AN: Greetings!

I am MistressWinowyll and I would like to say, "Thank You" to all my fellow service members out there for a belated "Memorial Day". Now then, if there are any one who are active in the military, please look me up for a program I am assisting in issuing out FREE LAPTOPS/COMPUTERS and Real Estate Courses at no cost to you.

I apologize for the delay in updates. My real life has been hectic but profitable.

Your Mistress.

That Look: Retribution Of Heirs

Ch 4 Tell Me More

The Ino-Shika-Cho team moved as one, lunging towards Temari as a well oiled machine set for one purpose.

To kill.

The veterans were the senior remaining team forged from synchronized decades of fighting battles and succeeding over most of their enemies. Throughout the ninja world, the Ino-Shika-Cho team always found some way to overcome whatever obstacle faced them.

They were legendary.

This time, though, when their Hokage let out an authoritative blare, they were beaten.

"Stop!" Tsunade barked out from behind her desk, going so far as to jump to her feet and slap her desk loudly.

It was not the threat that stopped them, but the cultured discipline.

Like all ninja, they were taught to put duty before all else, even personal retribution...

...except one.

It stopped Shikaku and Chouza, but Inoichi's blood lust was too strong. His need too great. Holding the kunai in his reverse grip so tight his knuckles turned white, he looked over his shoulder past his friends and to his Hokage.

"Don't deny me this."

He dashed forward.

Temari limp body lay one the ground bound, drugged, and defenseless.

Somehow seeing Temari's calm vulnerability made him furious. Inoichi wanted terror, sobbing, to hear this girl cry out and beg him for the mercy she did not deserve. Most of all, he wanted her to suffer. That, however, was something he would be denied. Inoichi also understood that Tsunade was the world's top medical nin and would save the Kazekage's daughter if his first strike wasn't true. Rearing back his arm intending to drive his kunai hilt deep into her heart, he pushed forward with all his might.

"Kagemane no Jutsu."

When he heard a voice behind him, it's source surprised him more than the jutsu did. Just as his arm was about to push through Temari, his entire body frozen in place.

"No! Don't!" Inoichi howled in impotent fury. His intended target mere inches away, still laying there, ignorant to the justice about to be issued. "She needs to pay! That monster took my princess! My little girl! My...My Ino-hime...Let me do this!"

Despite his outrage and struggle, Inoichi found himself slouching on the floor, his weapon casually tossed away and his hands stuffed into his pockets. While two people in the room had the ability to use this jutsu, it wasn't the father who had cast shadow bind, but the son.

Nara Shikamaru.

"Damn it, Inoichi!" Tsunade rounded her desk, stomping over to the blond pony tailed jounin and leveling a most damning glare. "I gave you an order!"

While it was not in the veteran to ever disobey his Hokage, this was a special circumstance. It was written all over his face that he thought so and would continue to do what he must as a vindictive father.

Without remorse, his team mates were right by his side to support his decision.

Straightening one long finger in front of all their faces, she gave a simple word of warning, "Don't."

They knew what that meant.

Do not test her.

Do not make a move to free their friend.

Do not disobey her word.

Do not harm their prisoner.

Do not cross the line.

"Just don't," Was her vehement warning and demand.

Only Inoichi was still trying to push his luck to get to the bound prisoner.

"Shizune," Tsunade growled, turning her back on the mind reader and walking back behind her desk to sit in heated frustration, "Get Temari to an ANBU holding cell and have her diagnosed fully to ensure she is in perfect health. If she so much has a chipped nail I want it documented. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Shizune was already, scooping the blond Suna kunoichi into an expert hold to get her to the cell.

"Go with her," Tsunade called out into thin air, only to have two ANBU appear right next to Shizune and disappear in a puff of smoke.

"Anko," twin pools of honey leveled onto raging eyes of pale blue from the mind bender.

"Hokage-sama?" Anko rolled her fingers into loose fists, unhappy with the turn of events as they unfolded them self.

"I want Inoichi put in a cell and have his Jounin status put on hold for."

