Disclaimer: Alas, Naruto will never be mine

Chapter 15 – Rook

Temari walked over toward the Hokage's gathering. Shikamaru remembered her walk, that lazy, dangerous, catlike pace. The slight curl of her lips, the set of her shoulders, the swagger of her walk; it all radiated what he would call confidence in one's abilities. His eyes shifted to the woman in front of him. Tenten's hand betrayed her as it traced along the flap on her weapon's pouch. "Others would call it arrogance," he thought. Not that it mattered. He didn't really understand having rivals to begin with. All he knew was that this was one of scariest women he'd ever met.

"I'm sorry to have kept you cooped up in there," Tsunade told the Suna kunoichi cordially.

"No problem, You have an impressive sake bottle collection in your closet Tsunade-sama." Temari said with a laugh. Tsunade's face colored lightly, which Shikamaru found amusing. The Hokage was normally shameless.

"How's it going smart guy," said Temari as she stopped in front of them, her hands resting on her hips. "Get any stronger since I last saw you?"

Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets and avoided looking at her, it had been three years since they last saw each other. Temari was a little taller than he was now which annoyed him and her chest rivaled Tsunade's own impressive pair. Even Temari's nin-jacket appeared to have been cut so you couldn't avoid looking at her giant bosom.

"How obnoxious, "he observed, "just like her."

"I'm happy with what I can do," he said to her with his best shitty grin. "No complaints."

Tenten had been trying stare a hole through their new guest this entire time. "Hokage-sama," she asked interrupting the conversation. "You will need some to escort her out of the village. I'd love to volunteer."

"Tintin, right?" said Temari with syrupy sweetness, "You're looking genki! Still hitting all those targets that don't move?"

Shikamaru started to sweat again. The girls were baring teeth at each other in a poor attempt at fake smiles.

Tsunade looked back and forth from Tenten to Temari with raised eyebrows. She didn't know what happened before, but she didn't need to be genius to see there was bad blood here. "Thank you for offering Tenten," said the Hokage, "But I was hoping you and Hinata could take Lee to the hospital for some rest. I would like him under medical observation for the day."

Tenten realized how she must appear and became flush with embarrassment. Getting so worked up about ancient history when her fiancé was passed out with injuries on the floor wasn't like her. "Hai, Hokage-sama," she replied looking down.

Tenten went over and gently lifted Lee onto a shoulder while Hinata got the other side. He was heavier than he looked and though lanky was a little taller than Gai had been. They were about to leave when Temari spoke to Tenten a second time. "That guy always gets hurt when he fights," she told her, "but he's strong. He did well today."

Tenten nodded, her spunky attitude renewed, "Of course! I wouldn't expect any less of my boyfriend." Looking at Shikamaru she added, "No worries team leader! I'll let Ino know everything that happened here." The horror he felt must have been obvious, as Hinata laughed softly at his expense then immediately gave him an apologetic look.

"Komen, Shikamaru-kun," Hinata said at a near whisper. Tenten stuck her tongue out at him as the two ninja and their charge disappeared in an instant.

Shikamaru realized he had stopped breathing and wondered idly if should try Anko's anti-stress technique. While not the jealous type Ino had heard about all the 'attention' Temari had shown him on their last joint mission together... from Naruto of all people. Like a massive baka he and used the words "kinda pretty" to describe Temari later trying to explain to Ino... that was very, very, very dumb.

"Tenten had to be joking," he reassured himself, "If Ino found out... there would be a reckoning..." Shikamaru suppressed a shiver.

As the nin-smoke cleared, the Hokage turned to go retrieve something from the remains of her desk. It had been split straight down the middle and almost had a melancholy look.

The three remaining ninja stood waiting for her to find what she needed.

"Good Morning Sakura-san," said Temari breaking the brief silence, "Sorry for not saying hello before."

"Ii, no worries," Sakura replied politely. "How is Gaara-san?"

"He's good, he's good." Temari said quickly, "He asked me to find out how you are doing."

"Oh, I'm very well," said Sakura pleasantly, "Tell him I thanked you for asking."

"Why the hell does Gaara want to know how Sakura's doing?" Shikamaru thought. It was then he realized their was no hint of sarcasm in the Sand woman's conversation with Sakura, in fact they were being very polite. "Weird," he thought "Temari cops an attitude with everyone." He had been in Sunagakure on a mission when Sakura had passed her chuunin two years ago at the Sand trials along with Hinata and Choji, but obviously a lot happened there he didn't know about.

