/AN\

Hey!

Happy holidays!

I can't believe we're at chapter 42 already! I have a sort of announcement to make: Chapter 48 is a flashback chapter and I was wondering if there are any specific scenes you'd like to see.

*** If you have a scene you wanted to see included in the flashback chapter, let me know and I'll see if I can include it. ***

Here's a link to the poll on surveymonkey r/ T3GFXQ3

Thanks! And I hope you enjoy!

xx

SC

"Speaking."

'Thinking'

Jutsus

Chapter 42 - Interruptions

Shizuka's mission with Kakashi and Kaito was smooth running and the trio easily completed the whole ordeal within the week they had been given. Kakashi was surprisingly good at infiltration although he clearly didn't enjoy them. All in all, the trio worked efficiently and even came out with a few scrolls worth of information they hadn't been planning on collecting.

Just a day after their return, Shizuka was enjoying a peaceful afternoon running through some katas and practising with her shadows when Sasuke appeared before her, hands in pockets and the perpetual brooding expression firmly in place.

"Sasuke, do you need me for something?" Without letting go of her shadows, she turned to look over her shoulder at the Uchiha.

"You used to train here with him."

"It's a nice clearing." Shizuka sighed and release her shadows as the boy continued to stare intently at her. "What do you want?"

"You already know."

"And I've given you an answer already." Shizuka pursed her lips and turned to look completely at him. "My job is to know things others don't, often that information is too dangerous even for me, but I must hold on to it."

"What would it take for you to give me the information I want?"

Shizuka gave him an appraising glance, her eyes moving between his tense shoulders down his arms, noticing he had his hands clenched in his pockets while the rest of his body seemed to rest in a nonchalant slouch.

"I'm not sure you have anything of interest to offer me." Keeping her expression neutral she gave him a shrug, holding in a smirk when his eyes narrowed in a challenge.

"I know Kakashi has had you keeping an eye on me. You're the one leaving jutsu scrolls on my window."

"I'm helping out a friend, what's wrong with that?"

"You're not doing shit." Sasuke scowled.

"I have other important things to do, like investigating actual threats to the village." Shizuka watched as Sasuke shifted his stance before she continued. "Since you're not getting any information from me, I'll offer myself as a training partner. If you ever need my help, you know where to find me."

Seeing that he wasn't going to say anything else, Shizuka collected her things and left the clearing. The young Uchiha left in silence to think about her words.

Masaru was having a wonderful day. Kaito was back from his mission and they had officially been given the go-ahead to move into their new flat. So, to celebrate they had gone out to lunch to the fancy sushi place they enjoyed and were planning on going shopping for things for their new place in the afternoon.

"We will also need to get a shogi board for when Zuka is around." Kaito had gotten into a full-on discussion with himself of listing what they would need to get and Masaru simply nodded along to his boyfriend's enthusiasm. "And probably a stock of puzzle magazines for Sensei."

"Hm…" Masaru agreed as they sat down at the table and opened the menu even though they would order their usual dishes. "We also need to plan for a housewarming. But first, we need to get everything else."

"Well, we mainly need to figure out the configuration for the second bedroom." Kaito shrugged, closing the menu and leaning forwards. "I was thinking about getting a couch that can be converted into a bed and a desk to make an office space."

"I like that idea." Masaru grinned and put his menu down to wave down someone to place their order.

But fate decided to ruin his day when instead of a waitress he spots their only female teammate weave through the tables of the restaurant towards where they were seated.

"Zuka, what brings you here?" Masaru smiled pleadingly at her, hoping that she wasn't about to say what he thought she would.

"Sorry to interrupt, boys." Shizuka grimaced and pulled out a scroll from her pocket before passing it to Kaito who took it after sending him an apologetic look. "We leave in a couple of hours, five-week intel gathering. Debrief with Jackal in an hour."

"Masa-"

"It's okay." Masaru smiled at Kaito although he was pretty sure it looked more like a grimace. "I understand. Don't keep him waiting."

