HEY GUYS AND GIRLS. I'M PRETTY SURE I'M FAILING MY EXAMS BUT IT'S WORTH IT IF I GET TO TYPE MORE. IF I SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR FOR A MONTH THEN JUST KNOW THAT MY MOM PROBABLY TOOK MY LAPTOP AWAY FROM ME. I'LL TRY TO TYPE AT SCHOOL SOMEWHERE THOUGH BUT I MAKE NO PROMISES.
HAPPY READING:)
"Hey, what did Sasuke want earlier?" Kiba suddenly asked the group as they sat in one of the booths around a perfectly chiselled stone table draped in a blue tablecloth. He had wondered that question himself as well. Sasuke pitching up out of the blue was as much a surprise to him as the rest of the group but Naruto seemed like he had been expecting the Uchiha. Did he sense his former teammate nearing them? Did it have something to do with the information that Shikamaru had found out thanks to the Suna-nin they had defeated?
"You two spoke to him after the battle; what did he want?" This certainly caught Ino's attention as everyone turned to the members of Team 7. Sakura and Naruto looked at each other but the panic on Naruto's face was evident.
"Um... he just wanted to see how we were doing." Naruto's quick response didn't fool anyone. Hell, if anyone believed that line then they really didn't deserved to be called a ninja. He looked around the table to see the reactions of everyone but no one looked like they were buying it. Even Choji stopped eating and stared at the blonde Uzumaki who had his hand behind his head and had a nervous smile on his face.
"Sasuke never wastes energy on trivial matters such as that." Shino pointed out. Shikamaru wasn't sure how Shino knew that but he had to agree with the Aburame. Sasuke didn't seem like the type that would help them on a mission then request to speak to his former teammates because he wanted to see how they were doing. Something was definitely intriguing his attention there.
"Yeah. What did Sasuke really want Naruto?" Kiba's aggressive nature clearly fuelled him right now. All Shikamaru wanted was that they don't make a scene and destroy something.
"He just happened to be passing through the Earth Nation and bumped into us." Naruto answered again but he was just digging a deeper hole for himself.
"Sasuke said that he was tracking the ninja from Suna." Choji reminded him. Naruto was the idiot who asked Sasuke why he was there anyway. Why would Naruto lie about what Sasuke was really doing there?
"Yeah Naruto. Stop lying." Ino's aggression seemed to match Kiba's now. That was Shikamaru's limit. He couldn't handle another person with as much energy as the two of them right now.
"Leave him alone." That was surprising. He didn't expect Sakura to stand up for Naruto like that but she was also under questioning so maybe she was just trying to direct everyone's attention to her so that Naruto didn't break under the pressure. Pretty smart move then. He knew that Sakura wouldn't crack very easily under pressure, especially if her friends were the one interrogating her.
"You tell us then Forehead; what did Sakura want?" Why couldn't he catch a break with them. If it wasn't Kiba and Naruto then it was Sakura and Ino or the four of them together. Couldn't they just be as chilled as Shino, Hinata or Choji?
"None of your business Pig." Sakura was definitely not standing down under Ino's stare. They engaged in a silent battle while everyone watched the two of them.
"If it happens during our mission then it is our 'business' as you put it." Poor Shino. If looks could kill then Sakura just destroyed the hell out of him.
"Exactly. Spill it." Ino was definitely latching on to Shino's words and using it asher ammunition to try and make Naruto and Sakura surrender.
"Shikamaru didn't tell us about Gaara's situation." He had to give Naruto credit for trying. Out of battle, Naruto was just one stupid guy. Hell, everyone besides Shino was like that. It was probably a requirement if you wanted to join their group.
"Gaara's situation in Sunagakure does not affect our mission therefore Shikamaru did not need to inform us of Gaara's situation." This was interesting. Why was Shino fighting so hard to find out what Sasuke had told Sakura and Naruto? Did Shino perhaps know something that Shikamaru didn't? That wouldn't surprise him. He was pretty sure Shino spied on everyone in the village through his bugs so he probably knew things he shouldn't. Hell, he probably knew things he wished he didn't know. But why did he want to know what Sasuke said?
"Even if you don't want to tell us, you have a duty to tell your captain so that he can decide whether or not the information directly affects your current mission or not." He was impressed. For Kiba to bring up the rules of being a shinobi during a mission was very surprising seeing as he often ended up breaking more than a few especially if he was with Naruto. Maybe all those extra lessons of being forced to learn the rules by heart finally paid off.
