"What's happening?" Sakura asked in disbelief.
"Let's move out," Shikamaru ordered, jumping out of the window and hitting the ground running.
His heart dropped painfully when an explosion shook the entire village. Civilians ran as fast as they could to the evacuation tunnels. With Naruto out of the village there was only one person's safety that he had to worry about before taking action against the attackers. He knew that Kurenai-Sensei would be going to a pre-natal class soon, and if she was somewhere that couldn't see or feel the attack she wouldn't know to be careful and evacuate. He had to dodge debris as he ran to Kurenai-Sensei's apartment. He found her just stepping out onto the street.
"Stop!" he commended, coming to a halt. "Get back inside."
"Shikamaru, what's going on?" Kurenai-Sensei asked.
"It's the Akatsuki! They're here." There was another explosion, rather close. Looking up he saw a black and orange creature that looked like a giant caterpillar on top of the apartment building across from Kurenai-Senseis. It started to destroy the building as it moved towards them. Shikamaru activated his Shadow Imitation jutsu, piercing it multiple times in the body and once in the head.
"Kurenia-Sensei, do me a favour and step back please," Shikamaru said, forcing his voice to be calm. The woman did as he asked, allowing him to use a shadow to pull three kunai out of his weapons pouch, paper bombs dangling from their handles. He growled, "now you die."
After throwing the kunai into the creature's body he ran to Kurenai-Sensei, shielding her with his form. "Get down!"
When the creature was destroyed, Shikamaru pulled back to evaluate Kurenai-Sensei's state.
"Are you alright?" Kurenai-Sensei asked.
He almost laughed. "Yeah, don't worry about me. You need to take the underground tunnel to the evacuation shelter. I'll take you part of the way. No arguments. If something happened to you or your child I'd never be able to face Asuma-Sensei."
Kurenai-Sensei smiled. "Shikamaru." She held out her hand, letting Shikamaru help pull her to her feet.
He made sure that he not only kept an eye out for the enemy but for debris and civilians. He knew that civilians could be dangerous when scared. The last thing he needed was for someone to knock the heavily pregnant woman down. When the ground shook again from an explosion and screams radiated through the air Shikamaru picked the Kurenai-Sensei up, running faster. He was just thinking that he would have to take Kurenai-Sensei the entire way to the escape tunnel when he spotted Dai with a group of adults helping to ferry children through the village.
"Dai," Shikamaru called, getting the large man's attention. He put Kurenai-Sensei down when he reached the bartender. "Can you help Kurenai-Sensei get to the tunnels?"
The man nodded. "Of course. We have to go slower but safer for the orphans, so it won't strain you, Madam Kurenai."
"Thank you," Shikamaru breathed. "I cannot even think of how to repay you."
He took off running towards the source of the explosions he was hearing. Skidding around a corner Shikamaru came face to face with a tall man with long, orange hair, and five rods protruding from his face. In his outstretched hand he grasped the forehead of a woman who twitched before her body went slack.
"She knew nothing of Naruto," Pain commented in an almost bored voice. He dropped the ninja, turning his unnerving eyes onto Shikamaru. "Let's see if you know."
As Pain started walking towards him Shikamaru moved into a fighting stance. Making sure to keep Pain in sight, he cast a gaze onto the limp ninja. It was hard to tell if the ninja was dead or unconscious, but there were no markings on her body indicating what Pain had put her through. Deciding he didn't want to find out first hand he activated his Shadow Imitation and attacked Pain. The man dodged far too easily. When he was within range of Shikamaru he extended his hand towards the Nara's forehead. A sickening thought entered his mind at such a familiar pose, making him jump back. He stumbled to find his feet, costing him time. Pain advanced again, his hand still extended.
Shikamaru realised his thought was fitting with the evidence. Pain hadn't tortured the ninja, he had read her mind like Uncle Inoichi could. As one of the few people who actually knew where Naruto was, he could not afford to have Pain touch him. He kept jumping back, trying to find an opening to turn and run. He would normally never run from an enemy like this, especially one who put Kurenai-Sensei and Naruto in danger, but at that moment he was the biggest threat to Naruto's safety. The only thing that worked in his favour was that Pain was more interested in getting information out of him than fighting him, so he didn't have to deflect attacks too.
