A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than usual, thank goodness. I hope that you all like the way it goes. Hopefully it'll wrap up some ends for you. If it doesn't, the next few will. Well, sort of. For those of you that don't like to read long paragraphs on-screen, I highly advise you print this out, because it's a pretty action-oriented chapter and a lot of the paragraphs are pretty big. Sorry about that! Enjoy, and I'd love to know your reactions to this chapter, like what were your favorite parts, was the action believable, etc. Thanks!

It was war, and it was a battle far more difficult than shougi, or go, or anything else he could imagine. He had spent weeks going over the battle plans, perfecting them and drawing up contingency plans, conferring with Tsunade, Jiraiya, Anko, and others as much as possible. Even though he was a ninja, he hated people to die, even when they weren't people he knew. War was horrific. Shikamaru didn't have it in him to hate, since hate was the most troublesome of all emotions, but he truly loathed Orochimaru for bringing such times upon them. He had done his best to make sure all the people he cared about would be in safe, yet effective, positions, but that was all he could do.

It remained all he could do a week into the fighting. Ino was on a scouting squad, and he heard good things about her performance. Chouji was still at home, defending Konoha with his father. Two multi-size jutsu users would be able to protect the city quite well, and that included protecting Naomi and the new baby.

As for himself, he was teamed up with Lee, Tenten, and Hinata. Naruto was out there somewhere with Sakura, Kiba, and Neji. Tsunade and Jiraiya were hunting down Orochimaru, and Naruto was acting as leader. Of course, Naruto also had eighteen contingency plans, each of them written by Shikamaru, in his vest pockets. The only way they'd lose the war was if Naruto managed to somehow destroy the scrolls. If they all just lived through it, everything would be fine.

Unfortunately, Shikamaru wasn't doing a very good job of living through it. He knew from reports that his plans were working beautifully, mostly due to the fact that Shino, Ino, and their team was extracting an unusually large amount of valid information. Their bluff, charge, and pincer attack had all been executed perfectly. Sound was retreating, just as he had planned. The only hitch was that Orochimaru was sending out his best soldiers to cover his retreat, his favorite tactic. Even though Shikamaru had been successful against this ploy before, he knew it was a problem this time because he and his friends were being specifically targeted. He had learned that Kabuto was after Naruto, but that was just fine. Sakura could take the medic-nin out no problem, and Naruto could just blow everyone up, if need be. He was more worried about himself and his team.

"Behind us!" Hinata screamed, bringing up the rear.

"How far?" he bellowed in return, keeping his eyes on the next branch as they sailed through the leaves.

"Fifty meters," she replied.

Shikamaru cursed under his breath. The Sound nin was closing in on them, and with his luck it would be the same one that managed to slice another jounin squad to pieces. From the looks of the gruesome scene they had happened across earlier, the jounin hadn't even had time to put up a fight. Whoever the enemy was, he or she was bad news. "Tenten!" he shouted.

"Got it!" she cried, peeling away from the group and disappearing into the trees.

"Lee, Hinata, go on ahead. There should be a clearing about five hundred meters from here. Stop there and defend yourselves in any way necessary. If I don't show up in ten minutes, find Naruto's squad. Someone has to let him know what's happening to us, and you'll be safer in a pair. "

"Roger," Lee bellowed, and trailed Hinata as they sped away.

Shikamaru froze in the limbs of a tree, back pressed against the bark. He could feel blood seeping through the sole of his sandal and hoped it wouldn't become a clue to his whereabouts. He had a large gash on his calf that had narrowly missed vital tendons, and Hinata had not had time to heal it, especially when Tenten had nearly lost the use of her arm in an earlier skirmish. The kunoichi was fine now, but Shikamaru had not wanted to risk the drain on Hinata's chakra if she was to heal him as well. Besides, their enemy was close behind them, and there were plenty of shadows in the trees. It could be over quickly. He tried to tell himself that the battle would end with his team the victor.

