Team Aeternum: From Heaven to Hell
Chapter 7: Destined
I do not own Naruto.
"We were destined to be great, you know? Us three, we became famous across the nations, so that proved our destined ascension into greatness, right? Hell no. We were destined to set the bar for others to reach and surpass – and in the end, that's what we will be remembered for, Yugao."
- Jiraiya
Chapter Start
They were finished.
They checked once, twice and for the fun of it? Three times they checked as they held the completed blue prints of the building; every corridor, corner, room and ventilation grates were now marked with excruciating detail of all three floors, in more than one dimension. Shino had been precise with the data that was collected on his behalf by his bugs as he graphed the dimensions of the building and was now left with an impressive layout. In order to get such a large amount of data in such a short time, Shino had sent in waves of his kikaichū from various directions to maximize efficiency.
With all the paperwork completed, the trio analyzed the routes the guards took when they shifted from their positions and calculated the time they had to go through the building until they reached the endpoint: Gatō's office on the third floor.
The moon was still out.
It was late in the night – or could it be early in the morning (?) – when the trio finished their analytical advances on the ins and outs of the building before them. And they finished just in time, too.
The trio was ragged. They needed sleep, and while they could rely on Naruto's concoctions to stay awake, one of their simplest of needs could not be ignored without consequence. With shaky hands and tired eyes, the trio groggily called it a night as they dispelled their clones, gathered their supplies before returning to Tazuna's home to rest for the little remaining time they had – if yesterday morning had anything to hint at what's to come in a couple hours.
Joy.
After sneaking in through the window – like any reasonable ninja would – the trio made their way through the living room and into their sleeping quarters. With a long sigh, the trio wished one another a good night before they closed their eyes and fell asleep.
Unbeknownst to them, however, another team had just left the house as the trio entered. Team Gai walked out with determination as they prepared to train harder than they had ever trained before.
The trio slept well as their bodies greedily accepted the rest, and was more than happy to wake up by their own volition rather than by a screaming bushy-browed ninja.
When the sun had just begun to rise, Shikamaru had been the first one to have awakened. The robust, yet soothing noise of Naruto's snore against his chest was what made Shikamaru open his eyes. He glanced at the familiar blonde head of hair and rolled his eyes. Naruto, in the night, had scooted over to Shikamaru's location and nestled his blonde head against the Nara's chest, something he had always done in their early childhood. Shikamaru rose his head up slightly – as to not disturb the blonde – and saw one of Shino's arms wrapped underneath Naruto's body – the Aburame's fingers were up against the blonde's stomach – while his other arm lazily lounged over Naruto's exposed side.
Shikamaru sighed before bringing his head down to his ordinary position. He placed a hand on Naruto's head.
To the untrained eye, this could be mistaken for cuddling – an affectionate form of hugging – but that was not the case probably.
Probably.
To the trained eye of a ninja, however, this could be seen for what it truly is: cuddling. Shikamaru sighed once more. It was a good thing nobody could see them right now. That would probably be the most embarrassing thing to happen to them –
The door was open. Behind the open door, behind the doorframe, was a flabbergasted Hana. She didn't dare to speak a word. How could she? What was there to say about something like this?
She had come to wake the trio up, but what did she get for doing that? Impure thoughts of the type of relationship the trio had with one another? A blush across her face? A sudden insight on the perks of voyeurism?
All of the above.
She backed away slowly – well, she attempted to do so, anyways. When Shikamaru's hand "caressed" – Hana's imagination – Naruto's head, she paused and kept watching.
That is, until one of her dogs whined as to what she was doing, catching Shikamaru's attention. He looked up and noticed her.
"…"
"…"
They stared at one another, both equally embarrassed at being found out. Shikamaru recovered first.
"G-Good morning, Inuzuka."
"G-Good morning!" Hana recovered half way through his greeting. "I-I'm sorry! I'll let you three s-sleep a little longer!" She stammered as she scratched her cheek before walking away.
Shikamaru stared at the doorway for a moment before pushing Naruto's face off of his chest with a spread chest.
"Hmm…? Hey, what the hell!"
xxOxx
Several Minutes Later…
Hana peered into the room cautiously and was surprised to find it empty. She shook her head.
Why had she gone back to check on them anyway? She swatted away a perverted thought as she walked through the hallway that led to the living room. Hana heard someone move around in the bathroom; perhaps it was one of the trio taking a bath. She didn't think much about it as she met Tsunami lounging about in the living room, a book in her hands.
"Good morning, Tsunami-san. You're up awfully early, don't you think?" Hana greeted the hostess as she looked outside. The morning sun was just barely rising.
"Good morning to you as well, Hana-chan. This time of the morning is the only time I have for myself, so I take advantage of it as most as I can. Normally I would be taking a bath right now, but it seems I was beaten to it…" Tsunami explained with a small smile.
"I'll get him out then." Hana turned. "Which one of them is it?"
Tsunami tilted her head at the question. "All three of them, if my memory serves me right."
Hana froze. 'Isn't it a single bath?!' She coughed as she tried to maintain her composure.
"O-Oh, is that right?" Hana kept her back to Tsunami, lest she give her blush visibility. "I'll get…them, out." She muttered as she made her way to the bathroom. Tsunami smiled to herself.
Hana was about to knock on the door when she heard a voice. It belonged to Shikamaru.
"O-Oi, N-Naruto! Your hands are too cold – don't touch me thERE!" Shikamaru nearly yelled. Hana stammered before placing an ear against the door.
"D-Don't rub it so hard, Na-Naruto!" Shikamaru groaned.
"Hahaha, I can't help it; especially when you make noises like that!" Naruto's laugh filled the room, followed by more of Shikamaru's protests. Hana's blush returned as she crouched while keeping her ear planted firmly against the door.
"How does it feel, Naruto?" Shino asked suddenly.
"It feels…great, Shino. Keep going…" Naruto paused for a moment before sighing deeply in satisfaction. "A little harder."
"I might get tired, Naruto." Shino stated, his voice held the notion of him applying force.
"Doesn't matter, keep going…" The blonde shrugged it off. "…harder, Shino!" Naruto commanded.
Hana's blush intensified. Her face was completely red now.
"Oi, don't pull so hard, Naruto!" Shikamaru groaned with a wince.
"I can't help it! It's so… so long!" Naruto countered before he sighed with pleasure once more.
"My fingers have tired, Naruto." Shino commented, his voice heavy.
"I can tell. Take a break, Shino. I'll do you next." Naruto relinquished Shino's task.
"Tch, that's no fair!" Who's going to do me? I can't rub it in by myself, y'know." Shikamaru complained.
"Quit whining, I'll get you all the help you need. Shadow clone jutsu!" There was a distinct noise of clones being made. "Now guys, get your fingers to work on him…" Naruto began.
Hana's breath hitched.
"…don't be afraid to get deep in there…"
Hana felt something coming as her labored breathing turned into panting.
"…use your whole hand if you have to."
Hana's heart was pounding as she felt it coming. So close!
"Please be gentle…I'm sensitive." Shikamaru commented off hand before the sound of clones moving together took place.
"GAH!" Hana was thrown backwards by the force of a massive nosebleed taking place. She collided against the wall behind her, the blood not letting up.
"What happened out here – Hana-senpai?"
xxOxx
Later...
Hana was seated on the dining table shortly after the events that occurred earlier. Since then, Team Gai returned from their morning training and joined her as they waited for breakfast to be served. Tazuna and Inari joined them several minutes later.
"Are you sure you're okay, Inuzuka?" Shikamaru glanced at the older girl sitting next to him. Hana muttered something, as she didn't trust her voice at the moment, but gave the feeling of a positive answer. Shikamaru focused on her for a moment before he shrugged.
"Where were you three?" Naruto asked Team Gai from across the table.