Kaito reached over to squeeze his hand tightly before standing from the table and moving behind Masaru to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"I'll see you soon."

"Sorry, Masa." Shizuka gave him an understanding smile before walking out with Kaito, the two jumping onto the closest roof as soon as they were out of the restaurant.

Masaru sighed as he watched them disappear before waving down the waitress

'We never have enough time.'

Masaru was having a shit couple of months.

First Kaito and Shizuka leave for a secret ANBU mission. This meant he had to start moving his things into his new flat on his own. His frequent training and lunch buddies were away, and while he wasn't short on friends, he still felt lonely without those two around.

Then the damn mission that was supposed to last five weeks was delayed by three weeks because of 'unexpected circumstances' as the missive he got from the Hokage for being the emergency contact for Kaito.

He couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that his boyfriend didn't send a note with his summons as he'd done before when his missions had been delayed. Although deep down he also understood that the situation in the mission was probably rough enough that Kaito didn't want to risk sending a lemur with a message.

To be fair, he hadn't spent the last two months stuck in the village. He had a two-week patrol and then a short delivery mission to keep him occupied, but in contrast to his time on missions with a team, his time in the village was generally spent alone.

Masaru didn't have as many friends as his other two teammates who always seemed to have other people around them. Kaito despite his quiet nature was known to give friendly banter and advice to whoever approached and Shizuka despite being younger than most of their peers was respected by her intellect and skills.

He knew that if he compared his strength with either of his teammates he would be lacking in most areas. Not that his two teammates cared that he couldn't match them in strength, as a matter a fact they did everything they could to highlight his strengths and help him with anything he needed. But whenever he watched the two spar he was always startled just how further ahead they had gotten.

His teammates were better known in the ranks, through their skills, experience and charisma whenever an infiltration specialist was needed, they were simply the more likely candidates to be requested. And while he didn't mind it much he couldn't help but feel isolated from that side of their life.

With a sigh, he decided to head out to the usual bar in hopes of finding someone from their group to share a few drinks and occupy some of the time he had while waiting for his teammates to return.

When Shizuka and Kaito arrived back into the village they immediately sent each other a look.

"Something is wrong…" Shizuka murmured as they approached the gates and signed their entrance while Izumo and Kotetsu bowed their heads at the cloaked ANBU. "What has happened?"

"Uchiha Sasuke defected and joined Orochimaru." Izumo supplied, his gaze wandering between the two ANBU. "This was just two days ago."

"Hm. Thank you, Izumo-San." Shizuka nodded her thanks and silently snickered as Izumo's eyes widened that she knew his name.

ANBU were held in high regard in the village and often attracted a lot of curiosity from the people, shinobi and civilian alike. There were often bet pools on who wore each mask, ages and more. They were often set apart because many were purely ANBU, that is, they took no missions outside of the special forces. Having one know your name when you had no idea theirs generally came as a surprise, and while technically they aren't supposed to reveal small things like that, Shizuka couldn't help but enjoy messing with her friends.

Without any communication between them, the ANBU took the roofs at a quick pace to finish reporting in as soon as they could. Shizuka pushed the nervous gut feeling she had to the back of her mind, comforting herself in the presence of her precious people's signatures dotted around the village.

Jackal was in a mood when they reported in and their commander quickly explained the situation once they had finished.

"Some of Orochimaru's spies made it into the village and contacted Uchiha Sasuke who left with them to join their master. We were already low on shinobi and couldn't spare any Jōnin, therefore a squad of Genin led by Nara Shikamaru were sent in pursuit."

The fact that spied made it far enough into the village to talk to the last Uchiha was obviously an issue that village security would have to work out. She was sure her father would be incredibly grateful that he created a department for that once the Uchiha Police Force was put out of action. While Shikau would still have a say and technically the superior officer, the department could generally run itself while her father only read the reports.

Shizuka kept her breathing steady as he reported what had happened on that mission and made a note to visit the rookies in the hospital the next day.

Once Jackal dismissed them, Shizuka gave Kai a single look before she ran home, promising to meet up with him and Masa in the next few days.

