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SC
"Speaking."
'Thinking'
Jutsus
Chapter 44 - Home
Shizuka ended up being two weeks late and the consequence of that was surprisingly minimal considering she hadn't given any warning about what happened.
She had been planning on arriving in the late morning, but as she found she couldn't sleep peacefully when she was within running distance of the village she pushed through the night. When she was two hours away from the gates she was intercepted by an ANBU team.
"Nara Shizuka. State your code." Horse asked as he stood on the tree branch directly in her path.
His stance was very relaxed and even his chakra was running smoothly, he had identified her already, but was simply following protocol.
"012294. What's my status, Horse-San?" Shizuka grinned cheerfully up at him and she heard him sigh before he answered, his hand gesturing for his team to resume their patrol.
"You were given an MIA warning, one more week without contact and we would've sent a team." Horse shook his head and nodded towards the village, giving her the go-ahead to continue onwards. "Welcome back."
"Thank you!" She jumped past him towards her home, heading straight to the hidden ANBU entrance as she'd been cleared already, the ANBU stationed there barely glancing her way as their eyes remained focused on the forest ahead.
It was really early in the morning and she knew for a fact no one would be up and about just yet, which meant she had the pleasure of being the one to wake up the Hokage. And probably Jackal as well.
She went through the safety checks of the ANBU team on guard which included Grizzly who made sure to give her a flick on the ear for her delay earning snickers from the others. Once all of those were completed and Jackal was summoned she was ushered into the Hokage office as Tsunade used the Kage accommodations there instead of the old Senju compound.
"Nara! Of all times you could return why does it have to be at the most ungodly of hours?" Tsunade growled as she slumped into her chair, one of her ponytails considerably looser than the other. "Report! Quickly so that I can get some sleep before I have to actually start working."
"Mission started alright as per my report. The second drop was interrupted by a pair of Akatsuki members. Which were the second- Wait, no, third pair to show up." Shizuka shrugged as Tsunade's eyebrows raised high on her forehead while Jackal just shook his head at her nonchalance. "Oh! I also had a day trip to Amegakure! Got inside, made a terrible sketch of a map on how to get to the centre of that place, honestly, everything looks the same. Got some sketches of some members we didn't have a lot of information on though, so I guess that was worth it."
"Nara!" Jackal growled bringing her attention to him as he moved to stand in front of her. "Just tell us why you missed the third drop and why you were late. And give me your notes."
Smiling tiredly at him she dropped her pack and dug around for the scraps she had thrown together.
"Eh, there are some stolen weapons, intercepted missives, some bounties I would like to have collected in my name too…"
"Kami, give me patience."
Shizuka's gaze was torn away from Jackal at hearing Tsunade's grumble and as she felt the annoyance rise in both of her superior's chakra she took a cautious step back, straightening her back and clasping her hands behind her back.
"I missed the third drop because I had to leave town early and couldn't leave a message. I spent the last month or so running across a few countries to throw some pursuers off my track. I ended up having to kill them off, but the tracks should lead into Iwa where they should lose my trail."
"You're going to have to write one hell of a report." Tsunade's tone just sounded tired as she rubbed her temples. "Fine. Just go home. Return later for a proper debrief. You'll have a week to get the report done and you're off duty until then. You also need to drop by the hospital for the standard checkup."
"Hai, Hokage-sama." Shizuka gave a short bow before turning to Jackal expectantly who just waved her off.
As soon as she left the room she jumped to the roofs and made her way towards the Nara compound. Although her home was her intended destination, she also had one more person she was dying to see.
Before she could fully consider the fact that it was still very early in the morning she was already knocking on his door, bouncing eagerly on her feet as she waited for him to answer.
The wait was definitely worth it as Genma had obviously been woken up by her knocking as his hair was ruffled from sleep and he was in the middle of a yawn as he opened the door.
"Gen!" She smiled brightly up at him, jumping into his arms as he blinked quickly as if trying to get rid of the sleepiness that clouded his mind.
"Doe." His voice was still deep from having just woken up and Shizuka just squeezed him tighter nuzzling into his neck as they clumsily stumbled into his apartment, the door closing behind them as they held each other close. "You're back."
"I did promise." She took a step back and smiled sheepishly up at him. "Sorry, I'm late."
Genma hummed and helped her get rid of her shoes before leading them to his room where he fell into bed and gestured for her to join him.
"Eh, I've kind of been running for the last month from a group trying to kill me so I really need a shower." She tugged at the shirt she was wearing and wrinkled her nose dramatically. "I came straight from debrief to invite you over for breakfast with my family. But we have at least two hours until they start getting up."
"Then take a shower and join me. Why did you arrive this early? Did you run through the night?"
She hummed in response and moved to his dresser where she pulled out one of his shirts. She noticed fondly that on one side of the drawer he had washed and neatly folded some of the clothes she had left there from the last time she stayed over.
Grinning at her find, she moved to the bathroom and quickly showered before changing into his shirt, happily basking in its smell before moving back towards the bedroom.
Genma was already dozing lightly on his back, one arm stretched at his side and the other over his eyes. She took a moment to appreciate his shirtless torso and bit her lip as she felt a warmth bloom in her chest at the view.
Crawling into the empty half of the bed, she laid her head on his chest draping an arm over his chest and sneaking one leg over his side she closed her eyes. As she started to drift off she felt him move as he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him before planting a sleepy kiss on her head.
"Welcome home, doe."
