Bab 46: 46. A Need For Peace
"Naruto-kun?"
Naruto's eyes slightly opened at the sound of the voice. He had a long day and was trying to enjoy any amount of sleep that he could get. He wanted to go to sleep, but he recognized the voice and knew that he was needed. It took him a few moments to adjust, but he finally managed to open his eyes fully and sit-up in bed. Now that he was awake enough to take in his surroundings, he noticed Hinata standing right by his bed.
"Hinata-chan, what are you doing here?" He asked. "Isn't your room on another floor in the inn?"
"Jiraiya-sama let me in when I knocked on your door." The Hyūga answered. She then gave him a serious look. "Naruto-kun, I need your help. It's Shikamaru-kun."
"Hmm?" Naruto instantly became alert. The boy shot up out of his bed and gave his new girlfriend his full attention.
"I got up to go to the bathroom and I noticed Shikamaru-kun wasn't in our room. His training gear was all gone too." Hinata told him with a frown on her face. "I think I might know where he is, but I think he may need some help. I don't think he's recovered at all from his mission and he needs somebody to talk to him. I want to help him, but I think you can help him more than me. So, can you come with me to find him?"
"Of course." The blonde nodded his head.
It took the blonde precisely one minute to get properly dressed. Once he was ready, he and Hinata left the inn and hurried out into the village, trying to find Shikamaru.
Hinata's guess proved to be correct; Shikamaru was in one of the various clearings outside the village of Kibō. He was currently breathing very heavily and had a few burn marks and bruises on his body. The Nara had brought a couple of different seals on tree branches, creating light in the area. Directly in front of him was a large fire that looked as if it could engulf the entire forest around the village if given the chance to grow.
As Naruto and Hinata arrived at the scene, Shikamaru was currently running through various hand signs. Within an instant, the shadows in the clearing came together and forced a large circular orb around the flame. Within seconds, the shadows closed in the flames, covering it completely. Shikamaru released the technique. When the shadows cleared, the fire was nowhere to be seen.
"My shadows are getting stronger. Good." He mumbled to himself as he started to make hand signs. "Now let's see if they are getting-"
"Shikamaru!" Naruto called out to his friend.
On instinct, Shikamaru made a singular hand sign and his shadow charged directly towards Naruto and Hinata, branching off into two separate streams before reaching them. Neither chūnin could react in time; he managed to catch them in his shadow and had them unable to move.
"What the hell?" Naruto gasped.
"… So my shadows are getting faster, too." Shikamaru sighed in relief. He then finally gave his attention to Naruto and Hinata. "What are you two doing up? Shouldn't you both be asleep?"
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Hinata returned his question back to him. "You weren't in the room when I woke up."
"Can't sleep. Thought it'd be a good idea to just get more training done." The Nara replied. His face started to twitch, as if he was struggling to maintain his jutsu. "I-It was a practical thought."
"Shikamaru, you need rest." Naruto replied, shaking his head in disagreement. The blonde proceeded to push back, trying to break free from Shikamaru's jutsu.
Shikamaru immediately made a singular hand sign, tightening his grip on his control of Naruto and Hinata. "Nah. This is time I can actually do something a little more useful than sleeping."
"Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted his friend's name.
The Uzumaki proceeded to start waling forward despite the shadows controlling him. Shikamaru's eyes widened as he noticed his friend getting closer to him. He then started to shake his head in disappointment.
"Fuck, not strong enough." He cursed.
"They're plenty strong Shikamaru! They're just not as strong as they can be, though, because you are tired. You're exhausted!" Naruto stated as he continued to move closer to him.
"How long have you been out here training?" Hinata asked. She was not attempting to struggle against Shikamaru's control and, therefore, was still in her place.
"A couple of hours. I don't really remember when I started." Shikamaru shrugged. "Need to get stronger."
"You're plenty strong Shikamaru!" Naruto declared.
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed in anger as he stopped channeling his jutsu. He then rushed over to Naruto and tackled him to the ground.
"Then why the fuck wasn't I able to save the hostages? Why was I not able to do anything?" Shikamaru hissed before getting directly in Naruto's face. "WHY THE FUCK ARE THEY ALL DEAD?"
"It's not your fault. You didn't know about the bombs that the guy had already set up." Naruto stated, making no attempt to fight back against his friend.
