HEY GUYS AND GIRLS. I KNOW I POSTED A CHAPTER A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO BUT THIS CHAPTER WAS NAGGING FOR ME TO TYPE IT. IT'S A BIT RUSHED SO DON'T HATE ME TOO MUCH. SOME OF THE CHARACTERS ARE OUT OF CHARACTER BUT THEY ARE CHARACTERS IN MY STORY SO THIS IS HOW THEY WILL BE UNFORTUNATELY. I HOPE YOU GUYS AND GIRLS DON'T HATE ME TOO MUCH. I AM JUST ANOTHER STUPID GUY SO I CAN'T BE DOING TOO MUCH HARM RIGHT?
HAPPY READING:)
You know that moment when your luck finally runs out and leaves you standing alone in the centre of all your problems with no help whatsoever. Everything around feels like it comes crashing down without any end in sight and every breath you take seems to be making everything worse than it already is. You're find yourself in a helpless state of being with life destroying you at every corner.
No one could've planned for this.
How did it get to this?
Tch... troublesome.
"They have permission to carry out their mission here."
"Kurotsuchi is right Temari, is arresting him really what you think Gaara would want?"
"What do you care Sasuke? You aren't even part of their village anymore."
"Can everyone just stop your damn fighting? You guys are such a drag." Shikamaru slowly slid his hands in his pockets and stared up at the calming blue sea above them with its puffy white ships scarcely scattered in it.
Damn, he wished he could be a cloud.
***1 HOUR EARLIER***
"Everyone stop." Shikamaru ordered his team as they slowly approached the group of bandits. The sun had just start to show itself barely providing any light but it did provide more than enough light for Shikamaru to activate his jutsu.
"Hinata, can you see them?" He turned to the Hyuga who immediately activated her famed byakugan. She looked in the direction of the enemy so Shikamaru took the liberty to check the status of his team. They left their apartment they were using in the village less than half an hour ago so everyone still looked fresh. Ino was the only one that got to sleep uninterrupted but she was the one that looked the most tired among the nine of them. Hell, even he felt more refreshed than she looked.
Then his eyes briefly met Sakura's and a moment of joy immediately lit up his dead heart before it went back to its usual dormant state. Why didn't he let go of his pride earlier and be happy with her?
"I'm counting 83 bandits Shikamaru." Hinata informed him. Damn, that's more than he was hoping for but that didn't bother him. If all the bandits were like the four scouts they sent last night then they were nowhere near the quality to bother the Konohans. What they lacked in quality, they certainly made up in quantity though.
"Looks like I am going to need you nearer to us Shino. Everyone else, the plan still remains the same." They nodded in agreement.
"Let's get closer." Kiba and Akamaru led them closer to the enemy. Shikamaru trusted them to sniff out any traps that the enemy might have set but there didn't seem to be any. The terrain didn't really suit any side at the moment. Lots of rocky hills and deep crevices randomly scattered around them. It definitely brought a smile to Shikamaru's face to see all the shadows the uneven rock formations provided. Kiba and Akamaru stopped a couple of kilometres away from their target and the rest of the group joined them as they hid behind a couple of boulders.
"This is as close as we can get Shikamaru." Kiba informed him. Shikamaru nodded then closed his eyes and got into his usual thinking position. Plans raced through his head until he finally found one that made sense to him.
"Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru; get as close as you can to them without them seeing you from the left side. Hinata and Sakura; do the same on the right side. When Choji launches his attack then the five of you need to make sure that none of them escape." They nodded in agreement then kept low as they made their way to their sides.
"What's the plan Shikamaru?" Ino asked.
"If we go closer to them from this position then they will discover us." Shino pointed out.
"Do you see any other way to get closer without being discovered?" He couldn't see if Shino was thinking and coming up with a plan or not but he was going to tell them the plan anyway.
"We can't avoid being discovered so that's exactly how we are going to attack. I'm going to create a clone then Ino and I are going to control clone and send it straight into their camp. I am going to use my jutsu and trap as many as them in it then I am going to need the two of you to take as many of them out before my clone disappears. Ino and I will then make our way to assist Choji. Shino, you need to make sure that no one gets past us without being marked. If you can't take them out then direct them to the left or right sides so that Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata and Sakura can take them out. Everyone got that?"
