325Common Japanese Terms used:
Ile: No
Hai: Yes
Suna: Sand
Oi: Hey
chan: affix for female friend or young child
kun: affix for male friend
sama: affix for lord or lady or someone of high rank deserving respect
bachan: affix for grandmother or grandmotherly figure.
San: affix for mister or misses
Hime: Princess
Nani: What
Chakra: spiritual power used to perform jutsu's
Baka: Fool, Idiot
Gomen: Sorry
Arigato: Thankyou
Chapter 1
The Fall of Konoha
Lunch was not called fast enough as far as he was concerned. They had been sitting in the over stuffy office of the fifth Hokage, Tsunade-hime, since they had returned from their rescue mission late the night before. He was tired, still injured, and totally out of chakra.
"Tsh, how troublesome. Least Godaime-sama could do is let us have an hour or so of rest after getting back." Shikamaru thought to himself.
"I swear that woman is the devil incarnated. Oi, Shikamaru-kun." Called one of his teammates.
And yet another headache he was suffering from materialized next to him.
"Hai." He agreed in a tired, strained voice.
Temari of Suna, representative of Suna in Konoha joined him. She and her brother, Kankurou, had gone with Naruto, Neji, Kiba, and himself to rescue Gaara, now Kazekage, from Akatsuki. Granted his team had been decided for him by the flow of battle, but he didn't dwell on that.
It had taken them six months to track down Akatsuki's base where they were holding Gaara. The only reason they had succeeded was because Naruto had acted as bait while Kiba and Akamaru tracked them back to base by scent. Shikamaru would have sooner used Shino and his bugs, but Shino was on a mission with his dad, again, and hadn't shown up to help in the first place. Hyuuga Neji had kept a lookout with his byakugan for traps and ambushes and was sometimes able to find the trail when Akamaru and Kiba lost it.
It had been a big risk letting Akatsuki take Naruto, but the mission had been a success, primarily because Akatsuki hadn't expected Naruto to walk into their trap with a plan and backup. Over react and jump into the fire headfirst was exactly what one expected from Naruto. For a team of Jounin to be with him as back up with a plan of attack was unexpected.
Naruto, however, summed it up when he stated the only reason they had succeeded was because only two, weaker, by weak that meant it took all of them defeat them and still manage to get out alive, members of Akatsuki had been left to guard Gaara; who had been held in a room covered in seals, strapped to a table, also covered in seals, and kept drugged.
Naruto had been treated the same upon arrival. Unfortunately for the bakas left in charge of the two youkai possessed boys, Kyuubi healed him quickly and he had to actually pretend to be unconscious while they strapped him down and sealed him.
Shikamaru and the others had found the base later in the day and waited until dusk before making their move as planned.
Neji had used his byakugan to study the set up of the base first. Temari had taken the lead with Kankurou beside her. She took care of any projectile traps with her fan, and Kankurou had Karasu "walk" in the lead to trigger any traps they might have come across that were set on the ground.
Dealing with the two guards left at Naruto and Gaara's cell was pathetically easy. One kagemane no jutsu followed up by Neji sealing their Tenketsu points later, both guards were dealt with. It was a good thing the men hired to guard them were bakas because after dealing with the two Akatsuki members they had all but no chakra left. Suna rescued their Kazekage while Konoha rescued Naruto.
Since Kiba and Akamaru had picked up the scents of several unaccounted for people, most likely more hired guards but it was safer to assume they were other members of Akatsuki, they left quickly, heading back to Konoha as a group with all speed. Gaara had been carried by his brother until he had recovered enough to travel on his own.
It was strange, thinking of Gaara as Kazekage. Still, he would sooner deal with Gaara then Gaara's sister, who seemed to have developed a stalking problem since he had beaten her three years ago. What was worse was that Naruto, Tsunade-hime, Ino and others seemed to be encouraging her.
"It would do wonders for foreign relations with Suna if the Kazekage's sister, and current representative of Suna, were to marry into Konoha." Tsunade had said one day to him, winking.
He had shuddered and left as fast as possible. There was a law forbidding force marriage, right? Maybe he should take a look to be on the safe side. If the Hyuuga family could get away with their controlling curse seals, forced marriages were sure to be overlooked.
"Hello. Konoha to Shikamaru-kun." Temari stated, waving her hand in front of his face. "Anyone home?" She asked.
"Ile." He answered.
"Envying the clouds again?" She asked with a slight grin.
"Ile." He answered.
