A/N: Spring break is almost over, and I can see my future disappearing into a bottomless pit of essays and math assignments. But as problems go it could definitely be worse, so I'll try not to complain too loudly. Also, just a word on the new title: it's not set in stone, I just thought that anything was better than InoShikaCho Chronicles, which was a working title that I never got around to changing. If anyone has any better ideas, please let me know in a review. If I like it, I'll change the title and give you full credit (and a virtual high-five).

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter 16: Retaliation

There was something very surreal about fighting a battle in the middle of a crowd of sleeping people. That was what Choji thought, anyway, as he made his way through the crowd with his teammates. Thousands of villagers were asleep in their seats, oblivious to the fierce struggle around them. It was like they had dropped into the middle of a fairy tale – or it would have been, if not for the tense, breathless action going on.

Enemy shinobi were ranging around the arena in an uncoordinated mass, trying to separate Konoha shinobi and take them out individually. Since most of the shinobi that escaped the sleep genjutsu were chunin or jonin, they were putting up a good fight. And when the genin arrived on the scene, they had the element of surprise. None of the enemy expected the genin on the Observation Deck to avoid a genjutsu that had trapped so many chunin.

Shikamaru had taken advantage of that, directing the genin toward a pocket of Oto nin who were trying to overwhelm an ANBU. There were five assailants, but Shikamaru didn't hesitate. When they were about thirty yards from the fighting, he signaled his teammates to drop down into an aisle, hiding behind the sleeping bodies in the seats. Shikamaru sent his shadow creeping along the floor, where it was practically impossible to spot. The rows of chairs filled with bodies made sure of that.

At the same time, all five of the Oto shinobi froze, caught in Shikamaru's Shadow Possession. He flashed a hand signal, which all of the genin recognized. They popped their heads up, picked their targets, and threw two kunai each. None missed. The Oto nin collapsed the moment Shikamaru ended his jutsu, and the formerly outmatched ANBU gave them a grateful bow.

The ANBU joined their group, and they continued on in the same way. They aimed for groups where one or two Konoha shinobi were struggling against overwhelming odds, and tried to disrupt the battle. Shikamaru's shadow proved invaluable, but in order to conserve chakra he began rotating which techniques they used to begin their isolated fights. Ino's Mind Possession proved invaluable, as she could take over a target from a distance, and use the captured body to take other assailants by surprise. Shino's bugs were useful as well, because they could range around of their own free will, and seek out beleaguered shinobi without his direction.

Naruto followed Shino's example, and poured an amazing amount of chakra into creating shadow clones. He had them transform into exact likenesses of the genin, so that the Oto shinobi wouldn't be able to converge on the real group and overwhelm them.

But it couldn't last. For a few minutes, they carved a bloody swathe through the Oto forces, and Naruto's ingenious diversion gave their group breathing room. But there were still far too many enemy shinobi, and once they became alert to the mobile threat posed by Shikamaru's roving group, they began consolidating into larger groups and searching out the genin actively. Naruto's diversionary teams fell one at a time, and all of the genin were beginning to seriously cut into their chakra reserves.

Then, while they were crawling on hands and knees to try and get the drop on a large force of ten Oto shinobi, a shadow suddenly fell on the ground in front of Choji's face. He looked up in shock, bringing his arms forward to ward off an attack. But it was Asuma, Kakashi, and Sakura. The pink-haired girl was sweating hard, and looked terrified. Asuma and Kakashi only looked amused at seeing the genin crawling around.

"You've done good work," Kakashi said judiciously. "But we can handle things from here. We're assigning all of you a mission. It's A-rank, so don't take it lightly. We need you to catch up to Sasuke. He's chasing Gaara, but I don't think he really understands what he's in for. Tell him to stand down, and retreat somewhere safe to await further orders. Understood?"

The genin all nodded as one. Asuma pointed at Shikamaru, his expression grave. "Shikamaru, you're in charge. You need to make all possible speed, but keep a low profile. Some Oto shinobi might try to stop you from chasing Gaara, and there might be larger invading forces approaching from outside the walls. Do NOT, under any circumstances, engage in any of the larger battles. Just get to Sasuke, and wait for orders."

