The L Boogie- Aaaaand chapter 3 is up and running! A new character, a look at the Genin, and some action to satisfy the sweet tooth.
And hey…here's a shameless plug…go read and review my other Naruto story…Narutopoly. After all, it's Shikamaru and Temari stuck in an elevator playing monopoly with Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Tsunade. So go read it and tell me what you think.
Legal Jargon- I don't own Naruto. The world, the characters, the…well…everything. Except for the Author Created stuff. So don't try to sue me, cause you can't get blood from stone.
The Darkhorse: A Naruto Fan Fiction
New Assignment, No Rest for the Unmotivated
It was a new day and the sun peered up over the horizon. Standing in the waiting room in order to see the Hokage, Shikamaru stood with his back up against the wall. Shizune was seated at the desk by the doorway, going through paperwork.
" Shizune…" he said, staring through the window off to his right.
The dark haired woman looked up with a smile.
" What can I help you with Shikamaru?" she asked.
" Could you teach me the chakra scalpel technique?" he asked, finally looking her way.
" What? Right here?" she exclaimed.
" Not really. Maybe tomorrow afternoon if you've got time. When I'm done here, I have to be at the Academy, and then with Temari and my Genin for an exercise. So today's a no go." he said nonchalantly.
" I'm rather surprised Shikamaru." she said, standing up and grabbing a book from the shelf, " Two years ago, you would have thought doing this kind of thing would be too much trouble. A busy schedule just wouldn't seem to fit your personality back then…" the dark haired woman finished, handing the book out to him.
" Well then not much has changed. I still find this to be too much trouble. But I suppose it's for my own good…and hopefully for the good of the village…" he stated, flipping through the book.
Shizune beamed a sweet smile, proud to hear how Shikamaru has matured through the years.
" Now that's a surprise. Hard to imagine some stubborn and lazy Shinobi like you would ever say something like that." said a voice from outside the office.
The pair looked on as the door out of the waiting room opened up, revealing a single Kunoichi dressed in a brown coat with a short maroon hair style. Shikamaru's expression melted slightly.
" Anko…" he grumbled.
" Oh gee…nice to see you too." she answered tersely.
" So what are you doing here?" he asked.
" I received a summons from Hokage-sama. But since your here, I wanted to have a chat with you. You were the only member of Team 10 who did not show up for the training exercise last week." she scolded.
He rolled his eyes, turning away from her and his attention back towards the book.
" I forgot about the exercise…sorry…" he lied, obviously.
" No you didn't. Look, I know I'm not Asuma…but I'm your Sensei now, whether you like it or not. Couldn't you just TRY and treat me with a little respect? You may be a Jounin now, but that doesn't put you on par with me." Anko warned.
The thought crossed Shikamaru's mind to challenge that statement. Though he was confident that he could take her, fighting would solve nothing and just be a big pile of troublesome.
" Whatever. I'm pretty busy Anko…I'm just here long enough to see Tsunade and then head over to the Academy…" he huffed.
" And that makes two of us. But I'm serious Shikamaru…if you don't start listening to me, you'll be sorry." she warned a second time.
Before he could retort, the office doors shot open and Tsunade stepped out.
" That's enough you two. As soon as Temari gets here, we can begin." ordered the Hokage.
" So how long is your woman gonna take?" Anko asked with a hint of malice.
" She's not my woman, and she'll get here when she gets here." Shikamaru responded angrily.
" Damn right I'm not. Please don't spread rumors…I have enough of a reputation as it stands…" Temari said wryly,
" And now we can begin…" Tsunade spoke, " Now as you know, in a week and a half, it will have been 5 years since the Sound Invasion as well as the treaty signing between Suna and Konoha. Considering that 5 years is rather a staple for peace…it has been decided that we'll hold a festival to celebrate. The citizens of Konoha are encouraged to participate, and the citizens of Suna are welcome to join in as well. Now then…the reason I have you three here, is because I want you three to organize it. You have a week and a half, and you can get the budget figures from Shizune."
" Are you serious? I'm a dedicated Jounin…I should be out in the field doing something important!" Anko argued.
" A celebration of peace between our two villages is very important." the Hokage argued back.
