The screen lit up again on it where the words. 'the musically inclined and the not so'
"What in the world could that mean?" Naruto asks but he gets no response.
The scene begins with Shikamaru looking at some girl. Her hair is a faded red and she's wearing clothes similar to Orochimaru.
"Have we seen her before?" Naruto asks. With everything happening it's getting pretty hard keeping track of everyone.
"I don't think we did." Hiruzen replied.
"Idiot, what do you think a twerp like you can do?" She said. Shikamaru doesn't respond. "And considering the time you've spent getting this far. Every time you catch up with us, you sacrifice one of your teammates in the process. Is this Sasuke, or whatever his name is, so important to you?"
"So this takes place around the same time as the Lee fight with that white boy." Shisui smiled. He could add that to his notes.
"It seems so." Shikaku was worried for his son, even though they had seen him older already.
"Naruto didn't go out alone after Sasuke." Kakashi sighed. Where in the world was he during all this.
"You think he would."
"I know he would."
She smiled mockingly. "You'd sacrifice everyone for just one teammate. Heh heh, sweet, but a completely useless gesture."
This time it's Shikamaru that smiles. "Hah. This is my first time out as the leader. I was too worried about losing someone I wasn't sure if I'd made the right decision. As leader my teammates' lives are in my hands. I should've placed more value on the lives of my teammates instead of one person abducted by the enemy. The right thing to do would've been to abort this reckless mission."
"That's right. Shikamaru is wearing the chunin jacket." Iruka only just noticed that. After seeing so many of his colleagues in uniform you get kind of blind to that fact.
"So, this is after the chunin exams, and Shikamaru of all people somehow got promoted." Itachi took a note of that on his timeline.
"He did show a lot of tactical thinking during his final match." Hiruzen could see why the boy would get promoted over someone like Naruto.
"Then why didn't you?"
"Things don't always work by the book in this world." Shikamaru explains. "Besides abandoning a teammate to protect yourself? There's no one in my squad like that." Shikamaru's smile widens. "Not even me."
"Taking Kakashi's favorite quote to heart then."
"It seems they did." Kakashi smiled. Good to know that the will of fire is still going strong in these kids.
The girl scoffs.
"Anyway a lazy daydreamer like me is a poor excuse for a leader. All I can do for my comrades is believe in them." Shikamaru stands up ready for battle. "Listen up. I don't think they're sacrifices. I don't think they're dead." Shikamaru puts his hands in the signature sign of the ninja and gets ready.
"Of course they aren't dead." Naruto screamed.
"Yeah, like we'll die!" Kiba agrees.
"You don't even know if you're there." Tenten feels to need to point out.
"But just in case."
But the girl attacks first. She summons some large giants without eyes to fight Shikamaru.
Oh, no. This is bad. Shikamaru looks at the monsters.
"No shit. Those monsters look like the shit from nightmares." Kiba yells.
"Why in the world are the kids allowed to curse, but I'm not." Shisui pouts, keeping an eye on Mikoto to make sure he's safe.
"I'm gonna play a melody of death for you!" She said while holding her flute close to her lips. "It's you who shouldn't underestimate us!"
One of the giants raises its club and smashes the tree with it. Shikamaru has to dodge to get away safely.
"She can control them with her flute. Interesting technique." Shikaku's mind was already going haywire. To find a way for his son to escape unharmed. Luckily Shikamaru from the screen seemed to have a similar train of thought.
She controls them with her flute? Shikamaru was already trying to figure out a plan but it's quite hard to do when you have to keep moving. And then the giants attack once again.
After the last attack the giants managed to surround Shikamaru. "Well, got you cornered punk!"
"Not bad. You timed those attacks well," Shikamaru smirked, "You must've practiced hard, huh?"
"Shika got something up his sleeve." Chojo said. If Shikamaru didn't he wouldn't be acting like that.
The girl is silent in response.
"That's a pretty complicated melody." Shikamaru glared up at the girl, but she isn't fazed.
"You figured out that I control them with my flute and the difficulty of the melody, not bad for a little punk. But you can't possibly understand this music completely." The markings along her skin shimmer.
"Well duh. I don't play the flute, or any instrument for that matter." Shikamaru smiled.
"You could change that you know." Sakura points out. Shikamaru sent her a glare in return. This caused a couple of others to laugh.
"True. Art isn't really my strong suit." Shikamaru is still smirking. But since she controls them with her flute, the melody must contain certain sound sequences that control each of their movements. If it were just a matter of analytical ability, I'd be fine, but this time, I might be in big trouble because… I STINK AT MUSIC.
