A/N: This is the turning point from canon; from here on out, I'm calling the shots.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters in this story.
Chapter 6: A Journey of a Thousand Miles
The morning of the mission dawned bright and early. Team 10 gathered in front of the gates of Konoha, checking packs and tightening straps one last time before they left the village. Choji's stomach was chock-full of butterflies, and even Shikamaru looked a little more alert than usual. Ino was practically bouncing up and down.
"Make sure everything is arranged correctly," Asuma cautioned them for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Keep your weapons within reach, and your pack securely tied for easy movement." Choji smiled, thinking how much like a mother hen Asuma was acting, regardless of the serious nature of his precautions.
"And here comes the asset," Asuma added. Sure enough, Toshiyo joined them in front of the main gates a moment later, carrying a walking stick and a small bag hung on the top end. Choji was a little worried for the old man; they would be on the road for a week after all, and Toshiyo looked far too old and frail to be roughing it for any length of time. He certainly seemed spry enough when he reached them, though.
"Setting off on a grand adventure," the old man exclaimed by way of greeting. "Makes me feel young again!"
"Well said, Toshiyo-san" Asuma returned heartily. "All right, listen up folks. We've got a long hike ahead with plenty of time to chitchat, so for now we'll just do the introductions. I'm Asuma, and I'm in charge of the mission. Introduce yourselves, team." He turned to his genin, who weren't quite sure how to break the news to Asuma that they already knew Toshiyo.
The old man took the problem out of their hands. "I've met your team before, captain. In fact, they helped me with my spring cleaning not three days ago. Which brings me to something important I wanted to say before we leave." He looked at each of the genin in turn. "I have to apologize for losing my temper with you three. I was less than honest with you, because my past causes me shame, which in turn leads to anger. But since my past is the reason we are embarking on this mission, you deserve to know the truth that I didn't want to share before. Do we have a few minutes, captain?" Asuma nodded, clearly curious.
Toshiyo began relating his story, while Choji did his best to keep his expression as neutral as possible to give no indication that he had heard the tale before. By the end, Ino was crying again – this time, at the romance of it all.
"A tearful reunion after eight years… She'll be so glad to see you!" Ino blubbered. Shikamaru drew away from his teammate in disgust, as if her sentimentality might somehow be catching.
"We'll do our best to get you safely to your daughter, Toshiyo-san. All right, gentlemen and lady. Let's move out!" So saying, Asuma led the way out of Konoha's open gates. Before rounding the first bend in the road Choji took one last look at the city he'd lived in all his life; the high red wall shone with the reflected the light of the sun, and the Hokage's Tower reared up in the distance as if watching them go.
oOoOo
To the genin it seemed as though they were crawling along like snails. Although they hadn't been on an extended mission before, they were used to operating at the quickest speed they could manage while staying fully in control and aware of their surroundings. But now their top speed was determined by an old man with a walking stick, and no matter how agile he was for his age the change was significant (to put it mildly).
Choji thought he saw Shikamaru brighten for a second, and guessed that the lazy genin at least was enjoying the pace. Unfortunately Asuma caught the budding smile as well.
"You think you're on a nature hike, Shikamaru? Go scout the road ahead. Push as far forward as you can in fifteen minutes. I expect a detailed report on terrain and a full risk assessment." Shikamaru sighed heavily, but without any explicit comment ran ahead to scout.
Once Shikamaru returned, Asuma designed a scouting rotation that kept one person ranging forward on both sides of the road in front, while the other three team members kept a rough triangle formation around Toshiyo, who was trudging on oblivious to the four shinobi scurrying around him like bees.
"Protection is completely different from anything you've attempted before," Asuma said abruptly, when all three members of his team were together between rotations. "Who can tell me why?"
Choji worried for a second that Ino would strain a muscle, so quickly did she drive her hand into the air. Asuma nodded his permission for her to speak.
"Because the target is so vulnerable," Ino said. Toshiyo looked up quickly, blinking his eyes several times and looking indignant. Ino didn't notice.
"Normally shinobi only have to worry about themselves, which means the stronger you are the better chance you have of surviving a mission. But if the mission is to keep someone else alive, you have to compensate for their lack of self-defence."
