Chapter 22: How to Win Friends
"Grief is a walk alone. Others can be there, and listen. But you will walk alone down your own path, at your own pace, with your sheared-off pain, your raw wounds, your denial, anger, and bitter loss. You'll come to your own peace, hopefully… but it too will be your own and in your own time."
-Cathy Lamb
/Nakamura Hall, Apartment 34N
/The Village Hidden in the Leaves
/Fire Country
Shikamaru Nara
Sleep, since That Night, had always proved elusive.
So, when the memories came for him in his dreams, he knew they weren't really happening again. That did not stop him from trying to escape. Shikamaru clawed at himself, despite all his instincts screaming at him that it wasn't real, still- trying to wake himself up.
He knew he couldn't.
He'd tried a thousand times before.
Those memories played like a movie, drawing him in.
Shikamaru was ten years old when Konoha ROOT ANBU came for him in his bedroom, at the heart of the Nara Compound. Even then, even then, he'd known what was happening almost instantly.
The blood covering the hall outside his room told him everything he'd needed to know. Shikamaru had gone quietly because he saw the hand out of the corner of his eye sticking out from the intersection of the hallway. The blood splattered walls, minced up pieces of his younger cousin merely added torment to the tableau.
He'd idly noted that his body was in shock.
The cooling corpse of his aunt was wrapped around what little was left of her son as he came to a stop. The black-haired child, messy-headed still from sleep, didn't need to see the full bodies to know for sure it was his aunt, judging from the shape, was dead. Her hand was painted in arterial red streaks like some sick mimicry of a child's drawings, lay unmoving. Her throat had been thoroughly slit. His cousin had been mangled apart.
Even as young as Shikamaru was, he was a shinobi.
Already his mind was compartmentalizing like he'd been taught, retreating a safe distance from the immensity of the scene.
They were dark shapes, those ANBU.
Not the comforting animal-faced men and women that his father worked with and were all over the city. No, these were ghosts- killers in the night that snatched children out of their bed and deposited them who knew where.
The musty smell of the sack pulled tight like a noose around his neck. Air rushed past his body, cold, unfeeling like the people who captured him. Even now, he kept count using the eidetic map in his head of Konohagakure. Some buried instinct ingrained in him by his father had him perfectly counting steps and attempting to use that information somehow.
This was what a Nara did when enemies came for them.
When he'd found himself in a cell; a moment of weightlessness coming over him and blooming pain as he slammed into the ground, Shikamaru knew things were bad. The pain was worse because he hadn't seen the ground coming.
The sack was off and he could see the other children in the room.
Choji. Ino. Shino. Hayato. Kiba.
Those names echoed in his head and he attempted to keep thinking. If he kept thinking, this horrifying nightmare would end. Nara could think their way out of anything. That's what his mom had always said and she never lied to him or sugar-coated things.
Satsuki wasn't here- that didn't fit the pattern.
They obviously were the heirs of the major clans… so this was probably that bad man Danzo that his father spoke about in whispers to his mother; he'd probably thought Shikamaru couldn't hear him. The Nara heir used his seeming disterest to his advantage quite often. They'd spoken about disagreements within the Jonin Council.
However, he was now regretting not giving more weight to his father's insistence on training. He'd spent his days wandering and playing with the deer in their forest. It had always been his dream to travel and see the world- not fight and kill people.
"Shika, that you?"
Absently, he nodded to Choji. The others seemed too scared to speak, eyeing each other.
"Yeah. Hey Cho."
"You gotta plan?"
"Not yet, but I'll get us out of here. I promise. Lemme think."
No part of him had ever believed that was untrue. The others believed him, he could see it in their faces. Who knew, maybe while they enacted their daring escape plan, all of their families would be waiting for them, fighting the bad guys? Shikamaru knew he could get them out and wouldn't his parents be surprised and pleased that their kids didn't need their help?
Kiba got up and came over to them, huddling up and whispering.
"What's the plan, Shika?"
"I jus' told him that Kiba, he told me he's thinkin'."
Choji's lisp was showing through from the stress.
"Pft, Choji. How was I supposed to know that?"
The two squinted at each other, half-glaring, but too scared to put anything more than fear into it.
As the oldest, Shikamaru easily shushed them with a waved hand.
He was in his softest pajamas, which meant he'd be fairly quiet as his feet were sheathed in cotton. Most of them, it seemed, had been snatched from their beds. Minus the bright colors, that would be a boon.
"Okay, listen up- the second anyone comes through that door, we're gonna attack 'em all, got it? I know they are scary, but there is one of them, hopefully, and a lot of us. The second you guys attack, I'll freeze them with my shadows. Everyone understand?"
Most gave him frightened doe eyes, like one of the Nara deer, but one by one, they all nodded. Their faith in him was a lead weight. He wouldn't let them down.
The Nara Heir eyed the lock. It turned.
Eyes widening, Shikamaru darted to the other side of the wall from the door, entering what he presumed would be the blind spot of whoever came through the door.
Frantically, he waved at everyone to get back and stop looking at him. Choji complied, but Kiba stood boldly at the door, hands on hips, as one of those horrible white-faced fake ANBU came through the door. A distraction? Shikamaru grudgingly admitted that it was a good one. That would help Shika get the drop on the ANBU.
A small voice in the back of his head whispered that he was going to get his friends killed and it would be all his fault. This plan was stupid. No ANBU worth his salt would fall for a bunch of kids' attacks.
He shushed it.
Things would work out, they always did.
What a lie.
Satsuki, his only friend in the Uchiha clan, hurtled through the air as he'd presumably done and made a loud thunking noise, the sound of meat slapping a table, as she hit the ground and rolled, almost taking out Kiba who stopped her from cracking her head.
The door shut.
But the ANBU was still there and casually strode forward, reaching Kiba in an instant.
Then the Inuzuka was flying backwards, blood spraying from his mouth as a punch rocketed into his mouth. Shikamaru stood, horrified as he heard teeth tumble to the ground like dice.
The sound of their fortunes shifting.
The plan was abandoned in an instant as they watched Kiba beaten down until his face was almost unrecognizable and he was still. Too still. Then the man came for Ino- and Choji, in an act that seemed almost involuntary, slammed into the ANBU with all the force of his thick body.
It had the same effectiveness as attempting to body slam a brick wall, apparently.
The retaliation was swift and brutal; lightning arched out of the man's hands and into the Akimichi heir's thick body without even so much as a handseal. The Nara would swear that he smelled the sickly-sweetness of burning human meat. Shikamaru could hear Choji's bones popping as every muscle in his body locked at once.
