The L Boogie- There! It's up and I'm happy with it. Chock full of action and adventure. I hope everyone enjoys it, because it wasn't easy. I've been wanting to write this one now for a while, and while I had the idea in my head, it seemed reaching said idea was much harder than I originally believed. So enjoy. Also, if you read it, and you liked it, review it! I love reviews. And if you didn't, also let me know. I want to do my best so that you all have a good time.
Bonclaysfan…I appreciate the review…but tell me what you would like to see done. Calling it fair (that which is between not bad and not great) is fine…I just want to know what you would like to see done in order to improve.
Anything else? Hmmm…oh…go read Narutopoly. It's funny and I'll be posting on it again very soon.
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
Escort Woes
" What a drag…" the young man commented to himself.
" Why?" Temari asked, as the pair reached the south western gates of the village.
" Look ahead." he pointed out as they approached a figure standing at their destination.
Temari squinted her eyes to make out the figure, but did not recognize the mystery Kunoichi. Turning her head to look back at the Shadow Nin, she gave a shrug.
" So who's that?" she asked.
" Kiyara…the woman who replaced me at the Academy." he sighed.
" Oh? You haven't mentioned anything about her to me. Why is that?" she asked in the 3rd degree.
" Because the less I have to think about her, the better." he answered snidely.
" We'll then, let's see…" she smirked as the woman came into view.
Upon seeing each other, the Kunoichi's exchanged harsh glances, taking time to size each other up. Kiyara's lips widened beneath the fishnet mesh mask wrapped around her mouth.
" So you're the Suna Ambassador. Well, well…So has Shikamaru told you all about me?" asked the dark haired woman.
" Despite all the time we've spent together since I've been in town, he hasn't had much to say." Temari retorted.
" Oh? Such a shame…but I suppose he is a gentleman…" she returned, turning aside while wrapping her arms around her waist.
Stifling a small degree of blush before it grazed her cheeks, Temari hardened her gaze before turning to Shikamaru.
" Is she always like this?" she whispered.
He simply nodded with his arms crossed.
" So lets go, Shikamaru." Kiyara sang, approaching quickly from his side and gave him a playful nudge with her shoulder.
" Fine. Go have fun, Shikamaru." Temari said with a daggery tone.
" Troublesome…" he said, lighting up a cigarette as he was drug away.
Temari's expression softened seeing this, and simply watched the two of them walk off until they were out of sight. She turned and left with a smile once the feelings in her chest settled a bit more. As they left the vicinity of Konoha, Shikamaru went over everything that happened to lead up to this disaster.
Yesterday
Five days had passed and preparations were being made. To Shikamaru's chagrin, he, Temari, and Anko met up at the same restaurant every morning to work on the festivities that would occur in six days. Their usual routine consisted of Temari and Anko giving a brief run down of what they had accomplished, followed by Shikamaru's own progress report, given in reluctance after a short bout of bickering with the two women.
Anko's job was to arrange and conscript vendors and shops into having booths lined up around the area dedicated to the fair grounds. Temari was working on arranging a security detail for both the festival as well as for anyone traveling from abroad, since Suna was her hometown. Shikamaru's job was to work out the organization of events, as well as oversee the production of the Festival as a whole. With only five days until the actual festival date, the three of them were being pressed for time.
" Look, just go out there and be an escort. It's not like you have that much to do in the meantime. You might be the foreman, but Anko and I can keep watch over the fair constructions." Temari reasoned with a hard look.
" Don't drag me into this. I don't see why you can't do that yourself. It is a caravan from Suna after all." Anko huffed.
" It's because he's practically finished with his work, while I'm still working with the other Chunin and some of the Jounin for the security here. Coordinating around the different schedules and missions is giving me a headache. I can't leave it to either of you since it'd be too much trouble to try and go over who all I've talked to and what all has been planned. Unless you'd rather do it Anko…then be my guest…" the blond said with a sly grin.
" Fine. " the maroon haired woman agreed.
" Now wait…just because my work is close to being finished doesn't mean you can just give me more work to do, just like that…" Shikamaru whined.