"Yes sir." Came the response.
'You goes nothing I suppose.' Shikamaru thought to himself as he created a shadow clone of himself. He didn't have a high chakra reserve to say the least but he did have enough to keep the clone alive for a couple of minutes. He was out of practice as well so he was going to have to concentrate even more than usual.
"Ino, you ready?" Shikamaru asked his blonde friend. She nodded in agreement then activated her jutsu and connected Shikamaru to his clone.
"Choji, Shino; start making your way when I stop walking." Shikamaru instructed them through his clone. He saw a crevice that he could use to make his way directly to the group but that meant that the clone could be ambushed and die easier. He could afford to take the risk since it was only just a clone. He made his way down the rocky passage that could only allow people to pass through in a single file. He kept his eyes open to any traps or enemy that might have spotted him. He was surprised that there was no one watching him or tracking him through the tight valley he found himself in but he decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
He could see the open space that they decided to make their camp in the distance so he got a little anxious. He was never this bold on missions. His plans were always to try and find a way to complete the mission with as little work as possible yet here he was choosing to go into the enemy territory and start a fight. He really did change, unless his friends finally rubbed off on him.
"Well what do we have here?" The voice came from behind him once he emerged from the crevice and stepped straight into the enemy camp. Shikamaru looked behind him and was met by a broad muscled man. He was a little taller than Shikamaru with visible scars on his unclothed forearms. He was clearly a guard of some sorts and his bold stature made the fear rise in the shadow ninja.
"I think I'm lost." Shikamaru's voice clearly showed the fear he was desperately trying to hide. The camp had a rocky hill on one side where Shikamaru came through the crevice and with even more rocky terrain on the other sides.
"Walk." The man ordered then placed his large hand on Shikamaru's shoulder and forced him to go forward. Shikamaru immediately tapped his side and hoped that Ino got the signal. He nervously made his way further into the camp while more of the bandits emerged from small tents that were scattered around.
"Looks like we get to warm up before tonight." One of them loudly announced confirming Shikamaru's suspicions. At least they got here in time them. He looked around at the large group that was beginning to surround him. He counted at least 30 around him at the moment.
"He's from Konoha." It's not like he was trying to hide that fact. His uniform and his forehead protector that rested on his arm should've given that away as soon as he was discovered.
"I'm just here to send a message to the Tsuchikage and I am on my way to send the same message to the Kazekage." Shikamaru immediately noticed the large mass of chakra headed towards them. He was relieved that Ino understood his signal and sent Shino and Choji.
"What would that message be?" He didn't need to answer that. He stalled them enough so he had to get ready for the battle.
"Spiked human bullet tank!" Their attention immediately turned to the hill where they heard the voice coming from distracting them long enough for Shikamaru to activate his jutsu.
"Black spider lily." Shikamaru announced then saw his shadow extend in eight different directions and began using the shadow sewing technique to try and trap all of the bandits around him as Choji's spiked ball form sprang into the air and was headed straight down towards the large group. Shikamaru couldn't trap all of them but he at least gave Choji lots of stationery targets to hit, including himself. Shikamaru then spotted a wave of bugs emerging from the crevice instantly blocking it off. Shino had the right idea; by cutting off that route, the only way they could escape would be to run to the sides where they would be taken out or to go back to where they came from and risk going into the desert again.
Shikamaru had no time to think continue thinking. Choji's human bullet tank landed on a couple of bandits immediately killing them while creating a tremendous impact on the ground as well. Screams and shouts could be heard all around trying to warn the bandits to escape but Choji continued mowing them down. Shikamaru could see that Choji didn't have the best control when it came to his human bullet tank technique. The Akimichi still had a long way to go when it came to directing his attack but if he used it in the Ino-Shika-Cho formation then Shikamaru could help him control it better while Ino pointed out their targets. Shikamaru then noticed a few bandits try to escape by running through the bugs but were immediately drained of their chakra and left lying helplessly on the ground. Suddenly Choji's huge force hit Shikamaru's clone immediately sending it out of existence in a huge cloud of smoke and directing Shikamaru and Ino's consciousness back to their original bodies.
