I Couldn't Stop Him...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Deidara wouldn't exist if I did.

Summary: Sakura couldn't stop Sasuke from leaving Konoha. Had it been someone else, could he have been stopped? Each chapter has a different character.

Chapter 1: Shikamaru (Implied, one-sided Shikamaru x Ino)

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Contrary to popular belief, Shikamaru didn't just like looking at clouds. After nightfall when the clouds were barely visible, he watched the stars almost as keenly. It didn't matter to him, really. All that mattered was that he wasn't exerting himself. And he wasn't at home getting berated for who-knows-what by the she-devil affectionately known as his mother. He wondered what his father ever saw in the woman...

His thoughts were distracted by the sound of something...footsteps? That was strange, anyone taking this path would have to be leaving the village. Without taking the trouble to turn his head, he watched the person walk by him. It didn't take the Nara genius long to figure out who is was; the symbol on his back told it all. It was none other than Uchiha Sasuke.

Shikamaru had never liked Sasuke. Not only was the guy a complete jerk, Ino was always squealing this or that about Sasuke-kun. That would have been annoying even were he not jealous of Sasuke; but he had come to grips with the fact that he was. He'd never tell Ino, though; that would be seven kinds of troublesome.

"Oi, I can hardly believe you've been assigned a mission at this time of night. Alone, no less."

Sasuke stopped briefly. "I am on a mission, Nara."

The shadow-user raised an eyebrow. "Care to inform me?'

"I'm starting a quest to obtain enough power to defeat my brother. Don't try to stop me."

"You realize you'll become a missing-nin if you do that, right?"

"Yes."

"And all that entails."

"For the most part. Not that I care."

"Troublesome as it is, if you take one step outside the village, I'll use Kage Mane (A/N Shadow Possession) to drag you to the Hokage's office."

The Uchiha smirked. "It's night. There's not even a hint of a moon out. Your Kage Mane won't work. Some genius you are, idiot."

Now it was Shikamaru's turn to smirk. "Let me get this straight, Uchiha. You're leaving the village, your friends and beautiful fangirls to join forces with public enemy number one, who has no intention of helping you."

"At least you figured that out."

"You're the idiot here, Uchiha. Even Naruto knows better than to trust Orochimaru."

Shikamaru didn't see it, but he was sure Sasuke's eyes turned into his Sharingan eyes. "What did you say!?"

"You heard me right. Dead-last Naruto is smarter than you are."

"Oh, really. Well you being here trying to stop me sets a new record for stupid. Katon! Goukakyuu no jutsu! (A/N "Fire style! Fireball jutsu!")"

Perfect, thought Shikamaru as he jumped over the fireball. As he descended toward the ground, he saw Sasuke charging up a Raikiri. (A/N Lightning Blade, also known as Chidori, 1000 birds.) Crud, he's serious about this!

"Die Shikamaru!" Sasuke roared as he prepared to drill his hand through Shikamaru's body. Suddenly, he froze. Within a quarter meter of Shikamaru, his hand froze. "What! Impossible!"

The shadow user smirked. "Kage mane, successful."

"No way! It's dark out here! You shouldn't have a shadow!"

"Let me show you how I did it. This was one of the simpler ones, really."

Sasuke just growled as Shikamaru enjoyed displaying his genius. "Your Goukakyuu created a flame behind me. There's more than heat to flame, it's also a source of light. A light behind me creates a shadow in front of me. And I can manipulate any shadow."

"So you insulted me hoping I would react that way..."

"That's partly correct. But I actually do think that going to join Orochimaru is about the dumbest idea I've ever heard. We'll talk about this later. First, I've got to put out your fire, then I have to escort your to the Hokage's office...So troublesome, especially since I have to have you shadowcuffed the entire way. I'm thinking maybe I should have let you go. Especially since that would mean I'd have Ino to myself. But no. That would be malicious. I can't do such a thing to Ino. This is troublesome..."

"If it's so troublesome, then why go out of your way?"

"Because somebody important to me would be devastated if you left, and she's troublesome enough as it is. Because I, being a chuunin, am essentially responsible for all the genin in this village, even those stronger than I am. Because seeing you do something so hideously stupid as to join Orochimaru would bug me to no end. And because you're a Konoha ninja, which makes you my comrade. We Konoha shinobi are like family, even if some of us can't stand each other."

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Review, please. You know, helpful reviews, like things you liked, things you didn't like. Mistakes, corrections. Adulation is welcome, as I like ego boosts. Since I've welcomed adulation, I'm obligated to welcome flames, as well. Anyway, review. Just as Naruto needed someone to acknowledge his existence, I need someone to acknowledge the existence of this fic. After all we write in the hope that someone will read, right?

One last thing; tell me which character you want to see next.