Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the brand names I mention in this story. I also don't own any of the music lyrics that appear.
Chapter 10
On the Run
"Let's try to get this over with," Pakkun joined us. "We don't have time to learn new techniques."
"It's okay," I shook my head. "You guys go on ahead. When I get it, we'll catch up with you."
"How will you know where we are?" Sakura asked.
Angel barked.
Let me get Pakkun's scent and I'll be able to pick it up later.
Pakkun nodded and he and Angel sniffed each other. Shikamaru, Angel, and I watched the three jump into the trees and disappear.
"Okay," Shikamaru sighed. "To jump from branch to branch, you need to gather stamina in your feet and release it in a burst when your foot touches the branch. Think you can give it a shot before they get too far ahead?"
I nodded, but just stood there. Finally, I figured something out that might work. I closed my eyes and focused all of my energy to my feet. I felt a tingling sensation, opened my eyes, and looked at Shikamaru.
"That's it," he nodded. "Now just do that when you jump off from a tree branch."
I tried what he said, but tripped and fell to the ground. Groaning, I got up and tried again…and again and again and again and again. I finally managed to get the hang of it after almost an hour later, and Shikamaru made me go as fast as ever. We finally caught up to the others about twenty minutes later.
We jumped onto the lush, green, tree branches and leapt from branch to branch. Pakkun was in the front, sniffing, I was right behind him, followed by Naruto and Sakura, and Shikamaru who brought up the rear. I had to harness the stamina in my feet to jump high and far to the next branch. Sakura had just finished explaining what had happened and Shikamaru and Naruto had just finished introducing me.
We jumped to the ground and started running.
"This is such a drag," Shikamaru groaned. "Why did you have drag me into this?"
I was about to tell him to shut up, but Pakkun jumped to the right, and we had to follow him. We leaped into the air and started jumping from branch to branch. Once in a while Pakkun would sniff and lead us in a different direction.
"How much longer?" I finally asked.
"Depends," Pakkun said.
I groaned. Patience is something I usually have, but not an attention span.
Pakkun sniffed.
"Come on you guys!" he shouted. "Hurry it up! Some ninja are right behind us!"
"You've got to be kidding," Shikamaru groaned.
We finally jumped down from the branches and touched the ground. Pakkun stopped and stared at the dirt. We stood behind him.
"What's the deal now?!" Naruto cried. "Why are we stopping?"
I glared at him.
"Just zip it and follow me," Pakkun growled.
He put his paws on his tracks and started moving backwards.
"We're going to make our footprints disappear."
He backflipped up into the air and landed on a tree branch. I groaned, found my footprints, and started walking backwards.
"Is this going to help at all?" Naruto asked.
I jumped backwards and landed next to Pakkun. Shikamaru and Sakura followed.
"You don't understand, do you?" I sighed. "It's called distracting the enemy and buying time."
"Exactly," Pakkun agreed.
"Hurry up!" Sakura shouted.
Naruto turned and looked up at us. We jumped off the branch and started the same process of leaping from branch to branch.
"Great," Pakkun said sarcastically after about 15 minutes. "Those nine ninja are going to attack us."
Sakura's eyes widened.
"We're going to have to ambush them," she said.
I rolled my eyes at her stupidity.
"Those ninja that are chasing us are Orochimaru's henchmen," Pakkun finished for me. My guess is, they're all Jounin level."
"Man, I thought that would work," Shikamaru muttered to himself.
"Why won't it work?" Naruto said.
"You guys just don't get it, except for Madeline. Let me explain. An ambush could only work under two conditions."
"Well, what are they?" Naruto asked.
"Number one: the ninja on the run must be completely quiet and…"
"Like that'll ever happen," I muttered sarcastically.
"And must find the enemy first," Shikamaru continued, ignoring my remark. "The second one is the ones being pursued have to damage the enemy quickly and disappear.
"The first one should be easy because Pakkun can sniff out the enemy. We also know our village's geography very well. However, Orochimaru is a former Leaf ninja, so on the second one, we're out of luck."
"We are?" Naruto asked. "Wait, tell me why that is, again."
"The ninja that are following us probably have studied this entire village. Also, they're probably masters of the Pursue Jutsu."
"So, they know all the cards we're holding?" Sakura restated.
"Well, I don't really know," Shikamaru sighed. "I suppose an ambush could give us an advantage, but so many things are uncertain. Besides, our enemy is a special unit that was specifically put together for this operation, and what are the five of us? A fool, a Kunoichi with no particular talent, a girl from another dimension who doesn't even know how to control chakra, a mutt, and me, the shirker who doesn't even want to be here."
We all glared at Shikamaru.
"Look," he continued. "Tactics are about clearly grasping a tough situation and formulating the best plan, and right now, only one plan makes sense, just one."
"And that is?" Sakura asked.
"You don't even know?" I snickered. "My God, you're stupid."