"Kiba's right so spill." Ino ordered them. He didn't need to know why Ino wanted the information. Most of her time was spent gathering information on anything and everything.
"We're not telling you guys anything." Naruto was definitely going to stand his ground and Shikamaru knew how stubborn he could be. This dinner just turned into such a drag.
"Before this turns violent, Kiba is right and as the Hokage's Advisor I have an obligation and right to know what Sasuke said even if it doesn't affect our mission right now. If it does then I need to know even more so are you guys going to tell us here or do you want to go outside?" He felt tired after just saying that. It was an unnecessarily long speech and he hated every word of it. It just meant more work for him. Naruto and Sakura turned to each other, none of them willing to say anything. He knew that if they went outside and spoke then Kiba could possibly still overhear and Shino's bugs would probably be listening in as well so there was no point in going outside.
"What Sasuke said cannot be repeated unless it is in the presence of the hokage. There is a rule stating that if classified mission was uncovered during a mission then that information would not be spoken about until the mission was completed and we are back in the village." Sakura was right. She was paraphrasing the rule a bit differently to suit her but she was right nonetheless. Somehow he felt betrayed. Didn't she trust him?
"So you don't want to tell your boyfriend what your ex told you?" That was uncalled for of Ino but that reminded him of Sasuke and Sakura's relationship which opened up a whole new list of reasons why Sakura wouldn't want to tell him, let alone the rest of the group. Was there something going on between the two of them that she didn't want him to know about? He could understand why Naruto was trusted with that information since his loyalty to Sasuke was unsinkable but why didn't they trust Shikamaru? Did he do something to break their bond? Was not revealing Gaara's situation in Sunagakure that big of a deal?
"It's not like that Ino!"
"Really? Your ex appears and has some secret conversation with you and doofus over there then you I find you trying to hump your way past this conversation with lazy ass over here. Did you really think that just because you were sleeping with the captain that you would get a free pass?" Ino went so far overboard there but her logic was surprisingly sensible. Maybe Sakura was trying to keep him from asking questions about Sasuke by sleeping with him. He knew Sakura could be crafty and devious at times but could she really be this heartless?
"Ino, shut up and let it go." Shikamaru ordered her as he let out a sigh. He looked over at Sakura but she refused to make eye contact with anyone. Her actions weren't exactly screaming 'innocent'. Was Ino actually right?
"Troublesome." He released under his breath. He was left with a ton of questions and less than a handful of answers. This was really irritating him.
"So you and Sakura." Kiba had his devilish grin on his face immediately furthering Shikamaru's irritation. Why did Ino have to bring it up now of all times?
"Nothing happened..." Shikamaru tried to say but was rudely interrupted by no one other than his blonde teammate.
"Only because I stepped in and stopped you guys." Ino reminded him.
"You're not supposed to be having sex while you're on a mission Shikamaru." He knew Choji had a perfect sense of justice but sometimes he hated his best friend's innocence.
"Shikamaru's first mission after the war, as a captain no less, and he breaks the rules. I expected better from you Shikamaru." Kiba's amusement couldn't have been concealed even if there was a mountain between them. He was definitely not going to let this go.
"Like I said; nothing happened so move on." He loved his friends but sometimes they were just too troublesome.
"We're leaving for Sunagakure tomorrow. We'll go through the Land of Birds and see if the bandits did any damage. We'll spend the night there then we will cross the desert the next day." Shikamaru informed them.
"Are you sure that going to Suna after what happened earlier is really the best decision Shikamaru?" Shino was way too sharp for him right now.
"It might not be the best decision but Suna is our best ally right now so we cannot have strained relations with them. I'm going to try and sort out our issues and maybe Kakashi-sensei and Gaara can have a conversation as well. Gaara has done nothing but support us so this is the least we can do." He hoped that explanation silenced all their questions. He didn't need to be opening up a new can of worms for them to interrogate.
"I agree. Gaara needs our help right now too." Naruto was certainly in a better mood now. Shikamaru wasn't just going to forget about him not revealing what Sasuke said but for the sake of his sanity for the rest of the night, the lazy ninja was prepared to let it go, for now at least.
"Are we just going to ignore the fact that Shikamaru and Sakura are sleeping together?" Kiba was certainly more interested in that but it seemed like he was the only one.
"You shut up as well." Shikamaru lazily ordered him. He couldn't take any more of this conversation. He needed a change of topic and he knew the perfect thing to talk about.
"Shino, I never knew you had a summoning." Everyone's attention immediately turned to the bug master. Looks like that worked.
"Yeah. What was that insect?" Ino asked him. He immediately used that as his cue to tune out of the conversation. He needed to relax and they had found something else to talk about so they wouldn't be bothering him right now. It was the perfect time. He took a sip of drink as their conversation sounded further and further away from him. The quiet noise of his mind drowned out their voices until there was nothing but peace and quiet.
"Shikamaru!" Why did she constantly disrupt his peace? It was like her sole purpose for living was to make sure that his harmony ended up shattered. He wanted to hate her so much but she was his family whether he liked it or not. Damn Ino.
He finally turned his attention to the group who was joined by Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi. The two of them never seemed to be separated. He knew that Akatsuchi was loyal to the Tsuchikage but did that automatically mean that he would be loyal to Kurotsuchi as well?
"Hey guys." He gave them a polite greeting albeit informal.
"Why were you zoning out like that?" Kurotsuchi quizzically looked at him but he had his usual bored expression moulded onto his face.
"He always does that. He is weird." It will only be Ino who would answer them like that. He didn't really care though. What people thought about him was none of his business.
"I thought I told you to shut up." He lazily prodded her head.
"Don't do that baka." He knew Ino would get upset by that but she deserved it, that's how he reasoned at least.
"So she is your girlfriend." Kurotsuchi concluded as she came closer to the table like she was looking for answers. Ino turned to Shikamaru and burst into annoying laughter.
"Sakura is Shikamaru's girlfriend. Ino is like his sister." Kiba informed the Iwa-nin.
"Oh. That's even more interesting." She was definitely turning out to be just as troublesome as Ino. He hated it.
"I found them in bed earlier as well." Looks like Ino found her companion for the night. The two of them irritated him already. He drained his glass then allowed his mind to sink back into nothingness.
"I officially hate the desert." Ino complained as they walked up to passage between the two cliff faces leading into Sunagakure two days later. The sun had just started to end it's shift for the day as they approached the entrance into the village. Just like Iwagakure, Sunagakure's natural defence made it nearly impossible to attack from the ground.
"I agree with Ino for once. These sandstorms are a pain in the ass." Kiba and Akamaru had been complaining about the sand getting stuck in their nostrils every time they checked for any possible attackers throughout their journey through the desert. He didn't blame them. The first time Shikamaru had crossed the desert, he had complained about it but there was no way around it so he was forced to accept it. Ino definitely wasn't going to accept it any time soon though.
"Well we made it so you two can stop complaining." Shikamaru could see three shinobi present at the entrance and they seemed like they were waiting for the group. He wasn't surprised there; Kakashi probably sent a message to Gaara about their visit so this was to be expected. They silently approached the three shinobi; one of them unsurprisingly happened to be Baki.
"Here to threaten us with a war again?" Baki asked the Nara.
"We came in peace. We're ready to share the information." The jounin looked at him sceptically but motioned for them to follow him.
"Why the change of heart?"
"It's a time of peace. We don't need any animosity between villages right now."
"Is that the only reason?"
"Kakashi-sensei wants us to keep the peace. Gaara is our friend as well so we might as well be friendly with each other." A smile formed on the older ninja's face as he walked next to Shikamaru.
"Keeping your friends close."
"Something like that." His smile seemed to infect Shikamaru as well as he grinned. They made their way into the village littered with clay and stucco buildings and vendors lining the streets, selling everything from food to clothes to shinobi gear. It was a really calm atmosphere in the village considering the failed hostile take over that happened a couple of weeks ago.
"If you have time, mind looking over our defences?" That wasn't a strange request to ask the Nara. When he and Temari were still dating then he would frequently visit Sunagakure and assist Baki with the defence and military of the village. At one point Gaara even offered him a position as the Kazekage's advisor.
"Sure. I could use a good riddle to solve. I'm the Hokage's advisor now so I could always use that information against you guys so are you sure you want me to see it?"
"You might threaten us with war but I know that you will never go through with it. You're a good person Shikamaru; don't forget that." Despite Baki being stern and scary to most ninja, he seemed to have developed a soft spot for the Nara. Shikamaru didn't really care about it but he always helped the older ninja where he could. Baki gave him a few pointers on his techniques as well so he was like another sensei to Shikamaru.
"Being good is such a drag."
"You're too lazy."
"I get that a lot."
"I wonder why." The two ninja lightly laughed at their own stupidity. It was a light hearted conversation to repair their relationship and it worked so they could afford to be a little stupid at the moment. He could hear the rest of his friends talking about something as well; hopefully not discussing anything that would cause trouble.
"You know the rest of the way. I will take your friends to the apartments they will be staying in." Baki informed him once they reached the massive building the Kazekage worked in at the heart of the village.
"Ino, you're coming with me." Shikamaru called her over. The two of them made their way inside the neatly decorated building. He knew that the village didn't have a lot in the way of decorations and ornaments but they did a lot with what they had. Simple yet elegant. They stopped by a wooden door and Shikamaru immediately knocked on it.
"Come in." Gaara's voice announced from the other side of the door. The two ninja entered the Kazekage's office with Ino closing the door behind them.
"Kazekage-sama." The two ninja bowed as they faced Gaara sitting behind his desk with as much paperwork as Kakashi usually had. Paperwork seemed to be the bulk of the work of being a Kage. Why did Naruto want to be the Hokage so badly then?
"Shikamaru, Ino; welcome. It's been a long time." Gaara addressed them.
"It's my first mission after the war." Shikamaru explained.
"How are you two holding up?" Gaara was really concerned about them. He didn't have as deep a bond as Naruto had with him but he considered Gaara to be a good friend of his. They had helped each other and worked with each other so much that there was no way they weren't.
"I'm good." Ino replied.
"One day at a time." Shikamaru answered him.
"I heard you threatened to have a repeat of the Third Shinobi War." Here it was, time to do business.
"I apologise for that. It was in the heat of the moment."
"You were threatened with imprisonment here in Suna so I guess it couldn't be helped." Gaara replied as he smiled. "That information is valuable to us though. Our torture and interrogation gathering techniques aren't as great as yours are so we haven't been able to get much information out of those ninja that you and your team took down."
"That's because I had Ino erase their memories. The information they had could be used to cause chaos in the wrong hands."
"Are you willing to share that information with us?"
"That's what we came here to do. The bandits that we were sent to take down were connected to the group of ninja that deserted this village."
"Any immediate danger?"
"There might be. The group of ninja that abandoned your village were after the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths."
"What did they hope to accomplish with that and how did that have anything to do with the bandits you took down?"
"I don't know what they were hoping to accomplish with those weapons but it couldn't be anything good. The gold and silver brothers are still sealed inside the Benihisago and they are already troublesome to deal with on their own. They hired the bandits as a cover. If the Kage paid more attention to the bandits destroying the villages in their nation then they might not notice or pay attention to the Treasured Tools going missing. Their might even be less security around them."
"You stopped both the bandits and the rogue Suna-nin so is there any more danger?"
"When we went through the mind of one of the bandits, I got a feeling that someone was working behind the scenes to control them and I guess that was the rogue ninja but I got the same feeling when we went through their mind. In order to get to the Treasured Tools that scattered across the different nations then they are going to need ninja from different villages and whoever was is pulling the strings managed to make a group of Suna-nin go rogue so that person could be targeting other ninja from different villages now."
"Any idea who it might be?" Gaara's question was filled with rage and anger but Shikamaru knew that it wasn't directed at him or Ino.
"I don't know but I think I know the reason why they targeted the ninja from this village first."
"Why is that?"
"The failed coup. The shinobi of this village were in a volatile situation so it was easier to convince them to desert the village. I thought that phase in this village had past."
"You and me both. It seems that even if the elders of this village aren't in a position of power, their ability to stir up chaos can not be subsided."
"Still trying to find out if you're strong enough to be the Kazekage, troublesome."
"They won't be bothering anyone anymore. I put them behind bars."
"If I may, I don't think that was the best decision." Gaara was seriously interested in Shikamaru's next words. The young Kazekage put down his pen and rested all his attention on the Nara.
"If they are behind bars then they will still be around shinobi even if that shinobi are only meant to guard them. Like you said, their ability to stir up chaos cannot be subsided but it can be limited. If they are sent to an outlying village in their nation then they will not have as much influence. If you can't stop them, control them."
"My offer for you to be my advisor still stands." Gaara certainly agreed with his plan, even if he didn't exactly say it.
"Shikamaru already accepted the title of the Hokage's advisor." Ino interjected.
"Oh. The Hokage made a great choice. It was bound to happen though." Gaara certainly had more belief in the lazy ninja than he had himself. Gaara seemed to look at the good in people ever since he became Kazekage. It was irritating at first but at least he wasn't as energetic as Shizune in that department.
"Hopefully this is my first and last mission for a while. I accepted the position hoping to be forgotten behind a desk and not thrown into the line of fire."
"You've never been able to stay away from the front lines. Hell, Lady Tsunade tried to keep you in headquarters while your father mobilised the jounin but you always refused and said that you work better from there so why are you complaining now?" He was certain of it now; Ino's sole purpose for being on this earth was to make his life troublesome and she was going to enjoy it every day of her life.
"That situation was different. Now we are the heads of our clans and we have much more prominent positions in the village. Our lives are much more valuable now." He wasn't wrong. Both Ino and Shikamaru were irreplaceable in the village right now so they had to take better care of themselves.
"I'll take your advice into consideration Shikamaru." Gaara was clearly finished with the conversation. Shikamaru couldn't be more pleased about that. Just one more thing left to do.
"Now it's my turn. Buckle up Gaara." Ino made her way around the young Kazekage's desk then activated her jutsu and placed her small hands on his shoulder. Shikamaru slipped his hands into his pockets and closed his eyes allowing his body to rest a while. He hoped that the two Kages had a long conversation so that he had more time to stand around and do nothing. It would be better if he was sitting but standing still and not moving was good enough for him.
"Shikamaru." Gaara grabbed his attention. He didn't know how long his conversation with the Hokage was but he was pretty sure that it wasn't as long as he had hoped.
"Stop zoning out you lazy ass." Ino said as she stood next to him again.
"When did you start calling me that?"
"It's just natural." He eyed the blonde next to him then lazily turned his attention to the Kazekage.
"Kakashi and I want you to start looking for whoever is behind this whole thing. Of course you would have our support and I will bring this issue up with the other Kage during the Daimyos Ball but I am pretty sure that they will pledge their support as well. This..."
"Excuse my interruption Kazekage-sama but I did not agree to this mission." Shikamaru really didn't want to do this. It sounded like too much of a drag and he already had a lot on his plate. He had a clan to look after and he needed to prepare himself to address the five Kage about the continuation of the Allied Shinobi Force. He didn't need to be charged with looking for some hiding in the shadows and pulling the strings. If the person was good enough to get ninja to desert their village's and put together a group of bandits from every nation without being seen then that was definitely one troublesome person.
"Well who else knows more about this than you?" Ino definitely got him there. She didn't know as much as Shikamaru but she knew more than most.
"Such a drag." He responded as he turned his attention to Gaara again.
"No one is forcing you into this Shikamaru." He knew exactly what Gaara was going to say after that. He was going to say how this was the perfect mission for him and that his knowledge and analytical abilities put him in the best position to complete the mission. Maybe the red headed ninja would throw in a compliment or two to try and convince Shikamaru to do the mission. Gaara wasn't his Kage so he couldn't really assign this mission but Kakashi was probably going to do it anyway. Why did he agree to becoming a ninja again? This is such a drag.
"You know, not listening to a Kage when they address you is a huge sign of disrespect Shikamaru." Gaara stared at him but Shikamaru couldn't care less.
"It's not like you or Kakashi are giving me an option even if you say that it's my choice." Challenging a Kage wasn't exactly a smart move but he wasn't backing down and Gaara didn't look like he was either. Something had to give and Ino didn't look like she was going to step in and save the day any time soon.
"Anyway, the first step will be to find out how the ninja were persuaded to desert this village. I'm pretty sure that the person behind this used some sort of transformation technique so it could be anyone."
"How do you plan on finding that person then?" Gaara's tone was hostile but Shikamaru should've expected it.
"You can change your face but you can't change your words. Ino and I can go back into those rogue ninja's heads tomorrow and try to find this person before we leave." Gaara seemed a little impressed by Shikamaru's response. At least they were moving off the threats and hostility now and moving to more friendly and helpful territory.
"Very well." Gaara permitted them. He looked down at his paperwork again which they took as their cue to leave.
"Before we go, Naruto is in town so I suggest you go visit him before he comes and disturbs you here. You know that he has no boundaries so it would be best if you keep him away from your office." Shikamaru warned him. Gaara smiled then nodded in agreement before Shikamaru exited the room behind Ino.
"What are you going to do now?" Ino asked him.
"I'm going to go help Baki. I will see you tomorrow morning so don't party too much."
"You work too much."
"You can't complain when I am lazy and you complain when I am working. What can I do to please you?"
"Nothing. You're you and I'm me. It's my duty to complain about you." Ino gave him a smile then flipped her hair and began walking away.
"Don't work too hard." She announced before she turned a corner.
"Troublesome woman."