Loudmouthed

AN: Well, I decided to continue it. Took me a long time to figure out this chapter, but I finally did. Chapter 1 has been updated and improved. It's also been a while so go read it again before reading more, you might want the refresher anyway.

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Chapter 2: Nocturne of the Boneyard

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Shikamaru had no delusions when he began to catch up with the sound ninja. The red haired girl's fear of gray haired boy should have spoken volumes for his threat level. All of the Four Sounds were undeniably Jonin level ninja in spite of their age. Orochimaru would have nothing less for his personal guard and Shikamaru knew that when they began the mission.

For the Fifth Sound to arrive -and from what Shikamaru overheard, half dead at that- and still incite that kind of fear in his own ally? Shikamaru knew that there was out of his league, and then there was this guy, who was perhaps outside of even Sasuke's league. I could beat Sasuke. It would be hard, he would have to underestimate me, I would need a terrain advantage, and I would have to get lucky, but I could do it. This guy? Shikamaru clenched his teeth. Not so sure I'll even be able to slow him down.

Shikamaru broke into a clearing to find, much to his growing dread and horror, Kimimaro had stopped running.

I am so dead...

"So... how should I kill you?" Ever attentive, Shikamaru notice the white blade enter the gray haired boy's left hand.

Deeeeeeead. Shikamaru bit back his natural reaction to turn tail and run. He did not have the terrain advantage. He did not have any luck. He could do nothing but hope that the Sound Ninja before him did nothing but underestimate him for the next five minutes. Even so... Sasuke is...

"Are you afraid?" The white blade grew longer.

"Of course I'm afraid." Shikamaru admitted. Stall. Just stall. Talk. Ask questions. Hope that they do not piss him off. "Up until now... every one of my allies has been left behind for the sake of the mission objective. All of them were Genin, and this is my first mission as a Chunin. Of course I'm afraid... knowing the Four Sounds were all Jonin. Why wouldn't I be afraid? Technically speaking I should have halted the mission and turned around right after I knew we were outmatched."

Kimimaro's eyes expressed some manner of confusion behind his otherwise stoic demeanor. "Why didn't you then? Is this pride?"

Shikamaru managed to chuckle. "Nothing so glamorous. We're all just really stupid... the sort of people who would never sacrifice a comrade to save their own skins... that's why... even if we're completely outmatched, we'll stop one after another to slow you guys down... and bring Sasuke home. That's just the kind of guys we are."

"Loyalty." Recognition passed over the Sound Ninja's features. "Commendable. However everyone has a breaking point. For Uchiha Sasuke... that breaking point has long since been surpassed. Your allies have sacrificed themselves for nothing. Not even a cause worth dying for."

"I know I said we were outmatched from the beginning... but I'm not going to write my allies off as dead just yet." Shikamaru glanced at the ground as the wind picked up briefly. "They're also the sort of guys... who get stronger in a pinch."

"And what of yourself?" Kimimaro was biding his time, waiting patiently, perhaps conserving energy for the inevitable clash.

"I'm not the sort of guy you could even call strong to begin with. I have to rely on circumstance and my opponent's stupidity to pull out a come from behind victory..." He smirked and folded his hands into his usual seal.

The gray haired boy responded by raising his bone-white blade into a battle stance, the weapon had reached the approximate length of a longsword by that point. "And what advantage do you have here that you would wish to fight me still?" His eyes widened when he ceased to move, with the exception of a minor tremor.

"The grass here... is really long." Shikamaru grinned; he could already feel that crazy strong chakra fighting the Shadow Bind he had snaked through the shadows of the grass. I need to use my new technique if I want to hold this guy at all. This... is like when sparring with Asuma-sensei... The chakra of a Jonin was a lot stronger than he usually had to deal with, and this Sound guy was definitely a Jonin. He shifted his hand seal slightly. "Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu [Shadow Neck Bind Technique]."

