In the Shadows

by a decade old dream

Having lost many good ANBU in the invasion, Tsunade sends Shikamaru into ANBU training. How does this simple change alter the entire future of rookie nine? And how will he cope with living his 'normal life', while hiding his true occupation? Shikatema OFFICIALLY DISCONTINUED!

10. Hometown Glory

Okay, brand new, the homecoming saga! And remember, read between the lines, especially with Yoshino.

Note; this chapter is not beta'd, since my beta quit due to work overload. Nevertheless, this chapter is dedicated to Evercold, who might not be my beta anymore, but was a damn good one. If you read this Evercold, I hope you enjoy. For some reason I haven't been able to contact you, (PM system is kinda fucked up lately) so I hope you are doing okay.

For more info, read A/N below

-0-

Chapter 10; Hometown Glory

You have to do what you have to do
You know I'd never judge you
Still time to close those eyes
Forget what happened, forget you lied

The last week of his stay in Suna had been hectic; first he'd had to deal with Gaara's return and all the political mayhem that followed up. Then Sakura, Kankurou and Kakashi, each of them in the hospital with the complications of severe poisoning, had insisted on reporting how Sasori had gotten away ("Though severely injured!" As Sakura had insisted.) three times, each time another version. In the mean time he had been checking up on his objective, the deceptive Hyuuga, and his former partner, miss stubbornness herself. By the time Sasuke and Naruto had finally found their way back to Suna, claiming that they had found an the ruins of an ancient civilization just a few miles away from the great dessert city, the planned twelve days had turned into eighteen. And adding the three day journey homewards to it, he found himself standing in the Hokage's office twenty-one days after his departure. At five AM in the morning.

Shikamaru tried not to squirm as Tsunade looked him with fire in her eyes. Her hands handled a cup of sake like it was a weapon, having kept quiet with difficulty, while Shikamaru relayed what had happened in during his stay in Suna. Despite the fact that he had the height advantage because of her sitting position, he felt like she loomed over him like a furious wave about to swallow him whole.

"So, what you're saying is, you were watching from the roof, like I told you to do," She said, summarizing his words slowly and deadly. "And YET an Akatsuki member was able to take the Kazekage out!" Needless to say, said Hokage wasn't pleased. Shikamaru nodded. "Have you gone blind prematurely?" She all but yelled.

Now, Shikamaru'd had more than enough time to prepare himself for this dreaded conversation and had created a plan; "No, Hokage-sama." The less he'd say, the better. And if she'd become violent, he'd jump out of the window 'in the search for an ancient civilization of his own'. Best back-up plan ever.

"Then pray tell me;" She continued, slamming her fist down on her desk, making the glass tingle dangerously. "how did you not notice that he was taken away from you, right before your eyes?"

"There was an explosion, and a lot of commotion following after that." Shikamaru answered matter-of-factly, trying not to show his own nervousness. He had reported to the Hokage before. He just hadn't failed mission before and then reported a mission. It didn't matter that he'd held a great account in the survival of Suna's kage, he had left his objective behind and failed to observe the entire meeting. Needless to say, he had left his and Temari's little 'sparring session' out of his report.

"An explosion stopped you?" Tsunade exploded, slaming the sake cup against the wall. Shikamaru tried not squirm at the sound of breaking glass. "What are you, a commoner? You are an ANBU for god's sake! And now I've heard that you disregarded your duty as a spy and protector in order to chase after the Kazekage?"

Shikamaru gulped. "Yes Hokage-sama."

"So you, within good consciousness, allowed a Jinchuuriki to chase an Akatsuki member? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" She continued to yell.

"At the time it seemed like the best plan." Shikamaru argued weakly, but was immediately overruled by the Hokage's powerful voice, who seemed only further enraged by his response.

"You ignored every order I gave you! What if Hyuuga Hinata would have died? Or would have been seriously injured? Do you even know what her father would do to me? To you? Did you calculate that into your 'best plan at the time'?" The hokage brought a hand up to her forehead, obviously trying to calm herself. She seemed more exhausted than tired, it seemed, and Shikamaru figured that the political mayhem of his little adventure was giving her hell time with the council.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, let's not go too deep into something that did not happen. She is fine, she is waiting right outside of this room, and so is team 7." Shikamaru defended, now the woman had calmed down somewhat. "And what's more, they took out an Akatsuki member, seriously injured another one and returned the Kazekage safe and sound."