" What's the big deal? You got that new girl to take care of your Academy and Cryptology work, right? So stop complaining." commanded the Suna Ambassador, " Now go and get ready to head out to the border. The Caravan will meet you there tomorrow afternoon."
" What a drag…" he commented.
After the trio parted in order to attend their duties, Shikamaru made his way down the main road towards the training grounds, in order to meet his Genin. Along the way, he felt a sudden presence just behind him. Stopping abruptly, he turned around to see Kiyara standing inches behind him with a smile.
"…."
" Come on Shikamaru…this is where you say hello…" the Kunoichi coaxed.
" What do you want Kiyara? I don't like it when people use Jutsu's so frivolously…" he complained.
" I was wondering what you were doing tomorrow, thought maybe I could grab some time from ya." she said.
" Nope. I've got to head to the border to the Land of Wind tomorrow. I'll be back in four days." he said with a smile.
" Oh…good! Cause I'm free and wanted to have a little chit chat with you about some things." the woman responded.
" What…are you saying you're going to follow me out there?" Shikamaru asked with the shock of surprise.
" Sure, why not? I don't' have anything better to do and you'll need a reliable escort." Kiyara answered with a wider smile.
" No. Absolutely not." he objected.
" You don't really have a choice. I'm going to head to the Hokage's office right now and get her permission. After all, I've heard all the rumors about what's going on with the Sound. If their ANBU know of you, then they'll probably be out looking for you. You did kill a few of their number, if the report read right. So you'll need a body guard, and I'm an A rank Ninja just like you…so it'll work out." she reasoned.
Before he had a chance to retort, she disappeared, using that same jutsu that allowed her to move so quickly.
This isn't good…
Now feeling more troubled than before, he lit up a cigarette before shoving is hands as far into his pockets as they would go. He wanted to make this meeting with his Genin brief since he'd have to do some light packing in order to make the travel. Maybe even stop by his parents house to appease his mother so she wouldn't just randomly show up at his front door. No matter what though, he dreaded the idea of Kiyara tagging along with him to escort this caravan.
Upon reaching the spot that he and his Genin always seemed to meet, he could see Karin was the only one there. With a quick look up at the sky, he realized that he was a few minutes early himself.
" Sensei!" she called out with a wave, trotting her way to meet up with him.
" How's it going Karin?" he asked, glancing about for the other two.
" I'm well. I was up training all morning since we didn't have any missions."
" Good. Have you seen Kasumi or Kinta?" he asked.
" Sumi and Kin? I don't know. I bet she'll be along pretty soon." Karin guessed.
" And Kinta will probably be late, unless Kasumi's with him." Shikamaru guessed.
A quick turn to his left upon hearing footsteps approach, Shikamaru turned to discover Kasumi in the distance. Karin gave her a wave, and Shikamaru a nod, prompting the youth to make haste. Upon arrival, she took a head count.
" I see Kinta isn't here yet." Kasumi noted.
" Good morning Sumi!" Karin greeted with a smile.
Kasumi gave her a nod, then looked to their Sensei.
" So what's up Sensei? We ever gonna get a mission?" she asked.
" Nope. Or at least not for a couple of days. I've got a mission to…" he said getting cut off by the voice of a boy who was running his hardest.
" HEY…I….I'M HERE!" Kinta called out, running with what breath he had.
" It's about time Kinta. You really gotta work on being punctual." Kasumi scolded.
" S…sorry Sumi…sorry…Sensei…sorry…Rin…" he sputtered.
" Catch your breath first kid. Then worry about the apologies." Shikamaru advised.
Karin took a small water pouch off from one of the ports on the back of her harness and handed it over. The boy happily took it and drank his fill before handing it back.
" Thanks Rin…I needed that…" Kinta thanked with his breath beginning to return to him.
" So as I was saying…I'll be doing an escort job. It's a big deal since it'll involve over two hundred people from what I have come to understand. Being the case, I want you guys to continue your training regiments while I'm gone. Are there any questions?" he asked.
" Yes Sensei. Would it be alright if we came on the mission with you? We don't have any missions of our own right now…" Karin alluded with a slight blush.
" Sorry Karin, but no can do. This'll probably be considered an A rank mission. There will be a lot of people to protect, and the more people there are, the more dangerous the foe will be that decides to attack." he answered.