Kimimaro watched as shadows snaked up his legs, spiraling around his body and coiling their way down his arms and up his neck. He could feel them, like joint-less arms trailing fingers that hardened into a vice-like grip when they reached their destinations. One grasped at his throat and the Sound Ninja just gave it a curious hum of thought at the idle threat, for Shikamaru did not move in for the kill just yet.

"An interesting technique... you are... of the Nara Clan, correct?"

"Y-yeah... and I've got you now... so you're going to answer my questions." Shikamaru praised one fact, and that was that at the moment, it seemed that his enemy was only trying to fight the Shadow Bind physically. It was still terrifyingly effective, but it would hold so long as he continued to put chakra into it. At Kimimaro's silence, Shikamaru continued. "What does Orochimaru want with Sasuke?"

"Is that all? You ask a question that does not even matter. I will answer it then... immortality. Orochimaru-sama has already completed his Tensei Jutsu."

"What...?" Shikamaru hissed. "What does Sasuke have to do with..." Then it struck him like a Human Bullet Tank out of left field.

-"I can understand it better now… this is the perception of an anthology life form that is no longer bound by a prison that is our body. It is as if I am touching the border of Orochimaru-sama's dream." Kimimaro's apathetic scowl deepened as he rested a hand on the barrel by his side. "This is an important vessel for that dream… but… you were a bit too late."-

"His body isn't immortal..." Shikamaru whispered.

Kimimaro narrowed his eyes slightly. "You have figured it out already... you are very sharp."

Shikamaru clenched his teeth. I need to kill this guy before I run out of chakra. I should have probably done it already... Still, he did get some good information, even if it was risky to have done so. "This is the end..." The umbral hand hovering over Kimimaro's neck tightened.

The Fifth Sound did not even flinch.

"W-what?" He could feel his shadow tightening around the neck, but it was like it wasn't even doing anything. It should be strangling him... why isn't he dying?

Kimimaro's eyes wandered to his left hand where he gripped his weapon, only for Shikamaru to realize he was not holding it at all. The sword was made out of actual bone, and was growing out of the Sound Ninja's palm. "My Kekkei Genkai... is Shikotsumyaku [Dead Bone Pulse]. This enables me to freely control my skeleton through the construction and deconstruction of my bones." He watched the shadow user's eyes widen slightly. "My throat is enforced by a cast of bone stronger than steel. Your shadows are not strong enough to break it." Orochimaru-sama has already transferred vessels for now... I have the liberty to wait for him to run out of chakra... and conserve my strength.

Shadow Bind isn't strong enough to hold him. I can't do anything else while using Shadow Neck Bind. Shadow Neck Bind can't kill him. Shikamaru felt his every hope die. I can't do anything... I... I need to think... but... I need to... I... need...

Kimimaro watched Shikamaru's horrified expression slowly cool. The boy took several deep breaths and then just looked straight up at the sky.

I need to think. Shikamaru resolved.

Clouds. Clouds helped. Clouds would never try to stab him. Clouds would just drift, aimlessly and freely on the winds breath. He envied the clouds, but he also admired them. They were simple, omnipresent, and at times more beautiful than anything he could ever imagine. He couldn't use his thinking stance to focus this time, so he looked to the clouds to calm his mind.

It helped a little.

What do I have? What do I need to do? How am I going to do it? The pieces began to slide together in his mind. The simplest solution was often the best one. Explosives. He had three explosive tags in his pouch. He would have to be quick though, because as soon as his hands left the seal for the Shadow Neck Bind the technique would start to fade, and fade quickly.

Shikamaru moved then, his arm swifter than he had ever moved it before, ducking into his pouch.

The shadows released their hold and began to snake away.

He pulled out three paper bombs affixed to a kunai haphazardly in his haste to make them into a projectile.

The shadows snaked down Kimimaro's legs.

Shikamaru threw his knife, the sizzling paper tags whipped through the air just as the Shadow Neck Bind failed. Shikamaru jumped away from the ensuing explosion and smirked as his normal Shadow Bind remained in place. Sometimes the old version has its uses. He admitted. Kimimaro would have dodged with him had he used Shadow Imitation, but the Shadow Bind remained in place just long enough to delay the Fifth Sound's retreat. Checkmate.