"It doesn't matter! We're shinobi; we should've been able to do something! I… I should have been able to!" Shikamaru started to sob loudly and uncontrollably. "It's… I was put on that mission for a reason and I ended up doing absolutely fucking nothing. And now the mission's a failure and they're all dead. That little girl is dead and it's all my-"
The Nara was unable to finish his rant; Naruto proceeded to push back and force Shikamaru off of him. He proceeded to roll backwards on the ground for a moment. He winced in pain as Naruto rushed back to him.
"I don't pretend to know what it's like, Shikamaru. I… don't know what it's like to see people die like that on a mission." Naruto admitted. The blonde was now starting to cry at the thought of the sight. He couldn't imagine; he didn't want to imagine it. "But… you can't go and blame yourself. You did what you could do-"
"Which was what?" Shikamaru interrupted him with a scoff. As he started to pull himself back off the ground. "I wasn't able to do anything. I'm not strong enough."
"Then get stronger. But you're not going to get stronger pushing yourself like this. You're overworking yourself Shikamaru!"
"I haven't reached that point." He retorted.
Naruto responded by shoving Shikamaru back to the ground. He winced upon making contact.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata shouted in surprise as she rushed over to Shikamaru. "What are you doing?"
Naruto didn't immediately reply. His eyes were focused on his friend. Shikamaru was trying to pull himself off the ground, but he was getting up at an incredibly slow pace.
"I didn't push you over hard, Shikamaru. If you were really okay, you'd have been up by now. You're exhausted." Naruto said with finality in his voice.
"So what? You just want me to give up? Just accept where I'm at! Because if that's how it has t to be, then I'm not qualified to be on this FUCKING MISSION FIGHTING A GODDAMN WAR!" Shikamaru screamed. His sobs seemingly intensified.
"I didn't say accept it; I just said you are exhausted. You'll keep training tomorrow and the remaining days. And we'll be training with you." Naruto declared. The blonde reached over to Shikamaru and grabbed his hand. He then proceeded to pull up him up to his feet before he could do anything. "Shikamaru, you're not alone. We are here. And we want to make sure nothing like that mission happens again to anybody. Not as long as any of us are on the mission."
"We're your friends, Shikamaru-kun." Hinata spoke-up as she placed her hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "And we'll always be there for you. And we will grow stronger together."
"I… I believe you. I know that. B-But," Shikamaru proceeded to shake his head as he rubbed the tears out of his eyes, "I see the faces of all five of the hostages every time I close my eyes now. I hear Mari cry every time. I can't sleep." More tears came from his eyes despite his efforts to get rid of them. "P-Please… don't make me try to go back to sleep. I want to go even just a few hours without seeing and hearing them die."
Naruto and Hinata did not immediately reply. The group of three remained still. The only noise was the occasional sob from Shikamaru. Roughly five minutes had passed before Naruto spoke-up.
"Maybe… the three of us should sleep together." He suggested. "If you have any nightmares and see or hear anything Shikamaru, wake us up. We're here for you Shikamaru and I want to make sure you know that."
"I'd rather-"
"I agree with Naruto-kun." Hinata nodded her head in agreement. "Shikamaru-kun, he's right. We're your friends. And we'll always be there for you when you need us."
Shikamaru really didn't know what to say. He knew for a fact that he most likely was not going to get any sleep. He was afraid to even try. However, he was not unaware of his limitations; after Naruto proved his point by shoving him to the ground, he knew he was too drained to really do anything productive. He needed rest. He was also comforted at the idea of having his friends by his side. Maybe they would be able to help him relax for the first time in days.
"… Fine." Shikamaru finally voiced his thoughts.
With those words, the three members of Team Three started to walk back to the inn together. For the night, they would be together. They were friends and would always be there together. Tonight was going to be one night where they proved that sentiment.
"You want me to what?" Jiraiya questioned.
The Sannin and Naruto had agreed to meet up at their usual training ground at 9:00. Their training ground was usually deserted by the time Jiraiya arrived there. Today, however, Naruto had beaten him there and he was accompanied by his two teammates.
"I want you to try and help Shikamaru and Hinata-chan get stronger too, if you can." Naruto requested.
"Our upcoming mission is going to be serious, Jiraiya-sama." Hinata spoke to the man, making a conscious effort to put reverence in her voice that was owed to a member of the Sannin. "It would be greatly appreciated if you could provide some guidance in order to help us grow in order to increase our odds of survival and success during the mission."