Next moment, Pain stopped in his tracts, a shadow protruding from his chest. Shock filled his body as he looked down at his hands wondering if only for a moment if he had done the attack subconsciously.
"Stay the hell away from my cousin, asshole!" Ryota growled from behind Pain.
Shikamaru looked at him with wide eyes as Eiji walked up to him, skirting around Pain. The Healer surveyed him before turning his gaze onto Pain, who was hanging limp in Ryota's skewer.
"I think he's dead." Eiji calmly walked over to the female ninja, kneeling to determine her state. "She's still alive. But she needs to get to the hospital."
As Ryota retracted his shadow Eiji made hand signs that were highly familiar to Shikamaru. Next moment there was another Eiji standing next to the original. Without a word the clone gently picked up the ninja and ran off with her in the direction of the hospital. When Shikamaru and Ryota stared at him in surprise the blue haired boy shrugged.
"Naruto taught me a few things." Eiji walked back over to Shikamaru. "Are you injured?"
"No, but I doubt that this area is safe. I think there is a Pain that resurrects the others. If I'm right he will probably come for this one, especially since I think this one can read minds. He would be vital to finding Naruto. I can't be sure though, I need someone who has seen all the Pains in action. But either way I can't be here." Shikamaru took a breath, calming his racing heart.
"Easy done, come on." Ryota ran off, leaving Eiji and Shikamaru to follow him.
"Let me guess, we have to keep you away from the Pains?" Eiji asked. "We don't know if all of them can read minds but I'm sure they will be able to get information by other means. And I'm guessing you are one of the few who knows where Naruto is based on how you were backing away from Pain."
"Yeah, pretty much. There are only about five of us who knows and I'm the only Chunnin so at least Naruto will be reasonably safe."
"Unless we can't keep you out of Pain's reach," Ryota huffed.
"Well if they get close enough just take me out," Shikamaru stated plainly.
"Let's not get to that." Ryota slowed. "Found someone to help, and they're the gorgeous one." He jogged up to Hinata just as she took out one of the summoning creatures. "Hey, beautiful, we could use your eyes."
Hinata turned bright red before looking at them in confusion. "What do you need me to do?"
"We need you to look around the village and tell us if each Pain is using a different jutsu and if you can, tell us which one is resurrecting the others, if it's only one of them," Shikamaru explained, trying not to speak too quickly.
"Okay, um." Hinata activated her byakugan, not bothering to turn her head. "There are six of them, one of them near here is down, he has long hair…"
"That would be the one I took out," Ryota confirmed.
"There's another with him, who is broad, has spiky hair, and piercings in the shape of a triangle. I can't tell what he's doing, just standing with the body from what I can see. There's another over there that has piercings down the bridge of his nose and two that look like fangs, he can pull people towards him. Another that looks like a girl and is small, she's summoning the creatures. She's over there and moving away from us. A Pain with a round face and a spike in each cheek just absorbed a water jutsu shot at him. Oh, that's disgusting! One not too far from here just opened his skull and released an explosive device. I could have lived without seeing that." The ground shook as Hinata deactivated her byakugan. The woman took a deep breath. "The village has already suffered a lot of loss and damage."
"Where is a Healer needed most?" Eiji asked, his jaw set.
Hinata pointed down a side road. "Go down there, take your first right then your second left. I can guarantee you won't miss it."
Giving the two Nara men a hard look and an encouraging nod, the Healer ran off in the direction that Hinata had pointed.
"Well at least we know my theory is right and that if we can take out the one who resurrects the others then we will have more of a chance."
"We'll have to catch the others by surprise though. I'm not cocky enough to think it wasn't luck and catching that Pain off guard that allowed us to get out of there." Ryota sighed. "Off to fight then. For the village and for Naruto. Good luck, and, Shikamaru, don't get caught by yourself. You are now too valuable to get too close to the enemy. Lovely to see you again, beautiful!"
When Ryota was out of sight, Hinata turned to Shikamaru. "I barely remember him. I feel bad about that. But I'm guessing you know where Naruto is, so I'll stay with you for now. What's the plan?"
"I should get to the Hokage and pass on the information you gave me and my theory." Shikamaru cleared his throat, looking at the Hyuga woman. She stood with so much confidence and determination it was hard to connect her with the memory of the overly timid young girl he knew in the academy. "Thank you."
