HEY GUYS AND GIRLS. IT TOOK A LONG TIME BUT I HOPE IT WAS WORTH IT. I DON'T KNOW WHEN I WILL GET TIME TO TYPE ANOTHER CHAPTER SO JUST BEAR WITH ME. THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT. I'M SORRY ABOUT ALL THE ERRORS AS WELL. IT SPOILS THE STORY BUT I AM NOT PERFECT. I HOPE EVERYONE ENJOYS THE CHAPTER.
HAPPY READING:)
"I thought you forgot about me." Kurenai told him that afternoon. He left Sakura's house and went straight to Kurenai's house first before he went anywhere else. He didn't check on her yesterday and he was a little worried about her despite her being older and much more responsible than him.
"I thought that you might want your space for a day." He didn't want to tell her where he was because he knew that it would be admitting that something might be happening between him and Sakura which meant that she would be right which also meant that she would tease him non-stop about it.
"I've been trying to get you to leave me alone for months but you never did. You look like you're rested and fresh actually." She looked him up and down analysing every part of him like he was a test subject.
"You were with a girl." He was pretty sure that she knew more than she was letting on. There was no way she could've known that he was by Sakura.
"Why would you think that?" He relaxed on the couch he was sitting on hoping to show her that he wasn't perturbed by her statement.
"Just a hunch. How was Sakura's party?" Now she was just fishing. She knew that he was by a girl but that was as far as her knowledge went. Which girl he ended up with was a mystery to her and he wanted to keep it that way.
"It was okay I guess. Catching up with everyone, games, drinks, drinking games; it was fun." He wasn't going to chance it. He was going to do his best to keep all the information about what happened at Sakura's apartment to himself.
"How was Sakura?" There it was again. She clearly thought there was something happening between him and Sakura. He didn't know why she wanted them together anyway. Kurenai knew about his relationship with Temari but she only knew what everyone else knew; which was basically nothing much. Maybe Kurenai thought that Sakura was a better choice for him. He could never figure out Kurenai and he definitely wasn't planning on trying to figure her out any time soon anyway. Whatever went on inside the genjutsu user was for her to deal with and he didn't want any part of it.
"What do you mean?"
"Was she a good host? Did the party go smoothly?"
"Yeah. Everyone enjoyed themselves. Some a little too much I suppose."
"Oh yeah? Any gossip I should know about?" This was probably the reason why Ino and Kurenai got along. Kurenai liked to gossip as much as Ino did but the only difference was that Kurenai was more mature about it. She didn't go out and spread gossip but if someone asked her then she wouldn't keep quiet about it unless it would hurt that person. Gossip was still gossip to Shikamaru regardless of who was speaking it.
"You know that I don't gossip. It's a waste of energy." That was true. He never spread any gossip but he didn't mind hearing the odd rumour here and there. He wanted to keep up to date with things happening in the village so that way he could without having to go around and ask people.
"You're no fun Shikamaru. You're as difficult as Hinata when it comes to getting information out of you guys." Hinata wasn't the gossiping type. Everyone knew that but they didn't believe it, especially since she was friends with Ino.
"I actually need to apologise to Hinata for what happened at the party." Shikamaru remembered.
"What did you do?" This definitely caught Kurenai's attention. As long as she wasn't thinking about him and Sakura then he would entertain her.
"I groped her breasts with my shadows." He informed her.
"Why the hell did you do that Shikamaru? I expected more from you." He knew that Kurenai cared about Hinata. She was the Hyuga's sensei so it was to be expected but they had a much deeper bond. It was like Kurenai was a second mother to her.
"We were arm wrestling. Girls against guys. The girls were playing dirty so I evened the playing field." He defended himself. Hopefully Kurenai accepted that explanation.
"Was that before or after you and Sakura slept together?" He nearly choked on his words when Kurenai said that. She was trying to evoke a reaction out of him and he fell right into her trap. He had to admit; it was a brilliant one. Making him relaxed and steering him away from her target then getting him on the back foot all the while lowering his guard waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Checkmate.
"Did you think you were the only genius around here?" Her sly smile spread proudly across her face.
"We didn't have sex. We just slept next to each other." He stated. She knew that something happened between Shikamaru and Sakura but he could control just how much he wanted to tell her.
"Did you guys kiss?"
