I don't own Naruto. Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed so far. You guys are awesome!
Italics show flashbacks, by the way.
A/N: I'm sorry I took so long to post this chapter. I had a very hard time with this one. I can't tell you how many versions of the flashback I've written and discarded, and I'm still not sure I'm happy with it. But I think it's the best I can do, and you guys deserve more frequent updates for being so patient with me. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me this long. I hope this makes up for the wait.
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Shikamaru stood in a tree on the edge of the training ground, watching Naruto stare at the memorial stone. He had passed Kakashi-sensei while he was looking for his friend, and the jounin had seemed shaken. Shikamaru had pieced it together then and come looking for the blonde shinobi at Team 7's old training ground. When he arrived, he found Naruto kneeling in front of the memorial, his head bowed and shoulders shaking. Shikamaru decided to give him some more time and sat down on one of the large branches of the tree.
Shikamaru looked away, trying to ignore the memories that were flooding his mind. His throat clenched and his chest ached as he remembered how he heard about Naruto's death.
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Shikamaru rubbed the back of his hand over his mouth, trying to steady his heavy breathing. He glanced to either side, making sure Choji and Ino were still with him, and then stared after the remains of the Sound army. Something must have happened; they had been fighting the vast number of enemy shinobi for at least twelve hours, and neither side had gained an advantage.
Then, suddenly, the Sound army had stilled, staring dazedly in front of them and dropping their arms to their sides, some even letting their weapons fall to the ground. The Leaf ninjas had also stopped fighting when they saw their actions. They two sides faced off, silently, until someone cried out, "Kill them now!" This broke the trance, and the sounds of battle ensued again. The Sound army did not fight back; some stayed as they were until they were cut down, others ran away into the surrounding forest.
Now Shikamaru, his team, and the rest of the chuunin from Konoha stood staring in shock. The battle, or at least their part of it, was over. "What… what was that all about?" Shikamaru heard someone ask aloud. Behind him, Kiba swore.
"Something must have happened. Maybe Orochimaru called them off," another speculated. More murmuring was heard all through the field, some attempting to explain the event and others merely expressing their disbelief. Shikamaru didn't know what to think, so he remained silent.
Eventually, a commanding voice broke through the general noise. "Everyone find your teams. As soon as you're all accounted for, administer to the wounded. If you can walk, help the medical teams. If not, stay out of the way until you're taken care of." After a moment the dazed, exhausted shinobi moved into action, finding their teammates and moving the seriously injured away from the battlefield. Ino left immediately to help the rest of the medical ninjas, and Choji and Shikamaru began helping the others.
Shikamaru kept an eye out for the rest of their friends. He had seen Kiba and Hinata, and neither of them looked badly wounded. He knew that Lee and Shino had been taken away from the battle early on, wounded too badly to continue fighting. That left Tenten, Sakura, and Naruto still unaccounted for. Knowing Naruto, he had probably been a part of the battle against Orochimaru himself. The thought wasn't reassuring.
It felt as if the relief effort lasted as long as the battle itself. By the time the wounded were cleared from the field, Shikamaru was ready to collapse. Kakashi had stopped by at one point and announced that Orochimaru had been defeated. The shinobi were too exhausted to celebrate.
Something was off about the jounin, but considering what the village had just been through that didn't surprise Shikamaru. He let it go and followed Choji into the village proper, hoping for a few hours' sleep before helping with the rest of the relief effort.
He didn't make it home, however, before he and Choji were stopped and told to help relocate the villagers. Shikamaru mumbled something about trouble and headed where he was directed. Kiba and Neji were there, and they both looked shaken. Kiba appeared to be fighting tears, and Shikamaru's stomach clenched with dread.
"What's wrong, Kiiba? Is it Shino?" Choji asked, his voice wavering slightly.
Kiba took a deep breath and stared at the ground. "No, Shino's fine. He'll be out of commission for a while, but there's no lasting damage." He didn't continue, and Shikamaru frowned deeply.
"Then what is it?" he prompted, his gaze shifting to Neji's face. The jounin's expression was dark and his eyes misty.
In the end it was Neji who answered. "We just came from the site of the battle with Orochimaru. We…," Neji's voice caught and he cleared his throat. "There were so many casualties…. Among them was…." He paused, and Shikamaru paled.
"Who?" Shikamaru demanded breathlessly.
It was a long moment before Neji replied. "Uzumaki Naruto."
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That had been one of the worst moments of Shikamaru's life. The only event he recalled with as much pain was watching Asuma die at the hands of Akatsuki. He didn't remember anything else about that day; apparently he hadn't said anything after being told the news. He had merely helped the villagers and brooded silently. He did, however, recall the following days of grieving and rebuilding their village.
Nothing had been the same after that. Even as the village was restored and the morale grew among the villagers, the shinobi community had been devastated. Naruto had only been one of almost sixty shinobi deaths. There didn't seem to be a single ninja who hadn't been affected by the loss of a friend or family member.
Among the Rookie 9 and their friends from Team Gai, a deep sadness and depression had set in. Shino and Lee were soon released from the hospital, and the group met on a regular basis. But without Naruto…. Shikamaru shuddered. It had been months before they were able to laugh among themselves again, and even longer before they began to feel a sense of normalcy. But the gap was always there.
"I'm sorry I ran off like that." Shikamaru was startled out of his thoughts when Naruto landed on the branch in front of him, falling into an easy crouch.
It took Shikamaru a moment to process what his friend had said. When he did, he frowned. "There's no need to apologize. We understand. You don't have to tell us anything until you're ready."
Naruto cleared his throat and looked down. "I may not be able to talk about what happened yet, but…. I think it's about time I tell everyone who I am. There's no need…. I'm being selfish. I'm ready to tell my friends that… that I'm alive."
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