Wow, sorry again guys! I know, I know…it took me FOREVER to update! It's summer now though and I'll get these updates going! So very sorry!
Well, but anyway, the girls start having a bigger part now, so you'll get to see lots of different points of views.
Last Time: Sasuke finds out the identities of the females too! After trying to make a quick escape, the four females run into Naruto, Neji, Gai, and Lee. Can Shikamaru and Sasuke help them get out of this mess? Will they even help them at all?
Enjoy!
Shikamaru and Sasuke ran together as ahead of them, the four girls struggled in battle. "Stop!" Shikamaru yelled again and again, as nobody seemed to hear him. When they finally got
to the riot, Sasuke jumped in front of one of the females in time for him to take a fist to his face from Naruto.
Sasuke spit the blood coming from his mouth and turned to the female as he helped her up, now realizing it was Hinata. He than noticed everybody had stopped fighting and stood in silence. He also noticed Shikamaru helping the other females to their feet. He ignored the look Naruto was giving him, one of complete surprise and slight agony.
He looked around him and in minor relief realized no other ninjas had come, only the doctors and nurses from the hospital were the ones growing in numbers as they surrounded the group.
He still was in complete shock of what he had just found out, but he wasn't willing to just stand back and watch them giet hurt. Plus, Shikamaru couldn't handle this on his own. While Neji, Naruto, Lee, Kakashi, and Gai stood in a circle around Shikamaru, the girls, and him, he looked towards Shikamaru, who kept his eyes to the ground. He seemed to be thinking.
-
Naruto's muscles were frozen stiff. Had Sasuke just protected one of those females? The very people who had taken important people away from him? Everybody seemed to be in shock as the silence continued. He looked towards the females, all of them breathing hard, all holding a bleeding wound or two. He had gotten them right where he had wanted them. He felt revenge so close, so tangible. It all changed when Shikamaru burst in with Sasuke. It seemed as though…no it couldn't be. Naruto gulped and readied his words to see if what he thought was true.
Finally, breaking the silence, he stepped forward. "Sasuke, are you on their side?"
-
Naruto's words were so full of anguish they hit Shikamaru so hard as if they had been directed towards him. He could understand Naruto's position. If he were in his shoes, he would be utterly confused. Shikamaru was trying to think up a plan, but nothing came to him.
He heard rustling feet, and turned to see Sasuke facing Naruto, not with his usual uncaring, nonchalant look, but more of a sad, apologetic look. It was the kind of look that could tell Naruto the answer was yes.
But, Sasuke still spoke, "I just don't think we should rush into killing them. Questioning them first would be a better route."
"Right, I want to know their motives," Shikamaru added, trying to act calm, but on the inside he was shaking. Ino stood next to him; he knew it was her somehow, even in the darkness of the night. She was standing close, breathing hard. She seemed to know what he was feeling as she brushed her hand against his, giving his fingers a quick squeeze. Just as quickly her hand was back at her own side. It also seemed as though she was saying thanks, or maybe goodbye, as he suspected she was thinking this was the end of their charade.
Kakashi suddenly stepped forward.
-
Neji was relieved, after hearing why Sasuke had stepped in.
"You're right Sasuke," Kakashi was saying. "That's what we were planning on in the first place."
For a moment Neji believed the same as Naruto, it seemed as though Shikamaru and Saskue were helping them. It was probably a good thing that they had stepped in though; Naruto was becoming careless, probably intent on killing them instead of carrying out Kakashi's plan.
He looked to the females. They stood still, not seeming to plan on moving. They were quite cunning though. He wanted to know their motives also, though it's not like it would help any. The four were already dead, never to come back. He reached for the necklace Tenten had given him and rubbed it briskly. He had never experienced this kind of feeling before. He couldn't explain it, emptiness maybe. But why, he just couldn't figure out.
-
Sakura was on the verge of tears. What was going to happen? Plus, she couldn't help but remember the look on Sasuke's face as he realized she was doing what she was doing. Naruto, Neji, Lee, Gai, and Kakashi were moving in on the group. Sasuke was ahead of her, back turned. Ino stood next to her, who was next to Shikamaru, and Tenten stood with Hinata behind as they were leaning on each other to stand.
She moved closer to Ino, starting to notice Kakashi moving to take her, as she heard Shikamaru whisper to Ino, "What do you want to do?" Sakura didn't even know what she herself wanted. Everything seemed to be closing in. Were they going to get caught? She didn't even want to think of the consequences.
Kakashi now spoke, "So, come with us peacefully, and submit to questioning." She moved closer to Ino and heard her respond to Shikamaru, "I don't know what to do…Will you help me?"
