Chapter 123
It's a cave. The three feel their way deeper and deeper into the pitch black darkness.
Then the lead shinobi signals for the other two to stop.
—oOo—
"Ugh puppets again! This is like déja vu. Didn't Kamaru and Gaara already killed Sasori ages ago?!" Ino shouts as a hoard of white robed clacking and flying puppets goes after them. "Why are there so many of these!"
"Stick to the formation, Ino!" Shikamaru yells back. His shadow thread jutsu is just too weak to catch two puppets simultaneously. He changes tactics. He has no choice if those barrels open their mouths, they will spit fire and poison from their body.
Ino, with her side vision, sees the dark shadow shaped like black tendrils lifting from the sand to catch more puppets, methodically disarming them. "Your shadow, it moved!"
"Now is not the time to get distracted, Ino!" Shikamaru orders. Choji has provided a big shadow with his Super Expansion Jutsu but the shadows aren't moving that much for his Shadow thread jutsu. When they are overwhelmed with these many attackers, Shikamaru is forced to use the Shadow Stitching jutsu.
Choji swings his huge fist to grab several puppets, squashing their heads and pulling off their appendages but leaving the body intact.
"When you told us we could do a sort of formation, you said you could try to stop the enemy's movements but not that—you could manipulate your shadows just like what Temari is supposed to do," accuses Ino.
"What are you saying, Ino?" Choji even hears their loud conversation, asks. Swinging his attention from the puppets to Ino and Shikamaru.
"Concentrate! If these puppets grab hold of our protective mask and are able to open their mouths—with no antidote, that's it for us!"
—oOo—
"Our main objective is to reach Temari and Shikadai first, give them their mask, and move them away from the hideout," Shikamaru utters. "We can't see or detect the poison so it's best to move them far away."
"Yes, far far way. Babies are not supposed to wear mask," adds Ino. "It doesn't fit them well."
"My mask is a little too snug," says Choji.
"Then you're lucky. Like you, mine isn't fit tested as it really is the spare of one of the Suna medics," replies Ino.
"Do you feel an air leak, Ino?" Shikamaru asks.
"Just a little," admits the blonde kunoichi. "I'll just put tape and stick it on my beautiful face. Don't worry about it."
Shikamaru takes a deep breath. One of the two medics in their group has a leaky mask. "We are going against a possible Akatsuki, Naruto can't use his rasengan because it might cause an explosion, and we can't use explosive tags or anything than can cause friction and start sparks as well. We're heavily hindered in this fight," he states.
"It'll be okay," declares Naruto. "There's only one enemy. And there's six of us, we can easily defeat—"
"Let's not underestimate our enemy." cuts in Shikamaru, frowning at Naruto. "Not when Temari and Shikadai can be used as shield. And especially not when our enemy has a poison that can render us all 'dead' like Gaara."
Naruto pats Kamaru's shoulder. "It's them who have underestimated us dattebayo."
Shikamaru glances at Naruto, seeing the blond nin brimming with confidence. "Tch...I have a plan. Listen."
The three Leaf shinobis and two Sand shinobis nod their heads, intent to hear Shikamaru's plan.
"And whatever happens, we must stick to the plan." Shikamaru reiterates. "We won't get another chance to save Temari and my son, not once the poison has vaporized."
"Yes!" agrees everyone.
—oOo—
Ino and now even Choji are staring at Shikamaru, questioning and stunned look in their eyes, as thicker shadows, their shape and form lift from the ground attacking and dismembering puppets.
"Don't get distracted!" Shikamaru yells at his team as he fights off puppets with his shadow jutsu. "Ino, try to locate the actual body!"
Ino visibly transfers her attention from Temari's husband and acting team leader and scans the sea of puppets, looking for the enemy shinobi controlling the weapons with heads and appendages and bodies filled with poison and flammable liquid. "These are all puppets!"
"We can't use you in this one then. Choji, it's up to us!" Shikamaru hollers. But more and more puppets go after them...and those that are already beaten, re-assemble to create new mishappen puppets.
