The forest darkened. The trees creaked in a high wind. The darkness pressed down on the forest, covering the earth and harshly striking the trees.
"They're coming." Tayuya drew a line across the forest floor. "Let's move. Sakon, stay with me. Kōju, you're going to have to go ahead. If you don't we might be in trouble."
Kōju's eyes widened. "Aren't you worried about your teammates?"
Tayuya sighed. "Let me make this fact clear to you." She turned. "I don't leave behind my comrades. Even if I do think that they're idiotic perverts. Like that fucking double-faced bastard over there. The fact that they failed pains the hell out of me, but I don't get to cry like a bitch until after this whole thing is over. I'm pretty damn certain it'll get taken care of." She pointed at Sakon. "I'll bury those two later." She ran her hand through her hair. Kabuto's work, perhaps? He must've planned for us to take the fall here. Her eyes narrowed. We're tougher than that bastard thinks. We're going to make it through this. Okay. Let's see. What should my next move be? Her body froze.
A long shadow wrapped around the edge of the branch.
Shit! He got me. How long has that bastard been there?! Tayuya growled as her eyes glared into the darkness.
"The Shadow Mimic Technique was originally designed as an assassination technique. It's incredibly useful in woodlands like these." Shikamaru rose from the ground.
The shadow trailed along the branch.
"We'll have you ask Kōju-san to return politely." Shikamaru extended his hand.
"How very unfortunate." Sakon sighed.
Don't let me down here. Tayuya gritted her teeth. You can handle this, right?
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "What's unfortunate?"
"Simply put, it's this." Sakon's palm drove into the tree. "You seem to think that we have some kind of blind sense of fair play.
The tree exploded.
The shadow fell to the ground, descending rapidly through the air.
Shikamaru's eyes widened.
Tayuya leapt backward. "Kōju, get moving. We'll handle things here." Her hand reached upward. She bit her thumb rapidly. "You two-faced bastard, I'm making you responsible for what happens after this. Take down that dog and the other mutt."
Sakon inclined his head.
Kiba growled.
"As to me." Tayuya smirked. "Seems appropriate that the two generals should meet in fair battle, right? Well, general, and piece of shit."
Sakon blurred forward. Grasping Kiba by the waist, he hurled Kiba downward.
"I'll have to take on three." Tayuya turned her gaze to Sasuke.
Sasuke vanished in a flash of light.
Tayuya groaned. "Shit. Okay. Let's focus on the positives here."
Naruto clenched his fist. "I'll get you."
"I'll say it clearly. You should rationally turn around now. There's very little point in losing your lives." Tayuya scowled. Her hand lowered to her side. "Alternatively, you could join Orochimaru, but real life generally doesn't have pawn capture."
Shikamaru nodded. "That's a correct analysis. But you're reasoning from an incomplete data set."
Naruto tensed. Who does this woman think she is, huh?!
"You. Black-haired trash." Tayuya pointed at Shikamaru. "You're a chūnin after that field promotion. The result was suspect, but Tsunade made a good move. You figured out several of my plans in advance, and calculated for them." She paused. "Thanks to that, you have the potential to become Hokage." She lowered her head after a moment. "However, that presumes that you're not going to fucking die here if you fight me. Which you are."
Shikamaru blinked in surprise. Hokage?
"And you, blond sub."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"I like you. You've got a big mouth, but that makes it easier for you to take care of a girl. That being said, you don't have the brainpower to back up your boasts. On top of that—"
"What did you call me?" Naruto demanded sharply.
"I said sub. You don't have balls with other people. You're definitely the guy who is on bottom in a relationship—a real M." Tayuya's tongue licked over her lips. "Not that I got any problem with that kind of guy—"
"To hell with you and your offer!" Naruto shouted.
Tayuya sighed. "Well, shit." She sighed. "I got observational details on your powers, too. That shadow mimic thing is only useful when you haven't seen what it can do. Plus, I've got all the information regarding him being a jinchūriki and his shadow clone thing. You're in literally the worst situation for a shinobi. Well, whatever. It doesn't matter now." She lowered her hand. "You've forced my hand in this matter, you know."
"Naruto, if things look bad. Go and join Sasuke." Shikamaru sweated, his hands dropping together.
Naruto frowned. "I'm gonna kick her ass! Nobody gets to call me—" His face colored. "That!" he stated finally.
"I'm not certain of winning. That woman understood all of my plans and countered them nearly instantly. It's not a joke to say our intellects are comparable. They're on the same plain of existence." Shikamaru lowered his hand to the pouch, his fingers pressing together. "In point of fact, she may be slightly smarter than I am, at least in terms of experience." He stood upright. "So we'll have to take the risk that I may not make it back to the village."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Shikamaru. You seriously think that you might die."
"Hmph." Tayuya sighed. "Whatever. In terms of skill, you guys can't compare to me. You're both going to die." Her hand drove into the ground.
The giants emerged from the ground. Each giant had one central eye.
The forest filled with the sounds of piping.
Script crossed the back of Tayuya's neck as Tayuya focused the three giants into an attack.
"Ah!" Shikamaru blinked as the giants approached the Naruto clones menacingly.
"You're going down!" Naruto growled.
Tayuya continued playing, the melody accelerating slightly. Her song was wild and frenzied.
She's activated that first seal, huh? Shikamaru scowled. He squatted, placing his hands together. However, she doesn't seem to have any interest in me. Her entire focus right now is on Naruto-kun.
Naruto held out his palm. One of the hundred clones positioned itself beside him, channeling the wind chakra into a sphere.
