Chapter 13: Surprises In Kumogakure
"What's going on?" Kankuro asked, whispering.
"I think you should take the team in case something happens to me," Shikamaru said bluntly. "Like if I die, for example."
"Oh…" The sand shinobi expected a different direction for the conversation and was slightly puzzled. "Some plans you have there..."
Shikamaru gave him a tart glance and continued, fully ignoring his comment: "You already have the experience, and I'm not concerned about anyone disobeying you."
"Right." Kankuro crossed his arms. "Are you asking me or ordering me?"
"Take it more like 'informing' you," his lips curled upwards.
Shikamaru had worked with both Temari and Kankuro enough times to know their qualities well. Kankuro tended to joke around when he took things seriously. Playing buffer for years had developed his demeanour to look like he couldn't deal with important matters, but Shikamaru knew better — the other man was logical, observant, and could focus well. Technically, Kurotsuchi was stronger, and her bloodline allowed her to use abilities no one else had, but he still preferred Kankuro because he could trust him with no reservations.
Kankuro smiled unrestrainedly and nodded. "Be it your way, Nara."
"I want both of us to observe and come up with strategies in case of an attack." The team leader lifted his chin to the arena's centre.
Attack, Kankuro repeated inwardly. The cogs in his brain smoothly turned, bringing the needed conclusions to his attention.
"Since when do you want anyone else meddling with your strategies?" Kankuro raised an eyebrow. There was amusement in his voice. It was simply mocking, a conversation filler; they both knew it.
"Two heads always think better than one," Shikamaru stated unfazed. "Even if one of the heads is mine." He could also joke around — not worse than Kankuro himself.
The sand shinobi laughed, drawing his sister's gaze to both of them. She tilted her head, silently asking, What's going on?
Kankuro shook his head in answer: Don't worry, was the message.
Temari narrowed her eyes, looking straight into her brother's. You will tell me!
He grinned and lifted his hands in the worldwide gesture of surrendering. Kankuro hadn't missed any opportunity to mock her since Gaara started to change for good. He wasn't going to start skipping them now.
"Troublesome woman," mumbled Shikamaru.
Kankuro instantly thought he meant Temari and was about to agree with him when he saw that Shikamaru was actually looking at Ino. She was frowning with her arms crossed and her foot impatiently tapping the ground.
"This conversation was supposed to be private, for Earth's sake," said Shikamaru.
"Blondes being nosy today, eh?" Kankuro chuckled.
"I don't think the hair colour has anything to do with Ino's annoying desire to know everything." The team leader turned to fully face the sand shinobi.
"But you can't deny the funny coincidence that we're both pestered for information by blond women."
Shikamaru glanced at him, a very small smile threatening to turn into a full-sized one, but he took a hold of it in time and never let it bloom.
"So, how do you suggest we approach this?" The team leader asked.
Kankuro turned to the group and observed each and every one, assessing them. His eyes narrowed briefly before he fixed them on Shikamaru.
"I know you already have your plan, but here's what I'd do: I'd split them into groups of three to four people, depending on the fighting style and attack range, so as to cover the basics for a start."
Shikamaru nodded, a content expression on his face. It was a test, and both knew that.
Shortly after, the groups were sorted out and instructed that there should be limited-time fights between each of them. Also, every group was going to have a short spar with Killer B, though he was requested not to transform into Gyuki.
Each group had one shinobi with healing abilities and one Kumo shinobi, purposefully. They were supposed to share their knowledge with their teammates so as to pin Killer B down successfully for the given time.
Tenten was grouped together with Choji, Ino, and Karui. The point behind the team leader's choice was for them to cover close, middle, and far attack ranges.
The rest were also divided accordingly; Ruka ended up in a group with Lee, Atsui, and Temari. The leaf green beast's style was direct combat, much like Atsui's; the difference was that Lee didn't use any weapons, whereas Atsui battled with a sword. The Suna princess covered both middle and far range thanks to her abilities at wielding her giant fan.
Shikamaru gave the groups a limited time of seven minutes to discuss and come up with tactics to use.
"Karui?" Ino whispered. "How can we beat your ex-sensei?"
"We can't," she hissed. "He's one big piece of sh—" She abruptly shut her mouth, biting her lower lip. "...of an eight-tailed demon," she finished.
Tenten raised an eyebrow and turned to glance at Killer B. He was standing in the centre of the arena like a giant pillar; his arms were crossed on his massive chest, making all of the other men look... small. A wide grin decorated his face, his emblematic glasses hiding his eyes. It was unsettling. Tenten liked to see her opponent's eyes.