"Understood," Shikamaru said curtly. "But how are we going to find Sasuke?"

Kakashi was about to open his mouth, when Shino cut in. "I managed to plant a female kikai bug on Sasuke before his match. My insects can sense him no matter where he goes."

Kakashi blinked his uncovered eye, and stared at Shino in surprise. "Oh. I was going to assign you a scent hound, but it sounds like you have it covered."

Everyone was giving Shino approving glances. Sakura was the first to ask the relevant question. "How did you know you would need it?"

Shino shrugged, a precise and miniscule movement of his shoulders. "I planted a bug on every finalist, just in case. Luck favors the prepared."

Choji shivered, and had to resist the urge to run his hands through his hair. He understood how useful it was, but the idea of a bug crawling on him somewhere was so creepy!

Shikamaru made a cutting motion with his hand, effectively ending the conversation. "Let's not waste any more time. Sasuke has a significant head start."

Asuma nodded, and led them to the top level of the arena. He punched the wall with all of his might, and blew a hole through the concrete large enough for all of the genin to pass through. Shikamaru led them away from the arena, waiting for Shino to point them in the right direction.

Ino ran with them, taking a moment to remark to Shino, "I got three, and I only saw you take down two. That means I win, right?"

Shino's tone was absent of any inflection, but Choji thought it sounded smug all the same when he replied. "My allies operating independently incapacitated eight more, which brings my total to ten."

"Damn it," Ino swore, "no fair! If I had an army of obedient slaves, I could have killed ten, too! I want a rematch."

Choji wondered why Shikamaru was letting them banter, but guessed that it was because they hadn't gotten outside the village limits yet. Once they did, the real hunt would begin.

oOoOo

In the Hokage's box, an entirely different drama was unfolding. The smoke bomb had been thrown by one of the Kazekage's guards, and it hid a flurry of action that took no more than a few minutes. The Hokage stood, but didn't make any sudden moves because of the limited visibility. The first thing he felt was the sting of cold steel, as someone held a kunai against his neck.

He craned his head over his shoulder, and saw that it was the Kazekage who held him captive. The man's black-rimmed eyes were pitiless, and his grip on the kunai was firm. Slowly the smoke dispersed, until the Hokage could see for a few yards in each direction. Behind him were his two guards, both jonin, straining to see through the fog as well. In front of him, behind the Kazekage, were two Suna shinobi in the full-length robes and turbans of elite Suna shinobi. But as the Hokage watched them, they sprang into action.

There were two puffs of smoke, and each shinobi disappeared. Four shinobi materialized, each sliding a ways away from the others. The Hokage's bodyguards started forward, reacting to the motion, but it was too late. Four kunai flew through the air, and two each buried into the bodyguard's flak jackets. They collapsed to the ground, leaving the Hokage at his captor's mercy.

The four shinobi all wore the purple, knotted ropes that marked Oto shinobi. They all looked strange in some way: one had six arms, another had an extra head, the third was freakishly large, and the fourth, the only girl of the group, had violently pink hair and a deadly glint in her eyes. "I thought we were going to stay Transformed forever," the girl complained. "Jirobo, you could stand to take a bath once in a while, you know."

"Kazekage-sama," the Hokage rasped, his voice hard as a diamond and cold as winter. "There is time yet for diplomacy. Unhand me and stop this madness."

The Kazekage's voice was deep and rough, calling to mind the harsh dunes of his home country. "Not a chance. I've gone through far too much to stop now. But let us move to a more convenient location – it's a little stuffy down here."

He tightened his hold around Sarutobi's waist, and jumped into the air. He cleared the cloud of smoke, and landed noiselessly on the red tiled roof. "Initiate the barrier!" he called out. The four shinobi who had killed the Hokage's guards also leaped onto the roof, one to each corner.

They started to raise their hands, and the Hokage judged it to be a prudent time to begin his own counter-measures. "Now!" he shouted, hoping that he hadn't left it too late.

Down in the box, the only two people left were the bodies of the Hokage's bodyguards. At Sarutobi's shouted signal, both bodies disappeared with a puff of smoke, revealing two very different forms, who were both very much alive. Jiraiya and Tsunade sprang after the Hokage, making it onto the roof just as the four Oto nin brought their hands over their heads. A violet barrier rose up, completely cutting off the roof. A secondary barrier went up a moment later, sealing the four shinobi away from those who were trapped on the roof.