"That's right," Asuma nodded. "As vital as our villagers are," this was said with a respectful nod toward Toshiyo, "they are civilians and civilians are absolutely useless in a battle against shinobi. A thrown kunai that we would not think twice about dodging will kill an asset instantly. Even if you block nine shurikens before one slips past your guard, your asset is just as dead and the mission is every bit as much a failure. Tactically, bodyguards and protection details are always at a disadvantage. That said, we have ways to offset that disadvantage. What ways would those be?" Asuma directed this last question at Shikamaru, who appeared to be contemplating the trees lining the side of the road.
"Maintain a wide perimeter, to identify any threats before they get close enough to do any damage," Shikamaru rapped out without missing a beat. Asuma nodded.
"And?" Shikamaru scowled.
"And, facing an ambush situation while on the move, have escape routes planned. Be ready to get the asset to safety, or find a way to ensure the asset's safety while dealing with the attack."
Asuma nodded once again. "Obviously, we're too small a team to deal with any serious ambush, but then we're in a very secure area where large groups of hostiles wouldn't be able to stay undercover. For larger escort missions with assets being targeted by shinobi, we would have a larger team specialized in detection and ambush disruption. The genin team you would probably choose for that task would be Team 8. All of their abilities in some way deal with scouting and detecting the enemy before running into trouble. Hinata's byakugan, Shino's bugs and Kiba's sense of smell are all invaluable when escorting a vulnerable target. However, those of us with more mundane abilities must do the best we can on our own." Asuma grinned.
"And speaking of which, I think it's time we started scouting again. Make sure to check in with your mics – no sound, just tap once for the all-clear, twice if we should stop, and three for immediate danger." Choji went first, running ahead until he left his team far behind. He left the path and began sweeping through the woods, anchoring his feet to tree branches with chakra. The mic he had been issued was pinned to his collar, and allowed him to communicate with his team over short distances. They were supposed to use hand signs when in sight of each other, in order to eliminate as much noise as possible. When out of each other's line of sight, however, the mics were needed to ensure that they wouldn't be picked off one by one without warning.
It felt a little silly to Choji, like they were playing a game. The road was wide and well-traveled, and they were barely even a day out of Konoha. The worst danger they had to face would be rabbits. Still, he knew Asuma was preparing them for more difficult missions in more dangerous territory, so he gave it his best effort. He tapped once on the mic to signal that everything appeared normal, and headed back to rejoin his team.
oOoOo
When the time came to make camp, the entire team was exhausted. Constant scouting and circling took its toll, and after a full day essentially made up of wind sprints the genin were definitely the worse for wear.
"It's a good thing we didn't run into any enemy shinobi, because we'd be too tired to even spit at them," Shikamaru observed drily to Choji.
Unfortunately Asuma was coming up behind them and overheard. "A little tired, are we, Shikamaru?" their sensei asked, his displeasure evident. "So you'll be disappointed to hear that your day's just getting started." Ino groaned and shook her fist at Shikamaru.
After they set up camp Asuma set Ino and Shikamaru to sparring. The first few minutes were pitiful, as both genin struggled to find their balance and fight through their exhaustion. Just as they were starting to get a second wind, Asuma gestured to Choji and took off into the surrounding trees. Choji followed, hearing Toshiyo's voice perk up behind him.
"You call that fighting? My grandmother could beat you both with two chopsticks and a sushi roll! You, blondie, don't lower your guard!"
Choji winced, hoping that his teammates wouldn't take advantage of Asuma's temporary absence to bludgeon the old man to death. He met up again with Asuma a good way into the forest.
"Pay attention, Choji. I'm going to walk through this with the others when they're not fighting, so don't worry that I'm singling you out. We're going to set up alarms around the camp, which will alert us if anyone breaks our perimeter."
Choji followed Asuma in a wide ring around the camp, watching as his sensei set up a multitude of wire traps. The thin wire was attached at both ends to rocks, inside of which were small devices that would start clanging if they were jerked suddenly in any one direction.
"These are the simplest types of alarms, but still dead useful. The wires are all but invisible, and since we aren't going anywhere tonight we can set up a thick screen. We aren't going to set any traps since we're in friendly territory. Besides, it would take far too long to teach you three about the full range of traps to use around a campsite in hostile territory. We'll get to that later, and for now just focus on making sure you have some warning if anything is coming for you in a hurry."
Choji watched carefully, and by the time they completed the full ring he was setting the wires himself. They returned to the camp, where Toshiyo was still heckling a pair of increasingly irate genin.