"Yeah, yeah, I get that." Jiraiya replied by crossing his arms over his chest. "I mean, you two are more than welcome to join our training, but most of everything I had planned is for Naruto's skill set. I can try and provide some stuff for you two, but I don't how useful it'll be for you both."
"We can do our own things when necessary. However, anything extra you can provide would be useful for us, Jiraiya-sama." Shikamaru added, speaking to Jiraiya in a similar tone-of-voice as Hinata.
"… Alright, since you two asked so nicely." Jiraiya replied with a shrug. "Naruto and I were going to open the day off with some general exercises. After that, we'll spend about twenty minutes in meditation and then move on to some more 'interesting' stuff. I'm sure I can think of something for you both to do, but for now, just join us in the exercises."
Both Hinata and Shikamaru nodded in understanding.
"… Alright, that'll be enough meditation for now." Jiraiya informed the three chūnin.
Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru stood up from a sitting position and looked up at the Sannin in expectation.
"I see you two look better from the exercises after some meditation." The Sannin noted.
Both Hinata and Shikamaru nodded in response. Jiraiya's 'exercises' were reminiscent of Anko's training. While he didn't have the slightly sadistic nature that she had that made the exercises more intense, he still forced them to go through the same workload that they went through with her. They had been physically exhausted after completion. However, the meditation helped them recover slightly. The brief period helped their body recover and helped them clear their mind up slightly. By the end of their meditation, they were all ready for more training.
"What did you have planned next Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya shook his head and mumbled something along the lines of "Don't call me that" before actually responding to his question: "For you, I want to work on improving the Rasengan. There's a variant that's a much larger, stronger version that's commonly referred to as Ōdama Rasengan that I'd like you to pick up. I also want to see if you can throw it."
"… Huh? Throw it?" The blonde blinked in confusion.
"It's an idea that entered my head. Maybe we could make it a projectile." The Sannin said with a chuckle.
"That would actually be super cool!" Naruto started to cheer at the thought. "Hell yeah, I'll definitely start working with it!"
"Good." Jiraiya nodded his head, satisfied with work for Naruto at the moment. He then turned his attention towards the other two chūnin. "As for you both, do you have anything you are working on?"
"I've been doing some work with a particular water-style jutsu that somebody gave me." Hinata said as she pulled out the scroll for Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu.
"How is that going?" He asked.
"Good. I'm making progress with it, I think." She said with a sigh. "But it's a lot of work, though. It requires a lot of brute strength that I'm still trying to create.
"Keep working with it. Maybe I can assist in helping you find that strength." Jiraiya mentioned. He then turned his head to Shikamaru. "And you?"
"I just finished working on a fire-style jutsu I had been working on. I'm open for suggestions." Shikamaru said.
Jiraiya noted that Shikamaru's tone was filled with bitterness. He had listened to Naruto explain the Nara's situation to him earlier the day before. He could tell Shikamaru, although seemingly a little better than he had been after the mission, was still very bothered and wanted to make himself stronger.
Although the Sannin had not known him for long, everything he had seen and heard about Shikamaru suggested somebody with a rational, tactical mind with good control of emotions and limits. Perhaps he would benefit from learning something with some power to it in order to help him feel better.
"I… have an interesting idea for you that might suit somebody as tactical as you, Shikamaru." Jiraiya commented. He then made a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
He then formed two separate clones of himself. One of the clones walked over to Shikamaru while the other went to Hinata.
"So I take it we are going to do some independent training with the clones?" Hinata questioned.
"Yup." Jiraiya nodded his head. "We'll end the sessions when I feel like it. For now, though, get to work!"
With those words, the clones of Jiraiya escorted Shikamaru and Hinata to separate areas of the training ground. Naruto and Jiraiya were left alone.
"Now, back to what we were talking about." The Sannin declared as he focused on his godson. "You want to show me your Rasengan?"
"I can do that!" The blonde replied as he started to channel his chakra into the palm of his hand.
After a minute of walking, Shikamaru and the clone of Jiraiya arrived at another area nearby the training grounds. It was a largely swampy area with thick mud that stuck to their shoes. Jiraiya's clone eventually stopped walking, causing Shikamaru to look at him in expectation.
"So, you said something about an idea for me?" He questioned the clone.
"I did, but I wanted to ask some questions to you really quick." Jiraiya's clone questioned. "What are your thoughts about your last mission?"
"… Oh, you know about it too. Of course you would." Shikamaru shook his head.
