Chapter 13- A Forgotten Friendship: The Pure White Lotus Lives On

There was darkness. Kiyoshi sat alone in some sort of pitch-black room; the only illumination emanating from a single ball of light that hovered just a few feet away. Kiyoshi extended his arm to try and grasp the strange object, but his hand seamlessly fazed through it, as if the object wasn't even there. It was a shame, Kiyoshi wanted to try and move the light around in the hope to gain a better grasp of his surroundings. However, that didn't seem to be in the cards.

"Hello?" he called out, cupping hands over his mouth to echo his voice. "Anyone there?

There was no immediate answer. If there was one thing Kiyoshi learned from Shikamaru, it was to always be wary of shadows. One wrong step could spell a Shinobi's doom, especially in the night. With limited visibility hampering one's mobility, there were no telling what dangers lie in wait, just out of Kiyoshi's line of sight. He figured it was in his best interest to stay near the light source until he could rationalize his location. Still, the boy couldn't keep his eyes open, shivering frequently from the cold.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed. Perhaps it had only been about five minutes or so, but with Kiyoshi's rather short attention span, it still felt like he had been sitting in silence for hours. Eventually, the Genin heard a rather soft voice from behind. Instinctively, he jumped to his feet, balling his hands into a fist. Stepping out of the darkness was a modestly dressed kunoichi with light blonde hair.

"Oh, hello," she waved, stepping further into the light.

"Inoki, you're here too?" Kiyoshi smiled, dropping his fists. It was a relief to him that he wasn't completely alone. He tried to remember the events that had occurred just prior to passing out. He could recall Katsu and Akira arguing about something frivolous, but he couldn't conjure up any more recent memories. He just remembered being outrageously angry, but he had no idea as to why. Perhaps once he wasn't shivering he could remember. "Uh, where is here?"

"Your mind," she responded. "It's darker then I expected."

It was not the response the Genin expected.

"M...my mind?!" he panicked, taking a single step backwards. "Where are Akira and Katsu?"

"They're in the Forest of Death, searching for a Heaven Scroll," Inoki shook her head, kneeling down so that she could put her hand on Kiyoshi's shoulder.

"Wait, I remember now. There was that Sound Team and... did we win?" he asked, tilting his head sideways. Inoki explained everything, starting with their victory over the Ototgakure Shinobi, hoping to cheer the boy up. Then she moved onto the poison coursing through Kiyoshi's veins, and their current predicament, explaining that she had managed to keep the boy alive by forcibly throwing him into a comma. With any luck, Kiyoshi's and Inoki's combined willpower could force Kiyoshi to awaken when the time was right. "So...you saved me? Why would you put your life on the line for me?"

"You... you really don't remember do you?" she frowned. Kiyoshi didn't respond, but instead looked toward the light in the center of the two shinobi. It was such a strange mechanism, almost as if it shouldn't exist. This intangible object was emitting a perfect five-meter sphere of light in all directions, creating a small "safe zone" for Inoki and Kiyoshi to sit. Anything out of this small area was beyond Kiyoshi's field of vision. Even still, his eyes hadn't adjusted to the complete darkness that lay just a few feet away.

"My mind is always lit," she sighed, reaching out for the spherical object. "It's because I remember everything. Some people have trouble remembering what they ate for breakfast; I recall exactly what clothes I wore three years ago. It's a blessing... and also a terrible curse. Anything outside of this small area are your memories. Whether you've repressed them, or merely just don't remember them, they all lie just outside this small area."

They sat there for a few minutes, without saying anything. Kiyoshi began to try and amuse himself, thinking that this was the most he's ever heard Inoki talk. She normally sat in the shadows, while Shikawa did most of the talking. It was nice to hear her voice; it was rather soothing. However, what she said was rather troubling. What wasn't he remembering that would practically force her to put her own life on the line to protect him?

'Why?' he pondered, racking his brain for an answer.

"You really don't remember when we were friends?" she asked, a look of concern crept upon her face.

"When we... were friends?" Kiyoshi stammered, taken aback by her comment. Kiyoshi couldn't recall her friendship, but it was clear she wasn't lying. The tears that were beginning to stream down her face seemed to indicate otherwise.

Kiyoshi stood, looking back to Inoki once more. As long as he was stuck within the confines of his own mind, he planned to make things right. He wanted to remember when Inoki and he were friends. If they were good enough friends for Inoki to risk her life for his, then she at least deserved for him to remember their past. Perhaps, more importantly, he could remember why they were no longer close comrades.