The girl smirked back. "No one survives this piece. Finale ninth passage: Makyo no ran. Demon revolution!" And she started playing her flute and the monsters took note and started another attack.
"Maybe I can incorporate something like that in my techniques." Itachi started wondering to himself. Sure, the Uchiha have a large library of jutsu but there are so many more that they don't have.
The tune changed? Shikamaru stared at what's in front of him. Something's coming! He barely had the time to react before the monsters began to transform. Something smooth left their mouths and it appeared as some sort of new heads with large sharp teeth. One managed to grab one of Shikamaru's arms and yanks a bit of flesh out of it.
"No!" Ino screams.
"That looks like it hurt." Naruto could only imagine. Most of his wounds don't get that bad.
"He should go see a medic after this." Sakura agrees. Or else it might get infected and he could die.
Even the adults winced a little but having seen much more than the kids their reactions aren't that wild.
Then another attack began and Shikamaru ran away leaving behind a singular paper bomb which then exploded.
He bolted once he realized the enormous power of the spirits, he's smarter than I thought. The girl thought.
"Somehow I think that's not exactly what happened." Choji mutters.
"It's not like she knows how Shikamaru works." Ino explains to the boy and he nods.
Shikamaru was hiding in the foliage. Even using my trusty letter bomb and smoke bomb together, I just barely managed to hide. That white thing, it bit off my physical energy. From the looks of where my shuriken went in, they must be semi-substances. Just chakra with an appetite.
"That's a good observation." Hiashi comments. He probably would have been able to see it with his byakugan but that doesn't defeat the point.
They're probably mainly comprised of chakra made from spiritual energy. So, in search of stability, they're starved for physical energy. If I keep taking on hungry chakra like this, I won't be able to use my own chakra anymore. These are trouble.
A shinobi that makes special chakra like me, no doubt it's a secret technique. I have to ignore the white things and aim for the main bodies. The quickest way is to silence that flute though. But under these circumstances it's impossible to get near her.
Another way is to capture the bodies of those three all at once with shadow possession technique, but it'll be difficult to pull off while being attacked by each of them individually. If I miss even one, I'll get attacked full ballast and it is game over.
She leaves no openings offensively or defensively. I bet she's a chess Wizz.
"Of course, that's the point he decides to focus on." Fugaku sighs, damn Nara.
"Well, he's been searching for more viable opponents." Shikaku explains. His son is not quite good enough to keep up with him yet, but he's still leagues smarter than anyone else his age.
All the ninja tools I have left are 12 kunai knives, nine shuriken, 12 meters of wire, one flash bomb, and one letter bomb. Man… I feel like I'm playing without a rook or a bishop. Shikamaru smiled.
"It's no use hiding." The girl said. As long as he can't read their movements, he has nowhere to go. I'll find him and finish him.
"So, we get to see her point of view as well." Kakashi noticed. Maybe they'll get her name then.
"That is interesting." Itachi muttered. If only he could have that on the real battlefield.
Shikamaru got himself ready to attack. "Time to roll."
He has his weapons in his hands and his head in the right space. All he needed to do was to proceed his plan. He throws a kunai with an exploding tag attached to it. Not much later after it landing it explodes. The girl had been in time to dodge it, not much effort went into it.
Give it up. The jutsu controlled with this melody is unbeatable. Nothing can work. But Shikamaru was still outside her vision. Quit scampering around you rat!
"For someone so confident she surely gets irritated quickly." Tsume scoffs.
"Irritated opponents are irritating opponents." Iruka said.
Tsume barks out a laugh. "Couldn't have said it better myself."
Meanwhile Shikamaru threw another kunai straight at the girl. One of her monsters intercepts it and she continues playing the song that tells these monsters what to do. She hears a sound and sends one monster in that direction, but Shikamaru was not there.
"Good one!" Naruto cheered. Even if the trick was rather simple.
"Tsk." She spoke. A ploy to conceal his location. Stop messing around!
Then a good number of other kunai appeared and shot in different directions.
Scurrying like that. What's he up to?
"Smart kid." Hiruzen laughed. Having been familiar with the Nara techniques for years he could make a guess what was going to happen.
And then he appeared. Shikamaru was unharmed but had no doubt set up some elaborate plan. "The most interesting rule in chess is," Shikamaru starts but the girl had already sent her monsters in his direction. "Once you get your opponent's pawns, they become yours to command."
Then a kunai above her let go of the flash bomb and exploded. Oh no. He's using the light from the flash to extend shadows. And not a second later her monsters were caught in Shikamaru's shadow.
"He's got them!" the kids cheer.
"I doubt he can hold them for long." Mikoto observed. No doubt that's going to drain his chakra like there is no tomorrow.
