Second Time's The Charm

by Reader06

Tobirama knew bringing back the dead was possible. He knew that anything was possible in the ninja world. That didn't mean, however, that he ever believed in reincarnation. But here he was, with a new family and a ragtag group of friends, in a village he barely recognized, facing the same demons as before. Would he ever find some peace and quiet?

33. Chapter 31

Time: Zero Hundred Hours

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If you had to choose…

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"Breathe…"

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Wide eyes stared ahead.

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"Breathe… Come on…"

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Water and blood mixed together as it traveled down from his forehead – droplets falling from his nose.

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"Just breathe…"

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Between your friends…

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His chest heaved. His lungs shuttering each time he took a breath.

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"Breathe…"

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His hands couldn't grip a kunai, they were shaking that badly.

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"Come on! Breathe!"

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And your family…

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The rain continued to beat down on his beaten form.

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"Breathe!"

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"ROOOOOOOOAAAARRR!"

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Orange chakra ripped through the field, burning debris and pushing down trees.

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"NAARRRRRUTOOOOO!"

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"AHHHHHHHH!"

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Crimson flew through the air, staining the ground and water a deep red.

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Which would you choose?

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"I can't breathe!"

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His eyes, wide and full of terror, could not be pulled from the scene before him.

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Or would you let them both down?

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Water and mud flew up as she skidded across the field before pushing off the ground with a low growl. Whipping her sword through the rain, lightning crackled around her. She cut through the black tendrils and smashed her foot into her enemy's chest – sending the man flying through the air and crashing into the water below.

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"CHIDORI!"

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The chirping of a thousand birds traveled through the air, before ending with a loud boom. Orange chakra met white chakra with a loud boom. The shock wave pushed the two users away from each other. The one covered in orange/red chakra quickly recovered and shot through the air towards the other.

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"RASENGAN!"

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Energy swirled, distorting the air and water as it gained power and density.

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"RASENGAN!"

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Days Before

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Click.

Click.

Click.

The sound of heels lightly clicking against the floor echoed in the hallway. Long, fair, shapely legs glided back and forth, hips swaying as they moved. A thin, glimmering material fluttered behind as it molded around the bare legs.

The clicking stopped as the vixen turned into a room, leaning casually against the door frame. A deep red, manicured fingernail pressed playfully into full rosy lips. With a smirk, the full figured woman jutted her hips off of the doorframe and quietly walked up behind the sole occupant in the room.

With a sweet giggle, she wrapped her arms around the man's muscular waist, pressing her soft bosom into his back. She felt the man relax in her grip as she started moving her hands sensually over his chest.

"Mmmm… Asami…" The man grunted out.

The woman smirked at his voice, "So tense, Raikage-sama…"

Ay growled lowly, "You know I prefer Ay, when it's just the two of us."

Asami brought a hand up to her mouth to giggle as he turned to face her. Looking up at him with a smirk, she spoke lowly, "Now I know you're stressed." Pushing him down onto the chair with her hand on his chest, she leaned in and started kissing his neck, "Tell me… Ay… What has you in knots?"

Ay groaned lowly at her touches, "This woman will be the death of me…" Ay brought his hands up to Asami's back and pulled her into his lap and tight against his body.

Placing a finger on his lips, Asami smirked, "Ah, ah, ah. You tell me what's bothering you first, and then… maybe." She finished by leaning back, her long blonde hair fluttering over her shoulder at the movement.

Growling lightly, the Raikage spoke, "It's this mission…"

Asami's lips morphed into a smirk, "Now, now. You've got your best men on the task. You know Darui won't let you down."

Ay sighed before turning his head with a grunt, "I know that." He shook his head before continuing, "…I just don't understand what possessed me to create this mission anyways." Ay lifted Asami off of his lap and walked around the chair to the window, "I'm risking war with the Leaf, all over one small girl…"

Asami frowned before quickly placing a smirk back on her face. Whipping her long golden hair behind her, she swayed her hips back and forth as she approached. Getting close, she placed her hand on Ay's arm and slid it up to massage his shoulder, "Don't doubt yourself now… You're doing this for the benefit of your village and its people… Think of the potential this child has… What skills and abilities she would bring to the Land of Lightning…"

The Raikage rubbed his head, feeling the sudden onset of a headache. He had been having so many lately and the constant pain was taking a mental toll on him.

Wrapping her arms around his chest, she maneuvered around to face him. Bringing her hands up, she cupped the sides of his face, bringing it close to hers. With a smirk she spoke in a sultry voice, "…If you're so worried, send me." Asami leaned up and blew warm air against his ear as she spoke, "It would be my pleasure…"

Groaning lowly, Ay brought his hand up to tangle it in her silky golden tresses. As he brought his face close to hers, she placed a finger on his lips, "Ah, ah."

Untangling herself from the Raikage, she straightened out her attire before giving him a wink, "Can't have me too tired for my long trip to the Land of Fire… Now can we?"

Ay grunted, but crossed his arms and nodded.

Giggling lightly, Asami placed a hand on Ay's chest and leaned in to give him a light, but long kiss on the lips. The Raikage groaned as she pulled back, getting frustrated with her teasing.

Licking her lips, Asami turned on her heel and casually walked passed Ay, swaying her hips sensually as she moved. Just before she passed through the door, she spoke in a low voice, "I'll be back before you know it."

Asami smirked as she thought to herself, "With Shikaku's child in tow."

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Several Hours Before

Neji panted hard as he leaned his back on a tree. Blood was pouring down his back from several holes and a small piece of his shoulder was missing.

Neji's eyes shifted up at the trees, "He's knows the Byakugan's weakness! He knows about my blind spot!" His breath wheezed out through his teeth as he struggled with his chakra. He was pushing the energy out and around him, in order to fault the arrow's trajectory – the arrow from his enemy.

"The weakest one in the game always goes down first!" A booming voice shouted from above, pushing Neji to keep moving.

He pushed off from the tree and limped away quickly, trying to zigzag around as he did so.

Kidomaru spat out another arrow, this one attached to a thread leading back to him. Taking aim, he shot.

Neji stumbled around two trees before hiding behind a third. The arrow pierced through the tree and hit the ground with a "boom" – leaving a gaping hole. Neji coughed out blood as his eyes shift to his bleed cheek – a new wound caused by this most recent attack, "Just barely…"

Kidomaru growled, his eyes narrowing in confusion, "...The trees. They threw off the arrow's trajectory." His frown turned into a smirk as another, sharper, stronger arrow grew from his mouth, "No tree nor rock will save him from this one."

Neji leaned his head forward, exhausted, "Is this the end?" A flash of Naruto appeared in his head.

Growling lowly, Naruto shakily pulled his body up, using one limb at a time. Getting into a standing position, with his body wavering back and forth, he looked at Neji and laughed when Neji questioned him, "How?!"

Naruto answered low and tired, "Like… I said… I just… Don't know… When to give up…"

Neji smiled to himself, "Never giving up, huh?" Neji chuckled low, "…It's not like I could dodge it anyways."

Kidomaru placed the polished arrow into his bow, "He stopped moving… Well, better safe than sorry." He pulled back as hard as he could, "Striking accuracy: 120% - Maximum Destructive Power!"

He let the arrow go. It ripped through the forest, pulling up dirt, pushing through trees – destroying everything in its path as it moved.

Listening to its destructive power, Neji stilled, before turning around swiftly – facing the arrow head on.

Watching as the gap between him and death rapidly shortened, he shot a hand out in one last attempt, "If I can grab the thread, I can funnel my chakra and gentle fist attack through it – getting a direct hit on the enemy."

Still, watching it move, knowing that the pain would be unbearable and the blood loss would likely kill him once his adrenaline drained…

"You can do this. Remember why you're doing this. Don't hesitate. Don't back down." Neji told himself, sweat and blood mixing as it rolled down his face.

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The arrow snapped through the tree Neji leaned on before impacting on the ground – leaving an even bigger gap in the earth then before.

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Opening his eyes slowly, Neji hand jerk to his chest – looking for the thread. When he could find none, he looked down, "He missed?"

Suddenly, it occurred to Neji that he was no longer in front of the tree, where he once stood. In fact, he was a good distance away, hidden in the bushes.

"What are you doing out here and who are you fighting?" A deep and scratchy voice spoke to him.

Twisting his head around and tilting it up, Neji froze at the person before him, "Kanoko's and Shikamaru's father. The Nara Clan Head."

Shikaku waited a moment before speaking swiftly, "I don't believe time is a luxury we can afford to waste."

Neji shook himself out of his stupor and spoke quickly, "I was selected by Nara Shikamaru to join a group of Leaf shinobi, whose mission was to bring Kanoko back to Konoha." Neji turned his head back to where he knew Kidomaru lay, "The enemy is Kidomaru of the Sound. We encountered their group in our pursuit. He is highly skill in long range attacks and he is able to access a dark and abnormal chakra – multiplying the power of his attacks."

Shikaku listened carefully. With two simple questions, he now found himself pressed to ask a hundred more. Did the Hokage send his son on this mission, or did Shikamaru take it upon himself? How was the Sound involved? Did they learn anything about his daughter and her actions – if they were hers to begin with? Who all was on this mission? Where was his son now?

Instead of drilling the Hyuuga like he wanted to, Shikaku focused his frustrations on the enemy before him. Until he had cleared the area and –

"Another arrow is heading our way!" Neji shouted.

Shikaku rapidly twisted his hands into a seal, "Shadow Barrier."

A thick, black, window like guard appeared in front of the two. Kidomaru's attack impacting the dark barrier with a loud, cracking sound before the arrow shattered into a hundred pieces.

"Impossible…" Kidomaru thought from a distance. All three of his eyes were wide in shock, "There's no way! Who is this new comer?! How dare he get between me and my prey!"

Growling, Kidomaru created another arrow and placed it in his bow, taking aim for another attack. He cursed when he realized he let them out of his sights. Moving his arrow point around, trying to pin them down with his eagle eye vision. Getting more and more frustrated when he couldn't pin them down, Kidomaru started shouting in anger.