"Put a sock in it, old man!" Asuma told Toshiyo, smiling to take the sting out of his remark. "Do you want the entire countryside to know where we are?"
"Ah, it won't matter either way, these two are likely to fall down and break every bone in their body before we run across anyone else."
Asuma brought Ino with him to repeat the lesson on setting traps, and Choji began fighting with Shikamaru. Choji didn't have much energy left to spare, but he chuckled to himself as Toshiyo's whispered commentary reached his ears.
oOoOo
Hours later, after true dark had fallen, Asuma had them draw straws for sentry duty. As effective as the alarms were, nothing was foolproof and a bunch of wires couldn't substitute for an alert sentry. Choji drew the first watch and steeled himself to last for three hours, in spite of the creeping exhaustion making his arms heavy and his eyelids uncooperative.
He made the rounds of the camp, varying his speed and direction so as not to fall into a predictable pattern. Time seemed to stretch out and the silence grew to an almost physical presence. Choji knew a shinobi was supposed to be at home in the dark, but the thought was not especially reassuring as he stared out into the oppressive blackness. From behind him there came a rustling sound.
Choji turned around quickly, half-afraid. But it was only Toshiyo, emerging from his tent and walking toward Choji with the help of his walking stick.
"You should get some sleep, Toshiyo-san. It's been a long day." Toshiyo waved his hand, as if brushing away a gnat.
"Plenty of time for that, young Choji. When you're old you don't need as much sleep as young folk. It's a blessing and a curse. Anyway, I wanted to talk with you a moment."
"I'm supposed to be on sentry duty…" Choji ventured hesitantly.
"What do we have to worry about, only hours from Konoha? Ah, don't fret yourself, it will only be a minute. I wanted to say thank you, for what you did." The old man's eyes gleamed with the moon's reflected light.
"I didn't do anything!" Choji protested, but Toshiyo rode right over him.
"Of course you did! Two days after I tell you about my daughter I get a message from the Hokage, telling me she has been found in a nearby village. I didn't tell anyone else, and I sure as hell didn't tell the Hokage. Don't worry, I'm not mad at you – quite the opposite, in fact. It was a miracle, Choji. I don't think you quite understand how bitter I had become, and how paralyzed by my fear. If not for you, I might never have gathered the courage to make this journey. In a very real sense, Choji, you gave me back my life – or at least, the life I want to live."
Choji felt his cheeks burning. He wanted to continue protesting but sensed that Toshiyo would have none of it. "I have something for you, as a token of my gratitude. It's a small thing and less than I'd like to give you, but there's no sense in making you even more uncomfortable." Toshiyo chuckled softly and extended his hand to Choji. In his palm was a small, metallic object.
Choji took a match from his pack and struck it, shielding the flame with his hand to minimize the amount of escaping light. The object was a golden brooch in the shape of a butterfly. It was carved with exquisite detail, down to the finest streaks in the wings and details of the face. Its eyes were small red rubies, which seemed to absorb the candlelight and illuminate with an inner fire. Choji looked at Toshiyo in shock.
"I can't accept this… it's too much…" he stammered.
"Don't even think about it, young man. I'm a retired jeweler; one thing I have in abundance is jewels. And what could be more appropriate than the sign of your clan? Please wear it with pride, and remember how much you've helped this old man. Now get on with you, boy! We wouldn't want Asuma stringing us up for dereliction of duty, now would we?" Toshiyo walked back to his tent, his cane making rhythmic thuds as it met the soft grass.
Choji stood very still for a while, looking down at the beautiful ornament in his hands. He reverently wrapped it in a length of bandage, and stored it carefully in a side pouch where it wouldn't be jostled. He turned his back on Toshiyo's tent and began his rounds again, peering out vigilantly into the night.
oOoOo
Over the next few days Team 10 fell into a comfortable pattern. They traveled and heard lectures on tactics during the day, with sparring and lessons in protecting and fortifying a position at night. Ino and Shikamaru grew more and more comfortable with Toshiyo, joking with him about his slow pace and giving back as good as they got during sparring practice. Before long Shikamaru was almost as fond of the old man as he was of Choji – it helped that Toshiyo could always be counted on to tell Ino off for her bossiness.
Their fifth day out from Konoha broke up the pattern, in that it was the last day before leaving the jurisdiction of Konoha. After that day, as Asuma told them, they were liable to meet shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Granted, it wasn't exactly hostile territory, but it would be best to step carefully in order to avoid appearing presumptuous to any shinobi patrolling the border.