"Training." Was the collective, simultaneously response from all three members of the opposite team. They looked motivated.
"Oh, okay. We're not invited anymore or...?" He trailed off, hoping for a response.
"No."
"It would be better if you weren't there, sorry."
"Sorry, Naruto-kun."
The team responded simultaneously once more.
Shikamaru nodded at Neji, who then returned the gesture. "That's good to hear." He replied normally.
Tazuna and Inari just stared at the ninjas before them.
"Ninjas are really weird..." Inari repeated once more.
Tazuna nodded. The old man scratched his neck before he sighed. "Can you believe it, Inari? Sonora ran off! Today's work is going to take even longer!" Tazuna grumbled as he crossed how hands across his chest.
Tsunami was preparing the food in the kitchen, humming a tune, when she overhead her father's words. She turned around and looked at the back of his head with a certain gaze.
"Father, you aren't thinking about going to work today, are you?" She asked as she began to serve the table.
Tazuna bristled at his daughter. "I have to. Only way the bridge will get done is if I work every day."
Tsunami frowned. "But today is the annual Festival of Fortunate Cause. You can't miss that, or expect your workers to work on such a grand day." Tsunami's words got the attention of all those present.
"Grand day? Last year's festival was a complete wreck. Wouldn't be surprised if no effort goes into preparing that damn thing." Tazuna explained as he ate.
"We can help prepare it." Naruto, Shino and Shikamaru offered simultaneously, surprising the rest of the table with the claim to help.
"Really?" Tsunami looked at the blonde, hope in her eyes.
"Really?" Hana looked at Shikamaru skeptically.
"Really?" Tenten looked at Shino curiously.
Tazuna scoffed. "Why bother?"
The birds outside chirped loudly.
"We love festivals!" Naruto exclaimed. "Our sensei always took us to some when we were younger!"
Shino nodded. "There are a lot of memories to be made during festivals."
"And besides, didn't you say that any bit of help that could lighten the mood around the village be greatly appreciated?" Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow as he shot Tazuna a look.
"Then it's settled! Could you three please help prepare the festival?" Tsunami answered for a flustered Tazuna.
"We would love to." The trio answered.
xxOxx
Village center an hour later...
Tazuna, Inari, the trio, Hana along with her dogs and Team Gai stood on the eerily empty village center, where there were a plethora of dirt streets surrounded by run down stalls, closed stores and plenty of garbage. It looked... less than festive.
"This is what I meant." Tazuna scoffed. "The village didn't even bother to remember about the festival.
"This is pointless." Inari mumbled.
Naruto shook his head. "That's why you got us!" Naruto exclaimed as he pointed a thumb towards himself. "We'll get this place up and running before the festival usually begins." Shikamaru and Shino nodded.
"Like three people can set up an entire festival in a couple hours!" Inari lashed out. "The village gave up, why even bother?"
"'cause, kid..." Shikamaru began as he and his teammates made the hand sign. "...when there's a will..." The clones appeared. "...there's a way."
Sixty clones were now surrounding the area.
Everyone nearby gawked at the amount of clones. 'How much chakra do these three have?!'
"Okay, all of you group together!" Naruto barked out an order, causing the large mass of clones to separate into their groups; Naruto's clones all got together, Shikamaru's clones did the same while Shino's clones followed the order as well.
"What do you need us to do, Tazuna?" Shikamaru asked, his clones at attention.
Tazuna stammered. "W-Well first of all, we need to clean this place up if a festival is going to take place here." He looked at the filth everywhere.
Shikamaru and his clones nodded. "We're on it!" The clones announced as they each went to work and began to clean.
"What else, Tazuna-san?" Naruto asked, his clones waiting for instructions.
Tazuna adjusted to the situation. "Look at the stands and the conditions the stores are in. If this place would get fixed, it'll make the place feel better, I guess."
Naruto's clones looked around before one of them asked a question. "Is there a wood mill anywhere nearby?"
The question surprised Tazuna. "Y-Yeah, over there..." He pointed. " Keep going straight and you'll find an abandoned one over there. There should still be plenty of wood."
The clones nodded. "Consider it done!" They all left.
Shino looked at Tazuna and nodded, his clones did the same.
"For right now, we need decorations. This place looks like a graveyard. In the past, this place used to have decorations lining the streets, rooftops and the like." Tazuna finished as he recalled the details. "You can find the decorations in storage half a mile that way." He pointed. "Getting in is going to be hard though, just a warning."
The Shino clones nodded. "Excuse us." They said politely before running off.
All that remained were the originals.
"What else?" Shikamaru asked.
All that's left is finding the festival coordinators: the ones with the games, activities and all that. They must have been here earlier, looked at the mess and left. If you three split up and look fast enough maybe you can find their caravans before they officially leave." Tazuna explained with a shrug before he recalled something he had missed. "Oh and the nighttime feast, can't forget about that. At night, there's usually a huge buffet of food and fruit so we can all dig in. Don't have a clue as to how you're going to get that.
The trio nodded before making more clones to help them search.
"They're trying really hard for this festival to happen..." Tenten trailed off as she saw the clones work.
Neji thought the amount of effort was asinine but had to agree.
"Yosh! Their efforts are inspiring me! Naruto-kun! Let me help you!" Lee ran off to join the blonde.
"Lee, you idiot..." Tenten laughed. "Hey, Shino!" She called out to the Aburame. "Let me help you with getting the decorations." She walked to him.
Neji scoffed. "Helping with a festival was not part of this mission." He said bitterly before leaving to go train.
Hana rolled her eyes at Neji's words before catching up to Shikamaru. Her dogs stayed behind to keep an eye on Tazuna.
Inari and Tazuna looked at all the clones working.
"Ninja are really weird..."
Tazuna had to agree.
xxOxx
It was one of Shino's clones that found the caravans and their owners several miles from the village center several minutes later. The clone convinced the caravans to turn back to set up for the festival with a promise of good food and a large turnout.
With the caravans located and the festival being prepared by an abundance of clones, the villagers of Wave soon came to the town center - most of them less than happy.
"Are they serious about the damned festival? I thought we agreed last year that there would be no more!" A paranoid man exclaimed as he saw Shikamaru's clones cleaning.
"They're gonna provoke Gatō!" Another yelled out.
More and more villagers began to agree with one another, but before they could say anything else, a voice broke through.
"Stop!" Naruto recognized the voice of a woman as the one from the day before. She was holding her son against her chest. "Can't you all see that they are doing this for us?! Those two..." She pointed at Naruto and Lee. "...saved my son from a terrible fate! They're here to help us, all of us, so please... stop insulting them!"
Her words cut through the angry villagers, forcing them to mutter amongst themselves.
"That's right! Those two over there avenged my family by killing Claw The Immortal, yesterday!" The old man stepped forward as he pointed to Shino and Tenten.
"They killed Claw?"
"That thing killed my brother last year..."
"...That's impressive..."
The angry muttering turned into surprised chatter as the villagers calmed down. The angry villagers stepped down and backed away.
The preparations were to continue.
xxOxx
Hours later...
The sun was close to setting when the trio's clones had just about finished their tasks. All throughout the village center, Shikamaru's clones had not only cleaned all of the debris out of the floor, but also wiped just about every surface clean. The store fronts, windows, glass, and floors were now mostly spotless.
As for Naruto's clones, they had been busy at the wood mill cutting lumber into usable materials for chairs, stalls, tables and replacements for the wooden signs that were above the stores. Every stall, stand, and furniture that was in the village center was then replaced with newer, better versions.
Shino's clones had been busy decorating the village center with the supplies he had found in storage. Torches seven feet in height lined the streets of the village center. Decorative lamps lined the area above the streets as Shino used wire to hook them across the street from rooftop to rooftop. Decorative cloth was used on all the new pieces of furniture Naruto had made.