"No way, how did you read their moves? It's impossible to figure out the pattern in my music." She yelled.
"I wasn't listening to the music. There's another way to read you command patterns." Shikamaru smirks for dramatic effect. "Your fingers."
"And why would you go and reveal that to her?" Shikaku speaks to his son. It seems rather counter intuitive.
"Like hell I know." Shikamaru complains right back.
The girl was shocked. "It can't be! He read their moves, by memorizing my finger movements?" The girl grit her teeth. "Impossible."
"Your right index finger and ring finger," Shikamaru starts. The girl stares in shock. "And your left middle finger and pinky, with the melody those fingers play, the guy in the middle bends forward." Shikamaru smirks.
"That must take some careful observation." Shisui is impressed. His mind keeps getting distracted when he wants to observe something.
"It's not that difficult." Itachi said.
"Itachi you're not like other people." Iruka points out. Itachi blinks, not quite understanding why other people would find that so hard.
"While you were busy dodging my attack and searching for me, I carefully examined the movements of each of your fingers and those three, that's how I was able to analyze and memorize them."
The girl grunts and starts playing again. But the monsters won't move.
"It's useless. They're bound with my shadow possession technique." Shikamaru moves his right arm to the right and the monster does the same. "Now for some hardcore chess. It's my turn to corner you with my pawns."
"Is he going to table the turns?" Naruto asks Sakura. Sakura furrows her brows.
"You mean turn the tables? Right?"
The girl smiles.
"Why so relaxed? At least arm yourself with a kunai."
"The flute is my only weapon! I told you no one's ever survived hearing my flute stupid!"
"And that is some useful information." Shisui laughs and notes it down.
"Pretty confident, huh?" And then Shikamaru sends the monsters right back in her direction.
But she wasn't that easy to defeat. With a simple command and hand sign. "Dispell!" In a burst of smoke the monsters disappeared from the field. "Too bad you didn't get to use your pawns!"
Shikamaru put his face in his palms.
"He should have seen that coming." Jiraiya sighs. That's the bothersome thing with summons.
"Might be something to educate them about in the future." Hiruzen nods at Iruka who nods right back.
"It's my turn now." The girl said but then she realized she couldn't move.
"Shadow possession success." Was all that Shikamaru had to say. "I told you I'd corner you with my pawns. They were only decoys. The first move is a fake-out. And the second move hits the target, basic strategy, get it?"
"He's got her again!" Naruto and Kiba cheer. This was starting to get exciting.
"Punk." The girl grits out but she couldn't move. I gotta take him down by force. Never thought I'd use second state here. Her face refused to enter the shot. I hate to admit it, but I gotta hand it to him, this little punk is good.
"Second state? What does she mean by that?" Sasuke asks his brother, because he seems to know these kinds of things.
"No idea either." Itachi kept his eyes to the screen to see if he could figure it out that way.
"Guess we'll find out."
The fabric on top of her head was forcefully removed by the horns now appearing on her scalp, her hair danced around her.
"What is she?" Shikamaru couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.
"You're smart, but from here on things will not go according to your plan." She said as she could finally move again.
"Holy shit!" Shisui screams.
"No cursing!" And Mikoto shouts right back before hitting him on the head.
"I think the situation calls for it!"
"No matter, you damn brat!"
"Who's the one cursing now."
"Calm down you two!" Fugaku gets between the two of them. "This was shocking but please keep down the language Shisui."
What! She got out of my shadow possession. What's that incredible chakra? Shikamaru fell down to his knees. She broke my technique. She can't get away, no more conserving chakra. I have to use that technique.
"Kage kubishibari no jutsu!" As Shikamaru used his technique the shadows climbed up the girl's body and grabbed her tight.
"Good idea." Shikaku didn't react any further. He didn't doubt that the girl had more up her sleeve.
This isn't the same technique. The shadow's putting pressure on me directly, it feels like real hands but… She wasn't done playing yet.
"Does that count as sexual harassment?" Ino asked her teacher.
"It could if used outside of an appropriate situation." Iruka explains. The other kids don't seem to realize what Ino was talking about.
What strength. At this distance this force will break my jutsu! Shikamaru struggled.
"Take this." The girl said as she put the flute back to her mouth. "Musical genjutsu! Chains of fantasia."
Whoa, is this genjutsu? Shikamaru wondered as the area around him started to change.
"He got caught." Sasuke stares at the screen with wide eyes. How was he going to get out of this?
"Of course, I have a plan." Shikamaru didn't know what the plan was but he was sure he had one.
First his left hand moved out, and doing that he threw a kunai. The girl could only laugh. "What're you aiming for." The kunai didn't land anywhere significant. Then his right arm stretched out as well.