" Jeez…come on. Don't I have enough to do? Look, Tsunade-sama, I have Genin, a job in Cryptology and the Academy, I do routine missions, your laundry on occasion, and I'm currently serving as the Ambassador's Aide, yet again. I can't handle any more than what I've got." Shikamaru spoke, now adding his own argument.
" For once, you're right. And that's why today will be your last days at the Academy and in Cryptology." stated the tall blonde.
" What?" asked the confused Shadow Nin.
" I've gotten your replacement ready. You'll introduce this person and give her an orientation in your jobs at both those places." Tsunade revealed with a grin.
" Seriously?" he asked with his brow raised.
She nodded.
" I've decided that your skills are not being utilized properly. While there is a great deal you could teach at the Academy, they only need the basics…the rest will be for their Jounin instructors when they pass. And though you are our best agent in Cryptology…there are no currently pressing concerns, just some old mysteries that aren't hurting anyone not getting solved. Now then, with that out of the way…you're dismissed Anko. Shikamaru…Temari…I still have more business with the two of you." commanded the Hokage.
With a nod, Anko was quick to turn on her heel and leave the room, stopping in the doorway but did not turn to face either of her new partners.
" Tomorrow, we'll meet up at lunch, just across the street. Try not to forget about it this time, Shikamaru…" she barked before she left.
The male sighed and slapped his hand across the back of his neck, rubbing it profusely.
" That woman…so…what's this other thing you wanna talk about?" he asked, turning his attention towards Tsunade.
" Ah yes…that. This was something that was discussed earlier between the different Kage's and myself some time ago. In regards to the Chunin Exams this year, the Kazekage has requested that Suna, and the Land of Wind, be honored with the task of hosting the Chunin Exams. While traditionally they've almost always been held in Konoha, I think that it would be good for all parties involved." Tsunade revealed to their surprise.
" So…wait…starting this year, will Suna become the host for the Chunin Exams? Or will they only be hosting it for this year?" raised Shikamaru in question.
" Only for the year. Depending on how things go, we'll look into having them in Kumogakure in the following year. Otagakure also made a request to hold them, however due in part to current circumstances, I would rather not see that happen." she finished.
" So that way the responsibility doesn't fall squarely on Konohagakure." Shikamaru said with a sigh of relief.
" Why are you sounding so relaxed Shikamaru?" asked Tsunade with a grin.
" I was hoping that I wouldn't have to bother in the preparations…" he stated worriedly.
" Oh…you'll definitely be assisting in the preparations. For you see, from now on, you'll assume the role of Ambassador of Konohagakure." the older blonde congratulated with a widening grin.
" Wh…What?" he scoffed in confusion.
" While I don't find your personality to be quite suited to the role myself…I am aware you know how the job works considering all the time you've spent helping Temari out. Now then…" she continued on before getting cut off.
" What if I refuse?" he asked with sharp eyes.
" I'll give you a second squad of Genin, and recommend you to the ANBU." she threatened.
Knowing full well that there would not be enough time in the world to handle two Genin squads, and that ANBU work was way more trouble than it was worth, he sighed again, this time in defeat.
" Fine. I'll accept the stupid position…" he grumbled, " So troublesome…"
" Well then, congratulations mister Ambassador." she jibbed.
He turned to Temari in hopes of some kind of support. Her face was red and she was snickering quietly to herself, holding back laughter as best she could. He went to open his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.
" Troublesome." Temari said with a grin, drinking in the annoyed expression on his face, " I know. Trust me…I plan on putting you through all the crap you did me."
He opened his mouth for a moment as if to protest, however he sighed for the third time and opened his mouth to say his trademark phrase, only to be cut off now by Tsunade, who lipped it with a smirk. Being completely defeated it seemed, he shoved his hands into his pockets and finally spoke up.
" Anything else you wanna surprise me with? Next thing I know, you'll be trying to marry me off in some horrible, ideologically diplomatic fashion." the Shadow Nin questioned with a frown.
" Temari…you're still single…right?" Tsunade smiled, turning her attentions on the younger blonde, whose face began to fade into shades of red.
" Don't even joke about that." Temari threatened.
The Hokage shrugged and held back a laugh, turning around facing out the window.
