REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – A PUZZLE TO SOLVE
The Hospital, Outside Shikamaru's room
Naruto and Hinata are nervous as they look through the glass window into Shikamaru's room. The Nara clansmen is a close friend to both of them and has been ever since their youth. The three of them were not only friends but were also three separate members of the Hidden Leaf Village's most legendary generation of shinobi. In the future, Naruto would spend much time working with Shikamaru who was to be his assistant during his tenure as Hokage. Hinata would enjoy many conversations with him after he would bring home a sleeping Naruto who had been working too hard.
While this couple is nervous, another pair of shinobi are even more on edge. Temari and Shikadai arrive, along with Shinki, to check on Shikamaru. They run along the corridor and look in through the window to see Biwako tending to the unwell father.
Temari takes a moment to look at her husband, a moment she struggles to not break down in. She had never expected to see him in this condition. After surviving the 4th great shinobi war and the invasion from Clyde and his men, she had believed Shikamaru to be invincible. He is far from invincible but to see him die at the hands of a heart attack is something she couldn't ever be ready for.
"What happened" Temari asks as she turns to look at Naruto and Hinata, remembering that Shikamaru had said he was going to visit his two old friends.
"I don't know, we were just talking, everything was fine and then he collapsed" Naruto explains as calmly as he can. In his short life, Naruto has been exposed to too much to death and destruction, he is accustomed to remaining calm in these situations, regardless of how difficult it is. "He was clutching at his chest so it was obvious that he was in pain".
"We got him here as quickly as we could" Hinata assures Temari as she places a hand on her friend's shoulder.
While everyone's eyes are on Hinata, the door opens behind them, forcing their heads to quickly snap around and look at the woman exiting. It is Biwako. In Tsunade's absence, Biwako has taken up the leading medical job at the hospital and was the first to respond when Shikamaru was rushed in.
"Lady Biwako, what happened" Shikadai asks.
Biwako looks Shikadai in the eye like any other patient's relative and slowly explains the situation. "He was rushed in and his condition was not good. Our first impression was that he had a heart attack and so far, that still appears to be the case".
Shikadai shakes his head. To have survived through so much and die like this, he cannot believe that is his dad's destiny. "How could this have happened?" he asks through a shaky voice, "Were there any strange circumstances, could this have been the result of a jutsu, or could it have been an attack by the invaders?".
Temari is noticeably saddened by these questions, it's clear to her that her son is angry, angry at the world. While Shikadai questions how this is possible, she sheds a few tears, only wiping them from her eyes when Hinata thoughtfully offers a handkerchief.
Shinki stirs up more emotions when he presses the subject further. "Shikadai, are you suggesting this was murder".
As Temari sobs once again, Biwako defuses the tension around the situation.
"Please calm down" she says, "Shikamaru isn't dead".
"WHAT!" Shinki screams in his head.
He is sure that he killed Shikamaru.
He stealthily casts an eye towards his pocket to confirm what he had suspected. Shikamaru's amulet is cracked. In his mind, this means Shikamaru should be dead, so what could have happened. His attempt at revenge, the payback he was trying to get for himself and his father, had it failed. Have the amulets let him down.
"You mean he's going to be OK?" Temari asks through her tears.
"His condition is pretty severe, so you should prepare for the worst" Biwako begins, not wanting to give false hope to Shikamaru's family, "However, thanks to Naruto, he should be OK".
Temari is stunned by Naruto's name. "What do you mean?". Could it be that Naruto rushed him to hospital faster than anybody else could have?
Hinata explains what happened. She sets the scene for Temari, explaining that they met and then went for a walk for something to do. "When Shikamaru collapsed, I soon realised that he was having a heart attack" Hinata recounts the horrifying events, "I thought he would die for sure".
"But, then Naruto used his power of 'life' to save Shikamaru".
"It was a close-run thing even then. Naruto and Hinata rushed him here to hospital" Biwako explains, "I'll put it as simply as I can, Naruto saved your husband's life, Temari".
"Thank you, Lord 7th" Shikadai bows politely to the Circle member. "If there is any way I can repay you…".
