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heytherebluesky · 6 years

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Shikaneji Fisrt Fic.

The situation was delicate. Shikamaru was commanding a team whose objective was to investigate a suspected case of possible political corruption in the nearby town of Shikouza. It was one of the closest towns to Konoha, only a few kilometers separated them. And although it was much smaller and quiet, it was believed that some of its leaders were having secret dialogues with enemy cities. At least that was Tsunade's justification when she ordered Shikamaru to gather a team and go out to look for evidence. The Nara summoned his most trusted shinobis, that is, those who had been his academy companions, and whom he knew will most probably carry out his orders. Being a very young captain, many older shinobis did not feel comfortable taking orders from him.

His team was made up of his best friends Choji and Ino, and he had included Sakura, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Naruto, Tenten and Neji. They were many for a mission of espionage, but Shikamaru needed all of them, according to the plan he had carefully plotted in his head. The suspects were many too, and they should seize time investigating them simultaneously. But knowing that the primary objective of the mission was not to be discovered, he had filled his backpack with protective and camouflage seals, which he himself had prepared, after learning about them in the Konoha’s library.

With Shikamaru’s instructions, the team had managed to collect a lot of useful information. Separated into small groups and guided by their captain through the wireless microphones, they separated into small groups and managed to identify several of the suspects. After the observation confirmed several times the place and time of meeting of the enemies that night, Shikamaru gave the order to return to the clearing where they were camping to prepare the next plan. He would have preferred them to settle inside the town, where they could have continued to make inquiries talking to the villagers, but being so many, they would have attracted too much attention.

Shikamaru distributed personal seals that were placed on the chest among the members of his team. When activated, the chakra marks of those who carried them diminished. He knew that there were probabilities that they had sensory ninjas distributed around the meeting place, so they needed to kept that covered.

Once prepared and knowing the roles of each one, they left.

The meeting place was an old training center that was currently used as a bureaucratic building. There it was assumed that monetary management was carried out, and land was assigned to the citizens to work for them. As a loan, of course, because the land always belonged to the feudal lord. Shikamaru did not like politics at all, because he found it unfair and stupid. That is why he had rejected so many times the proposal of big landowners to join his team of consultants. But those were the laws of the world in which he lived, and he had to endure them.

Shikamaru had got a map of the old place sniffing around in the village library. It would have been suspicious to start making a copy by hand in front of other users, but he did not need it. Shikamaru’s memory reached an incredible level of detail, so much that sometimes it was overwhelming. He needed only to look once at any graphic or text to remember it exactly. In fact, he considered that maybe 85% of his intelligence came from his eidetic memory. Most people did not know this quality though, and he preferred that they didn’t. People tended to uplift some mechanisms of his mind too much, and that did not please him at all.

They entered the compound through a crack in the ground dug by Kiba. Akamaru must have stayed to wait in the forest, since its penetrating smell could have given them away. Once inside, they found themselves, as Shikamaru predicted, in an old gutter through which waterways passed previously. Now the rivers had been diverted, and the distribution of water was through another circuit. But this had left a very useful earth tunnel that surrounded much of the halls of the old construction.

The team began to walk, trusting the eyes of the two Bakugan users to know where there were people. When they found someone, they stopped and put small amplifying microphones on the walls that they transmitted to their hearing aids. The sound was poor and with a lot of interference, but they could hear most of the dialogues.

Shikamaru was concentrating on analyzing each of the words that came to his mind from the conversation of two sullen-looking adult men, when a muffled explanation of surprise came from behind him. He turned to see who had made the sound. It was Hinata, who was staring at a point behind the wall with wide eyes and an expression of surprise.

He approached her and questioned her by moving his lips as if he were talking, but not doing so. "What?", he modulated.

Hinata used the lowest voice her body allowed her to emit.

-A member of my clan has just arrived.

That he didn’t expected. At first Shikamaru thought she was confused, but a quick glance at Neji confirmed the sentence. The Hyūga had a frown and was observing the same place as his cousin.

-Who?- Shikamaru asked again without sound.

-His name is Hisao, is a very important main house member -Hinata whispered .

This was weird. Very weird. Not only was he a Konoha person, he was someone from one of the oldest and most prestigious clans in the city. That a Hyūga was involved in a case of corruption could be complicated, because even having evidence against him, they had so much power in the village that it would be very difficult to thoroughly investigate one of their members. Shikamaru decided not to draw conclusions in advance. But that was not the only reason why the Hyūga’s presence in that place did not please him at all. Luckily he had taken the precaution of decreasing their chakra emissions, but if the man decided for some reason to light his Bakugan, they were lost. This put them in a situation of extreme vulnerability. He shook those thoughts off and concentrated on the conversation that had just begun.

-Very punctual, Hisao. Did you bring the documents?

Shikamaru listened as someone waved a bunch of papers.

-Of course, I have them here. Can we start now?

-The ambassador has not arrived yet, but we can pass to the room.

Ambassador? This reunion was filling up with interesting characters. Shikamaru did not know what the guy would be ambassador of, but what he had no doubt was that a person with that type of charge should not frequent secret and suspicious meetings.

