Chapter 17
The dawn bloomed as vibrantly as the cherry blossoms in spring, shades of pink and orange and icy cold white streaking across the sky. Standing on the porch that overlooked the back garden, Naruto watched the sun slowly rising with gleaming eyes. The light glittered in the undisturbed snow, making it gleam in a crystalline fashion. Gliding his fingers through his wild bangs, Naruto released a deep sigh of contentment.
Sasuke watched him with a blank expression, cozily dressed in his warmest clothes to fend off the cold air. He had even gone so far as to drag out one of the large floor cushions from their living room, to counter the chill seeping up from the wood.
Naruto, on the other hand, was wearing the old mesh undershirt he used to wear under his orange jacket. His Jounin pants sat low on his hips, his bare feet planted firmly on the cold floor.
Unable to discern whether the blond was showing off, or the cold truly didn't faze him, Sasuke contented himself with an exaggerated sigh. "Are you sure it's really necessary for me to meditate, Naruto?" He asked in a bored voice, all the while thinking that he would rather go back to bed. "It's not like I've never done it before, so you don't have to show me how."
As he turned his head slightly, one of Naruto's depthless blue eyes caught Sasuke's attention. For a moment, he looked at the raven-haired ninja thoughtfully, his lips pursed. Eventually, he shook his head with a smile, turning in one fluid motion to drop down in front of Sasuke. The blond folded his legs into a meditative stance, an air of practice around him as he released a slow breath.
"Yup, it's definitely a necessity." Naruto said with finality. He leveled Sasuke with a concentrated gaze, the hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "It's true, we were taught in the academy that meditation, or a routine that allows for mental cleansing, is important for a shinobi. However, even people who practice meditation regularly are missing out on the importance of it. At best, most shinobi master the ability to clear their minds, to find balance within themselves."
Sasuke nodded slowly. "Since the Sharingan puts a lot of strain on the caster mentally and physically, meditation was always an important part of dōjutsu training. But that's why I don't think we should waste our time with this. I've already mastered the ability to empty my mind."
Naruto smiled, slipping his eyes shut. "Maybe you can empty your mind of thoughts, but I doubt you've learned how to empty your mind of emotion." He said gently, his breathing slowing as his body became perfectly still. "A person doesn't achieve mastery in meditation until they can detach from all worldly and personal distractions, including their sense of self."
"And you've achieved that?" Sasuke asked doubtfully as he too assumed his meditation stance.
A soft exhale of laughter slipped between Naruto's lips. Sasuke frowned in concentration as orange markings appeared on the Jinchuuriki's eyelids. He reached out with his senses, trying to figure out what was happening to Naruto's chakra.
"To become a Sage," Naruto began in a low, calm voice, "You have to go through a lot of crappy and crazy-difficult training. But the hardest thing is the meditation. It isn't something that you can learn quickly; you have to sit there for countless hours until you figure it out for yourself."
He opened his eyes, the golden yellow orbs holding Sasuke's gaze quietly. "For more than two years now, I've spent as much time as I could meditating. Not only have I mastered the ability to detach myself from my reality and myself, I am also able to perfectly balance and control all three chakra's that exist inside of me. When you understand your chakra and how to control it properly, you can even change its form and flow to suit you. Obviously, your chidori or my rasengan are examples of that, but there are a lot of other ways too. Here, Sasuke, watch."
Sasuke's dark eyes widened in shock as steam began to rise from Naruto's skin. The vapours twisted and danced as they rose around him slowly, before eventually disappearing above the eaves of their house.
Naruto cracked one of his eyes open, grinning. "Cool, huh?" He boasted. "This is how I can meditate out here for hours without freezing to death. By absorbing the heat out of the natural energy around me, I can basically cancel out the cold."
Blinking slowly, Sasuke replied in his most disinterested tone, "Is there a point to this, or are you just showing off?"
"Well, I might be showing off a little," Naruto admitted earnestly after a moment of thought. "But I mean, there're not many people who advance this much in meditation. And of course there's a point, you jerk!"
Sasuke sighed, closing his eyes. He absolutely refused to admit that he was actually extremely impressed.
"Anyways," Naruto continued, pouting. "All that I want you to do today is concentrate on emptying your mind. Distance yourself from thought and emotion. If you manage to do that, start concentrating on your chakra. Okay? Keep in mind that meditating on thoughts and meditating for freedom are two completely different things. Right now, you're aiming for mental and emotional freedom – you know?"