"Technically, we don't need to beat him," Chouji said, leaning in. "The requirements are to pin him down or immobilise him for more than thirty seconds."
"Well, to pin him down, you need to reach him. And that, my friend, isn't an option." Karui was obviously agitated.
"How does he fight if he isn't transformed?" Tenten asked.
"Like a fu—" The cloud kunoichi huffed and narrowed her amber eyes. "...giant hedgehog with metal spines."
Ino hummed and also leaned in, closing the little conspiratory circle they had formed. "Be more specific; we'll run out of time."
Karui took a deep breath and let it out hastily. "He'll take out seven swords and stick them up his joints." She rolled her eyes at her teammates' expressions. "No, for fuck's sake, he'll hold their handles. Anyway… He'll start spinning and move the weapons around his body."
"It sounds like he'll turn into something like a chainsaw," Tenten remarked with a crooked smile.
"Kind of…"
"Ok, how do we prevent him from doing that?" Ino steepled her hands.
"Well, we can try to make him throw them at us, but he is really accurate... Dodging them 's pain in the ass."
"I may be able to distract him," Chouji said thoughtfully, then looked at Ino. "Do you think you could enter his head?"
"If I have enough time to reach him, but you know what will happen if I miss," Ino pouted.
"What?" Karui's annoyance was more than just audible.
"I can keep him busy dodging and parrying projectiles while you sneak as close as you can." Tenten glanced at Killer B again. "Also, I can try to pull some of his swords with my reinforced chain. It can take in low to moderate quantities of chakra in case he infuses the swords."
"Yes, if you ensure an opening, I'll slap him." Chouji slightly smiled.
"You'll slap him?!" Karui hissed. She felt left behind, and she was close to bursting into yelling. "Are you in kindergarten?!"
Ino grinned. "Oh, this isn't an ordinary slap."
"It's more of a wipe-everything-under-his-hand kind of slap," Tenten scratched her chin.
The Kumo kunoichi raised an eyebrow. "Right… What's my role then?"
"You need to make sure he doesn't get to Tenten and Ino. Especially not to Ino," Chouji said seriously.
Ruka fell to the ground with a pained yelp and rolled to soften the hit. When she attempted to stand up — that was right away — a surprised hiss left her lips. Her leg collapsed, forcing her to support her body with both hands.
"Get her at the back!" Temari commanded, jumping in front of Chojuro and cutting in his path to the fallen teammate.
"Aye!" Lee dashed like an arrow and picked up Ruka instantly.
He hummed; she felt so light in his arms, just like a child and as fragile as one.
Atsui aimed for Shee, trying to drag him away from their healer as well.
It became obvious that team Shee-Ittetsu-Chojuro had come up with a strategy to take the other team's medic first. Either they would leave the other team a person less and deprive them of the healer's services, or they would force the whole team to protect their medic and thus control the whole fight.
Crafty, Temari thought, getting ready to send a Wind Cutter Ittetsu's way. Kankuro explicitly asked her to restrain herself from using her Blade Dance and a couple of other destructive and most often lethal attacks. "Too much of a hassle to deal with afterwards," he had said with a mocking smile. She didn't counter with that because she was well aware that those moves of hers could end someone's life. That wasn't the purpose of the whole exercise.
Something else she was aware of was what Ittetsu's abilities were; he was a sand shinobi, well trained in their typical techniques. She wouldn't let anyone from her team be cocooned in wrappings and immobilised.
Ittetsu, on the other hand, was familiar with the vicious battle style of his princess; he had shared his knowledge with his team and was instructed to stay out of her way. Honestly, he didn't mind at all. Chojuro was going to deal with her when she was close enough. But they needed to force her close, just like they did. Shee had suggested that she would jump to protect a fellow shinobi with weaker defensive abilities. Ruka was the weakest fighter on their team since her strength lay elsewhere. Shee turned out to be right.
Atsui charged at Ittetsu but was met halfway by Chojuro's Hiramekarei. The giant sword hungrily devoured the chakra covering Atsui's blade and stored it somewhere under the bandages it was wrapped in. It even let out something resembling a quiet tingle. Very disturbing sound for some reason.
Lee pressed Ruka to his chest until he reached a relatively safe spot and placed her carefully on the ground. His bandaged hands gently caressed her shoulder.
