Chapter 8: The BIG Mission INTRO Part 2

"Team 14, be on your guard!" The kids nodded as they cautiously advanced forward to the fallen guards at the front gate. Shikamaru bent down and began to check the pulses on their necks as he noticed their bruises.

"Luckily, they're still alive. Tsuzuku, rush to the hospital and tell them to bring an ambulance down here with some medic-nins accompanying it," he ordered.

"Hai!" she responded obediently. She started running in the opposite direction from the gate at her top speed, which was pretty fast for her rank. The tension of the situation must've elevated her speed, plus the excitement of an exciting mission unfolding.

Shikamaru started doing some handseals as Sage, his fiery shadow summon, was pulled out involuntarily.

Sage being the grump he is, had a grudge for being interrupted in the middle of the day. "What the hell did you call me out for?" he asked in his usual cranky tone of voice. He looked around and saw two unconscious guards on the ground. "I don't see why you need me out here. It looks like you already finished the job."

Shikamaru ignored his accusation and went on to issue him his priorities at the scene of the crime. "Go underground and check the premises to see if there are enemies."

"Who the hell do you think you are talking to, brat? I'm not gonna let some punk-ass kid like you order me around!" he responded rebelliously.

"Sage!' he raised his tone to declare that this time isn't meant for messing around. That kind of tone sent chills down the body of the two students since they never saw him this serious before.

"Pfft, whatever…," Sage replied. He reluctantly followed his master's (although he would prefer to call him bitch's) orders and investigated the scene from below the surface. Of course, in retrospect, this was the best way to handle it. If they were to walk straight in, they could be caught in a surprise attack or trap. Even it were to be a straight up confrontation (something that would've happen if a fearless idiot like Naruto was behind it), it would still be to their disadvantage, because he had unprepared genins under his supervision which would most likely used against him if he were ever to have the upper hand in battle. All options considered, Shikamaru decided this to be the best. Even if the enemy had the ability to see through the surface, Sage could stand on his own two feet long enough for Shikamaru to realize the situation and help him out.

As Sage did his job, Shikamaru examined the front gate, the possible entry point. It was left open and swinging back and forth a little with a small creaking noise. He looked at the lock of the gate, and what he saw was a broken one.

Xin looked on in a very terrified manner. He tried to stand tall and look fearless, but his attempt was easily seen through. The shaky legs and dripping sweat was a clear sign to any random person that this situation didn't fit well with him.

"You okay?" Yin asked quietly as he observed the fear symptoms coming from his teammate.

"Um…, yeah. I'm okay…"

"Don't worry. If anything happens, I'll be beside you. Shikamaru and Sage are also here, so we should be alright," Yin comforted him. Although he didn't like doing these kind of stuff, it is a shinobi's duty to be calm, in case there's an ambush. Passing on such an advice to a comrade is also their duty, so the other person won't become a burden to the mission.

"Y-yeah, you're right! I feel much better now. Thanks!" he spoke a little bit more confidently.

As more time pass, Sage finally returned from his underground mission. He immediately noticed that the white-haired kid was shaking (naturally, Xin was still afraid of the possible unknown) and broke out a smirk. "You chose the wrong profession if you're already wetting your pants in face of such a small problem."

"Enough about that. What did you find?" Shikamaru asked.

"No enemies around from what I could see."

"Noticed anything in particular?"

"There seemed to be a little blood and ground disturbance by the swings."

"Okay, thank you. (turns to the rest) Team 14, we are entering the park. Again, be on your guard!" he addressed. He walked cautiously through the gate with two genins behind him.

Yin pulled out his kunai with one hand and put the other one near his weapon pouch. He then tuned himself to become very sensitive to any noise. "This mission had advanced into a more serious situation. It is my duty for us to be able to get through this thing!" he thought.

Xin also decided to pull out a kunai also for his self defense. He nervously brought out his weapon of choice and held it tight with two hands. He looked behind him and noticed Sage wasn't behind him. In fact, Sage didn't enter the park at all. "Um, Shikamaru-sensei," he called.

Shikamaru turned around and looked at him. "Anything wrong?"

"Well, Sage didn't…," he started before Shikamaru cut in.

