"Sorry to interrupt, but this mission requires as much strength as possible. Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shikamaru, Kakashi—come with me; I will brief you. Everyone else, spread the word: we need every free shinobi to assemble at the village gates in twenty minutes," announced Gai to the shocked wedding goers. As the Hokage finished speaking, the ninjas left to complete the tasks they were given.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi, Gai, Shikamaru disappeared from sight as they talked about the mission in the Hokage's office.
"So, if you're interrupting our wedding, and calling all able shinobi, then this must be important," said Tsunade with hints of anger and sarcasm as they burst through the office door.
"It is, Tsunade. Two days ago, we received intelligence that Kirigakure was going to launch a surprise attack on us on the day of your wedding," replied Gai, who, being afraid of Tsunade, kept his distance.
"Wait," Shikamaru said, breaking the silence and directing their stares at him, "Why wouldn't they have just moved the wedding?"
"The elders and I decided not to tell them; we didn't want to cause unnecessary panic. Instead we sent ANBU units to verify the accuracy of this intelligence. Not until thirty minutes ago did we find our answer. One of the three ANBU units we sent returned with horrifying news—the others did not return at all. It seems that Kirigakure isn't holding back in this attack. They are sending: the demon of the mist Momichi Zabuza, a young mysterious boy by the name of Haku, Hoshigaki Kisame, the sole-wielder of Samehada, a ninja named Suigetsu who, to my understanding, has a thirst for murder, usually by beheading his victims, Kurosuki Raiga a shinobi who can focus lightning and use it as his weapon, and an unknown kunoichi. We must stop them at all costs. More ninja from Sunagakure are en route and will meet you at the interception point. There is an open field a little less than halfway between us and their group.
"Hokage-sama, if I may offer a suggestion, since we should arrive at the interception point first, I propose that we split up into teams, the number and make up will be decided upon once we know who we have, and that we attack from all sides," said Shikamaru, before Gai finished his sentence.
"I agree," said Kakashi. Each of the others nodded in turn. "So, I think now would be a good time to get to the gate and see who we have to work with, and I think we should depart as soon as possible."
In minutes, a small crowd of shinobi had gathered at the city gates. As Shikamaru, who was the last to arrive, finally caught up with the rest, he was surprised to see how many free ninjas there were at the time. He looked around quickly formulating a plan as he looked through the crowd. Chouji, Sakura, Sasuke, Itachi, Temari, Sai, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Ino, Shino, Kiba, Hinata, and even Naruto had shown up willing to go on this mission. This is good; we have strong attackers and defenders, skilled medics, and brilliant strategists… yet, will it be enough to stop themShikamaru, usually calm, collected, and seemingly uninterested in anything other than lazy days in the grass, was for the first time beginning to focus on the task at hand.
"Okay," Jiraiya began to announce to the gathering, "we need to leave soon; you will all be briefed on our way to the interception point. I will, however, say this now; we are going up against S-ranked warriors. If any of you feel that you aren't prepared for this type of mission, I suggest you stay here." Jiraiya's voice was full of fatherly concern. Tsunade had the sudden impulse to wrap her arms around her soon to be husband. She only stopped herself when he continued to speak. "Do any of you wish to stay behind?" Silence fell over the group of teenage ninjas. Although they were all young, they were all very strong. None of them thought that they would lose if they stuck together. However, each of them was fully prepared to give his or her life to save their village.
"As I expected, Jiraiya, none of them would back down if the village were at stake," said Kakashi.
"I just had to be sure." Jiraiya's voice was one full of concern. He had led many missions. Most of the ninjas joining him on those missions, however, had been predominately adults. However, few of his previous missions were as dangerous as this one. Upon hearing the loyalty of each of these teenagers, Jiraiya was determined to ensure that these teenagers made it back to Konoha safely, even if he didn't.