"Do you really think the Suna council cares about that?" Tsunade spat out bitterly. "They will twist this to their advantage. This entire event is nothing but a political fiasco… "

"Only if you let it be." Shikamaru muttered, but the Hokage heard it nevertheless.

Her eyes were like the lit end of a cigarette, burning into him."What do you mean?"

Shikamaru hesitated, but at seeing that this could be his rescue, continued. "If they can twist it to their benefit, so can we."

"I see no way out of this mess for us right now." Tsunade said bitterly.

"Well, the meeting ended before a decision could be reached whether or not to go to war. Before this event, most of the officials were in favor of an all out war, but I think we can agree on the fact that that would only cost us shinobi, instead of win us battles." Shikamaru explained patiently, trying to keep his voice steady.

Tsunade's eyes had narrowed calculatingly. "So, what do you propose?"

"Write them a letter, saying that you understand that an action like this cannot go unpunished, but that you are glad that the council's tactic of attacking the Akatsuki with a small group, before splitting them up worked so well, and that you are confident that this great tactic will also be of use for us during the rest of the war."

"There is no fool in that council that will just let such a compliment from the Hokage slide to mention that it hadn't been their idea in the first place." Tsunade muttered, a creepy smile slipping on her face. "You…. God knows you should be a politician! You can play this game just as dirty as those old crooks I have to work with on a daily basis."

Shikamaru just nodded politely. Despite her vulgar choice of words and disgusting drinking habits, she was the highest official of this village, one that demanded respect. And one that could and would smash your skull in if you didn't show her any proper respect.

Tsunade cleared her throat, seemingly calmed down somewhat. "Kakashi mentioned in between the size of the Kazekage's sister's chest and of Akasuna no Sasori's exact words before he escaped that you led the retrieval team and came up with the main strategy that made this mission to a success." She said, and Shikamaru blinked somewhat sheepishly. Tsunade continued. "Now, I will forget this slip up, and acknowledge that you did handle the situation as good as was possible at the time, but next time I would appreciate it if you actually kept your eyes on the objective. I do not pay you to laze around, do you understand? You won't get off the hook this easily again, you hear me?"

"Cristal clear." He answered almost too quickly.

The Hokage's gaze kept penetrating his for a few more moments, but apparently finding nothing worrying there, she let it slip and dismissed him. "Okay, now get the hell out of here and tell Tenzou I said hi."

"Yes, ma'm" Shikamaru said hastily and made his way out of the office in record time. The click of the closing door behind him lifted a load of his shoulders, and he was glad she hadn't notice that he hadn't been entirely honest. But it was best for both nations if his little adventure with Temari stayed behind closed curtains.

"So, since she didn't kill you, I guess it's save for us to go in now?" Naruto inquired almost hesitantly, and maybe if he hadn't been grinning like a madman Shikamaru would have believed in his so-called caution. Team 7 had been impatient the entire road back home, and when the Hokage had asked him to enter after Kakashi's visit, the junior members of the team had been nothing short of outraged at the prospect of having to wait even longer.

"Yup." Shikamaru replied, feeling a little bit less tensed. "But I wouldn't push your luck and keep her waiting."

Sakura nodded politely and she and her boys barged into the room with shouts of vulgar greetings, but Shikamaru tuned their noisy homecoming out in favor of talking to the last occupant of the waiting room.

"Thank you, Raiu-san."

Shy, quiet little Hinata, whom had kept quiet the entire time, and just stood in the far left corner as if waiting there was the most natural thing in the world. Who would have thought that she was hiding such an affaire? Well, still waters run deep, as the young woman had confirmed once again.

"I did nothing but my job, Hyuuga-san." He said, feeling as if her pearlescent eyes looked right through his disguise. "There is no need to thank me."

Hinata shook her head discreetly, and offered him a soft smile. "For not telling the Hokage. I know you should have reported it, but I am glad you didn't."

It was true that he hadn't passed this information to his superiors, but on second thought he couldn't quite remember why. So he just nodded and said; "Oh… you're welcome then, I guess." Sometimes it was best not to question one's first hunch.

"To express my gratitude, I would like to invite you to come and have lunch with me." She said politely, guiding him towards the door. "I insist on thanking my protector properly."

