The silence stretched on for seconds, but it felt like an eternity.
Some of the listeners looked shocked. Others chuckled, thinking their fellow ninja was only joking. One in particular smiled, seeing all sorts of possibilities.
The sounds of insect life were suddenly very loud, before going silent altogether. Had the shin obi been as vigilant as they should be, that in itself might have provided some semblance of warning.
"Holochlora konohica," Shino remarked, his head cocked. Identification of the singing Orthoptera seemed of more interest than any foolish game. "Konoha's Broadwinged Katydid." He began scanning the surrounding area. "Family Tettigoniidae. SubOrder EnsiferaWe should be vigilant."
The others had grown used to the cowled and bespectacled boys ramblings on insect life. That allowed them to ignore his request and respond in the expected fashion. As the bush crickets stilled their music legs, the youths exploded with questions, seemingly at the same time.
"Wh-Wh-What did you say?" Ino stood straighter, fighting the urge to push the hair away from her face. She looked at Shikamaru with a look of surprise at first, and then one of nascent calculation.
"Funny joke," Sakura said, making a face. "How bothersome." Her choice of words had Ino smiling in natural reaction, before changing her grin to a scowl.
"I hope it's not a joke," Kiba said, smiling a wicked smile. "Even if it is… it's not a bad idea, you know…"
"Oh…" Choji had squeezed one bag too hard, just as snot threatened to fountain from his nostrils. He pictured himself locking lips with Ino. "Pork-flavored… my favorite…"
"Spin the Bottle?" Lee looked perplexed, his bushy eyebrows wriggling and his eyes impossibly wide. "Is that a chakra control technique." He sighed. He was adept only at Taijutsu. Everyone knew that.
"Ha!" Naruto pointed at Lee, his other hand on his hip. "You don't know what it is." His teeth showed. His eyes narrowed to slits as he bobbed his head. "Everyone else does!"
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata lowered her eyes and examined the tips of her sandals. She knew the term, having heard about it from Hanabi of all people.
"Really?" Sai smiled that mysterious smile of his. Not yet adept as interpersonal relations, he had begun to understand his teammate's blustering and the various reasons behind it. "Then you can explain it to me."
"That's right!" Sakura gave Naruto a haughty and disapproving look. She knew him better than anyone else there. "Go ahead Naruto. Go right ahead." She almost broke out in giggles when Sai drew a quick sketch of a slack-jawed and drooling Naruto.
"Hey… what's that…" The picture served as the distraction Naruto needed. He began tussling with Sai as Sakura fought to restrain him.
"We have company," Shino said loudly, miffed that he had to raise his voice that much.
"Everyone spread out!" Shikamru looked very serious. While life as a ninja was a tedious chore to a boy who preferred to contemplate sky and clouds, he was all business when the situation required it. "Don't give them any more advantage than they already have."
Teenagers in look and demeanor, the shinobi were nonetheless skilled and experienced warriors, a number of whom had been placed in situation in the past that would have been daunting to much older adults. There may be an enemy looking for them. They might very well wish they never had found them.
Neji and Hinata immediately rushed in opposite directions, using their Byakugan in swift succession. Kiba sent Akamaru running as an advanced scout. The others took up placements that would best serve the party, with Sakura holding back as medical ninja.
The newcomers were not foes. But, while they were arriving in friendly territory, it never paid to take chances. Not only that… this would serve as yet another chance to evaluate the ability and reactions of their subordinates. Four shapes flashed into view, blurs to the eyes.
An illusion of a great tree forming behind her, Hinata felt the cold back of a blade against the side of her neck. But, she was not tense or afraid. She had identified the arrivals quickly, and had reacted just in case she was wrong. Her own blade was pressed against the belly of her erstwhile attacker.
"Very good, Hinata." Kurenai nodded her head. She was very pleased at her teammate's response.
Shizune had used the needle launchers strapped to her arm. The projectiles were loaded with an anesthetic agent this time, just in case her target could not react quickly enough. She smiled, seeing the metal slivers fall harmlessly from a number of moving ink shapes that Sai had created.
"Should I give this one a name, too?" Sai asked Sakura. He shrugged when she turned her head away and harrumphed.
