Chapter 39
With no word from him for a month, Shikamaru can be considered a missing nin or even a dead nin. He would have sent a message to Kankuro, at least to reassure him of his safety, if he was sure that the missive wouldn't be received by his father first instead. He knows he should have met Kankuro in their meeting place to tell his brother of his plans but Shikamaru decided against it since he was concerned that Kankuro might ask for an explanation or worse; his brother would voice out what his logical mind has already been telling him.
It's more important for Shikamaru to find Lady Tsunade and it's really irrelevant what will happen to him once his father finds out what he is doing. He isn't betraying Suna; he is just seeking the truth. Once his mission is finished he can face his father's judgement.
The mission needs to be fulfilled first. But with no money and him hiding from the scouts his father has probably dispatched to find him, Shikamaru has opted to work on odd jobs. Going from town to town, he usually works serving in bars and eateries, listening for gossips inconspicuously.
How hard could it be to look for a medic nin—who obviously doesn't want to be found, who has years of practice eluding people and, of course, is one of Konoha's legendary sannins?
Awfully hard...and with limited resources more so.
"Tch," Shikamaru mumbles to himself. He should have gone after that thief. He doesn't need his extra robes, not in this humid heat and that spare pouch of sand is nonessential, not when there are trees, huts and shade everywhere but damn that money inside his stolen satchel would be enough to bribe at least four people.
People in towns near or within a day to two day's walking radius around Konoha have talked about Lady Tsunade, the medic from Konoha who had fled years ago. It has become apparent that the medic nin has been seen in several different places, usually drinking sake and gambling. Even with this information though, Shikamaru always arrives too late since Lady Tsunade has already moved to another town.
It takes an average of one to two days to reach a destination since he has to take detours to dislodge anyone who might be following him, one day to explore the area looking for information and/or the person to bribe then another two to three days of doing numerous civilian jobs to earn the money to encourage the information out of the chosen person.
Searching for Lady Tsunade is a lot tougher than what Shikamaru initially thought. When he arrived in the first gambling town he went to after learning of Tsunade's weakness for bets, it became clear people are close mouthed about any information of that woman or her whereabouts since it's like a commodity that can be sold to the highest bidder. Damn that old woman owed a lot of people. The only good thing about that is: another person—him in particular—joining the fray of people looking for her won't raise any suspicions.
It would have been easier if Shikamaru knew firsthand what she looks like but there's no Bingo book to provide him with an image. All he knows is that she's female and around Jiraiya's age. She's not as old as Chiyo and people had already informed him that she's still blonde with not a gray hair on her head. However, he remains doubtful of the information since people had described her as someone younger and very voluptuous than her age suggests. Old pervy men who had taken his hard earned bribe could be just leading him on. He should have asked Jiraiya-sama that time for an accurate description but, with Temari watching his every move, he didn't want to disclose how interested he really is.
It's been a month or so since he decided to do this for Temari, to return Lady Tsunade to Konoha to answer all the questions that she might have.
Shikamaru has to change his appearance to minimize detection from his father's spies. Him being gone this long, the Kazekage is bound to do something. Shikamaru's dark hair is now tied in a loose ponytail at his nape and he wears gray shirt with gray pants to blend in easier with the crowd.
So far he hasn't sensed yet anyone watching his every move but that doesn't mean he should be lax with his guard.
The information he has gathered revealed that Lady Tsunade was seen eleven months ago in this same area where he is now. She is liable to come back again near this place since she's been gone long enough and it has her favourite form of gambling.
After a month of going around several towns, Shikamaru has decided to find the most likely place Lady Tsunade would be visiting soon. His calculations led him here and instead of going after her and missing her again, he will wait for her to return to this place.
He has taken employment at one of the restaurants that Lady Tsunade had frequented during her stay here.
The pay is bad, he has to wait on tables, clean and throw some shit, just yesterday he even had to act like he can't fight some drunks but it doesn't bother him since its good for his cover and he needs the money.
Yesterday he wasn't fired on the spot but he earned the laughs of his co-workers when he slumped on the table after being hit by the drunken asshole in the gut. Pretending to be doubling up in pain, moving his facial muscles to form a cringe was troublesome but now nobody here would think he's a shinobi.