The whistling of projectile weapons sounded behind him, and he hazarded a look in time to see kunai rain down upon their enemy. Tenten's speed was such that he couldn't tell where she was hiding, since the weapons seemed to come from everywhere at once. Tenten was also a master at traps, so it was entirely possible that she was nowhere near the battle. He barely caught a glimpse of the Sound nin as the person brought up its hands, the motion jerky as the wrists flicked. Shikamaru barely had time to get out of the way as the weapons suddenly recoiled from the enemy and sailed in all directions, several kunai embedding themselves deeply in the trunk next to his head. Pressing his lips together, he faded back behind the tree, sweat beading at his hairline and rolling down the side of his face. He knew he was smart, probably smart enough to overcome anything that was sent his way, save for two hinderances: he was dog-tired, and he had no idea what bizarre talents Orochimaru's minion would have. When the two variables were combined, he realized he had precious little chance of survival. His only way to stay alive and, more importantly, to keep his team alive, would be to figure out his opponent's tricks quickly.

He realized with a start that the Sound ninja had not moved since the hail of weapons, nor had Tenten attacked again. Hazarding another peek around the tree, he was surprised to see the enemy just standing there. The sound ninja was a woman with incredibly long, pale hair. It hung well below the branch she was standing on, and her face was garishly made up, like all of Orochimaru's minions. Her skin was mottled with dark markings, telling him that she had already opened her curse seal. Dammit, why did he always end up fighting women?

Slowly, he sent out his Shadow Bind, carefully weaving it along the shadows of leaves until it attached to her feet. Even if Tenten had fled, which he didn't think likely, hopefully the technique could buy him enough time to do something. Hinata and Lee were just up ahead, after all. He raised his hand in the air, smirking as the Sound kunoichi did the same, a shocked expression on her face. Shuriken whistled through the air from the cover of the treetops, all aimed for the enemy's vital points. Shikamaru's blood ran cold as the kunoichi smiled, and he tightened the Shadow Bind. Once more the weapons scattered, somehow deflected. He clenched his teeth. She hadn't moved; did she have some sort of chakra field?

His stomach lurched as Tenten burst from the trees, eyes full of steel as she silently descended upon the enemy from behind. Shikamaru was careful to keep his Bind securely in place, wiggling his fingers to make sure she was under control. Her fingers wiggled in tandem, reassuring him. As Tenten grew close, however, he was horrified to see ribbons of blood appear on her pale skin. She grunted and appeared to float in midair, her progress halted. It looked as if someone had cut her with razor line, thin trails bleeding all over her body. Shikamaru watched as she struggled, but she couldn't move. Her throat let loose a frustrated growl, and she stared angrily at the back of the Sound ninja's head. He noticed that she was losing more blood around her wrists and ankles, almost if she was bound. There were no bonds or wires to be seen, however, and he felt his lip curl in a snarl as the Sound nin's slight smile turned into a grin.

Tenten continued to struggle, and whatever held her was sharp, for her blood began to flow more freely. He felt his innards tighten with fear; if she kept it up, she'd either bleed to death or slice something vital off, like a hand or foot. Tenten was one of the most determined people he knew, aside from Lee and Naruto, and she had more pride than anyone but her husband. He knew Tenten would rather die than lose slowly. There was still no sign of what held her, until he noticed that the tips of the enemy's platinum blonde mane were twitching. His eyes widened in shock. Was she controlling her long hair using chakra? The concentration and stamina needed to do so would have to be incredible. He was starting to think that he shouldn't have sent Hinata ahead, for her Byakugan would have been of great help.

Tenten, however, was his primary concern. If he didn't free her soon she would be dead, and there was no time for regrets. Closing his eyes, he settled into his thinking stance, searching for a way to beat his opponent. Considering his depleted chakra supply, he couldn't see a way. Well, better him than Tenten. Maybe help could come soon enough to save her. Taking a deep breath, he faded into his own shadow and rose again right next to the Sound nin, a kunai at her throat. Something flicked against his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

"No!" Tenten cried, face dirty and smeared with red. "You should leave!"

"Too late," he grumbled into the Sound Kunoichi's ear. "I'm going to make this the last battle of the war, if I can."