The knife clanged against a skull as strong as steel, and sizzling paper notes engulfed the last Kaguya in an explosion that rang through the clearing with an unearthly echo.

The barrel containing Uchiha Sasuke was sent flying a short distance away by the blast, and it rolled to a stop on its side. Black smoke began to ooze from the lid.

Then the Kaguya flew out of the smoke like a missile, armed with a blade of bone growing from each hand. His face was ripped to shreds, shattered metal fragments from the destroyed kunai embedded themselves all down his front, the skin of his face was almost completely burned away, and what little facial muscles remained were singed. The bone that shone through was pure ivory and completely unharmed.

Shikamaru was frozen in fear. He just took three explosive tags to the face and lived. He just took three explosive tags to the face and lived. Shikamaru watched as ivory death continued to bolt towards his face faster than anything he had ever seen, but even so the terror of death made it seem to slow to a crawl. This... is far... far... too troublesome.

Then the barrel exploded, suddenly and without warning. Kimimaro halted to observe. The barrel's lid had blown clean off and Uchiha Sasuke crawled out, breathing heavily and slowly laughing between greedy breaths. Shikamaru slowly stepped away from the Fifth Sound and hesitantly called out. "H-hey! Sasuke!"

The Uchiha turned his head, his eyes yellow and the sclera dyed black, and stared at the Nara heir with a look of plain indifference. Then he stood up and ran.

Shikamaru realized that he was considering the mission a failure then, and that he had given up on the idea of winning. Kimimaro was not an enemy he could beat. He was not an enemy he could even escape from. He would not be able to chase after Sasuke... it was the end. Sasuke had succeeded at deserting Konohagakure no Sato.

"KONOHA SENPU [LEAF WHIRLWIND]!"

Salvation was green and adorned with tacky orange leg warmers.

The young green beast flew across the field and struck Kimimaro in the chest hard enough to send him staggering back. Rock Lee had arrived as perfectly timed backup. "Shikamaru! I am glad to see you are alright!"

"More trash. A pity, I was hoping to return to Orochimaru-sama swiftly." The fifth sound glowered at Lee. "But one or two does not matter. Neither of you will be chasing after Sasuke."

"Careful Lee, he can control his bones." Shikamaru warned helplessly.

"Right!" Lee charged, fists of fury, whirling kicks powerful enough to shatter stone.

Kimimaro was distracted. That was good, it gave Shikamaru time; time to get his morale back, and more importantly time to think of a new plan. The main problem… Shikamaru observed. Is that I don't think Lee can get through his bone armor unless he opens all those gates like he did against Gaara… but I can't ask him to do that again. In his current state I don't think he'll survive, if he's even capable of doing it at all.

He watched Lee and Kimimaro strike and dodge without fail. Lee is keeping up… Shikamaru observed, hopeful at first, but as he watched Kimimaro dodge again and again it became clearer. No… he's watching him carefully… and dodging with the minimal amount of movement and effort. He's toying with him. The Nara clenched his teeth. This situation really is hopeless.

Kimimaro chose that moment to punctuate Shikamaru's thought by going on the offensive, breaking Lee's guard and sending the green beast staggering back, but then Lee did the most unexpected thing. He held up and hand and yelled. "Please wait!"

Much to Shikamaru's shock, Kimimaro did hold off and waited.

"I have to take my medicine." Lee announced and reached into his pouch, retrieving a bottle and then downing it in one gulp. Instead of seizing the moment of vulnerability, Kimimaro did nothing.

Shikamaru could only watch on in confusion. Why would he grant that courtesy? Does he not know what's going on? Does he think it's a trick or a trap?

Then Lee changed his stance suddenly. "Acha!" He kicked out, missed horribly, and fell prone on the ground.

Shikamaru blinked. Is he…?

