Hello again and welcome to the third chapter of my crossover. This chapter is more larger than the first and the second so i hope that you like it!
(A/N I changed the summary a bit just in case)
Before you begin to read it i would like to warn you about my bad english. if someone can give me some advices i would be grateful.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Story notices:
-"Talking"
-"Thinking", letters and notes or phrases of the past.
Chapter 3 : Curse Mark
It had been two days since they entered the death forest. Unfortunately for them, they didn't found a single team that had the scroll that they wanted. The group was running out of options.
-"Have you finished setting the traps?"
-"It wasn't easy Shika-kun. But we did what you said" -Shikamaru nodded smiling.
-"Hum, although I prefer direct combat, the traps will do the job" -Sasuke said pointing the trap zone.
-"Now we should wait for an idiot to fall into our..." -a scream stopped her.
Several kunai and banging noises could be heard. The three gennins remained quietly as they were hearing the hits. The screams were silenced in minutes.
-"...trap" -Naruko concluded smiling. Shimakaru and Sasuke looked at each other and they nodded. Then, they jumped off of the tree to the ground. The girl followed them immediately.
They walked up to where the foolish ninjas would be trapped. Before reaching the place, Shikamaru turned around to face the Uchiha.
-"Sasuke, could you...?" -the boy blinked as he activated his Sharingan.
-"Unconscious" -He answered returning his eyes to normal.
-"Thanks" -the Uchiha whispered a "hum" as an answer- "Still, don't let your guard down. We'll approach quietly"
-"Okay Shika-kun" -Naruko and the Uchiha drew out their kunais as Shikamaru nodded.
On the site, they could see three ninjas on the floor unconscious. A big trunk was stamped against another tree and several shurikens and kunais were nailed on non-vital parts of the genins.
Next to them was a white scroll lying on the ground. Sasuke approached and then he took it with his right hand.
-"And well?, c'mon teme tell us!" -Naruko couldn't contain her curiosity. Shikamaru was also interested to know, cause if it was the right scroll they could get out of that forest and pass that boring exam.
Sasuke turned around to face his companions. If it was by the look of his face they would have thought it was a failure but...
-"It's heaven scroll" -the Nara and the Uzumaki smiled happy with the good news.
-"Finally!. Now we must..." -a noise stopped Shikamaru's talk.
-"Who's there?" -Naruko asked startled.
The three gennins turned around quickly to found a tall man with extremely pale skin and waist-length black hair. He had a long face with pronounced cheekbones, golden eyes with slits in his pupils and purple markings around his eyes. He weared plain grey garbs with black pants and a thick purple rope belt tied in a large knot behind his back and blue tomoe-shaped earrings.
-"Oh!, look what i found here. A good specimen of the Uchiha clan" -the rare man licked his mouth with his long tongue causing disgust on the Team 7.
-"Who are you?. What do you know of my clan!?" -Sasuke was angry with that stupid, he didn't have the right of calling him "specimen".
-"You've determination and there's hate in your heart" -there was a momentary silence, the man laughed softly- "My name is Orochimaru and i offer you... power"
-"The little Uzumaki... so powerful but yet so weak. Even the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki was better than you girl" -the man said making that a few tears fell from her face.
She was so frustrated, all her training had been in vain. All she had believed was nothing now with that horrible man in front of her as she felt her soul torn with his words.
-"I know that, after all, what you really want is revenge against Itachi" -the girl was in shock, she couldn't even look him in the eyes- "I'm glad that you finally realized my power, you never will defeat me. But, i can give you the strength to try it. To revenge your brother and... to kill Itachi" -Orochimaru didn't wait for her answer.
His neck began to stretch as his fangs grew and her head was on his way to the girl.
She was lost, none of her jutsus or taijutsu worked on him. Although, Shikamaru was unconscious and Sasuke was paralyzed by the fear. None of them would save her.
-"Surrender to your fate!" -he shouted as his neck approached fast.
The time stopped, the girl didn't know what Orochimaru was going to do but didn't care. She had failed his brother, to his friends and to herself. Nothing mattered now. The Uzumaki closed her eyes waiting for her end.
-"TASTE THE REAL POWER!" -that was his final words. After that she couldn't hear more than the sound of the wind moving the trees of the jungle.
A bite sound could be heard. Strangely, the girl felt no pain. She opened her eyes and could see two legs in front of her. She looked up to find Sasuke Uchiha who had blood dripping from the wound.
-"Sasuke? what...?"
-"Argh, you're too slow little girl" -the boy began to feel a sharp pain in the neck.
Orochimaru turned away from him with a smile as his neck returned to his body.
-"I didn't asked for your help! you don't had to rescue me!" -she shouted angry and someway surprised. Sasuke laughed with difficulty.
