Disclaimer; Don't own Naruto
Chapter 26
Embarrassment and Running
Shikamaru woke slowly, the sound of the others breathing reaching his ears, letting him know they were still asleep. Temari was nestled against him, resting against his chest with one leg thrown over his and clutching him like a giant teddy bear. Her skin was soft against his and he could feel the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. He was absently stroking her back when the fact that he could feel her skin hit him. He froze.
Gulping, he slowly lifted the blanket to notice that Temari was shirtless and in bed with him. A quick check showed that they were still somewhat covered, of which he was thankful for.
Temari shifted against him, hugging him closer as the cold air assaulted her body from him lifting the blanket cooled her down. He quickly let the blanket fall back on them to prevent her from waking up.
The last thing he remembered was her rubbing that sweet smelling ointment into his back and neck to help alleviate the tension that had slowly been growing there. He recalled it had felt quite good to and absently contemplated getting her to do it more often.
His hand started to stroke her back again completely of its own free will. He tried to stop it several times, but the moment he was distracted it would start again until he just gave up trying to fight it.
"Damn this is so troublesome." He grumbled to himself. "Troublesome, but pleasant." He finally admitted to himself. "Like bothering to get up in the morning, but being rewarded with a spectacular sunrise. Or going through the trouble of walking down the street to buy Choji lunch, but being reward with his gratitude and friendship."
He resigned himself to the situation. He had no doubt Temari had done this so he doubted she wouldn't get upset when she woke up. Giving her reaction last time, he had no doubt she would want to stay in bed and cuddle for a while either.
Fortunately for him, this time there were time limits as to how long they could stay in bed. He felt Temari shift against him again and he looked down to see her blink her eyes open to look up at him.
"Ohayo." He greeted.
"Ohayo." She smiled back. "How long have you been awake?" She demanded, not shifting from her position at all.
"Not long." He answered.
"Good. You needed a good nights rest." She did shift now, politely removing her leg from being wrapped around his, but the rest of her remained flushed against him. "It's cold this morning." She commented.
"Hai." He agreed.
It was rather chilly. The sound of rain could be heard pattering against the tarp strung over the tent and he had no doubt it was going to be a wet morning. Hopefully it would clear off by noon.
She nestled right up against him, shivering slightly, to the point she was almost trying to crawl under him. Her teeth were starting to chatter now. She was from the desert and he had no doubt that if he found it chilly, she must be absolutely freezing.
He hesitated only briefly, weighing the consequences of this action. If he did this, there was no going back, but a gentleman couldn't sit back and let a woman freeze. He shifted around until he was on his side and had her nestled against him, using his own body heat to keep her warm.
She was completely shocked, of that he had no doubt. She had instigated all intimate positions in the past. He had never done anything so troublesome as to instigate one on his own.
"What kind of gentleman would I be if I let you freeze?" He explained to her stunned silence.
"If I knew freezing was what it took, I would have dragged us to the arctic." She grinned.
"Keep it down you two." Came a sleepy mumble from one of the other lumps of blankets.
"Naruto-kun." Temari sighed. "Go back to sleep." She commanded.
They glanced over to the shadow of blankets that was Naruto and Hinata. Those two had been sleeping together since Naruto's declaration of love. They still both wore clothing to bed. They may love each other, but both were still shy about doing anything too intimate as neither one had any experience.
Hinata was curled up against Naruto and still sleeping deeply. Naruto had one arm wrapped around her possessively as if he feared someone would try and take her away. It was a defensive action that both of them recognized as his innate fear that anything he cared for this deeply would be taken away from him.
Naruto grumbled something, but did pull Hinata tighter against him and closed his eyes again. In moments his deep breathing let them know he was sleeping again. Hinata shifted slightly at Naruto's disturbance of her, but didn't wake up. She just nestled closer against him now that her body was starting to register how cold it was.
A glance at Ino and Sakura showed that they were all curled up and nestled back to back under the blankets, using their breath as a natural heater.
He felt Temari shift against him and he looked down at her to see her eyes were closed again and her breathing was starting to get deeper, indicating she was falling asleep again.
In his distraction he hadn't noticed that that troublesome hand had been rubbing her stomach when he hadn't been paying attention. He felt a sudden urging to glue it to his side or something before it got him into trouble.
He forced himself to stop, but soon enough he was at it again. He sighed in exasperation and just gave up. Apparently his body wasn't going to obey him. It never seemed to when Temari was around. It started to do strange things and he started to think very troublesome thoughts.