A couple of hours later they woke up and quickly got ready to go to the Nara compound for breakfast. They walked hand-in-hand through the compound, Shizuka waving at the clan members that were resting on their porches.
"Ah, looks like I'm late for this too." Shizuka grumbled against his arm as she gestured down the path to where they could see her mother and father on the porch watching their approach.
"Shizuka!" Yoshino greeted with a smile as she took the last few steps to wrap her daughter into a hug.
"Tadaima, Oka-San." Shizuka released Genma's hand as she was engulfed by her mother's arms. "Sorry, I'm late."
"Okaeri." Her mother shushed her and kissed her on her cheek before turning to Genma who smiled nervously as he fell under the gaze of his girlfriend's parents. "Genma-kun, welcome back!"
"Thank you, Yoshino-San." Genma gave her mom a swift bow earning an amused giggle from the women before he turned to the clan head that had stayed leaning on the wall of the house. "Shikaku-Sama, good morning."
"Good morning. Come on in, we were about to start cooking." He gestured inside, allowing Genma and Yoshino through before tugging Shizuka to his side as she walked past him. "Hello, fawn. All good?"
"Hai. I missed you, Tō-San." She gave her father a tight hug before they walked into the house with his arms slung over her shoulder.
As soon as they entered the kitchen, they started helping Yoshino and Genma with the preparation of breakfast, but Shizuka was soon shooed to the couch to rest from her mission.
She dozed off pretty quickly as the next thing she knew she was being shaken awake by her younger brother.
"Welcome home, nee-San," Shikamaru called as she focused blearily on him. "Breakfast is ready."
He offered her a hand to tug her up from the couch and the siblings shared a hug before they joined the others in the little kitchen table.
"Itadakimasu." The five echoed before they started eating the food laid out.
"What have I missed?" Shizuka was the first to break the silence as they each ate their food.
"In the village, not much. Though you missed some changes to the rotation that you'll have to review. How long did the Hokage give you?" Her father answered as he poured himself more tea.
"One week, though I'll probably spend that time writing my report and catching up with the Spectrum information." Shizuka grinned, nudging her shoulder with Genma's. "Think you could spare a day for a proper date?"
"I have a patrol later in the week, but the day before is completely clear outside of lunch with my mother." Genma replied and they shared a soft smile. "You're welcome to join us."
Shizuka hummed in agreement as she sipped her tea, her eyes drifting to the empty seat normally filled by her uncle.
"Be thankful you got back before Daichi-Oji. He had offered to track you down as he was nearby in Wind country." Shikamaru said as he caught where she was looking. "He's been staying there to wait for orders."
"I'll send a hawk to let him know he can return." Shikaku drums his fingers lightly on the table. "His standard leave is coming up so expect to have him around for a while."
Shizuka groaned and gave her father a pleading look who only raised an eyebrow at her while her two family members looked on amused.
"I thought you were close to your uncle?" Genma was confused as he recalled several stories on how the two were very attached.
"I am. But whenever one of my missions goes to shit and he's around it means a scolding and then a few training sessions from hell."
Genma snickered as she glanced his way seriously before she turned back to her father with widened eyes and pouting her lips making her look several years younger. The Tokujō glanced towards the Jōnin Commander and held in a snicker as he watched the man slump at the pleading look on his daughter's face. Yoshino and Shikamaru, however, had no qualms in showing their amusement, the former hiding a giggle behind a cup of tea while latter snorted loudly.
"I suppose I can keep him distracted with clan stuff. I'll also propose he give Shikamaru some extra training." Shikaku conceded, Shizuka's expression immediately brightened while Shikamaru let out an indignant squawk.
Genma and Yoshino shared a look before both started laughing and soon the breakfast continued for another hour with a warm atmosphere and lighthearted conversation.
After breakfast, her father walked with her to the Intelligence building and into the mind map room. They stopped briefly to send a message to Ibiki and Inoichi that she was available for a debrief whenever they were free.
"Damn." Shizuka groaned as she saw the piles of reports and images she'd have to go through. "This might take a while."
"We've been keeping it organised, they are separated into their own task force and sorted by sources and then by date." Her father patted her on the back, gently pushing her further into the room. "Start with the Akatsuki task force as that is the one we'll have a meeting on."
"I don't suppose you could surmise everything in here for me?" She pouted as she placed the folder she had brought on the desk before shuffling through some papers her father had handed to her.
"I could, but you will have to read everything to assemble your wall anyway. Though I must say, we have added some to the wall already, mainly based off of your initial report." Shikaku gestures to the bright red dots pinned on top of some papers across the wall. "The ones marked by red dots are notes from your reports, so you should know the information already, but I was the one to put them up."
"Ah, I'll start with those. We have a few minutes before the others arrive. Ibiki is already in the building but Inoichi-Oji is still on his way." Shizuka said as she moved to the wall and started speed reading what had been placed on the wall, removing the red dot pinned to the papers as she finished.
Her father sat at the desk and watched her move around the room with several sheets of paper in one hand and a pen to make notes in the other. The pair stayed silent over the next few minutes, Shizuka busy with her notes and Shikaku relaxing in the chair while trying not to fall into a light doze.
Inoichi was the first to arrive, probably having been informed at the front desk of their presence and had made the mind map room the first stop.
"Well, well. Look who's back." Inoichi grinned as he walked over to her and gave her a quick hug before stepping back and ruffling her hair which she had left down as she wasn't on call. "It's good to see you home, Zuka."
"Good morning, Inoichi-Oji." She gave him a mock glare as she ran her fingers through her hair to tame the mess he had created. "It's good to be back, but I'm not looking forward to the paperwork."