This was the last thing he wanted to talk about with somebody he didn't really personally know. However, Jiraiya was offering to help him. The Nara told himself that before taking in a deep breath and answering his question.
"I felt weak and hopeless. I thought the mission was going well, and then Karitoriki pulled out a trump card that we hadn't expected. We accomplished nothing. I couldn't save anybody there." Shikamaru said emptily. "I… I have never felt so useless in my entire life. And I never want to experience that again. I don't want to see anybody die like that for no reason."
"And if you were stronger? What would you do?" Jiraiya's clone questioned him.
"I… I just want to do what I can." He answered. He looked as if he was struggling to come up with the proper words to express what he was thinking. "Just… you know… know a few more jutsu, know a few more tactics, and have my brain function a little better… I just want do what I can to make sure nobody dies like that. I want to make sure I can keep my friends, family, and any clients of mine safe."
"So it's about protecting people?" The clone continued to ask.
Shikamaru nodded his head: "No one deserves to die like that. I want to make sure something like that never happens again."
"I see." Jiraiya's clone nodded his head in understanding. "I have another question for you; considering the type of mission you'll be going on soon, what would happen if you were to run into Karitoriki again? Would you try and kill him?"
"Of course!" Shikamaru nodded his head and spoke with aggression. "That asshole is responsible for so much suffering and death. It wasn't just those five; he's taken joy in killing so many. He needs to die before he can do more executions like that. If given the opportunity, I would love to do it myself."
"But it's not a priority for you, is it?" Jiraiya's clone questioned.
Shikamaru realized what the clone was actually getting it. He proceeded to shake his head: "No, I won't let my anger consume me and go on a hunt for revenge. I want him dead, but I want the regime responsible for him to be destroyed more. I'd be okay if somebody else does the honor. I'll just do my part for the mission and leave it at that."
"I see." The clone smiled sadly at the younger shinobi. "I know this may not mean much, but as somebody who has fought in war previously and have come across many ruined villages and seen many hostage situations… it gets easier. You tend to be able to forget about things on certain days and it becomes a lot easier with time."
"… Is it necessarily a good thing that it does, though?" Shikamaru asked. "That you become numb to shit like that?"
"I suppose not, but it's the only way people like us can keep our sanity." The clone sighed. "You just have to get stronger so that way you can keep getting better so you have the strength to save even one person during the next circumstance like that."
"… I suppose." The chūnin sighed in response.
The Nara still appeared to have a troubled look on his face due to the topic and the associated thoughts, but his conversation with Jiraiya's clone seemed to relax himself slightly. Hearing the clone's comments about the nights getting easier was a relief to him, at least.
'All that matters right now, I guess, is to get to that point. And the first way to that is to get stronger!' He told himself. He then looked at the clone with determination in his eyes. "So, what did you want to work with me?'
Jiraiya's clone smirked as he pulled out a scroll. "I got a jutsu for you. It's one of my personal favorites, but it's a tough one. It's A-Rank earth style jutsu, so it'll take a lot of time. I don't know if you can learn it in the next couple of days, but I know this is the type of jutsu you would benefit from knowing. It suits a tactician like you and can be used for offense, defense, and support."
The clone proceeded to toss the scroll towards Shikamaru. The chūnin caught the scroll in his right hand and proceeded to look at it.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld." He read the title.
"You ready to get started Shikamaru? This won't be easy, but I know you would benefit greatly from knowing it." Jiraiya's clone mentioned.
Shikamaru turned his attention back to the clone and nodded his head. For the first time in the past few days, the chūnin allowed a smirk develop on his face.
"Bring it on." He declared.
"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"
After finishing the necessary hand signs, Hinata clapped her hands together. Water from a nearby swampland rose into the sky and formed a massive circular object. As it continued to rise into the sky, it increased in size as more water entered its body. Hinata remained concentrated on creating the jutsu. After a few seconds, however, the construct of water blew up, causing the water to plummet to the ground.
"Darn it." Hinata grumbled as she started to breathe heavily. The attempt at using the jutsu had taken a lot out of her.
"Good thing you didn't have that thing over your head. Otherwise, you'd be soaked." Jiraiya's clone mentioned. A playful smirk then developed on his face. "It's also a good thing you're not wearing all white."
"L-Let's not talk about that please!" Hinata's face turned red at the thought.
She remembered practicing with her jutsus earlier this week and getting soaked from the training. She didn't want to through that again and completely drench her clothes.
