Naruto turned to the Hokage booth to see a giant purple barrier erupt around it. Naruto stopped for a second and motioned to Shikamaru who looked and sighed. The barrier was keeping the ANBU from entering to protect the Hokage. Shikamaru shifted his gave to Kakashi, who was on the other side of the arena fighting alongside Guy.
"Naruto," Shikamaru started. "We will continue on and try to stall Gaara. You need to get Kakashi and Guy inside to protect the Hokage. You might be the only one who can."
"Right," Naruto said as his eyes glazed over and he disappeared. Shikamaru and the others took off a break neck speed to make up for lost time.
"OH-HO that's fifteen for me," Yelled Guy as a sand nin was kicked through a wall. Kakashi stabbed a sound nin in the neck and looked back at Guy with an eye smile.
"Seventeen," Kakashi said simply. Guy was about to retort when Naruto appeared between them. "Naruto?"
"Nii-sans," Naruto said as he looked at both of his elder brothers. "Shikamaru thinks I'm the only one who can get people beyond the barrier."
"Seems logical," Kakashi said as he looked up at the barrier as Guy snapped another nii's neck with a round house kick.
"Sixteen," Yelled Guy in the background.
"I will start with you Kakashi-nii," Naruto said as he grabbed Kakashi by the shoulder. Kakashi sighed mumbling about going to lose to Guy, but didn't fight it.
They appeared inside of the barrier and looked around. Kakashi found the Hokage fighting with Orochimaru in the middle and took off to assist. Naruto 'Bamfed' away and appeared back to see Guy smash two nins into the wall.
"Ha," Guy said as he landed and gave the nice guy poise. "Nineteen!"
"Nice Guy-nii-san!" Naruto said as he grabbed his arm.
They 'Bamfed' away and landed in the middle of the barrier again. Naruto fell to the floor panting heavily, but didn't have time to breathe as he dodged a water Jutsu that was launched at him. Naruto looked up to see Kakashi fighting off Orochimaru and another fighter, while the Hokage was resting on one knee. The other fighter seemed a bit decayed, but his face looked like one from the Hokage monument. Naruto watched in disbelief as the man easily trumped Kakashi and tossed him to the side. That was when Naruto figured out who it was, the Nidaime Hokage. Naruto turned to Jiji with wide eyes. Hokage-Jiji turned and tossed what could only be a body towards Naruto who caught it and fell to the ground.
"Naruto-kun!" The Hokage said in a demanding voice. "I thank you for the help. Now get her out of here, she was going to be used for a sick Jutsu to revive the dead. I was able to stop one as was Kakashi."
"Naruto," Guy said with a rare serious tone. "Get her out of here and go stop that monster. You are the only one who can."
"I figured as much," Naruto said as he tossed the unconscious girl, Kin was her name, over his shoulder and turned to the others. "Kick his ass!"
"Plan on it," Kakashi said as he stood up and the Hokage landed between him and Guy. Guy gave a slight grin and the Hokage had a fire in his eyes that hasn't been seen in years. Naruto 'Bamfed' away, leaving the three.
"You guys take my mentor," The Hokage said as he stared down Orochimaru. "I will take this snake, and right what I have done."
"You will try," Orochimaru said as he got into his stance.
"Shikamaru!" Shino hissed as they continued their search for Gaara. "We are being followed."
"Damn!" Shikamaru said as he looked at what he had with him. Ino and Choji where following form a distance leaving him with Sakura, Shino, and himself. Not enough to set up an ambush and continue and keep Gaara at bay. Shikamaru stopped abruptly and turned towards the others.
"I'm the only one that can capture them and hold them long enough for you guys to stop Sasuke," Shikamaru said as he sighed. Shino adjusted his glasses as Sakura gasped.
"You can't!" Sakura hissed as she turned to him.
"How many Shino?" Shikamaru asked as he turned to him. Shino put a hand to his chin for a moment then answered.
"Eight," He answered. "You will not be able to hold them off long enough."