"I could still help!" Ino glowers at Shikamaru as she hits one puppet with her fist then her leg...but the puppet merely turns its head with the blows and just continues to come after her, trying to grab off her protective mask.
"Oh no you don't!" Ino grumbles, hitting the puppet again and again this time with a kunai. "Damn it, why are you so hard to kill."
"Because you're just too weak," Shikamaru utters.
"What? What did you say?" Ino gasps. "What did I ever see in you? What did Temari-san ever see in you?! When you're just a misogynist liar!"
"We can discuss our flaws later," answers Shikamaru.
Choji looks down at Shikamaru and Ino. He's quite big but not as big as his dad is capable of. "We are abandoning the formation?"
"Yes, Choji," Shikamaru affirms. "Ino can't control them because they are puppets, not actual shinobis."
"Whereas you can easily control them with your secret jutsu." Glares Ino. "Tell us...why didn't you tell us that you can manipulate the shadows just like a Nara?"
"I will tell you what you need to know later."
"No, you tell us now!"
"Kamaru is right. We should do this later," Choji speaks while still preventing puppets from tearing off his mask. "You can nag him later, Ino."
"Thank you, Choji." Shikamaru looks up at his friend, relief apparent on his face.
"Later could be too late," replies Ino. "Even with your wife and son at stake you still tried to hide your real abilities from us, Kamaru, why?" she persists, with kunai out evading and defending herself from the puppets.
"I promise, I will explain to you later, Ino," replies Shikamaru, "when we are done here."
"I know you long enough now to know you tend to plan several steps ahead...Tell us, did you plan our 'friendship' as well?" Ino asks, angry. "Are you planning to betrays us? I'm gonna find out if you are!" she solemnly promises. "If you plan to betray us, the sooner we discover your plan, the easier for us to prevent it!"
"He's Kamaru, our friend," answers Choji as he sweeps the puppets away. So far none of the puppets has been able to suuccesfully remove their protective gears.
"If he's our friend explain why he can perform the Nara's blood line limit jutsu and we—WE DID NOT KNOW THAT!" retorts Ino then suddenly, she slumps to the ground, unconscious.
Shikamaru runs towards Ino, protecting her body from the swarm of puppets, his kunai out.
"Ino, what are you doing?" Choji asks, disbelief in his voice.
Shikamaru looks up at the large form of Choji. "I'm probing his mind."
"Stop it, Ino!" commands Choji. "You can't do that to Kamaru—if you can't see him right now as our friend then atleast as Temari's husband."
"We are leaf shinobis. We have our duty to protect our village from spies," Shikamaru utters in a feminine tone, one of his hand on his hip, akimbo, the other holding a kunai.
—oOo—
These are memories...of a kid who yearns for acknowledgment. And even with people around him, he appears all alone.
"Ino? Did you find it?"
—oOo—
Shikamaru closes his eyes, deep in concentration.
"Ino?"
"Shh," Shikamaru warns, opening his eyes in time to kick and twist a puppet's arms off before it could reach Ino's slumped body and remove her mask.
"Ino," Choji says again, "leave Kamaru alone. We're here for Temari and their son."
"Kamaru is still a Sand shinobi. Being married to Temari did not change that," Shikamaru utters. "What if this kidnapping is just a ploy."
"Don't forget Kamaru almost lost his youngest brother protecting Temari and Shikadai."
"Ugh, growing up, Kamaru hated that brother," Shikamaru reveals. "He thinks Gaara is a monster."
Suddenly, an explosion visibly reverberates from the cave as it creates a hole.
Choji looks at the explosion with horror. Ino springs upright to her feet. While Shikamaru, turns his head towards the explosion. He shakes his head, trying to clear it. "Damn it, nooo!" he shouts. "Temariii! Shikadaiii!"
—oOo—
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A/N: Review...criticize...rant? Promise I won't bite. Reviews are inspiration to write faster.