And I'm officially out of pre-written chapters. :/
Maaaaaaaa: In my opinion, Sakura was doomed to weakness from the start. When you got 3 characters bound so tightly, you either have to make it a love triangle or cut one loose. As for sage mode... Well, Hashirama got it from the slugs, Tsunade handed their contract to Sakura... technically, she had no reason not to try and get it.
Marquis: Completely forgot about Shikamaru and Temari xD. Although he himself claims he sucks at writing romances, Kishimoto did build up a couple of very believable pairings, huh?
In contrast to the previous chapters, this one is a bit lighter at heart...
Naruto woke up with a start.
He had been dreaming something about the Land of Waves, but couldn't quite recall the details; it didn't matter. Something important was going down, and his shinobi instincts were telling him that things were about to get interesting. That was good, one mindblowing event was never enough for the blonde.
Quickly throwing on his standard ninja gear, colored a darker orange for nighttime operations, Naruto left his apartment, ready to make a beeline for the Hokage's office. Granny would need him for sure if whatever he sensed wasn't a false alarm.
He had thought about it for the entire evening, ever since he parted ways with everyone else after the meeting. Being the container of the nine-tailed fox... then learning that his dad was the fourth, and that he decided to seal the fox in him... It was all too much.
So Naruto figured he'd just let it marinade for a bit in the back of his mind, focusing on whatever his inner ninja senses had detected; there'd be enough time for reflection later. Since he wasn't living that far away from the Hokage tower, the genin made it there in good time, noticing that the sannin was pulling a late night, as evidenced by the stacks of paper and bottles of sake everywhere.
"Hey granny, need a hand?" He said, popping up through the open window. The ANBU that had spotted him had recognized the boy and let him pass, knowing that denying him entry and letting him make noise would only serve to annoy the already irritable Hokage.
Tsunade moved her eyes from the paper on her desk towards the genin in her office. "Go back home, squirt. It's almost two in the morning."
However, Naruto only took a seat behind Shizune's makeshift desk, eyeing the office with interest. "Man, I can't wait for you to hand over the hat... I'll have to do some redecorating though, maybe add more orange."
He wanted to ask her if she knew, to ask why she'd keep something like that from him... But even if he did, she'd say the same thing Kakashi did - The Yondaime had enemies. But still, that hardly explained why so many people couldn't understand that he really wasn't any different from anyone else...
That didn't matter, though. He knew the truth now, and it didn't really change anything about his priorities. He'd still make the hat, and as Hokage, he'd make sure that no one is ever treated like he was; they wont ignore him when he becomes the strongest ninja in the village, after all.
Tsunade only barely contained the urge to chuck him out the window, finding a short reprieve in the fact that someone was knocking on the door.
"You don't have to knock. This late, I'm not terribly busy."
The ANBU that had opened a door bowed his head, his fox mask plastered in a permanent grin. Tsunade wondered if that reflected the man's personality; ANBU often switched their masks, especially during combat.
A trick that only the Konoha units seemed to be utilizing right now was to engage the enemy, reveal their preferred fighting styles, then drop a smoke and swap masks at random. When the smoke cleared, the enemy would rush against the ANBU they thought they had an advantage over. That's about as long as the battles lasted.
Behind him, the rest of Kakashi's Team 7 walked in, looking somewhat excited. Naruto brightened up immediately, waving a hand to greet his teammates. "Sakura! Sasuke! What are you guys doing here?"
Sasuke eyed the blonde with a surprised look, blinking once. "What are you...nevermind." He turned his head to Tsunade, the look on his face becoming deathly serious all of a sudden.
"Lady Hokage, I request authorization to gather a team and pursue a unit of Sound-affiliated shinobi that had contacted me. They all carry the curse mark that Orochimaru had left me with, and seem to be skilled combatants; Easily high chunin level. Some of them had abnormalities like additional body parts." he spoke, his voice serious and even as it usually was.
Tsunade's eye twitched. Orochimaru was bold enough to send his minions in her village, this soon after the exams? She had to admire the man for his ambition, at least.
"We simply don't have shinobi available for that. If there was more than a single unit of spies, I'll need these ANBU to scour the village..." she sighed, knowing full well that the village had been stretched thin, only genin really being in decent supply. "...But I can give you Shikamaru, and every single genin you see fit." was her reply, the frustration over the village's current state more than obvious on her features.
