HEY GUYS AND GIRLS. I'M BACK AND I AM ACTUALLY POSTING THIS WHILE I AM SOAKING WET RIGHT NOW. BUT I AM STILL HERE WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER. THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE SUPPORT SO FAR AND I HOPE I'M DOING THIS FANFIC JUSTICE. I'M SORRY FOR ALL THE MISTAKES AS USUAL.

HAPPY READING

"We're leaving tomorrow morning and heading to Kiba's position. We'll hear his report and assess the situation ourselves. Our first objective is to retrieve the Shichiseiken that Sasuke stole before trying to bring them in. We all know how dangerous Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke are but we can take them down if we work together. I'll be taking the lead and Shino will be the second in command. Everyone got that?" Shikamaru asked his friends as they gathered around in his office later that evening.

"Yes sir." They obediently replied but he could see that none of them looked eager to do this mission and he wasn't either. Every single one of them in the room right now had developed a special bond with the Naruto and Sakura so they didn't want to fight them let alone see them being thrown in jail. Just a couple of weeks ago they were all having a great time hanging out at Sakura's house and catching up with each other and now Naruto and Sakura were criminals and he and his friends were tasked with taking them down and bringing them back to the village. How did everything become so fucked up in such a short time? He looked around the room and notably missed the one person who would know the right words to boost their morale right now: Neji. The selfless Hyuga would've known the best thing to say right now. He was the perfect balance of duty and authority with compassion and sincerity. He was intelligent yet caring. He was the perfect ninja and friend all round. He would've been a great help now and not just because of his abilities. Damn, he never knew how much he would miss the Hyuga.

"I know that none of you want to do this but it's our duty. They're our friends and if we don't do this then every other nation would just send their ninja to try and capture them. This is not only to bring them back to the village but also to show them that we still care about them. I know that we were taught not to allow emotions to take over during missions but I don't see how we can remove our emotions from this mission. They're our friends but they're also our enemies right now. Whatever happens just make sure that you come back to the village." Not his best speech but right now he would give anything to get their morale up.

"We will bring them back." Ino agreed. She and Sakura shared the weirdest but deepest bond so she probably wanted to bring Sakura back for her own personal reasons as well.

"Get a good night's rest everyone. We'll meet at the main gate at sunrise." Shikamaru ordered them. They nodded in agreement and slowly made their way out of the room. There wasn't a lot of chatter happening between them. Even the usually energetic Lee was silent. He was taking their desertion as personally as everyone it seems. Shikamaru laid back in his seat and closed his eyes. He began going through the perilous plan in his head to try and find out if there was any way that his plan could be improved.

"Shikamaru." He opened his eyes to find Kakashi standing by his desk. He didn't even hear the Hokage entering the room let alone closing his door. Looks like not getting any sleep for over 24 hours really dampened his senses.

"Hokage-sama." Shikamaru was about to stand up and bow but Kakashi stopped him.

"We need to talk." Not the words he ever thought he would hear Kakashi tell him or any other male for that matter but there was a clear animosity between the two of them that he probably wanted to address and hopefully reconcile. The older shinobi made his way to the couches so Shikamaru stood up from his chair and took a seat on the longer couch opposite the Hokage.

"May I ask what's this about?" Shikamaru politely questioned him as he settled himself in on the comfortable couch cushions. It felt heavenly to his tired body right now.

"Your attitude for one." Looks like he was right about the aim of this discussion but he wasn't planning on giving in without a fight.

"Have I been disrespectful to you?" Shikamaru challenged the ninja.

"You haven't, you've been nothing but respectful but you've been doing it ironically which is in itself disrespectful."

"My apologies then."

"What I want to know is why? What happened?" This was a predicament. Did he lie to the Hokage or tell him the truth?
"I want you to be honest with me Shikamaru." That kind of made his decision for him.

"You haven't exactly been honest with me." He shot back

"What do you mean?"

