Over the next few days Shikamaru did more reading and note-taking than during his entire stint at the Academy. He and Temari had a room all to themselves in Suna's library, a great rounded edifice made of coarse desert sand. Creeping along inside its curved walls between towering stacks of books, Shikamaru felt uncannily like an insect toiling away in a hive.
"What time is it?" he asked Temari. She sat across from him at a tall wooden table whose surface was completely covered with books and stacks of paper, many of them bearing notes made in Shikamaru's cramped scrawl or Temari's boldly elegant script. The pile of information was so high that he could only locate his companion by the top of her spiky yellow hair, jutting up above a stack of bound mission records.
She peered around the tomes to look at him. There was a smear of ink across her pale forehead. "About 3 pm," she replied. "Not time for dinner yet." Then she vanished back behind the books.
They had taken to having their meals delivered to them in the library, usually by a terrified genin who presented Temari with the food and then backed quickly out of the room. His fear of Suna's top kunoichi was justified, both because of her skills and because of the way tedious work combined with worry for her family made her temper even shorter than usual. The librarians had at first made some weak objections to their eating on the premises, but then Temari's eyes took on a dangerous look and her hand twitched back toward her great iron fan, and that was the end of that.
It could be useful to have someone pushy on your side, a fact which Shikamaru had learned long ago as a member of the same team as Ino Yamanaka. In her current mood Temari made Ino look like a pushover.
Of course Temari's drive was a double-edged sword, as it also meant that she kept a sharp eye out for any sign of slacking on Shikamaru's part. He kept trying to tell her that sitting still and simply thinking was a vital part of his process, but she responded by saying that his eyes looked too blank for there to be anything useful going on behind them. So in those moments when he had to pause to consider the data, he made sure to direct his gaze toward a piece of paper or an open book. He also held a pencil in his hand for good measure, so that to a cursory glance he appeared to be merely pausing in the midst of jotting something down. So far the little deception had kept Temari quiet.
Right now he was looking down at a sheaf of papers covered in his own writing, a distillation of the schedules and bios of each of the five victims. From the huge quantity of data gathered before and after his arrival, he had assembled those facts which he deemed most relevant and recorded them here, in the hope that writing them together would reveal some heretofore unnoticed link. Collection, review, and selection of data: these steps should yield the correct answer, if done correctly. After so many days that was beginning to seem like a big if.
Matsuri, the first victim, had also been the only one to notice her affliction during the course of a mission. But she could not pinpoint the actual onset of the condition, because she had not tried any jutsu in the days before her ill-fated attempt at a clone. As a chuunin she was proficient in all standard jutsu, and additionally she was quite skilled with the jouhyuou, a small spike on a rope used to disarm and ensnare opponents. The most notable aspects of her personal life were that she was an orphan and that she had been Gaara's very first student.
After Matsuri's incapacitation there had been a lull, a period of twelve days during which no new cases appeared and no one in Suna was aware of the true scope of the problem. But then Baki lost his jutsu. Baki was a jounin and thus possessed a wide variety of techniques, though he seemed to favor those involving wind. His personal life was unremarkable; he was unmarried and his parents had also served the Sand as shinobi. The fact that he was among the victims was ominous, for he was both influential and powerful. What could affect him could probably reach almost anyone.
Next, only a couple of days after Baki, the genin Akio lost his jutsu while on a training exercise. Akio was twelve, a newly minted ninja whose only missions so far consisted of errands in and around Suna. His parents were civilians who owned a sweet shop and did not approve of their son's choice of profession. Evidently Akio had decided to become a ninja after witnessing a puppetry demonstration given by Kankuro during a festival; he idolized the jounin and wanted to follow in his footsteps. Temari said that the whole thing made Kankuro, who disliked children, uncomfortable, but Shikamaru thought it significant that the affliction had struck someone who emulated Kankuro before moving on to Kankuro himself.