She pulled out a stack of papers, from the left drawer, the ones reserved for emergency missions. Flipping though them, she applied the stamp onto each and every one, handing the stack to the Uchiha.
"Start off with him, and recruit anyone else you think you'd need."
She highly doubted that it was the best course of action, but Kakashi's kids were no pushovers, despite their lackluster training.. and with a tactical mind like Shikamaru backing them up, she saw no reason not to authorize their action.
With nothing else to do, the Hokage wished the trio luck as they disappeared out the door. As soon as they were out of sight, she palmed her face, shaking her head at how difficult it was to deal with a shortage of ninja.
"Fox, get your ass over here. I need a message sent to Suna."
"So they told you to come see them, and you flat-out refused?" Naruto began questioning, intending to get the full story out of the Uchiha before they reached the Nara compound. It was a ways' off, in the western district where most of the higher-profile clans held their estates.
"Shut up, Naruto. We have a mission." Sasuke replied coldly, not at all amused with the blonde's attitude.
"So we're going to break their arms? That's a mission requirement or something?"
"What? No! What the hell, Naruto?"
"Hey, you said, and I quote 'we're going to go break their arms', when I asked you where we were going right outside of granny's office."
"Don't call the Hokage 'granny', Naruto. You're expected to treat her with respect." Sakura cut in, unhappy with how her future teacher was addressed by her own teammate.
"And teme is expected to kick my ass every time we spar, and that doesn't happen either." Naruto boasted, sticking out his tongue at the Uchiha.
Sasuke only shrugged.
"Wow, you're taking it better than usual."
"I'm on a mission."
"Killjoy."
The dark-haired boy smirked, picking up pace. His two teammates grumbled to themselves, then followed along at the increased speed. Soon enough, however, Naruto caught up to his teammate and friend, intent on getting some information about the mission.
"Four of them, huh? Aside from the guy you said had six arms and the one with two heads, was there anything else?"
Sasuke sighed, but kept pace. "Large guy is a close combat specialist. Spider guy had a way of saying nothing of use, but was obviously the brains of the bunch. The guy who knocked me out seemed to have a sadistic streak, so maybe he's a hothead. I got nothing on the girl, but since the voice in my head from the genjutsu was female, I'd hazard a guess that she can throw some illusions around."
Naruto kept silent, analyzing the information. For a brief encounter, teme gathered a respectable amount of information. And of course, in the world of ninja, information was the next best thing to a powerful jutsu.
"Alright, aside from Shikamaru, who else are we getting?"
"The rest of our generation. Everyone who's in the village goes." He wanted to add that he hoped for Shino especially, since the bug user seemed to be the best equipped to deal with those kinds of foes quickly, but kept that bit to himself.
"Ino and Tenten are away on missions, as is Shino, I think. Hinata too." Sakura interjected, having caught up to her teammates. "I think that the rest are pretty much available."
"Good, saves us time." Well, that's one strategy out the window...
"I also think we should bring Lee."
Both boys gave their teammate a confused look, both aware that the green-clad genin was still recovering. They slowed down, having reached the district they were heading towards.
"Bushy-brows? But he's still hurt from the chunin exams..." Naruto trailed off.
Sasuke gave a 'tsk', following it up with a smirk. "Either way, should he catch wind of the mission, he'd show up. We'd be heading in stronger if we pick him up right away."
"You sound like Shikamaru." Naruto deadpanned.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Sasuke answered with a shrug, pressing the emergency intercom button next to the gate. After a few seconds, a tired male voice answered.
"Yeah..."
"Emergency mission. We need Shikamaru. I'll keep my finger on the button until the lazy bum is outside." Naruto cut in, pushing his head past Sasuke.
The would-be emo frowned, but said nothing, concluding that the approach was as effective as anything else. He had a lot to prove in the upcoming fights, and he didn't want to mess up over something trivial. He'd just have to beat more of them than Naruto; that will clear up any misunderstandings right quick.
It wasn't more than a minute, and Shikamaru was all but sent flying out of the house, wearing his chunin vest and looking surprisingly aware for someone who just woke up, especially considering that he's a Nara.
"What a drag... what kind of mission starts at three in the morning?"
"Emergency. Retrieval or removal of four sound spies. We need you to coordinate."
