Disclaimer: Alas, Naruto will never be mine
Chapter Three - Angels
Shikamaru walked into the ninja administration building and found himself near collision with an angry and distracted looking Iruka-sensei. Lurching to the side, he barely managed to sidestep the man as he trudged off to towards the academy.
"Geez, what's his problem?" he wondered. He still felt a little weird at being able to look his old sensei in the eye. At eighteen years old, his most recent (and probably final) growth spurt last winter had brought him about level with his former teacher.
"Go figure and I'm one of the smaller guys," he mused.
He strolled into the lounge area wondering if there was any tea left over from the morning cafeteria spread when he spotted Neji walking towards him with a quick step.
"Oh, crap!" he exhaled.
He turned around to exit the building fast when the he heard the annoying guy called his name.
"Ah, Shikamaru! There you are!"
He gazed longingly at the door and it's promise of escape before composing himself. Wiping away the rictus of pain on his face he turned back to approaching ninja with the closest thing he could come up with resembling a smile.
Hyuuga Neji was slightly taller than Shikamaru with a wiry, lithe physique similar to hi and yet that was where their commonality ended. With his bloodline ability, Neji was a frighteningly deadly being whom he couldn't hope to match one-on-one in a fight. He also happened to have turned into an anal retentive freak since their genin days, which is what made their ridiculous little interactions that much harder to stomach.
"Ohayo, Neji."
Neji smiled his proper polite little smile and started right into "the conversation" or at least that's what Shikamaru termed it in his head. For whatever reason it seemed to burn a lot of people, including Neji, that he had become Chuunin way before a lot of other people his age. Not that he really cared. Personally he didn't even want the stupid job, but it had made his parents so proud and it ate at him to think of disappointing them. Somehow he just got stuck doing this.
"Of course," he thought, "they didn't have to go and make me a field captain too."
Neji didn't become chuunin until over a year after him and his first field assignment as a captain was less than a year ago. Eager as always, he began talking with a gleam in his pale eye.
"Our team just got back clearing out the bandit gang in the Pine Ridge Region. We captured 83 prisoners and escorted them to the prefectural prison in Wa without any backup."
"Oh, really, you don't say."
Shikamaru was still scanning the breakfast table near the couches. It appeared picked clean and the teapots had distinctly empty look. It was not going to be a good day he decided. He gave into Neji hoping it would end quickly.
"Wa prefecture?" he said politely. "That's over 20 miles away from the Pine Ridge region, right?"
"Yes, it is," said Neji thrilled that his rival had pointed out the utter obvious. "I captured their leader myself. He was an escaped-nin from Hidden Mist Village, very dangerous. In fact, the Hokage has arranged for him to be turned over to the Water Country. Their hunter-nin should be arriving in a day or two."
Shikamaru really hoped this was therapeutic for Hyuuga's inferiority complex. He didn't understand how a guy so bloody powerful could even be this way to begin with. Tenten and Lee said he wasn't like this at all when they were younger. Sakura seemed know something about it though, not that he cared enough ask her. Shikamaru gave Neji a friendly parting nod and strolled over to dispatch desk when he heard him clearing his throat.
"Not today, not today!" he groaned inwardly "I really can't take part two of 'the conversation' right now."
"How is your team doing?" the pain-in-the-butt nin asked with a zeal he couldn't suppress.
The low key shadow ninja tried to end it quickly. "Oh, pretty good. We complete our missions. You know how it is."
"Your last was an escort right, some woman merchant who sold... wool?" Neji asked.
Shikamaru corrected, "Uh. It was salt."
"Ah yes, salt."
Neji's smile became slightly twisted. "Well, I suppose they give you missions like that because of your team's make up. Kunoichi are good for those types of missions."
Shikamaru felt his pleasant façade deteriorate. He had had enough of this for one morning. He considered the fact his team was made exclusively of women to be a matter of great misunderstanding between him and some unnamed higher power.
Whatever. Neji's little game was going too far.
"You know your absolutely right, Neji. In fact, I heard about this demon eel they said that was terrorizing the hot springs over in Ume. I think I'll ask if my team can have that mission. You know it sounds A-ranked!"
"A-ranked," Neji said uneasily. "You sure you. . . I mean, can your team handle it?"
The bait taken, Shikamaru felt no need to disguise the venom in his tone.