"The group of bandits and rogue ninja we took down. They were puppets for an even more powerful group of people. Those people are after the treasured tools and probably want to use them to harness the power of the tailed beasts. Sasuke was following the rogue ninja after their failed coup and probably wanted them to lead him to the people they worked for so that he could hopefully take them down. He then stole a treasured tool himself from Kirigakure and I believe that he took it so that he could keep it from falling into the hands of the people that want to steal it or he wanted to bait them just like I am doing with other tools. He probably told Naruto and Sakura this which is why they wanted to help him and why they deserted the village."

"What does that have to do with your attitude towards me?" Kakashi challenged him this time.

"When Ino, Choji and I wanted to go avenge Asuma's death, you knew we would leave the village to do it. You stepped in and helped us. You know as much as I do that any mention of Sasuke to Sakura and Naruto after he stole the treasured tool would immediately set them off and yet, you allowed them to go. Now I know that Naruto has a direct link to the tailed beasts who would be affected if the treasured tools are stolen and used to harness their power and I know that Sasuke doesn't want another war which is why he is working from the shadows to take down any organization like the Akatsuki but what I don't know is what Sakura's link to the tailed beasts are and don't lie to me and tell me that she has no link to them because I know that she does."

"How did you know?" Now we were getting somewhere. At least Kakashi wasn't lying to him now.

"I've always suspected that something had to happen to her after the war. She fought alongside Naruto with the power of the tailed beasts and she had direct contact to his blood and even saved his life during and after the war when he had his fight with Sasuke. I could only confirm that something might've happened to her after we spent some time together and she kept tensing up at random times. She used Naruto as an excuse at one time which could've been a coincidence. During the mission, Sasuke came and helped us then had a meeting with Naruto and Sakura that they refused to tell me about which could only mean that it had something to do with the tailed beasts. He could've possibly told them about his plan to steal one of the tools as well. I don't think I need to continue." The ball was in Kakashi's court now, it was up to him to make the next move.
Suddenly the door opened so both ninja turned their attention towards the entrance of the room. The strangling tension that they had built up had been dissipated by the arrival of another person.

"You guys seem to be getting along pretty well here." Lady Tsunade said then sat down on the single couch adjacent to Kakashi and Shikamaru. She and Shizune had entered the room and interrupted the intense conversation between the two ninja.

"Your tea." Shizune told the Hokage as she put the cup down on the table. "Shikamaru, can I get you a cup as well?"

"Yes and some sake for me too. It looks like this is going to be a lengthy conversation." Lady Tsunade answered for Shikamaru. He didn't bother trying to argue with the former Hokage because he knew it would be a pointless battle. He noticed the terrifying stares that were being thrown between the two females in the room now which made him a little uncomfortable now as well. Not even Sakura and Ino's wordless battles made him this nervous.

"I'll be back soon then." Shizune swiftly left the room then closed the door behind her.

"Are we finally addressing Shikamaru's behavior towards us?" Lady Tsunade asked the silver haired Hokage.

"We're getting there." Kakashi informed her. She turned her attention to Nara and quickly stared him down.

"What's your problem with us?" Lady Tsunade was direct with her questioning unlike Kakashi but she had the freedom to do so. She didn't really need to maintain any other relationship with the lazy ninja except a professional one so she could push the boundaries a lot more than the Hokage could.

"You guys went around my back and decided that I could handle the information about Sasuke." Shikamaru decided to tell them the truth. He was tired of all the games and challenges and the questioning. He was just genuinely tired so he didn't have energy for anything but the truth right now.

"Kurenai was being operated on so we didn't want to add more to your plate." He could see the compassion behind Lady Tsunade's decision but he still didn't like it.