"Shikamaru, light the torches." Shino pointed to the structures. The Nara nodded as he made clones to help him. With a coordinated breath of flame, the torches were all lit simultaneously, starting the festival as soon as the sun had set on the horizon.
xxOxx
The festival's entertainment, a small band, began to play music - a jovial tone that matched the atmosphere of the torch-lit streets. Slowly, but surely, the villagers began to gather at the village center and just as slowly began to enjoy the activities.
The trio smiled at their product of hard work from a nearby rooftop as the villagers began to enjoy the festivities.
'They better enjoy it too...' The trio thought bitterly in the back of their minds as they had paid a fortune out of their own pockets to make sure all the food, games and activities were free.
'By the end of this mission, that should not be a problem, anymore.' They thought vaguely before looking at one another.
"Ready to enjoy the festival, guys?" Shikamaru asked as they jumped from the rooftop and landed below, slightly avoided the crowds of people enjoying themselves.
Shino shook his head. "I am afraid not, Shikamaru. I have something planned for the end of the night." Shino apologized with a shrug. The trio walked past a game and smiled at the sound of laughter.
"I'm thinking about bringing my new friend, Haku, to the festival, actually." Naruto put a hand on his chin to mull the idea over. The trio paused to let a group of people go by.
Shikamaru nodded. "Well, alright. I'm going to go have fun down there. See you guys later." Shikamaru waved as he walked away, deeper into the festival.
"See you later, Shino. Good luck on the finale!" Naruto ran off to the spot he had first met Haku.
Shino nodded as he made about five clones and dismissed them to their intended place.
xxOxx
"You have to hand it to them, though. They can sure throw one heck of a festival." Tenten whistled, impressed at the trio's work. Alongside her was her team - including Gai. This didn't break the terms of the mission as he was there to have fun, right?
Right.
"I agree! Their efforts have really paid off! Would you not agree, Gai-sensei?" Lee asked as he helped his sensei walk.
"Yosh! When I recover, Team Gai will throw a festival twice the size of this one!" Gai said with determination, exciting Lee while simultaneously embarrassing Tenten and Neji.
Team Gai walked around and played on the many games and activities that were around. The games were easy as they were designed specifically for civilians, not ninjas - which would explain why Team Gai didn't get any prizes from the games they played.
"What a rip off." Tenten pouted as she walked away from a dart game empty handed. The game's owner was amazed at her perfect accuracy as she popped every single balloon that he had without missing a single shot, but could not give her a prize thanks to her status as a ninja.
'How long was I playing that game for?' Tenten looked around and saw that her team was no longer with her. She found them soon enough, however, but they were all busy.
Lee and Gai were dunking their heads into water filled barrels for apples while Neji had entered an udon eating competition.
He was winning.
Huh.
As she walked through the crowded streets, looking for who-knows-what, she saw the familiar fabric of a scarf skim the edge of her peripheral vision. Tenten turned her head and through the crevices of walking shoulders and necks, bodies of men, women and children, she saw Shino walking forward on her right.
His movements were all calculated, she realized as he would shorten or lengthen his strides depending on the movement of others around him. His shoulders would relax as he pulled them back to avoid colliding with others. She found herself staring at him for a little too long before she shook her head and made her way to him.
After trudging through the waves of people, the girl finally caught up to him.
"Hey, Shino." She greeted him from his left hand side.
"Good evening, Tenten-san." He responded politely. "Are you enjoying the festival?" He asked, still walking in his relaxed pace.
She nodded. "I am, and it seems that so do the villagers." She smiled as she looked around.
"We aim to please." Shino responded gratefully. "Where is your team?" He asked, making more conversation between them.
Tenten rolled her eyes playfully. "Neji is in an udon eating competition while Lee and Gai-sensei are bobbing for apples out of barrels."
"Fun." Shino added, not with sarcasm or as if by fact, but a mixture of both. Tenten laughed at his response.
"You have a strange sense of humor, Shino. You know that?"
"It made you laugh, did it not?" He countered.
"Touché." She laughed once more as they passed by more and more people. She noticed. "Where are you going, Shino? The festival is back there." She asked as she turned around to see the lights of the festival begin to appear smaller the more they walked. They had been walking for a while now, and had neared the village outskirts.
"I am planning something for the end of the festival." Shino simply replied.
"Something like what?" Tenten asked, her interest peaked.
"A surprise."
She scoffed, but then smiled. "Well, I hope you don't mind company, because I'm going with you!" She decided with a smirk.
"Is that so?" He tilted his head as if he was in thought. "That's fine."
Tenten nodded. "Yep. So where are we going?" Tenten asked once more as they had already crossed into nature's land away from the village.
"We are already there." Shino responded as he lifted a finger to point to a small clearing of land.
"There?" Tenten asked. "What's over there?" She followed him until they arrived at the spot.
"This is a decent vantage point." The Aburame responded as he produced a large rectangular box. The box had twelve circular slots across its length.
"What is that, Shino?" Tenten crouched next to Shino as she looked the box over.
"A surprise -"
"Fine, I get it! A "secret" or whatever..." She sighed as she rolled her eyes. Tenten got up and looked around, thinking of what to talk about.
The moon had already taken its place high above the village, giving plenty of light to the small clearing they were in, but failed to lighten the areas with dense foliage around them. They were in a circle of light amongst a forest of darkness.
"I will be your light."
She paused before looking at Shino, the memory of the day before came back to her suddenly.
Should she talk about that? Is it something worth talking about? He was working on the strange box in front of him, would he mind a conversation while he worked?
"Hey...Shino?" She began as her thumbs pressed against one another. Tenten was in the center of the clearing, where the light from above bathed her.
"Yes?"
"About yesterday, in the cave?" She brought it up slowly, her thumbs pressed harder against one another.
Seconds passed in silence, edging the girl more and more.
Shino stood up and turned to face her. "Yes? Is something wrong?" He was sure she didn't get injured, but it didn't hurt to ask.
Tenten looked uneasy, fragile even. She inhaled. "I, I hope it goes without saying, but..." She stammered. "...could you not tell anybody about what happened?" She hoped he would understand.
Instead, to her surprise, he tilted his head in confusion. "Do you believe it is a fight not worth talking about?" He asked; his voice uncertain.
Tenten fidgeted. "N-No, not the fight! That I... That I froze back then…" She was nervous, and from what Shino knew of her, she was anything but shy.
Shino tilted his head back slightly as he recognized what she meant. "Ah, you mean your nyctophobia?" He asked to make sure.
She nodded awkwardly under his gaze. Her right arm was against her right side while her left arm rubbed her right one. She could not find it in her to look at him.
Shino's hands went into his pockets. "I do not see why I would tell anyone about that." He replied coolly.
It was Tenten's turn to look confused. "You don't?" Her lips parted and closed as she thought of the correct words to say.
He shrugged ever so slowly, as if they had all night to discuss the subject that tormented her. The action made a knot appear in her stomach.
"Everyone is afraid of something."
His words shook her core. Those five simple words hit her hard, but not in an unpleasant manner. He was looking right at her, through her, into her fear of the dark that has haunted her since she was a little girl, and disregarded it as something normal.
The knot in her stomach tightened. "H-How could you say that?" He recoiled very slightly.
'Did I say the wrong thing?'
"Do you have any idea how… how embarrassing it is to be a ninja that's afraid of the dark…?" She asked, but not just to Shino, but to herself as well. Silence surrounded them for a moment. Tenten closed the grip on herself to be tighter.
"How pathetic… is that, Shino?" She muttered as she closed her eyes.
"Not at all." He replied after a second of thought.
The knot, her self-conscious fear, tightened once more. "How is that not pathetic, Shino…?" She was staring at him now, looking for something that would indicate pity, but thankfully, found none. She was quiet for a moment and a half.