"How long will you have to get it done before returning to active duty?"
"One week." Shizuka shrugged at her uncle's whistle. "But thank you for keeping it relatively organised for me. I'm sure it'll save me several hours in the long run."
"Shizuka-San, welcome back. Inoichi Shikaku, good morning." Ibiki greeted them as he strode into the office, closing the door behind him. "Shall we get started?"
"I'll give a brief rundown of the mission to give you context." Shizuka stepped away from the wall to face her three superiors, her mind easily falling into report-mode. "I got most of my information from shinobi from the rain that were stationed in the town. Being so close to Amegakure, security there was more than villages further away, but nowhere near as much security as Ame. Seriously, I don't think we have the skills to infiltrate that place."
"But you did." Ibiki deadpanned and the Nara heiress smiled sheepishly as she shrugged her shoulders.
"I got lucky. Or unlucky considering what the consequences could have been." Shizuka glanced at her father who had a blank expression on, though she was sure he would talk to her about decision making when he got a hand of her report. "I saw a single member of the Akatsuki in town during the market, I couldn't identify who nor did I see their partner. I'd say after that day things started taking a turn."
"What makes you pinpoint that as the point it changed?" Inoichi asked his tone curious as he watched her shift her weight on her feet. "Couldn't it have been something else?"
"It could." Shizuka admitted with a nod before continuing. "It could be anything, but after I saw that Akatsuki member I became slightly more paranoid. I noticed a larger number of shinobi in the bar and around town."
"You mentioned you had people observing you already. In your first report, you stated that people were watching you." Ibiki pointed out. "They could have been acting on those suspicions."
"They could, but over the weeks the suspicion decreased, something must have sparked it up again." She explained her eyes meeting her father's. "My routine didn't change and I tried to do mundane things to blend in, even went as far as slicing my fingers a few times."
She wiggled her fingers where you could see some faint pink lines where some of the deeper cuts were still healing. Her father's lip twitched in faint amusement before he regained control and fell back into a neutral expression.
"Alright, you said you'd interacted with a few of them. Who was next?"
"Well, ten days after I got into Ame. As I said, bizarre security. I think they have something going on with the rain… There was something off about it. I struggled to keep myself from using my senses to investigate."
"Genjutsu, perhaps?" Inoichi questioned Shikaku who had leaned back in the chair with his arms crossed as he gazed up at the ceiling.
"Could be. Shizuka, what do you think? Kakashi was there and he was also detected immediately."
"I don't think there is a genjutsu involved, I believe it's just a sensory technique." She shrugged before itching her finger. "Did Kakashi mention the 'God's Angel' or any 'God'?"
"No, why?"
"Well, Hanzo was not mentioned once, but apparently whoever leads the village has been nicknamed that, and the woman they call God's Angel is an Akatsuki member named Konan."
She pulled out the sketches she'd made from the folder she had brought and distributed them between the other three shinobi.
"Kind of bare-bones but I truly could not get out of the fake job to dig any deeper."
"More than Hatake got, at least." Ibiki huffed as he passed his sheet on to Inoichi. "Anything else?"
"Well after that I saw Sasori of the Red Sand and Deidara a rogue from Iwa. They found the Spectrum booth, but didn't outright kill them as far as I know." Shizuka sighed as she pulled out a small scroll from her pouch. "This would have been my second report, but a lot of it is in separate scraps as I had no time to prepare my escape."
Ibiki reached for it and unsealed the
"How did you get out?" Ibiki asked his eyes moving from the papers in his hands to narrow on her.
"I got informed they were going to make a move to take me out, so I decided to call it."
From the three shinobi, the one that reacted the most from that was her father, who sat up straight in the chair and fixed a hardened stare on her.
'Guess I now know why people fear him.' Her fingers twitched as she met his stare head-on, but she couldn't hold it and turned to stare at the floor.
"I have an informant on the inside. I told you before, the Spectrum has someone in every village. Although this guy is different, he only gives information for a price."
"Which is?" Her father didn't ease off with the stare, but Shizuka took a deep breath before looking back up.
"That is between me and my informant, but I can assure they aren't a threat to the village." She could see his jaw clenching and she didn't have to look at the other two to know they also had severe expressions on. "You once asked me if I trusted the Spectrum and my opinion hasn't changed: I trust these informants with my life."
"I hope you know what you are doing." Her father muttered before standing from the chair. "I need to get to the office, and you need to get started on all this paperwork. We'll call a meeting if needed once you hand in your report."
"Hai." Shizuka bowed her head softly and gave the other two a short nod as well. "Have a good day."
She waited until she couldn't hear their footsteps to fall into her chair and run a hand through her hair in frustration. Closing her eyes she took a few deep breaths to regain her focus before turning to her desk to look at the papers stacked on it.
'At least this is better than running for an entire month.' Rubbing a hand over her eyes she started on the first of many reports.
After three hours of working on the mind map, she decided to go out for lunch. Having been craving the dumplings from her favourite restaurant since she was sent away on her undercover mission, she decided to grab some to-go before going to her mandatory check-up at the hospital.
'Such a beautiful day.' Shizuka smiled as she tilted her head up to enjoy the warm rays of the sun as she walked down the main street.
She sped up her walking as she identified the sign of the dumpling restaurant, though she slowed down just a few buildings before her destination as two familiar signatures caught her attention.
