Neji looked through a window of the watch tower. A heartbreaking scene lay before his eyes. Rows and rows of tents placed one next to the other running along the border. He noted the red tops of those simple structures: they were for those that were in need of medical attention. Konoha's medics spent day and night in those tents attending to the scores of people that continued to arrive from the Land of Tea.
The rest of the border shinobi were standing quite close to each other forming a makeshift barrier in order to prevent anyone from crossing into Konoha. They were still no closer to knowing what was causing this, and that made the situation even more desperate.
Neji shook his head slightly, trying to focus on what needed to be done. He looked down and saw the map open on the captain's desk. He used to request Neji's help numerous times each day to make sure no one had been able to cross to the Land of Fire. Thankfully it had not happened, yet. Fortunately, captain Gushiken efficiency and ability to make quick decisions had prevented things from getting out of control, but they could not afford to let their guard down. Neji's eyes followed his captain's finger across the map, playing close attention from over his shoulder when a sudden sensation caused him to look up sharply.
His senses were on full alert at all times to be able to perceive any change in the amount of chakra that was always flowing through the border area. This allowed him to detect when someone was approaching from either direction. That's how Neji knew that his uncle had been there just a few days ago. The shinobi made him return, because only people with an official authorization could cross to the other side. Neji had wanted to ask what he was doing here, but he was simply too busy at that time. He had wanted to write to his uncle later, but he had had no chance to do it. So he was still curious about the man's reason for approaching the border.
Because of this, his heart began to race when he felt chakra coming from the Land of Fire. Could it be his uncle again, this time with an authorization to cross? Neji was about to activate his Byakugan to see, when his skin started tingling. There was no mistaking the touch of that warm energy against his body, even from a distance. It did not matter how tired he was, he would always know Shikamaru's chakra.
The next thing he noticed was that he wasn't alone. Neji detected a number of shinobi walking just behind him. Without wasting any more time he activated his Byakugan and focused his sight ahead. About half a kilometer away, Shikamaru was advancing quickly towards the border followed by his team. He recognized all of them. Ino, Choji, Tenten, Kiba, Shino, Naruto, and Sai. And of course, trotting behind them was Akamaru.
Neji had to repress a surprised breath. It hadn't been long since the last time they had seen each other, but Shikamaru's appearance was completely unexpected. Captain Gushiken realized he was now staring to the front with his Byakugan, and turned with a questioning expression. The Hyuuga swallowed to compose himself and informed him that there was a team from Konoha approaching. Gushiken stood up and walked to the stairs immediately. Neji followed him, with his eyes still glued on Shikamaru.
They waited for the team to arrive at the border. The Nara's face was calm but serious. He seemed to be very focused on what he came to do, whatever it was. When the shinobi that guarded the zone blocked their path, Shikamaru retrieved a paper from his vest and handed it to them. After making sure everything was in order, the shinobi returned the paper and allowed them to cross. The Nara walked with purpose to meet with him and the captain. His team followed him.
Gushiken gave a small smile when the Nara stopped in front of him. He was too tired to manage a better smile, but he obviously held Shikamaru in high esteem. "It is good to see you boy," he greeted. "I hope you are bringing me good news."
Shikamaru bowed briefly to the captain and gave Neji a quick look and a tiny nod which the Hyuuga returned. "It's too soon to tell Sir," he answered. He extended the paper he had in his hand to Gushiken. The man took it and read it. While he did, Shikamaru and Neji exchanged another look. He couldn't read the Nara's expression. He wanted to ask what was going on, but he waited patiently, expecting a clue reflected in Shikamaru's face. He didn't find it.
Gushiken made an approving sound and lowered the paper. "Looks like the Godaime has authorized you to cross the border and investigate this shit show," he said. His tired blue eyes stared at the Nara with relief. "And I'm glad she did, because we need all the help we can get. I'm not surprised she chose you. With that mind of yours you might be able to figure out what the hell is going on here."
Shikamaru bowed a little again. "We will do our best Sir," he answered.