"We need to leave now!" commanded Tsunade, and the eighteen ninjas left the village fully prepared not to return again.
xXx
As the eighteen ninjas made their way to the interception point, Shikamaru spoke up addressing the fourteen other teenagers, "Okay, it's troublesome but we are preparing to fight a battle against some of the Water Country's fiercest warriors. Kirigakure was attempting to launch a surprise attack on us. We caught wind of it, and that is why we are going to intercept them. Our goal is to intercept them at a clearing in the forest a little ways ahead. It will be a good place for us to battle because it is an open field, in the middle of the forest, away from any body of water. This gives us the advantage of terrain. However, this fight will still take all of our skills. Temari, your brothers, Gaara and Kankurou, are set to meet us at the interception point. I have broken everyone up into squads. These are the best formations I could conceive with the current roster. These squads are set up to be evenly skilled. We have three skilled medinins with us, and they need to be protected in case anyone falls during battle. Team one consists of Itachi, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kankurou. Your job will be to attack the enemy head on. Team two will be Gaara, Jiraiya, Kiba, and I, and we will be supporting Team one. Tsunade, Ino, Shino, and Temari will be Team three and will attack them from the west. Kakashi, Naruto, Hinata, and Chouji will be team four and will be attacking from the east. Lastly, Lee, Sai, Tenten, and Neji will sneak around to the far side of the field and will attack the enemy from behind once we engage them in battle. Does anyone have any questions about team assignments and jobs?" The group's silence was answer enough for him.
"Good, now, the first priority, prior to the head-on charge, should be to detain the enemy. If given the chance, we need to capture one of the assailants and bring him back to Konoha for interrogation. If anyone else can think of any ways to detain our enemies, use them at your own will. Should we fail to capture the enemy, we will launch an all out offensive against them. Once they know that we are here. The real fight will begin. Now we need to increase our pace to reach the interception point before they do. When we get there, we need to inform Gaara and Kankurou of our plans, survey the area and form individual squad strategies, and prepare for the attack." Shikamaru's words left the entire group silent. It seemed that Shikamaru's plans were undefeatable. He seemed to have thought about every situation. Every small detail seemed to be accounted for. Little did they know that the enemy was not going to be willing to fall for a surprise attack.
xXx
Although they were tired, the eighteen ninjas had arrived ahead of schedule. With the few spare minutes that they had been given, Shikamaru surveyed the battlefield. This clearing should offer us a good advantage. It is relatively flat, so we don't have to worry about being surprised by an enemy on the high ground. We are a few miles away from the nearest body of water, so they are at a disadvantage because they can't use a lot of their water moves without large amounts of water. Also, we can be hidden in the forest and should have the element of surprise. I don't want to underestimate them though. I had better lay some traps around the perimeter just to be safe.
Not long after Gaara and Kankurou arrived, Jiraiya spoke one last time to the group, "Okay everyone, get into positions. They should be here within a half an hour." Jiraiya's orders were followed without hesitation and without argument. I hope this plan of his works.
It seemed that Jiraiya wasn't the only one that was nervous about the approaching battle. Tsunade, a woman with both great strength and great courage, stood before her squad attempting to still her shaking hand. We would be up for a difficult fight with the four swordsmen, but to have to worry about the ice-user, and a woman whose abilities are as of yet unknown, this may be too dangerous. No! I cannot think like that. These kids, no these warriors have been through so much, they won't go down easily. No matter what, I will use my strength to defend the youth of our village. As long as I am around, none of them shall be harmed. Tsunade had finally calmed her shaking nerves. Her determination to protect them was unwavering, the fire in her eyes had been lit, and it would take more than the entire Wave Country to extinguish it.
Like Tsunade, each of the other Leaf Shinobi was preparing to give their lives up for something that they cared about. Whether it be a place hat they called home, a loved one, or simply to ensure a better life for the next generation, their determination was resolute. All of the ninjas' nerves were running on high.
There is only one variable that could cause us to lose. In the damp, chilly forest, Shikamaru's thoughts had ventured to inward reflection. Depending on what skills this "Karin" woman has, we could be in trouble, but how much trouble could one woman cause. Shikamaru's intelligence was undeniable, but even he couldn't form a perfect strategy with the enemy holding a possible wild card. Hopefully we won't have to change our plans, but— wait a minute. Why aren't they here yet? Why did it suddenly become completely quiet.