"I… I dreamed big, y'know? I dream of becoming the strongest kunoichi ever, like Tsunade of the Sannin." Her small laugh was cold. "Some dream." She sighed. "A dream so big, but a fear fit for a kid." Tenten looked at the ground, where her right foot kicked a small rock forward.
The rock hit Shino's own foot. "Everyone is afraid of something, Tenten-san." He repeated. "Fear is what makes us human."
"But not a ninja!" She yelled as all the years of bottled up anger and embarrassment finally began to erupt out of her. The knot in her stomach physically hurt her now. She balled her hands into fists, turning her knuckles white. "A ninja is not supposed to be afraid of anything."
Shino paused as he let the outdated mantra fill the air.
"Your value as a ninja cannot be determined by your shortcomings and weaknesses, but by the strength you have to overcome them, Tenten-san." His response was calm, but did little to soothe the girl's stress.
"I haven't overcome my fear, Shino…" She sighed.
"And yet, you are here." She looked at him. Her eyes locked on to his sunglasses.
He let his words linger.
"Despite your fear, you managed to survive inside a pitch-black cave against a dangerous foe, did you not? Is that not a testament to your ability to overcome your fear?" He removed his right hand out of his pocket and pushed his sunglasses up with a finger.
"Those were reflexes that saved my life, not me overcoming my fear." Tenten clarified sharply.
Shino liked to take his time in his words, she noticed. "The reflexes that saved your life were gained by being a ninja, were they not? You survived because you are a ninja, nothing less." He countered. Tenten could feel the knot in her stomach loosen.
"Everyone is afraid of something." He repeated for the last time. "It is impossible to say that ninja are not supposed to be afraid of anything, for we are still human." He began. "And because we are human, we have the strength to overcome the fear that reigns over us. You, Tenten-san, are a testament to that." He looked at her.
She looked back at him.
"From what I have heard, Tsunade is afraid of blood." His words wanted to make Tenten laugh, but his face was serious.
"Do not let your fear control you, Tenten-san. Anything is possible in this world, including your dream." Shino finished as he looked up at the moon once more.
"I will be your light."
Tenten calmed down thanks to his words as she could feel the knot disassemble from her stomach slowly. "So you don't think I'm pathetic because of my phobia?" She asked slowly, her eyes darting from the ground below her and back to him.
He shook his head. "Quite the contrary, Tenten-san. My respect goes to those that will follow their dream, despite the obstacles in the way." Shino took his hands out of his pockets.
The response brought a knot in her stomach to form, but it felt different.
"It will be our secret, Tenten-san." He reassured her with a nod.
Tenten didn't say anything as her mind was going a mile a second, but her mouth came up empty. She walked closer to him, her stomach feeling fuzzy inside, before he crouched and placed a finger on the box.
"3…2…1…fire." Shino muttered as he activated the box, making it shoot several spheres into the air, one per second.
Shino stood up and looked at the sky as he got ready to see his work flourish. Tenten followed his eyes and looked up as well.
Suddenly, the sky was filled with massive multi-colored explosions going off simultaneously, as Shino's clones activated each of their own boxes to fire a volley of fireworks. The sky was completely filled with various colors as every explosion went off.
Tenten looked at the sky above them in awe as the explosions looked so alive. She broke her gaze from the sky and looked at Shino. With his sunglasses and scarf covering most of his face, Tenten wondered if he was as awestruck as she was in the moment.
As her hand moved to hold onto the end of his scarf like the day before, she thought that he might be as excited and as happy as she was right now.
She tugged the scarf slightly.
And she was right.
xxOxx
As Shikamaru walked away from his friends, a certain stand caught his attention. He walked over to said stand, waited in line, chatted with the owner about the turnout and ordered the special of this particular food stand. As he walked away, a large fluff of pink cotton candy on a stick on hand, he looked around and noted the smiles of the villagers.
'They needed this festival.' Someone tapped his shoulder, causing him to turn around to come face to face with Hana.
She waved. "Hey, Nara. I have to say, you guys sure do know how to throw a festival!" She smiled as she looked around. It was hard to believe that this was the same desolate place as before. The air was cool, but stayed still.
"How do you like the festival, Inuzuka? Did my hard work pay off?" He gave a cheeky grin as he took a piece of the cotton candy before popping it into his mouth.
"You weren't the only one who worked hard on this, Nara." She clarified as it was a group effort from his team. "This has to be the second best festival I've been to, though." She placed a hand on her chin as if she was in thought to cover her smirk.
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, but shrugged. "Guess you have a weird taste in festivals, Inuzuka. Not surprising, considering you're a –"
Hana cut him off with a solid punch to the shoulder.
"Shut it." She warned. "Where are Naruto-kun and Shino-kun?" She just noticed.
"How should I know? I'm not their keeper or anything." Hana shot him a look.
Shikamaru sighed. "Naruto is going to bring a friend he just made and Shino is busy with the finale." Shikamaru explained.
Hana's thoughts went back to earlier that morning. "You're pretty close with them, aren't you?" She asked coolly, keeping her emotions on lock down.
They were walking now, going throughout the village center with no clear point in mind.
"Course I am. I grew up with them my whole life; I honestly can't remember when the last time we didn't spend an entire day together was." He recalled as he placed a hand on Hana's shoulder to stop her from colliding with several children who were running around.
"So you're childhood friends, then?" Hana asked. Her suspicion died down.
Shikamaru paused, before shaking his head. "No, we're more than just friends." He had meant to add the words "we're like brothers" but he felt that it was obvious.
It wasn't.
Hana fought hard to contain her blush as she gawked at Shikamaru's "confession". "S-So this morning in the r-room…?"
Shikamaru looked flustered as he turned his head away in embarrassment. "Y-Yeah, that just shows how comfortable we are with one another…" He trailed off, now looking at the ground as he found it to be more interesting at the moment.
Not wanting to keep on talking about the subject of his friendships, Shikamaru pushed the stick of cotton candy on to Hana's face.
"Gah! What the hell, Nara?" She pushed the candy away and wiped her face with her hands. A rather large clump was stuck on to her cheek below her tattoo, but was picked off by Shikamaru.
"You're supposed to eat it, Inuzuka. It tastes good." He said simply as he popped the candy in to his mouth. He held the stick of candy towards her and offered it.
Hana was hesitant as she took a piece and ate it. "It's sweet!" She liked the taste.
"You can have it if you want, Inuzuka." He offered her the stick, to which she happily accepted.
"Since we're here, let's enjoy the festival!" Shikamaru smiled like a child as he hurried to the various games that were around – a smiling Hana following closely behind him.
Shikamaru and Hana spent most of the night playing the many games that were around and faced the discrimination against them as they were denied prizes they deserved thanks to their ninja status. They complained, but it was in good spirits as they still had fun, nonetheless.
Hana was surprised as to how Shikamaru was behaving. He was having fun, laughing, and acting like somebody who wasn't a total asshole. She asked him about that.
"Why am I acting like this? We're in a festival! You have to have fun in a festival." He responded as if it was a matter of fact. She smiled.
As the night passed, the duo eventually got tired of walking and decided to rest by leaning against a small abandoned shack slightly away from the festival in the village center. The only light they had was the one provided by the moon, a bluish light that encircled them.
"Tonight was fun." Hana admitted after several minutes if silence between them.
Shikamaru nodded before he looked up at the sky with a smile. "I have a feeling the finale will be a little better."
Before Hana could ask what he meant, a colorful explosion covered the night sky before more and more explosions went off soon afterwards. The explosions were large, loud and spectacular as orange, blue, green and red sparks filled the sky as did their oddly satisfying booms echoed above the regularly silent village down below.