" I guess that's everything. I'm expecting my message back from the Kazekage this afternoon. I'll call on you both if I hear something. Until then, dismissed." Tsunade commanded, allowing the two to leave.
Once outside, Shikamaru sat down on a nearby bench, taking a quick browsing through the book Shizune loaned him.
" So Mr. Ambassador…wanna grab a quick breakfast before you have to be at the Academy?" Temari asked, poking him in the side with her elbow.
" Ow…watch it will you? Jeez…Sure, whatever. Let's just eat here…" he said, pointing at a nearby restaurant.
The pair turned towards the diner and wandered in, taking their seats and ordering when prompted to.
" So what do you think?" she asked from across the table.
" About which? The Chunin Exams in Suna or the Festival?" he returned in question.
" Actually…the whole Ambassador thing. What do you think?" she asked again,
" I have no idea what she's thinking. I'm not the type. I don't do formal settings and ceremonies. I don't like dealing with emissaries and big shots. I just want to do my work and go home" he complained.
" So you don't like chauffeuring me around?" she pouted, teasingly.
" Don't put words in my mouth…" he scolded before realizing that she was laughing to herself.
He sighed and shook his head, giving her the signal that she needn't hold back anymore and to let her laugh echo throughout the small eatery.
" Jeez… "
" Oh come on. It's not that bad. You've seen what I do…so that's going to be most of your work. There are ceremonies from time to time, but you'll get instructions on all the proper how to's and whens." she said, trying to cheer him up, " But now that you mention it…what do you think about the Chunin Exams being held in Suna?"
" I'm okay with it, I guess. I can understand why Gaara would want to hold it there. The more attention Suna gets, the better their economy will become." Shikamaru reasoned.
" I'm excited. I kind of wish that my Genin weren't in it. Being in Suna, it makes me want to be a proctor, you know?" remarked Temari.
" I guess, if you like that sort of thing." he shrugged, shouldering off the question.
At this point, their server came back with their meals and they ate quickly as Shikamaru eyed the clock. Though they maintained small talk for the rest of the meal, time was short and so they had to part ways so they both could get to work. After a brief bout of arguing who should pay (as Shikamaru always offered to pay claiming it was a man's duty, and Temari's typical defense was for him to shove it you know where…) Temari kindly escorted him all the way to the Academy.
" Now don't forget. I'm out around three. I'm meeting Kasumi, Karin, and Kinta at three thirty at the western practice fields. Make sure your there early so we can go over the exercise before they get there." he cautioned.
" Yeah yeah. I won't forget. I'll see you after class, Sen-sei." she mocked, using a sultry voice to pronounce that final work slow and teasingly.
Leaving no parting words, he simply huffed and turned away, walking into the building while trying to shake the slight blush she just gave him. He moseyed quickly into the instructors lounge to gather his paperwork. He handed out simple nods and waves to the other instructors as they passed, but was quick to make his way into the classroom a little early today. As he walked through the door, he was stunned at the sight of a full classroom.
" Okay…I'm a half an hour early…anyone wanna tell me why you're all here?" he asked warily.
There were a couple of hands raised, and his eyes skimmed through the crowd until he picked a specific student, who's hair was hanging off her desk as she slept. With a quick flick of the wrist, he tossed a piece of chalk up at her, purposely hitting the desk in her place in hopes of making enough noise to wake her up.
" I see our little trouble maker is asleep as usual." he said with suspicion.
" Hey Sensei…I can see your underwear!" one of the younger students teased as he jumped up onto the desk and goaded the crowd into laughing at their Sensei.
Shikamaru quickly eyed himself, realizing that he was, in fact, only in his boxers.
Troublesome..
As the class began to roar with laughter, he turned around and began writing on the chalk board. Once finished, he turned to the class.
" Today's lesson…how to break Genjutsu…" he said, keeping his eyes on the girl who was sleeping.
As he began the motions to perform the technique, the girl whom he had kept his eyes on grinned slightly, until everything vanished, and Shikamaru was left standing in the doorway of a mostly empty classroom There, in that same seat, was an older woman, closer in age to Temari. She wore a dark blue, very traditional Kunoichi outfit, however instead of leggings they were simple fishnet mesh, and the vestment was long and loose, hanging just above her knee like a skirt. Upon her face, she wore that same fishnet mesh over her mouth and nose, with only her eyes showing. Her hair was long and black, hanging very straightly down just past her rear. She was only a couple of hairs shorter than Shikamaru, and had a very proportionate figure, while maintaining a fairly petite frame.