Lee fell asleep. Kimimaro immediately grew some kind of agitated beneath his stoic exterior and grew a second blade from his other hand. Then he jabbed at the ground… and missed as Lee rolled over. Rinse and repeat a grand total of fifteen times before he struck with both blades at once and Lee's legs flew up to clamp both blades between his feet. "Thash… not very nish…" Lee slurred and pushed, sending Kimimaro stumbling back. "You wanna fight ashho?"

He is. Shikamaru realized with mesmerized shock. He's completely wasted… but… his movements are faster. Not only that but more unpredictable… this is… Suiken [Drunken Fist]?

Lee transformed into a tornado, his entire body bending and twisting loosely around Kimimaro's strikes while his strikes wormed through his guard and collided with his thick bone reinforced body. A normal man would not have any ribs left but Kimimaro was unfazed, although his offensive efforts were becoming tantamount to a joke.

So he backed off, shrugging off his shirt as he did so and letting it collect at his waist, Shikamaru saw his cursed mark on his chest begin to grow and branch outward to cover the whole chest. Then his skin rippled and spikes of bone tore free from all over his arms and torso. "Karamatsu no Mai [Dance of the Larch]." Lee's incoming counter was met instead with a razor sharp cage of ribs reaching out like a mouth to bite off his foot. He would have lost it too if not for the shrillest noise Shikamaru had ever heard.

Kimimaro's protruding bone shattered instantly. Lee's kick connected and sent the Kaguya sliding backwards two meters.

The sound stopped and was replaced with a single syllable. "Fuck."

Shikamaru and Kimimaro turned as one to see Tayuya standing at the edge of the clearing, sweat pooling on her brow and flute clenched tightly in her left hand. Kimimaro narrowed his eyes. "So you would betray Orochimaru-sama… you have come to join this trash then?"

Tayuya looked at Shikamaru. The Nara opened his mouth with no available words capable of articulating the amount of 'what the fuck' going through his mind, but he took a deep breath. This is so troublesome… "What happened to Naruto?"

Tayuya knew the answer would determine whether or not she fought alone. He wants to know if I decided to betray Sound before or after killing his friend… "He went on ahead after Sasuke."

Shikamaru considered that and shrugged. Leave it to Naruto to turn one of them to our side or whatever. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Get over here before he kills you. Lee! That guy stole your dumplings!"

The drunken Lee made more sense out of that then anything else that had been said in the last few moments and roared. "That bashtard!" And Kimimaro was blindsided by a roundhouse to the temple. So their spar began again.

Tayuya ran to Shikamaru's side. "Sadly I can only do that once and it had a fifty-fifty chance of killing him." She announced. "I got unlucky… he has two densities he likes to use often, and he happened to be using that one for his external bones. Now he's randomized them and even plugged his ears. All of my techniques are sound based so… I'm going to be pretty useless."

"You were on his side until just now. Any weaknesses we can exploit even if you can't?" Shikamaru prodded hopefully.

"Well… we if we can survive long enough he might stop living on his own. Otherwise no… we're pretty much fucked." Tayuya holstered her flute and hissed softly as her cursed mark spread over her body completely and ascended her to its second stage. Shikamaru seemed a bit put off by that. "What? He'll kill me even with this power, might as well use it and pray. Okay… I'm going to go help the drunken fucker with my chunin level taijutsu and superhuman strength. Wish me luck shitface, if you have any bright ideas let me fucking know!"

She charged, and knew it was stupid but her abilities were not limited solely to taijutsu. Genjutsu was a possibility but most of her good ones required sound. She would have to use shitty ad-lib Yin Release if she wanted to do anything, likely touch based illusions since she wasn't good enough to create visual cues that would ensnare him. So fuuuuuuuuuucked. If I live Naruto owes me like… a hundred dinners.

Lee slid under Kimimaro's legs and he was in the middle of twisting around to face him again when Tayuya struck. "Magen: Shiranui [Demonic Illusion: Unknown Fire]!" He stalled slightly as her palm struck his back, his flesh appearing to ignite with blue fire and boil in the intensity of the heat, but he just turned to face her completely unbothered. Then Lee landed on his shoulders and proceeded to play bongos on the Kaguya scion's skull, leaping off just before six bone blades burst from his shoulders.

