Chapter 30: New Plan
"I think we can help you with that!"
The hell?! Shukaku grumbled as everyone went still. Who the fuck was that?!
Startled by the new voice, the five genin turned their heads to see TenTen, Choji, Kiba, and surprisingly, Queen Kushina and Lord Nara, jumping down from the stadium promenade. They all looked scratched up, but the worst off was Shikaku, who was grasping his right shoulder with a pained look on his face.
"Dad, are you okay?" Shikamaru asked as he ran up to the older man. Temari couldn't help but notice how much they closely resembled each other. They looked virtually identical, except Shikaku had facial hair and some notable scars that marked the right side of his face.
"I'll be fine. One of Orochimaru's Elite Guards simply got a little too close for comfort," The man mumbled as he looked down at his limp arm. "Once I get this old thing pushed back into its socket, I should be good to go."
"It seems we caught you all just in time," Kushina mused as she looked around the group, her eyes stopping on her son. "It sounded like you five were about to go on quite the adventure."
"Something like that . . ." Naruto mumbled, feeling a little wary under his mother's gaze. "How much did you manage to hear?"
"Enough to know that you're planning to go after Lord Emo and his captors, and that you have no idea where to look," Kiba admitted, smirking at the way Naruto's eyes narrowed in his direction. "Like I said before: we can help you with that."
"Akamaru spotted a strange group of shinobi running out of the arena as we were clearing out the promenade of Sound shinobi," TenTen started to say as she gestured to Kiba, who the rest now realized was missing his canine partner.
"He leapt right out of my jacket to go after them. I was going to call him back, but then I spotted Sasuke's hair poking out from a bag that was hiked over one of the men's shoulders," He added as he pointed to his right. "Akamaru went after them, and Hinata, Ino, and Kurenai sensei followed after them."
"Do you think they'll figure out a way to get through the barrier?" Shizuka asked as she looked up at her mother.
"I highly doubt it," She said, smirking as she pushed a strand of her red hair behind her left ear. "I made sure to rework the kanji in the seal's configuration just this morning so that it changes every five minutes."
"It also alerts the guards of their exact location once they're within five feet of it," Shikaku added.
"The guards will know their position immediately, but we have no idea what exactly the kidnappers are capable of, especially since that snake bastard has a knack for experimenting on his followers. . . Orochimaru targeted Sasuke specifically, so he isn't going to leave that task to some low level grunts," Queen Kushina pointed out as she looked around at the genin. "Kiba, Naruto, you two will follow me! The rest of you, follow Shikaku back to the palace."
"Let me guess. Kiba is going because he knows Akamaru's scent the best, and Naruto's coming along because there is simply no way in hell that he was not going to follow since it was his teammate that got kidnapped?" Shizuka asked as she watched her mother take a few steps forward. "Am I close?"
"I couldn't have said it better myself Izzy. . ." Kushina announced before leaping into the trees, Naruto and Kiba quickly following after her.
"Izzy?" Temari asked, thinking she misheard the redhead speak. "Did she just call you Izzy?"
"Childhood nicknames, what can you do?" The blonde mumbled as she continued to look in the direction that the others went off to. When she turned back around, her eyes widened slightly when she looked at the stadium, now realizing that something was off.
"Shizuka, what is it?" TenTen asked, noticing how blank her eyes were.
"The stadium. . . it's very quiet," She announced. Everyone, aside from Shikaku, all looked at her strangely before realizing what she meant.
The sounds of explosions and collapsing rubble had echoed out from the stadium's confines since the feather genjutsu first appeared. Now, there was nothing but eerie silence, a sound that sent mixed feelings throughout the group.
Hmm, looks like the girl has a point. . . Shukaku mumbled as he heard Temari say something along the lines of 'The battle couldn't have finished that quickly'. You think that Snake Sannin got her pops too?
"Unfortunately, that is a possibility . . ." Gaara was reluctant to admit as he tuned back into the conversation.
"It likely won't for quite some time," Shikaku admitted as he turned to the wind mistress. "To make sure that Orochimaru wasn't able to personally cause any more damage to the village, he used his Flying Thunder God technique to transport himself, Lord Sarutobi and the Snake Sannin to a secret location outside of the village's vicinity, one that can't be reached by any other outside forces."