"Don't worry about him. He probably left off in a tantrum, because I made him look inferior in front of everybody. Anything else?"

The young white-hair genin shook his head, and they continued to advance. They soon reached the swings, and as Shikamaru's summon mentioned, this area definitely was suspicious.

Shikamaru bent down and looked at the swing. There seemed to be a drip of blood onto the steel chain that took part in holding the swing up.

Then the jounin turned and faced the ground he stood on. Rest of the grass seemed pretty smooth except this particular spot. It was like they dragged the body a little before lifting him up.

Yin turned and noticed a siren. "Sir, the ambulance has arrived." Let's head out then," he commanded as the two young shinobi turned and walked out toward the gate. He was about to follow them, but he noticed an envelope on the ground beside a tree that was in front of the swings. He ran over and stuffed it into his pocket and headed out along with the rest.

Immediately when they exited, Tsuzuku began to ask impatiently about what lied beyond the gate as the medic-nins lifted the fallen guards onto the stretchers. "Were there any more unconscious bodies in there? Dead? Oh my god, buried alive? Horrible, I tell you! These punks deserve a good beating from me!"

"Nothing of that sort occurred. There weren't any real clues either…," Yin said.

"Actually I did find some. We are to report to the Fuugen residence immediately of the incident and allow them to decide what's the best option for them there. Naturally after that, our mission should be over (Tsuzuku starts frowning. "Done already? I haven't even done any fighting yet..."), but I have a feeling things are going to get a lot more troublesome," he stated.

"Should we communicate with Hokage-sama too?" Xin asked.

"Not necessary yet. We'll deal with the task at hand first before we commit to anything else," the pony-tailed jounin replied.

"Hai!"

Five minutes later, they reached the huge estate of the Fuugen family. It was the biggest house the three genins ever saw and their faces told so.

"Wow," commented Tsuzuku. She was actually speechless…, for a couple of seconds. "Man! Now there can be a lot of great fun we can have here. Parties, tournaments, ninja war, movie night, and other stuff too. Oh, and they probably have great cooks also. Imagine the restaurant experience without going to an actual restaurant. That's just plain mad!"

"Yeah…," Shikamaru replied dully, "Anyways, we have no time to waste. Let's head in."

They continued walking forward and talked to the security guards guarding the front door. They reported to Mrs. Fuugen with the alarming news through the intercom. They were immediately invited inside.

"What happened to my son?" the mother came at him in a panicked expression. She ran up to Shikamaru and grabbed his vest. "Weren't you supposed to escort him?"

The maids pacified the woman so she would release the messenger of the bad news who was also one of her guests. "We're very sorry. Our mistress is very distressed. Can you please come inside and tell us more of the situation?"

"Of course."

They walked into the living room and sat down. Before the discussion began, Team 14 was offered beverages, but Shikamaru declined the offer for his team. They didn't plan for staying long.

"Your son was kidnapped at the park at approximately 10 am to 1 pm. There was forced entry at the gate after two guards were rendered unconscious. The bruises on the body show that they were attacked and didn't fall under any kind of genjutsu spell. There seemed to be struggling at the spot of the kidnapping, which was near the swings, and a little blood was spilled (the horrified parent gasps at this moment). There was also a note left behind at the scene of the crime. I consider you to read it (he hands over the note). You don't have to share any information with us about the letter. Now that's over with, we'll take our leave."

He and the rest of the team were about to get up, but the mother immediately stopped them. "Please, stay. I don't think I can handle all of this alone right now."

Shikamaru politely gave in to her request and sat back down along with his three genins students.

The envelope was addressed to the Fuugen household (naturally) and a tiny mark of blood (most likely the abducted child's) was imprinted beside the name. The mother handed it over to one of her maids to read it out loud, because she was too concerned and scared for what contents that may be inside. The maid responded obediently and began to read the note.

"Well, hello Fuugen family. As you might have known by now, we kidnapped your beloved child. Quite a feisty brat, ain't he? If you ever want to see him in one piece, you better know your role and pay us 1,000,000 ryou. You will meet us at the border between Konoha and the Lightning Country from the moment you receive the letter to at most three days. If you bring any authorities along with you, you might as well kiss your son's ass goodbye. Same consequences apply if you're late even one second."