While the fireworks continued to go off in the sky, Hana turned to face Shikamaru and saw the way his eyes widened in appreciation to the grand works of display occurring above them. His lips parted from a grin into a small smile before it spread wide as the fireworks above detonated in rapid succession. From the constant grumpy expression he usually had to turn into this, felt unreal to Hana.
Shikamaru's favorite part of any festival – the same goes for his friends – was the firework display at the end. When the night sky wasn't so bland, when it was filled with vibrant colors that did not match the usual dark sky mesmerized them. They reminded him of the cdertain spot I his clan's land where he and his friends would spend countless nights watching the beauty that lies past the sky and into the stars above.
Through the booming explosions above, Shikamaru would tune everything out, yet he still managed to catch the near whisper whimper coming from below him. He turned to his feet where the noise came from and was surprised at what he found. Hana, who had been idly looking at Shikamaru at the time, noticed his head turn. Hana followed the direction his head turned and saw a pup whimpering close to Shikamaru's feet. The young one – must have been several weeks old judging by the size – was covered in brown fur throughout its body except for its creamy white tail. The pup was definitely the runt of the litter, but was beaten to the punch by Shikamaru carried the pup in his left hand as he brought it up to chest level where he petted the small thing with his right hand.
"There, there, little guy." He said loud enough for the pup to hear him over the explosions overhead. "Everything is going to be alright." He said as he looked up the fireworks once again. "Everything is going to be alright." He repeated calmly.
Hana watched as the pup began to relax from the petting and eventually began to wag his tail.
The sight touched her deeply inside; Hana tried to justify the sensation as something unexpected from the guy in front of her, but she knew it only seemed that way because she truly did not know Shikamaru, and this was simply her learning something new about his personality…
With slow, gentle sidesteps, Hana closed the distance between them until they were shoulder to shoulder.
…and if finding new elements to his personality felt this unexplainably pleasant, then maybe…just maybe, she would enjoy getting to know him some more.
xxOxx
Naruto was pleasantly surprised to find Haku waiting for him in their usual meeting place. She was sitting down, leaning against a tree, at first she was looking at nothing in particular but had turned her head in his direction when he neared. She had a troubled look on her face for a second before she masked it with a smile.
"Good evening, Naruto-kun." She greeted warmly.
He smiled at her. The same smile he had been showing for the past couple nights. "Hello, Haku-san! I'm surprised you're here so early!" Haku stammered for a moment, but Naruto failed to see it as he changed the subject. "How's your friend doing? Did the new ingredients help in anyway?"
She paused for a second. He didn't notice. "He is recovering." 'Too soon. He recovered too soon…' She answered simply, keeping her grim thoughts to herself.
"I knew they would work!" He smiled with a victorious grin that pained her. "Since he's feeling better, there's no need to get more herbs or the like, right?" He asked rhetorically, yet she nodded anyway. "Because there just happens to be a festival going on in the village tonight, and I was wondering if you would like to join me?" He asked casually, but had a tense undertone, as if it was a task for him to ask.
"A festival…?" Haku whispered as she tried to recall the first – and last, she would soon remember – time she had been at a festival. The memory was foggy – like most of her memories were from before she had met Zabuza – but she could recall being just a little girl, back when she had a family, when Zabuza was not in her life. She squashed the memory away, as thoughts of the past like that scared her.
Naruto nodded eagerly. "Hai, a festival! Y'know, fun games, prizes, food and music all around! What do you say?" Naruto held out a hand for her to take.
Haku considered considering the invite, but stopped herself as she gladly accepted his hand.
"I…would very much like to go with you, Naruto-kun." She smiled.
The past couple of nights had been some of the best moments Haku has had in a very long time and she owed all of them to the blonde in front of her. She held the knowledge of what is to come in the near future, and it haunted her to no end the more and more time she spent with Naruto, but she endeavored to enjoy the moments she still had with him.
"Let's go then!" He laughed as he pulled her hand towards the festival as they walked.
When they arrived, Haku could not help herself but to marvel at the complete change the village had undergone from its gloomy state to this joyful one.
Haku followed the blonde around the festival, each never strafing too far apart from one another as they visited the stands to try out the food and games. It was at a ring toss game where they finally exchanged actual words that were not laughs or simple commands.
"Look at the prizes, Haku-san! Which one do you like?" He asked as the couple in front of them attempted to win one of the prizes. There were stuffed animals, charms, necklaces, bracelets and the like scattered around the stand.
Haku smiled as she looked at the many prizes on display. Her eyes darted slowly scanned back and forth among the prizes until they rested on a white rose necklace for a second too long, giving Naruto an answer.
"You like that one, huh?" He asked with a smile. The prizes were organized by distance; the farther you completed the ring toss, the better the prizes were. The white rose necklace Haku was eyeing was marked at fifteen feet minimum to earn the prize.
Haku nodded. "Yes, I think it is very pretty, but you don't have to go to such lengths, Naruto-kun. It seems quite difficult."
He smirked. "Pfft… That necklace is as good as yours, Haku-san! Just you watch!" He reassured her as the couple in front of them lost. He walked up to the game owner and took three medium sized rings before taking a fifteen feet distance between him and the stand.
Naruto weighed the rings in his hand carefully as he eyed their destination with a cautious eye. When he was ready, he grabbed all three rings with one hand before swinging his arm horizontally in front of him, releasing all three rings simultaneously before they traveled the distance quickly. With a distinct *swoosh!* noise, the three rings landed perfectly on three different sticks side by side.
"Yes!" Naruto pumped an arm at his win. The crowd nearby clapped at his success. Haku looked joyful.
The game owner whistled in surprise. "That was pretty good, kid. But unfortunately, I can't give you a prize."
Naruto took a step back. "Wait, what?" He narrowed his eyes.
The game owner pointed a finger at his neck. "That thing around your neck means you're a ninja, right? I can't give you a prize; It's against the rules kid, I'm sorry." The man shook his head.
"Oh, what?! Seriously?!" He sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry, Haku-san." He apologized.
"It is alright, Naruto-kun. Thank you." She smiled in appreciation.
As they turned to leave, the man clicked his tongue as he hastily shook his head. "Ah, screw it. Hey kid, hold up!" He called out, catching Naruto's attention. The blonde stopped in his tracks and turned.
"Just this once, I'll let it slide." He beckoned Naruto over and motioned at the prizes. "Which one you want?"
Naruto nearly ran back. "Oh wow! Do you mean it?! Thank you!" Naruto thanked the man as he pointed at Haku's desired gifts.
"Don't mention it kid." He responded as he gave Naruto the necklace. "Just make sure to treat your girlfriend right, you hear?" He winked. He laughed when he saw the young "couple" blush furiously at his words.
The duo walked away, both red from their face. Naruto stopped her at the center of the festival as he held out the necklace on his right hand.
"Can I?" He asked. His smile was nervous. Haku smiled even though she was nervous as well.
"Go ahead, Naruto-kun." She gave him the go ahead as she turned her back on him and moved her hair out of the way before he gently placed the necklace around her neck. He secured the necklace with a latch and let go.
"It looks wonderful, Naruto-kun. Thank you so much." She gazed at the necklace of the white rose for a moment before giant explosions began to fill the sky.
No words were said for the remainder of the night as they watched the firework display go on above.
They were in the center of the festival, surrounded by people, but did not feel that way. They were alone together in their own little world, where time passed by slowly; where they each hoped that the next couple of seconds would last for an hour each.
But she knew of the near future and the doom that waits. One way or another, there will be death, and Haku knew that she cannot think, cannot stop and cannot hesitate when it came down to it. After all, a tool does not think, doesn't feel and does not hesitate as it follows its master's orders.