"Oi, Shikamaru-kun, Temari-chan." Naruto called as he joined them.
"Oi, Naruto." Temari greeted warmly.
"Why can't she just chase Naruto instead?" He wondered idly.
Temari and Kankurou had both accepted Naruto into their 'family' after he had helped heal Gaara during the first Chuunin understood Naruto and were the first to accept him openly when they found out about Kyuubi six months ago when Naruto had been forced to revile it to explain why Akatsuki was after him. Although Temari, Kankurou and Gaara hadn't seemed surprised and Shikamaru wouldn't be surprised to find out they had known earlier.
He had suspected something about Naruto, and while he had been surprised to learn of Kyuubi's existence within Naruto, it had hardly changed his opinion of the hyperactive blond. Neji also hadn't seemed overly surprised. In fact it almost seemed as if an unasked question had been answered for the Hyuuga prodigy. Neji had later explained that he had seen the outline of Kyuubi when he had fought Naruto during the first Chuunin Exam with his byakugan.
"How are your friends doing?" Temari asked, breaking his chain of thought.
Naruto laughed as he answered. "Great. Tsunade-bachan looked at them during the break and confirmed they will be fine in a couple of days with some rest."
The trip home had not been uneventful. Akatsuki had hounded them to exhaustion and there had been times when they'd had to fight free. Neji and Temari had been able to counter most of the Shiruken and Kunai barrages with their respective abilities. He had been able to use Kagemane no Jutsu on most of them. Naruto's Kage Bunshin no Jutsu certainly evened the odds.
Kiba, Akamaru and Neji were usually able to warn them in advance of attacks until Neji had run so low on Chakra that he had to only use the byakugan when battle broke out. The enemy soon started to hide their scent as well. The members of Akatsuki were no fools, comprised of some of the strongest Shinobi in the world.
They had made it to Konoha exhausted, empty of Chakra, and covered in various wounds without having slept or rested in three days. Gaara hadn't recovered his Chakra at all until Jiraya took the seal off of him when the white haired Sannin had meet them at the gates.
In short, the entire mission had been very troublesome. Naruto, Kiba, Neji, and, he hated to admit it, but Temari had been easy to deploy. The first three he had worked with before and the last fit into their group so well it was sickening. Kankurou was the hard one to deal with. He had no real idea how to utilize Kankurou's Kugutsu no Jutsu, a style best used for long-range combat and assassinations. It was hard to control a puppet, let alone three of them, when you were running for your life.
With Gaara sealed, they had been unable to utilize any of Gaara's abilities, which had made things very troublesome. The Suna no Tate would have been a wonderful asset. Any of Gaara's abilities would have been nice, but Kami wasn't that nice to him. Temari was living proof of that.
"How much longer is Godaime-sama going to keep us locked in there?" Kiba asked tiredly as he joined them.
"Until she is finished interrogating us I would presume." Shikamaru answered with a yawn.
He was at the very end of his leg.
"Lunch is over." Came a shout from the door leading to the meeting room they had been in but fifteen minutes ago.
"Kill me now." Naruto groaned.
"Then kill me." Kiba added.
Akamaru bark groaned in agreement from Kiba's side, having grown in the last three years. He was now up to Kiba's waist. Unlike them, Akamaru had been able to sleep most of the night away at Kiba's feet.
They made there way back inside to the torture that awaited them.
"We were lucky to make it back at all, weren't we?" Kiba asked Naruto quietly, absently clutching his side where a deep gash was. Tsunade had treated it, but it looked like the stitches had come out and Kiba was starting to bleed again.
"Hai. If Itachi and Kisame had been there, it would have been a massacre." Naruto confirmed quietly.
None of the others had meet Sasuke's older brother, and only Neji had met his freaked out looking companion. It was pure luck they had not been there, since last he heard it was Itachi's mission to bring Naruto in and they had been warned they may have to fight the Sharingan user and his chakra eating, sword wielding companion.
Sighing and resigning himself for several more hours of hell on earth, Shikamaru followed Naruto and Kiba back in. Temari walked next to him, too close for his comfort. Kankurou was still seated next to Gaara, who also hadn't moved and probably hadn't stopped talking to Tsunade.
Neji also hadn't moved. He had taken several hits from Kunai and Shiruken's after he had run too low on chakra to use his Hakke Shou Kaiten, or Kaiten for short. Temari had then been pushed even further to prove her mettle against projectiles threats, her fan being the only defense they had left.