"Don't worry about it" Naruto interrupts Shikadai before he can offer any repayment for his actions, "Shikamaru is my friend, it's my duty to look after him".
Shikamaru's admiration for Naruto grows even more. Not only had he saved Shikamaru, and everyone's lives twice but now he had saved Shikamaru again. Not only does this inspire admiration, it also inspires a slight depression in Shikadai. For just a moment, he remembers the feelings he has been experiencing lately, feelings of powerlessness. Once again, he couldn't save anyone, he had to rely on the 7th Hokage to do it. Once again, he is left to feel that his power as a shinobi is worthless, that he cannot do anything.
"Thank you" Temari whispers, "Naruto, Hinata, thank you".
"We're happy to help" Hinata smiles as she comforts the elderly Temari, "Hey, everything will be OK, he's still alive Temari".
Temari nods and lets Hinata continue to comfort her.
"Can we go in and see him?" Shikadai asks Biwako.
The wife of the 3rd nods in reply, "It may be a while before he wakes up but I'm sure he would feel comforted by your presence".
Shikadai walks up to the door and pushes it open. He keeps it open with his fingers as he stretches his other hand out towards Temari. "After you, mother". He politely holds the door open as she walks into the room, quickly following after her himself, leaving Naruto, Hinata and Shinki in the corridor as Biwako leaves to see to her other patients.
Then, the voice in Shinki's head returns!
"He's still alive, Shinki".
Shinki shakes slightly as he replies to the voice in his head. "How… how is this possible…".
"You know how".
Shinki continues to shake as he looks at the couple next to him.
"The 7th Hokage…" he whispers to the voice, "Uzumaki Naruto".
"Yes" the voice replies, equally as quietly, "You realise don't you. He's the one. He's the piece you need to solve the puzzle".
The voice continues, "If you have him, nobody will be able to stand in your way".
"Uzumaki Naruto" Shinki's gaze firms as he focuses on his uncle's saviour, "He is the last piece of the puzzle".
"You know what you must do, don't you, Shinki?".
"Yeah… I know…".
Two Days Later, A Training Field
Much like Boruto had been training with Hashirama previously, Sarada is also determined to train with her new master, with Naruto. They naturally share the same duties as Hashirama and Boruto, they are, all four of them, members of The Circle. Each of them has an important voice in deciding how the Hidden Leaf Village is to operate.
However, The Circle has been called off as a result of recent events. Shikadai is not in the right state of mind to administer the decision-making process. Up until now the best substitute there has been is Shikamaru, who is unavailable due to having a heart attack. They have yet to find a suitable replacement for either and each member agreed it would be best to put the meetings on hold until one of them returned to The Circle and another substitute administrator could be decided upon.
Sarada has been training in the meantime. She throws several punches at Naruto, giving each one her all in an attempt to outwit her teacher.
Naruto dodges each punch though. He combines the sensory prowess of six path sage mode with the boost in his raw abilities granted by his understanding of life. Every punch is seamless to dodge for him but he notices as time goes on, each and every one of them is getting closer and closer to their mark.
Sarada activates her Rinnegan to improve her ability to keep track of Naruto. Despite having visual abilities that rival her father, Sasuke, her ancestor, Madara and her friend, Boruto, she still cannot fully track where Naruto is going. Each punch is doomed to come close but only to come close. Each of them fails to hit.
"Keep going" Naruto encourages as he dodges, "You need to improve your use of the Rinnegan".
Taking this to heart, Sarada switches up her taijutsu. By throwing a few feints into the mix, she begins to understand how Naruto will react to each type of attack. Using her Rinnegan she begins to feel that she may actually be able to see Naruto's future movements.
Finally, a feint causes an opening, an opening that she doesn't hesitate in taking. She avoids her usual habit of stepping one foot forward before throwing a powerful attack. Sarada instead keeps her feet bolted in position as she uses her hips to throw a powerful attack towards Naruto's face.
SLAP!
Naruto brings his hand around to catch Sarada's punch. "Good" he nods, "There is no way I could have dodged that one".