-"I d-don't k-kn-know w-why I di-did it. I j-ju-just ac-acted by impulse" -his breathing became faster and faster until he felt a stitch in the wound that made him lose consciousness.
-"Sasuke-kun..." -Naruko thought sadly for him. She knowed that he wasn't dead but she felt guilty for him.
He could be inexpressive, teme, stupid and arrogant. But that day he had proven to be a good friend protecting the girl's life. Sadness filled the heart of Naruko as she was thinking that she had been rude with him.
Perhaps all he needed was some reason or friends who could deviate him from the path of revenge. Maybe, she and Shikamaru could become his friends. And, someday give him a reason to live happy.
Why she was afraid? it would be like this forever?, and what happened to become the friend of Sasuke?. Those questions echoed in her mind while a memory was becoming more visible.
-Flashback-
-"Naruto-nichan!" -the boy fell off the bed startled by the scream- "nichan! nichan! help me!" -his tiredness faded away as well as the pain of the blow. The blond boy stood up and ran to his sister's bed.
When he got there, he saw his sister covering with sheets as she was hiding from something. His heart pounded fast for the fear that something happened to her.
-"What's wrong?!" -he shouted scared. The girl looked at him and then she pointed to some point on the wall.
Naruto turned around to see a big black spider walking down the wall. He smiled dissapointed.
-"That was the problem? For this you awaken me so early?" -his sister nodded covering her face with the sheets again. Naruto yawned tired and someway bored.
-"Kill it! Kill it!" -the boy sighed resignated. He knew that his sister wouldn't allow him to sleep until he do something.
With only a hit of his hand he crushed the spider on the wall.
-"Disgusting" -he thought as he cleaned his hand with another side of the wall.
-"Thanks nichan!" -she said smiling. Naruto nodded yawning again as he saw that the dawn was close.
He only had a few hours to sleep until class.
-"Don't mention it, now I'm going to sleep. You should do the same" -his sister began to blush herself confusing Naruto.
-"Nichan, can i sleep with you?" -Naruto sighed, she was still a little girl.
-"Why?, i've already killed the "monster". It wouldn't trouble anymore" -he said joking. The girl looked at him with sad eyes and a blush on her face.
-"Okay Okay!, you win Naruko, you can sleep in my..." -he couldn't continue talking, in a second the girl had hugged him softly.
-"Yeah! you're the best Naruto-nichan!" -Naruto laughed happy as he and his sister walked to his bedroom holdign hands.
(A/N this isn't a pervert flashback, Naruto hadn't any bad intention with her sister as well she hadn't too. I just wanted to show the love they had for each other as brothers. I clarify this because there are always readers who misinterpret things. Well, not everybody, i know)
-End of the Flashback-
Naruto had always been the one who had given her the courage to carry on and always keep promises. But now she was afraid, and without him she was a failure as a ninja.
-"Poor Uchiha boy..." -Orochimaru began to laugh loudly. The girl looked at him with fear- "Now's your turn!" -the man did the same attack than before.
Again she was afraid, she was motionless watching the creepy eyes of the snake-man approaching her neck again.
-"Doton: Kekkai!*" -a voice shouted behind the man.
*Earth style: Ground barrier technique
Two blocks of land emerged and formed a prison around Orochimaru. Then, they began to merge as they tried to crush the man.
Naruko watched impressed the technique, then she looked over the rocks and she saw her friend making the jutsu.
-"Shika-kun?" -the boy stood up and he grabbed one of his explosive kunais.
-"Naruko-chan! jump!" -the Uzumaki looked at him confused but in a second she realized his words and jumped using her chakra.
Shikamaru threw his weapon to the zone behind Naruko. It reached it just in the time that the snake-man jumped out of the land, then a big explosion occurred.
The fire consumed everything around it, although it wasn't a huge explosion had burned part of trees and insects next to the zone.
Shikamaru sighed relieved: luckily, the explosion didn't reach the girl so she landed a few meters behind the Nara boy.
-"I think i hit him... are you okay Naruko-chan?" -he asked worried for her. The girl nodded and then she approached Shikamaru to hug him.
-"Yeah. Thanks Shika-kun, Orochimaru would have killed me if you didn't arrived on time" -Shikamaru blushed like the last time he hugged her. The feeling of her body next to him was too much- "But... Sasuke-kun was injured..." -Naruko pointed at the Uchiha boy. The Nara boy looked at him worried.
-"Well, i think we must go to the tower. There we can get some medics for..."
-"Where do you think you're going?. You aren't planning on leaving me here, don't you?" -that voice means problems for Shikamaru. But worst of all was that he had almost no chakra and Sasuke was hurt. He must make a decision and fast.