The Kazekage stood still for a moment, surveying his uninvited guests. The Hokage made his move, ducking away from the hand that held the kunai and pushing away. Whether his captor decided to let him go, or was two surprised by the arrival of Jiraiya and Tsunade to react in time, didn't really matter to Sarutobi. What was important was that he was free once again, and his two loyal students were by his side.

"Drop the disguise, Orochimaru," Sarutobi said to his former student. "We knew it was you from the start."

The Kazekage's eyes narrowed with rage. When he spoke, it wasn't with his usual deep voice, but with a high, slithering voice that brought back memories Sarutobi wished he could forget. The Kazekage's face… melted, that was the only word for it. He cast off his robes of office, and appeared before the three Konoha shinobi in his true form. Orochimaru's pale face sneered at them, and his gold, slitted eyes burned with an unquenchable hatred.

"How?" he demanded.

The Hokage smiled. "We have very observant genin in Konoha," he answered cryptically. "Come, Orochimaru. It is time to pay for your crimes."

"Are you growing senile, old man? Don't you know that your forces are outnumbered? Right now your village is dying, and in the end all will know that I destroyed you!"

"Outnumbered for the moment." Sarutobi nodded at Tsunade, who stepped forward with a grin. "We knew you would lead with a sleep genjutsu, and we prepared accordingly. Tsunade, if you would."

The female Sannin gave a short bow, and said, "Of course, sensei." She bit her thumb, drawing a drop of blood which she smeared on the ground. "Summoning jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke, and then a small slug appeared on her shoulder. "Hello, Milady," the slug said in a respectful tone.

"Hello, Katsuyu. You know the drill. Disperse, and use your Great Slug Division to attach to all of the Konoha shinobi in the stands. They shouldn't be sleeping on the job."

Katsuyu bowed her head, which looked very strange from a slug. Then she disappeared. Tsunade smirked at Orochimaru, whose eyes were widening with understanding.

"Katsuyu can divide into more than enough copies to cover all of our shinobi in the arena," Tsunade said. "And all I need to do is channel some chakra through our telepathic connection, and it will completely disrupt the genjutsu on our forces. It means I won't be able to draw on Katsuyu's help while killing you, but I think with sensei and Jiraiya we won't have much trouble turning you into a pair of snakeskin boots."

Orochimaru hissed at the threat, sounding exactly like a cobra about to strike. "It won't matter what you do!" he jeered. "Suna and Oto together have enough force to destroy all of Konoha's shinobi together."

"We'll see about that," Jiraiya replied, speaking up for the first time. His expression as he watched Orochimaru was both sad and horrified. "Our Captains are extremely capable, and we left them a few trump cards. No, Oro-chan, you just need to get used to the idea that you've failed. This is the end of the line for you."

Orochimaru's face twisted with unreasoning hatred. "Very clever, all three of you. But I don't plan on failing now, after all the trouble I went to. I was just planning on killing you, sensei, but these other two are a welcome addition. Behold the power that you were too weak to embrace!"

The snake Sannin formed a seal that was unfamiliar even to the Hokage. "Edo Tensei: Dead Soul Resurrection!" A tremendous rumbling arose, and a circular portal appeared on the rooftop, directly in front of Orochimaru. Two large stone slabs began to rise up, covered in strange writing.

What are those things? the Hokage thought, a bad feeling starting to worm its way through his body. Then realization dawned, and the Hokage experienced an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time: fear.

They're coffins.

oOoOo

Outside the walls of Konoha, two squads of shinobi had arranged themselves at the points of a summoning star. They were sharing power in an effort to summon a powerful snake – it required more chakra than any of them possessed individually. When their lookout noticed the smoke coming from the Hokage's box, which was the highest point in the arena, he told them it was time to set their plan in motion. Each shinobi's hands became wreathed in green chakra, and they began to chant in unison.