Then, later on the same day as Akio, came Takeo, whose impairment began while he was on guard duty on Suna's high wall. He was notable only for his mediocrity; he had been a chuunin for nearly five years and seemed destined to stay that way forever. He always did what was required of him and no more, a lack of initiative with which Shikamaru could personally identify. What had Shikamaru worried, though, was the fact that Takeo's similarity to Temari went beyond an affinity for the same element– like her, he also channeled his wind through a tool, a pair of sickles that he swung to send slicing gusts at his opponent. He would have been a fine warm-up for the Kazekage's sister.
The most recent case of course was Kankuro, whose formidable mastery of Suna's puppetry Shikamaru had witnessed firsthand. His past was as dark and twisted as his siblings', for as the son of the ruthless Third Kazekage and the brother of the container of Shukaku, he had seen more than his share of betrayal and atrocity.
Shikamaru sighed and looked up from his notes; no matter how many times he reread them he couldn't help but make the same conclusions. "I'm certain of it," he said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the little room.
"Certain of what?" Temari asked him. There was a rustling of paper, and then she slid aside the wall of books between them to look into his face.
"I'm certain that this has been done deliberately," said Shikamaru, "and that whoever's doing it is either in the village or nearby."
"How do you know?"
"It's the timeline. There was a long gap between Matsuri and Baki, which is consistent with someone testing out a new technique and waiting to assess its effectiveness. It makes sense that they would choose her first – she's close to Gaara, and she's a good example of a Sand-nin of average abilities. They hit her and then they watched carefully to see what would happen. When they were sure their technique worked and was permanent, they went after a bigger target – Baki. After taking him, a seasoned jounin, out of commission, they gained enough confidence to hit three more ninja within days of each other. But they hadn't thrown away all caution yet – they picked Akio and Takeo out as test subjects in preparation for their real targets, you and Kankuro. And all of it happened when the victims were either in the village or only a few days out from it, so the center of all this activity is definitely here. But the progression of victims makes too much sense for it to be random."
"So you still think all of this is aimed at Gaara?"
"Yes. Or maybe at your whole family – it's possible someone has a grudge against all of you, in which case it would make sense for them to pick you off one by one rather than confront you all together."
She sat back and folded her arms, frowning. "There's a hole in your theory," she said.
He raised an eyebrow. "A hole?"
"I haven't been attacked. And I can still use my jutsu." She made a couple of quick hand signs, and suddenly there were two Temaris, both looking at him defiantly. They spoke in concert: "According to you our enemies now know for certain that their technique is effective against a shinobi like me. So why haven't they come after me?"
He had a theory about that too, but was hesitant to voice it. "Well," he said reluctantly, "it could be more difficult for them to move now, because you're expecting it and because you're almost never alone."
The second Temari vanished with a popping noise as the original rocked back in her chair, laughing loudly. "You mean," she said, gasping for breath, "that people who were strong enough to take out Kankuro, to take out Baki, are hesitating now because you're here?"
The fact that he'd been expecting this reaction didn't make it less annoying. "Pretty much," he confirmed.
Eventually her laughter subsided. "Didn't you say you believe in being honest about your own capabilities? You're not exactly intimidating."
"Maybe not, but I'm still an unknown quantity. Whoever is behind this, they are cautious and methodical, the kind who like to account for every variable before acting."
"Shogi players, in other words."
"Yes. And good ones, too – they've taken out five ninja so far without leaving any obvious clues." He let that sink in, then asked, "Have you made any progress on that list Gaara gave you?" As promised, the Kazekage had presented them with a list of people who had reason to kill him, complete with their motives and probable locations. It was forty-four names long.
She nodded. "I think so. Of the original forty-four, twenty-five are dead or otherwise incapacitated. Of course someone could fake their own death, but ignoring that possibility for the moment, that leaves us nineteen names. I've been searching among those for cases that match the profile you gave me – people whose families or teams were killed by Gaara. That leaves three."
"And the person you mentioned, the girl from the Land of Water – is she one of the three?"
"Yes. She's also the only one of them I haven't been able to find any record of. The other two appear to be living normal lives – one as a merchant in the Land of Fire, and one as a teacher right here in the Land of Wind. I would say that this girl, Kanako Kimura, is our main suspect."
