OKAY THEN, I GUESS THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE CLIMATIC CHAPTER THAT SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR BUT I KNOW THAT EVERYONE IS GOING TO HATE ME AFTER THIS BUT WHAT I DO WANT TO ASK OF YOU GUYS IS TO JUST STAY FOR ONE MORE CHAPTER AFTER THIS ONE. JUST ONE MORE STUPID CHAPTER PLEASE THEN I WILL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING (OR WILL I?).
HAPPY READING
"Kiba, Hana, Izumo, Kotetsu." Shikamaru addressed the four ninja once he and his team met Kiba's team in a small village in the Land of Whirlpools. It was just past noon so they had made good time in getting to their destination.
"Yo guys." Izumo happily greeted the team as the four of them faced the bigger group. They were standing outside a building close to the edge of the rural village. The Inuzuka ninja dogs were standing at attention and probably keeping up their jobs.
"So what's the word from the village?" Kotetsu asked him.
"Kiba and Akamaru are going to join our team. I need you, Izumo, Hana and her ninja dog to head to Kumogakure to assist the transportation of their treasured tool alongside ninja from Kirigakure." Shikamaru informed them.
"3 nations doing a joint mission just to transport a magic pot?" Hana skeptically asked the Nara.
"You will receive more information after the mission ends and you return to our village." Shikamaru stared them down and they immediately backed off.
"Damn, this must be important." Izumo commented as he tried to laugh it off.
"Everything must go according to plan so don't mess this up." Shikamaru warned them. "So what can you guys tell us about Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke's location?"
"They are hold up in some sort of cave that definitely goes underground but it doesn't look like they can escape underground. I think it may be some type of storage facility that Orochimaru or Kabuto used before the war. It's pretty much just sand and dry land leading to the cave. A couple of rocky hills but nothing that would provide enough coverage to escape undetected." Hana provided her detailed report. It was pretty much an even playing field then. No one had an advantage or disadvantage when it came to the terrain.
"They've been in there ever since Naruto and Sakura joined Sasuke. There's no one else inside and no one has entered the cave after them." Kiba added.
"Possibility of traps?" Shikamaru asked them.
"I don't think so. Sasuke isn't the type to set traps anyway. He likes a challenge so he'll confront you straight up." Kotetsu wasn't wrong there. Sasuke loved a battle and definitely didn't mind destroying them without remorse. The weird thing that Shikamaru always noticed about Sasuke was that he never went looking for a fight but he didn't not walk away from them.
"Okay, thanks for the information guys. You need to leave now if you want to make it to Kumogakure before they move the treasured tool tonight." Shikamaru told them.
"Good luck getting Naruto and Sakura back but don't do anything reckless." Hana told them then put her hand on her brother's head and messed up his hairstyle.
"Just go already." Kiba pushed his sister away as she laughed.
"See you at home little brother." Hana said then petted her ninja dog. Her one looked more ferocious and deadlier than Akamaru but Akamaru's innocent face was just a façade. The four shinobi, including Hana's ninja dog, made their way away from the larger group and headed in the direction of Kumogakure.
"So what now?" Ino asked as the group of ninja looked at each other.
"Now I tell you guys the plan." Shikamaru replied.
7 hours, a long strategy and planning meeting, way too many stupid arguments, a fist fight and a time of resting later; they were ready to face their enemy. They knew what they needed to do and how to do it so now it was only a matter of executing their plan. All of them were sitting in the building they were standing outside when they arrived. Some of them were just lying and trying to conserve their energy while others were checking their equipment before the mission. Kiba and Akamaru were still on alert in case the 3 rogue shinobi decided to move locations.
"You still okay Shikamaru?" Shino asked him while they stood close to the window and looked out at the early night sky that had formed.
"Under 2 more hours right?" Shikamaru replied as Shino nodded in agreement. He knew that Shino was referring to their plan but Shikamaru was becoming more nervous about it the closer the time came for their assault.