"And once again I get out with nothing more then a few scratches and no chakra." He thought with a sigh.
Well, Temari had gotten out primarily uninjured, if not scuffed up and also out of chakra. Gaara was wound free, a gift of being wanted captured alive. Naruto healed quickly. Kiba, Kankurou and Neji took the brunt of the damage. Kiba was injured because he kept covering Gaara, Kankurou because he had no good defenses at close combat, and Neji because Akatsuki had target him until he ran too low on chakra to defend himself and he had taken a deflected Gatsuuga.
He sat back down next to Temari, absently wondering who had thought up that seating arrangement anyway? It was difficult to concentrate when Temari kept throwing glances his way when she wasn't staring at Gaara in worry.
Tsunade-hime started the meeting up again and he forced himself to remain awake and go through the mission one more time.
(break)
"Clouds are nice. They are free to float across the sky and don't have to answer questions to overly demanding woman who are more troublesome then anything else in existence."
Twenty-four hours had passed since they had returned to Konoha. Ninety-six hours had passed since they had last had a chance to even rest a little.
Kiba was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, no doubt asleep. He was covered in various cuts and bruises and the gash on his stomach had finally stopped bleeding after Tsunade had stitched it up again.
Neji was lying down on his back on a bench, eyes shut and most likely sleeping. Shikamaru was worried to notice that Neji's breathing was labored, no doubt from the broken ribs that Tsunade had healed upon their arrival. One of their foes had deflected Kiba's gatsuuga right into Neji and he took it full force. Shikamaru had to carry the Hyuuga genius back to Konoha after that while Kiba and Akamaru defended them while still trying to defend Gaara with Naruto and Temari's help.
"Tsunade-bachan, I think it is far overdue for us to get some rest. Gaara may be able to stay awake forever and Kyuubi's chakra keeps me running, but Neji and Kiba really should get to the hospitable and Kankurou-kun and Temari-chan could really use a rest." Naruto stated.
"Oi, what about me?" Shikamaru mentally shouted.
"You are right Naruto. Genma, Raido, escort Neji-kun and Kiba-kun to the hospitable and please show Kankurou-san and Temari-san to their quarters." Both Jounin appeared as their names were called.
Genma, with needle in his mouth as always, took Neji, who remained blissfully unconscious. Kiba limped alone with Akamaru by his side. Raido showed Temari and Kankurou out, leaving Shikamaru alone with Gaara, Naruto, and Tsunade.
"Do those two live outside of the Hokage's door or something?" Shikamaru wondered, trying to shake a mental image of Genma and Raido in PJ's sleeping in sleeping bags outside of the Hokage's office door at night.
"Shikamaru-kun, perhaps you should retire as well." Tsunade offered.
"Finally." He though relieved.
"After completely filling out your report and handing it in of course." She added with a smile.
"I hate women. I hate my life. What ever convinced me to be a shinobi?" He wondered as he left, looking for any sign of sleeping bags as he did so. Was that a hint of fabric peeking out of that closet?
He barely made it to his apartment before collapsing on his bed, just as the sun came over the horizon to land on his face and the birds welcomed the new day with gusto. Yep, Kami was definitely out to get him.
(break)
Naruto, Gaara, and Tsunade retired shortly after. Naruto went back to his apartment to rest. Tsunade, Hokage to Kazekage, personally escorted Gaara to his quarters, the finest in town, before also retiring.
The news had not been good. She already sent her patrols out scouting and securing the boarders and messengers had been sent to Suna to let them know that their Kazekage was safe and sound and would be returning in a week. Gaara refused to leave until after Kankurou and Temari had ample time to rest and recover, and he wished to personally thank Konoha for its assistance.
Akatsuki was on the move, and right now Konoha was in their sights as long as they held both Naruto and Gaara, or more accurately, Kyuubi and Shukaku. Orochimaru had already proven that a small, well-organized force with a giant three-headed snake and knowledge of the terrain could do a lot of damage.
Akatsuki was no small threat and they had the advantage of knowing the terrain they would be fighting on, compliments of Itachi, former Konoha Shinobi and ANBU member, now missing-nin and member of Akatsuki.
She sighed as she closed the door to her house, shutting out the sounds of the early morning birds and the light from the rising sun. It was going to be a long day all right.
(break)
Gaara made an astonishing Kazekage. Naruto was proud of him and could hardly wait to take his place as Hokage when Tsunade final decides to retire. Relations between the two countries would never be stronger then, especially if Shikamaru broke down and got together with Temari.