Releasing a slow breath, Sasuke nodded slowly. The concept of meditation definitely wasn't new to him – he had spent a lot of his time while he was alone after the war, and when he was in his prison cell, meditating. However, in those occasions he had been meditating over his thoughts, whereas now he was being asked to sit and seek nothingness. Again, the concept was not foreign to him. The fact that it was Naruto who was instructing him so wisely, however, definitely was.
He smirked at the irony, as he thought, "The most surprising ninja in Konoha is, undoubtedly, my idiot-blond."
"You're thinking," Naruto said gently. "Stop."
Sasuke scowled, clenching his teeth against the retort that rose up in his throat. "Easier said than done," He complained to himself. "When you're sitting right there watching me, Naruto."
Silence fell between them, disturbed only by the sleepy chirping of birds in the surrounding trees. Somewhere far away, the herds of Nara deer were waking, their soft whistling calls echoing through the forest.
Feeling that Sasuke was finally settling into the exercise, Naruto inhaled slowly, turning his focus to the natural energy that was flowing into his body. Spread out around him were thousands of brightly shining chakras, as warm and familiar to him as the sun in the sky. From the strongly pulsating energies of the shinobi in the training grounds, to the small and eagerly fluttering chakra of every student in their academy classroom; nothing slipped past Naruto.
He focused on the village gate for a while, feeling the rhythm of the people walking in and out of the village. Finding nothing of concern there, he spread his awareness outwards, feeling the landscape around Konoha through the currents of energy which passed from one living thing to another. The main road was busy with merchants and laborers coming to the village to work for the day. The forest and mountains buzzed with the activity of waking animals, going about their morning in chaotically harmonious patterns. Higher up in the mountains, Naruto discovered a few ninja from the Inuzuka clan out for a morning run with their hounds.
Naruto released the breath he had been holding as he broadened his awareness even further. It was then that a cluster of familiar chakra's caught his attention. Although they were still several kilometers away from Konoha, Ino and her young team of Genin were returning to the village from their mission. From what Naruto could feel, they seemed to be tired but unhurt. Smiling, the Sage turned his attention to the forest around them.
Immediately, the breath froze in his throat, his relaxed shoulders tensing.
"Dammit," He growled in a low voice, "Ino."
In the time that it took for Sasuke to realize that Naruto had spoken and open his eyes, the blond had already made two clones and twisted off the porch into the snow. He leaned over quickly, gripping Sasuke's knee firmly as he looked up at him with fierce, yellow eyes.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke," He said. "I'll be right back."
The forest stretched out endlessly around Ino and her team as they made their way back to Konoha. Having completed their first real mission, the Genin were in high spirits, their voices echoing off the naked trees. Ino ignored their rambunctious behavior, her focus on the silent, watchful forest. Only a moment ago, she had thought she'd sensed something watching them. The skin on the back of her neck prickled uncomfortably.
When several more minutes passed without incident, Ino sighed. "Guess I was just imaging things." She muttered to herself.
She glanced over her shoulder at the sound of footsteps. The Genin with long black hair, Eros, was approaching her quickly. The knot in Ino's stomach, which had just begun to loosen, tightened painfully. For a Genin, Eros had always had highly attuned senses.
"Sensei," He said softly, not wanting his teammates to hear. "Did you feel that just now?"
Ino swallowed hard. She glanced over her shoulder quickly, watching as Aya twisted midair to poke the notoriously calm redhead with a smirk. Leon blinked slowly before glancing over at the small kunoichi, one dark red eyebrow raised.
Even though they seemed energetic enough, Ino knew that her team wouldn't even have enough strength to defend themselves if they were attacked now. The mission, though a simple escort assignment, had ended up draining quite a bit of their chakra.
Finally, Ino turned back to the young shinobi, forcing herself to smile. "Actually, I did." She replied in a forced tone. "Please go and tell Aya-chan and Leon to be quiet."
Eros nodded quickly, falling back to his teammates. "Shut up," He ordered gruffly, casting a meaningful glance towards their ponytailed sensei.
Immediately, Aya fell silent. Even though the kunoichi was the most outspoken and liveliest of their team, Eros was definitely the leader. He showed a level of skill that was reminiscent of the Konoha Eleven when they were at that age.