"It was a hard blow. Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine, Lee-san," she said with unexpected firmness as she gathered herself. Ruka's palms immediately glowed, and she set them down on her hip and thigh. Her eyebrows narrowed in concentration. "I didn't expect they would aim at me."
"We also didn't," he admitted. "Don't worry!" Lee beamed. "They won't touch you again; I'll watch over you."
"Be careful, Lee-san," she whispered. "Shee-san is preparing to use something big. I can feel the waves of shifting chakra in him." Ruka glanced at the Kumo shinobi with suspicion.
Performing hand signs, Ittetsu was meant to take Lee out of the match. If he did, the medic would be left without immediate protection, and the opposite team would be lacking in numbers.
In the next second, Ruka's eyes went wide, and a warning formed on her lips, but it never left them.
Lee followed her gaze. Before she could utter a sound, he grabbed her, dodging the wrappings flying their way. He put her on her feet, far away from Ittetsu, and… then he was gone. His blurred frame dashed towards Shee. It was happening all too fast for just standing and watching. The leaf green beast delivered a hard hit on Shee's chest, interrupting his hand sign's sequence and pushing him back. The cloud shinobi almost fell down, losing balance, but he remained on his feet.
Ruka's sight darted to her other teammates — Temari and Atsui were trying to take Chojuro down, still unsuccessfully. He was a tough fighter, his shy character aside.
Lee kept running around Shee, laying hits and kicks, preventing him from finishing whatever he had in mind. The speed of movement was simply impressive. Ruka had actually never seen him fight. An admiration filled her chest while she tried to follow him with her eyes. So fast… It seemed impossible, but he became even faster, developing such a velocity that her brain couldn't fully register the movements. He carried his body above the ground, barely touching it.
Ittetsu approached Lee and started a sign sequence.
It was enough observation. Ruka's team needed her as a support, not a liability. So, she stepped firmly on her feet and stuck a hand into her waist bag, fishing a few senbon up. With deft fingers, she rubbed them on a little piece of cloth. Then, taking a deep breath, Ruka prepared to act. A thin layer of chakra creeped over one of the needles' surfaces before she pushed away from the wall and sped up. While darting around Temari. Her delicate fingers pinched the air, letting the senbon fly, precisely directed at Ittetsu.
The reaction was immediate — the man slapped his own neck; his jaw clenched and didn't allow him to let a warning out. A few seconds later, he slumped down on the sandy arena floor.
Temari's eyebrows raised. Ruka dashed back and stopped slightly behind her.
"It's temporary. It will pass in a few minutes," she informed.
The Suna princess glanced at her, nodding. Then she gave orders. Lee and Atsui went after Shee, while the two women focused on Chojuro.
In the next moment, a blinding explosion forced all of them to just stop in their tracks. They couldn't see a thing. Temari considered waving her fan in an attempt to defend herself from an unknown attack from an unknown direction. It was dangerous, stupid, and wouldn't work; she knew it. Furthermore, she might wound Ruka, who was supposedly close to her just before the explosion.
"Team Shee-Ittetsu-Chojuro won the match," rang Shikamaru's voice.
A frustrated huff passed over Temari's lips. "I thought no big moves were allowed," she said, simply irritated.
"No one said what is defined as a big move," came Shee's calm voice. "The amount of light was controlled. It won't cause permanent damage to any of you," he added.
He was right; it was left to every shinobi's self-interpretation of what a "big move" was.
It was the last match between the groups, so they didn't need to rush and free the arena. So, a few minutes later, when he was able to see again, Lee turned his head in search of their medic. When he spotted her, he called her name. She met his eyes and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Lee-san."
"Don't be sorry. You warned us something was coming," he said with a warm smile. His eyes sparkled happily.
"Did she?" Chojuro asked, and his lips curled upward. His expression was content, as if he were saying, "That's my teammate."
Shee glanced at Ruka with a blank face. He might have been surprised by her moves too, but he didn't make any comments. Instead, he tended to their fallen teammate, crouching down next to him.
"We're running out of time!" Ino shouted out.
What they came up with during their briefing didn't work the way they imagined it. Killer B's moves were absolutely unpredictable. Karui had succeeded in parrying and dodging for a minute, but she already looked exhausted. She jumped back in retreat and landed beside Tenten, her blade lost.
"He's such a pain in the ass!" The cloud kunoichi growled.
"Here! Take this," Tenten said, pulling out a katana from one of her scrolls. "It's not just like yours, but will do. We need to regroup."