The Nara grinned when she saw Kaito and Masaru being led into a restaurant by a waitress. As her teammates sat at a window booth, Kaito spotted her across the street where she had stopped and waved cheerily at her, nudging Masaru with his menu to point out where she was. Her second teammate took a while to wave but he hesitantly gestured for her to join them.
"Tomorrow." Shizuka signed at them, smiling as she received answering nods before she continued towards her intended stop.
The chef greeted her cheerfully from where he stood behind the counter of the small restaurant and they made small talk as she waited for him to prepare her usual order.
After paying she waved at the friendly man while promising to return later in the week. Taking a left from the restaurant she started to make her way to the hospital.
Technically she should have made it her first stop since returning, but in the twenty-nine days she had spent on the run, she had had small breaks in which she managed to crudely treat her wounds enough that they wouldn't be too much of a danger to her life.
On the other hand, she was also sure she would get a lot of shit for not checking in immediately. Just at the thought of what Asami would do to her when she found out made her shiver.
'And she'll tell Ka-San, and Tō-San will find out too… Daichi-Oji will be pissed and Shika will give me the silent treatment.' By the time she reached the hospital reception, she could almost see the gloomy cloud hanging over her.
"For fuck's sake, Nara. What have you done this time?"
The angry growl made her snap her head up so fast she dropped her box of dumplings sending them scattering across the floor. As her eyes found the source of the voice she sees none other than Asami about to head out and her Sensei with his arm wrapped around the pretty nurse.
'Dammit if I was just a few minutes later I would have missed her.' She mentally groaned as Asami stepped away from Kouta and moved to grab her wrist.
"Kira-San, since I haven't clocked out yet, I'm taking this one to her checkup." Asami called backwards as she started dragging the Nara to an exam room. "Kouta-kun, could you be a dear and wait for me?"
"Of course." Kouta smiled lovingly at his girlfriend before shaking a disappointed head at Shizuka's pleading look. "Should have checked in sooner."
"My dumplings…" Shizuka moaned as she was shoved into a small bed in a room.
"When did you get back?" Asami growled as she pulled a notepad with the checklist of the standard check-up routine exams. "Clothes."
"Today, actually." She sniffed while she mechanically stripped to her training bra and underwear. "It's true! It was very early, so I gave a verbal report and went home to rest then a meeting and now I'm here!"
"Don't sound so proud of yourself. The protocol is to report and then come here unless its massive injuries in which case its the other way around."
Shizuka squeaked as the blond reached a hand to start a diagnostic jutsu, her hand resting on Shizuka's sternum. Both women stayed still for a few minutes as Asami ran a thorough check of Shizuka's body. After a while, Shizuka squeezes her eyes shut and starts taking deep breaths as she starts to feel nausea from the chakra healing.
Sighing, Asami takes a break to make some notes before patting Shizuka on the leg.
"Wait here for just a minute." The nurse steps out and Shizuka feels her walk away from the room before she recalls her senses as nausea rolls her stomach. She lays back on the bed, thankful for the feel of the cool surface on her skin.
She doesn't know how long she waits for, but soon enough Asami returns to continue the checkup.
"Anything happened on the mission that I need to know about?" Asami's tone was a bit softer now.
"No. And the injuries are only from my escape." She spared the woman a smile already knowing what other questions were on that list. "Can you please just heal me so that I can go home?"
"It's protocol."
"Please." Shizuka gives her her most charming smile and the nurse huffs before scribbling some more on the paper before setting it aside and gesturing for her to sit up fully. "Thanks, Asami-San."
"Brat." Shizuka would have laughed at the fondness in the woman's tone if she wasn't trying to focus on breathing through the nausea.
It continued for several minutes with Asami moving her hands closer to some of the injuries across the Nara's body to focus on it better.
A knock on the door caught Shizuka's attention and a moment later she is surprised to see Genma poke his head into the exam room, his usual senbon missing from his mouth.
"Heard you had a difficult patient and came to help." Genma teased as he was invited to step into the room. He took a few steps to stop next to where Shizuka was sitting and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You good?"
Shizuka hummed as she leant into his hug, closing her eyes again as she felt Asami start on the last few bruises on her torso.
"You're like her personal brand of tranquiliser." Asami snorted before shaking her head fondly at the two. "It's so much easier treating sensors when they're distracted and relaxed. Thanks for coming."
"Eh, we ran into Kouta-San as he walked into the administration building right after we finished our guard duties."
"We?" Shizuka questioned as she was handed her discarded clothes to put back on.
"Raidō was with me. Kouta had been intending on finding your father, but he found me first and deemed that I would be just as useful."
His reply got a chuckle from Shizuka and he wrapped an arm around her as he tugged her closer to his side.
"Alright, here is a pain killer prescription and I'll book you in for final clearance next week." Asami ushered both of them out of the room while handing Genma the slip of paper to be collected at the hospital's pharmacy.
"Ah, all done I see." Kouta said as he saw them walking out into the reception area, Genma and Asami moving past them to go pick up the medicine. "You good, Zuka?"
"All better now that the pretty nurse has treated me." She gave him a cheesy wink and the man rolled his eyes. "You should join me and the boys tomorrow."
"Ah, yes, that's a good idea. How about the four of us plus Asami and Genma meeting up for dinner tomorrow." Kouta suggests as they wait for their significant others to return.
"Sure! Should I send my summons to the boys or will you?"
"I can let them know as they live on the way to my place." Kouta replies before Asami and Genma join their little group, the four of them walking out of the building. "Alright, I'll see you both tomorrow."