"Can you remember anything else about her, anything that might help us find or identify her?"
"Not really. She was just a little girl at the time, around Gaara's age. She'd be a teenager now."
Violence begetting violence, revenge begetting revenge … It was enough to make a person retire and play shogi for the rest of his life. He said, "Even if this Kimura is the one behind it, we're still no closer to stopping her. And she may have help – I'd even say that's likely."
He looked down again at his notes, eyes automatically scanning the words written there even though he'd already memorized the important facts. Something dawned on him.
"Temari …."
"What?"
"It's been here the whole time, staring me in the face. I didn't notice it because it was so vague … But looking at the activities of the five victims in the days before they lost their jutsu, they all did something called 'Resource Protection Rotation.' What is that?"
She was already shaking her head by the time he finished. "No, that's not the link you're looking for. That's something every shinobi, from the newest genin up to the Kazekage himself, does every three or four days. It's just a vague term for guard duty. Suna is only able to exist here because of the presence of a natural spring nearby. Without it, the village would have no water. So every Sand-nin has to take their turn protecting the spring on a regular basis. It's true that the five victims all did that in the days before they were affected, but so did every other shinobi of this village."
Damn. But Shikamaru wasn't ready to give up yet. "Still, it's the only thing all five have in common. It could be that whoever is causing this is waiting to strike until their intended victim is near the spring. It's actually a clever scheme – because every Sand-nin has to take a turn, they only have to sit and wait until the intended victim turns up, without the need for doing reconnaissance."
Temari thought a moment. "That … actually might explain why I haven't been affected yet. If they were planning to get me around the same time as Kankuro, waiting for me to take my turn, then they would have been disappointed – all of my other duties are on hold as long as I'm helping you."
"That fits," he agreed. "So you admit – it could be my presence here that's keeping you safe."
She scowled and folded her arms. "Even if it's true, it's really more of a side effect than anything you did intentionally."
"Whatever makes you feel better about it," he said snidely. Then he stood up, stretched, and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?"
"To see the Kazekage. We have a likely suspect and a good idea of where the enemy is holed up. What happens next is up to him."
***
Gaara listened to their theory with no visible expression. "I remember killing the Kimuras," he said when they had finished. "But I can't recall the child's face. Do you really think it's her?"
Shikamaru shrugged. "At this point it's nothing better than a good guess, based on the selection of victims. What's more important is that we think there may be clues, or even the people behind this, hidden near your village spring."
"In that case," said Gaara, "I'll order a search of the area."
"I have a better idea," said Temari. "Let's lay a trap for them. We think they want me next, and if that's the case, they'll be waiting for me to show up at the spring. We can have a team of ninja hide in and around the area, then I'll go in and try to draw the enemy out. When they come after me, we catch them."
Gaara's mouth tightened into a thin line. "No," he said. "It's too dangerous. I don't want you going there."
"Yeah, I have to agree," said Shikamaru. "You're forgetting that they've already managed to get two other jounin who are at least as skilled as you, and neither of them noticed anything. It's not like they're going to jump out and attack you – it's more likely they'll stay hidden and use the same technique they used against the others. You'd lose your jutsu and we'd be no closer to an answer." He smiled wryly. "It's not that I object to using you as bait, I just don't think it'll get us anywhere."
"You got a better idea, then?"
"Of course. We need to survey the spring, but anybody we send in runs the risk of becoming the next victim. But our enemy seems unwilling to target anyone whose powers they haven't first scoped out. So the most logical choice is to send in someone they've never seen before."
"It sounds like you're volunteering."
"I guess I am."
Gaara was staring at Shikamaru. "Shikamaru," he said, "while you're here, you are my responsibility. I don't want to put you at unnecessary risk. But I agree that this seems like the best option. Are you sure you're willing to do it?"
He shrugged again. "It's a drag, but yeah, I'm willing. It beats sitting in the library all day with your sister, anyway. It'd be worth it just to get outside for a while. And like I told Temari, I wouldn't be all that devastated to become a civilian – I'd have a lot more time on my hands."