"Wait," Inoki warned, grabbing onto Kiyoshi's arm. She dried some of her tears against the collar of her turtleneck. "You shouldn't go searching around. Some memories are forgotten for a reason."

He didn't listen. Instead, Kiyoshi stepped into the darkness...

"Do you see anything?" Katsu asked, moving a few of the many branches that obscured her vision.

Akira had spent the last few minutes trying to ascend the largest tree that he could find. During the night, the duo had slept in the hollowed out insides of a rather impressive tree stump. Now that the threat of night had finally passed, Akira felt it best that they work to find a Heaven Scroll so that they could join their teammate in the center tower.

However, even with the enlarged field of vision offered by the child's kekkei genkai, Akira could not find any other Genin in the vicinity. As far as he could tell, only he and Katsu were in the immediate area. They were going to have to find someone as soon as possible. Perhaps the duo would finally try Akira's initial strategy and set up camp somewhere near the center tower. With their diminished numbers, the duo could benefit from the advantages that came with a surprise attack.

That was when he saw it. At first, Akira doubted himself once he noticed the creature's immense traveling speed. Whatever it was, Akira took note of its great grace and agility as it easily shifted from tree to tree with ease. Even with the distance that separated the oncoming attacker and the duo of Leaf Shinobi, Akira was aware that it would be within attacking distance in mere seconds. With such great speed, Akira thought twice about engaging the enemy in direct combat. That was when he realized something.

"There's a squirrel over there," Akira jested, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Great... I suppose we could always torture it for information," Katsu replied, equally disconcerted by her teammate's previous statement. Akira returned his attention to the rest of the forest, scanning as far as he could see for a second time. Just like before, Akira was greeted by only a single source of chakra. Only the lone creature headed in their direction seemed to wander inside Akira's 40-meter field of vision. Still though, something was rather troubling. How could there be no one?

"We should move out," Akira frowned, never taking his eyes off of the tiny woodland creature in the distance. "Stay on your toes."

"Is everything alright?" she asked, glancing to her teammate with a rather concerned look plastered across her face.

"No," he responded sincerely, his voice rather cold and distant. "Something just doesn't feel right."

Katsu nodded, activating her Sharingan in the process. Despite the Byakugan being sufficient enough in viewing any oncoming shinobi, Katsu felt a false sense of security in activating her own Kekkei Genkai. She knew that, while the Byakugan was capable of seeing further distances then the Sharingan, her eyes were just slightly better at detecting Genjutsu. If there was something strange going on, Katsu didn't want to be left in the dark.

The duo took off in the early morning towards the center tower. While her previous plan had involved joining teams with Squad Fourteen, Katsu agreed that, in that specific juncture, their best chance of survival was to lie in wait for a surprise attack. Running round without a plan was likely to get them killed.

Akira found his gaze turning back to the squirrel. With so little else to look at, it seemed only natural to watch the one interesting creature within his field of vision. It wasn't moving any longer, but, rather, it was standing completely still, staring back at Akira as he watched. Despite the creature still a little to the east of them, it was almost as if the creature knew that he was watching.

A bird landed on a branch just to his right and Akira had Katsu slow down. It was completely asinine, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that they were under a Genjutsu. However, that should've been almost physically impossible. With their eyes, they should easily see through such a ruse, but still... things just weren't sitting right. Katsu would've warned him... Katsu would've told them if they were under a Genjutsu.

Then again, that wasn't Katsu.

"So you've figured it out?" Katsu said, jumping to the forest floor. She wore a rather bored expression, and her demeanor seemed rather lax. Despite the situation, Akira felt himself oddly inclined to follow the Katsu's replica to the forest floor, leaving a single hand on the hilt of his katana just in case. "Well almost. This isn't a Genjutsu, but... well you're still sleeping to be honest. Still, they did say you were a genius..."

"...so that's how you're reading my thoughts," Akira realized, shaking his head in disappointment. Katsu had to have fallen asleep while on watch; it was the only conceivable way someone could've gotten close enough to take over their dreams. "Are you going to let me know who I'm speaking to?"

"What? Oh right," the fake Katsu shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm Masaru of the Hidden Stone Village. Listen, I'm just here to talk to you. After I'm done saying what I have to say I'll undo all of this."