Shikamaru studied the paper Sasuke handed him, mind already working on assembling an ideal team. He did notice something unusual about the Uchiha, though.
"It's going to be a personal fight, isn't it?" He asked, voice already sounding tired.
"He said he'd break their arms. Considering that one of them has six of them, I'd say yes." Naruto chimed in.
Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow, then shook his head. "I don't want to know..."
Judging by the description of the lot of them, they needed a close combat specialist, a tracker, and someone who could take out enemies fast. With Sasuke as the long-range support, that meant that the likes of Naruto, Kiba and Choji would act as the main force. That left Neji and Sakura with unique roles... The Hyuga's unique skills could easily shut an opponent down the moment there's an opening, so he'll act as their knife, striking only when the blow is guaranteed. Sakura wasn't much of a factor, but pushed to the wall, every shinobi shows strength.
He'd rather avoid such a situation, though...
Done with his analysis, he immediately turned to the girl in question. "Sakura, you aren't the best fighter around, so I'm telling you right away that you'll be escorting anyone who might get themselves injured back to the village, alright?"
She nodded her head, giving a confident smile. "I'm going to pull my weight, Shikamaru."
He gave her another look, then nodded, looking content. "Alright then, let's go get Choji."
"We're getting Lee." Naruto stated, placing a hand on his friend's back.
Shikamaru smirked, handing the piece of paper to the blonde, its' contents already burned into his mind. He tucked his arms into the vest pockets, mind busying itself projecting formation upon formation. Playing with lots of pieces gave him lots of options, but he needed to pick the strategy that ensures that all of them come back unharmed.
"We're getting Lee." He repeated, confirming that he already factored the recovering green beast into the equation. The way he is, Lee would get involved anyway... That makes another piece on a board that was getting frighteningly crowded.
"Alright then, Shikamaru takes the helm." Sasuke stated, and the now chunin-led team started down the street.
oOoOoOo
"Sorry to bother you this late, but we need Choji out here. There's an emergency mission issued out for him." Shikamaru drawled into the intercom, sympathizing with the unfortunate owner of the voice on the other side.
As the intercom made a hacking noise in response, the lights of the Akimichi estate began turning on in the east wing. It wasn't long until the recognizable silhouette of the clan heir was seen approaching the gate.
"Hey guys..." He mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "What's up?"
"We're gathering everyone for a big spy hunt!" Naruto exclaimed, the prospect of another mission already getting him pumped.
"Or we would, if Shikamaru wasn't dragging his feet..." Sakura began, shooting a disappointed look at the Nara chunin.
He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the dark-haired Uchiha. "We'll see them anyway. I doubt they'd walk away just because I refused to come along willingly."
Choji gave the group a confused look, receiving the mission notice from his longtime friend. While Sakura protested the fact he was moving slow, he needed time to write down everything they knew about the enemy, their abilities and goal. Every little detail mattered, and he was intending to abuse each and every one.
The Akimichi looked the sheet of paper over, illuminated by the bright yellow street light, nodding upon finishing the whole sheet. "Alright... but what's this about having Sasuke break their arms?"
The Uchiha in question immediately shot his blonde teammate a dark look. Naruto only grinned in response. "It's a mission requirement! Now let's get a move on, there's four sound ninja waiting to get their butts kicked!" He protested, already standing at the head of the group.
"Relax, Naruto. Sasuke is right, if they came for him, I doubt they'll leave without a fight. Besides, I just realized we'll need to actually talk to the Hyugas."
Sasuke smirked. "Neji."
Shikamaru nodded.
"That's their compound, right over there, right?" Sakura asked, pointing to a cluster of buildings a ways' down the street. She was right, as the Hyuga compound stood there, marking the edge of the clan-populated district.
The hastily assembled group made their way to the compound, letting Shikamaru approach the gate and talk to the guards. Being the proudest clan in the village, the Hyuga were as uptight and petty as one would expect, the elders being by far the worst of the bunch. The gate guard, however, appeared to be agreeable enough, as he went to look for the branch house prodigy not long after the mission leader approached him.
"No, seriously. Why do you have to break their arms?"
"He intends to make a name for himself. 'Arm-breaker Sasuke' is what they're gonna call him." Naruto immediately responded with a grin.