Tayuya frowned. A clever technique—maybe he's better than I gave him credit for. And that silver chakra— She altered the piece's pace. As a jinchūriki, it's expected that he'll screw up at least one of my plans. For now, I need to delay him a bit.
The three giants leapt forward.
She controls the giants with the flute. Shikamaru frowned, moving his hands together. A plan is starting to come into my mind.
The three giants charged Naruto together.
Growling, Naruto hurled the Whirling Bullet directly at the middle giant's chest.
The giant's eye opened.
All of the energy dissipated.
Naruto's eyes widened. Huh?
Chakra can't be used here. Against the cyclopes, it won't do any good. Tayuya smirked. Seems it works. Okay. Next note in this piece. Take out that guy with the chakra theft.
The white snakes lashed out of the mouths of the giants.
I've got your pattern memorized, now. It won't be so easy as you think to predict me. Shikamaru grinned. He hurled down an exploding tag toward Tayuya.
An explosion radiated through the forest.
Tayuya leapt backward. Her fingers adjusted on the flute rapidly.
The giants turned.
I've figured out the pattern—
The fingers adjusted on the flute. The pitch altered rapidly.
What?! Shikamaru's eyes widened. So she can control the giants using other methods.
The giant roared, running forward.
Doesn't matter. I have them in range now. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. He extended his arms.
The shadows rushed across the ground.
Tayuya's eyes narrowed. Huh? What's this bastard's aim?
The light ball exploded.
Interesting! So you're extending your shadow using the light.
"Best part about Japanese chess. You can use pawns you capture as your own." Shikamaru smirked. "Well, with that, I can draw this sorry event to a close. Naruto, she's wide open; go for it!"
Naruto leaped forward.
Tayuya's hand drew backward. Damn. These two are better than expected. He would've needed to calculate their movements using the motions of my fingers. I doubt that trash can appreciate fucking compositions. At any rate, he's underestimated me again. She drew up her arm. This game hasn't ended yet.
The case slammed into the ground. A wave of smoke spread through the air.
Naruto coughed, covering his mouth.
The giants jumped forward.
"It's no good." Tayuya smirked. "They aren't going to move as you'd like, even if you do have your Shadow Mimic Technique."
The arm swung through the air.
A tree blocked the arc of the arm.
The arm stopped motionless.
Huh?! Shikamaru's eyes widened.
"They're not very strong when they're being controlled by two masters. On top of that, my music isn't so easy to duplicate, you know."
"I see. In that case, then, I'll use this instead." Shikamaru lifted his arm.
The shadow raced forward along the ground.
Tayuya's eyes widened.
The shadow laced with Tayuya's body.
"Shadow Mimic success." Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "So from that, I can move forward." He lifted his left hand.
Tayuya lifted her right hand. Her body shook.
Shikamaru opened his hand.
The flute slid out of Tayuya's hand.
Tayuya's eyes widened in rage. "I am going to fucking butcher you. I will take your body and remove every single damn limb."
"Say that when you're not in this kind of situation." Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. I have four pawns at my disposal. She has only herself remaining. Even if she escapes my Shadow Mimic technique, she has no way to do genjutsu. I win.
It's true that this guy has pushed me further than I expected to go. Even so, he loses. First. "Kai."
The giants vanished into smoke.
"Oh, no!" Naruto shouted. He drew in a harsh breath. "Now Shikamaru can't attack her with those!"
Two pawns. It's fine, it's fine. I didn't expect to use them anyway.
Tayuya's voice rose. She sang, loudly, her voice shifting between pitches.
Shikamaru's eyes widened. The forest shifted rapidly around him.
It's your own fault. You made two major mistakes. The first was underestimating my abilities. Did I ever say 'my only weapon is this flute?' Tayuya raised her voice, singing loudly, a wordless, shifting melody.
Naruto's eyes widened. He held out his hand. No way! Genjutsu?!
The second was relying too heavily on your experience. Because 'you have always been right', the possibility that 'you might be wrong' didn't cross your mind. The moment you won, you relaxed too much. Tayuya lifted her fingers.
Shikamaru tensed. His eyes narrowed. Genjutsu?
Tayuya's song grew sad, piping, cold.
Naruto fell to his knees.
"Aria number Three, Concerto of the Marionette."
Strings tied around Shikamaru's arms.
"That blond sub over there I can let off lightly. He's not exactly guilty—he got dragged into this by you fuckers. I'll give him a peaceful death with another genjutsu. A bastard thief like you, on the other hand, who stole my precious flute, I'll have you cut yourself to death." Tayuya's fingers rose.
"Sorry, but I'm not the type to die so easily." Shikamaru grinned as his hand rose, kunai in place.
The shadow crossed the finger.
Shikamaru tensed his finger bone snapped.
Tayuya's eyes widened. "Holy shit."
"I'm still capable of continuing."
Leaf ninja are fucking insane. Granted, that method works. The pain will prevent my genjutsu from working as effectively on him. Tayuya's eyes narrowed. Fuck it. I've still got a pawn. this is pretty close to a tie right now. Her eyes widened. She stared up at the figure on the tree branch. "Kimimaro. What the hell are you doing out here?"
Shikamaru's eyes widened.
Naruto stared upward nervously.
Kimimaro loomed over the battlefield.
A/N: None in particular this chapter. The one major thing was upping the rating to M, just to be on the safe side. That change was primarily made due to Tayuya's knack for cursing. Overall, I'd rather the story have an M rating that deserves to be T than a T rating that should be M.