Gushiken nodded. "I will assign someone to accompany you, " he added. "Nothing personal, I'd just like to have one of my men there as well."
Neji saw his chance. The captain was about to turn around to summon someone when the Hyuuga made a step forward. "I volunteer to go with them Sir."
Gushiken stopped and watched him, regarding him with the same tired smile. "I wouldn't expect less from you Neji," he said. "I don't like the idea of not having your Byakugan to check the movement of people, but it seems almost impossible that someone could manage to cross without us noticing at this point. And perhaps you could be useful to them. After all they don't know the area, and your eyes could be an advantage." He put a huge hand over Neji's shoulder. "I trust you'll be as efficient and responsible as always."
The Hyuuga nodded firmly. "Of course Sir," he replied. Gushiken escorted them to the other side of the border line, passing the watchtower and the line of medical tents. Once there, they said goodbye and started walking, heading towards the vast fields full of crops in the Land of Tea.
When the tensions dissipated a little the team relaxed. Tenten approached Neji and gave him a tight hug, though they didn't stop walking. "Surprised to see us?" The girl asked with a friendly smile.
"Indeed," Neji answered, awkwardly returning the hug. He directed his next words at Shikamaru, who was walking just a few steps ahead of him. "Can you tell me what is going on?"
The Nara turned his face and inch to look at him over his shoulder. It seemed like he was about to speak, but Ino did it first. "We came to try to prove Shikamaru's theory about what's causing this disease. He thinks someone might have poisoned the water."
Neji frowned as Tenten let him go. If that was true, it would explain why contact with those infected didn't seem to spread the illness. He had already started to suspect it wasn't contagious. But how had Shikamaru arrived at that theory?
"Who would do that?" He asked the Nara, who was looking ahead again. "And how?"
Shikamaru didn't turn this time. "Seeds," was all he said. Neji realized immediately what that meant, and he didn't miss the fact that the boy had not answered his first question. It was because the answer was obvious, of course. The Hyuuga clan. If the disease was caused by the seeds his clan produced, the same that had made his mother sick and then killed her, then they were involved.
Neji's heart contracted with rage. He could believe that, certainly. He knew his clan was capable of the most ruthless and horrible things any mind could imagine. The team explained that they had come to take a water sample for analysis, and to take a look around. Shikamaru remained silent during most of the trip while they moved through endless fields. He was probably thinking about what would happen if he was right. Having a clan from Konoha involved in the death of so many people from a neighbouring country was a delicate situation. The Nara only spoke again about an hour after they left the border, to make an observation.
"I expected to see more sick people at the border," he said in a meditative tone.
Neji knew he was talking to him, so he took the opportunity and approached, falling in step beside him. "Did they seem few to you?"
Shikamaru shrugged a little. "No, but I expected more. Knowing the population in the Land of Tea, I imagined more people had tried to escape."
Neji understood the logic in that thought. "The citizens of this country are particular," he explained. "They are very attached to their lands, and most of them prefer to die there than to leave." That was what the people who arrived at the border carrying their loved ones had told him: that almost everyone in the Land of Tea would rather accept death than die away from their lands. Shikamaru nodded, but said no more. He was processing the new information, trying to see where it fit. At seeing his expression, Neji could almost hear the gears in his brain spinning at high speed, while his mind worked like the great machine it was.
After walking for another half an hour they finally reached the first village. The scene was devastating: at all times anguished wails and sobs rose from the modest houses where people tended to their sick relatives. At the farthest end of the village a few men were digging graves to bury the dead. Neji still couldn't understand why these people hadn't left yet, and he was sure Shikamaru was asking himself the same thing.
Following the Nara's instructions, Neji inspected the territory with his Byakugan. In comparison to the Land of Fire, it wasn't a very big country. Even so, it took them more than a couple of hours to get a clear picture. Neji described everything his eyes could see to Shikamaru. The rest of the team walked slowly behind them letting the Nara work on his plan. Again, Neji felt that when he was close enough, he could almost hear Shikamaru's brain buzzing.