Eventually he drifted asleep again too.
(break)
Temari woke up the second time that morning, a little dazed and realizing she was nestled up against something warm and that something warm was all but laying on top of her, providing her the blessed warmth she was curled against.
Her foggy mind started to clear and she recalled waking up the first time, though it was still a bit of a daze. A glance around showed everyone still sleeping in the same positions as the last time she woke up.
Behind her she could hear Shikamaru's even breathing, indicating he was still asleep. Which explained why his hand was absently stroking one of her breasts. She had no doubt in her mind he would never do anything like that if he were awake.
She grinned as all the possibilities came to her. She wasn't upset in anyway. It's not like she had never had a man touch her like that before. She was just surprised that body shy Shikamaru would dare to even in his sleep.
She felt him stir behind her and his breathing picked up. She knew he was waking up and started counting to see how long it would take him to realize what it was he was doing.
"Ohayo." She greeted him warmly when she heard him yawn slightly from behind her.
"Ohayo." He greeted back.
Ten seconds and he still hadn't noticed.
"Sounds like it's raining." She commented.
"Hai. It is going to be a wet morning." He agreed.
Twenty-five seconds.
"Think it will clear up later?" She asked.
"I hope so." He answered.
"Good. I hate rain. It's wet, it's cold, and it finds you no matter where you hide." She grumbled.
Fifty seconds.
"You seem to like bathes and showers." He countered.
"Warm, can be sweet smelling and full of bubbles, and escapable." She explained.
Over a minute and he still hadn't noticed. She wondered how long she could continue to distract him before he noticed.
"Once we get to Meiyo-san's base, we should probably rest for at least a week and gather provisions. I think it would be best if we ask her to take us to Seika so Gaara can negotiate for help and thank their Seikage personally." She suggested.
"A good idea. Seikage-sama might be able to help us get back to our own continent, maybe provide funding for a boat or help us get back through the portal. But we shouldn't count on it. Meiyo made it sound like they were under siege and clearly couldn't afford to send any experience Jounin with them. We have Genma-san, and I have a feeling that is all we are going to get." He pointed out.
"Hai." She agreed. "But Meiyo's group doesn't seem like a lot of pushovers. Maybe they can help us."
"If that is the case, we are going to have to spend more time training together. The fights we have had so far have primarily just been skirmishes thanks to the advanced warnings we have received, but that won't last forever."
"It would also be best to train our group what to expect out of the desert a bit more. Ino, Choji, Shino, Hanabi, and Konohamaru have never been that we know of and Kiba, Hinata, Tenten and Lee had been only briefly and on the border.
"Hanabi and Konohamaru?" He asked.
"We are taking them with us. Both have done well and Konohamaru is the grandson of your Sandaime Hokage. That may give him some political power with the Seikage. Hanabi's byakugan has been a great asset and she is stronger in the Jyuuken art then Hinata is." Temari explained.
Shikamaru had no argument for that.
Over ten minutes and he still hadn't noticed.
Naruto started to stir again, resulting in Hinata waking up. The Hyuuga girl woke with a yawn, than quickly blushed when she realized how tight of a hold Naruto had on her.
"Ohayo, Hinata-chan." Temari greeted her.
"Ohayo Temari-chan, Shikamaru-kun." Hinata greeted them.
Naruto yawned and stretched as he woke up before hugging Hinata against him again.
"Ohayo." He greeted everyone.
"Ohayo, Naruto-kun." Hinata stuttered slightly.
Naruto grinned and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before crawling out of the blankets and getting his jacket and shoes on. Hinata went even redder.
"I am going to go find us some tea and food." Naruto promised.
"Arigato, Naruto-kun." Hinata thanked.
Ino and Sakura woke up next. Both girls were a little groggy and in downed sprits when they heard the sound of the rain hitting the tarp.
"I hate rain." Ino sighed.
"You aren't going to melt." Shikamaru sighed in a way that had Temari thinking this was an old argument between the two former team mates.
"Iie, but you get mud in your hair and you get wet, and cold, and miserable." She grumbled. "And I have first patrol." She added with a curse.
Ino crawled out of the bed and got prepared for the day, cursing how cold it was before passing Naruto at the tent flap, who handed her a cup of tea as they passed.
"Arigato." She thanked him gratefully.