Asuma explained all this to the team and directed them to stop and make camp a few hours earlier than usual. Apparently it was customary to enter enemy land without any attempt at stealth, if the mission allowed it. It was a harmless courtesy and generally ensured that foreign shinobi would let you pass in peace.
"I'll go on ahead and scout across the border myself. It's not that I don't think you're up for it, but I'll move faster and hopefully make contact with a border patrol. They won't take a single shinobi for a threat, and I can let them know about our mission so everything goes smoothly. This way you can also practice setting up camp yourself." Asuma grinned with expectation. "If I manage to make it past your alarms without alerting you, be prepared for a world of pain."
He disappeared with a pop and a flash of smoke.
oOoOo
After setting up Tiyoshi's tent, Ino started preparing dinner. "It's your turn to set the alarms, Shikamaru!" she said testily. "You always just watched before."
Shikamaru sighed, resigning himself. He jumped and hopped from branch to branch until he was around a half of a mile from the camp. He stopped for a moment when he found a tree whose branches formed a kind of natural bed. The main branch was broad enough for him to lie down, and it had shoots off of both sides at the perfect height to support his arms, with his hands folded underneath his head. Sunshine peeked down through gaps in the leaves, warming his face and making him feel pleasantly drowsy.
He would set the alarms, he promised himself. It was his job, and he would finish it. But it was so troublesome a task, especially when Asuma was already scouting in the only direction where danger would logically come from. And the sun was so relaxing... He listened to the soft chirping of birds and before he knew it drifted off into sleep, lulled by the scents and sounds of the warm spring day.
oOoOo
Shikamaru was jolted awake by the frantic shouts of his teammates through his mic.
"Shikamaru! Asuma! We're under attack!" Ino's shrill voice completely submerged Choji's lower tones, which Shikamaru found vaguely funny in his groggy state. Then his mind caught up with him, and ice flooded his veins. He was springing from the tree in an instant and covered the half mile back to camp in seconds. He was consumed with the desire to rescue his team from whatever danger they faced, but the cool, rational part of his mind wouldn't let him charge into the situation without sizing it up first. Shikamaru paused right before entering the clearing, taking in the situation automatically while trying to stifle the voice inside him that kept screaming that he was still dreaming, that this couldn't be real/
His two teammates were standing together in front of Toshiyo's tent, facing three figures with their backs to Shikamaru. There were two burly men, one with greasy black hair and swarthy skin. The other man was completely bald and towered over his compatriots, fully seven feet tall if he was an inch. The third figure was a short woman with ragged hair that looked like it had been cut with a knife or kunai. All three were wearing bright orange tunics and had matching tattoos running up on their right arms. Shikamaru immediately connected the outfits and the tattoos, concluding that these must be escaped convicts. How? His mind was racing, but not going anywhere.
"Let's end these two quickly, Kano" the woman snarled. "We can't waste any time; we have to be across the border before they catch us!"
The shorter man let out an ugly laugh. "Settle down, Nasha. We have at least a day before the wardens get this far. We threw them off our trail back at the river. We can afford to enjoy ourselves here." He laughed again, and took a step toward Choji and Ino, who were unable to move for better position without leaving Toshiyo's tent unguarded.
The threatening motion toward his teammates drew Shikamaru out of his stupor, shocking him into action. "Kagemane no Jutsu," he whispered, and sent his shadow toward the shorter man, who was standing between the other two. From the sound of things this Kano was the leader, which made him the best first target. Shikamaru's shadow melded with his target's, keeping the swarthy man from taking a second step. Choji and Ino had evidently seen Shikamaru and had been waiting for his move. They threw twin volleys of kunai at the middle man immediately, Ino's trailing explosive tags that promised to take him out of the fight permanently once they connected. The volley was three-quarters of the way toward the leader before the other two convicts reacted. The bald giant brought his fist down to the ground, shouting "Rolling Earth Shield!" A shock wave burst from the point of contact and huge chunks of earth flying forward. All of the kunai were intercepted by the improvised shield, and the tagged kunai detonated harmlessly.
Shikamaru tried with every ounce of his will to split his shadow in two more directions. If he could just immobilize the other two long enough for his team to take them out, they would be safe. Two bulging blobs formed and started sluggishly outward toward the two convicts, but he couldn't channel enough chakra through three distinct paths.