The Nara compound didn't seem too different, but circling her house she found her brother staring at a mid-game set up of the shogi board.

"Tadaima." She greeted, settling herself across the board from him, not too bothered by his lack of response. "What's next?"

Shikamaru looked up from the board with a deadpan expression, his lips twisting into a frown and Shizuka easily noticed the few bags under his eyes.

With a general wave towards the board, she repeated her question.

"What's next?"

That got him thinking, his hand hovering above one of his pieces before he finally made his move.

"I adapt."

'Ah, Tō-San's classic if-not-us-then-who lecture.' Shizuka smirked and moved one of her pieces, Shikamaru frowned at her move but played on nonetheless.

"Good. And how will you do that?"

"Learn of the enemy to counter their mind and train to be physically ready."

Shizuka smiled at him and gave a vague wave towards the house.

"If you ever need information, feel free to ask and whatever is within your clearance will be passed on." Her eyes then drifted to their backyard. "And I'm sure father will get you started on the next phase of our clan's jutsu. But don't forget everything else, search for that knowledge both within and outside of the clan."

Silence fell between them as Shikamaru considered the next move, his hand less hesitant on his choice.

"Do you think I could have done anything differently?"

"It doesn't matter, Shika." She sighed as she moved her piece, opening a clear line to win the match, Shikamaru huffing as he noticed it too. "No one died, that is all a strategist can hope for on a failed mission."

"Does it get any easier?"

"Harder, actually." Shizuka gave him a wry smile, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "More responsibilities as we move up. But trust that you have a support system, that you will continuously improve and that your efforts will be rewarded by the King."

With that she gave a last glance at the board that Shikamaru had turned to study, his eyes dissecting the position of the pieces as if trying to backtrack to where the scales tipped over.

"You'll be a fine commander, otouto."

"Not before you."

The siblings shared a smile before putting the board and pieces away, each returning to their rooms to rest before dinner.

The next day Kaito and Shizuka were sitting at a table at a tea shop after submitting their report for their delayed mission. They were waiting for Masaru to join them for their regular team meetings, which wouldn't include Kouta as the man was on a mission.

"Ah, but we can't just plant moles like that. It would take a very long period of adaptation and considering the survival rate of the tests we couldn't even guarantee that." Shizuka shook her head. "Besides, Jackal has another task force in the works, one with better chances."

"I can't believe you're now a captain and now get to sit in on the planning meetings." Kaito snickered taking a sip from his glass of water, his eyes moving around the room to try to spot his boyfriend. "Can you help me escape the guard duties? Please, can't stand those stuck up nobles."

"Already asking for favours." Shizuka shook her head and grinned before leaning back in her seat. "I've got a meeting with Jackal after this, about the new infiltration."

"You're anxious. Do you know what it's about specifically?"

"I have an idea, I just hope I'm wrong." Shizuka mumbled one finger tracing the rim of her cup as she stared out the window. "For him to not have brought it up in a meeting other than informing that there is a possibility…"

"He's keeping it quiet." Kaito hummed, his eyes tracing over his teammate's features. "So it's probably a big one, S-Rank perhaps?"

Shizuka didn't reply but her hazel eyes met his dark honey-coloured ones.

"And there aren't that many groups under investigation that would need such a rank." Kaito's eyes narrowed on her as she looked away. "It's not the snake, that one is public so that leaves-"

"Hey, Masa." Shizuka cut him off to smile softly at her approaching teammate.

"You know you don't have to stop when I get here, right?" Masaru grumbled as he took a seat next to Kaito. "It's not like I don't know what you are."

"We know, Masa, it's just this time it's way too sensitive." Shizuka explained, her eyes watching him carefully for any reaction, knowing he often got annoyed at their secrecy.

"Because I don't have the clearance." Masaru sighed and rolled his eyes. "Have you ordered yet?"

"No, we were waiting for you." Kaito gave him a tense smile. "The usual then?"