She pouted briefly before Kasumi spoke up.
" So…what about the Chunin Exams. It's been talk now that they'll be held in Suna. Is that correct?" she asked.
" Yes it is. I have entered you thee into the Chunin exams. And since we're all gathered right now, I might as well say it. I was made the Ambassador of Konohagakure. This means that I'll be taking a leading role in the organization of the exams. Because of this, I'll be heading to Suna with Temari after the up coming Festival. You three, since you will require continued training, will come with me." he answered.
" So wait…when are the exams?" Kinta asked, getting ready to do his math.
" Towards the end of next month. So we'll leave a few days after the fair, and that'll leave us about four weeks to spend in Suna." he stated, doing the math for Kinta, " And…if you pass the preliminaries, then it'll be another month until the finals."
" So we could potentially be in Suna for two months, give or take…" Karin added.
" Wow. That sounds like a pain. So what…will we receive any missions in the meantime?" asked the red headed Genin.
" No. Your time will be spent in preparation for the exam." clarified Shikamaru.
" But…with no missions…I'll have no money…" Karin said with tears welling up in her eyes.
" Is it that big of a deal?" her Sensei asked.
" It's just that…I just bought this really nice Kimono for the Festival…and it cost me everything I had…" the raven haired girl cried.
The tall, dark haired Jounin glanced around uncomfortably.
" W…well I…uhhh…jeez. I'll see what I can come up with, if it gets so bad Karin…" he uncomfortably cheered.
" Really?" Karin sniffled.
With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes.
" Yeah yeah. So do you have any other questions?" he asked, looking into the sky to get a bearing on the time of day.
The three looked between themselves and exchanged shrugs.
" If not, then you're dismissed." he commanded, turning around quickly and heading down the road.
Leaving his Genin behind, he hastily made his way back to his apartment in order to pack for the trip starting the next morning, grumbling the whole way.
Present
" So that's your woman, huh?" Kiyara asked with a faint sneer.
" No. That's not my woman. Why does everyone keep saying that?" he responded, almost halfway done with his cigarette.
" It's because you two are together a lot. That and you have a surprising chemistry." she added.
" Whatever…" he dodged, irritably.
" Why so grumpy? You get to spend the next couple of days with me. Any other guy in the village would happily jump at this kind of thing." pouted the woman.
" Look, no offense, but I just don't like you…" he revealed.
" Oh my…how direct. You certainly are a disagreeable boy." she commented with a snicker.
He didn't say anything in response, electing to continue walking onward in silence.
Man I wish Choji were in town…I'd have asked him and wouldn't be in this situation…
The pair continued for the rest of the day in almost complete silence, which was just fine for Shikamaru. He was able to stare up at the clouds and bask in the scenic view of the landscape. Kiyara on the other hand found the silence to be boring and irritating, however had decided to let Shikamaru have his moment. They'd have to camp soon, and she figured at that point there would be no reason or way he could just completely ignore her. As expected, once the moon was high in the night sky and the road hard to see, Shikamaru broke the silence.
" Alright. We'll camp here for the night." he spoke.
" About time…" she responded.
" What…tired already?" Shikamaru asked.
" Actually…I'm just so surprised to hear you talking to me." Kiyara shot back with a slight frown.
" I told you…" he started to say.
" There's something I wanted to talk to you about…" she started, cutting him off.
"…What's that?" he asked with a mild surprise.
" I heard that you only recently became a Jounin, however are considered elite. Even most Jounin are considered B level Ninjas on average. But you were a B ranked as a Chunin, and upon promotion immediately upgraded to A rank. Tell me, how many A ranked missions have you completed?" she asked.
He took a moment to collect his thoughts before answering.
" I've completed Eighteen D ranked missions, forty nine C ranked missions, thirty six B ranked missions, twelve A ranked missions, and two S ranked mission." he spouted in a cadence.
Her eyes widened slightly at that last statement.
" Two S ranked mission? Your serious?" she stated in great surprise.
" Yeah. One was part of a joint effort between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind to apprehend an attempted assassination on the life of the Feudal Lord to the Land of Fire. It ended up being one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist under the influencing of Orochimaru. It went well enough, considering that both Suna and Konoha placed a great deal of force into the mission. Still didn't end up going well. We had to kill the assailant since he wouldn't come along peacefully." he revealed as he began to start a small campfire.