"I'm afraid I'd have to decline your request, because my mission isn't officially over yet." Shikamaru told her as they walked out of the building. This was technically not a lie, but not the reason for his refusal. No, the clean wind of his hometown and the smell of rain could be blamed for that.

"Dinner, then?" Hinata urged, never raising her voice. "So we could talk a little bit more at a more….suited place."

Well, if she put it that way… He was curious after all. "Is tomorrow, 8 o'clock all right with you then?"

Her face lit up in an accomplished smile, and her pace became a little less hurried. " At 8 o'clock at the Izuna's teahouse?" She asked, and he nodded. "Splendid. See you there Raiu-san, I'm sure I can find my way home without your aid, after all, you are a busy man?" And she chuckeled a bit as she made her departure, turning into a small alley that would undoubtedly lead her faster to the enormous compound that the Hyuuga clan called home.

He watched her go in dazed fashion, confident that she would be safe in their home town, aware that she was mocking him and slightly tired from the entire ordeal. It was time to see Tenzou, get dismissed and catch a few hours of sleep.

Shikamaru sighed, and started walking again, but this time at an unhurried pace; Sensei would forgive his tardiness, and it gave him some time to enjoy his walk through this busy part of Konoha. Despite the many people and shops, the center of their city was still green and flocked with trees, their musky sent mixing with the smell of rain that was impending to fall. The clouds flocked the sky, leaving little patches of light on the street and taking his breath away.

Suna was beautiful, both technologically and architectonically, but it wasn't his home. And despite all the excitement and beautiful places that his job brought him, it also gave him homesickness at times like these.

By the time he had reached one of the covert openings of the underground system, he was at peace. Effortlessly, he sneaked in, retrieved his stuff and made his way through the underground maze into the HQ and went straight to the Captain Commander's office.

"Raiu, reporting back to base." He droned out, as he had heard his sensei do a thousand times before.

"Mission status?" The commander asked, not even looking up from the paperwork on his desk. This question was merely a formality; he wouldn't have returned if the mission hadn't been a success. ANBU Policy, and stuff.

"Success." Shikamaru said, "There were a few unforceen causualities, but they have been taken care of. The Hyuuga heir is back, safe and sound, and the Suna council has been turned into our favor. The war against Akatsuki will 98% certain be fought out by our village Black Opps. Any further intel can be found in my report." He said dutifully, and got the report from his back. He'd had quite a bit of spare time while team 7 was recovering in the hospital, and he had used it to write down his report, or rather find the words to effectively cover up all that he couldn't put to words.

The Captain Commander met his eyes for a moment and took the file, skimming over the first few pages, he muttered a few "oh"s, and an occasional "I see". Shikamaru waited patiently for the man to dismiss him, and when he did, he saluted his superior dutifully and left the office. After all, before his 'dinner date' there was one more person he'd had to speak. Such were the formalities of a homecoming.

Unsurprisingly, he found his teacher not in Tenzou's room, but in his own, sitting on his bed and restructuring some of the wooden floor. When Shikamaru had entered the room and closed the door, his teacher met his eyes.

"Ah, so I see you have returned from Suna!" He said, almost amiably.

Shikamaru grinned slightly in response. "I even got you something." With a swift moment he retrieved something from his back and threw it at his sensei, who caught it with grace, and opened the small package.

"Are you mocking me?" Tenzou said, eyeing his present skeptically. It was a small cactus.

"Of course not. I'm not suicidal." Shikamaru said, not once meeting his teachers gaze, preferring to get his gear out of his back and into his closets over having an unimportant conversation with his sensei. He was hungry, tired and still had a meeting with Konoha's uncrowned princess AND his mother on the planning today, so his bullshit tolerance was wearing low.

"Then why, my dear apprentice, do you intend me to face my weakness?" Tenzou said, almost playfully.

It was true. The master off trees and leaves himself could not create cacti, something only few people knew. "I thought you'd might want to use it as… practice." Shikamaru said, deliberately facing a closet so his teacher couldn't see the smile that had crept up his face. "Weren't those your words, 'What you can't do is all what you have yet to learn'?" Vengeance was sweet.