She was easily as good looking as Ino, however just like his teammate, this girl seemed to be able to get under his skin a bit.
" Okay…so let me guess…" he started to say, before she stood up.
" Let me introduce myself, Matsudamaiya Kiyara, here to take over the position of Instructor from Nara Shikamaru…" she said with a bow.
The woman started to take a step towards Shikamaru, before disappearing. He didn't get even a heartbeats moment to figure out what happened when she reappeared in front of him, practically staring him in the eye.
" You're cute." she said in a hushed tone.
" And you're troublesome. We only have today, so lets get started." he said turning his back on her quickly and spreading out the paperwork he had carried in with him.
In the time before the students came in, he gave her a brief overview of the curriculum and of which students she would need to watch out for, and which would need her help the most. Soon though, the class shuffled in and introductions were quick. Shikamaru took time to lecture for about half the class, until Kiyara began to cut in, where in which he was happy to let her try and handle it. He took a seat in the back and watched as she used examples and hands on methods in teaching the students things from history to chakra control.
Class ended at two thirty, and as the kids filed out, Shikamaru stood up and began to leave.
" Hey, wait a moment…Nara!" she called out.
He stopped in the doorway and turned towards her as she approached.
" What is it Matsudamaiya?" he asked flatly.
" Call me Kiyara." she asked playfully in return.
" Whatever. So uhh…good luck. They can be a handful." he said before trying to ditch out.
She grabbed onto his arm and gave him a strong pull, impeding his need to leave.
" What is it, Matsudamaiya?" he asked again, more annoyed now.
" I said to call me Kiyara…" she returned flatly, still hanging onto his arm.
" Kiyara…what do you want? I've got places to be…" he stated.
" So you aren't free today?" she smirked.
" No. I'm a very busy guy. Busy busy busy. Now I gotta go." he responded impatiently, giving a stronger pull to break her grasp on his arm.
She watched him walk off, sharpening her gaze and her smile before turning around to tend the empty class room. In the meantime, he hurried towards the training grounds, grumbling loudly about troublesome women the whole way. He got there a bit late, and was ready to apologize to Temari for his tardiness, however was surprised at the fact that she just wasn't there. After taking a moment to go through his memory to make sure his instructions were correct, he began to look around for her, becoming more irritated by the minute.
What's wrong with her? I told her three…and now it's almost time for the…
" SENSEI!" called a feminine voice.
He stopped what he was doing and turned around, surprised at the sight of his three Genin, early to an appointment.
" Oh…you guys…well…" he said shakily.
This day is not going well at all…
" How are you Shikamaru-sensei?" Karin asked in an excited tone.
" I'm…doing good Karin." he said, calming himself down, deciding to change his plan.
" So what'd you want to meet out here for, Sensei?" Kasumi asked.
" Well…" he started today before he was cut off.
Approaching quickly and from the trees, a Ninja shot forward, cutting between the three Genin and knocking them all on their backsides. Before he could react, the Shinobi was behind Shikamaru, and pulled him tightly against her, bringing a Kunai up against his neck.
" Wha…what's going on?" Kinta said, standing up slowly.
" No way. SENSEI!" cried Karin as she was up on her feet once recognizing the danger.
" Hold on…" Kasumi yelled, also now on her feet with Kunai drawn.
The red haired Genin studied their Sensei's assailant.
I think it's a woman. Hard to tell with all of that face paint. High cheek bones and small shoulders…so probably. What's that thing hanging on her back?
" Hey…you kids gonna just let me cut this guy up?" the attacker asked, pressing the knife tighter against Shikamaru's neck, now actually drawing some blood.
Shikamaru clenched his teeth, ignoring the slight pain he was receiving from the knife.
Jeez Temari…nothing can be simple…
" No! Sensei!" cried Karin again, deciding not to waste time with words and drew both her fans from the holsters attached at the small of her back.
