MasterFranny: finally we have Naruto in this chapter. thanks to everyone that reviewed!

Someone asked me to put TenTen in Shika's team… I am sorry, I won't. TenTen is a character I often forget exists… but I think I like her… maybe…

I hope you will enjoy the chapter.

……………………………………………

Rating: T

Summary: (ShikaNaru) (ShinoKiba, KakaIru, Sandcest KankuGaa) Observing, interacting, developing, caring and healing. When someone you care for is threatened, even the most troublesome matter turns vital. When Shikamaru is appointed to search for Naruto, who's gone training with Jiraiya, to tell him that Akatsuki is moving for him faster than expected, time is all that matters. After the Valley of End.

Warnings: shounen–ai and yaoi. Boy x boy relationships. Don't like, don't read, don't flame.

Disclaimer: I don't own this wonderful manga, or the anime. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

–Dreams, Flashbacks, memories–

……………………………………………

Silent Observer

Chapter 03: Truth revealed

"So, what's this mission that is worrying you so much?" Neji joked –yes, he was stiff, but he could make a joke. Once in a lifetime.

"I've been charged to leave Konohagakure to search for Naruto," he simply said.

……………

"What!" Neji lost his composure and stared at Shikamaru in deep shock.

The lazy teen sighed and scratched the back of his head, thinking of the best way to explain the Hyuuga about all that stuff. He himself had been not just shocked, but utterly stunned about Tsunade's request, but of course, the woman knew more than she let out, and she'd showed him so by telling him exactly why she'd chosen him of all people, and why she wanted him to find Naruto.

She'd also asked him to gather people he could trust with his life and Naruto's because there was no time to lose with unknown shinobi, she needed the group to be fast and intentioned in helping Naruto, something not all Konoha ninja were willingly to do.

'That's so troublesome, but I understand,' he thought.

–Start Flashback–

"You need… my help?" Shikamaru repeated.

Usually, the Hokage demanded something, not asked. She ordered her ninja to do a mission; she never started by telling them she needed their help.

The creepy feeling in his stomach intensified.

"Yes, and you are the only one I can ask this, why I'll tell you in a moment, and I am sure you won't refuse" she picked up a paper that was in front of her on the desk, and stared at it. "This morning a ninja from Sunagakure arrived in a hurry, sent here from the Kazekage, and reported something that worried me".

Shikamaru stared, waiting for her to explain. But Tsunade put away the paper, and locked her deep eyes with his, making him uncomfortable. There was something in her eyes that caused Shikamaru to frown, it was like she was telling him… she knew.

But she knew what?

"I want to send you to find someone, and the level of the mission is C," she finally spoke, but her words surprised the teen.

A C–ranked mission? Why? Usually she assigned him much more dangerous ones, not a simple C mission, to find a person.

"A C mission? Why?" he couldn't refrain himself to ask. Rather dejectedly, he'd expected something more since he had to renounce at his rest.

"Because you are the only one I can ask this. No one of the older shinobi would be willingly to accept a mission like this, especially since there is no time limit… it could take days, presumably months to be accomplished, and any person I could appoint to go would never accept once I'd tell them the person they need to find".

Shikamaru frowned. If it was a missing–nin, it would have been an ANBU assignment, and not his, especially since he was a chuunin –no matter what Tsunade said, he couldn't accept jounin missions.

"Tsunade–sama, I would like you to be a little more explicit," he demanded. Politely, but still a request.

"You have to find Naruto, Shikamaru," she said bluntly.

Shikamaru blinked.

Then blinked again.

'What!'

"What did you…?" Shikamaru's voice faltered.

She wanted him to find… Naruto?

"I said I want you to find Naruto," she repeated seriously. "Your mission is to find him and Jiraiya and deliver them a message".

"But… wha…?" he was still shocked.

"You are the only one that I can trust will accept this mission, Shikamaru" she said forcibly. "I trust you with this".

Shikamaru was silent as he re–thought about what she told him. He had to leave the village to find Naruto, who'd been gone for two years, and no one knew where he could be at the moment.

But the thing that bothered him at the moment was another; why him? What was so problematic that Tsunade needed someone to get Naruto, and why him of all people? He knew that apart for a few people, no one would be glad to accept such an assignment, because they loathed Naruto for what was sealed inside him, but still, the younger generation wasn't supposed to know, and some of the older liked Naruto.

Why him?

"Why me?" he asked. "I bet any other shinobi would be glad to go find Naruto…" he didn't want her to know he figured out the truth.

"Shikamaru, stop playing dumb, you are too intelligent for this, and I know you know about Kyuubi being inside Naruto".

This time, the silence was stunned and absolutely discomforting. Shikamaru merely stared at her, eyes wide. The name of the Nine Tailed Fox demon lingered in the air, almost clutching the teen's throat.

