SHIKAMARU

He's the last person to arrive when they are due to depart for Suna. They are all set to leave in the depths of the night, almost 4am. Too late for any civilians to be moving around. Too early for shift changes on guard duty. Gai and Lee are not around doing their laps, having left on a mission with Neji. The rookie nine, minus Sasuke, had been otherwise occupied with Naruto's welcome back shenanigans so they were likely all passed out where he'd left them, sprawled out in Naruto's apartment.

The silence was daunting as he surveyed the group on ninja before him. All of them on paper were certainly his superiors.

Ayaka's been staying at the Inuzuka compound in Neji's absence. Like himself, she hasn't ventured into the Nara compound yet. It was a bit surreal to be playing diplomat, not only as a representative of the Leaf but one of his clan. Still, with things the way they were with his dad he supposed he'd have to bank on Ayaka. She was his only chance at getting even half of his goals achieved. Thinking of a certain Suna kunoichi, he had a few that were critical for him to achieve.

She was dressed to travel with her Katana fastened firmly at her back and her hands bandaged from elbow to fingertips. Her usual regal Kimono replaced by one daringly short. The wine red color and black obi suiting her aesthetic well. He raised a brow at her heeled boots, but said nothing. If she could keep pace in those he'd be impressed. Yet, as a seductress he supposed it wasn't an unusual skill. Her movements weren't as fast as he'd expected, but he didn't doubt she was recovering well. Ino had been looking out for her after all.

Aside from that she had challenged his dad. That fight, he mused, would likely occur on her arrival back in the Leaf. Assuming his father got wind of his alternative reasons for visiting Suna and her part in them.

He gazed at the rest of the party in curious speculation.

Ko Hyuuga, Hinata's childhood bodyguard, was there, looking entirely upset about being on the mission. He had to sympathize with the guy. Everyone knew Shizune had been giving the man a hard time lately. With the Hyuuga throwing this escort mission at him, he had to have been maxing out his mission quota's impressively. Shikamaru would probably die before doing a mission everyday as well as enduring the strict training regime the Hyuuga clan advocated. It was bad enough back when he was a genin and Ino would insist on extra training almost every day. He couldn't imagine working on missions everyday too.

He couldn't help but feel grateful for the stability of the cryptology department. Sure, it wasn't the liveliest of places but it wasn't completely boring. Shiho, was for the most part, decent company.

Kotetsu was standing pretty casually, his uniform sloppy. The bukijutsu user was clearly still sleepy, but even Shikamaru could sense his hyper-awareness. As a seasoned village guard Kotetsu often held the facade of nonchalance, while somehow being on high alert. As usual Kotetsu's long, spiky, black hair is quite unkempt and dark eyes promise malice in the morning if one was too loud. His trademark strip of bandage running across the bridge of his nose is sloppier than usual but Shikamaru isn't fooled. When deployed on missions, Kotetsu with his pair of blades strapped to his back, is far from sloppy.

His partner, Izumo seemed nervous. Shikamaru had to pity him. He'd had disagreements with Ayaka, that was certain, but nobody had ever quite pissed her off the same way Izumo had. Still, for all his clear apprehension, Izumo was a professional first on a mission. He'd keep the situation in check, for as long as necessary. He was pretty sure everyone was expecting that from the mature and sensible shinobi. His brown hair is combed down and covering his right eye - if it's injured, Shikamaru doubts he would ever know. Awkward or not, Izumo was an asset that's one would do best not to underestimate. Anyone doing so, would probably taste his steel.

The sheer awkwardness of Izumo aside, Genma Shiranui was in charge of the mission. He'd been an elite body guard for some time. Shikamaru knew he was a good candidate to lead despite his Jonin promotion being recent. It didn't take a genius to realize that Genma's late promotion wasn't a testimony to his skills. He'd been Jonin rank ages ago, off the record. Genma had no use of the title though. He hadn't pursued it earlier since it gave him no advantages. He was a Kage's body guard, so he needn't leave the village on missions often, nor did he need to play the rank card. He had no desire to take on any more brats in an official capacity and being from a civilian clan, there was no pressure on him to advance due to politics. A Jonin status on Genma Shiranui had only raised his bounty in Bingo books, a fact the Senbon chewer probably wasn't too happy about.

The head of Tsunade's personal guard? A pair of the village's best collaborative fighters? Then to finish it off with Ko Hyuuga, an elite Jonin who'd specialized in being a body guard to a clan heiress for years?

Ayaka alone hadn't the kind of sway to force this without involving some kind of incentive. How or what could it be though? He was clueless. He barely knew Ko. He'd had no desire to train under Genma as a child, traditional weaponry wasn't his kind of thing. Kotetsu and Izumo, although familiar because they often worked with Asuma, were hardly his friends.