He got to answering nods and soon enough they started on their meal. The conversation was a bit more restricted than usual as they talked about their current projects but otherwise flowed as they started discussing their sensei's increasingly busy mission schedule.

Once they finished eating and no more topics came to mind, they broke away to continue with the rest of their days. Kaito and Masaru would enjoy a lazy afternoon in before Kaito had guard duty and Shizuka sped away towards ANBU headquarters for her meeting with Jackal.

She was called into the ANBU commander's office as soon as she knocked and with some amusement, she noticed the picture of Jackal's teammates was turned away from the entrance.

Noticing where her gaze had drifted, Jackal let out an exasperated sigh and put the pen down on the desk.

"Chipmunk, good, you're here." He shuffled the papers around until he found a stack of papers he was looking for as well as a scroll with the S-Rank seal, passing both on to her. "I figured you have figured I wanted to discuss the task force?"

"Hai. And that it's about the Akatsuki. And that I'll somehow be involved."

"Logical conclusions. And all true. There is more to it, but first, we must wait for the last person to arrive.

Shizuka tilted her head curiously at him, but her eyes narrowed as she heard the clanking of a cane in the corridor followed by a knock.

"Come in, Danzō-Sama."

Shizuka gave the commander another look before sitting at one of the chairs available to start reading the information packet she'd been given.

"Jackal, Nara, I trust you're both up to date?"

"I'm familiar with all of this information." Shizuka confirmed, placing the papers on the desk and crossing her arms. "What's the plan then?"

"Solo undercover operation in a village near the village hidden in the Rain, six month's duration." Danzō tapped his cane on the ground impatiently and Shizuka barely spared him a glance before turning to Jackal.

"Had that part figured out as I'm the only person here. Time is relatively standard and I'm assuming on the shorter end of the estimation." Shizuka slipped into the stereotypical Nara posture with a slump and half-lidded gaze. "So, now tell me, what is the plan."

She held in a snicker as Danzō's chakra flickered in annoyance and Jackal's in exasperation. She breathed out and kept her posture as the two men considered her carefully.

"The scroll has your cover story, I trust you can memorise that quickly enough. As Danzō-Sama stated, it's a solo operation near the hidden Rain, if you can infiltrate that, all the better, but it's not strictly necessary."

'So ideally it's what I should do. But unspoken as it goes too far into the 'invading unknown territory'.' Shizuka nodded slowly and thumbed the scroll in her lap.

"Who knows of the specifics?"

"Only us in the room. Your father, the Hokage, Jiraiya-Sama are aware of the general parameters. Inoichi and Ibiki are aware you'll be on a mission for the task force, but nothing other than you'll be collecting information."

"Right, so pretty standard protocol. Backup options?"

"None available. Any extraction to be done shall be of your own making." Danzō replied his tone indifferent. "I trust you can manage."

Shizuka held in a snappy comment and judging from the flicker in Jackal's chakra she was sure he was thankful for her restraint.

"We don't have many people capable of this type of infiltration, and making it a solo reduces the risk of being found out." Jackal explained, earning himself a deadpan look from the Nara.

"Had that figured out too. When do I leave?"

"As soon as possible." Danzō replied, his cane clicking against the cold floor as he moved to sit on the other chair opposite Jackal.

"We should go over the details then." With a sigh, Shizuka leaned forward and opened the mission scroll.

For the next three hours, they went over any plans already in place, cover stories and Shizuka outlined vague possibilities of extraction, but kept the details to herself as she would still be working through them through the night.

Hours later, Shizuka arrived home to the smell of dinner and the quiet sound of chatter coming from the kitchen.

"Tadaima!" She called her family as she toed off her boots at the entrance before walking into the kitchen and ruffling her brother's wet hair.

"Okaeri, Nee-San," Shikamaru replied with a scowl as he tried to slap her hands away. "You're home later than usual today."

"Yeah, I got called in for an emergency debrief." Shizuka gave them a tired smile and sat down before meeting her father's raised eyebrow. "Six-month undercover operation, I leave tomorrow at noon."

