Hey, Lunar here. :) This is, technically, my first story. I don't like to show people what I write, I just don't, but decided I needed to get over it and post something. So I decided to start with something like this. My Best Friend wanted to help me out, and I accepted her help gratefully, so this is what we came up with.

Hope you like it.

Disclaimer- I guess I need one of these, right? Well, I don't own any of the characters... Actually, I did create three of the Anbu and my main 'Bad Guy', so I guess that makes those characters mine... Right?

Poor Shikamaru was not having a good morning. It was Saturday, and he had planned to sleep in. But fate had something else in mind. He was awoken by his mother's loud voice yelling at him. She was banging on his door.

He didn't even want to see what time it was, but looked despite himself. His alarm clock read 5:04. He groaned, hoping that she would just go away. But Yoshino wasn't having it. She left for a few minutes, leading Shikamaru to think that she had finally given up. But just as he started to doze back off, he heard a jingle, a click, and his mother stormed into his room, yelling at him full force.

"Shikamaru Nara! Get up right now! The Hokage has summoned you!" She yelled at his bed side.

"But today is my day off." He mumbled into his pillow, and then sat up.

"I don't care!"

"And neither does the Hokage, apparently…."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Good, that's what I thought it was. Nothing. Now get up and get dressed, all you'll have time for is some toast…. Maybe." Then she left him.

"Troublesome woman…. Didn't even shut the door." He sighed and got up, knowing that if he procrastinated that he'd just get an earful from the Hokage.

He shut his door and got dressed in his usual attire, a long sleeved black shirt with matching pants, his Chunin vest, and the ever present green lined mesh underneath. He put on the earring studs that Asuma-Sensei had given the three members of his team as a sort of present for passing the Chunin exams.

He quickly brushed through his dark hair, which reached just slightly past his shoulders. He headed down stairs pulling his hair up into its usual style on the way down. He said hello to his mother and father, who were both already up, quickly ate his toast, took a drink of water, said good bye and left.

The streets of Konoha were mostly empty this time on Saturday. The only people out were shopkeepers setting up and a couple early risers sitting out on their porches. He reached the Hokage tower and made his way up the steps. He knocked on Lady Tsunade's door.

"Enter!" he heard from within, and he did.

He was surprised to find four other people, not including Lady Tsunade and Shizune, in the office. And not surprisingly, he felt completely outranked.

All four were Anbu.

They all turned to him at once as he walked towards the Hokage's desk, standing at attention before her. He was looking at the Hokage, but could feel their gazes on him, giving him chills like no other.

He bowed before the Hokage, "My Lady."

"Glad you could make it Shikamaru. My apologies for such short notice." He nodded, and she continued, "You are all heading out on a mission, all five of you. You will be infiltrating Iwagakure." She waited, looking at them all in turn.

"Approximately two weeks ago, a Ninja squad from Konoha went missing along the border of Kusa, the Hidden grass. We suspected The Hidden Grass at first, but they too suspected us of sending in troops on their land. Those troops were heading straight for the Earth Country. The Konoha squad they took out was delivering important documents to Suna, which were taken.

"Yesterday afternoon, a report came in from Kusa. They had had a run in with some Iwa shinobi, and they were carrying secret documents from Konoha, and Suna. Suna's were obtained and have been returned. Some got away, and our documents are still missing. It is your job to get them back. Also, you are to assassinate this man," She slid forward a photo of a middle aged man wearing an Iwa headband. He had short dark brown hair, a beard, mustache, and beady little brown eyes.

"This is Jiro Iida. His clan serves Iwa directly, they are the ones who took the documents, and he is their leader. I don't like him, and it's about time he be taken out. He has caused enough trouble for us over the years, and it's high time it stopped."

She laced her fingers together, "This is where it gets…." She looked at Shikamaru, "Troublesome." She smiled.

Shikamaru blushed lightly and looked out her window, a little embarrassed to be mocked by the Hokage in front of members of Anbu. Though he didn't know it, they were all smiling or smirking too, hidden by their porcelain masks.

"That's what you are here for, Shikamaru." He looked back at her. "Despite your young age, you are near qualified to be among my senior staff when it comes to tactician and the like. It will be your job to plan Iida's assassination, and the retrieval of the documents. It's as simple as that." She said, smiling.

Everyone except Lady Tsunade sweat dropped.

One of the Anbu, the one on the far right wearing the mask resembling a tiger, stepped forward to address the Hokage. "With all due respect, My Lady, Isn't that a bit much for him? He is only a Chunin, and can't possibly be more than fifteen?"

The Hokage sighed, "I see your reasoning in this, but that is what Hideo is here for." The Anbu looked to his left, to an Anbu wearing a mask that resembled a wolf, or dog, he couldn't figure out which, who nodded. "Shikamaru's intellect will come in handy, and Hideo's experience is there to guide him if he needs the help. Though, I doubt that he will. You have two strategists, two trackers, and one for brute force, and two of you are healers. It's the perfect team, wonderfully balanced. Shikamaru can hold his own in a fight, he'll be fine." The Anbu nodded, and stepped back.

"Okay, I said it was simple because as of yet they don't know we're coming. They're still under the impression that we suspect the Hidden grass. You will leave in thirty minutes. Nobu, you are the team leader this time around, understood?"

The one with the tiger mask nodded.

"Good, dismissed!"

So, was it any good? I know it was short, shorter than what I like to see in a chapter myself, but it's the best I could do.

If you liked it, review please. :) It would make me very happy. :) Even if you didn't like it, review. I would like to know what you thought about it. :)

Pretty please?

Lunar, ^.^