"My father died during the war and I was still able to teach shinobi from all over the ninja realm a jutsu so that's not an excuse. No matter what happens around me, I am still a fully capable ninja that is able to put his emotions aside so that I can focus on my duty. I'm the head of my clan, a member of the Daimyo's council and the leader of the Shinobi Union so I should've been informed about any information regarding Sasuke, Orochimaru, Kabuto or the treasured tools as soon as you got them. That's the position the Kage agreed to give me and that's the job I accepted with open arms so if you want to keep information from me then you're not only disobeying your fellow Kage and doing a disservice to every single person across the nations but you're also betraying me. I'm an advisor to the Hokage so I report to the Hokage but it's my duty to make sure that every action that our shinobi take will be to the benefit of the people living and working in our village but I can't do that if you guys won't allow me to." Wow, it felt good to get that off his chest. He knew that his words were harsh and very aggressive but it's what he needed to say and it's what they needed to hear. He looked over at their expressions to see their reactions but he couldn't see Kakashi's reaction under his mask as usual. The Sannin's expression took him by surprise though. She had a victorious smile on her face for some reason. Did she want him to explode like that?

"We apologize for keeping the information from you and for going behind your back Shikamaru." Shikamaru had never heard the copy ninja sound more sincere in the entire time that he knew him. He genuinely meant those words.

"But I am glad we did." Lady Tsunade told him but then turned to Kakashi. "He's ready." Ready? Ready for what? What were they planning?

"I agree." Okay, what the hell was going on right now?

"Ready for what?" Shikamaru bluntly asked them.

"It's time for you to know how this village really works." Lady Tsunade's answer left him even more confused.

"Not right now. When you come back from your mission then we'll tell you everything you need to know. For now, we need to tell you about Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke." Okay, now he definitely was listening. This is what he was waiting for.

"You're back again." Kurenai said Shikamaru entered her hospital room later that night. She was sitting up and holding Mirai in her arms. The sight of the kunoichi with her child put a reluctant smile on his face. It was picture perfect and he was pretty sure that Asuma had a stupid smile on his face right now wherever he was watching them from.

"Couldn't sleep and I am technically supposed to be here for a couple more days anyway." He went to the bed he woke up on yesterday and decided to rest his body down on it.

"Your bed is still here so I guess you're right." Kurenai agreed.

"You should be resting as well." He pointed out but looked up at the bland ceiling above him. He was so tired that he wasn't tired anymore. He was beginning to near 30 hours without sleep so he needed it desperately especially with an important mission that he needed to be ready for at sunrise.

"Our little demon here doesn't want me to." Shikamaru immediately turned his attention to the baby in Kurenai's arms. She looked peaceful and seemed like she was sleeping though.
"Every time I put her in the cot then she wakes up 10 minutes later." That made things clearer for him.

"Maybe she just wants some human contact while she rests. She was safe and warm in your womb for 9 months so she probably just needs to get used to being in this world." That was a reasonable explanation right?

"You make it sound like she's an alien." Kurenai jokingly replied then released a chuckle.

"You're the one who called her a demon." He had an amusing smile on his face while Kurenai continued laughing.

"Shut it lazy ass." Looks like Temari infected another kunoichi with her nickname for him. Despite all his hatred and anger for her and her family, he enjoyed having her around while Kurenai was in the operating room.

"Where are the Suna shinobi?"

"They left yesterday morning while you were sleeping. They wanted to stay but Gaara wanted to inform the elders of Suna about the situation personally before they used that as another reason to try and overthrow him." He understood where the young Kazekage was coming from. He knew that there was still a lot of people opposed to Gaara being the Kazekage even after everything he did for them. He literally died to save their village yet they still didn't like him. He didn't know if it was still out of fear or if there was another reason.

"I hope they don't target Suna again now." Shikamaru released a sigh as he thought about it. Going after the treasured tool in the Wind Nation while they moved it would actually be a good idea for the unknown group of ninja terrorizing the ninja realm. They already attacked Suna by using a coup so they knew the layout and the defence systems in the dessert city. From what Shikamaru could tell, they never attacked the same target twice so they probably were going to target the treasured tool in Kumogakure but now would be the perfect change for them if they were willing. It was probably the better option to go back to the Wind Nation but it was up to them.

"Talking about the group of bandits that you took down?"

"Yeah."

"But you took them down. They can't attack again."