-"Oh man, how troublesome is he. Naruko-chan, take Sasuke to the tower. I'll delay him as much as i can" -Naruko shook her head in disagreement.
-"I-I won't leave you behind!" -Shikamaru sighed as he knowed that he would regretted his words if it was someone else, but Naruko was special to him. He made a promise to Hiruzen and he would have to comply it.
-"Young love huh?. Well, i'm sorry for dissapoint you but she isn't going anywhere!" -he shouted smiling- "on the other hand, I'm really impressed with your intelligence boy. You'd be perfect as my subordinate if you want..." -Shikamaru laughed loudly.
-"No thanks, i'm fine being miself" -Shikamaru used his shadow imitation technique to hold the snake-man in his place.
-"You got him!" -she exclaimed happy. The boy shook his head scared.
-"I don't think so..." -Shikamaru knew it was too weird that Orochimaru fell in that slow jutsu. No, it was too rare to be true.
Orochimaru clicked his tongue resigned.
-"Oh, maybe you need a little present..." -the two of them could hear his voice but now from other side of the forest. The Nara boy undid the jutsu as he realized that the "trapped Orochimaru" was a clone of snakes and the real snakes was approaching from other side.
-"I got you!"
Naruko didn't know what happened. In a second, Shikamaru had Orochimaru's teeth on his neck.
-"Sh-Shi-Shika...kun?" -the snake-man retired himself from the boy's neck.
The boy turned around to face her as he felt a great pain on the wound zone. He grabbed it with his right hand as he looked at the girl.
-"Naruko... i'm sorry" -with a single blink of her eyes, Shikamaru fell unconcious on the ground.
-"Shi-Shika-kun!" -her body began to tremble with angry. Something mad was taking control of her mind- "You... you... will pay for this!" -the shout didn't scare Orochimaru but he found himself surprised as he saw a red chakra covering her body.
The face of a fox formed with red chakra floated on her for a moment.
-"What!? she has the Kyubi too!?"
Soon he realized that Naruto wasn't the only one who had the Kyubi in his body. Someway his sister had too.
-"Oh, Minato huh?. Very smart of you..."
-"Naruko-chan..." -his voice sounded sad like he was having a bad dream. The girl used a towel to reduce his fever- "I... couldn't... protect you..." -she looked at him sadly. After all, he tried his best to protect her. Now, Naruko had to do something.
-"He's dreaming with me... Sorry Shika-kun, i wasn't a good help back there" -she thought blushing herself. He looked calmly when he slept and someway cute (A/N that was she was thinking hehe).
-"Itachi..." -she turned around to saw Sasuke sweating by his nightmare- "don't hurt... Naruko..." -she couldn't believe what she heard, Sasuke Uchiha talking about her? him, an idiot?. Naruko giggled blushed, he was an idiot yes, but someway cute.
-"Poor Sasuke, after all he's trying to protect me. Even in his dreams..." -She took another towel as she put it on the upper side of his face.
Naruko sighed tired, taking care of them and looking for something to eat wasn't easy. But at least she hadn't any trouble. Well, at least not yet...
-"Uzumaki! we know that you're there!" -a familiar voice shouted outside the tree startling her. Naruko exited slowly through the hole of it.
Outside the tree she could recognize her two "enemies".
-"The Yamanaka fan girl and... what was your name?" -she asked coldly. The pink-haired girl began to shout incoherencies like "I'll kill that...!" or "You little piece of...!"
-"Calm down Sakura. You know that you don't stand a chance against her alone..." -Sakura looked at her surprised.
-"Ino!"
-"I said "not alone", but together maybe..." -the blonde said smiling. The Haruno girl nodded angry.
-"What the hell do you want? i don't have time for you!. My friends are sick damn it!" -Naruko was furious with those annoying girls.
They were always bothering her with their jokes about Naruto. It was always the same with them, they said that they love Sasuke Uchiha but always teased her. Why? they knew that Sasuke never approached the Uzumaki girl.
-"Ha! we know that Sasuke is sleeping and you want to take advantage of him" -the Uzumaki blinked surprised and then she laughed. It began like a giggle but after she laughed very loudly.
-"What's so funny!?" -the two girls asked at unison. Naruko stopped laughing as she began to breath quickly to recover herself.
-"You're so stupid"
-"WHAT!?" -Naruko looked at them smiling.
-"If fighting is the only way you'll go i'll do it with pleasure" -she said preparing for the fight.
-"Don't be so sure. This time we have something in our favour..." -Ino and Sakura smiled confusing Naruko. But, in a second, she realized what was that means: someone grabbed her from behind. The girl tried to see who it was but she couldn't.
