Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto :(
Chapter Three- Caution Out the Window: A C-Ranked Mission
"What was your first mission Shikamaru-sensei?" Kiyoshi asked. He and his teammates were walking through the streets of Konoha. They weren't quite sure where they were going, but Shikamaru had told them it was important to their job as shinobi.
"Hmm, honestly I don't really remember," the Jonin shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I helped move cartons of fruit."
"What?"
"Well, D-ranked missions aren't too tough. Most of the time you're babysitting or finding lost animals. I recall having to weed a garden once."
With the final test passed, there was nothing holding back the children. They were actually full fledged Genin, ready for action and of course, their first mission. Kiyoshi had hoped he would be doing something significant, a job that would help the Leaf. When he realized they could be doing petty chores, his enthusiasm dropped. Apparently, the other children felt similarly.
"You're joking," Akira frowned, shaking his head.
"There's always a possibility of a C-ranked mission," Shikamaru added. "But they are generally given to more experienced Genin."
When they finally stopped at their destination Kiyoshi was absolutely horrified. For whatever reason, they were standing just outside the wall that had surrounded the Ninja Academy. The young shinobi immediately believed that the last twenty four hours had been a joke, and that Shikamaru had actually failed the trio. Once again, Kiyoshi dismissed his thoughts as paranoid ramblings. His mother had spoken very highly of Shikamaru at the dinner table the night before and a terrible prank such as that would've been too uncharacteristic of him.
"Why are we-" the three children started to say almost simultaneously.
Shikamaru sense their apprehension and spoke quickly. "The building serves two purposes, one of which you already know. Ninja also come here to speak to the Hokage to acquire new missions. Come on."
Shikamaru led his group back into the Academy. Stepping back inside the halls was strange for the children. They never imagined that a day after they graduated, they would be back inside the long white hallways. At the end of one of the particular passages there was a flight of stairs that they ascended. Sure enough, the stairs led to an upper floor. It was wide, perhaps as large as the entire bottom floor. In the back of the huge room was a long table where a few ninja sat, including the Hokage. Above the table there was a large banner that read "everybody, do your best." The ceiling was rather bland except for a black kanji for the word "shinobi."
"Shikamaru, just the Jonin I wanted to see," Kakashi smiled. "You're aware of the recent attacks on the Sand Village?"
"Of course Lord Hokage," Shikamaru nodded.
Recently the Hidden Sand Village had been feuding with the Hidden Rock Village. After the death of Tsuchikage Onoki, Iwagakure had suffered from a famine due to the lack of rains. The Sunagakure was the first to lend a helping hand and offered to supply the struggling village. The Hidden Sand Village did their best to keep Iwagakure stocked with food until the rains returned. However, as the famine continued, food became scarce and Kazekage Gaara was forced to cut the supply of food.
The Hidden Leaf Village stepped in as food was always plentiful, but the new Tsuchikage took the Kazekage's actions as an act of war. Two days ago a group of Rock ninja attacked the Kazekage Mansion. Gaara petitioned the Tsuchikage for an explanation, but he hadn't responded. If it was rogue ninja acting independently of the Hidden Rock Village then surely Gaara would be forgiving, but otherwise he would have no choice, but to engage in a war he had no desire to fight.
"The Kazekage wants to have a word with you," Kakashi said.
"Gaara-sama requested me for a mission?"Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I figure you could drag your team along. It has to be more fun than rescuing cats," Kakashi smiled, motioning to the three Genin who had stood in silence.
"Can we come Shikamaru-sensei? Come on, can we?" Kiyoshi pleaded.
"Yeah Shikamaru-sensei!" Katsu smiled.
Shikamaru sighed. He didn't think the three of them should come, but he didn't want to go against the Hokage's wishes.
"Go get packed. We leave in two hours," Shikamaru said, shaking his head.
'What am I thinking?' he frowned.
"Akira-san! Shikamaru-sensei!" Kiyoshi shouted.
The two ninja turned to see their teammates. They had agreed to meet outside the village gates when everyone was packed and ready to go. The duo had been sure to bring plenty of kunai despite the fact they were only on a C-Ranked mission. They figured it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Hurry up; it's already a three day trip. We don't want to make it any longer than we have to," Shikamaru frowned.
"Ready?" Akira said.
Kiyoshi and Katsu nodded. They weren't sure what to expect when they reached the Hidden Sand Village. Would they be helping with reconstruction or simply following Shikamaru around? Either way it was exciting to do something different for once.