"Yes but it was short kiss to get me to go to sleep. It didn't mean anything."
"To her or to you?"
"To both of us."
"And you know this because?"
"She told me so herself yesterday."
"So you were by her yesterday." Kurenai confirmed. He just couldn't seem to get the upper hand around her. What was it with her and Sakura that made him feel so comfortable around them?
"She kept me there because I was sick and hungover." Shikamaru admitted.
"I need to know the whole story. You have to explain this to me in detail." This was going to be troublesome. He began explaining what happened during the party and the first night they slept together leading up to what happened this morning with Ino. He had to admit, the more he explained the what happened, the more he got confused. Did Sakura like him romantically or not? Did he like Sakura or was it just a longing for a human connection? Did he want to be with Sakura? Everything just seemed so complicated yet so simple at the same time.
"...and that is basically how I ended up here." He finished off then looked at Kurenai who was smiling like she just won the lotto.
"Just ask her out on a date. It will confirm everything then you don't have to be so confused anymore." Kurenai had such plain view of seeing things. Maybe that's why she was so confident. She didn't know everything that was going on in his head or in Sakura's so she just judged by their actions which seemed to be saying more than enough.
"She doesn't want to be in a relationship with me and I am honestly not in the right head space to be thinking about dating anyone. Everything is just too troublesome."
"Maybe Sakura could be the missing piece of that messed up puzzle you call a brain."
"Or maybe she is the piece that is ready to tear the puzzle apart."
"And that's a bad thing?" Was it a bad thing? Maybe he did need to restart. Maybe he did need someone to come and break him down in order to see what he really wanted. Maybe he needed the storm before the calm. Maybe.
"I don't know. I need to focus on starting my new position with Kakashi so I need to get home and freshen up before I go to him." He wanted to get out of there before Kurenai gave his already troubled head more to think about. She probably liked seeing the lazy genius all messed up like this.
"I will see you tomorrow then." Kurenai told him as she stood up with a smile still playing on her face. He stood up as well then began making his way to the door.
"You probably shouldn't give into your cravings so much Kurenai. Your baby needs nutrients that ramen doesn't have." Kurenai's was stumped. He could tell that she was trying to figure out he knew. She wasn't the only one who could get the other messed up.
"If you are going to give into your cravings then do a better job of hiding it. I've hung out with Naruto more than enough to know every kind of ramen container in this village."
"What ramen container are you talking about?" She trying to deny it hoping that he was bluffing. A good tactic but he wasn't bluffing.
"The one in your cupboard next to your baby food." He knew that he had her there. She opened the cupboard to make them some tea and he easily saw the container before she closed it. Maybe she thought he wouldn't notice it because of all the baby things with it.
"I didn't eat it yet. It's just there." Kurenai was defending now.
"I didn't say you couldn't eat it. Just be mindful of what will happen if you eat too much of it."
"Yes daddy." He couldn't help but have a chuckle at that while Kurenai did the same.
"I will see you tomorrow then." Shikamaru exited the apartment then began making his way home. He knew that the direct route home would be bustling with people and, as usual, he didn't want to run into anyone. He decided to take the longer way where he knew that there were less people and hopefully no one he knew. Thankfully he made it home without any hassles.
"Mom?" He called out when he didn't hear any movement in the house. He got no response. He checked all over the tiring large house but still couldn't find his mother. He gave up the search and decided to take a shower. If something happened to his mother then someone would've informed him.
He undressed him as he switched the shower on so that it could heat up while he waited. He stepped in and the was grateful for the hot water running down his bare skin. Then he remembered Sakura's hands travelling across his body this morning. The way her arms pulled him closer to her. The way her breaths swept over his body. He missed it already.
"Shikamaru, is that you?" His mother's voice jerked him back to reality. She was outside the bathroom so there was no awkwardness between them.
"Yeah mom."
"Okay." He could hear her footsteps making their way down the hall away from the bathroom. He breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't come into steamy room. It's not like she didn't see him naked before but he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts of Sakura. He tried recalling his memories but it disappeared for now so he decided to do what he actually came into the shower to do.
"Where were you yesterday?" Yoshino asked her son when he entered the kitchen after he put clothes on. She was busy cooking something so he took a seat by the kitchen table.
"I was by Sakura's house. I was feeling a little sick so she told me to stay and rest by her. She's kind of a doctor."