"Why would I want a stupid title like that?" the boy in question asked, having long since realized that the blonde's tenacity with ridiculous jokes far outlasted his own patience. It was best to simply let all of it pass him by.
"It beats 'Copycat Ninja'." Choji stated, finding himself amused with Team 7's antics. While he preferred working with his own team, seeing how others' team dynamics worked was always interesting. Add the fact that they'd be going in to face off four dangerous individuals that intend to kidnap their friend, and even the usually meek Choji began to feel anxious for things to move along.
Soon enough, Shikamaru and Neji appeared at the gate, rejoining the group in a few quick steps.
"While I don't appreciate getting dragged out of bed, a mission is a mission." The Hyuga stated.
Having lost his fight against Naruto in the chunin exams, Neji had his hands full dealing with the truth of his father's demise, as well as the repercussions of his actions against Hinata. While both the heiress and her father had forgiven him, the elders simply used it as an excuse to get him to do their bidding more often. Being the genius he was, he was mostly left to his own devices in order to improve, but that one show of weakness had brought the lot of them back like vultures. They knew he'd bounce back, and it was just a matter of seeing who digs his or her claws in the deepest. In a way, he was glad this mission came up.
"And Shikamaru mentioned something about breaking arms? I didn't quite understand that part." He continued, his voice curt and calm as usual.
Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, but then gave up on the idea, shaking his head.
oOoOoOo
"Yes ma'am, I'm aware that it's the dead of night. It's an emergency mission."
Somehow, Neji got intercom duty for the Inuzuka compound. He didn't particularly mind, as Shikamaru had the right to request something like that, but the woman on the other side was decidedly uncooperative.
"Alright, I'll repeat once again. We need Kiba Inuzuka and his partner Akamaru for an emergency mission issued by the Hokage herself."
"Threaten to keep the button pressed, that always works!" Naruto chimed in, amused at how frustrated Neji was looking.
"You wanted to do that with every compound, didn't you?" Sakura deadpanned.
"Yup!" The blonde answered without hesitation.
The Hyuga found himself losing his patience quickly. "Lady, we have an important mission. Just send Kiba over, or I'll go get the ANBU to drag him out of bed, and you to prison for interfering." He wasn't proud of losing it like that, but the impressed looks Naruto and Choji were giving him offered some small comfort.
The intercom was silent.
After a few minutes, a single light sprang to life, only long enough for the group to see the unfortunate Inuzuka getting literally thrown out of the compound, the puppy strolling outside casually with a wagging tail.
Picking himself up with a curse, Kiba made his way to the group, taking the 'briefing' Shikamaru had held out for him.
"Emergency mission...4 freaks... Uchiha getting kidnapped... Wait, we need to let him break their arms?"
"This is completely ridiculous..." Sasuke muttered, moving to the front of the group.
Shikamaru glanced over, smirking as a uncharacteristically humorous idea came to his mind. "Alright, we just need to get Lee, and the arm destruction mission can begin."
"You need to stop..." Sakura said, but couldn't contain the incoming wave of giggles. The more casual of the genin joined in; Even Neji cracked a smile.
Sasuke shot her a look, but soon gave a smirk of his own. "Talk about beating a dead horse..."
He really didn't mean anything by the statement, but the dobe simply had to latch onto it and make a big deal out of the whole thing... Then again, breaking the sound four's arms was something he wouldn't pass up on, given the chance.
Naruto kept grinning, his victory cemented.
"Alright, alright. Let's go get Lee. He's this way." Neji began, taking point.
The rest of the group followed along, bringing the Inuzuka up to speed. Due to the information Sasuke had recalled, as well as the sheer number of people they had managed to gather, their odds were looking good.
However, Shikamaru knew that things could go wrong in a split-second on the field. They could either try and ambush the enemies as they attempt to return to the village for Sasuke, or they could send the Uchiha to lull them into a false sense of security, exposing him to greater risk, but also giving them a better shot of catching the enemies off guard...
He toyed with both ideas, eventually settling on the riskier choice. Sasuke could easily play along, breaking off if things seemed fishy for any reason. While they could predict the possibility of an ambush, they would have little choice but to spring it anyway, allowing the Konoha team to choose their preferred battlefield. Shikamaru intended to drag the enemies into a thick forest, planning on abusing the fact that every leaf shinobi was, on average, better on a tree than on solid ground.