The four took off in the direction Shikamaru had pointed to be the Sand Village. He had mentioned that it would take approximately three days to reach their destination. He had never been away from the Leaf Village for so long, at least not that he could recall, and he was excited at the chance to meet the Kazekage.
'Three days by treetop or on foot?' Kiyoshi thought.
Shikamaru was a decent distance in front of the three ninja, and Kiyoshi figured it was a perfect time to get to know their new teammate.
"So, we obviously know plenty about each other," he said, motioning to Katsu. "What about you?"
"Hmm?" Akira said, looking over to Kiyoshi. "I guess you'll just have to wait and find out. I'm not much of a talker. Not very… personal."
"Oh," Kiyoshi responded, slightly taken aback. He had hoped that he might've been able to learn a little about his new companion, but he couldn't make Akira talk.
"Forget about him," Katsu scowled. Katsu and Akira looked at each other. Kiyoshi could feel the tension between the two and felt it was best to try and change the subject.
"Why do u think the Kazekage wants to speak with Shikamaru-sensei?"
"Shikamaru-sensei is regarded around the world as a master strategist and tactician. Gaara-sama probably wants his opinion because of his reputation," Akira shrugged.
"Oh, that does make sense," Kiyoshi nodded.
"Wrong you dobe," Katsu laughed.
"Excuse me?" Akira asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Gaara-sama is Shikamaru-sensei's brother-in-law."
"The Kazekage is Shikawa's uncle?" Kiyoshi said in disbelief. He was learning so much today and he was starting to think that Akira and Katsu were just messing with him.
"Are the three of you done yapping back there," Shikamaru shrugged. He stopped running and waited for the three Genin to catch up to his position. "It will take too long to go by foot. Have any of you ever traveled by treetop?
They all shook their heads no to which Shikamaru just sighed. He jumped up and found a low hanging branch, effortlessly landing on his feet.
"But we could fall off," Akira said, finally showing some concern.
"And die," Kiyoshi added. "Okay maybe not die, but horribly mangled."
Despite his better judgment, Kiyoshi resolved not to disappoint Shikamaru. He saw two relatively low hanging branches, using the first to propel himself upwards to grab onto the higher hanging branch. After a moment he was able to pull himself up.
"You're going to fall," Akira laughed.
Katsu just shrugged and followed Kiyoshi's lead, jumping up the same tree as he had, although a little more gracefully. Akira took one final deep and ran up to a second tree, using his momentum to propel himself upward where he managed to grab a low hanging branch. Still using his momentum to his advantage, Akira swung from the branch to another close tree and pushed himself up again so that he was now on level with his teammates.
"Show-off," Kiyoshi brooded. He took a deep breath and jumped to the closest branch, almost losing his balance and tumbling down to the forest floor. Katsu and Akira did the same and, after a short bit of practice, the trio was able to keep up with their sensei.
"So, the question remains; what to be done with the Sand Village," Hokage, Kakashi Hatake frowned.
The rokudaime called an emergency meeting of the village leaders to discuss the growing hostilities between Sunagakure and Iwagakure. Many of the ninja who should've been in the meeting, mainly Neji, Shikamaru, and Choji, were already at the Sand Village helping reconstruction. Luckily, Guy was there as were plenty of other ninja whom Kakashi trusted.
"We help them of course," Sakura said, standing up. "Gaara has always been there for us."
"When he's not destroying us," Kiba frowned. He recalled memories of the Chunin Exams when he was younger. Gaara had left a path of destruction in his wake as he and Orochimaru attacked the Leaf.
"You know he's not like that anymore," Temari scolded. "Gaara has been one of the biggest advocates for piece since he became Kazekage. We were all misled by Orochimaru."
"Why are you even here?" Kiba frowned. "Her opinion is biased."
"She has more than enough credentials to qualify for these meetings," Kakashi defended.
"Thank you Kakashi-sama."
"That being said, I too think you should step outside for a moment," he nodded.
"What?" she yelled, getting to her feet. "This is ridiculous!"
"Finally," Tenten agreed, sitting back in her chair. "Come on, get out of here."
"Still sore from the Chunin exams Tenten?" Sakura laughed.
Temari gave Sakura a smile and the two exchanged a slight nod. They had become friends ever since Temari had moved to the Leaf Village to be with her husband Shikamaru. Now that her teammates were gone, Sakura had been looking for a friend to talk to and Temari, being of similar position, found comfort in the friendship Sakura could give.