"COME OUT YOU LITTLE WEAKLING! YOU'RE ONLY PROLONGING YOUR OWN SUFFERING!"

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"Kids these days… Reckless, loud, and incredibly idiotic."

Kidomaru whipped around, shooting off an arrow towards the voice as he moved. His arrow swooshed through the illusion before Kidomaru could get a look at who he was dealing with.

"Try again."

Spinning around, Kidomaru let off three arrows – branching out to catch the enemy. When he once again hit thin air, Kidomaru roared in anger, "SHOW YOURSELF!"

The air still as silence stretched over the area.

"Nah. Too much work…"

"GRAWR!" Kidomaru called out, randomly shooting off arrows and kunai in all directions. Animals caught in the attack fell to the ground – dead – while the leaves of the trees flew around in the air.

Kidomaru panted as he stopped to scan over his destruction. Waiting for groans of pain or screaming, Kidomaru stilled. When his own panting was the only sound to travel to his ears, he cried out again in frustration.

"DAMN YOU!"

"Please. I haven't even done anything yet." A bored and tired voice broke through, before the owner of the voice stepped out from behind the leaves.

Kidomaru almost cried in happiness, "Big mistake!" Kidomaru went to move his arms, to aim a devastating attack at the spiky haired man before him, but found his arms not responding to his command.

Kidomaru felt the sweat travel down his head as he realized his mistake. His eyes traveled to the branch he was standing on. Connecting Kidomaru to the Leaf nin was a long thick shadow, "I spent so much time and energy looking for the Leaf scum that I didn't focus on the attack coming from underneath!"

Shikaku's half lidded eyes stared at the deformed boy before him. Shikaku moved his hands into different seals as he spoke, "Normally I would capture you and bring you back to my village for questioning, but…"

Kidomaru felt the shadow climb his chest before wrapping around his neck. His panicked eyes shot to Shikaku's cold brown ones. Kidomaru opened his mouth to plead for his life, but was interrupted by Shikaku.

"I don't have the time."

A loud snap followed.

Shikaku lazily threw the dead shinobi to the side – not even bothering to watch the body snap branches on the way down.

Leaping down and racing over to where he left Hyuuga Neji, Shikaku start to quickly patch up the boy's larger, more life threatening, wounds.

Neji panted heavily in pain. Sweat was pouring buckets down his face and back, and he was starting to come off of his adrenaline high – leaving nothing but the pain to keep him company. His eyes tiredly drifted to Shikaku's work on his wounds.

"I don't know everything, but you need to know all of what I've learned, Nara-sama." Neji told him, struggling to find the proper words.

Shikaku smirked slightly at the fighting boy in front of him, "You can call me Shikaku." He waited for Neji to nod before continuing, "And it will take me a moment to patch your wounds enough for you to travel back to Konoha. So, tell me all that you know."

Neji nodded, not really liking the idea of being sent back, but understanding the reason why. He would be nothing but a liability in his condition, "Lady Tsunade assigned Shikamaru to bring Kanoko back with a team of his choice. We were travelling through the forest when Kiba and I noticed another fight taking place…"

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Shikaku raced through the forest, his chakra pushing him forward at an incredible pace. His eyes remained sharp on the area around him, while his mind drifted back to the information given to him by the young Hyuuga.

"Genin! She sent genin after my daughter!" Shikaku frowned, his entire body filling with rage, "She, of all people, should know just how dangerous Kanoko is. Whether she left willingly or was taken – this was clearly an A-ranked mission from the beginning. Not something that can be left to genin!"

Shikaku loosened his fists, trying to keep his temperament cool in order to avoid acting recklessly, "Choza, Tsume, Hiashi, and Kakashi… Even Gai… They are not going to be any happier than I when they learn of this. And the Harunos have close ties with a few civilian elites… When they hear that their daughter was involved in such a dangerous mission… And being former shinobi themselves, they won't be fooled easily."

"Damn it Tsunade… If I wasn't so angry about you placing my only children in danger, I might actually care about the large piece of shit you just stepped into." Shikaku muttered, pushing more chakra in order to go even faster – leaving cracks in the branches as he moved.

"Woah! Kanoko's Tou-san! What are you doing here?!" A loud and unmistakable voice called out to him.

Lifting an eyebrow, a familiar blonde, followed by the Leaf's last Uchiha, came into view from behind the leaves. Slowing down slightly for them to keep up with his pace, Shikaku spoke to them, "Report. What did you find?"

Naruto opened his mouth and closed it, surprised by Shikaku's bluntness. Naruto had been invited over to the Nara's several times – normally around dinner time since Kanoko's mother, Aunty Yoshino as he liked to call her, thought he didn't eat enough and was determined to feed him until he felt ready to pop. Aunty Yoshino also liked to praise Naruto, since he was typically shy and polite around her – not willing to get on her bad side, having heard the horror stories from both Kanoko and Shikamaru. Aunty Yoshino often commented how great it would be to have a son like Naruto – making Naruto smile brightly, as he tried to ignore the lazy glare from Shikamaru.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto and turned to Shikaku while keeping the pace, "We were instructed to investigate a battle occurring between an unknown enemy and a possible Leaf shinobi. When we arrived, the battle had been settled – by an explosion." Sasuke paused to look at Naruto, "We split off and investigated. One of the shinobi was a man called Kabuto. He fought like to a Leaf shinobi, but was responsible for activating the seal on Gaara's neck during the Suna Invasion."

Shikaku nodded, "Were you able to capture him or learn anything from him?"

Sasuke paused before answering, "No. He escaped. I learned only that there are more Sound shinobi in the forest and are likely in battle with Shikamaru's team as we speak."

"Kabuto, huh? Well, this just got a whole lot worse…" Shikaku thought as his eyes locked onto Sasuke's turned head. He knew the Uchiha was holding back, but was stopped from interrogating him when Naruto popped in-between them.

"I found the other ninja and he told me about Kanoko!"

Shikaku reluctantly turned his gaze away from Sasuke and focused on Naruto, "Tell me what you know, Naruto."

Naruto nodded with a smile, "I found the other shinobi lying on the ground, bleeding heavily from the attack. He didn't have any insignias on him, but he was dressed in gray clothes with white armor." Naruto paused to smirk and rub his nose in accomplishment, "I turned up the tears and gave him my sob story. Within minutes, he told me that he and his team had kidnapped Kanoko, but they didn't plan on hurting her. He told me that they would be making a run for the northeast border of the Land of Fire and that they weren't very strong."

Shikaku nodded slowly, digesting the information provided to him, "Heading to the northeast border and wearing white armor… The Cloud. No doubt." Shikaku cursed in his head, "I told her that she was attracting too much attention. Why can't she listen to me like most little girls? How come I got the most troublesome children out of the bunch?" Shikaku let out a long sigh.

Letting his eyes drift back to the two boys next to him, he spoke, "From what you're describing, it sounds like the shinobi you came across was a ninja of the Village Hidden in the Clouds. Shinobi from the Cloud have a wide variety of ninja skills, but most base their attacks around Kenjutsu – combining sword techniques with ninjutsu." Shikaku paused, "…And of course, being located in the Land of Lightning, some of their lightning jutsu can be devastating."

Sasuke looked down at his hand, the one he used primarily for his own lightning jutsu.

"It doesn't matter if they can spit fire from their butts! We aren't going home until we have Kanoko back!" Naruto shouted with an angry look covering his face.

Shikaku chuckled quietly as he gave Naruto a smile. Looking ahead again, the branches passing in a blur, Shikaku spoke again – this time with a sober tone, "…I'm more concerned with the appearance of these Sound shinobi."

Sasuke was the one to speak up this time, "I noticed that you flinched when I mentioned the name Kabuto. He was at the Suna Invasion, and now Konoha's jounin commander is flinching at the mention of his name." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "Just who is this man?"

Shikaku's dark eyes narrowed at Sasuke's rudeness, "Piece of advice kid: Don't insult your superiors – especially when they are having a particularly bad day."

Naruto's head swiveled back and forth from Kanoko's father to his childhood rival. Confused by the sudden animosity coming from both, Naruto spoke up, "OK, I get that these Sound ninja are bad – I mean they attacked all those innocent people in Suna, but why are you so worried about them? Isn't the Cloud the big problem here?"

Shikaku turned to Naruto, "…The Cloud has Kanoko and that is a serious problem, but…" Shikaku paused to eye Sasuke, who was staring ahead again, "Chances are, the team sent to infiltrate and kidnap my daughter, specialize in track and capture tactics – a theory confirmed by your conversation with the injured Cloud shinobi."

Naruto nodded, waiting for the elder Nara to continue.

"The Village Hidden in the- Sound is a recently constructed shinobi "village" that was founded by the sannin, Orochimaru."

Both boys tensed at the name, remembering their last encounter with the snake-like sannin. Sasuke's vision blurred slightly – getting lost in his thoughts, "Orochimaru… Even with all twelve of us, we were no match. We were lucky to get away with our lives…" Sasuke's fist tightened, "Both Itachi and Orochimaru are traitors to the Leaf. Is there some kind of connection?"

Sasuke turned to look at Kanoko's father, "…Kanoko was the one that removed the seal placed on me by Orochimaru. Could he be seeking revenge?" Suddenly, the thought that Kanoko was being targeted because of actions she took to help him left a bad taste in his mouth.

Before he could stop himself, he scoffed, "If the Sound thinks they can attack one of our own and get away with it – they're going to learn the hard way how wrong they are."

Shikaku's eyebrow shot up, not quite expecting such a response out of the Uchiha.

Naruto, on the other hand, was grinning like a mad man while chuckling quietly to himself.

Sasuke ignored the both of them and focus instead on the path ahead.

Shaking his head with mirth, Shikaku chose to skip the bulk of his observations and thoughts – deciding that the words would be pointless to the genin before him. Both of them were itching to get into the action and bring their friend home.

Shikaku closed his eyes for a moment to laugh quietly, "And here I was thinking that Noko-chan only knew how to make enemies." His eyes opened and drifted to Naruto and Sasuke, "...I'm glad that my children have friends like them."