"You okay Ino?" Shikamaru asked her once they were back behind the boulders.
"Yeah." Both of them stood up and began running towards the battles.
"Giant rasengan!" That could only be Naruto's voice shouting and using that technique. Shikamaru saw the huge rasengan in the distance hit the ground with probably a few bandits trapped underneath it. He heard another battle cry then turned his attention to the right where he saw a couple of boulders being thrown across the surface of the earth. Only Sakura's inhumane strength could do it so easily. He smiled at the thought of her but then quickly focused again.
"Ino, I am going to need you to go through as much of the bandits' heads and try to find out if there are any more bases where they might be hiding out and what their plans are. We need as much information out of them as possible."
"On it. Who's going to protect my body then?"
"Shino and I will take care of that." They nodded in agreement at their plan then jumped down the rocky hill and landed in the camp site that was nearly completely destroyed by Choji's technique.
"Shino, are those guys still alive?" Shikamaru motioned to the bodies lying motionless on the ground in front of Shino's bug wall.
"Barely. My bugs drained them of their chakra." Shino answered.
"Ino, get to work." Shikamaru ordered her. Ino then wove threw her hand signs and activated her jutsu. Shikamaru caught her limp body then placed it behind Shino's wall.
"Shino, I am going to go help Choji. Watch my back and keep Ino's body safe." Shino nodded in agreement before Shikamaru raced towards Choji who was trying his best to chase down the remaining two bandits. They were smart. They knew Choji couldn't make sharp turns while he was in that state so they running in zigzag patterns.
"Choji, come back." He could see that Choji was losing speed and getting tired but so were the bandits. He didn't know why the bandits weren't trying to escape though. Maybe they thought they could buy some time for the others to escape. A noble gesture but useless if they ran into the rest of the team.
"What are we going to do now Shikamaru?" Choji joined Shikamaru, panting while his fatigue consumed him.
"We need to keep one alive but the other one we can give to Shino." Shikamaru explained as he watched the two ninja make their way to each other. Suddenly a huge swarm of Shino's bugs zoomed past the best friends immediately encapsulating the two bandits.
"We need one alive Shino." One of the bandits were immediately thrown towards them while the bugs feasted on the other one's chakra.
"W-W-What kind of monsters are you guys?" The bandit nervously asked as he crawled away from. Shino's bugs drained the other bandit and let his body fall in front of his ally who immediately emitted a shriek.
"You guys nearly killed 100 innocent villagers and destroyed two villages; what kind of monsters are you guys?" Shikamaru's voice was calm but threatening. He could see that the bandit lying on the ground was scared out of his mind right now. A body was sent flying across them as Sakura and Hinata appeared by the group.
"All clear on the right side." Sakura announced.
"I s-s-swear it wasn't m-my idea. I'm j-j-just a thief. Don't kill me. Please I will d-d-do anything you want." He pleaded. Shikamaru immediately sighed. There was no use trying to interrogate this guy since he probably didn't know what this group of bandits were really after.
"Knock him out Cho." Shikamaru told his chubby friend. Choji immediately expanded his hand and then knocked the bandit unconscious before dragging both him and his other ally towards the bodies lying around Ino.
"What now Shikamaru?" Sakura asked him as Choji and Shino joined them.
"Now we wait for Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru to come back. Hinata, did anyone run back to the Land of Birds?" Shikamaru saw the Hyuga activate her byakugan and scan the area.
"No one ran that way. Sakura and I took down everyone who came our way. No one escaped." Hinata reported. That was a relief. He knew his relief couldn't be confirmed until Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru came back. He hoped that they didn't mess this up.
"Sakura, Hinata; go check on those two idiots. Make sure that they are okay." Shikamaru ordered them.
"No need, hear they come." Shikamaru didn't want to know how Shino knew that. Maybe he planted a female bug on them in case of an emergency. Did Shino plant a bug on all of them? He knew that Shino was jounin but he didn't expect the Aburame to be this careful.
"I see them in the distance as well." Hinata confirmed.
"You don't need any special jutsu to hear those idiots." They released a comforting laugh, everyone except Shino that is, at Sakura's remark. She wasn't lying though; he could hear Naruto and Kiba's shouting while Akamaru barked.
