Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat

brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war

-Ernest Hemingway

Chapter 11: Worse Things

"Shoot." Shikamaru's eyes shot open and he immediately dispelled his jutsu. Naruto was taken out. That not good at all. He stood up sharply from his seat but stumbled back against the rock face as a wave of nausea passed over him. He gritted his teeth as he bore through the sea of sickness. He didn't have time for this! "Kei!" He gasped out for his friend and was slightly relieved by the sound of footsteps coming towards him.

"Nara-san, what's wrong?" Kei's golden eyes glinted in worry. She'd worried about the forbidden jutsu, but it seemed just like the perfect time. She should have waited a few years. She silently cursed her early actions as she put a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder to help stabilize him. Inoichi was still down in the mines and she hardly knew any medical jutsu. A chakra scan was just about as far as she went.

Sweat dripped on her brow as she shook her companion slightly. The jutsu she had done had been fairly weak and didn't require much chakra, but her chakra pool was relatively tiny. She had expended too much energy trying to lure the Naruto clone towards the voice. Now that she thought about it, she hoped Naruto was alright. Did Shikamaru see something from the shadow?

"Get the civilian away from here." Shikamaru coughed out. The worried wife was still hovering around the mines. Clearly she couldn't relax after all that had happened, but if she was going to get in trouble they'd have to move her. Kei nodded back to Shikamaru and hurried off to Noriko's side.

"Noriko-san, we need you to head back to your house. Lock the doors and if anyone tries to come in don't let them in unless you hear one of our voices, alright?" Noriko gave a worried nod before casting one last longing look towards the tunnel. She turned away and hurried off dragging her dress on the ground.

After Noriko had left, Kei looked back to Shikamaru. If she had been told to move Noriko out of the way it probably meant they were in a combat situation. Did that mean anything about Naruto then? "Kei, Naruto's down." Shikamaru panted out hurriedly. There was obviously no time for formalities and he just needed to get it out.

His brain was racing around in circles. The recoil from the jutsu was enough to stun him at exactly the wrong time. He needed to be ready to respond to attacks and even plan a strategy! He wasn't sure if he could do either of those the way he was at the moment.

He thought over the small repertoire of jutsu that he knew. His father had taught him the beginnings of a few Nara clan jutsu and he was able to create a defensive coil of shadows. Perhaps he could trap the man in a Kagemane for Kei to take him out with a kunai? It was nearly impossible to play out. They weren't strong enough to keep a fully grown man down.

Aoi had obviously been slightly tired after fighting Inoichi and Naruto, but there was no way he'd be weak enough to be taken down by two genin. They were in a completely different class from him. Teamwork could only go so far in situations like these.

Memories of the sword flashed into Shikamaru's mind. That was right. If he used the sword then he could attack from long range without worries of being hit in return. He gripped the rock face as he thought. There had to be something that he could do that would raise the probabilities of their success!

No matter how he thought, with only two or three types of jutsu they'd have to resort to basics. They'd need a miracle to get through this. Perhaps he wouldn't try to kill them? He hadn't killed Naruto, but maybe he was waiting for something more than just a scrap. "Kei, can you climb up on the overhang?"

Shikamaru pointed towards the small indentation in the rock face above the entrance to the mines. Kei looked warily at the ledge but nodded. If she had to do it then she would. "Right. Get up there and get a kunai or two out. I'm going to try and trap Rokusho-san in my jutsu and I need you to drop on him and stab him. I'll release my jutsu just before impact so don't worry about hurting me. I doubt I can keep it up for very long anyways."

Kei frowned. She's personally seen the damage that could transmit through the Kagemane. If he didn't release in time she would certainly kill him if she impacted. However, maybe this was what teamwork was like? Trusting your partner with your very life to ensure the ending of the mission. She sighed and bobbed her head. She would do it.

"Good. Get up there quickly. We don't have much time." Shikamaru choked out. He noticed how despairingly weak his voice got at the end. He had to get himself together before Aoi made it to the top. He'd only left Naruto as he lost consciousness so he knew Aoi was nearing the exit. They probably had two minutes at most. When it counted, two minutes was a lot of time.

As Kei went to scale her way up the rock, Shikamaru flattened himself against the rock wall. He stood a few feet away from the doorway so he outline could not be seen from inside. He checked his own shadow and was relieved to see that his shadow wouldn't be visible from the inside of the cave. Now he just had to set up the jutsu.

