Hello!
Go to see you all back again. And thank you for your patience as I continue to write the story.
I also appreciate any/all reviews :) so please feel free to write something short if you have time.
Last, but not least, Happy Halloween 2022 everyone! :) I hope you all have an amazing one.
Sincerely,
Kgirlthefox
Chapter 2:
Suna declared war against Konoha.
Missions piled up in the village. Shikamaru and the rest of his graduating class were constantly being sent out. Most of them didn't see the bloody battlefields, since they were still so young. But they did a lot reconnaissance work. Checking their borders. Fortifying defenses and weak areas. Reporting notes and messages back and forth between patrols.
Shikamaru didn't mind that kind of work. He preferred that than being out at the front lines, massacring people. He knew that people died. It was a product of war. But that didn't sit well with him.
Especially with Danzo's double edged view of everything. A mission needed to be completed at all costs. And it was perfectly fine to sacrifice a team mate to save the mission. Yet, all ninja lives were precious, and it was important to keep as many men alive to continue the cause.
Shikamaru hated these inner debacles in thinking. He knew he was a pretty lazy guy. These kinds of thoughts shouldn't even be crossing his mind. But, it still bothered him nonetheless.
He would watch as Naruto and the rest of team 7 would go out onto a mission. Returning back bloodied and haggard. He would watch as team 8, with Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka, as they would go out to areas with their captain, coming back with somber and downcast faces. Team Might Guy was usually being sent everywhere. Helping to bolster the front lines with their taijutsu power. They were also a year older than Shikamaru and the others. With that came more responsibility.
As for team 10, his team, they continued to try to perfect their Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Asuma sensei was insistent on it, pushing them to work together as one functional unit. It was hard on all of them. Trying to balance practices and trainings with their patrols or military missions against the sand.
Shikamaru had arrived home, his body sore and tired. It had been a long day of training and performing a few missions on the field. He had met up with a few members on the front lines, gathering intel and taking note of casualties. After, he helped some of the others to fortify defenses near the forest of death, ensuring gates and fences were erected.
As he was just about to make his way through the front door, he heard the shifting of feet behind him. He had barely even noticed it, but the back hairs of his neck stood up on end, and he immediately whipped around.
It was Torune again, one of Danzo's prized ninjas of the foundation.
"Shikamaru" he greeted kindly, as Shikamaru nodded at him silently, a scowl upon his face from being so unnerved by the young man. "I'm sorry to have to meet you so late at night...but the Hokage is summoning you. It is urgent."
"Man...this is troublesome. What can really be that urgent?" Shikamaru grumbled back at him, both his hands flipping out to shrug nonchalantly. Torune held no emotion, his glassy eyes just simply staring back. "I'm sorry. But it is important. I was sent to escort you to him."
Shikamaru breathed out an angry sigh and scratched the back of his head. With that, he shoved his hands deep into his pockets and began walking down the path to the Hokage's office. "Alright, let's go and make it quick" he snorted, a disconsolate frown upon his face.
-0-
"Sasuke Uchiha has gone missing."
Shikamaru's eyebrow raised slightly just for a brief moment, but his faced morphed back to being blank immediately.
"I was notified late this evening...by his captain Kakashi Hatake. He had found Sakura Haruno unconscious near the front gates." Danzo grumbled angrily. Torune stood quietly by the door, as Shikamaru weaved together the pieces of information in his mind.
Sakura probably attempted to stop Sasuke or his kidnappers, but failed. Danzo's grunt pulled him out of his thoughts as the man tensed his grip on his cane for a brief moment.
"He's a valuable asset. And I don't want him in the filthy hands of that damned sannin, Orochimaru..." Danzo trailed off, as Shikamaru stood quietly in front of him, listening carefully. "Retrieve Sasuke Uchiha back to the village of Konoha. Alive or not."
"Currently, all of the other captains are busy or off dealing with other missions. So...Sasuke's only hope of not falling into the wrong hands lie with you" Danzo huffed, reaching forward to the side of the desk and grasping a small cup of piping hot coffee. He took a sip, with his one eye closing. "Do not fail me Shikamaru Nara. Especially since he is a comrade of your graduating class." Danzo uttered out, his eye now opening to scowl at the boy, annoyed. "Of course, Hokage-sama. I will assembly a team to retrieve him right away." With that, Shikamaru bowed and quickly headed out, mentally calculating in his mind the key players of his plan.
There was no way that Shikamaru would be using any of Danzo's men. The members of root or the members of the foundation. They were too unpredictable. Their move sets unknown. And, of course, they reported everything back to their 'master'; Danzo himself.
Shikamaru outwardly scoffed. Like he would let that happen. No, he needed people that he could trust. He went home late that evening, his thoughts a jumbled mess of plans and calculations. He knew he wouldn't be getting very much sleep, but he needed to try.
-0-
Before the break of dawn, he stopped off at each of their houses, knowing that they were the best and finest in his class. Naruto Uzumaki. Neji Hyuga. Kiba Inuzuka. Rock Lee. And Choji Akimichi. After gathering the members, he breathed out a sigh, seeing them all waiting at the gates of Konoha. He hitched his green chunin vest tighter around his body, and stalked forwards towards the team.
The team turned to him, their eyes questioning. "Listen...I'm the squad leader for all of you. Even if it's troublesome." He trailed off, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Don't ignore me or move on your own accord, we will all die." "What?!" Naruto screamed out as Shikamaru silenced him with a glare. "What I mean to say is we're moving as one unit. And this is a strategic plan to get Sasuke Uchiha back." "Sasuke Uchiha..." Neji trailed off, as the others fell silent. "Well...Sasuke and I aren't close friends. In fact, I don't even particularly like him." Shikamaru snorted, as the others glanced at him puzzled.