Shikamaru turned to Jiraiya, "Jiraiya, I need to send a message." Without further explanation, Jiraiya summoned a small, orange toad. While Jiraiya summoned Gamakichi, Shikamaru wrote a note. When Gamakichi had been summoned, Shikamaru turned to him and spoke, "Take this note to Naruto as soon as possible and tell him to hurry." Gamakichi, who was excited just to have something to do, hurried off surprisingly fast.
During the following ten minutes of waiting, Shikamaru only became tenser. Each minute that passed brought with it a new fear. Maybe they simply chose a new route. What if they caught wind of our plan and this was all a trap? How can I be sure that everyone else is okay? What if I led them here, separated them, and, basically, handed them over to the enemies? No, each team was strong enough to survive on its own at least for a bit. I would have heard something if there were a fight. Wouldn't I?
Before Shikamaru thoughts worsened, Gamakichi came darting back through the forest with a new note in hand. As Shikamaru read the note silently, the rest of Team two stood waiting; ready to leave at a moment's notice. Once Shikamaru finished, he stood in silence with his hands at his abdomen in his normal "thinking pose". After one more minute had passed, he turned to the rest of his Team. "Everyone, split up, go to the other teams and tell them to rendezvous at team five's location. Jiraiya, go to Team three. Gaara go to Team one. Gamakichi, go to Team four. Kiba, go to Team five and tell them to set up defense perimeter." Shikamaru's orders were met with questioning glances. "Go, now! Our mission has been compromised, make sure that everyone is safe. I will be there soon, but first I need to check on a few things. Go! Now!" At this, each member of Team two left as quickly as they could to complete their job.
Within minutes, they had all assembled to aid in the protection of the new rendezvous point; all except Shikamaru. Jiraiya answered Tsunade's questions about Shikamaru's whereabouts. "All I know is that he ordered us to go after you all and lead you here after he received a note from Naruto." At once, the eyes of each ninja rested on Naruto as a barrage of questions assaulted him.
"Quiet everyone!" Tsunade's voice rose above the others'. "Naruto, what did your note say?"
"Well, his message had asked me to disperse the clones that he had me station throughout the forest, and, well; there were no signs of the enemy. So I told him that and asked if we could go home yet."
"No, we had a confirmed sighting of the ninjas from Kirigakure en route to our position, if they didn't show up, then they must have caught wind of our plan. The question is, how?"
"Tsunade, you're exactly right." Shikamaru said as he emerged from the dense foliage.
"Where have you been, I was so worried?" Temari asked almost in tears.
"We have been found out. I don't know how, but I am sure of it." Shikamaru's reply caught all of them by surprise.
"How, what happened to make you so sure?" The whole group asked, seemingly in unison.
"Two things, actually, since they didn't come from the projected path, I thought it might be a trap so I sent you all here while I checked on a few sensory traps that I had laid during our "free time". Sure enough, a few of them had been triggered. The second reason that drew me to my conclusion is simple. Everyone listen. What do you hear?"
Kiba spoke up first, "All I hear is water."
"Exactly!" Shikamaru could tell that everyone was confused by his answer.
"Wait, how does water tell you that we were found out? Couldn't there just be a creek or something near here?" Sasuke asked, as though just joining the conversation.
"Well, Sasuke, there are two reasons why it couldn't be a creek. First, there aren't any bodies of water within five miles of here. Secondly, it is continually growing stronger; look across the field. The southern half is already half-engulfed by water. I don't know how they did it, but they knew exactly where we were and they have successfully surrounded us with a constantly growing ring of water. The point is, we need to be careful, and prepare ourselves. Not only do they have the element of surprise, but we are also fighting on their element." As Shikamaru said this, the hearts of his teammates sank to the bottom of an ever growing ocean of doubt.