The four jumped beside each other, panting.
"Ok, Chouji, I think it's time for you to charge in," Ino stated.
"Killer B will cut him," retorted Karui.
Tenten passed him a chain. "Make sure to meet his hits with this. It won't stop him, but it'll prevent you from losing a limb."
Chouji grabbed the chain. Karui's eyes fell over his hand; it looked slightly bigger than just a moment ago. Actually, he was taller than he was just a second ago.
"Charge after Chouji. Try to knock out at least one of his swords," Ino whispered.
"I'm ready," Tenten said, squeezing a new scroll in her hand.
"Go!' Ino jumped to the left.
Tenten dashed to the right, preparing to open the scroll and unseal whatever was inside.
Karui frowned as Chouji didn't move at first. She opened her mouth to yell at him when she noticed that she was barely reaching his shoulder. And he towered more and more with every passing moment until he was so big that the rest of the shinobi looked like toddlers compared to him. Karui didn't utter a sound, but her eyes burned with curiosity.
"Keep out of my way," he whispered, but he never looked at her; his eyes were solely focused on Killer B's glasses and grin.
Karui didn't even realise she had complied before her foot stepped to the right, and her body followed.
Then everything wrapped up in just a few seconds. Chouji turned into a giant ball, rolling with an impossible speed on a spot; then he charged at Killer B, thundering. Sand, dirt, and small rocks flew in all directions, impairing the proper sight of the shinobi; a deep furrow was left in his wake.
Karui swiped the dirt away from her face; a smile creeped over her lips when she charged at her ex-sensei with a shout.
Ino had deliberated over using the Mind-Body Disturbance Technique instead. If she took control over Killer B's body and left his mind untouched, she wouldn't risk being sent unconscious, but... She had that strong, nasty feeling that Gyuki wouldn't let his vessel's body be played with, so she settled for the Mind-Body Switch. She had used that one on Naruto once for training and had the honour to meet Kurama. The experience was something she was going to treasure until the end of her life. So, such an opportunity to meet yet another tailed beast face-to-face wasn't something to just skip. The leaf kunoichi ran after Chouji and Karui and stopped at what she considered a safe distance. Her hands formed a small circle, and she took a deep breath.
"Ino…" Shikamaru sighed and shook his head.
"What's she doin'?" Kankuro asked, his curiosity vivid in his dark eyes.
"She will try to knock herself out for five minutes," the team leader answered with a crooked smile.
Tenten reached the spot she aimed for and snapped the scroll open. A puppet rushed towards Killer B; it was smaller than the standard ones, and it had just one mechanism for poisoning senbons into its mouth, but the shoulders and the arms were heavily armoured, obviously with the purpose of taking a hard blow.
"That's interesting." Kankuro pointed and even leaned forward, but not before exchanging surprised gazes with his sister.
Chouji missed his target and hit the wall, carving a big crater in it. Ino smiled; she expected the man to jump aside. But the leaf shinobi rose on his feet; his palm glowed in blinding white, with dark lines winding all over his fingers.
The puppet followed Tenten's guidance and joined Karui in parrying the insane movements of Killer B's blades. One of them lodged deeply enough into the puppet that the kunoichi pulled it back, wresting it from under the man's arm. His balance wavered for a fraction of a second, but it was enough of an opening for Karui. She viciously knocked out the sword he was squeezing with his right knee. The woman knew it was the only blade she could potentially take out. His knee joint gave way from time to time due to an old injury he suffered some years ago.
"There's your opening, Chouji," Ino whispered to herself in the same moment as her teammate's hand reached its target, sending one very surprised Killer B flying her way.
His shape started to change and blur during the flight. Gyuki wanted to take charge, but it wasn't allowed, so he needed to stay in the background. Ino bit her lower lip and assessed his falling trajectory. Then she let her consciousness leave in an invisible ball of energy, floating in the man's direction.
"How did you get in here, little girl?" Asked Gyuki when she materialised into Killer B's mind.
Ino smiled. "I'm blessed with the ability to do that. Plus, I've been wishing to meet you."
The Eight Tail raised his massive eyebrow, fixing his eyes on her small frame.
"Hmmmm… Mind-Body Switch, I see." He chuckled, causing the whole surrounding area to shake and sway; it felt to her like an earthquake. "You said you wanted to meet me?"
She nodded, bravely lifting her chin.
"Now, now… Why would that be?" He rumbled, causing her to tremble from the force of the sound.