"However...he is also a shinobi belonging to the village hidden in the leaves. He is our comrade." Shikamaru remarked, walking to the front of the group to stare out at the pink sky that was soon approaching. "So, we need to bring him back. No matter what."
The others, looked at Shikamaru with admiration, as Naruto grinned at the spikey haired ninja. "Shikamaru...thank you" he stated, placing a hand onto his shoulder. "Don't thank me. It's a mission from the Hokage...but I'm here to make sure that it succeeds." He stated as he stared off into the oncoming dawn. The rest of the team also looked off into the horizon. "Let's get started."
-0-
Who knew he would be stuck back into such a position again. Fighting against another woman. How he just hated fighting against women.
He held a deep grimace on his face, as he hid behind one of the trees, preparing to face off against his attacker, a woman named Tayuya. "Hah! You can't hide! My minions will easily find you! And you cannot escape the sound of my flute, you fool!" She cackled, pursing the flute back up to her lips and playing a harrowing tune. "Tch...so damn troublesome" Shikamaru snarled, pulling out a kunai from his pouch. He hoped that his other team members were faring much better than he was. He hoped that they weren't dead.
"But there isn't much that I can do...with that flute of hers, she has long range abilities..." He mentally kicked himself, analyzing how she played. As he was calculating, he noticed a few of the movements of her fingers. "Oh...so that's how it is..." A slight smirk played upon his lips. "Alright then...let's see what we can do here..." he mumbled under his breath, rifling around in his pockets.
He fingered the stack of paper bomb tags that he had left and glanced around. A plan forming. He continued to evade her onslaught of attacks and while he did so, he set his plan into motion. Strings he laid around them glinted slightly with promise. With that accomplished, he made it back to his original hiding spot. "Okay, let's do it..." He mumbled quietly, quickly jumping out to attack. "There you are! Such a brazen fool! Die!" Tayuya screamed at him, sending her three large Doki at him. The massive towering giants surged forward, readying to bring death in their wake, their large bodies out to capture him.
But a sudden mess of explosions sounded off around the pairs, and Tayuya scanned about in surprise. "What!? What is happening!" Shikamaru immediately stretched his shadow out, watching as it connected with the dark shadows of the three Doki. "Kagemane no jutsu, success!" he breathed out, panting from his endeavors of this entire battle. His opened his hands out in front of him, as the forms of her minions trembled beneath his suppression.
"Impossible!" Tayuya hissed out, watching as her own three giants turned against her, standing upon the branches of Konoha's trees. "Well...while you were dodging my attacks and searching for me...I watched your finger movements. So I could tell what you were planning to do next." He smirked then, bringing out his kunai once more and directing it at the red haired woman.
He could see the shogi pieces move around in his head now, taking on various positions and points. All the different ways he could corner her and make her submit. But as he stared, Tayuya's frown morphed to a sick smile on her face. He frowned. She was mocking him, even though she was outmatched. "well, let's see how you like this then..." he inwardly thought, readying the kunai in his right hand. As Shikamaru charged forward, he watched her form a quick hand signal. "Retreat!" She screamed out, calling the devilish giants back to her as they disappeared into dust. But Shikamaru internally grinned, knowing her fate was sealed.
He stretched his shadow out, its dark and deadly form winding quickly around the wood. And before she knew it, he managed to capture her again quickly, his shadow traveling on the trees branches to wrap around and bend to her. He grinned at her, realizing an assured victory. "Alright...now to use the strangulation technique!" he whispered, his dark orbs focused in on her form. The dark shadowed hand reaching up closer and closer to her neck.
But Tayuya refused to be beaten. She suddenly shook the bandages off of her head, revealing large white pointed horns. Her skin suddenly turned a dark brown color. Her eyes became black with yellowed irises. Shikamaru's face morphed to slight horror, witnessing the transformation. "What the heck!?" He groaned, mortified. Her immense strength suddenly ripped into him, and it seemingly came from nowhere. His eyes widened. He felt the shadows shudder against it. "No!" He hissed, trying to hold it still.
He tried to suppress her, forcing the shadows to heavily grip onto as she struggled against him. But it was proving to be difficult. With that, he scowled. "Let's just end this right here and now!" he snarled in his mind, feeling his charka hum and surge through his body. He began to use the strangulation technique once more upon her, the dark hands winding up to her neck. The shadows stretched ever closer, but all she did was simply smile back at him. He felt his face drain as her hands slowly lifted the flute to her lips.
"Good try kid. But this is nothing! Mateki: Mugen onsa! (Demon flute: Illusion Tune)" she hissed out, playing a deadly and sorrowful melody. The notes dancing upon the wind and reaching his ears. Shikamaru froze, his eyes widened in complete shock and fear.
"A genjutsu!" He panicked, watching his surroundings change around him and his grip on her waning. His shadow eventually withdrew back unwillingly, as he fell to his knees, caught within the grasp of her illusion. His arms spread out around him, and his entire body wrapped in white strings which stretched to the sky. A blood red arena surrounded him, with bones of men and creatures littered about. He felt his head hang, hearing the sounds enter his ears. "I...I can't move!" he reeled in his mind, trying desperately to counteract the spell. In a horrific moment, he happened to glance to the right and witnessed his own arm and hand, melting off like the wax of a candle and pooling onto the ground by his feet.
He felt a few tears well in his eyes then, anguish from the pain and the horrifying pictures being casted into his mind. However, this situation wasn't new to him. He knew it was a genjutsu. He needed to find a way to break free from it. It was a struggle, but he managed to close his eyes, and block out the visuals that were surrounding him. "Focus, focus, focus!" He chided himself, thinking back to his training at the academy and the different techniques ninja used in times of crisis. Memories flooded his mind. Images of texts, conversations with teachers, techniques and strategies. He honed in on one, and felt himself grit his teeth so hard that his jaw ached. With that, he felt his shadows snake around his body, and make its way to his hand.
