Chapter 3: Trick Attack!

Several shuriken charged down to them. It seems that they were coming from the trees. A kunai was flying toward Sakura. Shikamaru had noticed it quickly and dived himself to Sakura to push her from the flying kunai.

SMACK!

The kunai missed Shikamaru and instead darted to the bark of the tree.

"Hey you two are you alright?" Naruto shouted to them as hundreds of kunai was targeting him and keeps on shielding himself.

"Good as new! Be careful Naruto!" Sakura shouted back to him. As she pulled her kunai to her holster.

"Oops!" Naruto said as he escaped the shuriken. For a minute the flying weapons keeps on targeting them and no one came out to them. "Must be the gits." He muttered under his breath.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted to him. "I think it was the gits at the pub!" she shouted again.

"Your guess is as good as mine!" he called back to her.

He then pulled his kunai and jumped to the tall trees and search for the attacker. He could not find them.

Shikamaru yelled at him at the ground. "Found them?"

He shook his head and jumped to the next tree. It seems they were just trying to frighten them.

CRASH!

He was hit by a shuriken. He had not seen that one coming! He falls down to the ground. It hit his left arm but not that deep, just a cut.

"NARUTO!" The two chorused and run for him at the ground. Another rain of weapons occurred and Shikamaru quickly dragged Naruto's body away from the piercing weapons.

"Are okay?" He said under his breath. He was exhausted. The attack didn't stop.

"Yeah, sort of." He managed to answer with a grin and got up to his self to the ground. "Just a little cut." He said gesturing to his cut.

"Naruto! You should be careful. That kunai maybe had poison." Sakura said with concern.

"That is a shuriken that hit him." Shikamaru corrected her. "But I think she's right. It must be poisoned."

"Listen, Shikamaru, We need to go to Hokage-sama's office now!" Naruto said with gritted teeth. "If those gits had caught us they'll surely kill us. The Hokage-sama must know about this." He added urgently. Shikamaru raised his eyebrow.

"I know Naruto. But first we had to plan our escape." He said in the low tone.

In the split second, a puff of smoke appeared to them feet way from them. Naruto heard Shikamaru cursed in the thin air. "I don't think you can think of a good tactic to escape us." An unearthly voice told them. It was a voice that Naruto had never heard before so inhuman he thought. The two man in the pub appeared before them. The small rat-faced man spoke. He was wearing some kind of a ragged clothes that to his opinion it was not washed for centuries. And how awful his smell, he look the rat-faced man with disgust. He is uglier when smirking.

"So…" The tall man wrapped with white bandages said his hair from the back rise with him ordering it. He shriveled. 'Who is this man?' he thought to himself. Shikamaru was clutching the grass tightly as if picturing it was the two men's face. The tall man fixed his gaze to Naruto with his widened eyes that were not covered with bandages. In fact, it was only the part of his body not covered with bandages. It seems he was wearing nothing but bandages and a black belt. "So…" the tall man repeated.

Naruto was fighting his urge to answer back the man with 'So what?' but he think it was not the right situation to spit it out. They were in grave danger. However, for ninjas everyday is a mortal peril. Sakura shot a glare at them. "Who are you?" she said not in a friendly tone but rather in a rude way.

"If I were you missy I would keep my fat mouth shut. And I don't like your tone either." The rat-faced snapped at her. Sakura hold tight to Shikamaru like a dog whining not to whip by his master. The small once crack into a long manically laugh that echoed through out the forest. "Afraid aren't you?" it said to her mocking. Sakura squirm more to Shikamaru.

A long dreadful silence filled the place before the tall one spoke. "You've been found our little secret aren't you?" He said.

"What's with you if we have known?" Shikamaru said bravely but sounds irritated.

"Yeah, what's with us if they knew?" the rat-faced said grinning to the other one as if making them laugh about he had said.

The tall one rounded at him and said, "Don't try to sound funny here. These kids had just discovered our secret." And sounded annoyed to his 'little companion'. "And this is not good… poor poor rookies…" he continued. "You lot had known everything don't you eh?"

"Yes, and it took you two blokes a long time to found us do you?" Naruto spat at them.

The tall one smirk with muse. "Hear…Hear… we had found out that you are the biggest loser of this village when this…" as he gestured to Shikamaru, "Chuunin-san called your name at the pub."

"Orochimaru and Itachi were really up to their necks to have you in their own hands and to…" he took his own hand and mechanically crushed something invisible in his hands and still smirking. "Crush you into thousand of pieces… yes… that's what they really like to do to you…"

Naruto froze to the steady ground. Indeed, they were right, Itachi had once tried to murder him but fortunately, the perverted hermit had saved his life. Orochimaru on the other hand too had tried also to kill him but had failed several times. "What they want to Naruto and to Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked still beside Shikamaru and hiding at his back.