"Last chance for any changes." Shino was probably right about that but there was no other way Shikamaru could think of to improve his plan anymore. Everything was as perfect as they could be so he didn't even want to change anything in case it ruined everything else.
"Have anything better?" He took the bug master's silence as a 'no'. He didn't know if Shino had anything better or if he was too afraid to change the plan as well.
"You ready for this?" Shikamaru was their leader so he had to make sure that they were ready for this as well.
"Yes." Shino confidently answered. He hoped Shino's confidence rubbed off on him because he really needed it right now.
"Then let's get everyone ready." Shikamaru turned around and looked at his friends scattered around the room.
"We're leaving in 10 minutes so get your things ready." Shikamaru instructed everyone. They slowly began getting up from their places and began checking their equipment and weapons. Everyone was silent as they did their things. He didn't know if it was because of nerves or because of their reluctance to do this.
"Shikamaru." Hinata's nervous voice grabbed his attention. He turned to the right and saw the Hyuga standing next to him.
"Something wrong Hinata?" He could see the worry in Hinata's eyes but he knew why. The things he was asking of her were difficult to do even for a Kage but there was no one else in this situation who was better suited for it.
"I just want to make sure that everything is still on track." He turned to Shino standing on the opposite side of him before turning back to Hinata.
"Everything will be okay. You guys need to focus on doing your parts or else this would all have been for nothing." Shikamaru reminded them. They nodded in agreement then walked off with each other. They were going to have to work perfectly together if they were going to be successful but they knew each other perfectly so he didn't foresee any problems there.
"You look too relaxed for someone who's going to be leading us into the battle of our lives." Ino commented as she and Choji came up to him now. Why did everyone suddenly want to speak to him?
"If I show you how scared I am right now then you guys shouldn't trust me." Shikamaru replied.
"A man without fear is a man with a death wish." Choji stated.
"Death is much more peaceful than this." At least that's what he hoped. He did hear from Kurenai-sensei that when Kakashi died against Pein then he met his dead father who was sitting around a fire under the glow of the stars so at least that was promising enough. Death couldn't be all that bad.
"Except when you're being targeted for the reanimated jutsu." Ino's reply put a smile on his face. It was a stupid reply but still pretty relevant. The reanimating jutsu just complicated things unnecessarily so he hoped that no one attempted that jutsu again. Orochimaru and Kabuto were still capable of doing it but he hoped that they showed some restraint.
"If I die then burn my body I guess. Being brought back to life sounds like such a drag." That put a smile on Ino's face now as well.
"We'll just have to make sure that you don't do something stupid then and that goes for you too Choji." Ino warned them.
"I just follow Shikamaru's orders." Choji innocently replied.
"Throwing me under the bus Cho?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow which made the Akimichi nervous but amused him and Ino. "I'm just playing Cho but if I give you guys the order to retreat then do it okay. No one needs to be heroes tonight."
"Okay." Both of them nodded in agreement. He loved the two irritating ninja in front of him and was proud of the shinobi they became. He hated that they were still just as troublesome as they were when they were kids but at least they become more mature, for the most part.
"When we're all back in the village again then we're getting barbecue with Kurenai-sensei and Mirai. We can't do it with Asuma anymore but Kurenai is just as fun but a lot more nosy." Shikamaru suggested.
"Deal. Kurenai and I have a lot of catching up to do and Mirai is just too damn cute." Ino didn't need to add that last part but at least she was in.
"I'm always up for barbecue." Yep, Choji was never going to turn that down.
"Let's look forward to that then. For now, we need to remain focus." Shikamaru put his hands on their shoulders then walked with them to the middle of the room since everyone looked like they were finished setting their equipment and ready to set out.
"Okay, everyone listen up. We're going to run through the plan once more before we leave. Once we leave then we don't speak about the plan only if we need to change it okay."
"Yes sir." All of them agreed.