The two couples split as they each walked in a different direction. Now alone, Genma clasps one hand with Shizuka's as he holds a small bag with her pills in the other.
"We're seeing them tomorrow?" He questions as they walk down the street slowly, Shizuka still recovering from her nausea from the healing session.
"Hai, you're invited to join us and the boys for dinner tomorrow." She glanced up at him and caught his gaze. "We can-"
"Tiny!" A cheerful call interrupted her and soon enough she was greeted by a grinning Raidō holding a familiar box of food.
"Are those what I think they are?"
"Hai. Your boyfriend heard from your Sensei about the tragic fate of your lunch and ordered me to get you some more. I was on the way to the hospital when I noticed you two walking."
"Thank you!" She grinned at him and took a step to the front to give him a quick hug before stepping back and kissing Genma's cheek. "Thanks, love."
Genma's ears turn pink and she hears a snicker from Raidō but she ignores her friend and simply gives her boyfriend a bright smile.
"Alright, I'll leave you two alone. Just take it easy on her, Gen. We need her back on our squad and we can't have you tiring her out while she's recovering."
Now it was Shizuka's turn to blush as both Genma and her glared at their friend who only gave them a cheerful wave before shunshining away.
"When are you leaving on patrol?" Shizuka asked as they continued walking down the street in the direction of the Nara compound.
"Three days." Genma sighed and gave her hand a small squeeze. "Wish I had more time to catch up with you, but I can't get anyone else to take this one for me."
"It's ok, I'll probably be stuffed into meetings and reconditioning with my squad before I head out." Shizuka shrugged and gently tugged her hand free so that she could stuff a dumpling into her mouth.
"Classy." Genma snorted as he watched her chew it before stealing one of the dumplings himself. "The day after tomorrow I'm completely free, do you think you can take the day off?"
"Oh yes, lunch with your mother, right? I should at the very least be able to go out for lunch and have the entire evening free, but I'll probably have to go to Intel in the morning for a bit."
"But you'll have most of it free?"
"Possibly. Why? Planning something?" She watched him carefully but couldn't help but smile as he slowly grinned at her.
"Clear it up as much as possible and let me know by tomorrow night. I have a plan."
"Oh do you?" She teased as Genma pulled her hand back into his, their fingers interlaced.
Genma hummed and planted a kiss on the back of her hand as they turned the last corner on their path, the Nara compound now within sight at the end of the street.
"Ah, Team Ten seems to be training." Shizuka commented as they approached the gates. "Do you want to come with?"
"It's alright, you have to catch up with them. I'll have my time with you soon." Genma grinned and tugged her into a hug, before kissing her softly. "See you tomorrow, doe."
"Goodnight, Gen." Shizuka lifted her feet and placed the last kiss on his lips before shaking the bag of dumplings. "And thanks for everything."
The Tokujō shook his head with a smile and watched her walk into the compound before turning and heading to his apartment.
The compound was as peaceful as always, a few clan members lounging on the grass and their engawas. She waved at whoever met her eyes and soon enough she made her way around her own house to see Ino and Chōji sparring while Shikamaru and Asuma were bent over a shogi board.
"You know I can count on one hand the times I've seen you actually train with Ino and Chōji." Shizuka teased as she sat on the side of the board to observe the board as well as the spar. "Hello, Asuma, hope all is well?"
"Shizuka, good to see you back in one piece. Genma's mood has been a pain in everyone's ass for the last month." Asuma greeted her with a smirk.
"Zuka-Nee!" Ino cheered as she walked over followed by Chōji, her pale blue eyes scanning over Shizuka's form. "We were starting to get worried!"
Shizuka watched the two clan heirs and smiled as they tried to hide their appraising glances.
"Ah, sorry about that. Rest assured all is well, just got back from my check-up." Shizuka shrugged as she pulled out the box of dumplings and wordlessly offered them to Chōji who grinned and sat next to her. "I see you have shiny new vests on! Well done, both of you. Hope we get the chance to go on missions together."
"That would be great!" Chōji replied as he threw a dumpling into his mouth before pulling out a bag of chips and shaking it towards the Nara heiress. "You're the less lazy and more badass version of Shikamaru!"
"Oi!" Shikamaru huffed but his chuckles gave away that he wasn't at all offended. "It's just because she has more experience!"
"Well then maybe she can help me turn this game in my favour." Asuma joined in the teasing.
One glance at the board and Shizuka could tell it was almost a lost cause but nevertheless, she started giving Asuma some advice.
As the game continued the two new Chūnin started catching Shizuka up on what they had learnt and done while she was away. It didn't take long for them to get her to agree to a sparring match with them.
In the end, the game was a lost cause and Asuma sighed as Shikamaru once again beat him.
"Neh, Nee-Chan, don't tell me you've gotten rusty already." Shikamaru teased as the game ended.
"Oi, Asuma pushed it past the point of no return, all I could do was save some other pieces." Shizuka shook her head and started resetting the board. "Here, let me show you how much you still have to learn."
Asuma, Ino and Chōji watched in amusement as Shizuka and Shikamaru started a brutal game. Shizuka used a more ruthless approach, one she adapted from her father and uncle as Shikamaru tried to counter them to a fruitless end.
"Ah, and all is well again." Shizuka teased as she high-fived Ino as the blonde poked at Shikamaru's slumped shoulders. "That was a good match, otouto."
"Where did that strategy come from? You haven't used it before." Shikamaru huffed as he helped her put the pieces away, the other three moving to stand on the grass to stretch their legs.
