So, I wrote the first half of this chapter without rewatching the episodes again and when I did watch them again I discovered that Pakkun stays with Kakashi until they return to the village. Well not in my story he doesn't! So yes, this chapter is different from the show in that respect but I just thought this was better suited.

Also, no Choji doesn't know Naruto's gender but instead refers to Naruto as he or she based on what gendered clothing he's wearing. He's a very accepting person.

And, I can't say for certain if there will be more Asuma POVs but me adding Choji doesn't mean I've deleted another from my roster. Chapter 19 at this moment looks like it will be from Shikaku's POV of the hospital events. I have to flesh it out before I know for certain if I'm using it.

It had all gone wrong. From the moment they had left Choji behind he knew they were in trouble. There were four enemies and five of them. They were going to have to leave a teammate behind with each opponent. He had hoped that would mean the last enemy, the one left with the coffin holding Sasuke, would have to verse two people but it didn't go as planned. He and Naruto were the ones left facing the last enemy, a woman with red hair. However, Sasuke's casket opened. When he was free he ran off. Shikamaru had no choice but to tell Naruto to chase her teammate. He wished he didn't have to. A dreaded nauseating feeling entered his stomach as the blonde ran off.

When Temari helped him (he refused to believe that she rescued him) he had asked her if she was going to retrieve Naruto. She had replied that Gaara had headed off in that direction, saying that the blond was engaged in a fight. He had hoped that Sasuke wouldn't fight his friend but then he had felt it. A warm, energetic feeling lashed around the area, unpredictable and powerful but without true malice. Another met it in a violent struggle, this one was dark, chilling but also… blank. There was something missing within the person, true determination or passion. There was only one reason he would be able to sense Naruto and Sasuke's chakras from so far away. They were in locked in an intense battle.

As he concentrated he noticed another presence. Their chakra was suffocating. It reminded him of what Naruto had said about a hot slap. Except that it was more of an inferno, leaving his face with a tender, stripped feeling. The chakra was wild, ferocious and bloodthirsty. It surrounded Naruto's chakra, mingling with it, suppressing it? He couldn't tell. He wasn't the best at sensing chakra. These chakras though, could not be ignored.

He was focused so heavily on Naruto and Sasuke that he barely noticed the medical ninjas that were assessing him. He was forced back into his surroundings by the mention of possible casualties.

"Someone died?" he gasped, grabbing the shoulders of the man before him, ignoring how his broken finger ached. "Who? What happened?"

"No Leaf Ninja has died, yet. There are two boys in critical condition. They have been moved back to the hospital but I don't know how they are now."

That made him let the medical ninjas take him back to the village. The moment he arrived in the hospital he was able to get a report on his teammates that had been found. Choji and Neji were in critical condition. Whether they lived or died was still undetermined. Lady Tsunade was helping to heal one whilst Shizune lead the other team. Kiba was injured but conscious and would recover with time, Akamaru however was badly injured and would need a few days or weeks to rest. Shikamaru felt terrible for that one. He would hate for one of his family deer to become injured. Lee had been returned to the village and for the most part was fine. He would have his bed rest extended and Lady Tsunade ordered him to be tied to the bed if he was defiant. It sounded as though he was not the first patient she had done that too. Shikamaru wasn't even sure what Lee was doing out there. He must have not been able to sit still and let the others do the fighting.

Naruto… well, she was still engaged in battle. Gaara spoke of how he could feel it. He said that it reached his very core: Naruto's determination, conviction, and this violence that was manifesting. It took Shikamaru only a moment to realise how Gaara knew this, and how Naruto had known that Gaara was in Lee's room, intending to hurt Lee. They were the same. They both had Tailed beasts within them. The two of them could probably sense each other like animals. But then Gaara had gone quiet, a dark look on his face. He had walked off though, not answering any questions Shikamaru yelled at him.

He sat down on one of the benches outside Choji's room. His father sat silently next to him. There was nothing Shikamaru wanted to say, nothing he thought possible to say. His brain was running too fast and too slow, causing it to come to a crashing halt. All that he could think about was Naruto's promise to Sakura. She would give her life to bring Sasuke back!

He heard barking. At first he thought it was only in his mind but then he saw it. Or more, him. Ducking people's feet as he ran as fast as his little legs could was a small, brown figure.

"Pakkun!" he yelled, jumping to his feet and running forward as the dog came to a skidding halt. He waited as Pakkun tried to speak whilst gulping down oxygen.

"Get… get med… get…"

"Catch your breath first," Shikaku instructed, coming to stand beside his son. "A half broken message is useless to us."

Pakkun nodded, pulling himself together. His tongue hung from his mouth as he panted heavily. There was a deep set to his face that alluded to the nature of his message, making Shikamaru want to shake him.

"Get a medic ready!" Pakkun suddenly yelled, making Shikamaru jump. "Kakashi found Naruto. He's bringing the kid back now but… Naruto isn't breathing!"

Bile rose in Shikamaru's throat as the world suddenly tilted. Pakkun simply became a brown mass as the Chunin's eyes unfocused. He vaguely registered his father putting his hand on Shikamaru's shoulder and asking if he was okay as the boy stumbled back.

Shikaku waved a doctor over, talking to them quickly before they rushed off, allowing him to turn to his gaze back to his son. Concern suddenly made the man look older. "Shikamaru?"

The boy turned, moving to sit back down only to miss the edge of the seat by a foot. He showed no reaction to the fall or the impact to the ground. His legs rested against the white tiles in front of him, his hands sitting open in his lap. Turning a half vacant stare onto Pakkun he barely noticed how the dog stepped back.