"We're going to head towards their cave where they would most probably be outside waiting for us. We'll try to reason with them first before we start fighting. If it does break out in a fight then Ino, Choji and I will take on Sasuke. Tenten and Lee will handle Sakura. Kiba, Akamaru, Shino and Hinata will take on Naruto. Sai will focus on retrieving the Shichiseiken while we're battling. If you're in trouble then ask for help. Always be on the lookout for traps and always be on alert. They might be our friends but right now they're still our enemies so we'll have to treat them as such. Let's go everyone."
Not really an inspiring speech their leader right now but all of them knew what they were getting themselves into so they should've been physically and mentally prepared beforehand. They silently left the house then swiftly but cautiously headed in the direction of the cave Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were supposedly hiding in. Shikamaru felt a quick pain in his chest but it disappeared soon after so he continued with the journey like the rest of them. No matter the amount of pain his body was in right now, it was sure to get worse once they began battling the Hokage's former students.
"They're waiting for us." Kiba suddenly informed the group as they neared their destination. Shikamaru wasn't able to see their targets but he trusted Kiba and Akamaru's ability. Shikamaru was expecting team 7 to be waiting for the group outside their cave so this didn't change his plan. They continued moving forward but still remained vigilant in case of any traps.
"Sasuke has the Shichiseiken on his back." Sai stated. Shikamaru could see the silhouettes of the 3 ninja in the distance but his eyesight wasn't as strong as Sai's was. The emotionless shinobi was more experienced and probably more skilled than the Nara or the other shinobi in the group right now so it didn't come as a shock to them that he was able to see the treasured tool on Sasuke's back right now.
"Sai, you're with Ino, Choji and myself until you get the Shichiseiken. The rest of the plan still remains the same." Shikamaru informed them. The lazy ninja was beginning to get a lot more nervous now with every step he took. He began seeing the 3 deserters more clearly and all of them looked ready for a fight.
"Took you guys long enough." Sasuke arrogantly said once they were standing a couple of yards away from each other but still close enough to hear him clearly.
"Hand over the Shichiseiken." Shikamaru ordered him. He may have been nervous and admittedly scared but he wasn't going to back down now.
"Shikamaru, just listen to us please." Sakura told him but he turned to her with a deathly stare. He really didn't want to speak to her or even see her right now but he had a mission to complete.
"If you're going to try and convince us that Sasuke stole the Shichiseiken so that you guys can protect it from whoever wants to get a hold of it because you don't trust the Kage or you think that you guys can do a better job than they can then don't waste your breath." Shikamaru responded.
"I was able to break into Kirigakure and steal the sword so the Mizukage clearly wasn't doing a great job protecting it." Sasuke let out a small chuckle at his accomplishment. He was clearly proud of being a criminal.
"So you're proud of being able to steal the sword when the Mizukage wasn't even in the village to protect it?" Sasuke's smile immediately disappeared and returned to his usual emo expression.
"We don't want to fight you guys. We can work together. We're friends." Naruto told them. He clearly didn't want to ruin his relationships with everyone but that didn't mean that his mission was right or that the way he was going about doing it was the right way.
"Hand over the Shichiseiken and come back to Konohagakure with us, last chance." Shikamaru offered them.
"Join us and take down whoever wants to control the tailed beasts." Sasuke counteroffered. Suddenly Hinata began making her way towards the 3 rogue ninja.
"Hinata what are you doing?" Kiba quickly asked her but Shikamaru could hear the alarm in his voice. He knew that Kiba shared a unique bond with the Hyuga so he didn't want to fight her or see her hurt. His care for Hinata almost rivalled that of Naruto's but he knew that there was no romantic spark between the Inuzuka and Hyuga. They shared more of a sibling relationship.
"Yeah Hinata, come back here." Tenten told her but Hinata kept walking until she reached them then threw her arms around Naruto and embraced him.
"You traitor Hinata! You belong with them!" Ino angrily shouted at her. So much for leaving the talking part up to Shikamaru but Hinata's betrayal did kind of ruin his plan now.
