Chapter 122

No wonder his men missed it. It was just a tiny drop of blood, a tiny speck of red hidden amongst the plain brownness of the desert sand.

Shikamaru sighs his relief. He can feel his heart beating faster again and the blood rushing in his veins as hope flickers to life. Yes, the blood on the ground means Temari's injured and that she is not allowing the wound to clot but that little amount means it's either a self inflicted laceration or just a graze that doesn't cut through a major artery.

She's alive.

Temari, his wife, is still live. And she will lead his group of Suna and Konoha shinobis to her and their son, Shikadai.

—oOo—

"Don't look so petrified, Temari," the puppet says, "I'm going to carry him the rest of the way. Just follow."

Temari nods her head, fixing Shikadai's robe hastily, tucking the edge over the other as she lays him down on the scorpion-like tail. Temari breathes again as it dawns on her that the puppet really did not spot the flash of fresh blood smeared on Shikadai's clothes. And Deidara has gone too far ahead to notice it either.

As Shikadai starts to cry in earnest again, Deidara walks faster. But the puppet doesn't hasten its slow movement.

Temari walks side by side with the puppet, glancing now and then at her bawling baby.

"Let me take him," Temari says, almost in a pleading voice. Shikadai is too used to soft cushions and the metal tail gripping him is not the most comfortable of places.

"No," the puppet answers.

Temari glares at the puppet. But the puppet remains quiet.

Shikadai's cries fills the silence. Temari studies the puppet, trying to see if she can get a glimpse of whoever is inside. But it is a futile exercise.

Temari touches the long sleeve of her yukata. It hides her wound well. And it being black hides the color of fresh blood. Whether the blood patches on her yukata are bright red color or already brownish is totally indiscernible.

Temari wonders if she should risk it again. Shikadai is out of her hands and if the puppet catches her leaving a trail with her blood…of course, she'll be killed swiftly.

She's been lucky so far. Temari wonders why is that.

—oOo—

Neji scans the area, his byakugan activated, his pupils have become distinct and the vessels near his eyes bulge. "Temari's blood trail goes in that direction but there is someone else...going in the other direction."

"They separated," says Ino, looking in both directions. "We're going to follow after Temari's."

"Yes, Temari's," Choji agrees.

"There's a hideout."

"Yoosh, we've finally found them," Naruto says.

"How many are in the hideout?" Shikamaru asks Neji.

"Two and a half," Neji answers. His way of saying he's sure the baby is in there and Temari and the one who holds Kamaru's family captive.

"Let's go!" Naruto announces, gesturing with his hand towards the direction of the hideout they still cannot see due to its still far distance. The view is of huge formation of rocks. The place is also dotted with vegetation suggestive that a water source is nearby.

Meanwhile, Sasuke looks in the direction where the other Akatsuki member went to. "I'm going that way," he says, sounding final.

—oOo—

"I'm going," Deidara declares.

"Don't use your bird or they can easily spot you from the sky," the puppet replies.

"I can—"

"No, you can't use your bombs, not when you're carrying that much liquid poison," hisses the puppet.

"Where you going?" Temari asks.

Deidara smiles. "There's no reason why I should not tell you."

—oOo—

"I'm going with you," Naruto volunteers, walking closer towards Sasuke.

"No," Sasuke replies.

"But—"

"I'll go with him," Neji cuts in Naruto's argument.

"Alright," Sasuke utters.

Ino, Choji and Naruto, all look at Sasuke as if he just said something extraordinary.

Shikamaru and his team of Suna shinobis merely glance at each of the Konoha shinobis. Shikamaru, the only one having an inkling why the other three foreign nins are amazed that their lower jaws dropped.

"Neji is coming with me," Sasuke reiterates.

The Konoha nins never expect Sasuke to say those words. They all know he prefers to work alone. Ino is the first one to close her mouth, then Choji. But Naruto's mouth remains gaping at Sasuke.

"That Akatsuki member might rendezvous with the others. This maybe my only chance to finally find my brother Itachi. I'm not an idiot to reject an offer of help," Sasuke snaps at Naruto.

Shikamaru understands everything about family so he nods his head. "Yes, go find your brother," he utters. "Good luck."

Naruto becomes glassy eyed. "How about me? I can help."

"You were able to convince me years ago, Naruto...not to leave Konoha. This time it's my turn to do what you did for me for my brother," utters Sasuke "You stay with them, dobe. I alone will convince my brother to return."

Naruto sniffs. "Okay."

"Neji and Sasuke will go that way. The rest will go this way," Shikamaru commands, dividing the group into two unequal parts. He would have offered one of his men to accompany the two leaf shinobis but he knows enough based on Ino, Choji and Naruto's reaction that it will be meet with rejection by Sasuke.

Neji and Sasuke then leave, their arms directed backwards as they run ahead first in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, the team made up of three Konoha nins and three Suna nins which includes Shikamaru runs towards the direction given by Neji, Shikamaru then concentrates on forming a plan in his head. It might shock Ino and Choji...when they finally see his shadow jutsu.

It feels like a lifetime ago when Temari admitted to him, her voice still getting defensive, that her team never properly practiced any of the Ino-Shika-Cho formations because she couldn't do her part—the Nara part.

And when he asked Shikaku, Shikaku told him all about the different Ino-Shika-Cho formations.

Too bad, Shikamaru convinced Temari not to share to Ino and Choji yet, their secret. He should have trusted Ino not to babble their secret. But to have parents that are neither from Konoha or from Suna, Shikamaru feared for his kid. Shikadai could be ostracized just like what happened to Naruto. Only this time, instead of just one, two villages—Konoha and even Suna—will do that to Shikadai.

Now, with Suna nins and Konoha nins joining together to bring back his family, Shikamaru belatedly realizes that Temari is right...he should have more faith in his and her villages.

Now, he can only hope that the Ino-Shika-Cho formation works even when he, Ino and Choji have never trained using these formations together.

—oOo—

~12 14 2 21~

A/N: Ouch just 1 review. Thank you that will still take me closer to the a thousand goals. Happy New Year, everyone! Feel free to criticize this one.