"What are you guys laughing at?" Ino joined the group again but went around the group and stood in between Sakura and Hinata rather than standing between Shino and Choji who were closer.
"Why don't you want to stand between Shino and Choji?" Shikamaru asked her.
"Because Shino's bugs are creepy and disgusting." Ino clearly didn't care about minding what she said. He knew that it probably wouldn't phase the Aburame. This wasn't the first time anyone ever called him or his bugs creepy or disgusting. Hell, Kiba used to call him that when they first became a team. He probably still calls him that but not as frequently as before.
"My bugs are not disgusting." Came Shino's reply.
"Well try being eaten alive by them."
"They often eat my chakra to nourish themselves."
"Exactly. That's disgusting."
"Stop it you two." Shikamaru ordered them but Ino's stared at Shino trying to intimidate the Aburame but failing miserably.
"You two morons, quit your yammering and get over here already!" Ino shouted at the three ninja in the distance.
"Shut up Ino!" Both of them replied while Akamaru barked in agreement.
"Don't make me come over there and shut you two up myself!" Their shouting was giving the lazy ninja a headache.
"I think I am done with missions for a while now." Shikamaru said as he sighed then looked up at the clouds.
"Stop being so lazy Shikamaru. This mission was easy. It was long and boring to be honest." Ino wasn't wrong. This was a long and mostly boring mission. The only time they got to fight was now and it only lasted for about 10 minutes. At least the mission was successful and no one got injured so that's a good thing.
"What's happening?" Kiba asked when the three ninja completed the group.
"Did you guys take them all down?" Shikamaru asked them.
"Of course we did Shikamaru." Naruto was clearly happy. He definitely enjoyed the fight it seemed.
"A few of them tried to escape but I tracked them and then took them down." That's why he paired Kiba up with Naruto. Somehow Naruto was going to let some of them slip through so all Kiba had to do was chase them down.
"Good. Ino, did you find anything?" Everyone turned their attention to the Yamanaka. Her report was a crucial one.
"This group of bandits were the ones that attacked the villages in the Wind and Fire nations and were planning to attack the village we were in yesterday. They don't have any hideouts and this was the main group. There are five others that are controlling them I think but no one knew much about them. They just got their orders and followed them." Ino informed them.
"So there are people working behind the scenes." That would make sense. If this group of bandits were just the body of the operation then they needed to find the brain or else they would just find another 'body' to attack with.
"We need to report this to Kakashi-sensei and find those five people as soon as possible." Shikamaru stated as he closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
"I can send a message to Kakashi-sensei right now." Ino offered.
"Not yet. Save your chakra. We can go to Iwagakure then communicate with Konoha and continue this partnership. We can communicate with Gaara as well then if need be." Shikamaru hoped that this didn't turn into a big problem.
"Is it me or is the Earth shaking?" Kiba asked. Shikamaru didn't notice the slightly tremors until now but it seemed to be growing in strength.
"It's coming closer." Shino announced as a huge rumble shook stable ground they found themselves standing on. Suddenly a wave of dust erupted and began barrelling its way towards the group.
"Everyone, be on guard. If anyone can see what it is then tell us. This is not our nation so don't engage in combat until you are certain that whatever this thing is, is here to harm us." Shikamaru ordered them. He immediately covered his face and planted himself on the ground as a strong wind propelled the gust of dust engulfing everyone of them. He could hear everyone struggling to overcome this dust storm so he was relieved when the wind began dying down but the tremors felt like it was becoming stronger and whatever was causing it was coming nearer to us.
The dust began to settle but what emerged from it surprised everyone; a massive rock golem. The giant being had two arms and legs with a faceless boulder as a head but Shikamaru could see two people on top of the creature. They were probably the ones controlling it. Was it a summoning of sorts?
"You Konoha-nin don't belong here." One of the guys on top of the golem said as the massive creature towered above the group of ninja.
"We have permission from the Tsuchikage to take down the group of bandits who attacked villages in the Wind and Fire Nation." Shikamaru informed them. He was desperately trying to think of a way to defeat this massive golem in front of them because he had a feeling this these guys weren't allies.