Ino's eyes narrowed, her pulse quickening as she glanced back and forth into the trees. "Okay, think Ino." She told herself, slowly down slightly so that she was closer to the Genin. "What would Shikamaru do in this situation? If Eros got the same feeling, then there's no doubt that something's watching us. What should I do? Even if we stop and get into a defensive position, the Genin aren't strong enough to do anything right now. But if we keep going to the village, we might get attacked while we're unprepared. Damn, this isn't good."
"Listen, you three," Ino began in a low voice, reaching into the weapon pouch at her back. "Something is tailing us right now. I'm not a sensory ninja, so I can't tell you anything more than that."
She pulled out a kunai, slowing her pace until she was behind her students. "We're going to go all out until we get to the village," She ordered. "Get up into the treetops. I want Eros out front and Leon right behind Aya-chan. I'll hang back a little, so I want you three to tell me if you spot anything unusual. Keep your guards up!"
The Genin nodded, turning in unison with their eyes towards the trees.
A familiar whistling caught Ino's attention: the sound of knives cutting through the air.
Ino raised her kunai, her eyes widening as her head whipped from side to side. The knives were coming from several different directions at once – too many for her to block – and every single one of them was equipped with an explosive tag. Every single one of them was headed directly for her students.
"Look out!" She screamed, launching herself forward. Tackling her students to the ground, Ino pulled their small bodies under her own.
Time slowed to a mocking crawl as the kunai landed around them, making a gentle thudding sound as they lodged themselves into the snow. In the split second which followed, Eros stuck his head out from under his sensei's arm, his hands flashing as his chest bulged.
The forest floor was sent skyward, the deep rumble of breaking earth and fire shattering the still air. The protective wall of flame that Eros breathed around them saved them from the worst of the explosion, but the frozen earth began to crumble beneath them. With a gasping sound, Eros ran out of chakra, the fire dissolving into nothingness as he choked on the smoke and dirt in the air.
Ino pulled him back underneath her body, wrapping her arms around her students and holding them tightly to her chest.
Aya screamed as the ground broke beneath them, sending them tumbling wildly into the craters of broken earth. As they hit the bottom roughly, the debris began to fall too. Ino grit her teeth, screwing her eyes shut as chunks of rocks and heavy pieces of roots and frozen soil rained down on her back. The weight of the debris forced the air out of her lungs, her breath rattling out in a wet mass of blood. The gory red smear landed directly onto Aya's chest.
In the few seconds after the explosions subsided, an eerily ringing silence fell over the forest. Ino opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the tears and the pain as she forced herself to smile. "Are you guys okay?" She managed to whisper, before a tearing cough sent more blood flying from her lungs.
"Ino-sensei!" Aya screamed, clinging tightly to the front of her sensei's Jounin vest. "Hang in there, sensei!"
"Yes, hang in there," A trilling voice agreed.
Her body screaming in protest from the movement, Ino twisted around to face their attacker. The sudden movement, and the pain which followed, made her lightheaded. The blond kunoichi could feel hot ribbons of blood flowing from her back and arms, but she remained focused on the tall, thin man who stood at the edge of the pit.
"Who are you?" She asked, her voice strengthened by adrenaline. Ino pulled out another kunai, crouching protectively in front of her students.
The man laughed softly. Ino noticed, for the first time, that a metal mask crafted to look like the grinning jaws of a wolf was hanging around his neck. His long, tousled black hair flowed in the updraft of air, his cold green eyes staring down at them hatefully. He was dressed in finely woven fabrics, a black fur-lined jacket protecting him from the cold.
"For now, you can just call me Kou, Miss. Ino Yamanaka." He replied, his eyes glittering.
Ino stiffened, her lips pulling back in distaste. "Kou," She muttered, glancing back at her students. She ground her teeth.
"I can't risk using mind possession. If I miss, then all four of us will be wide open."
Everyone in the Konoha Eleven had been warned about the Kou. Naruto had cautioned them all, telling them that they were likely to be attacked at some point by this mysterious and violent clan. The old classmates had discussed the threat at length after Naruto had left, their pride dented slightly by the Jinchuuriki's obvious lack of faith in their ability to defend themselves.
But now, Ino understood. It wasn't that he doubted the abilities of his comrades. Naruto had doubted, or perhaps suspected, the integrity of the Kou. He had suspected that they would resort to underhanded tactics to take them out, one by one. In this moment, Ino desperately wished that Naruto had just been paranoid.
Kou slid down the loose earth into the crater, still smirking coldly. "Tell your little students to run along, Ino-chan." He ordered in his light, sing-song voice. "And then I won't have to hurt them."