She had decided on her walk home to just tell her family instead of stalling and waiting until after dinner. As her mother so kindly pointed out so many times before, she sucked at lying to them and she didn't want them to worry throughout dinner before she told them.

"Oh, dear." Her mother walked to the table with the steaming food, but as she lowered the pan Shizuka caught sight of the slight tremble in her hands. "Will you be able to contact us?"

"Not directly, I'll try to set up a rotation with the Spectrum to get the information back as I progress, but I don't want to risk the operation, so it'll likely be no contact for at least half of the time."

Yoshino nodded solemnly and moved to bring the last of the food, but her father put his hand atop hers and moved to the counters instead, his hands steadier as he lowered the food to the table.

Silence filled the atmosphere for a moment before Shikamaru exhaled loudly breaking the tension.

"Everyone is leaving." He huffed before starting to make his plate, the other three automatically following suit.

"It's only for a little while." Shizuka nudged him with her shoulder before her smile turned mischievous. "You better have some scratches on that shiny new vest of yours when I get back, or else I'll be sure to put them there myself."

"Troublesome." Though his expression seemed bored his eyes twinkled with the challenge. "You better not get rusty in the next six months."

Shizuka grinned at him before sharing a smile with her father. From that point on dinner was a pleasant affair with light-hearted chatter and laughter. Although Shizuka often caught her mother and brother sending a few glances her way while her father just gave her a single nod when their eyes met across the table.

'I'll miss this.' Shizuka let a sad smile flicker on her lips as she helped her father wash the dishes. 'But it has to be done.'

Shizuka woke up at four in the morning to make sure her pack had everything she would need for her mission. She hadn't expected to see anyone of her family up at this time since she had said goodbye before heading to bed but found her father slumped over a cup of coffee at the table.

"Good morning, Tō-San." Planting a kiss on his cheek before moving to make herself some breakfast she turned to her father as she gestured to the eggs she was about to make herself.

"Yes, please. Thank you." He replied, his voice still deep with sleep. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I can be." She didn't turn to look at him and kept her attention on the pan in front of her, but she still felt his gaze on her back. "I'm familiar with the protocols, I have already compiled a few backup plans in case of emergencies. My cover story is ready…"

"As expected, but that's not really what I was asking."

Shizuka didn't answer immediately and took the time to put bread into the toaster and waited until she finished cracking the eggs before turning to lean her hip on the counter so that she could keep both the pan and her father in sight.

"I have everything ready in my mind. Arrival, plant, how to gather information, what to do if it goes south…" She sighed as she gave the eggs a scramble. "But no matter how thoroughly we plan it's rarely ever enough for missions such as this."

Shikaku hummed but made no move to interrupt her from her thought process.

"All I can do is to ensure I have a clear mind to adapt to any situations that arise." Shizuka frowned as she took the eggs off the stove and split them into plates, adding the toast to each plate. "I'm terrified, but I'm probably one of the most suited for this as I will have more control and options than most."

"So, are you ready?"

"Is anyone ever?" Shizuka gave him a wry smile which he answered with a soft look. "I'm as ready as anyone being thrown into this situation is, maybe I'm more organised than most. But no less terrified."

"You'll do well," Shikaku affirmed, his eyes dancing over her face. "Don't underestimate your abilities. Everyone that has done so has regretted it."

Shizuka snorted at his teasing tone, no doubt referring to the times she's outsmarted her babysitters to get into some form of trouble. Once the silence drifted over them again she felt much lighter, her father's words soothing her thoughts.

They finished their breakfast without speaking again, simply enjoying the company as they had done several times before and would miss in the coming months.

"I'll see you when I get back." Shizuka gave him one last smile as she stood, immediately being pulled into a hug from her father.

"Good luck."

She gave him a smile and a kiss on the cheek before heading out. As soon as she was out of the compound, she spread her senses and easily found Genma and Kaito at the ANBU headquarters, the two probably just having been released from their guard duties.

Running across rooftops and into the base, she came across Kaito's room first. Knocking on the door slightly she waited for him to call for her to enter.