The snake mistress's lips turned down unfavorably. She may not have liked the blond shinobi's tone, but she would do as she understood the need for revenge when the opportunity presented itself.

It was like the most delectable flavor being denied even though you could smell it.

Pity.

Still, if there was one thing Anko would and always do, was listen to her Hokage.

"Hai,"

With that said, Snakes slithered from Anko's sleeves and coiled up Inoichi with their entwining entrapment.

"Hokage-sama!" Chouza stepped over to her desk and got as close as he dared to, "Any father would feel this way about their child."

"Sit. Down, Chouza," Tsunade's narrowed honey eyes glared into the big mans, breaking the large frame into a more proper one. The Akimichi cowed instantly. "I will NOT have any of my shinobi acting out vengeance in my office!"

"Then anything that happens outside is fair game, Hokage-sama?" Shikaku mumbled around his scowl.

"I am warning you all," She raised a finger and took in all their heated glares, "she is not to be touched or harmed in any way without going through the motions of a trial and being properly questioned. Not only is she Suna royalty, but she has invaluable information to their defenses, the Kazekage, and, above all," She made a point to take in all their glares, even Shikamaru's, "if she was ordered by the Kazekage himself to assassinate Ino and Shikamaru or independently do it with her and her brother. I will not support a war that will cost the lives of tens of thousands of people if it was a solo act, especially when it's very possible that we may have instigated on the wrong side of the coin to begin with!"

All three Jounin plus Chuunin did not take that news well.

Shikamaru and Tsunade's eyes met while he kept his Jutsu on Inoichi, struggling to keep the older man at bay.

"I saw the report, Shikamaru," Tsunade pointed towards an open docket with several papers haphazardly askew. "Sarutobi called the incident forgiven and that is where it should have stayed. When you killed Gaara, you pushed the blade into Ino."

Everyone made a sound of disapproval at the Senju Tsunade's words.

"If that is true, Hokage-sama," Shikamaru drawled with his eyes narrowing only the slightest bit, "then I should be put under arrest and placed in custody for trial. Of course, that is if you have proof."

"Don't get me that crap!" She grabbed the front of his shirt, to shake him.

The young chuunin released his jutsu in time to avoid any mishaps transitioning over to his prisoner. Anko already had Inoichi bounded well enough to prevent any kind of escape. That didn't stop her from keeping her eyes to the left and right of her where the Yamanaka's team mates seemed ready to pounce on a moments notice.

"Gaara died of asphyxia through deterioration of the alveolar sacs! I checked out the autopsy reports and they confirmed it was a gaseous compound of three pretty common chemicals. By the way, Nara, how did you do in chemistry at the Academy?" Tsunade pressed her fists tighter against Shikamaru's slim neck.

"Horrible. I slept most of the time," The young chuunin answered easily, keeping his brown eyes keen to hers.

No one said a word.

"God damn it, Shikamaru! Can you see what's about to happen? Hundreds, possibly thousands could die!"

"Then I am glad I am not, Hokage. It sounds troublesome." He voiced back with a mildly bored monotone.

Tsunade's hands relaxed their grip on him, turning in time to face Inoichi and the other team members in the office.

"I want each and everyone of you to go home and stay there." She rubbed the bridge of her nose and spoke through her pinch fingers. "You are not to 'meet' each other for dinner, see how the other is doing, catch up with gossip or tell the other ghost stories. Is that clear?"

They knew she had already thought through to the potential ideas created through one house to the other. They would plan something to assist Inoichi or create strategies to get to Temari.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Chouza answered.

"Hai, hai," Nara Shikaku drawled, moving away from his Hokage, sharing one last look at Inoichi before exiting.

Ino's father could only reflect strict disappointment that his daughter's beloved would have turned on him. What surprised him, was the quick wink Shikamaru shared before he closed the door.

If there was one thing Inoichi knew about the Nara's, they were always scheming something, planning something ten or twenty steps ahead of everything else.

"Lets go, beautiful." Anko pulled at Inoichi's shoulder, ready to drag him should he resist. "You're on time out till you know how to play nice like the rest of the kids."