"That's where we come in," Said a voice from behind them. Shikamaru turned to see Haku walking around a tree with a man who had a massive sword on his back.
"Shino-kun you're alright!" Haku said as she jumped forward into him. Shino nodded and hugged her back as the man with the sword leaked out some killer intent.
"We can hold them off," Said the man as he grumbled something about killing the bug later. "You guys go on ahead. We saw that spoiled brat pass by not long ago."
"Thank you Zabuza-chan!" Sakura said causing the man to cringe in rage. Turning slowly he saw that she had already left with a giggle.
"I will kill her as well…" Zabuza said as he turned and jumped towards the tracker team that was closing in.
"Be safe Shino," Haku whispered into Shino's ear as he placed a quick kiss on her check. He smirked and jumped off after Sakura with Shikamaru on his heels.
"I need to blow off some steam," Zabuza said as he activated his mist jutsu. The Tracker Nin's stopped and looked around as the unnatural mist filled the area. "And I know just the way."
Screams caught up to the group as they sped towards on the Sand siblings, who were in defensive positions before them. Temari and Kankuro turned around to meet them with a strange look in their eyes. Shikamaru stepped forward and raised a kunai which Kankuro mimicked.
"Where is he?" Shikamaru asked as the others took up defensive positions.
"If you think you will harm my brother you are mistaken," Temari answered as she removed her fan. "You can't, not when he's like this."
"No one can hurt him," Kankuro said as a loud scream was heard and several crashing sounds followed. They looked down to see Sasuke was launched into a tree that wasn't too far from them and landed with a sickening thud. Shikamaru looked down at the broke heap and sighed.
"Sakura," Shikamaru said as he turned his gaze back to the sand siblings. "Check on your teammate. We will deal with Gaara."
"WE cannot allow you!" Temari yelled. "Can't you see? It's for your own good!"
"We have to try and stall him," Shino said as he took a step forward only to jump back as a puppet attacked him from above. "Fine I will take this one."
"And I the other," SHikamaru said as he jumped forward surprising the Wind mistress. Temari reacted by jumping back and blasting a gust of wind towards Shikamaru.
The log that Shikamaru swapped with was torn to shreds. Shikamaru reacted quickly by throwing a kunai to move her into range. Shikamaru smirked as she jumped right into his trap. Shikamaru jumped forward with a kick that was blocked by her fan. Temari tried to gain some distance, but Shikamaru kept his attacks at close range. Then Temari was backed straight into a tree and looked around shocked.
"You lose," Shikamaru said as he lowered his hands. Their shadows connected. Temari's face was red hot with anger as she struggled to break free.
"You!" She yelled as she stared at him dead in the eyes. "Are the most…"
"That's twice now you've lost to me," Shikamaru said walked towards her. She mirrored his steps.
"I wasn't trying!" She yelled at him as he stood now a foot apart. He looked down at her and smirked. A small blush dusted her checks as he raised his right hand and slowly touched the side of her face stunning her. Then she felt such sharp pinch in the back of her neck and her world fade to black.
"Sure you weren't," Shikamaru said as he looked up at Ino who was smirking down at him with a devilish smirk. "You will not breathe a word of this."
"Hehe," Ino started as she landed and took out the needle that she threw into Temari's neck. "Oh I don't know… This is too good to pass up."
"You know Choji has been getting fan mail," Shikamaru said as he tossed Temari's body over his shoulder. Ino looked at him with raised eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" Ino asked a bit apprehensive. "Why would Choji get fan mail?"
"Oh the Chunnin exams," Shikamaru explained. "See Akimichi are known throughout the Elemental nations. Many women and kunoichi flock to the Chunnin exams just to make an attempt at wooing an Akimichi."
"Why would they do that?" Ino asked as she looked off to the direction that Choji was helping out in.
"Well," Shikamaru said as he jumped off to lay Temari's body in a safe location. "It could be because their kindness is known to be as great as their appetites. Maybe, because they are unbelievably strong, but I know why it really is."
"Then why?" Ino asked with a red face.