It would have been funny if he had turned his attention back to the green-clad moron, but no, he just continued to glare at her. "I have transcended both the flesh and the mind as well. You cannot snare me with Genjutsu… my spirit cannot be broken by such feeble techniques."

Tayuya jumped backwards just in time to dodge a swing of an elongating blade. Lee once again came to her rescue drop kicking down onto Kimimaro's neck and bouncing off. The blow would have killed a normal man, but Kimimaro did not even flinch. Instead he swiftly spun around and grabbed Lee by the leg, following that by smashing the boy into the ground.

Lee caught himself with his hands and kicked the Kaguya's arm with his free leg, releasing his grip and allowing Lee to flip away and stand closer to Shikamaru. "I apologize, I have regained most of my senses."

Shikamaru nodded. Being hurled at the ground fast enough to smash your skull tended to be pretty sobering. "Can you get a lotus out?"

Lee nodded. "Perhaps one… but it will be the last thing I do in this fight. If I continue after that I may not recover."

"Understood. Hey kunoichi, do you have any Ninjutsu?"

Tayuya huffed as she narrowly ducked under another bone blade. "A little Lightning Release, I can try."

Shikamaru took a deep breath. "Hit him with it when I give you an opportunity. Go Lee!"

The green beast ran forward, bones flashed towards Tayuya but were intercepted by Lee delivering a powerful upward kick to Kimimaro's forearms. He was much too heavy however. Lee would not be stalled merely by that, for Gaara was heavier. Instead he merely kicked again, and again, sending Kimimaro high into the air before moving behind him with Shadow of the Dancing Leaf. The bandaged wrappings around his arms constricted around Kimimaro and bound him into a whirling pile-drive. "Omote Renge [Front Lotus]!"

The crash was followed by Lee landing in a crouch nearby and Shikamaru's shadow entering the cloud of dust where the entire cloud was quickly filled with black. "Kagemane no Jutsu [Shadow Immitation Technique] successful!"

Tayuya's hands rushed through some seals before crashing together in a clap where lightning began to dance between her fingers. It had been so long since she used a normal ninjutsu technique that there was some novelty to it, especially when her cursed mark's chakra turned the lightning black. She grinned as she charged into the cloud of dust, blowing it away. She was not even surprised that the Fifth Sound had returned to his feet before being caught by the shadow, and grabbed Kimimaro's head in both hands. Then she gave him hell. "Raiton: Jibashi [Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder]!"

The voltage burst over him with such a crash it kicked up a secondary cloud of dust, leaving Shikamaru and Lee kneeling there wondering if it had even done anything at all.

Tayuya wondered as well, Kimimaro stood before her unmoving, silent, and then… twitched, Shikamaru's jutsu was forcefully ended and Kimimaro shoved a three foot spike of bone through Tayuya's gut. "Fuck!" Dead! I'm so dead! I don't want to die! She reacted almost on reflex, lashing out with a fist and punching the side of the bone blade with all of her might, chakra pouring into her fist and residual lightning chakra cackling between her knuckles. She managed it, just barely, snapping off the bone from its base, but even then only because Kimimaro didn't want the blade anymore.

With a single kick Tayuya was sent flying from the cloud of dust and crashed a whole ten feet behind Shikamaru and Lee, sliding to a stop another five feet after that. Shikamaru could not even bring himself to swear. "What kind of monster is he?"

Tayuya coughed blood from her lungs as she rolled onto her front and tried to stand back up. Fuck! The only reasons I'm alive are my cursed mark and the fact that he missed my vitals… even so I'll bleed out if I don't leave this blade in me, and it's so sharp that I need to be careful just moving around. "Any more… bright ideas… shithead…"

The cloud of dust was dispelled by a wave of foul chakra, revealing Kimimaro changed by his second level cursed mark, fully healed and more powerful than he was mere moments ago. "I grow tired of dealing with trash." He crouched low, using his tail for balance in a terrifyingly stable stance. Then he reached up to his back and withdrew a replica spine to be used as a whip. "Tessenka no Mai: Tsuru [Dance of the Clematis: Vine]."

