"Welcome to the shadow games, ladies and gentlemen." Nue said through a monitor as he laughed maniacally.
Shikamaru's eyes shot open from the sudden noise.
"The shadow what?" He asked confused while rubbing his neck where the senbon struck him, still a little groggy from being unconscious.
"The shadow games." An emotionless voice answered next to him.
"Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked in confusion as he heard the familiar voice next to him.
He let go of his neck and looked up at Sasuke who was standing next to him. Shikamaru sat on the floor with his back rested against the cold wall. For the first time since Shikamaru woke up, he fully opened his eyes and looked around him.
He was in a dome-like room which was actually quite big; however, he wasn't sure whether they were underground or above ground. There were no windows and there was a ceiling so it was also impossible to tell what time it was or how long he was out. In the centre of the dome, there was a big screen which displayed the missing-nin that escaped him so very long ago, Nue Nakamura.
The room had one door which, Shikamaru assumed was locked. The door was right under the screen with two familiar kids standing in front of it, blocking the only exit. It was those two kids Temari used to train on her visits to Suna, the kids who escaped prison. There were also about ten people scattered in the room including Shikamaru and Sasuke, with the twins the total was twelve. Shikamaru's eyes drifted back to Nue who was still laughing like a madman while one thought ran through his mind;
Shit...
"Whatever is going to happen next is not going to be good." Shikamaru said to Sasuke as he stood up.
"I had the same feeling." Sasuke said looking at the screen.
"Now let me explain the rules of our little free-for-all tournament and like all good free-for-all's it has very high stakes." Nue said with a smirk as he popped a lollipop in his mouth.
"The shadow games, what a lame name for a free-for-all." Sasuke mused which made Shikamaru roll his eyes.
It wasn't the time for judging the name of this tournament. Shikamaru ignored Sasuke and turned his attention back to the screen. Shikamaru assumed everyone in this room was participating involuntarily, nobody looked happy to be here at all. The only three people in the room that was indifferent were Temari's two students and Sasuke. However, that made Shikamaru think about another question, how did Sasuke get captured?
Shikamaru dwelled on the subject for a few seconds, which Shikamaru had to admit was slightly amusing, then decided to rather pay attention to Nue to make sure he didn't miss anything.
"You will be competing to determine who is going to be the candidates used as sacrifices. I need 10 sacrifices to be precise. However, to make things a little more interesting I invited 10 more guests." Nue explained as he leaned back in the chair he sat in.
Video feeds of different people started flashing on the screen one by one. Most of them he didn't know but they were all in similar settings. A small empty room with a chair in the middle of the where they sat in. Shikamaru also realised that all of them were asleep. The individuals only stayed on the screen for about four seconds before it switched to a different person and this time it switched to someone he knew.
Sakura...
Shikamaru saw Sasuke visibly tense next to him out the corner of his eyes. At least they had proof now that Sakura was okay which was a relieve.
So Nue was motivating them to fight each other by threatening them with someone they loved. It made the atmosphere in the room thicken with every passing person on the screen. Shikamaru scowled as the screen moved from Sakura to someone else he didn't know. Shikamaru was sure that he would see Temari pop up on the screen any moment but after two people appeared after Sakura, it switched back to someone he knew and cared about. That's when he realised that his theory was wrong.
He watched the screen with wide eyes. His mother was sitting in the chair fast asleep. He didn't expect her to be caught up in this mess and he cursed himself for not being more careful. They now had three people he cared about. One is his mother, the other one was Temari and of course Sakura who he considered a friend. However, what worried him the most was where Temari was and if they were not going to use her as a threatening chip then what are they going to use her for.
Shikamaru scowled again.
"We need 10 sacrifices in total. Only the first-place winner will walk away alive with his or her loved one. Second to sixth, your loved one will be released; however, you will take their place. Seventh to eleventh place, you losers will go home empty-handed as we sacrifice your loved one. We also decided to make things interesting and threw in two of our own representatives that will be fighting in the tournament. However, they count as one though." Nue explained as he played with the lollipop as he spoke.
Shikamaru eyes hardened. The only chance he'll have to save Temari as well as his mother is if he wins this stupid tournament, however the fact that Sasuke is also competing made the tournament a whole lot more difficult. Sasuke will definitely also be aiming for the top spot.
"I don't like these odds." Shikamaru said softly.
"Neither do I." Sasuke said agreeing with Shikamaru.
Maybe there was a way for them to work together so they could either stop the tournament or break out of it. After all, killing a bunch of people just to comply with a maniac's demands didn't seem like a good idea.
"And what happens if we don't compete?" A man in the middle of the room called out with disdain in his voice voicing one of Shikamaru's questions.
"Simple, we just kill you then sacrifice your loved one anyway." Nue said nonchalantly as he popped the lollipop back into his mouth.
Shikamaru frowned, he was pretty sure most of the people in this room was going to be killed either way. People will do anything to save the people they care about even if it means killing strangers.