"You and I are done talking!" Akira yelled, advancing a single step. He twisted his body to yank the katana off of his backside, but he found himself completely frozen. For, pressed against his neck was a kunai Katsu had firmly grasped in her hand. With little options to respond to such a bold maneuver, Akira felt it best to slowly remove his hand form the hilt of his sword and drop his hands to his side. As Akira expected, Katsu put her weapon back in the pouch on her hip.

"Smart boy," Katsu shrugged. "It wouldn't matter anyway, none of this is real."

The world as Akira new it began to change right before his eyes. Like some sort of horrible nightmare, the trees began to appear distorted twisting and turning in terrible directions that the leaf Genin had previously thought impossible. Then the very sky seemed as though it was tearing apart and the very fabric of the universe was giving way to some sort of dark void. Within mere moments, Akira found himself standing just at the edge of a bottomless chasm.

In Katsu's place was a young boy, wearing a short sleeved, navy blue shirt that fell just a few inches above his stomach, meeting the bandages that wrapped all around his midsection underneath his outer layer of clothing. His pants were black and cuffed so that they landed just above his knees. Unlike most headbands, the boy's forehead protector was worn like a ribbon, two strands of black fabric flowing from underneath his short and messy hair.

"Nice trick," Akira frowned, trying to feign an indifferent attitude. "What's next, a rabbit?"

"Nice, but no," the boy laughed slightly. "Ya' see, my boss...well he wants to come back with me to Iwagakure. I don't know why or what he wants to with you, but hey, that's my job."

"Then why not just take us by force?" Akira asked, putting up both of his arms to exaggerate his confusion. "You clearly have us right where you want us."

"See, that's where all of this... confusing stuff comes into play. I'm not in the business of kidnapping little kids. Hell, I don't even like being a ninja, so I figured I'd level with you. There's some sort of... higher power and he's pretty interested in your development," Masaru said honestly.

"Why are you giving your enemy such sensitive information," Akira said in disbelief. Akira wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. It was odd for an enemy to be taking such a casual approach, giving such sensitive information away without little thought.

Masaru shook his head and a small smile pierced his cold stare. Unlike the altercation with Isao, Akira felt completely on guard with the ninja who stood before him and, when the shinobi knelt toward the ground, Akira felt the desire to strike. Still...something held him back. Something within him wanted to know what the boy had to say.

Masaru took a deep breath, opening his hand so that his palm faced upwards toward the blackness above. Even though they were in a world of complete darkness, something drew forth from the shadowy plain, gravitating above Masaru's palm before shaping into a sphere about a quarter meter in diameter. The strange object then split into five smaller spheres and began to rotate in a circle, just above the boy's fingertips. Then, one by one, the black spheres of mass began to take on the different shapes of the element.

The first became a smooth stone, flawless in every way imaginable. The second formed a clear orb of water that seemed to ebb and flow as any river in nature. The third created a strange orb of static electricity that sporadically shot tiny bolts of electricity from the central mass. The fourth sphere transmuted a ball of wind that spun fast enough for it to be seen by the human eye, almost as if it were a handheld tornado. The final creation was a blue flame that burned hotter and brighter than any light source Akira had ever laid eyes on.

"Because," the boy answered, carefully gazing at the five elements he controlled in his very fingertips. "I know what it's like to be a freak."

There was a flash of light, blinding Kiyoshi momentarily and forcing him to shield his eyes. When the light had cleared, Kiyoshi was greeted with a rather pleasant scene in Might Guy's Dojo, a large empty room with mirrors all around the walls. The flooring was made of wood and the room was generally filled with boxing dummies and other practice equipment of the like. Kiyoshi recalled that specific day. For that day was the first day Kiyoshi Lee would be allowed to train with his father.

"Come on Kiyo-kun, drop and give me five, just like I've been showing you," Rock Lee smiled, getting down on all fours to show his son the proper pushup position once more.

Kiyoshi, while only about four at the time, mimicked his father's movements precisely, dropping down to his knees. On his first pushup attempt, Kiysohi lost his balance and tumbled onto his side, but, after giving it a second try, he managed to do five pushups. While sloppy, his butt was rather high in the air as it was with most children who tried to do a pushup, his father was pleased nonetheless. Then without being told, Kiyoshi flipped over on his backside, doing around seven sit ups to impress his father even more.

"Like that?" a young Kiyoshi squeaked, looking up to his father with complete admiration and awe.