Except for his mouth.
No, Shikamaru could hear every piercing scream ripping out of his best friend.
Ino tried to fight the masked figure, but a lightning-fast backhand knocked her out, ragdolling her against the wall, slumping her onto the bench she vacated moments before. Shikamaru, vaunted genius of the Nara clan, son of one of the most renowned tactical minds on the continent, stood there- helpless.
His mind had failed him.
For what felt like an eternity, he watched as every pounding blow landed on his best friend. Shino tried to help, insects buzzing, but he too was thrown off.
Until Hayato.
Shikamaru couldn't even track Hayato's movements as Hayato slammed a Gentle Fist, really more like two fingers, straight at the man's chest. Totally caught off-guard, the blow landed with the power of a leaf landing on still water.
Fear made his channeling chakra difficult and precarious, the liquid-like chakra in his veins squirming out of his grasp. His shadows did not work as they ought.
The jutsu fell apart. The Nara hated himself at that moment.
But it didn't matter.
The effect of the Gentle Fist was instantaneous and deadly; a groaning gurgle, a chunky, bloody sound as the man clutched his heart, and he fell backwards, unmoving.
Shikamaru had done nothing worthwhile. Said nothing.
A roiling mass of emotion crashed over him like an ocean wave.
"...S-hika. Shika? H-help me with them!"
Hayato was shaking him, concerned. Apparently not bothered that he'd most likely just killed someone. An ANBU! At nine years of age! Not even his father had done that. All he was doing was distracting himself from the fact that he was useless. But no, not even Hayato was unaffected; Shikamaru could see his hands shaking and fear widening his eyes.
"Huh?"
Shikamaru finally got out.
Hayato was staring at him, pleading. That snapped him out of things. He rushed forward, assessing his friends. Shino was fine, if dazed. Ino was out cold, her face purpling. Kiba was… bad. Really bad. Choji…
Choji was dead.
Blood covered him like a funeral shroud, a pool of blood spreading behind him like a halo.
Who was screaming?
Shikamaru realized it was him, for the thousandth time, as he dropped to his knees and tried to pick Choji up.
"...quit it."
Shikamaru at first didn't register that Choji was speaking to him through red teeth. He scrambled and almost slipped in the pool of blood.
Hayato was behind him, rousing Shino, getting him to grab Ino, and presumably getting the key from the guard. His mind worked without him, but Shikamaru now knew that it could betray him. The Nara would be extra vigilant- from now until the day he died. He'd plan for everything.
Choji was out cold next to Satsuki, who was already coming awake, snapping out of the grogginess induced by the blow.
Her face was spattered with mud and some of Choji's blood.
"Help me with him!"
"Sage help me, Shika, put me… down."
Satsuki, groggy, realized quickly what was going on and scrambled up to help, her raggedness becoming apparent to him. Shikamaru's mind went in a thousand directions.
Was this a coup d'etat? Why would a sitting Hokage need to rebel?
Distraction was the name of the game; he needed to distract himself from his self-loathing, a spiral that would be deadly, he knew.
They worked as quickly as they could, getting everyone together, finding the key, and unlocking the door. Hayato took the lead because Shikamaru found himself paralyzed, unable to think much about what lay ahead. They kept asking what the plan was, but he knew he'd let them down. Wouldn't he?
The doorway led them into a steel labyrinth.
"I…"
All those eyes, staring trustingly at him. Didn't they see?
"Um…"
"Shika, come on. Wh-which way? I know you know."
He did know. But was he sure?
Could he ever be sure?
Shino leaned against a wall, breathing hard with Ino across his shoulders.
"I know it is this way," Shino pointed with one shaking limb, "How? Because I marked the path with my juvenile Kikaichū. The mother can sense the offspring. A group of them are gathered at what I presume is the exit."
Relief swept over him. At least Shino had a plan.
No sooner had they limped their way down the hallway, making several obscure turns, the sounds of clashing metal getting louder as they did so, then another ANBU appeared.
This one they saw from the side, appearing to quickly bounce back a step into the intersection ahead. The man turned, obviously hearing them, but the distraction proved fatal.
A spray of blood accompanied a black shadow coming from the direction the man had been running from. The blurring figure slammed the figure into the ground, a kunai standing hilt-up from the white porcelain mask.
Shikamaru froze, again.
The shadow unfolded into Satsuki's older brother, Itachi, his bandaged face reflecting an eerie calm Shikamaru wished he could emulate.
"Are you all okay? I came as fast as I could. Everything is dying down."
And just like that, the nightmare ended. Though Shikamaru could still see the blood dripping down from underneath Itachi's bandaged eyes...
Shikamaru, not nine years old anymore, didn't start upright in his bed in Nakamura Hall, nor did he toss and turn like he knew Kiba still did, or moan intermittently like Hayato did for that matter, locked in some horror, no. His eyes merely opened and he sat staring listlessly at the popcorn ceiling.
Shikamaru had trained and trained and trained after that night. Poured over every plan he could get his grubby hands on, tried to think up every situation he could imagine and how he would respond to it so that something like that would never, ever happen again.
What his father encouraged him to focus on, after that night, was that his issue was a lack of imagination. Horrible things happened in the world, that was a fact. Preparing for those things meant you were less subject to the fickle and cruel goddess of fate.
Control what could be controlled. Shikamaru breathed deeply.
Ponytail undone and spilling around him in waves, the Nara Heir played with the ends as he thought about why the nightmares had come back. He knew why.
The Field Exam hurtled towards them all with all the weight of impending doom and it was no surprise that it robbed him of his sleep.
#
Eight months ago, two since Naruto Uzumaki had come back, he'd watched Choji bleed out for the second time in three years.
That spreading pool underneath his best friend overlapped with his memories and froze him like he was under the influence of a Shadow Possession jutsu. He'd funneled all his energy into hating Naruto Uzumaki after that… even though deep down, he really hated himself the most.
That situation had not gone according to plan.
His father, after being kidnapped, had treated it as matter-of-factly as he usually did- talking logically, rationally, with his son about the debilitating effects of PTSD, or Battle Fatigue and Survivor's Guilt. Shikamaru had assured both his mother and father that he'd be fine. The Heir of the Nara Clan had thrown himself into training with a fire that first pleased his parents, and the Elders, but eventually began to worry them all.
Shikamaru knew all of this, but he didn't care.
Laziness killed. He knew that now.