As he'd come to know, it was forbidden to say its name aloud, more so to speak about the fact that it was sealed inside Naruto.

"It was a matter of time you would figure out, Shikamaru," Tsunade sighed. "With your high IQ it was obvious it would happen, and I am not stupid".

Shikamaru blinked and looked away.

"You were the only one that figured it out, although Neji came pretty close to find out in the last few months –he's not dense either" Tsunade leaned her chin on her hands, staring pointedly at him. "And still, you are worried for Naruto, aren't you? You don't think he's Kyuubi".

"Why should I?" Shikamaru was staring at her in disbelief, "Naruto is my friend, and he's not a demon. Naruto is not Kyuubi, and I am disgusted at the villagers' behaviour –they burnt down his house, damnit!" his voice was rising considerably, the pent up anger finally overpowering his laziness. "He never deserved such a treatment!"

Tsunade sighed and closed her eyes slowly.

"I know. I couldn't prevent this from happening," her voice was filled with hurt, and the sight calmed down Shikamaru's anger.

"Then why, Tsunade–sama, me? Of all people, me?" Shikamaru quietly asked. One of the answer was already before his eyes; because he cared, and because he knew of Kyuubi and wasn't affected by such knowledge, but he wasn't satisfied.

"Shikamaru–kun, what do you know about Akatsuki?"

The question left him baffled and unprepared. He hated the feeling, oh so troublesome. He was so stupefied of the question that he just stood there gaping, not even thinking about lying, or asking what she meant with that name.

There. He was in deep, sheer trouble. She knew, she knew he had asked around and he'd searched. Ah, and he was supposed to be a genius? He couldn't even hide his attempts at unrevealing a secret. But of all, Tsunade was a Sannin, and she was the Godaime. After all, she had to be smart.

"Er…" Shikamaru stuttered. Caught. He'd been caught.

Damn. Mendokusei ne.

"I know the information about the Akatsuki are very poor, but this is obviously because it is a secretive matter and no one should know, so I'll enlighten you a bit, if you are willingly to listen" Tsunade stared at him.

It was then Shikamaru dropped his acting.

Point taken, old coot –as Naruto was used to call her.

One, he was interested.

Two, he wanted to know more, since his methods failed him.

Third, he knew Akatsuki was after Naruto, probably for the same reason that prevented the village from appreciating the blond. Kyuubi. That much, was known.

Fourth… he and Tsunade both knew he would accept the mission. Hell, Tsunade knew even before him.

Because, Shikamaru despite it being troublesome, missed Naruto, and cared for him.

That was the fifth point.

So he slumped back on the seat, crossing his arms on his chest and with a bored grimace he frowned at the woman before him –women were so troublesome– before closing his eyes, "let's get straight to the point, Tsunade–sama, since you said there is no time to waste around. Akatsuki was really a troublesome matter to find information on, and I could gather only that much".

Tsunade smirked. She knew she'd chosen well the person to send.

"As far as we know, Akatsuki is an organization of S–class missing–nins from various villages, not just Konohagakure, but also Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Iwagakure and Kumogakure," her smirk vanished. "We also know Orochimaru once was in the organization".

Shikamaru carefully hid his shock at the revelation, though his eyes widened slightly. The Legendary Sannin had been into the organization!

"At the moment, all we know is that they are nine, and work in pairs. From what Jiraiya gathered through his journeys, before Naruto and him left to train, Akatsuki is after the Bijuu, the tailed demons that are sealed inside human vessels –such as Naruto himself".

Shikamaru listened carefully, listing all the information neatly in his brain, all the while searching and sifting through it to grab any detail that could be useful.

"If they want only the demon sealed inside, what about the actual person?" he asked.

"Their plans are not known, they may kill them, or use them, we don't know," she answered truthfully. "Although, I am edging towards the first option".

Shikamaru nodded, and then something occurred to him, "Gaara is one as well, isn't he? He does keep a demon inside him, just like Naruto… is it one of those Tailed ones or not?"

Tsunade raised one eyebrow, "yes, he is, and he's the vessel of Shukaku".

Silence fell on them again, as Shikamaru processed the information.

"That means the Akatsuki has reunited missing–nins from various villages, and now has the combined strength of them all, isn't this true?" Shikamaru glanced at the Hokage sharply, "which means, they want to extract the demons from Naruto and the others".

Tsunade nodded.

