Author's note: I'm sorry I took so long with this chapter but I was running out of ideas. Again, I wanna thank those who gave me great reviews and great advice, love you guys. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I dont own anything.

It took them two days to reach the border of the Earth country. The country was surrounded by green, rolling hills on the west, and tall craggy mountains could be seen in the horizon to the east. The plains itself was a meld of light green and earthy brown. It wasn't nearly as dry or arid as the Wind country but Shikamaru felt that Konoha's air was much sweeter and cooler.

The four decided to take residence in an inn that was situated near the hidden village to go through their plans once again and to use it as a base ground.

The inn was a moderate sized lodging place and was made of old wood and dull grey concrete. Though it looked old and a little run down, there still seemed to be quite a number of people who resided there, as there were only a few available rooms left. The team had long changed out of their shinobi uniforms and wore simple civilian clothing. Shikamaru had removed his flak jacket but still wore his net shirt under a plain cloth shirt and while Shino still had on his high collared jacket, he had let down the hood. A strand of his dark hair formed a small curl on his right temple where his forehead protector normally was. Neji, on the other hand, replaced his traditional Hyuuga flowing robes with a buttoned up shirt and covered the seal on his forehead with a wrap of bandages. Sakura had helped him tie on a leather strap to hold the bandages in place. She then replaced her combat clothes and was attired in a light blue kimono with a sea green sash around her slim waist.

Shikamaru couldn't help but feel a sense of pride when the foursome walked into the inn without attracting so much as a sideway glance from the people around. During the short time they had to prepare for the mission, Shikamaru had done some research on the normal clothing worn by the people in the Earth country and spent the evening looking for similar attire in the Leaf village. It took him half the night and was the reason why he didn't join Ino for dinner.

'At least it was worth it.' He thought bitterly.

The innkeeper was a middle-aged man. Plump and balding, he had pockmarks all over his face and his clothes were filthy to say the least. The quartet had earlier decided to rent two rooms, one for Sakura, the lone female while the three men would share the other one. As she leaned on the table to sign the guest book, the beady-eyed man shifted his gaze to her plunging neckline. He was obviously enjoying the sight before him and played with the toothpick in his mouth almost obscenely. The older man was flicking it with his tongue, as though he was imagining that something else was between his lips. Sakura was blissfully oblivious unaware to the man's inappropriate glances and even smiled sweetly as she looked at him when she was done. The innkeeper took it as an encouragement and smiled in return, baring his tobacco stained teeth.

Shikamaru could smell the thick scent of liquor on his breath and he scrunched his nose at the offending smell.

Opening a drawer beneath the desk, the unabashed man never took his eyes off the young woman's nubile body even as he rummaged for the keys to their rooms. When he finally found it, Sakura reached out to take it from him but the innkeeper had other ideas. He pretended to fumble with the key and it fell to the floor with a slight tingle.

"Oops."

He sounded apologetic but the hint of lust in his voice didn't escape the attentive ears of the three young men. He raised himself slightly from the old wooden chair he was sitting on, hoping to get a good glimpse of what was coming next. Or otherwise know as Sakura's round, firm breasts. Said kunoichi was about to bend over to pick up the small metal object when Neji swiped the key from the floor in one quick movement. Sakura was surprised at his sudden chivalry but Shikamaru and Shino wasn't. Neji fingered the key and handed it to Sakura, careful to let their fingers brush tenderly. The stout man frowned at this implication and didn't try to hide his disappointment or his sudden distaste for this tall, handsome man.

"Thank you." Neji said coolly, his pale eyes steady on the older man's. The innkeeper shifted back in his chair unconsciously when he met Neji's steely gaze and gulped. This man wasn't to be fooled around with.

Neji proceeded to grab Sakura's elbow and led her up the stairs to their rooms, holding her close to his strong body in full view of the now fuming innkeeper. Sakura was a smart girl herself and knew that Neji's behavior was out of the ordinary, but when she looked up, she gasped. His eyes were chakra laden, and the spidery veins leading to them were puffed up. The usually invisible iris became clearer and more defined against his milky white eyes. Neji watched through the back of his skull as the innkeeper's eyes narrowed while he looked at them leave. But the older man's countenance changed as his gaze shifted from shooting daggers at the back of Neji's head to Sakura's swaying hips.

"Neji… Wha?" Sakura hissed.

"I told you to wear more sensible clothing." He whispered.

Sakura's mouth fell open as sudden realization dawned on her. She pulled the folds of the kimono around her body tighter and wrapped her arms around her chest as she shivered slightly. She couldn't help but shudder at the thought of someone looking at her like that, and the pink haired woman never felt more violated and embarrassed before in her young life. Neji smirked at her awkward reaction and the tinge of red touching her smooth cheeks.

