Don't own Naruto or Adventure Time

XIX: Portal I

The Treasury trembled with each pounding footstep.

Shikamaru scanned the smoke bombs, mentally marked their placement—relative to each other, the treasury, the campfire. The smoke was ignitable, but unlike Asuma's burning ash, it wouldn't light without an explosion.

He rubbed his eyes, yawning. Yeah, he could make it work. Had everything he needed.

"Wh-What do we do?" LSP stammered.

"Thought you wanted to stay—"

"N-No, I totally wanna leave. I'll go with you." She opened the door and floated beside him. "Oh my Gob…"

Shikamaru pulled out a cigarette, but before he could light it, BP arrived, villagers in tow. He sighed, pocketing both the cigarette and lighter. Wouldn't taste good with an audience.

One, two, three… Twenty-one. Four in front of him, seventeen below.

BP stepped forward, the glow of torches flickering against her sword. The villagers behind her held pitchforks, their grips uneasy.

"Got the 'monster' out," he said, nodding at LSP. "On time too."

BP blinked. "Guess I din't have to do a thing."

"You're welcome."

The villagers exhaled, some lowering their weapons.

BP squinted at LSP. "You're that spoiled brat, ain't ya?"

"Watch it, you—"

Shikamaru nudged her.

"…Yeah," LSP muttered.

BP grinned. "Call your old man."

"She has nothing to do with this," Shikamaru said. "Wrong place, wrong time. Just let her go."

BP's grip on her sword tightened. "Call. Him."

"Not a good idea." He glanced at the villagers. "They won't love hearing their only kid got nabbed."

A villager hesitated. "Ah… Since it's not a monster, then… there's no need for—"

BP moved before he could finish, striking him down. Gasps. A choked-out cry.

LSP clawed into Shikamaru's arm, whispering, "Oh my gob."

Damn. Tough luck.

BP flicked her sword to the side, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Anyone else?"

Silence. Fear. Submission.

BP turned, her gaze locking onto Shikamaru's indifference. "Huh—"

"I can put her down for free."

A different kind of silence. Not fear, but consideration.

"You keep your money and never have to deal with her again."

BP scoffed. "Put me down? You?"

"Not just me." He let the weight of his words settle. "All of us. She won't stand a chance."

"I'll kill y'all while he books it." Her eyes narrowed. "He knows you can't fight. Don't be idiots."

"If you agree not to interfere, I can handle it alone."

"And if they agree, I'll put them down after you." BP's smirk deepened. "Are you betting your lives on him?"

Their fear reignited. It set him back to square one.

His dad once said:

"Thunder growls, but it's lightning that strikes."

The villagers hesitated. BP had the upper hand, but beneath their fear was anger. She hurt one of them. Of course, they were angry. They just needed a second to realize it—

BP's eyes widened, her grin stretching. "Hey… Are y'all actually thinking about it?"

Their fear spiked. Setback confirmed.

Weapons clenched in trembling hands. Some muttered apologies, some looked away, some frowned so hard it left a mark.

One thing in common?

They were his opposition now.

Context didn't matter.

They had a choice.

They made a choice.

BP sneered. The attempted rebellion sealed his fate. As of now, he was inexcusable. Liable for execution.

"Damn. Really hoped that would work—"

"You're a dead man." Her gaze burned through him.

"Yeesh, lighten up." Shikamaru rubbed his neck, sweatdropping.

"Grab him—"

"Teacher!" Me-Mow's voice rang from below.

Go time.

BP turned, and Shikamaru immediately kicked her over the railing.

Villagers lunged. He snatched LSP by the wrist and jumped after BP.

BP crashed back-first onto a smoke bomb, popping it completely as a thick black cloud concealed them.

Shikamaru landed feet-first in the sand, palm down for balance, and quickly buried an explosive tag. The treasury's wooden foundation was six feet from the first smoke bomb—right next to him and the tag.

"You can breathe. It's not real smoke."

LSP exhaled. "O-Okay."

Ten feet forward, five right.

"You gotta run."

"D-Don't you, like, want the portal anymore?"

He grabbed the second smoke bomb and extended the plume.

"Can't use the portal if you're caught. I'm not in top shape, but I can guarantee your escape."

He tracked the third smoke bomb and spread the cloud one last time.

"What did I tell you?"

"To put myself—"

"First, yeah."

"No, but I—"

"Let's not argue." He met her eyes. "If you wanna help me, run. Don't look back. Just run, alright?"

She took a breath. "F-Fine."

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

By the campfire, they broke through the smoke.

Shikamaru stopped a pitchfork with his sandal before the villager could complete a swing. He gave LSP a head start, apologizing first, then hurling her forward. She kept moving, thankfully.