His apartment was clean and fresh instant ramen was in the cupboard. That meant but one thing, Hinata had come by while he was gone on his mission and cleaned up. Bless her heart.
He had giving up on Sakura when he got back after training with Jiraya for two and a half years. He dumped one hopeless situation for another. Hinata was the heir of one of Konoha's most prestige and powerful families. Getting an approval to marry her from Hyuuga Hiashi was a very unlikely proposition.
Naruto had no power or wealth family wise to speak off, and most adults still resented him for carrying the Kyuubi, and many of the children to. However, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Neji, Lee, Tenten, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Sakura, Temari, Gaara, Kankurou Konohamaru, and others couldn't care less that he held Kyuubi.
And of course, Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, Genma, Raido, Asuma, Iruka, Tsunade, Ebisu, Jiraiya, Anko, Ibiki, and others have learned to see him for him and he was glad that they didn't treat him with contempt. He had no idea where Hyuuga Hiashi stood, but he hadn't refused Hinata the right to associate with him as far as he knew so it couldn't be too bad.
Naruto boiled water in anticipation of a hearty meal of his favorite thing in the world, Ramen, when a familiar bird cry was sent into the air, destroying the peaceful morning. Cursing, he bolted out of the apartment, bumping into a startled Hinata as he did so.
"Naruto-kun." She gasped in surprise.
"Get to the hospital and wait for me there." Naruto ordered as he ran passed her.
"Hai." She said firmly as she ran to the hospital, already mentally going over her knowledge of healing.
Naruto rushed forward, and ran into Sakura next in his mad dash to the village center.
"Sakura-chan, what's going on?"
"A full scale attack." Sakura answered. "They are already in the walls. We are to get the children and injured out ASAP and then guard them." Sakura reported.
"Alright. Get to the hospital and meet up with Hinata-chan there and start the evacuation. I will head to the school and meet up with Iruka-sensei and meet you with the rest of the kids." He ordered.
"Hai." She agreed as she ran off.
Naruto raced to the school, stopping only to fight those few enemies he met.
"Shit, they are already this far into the village, this is bad. Very bad." Naruto noted as he made it to the school to see Iruka and several other Jounin and Chuunin defending a group of huddled children. Konohamaru and his two sidekicks were also there, wearing their brand new forehead protectors and looking very scared.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Naruto shouted as his shadow clones joined the fight and made a defensive wall around the children.
"Naruto." Iruka shouted as he arrived.
"I am here to get everyone out." Naruto reported. "Follow me."
They moved the kids along in an orderly fashion, Naruto's clones acting as forward scouts and field levelers as they were suddenly surprisingly out numbered by the enemy. The moving was slow and finally crawled to a stop when they were cornered against a building, Shiruken and Kunai raining down from the skies.
It took all of his skills to deflect the projectile weapons from the children, who huddled in fear behind him and Iruka, who was only still standing because Naruto continued to defend him. The other Jounin and Chuunin had already been felled by mere scratches.
"They're poisoned." Iruka warned.
"Hai. I know." Naruto snapped in irritation.
The storm let up for a moment, before coming back full bore. He had no way to block them all.
"Is this the end?" He wondered briefly.
He watched the Kunai come closer, body tense as he waited to deflect as many as possible before going down. He felt a familiar sense of chakra approach and allowed his body to relax. It would be over very soon.
He was the only one who didn't gasp when a wall of suna erupted before them, blocking the attack and shielding them from further assault.
"You're late." Naruto commented calmly as Gaara appeared beside him.
"Kazekage-sama." Iruka gasped.
The children looked up to him with a mixture of fear and awe. Gaara ignored them as he addressed Naruto.
"What is your plan?" Gaara asked calmly.
"We have to meet up with Sakura-chan at the hospital and get the children and wounded out of the war zone." Naruto answered as they started forward again, Gaara covered them with his Suna no Tate, allowing them to move a lot faster. "Where are Temari-chan and Kankurou-kun?" Naruto asked.
"Hokage-sama asked them to round up some of your Shinobi to meet up with you guys at the cliff face." Gaara answered.
"Who is invading? I have seen several different headbands from different villages, all scratched out, and many invaders that look like normal thugs and bandits." Iruka questioned.
"Akatsuki." Gaara and Naruto answered at once, a hint of steel in their voices.
"Akatsuki?" Iruka gasped.
"Hai." Naruto answered.
(break)
"It is a conspiracy. I swear it." Shikamaru groaned as the watcher bird sounded the imminent invasion alarm just as he was about to finally fall asleep.
