It was about a month after the mission to retrieve Sasuke failed and it seemed like everything in Konoha was changing.
Shikamaru had just left his house to go on his way see Choji who was well on the road to recovery.
"Shikamaru!" he heard an all too familiar voice from behind him.
"What is it Naruto?" he asked without even having to turn to see who was speaking to him, but when he turned he saw the worried expression on the blondes face, "What's wrong?".
"Nothing, I was just wondering if you had seen Ume, I mean I'll be leaving with master Jiraiya in about an hour and even Chihiro and Achika can't find her, I just want to see my sister before I leave for three years" Naruto couldn't help but be worried since her teammates that knew Ume inside out were coming up blank, and since The Yin Chakra of the Nine Tails was sealed away in his sister, just like him in the wrong hands she could be a ticking time bomb but he was sure he was just over thinking it.
"Oh what'a drag but I suppose I can help the search effort, If I was leaving for three years I'd want to see Ino and Choji before I left" he said as his team were the closest thing he had to siblings and he couldn't imagine the bond between the twins that had gone from sharing a womb to sharing the burden that kept their village safe.
"Thanks Shikamaru" Naruto smiled, "Me, Chihiro and Achika have the West, East and South covered so head North, If you find her meet us at the main gates" Naruto said before he ran off calling for his sister, Shikamaru sighed and headed off having a good idea of where to look.
Shikamaru climbed the stairs to the top of the Stone faces of the Hokage, he remembered when they were fresh out of the academy brats. Team Asuma and team Ibiki were sent on a mission together and everyone made so many rookie mistakes that they may not have completed the D rank mission that turned into and A rank in a matter of seconds if the two Jonin hadn't been holding everything together. This was the first time he had seen the tailed cloak for himself and he's not ashamed to admit it terrified him since, Chihiro was injured, even Asuma was shaking in his sandals with Ino and Choji fighting over who was going to hide behind whom and her own sensei trying get close enough for the seals to stick. When they got back from the mission Ume was ashamed that she had lost control after seeing her teammate who was like the crazy sister the gods never gave her bleeding on the floor. She couldn't face telling her father as she couldn't take the look of sheer disappointment she was sure she would get from him, so the moment they got back to Konoha she vanished. He and Ibiki eventually found her sat atop of her father's carving telling him everything she daren't say to his face and it turned out this was something she did whenever she either needed to come clean or just talk to him when the real Forth Hokage was too busy.
Shikamaru looked over the ledge and there she was true to form there she was, talking to her father's carving. He leaped down behind her, when she heard the drop behind her, her instincts as a Kunoichi kicked in and in the second she was stood facing him with her hand hovering over her shuriken.
"Oh it's you Shikamaru, didn't anyone teach you it's rude to sneak up on other ninja from your own village" she said as she relaxed and sat back down looking over the village she called home.
"My mum may have mentioned it at some point" he said jokingly as he took a seat beside her, "So is he pissed or busy?" Shikamaru asked looking over to the blonde. A half-hearted smiled played on her face as she heard his question, did he really know her that well?
"Busy, with Naruto leaving in a matter of hours he's trying to get through all his official Hokage stuff before he leaves while trying to rein in my mum, who if she had her own way Naruto would be lugging around a backpack the size of our house" she said trying to keep up a light tone.
"Really? I never took Lady Kushina as the fussy type, strict yeah, fussy not so much" he said casually as Ume couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Oh yeah, I'm surprised she doesn't send us out on missions dressed in bubble wrap" she said her façade cracking with every word as she tried to wipe her eye as slyly as possible.
"Ume?" Shikamaru said with sweet concern as he rested his hand on her back, comfortingly stroking up and down her spine.
"I'm fine" she said adamantly.
"No you're not, tell the truth" he told her in a soft but stern tone as in that moment her façade completely shattered and her arm flung around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder as she burst into tears. Shikamaru knew full well she was upset but this was not the reaction he had expected and it made him jump in surprise and shift uncomfortably where he sat as fought of the blush threatening to appear on his cheeks.