"Sasuke, we need to work together to get out of here." Shikamaru said softly as he looked at Sasuke, studying his facial expression for any sign of betrayal.
After all, he was pretty sure Sasuke would take drastic measures to save Sakura.
"Remember, this is a free-for-all. If we see signs of anyone working together you're immediately disqualified which has the same consequences of not competing." Nue said with a wicked smile almost looking like his eyes locked with Shikamaru's.
Shikamaru scowled, he had no choice but to compete until Naruto miraculously found them. Sasuke also couldn't teleport them out since they had no idea where they were and he had to know where he was going to teleport to and where he was.
It was quite the troublesome predicament, a predicament Shikamaru didn't see a way out of.
"I'll observe for now and only be on defence, but I will not let Sakura die." Sasuke said to give Shikamaru a response.
"Fair enough, we could stall until Naruto finds this place." Shikamaru said with a sigh.
"If… he finds this place." Sasuke said saying out loud what Shikamaru was thinking.
"Let the games begin!" Nue announced and immediately the fighting began.
A woman started yelling at their directions, her voice having a devastating effect. She must be specializing in sound Jutsu's. Shikamaru and Sasuke quickly jumped out the way while Shikamaru grabbed his Chakra knives and Sasuke grabbed his sword. The sound hit the wall behind them which caused a loud explosion. Surprisingly the wall didn't break. This dome must've been made to withstand fighting.
Shikamaru scowled as he got separated with Sasuke. There was always a chance nobody was regulating this and they could work together but then, on the other hand, he's sure Sasuke wasn't willing to risk it and to be honest Shikamaru also didn't want to risk it.
Shikamaru didn't see any weak place where he could escape so his only option was trying to get through the only door. However, he found it odd that the twins hadn't moved. Are they also on the defensive?
Shikamaru watched as a man went in for a killing blow with his sickle. He was sure Nue wanted people alive for his sacrifices but that's his problem. If he wanted people alive he should've thought this whole shadow game thing through. Both the twins had fans similar to Temari's however their fans had a sharp edge at the back with a chain linking both their fans together. The boy used his fan to block the man's attack while the girl jumped into action wrapping the chain around the man's neck then pulled while the boy pulled on the chain at the same time.
The chain tightened around the man's neck, nearly decapitating him. They loosened the chains and let the man fall into a pool of his own blood.
What the hell was Temari teaching those kids?
Shikamaru sighed; this was going to be troublesome.
Shikamaru blocked a kunai that flew towards him then turned his attention to the new attacker. Shikamaru extended his shadow and trapped the man in his shadow rendering him unable to move. He then quickly dodged a stray fireball courtesy of Sasuke making the man in his shadow also dodge. Shikamaru grumbled in irritation as he looked over to Sasuke who just shrugged while he made his shadow crawl up the man and suffocated him. Shikamaru released the man has he fell unconscious to the ground.
Shikamaru quickly surveyed the battle. There were currently six people left including himself, Sasuke and the devil twins. Sasuke was busy fighting the sound jutsu woman while the twins were engaging the other man who was left. This gave Shikamaru the chance to focus on the door. Shikamaru took out all the paper bombs he had then threw them at the door while he jumped back so he wouldn't get caught in the crossfire of the explosion.
The paper bombs detonated as they hit the door causing a huge shockwave from the impact, throwing everyone back. Shikamaru ears ringed as he looked at Sasuke who shot daggers at him as he lay on his stomach on the ground. However this time Shikamaru just shrugged. Payback is a bitch.
Shikamaru turned his attention back to the door however much to his dismay the door was still intact and locked. This meant that Shikamaru had to either win or lose this stupid tournament in order to get out and he wasn't that keen on losing it. However, his attempt at escape did earn him the attention of the twins. Both of them charged at Shikamaru abandoning their previous opponent.
The first five people went down easily however those who remained were a bit more of a challenge. In Shikamaru's opinion, Sasuke will be his most difficult opponent.
xXx
Temari gasped as she quickly sat up. The sound of an explosion echoing through the room she was asleep in. Temari's eyes shot around quickly to determine where she was as her breathing quickened; however much to her dismay she had no idea where she was.
Where was she? Where is Shikamaru?
Temari clutched the blanket beneath her and closed her eyes, she had to calm down. Temari forced her breathing to decrease in speed. However the panic never really left.
Temari scowled the last thing she remembered was being put to sleep by Sakura, where the hell was she now anyway. There was no way they were still in the hospital.
The room was covered with white tiles and the walls were also painted with white paint. There was no furniture in the room except the sad excuse for a bed she was lying on. Temari's eyes moved to the door, it was a heavy steel door with a big lock on it. The probably of Temari busting through that door was slim.
The sound of the explosion disappeared and silence filled the air again. What was happening? Is there a fight happening?