"Ahhhh-hhh-hh-h…" Lee moved at his best speed, at the least the greatest speed he could reach without opening any of the eight chakra gates. Around him, a veritable storm of shuriken and sickles flew with remarkable accuracy, courtesy of Ten Ten. Not far away, Neji prepared to put his own considerable talents to use.
"Form up!" Shikamaru had called out before recognizing any of the jounin. He began sending out his shadows, while Choji wrapped himself with a string of kunai, ready to form a spiked meat tank if necessary. Kiba and Akamaru stood idly by, the dog having transmitted the identities a mere heartbeat before the incursion. He smiled at the look his jaunty stance drew from Ino as she prepared her own attack.
The attacks of the chuunin and lone male jounin were a credit to their training. Against a lesser adversary, those strikes would have had a devastating effect. However, these were no mere commonplace shinobi they faced. Indeed, the newest arrivals were amongst the cream that the Fire Country had to offer.
Violet hair streaming out beyond her simple animal mask, Uzuki Yugao dodged all of the first wave of attacks. With focused intent, she returned those blows, knowing that she fought against friends and fellow villagers, certain that she wouldn't do any serious injury. Each strike of her long sharp blade slice free a small tuft of hair or notched a corner of apparel.
"N-A-R-U-T-O-!" Sakura shouted, moving forward a step when she should stay back. As the only healer, her skills were too valuable to risk. The big idiot was just standing there in the open, as if he thought he was tough enough to take any force on single-handedly.
"It's good strategy to attack the weakest first, to get the numbers down whenever possible." Mitarashi Anko had a condescending look, holding a dagger to the back of Naruto's head. "Stupidity is one of the greatest weaknesses."
"Heh heh heh." Naruto grinned a shit-eating grin. Everyone in the area had their eyes glued on him now. Hinata twiddled her fingers incredibly fast.
"What are you smiling for, Naruto?" Shikamaru looked cross. He couldn't believe that such a foolish and impetuous ninja could have managed to harness wind-based chakra talents. "You are always so troublesome in that way." How could defeat be amusing, whatever the situation. It should either be something to regret, something to learn from, or something to be ignored altogether.
"One Thousand Years of Pain!" A figure burst out of the ground just behind a startled Anko, just as the clone she held prisoner popped from existence. Still carrying the shame of Kakashi's attack during the first bell test, and subconsciously thinking back to his dramatic conflict with Gaara, Naruto combined the Konohagakure Hiden: Taijutsu no Ōgi: Sennen Goroshi with a trick he had used to take down Neji at the chuunin exams.
Plainly put, it was a very simple jutsu with a very over-dramatized name. Naruto forcefully plunged his index fingers into his opponent's rectum, this time without an explosive seal.
"He's still an idiot," Ino said, hanging her head. Just the same, she grinned. It was hard not to, with Naruto. And, she was not particularly fond of Anko.
"But for a different reason," Choji answered quickly, wanting Ino to hear him agreeing with her.
"He doesn't ever need a reason," Sakura remarked, relieved despite her annoyed tone of voice.
Anko was thrown forward, jumping further still, and then landing in a feral crouch. The look on her face had everyone swallowing hard. Everyone except Naruto, who was turned the other way, thumbing himself on the chest, a victorious smirk highlighting his face.
"Yeh!" Naruto crowed. "Thought you had me! I'm not some stupid jerk!" He exchanged thumbs up gestures with an impressed-looking Lee.
"You were saying…" That was Anko's voice. It was quiet and almost conversational in its pitch and life. No sane person would ever try that kind of trick on her.
"Huh?" Naruto turned very slowly, the hairs on the back of his nape standing on end. He knew that voice. Yes. He knew that voice. Turning, he went stiff.
"Sen'eijashu," Anko said, her eyes flashing. It was payback time. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hand." She flashed towards Naruto with a moment's warning.
"He brought it on himself," Ten Ten remarked to Neji. Her companion sighed and nodded his head. As insightful and good-hearted as his friend could be, he knew that the other boy still had trouble with impulse control and impetuous behavior.
"Yeh." Choji held out a bag, which Neji and Ten Ten both refused. He began munching chips at an unbelievable rate, captivated by the scene unfolding before him and the others. Naruto and a countless number of clones were running pell-mell around the plateau, a silent Anko whittling their numbers down in efficient and sometimes unnecessarily brutal fashion.
"I can see why you said Sasuke calls him a dumb-ass," Sai remarked, before realizing that he had mentioned the taboo name.