Yamato had been sitting silently in the back of the room as he wasn't quite sure what should be done. He hadn't known Gaara as well as the younger generation so his obvious plan was to sit back and allow them the privilege to decide. He wasn't really supposed to be in these meetings either, but Kakashi kept him around because of the bond the two Jonin shared. Regardless, he rather kept quiet, that was, until the discussion led to petty argument.
"Why not call a meeting at the Hokage Summit," the older ninja finally piped up. "This way the Tsuchikage will have to respond to you, Kakashi-sempai."
"That was my first thought, but Guy and I agreed we cannot call a meeting of the Kage," Kakashi said, shaking his head.
"As you're all aware, the Hidden Sound Village has been pushing for their own leader to be recognized at the Kage Summit," Guy began. "If we call a meeting now, we might have to acknowledge their demands."
"Why not give them what they want?" Kiba shrugged. "With Orochimaru gone-"
"How are you so sure Orochimaru's 'gone?'" Sakura frowned. "How are we so sure he's still not pulling the strings in the Sound Village?"
"At least they have the courage to take a side!" Kiba yelled, standing to his feet. "The Sound Village has already allied itself with the Sand Village. Listen, these attacks are going to escalade, and we need to be on the winning team!"
Guy had been staying quite, not offering his opinion, as he too felt the others were more than capable of deciding Konoha's course of action. Guy wasn't too well versed in foreign affairs and typically only did what he felt was right, not what was smart. However, there was one opinion in the room he valued more than anyone else's, and that person had not yet spoken.
"What do you think Lee?" Guy asked.
Rock Lee stood. Time had changed the man greatly. He was no longer the rambunctious failure who had to prove himself. Lee had become well known throughout the world as a powerful fighter, and a voice of courage and compassion that rivaled Naruto Uzumaki. From time-to-time his outburst of youth overtook him, typically when he spoke about his son Kiyoshi.
"Gaara is a leader wise beyond his years," he said, looking at the remaining shinobi in the room. "He will only go to war if there is no other option. If it comes to that, Konoha should always remain a faithful ally of the Sand Village. He would do the same for us."
"Thank you," Temari sighed. "Finally, someone makes sense."
"I agree," Kakashi nodded. "We can't forget Gaara's selfless actions during the Shinobi World War. If nothing else, we owe him support."
"If there's one thing I've learned throughout my time as a Leaf shinobi, it's that as ninja we are supposed to do what is smart. As a Leaf Ninja, we always do what is right," Rock Lee nodded. "We could stay out of it, but the choice would burn in our conscious forever.
"It's been two whole days Shikamaru-sensei," Kiyoshi frowned. He was slowing down and finding it difficult to keep up with his teammates.
"Come on, we're almost there," the Jonin replied.
Travel had been rather uneventful. The two days had been travelled in relative silence. Kiyoshi spend most of his time talking to Katsu about the jutsu they planned on learning. Akira and Shikamaru had spent much of the two days speaking about foreign affairs. Akira had wanted to learn all about his sensei.
"Wait," Shikamaru said, stopping on a particularly sturdy looking branch. "Did you hear that?"
"Byakugan!" Akira exclaimed. The veins around his eyes bulged and became far more pronounced. His pupils too grew slightly in size. "I don't sense anything Shikamaru-sensei."
"Doesn't matter. There are many ways to remain undetected by the Byakugan, you'll learn that soon enough."
"We don't hear anything," Katsu agreed, looking around. She began to worry, and dropped to the floor in an attempt to get a better view of the area. "Where's it coming from?"
That was when they all heard it, the sound that had alerted Shikamaru. It was a low growl that seemed to shake the very branches the on which the ninja stood.
"Sorry, I guess I'm hungry," Kiyoshi laughed, sitting on his branch.
Shikamaru and the two Genin dropped their guard. He shook his head and let out a deep sigh, dropping down to stand by his two students.
'This kid…' he thought to himself.
"Alright, we'll stop to eat. We're close to the Desert Area and it's just much further passed that," the Jonin nodded.
Kiyoshi smiled and pulled a package out of his backpack to make food. The boy had always had an innate talent for the culinary arts, something that his teammates would no doubt appreciated in the future.
He leaned over a branch and dropped Katsu a package of instant dumplings for her lunch, and attempted to do the same for Akira. The branch he was sitting on gave way and he fell. Kiyoshi wasn't too high up, but the fall would have been enough to hinder their process for a few hours if Akira didn't grab his arm.
"Told you that you'd fall," he winked.