Sweat wreathed their faces, and more than one looked terrified of the outcome, but the summoning was ultimately successful. In the middle of the pentagram, one of the most powerful of the Snake clan appeared – it was taller than the walls of Konoha, and each of its three heads was bigger than a house. The snake wasted no time in heading for the outer wall – the price of its summoning was blood sacrifice, and it intended to collect its due from the hapless citizens of Konoha.

In the snake's destructive wake the forces of Suna and Oto gathered, each distrustful of the other, but united for the present in their shared hatred of Konoha. The Suna captain wasn't quite sure what he expected to see when the snake reached Konoha's walls: scouts screaming in fear, perhaps, or villagers running for their lives. What he didn't expect was a wall bristling with shinobi, who were very clearly unsurprised at this supposed sneak attack. And what he certainly didn't expect to see was a gigantic puff of smoke in front of the walls, which faded to reveal a giant toad every bit as large as their snake.

The toad lifted himself up on his powerful hind legs, and pointed a massive tanto at the approaching reptile. "I see you, you little worm!" the toad bellowed, drawing cheers from the Konoha shinobi on the walls. "I'd tell you to run off with your tail between your legs, but you don't have any legs… also, I'm not going to give you the chance to run away!"

The gigantic toad gave a mighty roar, and threw himself forward to grapple with the snake. The Suna captain felt his heart sink. Without the element of surprise, he worried that their plan was already doomed to fail. But he had his orders, and he would stick to them until his superiors told him otherwise. The problem, the captain reflected bitterly, was that most of his superiors were in the arena, trying to carry out the assassination of the Hokage. And if Konoha was prepared for that part of the plan, too… in that case, there might be no orders.

But a shinobi of Suna carried out his or her orders without fail. Discipline was the forge fire that melted them down and made them strong – it was the only thing that kept them alive in the harsh desert. So no matter what had happened to screw up this attack, it would go forward just the same.

"Forward!" the captain yelled, and his forces charged the walls.

oOoOo

Shikaku had wanted to stay and fight with the Hokage – or, failing that, he wanted to stay in the arena and help in the fight. But he had his orders, and they were to take command of the battle at the walls.

The plan that Shikaku had drawn up with the Hokage relied on an extremely delicate balancing act – enough shinobi had to be prepared to repulse a large enemy force trying to breach Konoha's walls, but until the enemy made a move they couldn't be seen to be prepared. Part of the solution was to keep many of the shinobi within or near the arena, waiting for the fight to begin. Then Shikaku would lead them to the walls, to begin the fight to keep Konoha clear of invading forces.

The trouble was that it meant that he had to leave the arena, even though the fighting was fierce and the odds not in Konoha's favor. But the Hokage had Jiraiya and Tsunade with him, so Shikaku knew that his presence likely wouldn't have made Sarutobi any safer, anyway. And his gift for strategy would be put to much better use out on the walls, coordinating the village's defenses.

In accordance with his orders, Shikaku left the arena soon after the sleep genjutsu and the smoke bomb in the Hokage's box. Choza and Inoichi went with him, while Tsume, Hiashi and Shibi, Shino's father, banded together to rain hell down on any Oto shinobi foolish enough to cross them.

Inoichi paused for a moment, just at the edge of the arena. "Look," he said, putting a hand on Shikaku's shoulder. "Lady Tsunade's summon has started waking up the sleeping shinobi!"

And sure enough, all across the arena, the miniature forms of Katsuyu's Great Slug Division were attaching to the sleeping shinobi. And to Shikaku's considerable relief, first one, then another, and then many more shinobi began to climb unsteadily to their feet.

"I thank all the gods for sending us Lady Tsunade," Shikaku said fervently. "Without her help Orochimaru's plan might have gone off without a hitch. But now the numbers are on our side, in the arena at least. Let's see how they fare on the walls."

The three friends dashed through Konoha, skipping multiple houses with every chakra-fueled jump. They headed for the Look-Out Post, which was a raised platform that afforded a view of most of the entire perimeter. That was where Ibiki and his lieutenants were, directing the battle until Shikaku arrived.

Ibiki didn't smile when he saw the three of them, but the scowl on his scarred face lightened just a little. "Glad you're here, Shikaku," he said tersely. "Things are getting hairy out here." To illustrate his point, Ibiki pointed directly west of their position, where about a hundred yards beyond the wall, a giant toad was locked in a deadly wrestling match with a huge, three-headed snake.

