Shikamaru and Temari stopped as their bodies tensed up as they reacted to the noise. The rigid bark shook violently from the force of the sound waves rebounding off the tree trunks. Leaves rustled as Temari's blonde locks followed suit, the volume threatening to undo her bunches. Shikamaru felt his skin tingle, his hairs standing on end as he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched by more than one set of eyes and with all his experience as a shinobi, he knew when to listen to his instincts. Pulled back, Temari found herself a step behind Shikamaru after he stepped in front, drawing his knife from out of his billowing sleeve.
Responding to Shikamaru's sudden alerted stance, Temari reached behind her, gripping her Tessen fan tightly. All around them, blurs of dull colours mixed together as the wind lashed in her eardrums. Her pupils darted around, scanning her surroundings yet no matter how hard she narrowed her eyes to increase her focus, she still continued to fail to make out the faces of humanoid figures that slinked into the greenery. Even if they acted in a hostile manner, Temari couldn't help but notice that they seemed to be playing their hand cautiously, considering that they held the advantage of positioning.
A growl followed soon after the voice, a feral sound that chilled Shikamaru to the bone. He had struggled to identify the voice that had spoken first originally but his mind connected the dots soon after hearing the primal growl reverberate through the forest. The thudding of boots indicated that there was more shinobi that one squad usually contained. Almost entirely certain on the identities of one of his ambushers, Shikamaru decided to stall before risking dragging Temari into a battle that he didn't have the knowledge to be absolutely prepared for.
"Hey Kiba! It's been awhile!" Shikamaru shouted into the eeriness of the woods.
Above them, branches shook with resounding impacts as the figures finally stopped and landed, eyeing Shikamaru and Temari with serious gazes. Looking up, Shikamaru met the stiff looks of the Inuzuka and his faithful companion along with his long-time teammate, Shino Aburame, and an albeit surprisingly familiar but masked face of an old comrade.
"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?" Shikamaru gasped, his face a mask of shock.
The silver haired shinobi stared down at Shikamaru and Temari, his concerned glint in his eyes catching Shikamaru's attention. Next to him, three more shinobi landed on the thick branch that seemed to be able to carry all their combined weights. A verdant shade of green reminded Temari of the day she witnessed Gaara's ultimate defence broken in the chunin exams almost five years prior, the one who achieved such a feat now stood next to the Copy Ninja and against her and Shikamaru. Tenten quickly joined Lee with her hands gripping kunai in preparation for a possible fight. Out of the sky above, Sai dropped from his ink bird, unsheathing his tanto blade soon after his boots crunched the bark underneath them.
"I think you already know why I'm here Shikamaru" Kakashi replied, his expressionless mask not giving much away to Shikamaru's perceptive eyes.
Shaking his head in mock disbelief, Shikamaru thought it best to play it cool and act casual, knowing that a fight with Kakashi wouldn't be ideal even if he was without his Sharingan. "So all that barking from the other day, that was you and that annoying mutt?"
"Pakkun is an excellent tracker, and he remembers your distinct scent as well!" Kakashi seemed to smile with his eyes as his shoulders relaxed.
"I guess I'm going to have to change my aftershave then!" Shikamaru sheathed his blade back into his cloak, presenting his ambushers with open and empty palms in a gesture of peaceful confrontation.
"Where are Naruto and Sasuke?"
"I'm not sure, but I know that they're not here"
"Why are you doing this Shikamaru?" Kiba's growl intensified as he glared at his old friend with a desperate hunger for answers in his words.
Temari tried to step forwards, gripping her Tessen fan even tighter in preparation of using it, but was stopped by a firm grasp of her shoulder. She turned to see the message conveyed by Shikamaru's emotive face. Calm down. "You think I wanted to do this? I didn't have a choice, Kiba!" he shouted back to the Inuzuka.
"That's no excuse!"
Temari snarled back at Kiba, making him take a step back, almost losing his balance on the branch. "So you would've have preferred that we let Ino and Choji die instead, what's wrong with you?"
'Choji' Shikamaru's thoughts raced with the memories of Choji's injured body. "How is he?"