"Anyone else want to join us?" Sasuke asked them.
"Go to hell Sasuke!" Kiba replied. He was clearly as angry as Ino was right now. They would actually be a good match for each other if Shikamaru thought about it. Kiba was hot headed and arrogant but so was Ino. Both of them were flirts in their own right except that Ino was more successful at it than Kiba. If only there was a romantic spark between them instead of them hating each other most of the time.
"I'll see you there." Sasuke immediately began making hand signs and activating his jutsu so all of them got ready for whatever it was.
"Stick to the plan guys." Shikamaru informed them as a wave of fire began forming and headed straight towards them.
"I got this." Tenten told them then pulled out a scroll. Suddenly an ocean of water began rushing against the wave of fire and immediately put it out but continued flooding the land behind them. Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura and Hinata immediately began moving backwards and trying to avoid being hit by the rush of water but thankfully that caused them to be split up.
"Let's go guys." Shikamaru instructed him then heard Sakura's fierce battle cry and felt the ground shake beneath them. Suddenly the water began draining into a large crack in the ground but they ignored it and began rushing to their opponents.
"Mind Body Switch." Ino commanded and aimed it at Sasuke then fell onto Shikamaru's awaiting back.
"Spiked Human Bullet Tank." Choji synced up with Ino then quickly launched his body covered by his spiky hair into the air and headed straight towards Sasuke.
"Shadow Possession." Shikamaru activated his jutsu to immobilize the Uchiha just in case he was able to get Ino out of his head. He took a look at the rest of the battles happening to see their progress. The closest battle to him was Naruto and Hinata fighting against Shino and Kiba. Kiba was using his Fang Over Fang to try and disorient his opponents so that Shino's insects could swarm them but Hinata was using her gentle fist to keep the bugs away from her and Naruto. Sakura and Lee were engaged in an intense taijutsu battle while Tenten gave him some support. He looked around and tried to find Sai but he was missing. He saw that the Shichiseiken was still against Sasuke's back and he didn't see any of Sai's drawings running about. He just hoped that Sai was able to get the sword no matter what else he did.
"Shikamaru, I got some information I need to tell Kakashi about." Ino snapped him back to reality. He saw Choji about to hit Sasuke when suddenly the ribcage of his Susanoo appeared to protect him against the Akimichi.
"Not now. Once you get back to the village." Shikamaru instructed her then used his shadows to launch 2 smoke bombs so that Choji can safely make his way back to them.
"What do we do now Shikamaru?" Choji asked them as Sasuke's full Susanoo erupted before them.
"Cho, I need you to take on the Susanoo and I will try and provide support. Ino, help Kiba and Shino." Shikamaru instructed them. They nodded in agreement and Ino immediately left them. Choji grew as big as the Susanoo before them and quickly pushed the bow and arrow to the side so that he and Shikamaru weren't shot. The arrow landed and exploded kilometers away from them but they were still able to feel the force of the explosion.
Suddenly a familiar drawing of a lion appeared behind the Susanoo; Sai's drawings, the same one he used to seal some of the reanimated shinobi during the war. Was he seriously trying to seal the Susanoo and Sasuke as well?
"Shikamaru, get this to Tenten." Sai instructed him then threw the Shichiseiken towards the Nara. He looked at Sasuke's back and still saw the exact same sword so which one was fake? If Sasuke had the fake one then how the hell did Sai manage to do that to the Uchiha?
He couldn't dwell on that now, he needed to get the tool to Tenten. He grabbed the sword then ran towards top weapon user in the village. He avoided the battle happening between Naruto, Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru and Shino but saw that Ino was using her Mind Body Disturbance Technique to force Naruto and Hinata to fight each other which gave Shino, Kiba and Akamaru the chance to attack. He continued on his way to Tenten who was watching on the sidelines as Lee and Sakura took part in one of the best taijutsu battles Shikamaru has ever seen. Both shinobi were giving it their all and they were surprisingly equally matched despite being better in respect categories. Lee had speed and power on his side but Sakura was as strong as a mountain and absorbed his attacks while counterattacking as well. It was honestly beautiful to watch the purity of the taijutsu but he had to remain focused.