"Are you sure?" Shikamaru's voice came out weak, disappearing to the point that he simply mouthed the end of his question. "Is Naruto…?" his throat constricted so that he couldn't breathe. Grabbing his hollow chest as it gave a painful echo he looked at the dog desperately.

"Kid…" Pakkun started softly. He slowly walked closer, putting a paw on Shikamaru's forearm. "When Kakashi and I found Naruto… his heart wasn't beating. Naruto is… a special kid but I don't know if even he can pull through this. I'm sorry."

Shikamaru's knees came up to his chest as he dropped his head. His hands came up to grasp his head, all but his broke finger clawing at his hair. He could feel strands pulling away from the elastic holding it up whilst others chose to break. Pakkun had dropped his paw and had settled for leaning against Shikamaru's shin. As tears started to drip from his eyes at a rapid pace his shoulders shook and he began to sob. Shikaku came to sit beside his son, putting his arm around Shikamaru's trembling shoulders. The gesture felt cold and empty. His mind kept picturing Naruto lying bloody and pale on the ground. Scenario after scenario played, all ending the same way. Naruto was dead.

Naruto was dead! The words didn't seem real to him. How could it be true? Naruto: the one who put graffiti on the Hokages' faces when the other students couldn't even work out how she got up there. Naruto: the worst student in the academy who fought the hardest in the invasion. Naruto who he… who he really wished he had kissed! But he had felt as though he was taking advantage of the fact that she was unconscious, which made him a creep. The only thing he could bring himself to do was to kiss her cheek. Another part had wanted Naruto to know that he had kissed her. He wanted to see her expression, study it, and to see if she would kiss him back. But now… now Naruto was dead.

"I know you've never lost a comrade and close friend before but you need to hold out hope." Shikaku pulled Shikamaru close, even though the young boy stayed ridged.

"I can't!" Shikamaru cried, shaking his head and gripping his hair tighter. Some strands brushed his chin. "If I hope it's just going to hurt more when Kakashi-Sensei returns with a body!"

His dad just held him tighter. Shikamaru could feel Shikaku studying him. Eventually his tears ran out, leaving him numb. He simply sat staring at the tiles between his feet, wishing they weren't so white. Pakkun muttered something about returning to Kakashi, and that Shikaku should be ready, before disappearing into a cloud of smoke. He would have ignored it but his father wouldn't let him.

"Shikamaru, you need to understand. If Naruto is dead," Shikaku started, pausing when his son flinched, "the village is in danger. You know now what Naruto holds. If he dies the Nine-Tails might have a chance to break the seal before it dies too. Each seal is different and unfortunately I don't know enough about Naruto's one to know if we are safe. I'll be back, Shikamaru, but I have to set protocols in place."

He barely noticed when his father moved from his side. He sat there, vaguely noting that he was shaking, yet he didn't feel cold, he didn't feel anything. He couldn't tell if he had started crying again or if his eyes just refused to focus. Hair fell into his face, clouding his vision further with dark strands. He heard footsteps before he felt someone sit beside him, their hand rubbing his back in a comforting manner. Looking over he saw his father studying him closely. Shikamaru had no idea how long he had been gone.

"Any word?" His voice was raw, scratching at his throat painfully.

"Unfortunately no. The third medical unit has been sent to meet up with Kakashi and Naruto and see if they can do anything. However, if Naruto's heart has not started beating by that point there is nothing they can do. I have also dispatched a sealing force. They will attempt, if the Nine-Tails lives, to seal it… in the body until we can find a better container."

"You mean a defenceless child that the village will abuse," Shikamaru hissed.

"Not necessarily. As far as I know only an Uzumaki can handle the Nine-Tails, and I don't think there is any left. To try on anyone else would mean to kill them."

"Naruto is not dead!"

Shikamaru's head snapped up to meet the level, cool gaze of Gaara. He stood not too far from them, having silently walked up to them. His arms were crossed and there was an unusual tenseness to his form. Temari, who stood behind him, was giving him his space.

"How-?" Shikamaru whispered, fearful that Gaara was joking with him, or was a hallucination.

"I can feel it. The heartbeat is weak, but stable. You still risk the seal breaking, since I believe it is the Nine-Tails that makes the heart beat, not Naruto." Gaara looked from Shikamaru to Shikaku. "If you know how to strengthen the seal send someone to do so, just as a precaution. However," he paused before the shadow of a smile appeared on his face, "I believe Naruto will win the struggle for dominance, even in a weakened condition. Your comrade is quite strong willed. Do not take my words as a confirmation of Naruto's survival. I am merely telling you that Naruto's heart currently beats."

He walked off, but Temari moved to the bench opposite the two Naras. Shikamaru had a multitude of questions but none reached his mouth. Instead, he stared at the space Gaara had occupied, praying he hadn't imagined the red head. Shikaku stood, having to now report the change to the sealing team. After he left Temari put her fan beside her before sighing angrily and standing. She marched over to Shikamaru, lifting him bodily onto the chair before pulling his elastic from his hair. She set about fixing his hairdo so it would be how it used to be.

"There! You looked so pathetic I was starting to pity you!"

"Naruto's alive!" he whispered, his voice sounding stronger.

"That's what Gaara said." Temari marched back to her seat. "That kid is impressive at times. I can tell my brother admires him."

This chapter was originally longer but I had to split it into two, so the rest will be in chapter 18. R and R.