Without Hayato and his quick thinking, his potent abilities executed with the benefit of surprise, they would've lost Choji and who knows who else. The mind was great and planning things out ahead of time was great too… but without the power to save himself and his friends, he was liable to freeze again, helpless.
Shikamaru swore after that night he'd never be helpless again.
Then he watched Naruto sweep Choji aside like he was scything wheat. It was one thing to watch the blonde newbie refuse to help them against that fuck-face Neji, but it was quite another to attack a comrade. Even on a teacher's orders, the level of savagery was inexcusable.
Not on Shikamaru's watch.
Then Naruto left with some bullshit excuse about a problem with his chakra? Shikamaru supposed that was fine- they'd never see his ass again. Good riddance, he'd thought at the time, even though Hayato and Shino both saw good in him; Shino saying his Kikaichū liked him.
Whatever the hell that meant.
This shifted his plans, some dropping into place, others breaking apart in his mind as he plotted the proper course to the teamwork he wanted and the safety of his fellows throughout the school year.
Now he was back, and though even Shikamaru could see he was… somewhat different, that didn't excuse that the Uzumaki's presence was throwing his helplessness back into his face again.
Thus, the nightmares had started. He knew, rationally, that it wasn't Naruto's fault he had nightmares. But scapegoating him was easier than facing the real truth.
Besides, Naruto deserved every second of discomfort. But even if all of it was within parameters for both this upcoming test and their future Field Exam, it didn't mean that he was comfortable with the deviations to his own plan.
Sighing, Shikamaru threw his covers off and padded through the bedroom and out to the living space, not expecting anyone else to be up at two-thirty in the morning, Shikamaru noted as he looked at Kiba's clock.
Regardless, the subject of his thought's sat at the island in their kitchen reading. Shikamaru immediately turned back, but then despised the thought that he was being chased out of his own kitchen by the blonde. Perhaps this was a chance to further his plans organically, taking into account his old strategies?
No, fuck Naruto. He could sink.
Shikamaru would ignore him.
The Nara felt eyes on him as he flopped onto the couch, fumbling at the remote to put the TV on low. The news, KNN 45, played a reel about the lost Kazehana Princess' continued imprisonment in the Land of Snow and the 'theft' of their technology.
But that was old news. He kept flipping, the blue glow soothing.
Something nagged at him though.
That was a medical textbook the boy was reading; an advanced one. Covers for those were unmistakable given the increasing edition numbers. So his suppositions about him were accurate; it was good to know his instincts from their first meeting, short though they'd been, had consistent accuracy.
Hints from before Naruto left drifted back to him.
He'd thought the excuse of Naruto having a deficient chakra system were just that: excuses. A problem like that would cause bitterness and viciousness, like that of a wounded animal in the wild, in anyone who dreamt of being a shinobi. Shikamaru had thought the boy had been kicked out according to Nakata's words. But what if it had been because of a chakra deficiency,as he'd suspected originally?
Then…
No, Shikamaru wouldn't feel bad for him. There was no excuse for the kind of behavior Naruto had exhibited. The very notion was anathema to the Will of Fire, the true strength of their Village. You needed to be able to rely on your comrades to the fullest extent. Shikamaru just… couldn't shake the idea that the second he tried to rely on the blonde Uzumaki, he'd be let down. Pushing him around like a puppet appealed to him much more.
"I thought you'd fixed your, 'problem.'"
Shikamaru didn't know why he'd spoken.
Naruto looked equally startled. His long blonde hair, now complete with a pure white streak, was pulled back the way Shikamaru usually had his. The shallow darkness of the room couldn't conceal the shape embedded in his forehead, or the soft white glow of the scripts etched into his wrists. The boy had a simple white tee on and it bared what he normally kept hidden.
Wary, the Uzumaki seemed to be choosing his words.
"I did fix my… uh, problem."
"Then why are you studying medical textbooks in the middle of the night?"
"I could ask you why you're watching the news instead of sleeping?"
"I asked you first."
There was a pause. It stretched.
Shikamaru kept his eyes on the flawless-looking news anchor delivering some puff piece, but his ears strained.
"...I was told by someone that the 'why' of something is just as important as the 'what'."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
Instantly, he regretted the way he'd said that. Shikamaru was interested, but now he wouldn't get his answer. Defensive and insulted, the blonde would probably shut down or get nasty. That was what he would've done.
"It means I don't want to watch people around me die anymore, okay?"
That sentence slammed the Nara's mind to a halt.
Perhaps, his original projections could still be reached?
"I started learning some things for, not exactly the wrong reasons, but for reasons I wasn't entirely honest about." Naruto said, his voice lowering for a moment, as if in deep reflection before continuing, "I'm just trying to do better."
Now it was Shikamaru's turn to be silent, thinking.
Naruto started asking him a question.
"...I know that most people in this apartment don't sleep well. I'm sure Kiba does, probably, and maybe Shino. But Hayato isn't silent. I know it has something to do with the stuff you've all gone through. I won't pry, but uh…"
"I'm not going to talk to you about it. Whatever you think, keep it to yourself, okay? We're not friends- but you owe them more than you do me."
"I know, I know. It's just… I've gone through some things too. It took me a while to realize it, and I kind of had to have it beaten into my skull but… it - helps. To talk about it, I mean."
Silence.
A thousand angry snake heads boiled up in Shikamaru's chest, each one a verbal sword. With an iron will, he killed them all and kept quiet. This was his job- keeping his friends safe. Not Naruto's.
"...I have fewer nightmares now. Not zero, but less. This," Naruto held up the big-ass book, "is me being a night-owl by choice. I talked a lot to Shizune. Though you probably wouldn't know her, she's the head of Konoha General. Helped with the spontaneous waking-in-the-night bit."
The faint sounds of the news was the only thing piercing the pregnant silence between the two of them following that statement. The newscaster was talking about the recent 'conflicts' between Bird and River Country. That would be troublesome for sure. A problem for later.
"I don't hate you, you know."
Naruto glanced at Shikamaru as he spoke, naked skepticism on his face, even in the darkness.
"Choji-"
"It's not about Choji, or not all of it."
Shikamaru turned to face him fully as he cut the other boy off and, for the first time, he was trying to be earnest instead of vengeful.
"You haven't been here, so you don't know. But the Will of Fire, the belief that we're all better together, is baked into everything I do and everything I care about. I'm out there, busting my ass, getting stronger, because I don't ever want to let the person next to me down. I have plans within plans to make sure all my friends survive- and thrive. Get it?"
Naruto opened his mouth, but Shikamaru waved a hand.
