Chapter 48
"Goodbye, Temari." As soon as Shikamaru closes his eyes, he feels an impact but it is unexpectedly warm and slimy, not scorching and painful. He immediately opens his eyes, finally noticing that he is now enclosed, swimming inside a gooey white mass that acts like a cushion while something rages outside.
After a while, several tiny white hands appear, seeming to push him out towards the surface. Shikamaru is on his knees when he pops out. He wipes the dirt and the quickly-drying, sticky stuff from his face as he turns around looking at what saved him.
His eyes can't miss the white slug with blue stripes on its sides.
For it is a huge slug, almost as big as a room whose suction-like mouth suddenly sighs, saying softly, "I'm glad I made it on time."
Shikamaru stands up fast, tilting his head upward to address his rescuer, "Th—thank you." Swivelling his head around he observes a great number of other slugs who are all smaller than the one in front of him and they all seem to be approaching him—or rather his rescuer.
Shikamaru takes a step back, watching as the various slugs fuse with his rescuer and become one humongous slug, so big that it dwarfs the biggest building in Suna. Once the combination is complete, however, Shikamaru also detects what Naruto's attack has done to the creature; there's no blood but there are areas that are hallowed, as if several parts of it have been torn out. This one slug just doesn't appear similar to its numerous miniature versions. Then slowly, slowly the hallowed areas start to balloon out, proving that the gigantic slug can heal itself.
Shikamaru releases a sigh of relief. Whoever summoned the creature can have his thanks but not his apologies.
The humongous slug finally slides bit by bit to the side; with his view now unblocked, Shikamaru observes the damage to his surrounding. Where once there were trees now only brown earth remains. Shikamaru pivots around, looking above and beyond, he feels like he's standing at the bottom of a huge brown bowl.
Dropping his gaze closer, Shikamaru subsequently realizes that the super large slug is crawling towards someone. Shikamaru's first glimpse of that someone consists of long blonde hair being teased by the wind. It is tied into two ponytails and obviously, even at such far distance, it belongs to a woman. It is the woman's back that is turned to him—he can't see her face but…
With his heart hammering, Shikamaru hurries towards the woman, overtaking the slug. The woman is still bent over someone on the ground. He can't really see her face but he is sure she is the one, the one in the picture with that blonde hair…
Finally close enough, Shikamaru halts abruptly behind the woman upon seeing over her shoulder the man lying supine on the ground and recognizing that it is Jiraiya-sama. The Hokage's eyes are shut closed and his chest's been split open— a jagged wound radiating like a star with blood still oozing.
"If you die here I'll kick your old ass!" the blonde woman snaps angrily at the Hokage. Despite the display of temper, however, she still gently passes her shaking hands over his wound, obviously doing some medical jutsu.
Suddenly, the ground trembles and the dirt are stirred up as something or rather someone lands with a mighty thud, grouching loudly, and ignoring the dark-haired nin as he addresses the woman, "Naruto-boy wouldn't need a seal if not for that foreign shinobi. I say we should have let Naruto kill him."
"Shut up!" the blonde woman snarls, her voice enough to convey her disgruntlement without bothering to raise her eyes from her tasks, as with her palms still directed towards Jiraiya's wound, she continues to heal him.
The loud voice grunts, obviously annoyed but willing to let the matter go at the moment.
Shikamaru looks up and up, tilting his head until it rests on his back, staring at the owner of the loud voice—a gigantic toad, with a pipe on his mouth, a shirt on his back and a tanto on his hand. Obviously, it is another large summon; one that wants him dead.
Shrugging that information away, Shikamaru is also reminded with the mention of Naruto's name that he hasn't seen the other shinobi yet. Searching for the blonde nin, Shikamaru finally finds him—the normal Naruto this time— slumped on the ground several metres away. The brown earth could have easily concealed Naruto if not for the distinct colour of his blood, and his orange and black jumper which by now is duly shredded.
Shikamaru runs towards the beat-up Konoha shinobi. Crouching low, with his ear near the gaping mouth of the unmoving nin, Shikamaru checks for breathing.