Jumping out of bed in a very lethargic way, Shikamaru made his way unsteadily to the door and pulled it open, receiving a punch to the face as he did so.
"Owe." He complained.
"Gomen, Shikamaru-kun." Temari gasped, having been just about to pound on his door.
Was it too late to crawl back into bed and pretend he was dead? Probably. Unfortunately it was his duty as a man to protect a woman, and Temari was a woman, even if she was a very troublesome one.
"Tsunade-sama has ordered us to find Choji, Shino, and Ino, and then to meet up with Sakura and Hinata at the cliff face to get the children and injured out of the war zone." Temari explained as she grabbed his hand and started running down the street. "We are to guard them until the village can be reclaimed and deemed safe. Kankurou is looking for Lee and Tenten and will join us there." Temari finished.
"Evacuation? Was it that bad already?" He thought as he instantly snapped awake, gaining his feet and running next to Temari, who released her grip on his hand and placed it on her fan so she could draw it quickly if need be. "Ino and Choji should be at Choji's favorite restaurant at this time." He stated, turning left and running down an ally.
Kunai rained from the sky around them, but he ignored them. One sweep from Temari's fan sent the Kunai right back at those who had thrown them.
"Missing rain, Missing grass, Oto?" Shikamaru noted as they ran passed them. "Is this Orochimaru's doing? Wait, what's that?"
Shikamaru caught sight of a figure standing on a sign off to the side wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it.
"Akatsuki! What is going on here? I thought Orochimaru left that organization years ago. Are they working together again? Is Sasuke here too?" He wondered as they turned again.
He smirked as he caught sight of the destruction ahead, clearly Choji's work. Ino was cheering him on from the background. Temari and he ran into the clearing, noticing the scattering of shinobi and common bandits littering the ground.
"Ino, Choji, let's move." He shouted as he and Temari ran past them.
"Shikamaru-kun." Ino shouted in joy as she joined him, followed shortly by Choji as they raced towards Shino's home. "What is going on?" She demanded.
Temari explained the situation while Shikamaru sent his exhausted mind whirling with possibilities and potential plans. It had been really overworked and the adrenalin pumping through his system at the moment wasn't strong enough to clear his mind to think overly much.
"Shino is at the hospital to see Kiba." Choji reported. "I saw him this morning."
"Finally, something is going right." Shikamaru smirked as they ran towards the hospital, stopping only to fight off those few who intervened.
Citizens and Konoha shinobi littered the streets, kunai and needles sticking out of several of them, though in low numbers.
"Poison, most likely a strong sleep or paralyses draught." His analytical mind figured. "But why? Akatsuki tends to avoid open conflict, preferring to work from the shadows. Do they plan on capturing Konoha?"
His blood ran cold at that thought. He looked up and saw another member of Akatsuki watching from on top of a building. He couldn't tell who it was, but that didn't really matter. It was clear they were looking for someone.
"Naruto! Do they plan on capturing Konoha to lure him and Gaara out? Or worse, do they plan on holding Konoha over Naruto to get him to do what they want?" That thought frightened him the most. Sometimes it was very troublesome having such an analytical mind.
"There." Temari shouted as they made it to the hospital.
Shino was out side with Gaara, Kankurou, Lee, Tenten, Iruka and Naruto guarding the hospital. Several defeated Shinobi and bandits lay in heaps around them. Naruto waved to them as they caught up.
"Oi, Shikamaru-kun, what took so long?" Naruto hailed.
"How can he still have energy left?" Shikamaru thought in amazement. "What's the situation?" Shikamaru demanded.
"We are to pick up Kiba and Neji, then get to safety with Iruka-sensei's class." Naruto answered.
"What of the other injured?" Ino asked.
"Asuma-sensei, Anko-san and Kurenai-Sensei are taking the wounded adults and as many non-combatants as possible to the southern escape tunnels. We are to take the Eastern tunnels with our charges." Naruto reported just as Sakura came out of the hospital, loaded down with medical supplies.
Hinata was by her side, supporting a weak Kiba. Konohamaru and his team of eight other Genin, fresh from the academy, had most of the frightened children under control, all of whom were also carrying some supplies. Sakura was clearly planning for a long invasion, and Shikamaru was inclined to agree it was going to be one. Neji came out last, still unconscious and being carried by Genma.
"Is Neji alright?" Shikamaru asked.