"Something is wrong here," Shikamaru shifted through all he now knew, efficiently pinpointing what was out of contest, "if they are after the demons, the vessels are of no importance to them, but if a vessel die, the demon must die as well" Tsunade nodded again, confirming he was right. Shikamaru breathed deeply, "then they must be sure they can extract the demons from the bodies of the vessels, and to do this, they should start from the weaker one, which has to be a One Tail. They would not risk away one of the strongest. Isn't Shukaku a One Tail Bijuu? And Kyuubi has Nine Tails, but the Akatsuki is moving from him. So that means, either they are sure about the process, and have already extracted some of the bijuu, or they are trying to lure the vessels to come willingly".

He paused. That had been a long speech from him.

Tsunade was staring at him, her brain reaching to the same conclusions in a split moment.

"Gaara is aware of the position he's in, it was him who sent the shinobi to warn us," she pushed the same paper she was eyeing before towards Shikamaru, who read it through once. "It seems Gaara tried to put into the Akatsuki one of his shinobi, by labelling him as an S–class missing–nin. He managed to get near the organization, but not enough. He was tortured, and was released in order to die in the woods. But he didn't, because he was able to return to Sunagakure, where he reported the members of the organization to have split in search for all the Bijuu".

Shikamaru frowned.

By the looks of the report, the man had been tortured through weeks and when he arrived in Suna no Kuni, he died right after reporting to the Kazekage. He died because his insides melt while he was still conscious.

He cringed and returned the report to the Hokage.

This was serious, no time to play around. Akatsuki was dangerous, and if it were to abduct Naruto –one way or another– it would be the end for the village. For all of them.

"How can I find Naruto? He can be training in the other world for all I know," he shifted uncomfortably on the chair. He'd accepted, there was no turning back, for how troublesome it was.

Naruto needed him. Well, not him, he needed someone to warn him, and he was the only one willingly to do this. Most of all because now that he thought about it, all Jounins had been sent over to the fight against Sound or similar. Even the Chuunin were being sent over to higher missions, so there was no choice whatsoever.

"Jiraiya has sent me for the past two years a letter every month, though it has no addresser, so I couldn't send any reply back. You may want to have a look at the more recent ones. I received one four days ago".

Shikamaru nodded, not the last bit surprised of the connection, because he knew that Tsunade cared for Naruto. He did not know what caused the woman to come back in the first place, since he heard she had disappeared for good years in the past not to return ever again, but he knew Naruto was responsible of this.

Tsunade handed him two sheets of paper and Shikamaru scanned them. Jiraiya did not say anything useful enough for Shikamaru to understand where the two could be, this until he saw the style of writing change, and recognized it as Naruto's.

He felt a light tug in his chest, recognizing the messy writing of his friend, and felt relieved somehow, to see something was still familiar, even if it was just the way he wrote and his hyperactive energy applied in letter form.

Naruto was asking how his friends were doing, and he also said something about Jiraiya continuously doing research on the local onsen.

After finishing the letter once, he restarted it, now searching for something else. There were mentions here and there, that alone were not informative, but together they could be helpful. Jiraiya saying something about the cold, and then, about having to buy warmer clothes. Strange, seeing they were in mid–spring.

They must have been in a place that was cold even in spring.

Another comment was from Naruto, who commented on the strange type of plants and flowers he wasn't used to see around, and that they were nothing like anything he'd seen beforehand.

So he was not in the Snow Country, because otherwise there wouldn't have been flowers to start with.

What was left out that could give him an indication of where to start?

As far as he knew, the only other place apart Snow Country that was cold in spring was…

"They are somewhere around the Tsuchi no Kuni," he stated, placing the letter back on the desk. "Being near the mountains, the climate is harsh but not like the one in the Snow Country. More so, it has different wildlife and vegetation than what we are used to… it would explain Naruto's comments".

Tsunade watched him with a flicker of admiration, but he shook it off with a shrug. He didn't like this kind of attention at all. That's why he hid the fact that he was intelligent most of the time, except when in a mission or with his close friends.

It was too troublesome to show off, mostly because he always received too many stares for that. Keep down and relax, life's good without complicating it.

"When am I expected to leave?" he asked, feeling rather uneasy.

"By tomorrow at noon, you can take with you up to three shinobi you trust, and take with you supplementary Soldier pills and permissions for the various countries. Shikamaru, you are dismissed".

Shikamaru nodded, feeling quite betrayed but without knowing why. As he reached the door however, Tsunade spoke again, "Shikamaru, I trust you to bring Naruto back safely".

He did not turn.

"So troublesome," he replied. But the real meaning was another. 'I will'.

Tsunade smiled.

–End Flashback–

Now, to explain. Tsunade never said something about not telling his team mates about the contents of the mission, and by that, she meant it would be stupid to leave out the motivation for that. Besides, Neji was figuring it out by himself.

"Neji, what do you know about Naruto?" he asked the Hyuuga. "I mean, really".

Neji was taken aback.