With a smile on his face, he spoke to the boys while taking the lead, "We have two mission objectives now: Rescue Kanoko and defend Shikamaru's team from the Sound. Completing both with our numbers and skill sets will prove to be difficult, but…" Shikaku paused.

Naruto was the first to speak, "…But what?"

Shikaku turned his head to the side, giving them a side smirk, "But we have something the enemy doesn't."

Sasuke glared in annoyance, wishing Kanoko's father wasn't so vague.

Thankfully Naruto voice his question with an annoyed tone of his own, "And that is?!"

The elder Nara chuckled, turning back around, "...None of you are typical genin. Actually, I'd say all of you are going to be the pillars holding up our village one day."

Naruto and Sasuke stared at Shikaku's back.

Naruto was the first to shake himself out of his shock to grin widely, "BELIEVE IT!"

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"AKAMARU!"

Kiba wailed as he raced towards his friend and partner. Akamaru's side was a deep red color with crimson droplets dripping off of him as he fell from above.

Kiba dived down from his branch in order to catch his small dog. He caught him just before hitting the ground, making Kiba grunt as he felt the impact of crashing into a tree. Leaning against the tree, Kiba took a tentative look at Akamaru.

His stomach lurched as tears started to form in his eyes.

Akamaru was barely moving.

And the amount of blood…

Howling, Kiba jerk his head back up at the witch above him, "YOU SICK BITCH!"

Tayuya just scoffed, "Oh, so it's ok for you to throw him at me, in the hopes that he'll take me out, but when I defend myself, I'm the bitch." Holding her flute up to her mouth, she motioned her giants to surrounds Kiba and Akamaru.

Kiba cursed before racing off, in order to get away.

"YOU AREN'T GETTING AWAY!" Tayuya growled out, in hot pursuit of Kiba.

Kiba turned his head as he weaved his wave through the thick forest, "I know the terrain, but that's the only advantage I have right now…" Kiba took another look at Akamaru, "Damn it! I'm so sorry Akamaru! I got cocky and you covered me – paying for my mistakes!"

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Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikaku raced through the trees. They knew that they were close to the fighting, based upon growing amount of damage to the forest they were passing by. The more trees and ground up turned, the worse of a feeling Shikaku was getting in the pit of his stomach.

Everything about this felt wrong. Maybe it was mostly due to the fact that his two only children were in the deep of it, but…

Shikaku's train of thought was broken when he felt a flicker of chakra a small distance behind them. Signally the boys to stop, he took a defensive stance as he waited for the surprise visitors to make an appearance.

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"Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed, making Shikaku face-palm.

"Kakashi better hurry up and teach this kid some discretion and how to be quiet…" Shikaku thought before giving the three new comers an unimpressed look.

"Naruto…" Gaara responded in an emotionless tone.

Sasuke eyed the Sand siblings with suspicion as Shikaku broke up the reunion, "Who are you and why are you here?" Shikaku spoke firmly before thinking, "The last thing we need is to add the Sand into this mess."

Temari and Kankuro looked to their brother, who paused before speaking slowly, "We were requested, by your Hokage, to act as backup in your mission to retrieve Nara Kanoko."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow at that, "The situation has changed greatly. It is possible that we will be facing off stronger enemies than the three of you can handle. Are you still willing to complete this mission?"

Temari just huffed as she crossed her arms, "We wouldn't be out here if we didn't already know the risks."

Gaara nodded at his sister's words.

"Then why are you out here?" Sasuke asked quickly, his eyes narrow at the three.

Kankuro shrugged with a smirk, "Wow. Not one to let the past go, are you?"

Sasuke's fists tightened, "I'm an avenger."

Shikaku place an arm in front of Sasuke, "Stand down."

Gaara spoke again, "We are not here to start another fight. We are simply here to repay a favor."

Naruto cut in, curious, "A favor?" The blonde looked over at Shikaku, "Do they owe you something, pops?"

"We owe that pineapple head's sister, Nara Kanoko." Temari told them, getting frustrated with the conversation – which she knew was a waste of time.

Gaara nodded, "My sister is right. Nara Kanoko was the one that stopped the cursed seal from taking control and sending my demon into a rage." Gaara closed his eyes and spoke low, "She is also the reason that I am able to sleep."

Now Shikaku was curious, "What do you mean, she is the reason you are able to sleep?"

Sasuke and Naruto listening intently, also extremely curious now.

"When I slept, my seal weakened to the point that the One-Tailed Beast, Shukaku, was able to take over my body. Since that day, when Nara Kanoko removed the curse seal, I also felt her chakra mold over the tailed-beast's seal." Gaara paused, "It wasn't until later, that I noticed that Shukaku's voice had been silenced."

Shikaku's eyes went wide, his hand shaking ever so slightly, "She reinforced the seal…? A tailed beast seal?"

Kankuro cut in, pulling the Leaf nin from their thoughts, "Not that I don't mind standing here and chatting, but isn't this a time sensitive mission?"

Shikaku sighed lightly, "It is." He stuck out his hand, "Let me see the scroll from my Hokage."

Gaara pulled the scroll out and handed it to Shikaku.

Reading through it quickly, he handed it back to Gaara, "Follow us."

The Sand trio nodded, leaping into the trees with Naruto, Sasuke and Shikaku.

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Sakura threw her body to the ground to avoid another attack from the Sound twins. Rushing chakra to her hands, she pushed herself off the ground and rolled to the right – narrowly missing another attack. Whipping her hair over her, Sakura looked out at the scene before her.

Sakon and Ukon were hunched over slightly, laughing at Sakura's dirt covered form.

Sakura huffed, blowing a pink strand of hair from her face as she glared at them. Focusing her eyes to the scene behind them, she witnessed Choji struggling with his own opponent. Honestly, a part of Sakura wondered why the Sound hadn't killed them already. Were they stalling them or did they get off on playing with their enemies?

Sakura was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a scream come from Choji. Jerking her head back to Choji she watched as the brown haired boy was flung through the air and landed deep in the forest. Leaves and birds scattered from the area as his enemy dived into the forest in hot pursuit of wicked smile on his face.

Concerned for her friend and teammate's safety Sakura pushed herself up to her feet and raced towards the force where she saw Choji land. She could tell Sakon and Ukon were in hot pursuit as she flew through the branches, her eyes rapidly moving trying to find Choji.

Hearing a pain groan, Sakura pushed her legs towards the sound, "Choji!" Sakura jerked her head around to try to find Choji's form, "Choji where are you!"

"Over here." A small groan followed the voice.

Hearing Choji's voice Sakura raced over to where he lay on the ground, "Choji… Are you okay?"

Choji rubbed his side groaning as he did, "I think… I think a busted a rib…" Choji held his side, grunting at the pain.

Sakura watched her teammate cringe in pain, "Choji we need to move!" Placing her hands over Choji's side, they started to glow green in an attempt to heal the damage, "There's no way we come out of this alive!"

Choji groaned while shifting his body to sit up. Turning to Sakura, Choji frowned at her, "If we retreat, we'll be nothing but cowards." His frown dipped further as his eyebrows ruffled, "I can't… No. I won't abandon my post! Not when my friends are counting on me!"

Choji pushed Sakura's hand away and pushed himself to his feet – panting as he did.

Sakura stared up at Choji in awe before frowning, "Our friends wouldn't want us to die needlessly!" Sakura jumped to her feet and grabbed Choji's arm, "It's one thing to be brave. It's another to be stupid!"

Choji grumbled, not agreeing with Sakura, but not sure if he was willing to waste time arguing with her. If she was anything like his teammate, Ino, then they could be there all day.

Sakura just crossed her arms and waited for Choji to argue back.

They were both pulled from their stare down when the ground shook below them.

"You Leaf nin are weak!" Jirobo laughed out, his hands planted into the ground, "Or maybe you're just the extra fat hanging around. No wonder your team left you to the three of us!"

Sakon appeared from behind the bushes with a chuckle of his own, "You just now figuring that out, Jirobo? Maybe you're the real idiot here…"

Jirobo glared at his comrade.

Choji and Sakura tensed at the two. Choji was panting heavily from his wound that he didn't let Sakura finish healing and Sakura's paranoia hit an all-time high when she couldn't find the second half of the Ukon/Sakon pair.

"We have no advantages. The have the superior numbers, and your strength and my genjutsu abilities won't help us here… And the other one, Ukon or Sakon, isn't in plain sight." Sakura told Choji, her eyes viciously searching the area.

Choji was silent as he stood his ground. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a clear contained, holding a red capsule.

Sakura's eye caught the movement and her arm snapped his hand, "No! Shikamaru told me to keep you away from that pill!"

"Like you said, we have no advantages! This will give us an advantage!" Choji roared at Sakura.

Sakura stepped back, taken aback by Choji's tone and angry face. Sakura opened her mouth to argue back, but closed it when she saw the look in Choji's eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Choji turned his eyes back to the enemies ahead while speaking low to Sakura, "…To put your life on your line for a comrade, for our village, for those important to you – it's the way of our village." Choji paused before continuing, "That's what Shikamaru told us. Neji understood this when he stayed behind to face off that spider guy alone… It's what we all knew what we were getting into when we accepted this mission."

Choji was quiet for a moment, "…I'm not going to let my best friend down. I'm not going to let my comrades down. And I'll do whatever it takes to protect the people close to me!"

Emerald eyes went wide as she listened to Choji's speech. Sakura quickly snapped out of it to hang her head in shame as she remembered what Shikamaru told her at the start of the mission.

Dusting himself off after pushing Sakura off, he looked down at her with dangerous look, "But if your actions cost me my sister…"

Sakura's fists tightened as her eyes squeezed shut, trying to hold in the tears in her eyes, "He was right! I'm nothing but a liability!" A tear spilled down over her cheek and hitting the ground with a drip noise, "If I was stronger like Naruto, or smarter like Shikamaru, or more skilled like Sasuke I could help Choji, instead of adding to his worry!"

Flashback

"Why do you even like that boy?" Kanoko asked Sakura, watching Sasuke walk away. Sakura had just asked him out on a date – a sparring date, but everyone knew she was focusing more on the word "date" then "sparring".