Ino swallowed and took a deep breath. Then she smiled and started to talk...
"Good job," Shikamaru noted, jumping down in the arena, followed by Kankuro.
He made his way directly to Chouji. His friend had used his body weight modification abilities and, at the moment, was looking as if he were starving — tall, thin frame, hollow cheeks, and big, sparkling eyes.
Karui, as the only one that hadn't seen it, was gaping at the image — he was an absolutely different person. Except it wasn't, because the warm, half-shy smile he shot her way, was the very same she already knew.
"You alright, bro?" Asked Shikamaru, laying a hand on his back.
"I'll be fine." He huffed. Even his voice sounded slightly different. "You know that, smartass." Chouji chuckled and returned an affectionate pat on his childhood friend's shoulder.
"Want me to get you a ration?"
"Nah, I'll eat at the inn." He waved his hand dismissively. "Don't you worry now; I didn't burn it all."
"Ok, ok, sorry that I worry for you," Shikamaru's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"I'm most grateful." Chouji stretched his arms above his head. "I'm just not a child anymore."
Shikamaru smiled at him, shaking his head.
Kankuro crouched down beside Tenten's puppet, curiosity vivid on his face even through the paint.
"You surprised me there," he said to the approaching kunoichi.
Tenten chuckled and stopped beside him. "I'm glad to hear that."
"Not many shinobi away from Suna chose the art of puppeteering." He looked up at her, pointing at the big gash in the armour plate. "Can I?"
She shrugged. "Sure." Crossing her arms, she bent above him. "You have my permission to repair it," came her amused voice mere inches from his ear; her breath caressed the oversensitive skin of his neck. He flinched, instantly getting goosebumps.
A familiar warmth started spreading within his body, making its way to parts of him that he didn't want to get involved in their relationship… yet. Not that his brain had any say in it, as it seemed. Well, he couldn't affect his primal reactions, but he could still decide on his conscious ones and convince his body to cooperate.
"Ticklish, are we?" Tenten laughed and stood up.
Kankuro let out a quiet huff. It was preferable that she think he was ticklish than to assume the true nature of his flinch. Adding sexual arousal to the complicated equation of their bond was... Wasn't wise at all. Mostly, he was going to ruin the little trust that existed between them. He certainly didn't want that.
"I can see what you've done. You've reduced the size of the puppet to reduce the weight. With the added weight of the armour, it probably—"
"Yes, weights the same as one of the standard Suna puppets." She chuckled. "Smartass."
"Hey!" He exclaimed.
The woman playfully brushed his shoulder.
"I don't use puppets excessively." Tenten tilted her head. "To stop a blow or sacrifice the whole puppet for protection doesn't require such a size. The smaller the puppet, the easier to manoeuvre it is."
"True that." He nodded. "I have smaller puppets, but they all have their specific purposes…" Kankuro caressed the gash thoughtfully. "I'd try that one, if you don't mind."
"Not at all." She beamed. "I'm trading training with my puppet for repair work on it."
"Deal." He got up on his feet and stretched an arm for a handshake.
Nodding, Tenten grabbed his much bigger hand and shook it.
Karui retrieved her katana and assessed it with a critical eye. Her sight often darted to Chouji, Shikamaru, and Ino, who were chatting with Killer B and Kankuro.
"It can be troubling when you see it for the very first time," Tenten said, sitting on the ground beside the other kunoichi.
"What?" Karui turned to look at her properly.
She stretched her legs ahead and started rubbing one of her wrists. A small smile tugged her lips upwards; she elaborated, "The body growth Akimichi can perform. It really troubled me, but... I was impressed nonetheless."
"It sure is impressive, all right," Karui agreed, mumbling.
"Also…" The leaf kunoichi chuckled. "He looks really attractive without all the layers or flesh." She paused, met the other one's eyes, and laughed heartily. "Scratch that; he's hot."
"Kind of," Karui admitted, reluctant.
The other woman lifted her head to give her a look and noted the slight blush creeping on her dark-skinned cheeks. It wasn't obvious at all — even hard to see — but it was there.
The training session had come to an official end. Shikamaru and Kankuro dismissed the shinobi so they could finish their routines and prepare to leave the arena.
Karui had the opportunity to chat with her ex-sensei and finally felt really at home. Her mood improved, and she stood proud and taller than before, seemingly gaining a few inches.
She turned to the place where one of Killer B's katanas still lay. She took a step towards the weapon and abruptly stopped. Her head snapped at Atsui, who was also heading there.
