She stared at the area where the plate had gone down, then up at him. "Thank you," Ino said, blue eyes steady. "For thinking I've earned it."

Personally, she wasn't sure she had.

"I know that, when it comes to facts," Ino shared, "but I don't think it's--sunk in yet. That there's... always judging." ANBU were the monsters of their village. The darkest jobs, the worst reputations. Little wonder why their identities were secret, why they wore the masks.

Ino, though, didn't have a mask.

"Is it wrong to look at--what you did--and want to say good job?" She didn't know if it would help, or hurt, or what. "Because it's awful, and horrible, but it was. A good job, I mean."