Gaara nodded solemnly. "Then I'll escort you there myself. Temari will return to the hospital to fill the others in on your theories and ask for their input."
At this, Temari scowled and opened her mouth to protest. Gaara silenced her by holding up a single hand.
"It's not a request," he said flatly.
She shut up and left to do as she was told.
***
Suna's only spring flowed from the midst of a rock formation just outside the village's wall, a haphazard collection of boulders tumbling from the southern point of the hollow mesa onto the blowing sand. A narrow zigzag passage cut into the wall led them outside, and by the time they reached its end Shikamaru could hear the unmistakable sound of running water.
Gaara halted, as did the two hulking bodyguards he'd brought with him. "This is where I leave you," he said. "Just follow this path straight, and you'll reach the installation around the spring. I've already sent word for the guards to admit you and assist you any way they can."
"Thanks," said Shikamaru. They had agreed that he would conduct the search of the spring alone, for even though the next most likely target was Temari, he couldn't rule out the possibility that Gaara was also on the list of intended victims. It would be disastrous if the Kazekage lost his ability to perform ninjutsu.
"I'll wait for you here," said Gaara.
Shikamaru had already started toward the spring, but at this he turned back in surprise. "That's not necessary. I'm sure you've got more important things to do."
"Not really." Gaara looked briefly at the ground, then met Shikamaru's gaze with his own icy stare. "Solving this mystery and helping those who've been affected is my highest priority."
"Of course. It's a threat to your village if its finest shinobi are taken out of commission."
"It's not just that. This is not the first time that others have suffered because they were close to me. As the Kazekage it is my duty to protect this village, but instead I seem to draw it into conflict."
It was true that Gaara's presence in the Sand had attracted unwanted attention in the past, in particular from Akatsuki, and that some of his subordinates had paid for it with their lives. Shikamaru couldn't possibly deny those facts, and he didn't think the Kazekage was expecting him to.
"The Leaf has also suffered due to the presence of its own jinchuuriki," he said after some thought. "But I don't think anybody really regrets having Naruto around. To his friends and comrades, he's worth the risk. The people of Suna must feel the same, or they wouldn't accept you as Kazekage."
Gaara blinked, considering his words. Finally he simply repeated, "I'll wait for you here."
Shikamaru nodded and turned to go. Soon a bend in the passageway hid Gaara from sight, and a few meters after that he exited into daylight. The vista that greeted him was a study in contrast, blue above and red below, everything vastly bigger than in the claustrophobic forests around Konoha. The path before him wound across and between rocks the size of houses, terminating at a squat brick building built over a low place among the boulders – the spring. He made his way there, careful of the treacherous footing.
His progress was being observed by shinobi positioned along the path, but the Kazekage's advance warning kept anyone from impeding his progress. At the building's entrance he was greeted by a man in the same mold as Baki – heavily muscled, face partially obscured by wrappings. They went inside.
Within, a railing jutted out from the walls to overlook a foaming pool, and the air thrummed with the roar of water and the sound of machinery. "This is where the water is purified before being pumped into the village!" his guide shouted above the noise.
"How many guards inside the building?" Shikamaru asked. He had to repeat the question several times before the other man heard him.
"Three!" He pointed at himself, then across the way to where a woman stood on the balcony opposite them, then down below to where a man could barely be seen among the machines at the edge of the pool. As they watched, that one moved about a meter to the right, casually stepping out onto the surface of the water as he did so.
"I'm going to look around!" Shikamaru shouted, eliciting a nod from his guide. He hoped he didn't have to ask too many questions of these people – trying to make yourself heard over the spring's cacophony was a real pain.
During the next hour, he thoroughly searched the inside of the installation, then moved outside when that proved fruitless. The great boulders were also devoid of clues, and the only thing he gained after scouring the area was a painful burn from the merciless desert sun. There really wasn't any place here for hypothetical assailants to hide out – the brick building was too small and cramped with machines, while its surroundings were too exposed. He was going to have to rethink his theory altogether.