"Just like you're kind of my son."
"Just like I'm kind of the head of our clan." That brought a smile to his mother's face but it brought an equally disturbing expression to Shikamaru's. He never wanted the position. He was just following what everyone told him to do. The first month after the war was declared a month of mourning which had Shikamaru walking around the village like a zombie following everyone's instructions. He couldn't remember half the things he did during that month. It felt like he took a drug that put him to sleep while someone else controlled his body and when he woke up, he was being prepared to be the leader of the Nara clan. He remembered that week very vividly unfortunately. He, Ino and Choji prepared together which basically meant that Ino was given their tasks to do and made sure that he and Choji did it. The party at the end was okay. He remembered seeing Temari there but they didn't get greet each other. She was talking to Anko of all people. He didn't give it much attention and just continued on with the rest of the night. He never once acknowledged that he was the head of his clan and his mother knew that he didn't want to but know that he did, she couldn't be more proud of him.
"That was a slip of the tongue so don't read into it." He knew that his mother would do it anyway. It's like the women in his life didn't care what he told them because they continued the way they planned to.
"Well Mr Head of My Clan, how are you feeling?" It would only be his mother to make fun of him while still showing that she cared about her son.
"I'm much better than yesterday." That was true. He was feeling great actually. Whatever pills Sakura gave him worked perfectly. Now he knew first hand why she was a superstar in the medical field.
"Sakura must've done great job if she could cure you in one day." He knew his mother was hinting to something else and her devious smile confirmed it.
"Whatever." That was his way of telling his mother that he was finished with that conversation and his mother knew it.
"I'm going to be making dango for with dinner." His mother cheerily announced much to his surprise. He didn't want to underestimate his mother's cooking skills but she wasn't that daring when it came to cooking. Usually she would only try cooking new things when guests came over for dinner.
"Are we expecting any guests for dinner?"
"I bumped into Choji and Ino's mother's in the market earlier. We arranged for all of us to have dinner here tonight." At least they 'bumped' into each other this time. Normally Shikamaru would be pulled along to dinner with them without any explanation at all. He got that their clans had a closer connection than any other clans but dropping by unannounced for dinner should be a crime, especially the amount of times they do it.
"Mebuki also said that she would bring her family." The name sounded familiar. His mother clearly knew the woman and he would too by tonight. It did spark his memory though but not enough to actually remember.
"Are you sure you're making enough food then?" He noticed that his mother wasn't making a lot of food despite the amount of guests they were expecting. He also knew that if Choji and his father were coming then there should at least be more pots on the stove.
"It was a spontaneous thing so we each agreed to make dinner by our own houses and bring it here so that we can share." Pretty cool idea. Everyone feels like they participated and there would be a range of things to eat.
"That's actually kind of cool mom."
"And you kind of have to behave yourself tonight as well. Sakura is probably coming with so no jumping each other's bones while we're at the table." That's where he heard her name; Mebuki is Sakura's mother. His memory really needed a jump start.
"How about inviting Kurenai as well? We have over enough place here so she can spend the night here and can go home tomorrow." That way he didn't have to go to check up on her tonight or tomorrow morning. Killing two birds with one stone.
"That's a good idea." His mother agreed. "You're going to have to go fetch her though."
"I'm going to go to Kakashi now to go sort out a few things so I will fetch her on my way back."
"Anything important?"
"I just want to know what my job will be exactly. I want to start tomorrow." He actually wanted to start now but he knew that if he started now then he probably wouldn't be coming home for dinner and he knew that his mother would never forgive him for that.
"Good. Now get going so that I can cook in peace." His mother instructed him. He unenthusiastically stood up then made his way out of the house. He quickly climbed onto one rooftop then jumped from one rooftop to another until he got to the hokage tower. He jumped down from the last building and landed in front of the entrance. Two ninja immediately rushed past him into the building.
"This is going to be troublesome." He muttered as he enter the building himself.
"Shikamaru. Great, you're here." Shizune said as she walked past him two heavy binders in her arms.
"Was I supposed to be here?" He followed behind her as she began walking down the corridors in the direction of Kakashi's office.
"No but I was about to send someone to go fetch you. We could really use your help." They reached the Hokage's office and she immediately let herself in.