"He is badly injured. I have him heavily sedated until we can get to a secured location. Otherwise he will just try to help fight and get himself even more messed up." Sakura answered as they set out, Gaara defending them with his Suna no Tate.
They moved as fast as they dared, the sounds of combat growing louder and more persistent. The number of interferences increased as they made their way to Hokage Mountain.
Tenten's own weapons, Gaara's sand, or Temari's fan deflected projectile threats. Those who rushed them were dealt with by Shikamaru's Kagemane no jutsu, followed by Ino, Choji, Naruto, Kankurou, Iruka, Shino and Sakura dealing with them. Lee was all over the formation, his amazing speed letting him cover a fair chunk of it.
"We are almost there." Sakura shouted back from the lead.
"When we get there, don't stop. Keep on going through until we come out the other side." Shikamaru ordered from his place in the center.
"Nani?" Ino questioned.
"We are losing. All we have seen are defeated citizen and defenders and healthy enemies. They must have slipped in during the night and started their attack then. Konoha is lost. We need to get away before we fall into the trap as well." Shikamaru explained.
"Right." Temari agreed. "We will head west to Suna and regroup there before returning with a counter force."
"But…" Ino protested
"Shikamaru-kun is right." Naruto cursed from his place in the lead. "We need to regroup and half of us are in no condition to fight right now, especially when we have to guard the children and the injured."
"Ano, when did Naruto get so smart?" Tenten asked Sakura.
"He's been like that since he came back with Jiraiya-sama six months ago." Sakura answered.
Naruto had matured considerably over the last three years. Granted he was still as hyperactive as ever, but that energy was far more closely chained by common sense and intelligence now.
The caves came into sight and they quickly ushered their charges through, Naruto falling back to take up the rear with Lee and Gaara while Sakura and Iruka led them deeper into the caves.
"Can you put up a Suna wall that will last? Something to give us a good head start?" Shikamaru asked after the last person entered the cave.
"Hai." Gaara agreed as a wall of suna covered the entrance.
"Let's move, full speed ahead. The way ahead must be clear and we should put as much distance between them and us as possible." Naruto ordered.
There was no argument as they picked up the speed, the older kids carrying the few younger who were too tired or afraid to move fast. They ran at an even pace they could keep up for hours.
Hinata and Henabi took the lead, their byakugan fully activated and scanning ahead for danger. Sakura supported a limping Kiba, Akamaru running by their sides. Ino, Choji, Shino, Kankurou, Tenten and Iruka ran scattered through the children, each of them carrying a child too tired or frightened to run on their own. Naruto, Gaara, Lee, Shikamaru, and Temari covered their rear, picking up and helping stranglers. Genma still carried Neji.
The caves were cool and dark, they way light only by the flashlights carried by Iruka, Sakura, and Shino. Naruto could see fine with Kyuubi's help, as could Hinata and Henabi with their byakugan.
"The Suna Wall is down." Gaara stated a half hour later.
"Destroyed or loss of control?" Shikamaru asked.
"Destroyed. Someone strong." Gaara stated calmly.
"Hinata-chan, Henabi-chan, pick up the speed." Naruto shouted to the lead.
"Are we almost out of the tunnels?" Temari asked.
"Hai. I can smell fresh air." Kiba reported.
A few minutes later the tunnel lit up ahead of them, the clear light of daylight streaming in. They picked up the pace and tore into the sun light, changing their line up again to match the new terrain at Shikamaru's orders.
(break)
They were out number and out matched. They had no chance and they knew it. Was it fate or just pure luck that they had met this obstacle? In the end it did not matter. The civilians they had been guarding ran forward with Mitarashi Anko while they stayed behind to give them as much of a head start as they could.
"Last time we never got to finish playing. This time I will finish you." Kisame grinned at them.
Yuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma stood their ground, falling into a fighting stance. Kisame grinned as he drew Samehada.
"Do not kill them, just subdue them." Came a calm voice from off to the side.
Both former teachers snapped their heads around to look at Kisame's partner with dread.
"Uchiha Itachi." Kurenai hissed.
Itachi inclined his head slightly to acknowledge her claim.
"What does Akatsuki want with Konoha?" Asuma demanded.
"The kitsune brat and the sand freak." Kisame answered.
"Kazekage-sama?" Kurenai asked confused. "I think your brain must be frozen fish sticks, because Kazekage-sama isn't here. Last I heard you guys had him."
"Gaara was rescued by Naruto and a group of his friends. They returned late the night before." Itachi explained calmly as he joined Kisame.