The woman turned and addressed her leader angrily. "What are you playing at, Kano? You just stood there like a lu-" but then she saw Shikamaru and his shadow, and shouted a warning. The giant sent another wave of earth straight at Shikamaru. He was forced to jump to the side to avoid being buried, and as he lost sight of his target he lost control over his Shadow Possession jutsu. His shadow rushed back to its normal size, and Shikamaru set himself to attack again.
"Let's finish this and cross the border quickly!" the woman said, gnashing her teeth in frustration. "We need the supplies, but more of these pests could show up any second. Double-team the brat, he can't get both of you with that damned shadow." The woman turned back toward Ino and Choji. "I'll take care of the little piggy and his girlfriend." She advanced on the two genin and made a complicated seal while muttering under her breath. She laughed evilly as electrical currents start playing around her arms, sending sparks shooting up into the air. Choji moved as if to start a flanking maneuver, but stopped and looked helplessly over his shoulder at Toshiyo's small tent.
"Cover me!" Ino snapped, and brought her hands up to her face to for the seal for Mind Possession. Her astral self shot out at the woman from point-blank range, but Nasha spun to the left with inhuman speed.
"What the hell was that?" the ratty woman yelped in surprise, watching the encapsulated ball of chakra hurtle off across the camp. But she gained her confidence when she saw Ino slump to the ground, empty eyes staring without seeing. She lunged in to finish off the girl, but Choji had already jumped in front of his defenseless teammate. Nasha's hand whipped out, fingers together in a knife-hand, and focused the electrical energy out at the point of impact. Choji's completed his seal just in time, and his shouted "Baika no Jutsu" resounded through the clearing and echoed off of the trees. The woman's strike drove straight into Choji's expanded torso. He let out a whuff and sagged backward, but his extra bulk seemed to absorb the impact and the chakra surging through his body must have managed to disperse the electrical current before it did too much damage.
A quick glance behind him satisfied Choji that the failed Mind Possession jutsu was over and Ino was getting back up. "Meatball Tank jutsu" he cried out, bearing down on Nasha as she recovered from her deadly lunge. With the same unerring speed, she dodged to the side and avoided Choji's spinning mass. Choji continued on his path in an attempt to help Shikamaru, who was sorely overmatched and unable to use his shadow on one attacker without opening himself to the other. The bald man kept hammering Shikamaru with Doton jutsus that used flying boulders and earth to keep him from reaching his teammates. The leader was simply using his superior strength and speed and coming dangerously close to breaking through Shikamaru's defensive taijutsu. Choji angled himself so that he was in a line with both of Shikamaru's assailants, and pushed even more speed into his rotation.
The woman, Nasha, shouted a warning to the two men. Ino attempted to strike the woman while she was watching Choji's Meatball Tank, but at the last minute the woman jumped forward in a handspring, twisting in midair to land facing Ino. "Too slow," she taunted, charging forward and launching a series of rapid strikes aimed at Ino's torso. Ino managed to turn away the first strike, but lighting arced into her at the contact and the follow-up attack landed squarely. She went flying backward, landing in a heap ten feet away and twitching as the electricity coursed through her body. Shikamaru felt the blow land as if it had hit him instead, and tasted bile rising in his throat. It got worse. Toshiyo clawed his way out of the tent, waving his stick in a way that would have been comic if Shikamaru could feel anything other than horror and a deep, howling grief.
"Leave them alone! How dare you attack children, you –" his words were cut off as Nasha backhanded him contemptuously across the face. It wouldn't have been too damaging, but for the arc of lightning that rushed through the old man's body. He fell backwards like a rag doll, collapsing bonelessly to the forest floor. Nasha turned her attention back to Ino, who was out cold on the ground. The convict took out a blunt knife from her belt and advanced at a walk toward Ino's prone body.
oOoOo
Though Choij's initial rush had been avoided thanks to Nasha's warning cry, his Meatball Tank had helped give Shikamaru some breathing room. The two men had to keep swiveling to keep it in view, and were wary of the technique's obvious power. However, it was clear after a few seconds that Choji simply could not move fast enough to hit either of them. After two passes Choji miscalculated and his momentum carried him too far away from Shikamaru to turn around quickly. The two convicts seized their chance and came at Shikamaru together. Shikamaru managed to dodge a spike made of earth, but the leader's fist caught him with the force of a hammer blow. Shikamaru rolled to a stop fifteen feet away, knowing from the deafening snaps that he had cracked most of his ribs.