"Zuka!? What are you doing here?" Kaito blinked sleepily at her from his bunk bed but sat up straight when she sat on the foot of his bed.

"Hey, Kai. I'm just here to let you know that I'll be on a six-month-long mission… I didn't want to just leave. Sensei is on a mission, so let him know… I'll find Masa before I go." She gave him a quick smile, her eyes darting to the door as she felt Genma move around in his team's room.

"That's a long time…" Kaito sighed as he swung his legs to the side of the bed so that their shoulders brushed. "We'll miss you around here."

"I'll miss all of you too." She gave him a quick hug. "I-"

"Go. You two deserve to spend some time together. Heaven knows how much time this job keeps us apart from those we love." Kaito gave her a knowing smirk as she blushed.

"See you soon, Kai." Shizuka gave him one last hug before hurrying to Genma's room, catching him just as he left.

"Doe? What are you doing here at this time?" He asked between a big yawn, his eyes falling onto the mission pack strapped to her back. "Oh."

"Yeah. Um… Can we go to yours?" She stepped closer and laced the fingers of their hands together.

"Of course." He squeezed her hand and then they were off towards his apartment.

They travelled in silence and even after arriving they only broke the silence after they had removed their shoes and settled on the couch.

"I've been given a long undercover operation." She told him quietly as she rested her head on his chest, her hand playing with his fingers. "Six months, I leave at noon today."

"Solo?"

"Hai, I'll be setting up a rotation with a Spectrum informant to check in after the halfway mark. I don't want to raise any suspicions…"

Genma hummed and when she glanced up at his face, he had a frown tugging at his lips.

"Any backup plans?" When she stayed quiet and his frown deepened. "Who are you investigating?"

"Gen…"

"Undercovers with no backups are only done either when they are pathetically easy or when the backup is more likely to be a liability. Who are you investigating?"

"Akatsuki."

"Fuck." Genma sat up and ran a hand down his face, while Shizuka sat beside him with her legs curled under her.

"It's a solid plan, I probably won't have to interact with them at all."

Silence filled the air again while Shizuka let him digest the information. After several minutes she was about to speak up when he suddenly turned to her and pulled her against him, his nose buried in her hair as they moved to lay down again.

"Just be careful." He planted a kiss on her head, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss, her eyes fluttering open once they broke apart. "And come back to me."

"Always." She gave him another peck before tucking her head under his chin, enjoying the comfort of being with him.

The couple spent the next few hours together, cuddling and talking softly about nothing in particular. As the sun started to reach its apex, Shizuka pulled away and gave him a last lingering kiss.

"It's time." She moved to stand and Genma wrapped an arm around her shoulder before planting a kiss on her temple.

"I'll see you soon."

She gave him one last smile and a small kiss before heading towards the door to get her bag and shoes. Genma saw her out and watched from his door as she left the building towards where she knew Masa and Kaito's new apartment was.

Knocking softly on the door, a rumpled Masaru opened the door giving her a confused look.

"Please tell me you're not dragging Kai on another mission."

"Not this time, Masa. I've talked to him already, so I came to say goodbye to you. I'll be undercover for the next six months." She gave him a small shrug at his surprised face. "I'm on my way out now, actually. I didn't want to leave without a goodbye. Sensei is out of the village, so if you and Kai could-"

"Of course." Masaru interrupted before giving her a small nod. "We'll miss having you around, Zuka."

"Thanks." She gave him a small smile before waving as she left. "See you later, Masa."

Her former teammate gave her a wave before disappearing back inside the apartment.

With everything in order, she left through the ANBU passage, checking in with the squad on duty and going over the plan and protocols one last time before officially starting her mission.

'It'll be a long six months.'

/AN\

Replying to comments:

Lillyyyyy

Thank you! It wasn't the worst exam season I've ever been through and I think it went well. :D

Aaaww! That's so sweet! Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it so much, comments like these really make my day.

neatfreak16

Hello! Aww welcome! Always makes me happy to hear from new (and old) readers. :D Thank you! Glad you're enjoying the story! :)