"Oh you know! I figured it's perfect for them, a one huge slippery eel, and all that hot steamy liquid. Three girls in a pool wrestling the thing, plus all those moans and squeals, you should come to watch Neji! I'll make sure you get a great view of Sakura as she tries to ride the thing bareback."
Neji's face was the appropriate purplish mix of shock, indignation and embarrassment as Shikamaru turned back towards assignments where Anko sat waiting.
"Ohayo, Anko-sama." he said politely.
"Ah if it isn't the "Shadow Genius" himself, "replied Anko. "I have a note about you from the Hokage. Where did I put that?"
He scowled at her. He did not appreciate the crappy nickname or that fact she kept using it whenever she saw him. He really hated that.
As Anko shuffled papers his mind wandered back to this time a year ago when the current four member Chuunin teams were selected by Tsunade-sama.
In a Ninja Village, while jounin handled the special high profile jobs and the genin got all the easy, labor-intensive stuff. The core business of B and higher-level C missions (which frankly were just Bs at a discount) were managed on the shoulders of the chuunin teams formed and reassigned every year.
He had been selected to be a squad leader again last year and as he stood there resigned to his fate in the Hokage's office, he had never in a million years expected his luck. Aoba the Jounin in charge of all the middle-ranked ninja had run down the roles very quickly.
He recalled being sort sad when he heard Choji's name called for Hyuuga's team and he even had a slight pang of regret when Naruto was also called for Neji and not him. Kiba, still a lunatic, had rounded out their strong looking team nicely. As the Jounin rattled names off Shikamaru became a little shocked he hadn't heard his name yet. Looking around the room he realized that most of the younger shinobi there were already assigned.
"They don't usually assign older chuunin to a young captain," he thought, "how odd."
Hearing his name finally set his nerves on edge and he failed to pretend disinterest at who would be called to work under him. Tenten was only a slight shock. She seemed capable, levelheaded, and heck one girl wasn't bad. Hinata being next was a surprise, but he quickly grasped the situation. He and Neji were the only new captains. Given that their bloodline skills were in essence the same and with their personal problems, well she just had to be with him.
".and Haruno Sakura," said Aoba finishing the roll.
Shikamaru had felt sweat breaking out all across his forehead. Minus the Hokage there were only four women ninja in the entire room and now three were on his team.
This was all a sadistic joke. He needed air.
As they were dismissed he threaded his way forward toward the Hokage's desk. She would have to see her error. Aoba emerged out of nowhere and had grabbed his arm pulling him back before he could open his mouth.
"All assignments are final," Aoba said. His voice took a mechanical tone, "As a rookie captain, I suggest you acquaint yourself with your team before your first mission is given out tomorrow."
Shikamaru felt close to tears. He began pleading faintly, "I understand sir, but come on."
"Dismissed."
It was hopeless. Shikamaru had turned dejectedly to see the three girls hanging by the door waiting for him. They looked like a bunch of girl scouts. That is, well, deceptively lethal girl scouts. He remembered their attitudes for that first day, a mix of uncertainty and irritation. Who would ever guess that after a year' s tour of duty together they and he would request the team remain intact.
Anko, was yelling something at him he realized.
"Wake up Nara!"
"Yes, Anko-sama?"
Anko, who had grown quite pink, exhaled slowly at a reverse ten count. It was rumored that a medical ninja at her last exam had ordered her to practice anger management after her blood pressure came in extraordinarily high. The jounin appeared to be giving the doctorly advice her best try and the rookie captain honored her effort with a perfectly straight face till she was ready to talk again.
"3...2...1... O-kay." she said in a slightly calmer tone. "You are to report to the Hokage for your mission at 1300 hours. Standby with your team till then... Next!"
He walked out of the building taking his time. It was noon in summer and the heat was just starting to pick up. The buzz of the cicadas seemed only to punctuate its soporific effect.
"No need to sweat unless I have to," he thought as he stretched the leisurely five minute walk around building to the chuunin lounge into sluggish fifteen. As he went indoors he noticed the large waiting room was mostly empty, its long tables and benches vacated as most teams were already on duty.
Three kunoichi were still there sitting together towards the middle of the lounge. The one with pigtails wound into round buns atop her head saw him first and gave a big wave in greeting and then held up a teapot pointing to it with a smile.
"They know me too well," he thought.
In fact, he couldn't help, but smile and wave back. The other shy-looking brunette and the pink-haired girl both turn towards him with welcoming nods as he sat to join them.
"It could be worse," he told himself. "Ino could be the jealous type."
TO BE CONTINUED