He rolled his head from side to side and stretched out his arms. The ominous clang of the elevator shaft sounded from inside the cave. Aoi had reached the top. Shikamaru's hands quickly flew through the signs faster than he had even thought possible and he whispered, "Kagemane no Jutsu." A black tendril from his shadow slipped along the walls of the cave. The only light in the small cavern was the natural light that filtered in through the gap. The shadow was almost impossible to distinguish in the light.

Footsteps. Never did Shikamaru think he would be so afraid of a few footfalls. "Now let me see where those little birds are. Hopefully they haven't flown the coop so early, hm? It would be a nuisance to track them down." Two loud thumps from inside the cave where heard. They didn't sound anything like feet or rocks. They sounded like bodies.

Shikamaru dearly hoped that didn't mean that his companions were dead. Overhead, Kei tried to force herself close to the wall. She had her back facing away so that when she fell she'd be directly facing Aoi. It didn't make her feel very safe with her back exposed. She clung to the side and silently prayed that her shadow wouldn't cast down. Her prayers were not answered.

"Little birdie! I see you there. Come down from your nest, hm? Perhaps we can...talk." Aoi let out a bemused chuckle at the last word. Both parties knew that he would most certainly not be simply talking to them. It would be a onesided slaughter if everything turned out as he planned.

Kei contemplated her options for a moment. She need to be able to drop down on him, but if he thought there was any hope of her coming down he wouldn't come out. She looked down at Shikamaru and saw him with his back to the rock face. Maybe this would work if only she could tell him to attach to Aoi and walk him out.

Luckily, not all communication needs to be vocalized. The black tendril creeped slowly along the wall, thankful for the distraction Kei had provided. It slid across the ground until finally contacting with Aoi's shadow. The bond was complete.

Shikamaru let out a sigh. Now would be the hard part. He tightened his hands into the final hand sign and bolted away from the rock. Aoi, much to his surprise, moved along with the boy. He ran out into the sunlight, but was unable to shield his eyes from the sudden change in light. He managed to wince as he tried to close his weakened eyes.

His body stopped stock still and Aoi realized he was beneath the girl above. He had to break free from the jutsu and he had to do it now. Despite what he liked to think, Aoi knew his chakra pool wasn't large. If he used enough chakra to dispel the jutsu then he'd be severely weakened. It was a chance he'd have to take then.

Aoi flared out his chakra violently and a roll of the blue colored energy snapped the power of the Kagemane. Aoi gasped as most of his remaining energy was sucked out of his system. He gritted his teeth and rolled out of the way as Kei came hurtling down at him.

Kei hit the dirt with kunai extending and grunted as a small shockwave ran up her arms. She'd missed him! What were they going to do now? She forced herself up from the ground and abandoned her kunai as she fled back towards her companion. "Shoot, shoot, shoot." She mumbled as she skittered back over to Shikamaru's side.

The boy was collapsed by the wall. Shikamaru gasped for breath as he felt most of his remaining chakra slip away. The chakra blast was too much for him to take. The prickling feeling under the skin on his arms told him that he had chakra burns. The only bright side to that was it meant Aoi had chakra burns as well.

The black haired boy cough a rattling cough as Kei neared. That was right, they still had a battle to fight. There was no time for him to just sit down. Even if all he could do was wield a kunai it would help. But what chance would they have now? Even if Aoi was tired he was a jonin and they were genin.

Perhaps he should just tell Kei to run. It seemed as if they were all going to die anyways. "Kei." Shikamaru weakly gasped out her name. "Do you have any explosive notes?" Aoi was still looking as if he was in a haze. They probably had a few moments to talk and gather themselves.

"Get inside the cave. Once we're inside set off an explosive note and get the front of the cave to crumble. Be careful though since I highly doubt all of the miners got out in time. We can't set off bad tremors." Shikamaru advised hoarsely as he wobbled up from the ground. The cave entrance was only a few feet away. He grasped the side of the wall and quickly hobbled his way into the cave. They'd have to trap themselves in.

Kei nodded mutely and helped usher her teammate into the depths of the cavern. It was lucky for them that there was nearly 40 feet of space before the shaft. She dropped Shikamaru off towards where Inoichi and Naruto lay before pulling out three exploding tags from her pouch. She rubbed her fingers sharply against them to activate the seals and threw them expertly at the roof above the exit.