Kurenai and Asuma took a step back. Last time they had met they had been thoroughly and utterly defeated, and that was with Hatake Kakashi with them as back up. Meito Gai had saved them at the last minute, and since Gai was at the other end of the village trying to get another group of children and civilians out it was very unlikely he would show up to save them again. If Kisame had been alone they might have stood a chance, but Itachi was in a league of his own.
"What are you planning?" Asuma demanded.
"Merely to capture Konoha to draw out Naruto and Gaara. The village is already under our control with only minor groups of resistance. Surrender. I do not wish to waste energy killing you." Itachi stated calmly.
Both of them concentrated harder, tightening their stance.
"We can't let you past." Asuma stated.
"There is no point in guarding a dead route. To do so is pointless." Itachi stated.
"Nani?" Kurenai asked shocked.
In answer, another member of Akatsuki arrived and flung Anko's unconscious body to land at their feet.
"The group has been dealt with, yeah." The unknown person stated cheerfully before disappearing.
"Anko!" Kurenai shouted as she ran forward to check her friend's pulse.
It was normal. She was merely asleep, most likely due to poison judging by the scratches and imbedded Needles. Most of the fallen shinobi and citizens they had seen had been affected such. Clearly Akatsuki wanted Konoha intact with minimal damage.
"It's just a sleep inducing poison." Kurenai reported.
"And if we surrender?" Asuma asked, his attention not wavering from the two men.
"Shinobi will be imprisoned, civilians will be left to go about their business. Anyone found attempting to leave the village will be killed." Itachi stated.
"Please resist." Kisame all but begged.
Kurenai and Asuma shared a look. They stood no chance against Itachi. Konoha was lost, but Naruto's group must have gotten out or Akatsuki would have killed them already. Fighting would only get them killed or severely disabled and would result in the being unable to strike back when the time was right. With a shared nod, they dropped their guard to indicate their surrender.
"Damn." Kisame groaned. "I want to shred something. Do they need all their limbs Itachi-san?"
Itachi merely looked at Kisame before disappearing.
"Double damn." Kisame growled.
Kisame actually looked like his favorite toy had been taken away. Several other men appeared, low-level shinobi who were no doubt mukenin's, judging by their scratched-out headbands.
Kurenai and Asuma didn't fight as they were stripped of their weapons and gear and were restrained. Their writs were tied behind their backs with a rope leading from wrist to belt to prevent getting their arms free. Their ankles were also retrained with a loose rope so they could still walk with ease, but not kick.
Kurenai kept her eyes on Anko the entire time, ignoring what her guards were doing to her. Anko was also restrained and was picked up by one of their prison guards.
They were escorted, not to a secured prison location, but right back to Kurenai's small house, where they were forced to kneel on the floor of her living room to await their caretaker, or so it was explained to them when they asked one of their guards. Anko had been brought elsewhere and Kurenai feared for her friend's safety.
(break)
Tsunade covered the retreat of Gai and another small group of children and wounded adults. Several defeated foes spoke of her defensive nature. The group was long since in the tunnels with the path destroyed so the enemy could not follow. Off in the distance she spotted Jiraiya's handiwork in the form of a giant frog, covering the retreat of another group of children and wounded led by Kakashi and Rin.
The attack had come as a surprise. By the time anyone noticed they were under attack, half the village had already been laid low by the sleeping drug. Konoha was lost, she had no doubt about that, but she would make sure as many innocents would make it out as possible to seek refuge where they may.
She had no doubt Shikamaru's charges were already out and free. She was counting on them staging the main counter strike once they made it to Suna and came back with reinforcements. Gaara and Naruto where what Akatsuki was after, as long as they were free, the city was relatively safe. Akatsuki would want their prisoners safe and sound to lure Naruto and Gaara to them.
"Tsunade-hime. You're village has fallen. Why defend it further?"
She knew that voice, and was stunned to hear it.
"Orochimaru." She hissed. " I am surprised to see you working with Akatsuki." She stated coldly.
"We are after different fish in the same barrel." Orochimaru explained.
"Who are you after now?" She demanded coldly.
"The same children who defeated my five warriors three years ago. Such power should be mine." He explained, walking up to her and stopping a few feet away.
"Neji-kun, Kiba-kun, Shikamaru-kun, Choji-kun, Temari-san, Lee-kun and Kankurou-san." She stated under her breath. Akatsuki already had claims on Naruto and Gaara.