"Little missy… they want that wart to make their plan to be a success." The small one answered. "He is the only hindrance to our plan…"

The tall one straightened up and pulled at his back a sort of a katana. "Now… any last wishes to us?" he said and pulled the cover of the katana. "Or who does want to die first?" the small one added.

"No…No… we'll let them die at the same time… oh!" he pauses and thinks for a while. "Where do you want us to bury your corpse?"

Naruto came into a rage. He doesn't like the tone of these bad ninjas. Even they were just rookies it does not mean they were not that powerful enough to outwitted them. Naruto nodded at Shikamaru, who nodded back to him in return.

"In your dreams! We did not want to end our precious lives just taken by some pair of gits! Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted at the top of his voice. Without warning Shikamaru lunged to the tall one and trusted his kunai with hesitation. The tall one tumbled down with blood sputtering the ground. Sakura pulled as many as she can get shurikens and quickly threw at the small git at his face it fallen a back.

In that they take advantage that, the strange men were knocked on the ground and swiftly they jump to the nearest tree to them.

"Good." Shikamaru said and panting. "All we need to escape this gits is to plan…" he manages to say. "I therefore say, Naruto can you handle this gits and we'll go charging to Hokage-sama's office." Naruto nods in agreement.

"That is not a good plan eh?" the small git had recovered and blood was covered his face. "Planning your escape with your enemy just a few centimeters away from you!"

"Naruto, now!" Shikamaru commands him.

Naruto now stands firm at the branch of the tree and clasped his hand to each other and forming seals.

"Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto roared. With the flick of a finger, puffs of smoke covered the whole forest and emerged over hundreds of Naruto.

"Shadow-Clone technique!" the rat faced squealed with amazement.

"Now. Who wants to get hurt first? Just please raise your right hand!" one of the Naruto said with the air of confidence and frantically joking and raises his right arm. "Nobody wants?" he said mocking.

"Now! Go get them!" One of the Naruto who were standing at the branch ordered the hundreds of Naruto and pointing his index finger to the two.

Several Narutos charged down the two unknown men. And several lunging shouts can be heard and almost all of the birds remaining in the forest flew with the disturbance. He could see the two men strangling for their lives. "They are only bunshins." He heard the tall one said and knock off one Naruto in a single blow. It instantly turns into a puff of smoke.

Naruto did not immediately got stunned at the tall man did. It will take several minutes to discover the true Naruto. Nevertheless, to Naruto's calculations he was terrible wrong. They had deal on some powerful ninjas. They maybe some missing Nins who are class- S criminals.

The last remaining bunshin had turned into a smoke. "Pretty good idea huh?" the rat-faced git smirk at him as he arranged his kunai and firm his grip. Naruto now wants to run for his life now but it makes no sense.

The rat-faced ninja jumped up to where Naruto was standing and thrust his kunai as deep as possible to Naruto. It did not gave time to Naruto to scream or to call back Shikamaru and Sakura, all he could is to froze where he was standing and his eyes widening with pain. The rat-faced smirk, the worst smirk he had ever seen. He much more ugly when is near.

The rat-faced man pulled on his kunai and expecting his blood will flow and sputter everywhere in the place but it was not what had happened.

When the kunai had realese from Naruto, he immediately became a puff smoke.

"Damn it! Another bunshin!" the rat-faced cursed.

A mile from that place Shikamaru, Sakura and Naruto were still at the forest and jumping from trees to trees. "We still have a mile before we can escape this thick forest." Sakura said and jumping to another tree branch.

"And if we had reached the town, they will have difficulty in following us." Shikamaru added irritably.

For a few minutes, they hadn't sensed that the two gits were following them. It was a good idea of Shikamaru to take advantage of his expertise in Shadow cloning and to escape to them without noticing them. But then he reckons that they will definitely knew how to fight the clones but it was good to take their time and they'll go rushing to town.

"Are the gits coming?" he yelled at Shikamaru. Shikamaru spoke at not turning to him and fixing his gaze to the trees, "They are not, for now. I suppose they we'll be coming a few minutes from now."

"How about this…" he said and leaped at the next branch of tree and got his balance. "We'll have our first plan… to split up and stop them."

"I don't think so. We'll stick to our plan B."

"But it will be a lot easier to split into two groups… I mean you and me we'll left behind here and fight those jerks and Sakura will report this to Hokage-sama."

"You are mad Naruto." Shikamaru said softly, "We can't do that."

"But why?"

"Naruto…" Sakura joined them as they swiftly jumped across the forest with their foot. "That is what those gits wants to happen…" she said, "Us to be separated and they'll can finished off us one-by-one." She finally said with gritted teeth.

Naruto frowned at the thought. He did not thought about that, how stupid he really was. "Then we'll proceed to our plan C then?"

"Yes. But then if they are coming…" Shikamaru said.

Miles away they could hear two kinds of creature jumping from trees to trees. "I reckon they had finished off you clones…" Shikamaru blurted out and his face shows he is nervous and not to mention lazy to fight.