"So you are the ones that took them out." His threatening tone definitely confirmed Shikamaru's suspicions. "Now you guys get to join them." The golem immediately lifted up its powerful left leg.
"Everyone, get out of its range!" Shikamaru hoped that he didn't give the order to late as the golem was bringing down its menacing foot.
"Summoning jutsu!" He heard Naruto and surprisingly Shino shout and slam their hand against the ground. Choji immediately expanded body in size and grabbed the huge creature by its shoulders, hoping to push it over but unfortunately the golem was strong and sturdy and remained in place but its left leg was forced back so it didn't strike any of his friends.
"Hey Naruto." Shikamaru immediately knew that his luck had run out when he saw which toad Naruto had summoned; Gamatatsu. The young toad was a massive creature but Shikamaru knew all too well how clueless and childish the yellow toad could be.
Shikamaru's attention was immediately turned to the giant insect in front of him, albeit that the creature was smaller than Gamatatsu.
"Hop on." Shino stood on the large head of the creature.
"No way. I am not getting touching another one of your bugs Shino." Ino replied while Hinata, Sakura, Kiba and Akamaru were getting on already.
"We don't have time for this Ino." Shikamaru grabbed her hand then pulled her towards the summoned creature and threw her up to the group where Kiba caught her. He hoped onto the creature himself as the insect began flapping its wings and lifting off the ground. The group were immediately unsettled for a moment since they didn't have anything to hold on to but Shikamaru activated his shadow stitching jutsu and made sure that everyone was tied down to the insect flying them out of danger.
"On top of the hill Shino." Shikamaru directed the Aburame. The insect immediately turned direction as Shikamaru saw Choji being overpowered and forced back. He didn't expect Choji to overpower a massive creature that was literally made out of rock but he knew that Choji wasn't going to give up so all they had to do was hope that Naruto and Gamatatsu help Choji. The two looked like they were still planning.
"What the hell is that thing and who are those guys?" Sakura voiced the question that everyone wanted to know.
"Naruto! Use the toad gun technique!" Shikamaru shouted the instructions to Naruto as Shino landed his insect on the hill above the enemy camp.
"How do you expect him to use that technique when there isn't any water around?" Kiba asked as they got off the bug.
"Naruto will figure it out. He always does." Shikamaru hoped that his confidence in Naruto wasn't misplaced. He could always count on the Uzumaki when the time came so he hoped that this time that his luck didn't run out just yet.
"Shino, does your insect have any offensive abilities?" It didn't look like Shino's summoning had any striking attack features.
"Not yet but I could distract them long enough for Choji to get the advantage back." Shino suggested.
"Okay, do it." Shino and Shikamaru nodded in agreement then Shino took off on the huge insect.
"I could summon Katsuyu and use her acid to melt that golem." Sakura suggested.
"Not yet. We need to get more information about those guys and that golem." Shikamaru was already worried about Naruto, Choji and Shino fighting the massive creature so he didn't need Sakura adding herself when they didn't know enough to overpower the creature.
"Wind Release: Toad Gun!" Naruto shouted as he added his wind-based-chakra to strengthen the blast. The strong stream of water hit the golem directly in the stomach allowing Choji to push the golem back. Shikamaru saw that the force of the water was cracking the rock hard body of the huge creature but he knew that water nature was weak against earth nature.
"Choji, take out its legs!" Shikamaru instructed the Akimichi. Choji used his legs and kicked the golem's legs out from under itself. The force of the toad gun helped Choji push the golem to the ground but the golem suddenly grew another arm and launched one of the men towards the group of ninja on the hill.
"Shikamaru, we have incoming." Kiba announced.
"Shino, you're in charge of taking down that golem!" Shikamaru instructed the Aburame then turned his attention to the long grey haired ninja who landed a few feet away from the group. Shikamaru immediately made his way to Ino.
"When you get the chance, get inside his head." He whispered to the Yamanaka. Shikamaru immediately saw a kunai being flung towards him but it was easily deflected by Kiba.
"It's not very nice throwing kunai at people you just met." He knew Kiba was getting ready to fight the ninja. Shikamaru noticed the symbol on the ninja's forehead protector that was hanging by his waist; Wind Nation. Why would Wind Nation ninja be attacking them in the Earth Nation? What was going on? The ninja wore the Sunagakure clothing so he definitely came from there but he didn't know anything other than that.