"Ah! Here we go," the Hokage said picking up a sealed message scroll lying next to the desk. "Temari," she said returning to where they stood, "Here's my message for the Kazekage, please let him know I appreciate his attention to this small matter. Sakura escort our guest past the checkpoints out of the village. With the attack everyone will be on edge."

"Hai, Hokage-sama" said Sakura.

Temari gave a small bow to Konoha's shadow as she took the scroll and turned to Shikamaru. "Catch you later hot stuff," she said to him in a sultry voice. Sakura hid her smile behind her hand as the two sprung off.

Shikamaru sighed with relief as he watched them make their exit. "That could have gone a lot worse," he said.

"So many women so little time, Shikamaru-kun?" Tsunade teased him standing just behind his shoulder.

Shikamaru ignored the comment, but repeated the sigh for her benefit. "You had something you wanted to discuss Hokage-sama?" he asked.

She pointed cross the scorched wasteland that used to be her living room. "Step into my office!" she told him. Tsunade picked up her chair and with a small wobble sat neatly pointing for him to come and join her. Shikamaru grabbed her bath stool which was nearby and scooted it in front of her desk which now appeared foldable.

"Sort of like post-apocalyptic kindergarten," he thought to himself.

"So, how did this all happen?" he asked turning his head to survey the place.

Tsunade began to lean back a little, then sensing danger in the move leaned forward again. "I was washing my hair in the bath when I was attacked," she explained, "The water became solid and started constrict around me. I couldn't move a muscle."

"Suiton no jutsu, "Shikamaru said, naming the style of attack. "Some type of water prison? How did you break it?"

"Simple," answered Tsunade on top of his question. "I raised my body temperature and pushed the heat into the water. The water was frozen by chakra so by a quick release of heat broke the jutsu."

"You raised your body temperature to the boiling point?" Shikamaru said in disbelief. It seemed incredible even for the Hokage.

Tsunade smiled at him. "It was a little bit of a gamble," she said, "but I'm pretty lucky as long as isn't cash on the line!"

Shikamaru dry washed his face with his hand. He refused to believe he had been awake for only one hour.

"The tub broke when the water exploded," Tsunade continued, "And I got thrown pretty hard. The toilet went through the sidewall and that was when the kunai showered through... Lee-san, the brave fool," she said affectionately "jumped in to cover me. I would have been ok, but it gave me time to read the next attack which was a large fireball jutsu." Tsunade nodded to her Shower pipe which was still sputtering. "I had a lot of water around for my own suiton."

Shikamaru could honestly care less about the detailed play by play when he realized she was stalling for some reason. It was almost like she was hesitant to tell him what this was all about... and that started to worry him.

"I really did want to forget about what I was going to ask before," he thought, How troublesome... oh well, no need to defend against the pieces you can't see."

"Why?" he asked her sharply folding his arms, "Who would attack you like that? They were obviously weaker than you because they needed to hide and they ran away too quick. A true assassin would have put there life on the line to complete their mission."

Tsunade seemed preoccupied. She loosened the towel wrapped on her head and placed it over her shoulder. Running her fingers damp hair she picked out a lock of it to examine its ends. Taking a hesitant smell, her nose wrinkled at its unpleasant, burnt odor. She tossed the hair back over her shoulder with a sigh. "I needed a trim anyway," she aloud, half to herself.

Shikamaru stared at her in a stony silence.

It was Tsunade's turn to repeat a sigh. "Their mission was to deliver something to me," she answered.

"Deliver something," he repeated for emphasis, "Why would some unknown ninja need to..."

"I never said I didn't know who it was, " the Hokage interrupted.

He paused to study her face. He was looking for some clue as to where this was all going. he continued, "But you told all the jounin who were just here...?"

"What they needed to hear," said Tsunade finishing his statement.

He was dumbfounded. "But why Hokage-sama?" he pleaded.

Tsunade smiled as she noted his inclusion of the honorific in his question. In the countless conversations they'd had he rarely used it. It was always when he was truly lost, when his brilliant logical mind just couldn't add up all the pieces. "He's been giving me that same look for six years now," she thought. The smart, pessimistic little punk she sent after Sasuke not so long ago had grown into a reliable ninja before her. A ninja who was now sitting on her bathroom stool and staring at her with the helpless look of a lost lamb. She mused, "At least some things don't change."