"Kurenai-sensei…" Hinata brought a hand to her mouth. She took a half step, stopped, and then looked up at her mentor.
"No." Kurenai shook her head. "Let them settle this between them." She met Hinata's gaze, glad to see the meek girl wanting to help. She wondered if her teammate would ever see her personal dream come true.
"Oooo-ooo-oo-oh…" Lee tensed up, but relaxed when Shizune put a hand on his shoulder and caused him to stop. Yugao stood in front of him to impede his path, her ANBU mask in hand. Shino, content that the group was not under enemy attack, walked around the three of them on his way to inspect the local flora and fauna.
"Unexpected bonuses," Jiraiya rubbed his hands together. "Pretty ones." He was thinking more about the opportunities four beautiful women might add to his little game than about the plight his former apprentice found himself in. Naruto was a survivor. There were more important things to contemplate. Research of the highest order. "Mmmm-mmm-mm-m…"
Tending to slight and minor injuries, the prior participants stood by enthralled, watching as an irate Anko continued to chase an equally energetic Naruto across the breadth and width of the mountain-top many times over. Finally, spent, Naruto walked over to stand defiantly with his teammates, glaring at a very sweaty Anko, whose face left no mystery to what she would like to see happen.
"Anko…" Kurenai raised her hand. She had taken unofficial leadership of their little group of four prior to the journey. "That will be enough. We planned on testing them, not killing them."
"The methods may have been a bit unorthodox…" Yugao looked over at Naruto, and then shook her head. There was a reason that some people considered that boy to be the most unpredictable ninja in the Hidden Leaf village. "But it's not his fault you were caught off guard…"
"Yes." Shizune sighed. Naruto was wise enough to run from Anko. That was an improvement. But, had he been facing a real enemy, his choice of such a jutsu was not a sign of great strategizing abilities. Then again, who could say? It had certainly effected Anko's retaliation to some degree.
"That's…" Anko clenched her fists. She then shocked everyone by smiling. Licking her blade, she stared at Naruto a bit longer. The hunt wasn't over. It had just been postponed. "Fine. Have it your way."
"Moron." Sakura fought the urge to elbow Naruto in the gut.
"That would be a good new nickname," Sai remarked.
"Not very smart, calling Anko that." Kiba chuckled, thinking he might cause the rather flat-affected Sai to sweat a mite bit. Instead, he swallowed hard when Anko looked in his direction.
"I did not," Sai replied evenly.
"What would you call her?" Shino was curious. He did not intend any trouble. Sai remained silent, regardless.
"Come on," Choji pleaded. He opened a new bag. That had been exciting. This might be a fun trip after all. "If you gave some of us names… you have to name the rest…"
"I suppose it's only fair," Neji said. Ten Ten smiled, secretly pleased that the usually quiet boy had ventured to offer an oipinion.
"You could call her Slowpoke." Naturally, that was Naruto. Now that the chase was over, he felt some of his defiant ornery nature resurfacing. Every woman in the gathering simply sighed and hung her head. Every woman except Anko. She pulled out a few hairs and tested the sharpness of her knife on them.
"Well…" Sakura looked cross again. She really did hate the whole nickname thing. "Let's get it over with…" She looked over at Shikamaru. The excitement had distracted everyone for a bit. But, there was still that cryptic set of instructions from Tsunade. That might end up being far worse than this nonsense.
"I think 'Scary' might be accurate," Sai said. He usually wasn't frightened by anything. He was clever enough to make an exception. He blinked when he saw Anko smile, showing all her teeth. "Or Shark."
"Hah!" Naruto frowned. "Can't use that one. Hoshigaki Kisame is the one who looks like a shark." He was about to say more, but someone spoke first.
"H-How… H-How about Kurenai-sensei…" Hinata looked over at her mentor. She had piped up in order to save Naruto more grief. His spirit still captivated her; but, not for the first time, she wondered at his self-preservation instincts.
"Lovely Leader," Sai said, viewing Kurenai as a woman, and reverting to his new means of naming the female shinobi, Anko excluded. He turned towards Yugao. "Purple Angel." He looked over at Shizune. He was running out of names. His creativity involved artwork, not schmoozing.
"Hey… don't forget Shizune!" Naruto was very fond of the medical ninja.