I can't move. Shikamaru was trapped. The area around him resembled a desert with plenty of human bones around him. He was chained up and couldn't move. Then his skin started to melt off his bones. Shikamaru screamed in panic.
"Gross." Sakura scrunched her face in disgust.
Ino nods along. "I think that's just the illusion but it's still gross."
Meanwhile the girl smirked. Heh heh, as a second state I can do all sorts of musical genjutsu with this flute but of everything this suits the twerp best.
Shikamaru groans from the distance and her smile widened. This genjutsu stops its prey's physical movements and binds it. But as she though this she noticed a kunai not too far away from her. "Tell me, how does it feel to be the one tied up?" She ran to the kunai and grabbed it straight from the tree. And then in nearly record time she was about to hit Shikamaru with it.
"Die you rat!"
"Why does she keep calling him a rat?" Naruto asks.
"Don't know." Kakashi said.
"Probably because he's annoying like one." Shino makes his one remark for the fragment.
But then within a split second she was unable to move again. Shadows were covering her arms and her finger was broken at an awkward angle. He's using his own shadow to move his fingers. He broke my genjutsu with self-inflicted pain? She growled in frustration. He was just pretending to be trapped.
"Ouch." Hinata mutters.
Neji didn't want to agree with his cousin, but he still did. "I agree. Ouch."
Shikamaru smirked. "Told you, the first move is a fake-out, and the second move hits the target. Basic strategy, remember?"
"Ooh. He did a thing!" Naruto smiles.
The two of them were standing shoulder to shoulder. "But this second move it's different from the one I just used. With the art of suffocating darkness, the closer the target is, the ore tightly I can bind it." Shikamaru explained.
"No, I moved in too carelessly." The girl grunted.
"No, not exactly. The most careless mistake you made was saying that the flute's your only weapon."
"That's what I said." Shisui mutters.
Then the realization dawned on her. "Can't be."
"That's right, I threw that knife down in front of me as though I missed, just so you'd pick it up and come at me with it."
"Ha, talk about thinking three steps ahead." Kiba laughs.
"Knowing Shikamaru he might actually be a thousand steps ahead." Ino mutters. It's how he's always able to avoid going shopping with her.
The girl tried to move but it was futile. "Hmph, I got to give it to you, you may be stupid but you're brave."
"Shika? Stupid?" Lee blinks. "Is she stupid."
"She might be." Neji mutters. He'd hate to admit it but Shikamaru is smarter than he could ever hope to be.
Shikamaru felt the need to continue talking. "And I'm such a nice guy. See, it's against my code to strike a lady. Then again, do you really fit the definition?" Shikamaru took back his fist. "Nah, guess not."
"Sassy."
And then just as he was about to hit her she caught his hand with her own.
"So, you blocked my genjutsu. Don't let it go to your stinking head."
I can't subdue her completely. Not just yet. Nuts. But I am not losing this. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes in concentration. One of his shadow hands creeps up the girl's skin, right toward her throat. Almost there.
But the girl wasn't completely out of options just yet. With the clenching of her teeth she managed to make her horns grow even more and then she was able to slowly start pushing away Shikamaru's hand.
"What a strange form." Fugaku stares at it. That it's able to overpower the Nara techniques is nothing to scoff at.
Iruka stares. "Is it me or does it look like that form from that other boy."
"It does. Likely something Orochimaru has developed." Jiraiya sighed. What in the world had that man been doing?
What's up with her chakra. I got her this close, but still she keeps pushing back! This shadow paralysis eats up way too much chakra. But if I let go, I'm dead.
Shikamaru almost sighed. I've gotta finish her off.
Both parties were grunting, both were nearing their last resort.
"Looks like the battle is ending soon." Tsume observes. She knows Shikamaru comes out alive, but does he win?
Calm down. Need some kinda strategy here, think Shikamaru there's got to be some way. There is no one coming for me. It's not like that time with Asuma-sensei. Come on where's the good in hoping for a miracle. Get ahold of yourself.
Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere. The girl got blasted away.
"What in the world just happened?" Sasuke stares.
"Looks like what happened to Lee when Gaara entered the fight." Sakura could only hope that this is what's going to make Shikamaru win.
"Who the." Shikamaru looked around. And then right in front of him Temari appeared.
"It's his future wife!" Ino shrieks.
"Like hell I'm marrying that girl!" Shikamaru retorts.
Shikaku smiled at his son. She would make a good match for thim.
"I heard we made up with the traitors from the Sand. But I didn't think you guys would flip sides this fast." Shikamaru said.