"Are you one of the ninja that are being chased down by the Kazekage?" That could be it. It made sense but if he was one of them then why was he here? That group of ninja was supposed to be travelling south and not north.
"Doesn't look like he is talking Shikamaru. What do you want to do?" Kiba asked him. The Suna-nin looked at each one of them, sizing them up probably.
"Take him down." Sakura and Kiba immediately launched their attack while Akamaru decided to go around the ninja. They were using taijutsu but the Suna-nin was easily able to defend or dodge the attacks but he was taken by surprise when he tried to block Sakura's punch and was sent pummelling into the ground behind him. The ninja stood back up and dusted himself off then swiped his hands in the air but Shikamaru instantly recognized that jutsu.
"Everyone, don't let that wind touch you. It's Baki-sensei's blade of wind technique. Get out of the way." Looks like spending that time in Sunagakure was paying off. Everyone jumped out of the way of the deadly wind that slashed across the ground.
"Akamaru, let's do it." Kiba and his companion immediately rushed forward towards the enemy. "Fang over fang." Their jutsu worked in perfect unison and aimed directly at the Suna-nin. The ninja quickly dodged the attack but unlike Choji, Kiba and Akamaru could change direction very easily. Sakura immediately rushed in to assist Kiba and Akamaru. Every time the ninja dodged, Sakura would go on the attack and keep him in place until Kiba and Akamaru could launch another attack. Suddenly the Suna-nin stopped moving.
"Shadow possession complete." Shikamaru stood up allowing everyone to see his shadow connected to the other shadows of the uneven ground which finally connected to the enemy.
"Hinata, take out his chakra points." The humble ninja immediately activated her byakugan then jabbed her enemy on certain points of his body until Shikamaru finally felt the ninja stop resisting.
"All done Shikamaru." Hinata informed him as she stepped back. Suddenly a boulder was launched into the air and headed straight towards the group. Sakura jumped up to meet the boulder without a second thought and immediately pushed the boulder to the side so that it didn't hit them.
"Idiots! We're fighting here!" Sakura shouted at them when she landed. Shikamaru turned his attention back to the group fighting the huge golem. Out of nowhere, Sasuke's susanoo sprang to life in the fight and immediately used its sword to cut the golem in half which then led to Shino encapsulating the ninja on top of the golem.
"Why is Sasuke there?" Ino asked the question they were all wondering as the rock golem crumbled out of existence. Choji immediately shrunk down to normal size while Shino landed his bug on the ground and got off him. Both Gamatatsu and the huge insect disappeared in a cloud of smoke while Sasuke deactivated his susanoo.
"Let's go find out." Shikamaru then made his way to the Suna-nin that they trapped and knocked him out before picking him up and going down to the enemy camp.
"Sakura; take care of Choji first." Shikamaru ordered the medic ninja as he made his way towards Shino who dropped enemy close to the group and Shikamaru did the same with the one on his back.
"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked his former teammate as they came closer to the group.
"I was tracking their group but I followed them when they broke away." Sasuke answered him.
"Who are they?" Shikamaru didn't trust the sharingan user much but he knew that he wouldn't willingly attack them so he felt comfortable having him here especially if he was fighting with them and not against them.
"Ninja from Sunagakure. I heard that there was a failed coup so I thought I could lend Gaara a hand." Sasuke was definitely up to date on the events happening in the nations.
"How did you find out?" He didn't expect Sasuke to answer that truthfully but it didn't hurt to ask.
"I have my ways." Just like he expected from the Uchiha.
"You knew about that and you didn't tell me Shikamaru." Naruto definitely felt hurt that Shikamaru didn't share that information but Shikamaru only found out when they reached the Land of Grass.
"I only found out when we passed through the Land of Grass." Shikamaru explained.
"Gaara is trying to keep this under wraps. I don't think Kakashi-sensei knows as well." That surprised Shikamaru. If Kakashi-sensei didn't know that information then Gaara must've been doing a really good job of covering it up.
"I was supposed to pass along that and other information to him once we go back home."
"Anything you can share?"