Kakashi looked at him with a sad look in his eyes. Thinking his heart was going to break through his ribs, Shikamaru grabbed his chest as he breathed heavily. "Choji is… still in critical condition"
"Shit" Temari tried her best to reassure Shikamaru, putting away her weapon and slipping her arm around his. "I would've thought Lady Fifth would have been able to deal with his injuries"
"If it wasn't for her, Choji would have no chance of living, she's using a lot of her time to personally attend to his wounds but…"
"…the damage caused by Naruto's Wind Style Rasenshuriken is pretty much irreparable, isn't it?" Shikamaru finished Kakashi's thoughts without hesitation. Kakashi nodded grimly, making the Nara sigh. Scratching his head, Shikamaru wracked his brain in an effort to lessen the tension that hung in the air between both groups. It didn't help when he reached into his cloak as everyone, except Shino and Kakashi, reacted to his sudden movements by switching into their defensive stances. "Relax" Shikamaru pulled out his lighter and a pack of cigarettes.
"I guess you still haven't quit yet" Kakashi noted as Shikamaru sparked his lighter into life, scorching the end of his cigarette that he held between his teeth.
Shikamaru grinned as he let out a puff of faint smoke. "Unfortunately, it isn't that easy" Temari frowned at the sight of Shikamaru giving in to his bad habits.
"What about Sakura?" Sai raised his voice for the first time. "Ino as well, are they okay?"
Shikamaru turned his head to Temari at the mention of the two girls. The two rogue shinobi held their gazes as they conversed through their everchanging facial expressions and body language. Discussing how best to reveal the unfortunate news to their old comrades, Temari pressed Shikamaru to tell them the truth with harsh stares and expectant looks whilst Shikamaru pleaded to try and ease their ambushers worries.
Eventually, Temari's terrifying glare won and Shikamaru's shoulders sagged in mental defeat. "I… uh… guess that you could say that they're okay" he flinched as Temari's death stare bored into him from his peripheral vision.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Tenten asked.
"It means that they are both still alive" Temari answered quickly, hoping to put the matter to bed, her train of thought turning towards memories of seeing Ino after her night with Naruto and Hinata.
Thud!
Boots smacked against the ground and the dirt path that Shikamaru and Temari had been following, was now blocked by Kakashi. With his hands in his pockets, he strolled casually towards Shikamaru, who had moved over to rest his back on the trunk of a tree.
"Shikamaru… I understand your actions were for the good of your comrades but…"
"…but now I am just another rogue shinobi, yeah I get it" Shikamaru's tone turned to one of irritation.
"You don't get it! You are not just any rogue shinobi… you are an S-class rogue shinobi targeted for elimination" Kakashi met Shikamaru's gaze with his own caring look. "But I can help you and Temari… only if you help me, now I need to know where both Naruto and Sasuke are"
"What's the point in telling you Kakashi-sensei? If I tell you where they are, you'll go and bring them back home?" Shikamaru's gaze turned steely as he asked his question.
"I'll do whatever I have to, to bring both of them back to the Hidden Leaf Vill—"
"Are you serious? You're not as smart as Asuma said you were if you think that you'll be able to beat them, because that is what it'll take! They'll kill you Kakashi, no matter how hard you try or what tricks you can use, they are too powerful… don't you get it? The only chance you have is to join them, join… us" he gestured to himself and Temari with a resolved expression.
Struggling to tell if he was being serious or not, Kakashi moved closer to Shikamaru, lowering his voice so as to not allow the others to eavesdrop on their conversation. "Why are you really doing this?" Shikamaru stared past Kakashi's shoulder as the jonin whispered in his ear, ever so softly.
"To protect the king" Kakashi's eyes widened at Shikamaru's almost encoded message, remembering when Asuma had mentioned something similar to him whilst he was teaching Shikamaru about a certain Shogi move.
"Shikamaru" Kakashi saw the concern he had for both the Hidden Leaf Village and for its habitants reflected in his soft, almond irises. "They are okay… Kurenai, Mirai and your mother are doing as well as they can"
Loudly, Shikamaru let out a sigh of relief, causing Temari to wonder what Kakashi had said to him exactly. "Thank yo—"
"But they miss you Shikamaru, so please come back to the Hidden Leaf" Kakashi interrupted the rogue shinobi.
"I can't Kakashi… they're all safer with me making sure that Sasuke and Naruto don't go overboard"
Kakashi scratched the back of his head searching for an argument yet failing, knowing full well that Shikamaru was right about his former students' tendencies to use more of their ridiculous power than necessary. "You know I can't argue with you there… so what now?" he locked eyes with Shikamaru, hoping he understood his seriousness.