"Every second it makes more sense," the boy whispered, closing his eyes without stopping the slow march of his feet. "I had wondered why someone would choose this place and no other for an infection, but now we're literally walking over the answer." His hands were shaking with tension at the sides of his body. To hide it, Shikamaru closed his fists tightly. "The Tea is surrounded by the sea, with the exception of the narrow strip the makes the border with us. It doesn't have a single river or creek flowing through it. The only source of fresh water are the three huge lakes probably formed by heavy rainfall in the past, which more than likely overflow during major storms then reduce to almost nothing during the dry season, but it doesn't go anywhere." He kept talking hurriedly, as if his mind was going too fast for him to put it into words. "This water doesn't reach other lands. And all the people in the Tea must make use of this water to meet their needs, which makes it ridiculously easy to poison all of them."
Shikamaru squeezed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "There's a calculating mind behind all this. Someone smart, meticulous, who chose this place from many options, and has created a strategy to reach a specific goal."
Neji listened attentively to avoid losing the Nara's train of thought. He looked tired, but what worried him the most was the unstable tone of Shikamaru's voice. The way it seemed to be caused by a powerful obsession. This was obviously not just a mission for him. He was taking the issue personally, and Neji knew it was because the mystery involved the Main House.
"Maybe we should stop to make a plan calmly," he suggested. "You really look like you need to rest a moment."
Shikamaru shook his head and lowered his hand, opening his eyes to look forward. "We can't waste any time. We need to get those samples and send them to the Godaime. The faster we move, the faster we'll know what's going on." He turned a little to look at Neji, and gave him a shaky but warm smile. "I'll be fine. I'll sleep for several days after we're done."
That was a lie. Something told Neji that Shikamaru wouldn't sleep until he got to the bottom of the problem, and solved it. The best thing to do was to act fast, like he said. They spent the whole day marching to the different lakes to take the water samples. The team seemed pretty bored with the task. They marched steadily, almost without talking, but Neji noticed that every time they came close to a town, they were afraid to look into that direction. Each of them was very aware of the suffering the villagers were experiencing, and wanted to put an end to that situation as much as Neji did.
They finished gathering the samples late that night. Standing at the edge of a great lake, they could see a small community just in front of them. Thanks to the light coming from the houses, they could distinguish the dark silhouettes of people moving around. The team turned around to leave. Shikamaru followed them, but Neji saw him turn to take one last look over his shoulder. A second later, he stopped walking and turned around completely. Neji did as well.
A small group was leaving a house, carrying two people who appeared to be in their last moments. Neji had no doubt about it because of the chants coming from the villagers, rising into the night like a sad murmur. He had heard them many times, and they always started when someone was approaching the end. In front of them, a man with a robe led the way. It was a priest. They watched the group marching towards the lake. Neji saw Shikamaru's eyes pinned on them. He approached the water to observe. His team waited in silence. The Hyuuga decided to follow him and came to rest next to him.
Shikamaru watched the scene with every ounce of his concentration. Despite the fact that the group was pretty far away, he didn't ask Neji to use his Byakugan to see better. So he didn't activate it. It was like he was expecting to see something very specific. "A priest?" He asked Neji, without removing his eyes from the little ceremony. The two sick people had been placed in the grass, and the rest of them were raising their voices to the sky in a fervent prayer.
"This country is very religious," he answered, watching the priest making strange hand gestures over the two convalescent people. "They think their souls will only find rest after death if they die in their lands. At the border they demanded a priest to be present in those moments, because they need one to guide the souls to wherever they believe they will go."
Shikamaru frowned deeply. "Well, what a wonderful service they're providing then." The sarcasm was evident, but there was no trace of humor in his voice. "Whatever service that man is providing, is not free."
This was the second perfect explanation as for why the nefarious person or people responsible for all this had chosen the Land of Tea for developing the plan. Shikamaru could see it clearly now: because everyone who lived here was completely insane. To put their beliefs before their health made no sense at all.