"It's one I've adapted from watching Daichi-Oji and Tō-San use against each other. I've played against Daichi-Oji while he's used it but not Tō-San, so I haven't worked through all the gaps just yet."
"It was effective, probably good enough to take down some of Tō-San's nastier traps." Shikamaru hummed. "Think you can show me more? With some modifications, I think it would be good enough to beat Tō-San."
"And this is where we call it a day." Asuma teased as the two siblings started discussing shogi tactics. "It was good seeing you, Shizuka. Hope to see you with the crew sometime soon."
"Ah, I'll be around for a while." Shizuka replied as she turned to the other two. "I'll see you both soon, alright?"
"Hai!" They replied before Chōji continued. "Welcome come, Shizuka-Nee."
The three of them left, their voices fading in the evening light. Shizuka and Shikamaru moved into the house, settling in the small study with papers and schematics between them as they discussed shogi strategies.
Time went by quickly and before they knew it their father walked in to call them for dinner. One look at the two and their mess of papers and he sighed as he leant on the door frame.
"Ganging up on your old man, are you?"
"We've been helping each other develop our styles by working around their flaws." Shizuka started, her smile turning the slightest bit mischievous. "By using an outsider perspective, especially one that has been on the opposing side, it allows us to understand not only our own but our opponent's moves."
"Yes, I'm the one that taught you that." Shikaku narrowed his eyes on one of the more visible paper's. "And that looks to be one of my own preferred traps."
"We're just working with what we know." Shikamaru shrugged. "And hopefully together we have come up with something that will hold up better."
"You don't always have inside information like this. But if this is how it is, I'll just have to revise my own tactics. I believe there are some plays I haven't used in a while that I could employ." Shikaku teased, raising an eyebrow as his children slumped. "You both still have ways to go, but I'm sure you'll get there someday."
The two young Nara's smiled up at their father before they walked towards the kitchen where they could smell their mother's cooking.
Shizuka woke up early the next morning, the only sounds in the house coming from her mother as she moved around in the kitchen while starting to make breakfast.
Rolling over to lie on her back she stretched her arms and legs, feeling the aches of the healing session from the previous day lingering.
'Looks like I'll need to run through some katas and stretching today.' With a final stretch of her arms she sat up in bed, her eyes immediately caught on the scroll holding her window partly open. 'What the hell?'
Standing she carefully approached the scroll, unfolding the small note attached to the top that was addressed to her in barely legible but oddly consistent writing.
'You don't need supervision anymore, but if you want tips you know how to find me.
P.S. I recommend training dummies for this one.'
Shaking her head in amusement she made a mental note to thank the masked Jōnin whenever she saw him next. Opening the scroll she hummed appreciatively at the contents before setting it aside to change into her usual training clothes.
She changed into a black long sleeve shirt that had a white Nara symbol on the back and fitted black pants which she secured at the ankle with some bandages. She wore her usual boots but left her vest in the room. As she left her room she grabbed her tantō sheaths but left her kunai pouch on her desk as she wouldn't be needing them.
As she neared the kitchen she left her tantō sheaths by the back door before heading towards the kitchen where she could hear her mother moving around.
"Morning, Ka-San." Shizuka greeted, as she planted a kiss on her mother's cheek. "How can I help with breakfast?"
"Good morning, dear. Why don't you get started on the tea and set the table, there is not much else to do." Yoshino smiled softly at her daughter, giving her a once-over. "Already going to do some training?"
"Hai, just some kata for today." She answered, reaching up into the cupboards for the plates and bowls. "But I'll probably schedule some sparring sessions along the week before I'm cleared for duty."
As they worked Shikaku and Shikamaru eventually arrived and took their seats, the two women joining once everything was ready.
As they ate Shikaku read a report in a scroll and Shizuka started on the lightning jutsu she's received.
After attempting to glance at her scroll a couple of times while she subtly turned it to keep the writing from view, Shikamaru caved in to his curiosity and broke the peaceful silence of the morning.
"What is in that scroll that has you so focused?" His question made their father glance up from his report to dart towards her scroll, even Yoshino glanced towards the unassuming scroll.
"New lightning jutsu. An offensive B-Rank." Shizuka grinned as she rolled back up before setting it aside, a sweet look on her face. "Tō-San, I might need more of those training dummies to test it out."
"I'll order some." Shikaku grunted, eying the offending scroll in suspicion. "Don't use our backyard and please try not to destroy the clan's training grounds."
"Deal!" Shizuka turned to Shikamaru with a teasing glint in her eyes making her younger brother pale as he figured out what she was planning.
"No." He shook his head vehemently, ignoring the snorts from their parents. "Absolutely not."
"Please, Shika, it will be fun!"
"I will not join you for ninjutsu training. Kenjutsu is bad enough."
"If you trained with her more, they wouldn't be as painful." Yoshino pointed out, her eyes darting to the scroll. "Will you need supervision?"
"No." Shizuka pouted, ignoring the smirks from her family and instead pushing away from the table with a huff. "Help me bring the dishes to the sink, Shika. It's your turn to wash them."
Shikamaru followed her with a barely audible 'troublesome' and together they quickly put all the dishes in the sink. As she left to start her training she tugged at her brother's hair as she left him to do his chores.
As she walked out into the grass at the back of their house she noticed her father glance up from his reading perch on the engawa.
It was going to be a sunny day as there were no clouds in the sky but the light breeze would be refreshing as the sun rose higher. After spending so long away from home she took a moment to bask in the peacefulness of the compound.