With one final, innocent smile aimed at the oblivious Naruto, her heart shattered.
xxOxx
Hours later…
Gatō's Headquarters, 1st floor
Through the shouting workers and the sounds of heavy machinery doing their job, the trio was more than comfortable talking to themselves normally as they sneaked through the first floor of the building. This particular floor of the building was where the handling of ordered goods took place – Gatō does run a shipping corporation, after all. The goods ranged from ordinary equipment to heavy looking machinery; from small appliances to large equipment, all these items were cataloged, ordered, placed on caravans and were finally shipped by boats near the coast of Wave. There were aisles of merchandise fifteen feet high all across the floor near where the trio had entered, giving the workers more than enough space to move the bigger items at ease while also giving them easier access to any assorted goods they may need that resided on the many shelves the aisles had. All in all, this was a nifty looking place that certainly held the front of a semi-respectable business.
The trio entered through the back window – south wall – when the guards had changed shifts from that particular area, only giving the trio several seconds to infiltrate the building. From where they entered, their current destination – a metal staircase that connected the first floor to a large office that overlooked the factory below – was across the entirety of the first floor.
"Are you sure about this, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked as they slowly crossed the many aisles of merchandise that covered this part of the floor. Against the wall the trio hugged, were larger aisles that faced the direction of the workers. These aisles shelved larger components such as machinery and the like.
"Just trust me on this, okay?" Naruto reassured him with a pat on the back as they crouch-walked.
"Hold." Shino called out before pulling his teammates into one of the wider aisles. They hid behind what appeared to be a large metallic wheel axle as two workers walked on by, each with a clipboard on hand as they did inventory. The two workers stopped before the trio's hiding place, not being able to see their tense faces thanks to the poor lighting that affected this part of the factory floor.
"This lighting sucks, man." The first man commented as he took out a flashlight to scan over the clipboard he and his fellow worker paid attention to. If the workers would have looked up at the axle once more, they would have been able to see the faint outline of the trio hiding behind the large metal construct.
"True that." The second man agreed as he signed the clipboard. "Everything seems in order here, let's go and check aisle twenty-six." Both men placed their clipboards against their sides and walked past the trio's hiding place.
The trio relaxed before escaping the aisle to continue moving forward.
Their endpoint was in the third floor, so why did they start at the first floor, you may ask?
The fat man Naruto met the day before had given the blonde more than just a history lesson on Gatō, among the extra details he gave Naruto the location of a certain file located in the first floor office above the factory. The man, who was to be called "X", stated that the file's contents would "be in your biggest benefits."
When Naruto explained what he discovered, Shikamaru and Shino were skeptical about the information, but trusted their blonde friend's judgment.
As they neared the staircase, Shino moved an arm behind him, signaling his teammates to stop moving. Several feet to their right, in front of the staircase, were a large group of people. They weren't workers, Shino noted from their appearance.
"Mercenaries…" Shino whispered behind him.
"How many?" Shikamaru asked as he placed a hand on the Aburame's back.
"Thirty."
Naruto and Shikamaru winced. Why the hell were there so many mercenaries down here?
The large group of mercs were sitting down on crates. Some were smoking; others were sharpening their blades while some did neither but just stare at nothing. A moment passed before a door opened behind them, next to the staircase. A lone man nearly stumbled out of the door frame.
He slurred. "Oi, they, they brought the good shit down below." He snorted deeply, hard narcotics evident on his person. From the door, laughter could be heard.
There were more of them.
"What the hell, Shino?" Shikamaru hissed as the large group of mercenary personnel stood before pouring into the room.
"They were not here yesterday, Shikamaru." Shino replied sharply. They looked ready to argue, but thankfully Naruto cut in.
"Enough, guys! Let's get this over with!" He broke up the fight before it began. Shikamaru and Shino nodded before making their way up the metal staircase as silently as possible, turning only when the metal did.
When they reached the office door, Shikamaru picked the lock before turning the knob. They entered the office, still crouching to avoid detection. Naruto looked around the office and found what X had described: a white filing cabinet next to the terminal at the left hand side of the room.
"There it is!" Naruto pointed as he moved towards it. The thing was locked, but the blonde already knew how to deal with that. "If what X said is true, then the key must be in…" Naruto began as he moved his hand towards the nearby chair that was next to the terminal. His hand went in between the cushion and the metal frame when he felt something. "…here!" Naruto pulled out a key.
With a quick turn, Naruto unlocked the filing cabinet and removed the contents until the first drawer was completely empty. Folders and files of all shapes, colors and sizes were now all on the floor.
"Which one is it, Naruto?" Shino asked as he began to pick through the files on the ground.
Shikamaru kept watch by the door.
"None of these, Shino." Naruto answered as he removed the first drawer and turned it over, revealing a green filed taped to the underneath.
"Bingo!" It seemed that the intel X had given Naruto was spot on.
The trio huddled together in the middle of the dark office, small pocket low-light flashlights on hand as they scanned the contents of the file.
The trio's smirk turned delightfully evil from the information they found.
xxOxx
From the first floor office, the trio had no choice but to do a tricky maneuver to reach the second floor. In the office they were in, there was a window that led to the outside – eastern wall of the building – about six feet above the metal catwalk that surrounded the first floor from the outside of the building. The trio kept an eye on the window and determined by the guard's reflection and shadow that appeared on the window's surface, that only six seconds were allowed before he turned back underneath the window in his patrol. Six seconds seems like a ridiculous short amount of time, but for a ninja, it was more than enough time.
As the shadow and reflection of the man got smaller/farther away, the trio made their move and bolted out of the window, chakra covering their hands and feet as they stuck to the outer wall before they hurried upwards without getting caught. With quick strides, the trio managed to quickly and silently scale the wall, only having to strafe when the search lights on the roof scanned the wall's exterior every seventeen seconds.
They were now underneath the second floor's catwalk, standing straight against the wall. The guards above them were slower, taking larger strides as they looked around. The timing was tricky as the trio had to take into account the guard's speed as they patrolled, when they met and when they turned and when the search lights scanned the wall. With an estimated jump, the trio managed to clear the catwalk as soon as the guards turned from one another, escaping through the thin gap between the two guard's blind spots. As soon as they latched on to the wall, however, they had to strafe to the left to avoid the search light's area of light, before having to instantly maneuver to the right to avoid the second scan from the roof.
Thanks to the increased chance of being caught, the trio reached the third floor catwalk in less than two seconds as to avoid the search lights above. The guards on this catwalk were just…pathetic. They were lethargic in the sense that the guards did not even move, and when they did it was just a turn of their heads to face one another. Perhaps their mindset was that nothing could get past the two floors beneath them, so why worry about intruders?
'Idiots…' The guards yawned.
The trio rolled their eyes as they casually climbed the catwalk, opened the door that led to the inside, and flicked off the oblivious guards before slowly closing the door behind them.
Once inside, the trio moved ever so slowly as they ducked into dark corners to avoid getting caught by the various cameras that dotted the hallways.
The sun had already begun to rise.
The light on the door's window did nothing to the trio as they continued to avoid detection by slowly walking underneath the cameras when they faced the opposite direction, only moving when they did. They crossed the various hallways in the same manner until they were face to face with their endpoint.
The light inside was turned on as Shikamaru signaled for his teammates to get ready to breach. At Shikamaru's signal, Naruto placed a hand over a seal and removed a dark-green vial before dipping two senbon into its contents. The Uzumaki gave a toxic dipped senbon to Shino before he nodded at Shikamaru.
The Nara lifted his leg before kicking down the door a second before Naruto and Shino barged in, each tossing the poisoned senbon at the two guards, striking their necks. The guards at the center of the room slumped to the ground as the paralysis toxin affected their nervous system through their blood stream.
Seated on a large, leather chair behind an oak desk was a short, unimpressed man named Gatō. Gatō glared at the intruders.
"I'm not hiring. Get the hell out of my office." The response was…different than what the trio had expected, but they didn't show the confusion.