Shikaku nodded, scanning the walls with vision made more acute with the help of his chakra. "It looks like Jiraiya was right to assign Gamabunta to our aid. Apparently it wasn't easy to convince him to lend a hand, but it looks like the effort was well worth it. I knew they would have something in store to bring down the walls, but I was thinking more along the lines of an over-sized battering ram, not a gods-damned giant snake!"

Ibiki snorted in agreement. A stray kunai came whistling at him through the air, thrown by some shinobi assaulting the walls. Ibiki didn't even look away from Shikaku, but thrust his left hand out and caught the kunai by its ringed hilt. He tucked it away carefully in his equipment pouch.

"At least the Boss Toad is taking care of the snake, so that's one less thing to worry about. How's the Hokage?"

Shikaku grimaced. "I'm not sure. The Hokage is in some kind of barrier, trapped with the Kazekage. But Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade are there with him. We have to trust that they'll prevail."

"That doesn't sound like good news," Ibiki said after a moment. "So no sign yet of Orochimaru?"

"None that we've seen. He's keeping his traitorous hide well-hidden, at least for now. What's the situation here?"

Ibiki gestured expansively toward the wall closest them. There was a sizable force of shinobi, mostly chunin, who were doing their best to repulse the approaching shinobi from gaining the walls. The high ground was a great help, but the air rang with the sound of explosions and bursts of fire and wind.

"We're holding our own," Ibiki said judiciously. "But there's a lot of wall to cover, and we're spread pretty thin. What makes it worse is that these damned Oto shinobi are cowardly snakes, just like their master. They're jumping across the wall in groups of three and four, spreading out so that they bypass our defensive strongholds. They're wreaking as much havoc as they can within the village walls. But we can't dispatch too many men to hunt them down, because the Suna shinobi are massing in groups and launching concerted strikes against different points on the wall."

Shikaku took it all in, processing the information in order to come up with the best strategy. He wished he had more jonin with him, but it was worse than useless to wish for what one didn't have in the middle of a battle.

"You were right to keep most of our forces on the walls," Shikaku said. "But we need to do something to keep these Oto bastards from doing too much damage. Inoichi, form a squad of six and start sweeping through the streets. Coordinate with any on-duty shinobi at vital locations, like the Academy and the Hospital. Find an Inuzuka or a Hyuga – they'll be best suited at locating Oto shinobi, especially if they're trying to hide."

The blond man grinned. "A rat hunt, eh? I'm on it. You," he said suddenly, pointing at one of Ibiki's lieutenants. He was a young man, with the white eyes of a Hyuga. "What big eyes you have. Let's use them to root out some vermin."

He grabbed the chunin by his vest, and dragged the confused-looking shinobi off in search of four other likely souls. When he was gone, Shikaku turned to Ibiki and Choza. Ibiki looked grim, ready to fight. Choza looked like a grizzly bear on the end of a leash, just waiting to be let loose. Shikaku had every intention of doing so.

"Ibiki," he said, "please take control of the defenses at the wall on the south side. I'll stay here with Choza. Be careful, and don't waste any lives. The longer this takes, the better for us, because soon our shinobi will finish fighting in the arena. They'll come out to support the front lines, and we'll start gaining a numerical advantage. So be defensive, and stay on the lookout for any tricks. We'll win this fight yet."

Ibiki bowed and disappeared with a Body-Flicker jutsu, followed by his silent lieutenants. Shikaku turned to Choza, who met his gaze with a knowing wink. "I'm guessing you have different orders for me, right? Defensive isn't really my style."

Shikaku could only shake his head, amazed at how well Choza knew him. "You're right as always, my friend. We've both got a lot of chakra to spare, and we're going to use it to gain those poor souls on the wall a little breathing space. Let's give the Suna shinobi something to think about, something that will push them back for a while."

"You got it."

