Disclaimer: Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!

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THE IMPORTANCE OF CLARITY
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"Haah." The tired shinobi slumped up against the large oak tree at the edge of the forest.

It had been two days since the eight Konoha shinobi left the village hidden in the leaves. At the speed they had been running, their group was now more than half way through River Country; and within half a day's journey to Suna.

Looking out into the vast desert that lay beyond the forest's edge, not too far from where he sat, the lethargic chunin sighed loudly. Inside, his heart longed to be headed in that direction; but he knew that was not where their mission was going to take them.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru mumbled, as he turned his attention back in the direction of where the seven other shinobi in his group were setting up camp.

Moments earlier, he had been assigned to go in search of firewood; a task to which the lazy Nara would have normally grumbled and moaned at. This time, however, considering the suffocating aura currently surrounding their campsite, Shikamaru had made no objections whatsoever when he had been sent away.

"Haah." He sighed again, remembering how troublesome the last two days had been.

Until that moment, Shikamaru had never realize how truly fortunate he had been that the only loud and obnoxious person he had ever been teamed up with, had been the blond kunoichi of his genin squad. But even traveling with a chatty and occasionally annoying girl like Ino, compared to Lee, Kiba, Gai, and Ijinu, was a relatively calm and peaceful experience. In truth, Shikamaru knew that Ino wasn't really as annoying as he often made her out to be in his mind. She was just a girl; and all girls were naturally…

"Troublesome." Shikamaru sighed to himself.

Women were the most troublesome beings in existence. At least that's what the Nara had always believed. But after two days with the obnoxiously loud and violent Inuzuka brothers, and the even more annoying and loud, self-proclaimed green beasts; Shikamaru had learned that perhaps there were more troublesome things in the world than women.

For two days, he had witnessed Kiba and his older brother yelling at each other as Ijinu tested his younger brother's skills. It was obvious he was attempting to train Kiba along the way, as they made their journey through Fire Country, and then through River Country. Shikamaru knew that, like himself, his fang-faced friend was up for examination in the Jounin selections at the end of the next month, so it made sense that he would be a bit anxious about his training; but it seemed to the lazy Nara, that Kiba was even more on edge than one would normally be. Shikamaru attributed that, however, to the fact that Kiba's older brother, Ijinu, seemed to thrive at torturing his younger brother; as well as trying to teach him new things.

"Hn…" Shikamaru smirked as he recalled the adjectives with which Kiba had described his elder brother on the first day that they (the Konoha 11, as they were often referred to by the village), had met Ijinu.

Violent, ill-tempered, sadistic, sociopath.

A Demon.

From what he'd evidenced in the last two days, as well the hunting-turned camping trip that the guys had all gone on a week earlier, Shikamaru didn't doubt Kiba's assessment of his older brother's personality. However, seeing Ijinu tenderly, and ferociously, watch over his woman; even to the point of nearly coming to blows with Gai over the decisions of what speed they would be traveling at, in order to reach their destination in less than the allotted time (an argument in which Shikamaru inwardly sided with the elder Inuzuka, as it was at a much slower pace than the insanely ambitious goal of 3 days to accomplish a 7 day trip). Though the proclaimed Devil Dog, was unarguably, an intimidating and violently terrifying man; observing how gentle and kind he became when dealing with Tenten's older sister made Shikamaru slightly question whether he really was as vicious as he outwardly appeared to be.

"Nara." A soft, yet deep, masculine voice called out to the lazy chunin.

"Over here." Shikamaru begrudgingly replied back to the stoic man hidden in the shadows.

"They're waiting for you." Neji informed the younger shinobi, as he walked over to the oak tree where Shikamaru was lazily looking up into the sky.

Turning to his friend, Shikamaru noted the pile of firewood Neji held under his arms; obviously having collected it knowing that the lazy Nara had had no intention of actually completing the assignment that had been given to him.

"Is that right…" Shikamaru mumbled under his breath as he stood to his feet.

"Hn." Neji grunted in response; turning to walk back in the direction of their campsite. For a moment, he waited for the other man to follow. "Nara?" Neji turned back to face the still motionless Shikamaru, to find him looking out into the direction of the desert, as a small hawk flew off into the distance.

"Just speak clearly." Shikamaru found himself saying before he even realized he was speaking.

"Hn?" Neji's right brow rose questioningly as the younger shinobi turned back over to look at the Hyuga.

"Haah." Shikamaru sighed. He had unknowingly spoken out loud without meaning to. He blamed his current hazy mood, as he looked back over into the outstretched desert plains to his left. "Hn." Shikamaru irritatedly grunted. That woman… She could cloud his judgment without her even being present. "Tenten." Shikamaru explained, as he began walking past the Hyuga; heading back toward their campsite.

He wasn't sure what it was that had happened between the two sparring partners, but from the way they had been behaving towards one another (timid and hesitant, with hints of slight embarrassment and heartache as each stole subtle longing glances at one another), Shikamaru had deduced that something had to have happened. He'd known, for a long time, from observing the stoic Hyuga, that Neji had feelings for the bun-haired kunoichi. From what he'd heard, and the little he'd bothered to notice, Shikamaru was all but certain that Tenten felt the same way. At the moment, however, it seemed as if the two had somehow drifted farther apart from what they had previously been. He could only guess that it meant the Hyuga had messed something up.

It was Shikamaru's experience that whenever a man and a woman argued, it was usually the man's fault; or at least, the woman always twisted things around so that it seemed that it was…

"Just speak clearly." Shikamaru repeated, before abruptly walked back toward the campsite; without allowing time for the Hyuga to response to his advice.

He didn't want the conversation to become any more troublesome than it already was…

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TBC
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