"Hmph. This might just work out..." Muttered the chunin.
oOoOoOo
"There." Neji stated, pointing to a door on one of the top floors of one of Konoha's many apartment buildings. "That's where Lee lives."
"Great, who's going to get him?" Naruto asked, impatience slowly gnawing away at him.
While the assembled genin exchanged looks, Sakura had already started on the stairs. Noticing what happened, Shikamaru smirked. "Good work taking initiative, Sakura."
The girl smiled, then kept walking up. Getting Lee to join them on a mission wasn't going to be too hard, so she figured it'd be an easy way to help. After all, the boys would be doing the brunt of the fighting, so she had to pull her weight!
Clambering up the stairs slightly faster than necessary, she stopped in front of the door Neji pointed out, starting it off with a simple knock. Getting no answer, Sakura tried to knock once more, only to have the door swing open, revealing a slightly disheveled looking Rock Lee.
"Sakura?" He spoke, a look of surprise still lingering on his face. Why would Sakura come to visit him at this late hour? Could it be some kind of emergency? If it was, he'd need a minute to get into gear, but then...
"Lee, I'm here to ask you to help us with an important mission that just came up." She explained, slightly amused with the coloration of Lee's pajamas - green.
"A mission?" He blurted out, looking confused only a few moments longer before suddenly focusing. "A mission! While I am not yet at my best, I will try my absolute hardest not to slow you down!" He paused, then added. "I will be down in a moment!"
Closing the door, Sakura leaned against the railing, watching as the assembled group chatted amongst themselves as they waited for their final teammate. As soon as they caught up to the spies, it would be an all-out brawl... At least she helped as much as she could right now. Even Lee was going to do more fighting than she will...
"Hey Sakura, come down!" Choji called, waving the girl over.
With a small smile, she obliged, quickly making her way down the staircase. When she thought about it, not fighting that much means that she'll just have to do her bit before and after the confrontation itself. No matter how frightening the prospect, training under Lady Tsunade is probably the best course of action she could take.
"Think he's going to be ok?" The Akimichi inquired, slowly munching away at a bag of sweets he had somehow produced. He offered some to the girl, but she politely refused.
As for his question... it was Lee, after all. Regardless of whether he's ok or not, he'd still go. He was as bull-headed as Naruto was... maybe even worse. But this was exactly the situation he'd thrive in. She had heard Lee's story, she knew of his dream to become a splendid ninja using only his taijutsu... When the odds were stacked against him, that was the kind of assignment Rock Lee lived for.
"I think..." She began uncertainly, only to suddenly focus, "I know he's going to be ok. He's Lee, after all."
Hearing the confidence in her voice, Choji gave a nod, turning his head up to the boy's apartment door. While he didn't spend that much time with Guy-sensei's team, Choji knew all three of them to be fierce fighters, the kind that won't back down no matter how insurmountable the odds. He found that kind of resilience inspiring, he too wanted to be the kind of person who wouldn't back down no matter what happened...
When the chunin exams came around, he saw just how far behind he was in comparison to everyone else... Naruto and Sasuke were off fighting against a tailed beast, while he and his team could only help a little with the evacuation process. Feeling so weak, so helpless... it wasn't a good feeling. He wanted to be able to help, to do something...
That's why, when Shikamaru called him for this mission, he had decided to pack the Akimichi food pills, all three of them. However strong those sound ninja are, they'd beat them, at any cost. He's been unhelpful long enough... If Lee is ready to fight even with his injury, what right did he have to not give his all for this mission?
A green blur leapt from in front of the door, landing square in the middle of the group. Giving a flashing smile and a thumbs-up, Rock Lee entered the scene.
"Alright! Let us begin the mission! I'm ready!"
"Bushy-brows' right, let's go!" Naruto chimed in, usually the one most receptive to the green spandex brand of enthusiasm. Most everyone else either sweatdropped or ignored their outburst.
Shikamaru, on whose signal the team would start moving, only smirked.
"Right, let's go."
Alright, I got another question for you:
How much do you like your fiction to deviate from the original material, universe-rules-wise?
Are you the type of fan who has no issue with talking weapons, crossover elements, original bloodlines, new enemies, etc. Or do you like to keep it simple, favoring fics that keep to the source material, but interpret it in a new way?
Keep dropping them reviews, follows and favs! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!