"Is that such a wise decision?" Gaara found himself asking. "This is your King we're talking about here."
"With his encyclopedic knowledge on all things jutsu, as well as his own self experimentation, Orochimaru has never been an easy opponent to overcome, but the king, queen, and the council have come up with contingencies to counteract whatever that man may have plan, and trust me, we considered all the possibilities that we could think of," Shikaku calmly explained as he turned in the direction of the palace. "Now then, we can't keep standing out here forever. We need to move."
"Lord Shikaku is right. We make ourselves easy pickings if we continue to stay out here like this," Shizuka announced. "We can't stand here forever."
"And what about the people that remain inside?" Temari pointed out, jutting her thumb at the stadium.
"We kept a small contingent of shinobi and healers on standby in case something went awry today. The stadium was, of course, going to be a high priority target, so many in the contingent have already reported here to help," Shikaku explained as he looked at the blonde. "I'm sure you're worried about your brother Queen Temari, but trust me, he is in safe hands."
"Um, I may be missing something, but did you just call her Queen Temari?!" Choji asked as a slightly bewildered look stretched across his face. Everyone's eyes - except Gaara's and Shizuka's - widened as they looked at Temari, who appeared to have gone stiff at his question. "Isn't she still a princess, technically?"
"Orochimaru got into this village by masquerading as King Rasa. Right now, the Wind King is officially M.I.A.," Shikaku announced, his tone blunt and unflinching. "Until we find out what exactly happened to him, as his eldest child, Temari is the de facto leader of the Wind Kingdom."
"He's right," she whispered, shaking her head as she let out a disparaging chuckle. "Until further notice, I'm the acting Queen . . . Hmm, figured I would still have a few more years as a princess under my belt before this happened, but fate loves throwing us curveballs."
"It's still possible that King Rasa is alive in all this right?" TenTen asked. "I know that Orochimaru isn't one for morals or honor, but he wouldn't go as far as to actually kill a ruling monarch outright . . . right?"
"Unfortunately, TenTen, that's just the kind of man Orochimaru can be," Shikaku bit back, shaking his head. "C'mon, let's go."
"Temari, are you okay?" Gaara quietly asked as the group moved as one.
"I'll be fine Gaara . . . It's just a lot to take in." She conceded as she looked straight ahead. "Suddenly being the one in power, regardless if it is temporary or permanent, it's going to take a while to adjust to."
She better get used to it . . . You've heard what the others have said about Orochimaru already fleshbag, so be honest with me here. Do you really think your father is alive at this point?
Gaara declined to speak, remaining silent - physically and mentally - as the group traveled toward their destination. When they reached the palace's southern gate, the guards on duty allowed them entry, though it wasn't hard to miss the increased security that lined the perimeter.
"Should have known that this place would go on lockdown as soon as the shit hits the fan." Shikamaru mumbled as they ran down the walkway.
"You are lucky your mother isn't around to hear you use that language Shikamaru. Knowing her, she wouldn't hesitate to slap you before the word even left your mouth." His father mumbled; his tone wistful as they approached a side entrance.
"He's not wrong," Choji announced, ignoring the scowl that his teammate sent his way. "Don't give me that look Shikamaru! Have you seen your mom?"
"Should we even be talking about this right now?" TenTen asked as she looked at Shizuka.
"Not really, but it does help to cut the tension," The princess admitted. "Then again, talking about mothers is probably not the best thing to do considering our company."
"You know about our mother's death then?" Gaara found himself asking as Temari's eyes widened slightly, his question shutting Choji and Shikamaru immediately, while Shikaku was internally cursing himself for not realizing the connection sooner.
"Well, the death of a royal consort would make the major headlines, regardless of which kingdom you belong to," The blonde pointed out. "I only know that Queen Karura died the same year that you were born. Your government never revealed exactly how she died though. . . . Still hasn't to this day."
Do you want to tell her, or should I?