Temari tried to stand up but her legs buckled underneath her. Sakura must've given her muscle relaxant too which was still in her system. She knew following Sakura to the morgue may have not been the best idea but Shikamaru trusted her so Temari thought it would be fine trusting her but when they entered the room Sakura stopped speaking immediately as she saw the black-haired man in the room they entered.
After she saw him she took a syringe from him and stabbed it into Temari's neck with lightning speed. Temari cursed at herself for not being careful enough. Shikamaru may have trusted her but betrayal isn't such an odd thing. However, even though betrayal isn't rare, it always catches people by surprise.
Temari heard the lock of the door unclick and quickly pulled herself back on the bed and turned her cold gaze towards the door.
The door opened slowly and with a heavy creak revealed a man with black hair and purple eyes. He had an amused smirk while he twirled a lollipop in his mouth.
"Temari, you're finally awake." The man said which made Temari's eyes widen.
She recognized his voice. It was the voice that tormented her dreams. She also heard this voice when she started seeing things. Could he be the reason why she was seeing things?
"Who are you?" Temari said as her eyes returned to her glare.
"I'm the bogeyman dear." He said as his smirk turned to a grin, another explosion ringing in the air.
The explosion made Temari break her eye contact with him and quickly look around for the source of the noise.
"Don't mind the noise. We're just having a little game to see who dies and who will live. I must say I'm kind of hurt you don't remember me Temari." The man said making Temari look back at him.
"What game?" Temari asked confused.
"It's just a fun little way to gather people to be sacrificed in order to get the Chakra back you and Neji stole from me all those long years ago." The man said as his eyes narrowed at her.
"You're the missing ninja from our mission five years ago." Temari said softly, finally puzzling together who this man was.
This isn't good.
She didn't know where she was, where Shikamaru was or what this man wanted from her apart from his Chakra.
"The one and only, Nue Nakamura." He said as he did a little dramatic bow.
"Where's Shikamaru?" Temari asked clenching her hands into fists.
"Shikamaru is taking part in the game. It's kind of funny considering that someone he cares about is going to die no matter how well he does." Nue said as his wicked smile returned to him making Temari scowl.
Shikamaru was in danger and she couldn't do anything about it. However, another thought dawned on her, if both she and Shikamaru was part of this man's game then where was Shikadai?
A flood of new worry filled her. She was now worried about both the safety of her husband and child.
"I'll kill you myself." Temari said in a low threatening tone.
"I'd love to see you try." Nue said his tone matching hers.
"Even though I may not have Chakra, I made sure Sakura gave you enough muscle relaxant to not pose a threat to me. Now all that's left is releasing that mark on your back. Such a same Neji had to give his life to make sure my Chakra had to be sealed somewhere else and frankly also a giant pain in my ass. I was so close to getting it back then the 2 of you pulled that stunt and I had to wait five years for this moment to finally get my Chakra back." Nue said breaking the silence again his tone going back to that wicked cheerfulness.
"Is that why you needed to get sacrifices?" Temari asked trying to get more information out of him.
"To be honest we actually only need one sacrifice as well as your life to break the seal, the other people is for another game I thought would be fun to play with the Hokage." Nue smiled.
Everything was just a game to this man.
"What is the purpose of all these games you're playing besides getting your Chakra back?" Temari asked gritting her teeth slightly.
"No purpose, I just want to see the world burn." Nue said with a content smile.
"Well this has been a lovely chat but it's time we get going, Mara and Joro are waiting for us and I still want to watch the game." Nue said as he walked over to her and grabbed her arm to pull her to her feet.
Temari took this as her chance to attack and escape. Temari used her weight to pull him back while she threw her right elbow at his face, aiming to knock him out or at least break his nose. However much to her dismay, she was clumsy.
"Now, now, Temari, I still know hand to hand combat." Nue said as he used his left arm to block her elbow then twisted his arm downwards so he could connect his fist to her temple.
Temari grunted as the punch connected, immediately creating stars that danced on her vision.
"Do you always have to make everything difficult?" Nue asked as she slumped, using this opportunity to throw her over his shoulder.
"As soon as this muscle relaxant wears off I'm going to kill you myself." Temari said in a drowsy voice watching the stars play on her vision.
"You'll be dead before you get the chance." Nue said seriously as he walked out the room and to the room where Joro and Mara were waiting.
In less than an hour, he's going to have his Chakra back. He revelled in the idea of having his Chakra back. As soon as he got it back he was going to make everyone who took it from him pay.
This village is going to burn to the ground and he'll laugh as it happens...
xXx
Leshy stood in the shadows as he watched Nue walk off with Temari. He might kill Temari before she could kill him but Leshy had plans of his own. He'll kill Nue before he gets his Chakra back. After all, Nue was in his way. In order to reach his objective, Leshy needed to dispose of Nue.
It was almost time for Leshy's plan to come to fruition...
A/N: The amount of times I had to change mana to Chakra is astonishing XD. I really need to play fewer games, anyway I hoped you guys enjoyed the chapter and that everyone is keeping healthy and safe.