Tenzou turned the miniature cactus around. "Well," He said, after putting some thought to it. "I guess there is no harm in keeping it. It takes minimal care and could be a great weapon in case somebody decides to break into my house."

"Because that's a very likely scenario." Shikamaru replied sarcastically, throwing his mission back pack in a relatively clean corner. His room in the HQ wasn't exactly clean, but then again, his mother wouldn't check and he didn't mind. Without looking if they were clean, he picked some casual clothing from said aforementioned corner and put them on. "And a 'thank you for your thoughtfulness' would have sufficed, you know."

Tenzou ignored his comment and put the plant away carefully. "How was Suna, anyway?"

"Hot." Shikamaru said noncommittally, as he sat down on the bed besides his teacher.

"Thought so."

Then an awkward silence ensued until Tenzou broke it. "You are hiding something from me, aren't you?"

"Nothing that you wouldn't hide from me." Shikamaru said without losing his poker face. It wasn't a lie; officially Tenzou had no right to know anything about Shikamaru's mission.

"Don't be a smart-ass." His sensei scowled, raising his chin and meeting Shikamaru eye to eye, as if he wanted to over tower the young man. "And spit it out."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes defensively. "There is nothing to say."

"Sure there isn't." Tenzou said, leaning in aggressively. "Now, spit it out, or I'm assigning you for a retraining next week. And trust me, I'll be sure to beat it out of you then."

Shikamaru snorted haughtily and smirked. "Try as you might, old man. There is nothing here to beat out of me."

"We'll see that next week." Tenzou sing-songed, getting up from the bed. "Don't forget to bring your mask, I want to test the new Jounin training grounds." And he turned around, strutted haughtily, preparing to leave.

"I can't." Shikamaru uttered, softly, just loud enough for Tenzou to hear.

The man turned around, with a no-nonsense look on his face. "I beg your pardon?" Refusal was not in his dictionary. They were on good therms, but Tenzou was still his superior and at the end of the day he would not accept it if his position would be undermined.

"I…" Shikamaru stammered. "Kind of lost it."

Then there was an awkward silence and a lingering tension in the room, and Shikamaru counted mentally;'three, two, one-'

"YOU DID WHAT?" His teacher bellowed, appearing in front of him and slamming him into the door. His back ached at the impact but at the moment Shikamaru was more focused on the hand on his neck. There was no longer any hint of playfulness in his voice. This was serious business

"I said I lost my mask." He said slowly, dead serious.

Tenzou's grip was unrelenting. "And you are sure that nobody discovered your identity?" He snarled, using his free hand to grab Shikamaru's head and slam him against the wall. "Positive." Shikamaru spit out, his throat aching at every word he got out. "I used a henge to create a new mask."

"Are you sure?" Tenzou said, his grip tightening further, making it hard to lie.

"Yes!" Shikamaru choked out, while trying to wiggle free. It was however of no use; his sensei had transformed his wooden floor into a deadly weapon that kept him nailed to the door. Acute pain rushed through him, telling him be loyal and tell the truth, but he bit the thought, alongside the pain back, and met his teacher's furious gaze without any fear.

"One hundred percent?" Tenzou howled, body tense, nostrils flaring. "Were you seen?"

"I'm sure!" Shikamaru lied with tears in his eyes. He was starting to see black spots dancing in front of his vision. "The henge – argh! - was perfect!"

The hand on his neck tightened, "YOU'RE NOT LYING ARE YOU?" Tenzou roared, shoving him possibly even harder against the door.

"NO!" Shikamaru yelled out hoarsely, and then felt the pressure on his throat dissolve as Tenzou released his jutsu. He fell to the ground, his body greedily inhaling all the air he could get, his throat aching.

Tenzou turned around, perfect posture, eyes to the ground. "… Ever so resourceful, now. You make me proud." He muttered out, maybe as an apology, maybe as an explanation. "But you still lost it…" He added, gruffly.

"Was that really necessary?" Shikamaru panted, tears blurring his already wavering vision, waiting for the stars to disappear.

"Not if you wouldn't have coughed up the details right away when I gave you the chance." His teacher replied, not offering him any help or remorse.

Standing up just barely only to let himself fall down on the bed once he had reached it. "You don't care that I practically failed the mission?" He said, eyeing his teacher warily.

"But in the end I didn't, so I'm not." Tenzou said, and then added sternly; "Though I am quite displeased that you decided to go into battle unprepared."