Shikamaru opened blurry eyes and saw Nasha standing over Ino's unconscious body with a knife. He acted instinctively, making the seals and yelling "Kagemane no jutsu," ignoring the crippling pain already spreading through his whole body. The shadow reached Nasha just as she was starting her downward swing.
The men closed once more on Shikamaru. Kano brought his fist forward in a brutal blow capable of crushing his skull as easily as snapping a twig. The fist stopped an inch from the young genin's face. The veins in the convict's thick neck bulged with the effort of trying to complete the motion. His beady eyes tracked downwards, only to see that Shikamaru's shadow had split into two prongs, the second of which had him securely in its hold. A third spike started to form, but wavered dangerously. Shikamaru realized he couldn't form a third spike without losing his hold on the other two and leaving Ino to the lightning user's mercy.
The bald man readied an enormous amount of chakra, determined to end the shadow-user from a distance with a massive wave of rock and earth. Shikamaru held onto his shadows as his vision started to grow dark. He knew there was no way he could avoid the next attack, even without maintaining Shadow Possession. With at least three cracked ribs he wouldn't be able to move fast enough to escape. He focused on keeping his eyes open, determined to meet death without looking away.
oOoOo
Choji had terminated the Meatball Tank jutsu as soon as he realized that he wouldn't be able to corner quickly enough to help Shikamaru in time. He turned around and took in the desperate situation. Ino was on the far end of the clearing, much too far away to reach in time. Shikamaru was closer, only twenty feet away, and in immediate danger. Choji saw his friend's shadow split in two, keeping the taijutsu brute and the woman frozen in place. But that left the third man, who was readying a deadly earth attack to finish off Shikamaru. With a sense of despair Choji realized there was no way he could close the distance in time, or get himself between Shikamaru and the danger.
There was only one chance, and no guarantee of success. He could feel the energy surging in his body from the soldier pill he'd taken at the beginning of the fight. It was raging at full strength, and Choji felt as if his veins were on fire. He had the chakra, bought and paid for with his own body, but that didn't ensure that he could focus it.
"Partial Multi-Size jutsu: Arm" he shouted, forming the advanced seal with more speed than he thought he possessed, stumbling over the words in his haste to activate the technique. He threw himself forward toward the Earth-style user with his fist outstretched, hoping desperately that the jutsu would take effect. With a popping sound his arm suddenly swelled to a huge size. His fist, now the size of Toshiyo's tent, took the Earth-style user in the side and continued on, not stopping until it met a tree ten yards in the same direction. Choji felt the shock run all the way up his arm as he drove the man's body into the unyielding bark. Multiple cracks rang out, and when Choji brought his fist back the man slid down the tree like putty. Bones were jutting out unnaturally from his limbs, and his head was crushed flat.
Choji looked at the man he had killed in horror, only remembering belatedly that his team was still in danger. He turned back, just in time to see Shikamaru's eyes close and his shadow rush back to its normal shape. The Earth user rounded on Choji, who realized with shock that his Partial Size jutsu, after the extended Meatball Tank, had exhausted all of his chakra. The soldier pill had provided enough chakra, but his reserves were gone. Choji noted with shock that he was suddenly skinny, a hysterical part of his mind thinking if only Kiba could see me now!
There was nothing left he could do, save taijutsu. He set himself, but his knees buckled and a feverish heat stole the energy from his limbs. He knew he wouldn't last two seconds. Across the clearing the lightning user was bringing up her knife again, preparing to finish Ino. This was it, then. Their first mission was going to be their last.
He was about to launch himself forward in a last, desperate attack when a flash of blue came flying out from the surround forest and buried itself in the bald giant's neck, completely severing his spinal cord. A second blue flash entered Nasha's back before she could complete her downswing and finish the unconscious Ino. The last thing Choji saw before he succumbed to the blackness veiling his vision was Asuma emerging from the trees, his sensei's mouth opened in a frenzied scream that never reached Choji's ears.
A/N: I finished this chapter at exactly midnight. I stayed with Team 10 until the bitter end, fighting off irate Starbuck's employees who want me to get the hell out. You should do your part for Team 10 too! Read and review!