-
Ino waited for Shikamaru's answer. Sakura was moving closer to her so she took her hand, but it was quickly taken away as Kakashi took Sakura and began wrapping a chain around her wrists and locking it together. Ino knew they couldn't fight back. They had already tried and were almost defeated in just a few minutes. She turned to see Gai and Neji taking either Hinata or Tenten and Naruto and Lee taking the other. She offered her wrists to Shikamaru as she saw Kakashi hand him a chain. She couldn't do anything else.
He slowly began wrapping her wrists and she asked again. "Will you help me?" He got close to her and whispered, "Just wait." He wrapped the chains gently as he knew she was hurt. "I have a plan."
She nodded. She couldn't have more trust in Shikamaru.
-
Hinata looked ahead of her. The street was dimly lit. Ahead of her Tenten was being chained by Gai and Neji in the front, and Sakura being chained by Sasuke, as he insisted that he do it instead of Kakashi. Kakashi still stood close behind them. Next to Sakura, was Ino, already chained by Shikamaru. She was in the back; Naruto and Lee were beginning to push her to walk as she struggled to keep the pace they wanted.
They had successfully gone through with the plan to make everybody think they were dead. It was difficult, but it had actually worked, until Ino was caught by Shikamaru. Hinata didn't blame Ino at all though, it was probably now a good thing they had somebody to help them.
Hinata wasn't ready to give up either. They had already come this far. Hopefully it wasn't over yet.
She noticed Naruto was shaking, who was to the left of her. Lee spoke.
"Don't worry Naruto, it's going to be okay now."
"Yeah, but I just can't help but feel it was my fault….Lee, it happened right on front of my eyes…."
Lee stood silent for a moment, as Naruto wiped a tear and sighed.
"Hinata was with me…" he began again. "She suddenly disappeared while we were running. "How could I have been so careless!" Lee said nothing, while Hinata was hit with the most unpleasant, guilty feeling she had ever had.
-
Gai and Neji were quickly wrapping Tenten's wrists. It ended up being unbearably tight and uncomfortable, but she tried to ignore it. Other aches were throbbing in her body, as Gai and Neji led her quite roughly along the dirt path as they began walking. She looked around her to see the others beginning to walk also.
She wondered where they were going to take her. Her heart was beating quickly and she could feel the blood dripping down her leg. The moon was shining brightly, but it was awfully chilly.
"I hope you know you're getting what you deserve," Gai was telling her. She felt the hand Neji was holding her arm with tighten.
"Yeah," he added. His words than became low and soft, but still audible. "Tenten….I'm sorry…."
Not only now could Tenten feel the blood drips coming down her leg, but now tears streamed down her face along with it.
He had nothing to be sorry about. She went back to what Gai had said.
I hope I get more than I deserve.
-
The four had been led somewhere underground. After they had been blindfolded they lost their sense of direction. Shikamaru was trying to describe the path to Ino, but couldn't when he knew the others were close enough to hear him.
When their blindfolds were removed they were in a small, cold, and damp room. It had no windows and was very dark. Only a small candle provided light. All around water drips could be heard from the pipes sticking out from the tops of the walls. Each female had been unchained.
It was hard to tell how long they had been there. Time was lost in the place. All there was to do was sit quietly in fear of being monitored or venture into the darkness of the room if desired.
Each female sat on the cold damp floor, hugging their knees for warmth. They had not said a word to each other since coming here. They hadn't removed their masks either. They wondered why no one had removed their masks for them. They all just sat in a circle around the candle, minds drifting deep into thought.
Hinata rustled a little as she shivered, finally making the first movement in the room after what seemed like forever. She looked up to Ino, who sat on front of her on the other side of the candle. She was crying silently Hinata now noticed. She had the urge to walk over to Ino for comfort, but she knew if she went over there all she would do was cry herself. She moved her eyes to the right where Sakura was staring deep into the candle's fire.
Hinata could guess what she was thinking. She had been thinking the same thing herself earlier. How dark is it going to be when the candle goes out?
Sakura's eyes then turned to Hinata when she noticed she was watching her. Hinata looked away quickly. Her eyes moved towards Tenten who had her face buried in her knees. She was motionless, just like the time seemed to be.
Ino suddenly stretched, sniffled, than wiped the tears from her eyes. "Um…" she stopped a moment. It seemed as though she had forgotten what her voice sounded like, but really just the sudden sound in the quiet place surprised her. It surprised the others as well, as all heads turned to her.
"Ssshhh…" Tenten put a finger to her lips. "They could be listening…" Sakura sighed. "She's right. We'd better not say anything." Hinata looked towards Ino ignoring what the others had said. "What did you want to say?"
"Well…nothing really…I just thought it was getting too quiet. I won't speak anymore." Ino looked away.