"Don't you dare touch it with your turdy digits, you fucker!" She shouted, clenching her hand into a fist.
Atsui stopped for a brief moment and glanced at her. There was only one thing visible on his face: a challenge.
Then it was a matter of speed… He dashed ahead, as Karui did as well. The distance was the main measure of advantage, or, respectfully, disadvantage, in this case. His fingers grasped the katana's handle, and he continued to run to the other side of the arena.
She stopped in her tracks and frowned at his back, shouting yet again, "Give it back!"
Then she rushed after him. "When I catch you, you'll end up eating plants by the roots!" She was a fast runner; eventually the considerably less weight was going to allow her to catch up with him... And hit him hard.
Killer B crossed his arms and followed her with his eyes. Had anyone looked behind the glasses, one would find only amusement and fatherly love. He knew his girl and adored her just the way she was — one tough kunoichi; she was angry in general, vicious, and often overly impulsive. But that's why she was under the command of the collected and logical Samui, who successfully cooled her temper and got the best out of her.
Omoi neared, stretching his arms over his head lazily.
"She's back," he sighed.
Killed B looked at him, raising a curious eyebrow.
"She hadn't yelled and cursed properly since we started moving in a big group."
"Oh? I didn't think that was even possible."
"Yeah, me too." Omoi chuckled. "But she's home now... and she's... herself again."
The older man nodded with unreadable expressions. His head turned in Karui's direction again, and he kept following her movements.
"Give it to me, you fucking dumbstick!" she said loudly enough to be heard by Atsui. Her breath had started to come out a bit short from the running effort.
Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino stopped talking; their attention was drawn to the yells. Shikamaru didn't express anything but light curiosity with a raised eyebrow. He knew about the altercation between Karui and Naruto in the past, so he was aware of her temper. What he didn't know was why she had behaved so timidly until now.
Ino's reaction came out as rapid blinking. She looked around to assess the faces of the rest of her teammates. The cloud shinobi weren't the least surprised at Karui's words. For them, this whole scenery looked totally normal.
Chouji tilted his head, following both running teammates. His gaze stuck to the female's lithe, long legs, easily visible through the frontal slit of her skirt.
Karui gained velocity steadily, shortening the distance between Atsui and herself.
"Go girl!" Kurotsuchi cheered, raising both hands; she was wearing a wide grin on her face, obviously having fun.
Temari laughed more at the latter reaction than at the chasing scene itself.
Karui succeeded in catching up with Atsui and used all of her gathered anger to trip him. She struck the the back of his thigh, extracting a pained shout. Killer B's katana dropped with a tingling thud. Atsui met the ground with his hands and rolled in an attempt to save himself, letting out curses as he tumbled along.
The kunoichi gritted her teeth, growling, "No, you ain't going anywhere!"
She jumped and landed on her knees, straddling him and ousting the air from his lungs. Her deft, and very strong hands mercilessly pushed his face into the dirt, just as she had said in her threats.
The arena doors opened when Shee attempted to leave. He was met by very blue eyes, placed on a beautiful, pale face. The woman, currently their owner, had short blond hair and a calm expression. She nodded at Shee as if she knew him; he returned her greeting and hurried to exit.
As if the air shifted with the newcomer stepping into the arena. All the gazes turned to her like compass arrows would if she were the north itself. Temari looked around, amused. What she expected was exactly what happened: the male population seemed to have difficulties tearing their eyes away from the new woman. With a few exceptions...
All the cloud shinobi, who were used to her looks, didn't pay her so much attention.
Chouji just noted her presence with a glance. After that, he started to dig in his bag, trying to put his hands on something that probably wasn't there at all.
And Shikamaru… He stepped to the side, taking full advantage of the distraction. Reaching his target, he discreetly caressed Temari's naked nape, then shoved his hands into his pockets as if they had never been in some other place. She bit her lips, barely suppressing the wild shivers that wanted to shake her body.
She smiled after a few moments. "You tend to start a dangerous game, Shikamaru," she said, looking ahead at the newcomer.
"Maybe." He shrugged, his gaze shamelessly passing over the curve of Temati's neck. "It's dangerous only if I fail to predict your moves."
"And you're convinced you'd be able to predict everything, of course?" Her glance at him held both exasperation and amusement.
"I'd be pleased if you could surprise me." He let his lips curl in a little smirk. The man knew there was hardly a game he wasn't masterful at.
"Would you, now?" She asked very slowly and smiled.