"It's not like we wanted to raid Konoha. It was just orders. The same way I was ordered here." Temari explained.
"They attacked the village?" Jiraiya ponders.
Kakashi is going through his internal catalogue of fragments they've seen so far. "I don't think we've seen that happen yet."
"Might be something to keep an eye out for." Shikaku tells Shisui.
Aha, so the fifth Hokage sent for help. Thank goodness. Tsunade was briefly shown on screen.
"By the way, are you getting dumber by the minute? You wanna pull out again? I can take care of her, you know?" Temari was obviously taunting Shikamaru.
"Sorry, but I can't let you. A man can't have a woman defending him."
"And there he is again, underestimating women." Ino sighs as she glared at the boy in question.
"Where in the world did he get that from?" Shikaku muttered. His wife definitively not.
"Hmph, still talking about men this, women that." Temari clearly didn't like that. "Look you fool, you don't have to pose for me, I can see right through you!"
"She's not bothered by him." Ino smiled. She could keep up with him.
The girl who was their opponent didn't like it either. "So, now you're with Konoha. You guys sure keep busy, switching sides all the time!" And she put her flute back to her mouth.
"That flute, it's how she wields genjutsu." Shikamaru explained.
"Duh!" Temari gave as a response. And before the girl could start playing again Temari unleashed another wind attack. Not only that but it also severed the flute itself.
"Ooh, she's strong." Sakura was impressed. She wished she could be that powerful.
"I know." Even Ino was impressed.
It's not just blasting away the flute sounds, it's also physically damaging the opponent. Offensive and defensive in one move. She does have some impressive jutsu. Shikamaru was impressed.
This wench is going to be a pain in the neck. The girl grunts before running away.
"Hopefully a permanent one." Shikamaru said.
"She's run off. With her tail between her legs?" Temari asked Shikamaru.
"No, that's not her way. She's around."
"I just got here, brief me. Update me on our tactical situation." And then she waited for Shikamaru to explain.
"Well, first, her basic approach is to spellbind her enemies with the sound of her flute, then while they're under the spell, she jumps them. Basically, she's your typical genjutsu-style long-range fighter." Shikamaru starts. "I'm guessing she saw immediately how poorly her jutsu measured up to yours. That, and it's two against one. She won't show herself until she casts her genjutsu on us."
"Sound, huh?"
"Shikamaru that's enough explanation." Shikaku said. Shikamaru started to look rather sheepish.
"Why do I get the feeling he's going to continue."
"That's what he always does."
"Then genjutsu based on hearing are the most problematic. Not only can she keep her distance but stay as cloaked as she pleases. We've no idea when or where she'll unload it on us." Shikamaru takes his broken finger and tried to set it back to a more normal position. "By the time we pinpoint her from the sound. We're already under the influence of her genjutsu. We're in a heap of trouble if you ask me." Facing someone like her is foolish without the support of guys like Kiba or Neji, someone with keen detection. "If we stay here sooner or later, we'll be cornered. We should retreat now and…"
"Did anyone ask you for advice? I asked you the situation. That's all." Temari shouts back. "Don't underestimate me." She bites her thumb. "If she thinks she's safe camped out just inside the range of hearing, she's in for a doozy." And then she uses the summoning jutsu. A weasel like creature appears and dances in the blades of her wind.
"I like her a lot." Naruto said. That girl gets straight to the point.
Meanwhile somewhere more secluded the girl is thinking to herself. All right, far enough. Let the genjutsu begin. But not a second later she was disturbed as the wind destroyed the entire area around them all.
The girl layed there unconscious at the very least on top of one of the broken trees.
"That's one powerful attack." Shisui was impressed. Wind jutsu are not his forte but he could see a strong one as impressive.
"And yet very effective." Itachi nods.
"See? All over." Temari says.
Subtle as a rhino and scarier than my mom. Shikamaru thinks.
Shikaku snorts.
"What d'ya think?"
But well, I guess, this time I gotta be gratefull. And Shikamaru lets out a little smile. This is where the fragment ends.
"That ending was kind of cute." Tsume smiled. Luckily Shikamaru wasn't too injured.
"I agree. Even if there was not much new info for the future." Mikoto said. She would like to learn more about why Itachi did what he did.
"We can only hope the next one contains some more." Fugaku agrees.
- Saving Sasuke after the chunin exams
- The girl with the flute only uses a flute and nothing else.
- Temari and Shikamaru would make a cute couple
- Temari is a strong ass woman.
Again sorry for the long wait. So many things are happening in my life that it's hard for me to focus on writing. I do hope that the next chapter comes a little sooner but we'll see.
Thank you all for waiting so patiently.