Yet, he could tell it didn't make sense.

Ko Hyuuga, guarding the fiancee of the clans prodigy he could have bought, if he hadn't been 'dishonoring' the family lately. There's no way he would, under normal circumstances, be volunteered to represent the family in any kind of way until he made amends.

He knew that pulling Kotetsu and Izumo of the village guard duty roster simultaneously, for a diplomacy guard mission, was nearly impossible. It could be done sure, but usually when the pair left on missions together it was scheduled well in advance in order to make sure their replacements had the same level of competency. He also couldn't imagine them consenting to take this mission anyway, their relationship with the Nara clan as fragile as it was. He shuddered to think what a mess up here could cost them. What did they have to gain?

The only person he wasn't shocked to see here was Genma. That was merely because he knew his cousin considered the man her shisho. Still, if Kotetsu, Izumo and Ko were here it seemed like over kill to even have a Kage's guard present. This was ignoring the fact that he was an experienced Chuunin and Ayaka a former member of the black ops. Genma didn't like taking on pointless missions. He took his job as a Kage's guard too seriously to be here for the fun of it.

It was slightly embarrassing to admit to himself that he was the weakest person present on paper. Even though he was feeling a thousand times better and Ayaka was still healing, he knew better than to make assumptions based on that.

In life he hadn't much ambition until lately. Being a chuunin, the first of his class was an accomplishment he had found annoying. He was grateful Neji had skipped ahead with Jonin rank. He'd always been one of the Rookie 9's best without trying. However, on a team like this he couldn't help but feel complacent, especially without Ino and Chouji around.

A Kage's body guard. An heiress's bodyguard. Two of the best village guards. Everyone Tobeksu ranked or higher. It was crazy.

It was like a escort mission dream team. Except, those being escorted weren't exactly helpless themselves. He wasn't useless, chuunin or not, he had faith in his abilities. Ayaka, he assumed, was more than ready. He could sense it in the smirk glued to her face as she eyed her escort team.

Tsunade had cleared her to be officially off medical leave once they set foot in Suna. He didn't know quite what Ino's surgery would do to her. The general consensus was that only Ayaka alone could handle such a surgery. One had to have an aptitude for one handed seals and to have larger than average reserves.

Ino had said the surgery would make her dangerous. They didn't know how it might affect the balance of yin and yang Chakra within her. However,whether or not she would be a danger to herself or simply to others, they couldn't yet be certain. He was willing to bet it was the latter though. If Ino, Tsunade and Yoshino backed this idea with confidence, who was he to argue?

He didn't know what exactly Ayaka planned to find after her in the Hidden Sand village. However, Shikamaru did know he pitied it very much.

She was a dangerous woman. Not just in terms of her changing skill set. Ayaka had something more.

Confidence

She exuded it and she knew it.

Whatever bullshit she was selling to get these shinobi here, they were certainly buying it.

Suna didn't stand a chance.

KANKURO

He was tangled in his sheets with a pretty young thing, the replacement Gaara had hired due to his previous indiscretions. The girl from the missives room, who's name he couldn't quite remember, was a chatty thing. He'd be sure to let Gaara know exactly how easily she caved into leaking bits of information. Fair enough, it had been information he was entitled to have, but the girl didn't know that.

Kankuro didn't like loose lips much. Suna didn't have fancy cytologist like the Leaf. Those that kept the records of data in Suna were supposed to be hardened shinobi. To allow oneself to be persuaded, by the brother of a Kage no less was asking for trouble.

He wouldn't kill her - Gaara wouldn't stand for that. However, Suna was not a kind place to be sub-par with one's job. The pretty little thing would be experiencing suna's T&I soon. It would serve as a warning to her in the future. Suna shinobi were not as kind as their Leaf counterparts at the end of the day. Temari wouldn't blink at sending a newbie to T&I. Gaara would be even less concerned about it.

Rasa certainly hadn't spared them from such a fate in their youth. No wonder they'd all hated him.

Still, even though Kankuro knew they were harsher than the Leaf on paper, he knew Konoha held monsters. The place had birthed Orochimaru and Itachi Uchiha.

Just like it had birthed Ayaka Nara. If Gaara hadn't let him know she was Spider he would never have looked into her.

The woman behind the mask was as attractive as her disguises hinted at. Kankuro, always a fan of an a aesthetically pleasing woman, was surprised Shikamaru's cousin was a bonafide babe.

Well the first shock was realizing that Ayaka Nara, ward of Yoshino and Shikaku was on a mere technicality Shikamaru's sibling.