It was silent for a few more minutes, until Hinata spoke again. "So…what do we do next?" The candle was now very short and the light was flickering as it quickly melted the remaining wax.
"We, wait….I guess…." Sakura responded. Tenten spoke next. "For what?"
For Shikamaru… "Don't give up yet guys," Ino shivered. It seemed to be getting colder.
The candle went out.
-
"Heh, it feels nice," Naruto nodded his head and smiled slightly. "Those four are finally caught..."
"But we still have to discuss what happens to them next," Tsunade held a serious look as she sat at her desk. Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke had been called in for a meeting. "What do you think squad leader?"
She had turned her head towards Shikamaru and then raised a brow as she realized he wasn't paying attention. "Shikamaru? That's you, you know."
He suddenly looked up, stood up straighter and turned towards her. "I don't think we should do anything right now."
Tsunade stared at him surprised as Naruto stepped forward. "I definitely think there should be a trial." "No, No…that's no good." Shikamaru responded.
"Why not?" Naruto held irritation in his voice.
"Because we already know that they're guilty," Neji stood in a corner with his arms folded. "We saw it with our own eyes...the deaths…"
"That's right," Tsunade stretched. It was early and the sun had yet to rise. "This…really needs to be thought through some more. For now, you four should get some rest. We'll continue this later."
"Oh, but one more thing," Naruto stepped forward. "Could we apologize to everybody?...I mean, for failing the mission. I want to apologize."
"There's no point in that Naruto," Sasuke said from the side of the room.
Naruto moved towards Sasuke. "What do you mean? This mission…I don't think we took it seriously enough…I take full responsibility. If I had just done-"
"Naruto!" Shikamaru turned to face him. He then turned his eyes to the ground. "There's really no need to apologize for anything you've done…" He said in a whisper, almost as if just speaking to himself.
"He's right, Naruto." Tsunade stood up. "You four did the best you could-"
"But that's not good enough!" Naruto felt the tears almost come, but he stopped for a moment. Why did it seem like he was always about to cry? He held it in, stood up straight, and looked Tsunade straight in the eye.
"I'm…really sorry…I don't think there's anything that I can do to show that I…that I…" He looked to the ground.
Tsunade walked over to him and placed a hand on each shoulder. "Naruto, you did your best." She then moved one hand and placed it on top of his head. "No one blames you. Everyone will understand."
"But.." Naruto looked up towards her.
"Meeting dismissed." Tsunade turned back towards her desk. "I'm sure you've all had enough for today. Get some rest for now. We'll figure out soon what should be done regarding their punishments."
"Right…" Neji turned out for the door and Sasuke followed. Shikamaru waited for Naruto to start his way out, than followed after.
-
Neji, Sasuke, Naruto, and Shikamaru stepped outside. The sky was still dark, but the stars were starting to disappear, preparing for the suns' arrival. Each boy was exhausted, drained both physically and mentally.
Neji sighed silently, than turned towards the others. "So…till tomorrow than." He turned around and started walking, then held up his hand to signal a goodbye.
"Wait." Naruto said firmly as Neji turned around. "Did we really do our best?" Neji turned, walked closer, placed his hands in his pockets, then stopped. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then opened them again and faced Naruto.
"No…I don't think so...if it was my best, then I truly am a failure."
Neji's eyes moved towards the ground as he slowly began to leave again. The other two watched as Naruto shut his eyes tightly and clenched a fist. Shikamaru and Sasuke didn't know what to do. They stood silently for minutes until finally Naruto looked towards them, tried to forge a smile, then ran off quickly towards his house.
They watched him leave, and still looked into that same direction even when Naruto had become out of sight.
Shikamaru then turned to Sasuke. "We should tell them. Am I right? Tell them that they're really alive. Tell them that all of this is one big confusing, troublesome mess..."
"I think we should talk to those four first. We need to find out what they've been trying to do. They're about to be punished and all of this is just going to get worse." Sasuke covered his eyes with one hand and sighed. "Let's go…right now. I don't think we'll get another chance."
"Do you think they'll let us in?" Shikamaru rubbed at his arm where a bandage covered an aching spot.
"They should." Sasuke started towards where the females were being held. They continued in silence as they made their way to the underground spot.
When they got there, they found Kakashi guarding the door. He was sitting, staring at the ceiling in the dimly lit place. He turned his head toward the two, when he realized they were there and waited for them to say something.
"Can we speak to the prisoners?" Sasuke asked as he walked closer to the door. Kakashi stood up and began to unlock it. "For what?"
"Tsunade wanted us to ask them a few questions."
Shikamaru looked at Sasuke from behind and sighed. Hopefully they wouldn't get caught for lying. "Okay," Kakashi responded.
He opened the door as the four looked up from their positions. Kakashi went in and re-lit the candle. He then closed the door, staying in the room. "Go on."