"Almost, just try to do it without using your arms so much. Imagine-" Lee began to correct, but Tenten burst through the double wooden doors with a letter in hand. She didn't say anything, rather just handed Kiyoshi's father the note, and motioned for him to follow her. He started to bolt for the door, but he quickly remembered his son had been patiently sitting on the floor, waiting for his father to finish his explanation. "Hey, listen. Daddy and Aunt Tenten have to go talk to Grandma Tsunade. I'll be back as soon as I can okay."

"But... you promised," Kiyoshi frowned, grabbing onto his father's pant leg, begging his father not to go.

"I'm sorry Kiyo. Duty calls, you'll understand that one day. Stay with your godfather until then okay?" Rock Lee frowned. He turned his back on his son, and, along with Tenten, the duo hastily retreated from the confines of the dojo.

Kiyoshi hadn't noticed at the time, but standing behind him was none other than the owner of the establishment. Clad in a dark green jumpsuit and a Leaf Jonin Vest, Guy walked over to a crying Kiyoshi, kneeling down on one knee. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder, crying along side of him. It was a touching moment, one that Kiyoshi had long forgotten.

The student whose teacher was too busy to teach.

And the teacher whose student was too busy to learn.

There was another flash of light and Kiyoshi was returned to the present. After a few seconds, a small light illuminated in front of him, revealing another small five-meter sphere of light in all directions. Kiyoshi looked around to see the other nine or so lights that he had illuminated in the past few hours, including the light that had been originally lit when he had arrived. After viewing a memory, another light would shine, brightening up another portion of Kiyoshi's subconscious.

Kiyoshi touched his eyes. He was crying.

Throughout most of his child hood, Kiyoshi never had the luxury of spending time with his father. Missions of all varieties kept Rock Lee coming and going at all sorts of times of day and even kept him busy for large segments of the seasons. Were it not for Guy always being around, Kiyoshi would've been seriously devoid of a father figure in his life. It was upsetting, but he was glad his mother's job at least kept her in the Hidden Leaf Village. And, with Guy's help, he was never really alone... not like Akira or Katsu.

Inoki joined Kiyoshi on her knees, putting her hand on his backside. It troubled her to see him cry, but it was his own fault. She had warned him against searching through his memories. Each time he blacked out, he awoke, crying over some sad moment in his past. As she had said, sometimes things are forgotten things for a reason. If Kiyoshi had suppressed a memory, it was likely because it was one of pain or sorrow. For the tenth time now, Inoki urged Kiyoshi to stop.

"Not until I know what happened," he shot back, whipping his tears from his face. He clenched his fists and stood to his feet, taking a deep breath to calm himself once more. He knew that once he took another few steps that he would black out and the experience would start from the beginning, this time with a different memory that would no doubt be upsetting. He closed his eyes and stepped forward.

He opened them again at the wrong time, as again he was met with the harsh light, forcing him to look away once more. When he was able to open his eyes, he was shown another seemingly pleasant looking scene. He was in a field of some sort during midday when the sun was at its highest point. It was clear that they were far from the Leaf Village, but Kiyoshi could just barely make out his mother and Ino in the distance. They were on their way to the forest where the cherry blossoms grew, no doubt for Ino's flower shop, but had taken the time to pick a few flowers in an open field.

Inoki was standing just a few inches away from him, holding her arms outstretched with what appeared to be a white lotus flower in his face. Of course, the flower couldn't have come from the field; lotus flowers only bloom under very specific conditions not conducive to any area around Konoha.

"It's from my mom's shop," she said, pushing it towards Kiyoshi. "I thought you would like it."

"It's very pretty," Kiyoshi said, moving his face closer to smell whatever aroma was wafting in the air from off the flower's petals. Before he could react, Inoki placed the flower in Kiyoshi's hair, taking a step back to admire her handy work.

"You look pretty," Inoki giggled, petting Kiyoshi's hair.

"Ew, flowers are for girls!" Kiyoshi sneered, rubbing the white lotus from his hair. However, even with his rough treatment, the flower remained in tact, slowly descending to the grassy ground. It looked rather strange, clearly distinct from the pink flowers that grew in the field. Inoki bent over, grasping the flower in both hands before once again trying to fix the lotus onto Kiyoshi's head. The boy jumped back, and, when Inoki advanced to try once more, he took off through the fields. Once again, Inoki followed close behind giggling furiously while she chased her friend. "Stop nooo! Ew! Get away!"

Kiysohi could only pretend to be annoyed for so long as he too was thrown into a fit of euphoria, laughing as he was chased about. A single misstep caused the child to fall and Inoki, being too close to stop himself, she tumbled down on top of him. While she laughed, Kiyoshi began to cry once more as he had landed on a rock, cutting up his shorts and his knee.