Of all the things he was expecting after being informed of the mission, that was the last one. He was expecting Shikamaru to further explain, not ask him such a question. His first impulse was to say that he was loud, blond and smiling, but he knew this was not what Shikamaru asked for. He wanted a serious answer.

And Neji knew better than the appearance Naruto put up, eventually.

"He is loud, and he's hyperactive," Neji started. "But he looks like he's alone in the crowd," he stopped for a moment. "I noticed it. I noticed the sadness that creeps in his eyes every time he feels the silence. He wants to fill it, even if only with his own yells".

Shikamaru nodded.

"I noticed he's strong. I respect him, because he taught me fate can be defeated," he added in a lower voice, looking at the ground. "I owe him this much, he made me hope again".

His life was considerably better now than it had been before, but the cursed seal on his forehead was still there, a reminder of his slavery. But despite this, Naruto always helped him through. He never let any of his friends down, and he promised… he promised he would help Neji; not that anything was going to change just because Naruto said he would help, but the feeling of reassurance and security in the blond boy's speech warmed him up inside.

He'd noticed how Naruto had been banned and shunned from the village, but of his own he did nothing to help him while he was still in there, being too worked up on his own misery to take in Naruto's pain… and in their childhood he never spared a glance to the blond, always listening to his clan telling him how he was dangerous and evil.

Naruto wasn't evil. He was one of the most pure hearted person he'd ever seen.

"Well then, if you want to repay your debt, this is the perfect moment," Shikamaru stood up and placed his hands in his pockets, feeling rather wary about what he was going to reveal. "Someone wants Naruto".

Neji cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, not quite catching on with these sudden changes of subject.

"Naruto? Why would someone want him, of all people?"

The sudden image of Sasuke appeared in his mind in a flash, but Neji willed it away. He trusted Sasuke now, just because Naruto trusted him. This was enough to Neji.

"I am sure you noticed that sometimes… sometimes Naruto's chakra flares up differently" Shikamaru scratched his head and looked away. "Like… in the very first of our Chuunin exams… in the fight against you, of all people".

The raven haired teen's eyes widened, remembering the strange change in the chakra pulse. During that battle, he'd closed down all the pressure points of Naruto's body, so the blond would not be able to gather chakra out of himself to fight, and still…

Still, chakra appeared from him, coming from his stomach. It was red, an angry red that looked like it was smirking at Neji, absolutely aggressive.

It had happened in the past, but the memory was carved in his mind forever.

"I… I remember" his voice did not falter, but he wasn't this calm on the inside.

"That power… that power Naruto has when he gets in difficulty situations, is what Naruto's enemies want" Shikamaru though better then just revealing it all to Neji. "But for how much I would want to bother myself into explaining you all of this troublesome crap, I have to find other two people for this mission. Once we are all together, I will further explain".

Neji snapped out of his inner muttering and stared at him, "who then?"

"Hokage–sama said I should bring someone I can trust with both my and Naruto's life, that's why I choose you, of all people, because you can understand him," he waved his hand to stop any unwanted question Neji would want to throw at him, "I thought that gathering the old Group Five would have been fine, you know, without Naruto since he's the one we're searching for, but…" he stopped.

Neji stared, silently urging him to continue.

"I will list the weaknesses of the few people that could be useful, and we will try to decide our best".

The white eyed stared at him, blatantly confused. He mildly wondered what his own weaknesses were, and if Shikamaru had to think it over before coming to him.

"I have to be reasonable, Neji, and I need you to work with me on this. I need someone silent, that can take long running periods without being easily tired, and that can be trusted. Although the last one is obvious, Chouji doesn't meet the first two points. He's easily tired in the long run, and he's not silent. I though about bringing Kiba, because his strength and the fact that he uses an ally would surely be a plus, but he's just as hot headed as Naruto is, and we can't allow that, not with the enemies we will face".

Neji listened carefully, taking in the information and nodding because he knew he was right. He was sure it was hard for Shikamaru to state his friends' weaknesses, but that was what a good leader would do; decide the best to keep his team safe and strong.

He knew why then, Lee would not be taken in consideration; for how much he was strong, there were still things he couldn't do because of his injuries not completely recovered, and the fact that he couldn't use Ninjutsu and Genjutsu.

In the long run, he would only be able to fight raw and neat, but against chakra–related jutsus, he wouldn't be able to protect himself, and if his aches slowed him down, he would die.

He stated this to the other teen, then he hummed, "What about TenTen, Sakura or Hinata–sama?"

A brief smirk flashed through Shikamaru's lips as he realized none of them was taking in consideration Ino at all. Her power would be useless in such an environment, leaving her bare to the opponent's attacks –she could enter in someone's body, but she couldn't use their strength, chakra or attacks. Plus, they hadn't the time to worry for the body she would leave unguarded.