" So what about the other mission?" Kiyara questioned.
Shikamaru said nothing for a few moments, taking the time to light up a cigarette. He took a long and slow drag from it, allowing the smoky air to permeate in his lungs as he considered the question. A dull, clutching, pain took to his chest as memories of his former Sensei passed through his mind, until he exhaled and released the pressure building up inside his lungs.
" The other S ranked mission was simply to kill a member of the Akatsuki." he stated, leaving it obvious that he was willing to talk no more about it.
" I see. Well that's pretty impressive. I've never gone on any S ranked missions. It might be because I'm not from Konoha…" said the dark haired woman as she huddled close to the small fire.
" So where are you from then?" Shikamaru asked.
" Kumogakure. I arrived here about two years ago during the reconstruction of Konoha. You see, my mother was from Konoha and I had always wanted to come here and see it. She told me so many stories about how beautiful it was and how wonderful the people were. After the Disaster of Pain occurred, I heard through word of mouth and decided that I should see what I could come here and do. I think my Mother would have wanted it that way. So I arrived here and did whatever anyone would allow a foreigner to do. And then eventually I fell in love with Konoha too…so I traded in my Cloud headband for a Leaf." she answered, reaching into a pouch on her hip and revealing an old Kumo Ninja headband.
A few minutes of silence passed between the pair before Shikamaru rolled out a small blanket and wrapped it around himself as he sat down up against a nearby tree.
" I'm kinda tired…so I'll let you keep first watch." he said sleepily, deciding to escape awkward silence through sleep.
She gave a half hearted shrug and decided not to argue. Throughout the night, she kept watch until it was his turn, in which he would automatically wake up and take a seat up in the tree top while she rested. They continued the trend until the morning came and there was no more reason to dawdle in that place. They expected to meet up with the Caravan at the end of the day, so they decided to hoof it at a steady pace.
Stopping for very little more than to go to the bathroom or grab food (because they found it faster to just eat on the move) they continued walking onwards. Time elapsed and so did the terrain, as the trees of the forest faded in favor of the rocky canyon paths that always signaled the entrance to the Land of Wind. Now, the pair walked between two massive rock walls on each side of them, with about a football fields length of space in between, filled with all variety of small rock formation and large petrified trees.
They journeyed on for another hour, until the sun began to set and the Caravan finally came into view. The pair halted in their tracks and let the mass of travelers make their way towards them. This was done so as not to alarm the Shinobi guarding said Caravan. Quickly, and ahead of the Caravan, a trio of Suna ANBU appeared before the pair of Konoha Jounin. They wore black hoods and had elaborately painted faces, making it hard to distinguish their facial features.
" You must be the escorts sent by Konoha. We were assigned by Kazekage-sama to assist in the escort of the Caravan. My codename is Blackbird." said the first of the three as they took a triangular formation.
" My codename is Sandtrapper. We've been on the move for the last couple of days. Thankfully it's been fairly quiet, however our intelligence suggest that a group of Rogue Ninja's have nested themselves in an area nearby the Caravan route." stated the Suna ANBU.
Shikamaru's eyes fell on the third ANBU, who remained silent. 'Blackbird' cleared his throat and spoke in his behalf.
" He can no longer speak. It was in a mission over a year ago that he had his vocal chords slashed. His codename is Godhands." Blackbird spoke.
Shikamaru perked a brow at the sound of their names.
What kind of idiot gives out these titles…
Kiyara began to give a report on their travels while Shikamaru lazily glanced about. Once the semi friendly banter was finished, Shikamaru laid down security instructions.
" All things considered, if you haven't been attacked yet, then the attackers are planning to utilize the terrain inside the forest. It's a simple strategy that works well when you're encountering a large number of people. Using the canyon to funnel the crowd in specific directions, the large, petrified tree's, and the Caravans size to restrict our movements, the assailants will undoubtedly attempt confusion and terror tactics first. Likely there will be traps ahead. Once the group is in a confusion, the enemy will probably attack from up above, as height is a natural advantage in this kind of scenario. The attack will probably take place near the time the Caravan decides to take rest. I firmly believe that we will be trailed by an enemy surveillance officer, or that we may even already be infiltrated by said officer." Shikamaru explained, revealing what he believed t be the enemy plans.