Although the Leaf and Sand were allies they tended to avoid to sharing too much about each other's clan politics. Any records discussed were usually for a Kage's eyes only, and those that served the missives department.

Which was how he'd found out from the lovely creature, currently occupied underneath him, that the young Miss Nara was trying to usurp Shikamaru's position as heir.

This could be concerning. He didn't know who he was meant to guard the girl from. It would be a pity if it were Shikamaru who was the one trying to kill her and vice versa. It certainly would result in a conflict of interest if his siblings found out. Luckily, rumor had it according to the missives, Shikamaru was fully supporting her claim as heiress. Even more surprising, the Nara girl had played a hand in nominating Shikamaru for the Jonin exams.

Temari sure as hell knew how to find a lazy guy. Not many would give up the prestige of being an heir to their spare. It was mere conjecture at this point but he was pretty sure he knew why Shikamaru was so intent on giving up his position as heir.

On paper, Temari was a technical head of the Subaku line. His sister did a good job in all honesty. Temari was easily the most well rounded of all of them in terms of skill, in fact she was the preferred candidate as Kage.

She'd refused point blank when Gaara had taken an interest. Initially, he'd felt she was afraid to compete with their brother but when she'd immediately became a diplomat and started to frequently go to the Leaf he'd become suspicious.

Kankuro was an occasional spy for ANBU these days. A master spy in fact. There was no conceivable way Temari could hide her infatuation with Shikamaru from him. As a head of the Subaku she could not conceivably be allowed a public relationship a clan kid from the Leaf. Never mind a relationship with a clan heir.

Doing so without following protocol would cost her a lot. Her position as Subaku head included, if he was frank. If Shikamaru gave up his position as heir the pair of them had a chance. However Shikamaru wasn't a Jonin and Temari was. Such a gross imbalance in aptitude on paper was not something Suna would tolerate. The desert was a harsh place, harsher so were its traditions.

If Temari, a Jonin, wanted a relationship with Shikamaru, a chuunin, there were usually two options for those of noble birth. He supposed Shikamaru qualified as nobility in the Leaf.

The first option of which, if Shikamaru was a Jonin, he could challenge Temari's closest relative for her hand. Unfortunately, Shikamaru didn't have that rank yet. Even if he did, ruling out Gaara because he was a Kage, Kankuro would be his opponent. If he was honest, he was a bad match up for the Shadow user. Not that there was any conceivable way Gaara would loose either.

Shikamaru's skills were in strategy and teamwork. He had ranged techniques and wouldn't fare well against multiple opponents. Shikamaru's Chakra reserves and stamina weren't great either.

When it came to fighting a puppeteer? It was never a one on one fight. Kankuro could fight at various ranges. His reserves were the smallest of his siblings, but his Chakra control was good enough to use them sparingly. Stamina wise, he was far above average. It was necessary when one trained in a desert.

So even if Shikamaru could fight him, he had very little doubt he'd win unless he threw the fight or Temari and the pineapple head teamed up in terms of strategy. As one of the two people that always defeated him in spars, Temari knew his weak spots.

Now the second option was an interesting one. For the sake of politics, Shikamaru could appoint a proxy. It's not something often done but the Suna council would not be allowed to object in a private clan affair. Provided it be someone from Shikamaru's clan of adequate rank.

Kankuro didn't need to be a strategist to wager who that would be.

Who else but Spider?

They'd worked together before on the odd sabotage/seduction mission. (An unusual pairing but who was he to question a Kage's orders? ) They had an fair idea of each others level of danger even with the limited range of abilities they'd used.

Now, don't get him wrong. Kankuro genuinely wanted to see Temari happy and Shikamaru was a decent guy, for a Leaf. However, Kankuro also genuinely wanted to fight Spider. He wasn't certain how Temari would take that. Not well he imagined.

All he wanted was a no holds barred fight. Yet, now there was a whole added complication of clan customs and his sisters relationship. He hated to sound like the Nara but politics was such a drag. If Kankuro was ever made heir, he would rewrite the rules. He couldn't fathom why Temari hadn't yet.

Then again, Temari disregarded rules on a whim. The princess of Suna was the councils favored clan head.

He didn't think anyone had ever dared to impose rules on Gaara.

He alone had always taken on the full load of Suna's ridiculous policies until now.

Gaara would be furious when he learned that as Kage he had no right to interfere in clan affairs, even if it was his sister's suitor.

Temari would rampage at the mere idea that she had to get the shinobi equivalent of permission to merely court her boy toy.

Perhaps Kankuro would finally have some help breaking the chains that bound him.

The Subaku siblings did have a thing for breaking the rules, anyway.