"...you've already shown that you can't be trusted. You turned, in an instant, on us. I know we knew each other for only a little bit… but I would never have done that to you. Never. And the Neji thing-"
"-I am sorry about that. Really."
"I know, but it doesn't matter. Trust is tough to forge and easy to break. I don't know that I want to reforge anything but a working relationship with you. I can't speak for the other guys, but that's just me. From now on, I'll cut the guff, but I just… I can't trust you, okay?"
Shikamaru got up, tired all of a sudden, embarrassed by the honesty. Regardless of why, that didn't come easy. Even in small pieces.
The blonde's mouth worked, as if trying to figure out what to say.
All he said was, "That's fair."
What else could he have said?
Shikamaru waited for more, not sure what he was hoping for, and when nothing came, he turned and walked back to his room.
But then Naruto spoke. "Sometimes, if you see a thing often enough, you start to believe in a new normal. Betrayal... well, I wouldn't want you to experience what I have Shikamaru. I'm trying, I'm just asking for a chance."
Sleep suddenly sounded good. With one last glance at the blonde, already with nose buried in the book, he turned and left.
He just hoped the memories would leave him alone now too.
At least for tonight.
#
/Konohagakure Shinobi Military Academy
/The Village Hidden in the Leaves
/Fire Country
Naruto Uzumaki
Two extremely long months had passed since he'd re-entered the Konohagakure Shinobi Military Academy and rejoined his classmates. All of them were full-out sprinting, every day, towards the inevitable march of graduation and the spectre of the Field Exam looming like the Hokage Mountain.
Slowly, but surely, his Atlas Stones got bigger; he got fitter and stronger, and although the bags under his eyes didn't quite disappear, as he was still working on his techniques in his off-hours, they lessened as his capacity for the frankly insane training increased.
That usually meant mid-night, or breaks between classes when he could get to the Barrier labs for work with Hideo or Professor Kurama. He'd had a late start, no denying that, but he was excelling in most of his classes except Combat Mathematics. For some reason, differentials were Yomi's work and they were out to kill him or burn him out trying.
Kaguya hadn't immediately started talking to him; probably focusing on doing… whatever it was that she was doing inside his body. Something to do with her Throneworld, but eventually she'd started commenting.
Idle thoughts at first, usually related to his Scripting work with Hideo. An, 'interesting methodology and totally ignorant' type comment usually. Infuriating was the name of the game with her. Naruto got very good at just ignoring her when she wasn't helpful.
Eventually she got the point.
Talking to her was a nice way to pass the time, if she wasn't being a complete asshole which happened less and less as time went on.
Naruto had started working with other members of his class in Field Fuinjutsu, helping them recognize proper symbology and what scripts did what. Apparently Shikamaru, who used what Sakura and Hayato called, 'an excessive amount of explosive tags,' in his real fights, absolutely loved Field Fuinjutsu but struggled mightily with remembering interactions.
After their late-night conversation, they'd come to a- not easy, per se- but mutual agreement to speak as little as possible. Go along, to get along, as Choji had said. The twins were still creepy, Ami still a huge clutz, and Ino too focused to really have any kind of prolonged conversation without an eye-roll and being straight up ignored.
So that was that.
Since his bout with Satsuki, Naruto hadn't lost a single sparring match to anyone- but only if there were any type of bladed weapons involved. Satsuki definitely gave him a run for his money- and life- when it came to pure taijutsu, however. She won at roughly sixty percent of their close-quarters combat spars, but not without severe cost. He couldn't tell if she was pleased or frustrated by that. Naruto wasn't bothered by it.
This wasn't do-or-die.
Things would be different if they were, he knew that.
Not once had she resorted to her Sharingan, though Professor Nakata had insisted she forgo it anyway. For that matter, Naruto hadn't done anything with his Lightning Mark outside his usual practice, either. She was clearly much better with taijutsu in terms of technical skill, but Naruto had the edge in speed, surprisingly. Her strength scared the shit out of him, so he did his best to avoid getting punched. Naruto was convinced she reinforced her body with Earth Chakra.
Once he had a sword in his hand- and to a lesser extent, daggers or kunai- nobody could touch him.
Nakata's class was the only place where he could truly say he dominated. Professor Kurama had them using only chakra and, despite his enormous advantage in control over most everyone, Satsuki out-classed him by leagues and bounds. There seemed to be no end to the techniques she'd already mastered. Honestly, it was a little suspicious…but she was an Uchiha, with all that entailed.
In all fairness, his class with Professor Kurama didn't really grade on combat application of chakra techniques… more so just a general usage. She wanted to know her students could execute techniques quickly and safely, but didn't really touch on individual applications so much, which Naruto personally thought was an oversight. Supposedly, later years focused on that, but given the recent Draft, the First Years wouldn't get those lessons. That was reserved for the apprenticeship, three to a squad with a Jonin Captain, after Graduation.
All-in-all, he was on track to graduate with honors, though definitely not the top spot. That was tricky as all of them were doing exceptionally well. Even Kiba, though he definitely had the bottom position; it still wasn't bad.
Today was a bit of a special day. Most of their classes were cancelled for a reason none of them knew.
Professor Nakata had requested that they all meet at eleven in the morning in Classroom 6, where they normally had Report Writing with Professor Umino. That, there, was a class he absolutely sucked at- and didn't see himself getting any better anytime soon either.
Naruto and Sakura sat together waiting for the rest of the class to trickle in and Hayato, who had started joining them pretty early on, took his usual seat with them. The room was one of those huge classrooms situated for multiple classes to sit together, or doubling as a military briefing room for Jonin.
Naruto wondered which of those were the case today.
If Naruto wondered at all, he didn't for much longer as class after class came in, the once enormous room filling up quickly, so much so that Naruto and his cohorts were squeezed together in one tight phalanx.
There were almost four-hundred kids of varying ages. This year was strange indeed because, although the KSMA took four years to graduate through, this was one of the first years where anyone under Fourth Years were being asked to take the Field Exam and presumably graduate straight into the military.
As such, they were all technically on even footing, though even a blind man could see that wasn't true at all. The gaps in experience, power, control, and sheer maturity would see the First Years decimated. Those thoughts coalesced into the certainty that Konohagakure had to be in dire straits to ask ten- and eleven year olds to throw themselves into the fire. Even fourteen or fifteen seemed too young. Perhaps Madara and Zetsu weren't the only things he should truly be worrying about.