Shaking her head, the 9th Hokage takes a deep breath. "Was my father really able to keep up with you like this?".
"He was".
"How?" Sarada asks in disbelief, "He was younger than I was when he fought you".
Sarada is a legendary shinobi, one of the strongest to have walked the on this world. Despite that, she is not able to keep up with Naruto. This is using a power she used to defeat an elderly Sasuke, that was used to defeat Sheer and was used to survive against two Colonels until Boruto arrived. Despite having the ability to do all of that, she is not able to keep up with Naruto.
"I'm sure you know this, being his daughter. Sasuke had a tough life full of difficulties. He was constantly presented with obstacles and rose to the challenge using only his talent" Naruto explains before chuckling, for a moment his explanation brings back his old feelings of jealousy towards his friend. "You and I are the type to build on our power with the help of others. Sasuke wasn't like that, his talent was incredible".
Nodding, Sasuke's daughter contemplates this. Perhaps she doesn't share her father's talent, however, she has already reached an incredible level using the same method as Naruto, a man who Sasuke admitted defeat to.
"I would like to try again".
"OK" the 7th Hokage smiles to his pupil, "See if you can hit me quicker this time".
Sarada begins to attack Naruto but this time decides to start a conversation as she does so. "Has Shikamaru woken up yet?".
"No" Naruto answers as he dodges the incoming flurry of attacks, "Not when I visited this morning".
"Shikadai and Temari must be feeling the pressure right now". Sarada is right of course, the situation is still dangerous for everyone but it is refreshing for the village's defence to not be such high priority for once. Just when the shinobi feel they can relax, Shikamaru and his family go through this.
Naruto nods his agreement. His mind drifts back to the moment Shikamaru had a heart attack. Back then he had felt something unusual, something that caused him to be slightly confused.
Sarada seeing an opening throws a fist towards Naruto's fist. She doesn't connect though, she instead stops just short when she realises he is not reacting. He only reacts after the fist has stopped, jumping backwards in surprise as if he has just woken from a dream.
"Are you alright?" Sarada asks, "You clearly lost focus there".
"I'm just thinking about the heart attack" Naruto admits as a sadness comes to his face. "I felt something unusual when it happened".
"Something unusual?".
"It was a dark ominous chakra" Naruto explains loosely. Naturally, a particular feeling he has about chakra is very difficult to describe.
Sarada struggles to believe what she is hearing but doesn't dare to disagree with Naruto given his experience. "Are you saying that someone deliberately hurt Shikamaru?".
"No, it could be a coincidence" the 7th Hokage confesses as he waves his hands defensively before his face, "Or perhaps I am feeling it because I have the power of life now… but something…".
"Something felt slightly familiar to me".
"You've felt it before?". The last Uchiha asks this with less scepticism than before. History has been one long conspiracy according to her parents and the ones who have witnessed the most of it are the students of team 7. Of all those students, only one lives to this day.
"I've felt it before" Naruto confirms, "I just can't remember where".
As Naruto thinks about his life experiences, a voice interrupts his thoughts.
"Lord 7th" the voice calls.
Turning to face it, the aforementioned Lord 7th smiles, "Oh, hello Shinki".
"Could we meet up for dinner tonight?" the last Sand shinobi asks cheerfully, "I would like to thank you for saving my uncle's life".
This is just what is needed to save Naruto's mood. He has been plagued by sadness ever since the incident and is unlikely to be truly happy until Shikamaru wakes up but this is a welcome distraction.
"OK" he nods, "I'll meet you at your place, would you like me to bring anything?".
Shinki smiles, "You will be enough by yourself Lord 7th".
'Yes, your power' he continues in his head, 'Your power will be enough, Lord 7th'.
That Night, The Hospital
Temari and Shikadai are sat beside Shikamaru's bed as the stars in the sky start to become visible. Depressingly little has happened since Shikamaru was brought in two days ago, something that has done little to improve the tired conditions of Temari and her son.
Standing up, the Sand shinobi speaks to her only child. "I'm going to go home now and get some sleep".