SNAP!
"AAUUGGGHHH!" He screamed out, from breaking his own finger. But he kept his head hung down, as his eyes flashed open, back to reality.
"The genjutsu is gone!" He thought quickly, realizing her feet were landing in front of him, as she lightly landed onto the bough he was still kneeling upon. "Time to die!" she snarled out, the kunai rushing towards him. She was ready to strike him down. Taking this chance, Shikamaru suddenly reached up and slammed his fist into her gut, trapping the red haired one in an even deadlier shadowed embrace. "WHAT!?" Tayuya screamed out, as the two trembled.
The shadows latched onto Tayuya viciously, and one snaked up toward her neck, hoping to strangle her. Another morphed around her hand with the kunai, stopping it from inching ever closer to his gut. He watched her face morph into complete anger and worry, as she fought back against him with her own sheer will power. "You...Little!" she hissed out, as Shimakaru grinned momentarily, sweat dropping from his face. The shadows surrounded the both of them, swirling up to Tayua's neck and around her backside.
He swiftly sent out another punch to her gut, but her left hand seemed to catch it with ease. A sickening grin spread on her face, as the dark and yellow eyes glared down into him. "Don't be getting too full of yourself..." she chuckled out, as he trembled against her strength, willing his punch further towards her. "Dammit...she's not completely held yet..." he inwardly growled, his mind calculating different moves in this moment. The shadowed hand crept up further and further towards Tayuya's neck as she leaned closer to him, her eyes glinting in rage.
Suddenly, her horns began to grow in size, as Shikamaru clenched his teeth, witnessing the raw intensity in front of him. She growled loudly, gritting her teeth as their power struggle continued. His shadowed hand began to slither back down, pushed back from the force of her resistance. There was a tinge of a smirk upon her face. "No...No! Calm down! Think of another possibility!" Shikamaru chided himself, continuing to push back more. The pulsation of his chakra flowing heavily through his veins and draining him.
But he knew he was reaching his limit, as he heard her chuckle next to him. "Just a little more, you piece of shit!" She whispered out into his ear, her words laced with death and malice. With that, he felt his chakra slipping away, like water falling through his fingertips. There was no point now. He couldn't hold her any longer. He closed his eyes in frustration, prepared to take the blow, as she readied a kunai in her right hand.
"You're mine!" She screamed out, as he stiffened, ready to die.
"GAAAH!" The two of them both screamed, being suddenly blown back. Shikamaru felt himself slam into one of the tree trunks heavily as pieces around him were sliced apart. He winced, but quickly recovered, falling to bounce off the trunk and onto another branch nearby.
"What?! What was that!?" His mind screamed. Mortified, he glanced around, his thoughts swirling crazily in his head. And then he spotted her, in the distance.
Her outfit was different. She didn't have the same purple one piece that she had before. She had a long sleeved top covered in a heavy set armored vest. A short black skirt hugged her hips and covered her thick and powerful thighs. A brilliant long red sash wrapped around her waist and cascaded down behind her.
His face was of complete shock, as she glanced between the two of them. "Oh? So Sasuke Uchiha is not here, huh?" She stated, sending a swift glare to Shikamaru and another to Tayuya.
Tayuya at this point had landed on another branch a farther distance off, and scowled back, at the blonde haired girl. "Who are you?!" She called out, as Temari glanced in her direction, a playful smirk upon her face.
"Temari of the Sand, from Sunagakure" she scoffed out, as Tayuya snarled in response. "Don't get in my way!"
With that, Tayuya whipped out her flute, and began to drum her fingers upon the different keyholes at the top. Shikamaru instantly paced back farther from the two, as the sound began to float out from the deadly instrument. But Temari simply held her ground. A scowl was suddenly swift upon her face, her eyes yielding anger. With one hand, she splayed open her metal fan, displaying it's bright purple stars. She lifted it back and swung it at full force at the girl. "Kamaitachi no justu!" She yelled out, sending the powerful cutting winds at the red haired one.
"This is bad!" Shikamaru thought inwardly, also needing to dodge out of the way of her onslaught. He watched as the winds chased after Tayuya, slicing up everything around her. The woods turning into chopped blocks and pieces. Tayuya immediately lifted her arms in front of herself as a defense mechanism, but her flute was lost in the process. A decisive cut from one of the wind scythes split the demonic weapon in two. Tayuya reeled back and took shelter behind one of the farther trees. Her form fading from both Shikamaru's and Temari's line of sight.
"Heh..." Temari simply stated, seeing as Tayuya immediately began to retreat. "Don't underestimate my power..." The blonde one grinned, taking her thumb and biting into it. "I have a bad feeling about this" Shikamaru gulped, his gut squeezing tightly. With that, he quickly dropped down and to the bottom of the forest floor, seeking shelter. He could hear Temari chant out, "Trying to hide from me...now that's just naive! Kuchiyose...kiri kiri mai!" He watched her reel back with her giant metal fan. She swung it forward with such a force, that he wondered how she didn't lose her balance.
With that, a sudden flash of a cloud appeared, and from what he could make out, a ninja weasel bearing a scythe flew out. It zipped off in front of her, disappearing into a sudden streak of light, moving so quickly it slashed down everything in its path. "Dammit!" Shikamaru growled out, watching as chunks and pieces of wood began to fall from the sky. He quickly leaped around, dodging the falling pieces from above. "This woman!" He bitterly thought, eventually finding a trunk where he could press his body against, whilst the rest of the forest seemed to crumble around him.
Finally, after a few long moments, the pieces of falling wood subsided and lay in heaps around him. He glanced about, his eyes narrowed in slight worry. "Hmm...how about that." He heard her mumble out, the blades of her fan grating against itself as she closed it up. "I guess that's done." "What a violent person..." He inwardly thought, glancing around him at the chaos which was strewn about. "I hate to say it...but she's even scarier than my own mother..." He breathed out unsteadily, glancing up at her form up in the treetops.
