Shikamaru Nara / Kankuro of the Desert
Synopsis
An Introduction. Shikamaru and Temari travel to the Sand Village.
CHAPTER ONE
"Man, what a drag."
Shikamaru sighed heavily.
"Shikamaru, this is an opportunity for you to better yourself. You're a Jounin now. It's time you take on some responsibility. You're a bright ninja. I need you to do this, and do it well."
Lady Tsunade spoke matter of factly. He expected no less from her. Shikamaru stifled an eye roll, but averted his gaze as Lady Tsunade cut into him.
"You are to organize the Chunin exams. I'm trusting you to represent the Leaf Village. That's final."
He didn't want more responsibility. Being a squad leader? Ordering Genin around? He already had enough on his plate. But what the Hokage says goes. Afterall, she is worse than his mother.
As he was walking out of Lady Tsunade's office, she called out to him one last time,
"Oh, and Shikamaru,"
He turned his head to look at her over his shoulder.
"You're going to be escorting Temari back and forth from the Sand Village. She's been assigned to represent the Sand at the exams."
Lady Tsunade steepled her fingers and gazed piercingly into Shikamaru's eyes for a moment before continuing.
"She's in town right now, but needs to head back to the Village Hidden in the Sand on business. I expect you to go with her."
He scoffed. She wanted him to look after Temari too? He grunted and nodded, walking from her office sullenly.
Exiting the building, he looked up at the sky for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders.
"Tch, what a drag."
With that, he began to walk down the cobbled street, directing himself toward the village entrance. It followed that if she was ready to depart the village en route to the Sand, she would likely be at the gate. He expected she'd be there waiting on him.
"Where have you been? The Hokage told me to meet you at the gate half an hour ago."
There she was, standing eclipsed in the shadow of the gate. It was obvious she was irritated. One of her legs was firmly planted beneath her, while the other was bent at a 45 degree angle. Her hand was resting on her hip, and her head was tilted to the side.
"I was training before she called me up, Temari. I'm sure it didn't hurt you any to wait for me."
"Yeah, whatever, Shikamaru."
Temari rolled her eyes and stood up straight. She adjusted her fan on her back and turned toward the gate.
"Alright, you've wasted enough of my time. Let's go - I've got somewhere I need to be."
Smirking, Shikamaru waved to the guards at the gate and took off after Temari. Judging by how fast she was running, she was eager to get home. He gritted his teeth and called out to her,
"Hey, Temari! Wait up! It's gonna take three days to get there no matter how fast you go!"
"You're just mad 'cause a girl's got you beat!" She threw her head back with a cackle as she launched off of another branch. Shikamaru sped up, leaning into the rhythm of their pace.
"Yeah, yeah."
His brow furrowed, and he followed her at a safe distance. It didn't matter if she had the lead, as long as they stayed together and got to the Sand Village. Shikamaru surveyed the forest ahead of him, noting the familiarity of it. He'd traveled out of the Leaf Village so many times, the route felt mechanical. He remembered Lady Tsunade's words and started turning them over in his head as he jumped from branch to branch.
Why would Temari need an escort? She could hold her own, he knew. Was there a threat to the Leaf Village? What dangers lay ahead? There were so many possibilities. What was the most important thing Lady Tsunade hasn't told him? It wasn't unusual for her to keep information from the Shinobi. They were taking a risk going on any mission, no matter the rank. On one hand, it was especially dangerous to be traveling in groups smaller than three. But what he couldn't understand was why the Hokage thought a Jounin from the Village Hidden in the Sand needed an escort.
A sharp cold brought him back from his swirling thoughts. The wind cut sharply through them as the sun began to fall. It was setting ahead of them, falling slowly behind the tops of the trees of the forest. As the darkness of night shrouded them, Shikamaru and Temari had only just begun their trek to the Village Hidden in the Sand.