"Tenten, put this away." Shikamaru instructed her as he handed over the treasured tool.
"Now we take them down?" Tenten asked as she sealed the tool in her scroll.
"Yep." Shikamaru agreed then began running back to Choji and Sai battling the Uchiha.
"Giant Rasengan." Naruto loudly announced. Shikamaru saw 3 clones jump into the air with huge balls of Rasengan in their hands so he quickly activated his shadows and moved his allies out of the way so that they didn't get hit by the Rasengan's.
"Thanks Shikamaru." Kiba told him as they saw Naruto transform into the Six Paths Senjutsu state with the Truth-Seeking Balls next to him while Hinata activated her Twin Lion Fists.
"Shikamaru, what do we do?" Sai asked as he and Choji jumped off Sai's birds. He saw that Sasuke had joined Naruto and Hinata's side and he was getting ready to use his unique Rinnegan.
A huge explosion quickly drew all their attention to the battle that was happening between Sakura and Lee. Lee had activated his fifth gate of the Eight Gates Techniques while Sakura had activated her Strength of a Hundred Seal. Things were getting way too serious, way too quickly right now. They haven't even been fighting for 10 minutes yet all of them looked like they had been through war despite them being ready for round 2 right now.
"Lee, Tenten; retreat!" Shikamaru instructed them.
"Are you serious? We can take them Shikamaru." Kiba stated.
"Don't be stupid Kiba. Taking on Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Hinata in the states they're in right now would only end badly. We'll live to fight another day." Shikamaru replied.
"Summoning jutsu." Shino summoned his gigantic insect and Sai immediately created a huge bird as well.
"What are we doing Shikamaru?" Lee asked him.
"Going back to Konoha." Shikamaru informed him then turned to Tenten. "Hand me the scroll with the Shichiseiken."
"What are you going to do Shikamaru?" Ino asked him as Tenten handed him the scroll.
"You need to get to Kakashi and tell him everything you saw in Sasuke's head. Everyone, go back to Konoha, that's an order." Shikamaru told them.
"If you're staying here then so are we." Kiba stated.
"We're not leaving you behind." Choji added.
"I appreciate your concern but I need to do this. I'm ordering you guys to go back to the village now." Shikamaru sternly commanded them. He could see their reluctance at first but then saw them climb onto Shino's insect or Sai's bird. It took a few minutes before they flew off and headed in the direction of Konoha and Shikamaru finally allowed the pain in his body to surface. It felt like something was eating him from the inside out. He ignored then turned to face the four shinobi behind him and walked closer to them. All of them had deactivated their abilities and were now curiously looking at the young Nara approaching them.
"Why didn't you leave with them Shikamaru?" Hinata asked him.