Naruto glanced around. Ami, Aiko, and Yuna were the only ones, Naruto was sure, who'd never seen any real combat. Judging by the hints that Satsuki and Sakura gave him, the others had been in… something.
The Uzumaki's chest tightened with something he hadn't felt since Kazan in a real way: worry.
Then he saw Neji, arrogantly sitting by himself, given a wide berth. The Fourth Year currently held the top spot in the Academy. Whatever this was, there was no way that the administration would pit them all against each other, right?
Other teachers, the advisors for all the upper classes, fifteen in total, filed into the room, taking up positions against the walls. Most of them were famous Jonin.
Tori Nakata, dressed in his official school outfit; a silver and red uniform, swept in like a hurricane fifteen minutes later. He was accompanied by Professor Umino, who was also the Assistant Headmaster which was presumably why he was here. The two of them were both dressed the same way: very official. All of the other teachers swept in after, dressed in the same clothes; the only difference were the various medals pinned to their chests.
Excited, Naruto put his elbows on his knees and leaned in.
"I'm not a big fan of long exhalations of air with no substance, so we're going to jump right into the meat of the information that we all," he gestured to his right and left, "have to pass on."
Professor Umino stepped up, looking stern. The combination of the high-collared uniform with the wicked scar slanting across his face reinforced the fact that almost all of his students were terrified of stepping out of line in the most boring class in the KSMA.
"This is not the first time that the KSMA has held a Joint Exercise between the grades, nor will it be the last. But this time, it is especially important. As you all know, the Hokage recently announced the Genin Draft."
There was an eruption of loud whispers that quickly dimmed as Iruka gave them a stern look.
"Normally, Konohagakure would not ask it's bright future to fight, but these are shaping up to be dark times. War is on our doorstep. There are conflicts flaring up all along our borders with Bird and River Country, our Outposts are being attacked all over the country, and we are weakened from civil insurrection. This is now the time to cultivate rising stars."
Professor Nakata pulled down on one of the projection screens and the text lit up with huge letters visible even, probably, from the furthest top rows of the classroom.
Naruto read it quietly to himself, 'JOINT PREPARATORY EXERCISE.'
"The Field Exam, our live test required for Graduation, is really where your metal is tested, but this will be our first real test of you. This won't make or break your career, but success or failure here could be the difference between life or death. A prepared Genin is a live Genin. Are we understood?"
A powerful chorus of agreement rang out and Naruto felt the first stirrings of something in his chest.
Pride?
They'd face this together.
Naruto had only ever felt that way with Iron, so this was a first.
It hit different.
"Capture the Flag is a time-honored tradition between grades and serves as a decent recreation of the likely mission-types you'll be seeing in war-time."
Aoba took a marker to check off the different missions.
"Land reclamation, holding patterns, rear-guard defense, vanguard actions, VIP protection, and last but not least, capturing specific objectives assigned to you and your squad. Most of these things will be tested during a live- but limited- combat scenario."
Professor Mitarashi took up speaking, moving forward with a piece of paper.
"Each class will meet individually with your advisors. First Years will meet here, Second in Classroom 7, Third in Classroom 8, and finally Fourth Years in Classroom 9. There you will receive the specifics of the exercise. Questions related to the overall goals of this exercise?"
There was one hand up: it was Neji.
His smooth voice had a loftiness to it that instantly grated on Naruto's nerves.
"What percentage of our grades will this fulfill?"
The purple-haired Professor, long considered completely unhinged and near the top of the combat charts in skill and power, nodded seriously. Even her notorious prankster ways were suppressed. She nodded thoughtfully.
"Excellent question: all of your Professors are factoring this in as a full twenty-five percent of your final grade."
"Thank you Professor."
She looked around, questing. "Anyone else?"
Shikamaru raised his hand, looking unusually intense.
"How is this graded? What types of things will give us the best showing?"
"Excellent question, as expected from a Nara."
"Grading for this consists of the following categories in rubric format: following and executing orders as individuals and subsequent success, personal conduct, and group conduct, as combatants, success or failure to capture the flag and quality of the plan used to achieve primary objectives, individual and group performance as combatants, etc. Is this understood?"
Shikamaru nodded absently.
"Any other questions?"
A pause. Silence.
"No? Dismissed. First Years, stay here."
#
Only a short amount of time passed before the room was nearly empty and sectioned off into individual Advisories. 5U, Professor Umino's, stayed exactly where they were and watched him with varying degrees of trepidation.
This could make or break things for all of them and it was the worst kind of project if you weren't sure of the people around you: a group grade.
Their Advisor projected steady strength, but there was a tightness around his eyes that bothered Naruto. As if he was deeply worried and was trying not to show it.
"You all know about the upcoming Genin Draft. After the Field Exam, presuming you pass, you will all be offered military contracts as operatives for the Village Hidden in the Leaves, starting at the Genin level. There are… some of us… within the faculty that feel you are not ready for combat. We have been overruled."
He surveyed them, brown eyes piercing into each of them.
"But I will be damned if I let any of you go out unprepared. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I let any of you be hurt because of a lack of skill, focus, or anything related to our teaching. Is that understood?"
A lot of people looked just as confused as Naruto felt. Aiko and Yuna seemed indifferent, fiddling with the bangles around their wrists. Eventually they all murmured agreement.
"Good. With that being said, this will mark the biggest hurdle to my skepticism of the First Years as a whole. I want to see professionalism of the highest order and commensurate skill. Is this understood?"
This time, it felt like a different group that answered. Naruto could see, in every eye- Satsuki, Ino, Aiko, Ami, Yuna, Shino, Hayato, Sakura, Shikamaru, Choji, and even Kiba- that there was a deep resolve to prove worthy of their teacher's faith.
He looked at them, just looked. Then reached back to grab a sheaf of papers and started passing them out.
"This is the relevant briefing information and the start times, plus location of the Joint Preparatory Exercise. The Jonin involved with planning have opted, and I agree with them, to inform you of your opponents beforehand."
Kiba's eyes bulged as he scanned his paper.
"Fourth Year Class 3R. Tell me you're joking, Professor. Why aren't we being paired with… you know, people more appropriate?"
Everyone else scrambled through pages to find where their opponents were listed. Shikamaru was grave. Ami looked sick. Everyone else ran the gamut between the two. Naruto was excited. He caught the same look disguised on Satsuki's face and he shared a grin.
Their Advisor tapped his lip with a finger.