"Now it's your turn. Shikamaru Nara."
He could feel his own blood freeze in his veins and his face paled. Her languid footsteps echoing in his ears as she dropped down from the branches above. He pressed himself against the bark of the tree he took shelter at, and he could feel his heart pound painfully in his chest. In his moment of shock, he found her in front of him, her frame towering in front. An irritated look in her eye. "Found...you..." she growled out, as he shrunk back, feeling her eyes boring into him. Her hand suddenly shot out, grabbing onto his green chunin vest as she whipped her face close to his own. He gulped hard, feeling her green orbs hone in with his own ones, seeing the rage, violence, and resentment behind them. Something else also seemed to flash brilliantly in her eyes, but he blinked for a moment and it was gone.
"Tell me...where is Sasuke Uchiha...?" She hissed out, as he felt her grip on his vest tighten slightly. Then with a sudden push, she shoved him back to land harshly against the tree behind him, the back of his head slamming against it. "Owch!" He winced, with one eye closed, as he nervously glanced back up at her. At this point, he had sunken down to sit on the ground, as she crossed her arms in front of her. "Well? Spit it out. I'm losing my patience" she hissed as he gulped, feeling the pressure of her presence. "Sigh...you're such an intimidating woman..." He lightly chuckled out, seeing her grimace further in anger. "Quiet! You're not answering me!" She howled out, as she slammed her fan down next to her, revealing one purple star.
Shikamaru sighed and closed his eyes, defeated. "Look...you can kill me if you want to...but I don't know where Sasuke Uchiha is. We were sent to retrieve him...but our unit got split up. We are all fighting Orochimaru's henchmen...and well...I was in the middle of that fight when you showed up" he stated quietly, pulling his left hand up to be inspected, and grimacing at his broken pointer finger. She glanced away from him for a minute, deep in thought. Shikamaru, noting that she was distracted, suddenly took off, leaping away from her. "Hey!" She suddenly called out, her fan opening and sending out a blast in his direction.
He gritted his teeth, feeling one of the blades slice into his upper right arm, but he quickly made it behind one of the thick trees and panted. "Hiding huh? It seems like that's really the only thing you're good at" he heard her scoff at him, her fan readying in front of her. "Yeah, well...that fan of yours is pretty nasty. And there's a limit to how far I can stretch, shrink, and transform my shadow. But you already know that right?" He snickered back at her, glancing around him for some kind of advantage in this situation.
"How much longer are you going to run? Come out already. I don't have the time for this." He heard her sigh then, the slight edge to her voice gone. "You know I just can't do that...we're enemies from different countries" he chided her, noticing some of his explosive paper bomb tags near by. A few scraps of them left. It wasn't much, but it had to do. He quickly snatched them up, hearing another whoosh of air rush towards him, smashing and destroying the spot that he had just stood in. He quickly collapsed against another tree, panting hard and swallowing.
Shikamaru quickly flipped through the bomb tags. Arranging them into a large bundle and quickly tying them around a kunai. He grimaced and took a deep breath, steadying himself. With that, he suddenly emerged, spotting her in the distance. He could see the grin on her face return as her fan readied by her side quickly. He threw the kunai swiftly at her, and charged forwards, his hand signs immediately forming. "Hah! So much for your brilliant intellect!" She snarled, realizing quickly that it was a paper bomb kunai. She deflected it to her left side with her fan, the sound of metal clanging as it shot off to her side. She readied herself for another strike as he dashed at her. "Prepare to die!" She laughed, as the bombs exploded beside her, cascading large amounts of debris around the battle field.
"He's too far...he won't be able to reach me at that distance" she mentally scoffed, remembering that Shikamaru's range of his jutsu was 15 meters and 32 cm. "You're not even close." "Kagemane no jutsu!" He yelled out, as she watched his shadow reach out. But suddenly, her eyes widened in horror. The pieces of debris! "Shit!" She cried out, trying to evade, realizing he pulled the same dirty trick that he used on her at the chunin exams. But this time, he didn't have his stupid measly jacket as a parachute. Now, all of the chunks of debris that were blasted about from the paper bomb tags were cascading shadows upon the forest floor. "I got you now!" Shikamaru howled, feeling the last remaining reserves of his power stretch out, zipping and weaving back through the shadows of the various pieces of flying debris.
He could visibly see her grit her teeth in fury, as she attempted to dodge as best as she could. But he immediately split his shadows into different pieces, branching out now like hands, ready to capture her. "Dammit!" She screamed out once again, as one of the shadows finally connected, freezing her to the spot.
"The kagemane no jutsu is a success!" He panted out, clasping his hands together still, and holding her there. The indignation was littered upon her face, and her green eyes were narrowed in on him darkly. "What a sick way to catch a person off guard...But you always seem to fight this way...with your stupid shadow imitation like a sticky dough that uses other shadows to capture the enemy" she snarled as he simply smirked. "It just happens to be my style...I didn't say it was anything fancy...but it works" he huffed out, feeling his body strain. His breath was ragged as he tried to stifle it. "Oh?" She smiled now, her eyes squinting at him devilishly. "Tired now are we?"
He could feel his own hand tremble, trying to hold the jutsu together. A smile played on his face. "Well...this is the least I can do...I need to give the others time to retrieve Sasuke...and be safe from you..." "I see...you're just buying time..." She growled, attempting to stalk forwards towards him, her body shaking against his hold. "And let's see...how long that will last..." She continued to advance slowly, her own force pushing against his own. She managed to move one step forward as he closed one of his eyes in tiredness. "Dammit...she's starting to overpower me...and I don't have that much chakra left either...this might be it..." He thought bitterly, feeling his chakra fade, being sapped from his legs to his fingertips.