" What leads you to believe that we may have been infiltrated?" Sandtrapper asked.
" If the enemy is a shrewd tactician then we have already been infiltrated. If our enemy has a larger force, say thirty to fifty, we'd see them a mile away if they were trailing us. If they were fifteen or less, they would be harder to track, however would be disadvantaged considering there are so many people as well as Suna ANBU on top of A ranked Leaf Jounin. They'll have to wait for just the right time to strike while maintaining a very low profile. Thus, I believe that they may have a sleeper agent among the travelers. Otherwise we'll see them coming and I could handle the whole damn thing by myself." he finished finally.
" So what should we do about the sleeper agent?" Blackbird asked.
" Nothing, other than make sure you know what anyone would be doing outside of the Caravan route. I don't care if they're using the bathroom or are picking flowers…we need to keep our presence up. That way, we can deter our foes and maybe force them into reconsidering their attack plans." he answered, " Also, I think it will happen soon. The closer we get to Konoha, the easier we could receive aide. In other words, I expect the attack to hit in only a few hours."
" A few hours? Your serious?" Kiyara exclaimed.
" Yes. I wish we were still in the desert and not out here in this canyon. More room to work with and it's harder for them to lay booby traps." complained the Tactician.
" So what will we do then?" Blackbird asked.
" Alrght, here's the plan. Someone needs to take point position at the front of the Caravan. This person needs to be good at searching out possible traps. Then, we need someone in the midst of the Caravan to act as liaison between the front and the rear guard, as well as someone who can lend their weight around. Three people in the back, as it's the most often attacked point of the caravan. Two placed in guard positions, and one placed as a look out. Any volunteers?" Shikamaru asked.
" I'll take the liaison position. I'm probably faster than all of you put together, and while ambush tactics are one of my forte's…traps are not. I'm more of the Bushwhacker type." Kiyara offered.
" Fine. I happen to be very good with traps, so I'll take point position. You three decide how you want to line up the rear guard duties." Shikamaru ordered as all three of the Sand ANBU snapped to attention.
The quintet dispersed their formation and took their positions as directed. The Caravan continued their travel for another hour or so as the night began to set in. Finally, Shikamaru stopped them and decided that they should camp right there. With that, the Shinobi began to scan the area from wherever they held their positions. The Suna ANBU seemed to keep to themselves, as Blackbird and Sandtrapper kept a dutiful eye out as the further most rear guard. The silent Godhands mingled about, watching as the various travelers conversed among themselves and did a small amount of bartering to one another.
Kiyara watched on from on top of a petrified tree, scouring the people for some one or thing to look out of place. About the most excitement she would see was from a young man hooting and hollering and waving his little red bandanna about, seeing as he had won a large sum of money in some kind of gambling game. Dice is what it looked like, but she wasn't completely sure.
An hour passed as Shikamaru stared out into the foreboding darkness in front of them, a single lit cigarette illuminating his face. It was hard to see anything, and so he began to build his chakra. With a good deal of caution, he began to utilize his Shadow Sewing Jutsu, and allowed dozens of thin black tendrils to rise slightly off the ground and slither along the landscape, acting as trip wires or land mines of sorts, in hopes that his unknown opponent will stumble into his web, and give him the chance to act first.
Two more hours passed and the Caravan began to quiet down as people started to make bedtime preparations. The Shinobi still continued their look out, however had found ways to become less conspicuous. Shikamaru was counting the seconds and minutes, going over varying scenario's and case files in his head, trying to decipher who or how their opponent would attack. Finally, one last hour passed and the night had faded into it's darkest. The moon was three quarters full, however was hidden behind the canyon walls, only allowing the faintest of illumination to slip along it's rocky barriers.