Following along obediently, Inoichi gave the spot where Temari had fallen a long hard glare before he found himself in the hall way with four ANBU to escort him.

Tsunade clenched her fists, unable to enact any kind of release for what had transpired here.

She knew what they were feeling. Where did she get off trying to keep them from the revenge they could have had right in front of them? Even though she would have been more then willing to let them loose upon Temari, it simply wasn't right.

At least, not without putting everything through its paces for the whole shinobi world to see they had went through the proper procedures to ensure they did, in fact, have right on their side.

Tsunade looked at the file one last time and saw, without a doubt, the part of a note that was taped on as in afterthought.

Inuzuka's have confirmed Nara Shikamaru's scent in the presence of Gaara's at the time of his death.

She didn't want to give that much information out, even to the clan heads. She may not seem like it in their eyes, but she was on their side. Yes, she was still loyal to her people and she loved her village as much as her Senju clan had, but if she had to upset a few to protect the many she would do it.

Thinking of how her sensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi had probably dealt with the many unfair decisions in the very same seat she sat in now, she did the one thing she would never let anyone see her do.

Hands on her eyes, thinking back when Dan and Nawaki had wanted to be where she was now, she wept.

"I miss you both so much..."

"Now you sit there like a good little boy, and I'll make sure to tell your wife you're on a mission instead of being an annoying little prick in an ANBU cell." Anko purposely loosened his binds inside the cell with the door wide open.

She even went so far as to put her kunai away to try and appear defenseless.

The glare Inoichi gave her could have lit fires.

A friendly smile was all he got back. "Of course, I could always tell her that you fell down the steps and, oh so, accidentally landed on a kunai a couple dozen times. It'd be a shame to lose the ability to have kids after having lost one, wouldn't it? Ino was her name, right?"

He made a very slight move towards her, opening his stance and raising his hands. Not quite a full fighting stance but an aggressive posture just the same.

Anko chuckled at him, showing him her back.

"I never liked you, Anko." Inoichi spoke quietly through his pinched lips. "Even when the Hokage accepted you back into the fold, I could never see you as anything but Orochimaru's little pet, let alone a real part of our team."

Slowly, ever so slowly she looked over her shoulder. Now he had her attention.

"The whole story of how he just abandoned you stinks. It's too convenient. Orochimaru was never one for letting sentiment get in the way of cutting loose ends. If he wanted to dispose of you, he would have."

He purposely stood an inch closer, chewing his words to show his restraint.

"Should have."

Now she faced him with her hands loose at her sides. The grin on her face was deadly.

Inoichi continued unfettered.

"I've never trusted you. Ibiki and I had many a chat about your loyalty."

Bringing up Ibiki's name lowered her lips to see how much of what he was saying was true or just trying to piss her off. Her and Ibiki worked well together, so when Inoichi brought up how the emotionless interrogator had wished her ill, she decided to take Ino's father's words for less then face value.

Inoichi continued.

"He didn't trust you back then either, but figured it would be safe enough to use you so long as you weren't given any real sensitive information. Truth to tell we had kept hoping you'd get killed." Inoichi shrugged, noticing he was not exactly in the best position to be on the receiving end of a well deserved ass kicking that could be covered up by 'resisting arrest' or 'bad behavior'.

"You kept coming back though." He chuckled lightly, looking around the sparse cell that was to be his habitat for who knows how long. "That son of a bitch trained you well. I'll admit that much."

Even after all this time, when her sensei's name came up, there was still that little bit of her that wanted to defend him. It was kind of like having a father that beat you, she supposed. You could hate him as much as you wanted to, but no one else was allowed to say anything against him.

"Yeah, he was a brilliant psychopath that knew how to twist people into any shape that suited him. It was so easy for me or anyone to love him. Even the Third had fallen to his charms so it's not hard for me to admit it." She gave him a wicked smile. "But then you know all about loving someone so much you'd do anything for them. Even going against your own Hokage, right?"

"Don't compare me to you or my love for my little girl to whatever it is you felt for that sick fucking bastard Orochimaru!" Inoichi shouted, clenching his fists and shifting his weight.