Naruto delivered one to Hinata, than Sakura next. It was only when Shikamaru went to take his that he finally realized what he had been doing. His entire body froze in shock and he must have made one hell of face because Naruto suddenly was looking at him curiously.
"What's wrong, Shikamaru-kun?" Naruto asked concerned.
"Nothing. My cold feet just touched him." Temari answered innocently as she took the two cups of tea from Naruto and set them down before shifting in the blankets so she was sitting up and facing Shikamaru, back facing the others and giving Shikamaru a full view of her almost naked body.
His mouth was gapped open and he looked like a landed carp.
"Here." She handed him his tea.
He took it but didn't do anything after that. She picked up hers and took a sip, eyes closed in bliss as the warmth flooded her.
"Oh close your mouth before a fly flies in." She smiled at him. "You look like a baka."
His mouth snapped shut and he actually blushed and averted his gaze. She could feel the other three watching them and wondering what was going on.
"Oi, are you blushing Shikamaru-kun?" Naruto asked.
"Iie." Shikamaru answered and took a sip of his tea, trying vainly to regain his composure.
"You are so cute when you blush." She whispered with a grin. "You know it took you over twenty minutes to notice what you were doing."
His blush deepened and he had a look of horror on his face.
She leaned in until they were almost nose-to-nose and the only way he could have escaped was to go through the tent wall.
"Arigato." She smiled and then planted a kiss on his forehead before sitting up strait again and finishing her tea.
He was bright red and trying to hide it. He was so cute when he blushed it made her want to giggle, but she forced herself to spare him the indignity of it. The others remained quiet, though she knew Naruto was silently cheering her on and Ino would curse for having missed the show.
They finished their tea and got dressed before helping the others pack up their gear and the tent. Gaara had his suna up in a ceiling above him and all of the bags were being left next to him to keep everything dry. The children were sitting at his feet huddled in their jackets and showing no fear of him whatsoever.
Breakfast was a warm porridge that was handed around to everyone in the bowls they were forced to share. No one complained.
If it was one nice thing about rain, it was that the world always smelt fresher and sharper. It was the only thing about it Temari liked. The smell of the forest after a rainfall was one of the most amazing things she had ever smelt.
Meiyo went over the terrain with them again, reminding them not to cross the river, before they set out. So far there had been no signs that their hunters had found them and that wasn't surprising giving the amount of lakeshore that was going to have to be searched.
As predicted, the rain let up at noon and a bit of clue sky peeked between the clouds promising a break in the rain. They stopped for lunch just past noon.
"Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata-chan, and Shino." Temari called.
All four came up to her. Off to the side Meiyo had also called four of her warriors to her.
"Let me guess, we get back trail checking?" Kiba asked.
"Hai." She grinned at them.
"Alright, but we better get double the portions for lunch." Kiba grumbled.
"Kiba-kun." Hinata sighed.
The four of them joined up with Keiji, Kannon, Kageko and Inuka.
The six humans quickly discussed who was going where, then set out.
"I see you still have our old teams memorized." Shikamaru admitted.
About time he talk to her. He hadn't said a word since the tent to her all day. On the funny side he kept blushing whenever she threw a glance his way.
"I did have to memorize them for the invasion and Chuunin exam." She pointed out.
"True. He admitted. "Ah, Temari, about earlier…"
"If I didn't like it you wouldn't be standing here now, so quit antagonizing over it. You have got to be the straitest male I have ever met. Most of my interest couldn't wait to get down my skirt. You I have to drag."
He looked at her in shock.
"I guess that's just one of the many things I love about you. I wasn't lying when I said the Desert Rose wouldn't give up until the Shadow tasted the sun." She grinned at him.
"Oi, save the bed talk for the bed." Naruto interjected.
"Yeah, I don't think Shikamaru-kun can go any redder." Ino added with a giggle.
"All this over cold feet." Naruto sighed.
"Shikamaru-kun got cold feet huh? Amazing considering how much time he spends lying in the sun all day watching the clouds drift by." Ino played off of Naruto.
"Oi, leave Shikamaru alone already." Choji interjected.
"Arigato Choji. At least I know I still have one friend left." Shikamaru thanked him.
"Oi, Temari, have you seen Gaara?" Kankurou asked as he joined them.
"Iie." She admitted, looking around for her younger brother.
"He's been missing since we stopped." Kankurou complained.
"He's over there." Naruto pointed to a cluster of children.
"With the kids?" Kankurou demanded in disbelief.