"Could…we speak with them alone?" Shikamaru turned towards Kakashi, who jumped slightly, as if surprised. "Hm? Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Sasuke responded. "Don't worry, we'll be careful."
"Okay, well sure." Kakashi opened the door and took a step before turning around. "I'm right here if anything happens." He stepped out, and closed the door behind him.
Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Hinata stayed where they were, waiting for what Shikamaru and Sasuke had to say.
"That's it." Shikamaru started as all heads turned towards him. "Enough with the secrets. I'm sorry, but I just can't go along with this plan. Everybody else is suffering too much."
Ino stood up, surprised. I thought he was going to help us. "But, you don't understand-"
"You're right. I don't understand…What's really going on?"
"Shikamaru, I thought we already made a deal." Tenten stood up also, along with Hinata and Sakura. "Please help us, and one of us will come back. The rest will take care of everything else."
"Take care of what? We can't really help if we don't even know what we're trying to accomplish." Sasuke said quietly.
"Please…" Hinata moved forward. "It's important, but it's a secret. Our plan has already been so…so destroyed. But we can still take care of things, with both of your help. When it is all over, everyone will understand."
"Please trust us." Sakura looked towards the ground. "We promise that you'll understand everything in due time…"
"So," Sasuke responded. "Part of your plan was to make us all think that all of you were dead…you're plan was to fight us-"
"Please Sasuke-kun!" Sakura stopped for a moment, realizing Kakashi was just outside the door. She lowered her voice. "I really do promise that soon you'll understand."
The room became silent, and stayed that way for awhile.
"Fine…" Sasuke finally responded. He looked towards Shikamaru, who sighed and shrugged in agreement.
"Really?" Ino felt relieved.
"Okay, first, we'll figure out who's coming back, than we'll have to come up with a story…" Tenten counted the list with her fingers. "Next, we're going to have to figure out a way to escape…and…"
"Don't worry, we'll figure it all out." Sakura sighed. "But we'll have to hurry. Kakashi-sensei is right outside."
"Yeah…" Sasuke responded. "Let's make this quick."
-
Neji woke up. It was still very early, as the sun had not fully risen. He guessed he had been asleep for only three hours or less. It didn't matter. He couldn't sleep. He got up out of bed and rushed towards the Hokage's office.
When he got there, he stepped in, realizing Naruto was already there. "Ahh…Neji, is something wrong? Naruto here was just saying what he thinks should be done regarding those four females." Tsunade looked up at him.
"So…what were you thinking Naruto? I'm here for the same reason." Neji closed the door behind him and walked closer towards Tsunade's desk.
"Well, we definitely should de-mask them and find out their identities…" Naruto stopped to think. "We should make them tell us their plans and who they're working for…and after that…" He looked towards Neji. "Well, I guess I haven't really thought it out thoroughly. What were you thinking?"
"Well, I don't really have a plan myself. I just can't rest until all of this is sorted out. That's why I came here." He looked up at Tsunade.
"Well, then the first step is to find out their identities, who they're working for, and what they're plan was originally," Tsunade stood up. "I'm sure everyone will agree."
"And another thing, I too would like to apologize…" Neji told Tsunade.
Tsunade sighed. "Fine. If that's what you really want. But I'm telling you, everybody will understand that all of you did what you could."
-
The sun had finally risen and all the shinobi in Konoha had gathered in a large meeting area. The four females had chained hands and stood in front of the crowd. Sasuke and Shikamaru waited. Their plan was so quickly drawn up, and so many of it was sure to fail.
This meeting was supposed to be a confessional for the four, where they would confess what they're plan was. But most of all, they're identities were going to be revealed.
Sasuke stood with Naruto and Kakashi, Shikamaru with Chouji and Asuma, Kiba and Shino with Kurenai, Lee and Neji with Gai. Tsunade stood with some other of Konoha's officials. Some Anbu watched from the back.
"Well," Tsunade was saying. "It's time to figure out what this is all about."
She nodded to Iruka who moved in to pull of the first mask.
Sasuke closed his eyes. Shikamaru felt himself become tense.
Hopefully their plan would be successful.
Haha, I always like to leave it at a cliffhanger!
Lol
Anyway, sorry again for the forever long wait. Thank you for all the reviews! Last chapter I got the most reviews I've ever gotten in one chapter! 52 I believe…thank you guys! I also appreciate the adding to the favorites and the alerts…
Please, if you have a story that you'd like me to check out, just say! Since all of you have been so kind and ready my story, I'd like to do the same for you.
Oh yeah, and this story is called "The Toughest Battle" right? Well, I've been wanting to change that title for the LONGEST time so if there are any suggestions, I'd really appreciate them.
THANK YOU FOR READING!