"Two words," Shikamaru said as he took off towards the last place they saw Gaara. "Body Expansion…"
"Uh…" Ino was at a loss of words as her eyes glazed over for a second. Shikamaru smirked as he noticed a rather large blush creep over her face. The flustered Ino didn't speak again as they sped through the forest.
"And now it's time for the main event," Shikamaru said as he looked down at Gaara as he turned sharply and focused his attention on them. "Keep up if you can, I can't hold back on this guy. Stay at range attacks only."
"Right," Ino said as she jumped back into the trees.
Shikamaru turned to Gaara just in time to dodge six Sand shurikins. Shikamaru skidded to a stop and tossed a couple of Kunai towards Gaara. Gaara's sand defense reacted quickly protecting him from the deadly projectiles. Shikamaru's mind was on over drive, trying to figure something out.
"Sand," Shikamaru said to himself as he dodged another sand thread that was reaching to him hungrily. "Superheated can turn into…"
"I WANT YOUR BLOOD!" screamed a blood thirsty Gaara as he sent more sand towards Shikamaru.
Shikamaru jumped back launching a barrage of Kunai towards Gaara who protected himself with his monster sand arm. They struck and where absorbed into the sand. Shikamaru smirked as he made the hand sign and detonated the kunai releasing a fire explosion from within the arm. Gaara let out a roar of pain and jumped back. Looking down at his arm with a curious expression, Gaara made a small hissing noise. Shikamaru smirked down in triumph as he made his next move.
"You made mother mad," Gaara said softly as he looked up in time to see Shikamaru closing in. Shikamaru jumped forward with heel strike connecting with the monster arm. Shikamaru stared Gaara dead in the eye as a shower of glass and blood fell to the ground from the monster arm. Gaara's scream filled the area causing Ino to cringe. Shikamaru jumped back as sand tried to grab him from below.
"Glass," Shikamaru said as Gaara stared at the shards on the ground. "Simple physics really. And it's going to be your downfall."
"You really think that you can defeat me?" Gaara said with a manic grin on his face. Soon the ground around Gaara started to swirl and absorb into his skin. His once broken and bloodied monster arm was now repairing itself. Shikamaru cursed as he dodged another barrage of Sand Shurikins and landed back on the ground. He couldn't react quickly enough as a sand spike erupted from the ground stabbing him in the shoulder sweeping him off his feet. Shikamaru was pushed through the air and pinned against a tree. The sand spike harden and Gaara appeared before him in a flash. Shikamaru let out a groan of pain, it was just too troublesome to scream.
"You hurt mother," Gaara said in a slow voice as sand started to slowly inch towards the Nara. Shikamaru smirked back at Gaara regaining his composure.
"She's kinda a bitch though," Shikamaru said as Ino launched four Kunai into the sand spike that was pinning him to the wall.
The Kunai detonated and blew the two apart. Shikamaru was launched across the valley and landed in a heap as Gaara was launched the other direction but was already standing staring down Shikamaru. Ino landed in front of Shikamaru as he slowly picked himself off the ground. Shikamaru took off his burnt vest and tied it around his bleeding shoulder, but winced as he tried to tighten it. Ino twirled her Kunai and kept her eyes trained Gaara. Shikamaru stood and put his good hand on her shoulder causing her to shudder. Her eyes were tearing up a bit, but she took the sign and jumped back into the safety of the trees.
"Why do you keep fighting?" Gaara asked as he swayed his now Sand tail with a hungry look.
"I blame my friend," Shikamaru said as he pulled out a Kunai and reversed his grip on it. "He keeps putting these stupid ideas in my head, but hey. What can ya do, right?"
"What are you getting at?" Gaara asked as he launched a sand shurikin at Shikamaru who dodged to the side.
"Well I can't have you killing my friends," Shikamaru said with a casual tone. Then his eyes harden as he launched the explosive note kunai towards Gaara. "My precious people."
"That doesn't make you strong!" Gaara laughed as the Kunai exploded causing his arm to glass over again. "Only power and fear make you strong!"