Shikamaru pondered over the three offered names for a few seconds, "I don't know TenTen enough to state I can trust her, even if you do, Neji. For what I know, her use of weapons that require distance can be helpful while ambushing, but not in close fights, where she would get hit before she can even throw a kunai properly, no matter the aim. More so, she's busy teaching at the Academy".

Neji bit his upper lip, this was something that had to be considered as well.

"Sakura is a strong point, I have to admit this" Shikamaru nodded. "Her training with Tsunade–sama helped her develop an insane strength and she's also a healer. But… she gets distracted easily and her emotions often cause her to loose the sight of the subject".

Neji knew what the other was talking about, and it was easy for him to state Hinata's own weaknesses, for how much he could feel guilty for doing so.

"Hinata–sama is still too unsure of herself. And even if she improved greatly by training with me and uncle Hiashi, she couldn't compare a skilled opponent… she still needs training, and she would get out of focus because of her… affection… for Naruto".

Shikamaru nodded.

But then again, who wouldn't? Naruto really was someone.

"Then…" Neji almost slapped his forehead. Once again, they were forgetting someone. "What about Shino?"

Shikamaru frowned.

He had known Shino for a long time, and still, the silent teen was a mystery to him. But he had to admit, if he had any weakness, he didn't let them in the open. And his ability to command bugs would be useful since in the wild, such animals were everywhere.

Plus, he knew he was feeling left out for the last time. After all, he'd wanted to take him, but ended up with Kiba because the Aburame was out for a mission with his father.

"In the end, who can we take?" he mumbled.

Neji frowned.

"What about Sasuke?"

Shikamaru froze.

'Damn' he thought.

He had to admit, the Sharingan would be helpful, and Sasuke himself was strong, far stronger than he was, plus he would go Hell and back again to help Naruto.

But…

"He's no option" he stated seriously.

Neji was once again taken aback. He didn't like this situation at all.

"What are you hiding? Is Sasuke not worthy the trust anymore? Has something happened?" he glared, and Shikamaru fought back the urge to step away from the raven haired teen.

"Sasuke is trustworthy, and nothing happened" he stated.

He was aware as Neji was, that he hadn't answered his first question, but it couldn't be helped. Not after what he found out about Akatsuki and… Itachi.

"Trust me on this one, I will explain… when we are all together," he dismissed with a tone of finality all the questions and sighed. "Me, you, Shino, for once, and…"

"Of all the people we thought about, I think we are bound to take Kiba with us as well," Neji sighed. "If you really don't want Sasuke in".

Shikamaru nodded curtly, "let's go, before someone else requires them for a mission".

……………………………………………

The first rays of sun lit up the still creamy rose sky as five figures stood near the gates of the village, each one with a little bag on their shoulders and some extra weapons tucked inside their pockets.

One was slouching, but this was normal. He was dressed with long baggy pants that did not hung low, but were indeed fitting and would not slow him down in case a fight broke in. Instead of his usual net shirt and light jacket he wore a plain black shirt with half sleeves, and had gloves resting in his bag pack. Shikamaru had changed his clothes knowing he would need some extra warmth to fight against the cold of Earth Country –at least, the part of the Earth Country they were going.

The second shape was standing tall and proud next to Shikamaru, black long hair tied up in a low ponytail so not to fall on his face, and he was wearing his usual turtle–neck shirt with long sleeves, but had put up a pair of long, black pants due to Shikamaru's request of picking up something for cool temperature.

The third was even more silent than the second one, half of the face hidden under the huge turtle–neck of his black shirt and the other half hidden under a pair of round sunglasses. He looked he cared nothing at all but the others knew better –he was glad they called him.

The last shape was crouched near the shape of a huge dog, patting him on the head with a smirk clear on his face. Contrariwise to the others, Kiba was dressed much the same as usual, not taking into account the possibility of cold… he simply didn't care.

Neji's white eyes were fixed on the leader of the small group, waiting for him to finally explain. After speaking with him, the teens retrieved the other two members, finding them together eating at Shino's. The latter had been gloating –though he didn't show that– since he'd been added in the mission, and Kiba just jumped around. None of them had been informed who they were going to find, but they would know soon enough.

Meeting all together in front of Konoha gates, Shikamaru nodded at them and pointed towards the Hokage tower, but before they could sprint to it to report the names of the shinobi involved in the mission, Shikamaru knew he would have to explain.

'Sorry Naruto, they need to know,' he thought grimly.

"Now that you are all here, I have to explain properly the details of the mission, and I hope you won't turn it down after this," he stuffed his hands in his pockets, glaring at them –which were usual. "You have to know three things".

Kiba, Neji and Shino all stared at him.

"First, the person we are going to search is Naruto" he started.