"Heh, whatever you say." The clone chuckled for a moment. "I think I know your issue, though. I think you do have enough strength to create the jutsu. You can make the construct for the jutsu pretty easily and I can tell that it will do a lot of damage if you can send it flying at an opponent. Your problem is that you don't seem able to hold on to it for that long."
"I know." Hinata admitted with a sigh. "It takes too much out of me to hold on to it for a while."
"Well the jutsu requires a lot of chakra." Jiraiya's clone mentioned. "The best way to pick up the jutsu would be to increase your chakra reserves."
"I know." The chūnin mumbled a reply. "I know some exercises that Anko-sensei taught me to increase my reserves."
"That wouldn't be a bad idea, but I'd also suggest you keep trying to use the jutsu." The clone mentioned. "It clearly requires more chakra than you are capable of using, so it's pushing you. So long as you don't overexert yourself, trying to perform the jutsu should, overtime, increase your reserves and make it so that you'll be able to perform the jutsu with little difficulty."
"You think so?" Hinata questioned.
"Yeah." Jiraiya's clone said. "It's a good attitude to have. Just keep trying something until you get it. I think with enough attempts, your reserves will get to a good enough point."
"Okay." Hinata smiled as she nodded her head.
"So yeah, when you think you are ready, I'd suggest making another attempt at the jutsu. Just don't push yourself too hard." The clone informed her.
"Alright!" Hinata declared excitedly.
Three hours passed by before the group reunited with each other. The clones of Jiraiya escorted Shikamaru and Hinata, who were both breathing heavily from trying to perfect A-Rank jutsus, back to the central training area before they dispelled themselves. Upon arrival, Shikamaru and Hinata took a moment to look at the training ground they had been at earlier that day.
"What happened here?" Shikamaru asked.
The area had been filled with various trees that were no longer present. While most of them were gone completely, a few of them were now stumps that appeared to have the top half completely blown off.
Both Shikamaru and Hinata turned their attention to Naruto, who was laughing sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"As I said when we separated, the brat and I were experimenting to see if he can actually toss the Rasengan and use it as a projectile." Jiraiya stated with a slight chuckle. "And it actually worked! He was just a little… liberal with his usage."
"Hehe… heh…" Naruto continued to laugh sheepishly.
Hinata proceeded to giggle at her new-boyfriend's action. "Good job Naruto."
"How did that other Rasengan training go?" Shikamaru questioned. "That… Ōdama Rasengan?"
"It's a work in progress." Naruto admitted with a sigh. "But hey, it's getting there. I'll be able to do it in no time!"
"He will. And judging from the memories I got from my clones, I think the two of you are making progress with your own jutsus to have them ready in a day or two more." Jiraiya stated confidently.
"Really?" Shikamaru's eyes widened at the statement. "Y-You think so?"
"I know so." The Sannin nodded his head in affirmation. "You're tough kids. You're going to be some of the best shinobi Konoha has seen. I have no doubt that you'll all get you jutsus done in just a little bit."
The members of Team Three, even Shikamaru, smiled at his words. The words of somebody as skilled as Jiraiya carried some weight. The fact that he believed such an idea meant something to each of them.
"We'll make you proud, Ero-sennin!" Naruto declared with a thumbs-up.
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Jiraiya shouted.
Hinata proceeded to giggle at Jiraiya's and Naruto's banter while Shikamaru let out a small snort. The sound of his laugh caused Naruto and Hinata to both turn their attention towards their friend and smile.
'You're still struggling, but you seem like you're getting better Shikamaru-kun… what a relief.' Hinata thought to herself.
"Anyway, you all can take an hour break or so. Get food." Jiraiya suggested. "Although, not going to lie, it's probably going to be some more independent training when you all get back. I was planning on working on some fūinjutsu with Naruto and getting back to work with the Ōdama Rasengan, so if you both want some more training with a clone of mine, you're welcome to still come back."
"I'll take you up on that offer." Hinata replied.
Shikamaru nodded his head in silent agreement.
With Jiraiya's words in mind, the trio walked off away from the training ground and towards the village, preparing to get something to eat.
The members of Team Three had found a ramen stand and sat down there. It only took a couple of minutes after ordering there food before they received their bowls of ramen. They each started to eat rather quickly.
"You know," Naruto was quick to finish his bowl of miso ramen and signal for another bowl, "I do really like this place, but I kinda miss Ichiraku's."