"I wish it was as simple as that." With the information about Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke that Lady Tsunade and Kakashi just shared with him definitely threw simple out of the window. Everything was so irritatingly complicated.
"There's a group of unknown shinobi that's trying to get their hands on the treasured tools. They were using the bandits as a cover to do it."

"Oh. You'll catch them before they do anything bad, I know you will." He hoped Kurenai's belief in him wasn't misplaced. He didn't care about people's opinion about him in general but for some reason he hated disappointing the people closest to him especially Kurenai. Asuma wanted him to look after her and her child so he didn't want to disappoint his sensei either.
"I can't sleep on my side yet and she's going to keep us up all night if she's in the cot so you're the lucky one she get's to cuddle with tonight." Kurenai said then presented Mirai to him. He quickly stood up from his bed then went over to her and grabbed the sleeping child.

"Not even 3 days old but already bossing us around." Shikamaru's comment put a smile on the genjutsu master's face.

"You don't seem to mind though." Kurenai pointed out as Shikamaru went back to his bed then laid back down with the baby in his arms.

"She's worth it." He gently turned on his side and let her rest on the bed against him. He was pretty sure that he was going to live to regret those words but right now she just looked like a small angel resting against him.

"We'll see." Kurenai slowly got back into bed as well so that she could probably rest her body as well. His body felt like it was barely functioning right now so he couldn't imagine how her body must've been feeling especially after everything she went through these past couple of days.
"What are you going to do about you and Sakura?" Kurenai's sudden question left him speechless. It's not that he didn't want to think about his relationship with Sakura but rather that he didn't have time to. There was just too many other things going on around him that needed his attention more and some of those things are a result of her actions so even if he did think about her then it would only be to try and rectify the mess that she and Naruto had made.

"I don't know." He truthfully answered her but he knew that she wasn't going to be satisfied with that answer. If she was going to continue questioning him about this subject then he might as well try to find answers. Kill two birds with one stone.

"Well what are you feeling right now?"

"Honestly; anger, hatred and disappointment mostly."

"Why are you angry at her?"

"She left when I begged her to stay. She didn't even try to explain, she just left."

"The hatred?"

"I hate that she abandoned you in the middle of your operation. I hate that she broke her promise to me. I hate that she left you and me to go help that piece of shit of an Uchiha."

"And you hate the fact that you opened yourself up to someone after everything that you've been through and she threw it back in your face." Kurenai's conclusion hit the nail on the head. Sakura destroyed him but he wasn't going to let that get in the way of what he had to do. If he had to be an emotionless robot then that's what he was going to be for the sake of keeping the village safe.

"She's the last person I expected to hurt me like this."

"She's intelligent and loyal shinobi so she must've had a reason for doing what she did." If only Kurenai knew what Shikamaru knew about her reasons then she probably would've had a different view there.

"When I bring them back to the village then they will answer for what they did and I will personally ensure that they get punished." That was one thing he was dead serious about. They don't get to abandon their village and not pay the price no matter who they were.

"They're your friends Shikamaru, don't forget that." Kurenai probably didn't want him to ruin any chance of rebuilding their relationships with each other when all this passed but he didn't seem like he cared about it.

"Right now they're an enemy." He sighed as he looked at the little girl sleeping soundly beside him. This whole situation was just tiring.
"Aren't you going to ask about my disappointment?"

"No, that one I understand." He could hear that by her tone. Looks like their actions affected every single shinobi in the village and not just their generation.

"We'll bring them back but for now I need sleep." Shikamaru said as he tried to end the conversation before both of them ended up in tears or even more angry.

"Just don't suffocate my child in your sleep." Kurenai warned him.

"As long as she doesn't wake me up then there won't be any trouble." Shikamaru replied.

THERE IT IS, ANOTHER ONE DONE. WHY IN THE F*** DID LADY TSUNADE HAVE TO INTERRUPT THEM JUST WHEN WE WERE GETTING ANSWERS? IS SHIKAMARU SERIOUSLY GOING TO GIVE UP ON SAKURA? LIKE HOW THE F*** DID THIS GET SO MESSED UP? I GUESS WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE. SEE YA…