Shikamaru closed his eyes, focusing on the shadowy tendrils he had spread out through the darkness. It wasn't long before he felt one of them break. Immediately, his eyes shot open and he turned quickly in the direction it came from. Digging quickly into a pouch on his leg, he grabbed a paper flare and tied it to a kunai, releasing it at his unseen opponent. Naturally, it missed as planned. Turning away before the flash came, he threw another Kunai, this time arcing it in Kiyara's direction to get her attention.
The small knife landed hard into a nearby plank garnering her attention. As she turned, there was a brilliant flash of light off in the distance, as she saw a half a dozen silhouettes on the approach. In a mere instant later, she took a few Kunai and tied paper flares to them, allowing them to fly in all directions so that the three Suna ANBU would be able to see what was going on.. Immediately, as more silhouettes began to show themselves, the three went into action, drawing Kunai and advancing on their enemy.
Shikamaru wasted little time into garnering his surroundings. While the paper flares illuminated the area to some effect, he pointed skyward to Kiyara as he noticed a couple of figures moving over head. She took off immediately, with a speed that not even his well trained eyes could follow. The first of the figures in the canopy of the canyon never knew what got him. In a single smooth motion, she was already passed him and now had drawn a sword from what seemed to be the folds of a sash around her waist. The Ninja fell from the sky and onto the rocky path below, clutching tightly to a fatal wound that would claim him quickly. As the next of her quartet of victims came to realize what happened, he hurled three Kunai in her direction, with one being off the mark and the other two becoming deflected. In response, she made a series of quick hand signs with her free hand.
" Phantom Shuriken Jutsu." she called as she quickly reached for a shuriken from her pouch and let the daggery projectile fly.
As the Ninja went to block it with a new Kunai that he had drawn, he was unfortunate to discover that the high speed shrapnel passed harmlessly through his own weapon, however not harmlessly into his neck, imbedding itself into the core of his jugular. A muffled and blood choked cry later, and he was finished.
In the meantime, Shikamaru had found himself forced to deal with seven Ninja of his own. Quickly, he was able to snag three with his Shadow Possession Jutsu, and not leaving them much time to realize that they had been caught, he motioned with a free hand and invited a trio of small shadow hands to slink up their bodies and strangle them as they stood there, completely helpless. He had no time to rest on his laurels however, as a single Ninja approached from his left flank at a high rate of speed. He ducked a single katana swing from separating his head from his shoulders, and found that a second enemy Ninja was now on the approach as well, considering he had to leap out of the way of another incoming katana.
Rolling to safety, he reached into his pockets and quickly pulled out his treasured Trench Knives. As another swing came from the first of the two swordsmen attackers, Shikamaru allowed his Chakra to surge through the blade of the knives, and brought them both to bear in a scissor motion, slicing the sword in two. In a second move, he threw himself forwards and allowed both of his arms to swing back around, plummeting the chakra enhanced tips into the Ninja's lower abdomen. Dropping the hilt of his now broken sword, the enemy struggled to no avail to pull himself free from Shikamaru, and found himself whirling along with him quickly as the Shadow Nin used him as a shield to absorb the damage from the second swordsman thrust.
Now with a great deal of force, Shikamaru shoved himself forwards, along with the dually skewered Ninja, and his comrade who had just been forced into virtually taking his life. He released his bleeding body shield and made a half a dozen fast handsigns, then inhaled a deep drag on his cigarette and opened his mouth. Releasing the collected air along with finishing the signs for the jutsu, he exhaled burning ash and cinders all over the two Ninja's, cooking them together in a thick grey cloud.
The three rear guarding Suna ANBU had to deal with what seemed like a remaining nine enemy Ninja. Kiyara found herself glancing in their direction since she had a nice high vantage point in the midst of her own fighting to see if they'd need help. As she watched them engage the enemy, she couldn't help but remark to herself as they launched a well coordinated attack with just simple Kunai.
" Sure…I suppose they aren't bad when they're all together…but as individuals…I'm kind of surprised they made ANBU…" she hushed to herself, while skirmishing her third and fourth targets.