"I lost my gear in the explosion and since time was of essence, I had no time to retrieve them." Shikamaru explained.

But his teacher never liked excuses. "You shouldn't have lost them in the first place!" He thundered. "And how about always having a backup plan?"

"Did you think I didn't have one?" Shikamaru retorted skeptically. "Besides, I took out the two remaining would-be captors of Uchiha Sasuke."

"Really, now? That deserves a celebration. I might let you off the hook from leaving your katana on some rooftop if you pay for the drinks." His teacher said, for the first time since their little clash meeting his eyes. There was no guilt there, but Shikamaru never expected there to be. Instead Tenzou offered him a hand, and Shikamaru took it. His back hurt slightly as he got up, but he ignored it. He would be black and blue by tomorrow, but nothing that wouldn't fade. His teacher knew his limits better then himself, he would never push him further then he could recover from.

With a click of the door, they left the messy room behind. The floor had been restored to it's original state, and the tension was nearly gone.

"But I retrieved it…" Shikamaru muttered sourly, letting his fingers stroke the hilt of his katana.

His teacher scowled, a small smile on his face as they walked through the shallows halls. "You shouldn't have left it there in the first place."

He rolled his eyes at that. "You don't say!"

"Well, at least you got a tan out of it." His teacher added as an afterthought, a slight playfulness.

The young anbu halted his steps and took a look at his appearance."I did?" After a quick check up, Shikamaru concluded that he had indeed tanned notably, which wasn't good at all. "Shit!"

Tenzou reached for one of his own pockets and retrieved a small bottle from it, which he handed over to his pupil. "Here, this should help."

Shikamaru took the bottle of what was most likely some kind of skin bleacher. "Thanks."

Tenzou looked at him in an almost fatherly fashion. "Better take good care of that, otherwise people might guess that Nara Shikamaru wasn't where he said he was."

"I'd better leave now, I've got some sleep to catch up." Shikamaru said when they reached the exit of the underground system.

"Okay, I'll sent you a bird with the info about that sparring match you owe me. Take care." Tenzou said, waving him off fondly as they parted. Shikamaru, no longer in ANBU gear, hurried to get away as far as possible from the Anbu, for it was best to be the least associated with ANBU as possible. Despite his hurry, he could swear he heard his teacher's voice from a distance, telling him to pack sunscreen next time.

The road home was uneventful. He was tired and his little clash with his teacher had done him no good either. It was only 2 in the afternoon by the time he reached his home, but he entered the house with every intention to head straight back to bed.

His plans were altered dramatically when he found his living room pleasantly full.

"Hey Shika!" Ino greeted him, seeming genuinely surprised at his arrival. She was not the only one present; apparently both his ex-teammates had come over to his house in his absence and were now happily conversing with his mother, who looked rather happy with all the attention she received.

"Hey everybody." He replied, making eyecontact with every last one of them. "So, who organized this welcome home party?"

"Get real! Not everything is about you." His mother joked harshly, but Shikamaru took no offence.

"Is there still cake?" He said instead, knowing fully that there was no way that they'd known of his return. This was nothing but utter coincidence, or rather, bad luck. He wasn't going to see the inside of his eyelids any time soon, if his friends had any say in this.

"No, but maybe if you'd actually leave a note next time you decide to take off, I could actually plan a surprise party for you." His mother berated him in that typical nagging voice that he came to hate so much during his childhood.

"Yes mother." He replied in kind, not really meaning it.

His mother knew that, and sighed, drawing her mouth into a straight line and biting lip . In the mean time, Shikamaru didn't miss the little look Chouji and Ino shared. He meant to address it, but let it go. He was way too tired for this troublesome shit right now.

He sighed, put down his fake mission bag and took a seat in between Ino and his mother. Chouji smiled warmly at him, welcoming him back and offering him to eat some cake another time, which both he and Ino gladly accepted.

After his friends had updated him on the latest news of the shinobi part of the village, they convinced not only his mother but also Shikamaru himself to go out and eat something at the BBQ palace.

Both he and his mother argued only half-heartedly, and though Shikamaru could not grasp his mother's reasons, he was just glad to avoid the imminent confrontation with his father for not only forgetting the note again, but also for being absent more often then not. Normally he'd have that conversation with his mother, but she seemed awfully out of it today.