He stopped a few feet away from them, crossing his arms. "It's you I want, Ino-chan, so just tell your students to hurry home. Otherwise, they might see something that they don't want to see."
For the first time since the war, a chilling ripple of fear rattled down Ino's spine. She swallowed loudly. "Leon, take Aya-chan and Eros back to the village. As soon as you get to the gate, tell Genma or whoever else is on guard what happened."
"We aren't going to leave you, sensei!" Leon replied fiercely, pulling himself to his knees.
"Leon, please," Ino whispered shakily, her eye's never leaving Kou. "My duty is to keep you three safe."
With a loud and obnoxious sigh, the man closed the remaining distance between himself and Ino. He grabbed the front of her vest, yanking her to her feet as he said, "This is taking too long. All this student-teacher crap is making me sick."
"Let go of me," Ino hissed, jumping off the ground and twisting backwards, aiming a kick at the Kou ninja's head as she freed herself from his grip.
"Woah!" He cried as he leaned back, avoiding her swinging foot. "You shouldn't be hopping around so much, Ino-chan. You already lost so much blood, you might not be able to stand for much longer."
As if on cue, Ino's knees trembled and gave out. She sank down amongst the piles of upturned earth, breathing heavily. As Kou began walking towards her again, Ino glanced over at her team, desperation in her wide blue eyes as she whispered, "Please, please run."
Kou's hand latched around her throat, cutting off her air supply completely as he forced her backwards. The raw skin and gaping wounds on her back hit the ground hard, a silent scream forcing its way around the tight grip on her throat. Unable to free herself from the iron grip around her neck, Ino kicked her legs wildly, swinging her kunai towards her attacker. He blocked the uncalculated swing easily, retaliating by delivering a solid punch to the kunoichi's diaphragm. Her eyes bulged, her whole body trembling violently from the force of the hit before she went completely still.
"That's enough now, Ino-chan." Kou whispered tenderly, stroking her long bangs away from her face. He glanced over his shoulder, glaring at the three children who sat together, frozen in shock. An endless stream of silent tears was sliding down Aya's cheeks. Kou smirked.
His palm flattened over Ino's forehead, his brow furrowing in concentration. "Now, let's see what happens when a Kou possesses one of the Yamanaka Clan." He muttered, his voice strained, "With any luck, this will be the strongest body I've ever possessed. Soul Possession: Full Body Illusion!"
Ino gasped for air, struggling to resist the heavy press of his consciousness against her own. But her eyes were growing dim, spots appearing in her vision as she fought to remain conscious. She could feel small threads of his soul piercing through her mental barrier, tearing into her mind and body with sharp, electric jabs. The pain was intense. Ino's mouth opened around another silent scream, her back arching alarmingly, like bamboo in the wind.
"Sensei!" Aya screamed, running forward.
The man turned his head, pointing one of the fingers on the hand still firmly gripping Ino's throat towards the panicking Genin. The cold blue glow of lightning erupted from his slender finger, cutting through the air. Leon jumped forward, tugging Aya to the ground. The lightning screamed loudly as it raced towards its target.
A roaring blast of wind broke through the trees, stirring up earth and snow. Kou blinked against the sudden gale, staring in disbelief at the place where the Genin had been standing a millisecond before. There was nothing there but a black, scarred chunk of earth.
He didn't even have time to process this before the weight of it was crushing him: a chakra so hot and vast and terrifyingly wild that his body froze in horror. Kou slowly lifted his pale green eyes, wide and watering as he stared up at the tall, blond figure before him. Cradled within his strong arms were the three Genin, all of them unconscious but unharmed.
Naruto's eyes bore into the Kou ninja, blazing bloody red and raging like wildfire. His voice was an animalistic growl as he said, "I suggest you get away from her, right now."
When the man didn't move immediately, Naruto stepped forward, concentrating on controlling the natural energy in the air. A solid punch of energy hit the Kou directly in his chest, throwing him back several feet. He coughed as his back hit the ground, the loose stones on the side of the crater falling down on him.
Ino rolled onto her side, gasping loudly as she pulled air into her starved lungs.
Naruto placed the Genin down carefully, moving quickly to Ino's side. He lifted her to a seated position gently, cradling her protectively within the warmth of his arms. She stared up at him with wide, bloodshot eyes, one hand gripping his arm tightly while the other massaged her neck.
"Naruto?" She whispered shakily, "How did you – where are my students? Aya-chan and Leon – Eros?"