Sandtrapper was quick to approach and force the enemy to reposition closer to Blackbird location. As the first of his enemies closed in on him, they engaged in some light taijutsu and traded a few blows. The enemy ninja was rather surprised that when he finally managed the score a blow to Sandtrappers body, it made a hard 'thunk' noise, prompting him to believe that he wore body armor. As a second Ninja came to aid the other, Sandtrapper shot forwards and wrapped his arms around him in a surprise burst of speed. The Ninja let out a loud cry as his body began to bleed out from where Sandtrapper was gripping around him, however as the first Ninja stabbed at Sandtrapper to get him to let go of his teammate, he found that Sandtrapper didn't seem to care that he had just been struck in the side with a Kunai. Suddenly, a second pair of limbs seemed to burst from his lower abdomen and wrapped themselves around the second enemy Ninja, and Sandtrapper pulled them both even closer now as the second Ninja felt blades begin to grind into his body as Sandtrapper shook the pair about, violently.
Blackbird was also quick to aggression, and moved across the terrain quickly. He released a pair of Kunai and was able to get up in the face of one of his own enemy Ninjas. While the Kunai were deflected, he was able to draw a second pair, and they began to dual with them, blocking each others blows repeatedly until they struck each other at the same time and were pressing the hard steel blades together in a power struggle. As the enemy Ninja hurled swears and threats at Blackbird, he in return opened his mouth and spit a trio of Senbons into his opponents face, ending that battle. However, with his back turned, one of the remaining enemy thought it a good opportunity to sneak in a back strike. As he implanted a Kunai into Blackbirds back, he found that Blackbird also didn't seem to respond much to the attack, seeming like he wore armor as well. With a loud clicking sound, Blackbird's head turned an entire 180 degrees, and in a quick series of hand motions, cupped his thumb and forefinger around his lips and released a gout of flames, taking out yet another enemy.
Godhands was quick to become surrounded. He fended off his three oppressor with simple Kunai and decent taijutsu skills, however as they three began to coordinate better, he found himself on a more desperate defense. In a ditch of need, he hurled a couple of his knives into the ground in front of the enemy Ninja's to back them off for a moment, however only received that much respite. As the three coordinated and charged in together while keeping him surrounded, his death seemed assured. However, the two enemy Ninjas to his rear that crossed between the location of the Kunai landed hard on the ground, seeming to trip up over their own feet. With a smirk, Godhands rolled backwards with a new pair of Kunai and imbedded them into the back of their heads before they got up. The third pressed on his attack and landed a blow into Godhands side as he stood up.
And then, in a puff of smoke, Godhands disappeared and in a substitution jutsu, was replaced by Blackbird. The Suna ANBU bend his elbow and a knife shot out from it, and with a quick turn on his heel, he slashed it across the surprised Ninja's neck.
As Shikamaru wrapped up with the Ninja's he had been fighting, he turned to Kiyara who gave him the all clear. She hopped down to his location.
" How are the Suna ANBU?" he asked her, taking off toward the rear of the Caravan.
" Good from what I can tell. A little sloppy for a trio of ANBU but they seem to work well together." she commented as she joined him.
It would only take two or three large leap to reach the back where they could meet up with the three from Suna. Blackbird and Sandtrapper approached while Godhands cleaned up.
" You guys look a little worse for wear…" Shikamaru commented, seeing the tattered clothes that the pair wore.
They looked at each other and were oddly silent, giving only a shrug in response. A loud whistle rang out through the canyon as the four of them looked around to see where it came from. Looking skyward, Blackbird saw something fall in their midst, and just before it hit, he and Sandtrapper threw themselves on Shikamaru and Kiyara, as a shrapnel bomb went off. A pair of figures began to flee from the upper canyon walls, hoping that this last attack would provide them the safety to retreat.
Once he realized what had happened, Shikamaru tried to pull himself out from under Sandtrapper, however found him surprisingly heavy.
" God damn it…" he shouted as he managed to get free.
He turned and prepared to do whatever he could to try and help out the Suna ANBU that had just saved their lives, however was more shocked to see the pair stand up silently.
" Wait…you're not…" he suddenly deduced.
" Your right. They aren't." said a strangely familiar voice.
The Suna ANBU began to shake violently as pieces of shrapnel fell out of their bodies. Their joints rattled and clanked as sand began to pour off their very skin, and Shikamaru turned around towards Godhands, who had now pulled back his hood and wore a wide grin.
" Long time no see, Shikamaru." Kankurou greeted.