"Hokage-sama; Shikamaru is here to help." Shizune announced. Shikamaru entered the room and saw the two ninja that rushed past him a few moments ago. They were standing in front of the desk ready for Kakashi to give them his orders while Kakashi was looking over a map with scrolls rolled out all over the table. Shikamaru immediately made his way next to the two ninja.
"What can I help you with Hokage-sama?" It felt weird to call Kakashi 'Hokage-sama' but he knew that it would be disrespectful to call him Kakashi-sensei in front of other ninja.
"We received a report informing us that one of the smaller villages on the outskirts of the fire country are going to be raided soon. We don't know by how many men but if this is the same group that raided the village in the wind country last week then we can estimate that the enemy is well over fifty men." Kakashi informed him.
"May I?" Shikamaru asked gesturing to the table.
"Of course." Shikamaru immediately went closer and looked at the map spread out on the table. He studied the terrain around the village before studying the structure of the village itself.
"What was the last report from the village?" Shikamaru asked.
"Ino is in contact with them. The last report was 10 minutes ago saying that they only have 20 men that are capable of fighting. The rest are elderly people, women and children." He recognised the ninja that spoke. He saw him around the village a couple of times. Sandy blonde hair, goggles protecting his eyes, two short swords on his back; Kuzumo. The other one he didn't recognise at all. There were many non-combatant ninja that worked in the village so maybe he was one of them.
"How long will it take for our ninja to reach them?"
"At least another hour." That was too long. A raid of this size usually happened quickly and if this was the second time they were doing it then they must've scouted the village before hand.
"Can I see the report on the last village they attacked?"
"Here it is." Shizune handed Shikamaru the scroll. He immediately unrolled it and began reading it. It didn't provide any details as to how they attacked but it did say that they entered the village from one side. They slaughtered the villagers and burnt down the houses. They didn't leave any survivors.
"What is your plan Hokage-sama?" Shikamaru politely asked him.
"There is no plan that will work. They don't have the man power to defend the village. They are outnumbered, outclassed and overpowered. It will take at least 20 minutes for the enemy to destroy the village. Our ninja can use that time to gain ground on the group and take them out." Kakashi was right. No matter what they did, the most likely outcome would end in the village being destroyed but he couldn't accept it. There had to be another way.
This reminded him of the times he played shogi with his father. He could never get the upper hand against him. Every time he thought he was getting the upper hand would result in his father blind siding him and taking him out. This time it was real life though. This time he had more pieces coming to the board to help him. All he needed was to buy time.
"The enemy knows that the villagers can't keep them out so we let them in." Shikamaru suggested.
"That's suicide." Kuzumo wasn't wrong.
"Let me finish first. Both villages are similar in structure so I don't think the enemy would change the structure of their attack too much. They will attack from one side and I think that they would most likely attack from the east side of the village since that is the weakest defence. Let's use that side to draw them in then. Take all the defence equipment away from that side and reinforce the other sides with it. Then plant traps all along the east side. That would make them more cautious so draw them in more and take them out when they least expect it. While that is happening, filter the elderly people, women and children out through the west side. Tell them to head to make their way through the forest and up the mountain. If the raiders want to kill them then they would have to catch them first before our ninja do." Not one of his best ideas but not the worst considering what he was working with.
"The forest isn't exactly the best hiding place, especially when it gets darker." Kakashi pointed out.
"That mountain range doesn't have any large predators that they should be considered about. The only danger there is the poisonous plants and insects but they already know about that since they live there." He looked over at Kakashi and but he couldn't see if the hokage was satisfied with his idea or not. Half his face was still covered by his mask which irritated Shikamaru. He could never tell what Kakashi was thinking then. Could anyone tell what he was thinking with that mask on?
"Give the kid a break Kakashi. You two, go tell Ino to get Shikamaru's plan to that village." That was one way to announce your presence in the room.
"Lady Tsunade." Shizune said but the surprise in her voice was unmistakeable. It didn't seem like anyone knew that she was there.
"I thought I always told you to be on alert Shizune." Lady Tsunade was always hard on Shizune but he knew that she thought of the young kunoichi as her own daughter but Shizune acted like the older woman's mother most of the time.
"Yes um... I was..."
"Stop stuttering. You two, what are you still doing here?" Lady Tsunade asked them while she joined Kakashi and Shikamaru by the table.