Suddenly, the restaurant door opens and a jovial voice is heard yelling, "I want ramen!"
Somehow the voice sounds familiar to Shikamaru, raising his head from wiping one of the tables, he notices Naruto and the old man— the Hokage—entering and strolling towards one of the unoccupied tables.
Moving fast and hiding quietly behind the wall divider, Shikamaru observes the two shinobi from Konoha. They shouldn't see him least they talk to his father. As the Hokage, Jiraiya-sama might see it as good will between the two villages to report to the Kazekage regarding seeing his son. That probability is low but not nonexistent.
"Ramen! Ramen!" the blonde nin singsongs, obviously happy from his bench.
The Hokage just laughs.
One of the other waiters pointedly glances at Shikamaru—it is his table after all. With his back towards the newly arrivals' table, Shikamaru immediately tips his tray stacked with used plates to fall from the edge of the table he just cleaned making sure it looks like an accident. "I'll get this. Get those customers' orders for me." Shikamaru crouches down before any of the customers turn their head in the direction of the clanking and breaking glass, picking up the debris while the other waiter approaches Naruto's table.
"Three ramen," the Hokage orders while grinning and stretching his thumb, index and middle finger to indicate the number three.
"Three ramen," the waiter repeats before swivelling to leave. "Just a moment."
The waiter is about to take the first step away when Jiraiya grabs his lower arm to stop him, extending a picture towards his face. "Have you seen this woman?"
The waiter peeks at the picture and stutters, "Tsu—Tsunade?"
"So you know her?"
The waiter, overwhelmed by the old man's ferociously friendly grin and a little too tight clasp on his arm, shakes his head vigorously. "I just heard the younger woman calling her Lady Tsunade...They ate here, she and her companion then they got into a fight with some thugs and they had to leave."
"I see."
Shikamaru, carefully eavesdropping from a corner, wonders why the Hokage is also looking for Lady Tsunade. Could it be that the Kazekage had already sent word against the medic nin? No, his father wouldn't call attention to himself. Even if the last time Shikamaru talked to Jiraiya-sama, it sounded as if the Hokage is a close friend of Lady Tsunade, for her to divulge some pertinent information to the old man like Shikamaru's full name, Jiraiya-sama hasn't come to warn Tsunade.
At the start, Shikamaru had only Tsunade's name as his lead. Now, he knows that she's a drunk and a lousy gambler. She owes a lot of punks' money. Maybe even years before she already owed a lot of people. That's why she did what she did to pay off her debts? The Kazekage had offered compensation for her trouble? Maybe Shikamaru already has the answer to one of his questions. But he can't stop looking for Lady Tsunade, not yet, just because the Hokage, the strongest shinobi of Konoha, has entered the scene. Shikamaru has other important things to ask her. And Temari...
The Hokage's appearance is actually a plus. Shikamaru hasn't seen yet any of Lady Tsunade's pictures. It would benefit him to sneak a look of the photo rather than just mere descriptions from possibly unreliable sources.
People, who have met Lady Tsunade, said that she's got blonde hair tied to two separate pigtails at the back. She is also one voluptuous woman and looks quite younger than Jiraiya-sama's age. Maybe because she was young specially back then—eighteen years ago— that she was able to be involve with the birth switch. Clenching his hands to stay focused, Shikamaru needs to see that picture. Tsunade may already be just across the street from him and he will still miss seeing her. Having a glimpse of her image would ensure that wouldn't happen.
The Hokage is sure to be a problem, but Shikamaru doesn't need to deal with him, not when Naruto appears to be gullible enough.
But then why is Naruto the one accompanying the Hokage?
Remembering back, the first time he met the noisy, orange-clad nin and Temari's reaction—the brush off— to Naruto's claim that he is Konoha's number one nin, Shikamaru shrugs. He's confident that he could manage.
All he needs to do is follow them at a safe distance and if he has a chance he can approach Naruto and ask nicely if he could see the picture.
Furthermore, since they have the same quarry, the two konoha nins, even without that picture, may lead Shikamaru to Lady Tsunade and the answers that she keeps.
TBC
~5/11/11AF~
A/N: This is for everyone looking for Shikamaru. I move this chap forward for you guys!
Review? Concrits?