The two friends clasped hands for a second, and then leapt from the Look-Out Post to the top of the wall. "Stand clear, everybody!" Choza shouted in his jovial, booming voice. "Akimichi coming through!" He jumped high in the air, and at the top of his leap he performed his clan's signature Multi-Size jutsu. When Choza landed, he towered over the walls, standing almost as tall as Boss Toad Gamabunta. His red armor shone in the sun, and his very presence cast a shadow over the entire attacking force. The Suna shinobi shrank back a bit, some not as good at others at hiding their expressions of fear.

Once again, the defenders on the walls let out a rousing cheer, enjoying the opportunity afforded by Choza's intimidation tactics to catch their breath. Shikaku jumped from the walls as well, looking deceptively insignificant in Choza's giant shadow. With such a large and obvious threat to focus on, the Suna shinobi would never see him coming. He was a commander and a strategist, but that wasn't all that Shikaku was – he was a cold and ruthless assassin, and very few shinobi in the village were better at dispensing death.

These men, who had dared to bring war to his village, would find out that there was a very good reason to be afraid of the dark: you couldn't see Shikaku's shadow until it found you. And then it would be too late.

oOoOo

The seven genin, led by Shikamaru, raced deeper into the forest. Thanks to Shino's unerring sense of direction, they were able to proceed with all possible haste. But as fast as they went, it wasn't fast enough to avoid being followed. And barely three minutes into their pursuit, Hinata gave them the bad news. She had been chosen as rear guard by Shikamaru, since her byakugan could see in all directions, notifying them of danger no matter where it might come from.

"Shikamaru!" she cried out, no trace of a stutter in her voice. "There are nine shinobi behind us, coming up fast!"

From her place behind Shino, Sakura called up to Shikamaru. "Should we set an ambush? Or should some of us stay behind and try to delay them?"

Shikamaru was impressed – Sakura had a good grasp on the tactical options available to a team being pursued. But after fighting in the arena – specifically, after seeing Naruto fight in the arena – Shikamaru had a much better idea.

"Naruto," he snapped, still bounding forward from tree to tree as fast as he could without leaving himself open to any possible traps. The blond genin put on an extra burst of speed, and drew even with Shikamaru.

"What?" he asked.

"Do you have enough chakra to make 21 shadow clones?"

Naruto scoffed, and then tripped on a tree branch. He caught back up with Shikamaru, his face red with embarrassment. "Yeah," he said at last, "I have a lot left. I could make fifty if you want."

"Nah," Shikamaru said, "21 will be fine. Have them Transform to look like us, just like you did in the arena, so that there's three groups of the seven of us. Have one of the groups set an ambush, and send the other two groups out in opposite directions. The ambush won't slow them down long, but having to choose between three different groups to follow definitely will."

Naruto's face lit up as he understood Shikamaru's plan. "Wow!" he yelled. "That's brilliant! Shikamaru, you're pretty smart, huh? How come you never let on?"

Shikamaru only shook his head. From the back of the column, Hinata raised her voice urgently. "They're gaining!"

"Right!" Naruto made the necessary hand seals as he ran along, and in the trees around them 21 Narutos popped into existence. Shikamaru had just enough time to see them transform into copies of the seven genin, before they left the clones behind them. The two decoy groups were scampering off in different directions, while the ambush team found cover behind thick tree trunks.

Shikamaru spoke to Sakura, who had been listening to his plan, wide-eyed. "You're really lucky to have Naruto as a teammate, you know," he said. "Even with just those Shadow Clones, he's an invaluable ally. You thought our only options were to risk all of our lives in an ambush, or sacrifice a few of us in a delaying technique. But thanks to the tactical versatility of Naruto's jutsu, we can continue the chase in relative safety."

"Thanks, Shikamaru!" Naruto said with a sheepish grin. "But would you stop it already? I'm blushing."

Shikamaru had only bothered explaining this to Sakura because he had noticed how little respect she had for her teammate. While Shikamaru might once have held the same opinion, just a few minutes fighting with Naruto had been enough to change his mind. He wouldn't trade Ino or Choji for any of the shinobi in Konoha, of course, but it was clear that Team 10 wasn't the only genin squad to have improved a lot since they graduated from the Academy.

It's a good thing, too, Shikamaru thought, his natural pessimism asserting itself. Because when we catch up to Sasuke, I don't think it's going to go as smoothly as Kakashi anticipated.