Sasuke, however, seemed to be in a particularly foul mood because instead of ignoring her like usual, Sasuke coldly told Sakura that she was weakest genin in their academy and sparring with her would be a waste of time.

Kanoko, on an errand run for her mother, happened to be passing by and stopped to watch the exchange. After watching Sakura get her heart crushed, she walked up from behind and asked Sakura her question.

Sakura felt hot and her head hurt – feeling a sob coming on. Knowing that if she spoke, she would start crying, just shrugged at Kanoko's question.

Kanoko raised an eyebrow, but walked up to Sakura's side – not looking at Sakura but at the path ahead.

They stood there silently for a few minutes, neither looking at the other.

Exhaling lightly, Kanoko spoke, "…I've never understood this whole concept: Courting, dating, whatever you want to call it." Kanoko paused and raised an eyebrow, "But perhaps I see "love" differently."

Kanoko looked at Sakura from the corner of her eye, "…You threw yourself in front of Suna's tailed beast in order to protect Sasuke… That's something many may claim they would do, but would never follow through with."

A short breeze kicked up some leaves – making them fly by Kanoko and Sakura.

"You are brave Sakura - braver than many people in this world. On the battlefield you would risk your life to protect those important to you – against impossible odds. And you are also brave in how you openly give heart to others. Many either admire from the shadows or give up at the first sign of difficulty." Kanoko paused, listening for Sakura to speak.

When she didn't, Kanoko continued, "And you are tenacious. You don't give up after the first, second, or hundredth failure. Something you share in common with Naruto, actually."

Kanoko smirked when she heard a small "hmph!" from Sakura.

Kanoko spoke quietly as she took a step with two grocery bags in her hands, "You're smart …and brave …and tenacious. The only person that can take those things away from you, is you."

The young Nara started walking away, her back to Sakura, but not before speaking one last time.

"You were brave back in Suna, but now it's time for you to be strong."

.

Kanoko was nearly out of view when Sakura couldn't hold it in anymore. She cracked out a wail before sobbing – her body shaking as she did. When she finally caught her breath again, Sakura looked up at the place Kanoko disappeared into.

With a smile on her face.

With tears still streaming down her face, she smile wide and bright, "Thank you Kanoko… Thank you so much."

End Flashback

Sakura's eyes snapped up to Choji's face. Taking her hand off of Choji's arm, she nodded to him.

Choji's eye went wide before he started to smile back.

Sakura head snapped to the Sound nin in front, "Choji… You're right. This is the time to be brave. For Neji, for Shikamaru, for Kiba, and Naruto, and Sasuke… And for Kanoko. For them we need to be brave. For them we need to fight."

Sakura stood tall as she finished her small speech, "For them we need to be strong."

Choji tightened his fist around the red pill, his face determined. Nodding his head, with his eyes locked on Jirobo's form, he swallowed the pill whole.

Sakura, equally determined, felt the surge of chakra flow from Choji and knew it was her time to shine too. Pulling out several kunai with tags attached, she raced forward at a ground breaking speed and started lighting the tags up.

Sakura toss two around Sakon's feet.

Sakon was quick to jump back and out of the way.

Sakura was quick to pursue her target, sending exploding kunai after exploding kunai.

The Sound nin cursed as he leaped farther and farther back, away from Jirobo, "Ukon!"

Ukon was quick to appear on his brother's command, leaping out from behind the trees and aiming his body straight at Sakura.

Sakura whipped out a smoke bomb and threw it at her feet – throwing Ukon off. Ninja wire shot out at Ukon's coughing form and wrapped around him. Sakura pinned the two ends of the wire into the ground and a tree – holding the Sound nin in place.

Sakon was quick to react. Leaping towards Sakura, got her in the stomach with his claw.

"GYAAAAH!" Sakura called out, holding her pulsing stomach. The skin was not broken, but she could feel the internal damage. Quickly, Sakura placed a hand over her stomach and started to heal the damage.

Sakon ripped the bindings off Ukon, "Getting trapped by a weak kunoichi…"

Ukon glared at his brother before shrugging off the wire and turning to the recovering pinkette, "You're going to regret that, little girl."

Sakura just returned his glare with a spat of her own, "Bring it on."

00000000000000000000000

"What are you seeing?"

Gaara held his fingers over his eye as his third eye viewed the battles from above. Releasing the jutsu, he turn to answer Shikaku's question, "There are four battles going on ahead. The closest is between the Leaf nin with a mutt and a red hair woman – she was wielding a flute and had command over three demonic giants."

Naruto was quick to clarify, "That's Kiba and Akamaru!"

Gaara nodded, "The dog… It was badly injured. And the two were retreating to the east."

Kankuro adjusted the coffin on his back, "I got this one."

Shikaku nodded, allowing Kankuro to assist Kiba. The middle child of the late Kazekage took off.

Gaara continued, "The second closest battle is between two large shinobi. Their strengths seemed to be in their physical abilities." Gaara paused, "You're Leaf nin is winning, but his body seems to be thinning as he goes."

Shikaku gritted his teeth, "…Choji. Damn it."

Temari whipped her fan out from behind her, "I'll go back him up. If he needs it."

Shikaku stopped Temari. He pulled out a large black pill from his pocket, "Feed this to him – shove it down his mouth if you have to. He'll die if you don't."

Temari grabbed the large capsule and nodded solemnly before taking off quickly.

Shikaku sighed heavily, "Please. Don't make me tell my best friend that his son isn't coming home." Turning back to Gaara, he motioned for him to continue.

"There are two battles left. One is between demonic twins and the pink hair konichi from Naruto's team, and the other is between a dark haired boy, dressed in green and another… A shinobi who is using the bones in his body to attack and defend."

"What?!" Sasuke and Naruto exclaimed at the same time. Naruto quickly followed it up, "What do you mean, using his own bones?! Wait… Pink hair? SAKURA-CHAN!"

Shikaku's hand quickly grabbed the back of Naruto's collar and held him back from running to Sakura's rescue.

Gaara nodded, "Yes. Your teammate. And she will not be able to hold off the two of them for long."

Sasuke turned to Gaara, "What about this shinobi that is using the bones in his body to fight? How is that even possible?"

Shikaku cut in while holding Naruto's collar firmly, "There is a clan… I thought they had been whipped out." Shikaku was silent for a moment before continuing, "In any case, there was a clan, whose kekkei genkai was to grow and harden the bones of their bodies. No genin would be able to fight off an attack from this shinobi – not even Gai's student."

Gaara was silent as he considered what the Nara clan head had to say. Looking up at Shikaku, he spoke, "Then I will proceed to that location. My sand techniques stand the best chance of stopping this enemy."

Shikaku eyed Gaara carefully, "The kid is probably right. Out of all of these kids, the former Kazekage's youngest is the most likely to survive." Shikaku was starting to feel his age as the stress started to seep into his skin, "But if he dies… And on our lands of all places…"

Sighing, Shikaku nodded to him before turning to Sasuke, "You will go assist Haruno Sakura."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Naruto yelled out, "What?! Why him?!" To add to his point, Naruto crossed his arms and pouted.

Shikaku felt the corner of his mouth twitch into a smirk, "Kushina's quick temper and Minato's need to save everyone: Worst combination ever." Shikaku chuckled low in his throat, "People say the same thing about my two children, so I guess I have no room to talk."

Turning to face Naruto, Shikaku's face softened, "Because I need your help. Gaara was unable to find either of my two troublesome children, so that means the Cloud still has them. You know the most about them…" Shikaku paused to release his hand from Naruto's collar, "And I need your special ability, if you want to pull this off without anyone getting seriously hurt."

Naruto had mixed feelings. He wanted to go help Sakura-chan, but he also promised that he would bring Kanoko back… And Shikaku needed him in order to get her back.

But…

Naruto turned to Sasuke, a serious look in his eyes. He stared at Sasuke for a minute – Sasuke feeling uncomfortable at the look on Naruto's face. Taking a deep breath, Naruto walked up to Sasuke and spoke firmly, "…Promise me that you will bring back Sakura-chan – alive and ok."

Sasuke stared at Naruto, his arms still crossed. The wind blew by them, picking up leaves and making them fly pass. Sasuke uncrossed his arms and look away with an annoyed look, "You do your job and I'll do mine."

Naruto grinned, knowing that was Sasuke speak for "I promise".

Shikaku shook his head at the two before calling out to the two of them, "Come on. Every second we waste here is another second that our comrades need us."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded before taking off in different directions.

Shikaku moved to follow Naruto, but not before thinking, "Your sons sure are something, Minato, Fugaku." Shikaku leaped into the trees with a light smirk on his face, "But they're brave and strong – and really care about their friends. I'm sure the two of you are proud of what they have become and what they will become in the future."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

.

.

.

"Shit!" Shikamaru thought as he raced through the trees, following his tracks back to the clearing. He looked over his shoulder and found the blonde nowhere to be found. A kunai was in one of his hands while the other hung loose. One of the fingers on his hand was bent backwards and was starting to swell.

"That was too close…" Shikamaru thought, focusing on spiking his chakra while racing through the forest. One of the first things his sister had taught him was how to deal with genjutsu users – if you were lucky enough to identify them before getting caught.

This particular tactic was more of a last resort as it both wasted chakra and it was similar to setting off a flare to any sensors in the area.

Unfortunately, the young Nara, he didn't have much of a choice…

Flashback

The blonde smirked, "Your life, in exchange for your sister's."

.

Shikamaru's eyes dropped into a dull look. Sighing loudly, he placed his hands in his pockets and slouched.

Not quite expecting such a response, the tall blonde stilled in her movements. Her hand closed into a fist before opening it back up and extending her fingers with a small frown on her face, "…Strange." The woman narrowed her eyes slightly, "I was under the impression that your little sister meant more to you than that."

Shikamaru's eyebrow arched before mumbling, "Why does everyone think I have a sister complex? If anyone has a complex, it's her. Troublesome…"

The blonde's eye twitched slightly before turning her frown into a smirk, "So you don't care what happens to your sister?"

"Of course I do." Came the lazy answer.

"But not enough to trade your own life for."