"As much as I like your smile, this one gives me goosebumps," he admitted.
"Good." Temari glanced at him, and the smile never wavered.
Tenten reached out to lift Lee's chin up and shut his mouth. Definitely, the woman who just entered had solemn visual advantages, which just forced some impairment in most males, mainly making them stare. If she had to be honest, the only other kunoichi with such big breasts she had ever seen was Tsunade-hime.
"It looks uncomfortable." Kankuro's whisper came from the right, just above her shoulder.
She flinched and spun around to meet his eyes.
"And she may have balance difficulties," he added, looking down into her hazel pools.
She swallowed. Hard. Fighting with the unsettling feeling his proximity caused in her, she forced a grin on her lips.
"And she is undoubtedly sexy."
"That she is, I must agree."
While their attention was consumed by each other, they missed noticing the woman in question approaching them.
"Thanks," she said, a cool and impersonal expression on her face. Stopping right beside Atsui and Karui. She was still straddling him. The newcomer asked, "Problem?"
"Not anymore." Karui grinned. "I'm solving it right about now." She'd pressed her skinny elbow into his ribs.
"I can see that." She continued calmly. "You can let him go; I'll take over."
When Karui obeyed and pulled away from him, Atsui got up on his feet. He tried to sidestep the blond woman, but she spun, delivering a kick to his jaw.
He let out an unhappy yelp, placing his hand on the injured part of his face. "Samui, what was that for?"
"I've no idea what you've done, but I'm convinced you've earned it."
Kurotsuchi burst into laughter, dispelling the magic that had fallen on the whole group.
Shikamaru sighed when he finally closed the bathroom door behind him. He couldn't wait to put his dusty, sweaty skin under the revitalising caress of the hot water. He reasoned that it would be better to leave Lee to take a shower first. He suspected that if he had asked Lee to go second, his teammate would've paced restlessly on the other side of the door. Then Shikamaru would've felt obligated to hurry up. He didn't want to rush. He had fifteen minutes, and he was going to use them all to reach a relatively normal appearance and satisfactory level of personal hygiene. Plus, Lee had gone out to talk with Chouji, so the room was fortunately empty and at his disposal. Shikamaru liked peace and privacy.
He reached for his hair and freed his black locks. His eyes focused on the tiny black tie. His lips curled up as he held it to his nose, sniffing. It brought her image to life in an instant. Temari usually carried the scent of jasmine with a tint of citrus. But when he held her in his arms, kissing her — or more accurately, when she was kissing him, straddling his thighs — he'd sensed her smell, not the added fragrances. And even the sole memory of it made his body react.
Shikamaru switched the shower on and leaned his elbows on the wall, letting the water run down soothingly over his shoulders' skin. He laid his forehead over his elbows, shutting his eyes. His mind was swarmed with vivid images of her. He saw how her head dropped back when he stroked her collarbone as if she were in front of him. His fingertips and lips tingled, recalling the sensation of her skin underneath. He practically heard her quiet moan. His eyes shot open, only to be met with depressingly whitish tiles. A certain body part had also remembered her proximity well. Painfully even.
"Troublesome," he mumbled.
Sighing, he tried to ignore his groyne's call. He didn't have the time for that… The place was also not particularly suitable for the purpose. Somehow, the knowledge that Lee might be roaming around the room, just on the other side of the thin wall, made him feel a bit anxious. All right, very anxious, if he had to be honest. His teammate wouldn't just enter without warning, but still…
Did I lock the door? He distinctly remembered that he did, and relaxed.
Shikamaru thought of a way to get rid of his problem without actually touching himself. So he turned to another passion of his — shogi. He set up an imaginary board in his head and started to play against himself. He made sure to vividly see every single move and even the way each figure shifted into another square. It took him exactly three minutes, but the desired effect was a fact. He let out a content sigh.
A few more minutes later, he felt clean enough and switched the water off. Before exiting the shower area, he squeezed the water out of his black locks and wrapped a towel around his hip. He grabbed a smaller towel on his way out, immediately starting to dry his hair. Shikamaru stopped before he opened the door to enter the room. There was a strange, unsettling feeling gnawing at the back of his mind.
When he was satisfied with the result of the drying process, he finally reached for the door knob and pressed it.
His fingers unwillingly clenched around the cloth, preventing him from dropping it on the floor. Panic rose within his chest, urging him to do something. But that was only his teammate, Shikamaru reasoned; the weird feeling wouldn't let him go.