"Only if you're willing to share your information." The Uchiha and Nara stared at each other trying to see who would break first but none of them did.
"Sorry to break up your moment but should I get started?" Ino asked Shikamaru.
"Yeah. Take me in with you. I want to see what these guys have been up to." Shikamaru instructed her.
"Ninja from Iwagakure are on their way here Shikamaru. What do you want us to do?" Kiba and Akamaru probably could probably smell their scent in the distance.
"Ninja from Sunagakure will probably be here soon as well." Sasuke added.
"Keep things diplomatic for one. We don't need a repeat of the previous wars. Ino and I will be back as soon as we can." Everyone nodded in agreement. Ino activated her jutsu then sent their minds into the first target so that they could begin getting information.
***PRESENT MOMENT***
"Look who finally grew a pair." Temari's sarcastic tone couldn't have been missed. "Looks like being the head of your clan finally made you grow up."
"Not really. Just made things more troublesome." He sighed again as he finally took note of the people around him. His team were scattered on either side of him. Ino was standing right next to him with the bodies of the two Suna-nin at their feet. Sasuke was standing a couple of metres to his left while Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi and four other Iwa-nin were standing behind him. Temari, Kankuro, Baki, Matsuri, Yukata and Genma's team were standing in front of them. Everything felt way too tense and with the information Shikamaru just obtained from the two Suna-nin, it should be tense.
"You either come with us peacefully or not Shikamaru." Baku was arguably the most loyal ninja to Sunagakure. Shikamaru knew how first hand powerful Baki is. Baki was at least 10 times stronger than the Suna-nin that he fought earlier was. Even Shikaku noted how well Baki commanded Sunagakure's military and said that he didn't want to go up against him in a battle. For his father to say that about someone, it definitely scared Shikamaru.
"My apologies Baki-sensei, my mission cannot be altered unless instructed so by the hokage himself." Shikamaru was trying to be polite. There was no need for this to escalate into something bigger.
"Cut the crap Shikamaru. You and Ino are coming with us whether you like to or not." Temari was clearly not in the mood for his games right now but that encouraged Shikamaru even more.
"Ino, would you like to go with them?" Everyone turned his attention to the pale blonde next to him.
"No. I am on a mission so I would like to continue it." Ino was definitely playing along with Shikamaru.
"It's a no from from me as well." Shikamaru stated then turned to the Suna-nin again. "That's two verbal answers of non-compliance with your request in front of witnesses from three different nations. If you continue to insist that we go with you then that would mean that you are being hostile. If you forcefully take us from this area then that would mean that you kidnapped us. Knowing all this, do you want to continue with your demands?" He could see the irritation on Temari's face while Kankuro had a blank expression on his.
"You're just as impressive as your father Shikamaru." Baki was more appreciative of Shikamaru's efforts.
"Why can't we just take them?" Matsuri clearly didn't understand what was happening right now. He didn't blame her. She and Yukata didn't know what Shikamaru knew right now. Hell, no one knew exactly what Shikamaru knew. He was still trying to make sense of everything himself. The information that he just received would disturb the peace in the ninja realm which is probably why Baki wanted them to go back to Sunagakure with him so that they could somehow keep Shikamaru and Ino quiet about what was happening or get rid of them altogether.
"If you guys take Shikamaru and Ino right now, it would trigger an immediate war between Land of Wind and the Land of Fire." Sasuke definitely understood full well what Shikamaru was doing.
"Pretty bold move doing that on in the Land of Earth. How sure are you that we will back you up?" Kurotsuchi definitely wasn't stupid by any stretch of the imagination. He was pretty sure that once her grandfather steps down as the Tsuchikage then she would be welcomed to take over. He saw how strong she was in the previous war so she was someone that he didn't want to mess around with.
"I'm not expecting you to back us up but this document gives my team and I diplomatic immunity in this nation." Shikamaru handed her the scroll. "It also says that you guys will assist us during the mission and we are technically still carrying out our mission. If you guys are refusing to aid us then you will be denying the orders of your Tsuchikage. If my understanding is correct; denying a direct request of a Tsuchikage will result in your shinobi status being taken away and could lead to you being locked up."