She was sure he was going to strike, but he chewed down his ire.

"You have no clue about what it means to lose a child. To watch them grow in your arms from infancy to adulthood. She was everything my wife, Dita, was and so much of us all as a Yamanaka. You can't possibly know what it's like to love someone like that or understand the pain of having them snatched away."

Anko gave the tiniest shrug, but she stayed anyways. If he wanted to talk that was fine, it would help to know what his weak points were.

It would also help keep her mind off a certain annoying blond haired ramen eating loud mouthed idiot for awhile.

"We are Shinobi," Anko offered with the tiniest bit of sympathy, "If you wanted your little girl to have a nice long life with lots of fat grandchildren you shouldn't have let her go to the Academy. You have a flower shop, right? You should have let her pick daises and flit about like some god damn teenager, thinking of boys and painting her nails. You're not ignorant of what it means to be ninja. Don't expect me or anyone else to really feel pity for you when you allowed your daughter to become a part of this world knowingly and she ended up on the wrong side of the odds."

Inoichi shook his head, they were getting absolutely no where.

"Going against the Hokage is never a smart idea, even if you are grieving."

This was as close to a sign of condolence she was going to give him.

Just as she turned around to leave, Shikamaru was waiting for her at the entrance to his cell. For a moment, Anko noticed the shared look between them and worried if she should arm herself.

Inoichi was not restrained and Shikamaru was blocking her path.

Her snakes reacted to her mood, writhing under her cloak. "Now isn't this awkward? Who wants to end this day with a fresh taste of tile?"

Surprising her, Shikamaru simply moved out of her way and leaned against the back of the wall. "I just wanted to have a small chat with him before you locked the cell."

Anko purposely strode between the two men, obviously noticing there was some hard feelings now that Shikamaru had betrayed him when Inoichi's chance to kill Temari had been thwarted by the boy who had supposedly loved his daughter.

Going outside of the cell, she closed it soundly, locked it and placed her hand on the steel to let glyphs glow when she applied her chakra.

"If anyone tries to use a jutsu, you'll be shocked so badly we'll find you on the floor pissing yourself. Got it?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"Feel free to try and help him escape." Anko walked off without looking back. "We know where you live and I have no problem taking either your parents or your wife into an interrogation cell with Ibiki. I'm sure he would love to hear how one of you went against the Hokage's word."

Leaving it at that, she turned around to give them her less than friendly grin. "You have five minutes."

She shut the door to the hall way behind her, purposely locking it with a click.

No sooner did the bolt lock did Inoichi's arm reach through the bars and grab Shikamaru by his collar.

"You god damn traitor! I had her right there and you stopped me! Why? If you loved my daughter so much why would you deny me-"

"Inoichi," Shikamaru voiced with the most quiet respect, "Ino was as much my heart from the moment I met her as she was your little girl. I agree with you above all things. Sabaku no Temari needs to pay."

Seeing that focused glare that Inoichi has seen on Shikaku thousands of times, a lot of his heat that he had for his daughter's lover ebbed.

"What do you mean?"

Leaning forward, Shikamaru placed his hand on the blond shinobi's arm and said in a voice that was part conspiratorial loathing and part eagerness. "If you would have killed her, then what?"

"Ino would have been avenged." Inoichi answered easily.

"Yes," Shikamaru agreed, but obviously not content with that answer. "But would she have suffered anything?"

Inoichi could have sworn Shikamaru was reading his mind. Perhaps, he may have underestimated Shikaku's son after all.

"No, she would have been oblivious to it. You have something in mind?"

A long pause lasted a few heart beats before Shikamaru said something that made the Head of the Yamanaka clan shiver with delight and a bit of trepidation.

"How do you prevent a war between two great nations, maintain a peace, and still get the most painful and fulfilling revenge possible?"

Inoichi was so curious he licked his lips. The very malice coming off of Shikamaru's eyes was so thick it was palatable.

He was just as eager to get back at Temari as Ino's father was.

Nodding, Inoichi released his grip and leaned forward.

"Tell me more."