"Now, I'm gonna need your help for Temari and I to escape"
"That is easier said than done Shikamaru"
"I know that, but if we…" the rogue shinobi relayed his schemes in a hushed tone, covering his mouth with his palm to avoid his ambushers' prying ears. Said ambushers, concerned with Kakashi and Shikamaru's seemingly sudden chumminess, dropped down to the forest floor. Keeping well away from Temari, they formed a tight formation that cut off most escape routes for the two rogue shinobi. Temari found herself standing off against both Tenten and Lee, the former giving her a rather unsavoury look.
By the time the last of Shikamaru's cigarette had been burned into ash, Kiba and Lee had clearly become too impatient. Their bodies twitched in anticipation for a fight. Seeing this, Temari reacted by steeling herself for the same scenario, her grip on her Tessen fan tightening as she drew it from behind her back. Sensing the tension that was about to boil over, Kakashi nodded. After receiving the same gesture from Shikamaru, Kakashi backed away from the former Leaf chunin.
Watching him move away from Shikamaru, Temari couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sluggish movements of the infamous shinobi, his feet seemed to drag, barley leaving the ground with each step. It was almost like they were being tugged by something, but Temari couldn't see anything attached to them. Despite his restricted movements, the Copy Ninja couldn't have been less fazed, his gaze turning serious and his face seemed to harden along with his comrades.
"Shikamaru Nara and Temari of the Sand! You are both to surrender and come with us back to the Hidden Leaf!" he shouted loudly, almost too loudly considering that his fellow Leaf shinobi were only a few metres away from him. But hearing this, each of the chunin stepped towards the rogue shinobi in front of them. Tenten and Shino enclosed around Temari, who had moved to Shikamaru's side once again, covering his blind spots.
"That's not happening!"
"You are completely outnumbered and outmatched, even you can see that Shikamaru!" Tenten stated, the others nodding in agreement.
"Outnumbered… yes" Shikamaru thought to himself for a moment. "But outmatched, no… we aren't as weak as were on our first mission" he looked towards Kakashi, hoping he understood.
Kiba laughed sinisterly. "Yet we are the ones who have you trapped" Lee raised his fist.
Turning towards the taijutsu specialist, Shikamaru's face twisted into an evil mask of cunning, much to Lee's confusion. Now frustrated, Lee stepped towards the Nara, prepared to land the first blow but he was stopped in his tracks by Shikamaru's expression. A chilling grin spread across his face. The smug smirk was accompanied by his devilish wink that put everyone on immediate alert. It was too little too late, unfortunately, as Shikamaru infused his chakra in an instant. Kakashi's legs seemed to twitch, the shadows beneath him squirming and bending into distinct shapes.
Through the dense canopy of the forest, the sunsets dying rays of pure light shone through the small gaps, casting a plethora of shadows along the forest floor. Shadows that concealed Shikamaru's own as he manipulated the abyssal line, that he had connected to Kakashi, and transformed it into a massive circular shape that spread across the ground in an instant. The boots of the ambushing shinobi were immediately laced by dark lines that strapped them to the ground, keeping their feet firmly stuck to the ground as the spiralling shadows beneath them began to travel up their legs, squeezing their limbs tightly.
"What the…"
"I can't move!"
"Damnit!"
Confused, irritated shouts filled the air as Temari watched in wonder as Shikamaru had his old comrades completely trapped and at his mercy in an instant. Every time she witnessed Shikamaru's battle tactics in action, she shot a prayer to anyone who'd listen, thanking them that she was on his side; because as much as it begrudged her to admit, Shikamaru would beat her convincingly in war.
"Sorry about this but we have got to get going now" Shikamaru smiled as he restrained his old friends, his jutsu pinning their arms to their sides, not allowing them to use their own jutsu. "Don't worry I'll just knock you out for a little while so don't bother trying to follow us" his shadows encircled the throats of his opponents, taking up the ideal position for his Shadow Strangle Jutsu. He aimed for Kakashi and Shino first as they would be the most troublesome. Slowly, he applied pressure to each of his victims throats, squeezing the air from their lungs until their eyes began to shut, the light in their pupils dimming as they lost consciousness.