The slight rustling of leaves, the birds chirping and the small creatures that were rushing across the forest in the back. With a roll of her shoulders, she closed her eyes and spread her senses, feeling her body start on the kata she had been taught as a child.
Civilian children were usually only taught the Academy style in the academy and if they wanted to learn others they would have to find someone to teach them.
Clan children, on the other hand, were usually taught their clan style before attending the academy and so by the time they graduate they have at least two styles under their belt. Most clan children end up favouring their clan's style, but it was possible to see the academy or 'Konoha' style blended in.
During the course of their careers, each shinobi would develop their style, mainly based on abilities, preferences and experiences. And even then their style would fall under a generic style rather than being an entire style of its own.
Shizuka's forms, for example, had a variety of influences: academy, Nara, ANBU and even the odd form that Gai had at some point recommended. Her style had become more efficient since joining ANBU, more fast and sharp movements rather than wide lunges. Even then her style was determinately closer to the Nara style than the standard Konoha one. Although when she added her tantōs it would become a lot more vicious as it didn't have any forms derived from her clan's style.
Before she knew it she had gone through all her forms both with and without her blades a couple of times.
"Shizuka, are you going to Intel?" Her father's voice caught her attention, making her open her eyes and turn to face him. "You've been at it for over an hour."
"Ah, I was rather focused." She smiled sheepishly before walking to where he sat. "Hai, I'll just have a quick shower. Are you going to the office?"
"Hai, I'll wait for you. Take your time, there is only a stack of paperwork waiting for me." He gestured dispassionately at the report he had been reading. "Think you'll have time to squeeze in a training session with your old man?"
"You're not old." The words left her mouth automatically and the pair shared a smile. "OF course, Tō-San, there are a few things I'd like your help on."
"Hm, you can tell me on the way." He waved her off to get ready while he got his things together to leave.
"Can we meet later for lunch to have dumplings?"
"You had them yesterday!"
Shizuka spent the rest of her morning getting another chunk of papers sorted into her walls and information catalogued and filed she was happy that her progress meant that she'd likely be able to spend most of the following day with her boyfriend without having to worry too much about work.
As lunch approached she found herself meeting her father for lunch at her favourite dumpling place. The cook outright laughed when he saw her walk into the restaurant only a day after her last time there.
Despite his initial grumbling about her obsession with dumplings, Shikaku caved and ordered a batch for himself. Their conversation shifted from shogi, to work to just recalling fond memories and Shizuka was slightly disappointed when their lunch break was over and they returned to their respective offices.
As soon as Shizuka approaches the mind map room she finds an insect buzzing around the door. Letting it land on her finger she closed the door behind her, lifting her hand to eye level to watch the kikaichū.
'Meeting at HQ. Come ASAP.' The kikaichū would flutter its wings in a specific pattern that matched up with the code her ANBU team preferred.
While ANBU had a standard code of signals and coding, each team would adapt and derive new ones to better suit their purpose. The addition of Shun to their team meant that they had created a code specifically for his kikaichū but it wasn't often that they had to use it.
Heading towards her desk she pulled out the spare ANBU gear she kept there and swiftly changed out of her regular clothes to her uniform, clasping her mask into place before running towards the base.
She was the last of her team to arrive in their room, all five other members were sitting on their respective bunks chatting with each other when she opened the door.
"Chip! Welcome back!" Ape grinned, his golden eyes twinkling with mirth, his shoulder-length brown hair tied into a ponytail. "Took you long enough."
"Hello, everyone. It's good to be back." Shizuka closed the door behind her and clipped her mask back onto her belt. "Hope I haven't missed any interesting missions."
"You're in luck, you only missed an escort to some noble from the capital and the usual patrols and guard duties. Some of us had a few assassinations but nothing came up." Stag shrugged as she glared at the younger woman. "Never abandon me to the ladies of the court again."
"Sorry, I'll try not to." Shizuka snorted and the medic sighed as she waved her apology off. "Hakui, why didn't you ask Yūgao or one of the other ladies?"
"They all refused." Stag deadpanned bringing out chuckles from the rest of the group. "And you boys did nothing to help me."
"We couldn't let them know you were ANBU and you know it." Raidō shook his head before wiggling his eyebrows. "At least the brother of that lady was good looking, right?"
He got a pillow to the face and Shizuka moved to sit next to him on his bed, automatically slapping his hand away as he moved to mess with her hair.
"Shizuka-chan, what is your status?" Tenzō called as he stood from his bed to start strapping his weapons on. "We have training ground 102 for the next few hours, we'll be doing one on one spars."
"I'm supposed to take it easy for a few days, but I should be back to full duty in a week." She reported as the entire team moved to follow their captain out of their room and towards the private ANBU training grounds. "Considering I spent the last month running from different shinobi I don't think I'll need much reconditioning."
"But we will be happy to help you run around the Forest of Death if you want, all you have to do is ask." Grizzly slung his arm over her shoulder tugging her closer to him as they rounded a corner. "We missed our little speedy troublemaker."
"Thanks." Shizuka drawled as they approached the main area of the training level of the ANBU headquarters.
The ANBU headquarters were hidden into the mountain, and inside they had two small arenas for training as well as some other smaller training rooms. They also had a small area of the surrounding forest blocked off for other purposes but most preferred the Forest of Death as it was better for training. ANBU also had small areas around the country they would use to train their squads in different scenarios, such as a small deserted island and a small patch of desert that was within the Land of Fire's territory.