"They ambushed him the moment we stopped and asked him to make suna sculptures. He tried to get out of it but I pointed out how good it was for practicing and training his control." Naruto explained.
"Gaara is playing with children?" Kankurou demanded again, his voice clearly displaying his shock.
"Hai." Naruto answered.
"Gaara is in that mess of children and there is no blood flying?"
"Hai."
"I need a drink." Kankurou muttered as he wandered off.
"Is that the truth or were you just getting him riled up?" Temari demanded, also not believing that Gaara could possibly be in that group of children.
In answer, Naruto walked up to the group of children and worked his way into the center. Temari could only watch in shock as Naruto bent down and lifted a stunned Gaara into the air to the squealing delight of the children.
"Look what I found. Can I keep it." Naruto shouted in joy.
Temari could have fainted. Kankurou did. The children howled in laughter, and even a few of the others laughed.
"Naruto, if you don't put me down, I will kill you." Gaara stated calmly.
"He's such a spoil sport, isn't he?" Naruto asked the kids as he set Gaara back down on his feet. "Bet he hasn't been able to make a full park yet." Naruto challenged.
"Why would I make a park?" Gaara asked.
"Because it is A) good practice at you control, B) good training at your ability to keep a complex shape for extended periods of time, C) parks are fun, and D) because I suggested it." Naruto answered.
"Park, park, park." The children started to chant.
Gaara glanced down at them, over forty pairs of eager eyes shinning in delight looking up at him in expectantly.
"I almost miss the days when others feared me and ran for their lives." Gaara grumbled, but his suna did stir and start to mold itself.
He did make a park, a small one, but a park nonetheless. It was about the size mice would use, but the detail was amazing and even Naruto had to admit he was impressed. Temari was stunned her brother had that much control over his suna.
She had been worried about his comment on missing the days he had been feared, but she saw a hint of a smirk on his face and knew he was joking. Somehow Naruto was always able to be so open with him and it never angered him.
"Oi, Kankurou, you can wake up now." Shikamaru called to her fainted brother.
Kankurou cracked an eye open.
"Everyone is still alive." He marveled.
"Only because Naruto-kun was the one who did it." Temari pointed out. "For kami sake you look ridiculous. Get off the ground already. At this rate Meiyo's group is going to wonder how we made it this far without killing ourselves."
"I don' think so. Look at Uzumaki and Niku. I think they know what it is like dealing with crazy people." Ino pointed out.
A glance showed that Uzumaki was rolling on the ground with Inuko and Tsume laughing at them. Niku was being fended off by Tenten, who was defending Neji again, without looking like she was defending him of course, with him trying to pretend he wasn't hiding behind her.
They shared a look, than burst into laughter. In all the time Temari had traveled with Neji, she had never seen him so flustered.
"Next time I will ask Neji to scout our rear guard." She chuckled. "If only to save him from Niku."
"Great, who's going to save me from you?" Shikamaru muttered.
"Did you say something Shikamaru-kun?" She asked sweetly.
"Iie." He denied
"So Ino-chan, you seem to be getting along well with Keiji." Temari smirked.
"He did save my life." Ino pointed out.
"And the fact that he looks like your childhood crush with a better attitude doesn't help any?" Choji asked innocently.
Ino levelled a glare at him.
"Oh?" Temari asked.
"Like every other girl in our group, Ino had a thing for Sasuke." Choji explained.
"Sasuke huh. Granted he was strong and determined, but far too angst out for my liking." Temari stated.
"You like Shikamaru-kun, that's saying a lot about your taste in men." Ino countered.
"Oi." Shikamaru protested.
"Nani?" Ino asked.
"You don't have to make me seem bad or something." He grumbled.
"Shikamaru-kun has his qualities." Temari defended.
"Like what?" Ino challenged.
"Oi, this isn't necessary." Shikamaru tried to protest.
"For starters he is extremely loyal, even if he is lazy and unmotivated. When he does decide to do something, he does it all the way. He doesn't just rush blindly into things and he cares about everyone, even if he doesn't like them much." Temari stated as if counting facts. "He thinks of others first before himself."
"He is lazy, unmotivated, and hardly up there in the looks department." Ino scoffed.
"Oi." Shikamaru tried to protest half-heartedly.
"Most so called good looking people tend to have attitudes that are far too vain for their own good." Temari snorted. "They spend so much time thinking about their looks and worrying about their image that they tend to forget what is important in life."
"So what is it about Shikamaru you really like." Ino demanded.