An anger vein appeared on Sakura's forehead. I stared calmly right back at her.
"A diversion that only looks like it's an ambush," Shikamaru finally said. "So, one of us, is gonna stay behind, and slow them down."
"One of us will be a decoy," I said, proud that I understood what Shikamaru was talking about while the others did not.
"That's right. If one of us can delay them, they shouldn't be able to find the rest of us; we'll be able to escape. Of course, the one who acts as a decoy will probably...die."
I stopped and landed on a tree branch. The others landed on a branch behind me, so that our backs were in a circle. We stood there, thinking. Birds' chirps rang out through the silent air. The emerald leaves rustled as a slight breeze whisked by and bit my skin.
"So, who's going to do it?" Shikamaru finally asked.
We said nothing.
"Angel isn't trained to track people yet so we need the dog to follow Sasuke since he's the only one who has the scent, so that means..."
I balled my hands into fists.
"I guess I'm gonna..." I started.
"I'm the only one who can do it," Shikamaru interrupted.
"Shikamaru!" Sakura gasped.
"Why does it have to be you?" Naruto asked.
"It's better than all of us going, right? Besides, I'm the only one who has a chance of pulling this off."
Shikamaru flipped over our heads and landed on a tree branch in front of us.
"And surviving the attack," he continued. "I mean after all, Shadow Possession Jutsu was invented as a delay tactic."
"No, Shikamaru," I said, shaking my head. "Let me go! You guys don't need me. I'm just slowing you down."
He turned his head, looked at me, and then turned it away.
"You need to find a way to get back to your own world, Madeline. Orochimaru's henchmen are mostly after you. If they catch you, they'll take you back to Orochimaru and who knows what he'll do to you. You don't realize it, but we'll need you more than ever later."
"Wait…What?"
"I'll catch up with you later. Go on, get going."
Naruto nodded.
"We're counting on you Shikamaru!" he yelled.
Shikamaru raised his right hand as a wave. I bit my lip and gave him a worried look while Angel jumped over to his branch and looked at him with pleading eyes. Shikamaru glanced at her, and she whimpered. He picked her up.
"I have to," I heard him whisper to her. "I'm the only one that knows what to do."
Shikamaru then turned around, jumped in front of me, and plopped Angel into my arms.
"Go," he said firmly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
I didn't want to meet his eyes, so I kept them down.
"Why does all the shit always happen to me?" I mumbled.
"You aren't the only one," Shikamaru sighed. "Now just go."
I looked up and, for once, my stubborn attitude gave up, nodded.
"C'mon," Naruto grabbed my arm.
Sighing, I jumped off the branch. Why wasn't anyone telling me what was going on? Do they all know something that I don't? I sighed again, turned around, and managed a glance back at Shikamaru. He stood there until he was a tiny dot in my vision.
"Listen," Pakkun said. "The ninja are coming up fast."
"But we've only been up here for like twenty minutes," I groaned.
"I wonder if he's even trying."
"No…Shikamaru…" Sakura muttered. "He better not have run away."
"Shikamaru will be just fine," Naruto assured. "Got it?"
"How do you know?"
"He's lazy and he's always complaining about everything, but he would never betray us."
Sakura stayed silent.
"I know he hardly volunteers to do anything himself," Naruto continued. "But if he says he's gonna do it, then he'll do it, and that's for sure."
"Pick up the pace, slackers!" Pakkun growled.
Naruto jumped ahead of the group. It stayed like this for another five minutes.
"Huh, looks like those ninja aren't chasing us anymore," Pakkun said.
"Awesome!" Naruto cried. "Shikamaru succeeded! The delay tactic, it worked!"
"Sweet," I smiled.
"What was that?" Sakura dropped to a lower branch.
Naruto and I leapt to the branch and listened. A faint boom rumbled in the dense forest.
"Trip wire traps," Pakkun landed on top of Naruto's head. "They're certainly not making it easy for Sasuke to follow them."
Giant, gray clouds had covered the sun, darkening the sky and forest. The trees had turned a dark green and the leaves almost a peacock feather color.
"Sasuke, do you think...?" Sakura asked. "Sasuke…"
"Don't worry about Sasuke," Naruto said. "He'll be fine."
Angel yawned.
How much further? I'm bored, I'm tired, and I gotta go to the bathroom.
"Which one?" I groaned.
Number one...and number two.
Before there was an accident, I hurriedly jumped down to the ground and Angel hopped off. She trotted over to a bush, disappeared for a couple of minutes, and then bounced back up to my shoulder. Sakura, Naruto, and Pakkun stared at me.
"Uh, she had to pee and do her job," I smirked, putting a hand behind my head.
Sakura made a face and we continued our chase.
Haha! How was that one? I love bugging Sakura about her girlyness. If I offended any of you who are girly-girls, I'm sorry. XD