The sheets flattened against the rocky overhang before glowing a bright red. The resulting explosion was enough to send the already weak legged kids stumbling back father into the darkness. It was pitch black save for the small trickles of light coming through the gaps in the rock.

Kei coughed as dust wormed its way into her lungs. She waved away the invisible dust and bent down to the ground. She patted around and tried to figure out where her teammates where. She found a silky bunch of long hair and knew she had reached Inoichi. That meant Naruto had to be nearby!

She took in a deep breath before forcing out small remnants of her chakra into her hand. The medical chakra glowed a small green and light up the small cavern. She spotted Naruto and quickly tapped him on the forehead. His chakra was as high as ever for whatever reason, perhaps he was a power sleeper, but it was deeply agitated. She drew her arm away onto for it to be caught in a harsh grip.

Kei's golden eyes widened as she bore into Naruto's now glowing red eyes. "Uzumaki-kun?" She spoke quietly. His eyes were red. Why were they red? Was this a result of his chakra system, but she had never read anything about this! It had to be an aberration!

Naruto, or the being that inhabited Naruto, looked around the room that was now partially light due to the chakra coming off of him in waves. His eyes latched onto Shikamaru who had been silent in the corner for a good few minutes now.

The ponytailed boy was an absolute mess. He panted heavily against the wall as sweat streamed down his face. Every few breaths he let out a rasping cough. Whether the cough was from the dust or the chakra exhaustion, Kei wasn't sure she could tell. What she could tell was that he looked absolutely awful right now. He'd pulled off two high level jutsu in quick succession and he hadn't been prepared for either of them. This was supposed to be a simple guarding mission. Aoi wasn't supposed to be here out for revenge.

Naruto's eyes stared at Shikamaru for a moment before something truly incredible happened. "Shikamaru... Who did this?" The last s was drawn out into a hiss as hatred began to bubble up in the boy's eyes. Naruto's voice was frighteningly low. Kei wasn't sure if this really was Naruto at this point.

"Ahh, of course... Rokusho-san was it? I'll kill him." The cold resignation was terrifying. He talked of killing the man as if it was nothing. Kei had already come to terms with the fact she'd have to kill someone, but she'd always set that event to being in the far future. Naruto wouldn't really just kill the man now would he?

Naruto released Kei's arm from his vice grip before pulling himself from the ground. His balance was perfect, something Kei knew that Naruto couldn't pull off. The glowing light that had originated from his eyes was now beginning to ebb off the boy in waves. It was eerily familiar to the chakra flash she had seen Aoi give not ten minutes ago.

But, if this was chakra then how on earth was he still alive? His chakra system was incredible, but no one should have been able to stand up to this! Then the quote crossed her mind, "It is therefore believed that these chakra stores can only be obtained through a connection with a tailed beast or another creature of that nature." Naruto had to be a jinchuuriki.

Her mind raced as she stared at the boy in front of her. She had heard stories of the nine tailed fox, but did this mean that Naruto was the container? She felt something akin to horror. Not because that the boy she was standing next to was a demon, but the fact that the demon was pulled their Naruto away from them at this moment.

She opened her mouth to protest, but it was too late. The Kyuubi let out a demonic roar before running at the boulders that concealed them from view. A loud explosion was heard as Naruto pelted through the boulders and back out into the sun. The glowing red eyes scanned the surroundings before latching on a green haired man that had collapsed next to a tree.

Aoi jumped at the sound of a second explosion and looked towards the cave to see the hulking red form. That was the boy he had beaten in the elevator shaft right? There was no way he should have been up so quickly! Aoi forced himself to his feet only to be sent back through the tree. The man tumbled across the earth until he finally skidded to a stop.

Pain echoed up his body as he gasped to get air back in. The boy had moved so quickly! How was that even possible for a genin? He slid his sword out of his sheath and held it up protectively in front of him. It seemed that he'd have to be on his guard for now. Underestimating your opponents always ended in death.

"Inoichi-sensei... Shikamaru... You hurt them and now you will pay." The Kyuubi growled as it neared. Coiled of burning chakra came off of the boy's body in waves. The killer intent was like nothing Aoi had never felt. He had gone head to head with many S Class Assassins in his time, but this was something different. There had been sadism, there had been malicious intent, but never had there been such a desire for black hearted revenge.

