Author Note:
Well Hey Guys! Long time no see, I'm back finally... I've been pretty busy but hopefully will be back for good and with more regular updates. Also anyone notice the name change? I am now AloneInInfinity (logically/physically impossible as Infinity is not a place, but hey it sounds cool not to mention deep XD), Goodbye ShadowMaster98 it was fun while it lasted *cue farewell wave*. Anyways Enjoy the chapter and reviews are always welcome.
The Untouchables
A Naruto/ShikaIno Story
Chapter 4
Angry and confused were the best words to describe Ino Yamanaka at this moment in time.
Angry at Shikamaru for embarrassing her in front of their friends, but mainly for implying that she was not his mother or his 'girlfriend' meaning that she was not entitled to be the confidant he needed, to be the person he could talk to when he was sad, alone, troubled. And that's when the confusion came in.
More than two decades of knowing someone and you'd think you have a bond stronger than most. Along with that the amount of times she'd saved his ass and his hers, a little trust and sharing of feelings is to be expected, isn't it? It just aggravated her, she just couldn't comprehend. It was like her mind was going around in circles an infinite loop with no exit. Why? Why? Why-
"Yamanka! Are you even listening?!"
Ino looked up, straight into the eyes of the fifth Hokage. A blush heated her cheeks. "Sorry, could you repeat that?" Ino asked unsure and slightly embarrassed. Ino wasn't one to zone out in briefings or around powerful Shinobi or Kunoichi that demanded respect.
Tsunade let out a huff before moving back and leaning against her desk. The room they were in was large and oval in shape. The wooden walls of the room were bare and marred with nicks and scruff marks, the only splash of colour - if you could call it that - came from the dull coloured scrolls and books scattered around the room. The heavy wooden door that acted as both the entrance and exit to the room was directly opposite the large windows that displayed the city of Konoha under a azure blue sky. The object that drew the most attention in the room was the large desk on which Tsunade was leaning. The wooden structure was littered with tattered scrolls and sheets of paper, along with the occasional food wrapper. A breeze from one of the open windows ruffled some of the scrolls already tittering on the edge of the desk, sending them tumbling to the ground.
Another sigh escaped the Hokage as she briefly glanced over at the fallen scrolls, a mess that fit unsurprisingly well in the already messy room. She looked back up staring intensely at the blond haired kunoichi standing in front of her before switch her gaze to the other, more bored looking shinobi adjacent to Ino.
The gesture reminded Ino of the reason why the anger she was trying to suppress kept bubbling up, having the source of said anger directly next to you didn't help she concluded. That and she still hadn't quite recovered from the emotional turmoil (slight exaggeration but hey, you shouldn't hurt a girls feelings) she had just experience not even an hour earlier.
"I'm not going to lie to you two. You are both in danger, more so than normal and I'm sure you both noticed." Tsunade said looking pointedly at Shikamaru, then glancing out of one of the many windows. He made no sign of acknowledgement. "I'll disclose what I can but there really isn't much so if you want to take the matter further, and I suggest you do - for your long term safety as well as Konoha's need for shinobi like yourselves, it probably be better if you investigated the issue independently. Not to say I won't help or give any new information to you, but I can't make any promises in the reliability of the information I may receive in the future."
Ino gazed at Tsunade intently, patiently waiting for her to carry on.
"Someone wants the two of you dead." The blunt way Tsunade put it, sparked curiosity in the pair. The prospect of danger never phased Shikamaru (the same could be said for Ino), he'd had to live with it for more than half his life, but a direct target on your head was definitely a riskier type of danger. "Well I say someone but it may be a larger organisation, as I said earlier, there really isn't much information currently. Just know that you've gotten on someone's bad side and they want revenge."
"As much as I want to put you guys under protection and all. I'm sure two shinobi of your caliber are able to handle anything thrown at you. That and I really don't want to pull you away from your already busy lives and jobs."
Shikamaru visibly relaxed. "I'm guessing all you're thinking of doing is decreasing our mission count or stopping our missions all together?"
"Yeah the first one, how did you know?" Tsunade asked, her tone heavy with sarcasm. She'd kinda gotten used to him predicting everything she thought or decided on, he was her chief tactician after all. "As far as I know your a direct target something we haven't had in a while so until the situation is sorted no more S rank missions or A rank for that matter, maybe even B rank and for you Shikamaru we'll assign another Jonin or Chunin to accompany you on any missions with your Genin team."