He watched the priest across the lake, performing his spiritual pantomime for his grieving audience. Shikamaru couldn't tell from where he was, but he had no doubt that if he could see that man from a closer distance, he would find long and deformed ear lobes at the side of his face, and probably a shining bald head under his hood. Just like the person who had made the pact with the seal forgers, and like the man he had seen talking to Hisao. Shikamaru was sure they were all part of the same religious order. And what did religions do, besides asking for money? Try to control people's minds. Religions offered a happy eternal life after death, but didn't care all that much about the pain and injustices of life. Despite that, religion told those who suffered, "this will not be so horrible forever. Someday the end will come, and a new good life will be waiting there for you, guaranteed for eternity." The population from the Tea was still very attached to their beliefs. They were too superstitious and fearful of the gods, which made them so much easier to manipulate than others. He squeezed his fists so tight that he felt his nails digging his flesh.
He didn't say anything to Neji though, because he wasn't sure of how much he should share with him. If the Hyuuga discovered he had a huge and very dangerous plan against his clan, he wouldn't let him continue with it. So Shikamaru decided to be very careful and keep quiet to prevent himself from saying too much.
Behind him, his teammates were starting to ask why weren't they proceeding with the mission. What was so interesting about the farewell of those two people? Most of his friends didn't even want to witness it because it was just too heartbreaking. But Shikamaru had to see it. He raised a hand without turning, telling everybody to shut up and let him watch until the end. Nobody protested.
Neji, standing next to him, watched as well. They saw the priest leaning down to perform the last stage of the ritual. They couldn't discern what he was doing to the still alive bodies, but Shikamaru had a pretty good idea. Like proving his point, a second later a glowing yellow light emerged from the two dying people, and floated around for a few moments. Then it disappeared. They couldn't tell where it had gone, but again, Shikamaru thought he knew. Neji had seen it too. They watched the priest giving his last condolences to the families and turn to leave while the crying group gathered around the now dead people took them up and started heading to the cemetery where the graves were ready, waiting to be filled.
When the chants of the villagers faded in the air, the night was left in absolute silence. After a long while, Naruto dared to talk.
"Can we go now?" He asked in a gloomy tone.
Neji thought it was time to leave too, but to his surprise, Shikamaru didn't turn around. Instead, he started walking around the lake's edge, approaching the village. "In a second," he answered shortly. "I need to check on something."
Without another word, he walked away. The team followed him. "Where are you going?" Tenten asked. "We shouldn't bother those people now. They're grieving."
Shikamaru turned just enough so they could see part of his authoritative expression. "We have to be quiet, so no speaking," he said. "It will only take a few minutes." He turned to Neji and fixed his black penetrating pupils on him. The Nara pointed two fingers to his eyes, in a clear sign that the older ninja understood immediately. He activated his Byakugan to make sure that no one would see them approaching. Shikamaru stared ahead, heading to the cemetery.
When his feet sunk into the warm earth he felt his stomach making a twist. This wasn't going to be pretty, but he had to do it, just to be sure. He heard his team stopping behind him while he kept walking towards the graves. The two recently filled ones only had a thin layer of dirt covering them. The job would probably be finished the next morning. Without questioning it, Shikamaru advanced directly to them and fell to his knees in front of the first one. With his bare hands he started removing the earth. After a little he saw the door from the coffin. His fingers flew to the simple clasp. Then he grabbed the door and, with a decided movement, he opened it. At his back his friends were horrified.
"What are you doing?" Ino whispered. "Are you crazy? How could you do that?"
Shikamaru didn't hear her. He studied the face of the recently dead man. Forty years old, approximately. Probably had had kids. Without letting the image get to his core, he searched with his hand in the clothes of the man and tore up his shirt right over the chest. In the faint light of the stars an inscription shone. There it was. The trace of the Gasei Seal. The same he had seen on Hiro's body. They were killing these people to steal their chakra.