"They're all fine," The Jinchuuriki answered soothingly, his burning eyes never leaving the slowly stirring form of their opponent. "And, I sensed the presence of this Kou guy while I was meditating. I'm glad I was able to make it in time."
"You warned us," Ino stated, her tender throat making her voice rough. "That this might happen."
Naruto didn't answer. His body tensed like a coiled snake as the Kou sat up, shaking dirt out of his hair. "I suggest you stay still," Naruto cautioned, his lips pulling back to reveal pointed teeth. "If you plan on living out the day."
His pale green eyes narrowing, the Kou ignored the chilling fear that threatened to steal his breath. "You're the famed hero, the guardian demon of Konoha, I presume? How did you know I was a Kou, from so far away?" He managed to ask, although his voice betrayed him as it trembled.
"Easy." Naruto growled. "You didn't completely possess the poor guy whose body you're in right now. Anyone with any sort of sensory abilities can tell. There are two completely different natures of chakra in that body."
After blinking a few times in surprise, the man laughed. "Well, my father always told me to take my time. He said that nothing good would come out of rushing things, and lo-and-behold! I've been discovered!"
His eyes narrowed, his voice becoming a barely audible hiss. "But, it doesn't matter. This was only a temporary body, and this little fieldtrip has definitely been educational. Well worth the effort of controlling this guy. A ninja from the Land of Feathers, I'll have you know."
"You bastard," Naruto spat, shifting slightly so that his body was hiding Ino from the Kou's gaze. "Do you really think you have the right to just use innocent people like tools?"
"Yes," Kou replied immediately, grinning widely. "I have every right, because that's all people are. Tools. But we can discuss this next time, Naruto Uzumaki. For now, shall we simply agree to disagree?"
Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but a sense of dread stilled his tongue.
From where he was crouched, Naruto watched in horror as the light and awareness drained from the eyes of the man who stood before him. It was the haunting emptiness of a night without moon or stars: the void created by a person who was no longer there.
In the blink of an eye, the Kou was gone, leaving the stolen body behind.
Naruto expected the shrill whistling before it even started. "Ino," He said urgently, "Hold on to me!"
He was already moving, the force of his sudden momentum holding Ino to his chest before she had the chance to wrap her arms around him. His arms now free, Naruto scooped up the three Genin, his movement becoming a blur as he jumped up to the top of the crater.
The whistling stopped. It was immediately followed by a popping crack, a wet explosion spraying the dark earth with crimson. Naruto didn't need to turn to imagine the carnage. Taking a steadying breath, he continued walking forward. With tremendous effort, he forced himself to walk away from yet another innocent person that he could not save.
"Gross…" Ino managed to whisper before burying her face in his shoulder. Naruto could feel her arms shaking from the effort of holding herself to his chest, her knees gripping his waist tightly. Her breath was damp and hot with tears as she added, "I'm glad my students didn't see that."
Naruto sighed, sadness pinching his heart. He knelt down slowly, laying the Genin down in the snow before wrapping a supporting arm around Ino's waist. Rather than relaxing the tension in her body, Ino hugged him tighter, clinging to his familiar and reassuring presence. Resting one hand on the back of her head, Naruto slipped his eyes shut with a frown as Ino's entire frame began to shudder violently.
"That was so, so scary." She cried, her tears soaking the front of Naruto's thin shirt. "I couldn't do a damn thing."
For lack of better things to say, Naruto patted her head gently. "Shikamaru's on his way." He said softly, attempting to sooth his comrade. "I sent a clone to get help as soon as I noticed that guy."
"Shi-Shikamaru?" Ino repeated shakily.
"Yeah, let's wait here for him, okay? My clone is leading them, so they should be here soon."
Ino nodded, calming down slightly. She let out a slow breath, loosening her arms to relieve the painful strain on the many injuries on her back. Still caught in a state of shock and fear, the thought of healing herself never crossed the medical kunoichi's mind.
Naruto grit his teeth, staring ahead into the watchful trees as he resisted the urge to glance over his shoulder. He struggled to control the trembling of his fingers as his chakra boiled. Although he was happy to have been able to save Ino and her team, he hated the fact that it was necessary. His eyes stung hotly as Ino continued to weep into his shoulder, the fear not allowing her muscles to relax. He wished bitterly that he had been able to save the ninja from the Land of Feathers. He wished he had come sooner. He wished that the Kou had never risen into action.