"In truth, I was glad when these matchups happened. As a military training Academy, our philosophy has always been that the better you're prepared, the safer and more effective you'll all be. To face a strong opponent means accepting that out there," he pointed out the window to the northeast. Everyone knew he meant Earth Country, though he might as well have gestured all around. The grim truth was they didn't have many allies left to them and they were surrounded. "Death could come from any opponent you ever face. There is no proper 'matching' or even the concept of fairness in battle. You win or you die, or you run away to live another day. We train to win. This is the first step."
The world became a scarier place after someone destroyed Hidden Cloud.
Something was hunting shinobi, wanting to topple the whole system.
"...so, be glad, Kiba. If the worst thing you'll face in this is a couple of Fourth Year students, then you've gotten extraordinarily lucky."
Naruto knew that was true. So far, he hadn't been that lucky.
"But Neji-"
Iruka cut him off with a flat hand.
"-a top-ranked student can be brought down by the same factors that could bring you down. Carelessness, thoughtlessness, stupidity- these things kill. Remember that. Have courage and think clearly- these are your greatest weapons."
With that sobering thought, he cleared his throat.
"As of right now, Professor Nakata assigned each team a Captain to organize and lead you. For 5U, he has selected Shikamaru Nara."
Iruka started clapping. Half the class looked uncomfortable and the other just looked awkward, half-clapping, half-realizing the others weren't. Shikamaru looked like someone walked over his grave. Or he saw a blade swinging at his neck.
"I.. am honored. But I-I can't."
Their Advisor's face was a smooth mask.
"Unfortunately, you do not get a say on your orders, trainee. Yours is to obey. Are we clear?"
Iruka's face made it clear that the continued reluctance on Shikamaru's face was entirely unwelcome. This, Naruto knew, even from his regular interaction, was unusual for Shikamaru. The kid found most everything troublesome, but had some strange hang-ups about training. He was intense to say the least. Like there was something driving him… or maybe there was something chasing him.
Naruto knew that feeling.
With a last, lingering look at the group, Iruka left.
...leaving them all in silence. That was broken by an unexpected source.
"Nobody leaves. I want to talk."
Ino was the one who spoke. Shikamaru, as much in a funk as he was, inclined his head to look at the blonde.
Naruto hadn't had much interaction with Ino to this point. Most of the time her face was buried in a book about either plants or a biography about Akuma no Kato, her uncle on her mother's side. Even more bizarrely, she had a host of books about ghosts and spirits. That last one was spooky and Naruto didn't mess with spooky.
"Shikamaru- I think we all know why Nakata gave this captaincy to you. I know you're uncomfortable with it- but we'll follow you. If there's anyone that can snatch victory from Fourth Years- and Neji himself, it's you."
Choji gave a warning look, subtle- for an Akimichi. Ino ignored it.
Shikamaru got up and left.
"What's his problem?"
Naruto's mouth had spoken before he could think about what he was saying.
Choji eyed him for a long moment. Shino was the one to speak.
"You should tell him. Why? Because group cohesion starts with sharing ourselves with others. This is no longer just about Shikamaru. This affects all of us- and our grade."
Kiba rose, packing his stuff into his bag.
Akamaru jumped down and sat, waiting for him.
The Inuzuka didn't meet their eyes.
"Forget this- not even Shikamaru thinks we can win, so..."
Flinging his bag onto his shoulder, he finally looked up.
He stabbed his finger at them all, looking at each of them in turn.
"I'm out."
Ino scoffed.
"Figures the Inuzuka would fold like a house of cards. This is a group grade idiot. That means we sink or swim together. What part of that is difficult? You're just scared of Neji!"
"Pfft. Aren't you?"
"No!"
"Are too!"
The two dissolved to bickering and Sakura, who thus far had been quiet, leaned in to his side and spoke.
"If we don't iron this argument out, we're all going to fail. I'd rather not."
Hayato spoke up.
"I a-agree with S-Shino. W-we were all affected by what happened," most of the others looked away from Hayato here, "but S-Shika seemed to take it the hardest. If we all understand where he's coming from, maybe we can get him to come up w-with s-something."
Naruto sensed there was a general push for someone to talk sense into Shikamaru. Nobody was volunteering.
Kiba huffed, but picked Akamaru up and started petting him. He seemed to do it absently, like he was lost in thought. Satsuki, well, it was hard to tell her with.
She had an effective poker-face.
Stiffly, haltingly, but gathering steam, Choji spoke to Naruto.
"During the… Winter War, when the Fifth Hokage attempted a coup, he kidnapped most of the Clan Heirs. Shika, I think, blamed himself for not being able to get us out of it. Mental, really, to think he could. But try telling him that, yeah?"
For a minute, it looked like the group would cohere, coming together to figure out a way to help Shikamaru, but Kiba spoke, anger coloring his voice.
"I think it's super fucked up that you're sharing this info, Choji. I doubt you'd appreciate us sharing your deep, dark secrets. Hm?"
Choji looked confused. "What secrets?"
All of them were quiet. Kiba rolled his eyes and kept petting Akamaru.
The twins were always quiet, but even Ami, usually the loudest besides Kiba, hadn't made a peep.
Choji protested weakly.
"Look, all I'm saying is that he's the best tactical mind in Konohagakure, by that I'd swear my life; but he takes losing hard. Difficulty separating things outside of his control from things he can affect. That's all. I'm sure he's just… scared."
Ami snorted, flipping her vivid purple hair. "We're all scared. At least you all have some experience with something resembling combat. Us civvies? We're gonna get slaughtered. Nakata's class isn't enough to make up for the years of difference between us all."
All the clan kids looked awkward. They seemed to sense the truth of that statement. Ami wasn't bad, but it was clear the difference in experience when sparring.
Yuna and Aiko nodded to that, seemingly without realizing it.
Naruto opened his mouth, but Ino interrupted him, frowning, ignoring Ami.
"Why abdicate the captaincy then? Why not take the reins like Nakata wanted?"
Hayato and Shino looked at each other. Choji shrugged, looking sad.
Ino smacked her fist into her palm.
"Then we need to be prepared without him."
This got Naruto intrigued- but cautious.
Satsuki spoke. "What did you have in mind?"
Kiba spoke again, anger coloring his voice. Naruto was starting to hate Kiba. His negativity was infectious- like a virus.
"Fuck this. None of us have a shot without Shikamaru. I'm going to go see if I can talk some sense into him. You all can circle-jerk here for as long as you want for all I care."
Sakura finally piped up, laced hands behind her head, leaning back in her seat.
"Nice, really nice Kiba. Mature!"
Naruto despaired as the group started falling apart right then and there. Sakura and him stared at Kiba's retreating form. His thoughts roiled, torn between competing instincts before solidifying into a decision he knew he'd regret.