"For the village and for Naruto," Hinata commented with a tilt to her lips.
"Interesting battle cry."
"Your cousin made it up."
"Good point. For the village and for Naruto."
The two ran off in the direction of the Hokage Tower. Hinata made sure to keep them out of the reach of any of the Pains, which just filled Shikamaru with guilt. He wished that they could fight and help their fellow ninjas but he knew that he would be putting Naruto, and possibly the entire village in danger if he was caught. Not only that but Lady Hokage could use the information they had gathered to help save more lives than they would be able to on their own.
When they reached the Hokage Tower they stopped to catch their breaths before they were to make the trek up the stairs. The fighting was low around the tower, allowing them to take the time needed.
"Shikamaru," Hinata puffed. "I… I want you to know that whilst I don't love Naruto the way you do, I do still love her and admire her. She's been a great friend to me and I've seen what she's overcome. She does it with such strength and optimism it's hard to not admire that. So if you can't fight the Pains to protect Naruto because of the information you have, then I'll do it for you. If the situation was different I might have been in your position."
He couldn't help but smile at the woman "Thanks, Hinata. You're a good friend, to both me and Naruto."
With a small smile Hinata turned, running outside and back into the fighting. Shikamaru ran through the deserted hallways to the Hokage's office. He gave a sharp knock before opening the door. He was met with surprised gazes off those in the office. He ignored the anbu members, going straight to Lady Tsunade.
"Hinata and I were able to get information on the Pains that can help take them down. Also, there is one I believe can read minds much like Inoichi. Those who know where Naruto is needs to stay out of the fight."
"No need," Lady Tsunade sighed. "I have set orders to recall Naruto. The last I had heard from Lord Fukasaku Naruto was showing the potential to surpass even Jiraiya. We can only hope that Naruto has learnt enough to hold his own."
"And if he hasn't?" Shikamaru snapped.
"Then at least he has the whole village to protect him. If they find out where he is, he will be caught off guard. I know you want to protect Naruto but remember that I want the same thing. I'm not letting Jiraiya's protégée and a member of my Grandmother's Clan die. Not to mention I've become fond of that little pain!" Lady Tsunade turned her gaze towards the window when another explosion sounded through the village. "Tell me what you have found out about Pain. I sent out Lady Katsuyu and need to create a chakra circle. If I don't, I can't send chakra to Lady Katsuyu and then she won't be able to help many."
"A chakra circle?" Shikamaru asked in confusion.
"It's a Uzumaki seal. It allows us to transfer our healing chakra into others," Lady Tsunade huffed. "Now on with it."
Shikamaru nodded before relaying with they had discovered about each Pains abilities and the brief description Hinata had provided about their appearances. When he finished, Lady Tsunade almost looked exhausted.
"It's not very comprehensive but it's a start," she sighed, leaning against the window. "One of the biggest issues is that their sights are all linked."
"You never told me that," Shikamaru commented before seeing the dull look in her eyes. It wasn't so hard to see that she and Naruto were from the same Clan when she pulled the same heartbroken expression that Naruto had worn shortly before she left. "It's fine. I understand that loosing Lord Jiraiya is hard and… disorienting."
Lady Tsunade sniffed before pulling her shoulders back. "Naruto should be here soon. I need you to work with your father in leading squadrons against Pain. Good luck."
He watched Lady Hokage walk out of the office, her anbu force following her silently. Shikamaru took a deep breath before going looking for his father. The older Nara would be in the War Room in the main armoury near the Decipher Devision. He would no doubt have a form of Lady Katsuyu with him to relay information between himself, Lady Tsunade, and the ninjas throughout the village.
The only ones in the room were strategists. There were three Naras, counting Shikaku, and one other man. Shikaku was bent over a map of the village, small figurines littered over the surface. Shikamaru noticed that the figurines weren't of human form. There was two, small balls, one with a swirl pattern on it and the other with a wave, there was what looked like a white fang, two wolves, a figurine in the shape of an eye, and two that were kunai. One wall of the room was a white board that had names of squad leaders down one side, the next column indicating where they were stationed in the village, and the last column showed their duty, either fighting, or recovering the injured. On the other side of the wall was a list of teams that were out of the village. The middle of the wall was split into two. On one side there was written a handful of names, all Jonins, and a number that had obviously been rubbed off and rewritten a number of times. On the other there was the numbers one to six with a breakdown of what they knew of each Pain next to each. The only real bit of information was that they shared sight, they all had rods in them, and orange hair.