"Konoha hasn't really been the same since when you became a chuunin, Shikamaru. I know you can't truly understand this, but even during the great wars this village was never hurt so badly by an enemy as what Orochimaru did. I try to be sensitive to that as I try to overcome it, but..."

He figured it out. "It was Kabuto," he said suddenly.

"Very good, Shikamaru," said Tsunade approvingly. "He came all the way to bring me this." She held up a small red message scroll she had hidden in her robe. It's gold threaded tassels were tied to a small kunai which was stained red itself with Lee's blood.

"What does it say?" he said his eyes locking onto it.

The Hokage would not meet his eyes. "Atari," she said.

"Huh?" said Shikamaru, Atari was a term in the game of Go. It meant 'check', forcing your opponent to make a move by leaving only one option open. It meant you were setting them up for the fall.

Tsunade explained, "This is an ultimatum... and I don't know what to do yet."

Shikamaru scratched his head. "You can't tell me the details?" he asked already knowing the answer.

Tsunade looked at him and shook her head slowly.

Shikamaru sighed as he let his hand drop back down. He was doing a lot of sighing and head scratching today. He picked up a random shard of glass and turned it a little in his fingers before dropping it back to the floor. His head spun with the situation and the unknowns. Needing composure he closed his eyes. His fingertips came together with his need to concentrate. People had thought early on it was a strange seal, but it was just his habit.

Tsunade waited patiently.

Shikamaru open his eyes after a time just as a new presence entered the room. Shizune, Tsunade's retainer and longtime friend appeared. "The jounin are waiting in the meeting room for you, Hokage-sama, " she said looking impatient herself.

"Just a moment, Shizune," Tsunade told her.

The chuunin captain always put a lot pressure on his fingertips when he made that pose and a tiny piece of glass that had clung to his index finger had cut him. The blood welled up to drip a little from his fingers. Shikamaru looked at Tsunade and then turned his head to look straight at the door to her bedroom. It was a room that held more that just sake. He was sure that Temari had been hastily enlisted to stop anyone from entering that room when the confusion happened. Keeping his head turned he shifted his eyes back to the Tsunade. After a moment of stillness he got up and placed his bloodied finger on the surface of her desk. Using it as brush and ink he wrote a single character in a precise hand that seemed at odds with his lazy demeanor.

Tsunade looked down at it and smiled in recognition. "He's given me an answer with almost nothing to go on," she thought.

Shikamaru placed his hands on the small of his back and made a load groaning sound to show his obvious displeasure at her lack of comfortable furniture. "Will that be all Hokage-sama," he asked sounding like his normal bored self.

Tsunade stood up and nodded. "Didn't you have something else, Shikamaru- kun?" she asked quietly as he turned to leave.

He gave her a blank look liked he'd forgotten. "Oh, yeah. Well, I don't need to ask that now." He grinned widely, "Sometimes it's better not knowing" and with that he strolled out the demolished room.

Tsunade smile ruefully. She was thankful. "He's able to trust me even when I give him such a tough time," she thought.

"I'll be down in a moment, Shizune," Tsunade told her attendant as she glided towards her bedroom, "I'm done with the displaced refugee look."

The dark-haired woman gave her only the slightest roll of the eyes as she disappeared again.

The Hokage walked into the only room she had left and came face to face with a big part of her dilemma. The glowing red scroll sat on its metal stand and steamed away at its tub of water almost contently. Tsunade flicked the message roll and kunai at it. As the projectile came in contact with the scroll it blazed in a brief flare incinerating both scroll and weapon in moments.

She turned to put some clothes on and said the word Shikamaru had written on the table aloud to herself.

"Ko."

It was a rule in the game of Go which mean that an opponent couldn't reclaim a position once it was given up. It gave you the opportunity to put pressure elsewhere on the board and to raise the stakes. She said she was pretty lucky as long as money wasn't involved. It had been that way ever since Naruto convinced her to take this crazy job. It was time once again to test that.

She finished up and was about to leave when another thought crossed her mind. "They say in Shogi you should keep your horse close and your dragon in the attack," she recalled. "Well, I have my Horse at least... let's see if I can do something with my Dragons."

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: Shogi is Japanese chess. The Horse (Ma) is a promoted piece that moves like a Bishop while the Dragon (Ryu) is a promoted piece that moves like a Rook.

Go is a Japanese game that play sort of like Othello (but not really).