"You're such a dick Shikamaru." Temari's frustration got the better of her. He knew that she had a short fuse so he loved testing her limits and it seemed like she just reached hers.
"I'm not the one in control here. The Kage are. If the Hokage tells us to go with you then we will go with you. If the Tsuchikage takes away our power in this nation, then we will have no choice but to comply and head back to the Land of Fire." Shikamaru was seriously having fun playing with them. He knew that he shouldn't but he couldn't help it. This was like a game of shogi and he had each piece positioned exactly where he wanted them to be.
"Are you willing to stay here until we get permission from the Kage?" Baki asked the Nara.
"Certainly. Obviously we will send all the information we have to the Hokage and the intelligence division in Konohagakure. If that happens, are you going to kidnap all the ninja in Konohagakure as well?" He couldn't help but smirk. This was too perfect. He knew he was digging a deeper grave for himself in terms of his relationships with everyone but he wasn't breaking any rules. He wasn't planning on becoming the Hokage anyway so he didn't need to have friendly relationships with any of the ninja outside Konoha. He wasn't planning on leaving his desk when he got back to the village as well so he didn't really care as well.
"How are you going to get the information to Konoha if you are going to stay here?" Yukata asked.
"I have more than a couple of ways in mind." Shikamaru didn't want to tell them his exact plan so he kept that information to himself.
"You're just going to use Ino to send the information." Kankuro was definitely a quick thinker but he didn't really think all that deep. Slow and steady did win the race even though quick and dirty dealt the most damage.
"That would be ideal but there are more than one way to get a message to Konoha from here." Checkmate. They had no other moves to make. Any action they would take right now would result in a possible war between at least two of the three nations, if not all three.
"Shikamaru has you beat. Even you have to see that by now Baki." Sasuke was a little too perceptive. Maybe that's why Shikamaru didn't like him very much; the Uchiha was one of the only people who could challenge his intelligence.
"We will be leaving then. Those two ninja at your feet are from Sunagakure, do you have a problem if we take them back to Sunagakure?" Baki asked him.
"You shouldn't be asking me that. We are only guests in this nation. These two ninja attacked us in the Land of Earth therefore it is up to the representatives of this nation to decide that." Everyone followed Shikamaru's gaze as he turned to Kurotsuchi and her team.
"You can take them. Gives us less work to do." Kurotsuchi answered them.
"Great. Everything is settled then." Shikamaru immediately knelt down and picked up both shinobi as Kankuro and Temari came to fetch them.
"You're still a naïve little boy." Temari commented as she took one of the shinobi from Shikamaru.
"Temari, I have to ask you this question, what have I ever done to you that made you so angry at me?" She didn't answer him and just continued walking towards her allies.
"You'll get your day Shikamaru." Came her response as she followed Baki leading the Suna-nin back from where they came from.
"You certainly know how to make friends Shikamaru." Kurotsuchi sarcastically stated.
"I know. It's one of my strong suits." His sarcasm was equally prominent. "Can we go to Iwagakure now? This morning has been way too long already."
"The sun hasn't even properly risen." Akatsuchi replied. He reminded him of Choji; both were fun and joyful ninja but when they were on the battlefield then they were fierce and focused.
"Before you guys go, can I talk to Naruto and Sakura?" He knew that Sasuke didn't really care about Shikamaru's answer since he was going to do it anyway.
"Yeah. Everyone can take a quick rest then we will make our way to Iwagakure." Shikamaru nodded at Sasuke then saw Sakura and walk off with the Uchiha. He felt a little jealous that Sasuke was talking to Sakura privately even if Naruto was with them. Kurenai told him that Sakura will always love Sasuke so it didn't sit well with Shikamaru to see them going off on their own. He wasn't the jealous type but he couldn't help it. There was no way he could compete with Sasuke. He was her first love as well so he had more than enough reason to be jealous.
It's not like they were in a relationship right? They just shared a few kisses and told each other how much they wanted to be together but they haven't actually gone out on a date or anything. Did they really need to though? They grew up together and basically knew everything about each other, well almost everything. Their relationship status was as unknown to everyone else as it was to them. He let out a frustrated sigh then looked up at the sky that began brightening up.
"My life just got way too troublesome."