He regained his composure almost immediately, remaining in the same spot.
"Lee?" he asked, as the other man didn't do or say a thing.
Lee just stood there in front of the bathroom door, staring at Shikamaru with his eyes wide open. There was something odd about the sparkle in the depths of his pools, but he couldn't put a finger on it right away. Honestly, the way Lee ogled his naked torso was highly concerning. Shikamaru felt so anxious that he didn't even notice the particular smile, which was so atypical for Lee.
"What are you doing?" He asked slowly, but the other one didn't answer; instead, he tilted his head. Shikamaru tried again: "Would you please move back?"
"No," said Lee simply, taking a step forward.
Shikamaru felt an urge to step back but didn't budge; he stood his ground.
Konoha's young green beast lifted his bandaged hand and shamelessly laid it on his teammate's naked chest. Shikamaru tensed and abruptly grabbed the hand, insulting his personal space and body. He twisted it roughly behind Lee's back, turning him around in the process.
"What's wrong with you?" He hissed in the other man's ear.
And Lee started to laugh. His voice shifted slightly, and his round face blurred, slowly changing its shape. The body shrank; the hair became blond...
"Temari?" He whispered, gaping at her.
She grinned. "Surprised?"
The woman turned her head and gave him a quick lick on the shoulder.
Shikamaru loosened his grasp and turned her again to face him.
How was it possible she could trick him so… easily? What she used was a technique requiring a really low set of skills. He should have seen right through it, but... Well, yeah, she had succeeded in catching him off guard. It was fair if he gave her credit for that; she deserved it.
Thinking back, it was more than a logical assumption that the person in front of him wasn't Lee.
"You're such a trouble," he said softly while leaning in to touch her lips with his.
He had longed to taste her again since the moment they returned to the camp the other night. His fingers unwillingly dug into her waist, pulling her closer.
Temari bit his lower lip, forcing him to stop and pull back a bit.
He smiled. "Your performance was good. You deluded me," he admitted with a smirk.
"I'm not a woman that turns a challenge down, Shikamaru." She kissed the right side of his neck and was pleased by his sharp breath intake. "You practically asked for it in the arena."
She actually expected Shikamaru to figure out her little trick right away. But honestly, his expression of shock and disgust when she placed a hand over his chest as Lee... It was priceless. Had she possessed a camera, it would have been a picture worth a whole country. Or at least a good blackmailing tool.
He leaned in yet again, slowly sliding his tongue between her lips. Sucking her upper one, he was granted a quiet, low moan. Shikamaru looked into her eyes; her dilated pupils told him that she had to leave, like, immediately.
"If you don't leave right now, there may be a problem," he whispered, placing his forehead on hers and fully releasing her wrists.
She sighed, letting her eyes close briefly. Shaking her head, Temari slowly backstepped. Her eyes longingly slid over his body. A mischievous smirk was tugging at her lips. She unwillingly licked them.
"Maybe you should take care of your… problem?" Her gaze focused over the upsurge of his towel in his lower abdomen area.
"I can't do anything while you're here," he said.
"Are you ashamed?" She asked, feigning innocence.
"That's not it." The man shook his head.
"Then maybe I can...?" Her words were pure provocation; she stepped towards him, but he lifted a hand to stop her.
"No. I still want to do all of this the right way." His voice was quiet but firm.
Temari sighed dramatically and shrugged. A sequence of three hand seals transformed her into… Lee.
"I hope you realise that from now on I won't be able to look at Lee without feeling a rush of mild arousal?" He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest, desperately needing to cover himself somehow.
She clicked with her tongue. "Just a mild one? Pffft, I needed to try harder..."
"I hope you ain't the jealous type."
She didn't answer but simply laughed. No, she wasn't jealous. She knew her own value well, and she wasn't settling for anything that wasn't worth it.
Temari headed towards the door, and, with a hand on the knob, she looked at him over her shoulder. A wink later, and she was gone.
Shikamaru rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. It was harder than he initially expected. Anxiety and something resembling fear creeped into his chest at the realisation of how much Temari was affecting him. Had an enemy gotten a hold of that information, it could have meant his end — or worse. He knew that onward he should be extra careful. And he just couldn't let himself be so… ductile. No one should get their hands on this particular piece of information yet.
The problem was, as it occurred, that Shikamaru couldn't predict her moves so well — yet another reason to love her. That made it all harder.
Also, Temari had set a goal to make his existence a living hell. And he didn't doubt for a moment that she would be successful…