Deciding that it's better to be sure, Shikamaru then takes out his last remaining kunai from his pocket.
The blonde woman finally raises her head from her tasks, eying the kunai in Shikamaru's hand.
"Oi!" the gigantic toad warns, hoisting up his short sword, the tanto. However, with the foreign nin's proximity to Naruto, wielding the tanto or sticking out his amphibian tongue could harm not just one but both of the young shinobis.
"You're better equipped in saving him..." Shikamaru turns his head, facing the blonde woman as he pockets back his knife. "I know how to poke a hole in someone's throat in order for them to breathe but that just 'cause in Suna we don't really have much medical ninjutsu training."
The blonde medic does not deem to speak, returning back her attention to her task.
Shikamaru understands the situation. Jiraiya-sama fixed the nine-tailed fox seal on Naruto and in turn got blasted for his effort. Now, the only medic on hand is concentrating all her efforts in healing Jiraiya's wound. While Konoha's jinchuriki lies on the ground, his skin charred, if he is breathing—he can afford to wait for treatment but…
"Lady Tsunade, heal Naruto," Shikamaru asks, his voice slightly louder than before. He usually doesn't care who lives or dies but Naruto is Temari's friend.
Lady Tsunade lifts her head again but this time her eyes actually meet Shikamaru's. "That kid will get his turn."
While the gigantic toad lets out a bark of laughter. "And they say Suna shinobis are ruthless…You sure you're from Suna, kid?"
"Tch." Shikamaru shrugs his shoulders; it is useless to glare at the toad.
"Just so you know I helped save your sorry ass—you who are nobody to me. Jiraiya said it's to help Tsunade. I wouldn't have agreed but I saw Katsuyu about to get toasted," the toad brags.
The slug Katsuyu has arrived moments ago and now dips its head. "Bunta, your collaboration jutsu with Jiraiya-sama has improved immensely."
Gamabunta puffs his chests as he rasps, "Jiraiya just used his usual fire release technique to ignite my oil bullets! So it was me who has made it more powerful, enough to push the squirt's attack thirty degrees to the left." Gamabunta gestures with his tanto, drawing an imaginary straight line with it as he continues, "If the attack went on straight towards you two, it would have caused you and that Suna kid untold damage."
"Yes," Katsuyu replies. She would have contradicted Gamabunta's claim that Jiraiya's fire release technique hasn't improve but she knows Gamabunta would just argue.
Shikamaru watches the two summoned beings, realizing that it seems he owes a lot of people—and creatures alike. Being in their debt is troublesome but it's better than dying. For Bunta to be able to push Naruto's chakra attack thirty degrees to the left, the giant toad must have positioned itself at a distance on the right side, perpendicular to Naruto's ball of light's trajectory before firing the fire collaboration jutsu with Jiraiya while Katsuyu's body engulfed him to shield him from the curving attack.
Shikamaru, with the withdrawal of adrenaline rush, finally drops his tired body on the ground to lie down almost beside the sleeping Naruto.
"If you have no other bidding, Lady Tsunade," the slug once again speaks, "I can leave."
"Thank you, Katsuyu," Tsunade answers.
Shikamaru immediately struggles to get up to bow down his head at the slug before it disappears.
Gamabunta snorts at Shikamaru before turning to the blonde medic, who is now wiping perspiration off her brows. "Tsunade, take care of Jiraiya."
"You know I will."
The toad bids Tsunade farewell with a slight movement of his head before disappearing himself, noticing before he does that the dishevelled Suna nin has also turned to him to bow begrudgingly.
Tsunade is left to scrutinize the dark haired boy as he slumps back again on the ground. His shoulder length hair falling all around him, obscuring a part of his face; his black shirt and just-below-the-knee pants are tattered in some areas but otherwise he looks unhurt. After a minute, she hollers at him, ordering, "You better carry that boy beside you. He needs to rest at the inn. He'll be more comfortable then."
TBC
~2/4,12/12AF~
A/N: aw it's tempting to click that review button, right?