"Oh I will argue your counterstatement," Said a stoic voice from behind Gaara.
Shino appeared with his blade in hand attempting to stab the Red head. He didn't count his sand defense to be that quick. Then the sand latched out and grabbed Shino. Shino exploded in a shower of sand, but no blood erupted from the dust.
"That was a bit too close," Said Shino's voice as he appeared besides Shikamaru. Shino adjusted his glasses and shouldered his blade. "I hate to say this but with that sand I'm a bit useless. He took out almost a third of my colony in that last clone. I still trying to grasp how none escaped his sand. Its almost as if the sands only purpose is to kill."
"Figures," Shikamaru said as he grasped his shoulder. "How's Choji?"
"He's resting," Shino explained. "He took some neurotoxin that seems to have infected him badly. My bugs are extracting it as we speak, but he will not be able to help us at the moment."
"As long as he's ok," Shikamaru said as Shino stepped in front of him and cut through a pair of Sand spikes severing them. "Let's see what damage we can do."
"I believe that a good dousing of water should slow his sand," Shino said as he jumped forward dodging sand spikes and performing a quick arc swipe severing the six that were hunting him down.
"There's a stream not too far from our location," Shikamaru said as he checked his supplies. He only had a couple of Kunai left and six explosive tags. "I will be the bait. Just try to protect me from afar. You're no good for me right now. You ready to move?"
"Unwise," Shino said as he took off his Kunai pouch and tossed it to Shikamaru who nodded in thanks. "But will do. Be careful."
Shikamaru strapped Shino's full pouch to his bad arm and pulled it tight causing him to wince a bit but pulled out a pair of Kunai. Shikamaru took off towards the river after tossing the Kuni into Gaara and detonating them at the same time. Gaara gave a blood thirsty roar and took off after Shikamaru. Shikamaru smirked back at the raging berserker that was following him through the forest as it smashed trees and anything else that was getting in its way between him and its prey. Shikamaru tossed a couple of Kuni into the ground as he ran detonating them as Gaara crossed over them blowing him aside. Gaara was back in hot pursuit with a crazier look in his face.
"I will bathe in your blood!" Gaara's voice echoed throughout the forest.
"Only Shikamaru can make someone so angry," Ino said as she and Shino followed with Temari on Ino's shoulder. "And this bitch could lose a few pounds."
"I heard that," Temari whispered but she couldn't move. Ino's poison was also a temporary paralyses poison. Temari wouldn't be able to move for the rest of the day, if not given the antidote. Ino sighed as they followed in the wake of destruction that Gaara left in his path. "And he should keep running. He doesn't stand a chance."
"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that," Shino said as he smirked at a bug that just landed on his hand. "You'd be surprised how strong you can be when you fight for your loved ones. Someone taught me that, and now I'm beginning to truly understand why he will succeed in his dream one day."
"It's going to be annoying have him as Hokage one day isn't?" Ino asked with a slight smirk.
"Yes," Shino said as he took off quicker. "But, I won't be dull….And now the true fight begins."
"What are you guys talking about?" Mumbled the captured blond. Ino looked over at Shino who had a slight smirk.
"You're about to see the famed Tiger of Konoha," Shino said as he slowed to a stop with Ino in tow. They watched as Shikamaru dodge the now slower attacks of the almost fully transformed Gaara. "And why you should never mess with the Will of Fire that burns in all Konoha shinobi, but none as brightly as this."
"YOU WILL GIVE MOTHER YOUR BLOOD!" Gaara shouted as he launched an Air bullet that hit Shikamaru square in the chest. Shikamaru heard the snap of his ribs breaking as he was skipped across the water and landed on the other side of the bank. Shikamaru coughed up blood and slowly picked himself up from the ground.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled out. "That sucked."
"You will give me blood," Gaara yelled as he watched from across the small stream as blood slowly trickled from Shikamaru's mouth.
"Well," Shikamaru said as he held his one good, well mostly good arm across his chest. " Come and get it you bastard."