"Are you going to be giving up then?"
His eyes flashed to hers dangerously, and he visibly scowled at her. "Just like those chunin exams...it seems like you have no more options left other than to give up" her grin widened as he snorted at her. "That's right..." He sighed, the last of his reserves finally leaving him and he could do nothing as his shadow wavered and withdrew back to him slowly. "I'm giving up. You won." "Ah, how stupid and nostalgic" she snorted at him, closing up her fan and attaching it to her back. "This is pointless, I need to get going." Shikamaru glared back at her, shocked. He undid his hand signs and peered back at her, a brow raised. "Wait...you're not going to kill me? A ninja from another country?" She turned away from him and placed a hand upon her hip. "Do you want to die?" He immediately shut up, his glare set upon her backside.
"Well...let's just say...I don't like to be indebted to another ninja from a different country" she retorted back, flipping her hair back with the flick of her hand. Her face turned back to him, with her eyes glowering in hatred and a mix of other things. "You could have just as easily chosen to end my life back in the desert...but you didn't. I'm just returning the favor." "An eye for an eye huh..." He mumbled out as she stalked forward and away from him, done with their conversation. "Wait!" He called out suddenly, stopping her in her tracks. "I don't understand...I'm still a ninja from the country you are at war with! It would just be easier to get rid of me now" he questioned further.
He watched her turn back to face him, her head tilted up into a proud smirk. Her eyes flashed with a fleeting brilliance of a fierce and vain nature. "Shikamaru Nara...trust me...there will be plenty more opportunities to kill you...I'll wait for my chance when we can have a fair fight again." With that, she blinked once at him and gave him a snarky nod and began to walk off.
Shikamaru couldn't believe it. He stood there dumbfounded for a moment, processing her words. But he quickly lifted his hand up to scratch the back of his head. "Ugh...this is so damn troublesome..." He grumbled out, as he heard her laugh in the distance. A swift and sudden blush spread across his face then, and a hand shot up to cover it. "Oi!" He muffled his voice, feeling the burning in his face. "Urg...ignore it. I can't be like that" he thought darkly, trying to wipe it from his own cheeks. "At least...I have to be thankful that I'm alive...when I could have died..." He breathed out, and finally taking off in the opposite direction.
"I really need to find the others...I hope they're okay..."
-0-
Shikamaru felt the crack of Danzo's cane upon his back once more, as he muffled his cries by clenching his teeth ever harder together. "How dare you boy! How dare you!" Danzo just screamed out, continuing his beating. Shikamaru was upon his hands and knees, feeling the stinging pain as the cane whipped back down again and again. "Hokage-sama! That is enough!" Shikaku called out from the side of the room, his eyes set as a nasty glare upon the scene in the room. Danzo, out of breath, laid one final blow and regained his composure, affixing his cap back onto his head. He stalked back to his chair and heavily dropped into it, seemingly exhausted from his actions.
"What a complete and utter failure of a mission!" He snarled, his one eye landing heatedly upon the boy trembling upon the floor. "You're a disappointment Shikamaru...not only did you fail the mission...but you also almost managed to kill your entire squadron!" Danzo roared out then, as Shikamaru shakily stood. He turned to face Danzo, his face set in a cold hard indifference. "I understand Hokage-sama...I'm sorry I failed you..." His voice cracked out, trying to bite back the pain of his stinging back. "Orochimaru now has the Uchiha boy in his hands...probably to commit some evil deeds with him..." Danzo leaned back, a hand landing on his face to rub his temple. "And all your team members are in critical medical conditions. Who knows if any of them will survive this..." He trailed off, another glare set upon the young Nara.
"Not to mention...I heard from some outside sources that the ninja of the sand were involved! Seeking to capture Sasuke Uchiha for themselves." "Yes...I faced off against Temari of the sand...I managed to hold her off long enough so that she would miss her chance at obtaining Sasuke Uchiha...and then I needed to retreat" Shikamaru stated through gritted teeth, trying to hold it all together. "You should count yourself lucky. I know her and her siblings took out the other members of Orochimaru's Sound Five team. Your team member, Rock Lee, was also lucky enough that the red haired demon Gaara had run out of his chakra and needed to retreat. And that his other siblings decided to simply do the same, seeing as Sasuke was already gone."
Shikamaru kept his gaze fixed upon the man in front of him. Unwavering. Showing no signs of weakness. That is what this man wanted. If he showed any, he would be eaten alive.
"Go get some medical treatment...but I'm extremely disappointed in you, Shikamaru. I don't like failure...If you continue to fail me...you'll wish you hadn't" Danzo warned, as Shikamaru felt a chill run down his spine. "Understood Hokage-sama" he stated tiredly, taking a bow and finally being able to exit. Shikamaru could hear his father exit as well behind him, his heavy footsteps resounding on the wooden floor boards. Shikamaru had painfully placed his hands into his pockets and slouched over as he walked. "Oi...Shikamaru" his father called to him, as he paused in the hallway, not bothering to turn back to face him. "What are you going to do now?"
"What do you think? I'm going to get treated and quit being a ninja...for good" he snarked back, continuing his walk down the hallway. He had enough of this. He was sick of everything that Danzo had been saying. "Oh, is that so?" His dad replied back, taking his time to now lean back against one of the walls of the hallway. "Yeah...this was actual combat...which is different from training" Shikamaru growled out, feeling his fists clench in his pockets. "I knew what missions would consist of, and I thought I understood what the world of shinobi was like..." He trailed off. "But this was the first time that I was willingly a team captain for a mission, and I willingly got my friends involved..."