He lifted his head and looked at the amount of graves surrounding that one. People from the Tea probably had very weak chakra, and minimal amounts of it at that. It would take a great number of them to gather just a little. He thought of the other villages, with their own cemeteries full of graves, and he felt he didn't want to be there anymore. He closed the coffin and covered it with earth again. Then he stood up and turned around to leave. He walked past his teammates, knowing that they were watching him with mixed feelings.
Nobody spoke. Shikamaru lead them to the other side of the lake again before he stopped. It took all the strength he had to control his emotions and turn to face them. Naruto was pouting, Choji rubbed his nape with a sad expression, and Ino seemed to be crying a little. Neji's eyes were fixed on his, trying to read him.
"Sai," Shikamaru said, pulling the water samples out of his pockets. Obedient as always, Sai approached and stood in front of him. "Make a bird with your sketchbook, or something that allows you to fly. Take these to the Godaime." He handed him the samples. "Don't give them to anyone but her. And tell her that the Seal hypothesis is confirmed. They're using them."
Fast, but with complete control, Sai took out his sketchbook. Less than a minute later he was fading away in the distance, mounted on some kind of griffin created with his jutsu. Shikamaru watched him fading into the night and tried to calculate how fast that creature could fly. How long would it take them to reach Konoha? How long would it take the Hokage to get the samples analyzed? All he could do was wait. And it sucked.
According to the plan, Tsunade's answer would be sent back with Sai. To him, and only to him. Shikamaru realized his heart was racing, like the gallop of a runaway horse. When the next orders came with the laboratory results he would finally know the truth. He would know if his theory was correct.
"Shikamaru?" a weak voice called from behind. The Nara turned around. Choji was looking at him with sad eyes. The rest of the team was just waiting in front of him in silence. In their gazes he could see they were upset and confused. They needed an explanation. He slid his eyes back to Neji again, but just for a moment. He had to tell his friends what he thought was really going on in that country. After all, he had chosen them because he truly trusted them. He made a few steps towards his team and started talking.
"I think you were all present the time we tracked a couple of bandits selling forbidden seals." Some of them nodded. "That seal in particular, the Gasei Seal, is used to absorb chakra. If it's placed on a dying person, it will capture the chakra that is freed in death. These people are not dying. They're being killed to steal their chakra. This is not a disease. It's a slaughter."
Ino was shaking in the darkness, trying to hold back her tears. Even Shino had his head down, though Shikamaru doubted he was crying. They felt sorry for those poor people, but they were also overwhelmed by the terrible act of injustice and villainy. He kept talking. "The seal leaves a mark." His voice was turning cooler, but he couldn't help it. "It's engraved on the skin like a brand. Those guys we saw being buried today…" He motioned with his head towards the far side of the lake. He didn't need to say what he had seen in the coffin he opened. They could put two and two together.
"Who is doing this?" Asked Naruto. His hands were clenched into fists at the sides of his body and he was shaking with rage, though his eyes were glassy.
"The priests." Shino said. Shikamaru looked at him and nodded slowly.
"The people think they need them to guide their souls to the eternal rest. And they do, in exchange for just a small repayment." He turned his eyes to Neji. The boy was watching him calmly, and looked the least shocked of all of them, because he knew there was more. Shikamaru had said nothing about the Hyuuga clan. Neji was the only one there who knew about their connection to the seeds. He feared the boy was about to mention it, but he said nothing.
"But," Shino started saying again. "We have known about these seals for a long time. We had located the place where they were being made. A team was supposed to have been summoned to continue what we started."
Shikamaru was slightly unnerved. He liked Shino. He was easy going and clever, but right now his intelligence could force him to reveal too much information. He kept his face unaffected. "A team was summoned," he replied. "But the investigation didn't progress. Probably because someone didn't want it to." From the corner of his eyes he saw Neji's look sharpening. He understood immediately that the summoned team had probably been made up entirely of Main House Hyuugas. Before anyone could ask anything else, Shikamaru turned around and started walking slowly. "We have to get back to the border and wait for the Hokage's orders. Let's get going."
They all turned to follow him back, crossing the dim fields in silence.