-"I'm sorry Naruko but..." -that voice was familiar. Although never talked to that guy she knew who it was.
-"Choji? what...?" -his arms were immobilized by him- "No! No! you bitches!" -she shouted angry and scared. They laughed loudly and then Ino and Sakura approached the Uzumaki girl.
They stopped in front of her. They looked at her with contempt, as if she were a monster that must be killed.
-"I have waited long for this Uzumaki. Now you're going to pay for all you did to us!" -Sakura raised her fist in order to hit Naruko with her full anger.
Naruko began to breathe quickly by the fear. She couldn't protect herself for any attack, no with Choji grabbing her.
-"Let her go, you fat idiot..." -a quiet yet hateful voice frightened her. He could see that Sakura and Ino stopped and stared at a point behind it.
The Uzumaki felt that Choji released her in a second and he turned around.
-"Great. Now that Sasuke is here maybe they'll go..." -Naruko thought smiling. But she was wrong, the voice wasn't Sasuke Uchiha.
-"How did you called...?" -he stopped scared by what he saw- "Shikama...?" -a tremendous hit on his face throw him away. Choji knocked his head on a tree and then he fell unconscious.
-"Naruko-chan, whose of that stupid and ugly bitches hurt you?" -that voice startled her. It was the same that Shikamaru but full of anger and hate.
-"Shika-kun?" -she asked making him nod. He approached to Naruko making Sakura and Ino get away slowly.
-"I see then. Well, i would have to break some bones then..." -he laughed loudly. He wasn't the same, his body was covered with a strange symbol and he had a dark aura of power.
-"Nara? do you think that you stand a chance agains the great Saku..." -with a shout, Shikamaru hit her face with his fist. Before throwing her away Naruko could heard a noise of broken bones.
Ino looked first at Sakura and then to Shikamaru, her body trembled by the fear.
-"Shi-Shikamaru forgive me! please!" -Ino knelt on the floor and begged for forgiveness. But the boy only laughed with anger.
-"Now's your turn" -he announced ignoring her excuses as he raised his fist.
Naruko watched Shikamaru's anger and how he hurt those gennins (A/N they deserve it if you want to now my opinion) with fear. But now, that fear faded away as she remembered how the real and kind Shikamaru was, she had to do something to save him from his own darkness.
The girl ran to the boy and then she hugged him from behind. Immediately, he dropped his fist down. Her tears fell down her face.
-"Shika-kun... please... return to me" -the aura vanished slowly, his marks dissapeared too and then the boy turned around to see Naruko.
-"Man... that was... so... troublesome..." -Shikamaru had returned.
Naruko smiled happily as he fainted in her arms. She sighed as she wiped tears out of her face: at least the boy was again the same.
She looked smiling and somewhat worried. He must take it back into the tree.
-"Hum, it seems that your friend went through a lot today" -a voice behind her startled Naruko. She turned around quickly as she began to form seals.
-"Huh? Anko-sensei?" -she asked confused as she stopped her jutsu. Standing in front of her was a woman with two anbus on her sides.
-"Yeah" -the jounin nodded quickly.
-"What are you doing in this forest? i thought that this was an exam..."
-"Well "it was", but now we received information that you were attacked by Orochimaru. And... it seems that your friends have the curse mark..." -Anko pointed at the chest of Shikamaru. Naruko could saw trought his jacket with a little blush on her face.
Indeed, there was a strange mark on his chest and it had the form of three curved lines. Naruko looked scared at it and then to Anko.
-"If he going to be okay?" -she remembered that Sasuke was bitten too- "And what about Sasuke?"
-"I don't know. Only the Hokage will" -Naruko shook her head confused. Anko nodded to the anbus- "let's go, Sarutobi-sama will tell us what to do"
End of the second chapter, I hope that you would like it. I just ask if you can give me some review stating if you liked the story and some advices for my bad english.
Thanks all for voting!, the pairing now is Naruko and Shikamaru!. But it's going to be slow love, nothing too fast. I would take the advice of "idea . getthe " and i would keep the suspense as much as possible.
Answer to reviews:
Naru-fan3400: I really thank you for your words. I think i had done a terrible work with Shikamaru but now i don't. Thanks for reading!
idea . getthe: Thanks for the idea man, i would keep the suspense as much as possible. Thanks for reading!
The red rose: Thanks a lot! i'm glad that you liked my way of describing Shikamaru. Again thanks for reading and for letting your review!
Uchiha MeNikki: I really appreacite your support man, i know that this chapter is boring but i would try to do something better the next time. Still thanks for reading and i hope you like this chapter too! (Again haha)
buttmunch2: Okay man thanks for your vote and for your review.