"I've grown up with all four of you. I know you guys like the back of my hand. I know that all you guys ever wanted was peace. Peace in the village, peace in your life, peace in your clan, peace for the next generation but it's all the same peace and guess what, you guys achieved that when you won the war. You defeated the Akatsuki, stopped Obito, held off Madara and defeated Kaguya. You guys did the impossible and I was so proud of you guys. This year had been the worst year of my life. Asuma died which killed me but then I got revenge. You know, during that time, none of you actually gave a crap about me. I mean, you were by the funeral and you said how sorry you were about my loss and then that was it. Obviously you weren't in the village Sasuke so you can't be blamed there but leaving the village in the first place was such a dick move by the way. Granted, Naruto and Sakura came to mine, Ino and Choji's rescue when we went to get revenge but that didn't really make up for their lack of compassion you know. Birds of a feather I guess. When Jiraiya died, I was there for you Naruto. I gave you some advice and I shared my experience with you since my sensei also died. And then the war came and everyone began dying and those who were already dead came back to life. Yes there will always be casualties in war and that's the risk we all accept when we agree to participate. You guys were there battling the ten tails. You guys could've stopped the ten tails before it fired it's bomb that killed mine and Ino's father if you think about it. Maybe you guys were too arrogant and think that it was firing at something else but I can't really hold that against you. It was in the middle of a battle so my father died and I lost another important person in my life and you know what happened after that, you guys weren't there for me once again. It was the middle of a war like I said so it couldn't be helped. Neji died as well so we were all affected by his death. Sakura did save me and I appreciate that but then the war ended and Naruto and Sasuke decided to kill each other once again. We got back to the village and a month of mourning was declared and you guys told me how sorry you were and attended the funerals and that was it once again. Besides Hinata who lost Neji and Sasuke who was still locked up, there was actually no excuse for the Hero of Konoha and Tsunade's star pupil not to show compassion and be there for me. You're probably listening to me speak and thinking that I am being selfish or narcissistic or just looking for attention but that is the past and I am only bringing it up to show you guys how badly you suck as friends." Suddenly blood began pouring out of Shikamaru's eyes as the pain in his body made him feel weak but he didn't want to give in yet. The looks on everyone faces except Sasuke showed that this emotional blackmail was affecting them perfectly. Sasuke hardly ever showed his emotions but he hoped that he was at least feeling some sympathy towards him right now.
"Shikamaru, your crying blood." Sakura sounded concern and was about to make her way towards him but he held out his hand to stop her.
"You don't get to heal me or touch me ever again. Not after you walked out on Kurenai and her child. Not after I begged you to stay but you just turned your back on me. Not after you decided to chase after Sasuke rather than save Kurenai's life. Both she and her child are doing great by the way. Her child's name is Mirai and she is definitely Asuma's little demon but she is a bit cute I suppose. Mirai won't be able to grow up in the peace that you guys wanted to create though and it's all because you guys decided to go off and become criminals. You guys are hypocrites you know and that actually hurts me. I always supported you Naruto, even when everyone else despised you but this I cannot support. I admired you while I grew up, Sakura. You were always headstrong but smart and followed your heart but I can't forgive you for this. Sasuke, if you'd just let one of us help you after your family died then maybe this could've turned out differently but you decided to push everyone away and you decided that you didn't need us yet you want to drag the 3 of them down with you. Even you have to see how selfish that is of you. And Hinata, I really didn't think that you would betray us. I thought we were on the same page and I had a perfect plan until you messed it up so well done. You guys deserve each other and I guess you can have this back." Shikamaru tossed them the scroll but he could hardly keep himself up right now. Everything inside him screamed at him to shut down.
"Shikamaru, please just let Sakura help you." Hinata pleaded with the Nara as blood began spilling out of his mouth.
"No. I would rather die right now than be saved by you guys. I grew up being called a coward so let me die with my pride still intact." Shikamaru slowly turned around from them then tried to take a step but ended up falling and being unable to stop himself. Damn, Shino said that this would make him wish for death but he kind of forgot to mention that this probably was death. Everything around him just seemed to fade away. He didn't hear anything , see anything or feel anything anymore. It was just a vast sea of pitch black nothingness.
IF YOU GUYS MADE IT THROUGH THIS CHAPTER WITHOUT QUESTIONING MY STUPID FIGHT SCENE THEN YOU GUYS ARE MY TRUE FANS BECAUSE I AM NOT EVEN A FAN OF ME RIGHT NOW. DID I JUST KILL SHIKAMARU RIGHT NOW? AND WHAT THE F*** DID SHINO HAVE TO DO WITH HIM DYING? WAS HE EVEN SICK? LIKE WHAT THE ACTUAL F***ING HELL? I GOTTA SAY, SHIKA DOES MAKE SOME VALID POINTS IN HIS LONG A$$ DIALOGUES. ANYWAY, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, I HOPE YOU GUYS AND GIRLS STAY FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER SO UNTIL THEN, SEE YA…