"Let me go you jackass!"
"…I'm pretty sure you don't want me to do that."
Kiyoshi sneered at him as Akira pulled the boy onto a thicker branch. Kiyoshi, Akira, and Shikamaru jumped to the floor to join the kunoichi.
"What's this?" Katsu said, turning her head sideways. A scroll had fallen out of Kiyoshi's knapsack when he had fallen.
"Nothing!" Kiyoshi said in a panic, grabbing the paper from his teammate. It was small, much smaller than the Scroll of Seals. It fit easily in someone's grasp, but that didn't mean much. Small scrolls like that could carry much larger items.
"What's inside Kiyoshi," Shikamaru frowned, picking up on the young shinobi's apprehension. The sensei extended his hand and forced Kiyoshi to hand over the scroll he had kept hidden away in his backpack. Shikamaru activated the container and another scroll appeared in its place. This one was much larger than the original. It had a greenish color to it with the kanji for "forbidden" coating the backside. "You idiot!"
Shikamaru quickly resealed the Scroll of Seals and placed it within his flak jacket.
"I'm sorry Shikamaru-sensei," Kiyoshi frowned and bowing his head.
"You don't understand what you've just done."
"I thought if I took the scroll, I could finish learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"By taking the scroll, you've made us the target of every bandit and S-Ranked criminal!"
Shikamaru-sensei was almost uncharacteristically angered by what Kiyoshi had done and rightfully so. The scroll contained all of the Leaf's hidden jutsu, making them highly classified documents. Simply because the four were travelling with the scroll instantly transformed this simple C-ranked mission to an S-rank.
"I'm-I'm sorry Shikamaru-sensei," the boy stammered. "I-I didn't know. Kiyoshi's eyes grew wide and Shikamaru could see the tears forming in the child's eyes.
'Geesh, what a drag."
Losing his cool had done nothing, but make a twelve year old cry. The shinobi took a deep breath and placed his hand on Kiyoshi's head, ruffling his hair a little bit. At least now he knew that Kiyoshi was a little more sensitive than the other two.
"I'm sorry for yelling, I know you were just trying to get stronger so that you could help the team," Shikamaru sighed. "Come on; let's get set for some luch.
Kiyoshi dried his tears and looked up at Shikamaru. The boy opened up his pack again and pulled out a steel pot and a container of instant ramen as well as a black container. Katsu found some wood and made a make-shift fire so that Kiyoshi could cook the food.
"Oh, we have a problem," Kiyoshi laughed.
"What now?" Akira frowned.
"I forgot water for your instant ramen."
"We passed a lake about ten minutes back. We should stock up on water anyway," Shikamaru sighed, standing up. "Hold onto this. If anyone comes, burn it." He handed Akira the scroll containing the Scroll of Seals. No one would suspect three Genin to be carrying such an important artifact.
Shikamaru jumped off, leaving the three children to themselves. He planned on being fast, only leaving his subordinates for short time. Normally it wouldn't matter any, but the scroll was too valuable to lose.
Just as their sensei left, Kiyoshi pulled out a container filled with water and laughed slightly to himself. He always had water with him. He just needed to think of some excuse to get their sensei away from the campfire.
"You found your water?" Akira questioned.
"Nah, I never lost it," Kiyoshi winked back. He pulled out the mystery black container and revealed a large freshly cut mackerel. "I packed Shikamaru-sensei's favorite lunch. Figured we could all surprise him."
"Niceee," Katsu nodded.
"Suck up," Akira frowned.
"Dobe!" Katsu yelled back at him.
"Teme!" he said, raising his fists.
Katsu pulled a kunai from her pocket. She had enough of Akira's mouth. Kiyoshi had been nothing but king to him, but the dobe had found fault in everything he had done. It was about time that someone put him in him in his place.
"Settle down," a voice said from behind. The three swiveled their heads to see Shikamaru standing by their side. "I couldn't find the lake so we'll just keep moving."
Kiyoshi hung his head; he hadn't had a chance to cook his sensei a surprise lunch. After the four had cleaned the area, Shikamaru took back the Scroll of Seals from Akira. When everything was finished, the team leapt back onto the tree tops and continued moving forward.
Kiyoshi felt it was best not to speak. Shikamaru was already angry with him and Kiyoshi feared he would only make it worse. He had made so many mistakes in the last few days, and all he really wanted to do was succeed and help his team. He wanted to do something that would make Guy proud.
'To be a splendid ninja.'