"Close." Orochimaru chuckled. "I want Neji-kun, Shikamaru-kun, and Temari-chan. The others mean nothing to me." Orochimaru corrected.
"What make you think I would let you have them?" She demanded.
"What make you think you have a choice, Tsunade-hime?" Orochimaru chuckled.
"Tsh." She snorted as she charged him.
Orochimaru chuckled as he side stepped Tsunade's swings, merely turning his body left, then right over and over again until her fist collided with a house, bringing the entire structure down. She grinned as she jumped back, the rubble collapsing on top of Orochimaru.
"Are you done?"
Tsunade spun around in surprise to face her foe. She spared a glance back to see a slowly dissolving pile of mud.
"Ouch." She snarled as a needle imbedded itself in her arm. She never noticed the shot coming from behind.
She glared at Kabuto as she caught sight of the white haired annoyance. Her vision went blurry. The needle had been poisoned.
"I am disappointed Tsunade-hime. I though you would have put up a better fight then that for your beloved Konoha. Even Sarutobi-sensei gave me a better fight then that." Orochimaru chilled.
Orochimaru went flying into a nearby wall as Tsunade's punch hit his face. The wall collapsed on him, to her satisfaction. Her vision went even blurrier as she felt two more needles embed themselves.
"When I wake up brat, I am going to imbed your four eyed head into the nearest ants nest and drink Sake while I enjoy listening to your scream." She threatened.
Kabuto grinned in amusement at the treat, though in truth he took it very seriously, as she collapsed to the ground, snoring. Orochimaru peeled himself out of the rubble, blood running down his race from various cuts and a broken nose. A large bruise was forming where her fist had connected with his face.
"Bitch." He snarled.
Kabuto had to hold back the wider, true grin that wanted to spread across his face while he concerned himself with sealing her tenketsu points and restraining her. Off in the distance the giant frog exploded in a puff of smoke, the wind whipping out in all directions.
(break)
Meito Gai watched the last of his charges scurry into the safe house in a near by village before rushing back to Konoha, doing everything he could to warp the trail. Tsunade had bought him the time he needed; now it was up to him to make sure his charges were not found.
He made it halfway back to the village before he came upon the enemy. There were twenty of them; an easy fight as far as Gai was concerned.
"Ossu, come on then." Gai shouted gleefully.
The fight was quick; the poor fighters were no match for the taijutsu specialist. Gai was not a quite fighter; his attacks were punctuated by loud shouts and proclamations of the vital spirit of youth. As such, the rest of the teams sent to find their targets and patrolling were easily alerted to his whereabouts, precisely as he wanted.
With the other teams of hunters coming for him, the other escape teams had a higher chance to make it to freedom. He would not last forever, eventually he would get tired out and brought down, but not before he did some serious damage and got most of the others to freedom, or gave them a good head start.
"Gaara." He commented to himself as he faced the wall of suna that blocked their path into the escape tunnels.
"Sir, should we report their escape to Orochimaru-sama?"
"Ile." He responded as he stepped back.
Getting past Gaara's sand was not easy, but he had done it before, three years ago during his first Chuunin exam. He got a fair distance back and started to charge his chakra into his hand.
The chakra was visible and made the sound of thousands of chirping birds. Shouting he rushed forwards towards the shield, shouting as he did so.
"Chidori."
The otonins assigned to him watched in shock as Sasuke raced towards the wall of suna and thrust his glowing arm through it. For a moment it looked like he was stuck, then the wall started to fall.
The path was clear before them. The footprints of a large group of people passing through in a clear rush marked the floor. Reports had told him Naruto, Gaara, and others had passed this way before the Suna Wall went up. By the descriptions giving to him he knew that the rookie-nine and Lee's team had passed through, as had Iruka and who he could only guess to be Genma judging by the description. With them were a large group of children and nine Genin.
"Report to Orochimaru-sama. I am going forward alone." Sasuke ordered.
"Is that wise Sasuke-sama?"
Sasuke snapped his gaze to the man who had dared questioned him. The man gulped, then quickly bowed and took off, the others ten men under his command beside him. Now alone, Sasuke ran forward down the tunnel.
"Naruto." Sasuke thought to himself as he raced after his one time friend and rival. "I can't wait to see how far you have come."
Well, there's chapter one. This arc of the story is typed up and clocks in at 400+ pages so updates are assured. It will focus mainly on Shikamaru, Temari and Kurenai. As usual I will mark any scenes that involve sexual intercorse so those who do not like to read it can skip it.