The only one remaining wasn't even human as Shikamaru stared into the eyes of his favourite ninja hound. Akamaru growled at Temari, reverting back to his primal instincts. He stood between the rogue shinobi and his ninja hound user, Kiba, as he protected his best friend. Holding his hands up in front of him, Shikamaru stepped in front of Temari, attempting to calm Akamaru. He looked back at Temari and gestured to her fan, then switching his gaze to the clear skies above the forest's canopy. Understanding his intentions straight away, Temari opened her fan, infusing her chakra into the ninja tool as she swung it underneath her. A torrent of wind lifted her up from the ground and began to push the fan upwards into the air. She jumped on, dragging Shikamaru with her as the fan was launched into the open sky and Akamaru watched with a confused look as they glided over the trees, towards the horizon.
Meanwhile…
The stone hallway was filled with draughty chills. Echoes rebounded of the tiles, filled with eerie tones, almost as if the ghosts of Orochimaru's victims occupied the halls of his hideout. Naruto gritted his teeth, if there was one person he didn't ever want to see again, it was the Legendary Sannin.
"I knew it was you" an irritated voice pierced the silence that was left after the same voice had spoken previously.
Tilting his head, Naruto was certain he had met this redheaded girl before, yet he couldn't place her anywhere in his memories. Turning to Sasuke, he saw the Uchiha's usual moody expression plastered across his face. He was staring off against the girl in a pointless contest of wills, his judgemental gaze enough to make the redhead take a step back as she broke their eye contact by looking at Sasuke's companion. She recognised him immediately: his chakra was so distinct, and warm.
"Karin" Sasuke spoke her name with a familiar tone, yet his voice still held his usual indifference.
She turned her head towards Naruto, crossing her arms as she analysed him. He shifted his feet under her stare, uncomfortable at the feeling of being evaluated. "So you must be Naruto, if I remember rightly?" Naruto felt his stomach tug in response to her backing away slightly. He nodded as he put on a devilish grin, raising his hand from underneath his billowing sleeve. "Hey there"
"So what are you doing here?" she turned back to Sasuke, adjusting her glasses and crossing her arms.
"We're here for Orochimaru" he stated, the name seemed to reverberate around the walls and the air became cooler than before. Naruto wasn't certain but when Sasuke spoke the Sannin's name, Karin seemed to have a disappointed look in her crimson eyes.
"Oh… of course you are, in that case, I'll take you to him" she motioned down the corridor with her thumb.
"Thank you, Karin" the redhead jumped, her actions became stiff as she looked back at Sasuke with wide eyes. Her mask of shock was soon replaced by her cheeks turning a vibrant colour to rival her locks of hair. Quickly hiding her face, Karin began walking down the stone hallway.
Through the hideout, Naruto constantly looked around each corner, excitedly expecting something different but each time he frowned when he saw the same uniform corridors. With each room they passed, Naruto's eyes would light up when he saw that they were not empty. Without hesitating, he'd pester Karin with questions about all the futuristic looking equipment that filled each room. Every time he asked, Karin felt the calming warmth, that she had felt from his chakra years before, wash over her. The feeling was night and day when compared to the intense chill that Sasuke gave off with his stern face.
After a small journey through the maze-like hideout and a flurry of irritating questions from an impatient Naruto, Karin finally snapped, barking at the blond. He backed away from her with a mischievous grin, hiding behind Sasuke. When she met Sasuke's judgmental gaze, Karin felt her agitated wrath immediately replaced by a crushing self-consciousness as she began to twirl her crimson locks around her index finger, trying to put on her best smile for the Uchiha.
Moving on from her long-time crush, Karin pointed towards a plain looking door behind her, indicating that they had reached their destination. Sasuke moved past her, barely giving her a glance as he swung the door open wide. The hinges creaked under the force, attracting the attention of each of the room's occupants. Taking a step through the doorway, Sasuke locked his eyes on the intense presence inside the room, a tall and lithe figure that simply stared back at him with reptilian pupils.
"Sasuke Uchiha" the shinobi stated, the voice cold and emotionless. The words came out with a strange effect, very similar to the sound of a snake.
The Uchiha stared back with an indifferent expression. "Orochimaru"
"Sasuke? Is that really you?" a white-haired man asked incredulously, his youthful features spreading into a smile, revealing his razor-sharp teeth. He was dwarfed by the giant behind him who looked at Sasuke in disbelief, his eyes showing a distinct gleam of relief when recognised the cloaked figure now standing in the doorway.