Not needing a second invitation Gaara launched himself over the stream and landed next to Shikamaru. Shikamaru didn't even turn to him as Gaara raised his monster claw to cleave the Nara in half only to relies he couldn't move. Shikamaru smirked to himself as he fell to a knee, Gaara mimicked his actions only too look confused.
"What did you do to me?" Gaara demanded as he watched Shikamaru slowly stand and start to walk into the stream. Gaara followed reluctly dousing his feet with the fast current of the stream. The sand was slowly falling apart around him causing him to widen his visible eye. Gaara started to struggle against the shadow that held him tightly.
"What's the matter can't swim?" Shikamaru asked as he turned to the struggling Gaara. "I won't be able to stop you. I've come to terms with that, but I will be able to slow you down for when my friend who can stop you comes here will have a much easier time."
"What are you doing?" Gaara yelled out as he watched Shikamaru slowly fall back and crashed into the cool water. Gaara mirrored him dousing his sand causing Gaara to freak out and released a chakra wave which released him from the shadow. Gaara jumped to the bank and was shaking with anger. Shikamaru slowly stood in the middle of the stream, water and blood dripping from his body. A grim smirk grew over his face as he watched the sand spike shoot towards him and stab him in his other shoulder. He was picked up from the water and brought closer to Gaara who was growling with anger as sand slowly made its way up Shikamaru's legs.
"You will give me your blood," Gaara said as some of Shikamaru's blood dropped onto his sand. The sand reacted hungrily towards the wounds increasing its speed.
"I'm not done yet," Shikamaru coughed out as blood slowly trickled down from his mouth. With a struggling hand motion he raised a Kunai in front of Gaara. Gaara looked at him with confusion. "A l..little trick…my friend taught me. I'm the bomb, d-deet!"
The ground around them exploded launching the two of them into the air. Shikamaru smirked as he stared at the beautiful sky that was filling his vision and the angry yelling from the monster that was now almost completely covered in glass. Shikamaru did a quick check list of his injuries. Two deep stab wounds, broken ribs, bleeding internally, burns to his arms legs and back, deep cut across his back and now most more than likely a severe concussion. All this met was that he didn't die, well yet, this fall was going to be a bitch… Troublesome. Shikamaru hit the icy water that felt great against his burnt skin. But the moment of bliss was quickly ruined.
"Now you're mine," Gaara said from the crater that was created by the explosive tags he used earlier. Gaara looked to be panting slightly from the fight and Shikamaru took a bit of pride in the fact he went toe to toe with a jinchūriki and pushed him this far.
"Damn," Shikamaru whispered as his body was unable to move. Sand moved around him and quickly pulled him from the water. "I guess I won't be taking orders from you after all Naruto. Heh, I hope this doesn't suck. Being in pain is too troublesome."
"I can't let you die yet," Said as voice from behind them. "I'm gonna need my advisor when I become Hokage."
"Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Naruto had 'Bamfed' them back to where Shino and Ino were. Coughing up some blood onto him Shikamaru gave a bloody grin. "I warmed him up a bit for ya."
"I see that," Naruto said as he handed the now passed out Shikamaru to Ino. "He needs medical attention now! Get him to Sakura for now and then transfer him to the Hyuga compound. They have a medic team set up there."
"Hai!" Ino answered with a quick nod and shouldered Shikamaru and took off. Temari watched from her position from the tree with a slight tear in her eyes. She couldn't move or she would have followed.
"How could he be so strong?" She whispered.
"We fight for each other," Naruto said as he looked at her with an unreadable expression. "That's what gives us the strength that can never be matched."
"BLOOD!"
"Now if you can excuse me," Naruto said with a smirk as he turned towards the demon that was thrashing around in the forest looking for his prey. "I have another appointment."
Hello Everyone!
Ok so as always, thanks again for the reviews. I will be doing a better job at updating, hopefully, and keeping you guys happy. I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter as much as you guys enjoyed the last. Let me know how you guys feel about by reviewing! Thanks again guys, and as always read, review and enjoy.
Thanks again,
Take-It-Easy