Before he left, he told her they'd catch up later, and she seemed to brighten marginally at his unusual comment. They'd been a lot closer during his childhood and it was true that they had grown apart a bit lately, which was sadly the case with most of his life-long relationships.

Ino might hide it with her overbearing personality and Chouji would never mention it, but Shikamaru could notice in little things like these that they felt it too, and regretted it as well. But there was nothing they could do, and nothing he would do, so he let them lead him to their old regular seat in the barbeque restaurant.

It was a rather nice affair, the dinner, and it would have been nicer if Shikamaru hadn't been so tired. Still the food was good and the company even better. He enjoyed listening to Ino's buoyant voice, telling unlikely tales as Chouji corrected her a few times modestly. They didn't seem that bothered by the fact that he didn't supply much more than 2 word sentences, and Shikamaru was glad. Sitting here, just eating and listening to his friends, made the homecoming complete. Though there was still a lot to take care off and even more missions to follow, it was nice to be home, and Shikamaru let a smile creep up his face at that thought.

Shikamaru took another good look at these people he called his best friends. He hadn't been around too much, he knew that, but he hadn't lied to Temari; these were his siblings. It was amazing to see the people his skinny loudmouth and his insecure fatty of a best friends had grown into, and the persons that they were becoming. It was funny to see Ino eat more, and Chouji eat less. They didn't care as much about how they looked as they had done before, and sometimes Shikamaru wondered exactly when they had grown up. They had never been triplets, there had always been some kind of hierarchy in their team, though never verbally acknowledged, but right now Shikamaru felt proud of his younger siblings, and everything they embodied.

No matter how tedious and long his missions, no matter how dark and twisted his other persona would become, he felt that if he could just always fall back on these people, somehow he would be alright.

When the evening fell and it was time to leave, they walked home the long road, enjoying each other's company and the beautifully colored clouds above them. With many promises to see each other soon, they said goodbye to Ino, and it was only then that Shikamaru realized that Chouji's house was in the exact opposite direction of where the two of them were heading to. He shot his friend a questioning look, but didn't receive as much as an answer back. His body language screamed relief for some reason, so Shikamaru thought it couldn't be that bad. He silently led them away from the crowded streets, up the monument.

There they lay down on their backs, watching the clouds. Or rather, trying to watch the clouds, because Shikamaru was looking right through them, seeing the events of the last weeks play out in front of his inner eye. And he waited, waited for Chouji to tell him what was bothering.

"I killed someone yesterday." Chouji suddenly said, and Shikamaru sat back up, looking at his friend, who avoided his eyes. He motioned him to continue.

"I killed a woman." He repeated, whispering the truth as if he himself doesn't even believe it. "She attacked us, threatened our objective…"

Shikamaru nodded; Chouji had not killed out of need. Not because he was saving a life or avenging a loved one, but because the mission required it. It was not a honorable kill, not one that would be justified in his mind by the rage or fear of losing someone, but it was just a kill. It was always hard, Shikamaru would know, he had just killed two people for the sake of the village, of peace. Two people who had been in love, who had died side by side. He remembered the morbid beauty of death like theirs. But they had threatened Temari, a person for whom he cared, so killing them had been easier. That, and he had done it many times before-

Then it clicked. 'Oh shit, I really have been away from my friends too much.'

"Was it your first kill?" He said, but Chouji didn't answer. That was all Shikamaru needed, he understood. "How did you kill her?" He asked, not searching for his friends eyes anymore.

Chouji leaned back in the grass, and blinked a few times, as if he tries to wipe the images out of his eyes. Shikamaru saw him going back in time, remembering everything. Tenzou did the same with him, letting him go through everything again in silence, so he could close the door behind his past.

"I slit her throat with a kunai." He says after a while. "I wasn't angry, I knew I had to do it, and I did it, and-" He stops mid-sentence, looking at Shikamaru now. The tears were in his eyes, and the smile that was plastered on his face previously was now replaced by a trembling upper lip; his friend was hurting.

"Her eyes?" Shikamaru supplied, remembering. Chouji looked at him incredulously, as if connecting all the information, and his friend's calm.

"I was 13." He supplied, letting his eyes glaze over for a second in remembrance. "I remember killing him in cold blood." He remembered so much more he'd rather not explain, but the pleading eyes of his friend forced him to continue.