"So you have absolutely no idea who's after us?" Ino questioned hoping to find out some more. She was concerned to say the least. Their last mission had been littered with inconveniences and ambushes, more than the norm but she hadn't given it any thought. Maybe Shikamaru had, oh wait she should add that to the list of things concerning Shika, and not to mention her, that he hadn't told her about.
Tsunade turned towards them. "All I can say is that there's been a rumour going round that there's a large bounty on your heads in the underworld. So the person or people after you are definitely higher up in the criminal food chain, lying low and under the radar but still powerful, make sure you remember that. I just wanted to let you guys know, be on your guard and if I find out any more I'll be sure to tell you." Tsunade waved a hand silently dismissing them.
Ino and Shikamaru filed out into the hallway. As Ino was about to head down the stairs fully intent on ignoring the Naras' presence, he grabbed her arm and turned her towards him.
His eyes were blank and lacking emotion. She should have expected this, yet his careless expression fueled the anger ranging inside her. She glanced away. "What Shika?" Her tone was harsh.
"I need you to keep out an eye for any criminals associated with the letter Z. And if possible get into Ibiki's files see if there's anything Z related in there." The fierce yet calculating look in the young Jonin eyes, snapped Ino back into shinobi mode and she made a mental note as she gave a sharp nod before pulling away, swiftly descending the stairs.
As soon as Ino reached the doors leading outside she let out the breath she'd been holding in. She knew Shika was onto something and she had no choice but to go along with it. But that didn't mean she'd forgiven him. Oh no. Until she got an apology she was willing to be civil but nothing more, no morning wake up calls or surprise breakfasts. She would be going all out to ignore and avoid him every chance she got.
She walked quickly, rushing to get home. She really didn't want to deal with Ibiki and criminals right now the best thing to do currently was to go home, take a shower and sleep, Ino reasoned. Having to deal with the emotional trauma delivered by Shika earlier on, and then the added burden of constant awareness that someone was after you, which equaled to: be on guard twenty four seven. A rest was definitely needed.
Shika shook his head as he watched the obviously pissed Ino rush down the stairs. He waited a good thirty seconds before following.
He'd figured out some of the problem. It hadn't taken him long, actually he'd suspected something strange was happening after the third ambush - cough cough attempted ambush, Ino's chakra sensing skills were at the highest level, if you know what I mean - on their journey to Suna. From there on he'd been paying close attention to their attackers noticing the 'Z's inked into the left hands of the attackers and on some of the equipment used against them. He was still confused about that damn 'Z'. Why they had them was under speculation. Several ideas had passed through his head including, the mastermind being able to tell who had taken the bounty up allowing him to punish or even kill those that had failed. Or maybe they were just underlings of the mysterious 'Z'. So many possibilities. But it couldn't hurt to have a list of high profile criminals with convenient 'Z' names. Not that the 'Z' necessarily stands for a name. It could really be anything and the vagueness was starting to frustrate him, but his frustration was quickly overcome by another thought.
A bounty huh. The idea of him being wanted was new, exciting and all but he knew it would end up troublesome. Normally people didn't tend to notice him passing him of as weak or uninteresting, he didn't have much of a presence, he didn't mind though, blending into the background gave him the upper hand of surprise and the time to pick up others habits. The reason for the bounty was intriguing as well not that he knew the reason but finding out would be a challenge he'd be happy to take up.
His thoughts turned to Ino now she was noticeable although underestimated like him. Her job at the Torture and Interrogation office put her in the minds of criminals (sometimes literally) almost daily, surly some would hold a grudge. If they made it out. Apart from that she was a high class Kunoichi, having mastered every known technique of the Yamanaka clan it was surprising she wasn't the clan head yet, though the fact that there was no clan leader currently, after the passing of Inoichi, Ino's chances of being the next clan leader were high, if the clan advisors stopped trying to delay the inevitable. Clan matters always ready to give a headache to anyone who even tried to comprehend.
Yet they were low flying exceptional shinobi the few people that did know this had a respect for them and their skill set, now that he thought about it maybe their reputation for actually being smart and productive shinobi had reached unwanted ears. It was a possibility, another to add to the list.
He reached the bottom of the stairs and casually walked out of the the academy in a complete opposite fashion of what his companion had done not to many minutes previous. His feet led him to a convenience store packed in between a Ramen joint and a carpet store on the main road.
He grabbed a packet of bandage off the shelf as well as some new hair ties, he'd just about run out and the one he was wearing now had lost it's tightness. A quick stop at the counter to pay for his items and he was out of the store and back into the mass of people.