"I love his intelligence and loyalty to his companions. I love how he treats all fair even if he doesn't like them. I love the way he doesn't give up and puts all of his concentration into the task set before him." She answered without hesitation. "To him it isn't the out side that maters it is the inside. That is all that matters to me."
Ino was grinning. Temari blinked then suddenly realized that Ino had baited her and she had fallen for it. She glanced at Shikamaru, having totally forgotten he had been standing beside her.
Ino grinned at her before walking away to help Tenten fend off Niku and defend Neji, who was continuing to pretend he wasn't hiding behind Tenten.
"Tied score." Choji commented.
"Tied score?" Shikamaru asked.
"Four points for Naruto and four points for Ino." Choji explained as he left the two of them alone, making his way towards the nearest source of food.
Temari glanced at Shikamaru, who was still staring at her wide-eyed.
Temari blushed, than mumbled some excuse about checking on Gaara before wandering off. Shikamaru came to one conclusion. All right, he came to two. First, what Temari loved about him was all of the qualities he would have labeled for himself if asked and forced to answer. But more importantly, he came to the conclusion that Temari was very cute when she blushed.
(break)
The forest was relatively quiet around him, but he didn't drop his guard. Meiyo trusted him and his team to get the job done and so help him he would never fail her. Kageko was off to the right with Hinata and Inuka. Shino and Kiba were to his left with Akamaru. Kannon was sitting next to him, completely unconscious, at least his human body was.
A brown falcon was sitting in the tree above his shoulder, eyes staring intently at him.
"Ready to go than." Keiji asked.
The bird chirped in agreement, spread its wings, and took to the sky. Keiji threw Kannon's body over his shoulder and followed the bird.
"Damn you're getting heavy Kannon-kun." Keiji sighed. "Carrying you around is getting difficult. Kageko-chan is right, you weigh a ton."
The falcon in the air continued to fly above him, circling the sky. Keiji chuckled when he remembered how long it had taken Kannon to get use to that view. His body had been sick no few times during the years of training to perfect this.
Spinning around in a circle had made him sick and unable to walk strait for several minutes. Of course he and Kageko had to clean up the resulting mess. It was no wonder Kageko and Kannon argued so much, though when they combined their skills it was enough to stop even him when used in ambush.
Kageko and Kannon may fight and argue, but they always put that aside when the situation deemed it. It may get annoying when the two of them fought, but he could have ended up with worse teammates, like Nikuyaku for example. He was offensive, they were defensive.
His head snapped to the air in shock as the falcon gave a scream.
"Kannon." He thought worried, but the falcon was still spinning in the air and let lose another scream. "Shit, they caught up to us already." Keiji cursed.
The falcon dived and landed in the tree next to him.
"Go and warn Meiyo. I will carry you back." Keiji ordered.
The falcon nodded its head in agreement and took to the sky again, flying as fast as possible back the way they had came. The falcon screamed again, but this time in pain.
"Kannon!" Keiji silently shouted in worry.
Blood began to poor down Kannon's arm. Keiji pulled out his field kit and quickly wrapped the wound up before racing back to Meiyo. Kannon hadn't returned to his body so Keiji assumed he was fine to continue the mission.
"Oi, what's going on?" Kiba demanded as he, Shino and Akamaru joined him.
"Kannon spotted the enemy." Keiji explained.
"So that was what the falcon's scream was about." Shino stated.
"Hai. As we already explained to Ino-chan, Kannon can use his Shintenshin on animals, birds being the best. He is on his way now to warn Meiyo." Keiji explained.
"What about Hinata, Kageko, and Inuka?" Kiba demanded.
"Kageko and Inuka would have heard and recognized the warning. We have been a team for over four years." Keiji answered.
"They are on their way back to the camp." Shino stated.
They traveled in silence for several minutes, than Kannon began to stir.
"Kannon." Keiji called.
"Ow." The blond haired boy complained.
"Are you alright?" Keiji demanded.
"Hai. One of those bastards got my wing with a needle. Doku-kun put the falcon to sleep and Chiyu-chan is caring for it, least we can do for getting the poor thing wounded." Kannon reported.
"What are our orders?"
"Meiyo wants us to get back to meet up with the others and take rear guard. Everything is packed up and they are on the move already. Shino, Temari says you can show us the way even if Inuka and Akamaru lose the trail." Kannon reported.