The man was still looking and Neji knew that as long as he thought that Sakura was taken, he would think twice about trying anything bold with her. The innkeeper wasn't a threat to anybody particularly a strapping young man such as Neji.

The Hyuuga genius led the pretty woman up the stairs, with Shino and Shikamaru close behind, wide grins on their faces.

The four settled in one room first to talk, for they were ninjas and they couldn't let their guard down no matter how peaceful things may seem. They dropped their meagre luggage on the floor and Shikamaru plopped his weary body down on the bed with a long sigh. Shino dragged a chair heavily from the table in the middle of the room to sit by the window. Neji leaned against the wall while Sakura stood beside him, her arm still folded in front of her chest.

No one spoke and the four ninjas remained in silence.

This was it.

The mission was now in a state of no return.

"So what do we do now?" Shino broke the ice. He turned to face Shikamaru. The ray of the evening sun poured through the window and his dark glasses glinted as it caught the beams of sunlight.

The shadow master didn't move. He lay there as still as a log, looking up at the cracked ceiling. Never taking his eyes off a particular spot where the paint had peeled, revealing an older layer of paint that looked remotely like dried blood.

Shino knew he was thinking, as it was a habit of his to go silent when he was thinking. If things really got bad, the pony-tailed man would cast his hands into his signature bowl shaped thinking stance. The insect expert waited patiently for an answer.

"We take a rest." Shikamaru finally replied, he was still on his back and his head was pillowed on his arms. "It's going to be too dark for us to do anything. And until we get used to the terrain here, there will be no missions in the night."

Neji nodded. That made sense. They didn't know their way around and running off in the middle of the night would mean that they were just moving blind. There would be a higher chance of getting caught and trying to explain what you were doing sneaking around in the night never had any good outcomes.

"But wouldn't we be wasting time?" Shino queried. He understood the reason and logic behind Shikamaru's decision, but nothing should be taken for granted. Sometimes, he took to himself to be the devil's advocate of the group because there should always be a second opinion in any decision to be made.

Shikamaru propped himself up on one elbow.

"Maybe. But it was a long journey and a good rest is never wasted." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Besides, Tsunade-sama didn't specify a time limit to get what we want."

That was true. She had told them to collect information but she never told them when they should return. She had left that decision to Shikamaru.

"Furthermore, a mission like this shouldn't be rushed." Neji added.

With that, Shino nodded and left the issue at that.

'Oh well, a good night's sleep would be nice.'

The young, bespectacled man couldn't remember the last time he slept in a warm, soft bed and the idea of it seemed appealing to him. The past few days as they were travelling, the four of them had slept on whatever safe ground they could find but it was not necessarily comfortable. They had spent the first night in a cave and it had been dank and smelled badly of rotten meat. The team took turns keeping watch in the cold night, hoping that the previous resident of the cave would not return that night. The second night was spent in a forest clearing and the hard ground made it hard to sleep as Shino could feel small pebbles and twigs in his back. He felt his head nodding in sleepiness as he thought of the inviting embrace of the bed.

"If we're done, I'll head to my room." Sakura spoke up.

"I'll go with you." Neji offered. And he held the door open for her. She smiled shyly and slipped out gracefully with the young man close behind her.

Shikamaru watched as the two left the room and closed the heavy wooden door behind them. He grinned playfully and turned to look at Shino who had the same smile on his face.

The next morning, they had woken early for their mission had now entered its crucial state. They had gathered in Sakura's room after a simple breakfast to discuss their duties for the day.

Shikamaru had split the team into two – Shino and Sakura would be in one team, while he and Neji would be in the other.

Shino and Sakura were appointed to go into the hidden village and to gather as much as information as they could about the amount of ninjas in the village as well as the layout of the place. Shikamaru decided that they would be best suited for this task as they would be less likely to attract attention to themselves as compared to him and Neji. For Neji's unique appearance and bloodline limit had become known far and wide since his appointment to the task force. Shikamaru had created quite a name for himself too, though his appearance was not as distinctive than Neji's, he didn't want to take that chance. And Shikamaru was certain that Takeshi would have heard at least some rumors concerning them. Furthermore, Shino's destruction bugs could slip into any place in the village and help to obtain any information otherwise impossible to acquire through human senses. Shikamaru and Neji would then scout the village's border patrol and surrounding terrain. Neji's special ability of penetrating sight was most useful in this situation and Shikamaru's superior intellect and memory would be vital to memorizing troop positions. In addition, the two were more adapt at blending into their backgrounds and Shikamaru's shadow techniques could keep them well out of enemy sight.