"The hermit and gambler will never make it in time," the Sound nin chuckled. "Master Orochimaru will have the power of the Nine Tails before the Akatsuki."

"This is about Naruto?"

"Didn't you know? Your armies are caught between us and them."

He snorted, smirking even though he knew she couldn't see it. "Of course I knew. If everything is going according to plan, the Akatsuki after us will be dead by now."

"You can't kill Itachi."

"You're right, we can't, but Sasuke can."

"Uchiha Sasuke?"

"The same. What do you think happened to him after we finally rescued him from your master's clutches? He was a broken man, but he trained. He's pretty much useless as a normal shinobi, but he's a finely-honed blade for murdering his brother. It's all that's left of his mind."

"Your side might win that battle, but not this one," she sneered, and he felt the faint touch of something slide across his skin, slicing it open. Swearing, he blindly swung his kunai, hearing a twang as he cut through something. He was right, she was using her hair like trap wire. Breaking the Bind, he faded into the shadows and reappeared next to Tenten, quickly cutting her down and supporting her. To her credit, she had remained conscious, although her body was heavy and limp in his arms.

"Let me at her," she growled, pulling a scroll from a pouch at her hip.

"Yeah, right," he grunted, leaping through the branches to the ground. "Stay here."

"She's right behind you," Tenten whispered as she slumped against the tree trunk. She pressed something into his hand.

Shikamaru paled as he felt the smooth lacquered handle in his palm. She had slipped him a sealing blade. He gripped it tightly, standing and filling his lungs with air. "Little bird!" he shouted, praying that Hinata or Lee would hear. He didn't want to put them in danger, but they were his only chance to get Tenten to safety. Hinata could work on her while Lee led them to Naruto's team. Shikamaru felt pretty confident he could stall the Sound kunoichi for at least that long. He nodded once to Tenten, who sighed and closed her eyes, then he bounded back up into the trees. The enemy was still standing right where he left her, and as he moved he saw the light glint off of the strands of her hair. They were everywhere, creating a nearly impenetrable cocoon around her. Impenetrable to anything but shadow, he thought.

"Your fancy trick won't do any good against me. It's a good thing I'm a coward like you, or I'd be ashamed to fight you."

She raised her eyebrow at his comment, then her hair lifted and filled the air with deadly force. He barely avoided the large bulk sent at him, wincing as smaller sections peeled away from the mass and sliced across his skin. The attack was what he expected, however, and he was able to deflect most of the cuts with his flak jacket, which was immediately slashed to ribbons. Luckily he had used the back of it, meaning his scrolls were still intact, as if it would truly make a difference. Flinging himself toward the safety of the trees, he faded into the shadow, rematerializing to the rear left of the Sound ninja and sinking Tenten's blade deep into her side, his shadow engulfing her and pulling her back into the darkness with him simultaneously. His free hand formed the necessary seals, and the handle of the blade turned hot in his palm, burning his skin. The Sound nin screamed and began to struggle, her veins standing out against her pale skin as her essence began to flow into the blade. They sank into the shadow just as Tenten screamed, "Watch out!"

Shikamaru flinched as the sealing blade began to glow, exploding with incredible force. He grunted as the air was knocked out of him, plunging him into his own shadow and out through the shadow beneath the tree limb. His arm clipped the branch below, sending him spiraling into the trunk, which he ricocheted off of before landing hard on a large, sturdy limb. He groaned and coughed blood, able to feel the bones in his arm shattered. A couple of ribs were broken as well, and he knew there was no way he could defend himself and Tenten. Before him stood the Sound ninja, blonde hair completely white as she studied him with a golden eye. The whites of her eyes had turned black, and her skin was stained with the markings of a level-three curse seal. She smiled, showing new fangs, and he clenched his jaw, preparing for his final moments. There was nothing he could do. Genius didn't matter one bit when he had nothing to work with. He coughed again, blood dribbling down his chin, and he wondered if he had punctured a lung. Guilt crushed him further as he realized he had doomed Tenten as well; his only consolation was that Lee and Hinata both lived. At least he wouldn't be around to face Neji, who would have probably tried to kill him once he found out his wife was dead.