Shikamaru sighed before rubbing his shoulder with a bored look, "If you had my sister, you'd be parading her in front of me like some kind of prize." Shikamaru released his shoulder and placed his hands back in his pockets, "But you don't, so why bother?"

The blonde bit the inside of her cheek, to keep from screaming at the rude boy in front of her, "…I could be holding her somewhere else."

"Then you wouldn't have said, "I could be holding her somewhere else"." Shikamaru told her, his tone dripping in sarcasm.

The woman held her tongue. Instead of lashing out, she started to chuckle darkly, "…You take more after your mother."

This caught Shikamaru's attention. He knew that his father was well known throughout the lands, due to his high position in the Leaf's hierarchy and his time in the war, but his mother?

The blonde's chuckling grew, "What, no witty response?" She paused to lift an eyebrow, "Perhaps my first assessment was wrong. The only thing you have in common with your father is his looks."

Shikamaru frowned, "What do you have against my family?" The way she was talking… Shikamaru gave her a sharp look.

The woman smirked, "So. Much."

And then she flickered out of view.

Shikamaru twisted his body around, his hands out of his pockets, as he searched the area.

"Silly boy." A light voice whispered behind him.

Shikamaru spun around, only to find the spot vacant.

"You think you who your family is."

Shikamaru spun around again, growling when he was met with nothing but air again.

"But you have no idea who they are."

"GYAHH!" Shikamaru cried out, feeling his back get slashed open by some kind of whip.

"You don't know just what kind of monsters they are."

Shikamaru hissed, holding his scream in as he fell on one knee – the back of his calf bleeding from the attack. He pulled out a kunai from his pouch and held it out in front of him.

"Allow me to educate you."

An invisible force plowed into Shikamaru's gut, sending him flying before tumbling on the ground. Spitting out dirt, he pushed his chest off the ground to search the area for whatever hit him.

"Your father is nothing but coward. He easily gives up the things he wants, just because he is afraid of conflict."

Shikamaru pushed himself off the ground, only his cheek getting hit this time. "I think I'm starting to get the timing down…" He thought.

"You sister is nothing but a pawn. She quickly falls in line to the discussions made by others – whether those orders be right or wrong."

Shikamaru raced behind a tree, but looked back when he didn't hear an attack. Feeling the hairs on his back stand up, he jerked his head down just before the ground exploded beneath him – sending him flying backwards and hitting the ground hard, on his back.

Shikamaru groaned in pain as his vision blurred.

The blonde woman kneeled down next to him, placing a hand on his chest. She brought her lips near his ear and whispered, "But the true monster in your family is your mother."

Shikamaru's hands snap around the woman's wrist. He felt the air get pushed out of his lungs as she pushed harder and harder on his chest.

"For your mother is cruel."

He felt the bruises forming on his chest from the pressure.

"For your mother is hateful."

He screamed as he felt his ribs start to crack, one by one.

"And she took everything from me."

Air wheezed out of him as he felt her hand sink into his chest and compressing his lungs down.

"…And I am going to do the same to her. …Starting with her little boy's life."

.

.

.

"Just… Need to…" Shikamaru thought before his eyes snapped open.

.

"…What did you say about my sister?"

.

The woman blinked at the boy's question, "He's dying and all he asks is what I said about his sister?!" Deciding to meet his demand, he was going to die anyways, she answered, "I said your sister was a pawn, she-"

The blonde stopped speaking when she saw the smirk appear on Shikaku's son's face.

"What-?" She didn't get to finish before Shikamaru snapped one of his fingers back, sending their world into a mix of colors.

Shikamaru panted as he watched the genjutsu around them deteriorate. He was standing in the same place before.

Standing a few feet away from him was the blonde. She glared at him, "How did you know?"

Shikamaru smirked, "Because everyone sees my sister as some sort of rebel or stuck up princess. I'm the only one that thinks of her as a pawn – actually, more as a suck up." Shikamaru shrugged, "And that's only because she'll do whatever our mother says, making me look bad."

And with that, Shikamaru threw a smoke bomb on the ground and sped out of there.

End Flashback

Shikamaru cursed his luck, and then, for good measure, his sister's curse for taking a terrible situation and making it ten times worse…

"Troublesome…"

.

"Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru came to a complete halt, his body tense and his kunai out and ready for attack. He continued to scramble his chakra flow, in a desperate effort to null all possible genjutsus.

Shikaku and Naruto landed in front of Shikamaru. Shikaku, who yelled out to his son earlier, took notice to his tense and paranoid posture.

Naruto, however, was excited to see his friend – and in one piece too, "Shikamaru! Man! I was worried! A lazy ass like you?" Naruto chuckled with a large grin on his face, "But then I remembered that even you grow a spine when it comes to Kanoko!"

Shikamaru eyed the two suspiciously. He looked to his father before slowly shifting them to Naruto, "Naruto… What is the unspoken rule of Team 7?"

Naruto blinked, "Huh? Kanoko told you! Man, not cool! That was a Team 7 secret!" Naruto pouted, crossing his arms in annoyance.

Shikamaru relaxed, smiling at his blonde friend, "Nah… She refused to speak about it – even though she came home looking like she had been through a mini war."

Shikaku chuckled, "I remember that. Your mother was ready to go knock down Kakashi's door and give him a piece of her mind – and of her frying pan."

Shikamaru exhaled in relief, happy to be with people he knew and trusted. Looking back at his father, he asked, "Have you see Kanoko yet?"

His father's face turned solemn, "…No. I was hoping you would be with her." Shikaku eyed his son's broken finger, "I take it you've had a run in with the Cloud nin… Or maybe another Sound shinobi?"

Shikamaru shook his head, "…I'm not sure who I ran into."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow, but before he was able to ask for more information, Naruto cut him off, "COME ON! Not again! We've had enough conversations in one day, and now night, to last a lifetime!" Naruto crossed his arms again, "When we finally catch up to Kanoko, she's going to be annoyed it took us so long. And you know who suffers her vengeance? It's me!"

Shikamaru shook his head, "Nah, Kanoko likes to spread the wealth – she's a real gem like that." His tone thick with sarcasm.

Shikaku coughed, a small chuckle escaping as he did, "In any case… Naruto is right. We need to keep searching."

Shikamaru sighed, but nodded, "Before I ran into, whoever that woman was, I found traces of a fight. Either a shinobi of the Leaf found the Cloud carrying one of our own and attacked, or Kanoko escaped."

"There aren't any Leaf shinobi due back. It's more likely that Kanoko escaped." Shikaku told them before mumbling, "Even at a young age, she was difficult to pin down."

Shikamaru nodded and started leading the pair to the clearing where he suspected Kanoko escaped her captures before fighting back.

It didn't take them long to find the place. Touching down on the ground, Shikaku immediately started surveying the area for signs of where they went.

The three spread out, looking for clues, when Shikaku heard a muffled hiss. He didn't react, but continued to act as if he was search – all while moving his shadow carefully.

With a sudden snap, his shadow took off at the speed of sound and caught two bodies hiding in the bushes.

"Damn it!" A pained voice called, "I can't move!"

Shikamaru and Naruto jumped over to Shikaku's location and watch as he pulled the two out from the brush.

Two blondes, one male and the other female, fell forward – completely entwined in the black tendrils.

"Cloud." Shikamaru stated, looking up at his father.

Shikaku looked in between the two of them, "Those are some burn marks… Not to mention stab wounds."

Naruto crossed his arms with a grin, "Definitely Kanoko's work!"

Shikamaru whacked Naruto in the back of the head, "If they didn't know what we wanted from them, they do now. Idiot."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head while glaring at Shikamaru, "Oh and your comment wasn't anymore stupid, STUPID!"

Shikamaru's eye twitched and he looked like he was going to argue back before sighing and mumbling, "…Troublesome…"

Shikaku felt a headache coming on, "Kids these days…" Turning his attention back onto the Cloud nin before him, he spoke, "How many Cloud nin did you see carrying Kanoko away, Shikamaru?"

"Three. All blonde, but the one carrying Kanoko isn't here…" Shikamaru answered, looking around.

"I see…" Shikaku changed his hand sign. The black lines restraining the two started moving up their bodies and wrapping around their necks. Shikaku applied pressure making the two gasp and squirm in pain, "Now-"

Shikaku was interrupted by a voice.

"WAIT!"

The three turned around to see a limping Cloud nin holding his abdomen.

Naruto's eyebrows shot up, "You!"

Shikaku looked over to Naruto, "You recognize him?"

Naruto nodded, "He's the one that I helped then told me about his team and where they were taking Kanoko!"

"Traitor!" The blonde man spat out.

The new Cloud nin hung his head, but nodded firmly at them. His eyes shift to the female, "You were right Samui. We should have never taken this mission – if for no other reason than it being against what we stood for."

Samui exhaled deeply at her captain, completely exhausted by the whole adventure. She raised her head to look at him in the eye, "And you were right too, Darui. Our Raikage would have never sent us on this mission if it wasn't important. And he didn't."

The unnamed blonde turned to Samui, "Not you too sis!"

"Enough Atsui. We were nothing but pawns." Samui told him firmly.

Naruto looked from Samui to Darui to Shikaku, "Wait! Time out! I'm not following!"

"You're not the only one." Shikamaru mumbled.

Darui turned his focus from Naruto back to Samui, "What are you talking about Samui?"

Samui turned to Shikaku, "Your daughter broke the seal blocking her chakra and paralyzing her. After which, she went on the offensive and was able to take both Atsui and I out. Just as she was about to kill me, our team leader, C, caught her in a genjutsu."

"Or so I thought…" A gruff and broken voice spoke out from behind the group.

"C!" Darui shouted, limping over to his teammate, "What happened to you?!"

C was covered in blood, the faint glowing of green being the only thing keeping him upright and breathing. His clothes were shredded and he was dragging his leg – which looked to be broken.

Darui caught C as he collapsed on the ground.

Shikaku's brain was running on overdrive. With every answered question, two more popped up.

C panted as he balanced on Darui, "…We've been betrayed… And used…"

"Explain what happened." Shikaku told the Cloud nin firmly.