"Shhh," Inoki panicked, trying to quiet Kiyoshi down so they wouldn't get in trouble from straying too far from their mothers. She pulled up Kiyoshi's shorts so that she could get a better look at the wound, and took the white lotus flower up in her free hand. After squeezing the juices from a single petal, Inoki rubbed the liquid onto the wound. It stung, causing Kiyoshi to recoil, but Inoki assured him that if he remained still, it would feel better in a moment. "My mommy says that this flower can do a lot of things."

Acting as an antiseptic was not one of the white lotus's many properties. While it did potentially have the capability to act as a sedative, it wasn't primarily used in the way Inoki had originally thought, and instead, the stinging grew in intensity and Kiysohi began to cry even harder, calling out for his mother who was likely too far away to hear. After a good long pout, Kiyoshi managed to calm himself when the pain started to subside. Inoki once again held the flower out, urging Kiyoshi to take it in his hands.

"Father says the lotus represent purity and beginnings," Kiyoshi said, finally submitting and taking up the white petals into his own hands. He stared down at it, anxiously scanning the various curves and bends of each of the petals.

"Like your name. Kiyoshi means purity," Inoki smiled once more, just as a gust of wind took the flower from Kiyoshi's hand and sent it dancing in the sky. Inoki and Kiyoshi took after it once more, dancing underneath the flower, following its various bobs and weaves in the sky. "I wish I could fly."

Just as the flower was about to drop down into Kiyoshi's hands, he was met with a final blinding light and he tripped once more. However, instead of finding himself in a flower filled meadow, Kiyoshi found himself on his knees in front of another light source in the confines of his own mind. Once again, Inoki was there to greet him, prepared to rub his back while he cried. Although, this time, Kiyoshi wasn't crying. He just sat in silence. She had no way of knowing what memory he just witnessed and felt it best to wait for him to speak.

"I remember now," he said solemnly. Inoki's eyes perked up almost instantly, but Kiyoshi urged her to let him finish with the simple gesture of raising his arm. "I remember being friends, going out to forest with our mother's whenever your mom needed Cherry Blossoms. I remember playing together when we were younger... being inseparable... I still don't remember why that all came to an end."

Kiyoshi stood up once more, absolved to searching memory to memory until he found his answer. Although, before he could take a step out of the sphere of light, Inoki grabbed onto his arm, once more impeding his progress. He was going to tell her to let him go so that he could continue, but something stopped him.

"I'll tell you," she whispered, just barely audible to Kiyoshi's ears. She tugged on his shirt, trying to get him to take a seat next to her. "It was a long time ago after all."

"A freak..." Katsu said rather quietly, allowing the words to roll off her tongue.

Katsu remembered back to the night before the Chunin Exams, when she had spoken with Akira and Kiyoshi atop the Hokage Monument. She had felt so hated, so very much like a monster that needed to be put down. She didn't even know why; it was merely the act of meeting her father that had brought about the change in her attitude. She had gone all at once from living on top of the world, to questioning if she even belonged. She certainly felt like a freak.

The boy clenched his fists and the five elements merged into a single sphere once more, creating a black mass no more than a few centimeters in diameter. Then, with a mere blink of an eye, the object vanished into the darkness, almost as if it had never been there.

"Yeah... a freak," Masaru said softly in return. Katsu didn't know why the boy felt such pain, and, for a mere second, the kunoichi felt sorry for the boy. "I know what it's like to feel shunned... unwanted... I don't want to hurt someone who shares my pain. So, I'm going to ask you this just this once: come with me and I can promise no harm will come to you. You'll be with people like me who can help you through your pain. Orochimaru will give you power like no other."

Katsu had wanted to believe the words the boy spoke, but the mere mention of Orochimaru left a terrible taste in the back of her throat. She reached for the holster on her left leg and drew a kunai, clasping it firmly within her hands. No matter what kind of offer Masaru presented her from that moment on; she knew better than to barter with the devil himself.

"Nice offer," Katsu scowled, poised to strike in just a moment's notice. "But I'm not interested."

"What if I promised the truth?" he interjected, putting out his hand. "I know you have questions; I've been briefed on your entire life. I know about the night your father fled the village and I know how your mother really died. We can take revenge on everyone who's held a hand in screwing up your life."

Katsu froze. The truth about her mother?