They decided to meet at the inn when the sun begins to set.

After wishing each other luck, they started their duties immediately.

The Hyuuga and Nara were sitting in a tall tree a few meters away from the village walls, their tall forms concealed by the dense foliage of the trees. Neji's chakra pumped eyes watched as Sakura and Shino passed through the village gates without any hint of trouble. One of the guards had smiled at her and given her a playful wink, which Sakura returned with a sweet smile and a slight curtsy.

"Trust a woman to get noticed for the wrong reasons." He said with a chuckle.

Shikamaru uttered a throaty laugh and nodded in agreement.

Sakura's natural beauty sometimes brought unwanted attention both to herself and to her teammates, and it could interfere with a mission other times. But there were also numerous situations in which her stunning looks and womanly wiles had saved them from certain death. That woman could charm her way out of any troublesome situation with sweet words, pouting lips and batting eyelashes. Though Neji didn't always approve of such behavior, he had to admit that it had prevented many a dangerous times.

"Their border patrol is like clockwork." Shikamaru said. His eyes were narrowed, and he was squinting to get a better look at the men walking along the tall walls that surrounded the Hidden Stone village.

"Their walls aren't as tall or as strong as Konoha's, but no one is ever late for his duty." He added. "Their timing is right down to the second."

Neji nodded in agreement. He marvelled at their dedication and discipline. His eyes still retained their puffed up form, and he slowly scanned the area with his telescopic and penetrating sight.

"Their discipline is amazing. They don't even talk on duty." Neji let out a low whistle of disbelief. "Do you think they are preparing for an attack from another country? Or if they are preparing to attack?"

Shikamaru shook his head. His eyes were focused on a section of the wall that was slightly higher than the rest. It seemed to be a center of activity of some sorts for he saw many ninjas congregating there.

"I doubt so. They are probably on high alert because of attacks from the Godaime Tsuchikage's loyal men. They have not given up yet."

"I see."

The sun was high in the sky by the time the two men had scouted the east and north sections of the wall. It was beginning to get hotter, and sweat plastered Neji's long coffee brown hair to the back of his neck. Drops of moisture rolled from Shikamaru's high forehead and down his cheek to drip off his chin onto the ground that loomed beneath them. The deer herder hoped that no one taking a walk through the forest would notice the suspicious small pool of liquid forming on the ground directly beneath him. The air was getting thick and sweat kept pouring into his ebony eyes, making it sting. He found it hard to see and decided to rely fully on Neji instead.

"What do you see, Neji?"

"This section is more heavily guarded than the east." The other man replied. "I'm not surprised. This section is faced by a wide plain, there's nothing to slow down an enemy attack. The eastern section was facing tall mountains. No one in their right mind would attack from there."

Shikamaru nodded and committed to memory everything that Neji had just told him. He trusted Neji's judgment and reasoning for the other man was quite a genius himself and his unique ability ensured that nothing escaped his sight.

"What rank do you think these shinobi are?" Shikamaru queried.

He had his back against the tree trunk and he could feel the sweat soaking through his thin shirt, making the fabric stick to his damp skin. The feeling was irritating as hell, but he couldn't let himself be distracted. Shikamaru absently swiped one long sleeve across his temple, but the sleeve was already saturated and it brought no comfort from the moisture pooling on Shikamaru's brow.

"Mostly chuunins, maybe some jounins as the captains." Neji swallowed. But the hard lump in his throat remained. "They don't look like easy pickings, Shikamaru."

"I know." Shikamaru was looking up at the clouds. "That's why we have to remain as inconspicuous as possible."

Both men sat in silence for a while, not wanting to speak. Maybe it's because of the overwhelming heat, or the overwhelming feeling of fear that seemed to tighten its grip around them with each passing moment.

"Let's move on." Shikamaru said softly.

"Yeah." Came Neji's simple reply.

And both men leapt nimbly from tree to tree, making their way carefully and unseen to their next destination.

At dusk, both men returned to the inn exhausted. They had arrived before Sakura and Shino had, and the two were in fact late but Shikamaru gave little thought to it. He was too tired to think properly anymore and he stretched his lanky body out on the bed. Neji had done the same, removing the bandages around his forehead he laid himself down on the bed, not caring that his curse seal was exposed. Both men fell asleep in their dirty clothes, not bothering to clean themselves first or to wait for their absent teammates.

And in that moment of carelessness, the two resting men did not realize that their room window was wide open.

Endnote: I know I said that this would be a five chapter effort but now that I'm on the fifth and only halfway through my storyline, I dont know how long it will go on. I hope you guys will bear with me. :)