"Now I understand..." He paused, snorting in anger, "that I'm not cut out to be a shinobi." "I shouldn't have been a captain. And when I was, all I did was put my trust in everyone else's abilities to complete the mission." He heard his father push himself off of the wall then and slowly approach him. "I'm just too naive. I don't have enough strength to keep on doing this...it's...this is all my fault." Shikaku suddenly grabbed onto Shikamaru's vest and pulled him back, tossing him lightly into the wall on the right. "Owch! What was that for!" He snarled at him, as Shikaku stared coldly at his son, a dark and stern look set upon his face.
"So now you're just running away?" His father questioned him, his dark eyes flashing brightly. Shikamaru glared back, his earrings twinkling, his father's words reminiscent of Temari's own ones. "This is too troublesome. I don't want to have an argument" he scoffed, as Shikaku's glare did not waver, and his scowl deepened. "And here I thought you were becoming a real man..." Shikaku breathed out, "but you're just a spineless coward." Shikamaru's eyes flashed with fury then, as he glowered back at his old man. Shikaku then broke the gaze and paced forward down the hall. He paused for a brief moment to glance back at his son.
"Even if you decide to quit being a ninja...missions will carry on without you. Someone is always going to carry them out..." He paused, taking the moment to pull a cigarette out from his pocket to light it. "Your friends will just be assigned to some other leader under Danzo...and then...they might really ALL die." He sucked in a large gulp from the cigarette and blew out a large puff of smoke. "However...if you decide to stick to this path...despite having to deal with Danzo...despite being a captain...maybe your friends might not end up that way." Shikaku turned back around at this point and walked back to Shikamaru. Once he was close enough, he placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "Count it as a blessing this time that your friends will pull through this...and look at this as a learning experience. Grow from it. And maybe you'll be able to carry out your missions perfectly."
Shikamaru felt his father's hand squeeze its grip upon him, as he stared up into Shikaku's eyes for a brief moment. "If your friends are really important to you...before you think about just quitting...consider becoming a greater ninja for the sake of them. That's what it means to be a real friend." He watched as his father's eyes glazed over, slight tears in them. Giving him encouragement. Showing him to not give up. Shikamaru felt his own heart squeeze painfully in his chest, and the agonizing throbbing coming from the blows on his back. A few tears escaped then, and he hung his head, preventing his father from seeing him cry. "Next time..." He cried through gritted teeth, "I will carry out my missions perfectly!"
Both father and son stood there in the hallway, quiet and distraught.
-0-
1 Year Later
Shikamaru was slouched in one of the trenches, his eyes closed as he leaned against the wet dirt. He didn't particularly care. His green vest was already spotted with marks of mud and blood. He was glad that he decided after all this time for the rest of his outfit to be black. Black shoes didn't appear as dirty, even if you needed to trudge through enemies lines or walk through blood laden fields of dead soldiers. Netted and black pants didn't appear as haggard, even if it had been stained with the tears of your dying comrades, as they laid upon your lap, and garbled their final wishes in their final moments. His black undershirt, which resided under the vest, covered most of the length of his battle hardened arms. It didn't look all that bad, but he himself could see the patches of areas where he wiped his own vomit upon his sleeves, or the blood from his face.
No, black wasn't a bad color at all. It was the color of war.
His eyes fluttered open for a moment then, feeling a trickle of a rain drop fall gently upon his cheek. "Ugh...please don't rain..." He groaned, as a form stirred next to him. "Any movement yet?" A pale faced boy asked as Shikamaru shook his head. "No...everyone is probably waiting for nightfall Sai..." Shikamaru sighed, watching the light from the setting sun beginning to sink lower and lower in the deep pit of the trench. Shikamaru glanced briefly at Sai, seeing his pale white face smudged with mud. Another member of the foundation. But Shikamaru didn't mind him as much. He was around their age, 14 just like the rest of them. Not particularly happy about the war but not against it either. He didn't say much, which Shikamaru preferred. It was better than having to listen to Naruto chatter about most of the time.
He glanced over to the left, further down the trench, seeing the rest of them hunkered down as well, trying to get some rest. Only Sakura was really awake, wrapping some bandages around Choji's arm. Ino, Tenten, Lee, and Naruto were passed out on the bottom of the trench, exhausted. Shikamaru then stole a glance to the right, noting that Neji was on guard still, his eyes cracked with veins, peering into the distance. Hinata was seated next to him, her head buried in her lap. He figured she was probably taking a break, after spending most of the day surveying. Kiba and Shino were next to her, both tired and haggard as well, after defending from some infiltrators which had breached through their line earlier.
Shikamaru refocused his attention back onto the fading light in front of him. "What are you thinking about Shikamaru?" Sai questioned quietly, as he was wiping down a few of his brushes with a dirty cloth. "Nothing in particular. Just resting." He snorted, taking his hands and placing them behind his head. He gazed up, managing to catch a few glimpses of the clouds floating by. "You always keep your thoughts to yourself...don't you?" Sai mumbled softly, putting one brush away and taking out another. "As do you Sai...you don't talk much about your thoughts either" Shikamaru quipped as he saw a small smirk play on the boy's face. "True...but I was also taught that when I trained in the Foundation...it's not good to reveal everything to your enemies..." He chided, finally finished with his cleaning. "Very true..." Shikamaru trailed off, his thoughts thinking more about Danzo.
The final pieces of light faded from the trench, and he shivered a bit, feeling a cold and biting wind pass through. "The wind..." He thought briefly for a moment, disrupting his musings about Danzo. "As soon as it comes...it goes..." He glanced up, watching the clouds being suddenly pushed away from a sudden gust. "And a powerful, yet gentle force..." His mind trailed off, suddenly thinking about the blonde haired kunoichi. He felt a smirk play upon his face briefly as he could imagine her smug look glaring down at him. "Gentle my ass..." He barely whispered as Sai turned to him, puzzled. "Hmm? Did you say something?" "No...just rambling..." He retorted, gazing back up at the clouds.