"Lady Tsunade said you have something to tell me," Shikaku spoke, not looking up. He had a small version of Lady Katsuyu on his shoulder.
Not bothering with formalities, Shikamaru lunged into what he and Hinata had discovered; speaking slow enough that the Nara writing the information next to each number could keep up. Once it was in written form it dawned on Shikamaru how little they had.
"It's better than nothing," sighed the Nara, whose name Shikamaru thought was Rin. "Since you're playing catch up I'll brief you. The little statues all indicate high ranked ninja, or Clan leaders and their heir. You are the smaller Kunai. The numbers and names in the middle are our casualty rates. We are not faring well. Many are dead and more are hurt."
"Well to stop the hospital from being over flooded only those who are critical should be going there. We should isolate another building to house those who aren't too serious but can no longer fight. It can also serve as somewhere for ninjas to rest and recuperate their chakra. The last thing we need is people dying of chakra depletion," Shikamaru advised, walking over to the map. He looked over the streets, combining it with what he knew of the areas. "The school would be a good spot. The area is always the first to be evacuated, what with the large population of families around there. If we blow the streets here, here, and here it will cut the academy off from the rest of the village, but there are access tunnels through these sections here. Pain might be able to get over the rubble but it would at least stall them. We'll station Genins and Chunins around the perimeter to protect the people."
"Hmm," Shikaku hummed. "Smart. Lady Katsuyu can you instruct these teams here to take out the streets," he pointed at a number of squads, "and inform people to take those needed through the tunnels. Goro, create a list of Chunins and Genins to station at the academy and relay it through Lady Katsuyu."
"Understood."
"And tell anyone who has observed Pains abilities to relay it through you, Lady Katsuyu, to us. We need to ensure the right squads go against Pains they have the chances of defeating." Shikaku scowled at the white board. "And we need to figure out if defeating the Pain that resurrects the rest will actually stop them all from coming back."
"The fact that there is still six even after Lord Jiraiya took one down does not look good." Rin paused when Lady Katsuyu turned to face her. She walked up to the slug, listening to her words. With a sigh, she went up to the board; writing down a number that was creeping passed the hundreds. "That is how many ninjas are out of commotion, but not dead."
One of the men swore.
"Alright, we know one of the Pains sucks in jutsus fired at him. But we don't know how he handles physical attacks" Shikaku started, picking up the two wolf figurines. "Lady Katsuyu, can you please find the one that fits my son's description and send the Inuzuka squad after him?"
"I have a report from Mr Yamanaka, they were attacked by the one that summons creatures. The anbu and Ibiki Morino have stayed behind to fight her," Lady Katsuyu reported. "I have also relayed the description of the Pain you are looking for and should know soon."
"Was Inoichi, Ino, or the others hurt?" Shikaku asked, the smallest quiver of fear ringing through his voice.
Shikamaru doubted anyone else heard it. He only did because he knew his would sound the same, but more panicked.
"I was able to protect them with my body. They are heading to the Decipher Division to put some information they have together and will tell us when they have it sorted. Shizune also would like me to inform you that you were right. The rods are chakra receivers. The Pain you were after was seen at the Research Morgue."
"He might be after the other Pains body, or the receivers," the one non-Nara commented. "We should tell the Inuzuka team to not rush in until they have had time to evaluate what it is he wants."
"Of course." Lady Katsuyu went silent, no doubt relaying the message. "They are on route now and will be there shortly.
"Goro," Shikamaru spoke up, looking at the other Nara male in the room. "You should go aid Inoichi and Shizune and help them in with the information they have in any way you can."
Goro nodded and, surprisingly to Shikamaru, didn't look at Shikaku for confirmation before running out of the room. Shikamaru looked over at his father to see if he had any issue with this fact in time to see him sigh and pick up the boulder figurine with a wave pattern, moving it to the hospital, where a number of other figurines sat. He then sadly knocked down the fang figurine.
"I'm guessing the boulder is Choza," Shikamaru spoke softly. "Who is the fang?"