They were about half an hour away from the border. The sun wasn't visible yet, but the sky was starting to brighten on the horizon. There were no more questions about the mission fortunately, because Shikamaru didn't feel like talking. All he could think about was the samples. He would have run to the border, but the results would probably take a while. There was no point in losing patience.
His eyes sought out Neji in the faint light. The boy was walking by his side, but not too close. When Shikamaru first saw him that morning he had noticed immediately how tired he looked. The last weeks had been total chaos in the border, and it was obvious that he hadn't been able to get much rest. His eyes were half closed, as if he was about to fall asleep at any second. But suddenly, his eyelids widened and he lifted his head, alert.
"What?" Shikamaru asked, watching his lavender eyes under the first light of the day.
"I feel someone approaching," Neji answered, and immediately activated his Byakugan. In a second, his mouth opened with a strange look of… surprise? Shikamaru wasn't sure if that was the correct emotion. The Hyuuga stopped, and he did as well.
"Who is it?" Shikamaru questioned. Neji's face was making him nervous.
The strange expression mostly disappeared, but not entirely. "Hisao," he said. Probably without noticing it, he clenched his fists at the sides of his body. Shikamaru didn't miss it. "He has seen us, and he is coming this way."
The rest of the team had stopped too. Of course he's coming this way, the Nara thought. He had surely seen them with his Byakugan, and anticipated that Neji would notice his presence. The smartest thing to do was to approach the team and give them an explanation of what he was doing there, so far away from Konoha. An explanation Shikamaru knew would be a lie.
He signaled for them wait until the man reached them. As they did, he glanced at Neji again. He looked tense. When the sun started to ascend in the horizon he could see his face in more detail. His eyes had changed color. Shikamaru knew they could do that in certain situations. He had learned it long ago during an incredible night of passion with the Hyuuga. His eyes turned vibrant pink when he was excited. But this time the color was diluted. There was almost nothing left of the usuar lavender tone, and instead, Neji's eyes were a cold grey. He had never seen that color before. Or had he? He kept trying to remember and failing until Hisao finally got to where they were.
He turned around to face the man, who was smiling at them. Shikamaru had to suppress a sneer of disgust, because he knew that man was responsible for all the shit going on in the Land of Tea. He did his best to hide it, but he couldn't erase the hard expression from his face.
"Greetings, shinobi of Konoha," Hisao greeted them. "It is good to see people from home in this devastated place." It's devastated because of you, Shikamaru thought angrily. "Are you patrolling?"
Everybody expected the Nara to answer, because he was the captain. But he couldn't. It was taking all his energy just to hold himself in check so he didn't punch the man in the face. When it became obvious that he wasn't going to respond, Ino stepped shyly forward and did it for him. "We are, Hyuuga-sama," she said. "We came to try to find an explanation for this disease."
Shikamaru turned his eyes to Neji again. He was pale, very pale. His lips were tight, and his closed fists were shaking slightly from the tension though he was trying to remain calm. What the hell is going on?
"What are you doing here, Hyuuga-sama?" Shino asked. Shikamaru congratulated him mentally for doing so, and turned to Hisao again to hear the man's excuse.
"I came to visit an old friend of mine. He was very sick, and I wanted to say goodbye to him and thank him for his many years of friendship."
Bullshit. He's here doing his bloody business. He probably got permission from the Council to cross the border. Those fucking imbeciles.
For a moment, Hisao's eyes landed on Neji, and his smile contracted strangely. It only lasted a second, but it was enough to make Neji's entire body shiver. Nobody saw it other than Shikamaru. The grey blaze in the boy's eyes was now evident, at least to him. The rest of the team had no idea that Neji's eyes had changed color. Shikamaru's mind raced through all the memories he had in his head of every time he had seen Neji in his life, and he searched through the colours. Lavender and pink, that was all he had seen. He focused on the Hyuuga's eyes, which now stared at Hisao with… what?
Fear?
