Chapter 17: Aftermath

(Alternatively, Life After Danzo's Idiocy)

(Hiruzen's POV)

He would have never suspected Danzo to go as far as he had. For him to not only approach those boys, but to also attempt to attack the Nara heir as well. Hiruzen sighs sadly. They had been friends once. Now, he is the Hokage and Danzo is considered to be the worst of the worst. So many children had gone home to tell their parents what had happened at the Academy yesterday and he'd had said parents baying for Danzo's blood ever since. What's worse is the fact that Danzo's private army still exists and that one of them had tried to free him.

Worse still, Inoichi had been caught in the attack since he'd been breaking through the Danzo's mental defenses to find what else he had been hiding at the time. The man will make a full recovery, but it is clear now that Danzo must be executed before this can go any further. The fact that Danzo would approach Naruto and Sasuke despite his orders against even so much as talking to either of them tells him that Danzo thought he could get away with his actions without repercussions. However, he had forgotten one important detail. Hiruzen is very close to the Nara family for reasons Danzo will never understand.

If only the man would have listened to him… He would have been allowed to live if he had only listened…

(Neji's POV)

After the events of yesterday, the Head of the Hyūga Clan had been – and still is – furious. Neji doesn't know what happened after the man had left the compound, but the amount of adults of both Main and Branch houses walking the halls tells its own story. Hiashi-sama does not want anyone getting into the compound. To be very honest, he's only seen the Clan Head this furious once before when he'd been six. Hinata-sama, on the other hand, has been clinging to him ever since. The girl had not allowed him or Hanabi-sama out of her sight – going as far as to firmly order someone to bring some of his and the toddler's things to her room so that she could better watch over them.

Neji would have been amused by her actions if not for the fact that he'd seen Nara Shikamaru for the first time yesterday. The dark-eyed male had stalked into the classroom where they were and the moment his narrowed eyes had fallen on to the Uzumaki boy and the Uchiha he had relaxed. It was as if he had still been worried about them even though he had been the one to be left behind. The other two boys had moved quickly and had crashed into the Nara heir without any hesitation. Nara Shikamaru had wrapped them in his arms with such an expression of relief and had let out a great sigh as he'd pulled them as close as he could.

"Are you guys okay?" He'd asked, his voice soft and worried.

"We're fine," the Uchiha had responded. He had leaned back and looked the Nara over, "but what about you?"

The Nara had given him a small, tired, but triumphant smile. "Hiruzen stepped in before that fucker could do anything. I don't know why he was there and I don't care why either. I'm just glad he was. I don't think that creep is going to be bothering you boys any time soon."

The way he had said 'you boys' had sounded like he was saying 'my boys'. Neji wonders why he would sound like that. Like those two are his whole world and he'd do anything to protect them.

(Shikamaru's POV)

After the events of yesterday, all Shikamaru wants to do now is curl up in his bed and sleep for a week or two. He's tired of answering questions and if Ibiki-san comes out here one to ask him even one more question he's going to wind up snapping. He doesn't get why his part in the whole ordeal is so interesting. He barely remembers any of it beyond the acid green haze of rage that had fallen over him when Naruto had screamed. He supposes that – after everything he's been through – acid green is the color he associates with overwhelming anger.

He yawns and curls up under his blankets even more. He can hear his adopted brother and unofficially adopted brother arguing(like an old married couple) as they always do. He can hear the sounds of dishes clacking and clanking against each other in the sink as his mom washes them and his father moving around in his office as he quietly talks to someone. These are the sounds of his household and he lets them wash over him. They are soothing to his frazzled nerves.

He is just starting to doze when a quiet knock brings him back to full awareness. He yawns and calls out sleepily, "Door's open."

His mom pokes her head in and smiles at him. "Tired?"

"Mm. Pretty much done...with everything right now," he admits through a yawn.

"I don't blame you. It's been a trying couple of days. I still can't believe Elder Danzo would be such a...a…." she trails off.

"A creep?"

"Yes! Honestly, approaching our boys like that. He got what he deserved." Shikamaru grins at the pissed expression on his mom's face and she gives him one of her more mischievous grins back. "Anyway, Chōji-kun and Ino-chan are here. Do you want me to send them up?"

Shikamaru yawns again, but nods as he says, "Sure, I'll just wind up falling asleep if you don't."

She nods and slips out and not long after Chōji and Ino are walking in. He waves at them from where he is still curled up in his blankets. Ino rolls her eyes. "Really? You're still in bed?"

"I came back to bed after Ibiki-san left. He was way too interested in my version of the events and I barely remember any of it. I mostly remember being in a pissed off haze, but he didn't seem to understand that. Mendokuse..."

Chōji gives him a concerned look and Shikamaru waves him off. "I'm just tired and cranky. I think Ibiki-san eventually realized how annoyed I was getting with him continuously asking questions I seriously don't remember the answers to. Anyway, how's your tou-san, Ino? Tou-san said he got hurt while trying to get answers out of that Danzo creep."

"I visited him earlier and he said he'll be fine in a couple of days. As it is, Hokage-sama has called in another member of my Clan to mind walk that nasty old man. Hopefully, he'll break soon so this can all be over with. I won't be able to rest easy until he's locked up tight."

"You're not the only one. Tou-san says that there are a lot of people calling for Danzo's blood right now," Shikamaru tells her.

Chōji nods, "A lot of them are the parents of the kids who got to the Academy. We might be training to become Shinobi, but that doesn't mean that we still aren't kids at this moment. My tou-san said that all the Clan Heads are going to be out for blood too. It doesn't matter why Danzo was there because he isn't actually allowed to be within the Academy grounds. Sure he can pass through to go to the Hokage, but he isn't supposed to linger or talk to the kids there.

"Tou-san didn't go into a lot of detail as to why he wasn't supposed to be there, but apparently it wasn't anything good. Something about kids going missing."

Shikamaru winces and he sees Ino do the same. If that man is suspected of snatching kids than it's going to look bad when he goes to trial. If there even is a trial. The Hokage can execute him for treason without trial if the reasons are valid enough. And even if he did have a trial, well...there is no way that the jury will be impartial. There were too many witnesses that went home to their parents. Parents who then quickly spread the word to their neighbors and their neighbors' neighbors. It is a vicious cycle that has only grown since yesterday and it will only get worse as time goes on.

He sighs and then yawns. Shikamaru shakes his head to try and dispel some of his exhaustion. It doesn't help and his friends look at him with concern. Ino watches him for a moment before finally saying, "We'll let you catch that nap now, okay? You really do look tired."

"Yeah. Did you sleep at all last night?" Chōji asks.

Shikamaru gives them a wan smile, "Not really. Too much on my mind to have been able to sleep last night. It's why I was trying to sleep now."

After Chōji and Ino leave he is quick to settle back down to try and rest.

Author's Note: Normally I wouldn't leave an author's note like this, but my laptop screen has gone out and I don't know how long it will be until I get a new laptop. It scared the crap out of me when it happened. I thought I'd lost this chapter. Luckily, I got it working long enough to save my work. *huge sigh of relief*