"Chipmunk, as you're supposed to take it easy for a few days, all your matches are kenjutsu only." Cat announced as they entered the training ground that had been booked for them. "One on one fights, twenty-five minutes each. Other than Shizuka, no set limits on the others. Mantis with me, Bear with Stag and Ape with Chipmunk."
He unsealed a small timer and set it at the base of a tree after setting the alarm for the first round.
As soon as the timer was set down, the matched pairs darted towards each other, Mantis and Cat darting into the tree further into the small arena while Bear and Stag simply moved to the other side of the open space.
Shizuka decided it wasn't a good time to have her attention split as she was forced to spin out of the way of Ape's katana.
'Damn I'm a bit slow on reaction time.' With a mental sigh, Shizuka pushed some chakra into her legs to move a bit faster. 'I'll definitely need to run some basic speed drills.'
Falling back into the mindset she had earlier that morning when she ran through her katas she allowed muscle memory and instinct to guide her through the remaining spars. Although the entire training session could have been a lot worse, she was pleasantly surprised she still beat Mantis in kenjutsu, while she tied with Stag and had a very close match with Ape. Grizzly and Cat-Taichō though were her last two matches and her slowed reaction time ended costing her a few cuts and bruises.
"Good job, everyone." Cat-Taichō called as he threw some water bottles at each of them as they lounged under the tree where the timer had unfortunately met its end by a kunai landing squarely in its centre. "We will be doing more of these to focus on specific abilities, like what we did in Chip's case. If there is an area you feel like we could benefit on let me know. But that's it for today."
Shizuka leaned back against the tree, waving as each member left the arena leaving only her and Grizzly.
"Come on, Chip." He offered her a hand and they walked back to their bunk room in silence. "Shower is yours, I'm heading straight home. Got a nice date with a Chūnin girl."
"Oooh, anyone I know?" Shizuka perked up as she grabbed the casual clothes she kept in her trunk.
"Don't think so, she's a teacher in the academy and I think she graduated a few years before you."
"Hm. Well, tell me how it goes. Or don't. Either way, I'll enjoy teasing you about it next time you annoy me and Gen."
"It's good to have you back, Chip." Bear laughed as he ruffled her hair and left their room while dodging the arm guards she threw at his head.
Shaking her head Shizuka huffed and walked into the attached bathroom, getting ready for her dinner with her team and Genma.
After a long shower, she put on black pants and fitted white long sleeve shirt on top of which she wore a dark red haori with tree and deer embroidering along the hem in silver thread.
Taking the exit leading through the administration building she walked slowly towards the sushi place her teammates favoured. As she arrives she is led towards a table at the back where Kaito, Masaru and Genma are already chatting.
"Hey, Gen." Planting a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek she sits down next to him, his arm falling around her shoulder as he kissed her cheek. "And hello, boys."
"Zuka! Welcome home! Gen filled us in on the reason for your tardiness, but I want more details!" Kaito smiled as he leaned forward in his seat. "Bad luck strikes again, huh?"
"It happens." Shizuka shrugged before smiling back. "Though at least I got to see the inside of Amegakure! Not many can say that!"
"Only you would have a mission go wrong and say that the plus side was getting to see hostile territory." Masa snorted with a shake of his head. "Now I understand what Kouta-Sensei said about feeling relieved about not going on those missions with you anymore."
Shizuka was about to reply but the approach of two familiar chakra signatures caught her attention.
"Kouta-Sensei! Asami-San! Good evening." Shizuka nudged Genma to move further into the booth to give Asami room to sit next to them while Kouta sat next to Masaru on the other side.
"Ah, my least favourite patient. Hello, Genma, Masaru, Kaito." Asami teased as she settled into the seat.
"Am I really worse than Kakashi?" Shizuka's eyebrows rose, giving Asami pause as the medic considered the question.
"Second least favourite patient." She concluded before pulling the menu up to hide her snort at Shizuka's victorious grin.
"Wait… Is that?" Shizuka gasped, her hand snatching the menu from Asami's hand, her eyes falling onto the ring attached to the chain around blond's neck. "It is! You got engaged!"
Shizuka's turned impossibly wide as she looked between her sensei and Asami both of whom had wide eyes while the rest of the table stared in stunned silence.
"We were going to tell you when the food got here. But alas no details get past the little trouble magnet." Kouta sighed as Asami pulled the chain to remove the ring and put it on her hand.
"Ah, I use it on a chain while at work, I forgot to put it on my hand after my shift." Asami explained as she showed the ring to the curious kunoichi at her side.
"That would have been easier for me to spot, I only caught the slight reflexion from the corner of my eye." Shizuka gave the ring a considering glance before nodding her approval to Kouta. "I'm glad you decided to ask her, Sensei. I would have put a plan in action if you didn't make the move soon."
"Shizuka…" Kouta's voice trailed off in that warning tone he had used so often on her when she was still his Genin.
"What!? It worked the first time…"
"And now it is all back to normal." Kaito concluded the entire table falling into laughter as Shizuka shrugged standing by her decision.
/AN\
Replying to comments:
pigs103
Hey again! Awww hahah sorry! And thank you! I've been rather inspired recently and I've had more time to write as I'm off from uni. Hopefully, I'll manage alright this semester.
sunshine78
Welcome back! Hearing that you've come to enjoy the pairing and how I've portrayed their relationship means a lot to me, so thank you! :)
I wasn't planning on writing this chapter, but there were pieces of information I wanted to show and this was the best way I could manage. Interesting assumption, but I never name the type of bird ;P
LAWDgivemestrength
Awww! Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
philippaki
Thank you! :)