The Sound nin's face contorted and her hair exploded in all directions, ripping the bark and leaves from trees and leaving gashes where it passed. If her chakra was large enough to actually blow up a container like the knife through sheer force of quantity, there was no way he was going to live. She had plenty of reserves. His eyes locked with hers, determined to face his death, when there was a buzzing sound and a blur, the twanging of lines being cut echoing in the air. The green of a jounin jacket met his eyes, the Konoha spiral on the back, and blonde hair whipped in the wind. The Sound kunoichi hissed and retreated a pace.

Shikamaru looked up as the ninja glanced over her shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked, and he felt an irrational joy as he looked upon rosy skin and sky-blue eyes.

"Ino?" he breathed, drinking in the sight of her, wondering if he was already dead and the angels in heaven looked like Ino. Not that he actually thought he would go to heaven when he died....

A smile made her look even more vibrant, like a vengeful goddess of beauty. "You look terrible. We'll get you out of here, so don't worry."

That very emotion suddenly gripped his chest, making it even more painful to breathe. Ino was a talented kunoichi, but she'd be cut to ribbons by the cursed Sound ninja. "You have to go, now," he wheezed.

"Shino!" Ino cried.

"On it," a deep voice said, and Shikamaru finally saw the source of the buzzing. Shino dropped out of the treetops, surrounded by a black cloud of insects. The bugs settled on the chakra-filled hair, revealing that the space they inhabited was nearly filled with cris-crossing strands of hair. If either of them moved an inch they would be sliced. Unfortunately, the Sound nin took that moment to unleash a new attack, her hair lifting from behind her and reaching out in all directions. Shino cursed as he dodged, a shield of bugs protecting him, and Shikamaru's stomach lurched as a thin cut appeared on Ino's cheek. Shino's jaw was clenched as he moved closer to the enemy, his bugs swarming on the new hair.

"You have to get out of here," Shikamaru begged.

"I'm going to protect you," she insisted, drawing a kunai and crouching in front of him. "Hinata, get him out of here."

Shikamaru started as the white-eyed woman appeared at his side. "Tenten?" he asked.

"Lee has her," Hinata answered quietly, draping his unbroken arm around her shoulder.

"Get out of here, quickly," Shino shouted, his scowl partially covered by his sunglasses.

"Right away," Hinata agreed, and lifted him. He gritted his teeth against the pain.

"I don't want to leave Ino here," he panted. "She'll be killed!"

"She'll be fine," Hinata answered, glancing over her shoulder as she carefully leapt down to the next branch. He hissed in pain, and at the same time saw Tenten cradled in Lee's arms.

"Let's go," Lee announced, and sped off through the trees. Hinata made to follow when he cried out, gasping with agony as he was yanked out of her grasp. Hair cut into his flesh around the ankle, dragging him back to the battle.

"You wounded me," the enemy bellowed, knocking Shino aside and raising a cloud of insects. "You will never leave here!"

Shikamaru groped for his knife, slashing blindly at the hair, which was still invisible save where it was covered by black bugs. The kunai was ripped from his blistered hands, opening new wounds in his blackened flesh. He clenched his jaw to keep from crying aloud, instead clawing and twisting as he tried to break free. Hinata sprang at him and also slashed at the hairs, and because of her Byakugan was far more successful than he was. However, two hairs replaced every single one she cut, and soon Shikamaru was being pulled up through the branches by his bleeding ankle.

"Shikamaru!" Ino screamed, blue eyes wide as she stared at him, her weapon constantly deflecting hair. The entire battlefield was covered in hair, which was sharper than razor wire.

"Don't move!" he cried back, terrible images of seeing her cut in half piercing his brain through the agony. He grunted as the tentacle of hair flung him upward, slamming him down hard on a high branch. More ribs broke.

"It's over for you, shadow-user," the Sound ninja growled, and sent a spear of white hair straight for his chest.