"Now Naruto… another bunshin again." He commanded to him.

Naruto stops into a halt in the branch of an enormous tree. He roared again and puffs of smoke flowed.

For a few minutes, the smoke had partly cleared off the forest and the two men had arrived and found the three Konoha ninjas. "Ready to take a close-combat?" the rat-faced spat with amusement.

"Those clones made me sick… but you made us surprise with that." He added and gesturing to him. "Ready?"

"We are ready when you are!" the three chorused and both teams charged at each other.

Flying kunai everywhere, that was the scene, yet when Naruto had punched hard the tall one in turned into a smoke. "Bunshin?" he muttered under his breath and with disbelief.

"So you are not the only one knows how to make clones!" the rat-faced charged at him and punched him hard to that cause him to fall on the ground, but to the rat-faced disbelief it turned out to be another clone and puffs of smoke filled the ground. "Not another bunshin!" he then snarled with anger.

"When Naruto is around, expect a sea of bunshin." Shikamaru said smirking to the rat-faced man.

"Hmp and I expect you are a bunshin too eh?" it replied with a victorious laugh followed. Shikamaru's eyeballs grew wide and a flying kunai hit him, he became a puff of smoke too.

"And I knew the lot of you are actually fleeing…" the rat-faced man muttered under his breath.

"Naruto! They had finished off easily our clones! You have to produce another batch of clones to stop them!" Sakura yelled at them in between her jump in the tall tree.

"They have?" Naruto asked her loudly and disbelieving that the gits had finished off his bunshins, he was getting worn-off not to mention his charka is about to get to it's minimum level. Naruto came into a halt in the tree and cried for the last time, "Kage- Bunshin no—?"

SMACK!

Naruto was hit in his shoulder blade with a kunai off-guard; he fell instantly in the ground. Shikamaru and Sakura spun their heads around to see who had hit Naruto, it was the tall one.

"How could—?" Sakura let out a grasp.

The two men had catch to them easily after fighting the clones, but it was almost a mile when they left the clones to fight them. Naruto pulled out the kunai had struck him and blood sputtered in the ground. How could they have done it?

"Pretty good, bushins eh?" the small one emerge to the next tree where the tall one standing it. They cannot pass through, they are blocking the way, and they have to fight to them before they could pass.

"One down, two left…" the small one continued. " I believe that these two were basically clones eh?"

"You have a good job of producing clones, you think you can out-smart us eh?" the tall one once again joined them. Shikamaru and Sakura were still silent.

They had known their plan! Naruto thought, this was not good.

"Now, fight to us like soldiers!" the tall one roared. In the split second, the two men charged to Shikamaru and Sakura. Naruto wants to jump to the trees and help them but his wound had strike a painful ache and another blood sputtered to the ground, "Damn it!" he cursed.

Shikamaru easily jumped to another tree and not caught either of them. "Shadow Manipulating technique!" he cried and his shadow came to life and stretching toward the tall one, the sun is now about to set and they were facing the red orange sun.

"Not that fast!" the tall one jumps between the trees to avoid Shikamaru's shadow.

The small one and Sakura's kunai meet in their hands. "Surrender now your life little miss!" the small on said mockingly.

"Never!" Sakura cried and broke their connection and once again charge him with all her might.

The small one missed Sakura's attack and it was his turn to attack her, Sakura was not paying attention and…

SMACK!

The rat-faced man had struck Sakura in the stomach. Sakura let out a grasp.

"SAKURA!" Naruto yelled at the top of his voice and instantly jumped into the tree not bothering the pain of in his shoulder. "Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried and another Naruto appeared in the small puff of smoke. "It is your last day today!" he roared at the small one and charging him with a punch.

Sakura's body falls to the ground and became a log. "Huh? Kawarimi?" Naruto said with disbelief.

"Naruto, step aside!" Sakura emerge behind the rat-faced man and holding a kunai in both hands and in her mouth. Naruto jumped to the next tree with his clone.

The rat-faced man easily avoided her hurtle, causing Sakura to lost her balance and fall to the ground.

"Now is the time!" Naruto said with a split second, one of the Narutos hand formed a blue-colored charka in his hand.

The other Naruto uses his both hands to quickly forming it into a whirl.

"RASENGAN!"

The small one darted at the ground with great impact almost creating a crater in the earthy ground.

Shikamaru spun his head to Naruto instantly with great awe, he cannot belief what Naruto had done and it shows in his face. Shikamaru had finally caught the tall man's shadow.

"Now, the other one!" Naruto said gesturing to the tall man trapped into Shikamaru's shadow.

"STOP!" a familiar voice of a woman echoed through the forest.

The three looked in every direction to see who it was. In a few seconds of searching to the invincible woman Naruto grasp fro breath and yelled at the top of his voice…

"OLD TWISTED HAG, TSUNADE!"

TBC…