He started back to Suna with a gnawing sense of dissatisfaction. His suppositions had been based on very little evidence, but they fit the situation so well he was loath to abandon them. He was supposed to be clever but right now he felt stupid, uncertain what to try next. Possibly they could adapt Temari's idea of an ambush …
Gaara was right where he'd left him, sitting cross-legged on the floor of the passageway, examining something in the palm of his hand. He looked up when Shikamaru came into view.
"You're back," he said. "Did you find anything?"
"No. And now that I've seen it, I find it unlikely that anybody could conceal themselves near the spring. It's too heavily guarded, and there are no good hiding places. I think we need a new approach."
He had expected Gaara to be disappointed, but incredibly the Kazekage greeted this pronouncement with a slight smile. "I wouldn't throw the old one away so soon," he said. "Look." He held out his left hand, where something shiny was cupped in his palm.
Bending closer, Shikamaru saw that it was a kunai with a broken hilt. The shape was slightly different from those used by the Leaf, but there was no mistaking the little knife's size and sharpness.
"It's a kunai," he said. "But I've never seen one like this before. Is it one of Suna's?"
"No. But this shape is prevalent in the Land of Water."
Shikamaru gaped. "But … where did you find it?"
In response Gaara pointed upward. With his eyes Shikamaru followed the walls of the passageway up to where they met in a point high above. It seemed this passageway had been carved to follow a natural seam in the rock, for the portion of the walls above head-height was rough and irregular, hewn by nature and not by man. There were a number of ledges up there, some only a few centimeters wide, others deep enough that their back wall was lost in darkness.
Immediately Shikamaru understood. "They were up there," he said, "on a ledge."
"Yes," Gaara replied. "On that ledge, specifically." He indicated one about ten meters above the ground. "There was an abandoned campsite there – discarded torches, and this. It was a perfect choice – it let the enemy see who was coming to and from the spring without being observed themselves, and they would only have to fear discovery when the guard changed every few hours. In between they would have had this passage to themselves."
"But how did you know? What made you think to look up there?"
"It was the sand. The wind blew through here while you were gone, and it blew sand off all the ledges in here, except that one."
Of course. It was simple, but subtle. "Because the enemy had already cleared away the sand up there when they set up camp. It's a good thing you noticed that and understood what it meant!"
"I am always aware of the sand. Had it been snow or feathers, it might have escaped my attention."
"Did you use your sand to get up to the ledge?"
"Yes."
"Then your jutsu is still working – that's good."
"What about yours?"
In the excitement of having his guesses confirmed, he'd totally forgotten the risk. Gaara's bodyguards carried electric torches that cast angular shadows over the rocky walls; with a little effort of will Shikamaru was able to manipulate one of those into a fat line that writhed like a snake for a moment before falling back into its original form.
"Still fine," he said. He couldn't help but be a little relieved.
"I see," said Gaara. "I'll take you up to the ledge in a moment to examine it for yourself. I believe it hasn't been occupied for at least a week, so whoever was camped there has moved somewhere else. But there definitely was somebody hiding up there. It seems your instinct to come to this area was correct, as was your guess about the identity of our enemy. I am impressed – I see Temari was right to suggest we ask for your help."
Shikamaru's thoughts were whirling, his mind in overdrive. But something in Gaara's words brought him up short.
"Wait – it was Temari's idea to bring me here?"
"Yes. She remembered you from the chuunin exams, and had also heard of your victory against Akatsuki. I was skeptical about bringing in an outsider, but she was adamant."
So she'd lied, attributed his presence here to Gaara instead of herself. Obviously she had been too proud to admit the truth to him.
It was a long day, as he and the Kazekage minutely examined every centimeter of the passageway looking for more clues. In the end, the kunai was all they found. By the time they left it was already night, the moon bright and full in the sky, and they were no closer to knowing the current location of their enemy. But in spite of his exhaustion and the magnitude of the task ahead, when he remembered Temari's lie, Shikamaru couldn't keep from grinning.