"Get him!" BP shouted, lost in the smoke.

Shikamaru pulled an explosive tag, flicked it toward the campfire but caught it midair when a villager slid in, kicking up enough sand to snuff the flame.

Tch.

He pocketed the tag and kept them busy until LSP was out of sight. Now, he could focus on himself. He slipped through stabs and swings. They didn't know what they were doing, but there were a lot of them.

He led them away from the smoke. Every time he reached for his lighter, an attack would interrupt him.

One of them had a torch—

Shikamaru spun around a slash, kunai drawn.

Damn it.

BP had caught up.

And she was mad. Really mad.

The villagers slowly closed in—

Shikamaru blocked a slash with his kunai.

If he could—Dodge. He met each attack with precise counters.

If—Sidestep.

Come on—He caught her wrist, deflecting a stab, kicked at her feet. She jumped, and he tagged her head with his other heel. Sent her rolling and effectively disarmed her.

Panting, he snatched her sword and slashed at—

BP yanked a kid fearfully hugging a torch in front of her. A shield.

Shikamaru stopped. Cursed under his breath.

She took the advantage. Grabbed the kid's torch and snapped it over his head.

The fire died.

The sword slipped from his grasp as embers sliced his band loose. His hair spiked in all directions. He staggered backward as something lingered around the crown of his head. The world tilted.

BP reclaimed her sword and kicked the kunai from his hand. It spun midair like a windmill. Dizzy, he reached for his pouch again.

BP caught the kunai and tagged his hand with it before he could pull anything out.

She faked a slash that slipped past him and cut the strap of his pouch. It slipped down to the ground and he reached for it. A white flash. His vision blurred.

Shikamaru shook his head. She kicked away his pouch, and before he could readjust, a stomp to the chest sent him reeling back-first into the tree. The bark cracked.

BP stalked closer, sword in hand.

His body was slowing down. Shoulders slack. Hands slipping down to his side.

"I told ya not to be stupid." BP loomed over him. "Any last words?"

Shikamaru glanced at his pouch, but she blocked his view by stepping in front of him.

He sighed and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. Might as well finish it. BP blinked as he rolled it, licked it to stick, and lit it. He even tossed the lighter away in a final display of resignation. It landed near his pouch.

She grinned from ear to ear.

The evening breeze carried the smoke further, closer, as the villagers gathered around. The whole thing had turned into a spectacle. Some looked at him, pleading with their eyes for understanding. Others refused to look at him at all, ashamed. But seeing him like this, they convinced themselves they'd made the right decision. That it justified their actions. No way, he'd have won.

Me-Mow arrived, spotting him down and weakened. She'd likely been watching from the sidelines and concluded the plan was a bust.

She exhaled and looked away.

"You caught him, teacher..."

BP turned. "You go on some kinda quest without tellin' me? The heck were you?"

"M-Me-Mow didn't wanna get in your way."

BP gave her a look.

"Me-Mow would never betray y-you."

"Then go first."

"Eh, teacher?"

"Y'heard me. Take ya knife and take his fingers."

Me-Mow fidgeted on the spot.

"Problem?"

She shook her head frantically and drew her knife. BP nudged her forward, and soon, she stood before him.

He took another drag of his cigarette—almost halfway now.

"Do it slow." BP grinned. "All fingers. Leave everything else for me."

The knife shook in her hand. At least she hesitated.

"Me-Mow thought... you were special."

"Sorry to disappoint."

She gripped her knife tighter. "Me-Mow—"

"Do what you gotta do."

Fear had completely overtaken her and the villagers. BP controlled them like puppets.

She gritted her teeth, trying to summon any nerve she could find. Yeesh. Was she not an assassin? Nothing personal, right? Just how it went. He glanced at her.

Go on, then.

Me-Mow gripped her knife with both hands—then slowly turned on BP.

BP chuckled. "What. Are. You. Doing?"

"Me-Mow won't do it."

Silence.

BP and the villagers all stared at the cat, who surprisingly stood her ground.

"Me-Mow doesn't want to deal with you anymore."

"Hey..." BP tilted her head, eyes wide, fixed. "You wanna die?"

"Me-Mow doesn't want that." She glared. "But if Me-Mow does nothing, Me-Mow won't be free either. Me-Mow doesn't want to be scared anymore—"

BP cut her off with a sharp kick, knocking her into Shikamaru. The snapping of teeth rang through the evening silence. The villagers winced but just stood there.

"Lotta idiots today, huh." BP shook her head. "You know what we do to traitors?!"

Me-Mow balled up, trembling.

"You little—"

"Me-Mow hates you," she spat. "Me-Mow hates all of you!"

BP's eyes flared. The villagers shrank back.