That was when he heard the scream. It was Katsu's voice.
Kiyoshi looked up to see he had lost track of his team. He picked up his pace, jumping from each tree faster than he ever had before. There was a bright light up ahead, perhaps indicating a clearing of some sort. He figured he had to get there as quickly as possible. If Katsu was screaming that could've meant his entire team was in danger.
"Shadow clone Jutsu," the ninja said, his voice almost inaudible. In a few seconds he was face-to-face with three ninja that all looked exactly the same. If they were Chunin, he stood a chance, but he couldn't defeat a Jonin.
Katsu and Akira stood on Kiyoshi's right. He had arrived before she had gotten hurt. Kiyoshi took a deep breath or relief and stood in his Iron Fist stance.
"He-he just ripped off his face. It wasn't Shikamaru-sensei," Katsu said in disbelief.
Kiyoshi figured the trio couldn't sit around and wait so he tossed a first kunai and followed up with a Leaf Hurricane Technique. Katsu took her teammates lead and shot a few fireballs to try and disrupt the ninja. One broke off formation and rushed towards Akira who responded with a few shuriken of his own.
"Shadow Shuriken Replication!" he called. The few turned into twenty five, and they weren't just copies like Shikawa's. They were solid clones. Kiyoshi knew it wasn't the best time to think of it, but Akira probably could've helped him learn the shadow clones jutsu.
The ninja stepped back and retaliated with a punch of his own. Kiyoshi blocked it, sending the ninja off balance and the Genin took the chance to follow up with his newest technique. "Leaf Whirlwind!" He spun and did a quick low kick to disorient his opponent. The ninja jumped back again, to avoid the attack, but Kiyoshi was too fast. He used his hands to spin himself around a second time but with more force. He caught the ninja's shins with a powerful kick that caused him to fall to his knees. Kiyoshi responded by using his hands once more and kicking straight in the air, bashing the rogue ninja's jaw with with the heel of his foot. "Leaf Rising Wind!" Any normal individual would have fallen back, but he barely shuttered.
His neck cracked as he returned his face to a forward position. He looked towards Kiyoshi and gave him a smile that chilled his very soul. "How does it feel to be so helpless?" He kicked Kiyoshi in the chest with a powerful thrust and tossed the child flat on his back. Kiyoshi struggled to get to his feet, and almost threw up.
He noticed to his left, Akira was unconscious, left in a pool of his own blood. Shuriken and kunai protruded from his body in all directions. Katsu was to his right, held by one of the three shinobi clones. His right arm gripped her neck as the other pressed a kunai to her throat.
"Katsu!" Kyoshi screamed, running over. Just as he was about to land a punch on the shinobi, he sliced the kunai sideways. There was so much blood. It spattered on Kiyoshi's face and he completely felt the will to fight leave his body. He shuttered and fell to his knees. The shinobi discarded her body, throwing it next to Akira's. "K-K-Katsu! Akira! No!"
Kiyoshi stood and turned to the three shinobi, screamed as loudly as he could muster. He rushed towards them, but five chains shot from the forest floor, wrapping around his legs, arms, and neck. The boy tried to break free, but the chains tightened. He was choking, and there was no way to get out of this.
'Calm down! Calm down! You can't die here! You just can't!' he screamed in his head.
Tears began to roll down Kiyoshi's face, and he gave up all hope. The ground around him started to sway and the grass began to die away. It was getting difficult to see as his breathing was severely slowed. The two ninja clones disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the third began to break up, his body swaying back and forth.
'I can't believe I'm going to die.'
The darkness overtook him, and he drifted off into an unending sleep.
And that's when the kunai pierced my skin.
"Shit!" Kiyoshi yelled, his eyes shot open and a wave of adrenaline overcame his body. Katso pulled the kunai from her teammates arm and wrapped it quickly with a piece of fabric she pulled off her clothes to stop the bleeding.
'It was just a Genjutsu,' he told himself. 'She's…okay.'
"I'll explain later," Katsu said, standing and holding the kunai in her right hand. She took a fighting stance and made a hand sign. Akira was tossed back, losing his katana, by a shinobi Kiyoshi had never seen before. Kiyoshi managed to drive one of his katana into the ground to steady himself.
Kiyoshi looked at his attacker…the ninja looked nothing like the one in his genjutsu. He was a taller man, probably a little taller than six foot or so. He wore a black jacket over a white t-shirt and dark brown pants. He had regular ninja grade sandals and had a forehead head protector that he actually used covered his forehead. It was different than Kiyoshi's though. The symbol on his headband was shaped like an hour glass, but for some reason, there was a slash through the metal over the symbol.