If Naruto heard Choji right, Shikamaru was dealing with something the Uzumaki had a lot of experience with: failure. Failure to save his friends, failure to live up to the expectations he'd set for himself, failure to squash the fear enough to even try. Sometimes it was easier to lash out, then to calm down and think. Even the smartest people he knew fell prey to their very human instincts.
Memories of the Gutter flowed through him and his resolve hardened.
He got up, blowing some hair out of his face, and followed Kiba.
#
Naruto followed the voices down the hall, ending at a sign that proclaimed, 'Roof Access: Authorized Personnel Only.'
Naturally, he could hear voices coming from the shaft adorned with faded orange lightning and the entrance rungs of the ladder that led to the top of the KSMA Academic Building. A short climb later saw him up on the roof gazing out over the wild urban landscape that was modern Konohagakure.
The scene was picturesque, a patchwork of forestry and steel that stretched as far as he could see. It was still early afternoon, so the sun was high in the sky, looking down from a sea of blue Naruto swore didn't really exist in nature. Iron Country was austere and hauntingly beautiful in it's minimalist way, but this?
Konohagakure was stunning. The day was warm- but not too humid and a gentle breeze blew over the low-roof walls. Kiba and Shikamaru were sitting on the ledge, legs dangling. Naruto could only really see their silhouettes, nor could he hear their conversation, or if they were talking at all.
Naruto knew he was not invited. His social skills weren't bad enough he couldn't recognize that, but there was, somewhere inside, a hope that he could help somehow. This was part of trying to be better.
They both gave him sidelong glances. Shikamaru looked away.
Kiba was unreadable for once.
"I know I'm the last person you want to see-"
"-so why are you here, if you know?"
Naruto continued as if the boy hadn't spoken.
"-but I wanted to let you know that I get why you walked out."
"You do, do you?"
He could hear the warning note in the Nara's voice, but continued. Naruto hesitated, but plowed on. His story was his to tell. He could control it by talking about it. Shizune had told him that might be one way of reconciling it in his head. The experiences were his and his alone to share.
"Did either of you hear about the attack on the Land of Iron?"
Shikamaru cocked his head, as if he was confused why Naruto mentioned it, but nodded.
"I...overheard my father discussing the political ramifications of the Butcher of the Hidden Mist's attack and execution of the Shogun. Supposedly nobody has heard from Iron in almost nine months. What does that have to do with you?"
"I was there."
Naruto said it simply, not trusting himself to speak. Kiba and Shikamaru looked at each other.
When he mastered himself, the flashing images of dead friends, people as dear as family to him, ceasing, he continued.
"That monster sent ANBU into my home. I was sleeping… all I saw was the knife coming towards my face and I… I ran. I ran as much as I could and all I could see were the dead. Blood, so much of it that my feet made bloody footprints on the flagstones as I tried to get away."
Naruto didn't dare look at Kiba and Shikamaru. He wasn't sure he could take any reaction from them at all. They were quiet.
"I tried so hard to find my friends. I," he paused, swallowing, "-I think they're dead. I couldn't go back to look, the place was crawling with Hidden Mist. I was being chased by ANBU and ended up falling off a cliff into the Zainon, frigid water closing over my head. I don't… I don't remember much else."
The Uzumaki couldn't believe he was sharing this with the Inuzuka, but here he was. Surprisingly, they were listening intently.
Naruto readjusted himself to sit as they were, legs dangling off the two-hundred foot drop to the flagstones below where students were mingling and staff traveled, not knowing there were three witnesses to their comings-and-goings. Everything looked so small and petty up here.
"So what did you do? How did you get to Konoha?"
Shikamaru answered Kiba.
"Iron is almost twenty-eight hundred miles from here. That's a long, long way to go by yourself. He'd have passed next to Hidden Cloud and many, many miles of forest with frankly crazy wildlife, not to mention bandits. How did you make it here?"
Intrigued. They both were. He supposed that was better than the alternative.
Naruto cleared his throat, trying to judge how much to say. The bijuu was out, his father was out, the real reasons and people chasing him were out. That would be too much attention. He went with a modified version of the truth.
"...I was kidnapped by a freak who sold kids to the highest bidder."
Kiba goggled. "Oh man, you were sex-trafficked?"
Naruto sputtered. "NO!"
The Inuzuka looked skeptical. Shikamaru had slapped a palm across his face and rolled it down. That was how Naruto felt. That and his face felt slightly hot.
Ew. Gross. Though he sobered when he remembered that wasn't far from the truth for Kazan. A spike of hatred slammed into him when he realized that fucking pig Gato was still out there. Mentally, he put that man's death on his to-do list. Hopefully he stayed far, far away from Naruto.
"...no, though, I'm sure that was the case for some of the kids. What happened to me was bad enough. I was sold into a combat arena called, 'The Gutter.' Rich fuckers would pay money to watch poor folks scramble in the dirt and murder each other."
Shikamaru and Kiba looked as disgusted as he expected they would. The idea of fighting for money was anathema to all shinobi- and samurai for that matter. Though they both had wildly divergent views on almost everything else; on this, they agreed. Victory by any means, for ninja and honor, above all else, for samurai. Both despised gladiators. Yet Naruto saw a completely different side: fighting meant easy money for some kids who had nothing else. Ears, he'd heard, sent almost all of his money to his younger brother and mother, who he'd heard was sick. The money he earned provided for both of them.
Poverty made equals of them all.
"I know, I know. But you have to understand- you guys come from rich clans who give you whatever you need. Money isn't an object for any of you. These kids… sometimes fighting is all they had. Most of the kids I trained with volunteered."
Shikamaru considered that. He saw the gears turning.
Kiba was adamant that was fucked up.
Naruto continued, ignoring Kiba, and speaking to Shikamaru.
"I remember this one bout. I saw one of the champions, a big guy with an even bigger sword, crush the neckbones of his opponent who clearly didn't belong in the arena. The cartilage and bones made a popping sound I'll never forget. He was so fucking strong. That guy… well, his opponent never had a shot. There was a reason the Gutter was made with hard-packed sand. It's easy to just," Naruto made a throwing motion and poof noise. "Bam, throw some sand onto the blood and, voila. Back to normal. That's what they did to everything. Just threw some sand on things and pretended everything was okay."
For once, Shikamaru didn't look at him with dislike- just open curiosity and churning gears of thought.
"...I fought. I fought because there was a kid there I became friends with. He was… special. Not all there."