The feeling Aoi got was a clear message. This boy wanted to see him die a slow, painful, and miserable death. "I'll start with your arms. I can't have you die too early on me now can I?" Aoi instinctively flinched as the smug pleasure that crossed the Kyuubi's face. It was nothing like the boy he had been fighting only a bit ago. This was a true monster.

Aoi twirled his sword around his hand and sent off a crackling bolt of electricity towards the blonde. Naruto bent over backwards and let the energy pass harmlessly above him. This was all a show now. Aoi was ever so obviously overwhelmed. It was nearly a joke that the man was even trying to face him.

The boy gave a maliciously sweet smile as he continued to walk closer and closer. Aoi fired off countless bolts of energy and backed away as he did so. The sword started to dim as more and more energy was sapped away from it and Aoi's eyes widened in fear. He had to get away. Forget Inoichi for now, it wasn't worth losing his life over.

He turned around and prepared to shunshin only to see an arm wrap around his midsection and throw him back in the direction of the cave. The sword slipped out of his grasp and went spiraling into a tree and Aoi found himself on the ground defenseless. He wheezed weakly and plucked the two kunai that Kei had earlier abandoned on the ground. That was when he felt a piece of metal slice across his neck.

Blood trickled from his lips and he looked back towards the cave. Through the opening that Naruto had made only minutes ago, Kei stood with a kunai in hand. Blood dripped from the kunai and Aoi lifted up a slow hand to the side of his neck. A trickle of blood exited the corner of his mouth. The jugular...

"You have five minutes. If you surrender we'll get you medical attention, if not you'll die." Kei's kunai quivered violently in her hand. Her voice had a facade of calmness, but anyone looking at her knew she was horrified.

"Seriously? Why should we even let you live? You're a nukenin aren't you? You decided to attack Konoha so I have every right to kill you. Kei may be in a forgiving mood, but trust me. I am not." Aoi had nearly forgot that the monster was still there. A strong hand reached out from below him and snagged his throat. Aoi was dragged down to the ground as everything began to swirl around him.

"I surrender." The man whispered hoarsely.

"Rejected." The demon hissed back. A cruel glow lit in his eyes as he pinned Aoi down to the ground. The blood that was rushing into his throat began to clog his breath as he tried to force the air into his lungs. His hands weakly tried to pry off the hands around his throat only to find the fingers grip tighter around him. The chakra that glowed around his hands began to burn Aoi's flesh and the scent of burning skin met his nose.

"STOP IT!" Kei dropped her kunai and ran over to the pair on the ground. What was she supposed to do? She had never seen anyone become like this. She reached out to touch the boy only to recoil back as the chakra burnt her. She couldn't even touch him like this and he didn't even seem to be answering her calls.

Even if Aoi had tried to kill them, they couldn't fall to his level. He still had a chance to survive and it was rapidly being drained away by Naruto. She flipped open her pouch and drew out a senbon. Her mind raced as she recalled the nerve endings around the neck before plunging the metal down into Naruto, promptly knocking him unconscious.

The clouds of chakra floated away into the air as the blonde slumped forward on top of his adversary. Every minute counted now. Kei hurried pushed the boy off of Aoi and tried to sit Aoi up. A moment later she dropped him back onto the ground. Empty eyes stared back up at her.

She shakily stood up from the ground and backed away from the two forms on the ground. Her breathing accelerated as she backed up against the rock face. She did the only thing she could think of. She screamed.

Hey guys! I'm sorry it has been so long. ;( I'm back in action though! My beta is on vacation this week, so this was fairly freelance, but next week we'll be back up and running! I'm going to try and update weekly now so you can look to see me around more often than I have been. (;

Also for all the guest reviews: If it is possible to name yourselves things other than guest it would be helpful. xD I want to respond to the anonymous reviews here, but you all...have the same name... /sweatdrop

Guest 1: Poor Team Tsume! D: I'm beginning to feel cruel now! Thanks so much for reviewing the story! ;D

Guest 2: Don't worry about having problems with contact. xD It's still great seeing you around! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Guest 3: I'm really glad you enjoy it! I'm trying to make it super realistic by basing it off of some of my friends. :P They'd be shocked if they found out I did that though. xD

Thanks to everyone for reading, alerting, favoriting, and reviewing Team Tsume! I'm honored that you guys continue to follow this work! :D