"Why don't you just give him a chance to think?" Sakura put her hands on her hips.
"That's right!" Ino smiled at Sai. "Sai's doing very well." She still liked her own nickname the best.
"Bothersome." Shikamaru stuck out his lower lip. Was that a twinge of jealousy? Of course not. If he wasn't going to have his heart captured by some wild beauty like Temari, how could he succumb to someone as forward as Ino? "Much too bothersome." Having a rather bossy mother had taught him a great many things about girls. He shook his head when Choji held up one of the ubiquitous bags.
"I would say…" Sai looked at Shizune. She had been kind to him, when he returned from the mission against Orochimaru, and Team Yamato had been sent for medical evaluation. "Heavenly Healer." He had gone back to the library at one point, pouring over a thesaurus, hoping to store away a number of positive adjectives. The effort seemed to have been a practical success. Shizune was smiling.
"Hah!" Naruto grinned, too. "Heavenly Healer. Purple Angel. Lovely Leader." He wasn't too pleased with Sakura's earlier 'Moron'. He looked over at Ino and Ten Ten. "'Gorgerous' and 'Cute One'." He grinned at Sakura. "Hag." He stuck out his jaw, daring his pink-haired companion to take offense. He didn't have to wait long.
"Naruto… you…" Sakura began fuming immediately.
"Try 'Squats When He Pees'. I meant to try that one before." Sai grinned. As it turned out, Sakura didn't need any help. She had plenty of names to call Naruto, her voice growing in volume all the while. Naruto, his pride stung, answered in kind. The insects all went quiet again. This time, they were overwhelmed by the behavior of the supposedly higher species.
"They almost sound like a couple of newlyweds," Yugao commented. That had both Naruto and Sakura stopping mid-shout, fingers frozen mid-shake, their mouths hanging open.
"Naruto-kun…." Hinata resumed her finger rubbing.
"Now that we've gotten that out of the way…." Kurenai looked over at Shikamaru. "The Hokage simply told us to be of assistance. We're supposed to take part in any assignment you were given." She ran a hand through her hair. "We weren't told anything more than that."
"She was very adamant about things," Shizune added. "It was an order, not a request or a suggestion." Her superior had mentioned something about everyone having worked hard lately, jounin included. But, she refused to say any more than that, other than the fact that the shinobi out on missions would be sent along later, when their duties gave them time.
"This does not seem to be a very strategic location anymore." Yugao looked about the area, her gaze finally falling on the various stacks and piles of supplies the younger ninjas had carried with them. What could the boxes, bags, and satchels contain?
"No enemies to kill," Anko said, tossing her knife and catching it. She looked over at Naruto again. "I'll just have to rough it, I guess."
"She likes you," Sai said to his friend. This joking stuff was getting simpler all the time. Why wasn't Naruto laughing?
"Shhhh-hhh-hh-h…" Sakura shushed Sai. That had Naruto commiserating with his newest teammate.
"You're here to take part, too?" It took a lot to get Shikamaru looking discomforted. "How tr-…" He bit off the 'troublesome.' "We were just discussing the nature of our orders. To say the least… we were a bit surprised at the wording…" He cleared his throat. He hadn't really had the chance to go into any detail with the others. Then again, the part he had read had been more than enough! For a moment, he froze, as if caught in his own jutsu. Kurenai. Asuma had a thing for Kurenai. If somehow he ended up kissing his sensei's girl, what would his cigarette puffing mentor do? No. It was OK. Asuma would probably grin and slap him hard on the back.
"Well then. Let's take care of that now." Kureani nodded in Shikamaru's direction. "It will be dark before we know it. There looks to be plenty of gear to get stowed." She waved her hands towards the supplies.
"Ahem." Shikamaru cleared his throat again. He felt irritated, seeing the look on Kiba's face. That boy was not upset or put-off in the least. Quite the opposite, given that lopsided smirk. "I will begin again." His throat closed up. His one hand twitched ever so slightly.
"Spin The Bottle," Naruto blurted out. Things had dragged on far too long for his liking. What was the big deal about a bottle, anyway? If this was drinking game, so what? There were no drinking ages amongst shin obi.
"Wh-What?" Shizune's eyes went wide. Looking to the side, she saw Yugao tense her lips and then put her ANBU mask back on.