That pale color, he had seen it once. The night Hisao killed Hiro after making his pact with the crazy ambassador. Neji's eyes had been glued to his trying to escape the horror that was being unleashed in that clearing. The expression was the same. Neji had almost screamed in despair. He had cried, and then he had thrown up. In that moment, Shikamaru had thought he was afraid of the man because he was a Main House member, and because he was using the Curse Seal to kill a kid just like him. And it still made a lot of sense. But that time, Neji's gaze had been so close to madness that Shikamaru had felt the need to shout too. There was something else. Something more personal…
Hisao…
A very clear fragment of the past froze in the center of his thoughts. An afternoon, walking through Konoha's streets, when he had seen a couple of idiot Main House Hyuugas messing with Neji. Then Hisao had appeared and yelled at them. The two guys released Neji immediately and he ran away. Shikamaru had figured he was nagging them for being so stupidly obvious in the middle of the streets. Nobody should know about the abuses that took place inside the clan. But now he realized he never really knew for sure that was the case, it was something he had theorized. His mind had found a gap and filled it. The truth could be something all together different. Hisao's words could have been more like, "hands off, he belongs to me." Shikamaru could almost hear him in his head. If I can't have him, nobody can.
Hisao's real voice came to him distantly. "I will continue on my way," he was saying with his disgusting smile. "I wish you luck. I am sure our brave shinobi will solve this calamity."
Shikamaru didn't hear that last part. He was plugging the last numbers into the equation. The night of Hiro's death, Neji's pain and fear had been a lot more real and intimate than he had imagined. He had witnessed the person who had terrorized him his whole life killing an innocent boy with the Curse Seal. The Seal he had used many times to torture and take advantage of him. The one he could still use to kill him as well.
How did I miss this? He asked himself. In the present, Hisao was turning around and taking his first steps to leave.
Blood rushed to Shikamaru's ears. He felt the need to grab that man and smash him to the ground, and tear out his throat with his bare hands. The impulse flowed through his body like lightning, and he reached out a hand. It was shaking with hatred. But before he could make a step towards Hisao, someone stopped him, taking his other arm.
It was Neji. Shikamaru froze, but he kept staring at Hisao as he walked away calmly. It made his blood boil. He wanted to go after him and knock every one of his teeth out. Neji's hand tightened its grip on his arm.
"Don't," he whispered. Shikamaru stayed immobile, fighting his impulses. Of course he couldn't do it. He was in the middle of a mission, not to mention his plan. He couldn't just jump over Hisao and gut him like a rabid dog. It would ruin everything, and it would put Neji in danger. He watched the man go.
Neji's hand relaxed a little, but he didn't let go of his arm. Was he still shaking? Shikamaru wasn't sure. His mind was buzzing inside his head, so it could be just a sensation. He could still see Hisao's back as the man walked away, and that sight was a slap in the face.
"Shino," Shikamaru said without turning, in such a deep voice that he almost didn't recognize himself. He heard the Aburame approaching. "Can you attach a tracking bug to that man?"
Shino stood next to him and moved a wrist to his mouth. He whispered something to the millions of insects that moved under his skin. A tiny beetle flew from his sleeve and headed towards Hisao, following him. Less than a minute later, Shino lowered his arm. "It's attached," he said.
Neji let go of Shikamaru's arm. At his back, his friends were watching them.
"What's going on?" Kiba asked. Shikamaru didn't answer. He didn't turn or move either. Suddenly he was afraid of seeing Neji's eyes, because he knew what he would find there: pain, and shame.
"That man was in the meeting with the ambassador, the time they made that deal." Shino said, almost in a whisper. "Right?"
"YES!" Naruto yelled. "He is the one who killed that other Hyuuga!"
Shikamaru felt he was about to choke. Damnit Shino. He didn't want things to get more out of control, but he wasn't going to defend that man by denying his crimes. He finally turned around and stared at the ground with dry eyes. "Yes," he said simply.
The whole team exchanged looks.
"What does it mean?" Naruto asked.
The silence seemed to go on forever. Finally, hesitating, Shino dared to speak again. "Is the Hyuuga clan involved in this?"