Shikamaru flinched, closing his eyes, but the blow never came. Ino stood in front of him, blood gushing from her thigh where the hair pierced it. Her kunai had deflected its path, but she obviously couldn't have moved in time. No one could have. "Ino," he moaned as she collapsed against him, face pale and covered with sweat.

"I told you I'd protect you. It's not a bad reason to die," she said with a smile, blue eyes dark with pain.

He felt as if rabid squirrels were clawing their way out of his stomach, he was so anxious. "You shouldn't have, you can't, you need to go," he babbled, impulsively grabbing her with his good arm as panic gripped him.

To his surprise, she suddenly calmed and leaned into him, relaxing. "It's okay," she said, and her smile was so sweet that tears sprang to his eyes. Why had he never told her how dear to him she was?

"Ino," he choked, interrupted by the dull thud of Shino's body hitting a tree nearby. His already shattered attention centered on the fact that he was sitting in a pool of something warm, and he realized with horror that his clothes were soaked with Ino's blood. The hair must have severed the large artery in her leg. "Ino!" he shouted.

"Hold her," Hinata said, appearing beside him, face and arms covered with small lacerations. She must have been using a Kaiten variation to keep her vitals from harm. Her hands gently massaged the wounds in Ino's leg, the chakra glowing as she applied it.

"Will she be okay?" He asked, watching Shino lunge once more at the Sound ninja, only to be batted away again. Bugs filled the air.

"She'll be fine. Just hold her," Hinata ordered, voice full of determination.

"Watch out!" Shino bellowed, and Shikamaru tore his eyes away from Ino in time to see dozens of hair-spears headed straight for him. Too damaged to move, he pulled Ino to him, Hinata also moving closer in.

"I'm sorry," he murmured to Ino, running a thumb along her cheek, wiping away blood. She smiled weakly. It would all be over in a second.

"Kamaitachi!" someone screamed, and the hair-spears scattered into a million strands, floating uselessly to the forest floor. Shikamaru felt his heart race. He knew that voice, he knew that technique.

The Sound ninja shrieked and sent her hair flying in all directions, another spear directed straight at them, which was abruptly stopped by a wall of sand that appeared immediately in front of them. "Gaara!" Hinata cried, a smile on her face.

"You fools," Gaara said, appearing next to her. "You should not take on such an opponent without backup."

"We tried," Shikamaru spat.

"You have to do better than that," the redhead murmured, sending a wave of sand at the enemy.

"Silly man," a woman said, and Shikamaru felt a wave of relief as Temari's midnight eyes gazed down at him.

"I've never been so glad to see you," he said.

"You've looked better," she countered, grinning. Her smile faltered a little as she saw Ino in his arms. Her gaze swept over his face, examining him, then locked with Ino's. The two women stared at one another for what seemed like forever, then Temari sighed. "Hey, when you two get back to town, why don't you take her out to dinner?"

Shikamaru's eyes went wide. "But I'm not supposed to do that until-"

"Just take her out," she interrupted, expression sad. "You need to let go of things, sometimes."

"But Temari-"

"Shut up!" she shouted, readying her fan. "Girl, make sure he takes you out, okay?"

Ino nodded, lips pale. "Okay."

Temari broke out in a grin. "Hey, sweet cheeks," she shouted to Shino. "Lend me those bugs and then get the hell out of here!"

Shino blushed but came immediately over to them. "What do you want me to do?" he asked, his head tilted as if he was watching Gaara attack the enemy out of the corner of his eye.

"Get your friends to safety. Kankuro will help."

"I always have to help," Kankuro whined, suddenly crouching next to Shikamaru. He glared at Ino. "She'd better be worth more than my sister, or you'll pay."

Shikamaru flinched and swallowed, nodding. Shino helped Ino up, Hinata finishing the binding on her thigh. Kankuro heaved Shikamaru to semi-standing. "Let's go," Hinata said, leading the way.

"Be careful," Shikamaru shouted over his shoulder, catching the Sand kunoichi's eye.

"For you, anything," she replied, and he watched her slice at the enemy with her fan until they had moved out of sight.