"You had better be kidding." Anko laced her fingers together and cracked her knuckles. The face she turned towards Naruto made it seem that she would hold him personally responsible, no matter what happened.
"Let me see that." Kurenai reached out and took the mission directive out of Shikamaru's hands. "You're not usually one to joke. You should leave that kind of… thing… for…" She clutched the parchment tightly for a moment, a look of disbelief on her fine features. That certainly appeared to be Tsunade's handwriting. But. How?
"Is it her hand-writing?" Yugao sounded skeptical. "Is there some way we can be certain this is not some kind of prank? We all know how boys can be…"
"Let me see." Shizune walked over and looked at the message. "If it's a forgery, it's too good for me to tell apart. I have been reading Tsunade's medical notes for years." She didn't mention that she had also seen countless I.O.U.s. "And the initial paragraphs… those are her words… I'm certain of it…."
"But why involve us in this foolishness?" Kurenai could see some logic behind bringing the young shinobi together for a time of bonding. But, this method seemed low-brow and drastic, more like something an adherent to debauchery and abject lechery might dream up. And, there was absolutely no cause to get women their age and stature tied up in such a thing!
Shizune simply shrugged. She gave Naruto a cross look when she overheard him whisper to Sai, saying 'Maybe she's used that rejuvenation jutsu too many times. Granny Tsunade could be going senile.'
"I do not wish to intrude." Lee walked over, looking somewhat sheepish. "But… well… I am still at a loss." He looked Kurenai in the eyes. The woman's reaction had him concerned. "What exactly is Spin The Bottle?"
"I'll tell him," Ten Ten said, feeling a responsibility for her naïve teammate. She spared a glance at Neji, wondering if he was clueless in such matters too, despite his advanced skill in martial matters. His blank face told her nothing, one way or the other. "It's a game.One where several players sit in a circle. The game starts by one player spinning a bottle. Whomever the bottle points to, the spinner must kiss. The kissee becomes the next spinner. Traditionally, the spinner gets to spin again if the bottle points to a player of the same gender. It isn't a game in the traditional sense. There are no winners and losers."
"That's not how I see it," Ino griped, scowling at the male ninja.
Lee froze. Gai-sensei had never mentioned such things to him. Naruto, too, seemed somewhat taken aback; but, he managed to hide his reaction from a curious Sai and a vigilant Sakura. Most of the others seemed to have known the details ahead of time, even though none of them had actually participated in just such a game.
"It's pretty much an excuse for boys and girls to make out," Yugao said, thinking back to her years as a genin and early chuunin. She had played just such a game with Gekko Hayate before they began seeing one another. Those were not thoughts that she could take comfort in at the moment.
"Ummm…" Hinata clasped her hands together. Was this her worst nightmare, or an opportunity she would never be brave enough to bring about on her own? She stole another glance at the village's noisiest ninja, while everyone else spoke up in a loud rush. Eventually, when the hubbub died down, Yugao spoke out.
"I take it you're going to be a stickler for the rules?" Anko spoke with a slight touch of contempt. Some rules were meant to be broken.
"I'm afraid so," Kurenai said, reading the initial paragraphs aloud. After that, she moved on to a number of provisos. "Well… there is a way out… but it may be worse than simply going through with some harmless kisses." She ignored the look on some of the younger women's faces. No one could bring themselves to look at Shino. "Anyone who refuses to spin and kiss during their turn… he or she has to remove an article of clothing…" Naturally, the mob scene resumed, everyone shouting even louder than before.
"What can anyone do if we refuse?" Ino looked over at Choji, and the pretended to be examining her fingernails wehen she was caught.
"That's spelled out pretty plainly," Shikamaru mumbled, looking up at the dark sun-painted clouds. "First of all, we drop a rank. That, and everything it entails." He went on to give specific examples, saying that Naruto would be excluded from missions, and sent back to redo the Academy. The chuunin would all be genin again, and the jounin chuunin. "There are also punitive measures, too troublesome to discuss." If he were a spitting man, he would have spat then and there.
"Let me see." Sakura still couldn't believe that her mentor and trainer would do such a thing. She took the paper from Shikamaru and read it quickly. "If we want, the game can also be played in combination with Truth or Dare. The spinner gets to ask the person whom the bottle points to an intimate, personal question, which must be answered truthfully. If the answerer does not wish to answer the question, or chooses to accept a challenge instead, then they must agree to perform a Dare, no matter what that dare might be."