Shikaku sighed heavily. "One of our most valuable pieces. Kakashi. The only solas is that Choji was able to get away and pass on information on the two Pains they versed. And Choza is being seen to by Lady Katsuyu. His still on the field but can't fight. Lady Katsuyu, could you relay it to Rin for us, please?"
Rin stepped forward and took Lady Katsuyu over to the white board, writing information next to two Pains, which was fairly comprehensive, before adding information to two others.
"Konohamaru versed one that when his clone was in Pain's grasp he saw a giant face appear. Konohamaru is safe at the academy now. The mouth opened and a hand tried to grab what felt like his extremely enlarged tongue. He knows from seeing Pain attack to others that you cannot see this unless you are the victim. Pain seems to be able to tell truths from lies in this manner. Pain was asking about Naruto and the ninjas refused to answer. I have been getting a number of reports of a similar nature. The entire village is refusing to give Naruto up."
He lost his breath for a moment at Lady Katsuyu's words. Few people even knew that Naruto wasn't in the village. He knew from Teuchi and Ayame that many believed Naruto was training on end again. The fact that there wasn't a single person in the village who tried to save themselves by telling them Naruto's address or her common training areas meant that Naruto must have accomplished what she had set out to do. The village respected her.
Recovering from his shock, Shikamaru looked at the information on the Pains. "We have one who is invulnerable to ninjutsu, another invulnerable to taijutsu, one who summons creatures, another who summons an invisible face, and we have a friggen magnet who only has a five second recharge." He rubbed his forehead. "With just a small window we will need someone who can move fast with that one."
"Unfortunately there is no one in the village who knows the Fourth's jutsu, but he once told me that his sensei was quite fast in Sage mode. That's what gave him the idea."
Shikamaru looked at the man. He was much older than most ninjas, around his mid to late sixties with gray hair and wrinkles. Nara realised that the man wasn't wearing a Chunin jacket or a forehead protector, indicating that he was retired. Looking closer he realised he knew the man from a photo of his grandfather and from when he was younger. The man had been his grandfather's second when he was the Head Strategist in the village and was Shikaku's godfather. His grandmother had said he was as smart as Shikamaru's grandfather and had only refused the position of Head Strategist out of grief for his dearest friend.
"Well then, Hiroto," Shikaku started with a chuckle, "It only seems fitting that his child has recently undergone training to become a Sage. Perhaps Naruto can put the Fourth to shame."
Shikamaru looked at his father in surprise before shooting a look at Rin. "Dad, I thought Naruto's parentage was being kept secret from everyone, not just him."
"It is, but Hiroto helped to plan the safeguards put in place when Kushina was giving birth to try and keep the Nine-Tails in her and Rin was one of the people on duty for it."
"And it still all went to hell," Rin bemoaned softly. "Kushina was one of my teammates."
"Obvious Kushina is the name of Naruto's mother, but… did you just say she was the Jinchuriki for the Nine-Tails?"
Rin nodded. "Yeah, when a tailed beast is extracted from their host the host dies. Kushina had a lot of chakra though, so she didn't die right away. She died helping Minato put the Nine-Tails into Naruto. I honestly believe she would have survived if it wasn't for that."
"So if the Akatsuki did get their hands on the Nine-Tails, Naruto might survive?" Shikamaru asked.
"I don't know. It's just my belief. Naruto has more chakra than Kushina did but the only way to know would be to test it and I'd rather not have that happen."
"Agreed. But speaking of the knucklehead, is he in the village yet?"
"Not here yet. Shikamaru, I need you out in the field. You may be able to notice things others can't. Follow your instincts and order squads as you see fit. I will follow your lead and advice from here," Shikaku said, looking at his son seriously.
"Are you sure?"
"Your mind is far greater than mine. You might not have my experience but your instincts are much sharper. Your idea with the academy is not something I would have thought of. It ensures we lose less people and stops the medical ninjas from becoming overwhelmed. I need you out there, taking in the information without the delay we have here. We will try to work out where the hell Naruto is. Until Naruto gets here be careful. If Pain finds out where he is they will go straight for him and he will be left defenceless."