"Yeah, I miss it too. And Konoha really." Hinata said with a slight frown. "It's been a long time since we've been back home."
"It really does feel like we've been here for a while." Shikamaru said with a sigh. "Should be coming to an end soon, though. Once Anko-sensei's team gets back, we are going to invade Kirigakure and the mission will be over."
An awkward silence filled the area between the three friends. Hinata returned to eating her bowl of ramen, Shikamaru started to pick at his food, and Naruto simply stared at his empty bowl. The server at the stand delivered another bowl of ramen to Naruto, prompting him to break the silence.
"Are you all… worried… about the mission?" He asked.
"Worried?" Hinata turned her attention to the blonde.
"Well, yeah. We're invading the village of Kiri, after all. And we're going against the Mizukage." Naruto said with a sigh.
"Are you worried?" Shikamaru asked.
"… Not really. Kinda. I mean, I don't know." Naruto sighed once again. "I think there's a chance this could be one of the biggest, most important missions of our life. This is going to be really dangerous. So yeah, I guess I am worried." He then proceeded to shake his hand. "But like… if we succeed, we change history for both the hidden village and the entire country here, and this land needs change badly. I'm a bit worried, but also a little excited. I think there's a good chance we could end up doing something really good for the world here."
"That's true…" Hinata nodded her head in agreement.
If the Hyūga were being honest with herself, she would admit to being very worried about the mission. While her confidence was indeed improving, this mission was a daunting task with some dangerous implications. Invading another hidden village was something she had not anticipated to do when she signed up to be a shinobi. However, Naruto was right; this was something that could do a lot of good for the world.
"… Naruto, you said you wanted to bring peace to the Elemental Nations, right? That's what your goal is when you become Hokage?" Shikamaru spoke-up. Naruto nodded, prompting him to continue. "Then let's start with this mission. Let's create peace for Mizu no Kuni." He then looked the Uzumaki directly in the eye. "And I want this to continue from here. The day you become Hokage… I want to be at your side in some way. I want to be doing whatever mission I can do to bring peace. Wherever you need me to be, whatever you need me to do… I'll do anything."
"Shikamaru…" Naruto proceeded to smile at his friend.
"I mean it." He continued. "I… I won't get over that mission, I don't think. So I want to make sure that not a single place in the Elemental Nations will go through something like that ever again."
"I'll be by your side too, Naruto-kun, Shikamaru-kun." Hinata spoke-up as well. "I… I think we can do it. I think we can do anything if we have each other."
"Hinata-chan…" Naruto was beaming now as he got up from his chair and pulled his two friends out of their chairs and into a hug. "We'll do it. We're going to change this world for the better!"
The three members of Team Three stayed in their group hug for a few more moments. The moment was ruined, however, as the group heard a loud noise that sounded like a rumbling stomach. The trio broke apart. Shikamaru was looking a little bashful while Naruto and Hinata were looking at him in surprise.
"Shikamaru-kun, was that you?" Hinata asked.
"… Yeah." He replied with a shrug. "What, if you haven't been paying attention, I've barely eaten my food. I've just picking at it!"
"Why?" Naruto nearly shouted. "It's ramen! I know it's not Ichiraku's or anything, but it's still the food of the gods! Eat!"
"I wasn't in the mood when we arrived." Shikamaru admitted with another shrug.
Naruto proceeded to return back to his seat at the stand and started to slide Shikamaru's bowl of ramen closer to his chair. "Well, if you aren't in the mood then-"
Shikamaru's hand immediately reached for his bowl and grabbed it back: "Hey, you heard my stomach just a moment ago. I'm hungry now, thank you very much!"
Another moment of silence filled the area. The silence was broken a few seconds later by the sound of the three friends laughing.
The rest of the time at the ramen stand was filled with more standard, light-hearted topics. The three friends would chat and laugh about anything to come to mind. For the first time since Shikamaru's return, they acted like the same group that they were back in Konoha.
After finishing their meal and paying their bills, Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru got up from their seats and prepared to walk back to the training ground to meet with Jiraiya. Just as they were leaving, however, Shikamaru noticed a person with long, black hair walking down the street with a troubled look on his face. He recognized him immediately and stopped walking.
"You alright Shikamaru?" Naruto asked as he and Hinata stopped to look at their friend.
"You two go on without me. Tell Jiraiya-sama I'll take a rain check and come by tomorrow. I'm going to go meet up with somebody for a little bit." Shikamaru said as he started to walk off towards the other person.