Covering the distance quickly, she jutted the fans outward in their closed position. One aimed for the Temari's head, the other came low. With a careful tug, Temari jerked her hostage in the path of the fans, causing Karin to halt her movements. She took a quick step backwards, and in an act of fancy foot work, whirled around to her right , bringing the pair of fans around in an attempt to take advantage of Temari's less guarded lower left hand side. In an effort to keep safe, Temari took another step back, pulling her hostage along while maintaining her defense.
It was then that she noticed it. When Temari's foot landed on the surface, she felt a faint pulse of Chakra in the very ground itself. Karin continued her assault, forcing Temari to keep moving, and as her foot steps landed, the chakra continued to pulse through the ground in beat with Karin's. It wasn't long before Temari found herself moving in a sort of rhythm to Karin's beat. The longer it continued, the more accurate and swifter Karin's attacks became.
Damn it. I can't let myself get caught in this.
In an effort of pure willpower, Temari felt her leg muscles tense up as she forced herself to break the stride that Karin was influencing. Recognizing the tactics defeat, Kasumi stepped in before Temari would get a chance to counterattack.
" KARIN! LOVERS DANCE!" Kasumi called out while giving hand signals to Kinta.
The black haired Genin nodded, turning one of the fans upward and opened it. She held it just under her eyes, masking her nose and mouth. Her body and hips began to sway in a strange pattern, and she fluttered her fan quickly. Temari darted her eyes about, trying to keep track of all three Genin, however as her eyes moved, so did Karin, and she even dared to move closer in order to block more of her vision.
Growling low, Temari took a step backwards, dragging her hostage alongside and pulled him to her right. She saw Kasumi just staring at her with her arms crossed, mimicking that annoying look that Shikamaru always gave back when he was younger. She bared her teeth in annoyance and began throw a Kunai with her left hand, until Karin hopped in the way, blocking her sight again. This time, the fan wielding youth took a jab at Temari with her free hand, and almost landed a successful blow to her abdomen if Temari hadn't brought her knee up and knocked it off course. The strike grazed Shikamaru's ribs, but otherwise did nothing except almost throw Karin off balance.
Changing pace, still with a single arm hold on Shikamaru, Temari threw him forwards into Karin, who hadn't fully recovered her arm from the attack she had dared to land. Unsure of what to do, Karin used her free arm to try and embrace him, hoping to use his momentum to push herself backwards and turn on her heel and free him.
She wouldn't be so lucky.
Temari was keeping an eye on Kinta, who was now sneaking through the trees. Temari had noticed, however since he wasn't preparing to strike yet, she decided that she would punish Karin for her attempt. As the younger girl grabbed onto her Sensei, Temari pulled him backwards with a great strength, dragging her with him. With an open palmed strike, Temari shut Karin down with a clean blow to the back of the head. And now, sensing an attack from Kinta, she spun the herself and Shikamaru around and tossed a pair of his own Kunai at the hiding Genin, forcing him to rethink his strategy.
Finally, she turned her head to face Kasumi, who had yet to do anything.
" What's wrong kiddo? You scared?" she said in a deeper tone, channeling her inner Kankurou.
The red haired girl simply glared harder, still with Kunai drawn, but taking no real action. Quickly turning her head, she took notice of Kinta as he made his attack, striking from her left side. As she started to take a step back, Kasumi let two Kunai of her own loose. One was low and completely missed, landing in the ground a yard or so away. Temari blocked the other, but was surprised as she felt the back of her leg graze against something.
Oh god…that Kunai had a wire attached…
She quickly tried to catch herself, however two more Kunai came flying from Kasumi, and she was forced into falling over. She tried to hang onto Shikamaru, however a pair of hands burrowed through the ground and caught his legs, and in an instant, he was buried up to his neck.
" Earth Style, Headhunter Jutsu!" Kasumi called, as a shadow clone rose from the ground.
As the Genin stood up, Temari rolled off to the side, dodging a pair of Kunai from the trees as Kinta's aim was just slightly off mark. Still on the defensive, Kasumi was quick to strike while Temari was prone, landing her knee into Temari's lower ribcage. As contact was made however, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
" Not bad." said a voice from points unknown.