There was a flash of surprise in Kiba's face, but he hid it back again. Shino… well, he looked blank as usual.

"Why?" he asked, his voice low but clear.

"That's the second thing. Naruto is in danger, due to a certain organization wanting his power" Shikamaru replied, glancing at all of them.

"An organization is after Naruto!" Kiba made a face, his hands lifting up to wave around, "that's something new, what did he do? Did he create trouble like he was usual to?"

The lazy teen shook his head slowly.

"The organization is after him for quite a lot now, at least over two years, if not more," he grimaced. 'Here we go,' he thought, and prayed nothing bad would come out. He knew he shouldn't be the one telling, but he had to. "They are after him because of the power he's the vessel of".

Silence met this statement.

Kiba frowned, looking at Akamaru who wailed, the meaning of what he said lost to all but the Inuzuka heir.

Shino just stared. Neji bit his lips, thinking about the choice of words.

"I know," Shikamaru continued. "I figured out that in the last two years, and I did my research… that's why Tsunade–sama appointed me of all people for this rescue mission, and because what I think of Naruto did not change with this knowledge. I hope that once I tell you, you will follow my example instead of the one given by the village and the older shinobi of Konoha".

"Naruto is hated," Shino said clearly. He wasn't the one to speak a lot, but if needed, he would. "The bugs told me his house was burned down by the villagers".

Kiba gasped and Akamaru barked loudly, and Neji stiffened.

"That's true," Shikamaru simply replied.

"But why! Naruto is loud, but he never did anything to deserve the hatred of the people of Konoha!" Kiba clenched his teeth in annoyance. "I have to admit he's strong, despite him being a jerk and a loudmouth!"

Shikamaru sighed.

"It's not because of something he did, it's because of something someone did to him," for one who hated speaking too much –preferring short and less troublesome lines– Shikamaru was avoiding the argument. "Let's try, any of you know Naruto's birthday?"

The silence was his answer. So, was he the only one knowing? Well, apart his group, the adults and Hinata.

"So much about knowing your friends," he muttered, "how troublesome".

Indeed. So troublesome.

"It's the same day of the presumed death of Kyuubi by Yondaime's hands," he looked at them.

"Presumed?" Neji felt like a hand was closing around his heart. A deep feeling of dread sank in his body. All of them heard about Kyuubi, and even if some of them were not born yet, and others were only few months old, they all knew about the battle that ended with the death of both Kyuubi and the Fourth Hokage.

"The fourth Hokage never really defeated and killed Kyuubi" Shikamaru stated evenly. "He gave up his life but not to kill the demon".

Neji paled. Now… all the pieces fell in place. He could remember what happened with Sandaime. What he did against Orochimaru was known among all the shinobi, the way he died to seal his enemy, but at the same time he couldn't properly seal him.

Yondaime never killed Kyuubi. Yondaime…

"He sealed him into Naruto," he whispered, voice rough.

Shikamaru was glad he hadn't been the one to say this. For how guilty he could be, he didn't want the burden on his shoulders. Cowardly, he knew it very well, but he couldn't.

"Yes," he replied.

Silence.

Neji simply stood there. Now he could finally understand the full impact of the words Naruto told him at the Chuunin exam, the words that were carved into his mind and his soul. Now he could understand why Naruto felt involved in the curse of his family, why he felt as if he was looked upon not like a person, but a mere object.

Naruto was strong. He lived with the knowledge he was the vessel of a powerful demon, of having his power inside him, and he was hated for this, and still, he kept on looking forwards and smiled.

Neji sighed. Now he could understand.

Naruto was like him. A prisoner of the village's beliefs and traditions and stupid laws and rules. They were treated like objects, weapons, just like the rules wanted to, but they were human beings, not weapons. Where were the Fourth's beliefs?

Why no one had protested against it? Why had they lived on, forgetting Yondaime's teachings and only remembering his skills and devotion to Konoha? Why had they insisted upon his sacrifices and created a hero when all he believed into disappeared with his death?

Shikamaru saw the raven haired teen's shoulders relax, and he knew what was going through Neji's mind, and smirked. Then he looked at the other two that were standing there, biting his lip. He knew they were Naruto's friends, but for how much he trusted them, years of misconception, distrust, hatred from the same villagers that had treated Naruto like a monster and caused the younger generation to consider him a monster as well were heavy to dismiss in a simple gesture.

The village –Konohagakure, but the others as well, Sunagakure first– had their minds closed. They couldn't, wouldn't realize they were mistaking, and were putting all the hatred and the anger on someone that was conveniently there, that by his nature would never attack them back, because he was too kind to do so.

Naruto was the perfect scapegoat, and all of them knew. Sandaime had tried to protect Naruto, but not even the Hokage could watch over Naruto all the time, and the results were these –a secluded and abandoned teen, and a deep fierce hatred from the village.