"She took your brother and used your kid as a shield!" Me-Mow yelled. "And you just let it happen. Me-Mow refuses to stay on a side like that... If Me-Mow could, Me-Mow would take you all out. Spineless!"

The villagers squirmed. Even the mother of the child just pulled him closer and averted her gaze. They were, for sure, spineless. But, sometimes, it wasn't so simple, and Shikamaru understood that.

BP drew her sword and stomped forward, aiming for the cat—

He swatted the stomp with a palm.

BP snarled and took a stab at Me-Mow. He reached out to block, but this time, the blade cut across his palm, pinning it to the tree.

He kept his head down. Felt her shadow over him.

"And this is the weakling you betray me for?"

"..."

"Talk!"

Me-Mow flinched.

"I'll give ya one last chance. Grab your knife, and this didn't happen."

"N-No."

"You useless piece of crap." Steam puffed out BP's ears, but under the rage was something closer to hurt. "Y-You're gonna regret that choice—"

"Why would she?"

BP snapped her head to Shikamaru. "The heck?"

"Why would she regret it?" Hand pinned. Face down. Unbothered.

"Because she's going down with you!" She grabbed him by the collar.

Shikamaru... chuckled.

"What the heck are you laughing—"

"That was the best possible choice she could make."

For the first time, BP flinched.

"Y-You still think you can beat me?!" She screamed. "You still think you can win?!"

"You still think you're across the chessboard, huh," he said. "You're on it, lady."

"E-Eh?"

He sighed smoke and looked at her. "You're not making moves. You're being moved."

The pouch, the fight, the arrangement. All under his fingers.

As well as her position. She was exactly where he wanted her to be.

Shikamaru's cigarette hissed.

Her pupils shrank. A jolt of realization struck her spine.

He flicked the cigarette into her dress. As she scrambled for it—dislodging the sword in a panic—he reached out and shoved her straight into the smoke.

He grabbed Me-Mow and shifted behind the tree for cover.

An instant chain reaction.

He'd wrapped the explosive tag halfway around his cigarette. So the cigarette ignited the tag. The explosion ignited the smoke. The ignited smoke triggered the other tag by the treasury.

And, well... sucked for them.

The boom was a quarter of a tailed beast bomb, shaking the earth, tossing everyone left and right. But the tree stood firm.

He had to stall for a bit—half to catch his breath and half to get the timing right. And he nailed it down to a T. Not too early, not too late, because, if his calculations were correct, Bubblegum would need that beacon right now, so there it was.

Unmistakable, unmissable. It evoked all five senses, and the smoke from the treasury tainted the clouds.

Shikamaru sighed, pushing himself up as he shook his head. Troublesome stuff, man. That portal better work. He looked around the tree and twenty feet away, BP's body lay. Clothes charred, and black marks dotted her skin, most from smoke rather than burns.

Luckily, she was still breathing and just unconscious. While he could go over and finish the job, Shikamaru wasn't looking to end anyone. The assassin stuff wasn't that serious to him, plus he gained nothing from it. As long as she was in no condition to bother him, that was enough.

Well-played to all parties involved, which, he guessed, was just Me-Mow.

"You..." Me-Mow blinked. "H-How did—"

"It worked," he said. "Everything else is irrelevant."

A piece of burning fabric drifted down. BP's.

He caught it.

"Should be enough for a pass." He handed it to her.

It took a second to click. "T-Thank you! Ah, Me-Mow won't forget th—"

"Do." They weren't friends. Just his end of the bargain.

The villagers—at least the ones still standing—looked away from him. Afraid. More afraid than anything else.

"Here, teacher."

Me-Mow had retrieved his stuff—his pouch, lighter, even Melissa's busted phone. Everything.

He took it from her and turned to leave.

"W-Wait."

He didn't.

"Why!" She called after him.

That made him stop.

"You didn't have to help Me-Mow," she said. "That wasn't part of the deal. So, why?"

"Uh, you were on my team." He shrugged. "Couldn't let you lose."

"That's... it?"

That day, five returned—four went straight to the ICU. All under his leadersh—

"Yeah." He flicked a hand, brushing the memor—her away. "Pretty much."

Before she could ask anything else, he told her.

"Don't follow me."

Nice doing business. Hopefully, they never met again.

The villagers flinched and shifted away as he passed. No one tried to stop him. No one even spoke. Just silence and wary glances.

He left the village behind, retracing his steps from memory.

AN: Repost. Had to take the old chap down cuz of reasons I'm not too sure, hopefully this one works. If it does, I'll post the rest consecutively.

Sorry for the slow updates, I'm often times preoccupied but I try my best to make time to write. Thanks for reading. Thanks for giving the story a try.