C did not respond, so Darui nodded to him, telling him to go ahead.

C shook his head, but started talking regardless, "…After I caught Nara Kanoko in a genjutsu, I started to focusing on putting her back to sleep. I didn't get very far when I felt something I've never felt before: Someone took over my genjutsu and pushed me out."

Shikaku tensed, his breath caught in his throat. He stepped over to the bleeding Cloud nin, "Who?"

C glared up at Shikaku, his mouth shut.

A black tendril arched from below and ripped into C's non-broken leg.

"AHHH!" C screamed out in pain.

"POPS!" Naruto called out, not understanding why he did that.

Shikaku ignored him as his voice turned cold, "Who."

C heaved in pain, his teeth gritting as he spoke, "Yamanaka Asami."

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Shikaku exhaled.

.

He walked a few feet away from the group.

.

*BAM*

.

Blood poured down the tree and his fist from the impact.

.

"DAMN IT!"

.

Shikamaru watched his father with terrified eyes. He had never seen his father like this. Worried, yes. Disappointed, yes. Sad, yes.

Angry?

No

Completely infuriated?

Shikamaru never thought he'd ever see this side of his father.

.

Who was Yamanaka Asami?

.

Naruto placed a hand on his chin, "Yamanaka… Yamanaka… Wait! Yamanaka Ino? Someone related to Ino?" Naruto looked over at Shikamaru for the answer.

Shikamaru shrugged, eyes still trained on his father's back, "I don't know. Maybe…"

.

Shikaku evened his breath out. Turning back around, he spoke to the Cloud nin, "What happened next?"

C wiped the blood from his mouth with a scowl on his face, "I confronted her…"

Flashback

C felt the genjutsu get pulled from him. He stared wide eyed at the person before him. He never experienced such a thing before – he didn't even know it was possible!

His eyes followed as she walked up to him, a smirk on her face.

"Asami…" C spoke carefully, "What are you doing here?"

Asami's smirk just grew as she turned her eyes back to her captive, "Darling thought you could use some backup. So here I am."

C's eyes narrowed, "…Then why did you take the genjutsu from me?"

Asami's deep blue eyes shifted slowly to C, "It's none of your concern."

Samui frown at the exchange while helping her brother with his wounds. Samui never felt comfortable around Asami – whether it was because she was a traitor of the Leaf or held so much sway over the Raikage, Samui wasn't sure.

She knew one thing though.

Asami's presence didn't signal anything good in their future.

.

C, tired from the mission and Asami's antics, pushed more, "We have pursuers. We need to knock Nara Kanoko out and then make our way back home as quickly as possible."

Asami hummed in interest, "Pursuers? Do you know who?"

"A few Sound nin and some Leaf genin." C answered quickly.

Asami raised an eyebrow, "Genin? Leaf genin? …How, fortunate." Asami's grin grew, "Tell me, did one of them have brown, pineapple shape hair?"

Atsui was the one to answer, "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Because it's her brother." C told Atsui while glaring at Asami, "I don't know what you're thinking, but we've already lost one comrade and we haven't seen Darui at all. I'm not letting you risk any more lives to satisfy your savage needs."

Samui's eyebrows shot up.

Asami smirked wickedly, "…Think you have me figured out huh?" Asami's eyes darkened as they locked onto C's form.

C quickly took a defensive stance, preparing for an attack from Asami.

.

He didn't expect the attack to come from the genjutsu trapped Kanoko.

C leaped out of the way just in time. Kanoko continued her vicious attack as he heard Asami's wicked laughter in the background.

"C!" Samui shouted before whipping her head around to face Asami, "Stop! You'll kill him!"

Asami just laughed louder, "Oh dear… That's the point." Her wicked grin turned to Samui and Atsui, "Don't worry, you'll have your turn too."

Samui's heart jumped before she placed herself in between Asami and Atsui, "Once a traitor, always a traitor! You won't be able to defeat all of us and when the Raikage hears about this!"

Asami cut her off with a bellowing laughter, "Oh please honey! Your "Raikage" is nothing but a pawn on my chest board. All it took was one look and he was under my spell." Asami arched an eyebrow, "And that was before I even used my clan jutsu on him."

"Samui! Grab Atsui and get out of here!" C shouted from across the field before being chased into the forest – a dead eyed Kanoko hot on his trail.

Samui gritted her teeth as she stared down the witch before her, "…Why are you doing this? What do you get out of this?"

The former Leaf nin looked Samui straight in the eye and spoke in a low tone, "For what other reason, then for vengeance?"

End Flashback

"…And then she sensed your son approaching. She was so overjoyed to get her revenge that she didn't notice Atsui and I slip away." Samui finished for C.

.

Shikaku rubbed his face, "How is she even alive?! And why is she targeting my children? And why did she get this powerful?!"

Shikamaru looked over at his dad, concerned for him and concerned for his family. He looked down as his fist tightenedbefore lifting his head up to face his father again, "…The woman I came across. She said she would take everything… From Kaa-san."

Shikaku's eyes widened, "…No…" Shikaku school his features, feeling a familiar sense of dread and sour taste in his mouth, "He told her… This… This is my fault."

Naruto gazed around the area again – from the injured shinobi to his own emotionally crippled comrades. Taking in a deep breath, Naruto spoke loudly, "So there's this chick, who's got mad mind skills. And for some unknown reason, she wanted to make Aunty pay for something and the only way she can do that is by doing something to Aunty's family."

Naruto paused to nodded to himself, "Power, revenge, family. Seems like one of those "soap operas" all the girls talk about, if you ask me." Naruto shrugged before frowning, "What I don't get, is if she's clearly a traitor of the Leaf and is now a traitor of the Cloud, why aren't we banding together to do something about it?"

C scoffed, "And what do you propose? I'm bleeding to death, Darui doesn't look any better. Atsui and Samui are too exhausted and chakra depleted to be of any use."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed, "Well… Why don't you help us track down Kanoko? If anyone knows how to defeat an all-powerful mind jumbling mad woman, it would be her."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow before narrowing his eyes at Naruto, "…Part of what you're saying sounds like something Naruto would say, but the clear logic behind it…"

Naruto crossed his arms, "Hey! You're calling me an idiot again!"

Shikamaru responded by rubbing his neck and sighing, "I'm just saying that it makes sense…"

Shikaku smiled at the two of them, "And it's the right course of action. Thank you Naruto, for keeping us on track. We aren't out here to fight old ghosts, but to bring Kanoko home."

Naruto grinned in response.

Darui stood, "And it is our fault that you are even out here in the first place. We will help however we can."

Shikaku nodded, grateful to be aiding each other instead of fighting one and another.

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*clap* *clap* *clap*

The group turned to the sound of clapping.

Walking up to them the blonde busty woman in question, "How precious, you all think you stand a chance." Asami pushed her lips together to make them puffier, "Two walking dead men, two more throw away characters, a bright orange idiot, a cowardly boy and his cowardly father."

"I actually feel a little sorry for you." Asami finished with an amused look on her face.

Shikaku walked forward, his shadows dancing at his feet, "Asami. Your problem is with me. Leave the others out of it."

Asami frowned for a second before smirking again, "Perhaps you are right. Maybe, after all these years, my anger has been misguided…. Yes… I can see now…"

The wind whipped through the area, kicking up dust, dirt and leaves – several passing by Asami's face, "…And I know the perfect way to satisfy its hunger."

Dark blue eyes locked onto small dark brown ones.

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"SHIKAMARU!" Shikaku called out, sending his shadows toward Asami while placing his body in between her and his son.

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"Ultimate Mind Destruction Jutsu…"

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Sakura laid against a tree, panting while holding her stomach. She had a small amount of blood seeping out of her mouth and her clothes had burn marks all over it.

But she had a smile on her face.

Some would even say a smirk.

The air was thick with smog and several trees, bushes and sections of the ground was steaming from her explosives. Shakur had mercilessly traded attack after attack with Sakon and Ukon – forcing them to join their bodies together again.

From there, Sakura laid a series of traps before aggressive pursuing them again with a variety of knives, shuriken, explosives, and more – all thanks to the storage seal provided by one Nara Kanoko.

The trade off was that Sakura was forced to take risky, and honestly, reckless moves in order to get close enough to get a hit in.

At least every third explosion she caused she felt – explaining the burn marks on her clothes and skin.

But it all proved worth it when the Sound pair collapsed after the last round of explosions.

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It was just too bad that she had to use her own body to pin them down when the explosive activated – sending her into the tree she was currently leaning on.

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With the smallest bit of chakra left in her, Sakura tried to take care of the big wounds. Like the gaping hole in her stomach.

Sakura's eye felt heavy and her body felt light.

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"Argg…." The combined Sound twin spoke. The pair was in agonizing pain, but the anger they felt for the pinkette in front of them clouded their pain receptors.

Stumbling forward, the pair took slow steps forward – a kunai in their hand.

They approached the nearly passed out Leaf nin, kunai high in the air. Once they were close enough, they brought it down with a loud battle cry.

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"CHIDORI!"

The sound of a thousand birds chirping broke through the thick silence, causing the Sound twins to twist their body around at the noise.

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And in an instant, Sasuke's hand ripped deep into their shared heart.

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They were dead in an instant.

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Sasuke tossed the lifeless body to the side, pulling out his hand as he did, before kneeling to Sakura's side. Sasuke took a quick look around the area and then looked back at Sakura.

"I thought you were weak. Have you changed or…" Sasuke stopped speaking, shaking his head and instead focusing on the injuries before him.

The first thing that caught his attention was the faint green glow pulsing over her stomach, "How bad?"

Sakura blinked slow, "…Sa-Sasuke?" She leaned her head to the side with her eyes closed, "What… What did… You ask me?" She mumbled out, nearly fainted.

Sasuke ignored her, knowing he wasn't going to get any decent information out of her. He reached into his pouch and started wrapping her wound as fast as he could. Once he was done, he lightly shook Sakura in order to get her to pay attention to him.

"Sakura. Sakura. Wake up." Sasuke commanded her.