Swallowing the lump of dread in his throat, Shikamaru nodded before running out of the room. When he reached the buildings exit he found the village a thing of nightmares. There were summoning creatures throughout the village, standing taller and wider than most buildings. There was rubble everywhere he looked, bodies littered throughout. Taking a moment to ground himself, he thought where best to go first. He started running to where he could see three large summoning creatures, figuring that would be the place needing most help. However, he hadn't made it there before he saw them disappear. Sliding to a halt near Ibiki, he asked one of the men what was happening. When he heard that the creatures had been dispelled by Pain, his heart dropped into his stomach. If Pain was retreating that meant he had found one of the few people who actually knew where Naruto was.
With a vicious growl Shikamaru charged after the small Pain. When he was close enough he threw a kunai at her head. She dodged but he had her attention. They jumped down from the shambled rooftops, landing in a debris filled street. His heart gave a painful thump when he realised that he was standing outside the barbeque place that he and his team had frequented with Asuma-Sensei. The sign lay off to the side, shattered and almost as unrecognisable as the restaurant itself. He turned a glare onto Pain as he started devising a plan. Obviously they could be caught by surprise, as Ryota had proven. There was plenty of rubble to use for shadows and to hide his moves. If she summoned a creature though, he would have to fight it whilst she got away. Meaning he had to keep her hands busy.
Activating his shadow, he charged forward. Multiple shadow tendrils tried to spear Pain whilst surrounding her. She was forced to make small dodges, unable to do anything larger, though she still managed to find footing to move away from Shikamaru's advancing form. When he was nearly on top of her Shikamaru wrapped a shadow around his own waist, throwing himself up whilst the kunai hidden behind him in a shadow were thrown quickly. From his position above he was able to see the kunai pierce her chest, blood splattering out. He landed behind her, only for her to turn sharply to face him. With a smirk he grabbed one of her wrists, a kunai in the other hand. Taking inspiration from Asuma-Sensei, he grinded his shadow along the edge, much like his departed teacher used to do with his wind style. He brought his hand down, the kunai slicing through Pain's arm.
"Try summoning something now," he taunted. "Without that, you have nothing."
He threw the hand to the side as Pain tried to retreat, her arm handing limply at her side. Walking forward at an almost predator like pace, Shikamaru moved his shadows into place. Using so many was taking its toll on his limited chakra supply but he had to end her before help arrived. It was luck he was dealing with the summoner. He doubted he would fare as well against any other. The key to defeating a summoner was simple, though very bloody.
"You will not," he started, making sure Pain heard every word, "get your hands on the Nine-Tails. And you will not hurt Naruto!"
The moment he finished speaking he blocked off Pain completely with his shadows, till the point that she was lost in a sea of black. There was a muffled gasp from within as Shikamaru stabbed her multiple times with his shadow.
As he retracted his shadow, breathing heavy from chakra use, a voice sounded through the village that chilled him.
"THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW PAIN WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND TRUE PEACE."
Shikamaru looked up to see one of the Pains floating in the air. After processing what he was seeing, he took off running, looking for someone, anyone. He didn't know what he was after or who he was searching for. He just knew he didn't want to be standing alone in a destroyed street with the mutilated body of one of the Pains. He looked over his shoulder in time to see a Pain jump up from the street he had been in; followed by the one he had killed, looking perfectly fine. He swore, feeling useless.
He found himself near the main armoury again. Shiho spotted him and came running towards him just as the village shook and a wave of dust, concrete, metal, and wood came crashing towards them. Shiho was in the path of the largest cluster of building. Shikamaru sent out his shadow, wrapping her in it and pushing her out of the way. He was so focused on keeping her cocooned he failed to notice the wave that came crashing onto him. Next moment he felt excruciating pain run up his leg as his skull cracked against the ground. He lost all sense of himself when something covered him. He felt a momentary sense of safety and strength. When the darkness lifted he found Lady Katsuyu next to him, obviously having been the one to cover him. His leg was pinned under concrete. With a pained grunt, Shikamaru pushed the weight off his leg, only to feel pain radiate through the limp. As he grasped the leg and ground his teeth, fighting the urge to scream in agony, Shiho appeared in front of him.
"Shikamaru, are you hurt? Are you okay?" she asked.
Grunting, he looked around, taking in the wreckage that used to be his village. "Yeah. What was it that hit us anyway?"
Shikaku walked up to them slowly, holding his arm, one of his eyes closed. He, like Shikamaru and Shiho were covered in scratches and dust. "You okay, Shikamaru?"
"Well I'm still alive, although I think my leg is broken."