Naruto tapped his head.
"They were going to kill him, so I stepped in. Promised I'd be a good boy if they just, you know, let him live."
Kiba had stopped ranting and both of them sat again, quiet. They could sense from his darkening expression probably that this didn't have a happy ending.
"...until I found an opportunity to run away. I… I killed someone important in the process. The death was blamed on Kazan, the boy I befriended. I... tried to save him."
Naruto traced the place on his hands where his scars used to be.
"Fire Country officials executed him for touching the son of Gato Corporation's head honcho. Some big-wig. He had a thing for little boys."
He felt himself talking as if he was a thousand miles away, remembering the vicious fight during their escape.
"I painted that hallway with his blood. But they killed Kazan when it was supposed to be me. He was… he was good at drawing. Not just good, a freaking prodigy. Couldn't have… couldn't have harmed a fly and they killed him. I promised him… promised that he'd be safe with me."
Kiba put his arm on Naruto, gripping his shoulder. The boy spoke quieter than he'd ever heard him.
"You did good man. You did good."
"I… agree with Kiba. There was nothing you could've done. Justice was served to that man, but Kazan didn't deserve to die. But none of that was on you."
Naruto cocked his head. "You think that fucking matters? He's dead. I couldn't control it because I wasn't strong enough."
Unexpectedly moved by Kiba's gesture, he squeezed his- well, were they friends now?- hand and let go. Normally, from what he knew of him, Kiba wasn't the touchy-feely type. The story must have struck a chord. He hoped so.
"Isn't that what you're blaming yourself for too? We both tried. We both failed. But… I let it make me into someone I know my family wouldn't be proud of. But you? You're still fighting. Don't let it do to you what it did to me."
Shikamaru fell silent. The boy was smart enough to put it all together much better and quicker than Naruto had.
They, all three, sat and watched the crowd pass below them and listened to the wind whistle over the rooftops. The sun shone, a bright pearl in the sky. No clouds to speak of. The day really was perfect.
"...intellectually, I understand. There is only so much we can control in our lives. You couldn't stop getting kidnapped. You fought. You struggled. But bad things happened. Me?"
The black-haired boy sighed.
"The Nara have a reputation of being the smartest people in the room. I should've seen everything coming. I should've seen it coming."
He barked a harsh laugh.
"I was young, but I'd already started winning Shogi matches against my fellow clansmen. I was a prodigy amongst prodigies. Even Ren and Rei, three years my senior and largely considered the stars of the Nara clan, couldn't hold a candle to my prowess. That day I'd even seen the signs building up; alternative patrols of ANBU I couldn't recognize through gait analysis. The odd traffic patterns in the city. The anxiety of adults around me… the signs were there."
Shikamaru paused to collect his thoughts.
Naruto jumped in.
"You and I were powerless. We were kids. We still are, technically."
"Does that comfort you Naruto? Because it doesn't comfort me."
"No, it doesn't. But things are different now. You and I? We know better. We know there are monsters under the bed. Us kids have always known better, we just couldn't do anything about it."
Naruto knew he was getting intense. His fingers spasmed on the stone, chakra blending and giving him the strength to crack it. His voice was insistent.
"Don't you see? This is our first step towards real power. You think, if you had the Hokage's power, that anybody would be able to put you in a cage? That anyone would lay a finger on the people I cared about? Power is the lever- and we have it now. Tomorrow- we're going to lay waste to Neji and those Fourth Years because we aren't powerless anymore. We just… we need you, Shikamaru. You have influence in the class and they need morale and support and most importantly, a fucking plan."
Kiba nodded, "Hell fucking yeah. Amen to that brother."
Shikamaru looked back and forth at them, then sighed.
"I understand. I just… I don't want to let anyone down."
Kiba scoffed. But Naruto overrode him, quiet but still intense.
"That isn't up to us, unfortunately. You know that as well as I do."
The Nara Clan heir nodded. "I do. My father talks about the dichotomy of control all the time… logic can only take you so far though before your heart gets in the way."
The Inuzuka almost sounded like he was reciting a poem when he spoke, "My father… before he left, always used to say that a shinobi's job was to endure. What a hypocrite. I guess I didn't get that before now, but it's true isn't it?"
Naruto had heard his father mention it to and, at Shikamaru's nod, apparently his as well.
The Nara looked at Naruto.
"You know, this doesn't mean we're friends and I still don't fully trust you… but I get it. Somewhat."
Naruto grinned a bit. "Well, at least you know I come by it honestly."
Even Shikamaru laughed a little at that.
"Too true."
Kiba spoke up, a bit sourly.
"Kumbaya and all that, but can we get to the part where we figure out a plan to actually win tomorrow?"
Like a flower unfolding for the sunlight, Shikamaru had a savage smile on his face.
"Oh my dear Kiba, we aren't just going to win tomorrow. We're going to crush them."
Naruto's blood sang with the promise of battle.
"What's the plan?"
Shikamaru had a light in his eyes that he wasn't familiar with, but it sort of resembled the look Sakura got when they started sparring. Maniacal.
"I need an honest answer Naruto. How good are you, really at scripting and fuinjutsu?"
His smile was ear-to-ear. "I could break into anywhere in Konohagakure if I needed to- why?"
Shikamaru smiled at him.
"What do you know about the Caged Bird Seal?"
When Shikamaru outlined the bare bones of their plan, not without checking around them first. Naruto and Kiba both goggled.
"That has to be the stupidest fucking plan I've ever heard!"
Shikamaru adopted an airy, wise tone, flapping his hands dismissively.
"Have faith little ones. The master has arrived! Trust me!"
Kiba and Naruto both groaned.
They were doomed.
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this one.
Huge thanks to my new beta, Mistical Ninja- thanks, man, for all the deep-diving work on this chapter. I was agonizing over this chapter in particular because as it stands now, it is actually a two-parter and the other half was stretching to almost thirty-thousand words in and of themselves. So Mistical found me a great place to split it- just be prepared because the next chapter is almost entirely action.
Strap in folks. From that chapter spirals into the Field Exam and depending on how that goes, the end of Book 1.
As always, huge thanks to all my consistent reviewers- you folks are AWESOME. VermillionVortex, Thaltair, and all the others I'm surely forgetting. You make writing easy when I have great supporters. I consider all the people who have contributed substantive reviewers to be a part of my alpha fight club of a beta crew. I'm taking this feedback and I'll be pouring it into the rewrites- so keep 'em coming and thanks again!
Thanks everyone.
J.B. Macleod