Shikamaru relaxed his shoulders and let out long sigh. He put his hands inside his pockets and nodded.
When they arrived at the border the Nara went immediately to meet with the captain. The rest of the trip had not helped to calm his nerves at all. Actually, he felt more tense and anxious than ever. After the encounter with Hisao, knowing what he knew now, the problem had become way more personal. Shikamaru promised himself that he would find a way to teach that bastard a lesson, without tearing apart his plan.
He climbed the stairs to the watch tower feeling like a big ball of frayed nerves. Hatred ran through his veins and spread to his whole body. The rush was useless. There wasn't news from the Hokage yet.
Shikamaru asked the captain about Hisao. The rest of the team was waiting downstairs, except for Neji, who was standing just behind him. Gushiken told them Hisao had arrived at the border with permission from Konoha's council to cross. They asked him what he was doing in the Land of Tea, and he gave them the same story about a convalescent friend. This didn't prove the members of the council were participating in the Hyuugas dirty dealings. Shikamaru imagined they simply denied the Hyuuga clan nothing. Anything they demanded, they gave them, no questions asked. In any case, they were guilty of gross incompetence at the very least.
So now all they could do was wait until Sai came back with the results. Neji walked down the stairs in front of him. He had not met his eyes yet. Shikamaru didn't want to push him, but he knew they were going to talk. They went outside and Shikamaru told the team they were just to sit tight until new orders arrived from the Godaime. Everybody scattered and the Nara and Huuyga were left alone. The sun was shining in the sky, though it had barely moved above the horizon. Neji slowly took a few steps away, facing the Land of Fire. Shikamaru waited for a moment, not knowing what to do. He knew he had to control himself. Be gentle, understanding, and not a killer psychopath. Finally he decided to follow him. The two ninja stood side by side contemplating the road to Konoha.
After a long silence, Shikamaru dared to glance at Neji. His eyes were lavender again. He was thankful for that. For a moment he had feared Neji's eyes would still be that cold grey.
"I understand how you feel." Neji said. Shikamaru jolted a little. He had been lost in the memory of those terrorized eyes. "But you need to control yourself."
His voice wasn't hard. He was calm, but he meant what he was saying.
"Why didn't you tell me it was him?" Shikamaru tried to keep his tone calm.
Neji shook his head and looked at him, frowning softly. He had overcome the shame and the pain. He was now focused on the danger. "Because I knew how you would react. You would want to seek revenge or something similar. And that could get us both killed. So you need to contain your impulses."
Shikamaru held his gaze. Then, he lowered his head and nodded once. He didn't say anything, because he couldn't promise that he wouldn't attempt just that. Of course he would seek revenge, for that and for everything. Neji's eyes returned to the horizon. Shikamaru watched him in silence.
"You need to understand that you can't put a stop to that man's evil," the Hyuuga said. His words were dripping with doom. "No one can. After my uncle… saved me from him, he just chose another Branch House toy. When he got bored with him, he killed him. It's as simple as that."
A memory of a rotten body tossed between some bushes with a hole in its head and a cloud of flies fluttering around it, made Shikamaru shiver. "Hiro?" He asked in a whisper.
Neji nodded. "He must have already chosen a new branch member. And if he hasn't yet, he will soon."
Shikamaru thought about little Hoshi, Hanae's brother. A tight knot formed in his throat. No. He wouldn't let that happen. He watched Neji's eyes, observing the clear sky with a mixture of resignation and sorrow. Shikamaru remembered the night everything had started. The first time he took Neji to the forest cabin to get him out of the rain because he was trembling in the middle of the street like a weak butterfly being pounded by the heavy drops. That night Neji's eyes were a tempestuous storm, bigger than the one falling over their heads. Shikamaru looked at the horizon too, expecting to see the silhouette of Sai's griffin rising in the sky like a millennial creature that could carry good luck. And hopefully change the horrible panorama of things.
New chapter!
This took less time than the previous one, that's because my editor has been working very hard on the story! So thank to Miranda Z for her hard work!
Hope you like this chapter, things are starting to move!