"Don't even think about it Shukaku." Gaara growled as they entered the building, bypassing the guards on duty.
When they entered the building, Shikaku led them through a series of hallways until they were in one of the more opulent parts of the building. When they reached a large, winding staircase, he turned around to look at his charges, his eyes now that of a Chief Advisor rather than an injured father.
"Unfortunately, this is where we'll have to separate," he announced, looking down at the group. "I have to oversee the Situation Room, and no one under the rank of chunin is allowed to be in there, regardless of societal rank."
"Which means we're not allowed to come along for the ride," TenTen realized, more curious than confused as she crossed over her chest. "And what exactly do you expect us to do while you're gone? You might as well have left us out by the stadium at this point. At least we would be more helpful out there than in here!"
"Hmm, you make a good point TenTen, but you should also remember that this isn't a normal invasion force that we're dealing with. This is Orochimaru we are dealing with here," Shikaku reminded her. "For a long time, Orochimaru used to be a part of this village, a high-ranking member at that."
"Which means he knows information that most enemies would kill for," Temari realized, not needing the affirmative nod that the Chief Advisor was giving her to know that she was right. ". . . I'm sure your security team worked to change up all the possible clearances once he left the kingdom."
"Ended up changing them multiple times since he left. We took every possible measure we could think of, but unfortunately, there are some things that we simply couldn't hide," Shikaku explained. "Clan details like who leads them and who's next in line being the most notable."
"Oh, I see. . . You always said that Orochimaru was the kind of man that had multiple plans working at once," Shikamaru realized as he looked up at his dad. "Getting Sasuke is one plan, and apparently tearing up Konoha is another, and who says that was all that he planned for . . ."
"You think it's possible that Orochimaru may have other plans in the works?" Temari asked as she looked at her former opponent.
"I'm not saying I'm certain. I'm just saying it's possible," Shikamaru clarified. "When you think about it, yeah, we could certainly help out more out there than in here. However, we are all still high risk targets . . . TenTen's family is one of the biggest weapons merchants in all the kingdoms, Choji and I are next in line to lead our respective clans, and the rest of you are royalty. . . Sasuke may be Orochimaru's main target, but that doesn't mean that he could be the only one."
Pineapple Head Jr. makes a good point . . . No matter how you slice it and dice it, you and your siblings will always have a target on your back simply because of the blood you carry within your veins. Shukaku grumbled as Shikaku nodded at his son's assessment. . . You were basically born into a restrictive lifestyle that was good for keeping you alive, but bad for making you an active ninja.
"If some of the Council had their way, we wouldn't have been ninjas, period . . . And Kankuro would be the ruling monarch right now, not Temari" Gaara bit back, wincing at the thought of his brother as king as the Chief Advisor walked down the hallway, disappearing around the corner. ". . . Okay, now what?"
"Well, now that we're inside the palace, it's highly unlikely the guards will let us out," Shizuka mused as she moved toward the staircase. ". . . But that doesn't mean we have to stay completely out of the loop while everyone else is out there risking their lives."
"What exactly do you mean by that princess?" Temari asked, suspicion lacing her tone as the blonde took the stairs three at a time.
"If you follow me, you'll find out," She called back as she turned the corner. "You coming?!"
"Might as well . . ." Shikamaru mumbled as he followed after her, Choji and TenTen following right behind him as Temari and Gaara lagged behind.
Why the hell are you lagging behind, fleshbag?! Shukaku screeched, his sudden yell making Gaara grab his head in pain. Follow her! Which would you rather do? See what the princess has in mind or stand here all day looking at tapestries?!
"I'm guessing Shukaku is telling you his take on the matter?" Temari mused as she started walking up the stairs, having long noticed the familiar grimace that always crossed her brother's face when the tanuki started yelling.
"You can say that. . ." Gaara mumbled. "You're really going after them?"
"It's either that, or get left in the dark, and we both know that I don't like being left in the dark," Temari reminded him as she looked over her shoulder. "Now come on! We need to catch up."
"I see you're embracing your new role . . ." Gaara mused as he slowly followed after her.
"Eh, it takes some getting used to. . ."
A/N: Please review!