Shikamaru, Naruto and Shino glared back at the short man as they approached his desk.
"We're not here for a job application, Gatō." Shikamaru answered grimly.
Gatō narrowed his eyes. "Oh? Then why the hell are you here?!" He slammed his hands against the desk in irritation.
*thunk-thunk-thunk!*
Shikamaru, Naruto and Shino each threw a kunai at Gatō's right hand; each pointed weapon pierced the desk in between his fingers, almost grazing him.
"We're here to extort you."
Chapter End
Dun dun duuuuuun! The trio's secret objective has been revealed! What do you guys think is going to happen now? What will the trio get from doing this? Let me know!
As for this chapter, I started it off humorously – my type of humor, your experience may vary – due to the next couple of chapters, oh my! The Wave Arc is almost complete!
Time to answer some reviews.
For those of you who are kinda guessing the pairings for this story, you…are correct! The main pairings are going to be:
Shino x Tenten!
Shikamaru x Hana
Yeah!
Hm? What about Naruto, you ask? Well…life can be cruel.
Just kidding.
Maybe.
For the guests that have reviewed, thank you for doing so. I am flattered that this story has captured your attention. I recommend making a profile to follow this story to keep up to date!
For those of you that are worried for the excessive fluff scenes, don't worry too much about them – there will be plenty, but I will keep them dispersed throughout the chapters to avoid a fluff overload. These scenes are essential to the mood in later chapters, however.
One thing I realized about this story is the amount of detail I am going to have to put for several scenes as I am trying not to focus on a single character for too long. The trio will have their differences and their own individual scenes throughout the same time space – For example, the Festival scene in this chapter – what this means is that I am going to have to keep the same scene going but from a different perspective. I apologize in advance if it becomes too mundane.
Did you guys dig this chapter? Find anything you like – or would like to see – or something you didn't really enjoy? Let me know in the review section down below, or PM me to let me know!
Thanks for reading, and as always, have a good day.
-TheRedGhillie
P.S Omake(s) ahead!
Bath Time
Inside the bathroom...
Naruto, Shikamaru and Shino observed the bath they were in. It was a single bath, but it could easily fit them all if they huddled together. The trio was now wearing nothing but towels around their waist as they stepped into the bath. Conveniently for them, there were three stools within arm's reach that they used to sit on as they cleaned themselves.
"I'll wash your back, Shikamaru." Naruto, in between Shikamaru and Shino, offered as he moved his hands towards the Nara before him. Naruto smirked.
After getting his hands covered in soap, Naruto quickly placed them against Shikamaru's back, eliciting a response Naruto was hoping for.
"O-Oi, N-Naruto! Your hands are cold - don't touch me thERE!" He nearly yelled as he arched his back.
Naruto's smirk deepened. He put pressure on his hands as he rubbed Shikamaru's back furiously.
The Nara winced. "D-Don't rub it so hard, Na-Naruto!" Shikamaru groaned.
"Hahaha, I can't help it, especially when you make noises like that!" Naruto laughed as he kept rubbing despite Shikamaru's protests. Suddenly, Naruto felt Shino's fingers begin to lather shampoo on to his hair.
"How does it feel, Naruto?" Shino asked as he rubbed the shampoo deeper into the blonde's hair.
Naruto smiled. "It feels... Great, Shino. Keep going." Naruto paused as Shino retreated to place more shampoo on the blonde's head. Shino then resumed his work, causing Naruto to sigh in satisfaction.
"A little harder." The blonde commented as he began to pull the bands out of Shikamaru's hair.
Shino nodded at the request as he placed more pressure on his fingers, much to Naruto's pleasure. Shino felt his fingers tire ever so slightly.
"I might get tired, Naruto." Shino stated as he put in effort.
"Doesn't matter, keep going. Harder, Shino!" Naruto commanded as he pulled Shikamaru's hair out of the last band, leaving his hair free.
"Oi, don't pull so hard, Naruto!" Shikamaru gasped with a wince as his hair was pulled.
Naruto then began to lather his long hair with shampoo, making one long ponytail as he ran his hand back and forth through it. Naruto looked at the length of hair.
"I can't help it! It's so...so long!" Naruto countered, but sighed as Shino used the last of his finger's stamina to fully cake Naruto's scalp with the shampoo.
Shino slowed down. "My fingers are getting tired, Naruto." He explained to the blonde in front of him.
Naruto nodded as he let go of Shikamaru's hair. He turned on the stool so he was facing Shino, who then turned to give Naruto his back.
"I can tell. Take a break, Shino. I'll do you next." Naruto placed plenty of shampoo on his hands before he began to return the favor.
Shikamaru turned back and rolled his eyes. "Tch! That's no fair. Who's going to do me? I can't rub it in by myself, y'know." He complained.
Naruto turned and shot the Nara a look. "Quit whining; I'll give you all the help you need. Shadow clone jutsu!" Three Naruto clones appeared, they grabbed the shampoo bottle and rubbed it into their hands.
"Now guys, get your fingers to work on him..." Naruto began as he resumed to work on Shino's hair.
"...don't be afraid to get deep in there..." Naruto instructed his clones as he struggled with Shino's hair.
"...use your whole hand if you have to!" Naruto finished as he put force on his hands, eliciting a groan from Shino.
Shikamaru gave the clones the go ahead to begin. "Please be gentle... I'm sensitive." Shikamaru commented offhandedly. Shikamaru's hair was actually very delicate and was easily damaged.
"GAH!"
The trio simultaneously turned to the door as they heard something fall down on the other side.
Naruto got up to investigate.
"What happened out here - Hana-senpai?"
Hana was on the floor, a pool of blood surrounded her.
"There's so much blood! What the hell happened, Hana-senpai?!"
Fun in the Sun for Everyone
Part Omega Alpha Delta EX Plus
(Part II)
The sun was still high up in the skies, the seagulls were still flying up above and the nightmarish terror incarnate giant octopus was still thrashing the crap out of the trio. As you can clearly tell, it was relaxing for everyone at the beach.
For everyone.
Yugao shifted to her side, facing Jiraiya as he was working on something.
"What are you doing, Jiraiya?" She asked curiously.
Jiraiya didn't respond as he continued to work.
Yugao rolled her eyes beneath the Aburame's sunglasses. She then turned back into her starting position as she relaxed.
Before she knew it, she fell asleep.
Seconds, minutes, hours later(?) Yugao awoke when she heard a yell.
"SOMEBODY STOP IT!"
Sitting upright, Yugao took off the sunglasses as she saw the panicked faces of several hundred…sandmen? Around her were several hundred variations of Sandman, all of them were dressed in different sand-clothing. Some were wearing farmer outfits while others were dressed as peasants.
Yugao followed their gaze behind her before she came face to sand-face with a giant sand dragon. Yugao was surprised at the detail that went into the sand sculpture as every individual scale was sculpted.
"You certainly outdid yourself, Jiraiya, I have to say." Yugao admitted as she patted the sand dragon's snout with her hand.
Yugao noticed something right then and there.
The snout she patted was warm. Warm. And not "warmed by the sun" kind of warm, but more like "warm because this thing is moist" kind of warm. Yugao patted the snout once more and fell back as she saw the dragon's eyes narrowed at her.
"This thing is alive." Yugao smiled, her eyes closed. "Jiraiya…?" She called out Jiraiya's name in question form.
"Yes…?" Jiraiya responded from within the sand dragon's stomach.
"…Why is this thing alive…?" Yugao asked as the sand beast opened its mouth, exposing its razor sharp sand teeth.
"I wanted to give sandman some friends, so I did. Then I made a setting in which the sandpeople lived under a constant threat from a dragon. S o I made a dragon." Jiraiya explained.
Yugao tilted her head back with a nod, her smile never leaving her face. "…Any reason as to why you're inside of it…?" She asked as the dragon swallowed her whole body in one swoop.