Sasuke nodded his head towards the behemoth, a slight smile twitched at his lips. "Jugo, it's nice to see you" he shifted his gaze to the smaller of the two. "And Suigetsu, I'm surprised you're still here"
Suigetsu opened his mouth to retort, but he was soon interrupted by Naruto ducking into the room, looking around with a beaming smile as he stood next to Sasuke. Karin soon followed, moving to stand between Jugo and Suigetsu, still fiddling with her hair, making sure it was as perfect as she could make it.
"So what are you doing here Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked, pointing a finger at the Uchiha.
Sasuke looked towards Orochimaru. "I want you to tell me something"
"And what would you like me to tell you Sasuke? Anything at all is fine" Orochimaru responded. Sasuke noted the interested glint that came from Orochimaru's eyes.
"The curse marks" Sasuke glanced at Jugo before turning back to Orochimaru. "How do you use them?" Jugo's face twisted into a mask of confusion and shock when Sasuke's request of Orochimaru reached his ears.
The Legendary Sannin eyed the Uchiha curiously for a moment of two, before smiling in conclusion. "Of course, Sasuke… but I don't think this is a discussion for your friendly fox here" Orochimaru glanced at Naruto with a smirk.
Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Naruto scratched his head and grinned back at Orochimaru after all the room's attention was drawn towards him. When he revealed his glinting fangs, he could sense the breaths of Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo hitch along with their heartbeats.
"Fine, in that case…" Sasuke looked past the questioning face of Naruto, directly at Suigetsu. "I'm sure you have a lot of answers to some of the questions that Naruto has about the Hidden Mist Village" Suigetsu jumped looking terrified as Naruto turned to face him with his devilish grin.
Naruto stared intensely at Suigetsu, his crimson eyes piercing the other's violet irises. "Okay then! Come on Suigetsu!" Naruto gestured to the door. Suigetsu hesitantly followed, shivering in his boots, his shoulders hunched as he walked past Naruto, showing him the way.
"Karin, will you be a dear and go make sure that they don't break anything?" Orochimaru asked the redhead. Her face transformed into a mask of disbelief at the request. "B-But what abou—" she stuttered before being interrupted by Sasuke's stern tone.
"Just go, Karin" Sasuke ordered, still staring at the Sannin. Karin's objections were muted as soon as she tried to force them out of her throat. Swallowing her pride, she sulked as she strutted through the door, following Suigetsu and Naruto.
When she finally caught up to them, Karin found Naruto practically dragging Suigetsu around with him down the halls of their hideout. No matter how hard she tried, Karin couldn't help but feel intimidated by the immature shinobi; his height alone was enough to terrify her as his tall frame was packed wide with muscle, giving him the perfect athletic figure. Next to him, Suigetsu was nothing but pathetic when compared to Naruto, or even Sasuke for that matter.
Karin shivered, the thought of Sasuke's lean body enough to awaken the unbridled desire that she had so desperately tried to conceal in his presence. Seeing him again, or rather sensing him, Karin had panicked, hoping he miraculously coming back for her. But, of course, she was wrong: it was Sasuke after all, he wasn't exactly the knight in shining armour type of shinobi.
It took her a moment too long to realise that Naruto was watching her out of the corner of his eye. When she made eye contact, her head immediately lowered on instinct. His crimson eyes gave off none of the warmth that she had seen in them the last time they met, his azure irises had seemed to calm her when she was being taken back to the Hidden Leaf Village with him and his comrades. The bloody shade of them now reminded Karin of Sasuke's Sharingan, sending chills down her spine.
"What are you thinking about? Is it… Sasuke?" Naruto's mischievous voice rang in her ears. With all her thoughts on her feelings, Karin had failed to register Naruto sneaking closer to her and leaning into her ear, all with a grin spread across his face and gleam in his eyes.
Karin tried to back away but she only managing to find herself cornered by Naruto. "N-No no no, I wasn't! I-I mean… maybe" she stuttered, almost trying to shrink herself as she hunched her shoulders and hid her rosy face.
"Do you want Sasuke that badly?" he laughed at her embarrassed expression. She meekly nodded her head, surprising Naruto with her honesty. "Then how about…" he began whispering in her ear, revealing his schemes.
A/N- Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter although it is quite dialogue heavy but hopefully you found the encounters interesting. I know this story is going to end up being quite long, but I am already thinking about writing stories. Out of curiosity, would anyone like to read a Fire Emblem Three Houses fic based around Ingrid? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time.
Yours truly,
Signing off