Shikamaru wondered once more if effectively Konoha wasn't rotten inside. For a shinobi that loved his home and vowed to protect it with his life if necessary, the thought was scary, and had he been any other person, he would've swiftly stepped back and forget that trail of thoughts.

But he was he.

He couldn't step back and forget. Because he was intelligent, and the hints were all there for anyone to see… and he did see.

He was stupefied it took him so long now that he could see the complex and intricate maze that was the village –that any village was.

Just like… just like with Itachi. He killed his entire clan, except for Sasuke… but no one tried to stop him when he left. And Naruto was the vessel of a demon, but no one tried to understand or accept.

When Sasuke himself went missing, who were the ones sent to retrieve him?

A Chuunin and some genin.

Had anyone tried to help or stop the Hyuuga clan from placing the seal on some of the members?

No.

Because this was the best for the clan, and so, it was the best for the village. Vengeance was a bad feeling. But under the appearance, there was nothing.

What was one of the basic rules of the Ninja? Shikamaru knew it.

To serve the village. To be a weapon. To be killed if that was what it needed to protect the village.

Shikamaru felt a twinge in his chest.

Strangely enough, since he knew the elders would never let a demon become Hokage, Shikamaru knew that the only one that really could change things was Naruto. Not even Tsunade could do anything to change how people grew up, the environment, the appearances, the soul of the village.

Tsunade left the village herself, and she could not change things because she was old. Not as in age, but as in, she was born in a different environment. She was born in that trail of beliefs, and even if she knew they were wrong, there was nothing she could do to change them… because they were part of her own life.

Changing them would mean destroy the little stability she had.

She was too old.

That's why she too was relying on Naruto.

He would become Hokage because he wanted it, and Tsunade would help… at least that she could do.

Shikamaru sighed, he trusted Naruto. He would cleanse the old beliefs because he knew better…

"I… I don't know what to think," Kiba broke the silence and passed a hand through his hair, shaking his head slowly. "This came unexpectedly and it's… it's a lot to know".

Shikamaru bit his lips.

What if… what if the mentality, the beliefs, were passed to their generation as well?

What if…

"Naruto is Naruto" Shino was standing still, eyes hidden by his sunglasses.

That was all he said, but it comforted Shikamaru a lot. He knew what the Bug wielder meant, and was glad.

"Yes, but I can't forget that he never even thought about telling us," Kiba stared at the ground, uncertain, Akamaru wailing at him. "He has… something dangerous in him, he is dangerous… We had every right to know, we were supposed to be… friends…"

"We had never been really his friends," Shino stated. There was a tone of finality in his words. Hell, he spoke more than he was used to, Shikamaru was afraid he would not speak anymore during their entire mission now. "Because we let them think in our place".

He pointed to the village with his hand. Some bugs appeared from under his sleeve and moved on his fingers, restless. That was the only sign Shino was a little more upset than what he was showing.

Kiba blinked.

He didn't thought he had treated Naruto differently because the villagers treated him like scum… did he? If he scooted away from him because he heard all the bad things the villagers spoke when Naruto was not there, that didn't mean he was a bad person.

He was young… how could he even think about doing something that would cast him…

Kiba bit his lower lip so hard it started to bleed.

He did.

He let the villagers think for him. He let the villagers mess with his mind because, if he showed he was hanging around Naruto, he feared he would be hated as well. He came from a respectable family, he was loved by the village even if he pulled pranks similar to Naruto's and sometimes, the two worked together, or deserted the Academy lessons because they were restless.

But all the while he'd liked Naruto.

And still, he had never used to think of him with nothing but disgust, and only after being defeated during the Chuunin exam had he started to admire Naruto, and change his idea of the blond.

He felt the villagers were wrong, but he had never questioned them about it… he had thought they were right.

What was different now?

He considered Naruto his friend.

Naruto always smiled. He always looked like nothing could hurt him… but inside? How was the real Naruto?

He had never been friends with Naruto. Not the real one at least… and not friends. Maybe now. But…

He wanted to change.

He wanted to show that he was not one of those who thought Naruto was a demon. Kiba was Kiba and Naruto was Naruto.

He was able to think with his own mind, and if he wanted to be Naruto's friend through it all, it was his decision to make.

"Go to hell all of you, close–minded people," he growled, turned to where the village was. "Naruto is my friend, and I don't care the consequences! I trust him".

To say that Shikamaru was surprised would be both an understatement and an overstatement. He was glad Kiba made up him mind, but he was kinda surprised he opted for the hard way instead of the easy way around.

Maybe he needed to give more credit to the Dog–boy, after all.