Katsu had always been told that her mom had died during childbirth because of the complications brought about because of the premature birth. What more could those around her be lying about? She was tired of the secrets! She was tired of the lies! She wanted someone to be honest to her for once!

With little thought, Katsu threw her hand forward, reaching for Masaru's hands in the darkness. Just as their hands were about to connect, a single thought appeared in the back of the shinobi's mind. She thought back to when she, Akira, and Kiyoshi had sat upon the rooftop, meeting Shikamaru for the first time.

In her life, Katsu had trouble trusting those around her. Even Kakashi would try and change the subject whenever Katsu asked about her parents. With as much as she respected him and cared for him, even Kakashi withheld the truth. However, there were three people she knew she could count on. She wasn't going to betray them now!

She was not an avenger.

She was Katsu Uchiha, a member of Konoha's Squad Twelve.

Katsu pulled back her hand.

"Very well," Masaru frowned; a look of sheer disgust and disapproval burned brightly in his eyes. "My offer still stands. Oh, and before I go, I saw your other teammate about an hour ago. He and his escorts... let's just say I'd hurry to the center tower."

"What's wrong with Kiyo?" Katsu yelled, taking a step forward. "You better not have laid a single finger on his head!"

"I haven't done a thing," he shrugged, turning away from Katsu. "I know he matters to you, even though he probably doesn't care much about you. You'll realize all this soon enough."

Katsu stepped forward once more to continue her barrage of questions, but something grabbed onto her leg, holding her in place. In vain, Katsu desperately tried to pull away, but she had both of her arms forcibly pressed against her sides. She closed her eyes tightly, feeling her chest tighten as she took in a deep breath, and let out a shrill scream as she felt her body being pulled downward into the dark abyss.

"Katsu!" a voice shouted. All at once her body started to shake, almost as if she was starting to convulse. She wanted to shout once more, but she willed her eyes open to see Akira's face just a few inches away from hers. It was clear he was concerned. "Kiyoshi's in trouble... we need to move out."

"Did you..." Katsu began to say, but Akira cut her off once more.

"Yes, I spoke to him as well," Akira answered honestly, shaking his head. Everything Masaru had promised sounded so enticing. He swore Orochimaru could break the seal keeping Akira from accessing the Kyubbi's chakra. He knew that with the Tailed-Beasts power he could become everything he ever wanted. He would be his own man, not as just some vessel. He would finally be strong! "We'll talk about it later. For now, we have to get to Kiyo!"

"Summoning Jutsu!" Katsu nodded in agreement, biting her thumb so that a small amount of blood pooled on the tip of her finger. After exerting a bit of chakra, a small, brown dog appeared, its huge eyes staring up at the duo of shinobi. "Konjou, come on, lead us to Kiyo!"

Without so much as a bark, the dog took off eastward towards the center tower, just as Masaru had warned. If what the Iwa Genin said was true, Kiyoshi may not have much time left; he needed medical attention.

"Hold on Kiyo!" Katsu shouted, her voice disturbing the birds in the trees above. "We're coming!"

Omake

Katsu: So what's on the agenda for today?

Akira: Well we still don't have Kiyoshi, so I'm still at a loss. I mean, he's the funny guy who writes the script for all of these.

Shikamaru: Hey!

Katsu: Oh, Shikamaru-sensei! We're glad you're here!

Akira: Yeah, you saved us from having another boring omake.

Shikamaru: What was that?

Akira: So, how are things on the outside Sensei?

Shikamaru: Not well. I'd share the details with you, but it would ruin the plot.

Akira: Right, well the story must come first.

Shikamaru: And what of you three?

Katsu: Well, let's see... I was kidnapped, Akira got the stuffing kicked out of him, Kiyoshi and Inoki are passed out in a comma, and we're currently on our way save Shikawa and Choya from an unspecified danger. Am I missing anything?

Akira: Hmm, Kiyoshi was injected with poison.

Katsu: And Kiyoshi was injected with poison. So, we're not doing well.

Akira: I'd say about a zero out of ten on the competency scale.

Katsu: Sh-Shikamaru-sensei? Are you okay?

Shikamaru: Yeah. Hey, I think you two should get going. Seems like you shouldn't be wasting your time, my son needs saving after all.

Katsu: Don't worry Shikamaru-sensei; we have plenty of-

Shikamaru: Go!

Katsu: Wait, what? Shikamaru-sensei, what are you doing with that.

Akira: Come on, she was just joking. All right, we're going! We're going!