"I'm just going to miss him so much. He's my twin, I've literally never been without him and I'm not going to see his stupid face for three years" Ume told Shikamaru through her tears which settled his feeling of being uncomfortable in a second, as he couldn't imagine what his little trouble making blonde friend must be feeling as he pulled her into a hug resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Oh come on please don't cry" he pleaded with the girl to no prevail.
"It not only that he's the only one I can talk to about this stupid old cynical fox, he gets it you know. Chihiro and Achika, they try but it's not the same and anything could happen to him out there" she said weakly.
"Now you haven't thought this through have you? Think about it, you can always talk to your mum about it she was the Jinchuriki before you two remember and he's going to be with Master Jiraiya who would do anything for his god children" he told her rationally as she nodded.
"I suppose your right"
"Of course I am, No matter what I say it is not going to stop you missing him but at least you can stop worrying yourself for no reason" He told her with a small smile.
"What would I do without you?"
"I don't know you'd probably just be a bundle of broken nerves rocking in the corner" he said with a cheeky grin.
"Hey, I'm not that neurotic" She said with a hint of laughter in her tone as she gently hit him in her chest.
"Maybe not yet"
"Thanks Shikamaru, I think I just needed that shoulder" she said sweetly.
"Anytime" He said as he kissed the top of her head. His eyes widened as he realised what he just did, why did he just do that, he wondered as Ume's cheeks went rosy all of a sudden. Shikamaru suddenly stood pulling her up with him.
"Anyway we better head to the main gate, Naruto will be heading out soon" he said rubbing the back of his neck as she shyly nodded still looking at the ground before the headed to the Main gate.
"Hey here, my little cousin wanted me to give you this, he was worried he'd cry in front of 'big brother Naruto' so he wrote you a letter instead" Achika said as she handed him an envelope.
"Oh Konohamaru, Thanks Ach" He said as the girl nodded before going to stand with Chihiro and Sakura.
"Naruto!" Naruto heard as he looked in the direction of his sister's voice as she ran to hug him as Shikamaru walked casually behind her.
"Ume, I was worried you weren't going to see me off" he said as he embraced his sister and the bystanders just smiled at the two.
"Take care of yourself okay and you better be back in three years on the dot or I'll kill you myself" she said as she released her brother.
"Has Mum given you her speech yet?" She added.
"Oh yeah"
"Let me guess" she said before straightening up and imitating her mother's stance, "Now Naruto you must remember to write home every week or I'll have Uncle Jiraiya bring you straight home, remember to brush your teeth twice daily not just the once, wash behind your ears, treat all wounds straight away so they don't get infected because then they'll have to amputate, wash your socks because you can't make the same pair last a week, no turning your underwear inside out to get a second day out of them that's just nasty, No spending your money on things you don't need this is a training exercise not a holiday and when uncle Jiraiya goes out to do 'research', you stay in your room" Ume said mimicking her mother as Chihiro, Achika, Shikamaru and Sakura tried their best to contain their laughter whereas Ume, Naruto, Minato and Jiraiya burst out laughing.
"I sound nothing like that" Said Kushina adamantly to her laughing family.
"Oh Ume that was a prefect impression of your mother's motor-mouth" Minato struggled to get out as he was still in stitches.
"Shut up, Minato" his wife said as she punched him in the arm.
"Oww, you're supposed to love me" Said Minato as their children laughed at them acting like children. Ume turned to her God Father and hugged him.
"Come back safe, both of you" she said as Jiraiya kissed her forehead and ruffled her hair.
"We will don't worry about it, you look after yourself and do me a favour and make sure your parents don't kill each other while we're gone" He told her as she laughed wiping her eyes.
"Done" she said as she stood with the others who were waving and saying good bye after giving her twin one last hug. Ume stood waving to the two as headed out of the main gate, her eyes threatening to spill over.
"Aww Ume!" Said her two teammates as they hugged her from one side, Chihiro squashing Achika in the middle and Shikamaru rested his hand on her back as he had before.
Hearing the noise Naruto looked back and the first thing he noticed was Shikamaru's hand on his precious twin and pointed to him.
"Hey you better look after her" he called back as his sisters teammates thought he was speaking to them.
"We will, just go" Called Chihiro.
"God Naruto, we look after her regardless of what you say" Achika yelled back as Shikamaru simply responded in a nod before the boy went on his way with his god father.