"Let's go guys, I want to kick some Fox's ass as soon as possible," Kiba smirked almost evilly, but the glint of amusement was still in his eyes.

Shikamaru fought the urge to smile –he never smiled, it was too troublesome to move his facial muscles so much, even though he knew perfectly well that smiling moved less facial muscles than scowling– and instead raised one eyebrow.

"So troublesome," he muttered.

But inside, he was happy. He looked to the village, where people were living like nothing was wrong, like they were not falling deeper and deeper into nothingness, and scowled.

'He'll show you,' he thought. 'He will show you how a real Hokage has to be… I bet he'll be even greater than Yondaime, one day'.

He returned his mind to the present task, 'but first we need to find him and try not to let him die… that would be way too troublesome… I wonder how he's fairing and if he is changed…'

……………………………………………

A white messy mop of hair peered from behind a rock, a light blush on his cheeks hinting his excitement for the present situation as a slow satisfied smirk appeared on his curved lips.

He was standing above a small hill, staring down at the onsen that was right under his appreciative eyes, all the while scribbling something on his block notes, giggling here and there.

Suddenly, a high pitched yell broke the quiet of the onsen, a voice that was yelling on top of their lungs, "Look up there! There is a pervert spying!"

Jiraiya felt on himself the eyes of all the women in the onsen, and backed away from his hiding place in fear as all of them started running to him, fury on their faces; a second later he was running away with all his speed, knowing too well what would happen if the women were to get their hands on him.

All the while a pair of blue eyes observed the sight with mirth and amusement, grinning madly from his spot on a nearby tree, completely satisfied with his prank… to know that one of the strongest ninja alive was being chased and hunted down by a mop of furious women was all too funny to pass out. More so since he would never learn he should stop trying to gather 'information' in every onsen he saw.

The figure let himself fall down fro the tree branch, dusting off his clothes, whistling as he walked towards the onsen. He knew he had some time before his sensei came back, and despite being the one who revealed his presence to the woman bathing, he hoped they would not hurt him too much.

The teen sighed as he looked around, blond restless hair gracing his face as his ocean eyes took in his surroundings. It was one of the few warm places he was in ever since he entered Earth Country, and that was saying something since most of the time the dry landscape was traced by harsh and cold winds. Right now, it looked like a mild spring in Fire Country, and that thought caused him to think about his home country.

He had been away from it for so long that now he missed everything and everyone, but he still felt fairly weak no matter how much he trained…

'Will I ever be able to be strong enough to protect the ones I care for?'

It was not the only time he'd thought this. In the last two years, even if he'd improved so much, he still felt weak, compared to his sensei and other strong ninja such as Orochimaru and Itachi.

He trained, and trained, and trained, he forced Jiraiya to give him tasks and commissions, he forced the man out of his usual 'researching sessions' to help him, and teach him like he was supposed to, but it wasn't enough.

Would it ever be enough?

The worst thing was that he missed his friends. The monthly letters Jiraiya sent to Godaime never had a reply, mostly because his sensei did everything he could to hide their effective location in the vast world, so not to be detected if the letter were to be intercepted by Akatsuki…

Naruto sighed. In two years, Akatsuki never appeared to claim his power. Not even once. And would not for another year or so.

Why worry so much?

So he whistled some more, banishing the thought of his friends so not to get sad, and walked towards the little village where he and his sensei would be staying for the next few months. He was there only since three days and he already liked that place… apart the onsen, that's it.

……………………………………………

MasterFranny: finished. Thanks for supporting me! See you to the next chapter!

Oh, before I close and beg for reviews, I want to add that I will do my best to avoid any cliché that may want to appear in this. I can't say I'll completely avoid them since Naruto's story is half based on cliché, but I'll try not making this ridiculous kk?

……………………………………………

Glossary of Japanese words (that someone requested… how troublesome):

Shukaku: raccoon demon sealed inside Gaara. He's the first of the Tailed demons (Bijuu), as the Japanese legends say. There are nine tailed demons, and Ichibi no Shukaku is the first one. Kyuubi no Kitsune is the last one, the nine tailed fox.

Jinchuuriki: power of human sacrifice. So to speak, a baby in which someone sealed a Bijuu.

Onsen: hot springs. They are usually divided in female and male zones, but they can also be mixed baths.

Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure: with Konohagakure, they are the five hidden villages in the five countries. Sand, Mist, Rock, Cloud and Leaf. There are others, many others, but those are the main five. Also, Otogakure, Sound, where Orochimaru reigns.

Kuni: means country. There are five main countries in Naruto's world. Hi no Kuni (Fire Country), Kaze no Kuni (Wind Country), Mizu no Kuni (Rain Country), Rai no Kuni (Thunder Country), Tsuchi no Kuni (Earth Country).