Shikadai nods, mouthing the words OK before turning back to his father.
"You should come too" Temari says.
"I want to be here when he wakes up". Shikadai's stubbornness comes in spite of his apparent laid-back attitude. The men of the Nara clan are stubborn despite their appearances, that has always been one of their most endearing features in Temari's eyes.
"I know you do" Temari's eyes lower nervously, "But you still need your sleep, your father would say the same thing".
"I'll sleep in this chair" Shikadai harrumphs, refusing to move even if his mother insists he does. "If you were in his place, my father would say the same thing".
Temari hesitates, knowing that she cannot refute her son's argument. After a moment, she looks at him and says one last thing before leaving. "Don't push yourself too hard, OK".
Shutting the door after her, Temari leaves. Recently she has lost many friends to this war, including Sai and Konohamaru. She had been one of the first to realise the 8th Hokage's true potential as he attacked her when he was a lot younger. Further to this, she has recently had the deaths of her siblings in the Sand confirmed to her. If this were to be supplemented with the death of her husband, it is hard for her to imagine how she would cope.
After a few minutes, the door opens again. Shikadai turns around, initially expecting his mother to say she had forgotten something but he is surprised when it is someone entirely different stood in the door frame.
"It's you".
"Yeah" the newcomer whispers, "It's me".
Entering into the room and sitting in the chair that Temari vacated, the newcomer takes the hood off from her jacket.
It is Mirai.
"How's he doing" Mirai asks as she looks over Shikamaru's motionless body.
Besides Shikamaru's immediate family, this has also been a difficult time for Mirai. Mirai is not technically related to Shikamaru and therefore couldn't afford to take any time away from the security of the village. Growing up, Mirai didn't have a father, many of Asuma's techniques as a shinobi were incorporated into her arsenal but not by her mother, instead it was by Shikamaru. Shikamaru has been a godfather to her in all but name and during her youth he is the closest thing she had to a father.
"He's not woken up yet" Shikadai glumly declares, "Your grandmother said that he would but…".
"You don't think he will?".
"It's not that. I'm sure he will wake up" the raven-haired shinobi says unwaveringly. His mind is on other things at the moment, on things he said when he first arrived to the hospital, "There is something else".
"What is it?" Mirai asks as she rests her elbows on her knees and looks into her friend's eyes.
"I've got the sense that something is wrong here. I feel like the heart attack bight not have been an accident".
"What makes you think that?".
"My father is a shinobi with very few health problems" Shikadai explains. "He may be an old man but he is in good physical shape. He has always had a healthy diet and has seldom come into hospital before".
"There has been so much going on lately. The invasion has been hard" Mirai explains gently. As one of the central figures of the invasion defence, she is an authority on its stresses, "It must have been taking its toll on him. After all, he tried to nurture Naruto's power alone".
"But why now" Shikadai asks as he turns to Mirai. "He is semi-retired, he has very few major duties to perform. He is living a stress-free lifestyle with my mother. They are relaxed and they are happy, happier than I have seen them in years".
"That isn't proof though" the fusion shinobi argues, "This could just be a coincidence".
"As you say, I don't have any proof, you have no reason to listen to me at all" Shikadai admits as he rotates his fingers around one another, "However, if I said that I have a hunch, would you believe in me?".
"Shikadai, you're like a little brother to me and I know better than to doubt a Nara's hunch" Mirai smiles as she places a hand on Shikadai's, "If you say something is out of place, I will believe you".
Shinki's House
The Kazekage stands at the window and looks down the street. It does not require enhanced vision to see the village's most unsubtle shinobi heading this way.
Shinki watches as Naruto approaches with a smile on his face.
"Tonight, tonight is the fateful night" he says in his own head.
"Yes" the strange voice replies to him with a hiss.
"Father, Uncle Konkuro, I will get revenge for you" Shinki swears.
"And you will help me to do that… Uzumaki Naruto".
Author Note:
Something exceptional has happened meaning there will be a delay of at least one day. It should only be one day but I have no way of knowing I'm afraid.
I appreciate your patience.
Thanks,
Cbehrills