Kinta was quick to realize it was right behind him, however as he turned around with a pair of bladed Discus' in his hands, she was already bringing her weapon down upon him for a clean knock out.
Kasumi dismissed her Shadow Clone and held her right palm downward with her left hand wrapped around the wrist. Temari studied the pose and noticed something that looked like electricity arc off of it and into the ground.
There's no way…she knows Chidori?
Deciding that if the youngster was going to utilize such a dangerous technique, Temari herself would have to end this scuffle quickly with little room to mess around. Her fan opened up to it's full breadth, with the three stars staring back at Kasumi aggressively. More of the electrical arcs shot off from her hand, though appeared to be generally harmless.
" You'll have to excuse me. I'm not terribly strong, so my style of Taijutsu requires my opponent to more openly attack me. Since you're pretty smart, I'll just have to approach you a different way…" she yelled, darting her way towards Temari.
The Jounin knew that now was the time to end this, before someone got seriously hurt. Kasumi approached quickly, tucking her free arm behind her back while her electrified arm was poised to strike at her side. Electing to bring the fight to where she felt more comfortable, Temari leapt into the air behind her, goading the younger girl to follow along. Soon though, she stopped and drew her fan back.
" Sorry kid, nothing personal…but I can't afford to be hit with a technique like that…" she called out and swung her fan around. A powerful blast of wind came crashing it's way towards Kasumi, and so she dropped down to the ground and ducked behind a tree, Chakra shot through the wind cutting at the tree's and at the very ground itself in search for the red haired Genin. Temari scouted the aftermath of her attack to see the Genin huddled behind the tree.
" It's over!" she called out getting ready to take another swing, however a sudden explosion of light erupted from the figure, causing Temari to pull back her attack. Immediately afterwards, smoke bombs went off to conceal the area. Once the paper flash bomb had expired, Temari used her fan to sweep the smoke out of the area, revealing an empty battlefield.
" Hmph…not half bad…" she commented, closing her fan and dropping down to the ground.
Soon, Shikamaru appeared, along side of Kasumi and three of her Shadow Clones. One of the Shadow Clones was carrying Kinta, while the other two supported Karin.
" I told you they were no slouches. This one especially. She knew she couldn't beat you in a one on one match, so she just forced some distance and used a couple of means to blind you in order to accomplish the objective." he praised.
" Yeah. That was a good trick, burying Shikamaru up to his neck. Makes it harder to use him as a shield, and it's easier to defend a smaller target." Temari said, also praising, " But was that really Chidori? It kinda looks like it, but it's rather quiet…"
" No. It's a family jutsu. Not as powerful, but it's effective."Kasumi revealed.
" So how was it before you realized this was a test?" Shikamaru asked.
" Honestly Sensei? From the get go. I don't think they did…I figured it would have been. No maniacal woman is just going to run in here and take an elite Jounin hostage just like that." Kasumi reasoned, with excellent results.
" I gotta say, they're tough. Though I take it that Karin could use a little work on her mental conditioning?" Temari asked, looking at Shikamaru.
" A little. She's actually probably the toughest of you three in an out and out duel…but she can get flustered and taken in by the moment if she's not careful." the Shadow Nin stated.
" That and she also has that crush on you Sensei. I take it you know about it to, Temari-sama?" Kasumi wondered.
" Yeah. I kinda got that feeling from when we talked…" she acknowledged with a smile.
Shikamaru shook his head, turning away.
I shouldn't really have to deal with things like this…
" Okay, so lets get these to up and as a reward for your hard work, we'll go get something nice to eat. My treat." Shikamaru said, taking a glance between his two sleeping Genin.
That wouldn't last long, for at the prospective sound of food, Kinta's eyes shot open.
" Really Sensei? You're serious?" he asked.
" Yes I am Kinta. Now help Kasumi get Karin awake and we'll get going." he said.
Temari smiled and watched the four as they began along a path back to the mainstays of the village. After a few moments, the group stopped as Shikamaru turned back.
" Hey, Troublesome Woman…are you coming or what? You did a good job too. And since I feel bad that my Genin beat you, I'll pick up your tab." he called out to her.
She simply returned his smirk with one of her own along with a shrug.
" Sure…sounds like fun."