That had everyone muttering amongst themselves. Some looked stricken. Others looked concerned. Some looked rather happy.
"May I have that again, please." Kurenai took the orders and confirmed what Sakura had read. She went on to add even more. "We can have the one who gets the bottle pointed at them choose what two people kiss, if we want to go that route."
"I don't think so." Ino shivered. She would rather take her chance with Fate.
"What's the problem?" Sakura tossed her hair. "Who would choose someone like you?"
"Do you two mind?" Kurenai speared both Sakura and Ino with a heated glance. Things were volatile enough as they stood. "It also says that we can call out two people for Seven Minutes in Heaven each round, if we choose."
"Seven Minutes in Heaven?" Sai cocked his head. "That doesn't mean we suffocate someone for a short period of time, does it?" Something like that might mimic a temporary death-like experience.
"No," Shizune shook her head. "It's… well…" As a more mature woman, she shouldn't be blushing. But, she couldn't help herself. She informed the others that when Seven Minutes in heaven was played as a stand-alone game, two participants would be randomly selected each round and forced to be alone for a specified time interval, usually seven minutes. She felt her face growing even warmer. "It is often implied that the participants will engage in kissing, hugging… or…"
"Intimate sexual contact." Kiba grinned widely.
Hinata sat down hard. Sakura brought her hand to her mouth, and then turned such a furious face on her two teammates that the two boys took a step back. Ino blinked rapidly, until she too felt the color rise on her cheeks. Ten Ten stood very still, as if she were attempting to blend in with the background.
"You know…." Anko walked over to stand near Kiba. She broke of a long piece of shrubbery with her hand, and began stripping off its leaves with her blade. "There are some types of animals where the female kills the male after mating."
"She is correct," Shino confirmed. "Mantises… spiders… other types of insects and Arachnids." Was it the mention of such matters that had Kiba looking so pale? Why? He had never shown any ill effects being around chakra bugs in the past? The rather wicked look in Anko's eyes showed him all the answer he needed. Not one to be effected in such a fashion, he nonetheless felt a chill run up and down his spine.
"Mating?" Sai scratched his head. "I did not have opportunity to read up on the normal courtship ritual. Would it…." he cringed when Sakura picked up a huge nearby sack and clobbered him across the head with it.
"We can work out the details later," Shikamaru said in a resigned tone of voice. Even though Kurenai and the others out-ranked him in some fashion, he was still the assigned leader of this expedition. He had not wanted such a responsibility, back when they were sent out to retrieve Sasuke, and he had returned to the possibility that his friends would die. He wanted leadership even less, now. "I believe we should unpack and stow things away while we have light."
As the group busied themselves at the task at hand, a shadowy and shaggy figure flashed from building to building, drilling peepholes where natural cracks and crevices didn't already exist. Jiraiya smiled like a kid in a candy shop, once again feeling the same rush of exuberance that he felt before any of his peeping escapades. This promised to be a gold mine of sorts, even though there wouldn't likely be much skin exposed. Yes, he was a pervert. No, he was not a voyeur. He was merely a scientist… an explorer… an entrepreneur… taking note of things that would aid and entertain his legion of paying customers. That was his story and he was sticking to it!
The items that were emptied from the various crates and bags might have caused some to doubt the veracity of the orders. There were large amounts of food, most of which could be grilled or cooked over campfires. There were also volleyball nets and balls; items needed for horseshoes; badminton gear; and sundry other similar objects. But, as such items might also be seen to be part and parcel of normal teenage activities, at least for young men and women who had time for such luxuries, the growing accounting list merely helped reinforce the validity of the mission parameters.
"Everything's stowed away, Shikamaru." Ino called out to her teammate. Everyone had spread their sleeping gear throughout the various bungaloos. A large fire and communal area had been set up in the largest building on the plateau. An evening's worth of dinner food and snacks were stored in the very same enclosure. So was a rather large and empty bottle they had discovered in one of the bags.
"I don't see how we can put this off any longer," a sullen and cranky Shikamaru said to the assembly. "I cleared off a large area on the floor, to the side of our fire. Everybody go in and take a seat."
"Who do we sit next to?" Ten Ten tried to sound innocent. She took a very small step towards Neji.
Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed.