their time, Sasuke first used his Sharingan to erase the memories of everyone he and Boruto came in contact of the recent events with to protect the timeline.
Post Time Slip Arc
Inojin uses Mind Body Switch on Ino.
Days later, in the anime, Inojin approached his parents with a desire to master the Mind Body Switch Technique, believing he needed to become stronger. After showing ease with performing the technique on small animals, Ino had Inojin attempt to perform the technique on Chōchō to prevent her from reaching a bag of potato chips. He was unable to overcome her will, causing Ino to become frustrated at him for wanting to give up. Sai attempted to intervene, only to lead to a quarrel between them over Inojin and his training. The quarrel quickly develops into a fight with both Ino and Sai refusing to hold back. Inojin tried to perform the technique on both of his parents to stop the fight, but to no avail. About to give up, he performed the technique once again into his mother and revealed to her that Sai told him how she had once saved him with the Mind Body Switch Technique and now his goal is to help others using the jutsu, thus leading him to gaining control of Ino's body. Sai embraced Ino with a hug and they complimented Inojin for having mastered the technique before walking back to home together[59].
Several months later, While Himawari was out observing different jobs for her career, she saw Ino working hard in her flower shop. Later after completing a ninja trial session at the Academy, Himawari concluded that she would like to experience more jobs, such as working in a flower shop, besides being a ninja as well, just like Ino.
Shikamaru Shinden: A Cloud Dancing in Forlorn Falling Petals
Main article: Shikamaru Shinden: A Cloud Dancing in Forlorn Falling Petals (novel)
Shikamaru stops by Yamanaka Flowers. Ino is surprised to see him and guesses that this has something to do with recently forgetting his wedding anniversary. Annoyed that she knows this, Shikamaru asks if Sai has ever forgotten their anniversary. Ino responds that Sai always remembers to buy a gift for holidays and special occasions, even if he's going to be away on the specific day of celebration. When asked for recommendations, Ino suggests a bouquet of yellow flowers native to Sunagakure, the hometown of Shikamaru's wife, Temari and he approves.
Chōji walks by as they talk, on his way to dinner at Yakiniku Q, and decides to join them. Shikamaru takes this opportunity to apologize for his son, Shikadai, who recently declined an S-rank mission that Inojin and Chōchō could have benefited from. Ino and Chōji don't see the point in Shikamaru's apology, instead teasing that Shikadai is only taking after him. Ino suggests that Shikamaru talk to Shikadai rather than apologize. Shikamaru agrees to this and leaves, forgetting the flowers.
Kara Actuation Arc
In the anime, Ino was tasked with probing the mind of Katasuke Tōno after his sudden change in behavior and discovered that he was being controlled by Kara, using him to gather his intel on the development of Scientific Ninja Tools. She reported her findings to Naruto[27]. Later, after Team 7 and Team 10 were defeated by Deepa, Ino and Hinata took Sakura out for a girls' night out, where the three discussed their concerns for their children as shinobi[59].
Ino supervises the Sensing Barrier.
To ensure that the newly automated Sensing Barrier is working properly, Ino organized a trial run, inviting sensor-type shinobi to participate, including her son. Inojin underperformed, failing to apprehend mock intruders, so she apologized for making him take part despite having little interest in sensing. After learning the reasons behind Ino's enthusiasm about the job, Inojin gave it another try, and was able to detect an actual intruder, who had disguised his chakra signature with a registered one. Inojin wondered if she'd quit working at Yamanaka Flowers, but she assured him that both were important to her, and that he should do what he enjoyed as well[20].
Ao Arc
In the anime, Ino attended the memorial service for the fallen people of the Fourth Shinobi World War, where she and Shikamaru reminisced their fathers' death. At the end of the memorial service, she met Ao, the sole survivor of the Ten-Tails' attack on the Allied Shinobi Force's HQ. Knowing he worked beside his father, Shikamaru asked if Shikaku and Inoichi really believed they could defeat the Ten-Tails with his final plan. Ao assured them that their fathers never had any doubt about their abilities and were proud of them to the end, moving Ino and Shikamaru.
Kakashi Retsuden : The Sixth Hokage and the Failure Boy
Main article: Kakashi Retsuden: The Sixth Hokage and the Failure Boy (novel)
Ino and the rest of the members of Konoha 12 were invited to a party to celebrate the return of the former Hokage above the Hokage Rock. Kakashi points out the inebriated state of Ino and Sai, causer her to blush.
Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust
Main article: Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust (novel)
Ino asks about Sakura's new ring.
The day after Sakura returned from Redaku, Ino met her for tea and congratulated her friend for completing such a long-term mission. They discussed about their families and friends. Ino made fun of Shikamaru's disheveled hair, which Sakura had heard about from her conversations with Temari. During their chat, Sakura spotted Sasuke walking by and blushed, to which Ino pointed out that Sasuke is still as cool as he used to be in the past. She wondered how Sakura still feels that way after being married for so long. Ino noticed the ring Sakura is wearing and eagerly asked about the new piece of jewelry on her friend's hand. Sakura dismissed it and said that it was a special ring made by Sasuke with Earth Release.
Naruto Retsuden: Naruto Uzumaki and the Spiral Destiny
Main article: Naruto Retsuden: Naruto Uzumaki and the Spiral Destiny (novel)
Shikamaru calls Ino and Chōji, who were conversing outside of a building. He informs them that they will go on a four-man cell to the Land of stairs to infiltrate Kengakuin's Headquarters collaborating with Orochimaru. Chōji and Shikamaru's mission is to distract Noto, the Director of the Technical Department, so Ino and Orochimaru can hack the computers firewall and access the deciphered document about the polar particles to then share it with Sai through Mind Transmission. The former teammates can't fail this mission, or it will mean the death of Sasuke.
Ino and Orochimaru arrive at the 13th floor to access Furie's secretary's office, but they find their path blocked by a security system. Ino suggests breaking it, but Orochimaru tells her it would be better to hack the cameras. The secretary arrives and asks the disguised intruders about their motives. Unable to use her Mind Body Switch on the secretary because she doesn't trust Orochimaru, Ino tells her that they belong to the Mathematics Department and both succeed in deceiving the woman. Ino whispers to her teammate that she will perform her jutsu, but Orochimaru declines and incapacitates the secretary.
Once inside, they wait for Shikamaru and Chōji to finish their mission. Ino is unsure if she would be able to transmit the message to Sai from such a long distance. She tells Orochimaru that Mitsuki is a good boy, as Inojin has told her. When the firewall is breached, Ino relays the hand seals to break the polar articles to Sai.
Kawaki Arc
Naruto, Sarada and Kawaki visited Yamanaka Flowers to buy a replacement for Himawari's broken vase. Ino greeted them, and recognized Kawaki from her earlier talk with Naruto. Naruto discreetly informs Ino that Kawaki has people after him and asks for the continued support from the Barrier Team. After Kawaki chooses one vase, Ino offers to add some free flowers to it but the sight of the stems of the flowers Ino gave triggered Kawaki, reminding him of his childhood, and caused him to drop the vase. After he calms down, the three leave the shop with a new vase and some flowers. Ino tells them to drop by next time, and points out Kawaki's handsomeness.
Meanwhile outside the village, Delta and Koji Kashin, two members of Kara, discuss that the Sensing Barrier around Konoha is still active and being maintained by the Yamanaka Clan. Delta mentions that if it were the case, infiltrating Konoha wouldn't be easy. However, Kashin Koji, enters the village, his chakra is somehow undetectable by the Barrier Team.
Later, while seeing a customer off, Ino senses a intruding chakra and contacts the Barrier Team. She also tells Naruto about the new possible enemy, and conects with Inojin to tell him to keep his dintance with Kawaki.
Sakura visits Ino at her shop to buy flowers for Sasuke. Ino confesses that she wouldn't be able to imagine a life with an absent husband and a life like Sakura's. After a visit of Sarada asks her mother about the Strength of a Hundred Seal, Ino suddenly trembles upon detecting a sinister chakra appearing near Naruto, shocking the other two girls. Ino determines the chakra must be that of the enemies after Kawaki, so she immediately contacts Naruto to warn him about it. Naruto again informs her that he will deal with the enemy himself like last time, but this time Ino wanted to have the Military Police Force on standby for Naruto outside his house to which he agrees. As such, she sent a dispatch to Shikamaru and his team about Sasuke's return and his condition.
Later, after Naruto was saved and his injuries were recovered, the village was put on a high alert. In the anime, Ino informs Naruto that no traces of unknown chakra were recognized after a hooded figure steals some data from the village. While Team 10 was training outside the Konoha Territory, Kara's chief scientist appeared who took Shikadai as a hostage by putting a collar bomb around his neck and insisted to talk with Shikamaru as the acting head of the village, unaware that Naruto was saved. Terrified, Inojin called Ino for help and she immediately sent Sai, who carried reinforcements, to their location and contacted Shikamaru. Once Amado made clear that he could kill Shikadai anytime with the bomb, Ino connected Amado to Shikamaru and he exposed that he originally intended to talk with Naruto but he knew Naruto. This confirmed Amado's claims of being from Kara, hence Shikamaru revealed to him that Naruto is alive and well. Shikamaru then requests Ino to widen the range of her telepathy so that Naruto and the others at the Konoha Hospital can also hear Amado. He reveales that he wishes to seek asylum in Konoha, in return offering all his knowledge and intel on Kara, Jigen's Ten-Tails and Ōtsutsukis.
Just as he bypasses the Konoha Barrier, Ino instantly senses Jigen and alerts Naruto, who along with Sasuke and Shikamaru was in the midst of interrogating Amado. Ino informs him that one enemy without a chakra match was floating ominously above the village. Ino contacts the Military Police Force, who evacuate the civilians. Ino then updates Naruto on the enemy's location and the battle situation as he moves to confront him.
Chūnin Re-Examination Arc
In the anime, Naruto organizes a second Chūnin Exams. Ino watches Inojin's match against Hōki Taketori from Yamanaka Flowers. Despite his loss, Ino was proud of Inojin's progress and attitude.
Code Arc
Ino tells Shikamaru and Naruto to cooperate in the search of Kawaki after he escapes the village despite the threats from Code. Ino informs Naruto that using the Sensing Barrier to search Kawaki would be impossible if he has suppressed his chakra. She wonders why Kawaki would leave the village after growing accustomed to it. As Shikamaru and Naruto leave to retrieve Kawaki and Boruto, Ino is assigned to put the village on high-alert. She tells her former teammate to be careful before departing.
After Code emerges from the Claw Mark on Shikamaru in an attempt to have Amado lift his power limiters, Ino detects his intrusion inside the Barrier Team. She contacted Shikamaru, who instructed her to inform Naruto, but not to send reinforcements as not to scare off Code, and to keep a watch for his signal. Upon sensing the danger that Eida presents, Shikamaru asks Ino to send back up. She tells Naruto and Sasuke of the enemy attack in the labs, including Code. Shikamaru asks Ino to connect him and Amado via Mind Transmission to avoid the enemy from knowing. As a last resort, Shikamaru asks Ino to change the password from the room he is currently locked in, and tells Ino to stall Naruto and the others form joining the battle. After Amado is taken to another room, Ino keeps him and Shikamaru telepathically linked and, in the midst of discussing about Kawaki, tells them that it's not the time to be arguing.
New Era: II
Boruto's Return Arc
After Shikamaru Nara finds evidence of Eida's Omnipotence through a surveillance camera in Amado's lab, he asked Ino to use Mind Body Transmission to privately contact Boruto, avoiding saving their conversation in the Barrier Team's data record. As Shikamaru told Boruto about his discovery of his and Kawaki's lives having potentially being swapped, Ino listened perplexed.
Trivia
- The name "Ino" can be short for "Inoshishi" which means "boar", hence Sakura calling her Ino-pig-chan (いのブタちゃん, Ino-buta-chan). Her family name "Yamanaka" means "among the mountains (山中)". Wild boar are heavily associated with mountains in Japan, and are even called the whales of the mountains(山鯨, yamakujira), because of the amount of meat they produce.
- The name "Ino" (偉野, 偉埜) is sometimes used as a given name meaning "Great Field".
- "Ino" (いの町 Ino-chō) is also a name of a town in the Agawa District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan.
- Her family owns a flower shop called Yamanaka Flowers, where she works part-time.
- In the manga, it was never revealed how or why Ino became a medic-ninja. Her choice to study under Tsunade was anime-exclusive.
- Ino was ranked as the 29th most popular character in the seventh Naruto character popularity poll. She placed 14th in the fifth poll, 17th in the sixth poll and 23rd in the fourth poll. She finished 30th in the first poll.
- According to the first Naruto fanbook, Ino had the best overall grades in the Academy. She had the highest grade in assertiveness and the second-highest grade in ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, cooperation, and class attitude, being beat by Sasuke in ninjutsu, taijutsu and genjutsu. However, in chapter 3, Iruka states that Sasuke's grades were first among all 27 graduates.
- In an interview, Kishimoto jokingly stated that Ino is anorexic.
- According to the databook(s):
- Ino's hobby is Shopping.
- Ino wishes for a rematch with Sakura.
- Ino's favorite foods are cherry tomatoes and pudding, while her least favourite is Sashimi.
- Ino has completed 40 official missions in total: 23 D-rank, 9 C-rank, 6 B-rank, 2 A-rank, 0 S-rank.
- Ino's favorite phrase is "The many meanings of flowers" (花言葉の数, Hanakotoba no kazukazu).
- Ino's favorite thing is the flower she gave Sakura when they were children.
Quotes
- (To Sakura), when she asks her why she gave her a ribbon) "Because… I thought it would be a waste for you to wither away as a bud. There's no meaning to a flower unless it blooms. It might turn out to be… a flower more beautiful than a Cosmos.
- (To Sakura) "Who're you calling "pig", you billboard brow?!"
- (To Sakura) "You've bloomed into a beautiful flower."
- (To Choji about Asuma sensei) "But it's because we know him so well that we can stop him with the least risk to the army. Don't you remember what those earrings are supposed to represent Chōji?"
- (To Shikamaru) "It's not a matter of can or can't, I'm doing it!"
- (To Sakura) "Who knows speaks the least"
References
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