"Yeah… I didn't really think that through." Jiraiya admitted as Yugao slithered down the dragon's throat and into its stomach next to him.
Their bodies pressed against one another.
They were now face to face, chest to chest in the tight space.
"So, how are you enjoying your day at the beach, Yugao?" Jiraiya asked neutrally, his chin brushing up against hers.
The inside of the stomach was thankfully dark as it hid Yugao's light blush. "G-Get me the hell out of here!"
xxOxx
"Y'know, this isn't so bad." Shikamaru commented.
"I agree." Shino nodded.
"Yeah, you get a nice view from up here." Naruto added.
The trio was still being held captive by the giant octopus as it swung them around in the air before smashing them into water. The thing had been doing the same thing for about two hours now.
"Guys?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yes?" They replied.
"I lied. This sucks."
"Let's get the hell-" Naruto began but stopped as the octopus smashed him into the water before being picked up back into the air. " – out of here!"
The trio sprang into action, well tried to, as the thing held on to them with a tight grip. They really couldn't move.
"Screw this! Shadow – " Smashed into the water. " – clone jutsu!" Naruto made the hand sign, summoning dozens of clones to attack the beast holding on to them. The clones ran on the octopus's tentacles towards its face. When they were in range, the clones shot air bullets at the thing, making it roar in anger.
"I was not aware that an octopus - " Smashed into the water. " - could roar." Shino commented as the beast swiped its tentacles to attack the clones who were punishing it.
"Me neither." Shikamaru agreed.
With one well-placed shot, a clone managed to score a direct hit onto one of the octopus' eyes, causing the beast to roar one more time as it spun quickly, sending a storm of tentacles, dispelling the clones all together.
"One more time then!" Naruto prepared the hand sign one more time but stopped as the beast raised its tentacles above its open mouth.
"I did not know that they were carnivorous." Shino stated simply as they were all released simultaneously into its gaping hole.
"Neither did we!" Naruto and Shikamaru yelled as they fell in alongside Shino.
xxOxx
Yugao must have done something horrendous in her past life to get stuck in a situation like this, she concluded as her close proximity to the pervert must have been the universe getting back at her.
"D-Don't think you can cop a feel, pervert!" Yugao warned as she placed her hands against his chest.
She could hear him scoff in disbelief. "If anything, you are feeling me up, you pervert!"
"Oh shut up, Jiraiya! Why did you have to make this thing in the first place?!"
"It was for sandman to defeat!"
"You're a lunatic!"
The two teachers argued inside, giving the sand dragon a queasy feeling, but before it could throw up, it spotted something – no, someone – coming closer. The dragon bared its teeth before roaring.
"What the hell is going on out there?" Yugao stopped in mid-argument.
"He's here!" Jiraiya laughed
"Who is here?" Yugao asked in confusion before the dragon began to move erratically, causing both teachers to collide against one another.
They could hear the dragon roaring as it attacked. With every move, Yugao and Jiraiya would smash against one another.
"That, really hurts!" Yugao muttered as her face met up with his shoulder.
"T-Tell me about it." Jiraiya groaned as the back of his head hit the dragon's stomach. "H-Hold on, Yugao!" Jiraiya moved his arms around Yugao's waist, bringing her in closer.
"W-W-What the hell are y-you doing, J-J-Jiraiya?!" Yugao protested as her face was cradled between his neck and shoulder.
"We won't get as hurt this way, Yugao! " Jiraiya explained as he brought her in tighter, his hands on her back balled up into fists so she won't get the wrong idea.
Jiraiya was right in doing so, as the dragon barreled around for some reason, causing them to shake violently from the inside.
Yugao was blushing wildly now at the thought of being held in such a manner, but understood his reasoning. She relaxed herself, letting her face feel the crevice between his neck and shoulder.
At that point, Yugao and Jiraiya could hear something other than the dragon roaring. It was the telltale noise of a sword being swung. With every swing, the dragon recoiled back, a sign of a confirmed hit.
"What's attacking this thing, Jiraiya?!"
He stayed silent.
Suddenly, the dragon was flipped on its back, causing the ones inside to hold on tighter. The dragon roared before it gnashed its jaws in a failed attempt to chew whatever was on it. Yugao was now on top of Jiraiya, her body pressed against his by gravity. She couldn't say anything at that point.
One final *swish!* was heard before the sand dragon roared for the final time.
"He did it!" Jiraiya exclaimed happily as the sand around them began to dissipate.
"Who did what?!"
As the sand dissolved back into its soft form, Yugao rolled off of Jiraiya and landed on her back. She looked up and saw something that amazed her.
Holding on to the dragon's head on one hand and the sword that finished the job in the other, Sandman stood victoriously as his fellow sandpeople kneeled before him.
Behold, the Sand King.
xxOxx
Meanwhile…
"How the hell do we get out of here?!" Naruto yelled as he punched the intestinal wall surrounding them.
"I was not aware that an octopus had a stomach…" Shino stammered as he panicked silently.
"Yeah, me neither…" Shikamaru sighed.
The trio shuddered.
"I think I know how we can get out of here." Shikamaru started. "It's not going to be pretty though."
"What do you have in mind, Shika?" Naruto approached the Nara while Shino slowly became aware as to how much he did not know an octopus' anatomy or physiology.
"We use what earned us this trip in the first place; the team combination jutsu!"
Naruto's eyes widened. "That could work!" He smiled. "Did you hear that, Shino?" He turned to the Aburame and winced at what he saw.
Shino nodded slowly, but was shivering.
"Then let's begin!" Shikamaru made a hand sign. "Great Fireball Jutsu!" A large fireball was formed before it was shot outwards. The fireball then stopped about twenty-five feet away as Shikamaru kept the attack under control.
"All right!" Naruto shouted as he inhaled. "Air Bullets!" Naruto shot Shikamaru's jutsu, expanding it in size as the wind chakra made the fire jutsu stronger. The fireball was massive now, easily thirty feet in diameter, causing Shikamaru to continue feeding chakra to the jutsu to help maintain its shape. Naruto aided Shikamaru as he continuously fed the jutsu with more and more wind chakra to mold it in place.
Shino nodded as he charged both of his hands with energy. Sparks formed around his arms, turning them blue from all the compacted energy. "Thunder's Shockwave!" Shino extended his arms, releasing a massive shock current from the tips of his hands. Shino's shockwave mixed with the giant fireball, causing it to lose its shape as it became volatile.
"All together now!" The trio shouted together. "Team Combination Jutsu: Big Bang!" Shikamaru, Naruto and Shino clapped their hands together, igniting the massive, volatile fireball into a supercharged explosion.
The explosion annihilated the giant octopus, leaving nothing in its wake as the trio found themselves falling from the sky above towards the water. They were singed, covered in burn marks from head to toe.
"…totally worth it…" Naruto muttered before they hit the water with a splash.
Omake(s) End
New Jutsu Confirmed!
Team Combination Jutsu: Big Bang :
The trio's signature team jutsu. Shikamaru supplies the base of the jutsu with his Great Fireball Jutsu while Naruto fuels the jutsu with his Air Bullets, causing the fireball to expand in size. Shikamaru has to keep a constant stream of chakra going to maintain the fireball's stability as Naruto fuels it. Depending on the enemy, the jutsu can be adjusted to fit the situation. When the jutsu is ready, Shino shoots a strong wave of thunder-level electrical bolts at the massive fireball with his hands, making the jutsu become volatile with the energy. At this point, all three are fueling the jutsu while simultaneously keeping it stable by molding their chakra around it. To ignite the jutsu, the trio claps together, sending a wave of chakra that ultimately causes the explosion to go off.
Rank: A
Chakra Consumption: Massive
Keep an eye on this jutsu – and its variants – in the main story!
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