"I remember calculating which angle would be the deadliest, how much strength I had to apply, and I remember how it felt to run my sword through his body, to see him fall to the ground, en die." He continued, sounding as empty as the void the kill had left behind. He looked at his hands, remembering the sword he had held, the same sword that was sealed in the tattoo on his shoulder right now, the sword that had been covered by blood. The visions swarmed his mind, and then they were suddenly gone. He blinked the pain away, and continued.

He was certain Chouji had seen that little transformation just now. The eerie silence that hung between them said that much. "Oh. I didn't know you had killed before." He says, and Shikamaru squeezes his shoulder for a moment to comfort him.

"I never told you." He said, not looking away this time. "I felt horrible at the time though. I vowed never to kill again."

Chouji looked at him in a way that gave away that he had vowed the exact same thing, and Shikamaru almost smiled; even if they had grown apart somewhat in the past years, they were still the same in many aspects.

"And then I made my second kill, and it was even worse." He ignored the fact that Chouji looked at him as if he was seeing an entirely different person. "And then I made another kill, and another, and over time, it was scary how easy it became."

"Did it become easier?" Chouji asked, still looking at him strangely. Shikamaru didn't like it.

"Killing? Yes, frighteningly so." He answered truthfully, and he smiled a humorless smile. "Dealing with it? Yes. You need to learn to push the guilt under the rug and go on. Otherwise, it overwhelms you."

Chouji looked at him, and he could read the questions in his eyes. Like; "How many people did you kill?" And "Why you? What happened while we were training for the chuunin exam?" But he didn't ask any of them, instead asked; "I never expected this… from you."

Shikamaru snorted slightly, though a bitter laugh was evident in the sound. "We are Shinobi. It's part of the job description, sadly. It's what I do to protect you, and those I love. Don't you do that as well?"

Chouji nodded, his visage not showing relief, but only some closure.

Shikamaru smiled a quiet smile, and he let his thoughts wonder while Chouji told him all about the mission, every gruesome detail, and Shikamaru listened, showing the acceptance that his friend needed.

When they parted, Shikamaru knew that Chouji wasn't alright, but he knew that over time, he would be.

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Okay , here it is! The tenth, all new chapter of In the Shadows, homecoming. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. The challenge I set for myself was to write a chapter with no line breaks, meaning that everything had to add up to make the story run smoothly.

This could be considered a filler chapter, however, it isn't. It's a transition chapter that I use to show some character development, and some cracks in the daily life of Nara Shikamaru. If any of you thought Tenzou too harsh, then you should reconsider his persona; he's a teacher in combat, he isn't going to be as soft as Asuma was, because he wan't Shikamaru to survive. It's tough love, but Shikamaru gets that.

I had a hard time writing Yoshino without giving too much away, so that scene is short. But do you get the hints? No. Of course not.

Other then that, long time no see. Yes, I've been absent. The truth is, the final exam came up and I had to study a lot. Now that I'm most likely going to graduate cum laude, I actually have time to write. That doesn't mean I haven't been writing during the past few months. Would you be surprised to know that I already wrote the most of the end? It's rather… dramatic, I suppose (with extra angst, just the way I like it.) So to make up for it;

CONTEST

The summary sucks, I know. So I want you guys to write a better one for me! The winner gets either an exclusive sneak preview into my stash of ITS, or gets to insert a theme of their choosing into a scene. Which one is up to the winner! The only rule is that it should fit in the fanfiction summary area, so it has to be rather to the point... or not. That's up to you guys

Next chapter

Anyway, the next chapter will address some issues that have been put aside for too long, and Hinata will have her say, putting a whole new chain of events in motion. Trust me, you're in for a ride, because this arcs main character is about to be introduced!

… Okay, that was quite the spoiler, don't you think? I love that, using a lot of words to say absolutely nothing! It's an art. Now, be a good reader and review, tell me what you think. Which homecoming was your favorite; superior, teacher, family or friends?

Hungry for more ITS-verse? Check out my latest semi-side fic; twelve toes. It is team 7 centered, set a few years in the future. I originally intended it to be a part of ITS, but then the plot changed and… well, you'll see why it doesn't add up, but still is too funny not to be posted.

Bye!