"Daikamaitachi no Jutsu [Great Sickle Weasel Technique]!"

Kimimaro was about to lash out with the whip when a great gale picked him up and threw him across the clearing.

Shikamaru blinked slowly. "Am I not the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet?" He could not help but smile. Three times. Three fucking times Kimimaro's killing blows have been interrupted by reinforcements. Temari of the Hidden Sand rode in on her giant tessen and landed beside him.

"Looks like you're having trouble." Temari began.

"Look, the banter is nice, but we should save it until after you hit that guy with the most destructive and lethal technique you have." Shikamaru cut her off immediately.

The sand kunoichi huffed at that. "That's a little overkill don't you thi-?"

"No." The slightly panicked Nara did not even let her finish that thought. "Hell, did you bring Gaara? We could really use another unstoppable monster right about now."

Temari shrugged and held her fan up while she bit her thumb. "You want destructive I'll give it. No need to bring my brother into this. I'm sure whatever problem you're having can be solved with perfectly normal ninja techniques." She wiped the blood along the length of her fan and wound up for a swing. "Kuchiyose [Summoning]…" With a great swing, gale force wind chakra was accompanied by a summoned weasel riding a massive scythe. "Kirikiri Mai [Quick Beheading Dance]!"

Kimimaro charged headlong into it, the wind dicing his flesh but failing to penetrate the bone shell under his skin. Kamatari's blade collided with Kimimaro's right forearm and got caught just long enough for the Kaguya to ensnare the weasel in his whip and toss it away.

When the winds ended Kimimaro was in a full on charge, bone growing out of his right arm in the shape of a large lance as he closed in on Temari with a single minded fury. Naturally, the sand Kunoichi was rather dumbstruck and only barely managed to raise her fan as the whip wrapped around her and the barbed spinal bones dug unto her back, her fan shielding her front. Kimimaro came to a grinding halt as he reared his lance back for a thrust through her heart. "Tessenka no Mai: Hana [Dance of the Clematis: Flower]."

Shikamaru caught the beast in his shadow for a grand total of one second to save Temari's life by an inch. His shadow bind broke, but Kimimaro did not move.

Silence reigned on the field, and Tayuya looked up at the last Kaguya with eyes widening.

Shikamaru dared to hope. "Is he…?"

Blood dripped from the Fifth Sound's mouth loosely and his body stood as still as stone. He must have been moving his body with his Dead Bone Pulse, because his joints were locked in place and… he was dead. "He's dead… Kaguya Kimimaro… is dead." Relief, happiness, triumph. Tayuya allowed herself to roll on her back and laugh even though she could barely breathe. Her curse mark faded from her as she gave one last yell of defiance. "Kaguya Kimimaro is dead and I helped kill him!" She was finally free.

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I had underestimated how sick he was. When Tayuya had said he should have been dead, that he was on death's door, that he had one foot in the grave... I just could not believe her words because the ninja before us was indestructible. Tayuya, a Sound Jonin who knew everything there was to know about him. Rock Lee, the greatest Taijutsu specialist the world will ever see and could keep up with his insane movements. Temari, who's ninjutsu was more destructive than anything I had ever seen. Myself, who would be heralded as the greatest strategist of my generation. We could not even touch this boy, barely our senior, who was already dead.

For us, who had so much talent, so much pride that was worthless before a dead man... this was truly a complete defeat.

Only Tayuya would claim victory, for against the monster that plagued her nightmares survival alone was a triumph.

AN: As usual my writing always feels like it could be better, but I'm always improving. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited Loudmouthed when it was a oneshot, and thank you to everyone who just picked it up and enjoyed it. I'm already working on chapter 3, but with my update schedule I don't have many promises on when you'll see it. lol Wish me luck.