Naruto and Hinata stayed standing, watch their friend walk off. It took them a few moments before they finally returned back to walking towards the training ground.
"Oi! Haku!" Shikamaru called out.
The Yuki-clan shinobi turned around and saw the Konoha shinobi approaching him. Haku put a smile on his face as he waited for him to catch up. It only took a few seconds before they were both walking side-by-side.
"How are you doing Shikamaru-san?" Haku asked politely. "I saw you with your friends just a moment ago at the ramen stand."
"I'm… good. I'm doing better." Shikamaru answered with a slight smile. "You should've stopped and said hi. They would've liked to see you."
"You all were hugging. It felt like I would be ruining a moment." Haku replied.
"… Oh." Shikamaru looked a little embarrassed at the comment. He coughed a little awkwardly before continuing to speak. "Well, you might want to come by sometime and see them. They'd definitely appreciate that."
"I probably will." The Kirigakure rebel replied with a nod. "Glad to see you are in better spirits, Shikamaru-san."
"I… I don't know if I fully am." He admitted with a sigh. "Just starting to get my mind thinking on other topics."
"That's good at least. It means you are on the road to moving on." Haku said with the same, fake-looking smile.
"How's everybody?" Shikamaru asked.
"Honoka has gone through the most out of everybody on the mission, so she's fine. As is Kiri-kun. I talked to them both not too long ago." He answered. "Suigetsu-san… not so much. He took the mission badly. He's not really talking to anybody and is just focusing on his training."
"I… understand that mindset. That's how I was last night." The Konoha chūnin frowned in response. "And you?"
"Me? I'm… managing." Haku answered. "The invasion is approaching, so I've been focusing most of my energy on preparations for that."
Shikamaru noticed Haku's smile seemed to twitch slightly with his answer. The Nara felt incredibly uncomfortable looking at his face. One of the things that he ended up enjoying about Haku was how genuine he seemed, even when he was lying to them and pretending to be a merchant. This was the first time he truly felt the boy was being fake and it bothered him.
"… Haku, you can be honest with me, you know that? We were on the same mission together." Shikamaru told his friend.
The Yuki clan shinobi's smile immediately dropped and the troubled look returned to his face. He took in a deep breath before starting to talk again.
"I'm… okay, I'm not managing well at all." Haku admitted with a quiet voice. "I-I really wish Zabuza-sama was not on his mission, because I need to talk to him about the mission and figure out he handles dealing with something like this."
"Haku-"
"But he's on a mission that he is currently leading." Haku continued to speak, ignoring Shikamaru. "And he's going to succeed, because he's Zabuza-sama. He's a qualified, capable shinobi that any person would be lucky to have lead their team. He's somebody worthy of respecting. Unlike me, who completely ruins a mission and gets innocent civilians killed."
Shikamaru's eyes widened at Haku's statements. "Haku, you can't say-"
"And that wasn't the first mission I had been assigned like that." Haku interrupted the chūnin. "I've led group missions before! I've done tracking jobs, I've gone undercover, have done assassinations, and I've done some incredibly dirty things whenever Zabuza-sama and I would receive a client when we were missing ninja. I've done so many things that I should have been prepared for anything. So how did I mess that mission up that badly?"
The Nara's eyes were filled with sympathy: "Haku-"
"And one of them was a cousin. There was a Yuki clan member in that group. And another was an eight-year old girl. I-I should have been able to save them but I couldn't. I don't know what happened. I-I'm a horrible shinobi and I really wish Zabuza-sama was here!" The Yuki clan shinobi was now openly sobbing in the streets of the village. "Th-Things were so much easier when I was just his tool. I-I never screwed anything up like this!"
Shikamaru quickly rushed over to the rebel and hugged him. Haku returned the hug and continued to cry into his chest. They remained like this for a few moments, ignoring the looks of civilians walking through the village. Shikamaru stayed quiet until Haku's sobbing started to quiet down slightly. He then opened his mouth to speak.
"I… I talked to a few people. My friends and Jiraiya-sama. I… nothing we can do will ever make the memories go away. But what we can do is focus on the future and try to get stronger. To make sure things like that never happen." Shikamaru told him.
Haku did not immediately reply; he continued to sniff from the tears. This prompted the Nara to continue speaking.
