yamanaka ino, GENIN

Yamanaka Ino wears a standard quipao dress which has become customary for many young kunoichi. Her dress is purple, though it bares little intricacy and no symbol of her clan. Her undergarments consist primarily of bandaging which she will also occasionally use on missions as additional first aid supplies. Over her arms she wears arm warmers, though they serve little purpose other than to display her individuality. Lastly, she wears the typical shinobi gear, such as her black sandals and the forehead protector she wears around her waist. Overall, her appearance isn't at all overbearing, despite what her personality may be. She has pale skin, blue eyes, and long blond hair that she maintains almost constantly within a ponytail. She has a small, somewhat dainty stature, despite how feisty she may be at times.

Ino takes a great deal of pride in her own appearance. She constantly acts quite egotistical, and perhaps even stuck up. She has the personality of a hot-tempered diva, constantly acting as though she is better, smarter, and prettier than everybody else. However, much of this is meant to hide her insecurities, which very few people have ever tuned in upon. She does at times see other girls whom she considers prettier, and at such times she can grow quite jealous of them. Such is the case with her rival, Haruno Sakura, who she considers to be, at least her equal in beauty.

Aside from this, Ino can be a bit controlling. She is possessive of her teams and squads and literally considers them to be "hers". She does not always treat her comrades as equals, unless they outrank her. However, she makes up for her shortcomings with her fierce loyalty to her friends and comrades. While she may openly insult them, she will not allow anyone else to do so. Some part of this may be due to her possessive nature.

Ino was born into the prestigious Yamanaka Clan. Her father, Yamanaka Inoichi was a well-known interrogator and an all-around spectacular shinobi at that. He was a significant third of the previous generations Ino-Shika-Cho which was an effective squad consisting of three of the most powerful shinobi from the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi Clans respectively. And from the time of her birth, it was expected that Ino become a part of this tradition.

Growing up, Ino was always part of the popular crowd, especially among the girls. At the age of 8, she enrolled into the shinobi academy, and almost immediately became the leader of a small posse of girls. Pretty much, Ino's crowd was the in-crowd, and any girl who sought such popularity wanted to be friends with Ino. There was one quiet girl however, Haruno Sakura, whom intrigued Ino. The two soon became great friends... this lasted until a boy named Uchiha Sasuke had caught both of their attention, sparking a rivalry between them. Their friendship appeared to dissipate.

As her academy days began to wrap up, Ino's father began training her more and more, teaching her the styles of the Yamanaka Clan. Ino displayed exceptional talent, both, through his training and at the academy. She held a spot at the top of her graduating class alongside Aburame Shino and Uchiha Sasuke. At the age of 12, she was able to completely graduate and was placed on squad 10 alongside Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji, the new Ino-Shika-Cho.