There were already several run ins that Shikamaru had with Temari over this past year. And each and every single time, like how she had promised, she desperately tried to end his life. It was becoming more and more troublesome each time they saw each other. Shikamaru let out a disgruntled sigh. That woman. She definitely was way more worse than his own mother. He closed his eyes for a moment more, his thoughts focusing on her imaginary form in his mind. She had gotten stronger, faster, and was still a damn good strategist for Suna. On most of their encounters with one another, they ended up in a few stalemates. Either, he was lucky enough to have some back up on his side, or she was lucky enough to develop a counter measure against his own.
His eyes opened now in annoyance, hearing Neji call out, "A platoon is approaching! Ready yourselves!"
Within moments, there was a swift bustling of bodies standing and hurrying to get into positions. The clinking of shuriken, kunais, and other ninja tools resounding in the pits. Soft whispers and hushed voices of those who were anxious. Shikamaru pulled himself to his feet and crawled up the side of the trench, noting the distance of the Suna ninja before him. Sai was beside him, his scroll and ink brush readied in his hands. "Remember to stick to the plan!" Shikamaru called out, his body shaking, "do not leave your positions. Shift them to the left so they will fall!"
He glanced about the battlefield now, taking a quick mental record of all the pieces. The pawns, the knights, the rooks, the bishops. All in play. All the pieces just needed to move accordingly. He stared off to the left, seeing the booby trapped field of mines that lay in wait for the enemy. The plan was simple. Everyone was to hold their position as best as they could. Once the main force arrived, it would be an easy matter of the farthest platoon, which consisted of Naruto and the other powerful ninja, to push them towards the left. Once there, the cliffside would blow, causing the forces to fall to their deaths, hopefully. He smirked. If not, they certainly would struggle. With the cliffside being located near to the forest of death, it would not be an easy feat to escape and survive after the blast occurred.
Neji bolted past Shikamaru to the opposing side of the trench, retaking his position. Naruto, Choji, Tenten, Lee, Sakura, and Ino readied themselves. "Hold! Not yet!" Shikamaru commanded, observing the other forces to draw closer and closer. In the distance, he could make out a flash of golden blonde hair. His eyes widened briefly, but his thoughts did not stray. "Just a little more!" He called out again, seeing her form now emerge amongst the throng of other ninja. Her face was still as strong-willed as ever, with her teeth gritted and eyes focusing in on him. Just him alone.
"Now!" Shikamaru commanded, as they jumped up from their hiding spots and pushed forward themselves. Some of the Suna ninja paused in their tracks for a moment, caught off guard. "Keep going! We need to break through them to reach their supply chain!" Temari barked out orders as Shikamaru clicked his tongue. Someone on their side must have leaked information to Suna. No one was supposed to know about this hidden supply route that they had been using.
Soon, the armies of the two opposing sides were upon one another. It was a mass of bodies colliding into an overflowing river of fighting and blood. Arms and legs clashing in a deadly dance. Faces marked with death and rage. Shikamaru slammed himself into another Suna ninja, knocking him back. With that, he whisked out a variety of kunai, sending it to sink into the other man's flesh. The other collapsed and he flew back, making it back to his position to hold. His eyes quickly scanned around, targeting his comrades. Everyone was still in their positions, holding off the enemy as best as they could.
Naruto and the others were beginning their push inwards, moving the enemy closer and closer to that cliffed edge. A sudden large gust of wind cut through some of their forces, sweeping Naruto and a few others backwards. A scowl played on Shikamaru's face immediately, noting her position. Temari.
He managed to glare at Sai. Their eyes locked together for a brief moment, and Sai nodded in understanding. With that, Shikamaru left his position, heading out to face the scary blonde haired kunoichi. "I was wondering when you were going to show up! I've been waiting to get back at you for the last time!" She yelled at him immediately, sending a quick blast of wind in his direction. He immediately shielded his arms in front of him, his clothes whipping back and forth from the blast. "Tch...always troublesome. Just like a typical woman to hold a grudge" He dug at her, watching her face twitch in indignation.
He noted again her change in attire. This time, donning a black kimono and a red sash, with the netting running up her legs and on one arm. Of course. It had to be black. The best color in a time of war. "Shut up! Lazy asshole!" She snarled at him, sending a few more his way. He pulled himself out of his own thoughts and dodged quickly, used to her attacks. He managed to bolt towards her, two kunais drawn in front of him. "Tsk!" She hissed, closing her fan swiftly and shielding herself with it. His kunai slammed into her fan, the metal scraping and scratching off against one another. "For once you're on the offensive" she chuckled at him darkly, her eyes glinting in the light of the oncoming dusk. He didn't say anything back at this point, his hard glare set upon her. He knew she liked to banter with him back and forth in their fights. Personally, he hated talking so much. But she always egged him on, trying to get his goat for some bizarre reason. He figured she probably just enjoyed it, trying to get him riled up and unfocused.
Finally they broke apart, as he leaped back, the kunai held up in front of him, reflecting the light of the setting sun. "Such a poor sport today" she laughed out now, whilst she spread her fan in front of her defensively. Man, he always hated how massive that thing was. How she was even able to hold it up, boggled his mind. "We're enemies. Not playing little games. And I don't like playing with you anyway..." He retorted back to her, gaining a smile on her face. He felt himself falter for a brief moment, seeing her smile. Those brilliant white teeth. Her nose scrunched up and eyes squinted and gleaming at him. The different emotions playing behind them.
He gulped for a moment and shook his head. Now wasn't the time. Definitely not in the heat of the battle. "What's with that dumb look on your face?" She called out to him, picking up her fan and whipping out another gust of wind at him. He scoffed loudly, and quickly evaded, throwing one of the kunai at her. She blocked it quickly and deflected it off. "What look? This is my face" he huffed back at her, now throwing more kunais at her. They zipped towards her, and she quickly side stepped out of the way. "Yeah, and it looks dumb!" She snarked, sending another powerful blast out. "Dammit" Shikamaru swore, evading again. He glanced around himself briefly, noting their surroundings. Just a bit more.