"We're getting close to the end of the war. That's… that's what we need to think about now. And when Kirigakure and Yagura are defeated, peace can return to the land and people won't have to go through the fear of executions and death like they have been. That's what's important. That's what we need to be thinking about." Shikamaru took a deep breath in to collect his thoughts before continuing to speak. "I… I don't know if those thoughts help you, but they've been helping me all day. They've been what everybody is telling me and what I'm now telling myself. And I think they are what Zabuza would be telling you if he were here."
"… I suppose." Haku responded with a quiet voice.
"I mean it." Shikamaru said it. "Haku, you are a great shinobi and you have good leadership skills. I saw that when the village of Kibō was invaded the first time and I saw it again when you led our team towards the village of Chishio. You're strong. You're capable. You're a good leader and I would still follow you in a mission."
"… Thank you." Haku rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his kimono. It took him a few moments before he finally looked at Shikamaru's face. Haku's eyes were red from his tears. "I'm… sorry about that, by the way. I don't normally cry like that."
"Don't apologize." Shikamaru shook his head. "By the way, don't feel like you have to go to Zabuza. When he's not here, you can talk to somebody else about you are thinking about. Just don't bottle them up." He proceeded to frown as he recalled how he had felt the following night, when he had trained while his friends were asleep. "It… doesn't do you any good."
"… You are a good friend, Shikamaru-kun." Haku smiled at the chūnin.
Shikamaru noticed the change in honorific and smiled back at him.
"If you wish to get stronger yourself, by the way, I was going to probably get some training done." The Konoha shinobi mentioned. "If you want, we can train together. Want to spar?"
Haku nodded his head immediately.
The remaining days in the village of Kibō went by quickly. With exception of moments to sleep, eat, and to take brief breaks, all shinobi focused every moment of their time to training and improving on their abilities. All shinobi were prepared for the upcoming invasion.
Shikamaru had spent his time with his team, Jiraiya, and Haku, improving his abilities and his stamina. He continued to strengthen his usage of fire style ninjutsu as well as his clan's shadow abilities. In addition, he managed to do just as Jiraiya had predicted and managed to learn the Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld in two days. Upon learning it, the Nara began making plans with how to use it properly and to work out strategies in order to improve his overall tactical abilities regardless of any scenario he finds himself in.
Hinata continued to train with her team, Jiraiya, and Honoka and had managed to develop her water style ninjutsu to a much higher level. With constant focus and exercises, she managed to increase her reserves to a point that she was able to use the Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu. With sessions with Honoka, she managed to improve her vision. She felt confident in her ability to provide long-range support during the mission and felt comfortable that she would be able to see any potential threat and be able to respond appropriately.
Naruto's training with his team, Jiraiya, and Honoka led to him developing his skills with the Rasengan in further detail. He acquired the ability to use the jutsu as a projectile and learned how to make the Ōdama Rasengan. He also learned how to make a few more seals with Honoka and Jiraiya and found his ability to create seals in combat was developing at a faster rate. He had no doubt he would be able to use both the Rasengan and his fūinjutsu during the mission and would be able to be a powerhouse when necessary.
All shinobi in the village, Dosu, Haku, Honoka, Misora, Suigetsu, and more, trained to the best of their abilities. None trained harder, however, than Terumī Mei.
Three days had passed since she sent out Zabuza, Kakashi, Anko, Chōjūrō, and Jinin on a mission to wipe out 'Me ni Miemasen'. On the third day, a small brown dog wearing a Konoha forehead protector arrived in Kibō and rushed over to her office.
"So you are telling me the mission was a success?" She questioned.
The dog nodded his head: "Yes ma'am. All operatives in the organization were destroyed. Jinin-san got a little wounded, but nothing that prevents him from functioning. Kakashi, along with the rest of the team, are all waiting at the base for you to arrive. They will join up with you then."
"Good. Tell them to be on the look-out for us and to get ready. As soon as we arrive, they will join up with us. There won't be any waiting; we'll match straight to Kiri." Mei stated.
"Understood. I will let them know." The dog replied before leaving the room.
Mei was left alone. The woman looked out the window and looked to the east of the village. In just a few moments, she'll call forth every shinobi in the village and they will march forward towards Kirigakure. The mission that they had been planning for years will finally take place.
"If there is a god out there, please; be at our side." Mei silently prayed. "For now is the time when the fighting shall end. Now is the time when we reclaim Kirigakure!"
The Kirigakure Civil War, after over a decade of violence and bloodshed, was about to come to a close.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone