OKAY, LOOKS LIKE I'M BACK BEFORE THE WEEKEND. HOPEFULLY I CAN BE THIS QUICK WITH MY OTHER CHAPTERS AS WELL. THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT THAT I'VE BEEN GETTING GUYS AND GIRLS. I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU LIKE THIS STORY SO MUCH BECAUSE I LITERALLY WANT TO KILL THIS AUTHOR AND KILL THE CHARACTERS THEN KILL THE AUTHOR SOME MORE. CAN'T DENY THAT I AM ENJOYING ALL THE STUPID TURN OF EVENTS THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING AND CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE ACTUAL F*** IS GOING ON WITH SAKURA? ANYWAY, SORRY FOR THE RANTING AND THE MISTAKES IN THIS CHAPTER.

HAPPY READING

A soft buzzing sound, almost silent. Quiet humming and footsteps slowly pacing around him. Where was he? He opened his eyes to a familiar light above his head. He slowly turned his head to look around. He saw that he was on a bed in the hospital but he wasn't alone in the room. There was another bed in the room that had Kurenai lying on it under the blankets. His mother was the one humming as she slowly pacing around the room while holding the new born baby in her arms.

"It's by time you woke up." Yoshino turned to her son then began walking towards him.

"What time is it?" Shikamaru slowly pushed himself up on the bed as he tried to remember what happened last night that might've led to him lying in the hospital.

"It's 6 in the evening. Choza brought you here last night once you passed out." Yes, he remembered talking to Choji and his father on the roof of the hospital last night. Choza had told him about the promise he made to his father then they began talking about Choji's childhood but everything else was a complete blank. He didn't feel tired last night so he shouldn't have passed out.
"Before your brain begins overthinking everything, Choza gave you a sleeping pill last night which is why you fell asleep so easily and why you slept so long." That explained the unnatural sleeping pattern.

"He said it was something that would give me energy."

"It did, didn't it." He had to smile as his mother took a seat on the bed he was now sitting up on. Choza didn't lie about the pill giving him energy but he left out the part about it knocking him unconscious.

"How's Kurenai doing?" Shikamaru asked but looked at the baby sleeping in his mother's arms. She looked so peaceful as she slept. He definitely wanted to protect her so that she could sleep just as peaceful every other night.

"Lady Tsunade did everything she could but the rest is up to Kurenai. She is going to continue having a weak heart but she should be okay. Obviously she can't be a shinobi anymore but once she sees her little girl, I don't think she'll mind." Yoshino looked down at the little girl as well and smiled.
"She reminds me of you when you were just born. You had just such a weird smile on your face while you slept."

"Is she okay?"

"Yes. We're feeding her regularly but we're just waiting for Kurenai to wake up so that she can breastfeed her properly. There's only so much nutrients you can get from milk that's been processed." He breathed a sigh of relief, both Kurenai and her child were finally safe and out of danger.

"Everything is too quiet right now. Where is everyone?" Shikamaru looked up at his mother who immediately looked conflicted as to whether she should answer that question or not. Something definitely happened while he was sleeping that she didn't want him to know yet.
"You've never lied to me mom, don't start now." He gently rested against the wall behind him as he prepared himself to hear whatever it was that his mother didn't want to tell him.

"Kakashi called a meeting of all Chunin and higher ranked shinobi in the village." That explained the silence right now because he was sure that if Kakashi hadn't called that meeting then most of the ninja would be here celebrating the birth of Kurenai's child right now. Yoshino still looked like she was withholding more information though.

"What happened mom?" Shikamaru urged her on.

"Naruto and Sakura left the village and joined Sasuke. They've become criminals." Wait, what? Did he just hear his mother correctly right now? Why would Naruto and Sakura desert the village to join Sasuke? He knew that they shared a deep bond with the Uchiha but even they wouldn't desert the village to join him without a good reason. Naruto was an idiot most times but even he knew that deserting the village would ruin his chances of becoming the Hokage one day. What the hell was going on?

"When did this happen?"

"They left the village last night and joined Tenten, Lee, Kiba and his sister in tracking Sasuke." Shikamaru's anger immediately rose inside him now. Sasuke was probably the reason why Sakura had left the hospital. Sasuke was the person more important than Kurenai to her. That criminal was the person who she needed to go to rather than heal a dying woman who had just given birth.
Another reason why he was angered was because he was the temporary leader of the Shinobi Union but leader nonetheless so he should've been informed immediately once any sighting of Sasuke was reported. Kakashi knew that one of the objectives of the Shinobi Union right now was to find Sasuke and retrieve the Shichiseiken that he stole from Kirigakure.

"I need to get to work then." Shikamaru said as he moved his legs over to the bed.

"Shikamaru wait." His mother instructed him before he stood up. He turned to her to face her looking for any valid reason to make him stay at the hospital right now and not go and try to figure everything out. Kurenai and her child were okay so he didn't have to worry about that anymore. His mother was in perfect health so he didn't need to take care of her. There was nothing stopping him right now.
"Naruto and Sakura deserted the village for a reason. They're your friends, don't forget that." His mother warned him but he was way too angry to hear that right now.

"They're criminals, deserters and traitors that need to be taken down. I will see you later mom so take care of Kurenai and her little girl for me." Shikamaru instructed his mother then put his hands in his pockets and began making his way out of the room.
He exited the hospital then immediately headed home. He needed to get the files he took from his office yesterday. He hoped he could work at home but everything he needed was at the Hokage Tower so it would be better if he worked from there. Thankfully no one stopped him on his way home so the meeting must've still been going on. He went to the study then gathered the files. He was about to leave the house but he turned back to take the small shogi board that he and Sakura were using before Kurenai had her accident. He decided to take the back roads to the Hokage Tower so that he could avoid being seen by anyone that might've been exiting down the main paths or the ones heading to the hospital. None of his friends lived in the direction he was coming from so he shouldn't have seen any of them. The only he had to worry about right now was if the meeting was going to be finished by the time he got to his destination.

"Shikamaru." Damn, looks like someone found him even before he reached the Hokage Tower. He turned around then saw Shino approaching him. Come to think of it, after Sakura ran out of the hospital then Shino disappeared as well and his mother didn't mention that he was part of the team that Naruto and Sakura joined so where did he run off to last night?

"Shino." Shikamaru gave him a friendly nod once the Aburame stood in front of him.

"Have you been informed of what happened?" Shino was being surprisingly formal. Kakashi probably told him and all the other shinobi about the Nara leading the Shinobi Union so that's why he was being so respectful and formal.

"I know enough." Shikamaru's bluntness wasn't because of the ninja in front of him but he couldn't help but feel angry right now.
"Where did you go last night?" He questioned the insect user. Shino quickly turned his head to the side before turning back to Shikamaru.

"We should head to somewhere more secluded before we continue." Was someone spying on them right now or was Shino just being paranoid? He didn't care either way. He needed to know what Shino knew anyway and their combined intelligence was something he could definitely use right now.

"Let's go to my office." Shino nodded in agreement then fell in step with the lazy ninja. Thankfully Shino wasn't a man of many words so their journey was comfortably quiet. No one stopped them once they reached their destination so the meeting was probably over.

"Shikamaru." Shizune called his name before he and Shino reached his office. "Kakashi wants to talk to you." No surprise there.

"Shino, can you take my files and wait for me in my office please?" Shikamaru asked his fellow shinobi. Shino nodded in agreement then took the files from Shikamaru. Both ninja continued on their way but split paths once they came to their respective rooms.

"Hokage-sama, it's Shikamaru, may I come in?" Shikamaru asked before he opened the door. He didn't receive a response but the door immediately opened.

"Come in Shikamaru." Lady Tsunade permitted him. He entered the room and she immediately closed the door behind him then made her way next to the silver haired Hokage.

"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama." Shikamaru stated as he stood up straight in front of the Hokage. He did all that he could to try and contain the anger he was feeling towards the more seasoned shinobi in front of him.

"I'm sure by now you've heard about what happened last night." They weren't going to beat around the bush at least. They wanted to get straight down to business.

"I have." Shikamaru confirmed.

"You're the leader of the Shinobi Union so what are you planning on doing?" Kakashi asked him.

"I don't know yet. I've yet to hear everything that I need to. Once I have then I will inform you and the other Kage about how I would like to proceed." Shikamaru and Kakashi stared each other down but the young ninja refused to submit right now.

"I told you to get rid of your modesty Shikamaru. I didn't expect you to replace it with contempt." Lady Tsunade spoke to him now. He turned his attention to the kunoichi who had a critical look on her face.

"My apologies Lady Tsunade-sama." Shikamaru gave her a bow.

"What's going on Shikamaru?" Lady Tsunade asked him this time but she had a caring expression on her face this time. That didn't sway him in the least.

"I have work to do. Give me 24 hours. I'm going to need Choji, Ino, Hinata, Shino, Tenten, Lee, Sai, Kiba and Akamaru on standby as well." Shikamaru informed them.

"Only using ninja from your generation." Kakashi commented.

"I trust them." Shikamaru eyed the Hokage. "Excuse me." He gave them a bow then dismissed himself from the room. He immediately went over to his office then locked the door behind him.
"Let's begin Shino. We have 24 hours to figure out what the hell is going on and how we are going to stop this."

"Are you sure about this Shikamaru?" Shino asked Shikamaru as they sat in his office while still planning. Shino was being uncharacteristically caring but the lazy ninja had learnt so much from the Aburame and so much about him during their planning that he saw Shino in a different light. Besides being one of the most intelligent shinobi he knew, Shino was genuinely a nice guy.

"It's the best shot we have. As long as everyone does their part then there should be no setbacks." Shikamaru stated as he finally rested in his seat on the couch and let his mind play through all the scenarios in his head. One thing he was certain though, he was tired.

"You do realize the risks." That was one thing he never forgot. No matter how carefully he planned, Shikamaru could never get rid of all the risks completely. Risks are what drove most of his decisions anyway.

"Yeah but it's what needs to be done." Shikamaru confirmed. He sighed then reluctantly removed himself from the comfortable couch. He stretched his tired body as Shino gracefully stood up.
"I'm going to go tell Kakashi the plan and he'll probably call everyone so that I can explain the mission. You know what to do?"

"Yes." A simple but necessary answer. Why couldn't everyone be like Shino? He didn't waste energy saying other useless pieces of information. He was blunt and straightforward.
They gave each other a respectful nod then left the room. Shino disappeared down the hallway while Shikamaru politely knocked on the Hokage's door.

"Come in." He heard Kakashi's reply. He silently entered the room then closed the door behind him as before standing in front of the Hokage who sat behind his desk and eyed the young ninja.
"Do you have a plan?" The way Kakashi asked that question was clearly a challenge.

"I do. Choji, Ino, Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Akamaru, Tenten, Lee, Sai and I will go after Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. Our main objective will be to retrieve the Shichiseiken but we will also try to capture the criminals and bring them in. Sakura and Naruto will be brought here for questioning and Sasuke will be taken to Kirigakure to answer for his crime against them." Shikamaru explained. He was too tired to care about Kakashi's challenge and he frankly didn't care about what the Hokage thought about him anyway.

"Do you think that you guys can take them down?"

"We've grown up with the 3 of them. We know every one of their jutsu's and we know what they're capable of. We know how they think as well so if we can't take them down then no one can." The Hokage was silent for a moment as he stared at the lazy ninja. He knew that Kakashi was probably trying to figure out what he was planning but there was no way that he was going to be able to do so right now. Shikamaru wasn't going to let anyone get under his skin right now.

"Anything else the Kage should know about?"

"I want the Kazekage and Raikage to move their treasured tools to a safe location outside their villages. That would draw out whoever wants the tools and that way we can take them down. I want the Tsuchikage to send help to the Kazekage and I want the Mizukage to send help to the Raikage. Whichever Nation that will be targeted for an attack will need the help if they are too avoid any casualties. You should also order our treasured tool to be moved to a location outside the village and I want Konohamaru to lead the team that will protect it. He needs to get his mind off Naruto betraying the village." Kakashi nodded in agreement with his plan. At least he wasn't against the plan.

"Do you want to have your plans happening at the same time?"

"We will attack Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke tomorrow night so that's when the treasured tools should be moved." Shikamaru agreed.

"I will have Shizune send out messenger birds as soon as possible. You should go freshen up and meet back here in an hour so that you can brief your team." Shikamaru immediately bowed to the Hokage. At least they were being civil with each other despite the threatening stares between them.

"Excuse me." Shikamaru turned around and left the room then breathed another sigh of relief. Everything was going perfect, for now at least.
He slowly made his way home as he looked up at the early evening sky while he placed his hands in his pockets. The temperature was cooler so it was probably getting ready to rain soon. He hated the rain but right now he wished the clouds above him would just pour down on him so that he could wash away all the emotions he was being plagued by right now. He didn't want to feel anything anymore. He just wanted to go with the flow. He just wanted to be a cloud.

"You know, it's warmer on the inside." A voice suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked around and saw that he was standing in front of his house. When did he get home? Was he so tired that he didn't even notice that he made it home?
"Come on." His mother grabbed his hand then led him inside the house.

"How's Kurenai and her baby?" Shikamaru quickly asked once they sat down in the lounge.

"Kurenai is awake and her child's name is Mirai. They're both doing okay. They're not out of the woods yet but they can see the horizon." He's heard his mother make that reference so much times before but those words made him feel safe. No matter what happened, every time his mother said those words gave him hope that everything will be okay.

"That's a beautiful name."

"You should go visit them."

"I need a shower first." His mother gave him a soft smile but he could see that there was something on her mind. He knew that it was serious if she was being this sincere and caring with him, not that his mother was a monster, well not all the time at least.

"Your father had that same look on you had on your face every time he was about to go on a mission he wasn't sure he'd return from." That explained what was on his mother's mind. She was afraid that he was going to get hurt or worse. Honestly, he should've been feeling the same. Going up against Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke and surviving was going to take a lot out of them.

"I'm not going to lie to you mom, what I am planning on doing is dangerously stupid and life threatening." His mother was already worried so the least he could be was honest with her.

"Any chance I could talk you out of doing this?" He looked into his mother's pleading eyes and saw the desperation in them. She already lost a husband so she definitely didn't want to lose a son.

"I promise you, I will come back. It might take days or weeks but I will come back, even if I have to crawl back home." He hoped that would try to put her mind at ease but he knew that it was a long shot at best.

"You have a child you need to take care of so you have no other choice." His mother's joke put a much needed smile on his face. She was trying to be okay with this whole situation but he was pretty sure that she was going to be praying for his safety the moment he leaves tomorrow.

"She's just going to turn out to be another troublesome woman that's going to boss me around."

"Then you'll definitely be doing a great job raising her." He had to release a laugh at that. Even if she was going to be just another troublesome woman, he still wanted to be there while she grew up.
"For now you have to go take a shower. I will make you some time then we can go to the hospital together." His mother instructed him.

"Yes ma'am." Shikamaru responded knowing that it would irritate his mother. Yoshino stared at her son as she got up but then made her way to the kitchen so Shikamaru got up as well and went up the stairs so that he could take a shower. This was probably going to be one of the last showers he took for a couple of days.
Half an hour later he found himself and his mother at the hospital. He felt refreshed but still needed some serious sleep. He hadn't slept for nearly 24 hours now so hopefully their briefing didn't take too long so that he could go sleep. They entered Kurenai's room and heard light chatter.

"Good evening Hinata." Yoshino greeted the young Hyuga Heiress. She was sitting on a chair next to the bed while she spoke to Kurenai who was lying on her bed. Mirai was in a small cot on the other side of the bed closer to the window but she wasn't making a sound so she was probably sleeping.

"Good evening Mrs Nara, good evening Shikamaru." Hinata stood up and greeted them with a bow. Still as respectful as always.

"Hey Hinata." Shikamaru lazily greeted her then looked at the patient under the blankets.

"Are you guys sure that I'm the one with a weak heart and not this zombie?" Kurenai asked the two females as she gestured to Shikamaru. Despite what she said, he was glad to hear her voice. It was good to see her awake again and if she was able to criticize him then she was definitely doing okay.

"It's good to see you too Kurenai." Shikamaru replied as a smile crept across both their faces.

"A lot's been going on since I ended up here it seems." Kurenai stated as his mother took a seat on the chair Hinata was previously sitting on while she stood next to Shikamaru.

"Just the usual. Heroes turning into villains, treasured tools being stolen, men drugging boys; just a normal Konohan life." Shikamaru's sarcasm seemed to lighten up the mood around the room.

"I heard that you were the first one to hold Mirai." Kurenai looked over at the baby next to the bed and smiled.

"Yeah. Definitely Asuma's little demon." He confirmed.

"She's our little demon now." He let out a chuckle while they released a short laugh at that. She was definitely going to have so many people around her all the time that she wasn't even going to have the chance to understand loneliness.

"That's her calling." Yoshino informed them as the little girl began making a barrage of weird sounds but at least she wasn't crying.

"Maybe she wants you Shikamaru." He got Kurenai's message loud and clear. He was pretty sure that any one of the females in the room would do a better job of looking after the little girl besides him but Kurenai wanted him to take her. He quickly made his way around the bed then slowly picked her up in his arms. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at her. There was just something about her innocence and pure happiness that made him happy.

"She likes you." Hinata commented as she watched the pair.

"She's weird." Shikamaru said but refused to take his eyes off her. She was the last hope of purity that he had in the world and he didn't want to let that go.

"So are you. I guess the two of you will get along pretty nicely then." His mother stated causing them to laugh again.

"We'll see." Shikamaru made his way around the bed then carefully placed Mirai in her mother's arms again.
"I just came to check up on you girls but now Hinata and I have a briefing we need to get to." Shikamaru informed the older kunoichi.

"Good luck then." Yoshino told them.

"Good bye Kurenai-sensei, Mrs Nara." Hinata greeted them with a bow again before following Shikamaru out of the room.

"How are you doing Hinata?" Shikamaru asked the shy girl once they were out of the room and walking down the hallways. Naruto's betrayal must've been hitting her hard seeing how close they had grown to each other.

"I'm okay." She definitely didn't sound okay but he was barely holding it together right now himself. It just felt like the whole world was against him right now. Like his life was destined to be one fucked up situation after the other.
"Are we going to go after them?" Hinata softly asked.

"Yes."

"Do you know how we can get them back?"

"Maybe. I have a plan that might work." He informed her. He trusted Hinata to hear the actual plan and not the one that he was going to tell everyone else but he also needed her help.
"There's something I am going to need you to do though for my plan to work."

"What is it?" Hinata asked as she turned to face him.

"It's a dangerous plan. It's going to require a lot from you." Shikamaru eyed her but he could see the conviction in her pale eyes.

"If it brings Naruto back to the village then I'll do whatever it takes. What is your plan?"

WOW, SHIKAMARU AND SHINO COULDN'T BE MORE VAGUE WITH THEIR PLANS. TELL US AS WELL! WE WANT TO KNOW! HAVE TO COMMEND SHIKAMARU'S BALLS TO GO UP AGAINST LADY TSUNADE AND KAKASHI BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT I RELATE TO HIS ANGER THERE. I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED IT AND IF YOU DIDN'T THEN FEEL FREE TO HATE ME. I DESERVE IT SINCE I AM JUST ANOTHER STUPID GUY. UNTIL NEXT TIME GUYS AND GIRLS, SEE YA…