He charged at her now, his hands forming into his signs. "Huh! Good try!" She countered back, dodging backwards and evading. His signs complete, the shadows stretched out around the ground. A few pieces lifted off, trying to stab her in mid air. "Neat trick! You've really started to perfect it, huh?" She growled out at him, still evading quickly though. "You're lucky it's dusk right now. Your shadow stretches farther. But you're losing the light Shikamaru...your shadow won't be able to go much farther within a few minutes" she chastised, as he frowned. She was getting better at reading him. True, it was an opportune time for them to attack. This is when his shadows were its strongest. But, with the fading light, his shadows will shrink in size. Despite this, he smirked. He wouldn't be needing the light for much longer.
He spotted that she was near to the edge, stopping right before the placement of the hidden mines. He paused in front of her, panting. "Too bad...you didn't catch me this time" she tittered, her fan raised. With that, she swirled the large metal instrument in front of her, her form disappearing. His eyes narrowed, and his mind raced. He remembered seeing her do something like this during the chunin exams against Tenten. He paused for a moment, frantic and trying to recall the memory. "Above!" Shikamaru's mind screamed out, as he looked to the sky. His body froze, seeing those looming purple stars gazing upon him, with Temari grinning down at him.
She leaped off and slammed into him, knocking him backwards a few feet. "Urgh!" He grunted, sliding back into the dust as she landed nimbly and caught her fan. She clipped her fan onto her back swiftly, laughing at him. "Shikamaru!" A call came out from behind, as Shikamaru opened one of his eyes, spotting Hinata and the others off in the distance. "No...don't move..." He hoarsely whispered out. "That bitch!" Yelled Kiba, striding forward now, breaking formation. "No! Don't come near here!" Shikamaru panicked, his mind screaming. "Gastuuga!" Kiba roared out, spinning his body crazily and winding into his destructive tornado force. "Don't get in the way!" Temari yelled back at him, dodging and evading, falling back closer and closer to the mines.
Shikamaru hauled himself up, and sprinted as fast as he could. "No! Kiba!" He yelled out, finally seeing him finish his rampage and landing in front of Temari. Temari's right hand instinctively flew to her back where her fan was located, readying herself. Shikamaru finally made it to Kiba's side. Everything seemed to slow. He could even hear the pulsing of his heart buzzing in his ears. His hand managed to grab the frock of Kiba's coat and he threw him back. His own body pushed forwards, slamming into Temari's. "Urhh!" Temari coughed out, as Shikamaru collided into her, his right arm instinctively grabbing onto her forearm to try and steady himself. Kiba had now flown back, his face twisted in anger from the sudden shove backwards. "Shikamaru!" He screamed out, but it had been too late.
Shikamaru could hear it, and he shut his eyes. The tightening of the metallic string. Temari's eyes widened, hearing the sound as well and feeling the taught string dig into her left calf. With that, there was a small "pop!" as the clip holding the bombs from going off was released.
All Shikamaru could hear thereafter was the loud explosions and bangs of the bombs resounding around him. The screams of the forces being swallowed up in the blasts. Their cries of anguish. But what rang out loud and clear was her scream. It was a high pitched shriek, which shook him down his core. He still held a grip upon her, and he could feel them being tossed about in the crazed mess. He felt himself pull closer to her, and he felt her own arm wrap around his backside to grip tightly onto his vest. For a brief moment, it crossed his mind how small her hand felt on his back. But that thought was quickly wiped away as he suddenly felt himself falling.
Free falling.
His eyes flashed open and he felt his mouth gape open. "Aaaahhh!" He screamed out, realizing they had been blasted off of the cliff, and were falling down into the forest of death below. "Shikaaamaarruuu!" He heard his comrades screech out to him, their forms disappearing atop the cliffside. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" He swore repeatedly now, witnessing the forest below rapidly approaching. He glanced at Temari, who had her eyes closed in pain, and was not moving. "DAMMIT!" He yelled out now, drawing her close suddenly, feeling her body slam into his and her head landing upon his shoulder. He raised his free left hand in front as a shield as the branches, twigs, and leaves of the forest suddenly swarmed up into his face. He felt his side slam painfully into one of the side branches, causing them to veer off to the right. His left arm flailed, trying to regain his balance, lest they land on their heads. "Shit!" He snarled, sticking out his right foot to brace their descent. It connected with another branch and he suddenly felt an immense shooting pain flash up from his ankle all through his leg to his hip.
"UUrrgg!" Shikamaru howled, as his foot crumbled under his weight and they continued to careen downwards. "Huh!" He heard her shout in his ear as she flailed about suddenly. "Wait!" He called out through his pain, feeling her body slip from his. His grip on her forearm tightened, and he felt her hand grab onto his own arm. "Guh!" She cried out, stretching out her free arm to frantically clasp onto the passing branches. He gazed up at her desperately, eyes narrowed in fear. Suddenly, they abruptly halted, and he felt his shoulder strain in soreness, as her grip seemed to tighten on his arm. Her free hand had precariously snagged onto one of the branches, as they hung there, frozen for a moment.
"GGrrrhhhgg!" She growled out, her fist clenching as hard as she could. "Oi!" He called out, seeing her struggle and his own heart slamming in his chest. She glanced down at him, and her eyes connected with his briefly. Her eyes were different. Clouded, muted. He stared back at her, confused as she closed them.
There was a few snapping noises, as Shikamaru's gaze shifted quickly to the branch that was holding their weight. He could see the cracks and splinters forming, as it bent further and further. "Can't...hold...it!" She yelled, as the branch suddenly broke, sending them both spiraling down to the depths of the forest floor below.