"You have your orders." Kakashi told them. They bowed then disappeared right before their eyes.
"Lady Tsunade, what are you doing here?" Shizune asked her.
"I heard you guys might need some help. If I had known Shikamaru was here already then I wouldn't have bothered." Lady Tsunade thought too highly of him. Everyone did all because of his father's reputation and his clan's intelligence. Granted, his reputation spiked when he became the first one of the Konoha 9 to be promoted to chunin on his first try but that didn't mean that he was some sort of special ninja or a genius for that matter. He just knew a lot about a lot and used that to not die. That's how he reasoned it anyway.
"Your experience is much more valuable right now Lady Tsunade." His modesty was as bold as the Hokage's faces on the mountain overlooking the village right now.
"Modesty. I got your father out of it so don't make me get it out of you. Be proud of your actions." Lady Tsunade definitely didn't like it when people were modest but Shikamaru hated attention. They were clearly not the best combination but Shikamaru never failed a mission that Lady Tsunade helped him on in the past.
"My apologies Lady Tsunade." He gave her a slight bow.
"Stop it already Shikamaru. It's only the four of us in here right now."
"Then why does Shizune look so scared?" On cue, all of their attention turned towards the younger kunoichi in the room.
"I'm not scared." Shizune tried to hide it but none of them were buying it. Lady Tsunade crossed her arms over her unusually large chest while Shikamaru had a bored expression on his face. No one could tell what the white-haired hokage was thinking so Shizune couldn't intimidate them. Shizune was smart, quick thinking and a great shinobi but compared to the stature of the three shinobi in front of her, she was outclassed.
"Shizune dear, would you mind handing me the mission reports for the past two weeks?" Lady Tsunade was clearly testing Shizune. The two of them were like family so this rivalry they had between them wasn't without just cause. If anyone should've been scared between them then it should've been Lady Tsunade since Shizune was basically the reason why Lady Tsunade held her life together and didn't gamble it away.
He overheard a conversation between Sakura and Lady Tsunade once and he will never forget what Lady Tsunade said about Shizune; 'She's like my daughter. I've taught her and you everything I know. I can't teach you girls anymore. You've found your confidence and that is what I want for Shizune. She has the talent, the power, the abilities to become the best medical kunoichi this nation or any other nation has ever seen. She just thinks that she needs me so I have to show her that she doesn't need me anymore.'
This was probably Lady Tsunade's way of trying to get Shizune to be more confident. It was weird but if you want to teach a bird how to fly, you have to push it out the nest and Shizune was trying her best to stay inside the nest.
"Here we go Lady Tsunade." Shizune confidently said but he could see her hand shaking a little when Lady Tsunade put her hand on the folder as well.
"Thank you." Lady Tsunade's mind games could rival Ino's if not surpass it. This just proved to Shikamaru that women are troublesome.
"Kakashi-sensei, I actually came here to talk about what I am going to be doing here." Shikamaru finally spoke up.
"You will be one of my advisor's along with Lady Tsunade."
"What does that entail exactly?"
"You'll basically be doing what you did now but just that you will be a more hands on. You have a lot of work ahead of you Shikamaru." Lady Tsunade told him. "Where is his office Kakashi?"
"The one opposite us." Shizune quickly informed them.
"Great. Kakashi; you and Shizune need to work on your contingency plans in case Shikamaru's plan somehow fails. If it works then you need to figure out what to do next." Lady Tsunade began walking out of the room. "Come with me Shikamaru, we need to talk."
Those four words terrified the hell out of him even if Lady Tsunade was nothing other than a former hokage, elite shinobi and a possible role model. He knew the power those four simple words had coming out of any female's mouth. It could mean anything from we need to talk about a rumour, a joke, a vacation to we need to talk about 'us', a past or current relationship, family etc. His mind immediately went blank when he heard those four words. The genius in him seemed to run away as soon as Tsunade finished her sentence.
Shikamaru mindlessly walked out of the room and followed Lady Tsunade into the room on the opposite side of the corridor. He had to admit, his office was pretty nice. It didn't have any windows but when Lady Tsunade closed the door behind them it became like a different planet. It was closed off from everywhere. He knew it used to be a storage room before but now it was his new haven.
"Shikamaru." Lady Tsunade grabbed his attention. This was it. Hopefully he didn't regret coming here this afternoon.