His father smiled. "Then I think you should count yourself lucky, if that's all you suffered in the attack."
At those words Shikamaru evaluated his father's condition again. He was speaking slower and his breaths were more laboured. If Shikamaru was to guess, he would say that his father had broken ribs. Looking around, the Nara heir spotted Rin's form, a version of Lady Katsuyu seeing to her. Hiroto, however, was nowhere to be seen. Straining his eyes, Shikamaru spotted an arm sticking out the side of a thick slab of what used to be ceiling.
"Dad…"
"Hiroto gave his life for mine. I will not belittle his sacrifice by pitying myself," the man stated plainly.
"The thing is, frankly," Shiho started, standing up as tears welled in her eyes, "Shikamaru was trying to protect me, and, he got hurt."
Shikamaru sighed. "Alright now, it's not the time or place for tears. They possess a jutsu that's this powerful but they didn't use it against us when they first attacked the village. Which means they had a purpose in coming here. They must have finally fulfilled that purpose so they changed their approach from guerrilla hit and run tactics to an all out offensive on the village as a whole."
"But who are they?"
It hadn't occurred to him that Shiho wasn't a fighter. The Decipher Division had little combat capabilities so they often stayed in the division and worked through any information needed, and helped with the armouries. She would not have seen the enemy at all.
"Well it's someone who can do this much damage to the Leaf Village," Shikamaru explained. "The Akatsuki have attacked us, and they are after Naruto Uzumaki. They need him alive so obviously they know he isn't in the village."
"I agree and that is not good for Naruto or the toads," Shikaku spoke.
"I sure wouldn't survive very long if I relied solely on luck but it was lucky I survived that." He looked at Shiho. "Don't bother crying. Just hope we don't get hit by another attack."
He stopped, feeling a comforting pressure on his uninjured leg, moving up his body. He knew that presence instantly and reached out with his own chakra to pinpoint it. Naruto! Looking around, he found a plank of splintered wood that obviously used to be part of a much larger beam.
"Shiho, can you hand me that," he pointed, "and help me to my feet."
She looked reluctant to follow the last request but eventually she pulled him up. He had to bite down on his lip hard enough to draw blood to stop any scream he would make. Once he had the wood situated under his armpit as a makeshift crutch he started hobbling in the direction the chakra was coming from.
"What are you doing?" Shikaku yelped, only to flinch and hold his ribs.
"Naruto is here. He sent his chakra out to me. He's probably trying to check on his friends." Each step felt as though his bones were grinding together and on the edge of snapping from his body.
"Shikamaru, you can't walk on that leg," Shikaku commented with concern.
"I will." As though to prove it too his father, and to alleviate some of the older man's worry, Shikamaru used some of his last remaining chakra to bring forth shadows to wrap tight around his leg. He felt the blood drain further from his face and spots appeared in his vision but the splint made it easier to walk.
"You certainly are inventive with your shadow. I'm impressed." Shikaku lumbered after his son. "It looks like at least two-thirds of the village was destroyed. But the estates should be untouched, which means your mother and the rest of the Clan should be safe."
"Wouldn't they have evacuated?" Shiho asked.
With a grunt, Shikaku explained, something Shikamaru was thankful for since he was afraid he would vomit from pain if he opened his mouth. "The Naras go into the forest surrounding the back of our estate. That way the deer are protected. If necessary they can escape through there and out of the village. Enemy can't enter the forest without the deer attacking."
He and his father allowed Shiho to help them over giant slabs and built up debris. When Naruto's chakra left him he felt terror, until they walked around a large chunk of wall only to find themselves on the edge of an overwhelming crater. Hinata and one of her clansmen were nearby. As he sat down on the fallen wall, taking pressure off his leg, Hinata walked up to him.
"Shikamaru, are you alright? Mr Nara, are you and… um?" she trailed off, looking at the blonde.
"Shiho, and we are fine, thank you," Shikaku responded.
The Nara heir would have also reassured his friend that whilst he was exhausted and in pain he was relatively fine but he was too busy staring at the middle of the crater. Standing off to one side of the hole were three giant toads, one being the toad he had seen Naruto summon years before. Squinting through the dust he saw that the middle toad had another toad on top of him, and on top of that toad was a figure.
"Hinata, is that…"
"Naruto!" the Hyuga breathed.