Blinking several more times, her eyes finally focused, "Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded, "I need to know if you will be ok by yourself. That means no sleeping and no more fights."

Sakura nodded slowly, "…Yeah. I can do that."

Sasuke nodded, "Good."

Sasuke stood and turned around to take off into the trees, but turned around to take another look at Sakura, "I was so certain that she was nothing but a fan girl. When did she get this strong?"

Sakura noticed his paused and assumed it had to do with her safety. Smiling, she spoke softly, "You're going to help Kanoko and Shikamaru, right?"

Sasuke nodded.

Sakura smiled kinder, "Then go. Go save our friends."

Sasuke was thrown off by her sincerity and selflessness. He stared at her for a second before nodding and disappearing into the trees.

The pink haired girl sighed lightly, but kept the smile on her face.

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"SHIKAMARU!" Shikaku called out to his son, trying to shield him from Asami's deadly attack.

"Tou-san!" Shikamaru responded, trying to see through his father's back.

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"Ultimate Mind Destruction Jutsu… Complete."

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"Sh-Shika-maru… Get… Out… Of here!" Shikaku gritted out, his hands covering his head and his nails digging into his skull.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Shikaku screamed, causing Shikamaru to freeze in place.

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Asami smirked at the pair, "Tell me, young Nara, have you seen the full potential of a Yamanaka? You must have one in your team. It's tradition."

Shikamaru's wide eyes were glued to his withering father's form – Asami's words sounded like mumbling to him.

She continued, "Well. Yamanakas have a special skill set. One that is feared among many."

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The shadows previously dancing around Shikaku came to life again.

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"The ability to control another's mind."

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Only this time, the shadows had a new target.

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Naruto shoved Shikamaru out of the way, both of them hitting the ground with a skid. The shadow tendrils curved around, following after the pair at a ground breaking pace.

Shikamaru quickly pulled Naruto up with him and leaped out of the way, but not before taking a hit on his shoulder. Shikamaru's eyes stayed wide as he stared at the blood seeping out of his wound. Turning back to his father's form, he noticed a dead look in his eyes, "Tou-san…"

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Asami eyed the boys as they were chased around the forest – her puppet in hot pursuit.

"Take this!" Atsui called out, swinging his sword around and attempting to slice Asami in half.

Asami growl in annoyance at the blonde, "I was going to spare you… But now I'm annoyed!" Asami pulled out her whip and snapped it out at Atsui.

Atsui jumped backwards, out of the whip's range – making Asami smirk as she started up her area genjutsu.

She got two hand signs in before getting interrupted by a flash of lights.

"Gale Style: Laser Circus!" Beams of light soared through the air – aimed straight at Asami.

Asami cursed low, jumping out of the way in the last second, forcing the attack to hit the ground with a boom. She landed on the ground a few feet from where she stood. Asami turned to face the group of Cloud nin before her.

"You're all going to regret getting in my way."

Darui shrugged, "You were planning on killing us anyways. What difference does it make now?"

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Growling was the only response he got.

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Shikamaru panted as he and Naruto raced through the trees. His arm had gone numb, along with his lungs…

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…Along with his brain.

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Shikamaru didn't know what to think. Here he was, running for his life, from the one man he trusted above all: His father.

Shikamaru had no illusion either, on who would come out victorious if he was to turn around and face his father head on. And even with Naruto, Shikamaru knew their chances of escaping were slim – let alone fighting back.

Black tendrils cut passed the two of them, making them leap out into different directions.

In their running, they had reached another clearing – the waterfall area from before.

"I'm going to take that as a bad sign." Shikamaru thought from his place on the ground.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted before duplicating several times over the area.

"Naruto! No!" Shikamaru tried to call out to him, but it was too late. Naruto had already started on his fist pounding assault. Waves of Narutos were blown back and popped by the rapid movements of Shikaku's shadows. The black lines curved and dipped, spreading out over the area like an infection.

"GYAHH!" Naruto cried out as he was flung into the water.

Shikamaru raced over to the side and gave Naruto his hand, helping him onto the surface of the water.

"Thanks…" Naruto panted out, taking another aggressive stance, "What's the plan, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru gave Naruto a bewildered look, "Run and hope he doesn't catch up!"

Naruto snapped his head to Shikamaru, "What?! That's a horrible plan!"

"It's the best we got!"

"Kanoko said you have an IQ over 200 or something! Use some of it to figure out a way to beat pops!"

"My overly large IQ is telling me, with flashing red lights, "Run, you idiot, run!"."

Naruto crossed his arms, "Well, your IQ is stupid!"

Shikamaru sighed heavily before shoving the two of them into the water to miss another attack from Shikaku.

They both swam away quickly and resurfaced on the other side of the water. Naruto pulled himself up and then turned around and help Shikamaru up. The two of them stood on top of the water, a good distance away from the blank eyed Shikaku.

Naruto growled low, "I'm not letting that old hag hurt you or pops!" Naruto turned to face Shikamaru, "If you're going to run, run! I'm going to stay here and fight for my friends! That is my ninja way!"

Shikamaru stared at Naruto in awe as he raced off across the water, calling upon another set of clones. This time, he was more coordinated – placing clones on all sides and using some as detractions for the blank tendrils whipping around the area.

Naruto weaved through his clones and found a spot behind Shikaku that was out of sight. Calling upon two more clones, Naruto started to form energy in his hand, "I'm sorry pops, but this is going to hurt."

Once the energy stabilized, he took off – racing towards Shikaku's backside. Just as Naruto and his clones were about to strike Shikaku, a black tendril wrapped itself tightly around Naruto and his surrounding clones.

Squeezing them until they popped.

All, except for the real Naruto.

"AHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed, the tight squeezing cracking his ribs.

"NARUTO!" Shikamaru called out, his whole body shaking.

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Naruto's body went limp after another couple seconds. Shikaku's tendril dropped him on the water with a splash. Naruto's body floated on the surface of the water, face down, and completely passed out from the pain.

Shikamaru took a step forward, but stopped when he saw the shadows snap in his directions, begging him to come their way so they could stab him through the heart.

"Damn it… Naruto…" Shikamaru's hands shook, "I can't move! I'm too terrified! I need to move! Naruto needs me!"

Shikamaru took a deep breath and formed his hands into a circle, closing his eyes to concentrate. Shikamaru's eye snapped open a moment later. Pulling out a kunai, he flung it at his father.

Shikaku dodge the attack and watch curious as Shikamaru ran a half circle around Shikaku, skidding to a halt once on the other side. Shikaku wasted no time calling upon his black tendrils to strike.

He stopped them in mid motion when he saw the smirk on Shikamaru's face.

Twisting his body around, Shikaku felt the thinning of the air as a great lightning attack headed his way.

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"CHIDORI!"

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Sasuke slammed his fist down, just barely missing Shikaku – who managed to jump backwards just in time.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu… Complete!"

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Shikaku's lifeless eyes snapped to the ground. A long black line extended from his own feet to the feet of his son.

Shikamaru smirked, "…I love that jutsu."

Sasuke just scoffed, but his face showed nothing but pride and amusement.

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"Clever boys."

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Shikamaru focused ahead while Sasuke turned around. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, not sure who this blonde woman was, but knowing that she was trouble.

Asami stepped over to where Naruto laid on his back, floating lightly in the water.

Sasuke cursed at himself. He should have grabbed Naruto, instead of just turning him over and then attacking.

Asami smirked at Shikamaru, "You're quick and clever – I'll give you that, but unfortunately…" Asami placed a hand over Naruto's stomach – sending chakra directing into his system, "Unfortunately for you… My need for revenge is stronger than your will to survive."

Sasuke and Shikamaru watched as Naruto's bright blue eyes turned cold and demonic. Orange chakra spun around Naruto, with a single chakra tail forming from his body.

Shikamaru gulped at the sight.

"Kanoko… Where are you? We need you…"

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He gritted his teeth together before growling out, "I DESPISE you!"

Both of Kanoko's eyebrows rose this time, "…You don't even know me."

The Cloud nin started chuckling low, "Oh… But I do." A dark and angry smirk took over his face, "You're the one that took everything from me. My people, my home, my best friend…" He paused, his breathing getting labored and his eyes turning wild as they fixated on Kanoko's feet, "And most of all. The one thing I valued and loved over everything else…"

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His head snapped up to meeting Kanoko in the eyes.

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Kanoko froze. Her heart stopped beating and her breath stilled. Something in the back of her mind screamed at her, "Look away!" Kanoko's eyes snapped away from his face – her eyes wide in completely shock.

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Blood soaked eyes with swirling black dots inside stared at Tobirama's reincarnated form.

And with two words, Kanoko knew exactly who she was dealing with.

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"…My brother. You took my little brother from me."

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"And I'm going to do the same to you."

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"This time, I'm going to take everything until you have nothing left."

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Fear. Uchiha Madara was alive.

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Panic. The Uchiha hatred… The Uchiha need for vengeance... All of it aimed at her.

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Worry. For her brother. For her family. For her friends. For her home… None of it was safe from him.

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Dread. She wouldn't be able to stop him – not as she is now.

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She would lose everything she built, everything she cared for, everything she fought for, bleed for, died for.

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And then…

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Confusion. Uchiha Madara is dead.

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Reflection. But… So was she.

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Suspicion. But, why now? Why in this way? Why not a direct attack – destroying everything she loved in one go?

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Doubt. Uchiha Madara would never act this loose and carelessly. He was an intellectual, like herself. He would not act unless he felt his victory was assured. Nor would he settle for anything less than complete obliteration.

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No one feels emotions stronger than an Uchiha. Not in love, and not in hate.

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And he hated her.

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Kanoko closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The sound of deep and voluminous laughter started to fade into the background. As she forced her hands and shoulders to relax, Kanoko focused inward, "Forthcoming shinobi must suppress their emotions. Take the emotion from this situation and evaluate what is left."

Exhaling, the reborn Nara started to run the facts through her head, "Patrol duty. Ambush from the Cloud. Kidnapping. Uzumaki Seal. Sound shinobi invading with the same purpose as the Cloud. Coordinated attack? No. However, timing is far from coincidence. The Cloud knew when and where to attack and have been moving too freely through the area – clearly there is another traitor among the Leaf that has yet to be sniffed out. …Or perhaps a bitter enemy of myself or my family…"

Kanoko paused on that thought before continuing, "No time to evaluate."