Kiyoshi was still a little shaken up and he struggled to stand, holding his left arm where the kunai had cut him. He didn't know at the time, but excruciating pain had the ability to awaken someone from a Genjutsu.
"An Uchiha, a Jinchuriki, and the Scroll of Seals," the ninja said. His mouth was covered by a cowl and even though the Genin couldn't exactly see his face, they could tell he was smiling. "This must be my lucky day." Kiyoshi didn't know what a Jinjuriki was, but he could see that the ninja already had the scroll in his hands. They had to act quickly, they couldn't let Shikamaru Sensei down and let this man get away with such an important piece of parchment. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" The man made the correct hand signs and a shadow clone appeared beside him. "The two of you are coming with me."
Katsu shot a fireball at the one she assumed to be real, but he quickly dodged and lunged forward. Akira pulled off the bandages around his arm and held it to the ground. There was a flash of light and in his hands appeared a kusarigama, a long chain with a scythe at the opposite end. He tossed it at the attacker, but it was going to come too late.
"Leaf Whirlwind!" Kiyoshi jumped out from beside Katsu, despite his condition, in an attempt to throw off the ninja's course. Kiyoshi thought he had already lost her once today. He wasn't going to let it happen again. The ninja took the two hits and was tossed back slightly, but Kiyoshi needed a follow up attack quickly. That's when Akira's scythe came into view. Kiyoshi grabbed it as it flew passed and pulled on the chain as hard as he could. Hopefully he didn't catch Akira too off guard.
He wasn't. He came soaring through the air with his sword in hand, aimed at the struggling assailant. Kiyoshi didn't know why, but he closed his eyes when the impact came. The thought of blood frightened him just for a moment, but when he opened my eyes, the clone just vanished.
'Dammit!' he thought.
"Shit, I thought that was the real one," Katsu exclaimed. Kiyoshi helped Akira steady himself after being ripped across the battlefield by nothing more than a chain.
"Nice move," he said.
"No, problem."
The real ninja made his move, leaping into the air, "Lightning Ball." His raised his hand and a huge orb of electricity formed in an instant. He threw it at the boys, but they managed to dodge just in time. Kiyoshi was by Akira's lost sword and he took the opportunity to grab it and toss it to his comrade. Akira caught it, quickly sheathing it in its appropriate holder.
"Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Katsu exclaimed, breaking the moment of silence. She shot a few medium sized fireballs, and Akira responded by throwing his chain at the assailant. He was so preoccupied in the fire he didn't notice it wrap around his legs.
"Gotcha," Akira smiled. The shinobi just laughed and held up his arms. He brought them crashing down as he countered with a technique of his own.
"Lightning Beast!" A hound draped in lightning, much larger than the three of children materialized, charging towards the little group. It enveloped the fireball attack, and sent a shockwave of electricity through Akira's chains, effectively rendering him unconscious. "Finish it!"
The beast charged, but Kiyoshi knew he couldn't get out of the way in time. It was going to hit him no matter what way he went. His fear had caused him to waste too much time and now he couldn't respond
'Move! Come on, move!' his brain frantically yelled to his body.
Something shot from above, impaling the beast about a foot in front of where I stood. I wasn't about to question divine will and attempted to follow up with another Leaf Hurricane, but a figure jumped from the clearing directly in front of me. Four more kunai shot from above, hitting the ninja's hand, causing him to drop the scroll, reeling back in pain.
Kiyoshi saw his moment. He ran forward and slid right past his opponent, reaching the Scroll of Seals. He grabbed it and tossed it to Katsu who placed it on her back. Kiyoshi feared for the worst, and, just as he was about to tell his teammate to burn the scroll, Shikamaru appeared, directly in the center of the battle.
"Sorry I'm late," he said, chakra blades in hand. "Take Akira and run. I'll hold this joker off."
The ninja was taken aback by the sudden intrusion.
Shikamaru Nara, the shadow ninja," the sand ninja frowned. He clapped his hands a bolt of lightning shot from the sky, hitting him directly like some sort of human lightning rod. There was a huge flash and he disappeared.
To this day Kiyoshi wasn't sure why the ninja ran. Perhaps it was because he had lost the book. Perhaps it was because he wasn't sure if he could handle a one-on-four battle. Most likely, it was because he, like so many other ninja, feared the man known far and wide as the Shadow Assailant.