Keiji set his teammate down and Kannon began to run on his own, though he clutched his shoulder in clear pain as he did so. A glance on the back trail showed that Kannon was leaving a trail of blood the scent hounds Kenari used would easily be able to track.
"Kannon, you are bleeding badly and leaving a trail. Go ahead and get Chiyu-chan to treat you." Keiji ordered.
"Damn useless bastard, always slowing us down." Kageko cursed as her group appeared.
"Keh, at least I found them, unlike you. You are utterly useless if you don't have a shoji board in front of you." Kannon countered.
"At least I don't leave trails of blood leading right to us." Kageko countered.
"At least I got everyone warned instead of wasting precious time looking for seventeen layers of traps."
"I wouldn't have announced my presence to the enemy in the first place. I would have flown to each group and warned them."
"That isn't how a falcon behaves baka. They would have known right away. It was only a lucky guess that they hit me." Kannon countered.
"Oi, enough." Keiji interjected. "Kannon, get going. The rest of us will cover the rear."
"Hai." Kannon saluted as he ran forward to catch up with the main group, still clutching his wounded arm.
The cut was deep and Keiji wondered if the bird Kannon had used would even live. Chiyu would care for it to the best of her ability, but if Kannon was bleeding this much, the bird had to have been badly injured and Kannon had only antagonized the wound by force flying to Meiyo before releasing the jutsu.
Inuka and Akamaru suddenly started barking. Normally Inuka would have shouted the warning, but he found it hard to speak when running full bore and tongue lolling out of his mouth to keep cool.
"Shit." Kiba cursed. "They are right behind us." He reported.
"Byakugan." Hinata activated her bloodline ability. "Ano, there are ten Inu and four people in my immediate range about one mile back." She reported.
"Anything further?" Keiji demanded.
"Hai, lots of others. I can't get an accurate count, but they out number us. I see Kenari-san and Yashero-san." Hinata suddenly gasped.
"What is it?" Shino asked.
"I see two people wearing the black and red cloaks of Akatsuki. They have their hats on so I don't know which two they are." She reported.
"Process of elimination." Shino commanded.
"Hai. Ano, they aren't short. One has a wrapped sword on the back and is considerably taller then the other."
"Kisame." Shino stated, recognizing the description easily. "What of the other?"
"There is nothing to distinguish him or her." Hinata reported.
"Shikamaru and Temari mentioned that this Akatsuki of yours moved in pairs. They said that they only knew four members. If I recalled correctly, the partner to the one called Kisame was Itachi." Keiji stated, Meiyo having filled him in.
"Itachi?" Kiba asked in confusion, not recognizing either name but the way Keiji had said them let the boy know something bad was up.
"Uchiha Itachi." Shino explained. "ANBU captain by thirteen. He is strong."
"Sasuke's older brother." Kiba finally clicked in. "The one who slaughter his entire clan? That man is behind us?" There was no doubt the hint of fear in Kiba's voice.
From what little Meiyo had a managed to learn from Temari and Shikamaru, Itachi was not a man to be messed with. Even he would stand no chance with the back up he currently had, even with the mastery he had over his Sharingan. Kisame alone they might have been able to handle, but another user of the Sharingan, a full user of the Sharingan, would be too much.
"Traps." Keiji ordered calmly.
They came to a halt and quickly set some traps before running again. It wasn't much, but it just might buy them some time.
"Hinata, I need you to scout ahead. Meiyo is most likely bringing up the rear and she will be able to see us. The moment you see her, do this with your hands." Keiji ordered as he showed her to clasp her hands together with fingers pointing down.
"Hai… I see her." Hinata reported a few seconds later. "She has returned the signal."
"Good. Meiyo is going to start setting traps. Everyone get up to the highest branches. Hinata, Akamaru, Inuka, keep sharp. We don't want to be hit with friendly wires and fire." He ordered.
"Hai." Everyone responded as they moved further up.
"Ano, Kannon was with them." Hinata reported.
"Arigato." He thanked her.
He had been worried about his friend and was glad Hinata had laid that worry to rest without him having to ask her. Personal feelings were not welcomed on the battlefield, but they were, after all, only human.
There is still lots of time to vote for Kurenai's child. Lots of time come to think of it. Well, the next few chapters will be the fight from various angles. The shinobi from Seika and Konoha will exchange skills when they get the time to.
This will probably be my last update for the year. Where I am at doesn't have internet and I am busy as heck. I hope everyone has a good Christmas or whatever your equitant may be.