Breathing deeply and exhaling with her eyes still closed, Kanoko focused on the chakra around her, "Broke seal due to Uzumaki's weakness. Attacked captors in order to remove the threat. Would have retreated if threat proved too challenging. Threat proved to be weak. Removed two and proceeded to remove the last."

Taking a deep and long breath through her nose, Kanoko tilted her head to look up at the sky, "Bright and blue… We are hours out from Konoha… It should be darker."

Kanoko's sharp reddish brown eyes snapped to the deforming zombie before her. Slowly, she bent down on one knee. Her hand shot out to grasp the man's jaw. Roughly turning it towards her, Kanoko stared at him straight in the eyes.

Brown met crimson.

Kanoko barely heard the man's angry words and grunts as her mind fixated on the Sharingan eyes before her. Bending forward further, Kanoko moved her face closer until they were inches away.

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Silence took over the area.

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The air stilled.

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Kanoko's voice cracked into something low and dark, "…I've never seen Uchiha Madara's Sharingan."

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Reddish brown eyes sharpened, burning holes into ones before her, "…But I know enough about the Sharingan to know that his wouldn't be exact copies of Uchiha Izuna."

The crimson eyes locked with Kanoko's widened considerably.

Kanoko wasn't finished. Dropping the zombie's head, she stood up straight – slowly lifting a hand to her chest as she did so, "…I applaud you for your skill. Had you not brought my deepest fear to the forefront, I may have never known that I was caught in your genjutsu."

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"Kai!"

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The scene before Kanoko bleeds away – the golden rays of the sun turning into glimmering light blue highlights from the full moon. The thick of the forest has faded away and Kanoko quickly observed that she was back in the clearing where she started.

"Clever girl…" A woman's voice spoke.

Kanoko flinched at the noise, swiftly shifting her mind into defensive tactics. As she willed her body to move, she paled when the totality of the circumstances came to a shocking forefront:

She was bound.

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Again.

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Growling lowly, her eyes blazed at the figure before her. Tall with long golden hair, the woman kneeled down to meet Kanoko at eye level – who was sitting with her arms, hands, and legs tied in special rope designed for capturing shinobi.

Smirking at Kanoko's glare, the woman brought a hand up to Kanoko's cheek – making her flinch away when the blonde's finger tips grazed the surface of her skin. The woman's smirk merely grew at Kanoko's reaction.

"Such a strange pair – the two of you are." She spoke wistfully, not really speaking to Kanoko.

Kanoko's breath hitched at those words before she steadied herself. Instead of confirming her fear, Kanoko waited for the unblemished woman to speak.

Her deep, ocean blue eyes locked onto Kanoko's dull brown, reddish orbs, "Clever, strong, and in complete control of your mental and emotional facilities…" Slowly standing back up, the woman smirked wickedly at Kanoko, "…Things not typically found in a child such as yourself."

Kanoko's sharp eyes narrowed further, "Who are you?" Kanoko demanded with an even tone.

The woman placed a hand on her hip, her smirk still planted firmly on her face, "Me?" She chuckled, "You children… You certainly weren't raised with any manners." She threw up hands up with a shrug, "Though, I suppose I can't blame you. After all, it's a mother's place to teach her children to act proper."

Dismissing the woman's insult, Kanoko pressed on with a firm tone, "Who are you and what business do you have with my brother and I?"

The woman sighed playfully, "No fun either." Giggling like a schoolgirl, the blonde leaned over – bringing her hand towards Kanoko.

Kanoko fought the restraints as the woman moved, expecting her to knock Kanoko out or finish her off for good. When the woman's hand met the rope binding Kanoko's arms down, she felt them snap. Kanoko's eyes jerked up to meet the woman's amused blue eyes.

When she felt the last of the ropes loosen off of her body, Kanoko leaped back. Eyeing the woman suspiciously as Kanoko monitored the gap in-between them, she spoke, "…I'm not sure what you pose to gain by freeing me, but you've made a serious mistake."

The blonde kunoichi merely straightened out her back, her hand going back to her hip as she smirked cockily at the young Nara, "An interesting pair indeed…" She started to walk to her left, causing Kanoko to side step to the right.

As they started to circle around like lioness waiting for the other to strike, the woman picked up the conversation again, "Tell me… The people in your village must compare the two of you all the time – being twins and all." She waited for Kanoko to argue or agree. When neither came, the woman's smirk grew, "See… It's that right there that tells me that you and your brother couldn't be any more different."

Kanoko kept her eyes focused on the white garbed woman in front of her while slipping her hand into her ninja pouch, "…I should be down at least four kunai… That lightning jutsu performed by the medical shinobi... That must be when I got caught."

Kanoko berated herself for her sloppiness, "...I was careless."

The woman chuckled low when she saw the wheels in Kanoko's head start to turn, "In fact… I'd say you're not a Nara at all."

The brunette's face did not change and her body did not twitch. Keeping a complete hold over her emotions and reactions, Kanoko stared dully at the woman before her.

The blonde hummed in thought, "…Don't get me wrong. You're clearly the result of Nara genetics: The dark hair, the sharp eyes, the thin frame..." She paused, stopping her movements and causing Kanoko to still as well.

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Blue eyes met brown/red. "I've been watching you…" She paused to gage Kanoko's reaction: …Nothing.

"And not just you… Your friends…" Nothing.

"…Your teammates…" Nothing.

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"…Your brother." Nothi- Wait...

The woman's smirk turned wicked again, "Don't think I didn't see that twitch in your hand…" Chuckling low, she continued, "For a girl who acts like she cares for nothing, you sure are protective of your elder brother. …It makes me wonder…"

The air thinned as both of their chakras flooded the area.

"…If the legends are true."

Kanoko threw her kunai at her opponent, making her jump back with a laugh. Wasting no time, Kanoko whipped through hand signs and calling upon the water in the air and aimed it at the mysterious woman. Jets of highly pressured water shot out, ripping holes in the ground as the woman dodge Kanoko's attack.

Pulling out a seal, Kanoko activated it. In a flash of markings and a small smoke cloud, she pulled out another of her swords. Whipping it around her defensively to deflect shuriken heading her way, Kanoko started forming one handed seals.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A clone of Kanoko appeared in a cloud of smoke next to her before rapidly taking off. Racing around the other side and boxing the woman in, the pair of Kanoko attacked.

Quickly, the blonde used the replacement jutsu and subbed a log in her place. Kanoko's clone spun around and wasted no time hunting the enemy down. Kanoko stood still as she observed her clone attempt to land a hit on the evasive lady.

Deep giggling echoed through the area, causing Kanoko to spin around while pushing out her chakra. Focusing on the energy around her, Kanoko cursed when she realized there was more than one chakra signature in the area.

And they were identical.

Cursing at her sloppiness, Kanoko re-centered her thoughts and started assessing the situation, "Genjutsu user. Clearly uses her looks and words to trick her opponent…" Looking back to her clone fight the mystery blonde's clone, it occurred to Kanoko that the woman has not once attack her, "Why…?"

Calling her clone off, Kanoko shouted in the direction she felt the second chakra signature, "What is your purpose here? You had ample opportunity to knock me out or kill me while I was caught in your genjutsu. And even after, you set me free from my restraints, knowing full well that I would attack you."

The chuckling grew louder as the woman's clone poofed away and her real form blended into view, "It is your actions that set you apart from your clan. Both your father and your brother questioned my purpose and actions leading up to this moment before engaging in battle."

The woman's smirk was back in full force, "True strategists, those two..." She paused to focus on Kanoko's annoyed form, "You… On the other hand, labeled me as a threat right away…" The blonde tilted her head in thought, her smirk fading, "No… That's not why you attacked…"

Kanoko regarded her duly, getting impatient with her need to speak.

"You attack to gage my abilities… If I proved to be weak, you would have killed me without another thought – regardless of any consequences. …How cruel." The woman's smirk appeared on her face again, "And yet… The embodiment of a true shinobi."

With a sudden bark of laughter from her enemy, Kanoko's grip on her sword tightened.

After the woman's laughter died down, she spoke in an amused tone, "I just can't wait to see… Who will win?" Blue eyes darkened as her smirk grew into a wicked smile, "The calculated and experienced war general or the cruel and merciless she-wolf?"

Kanoko's mind pursued two different thoughts: Who was this woman referring to and why did she call Kanoko a she-wolf.

The female Nara was pulled from her thoughts as the woman continued, "…And who will you sacrifices to win?"

Kanoko's stomach dropped in dread. Quickly, Kanoko aggressively pushed her chakra through the air. Kneeling down, she placed her fingertips on the surface of the ground – searching for any familiar chakra signatures.

The dark chuckling continued.

"…And will you make it in time to save your father from committing a sin he will never recover from?"

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Chakra burned the ground below Tobirama's reincarnated form. With a grand push of chakra, Kanoko leaped into the forest – racing at her top speed.

She could feel it.

She could feel the chakra.

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Dark and deadly chakra.

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Dark and deadly chakra she recognized.

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The nine tailed beast's chakra.

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Time: Twenty-Three Forty-Two

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Author's Note:

Wow! Almost to 800 follows! Thank you guys so much!

I love reading your comments and suggestions, so please keep them coming! All of you make an impact on this story, whether is be motivation, ideas, changes, fixes - you guys are what is keeping things going! I couldn't do this by myself otherwise!

***Speaking of which, HUGE SHOUT OUT TO FreelanceBum! They volunteered to beta this story and are putting up with my craziness and insane schedule - and doing a FANTASTIC JOB! I got the final cut to them at 2am PST and by the morning, they had things fixed! So thank you so much for your help!***

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And as always, let me know what you think about this chapter and what you are looking forward to! I'm so excited to write the next chapter because it is going to be INTENSE!

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE FAVS, FOLLOWS, and REVIEWS!

YOU ALL ARE THE MOST AMAZING AUDIENCE EVER!