"But there's no point in sitting here, wishing for things that didn't happen." He thought, glancing over at the small unconscious forms of the Genin. "At least I managed to keep them safe. That's all that matters right now."
The Jinchuuriki closed his eyes as the sound of Kurama's swishing tails caught his attention. The fox was on his feet, sniffing loudly as he glanced from side to side. "The body that he retreated to isn't very far away." He said, baring his gleaming fangs. "The clone will be here any minute, so just drop her and go after him! If it's us, we'll be able to catch up to him in no time!"
Naruto was silent for a moment, his mind racing. "How far away exactly, Kurama?"
"His original body is further than I thought it would be," The fox admitted, sniffing curiously. "He's no less than ten kilometers away from here, no more than fifteen."
Naruto grit his teeth. "That's too fucking far! If that's their range for retreating from a possessed body, then this is seriously not good! And besides, I can't just leave when things are like this."
"Make another clone, then!" Kurama urged, a fierce growl rumbling in his chest. "And let me take control of it. I'll tear that Kou to pieces!"
Slowly, Naruto shook his head. He opened his eyes as the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps reached him. "I won't fight hatred with hatred," He whispered out loud. "I won't trade one senseless death for another."
Ino glanced up curiously.
A flash of yellow and green through the trees caught their attention. As soon as they were in sight of each other, Naruto's clone disappeared in a puff of chakra smoke. The blond blinked in shock as the clones memories played through his mind.
Of the two clones he had made when he rushed off to help Ino, one had remained to guard Sasuke while the other had gone to the front gate to rally some backup. Out of sheer coincidence, Shikamaru had been walking by on his way to the hospital, due for his checkup with Sakura.
Naruto took in the shadow-nins face as he slid into the clearing, his normally detached expression crumpled into a deep frown. Genma was a step behind him, his bandanna slightly out of place and sweat on his forehead. The sunlight flashed brightly on the chakra needle clamped between his lips.
"Ino!" Shikamaru exclaimed, his eyes widening at the sight of blood. "Shit - are you okay?"
She managed a weak smile, forcing strength into her voice. "I'm fine. It probably looks worse than it actually is."
"Don't try to comfort me at a time like this, idiot." Shikamaru said as he knelt down in front of her. When Ino nodded tearfully, he forced a smile before glancing up at Naruto. "What happened, Naruto? What's going on?"
"I'll tell you when we get to the village." Naruto replied, slowly rising to his feet. "Right now, the most important thing is that we get these four out of here."
Shikamaru twisted around, seeming to notice for the first time that the Genin were there. "Ah, dammit," He growled, his voice trembling with emotion. "She was protecting her students…"
"Yeah," Naruto hummed, his deeply resonating voice at odds with the silent, snowy forest. "Genma, Shikamaru, if you guys want to grab the Genin, then -"
"No." Shikamaru cut in, turning back to Naruto. "Let me carry Ino."
Blinking in surprise at the ferocity in Shikamaru's voice, Naruto glanced down at Ino pointedly. Although the kunoichi was looking at her former teammate, she was still clinging to Naruto as tightly as she could. "Um, Shikamaru…" Naruto began, but the flash of emotion in Shikamaru's eyes made him stop.
He recognized that look. In fact, he knew it well. Naruto smiled softly as he realized that he could truly sympathise with the pain, anger and desperation that Shikamaru was feeling in that moment.
"Naruto, please." Shikamaru said, almost pleadingly.
"Ino," Naruto said gently, smoothing her hair again. "You have to let go of me."
She turned to him with a hum, before realizing just how tightly she was holding him. Her face turning bright red, Ino let go of Naruto as if he had burned her.
Much to her embarrassment, Naruto chuckled.
When Ino was safely on Shikamaru's back, Naruto hoisted Leon and Eros into his arms, leaving Aya to Genma. It was a long, tiring journey back to Konoha, as the three shinobi tried their best not to jolt their human cargo. But even as the long kilometers passed, even as his breathing became laboured and sweat broke out across his brow, not once on that journey home did Shikamaru complain.
All he could do was stare at Naruto's back – his proud, strong shoulders; his golden hair waving gently in the rushing air – and feel truly in awe. Somehow, Shikamaru was happy to know that Naruto was watching over them. He was relieved that Naruto knew him well enough - understood people well enough - to see and accept what he was feeling.
"Truly," Shikamaru thought, struck by the sudden clarity this incident had given him. "He truly is our Guardian."