-They're moving, -Neji whispered, beginning to walk slowly next to the men. The rest of the team moved with him, following the same path as the suspects.

After about 50 meters, the Huga cousins stopped.

-What's going on? -Shikamaru asked Neji.

-They entered a room. They have sat down and now they are just waiting.

In the gloom of the tunnel, illuminated only by a lantern light held by Tenten, Shikamaru could see the features of the Hyūga boy. His frown was still puckered, and there was a certain air of threat in his eyes, which remained nailed to the wall. The Nara had no doubt that his eyes were fixed on the other Hyūga. His face was calm, however, demonstrating Neji's abilities to control his emotions.

Shikamaru lowered his head to listen more intently to the shallow, halting talk that the men on the other side of the wall were holding while they waited. As he did so, he caught sight of Neji's tight, clenched fists in the shadows. There was no doubt he hated the guy.

Suddenly the sound of a door opening was heard, and someone else entered the room. Shikamaru moved closer to the wall and closed his eyes to concentrate on the conversation that was finally beginning. As far as he could tell from the words, it was the ambassador, although they had not yet clarified who he represented. Apparently, the man in question had managed to remove some important documents on the distribution of land in the province, and had the intention of replacing them with an altered version of the same, to be able to introduce changes in the disposition. Apparently, Hisao's role had been to use his bakugan to identify a random document in Konoha that possessed the signature of the feudal lord, and to steal it, in order to copy the personal mark. In addition, he managed to get someone to create a false stamp identical to the one on the paper that represented the officiality of the document.

The situation was undoubtedly murky. From the coming and going of the talk, Shikamaru understood that the objective of the operation was to allocate more land to some villages considered allies under surveillance, due to previous situations where they showed their disloyalty to the union of districts to which Konoha belonged. In exchange for this modification behind the fief back, the Ambassador and the Hyuga involved would receive economic incentives. Shikamaru considered the situation for a moment. It was probably an individual action from Hisao , since he had no evidence that the rest of his clan was involved. That was good, but it was still very likely that his family would use his influence to cover it. No doubt going back to Konoha with this information would end up being very troublesome for him.

Shikamaru concluded that they had sufficient data, and that staying in the area would only increase the chances that they would be discovered by Hisao. He gestured to his team to have the microphones removed and set off, to go back the way they had come. Neji took a few seconds to follow them. He seemed to be trying to kill his superior with his eyes, but finally gave up and walked back to the group.

When they reached the clearing where they had camped, the debate began.

-Well, it looks like we have them! -Naruto spoke with confidence.

-Not so fast. We really have no proof of anything. -Shikamaru replied.

-What??? We just heard all their plan!

-So what? Recording them was impossible because of interference. Even if we go back to Konoha and tell all this to the Hokague, she will need us to confirm it in some way.

-How ridiculous. She trusts our word.

-It's not a matter of trust, Naruto. It is a matter of procedure. No testimony is unbeatable if it can not be proven.

-But we know what we saw, right? -Tenten interjected. -We know the truth, we just have to find a way to show it.

-Of course! -Kiba added. -Let's go back to Konoha and accuse that idiot Hyūga. It will be easy to show that he is involved.

-Do not count on it. -it was the voice of Neji, who came calm as always, but a little dry and resentful.

-And why not, your highness? It's very simple. We just follow him around a little ‘till he do something incriminatory. -Kiba replied with a mocking tone.

-You do not know the Hyuga clan. They will do the impossible to protect any member of the main house. It does not matter how dirty the accusation is. Hisao is among the cruelest of them, and he is an aspirant to the central Hyūga council. They have covered him before, and they will do it now.

-But this does not make sense. If we get evidence, however powerful they may not prevent us from exposing them, right? -Ino said.

-I'm sorry, but I do not think any of you really understand what levels the influence of the Hyūga clan reaches.

Shikamaru did. Hell sure he did. He had read several books in the library about the formation of the city, and about the arrival of the first allied clans. The Hyuga were among the first, and in their eagerness to protect their prized ocular jutsu, they had committed many atrocities. Among which could be mentioned the creation of the secondary branch and the cursed seal, which in Shikamaru's opinion was one of the most twisted things he had ever heard about in his life.

While the discussion continued, Shikamaru stood in silence, his gaze fixed on an invisible point, analyzing the information he had. He would cling to the idea that these acts were the individual will of the greater Hyūga. He had no concrete indications to affirm the opposite, and the scenario that this would imply would be much more troublesome. On the way back, he would ask Neji and Hinata if they thought Hiashi was aware of the situation. If they said no, he would inform the Hokage of the events and propose that their uncle be summoned to a private reunion to discuss it with him. And if Tsunade-sama did not order him to investigate further, she would take the matter into her hands and the problem would be over for him.

-What should we do, Shikamaru? -Choji's reassuring and appeasing voice came between the discussion. Everyone were silent and looked at him.

He opened his mouth to talk but was silenced by Neji.

-Wait. Somebody is approaching.

-What? -Sakura asked.

-I feel chakras coming towards us. -He said this while activating his Bakugan. Seconds later his already livid skin got even more paler.

-It's Hisao and two other men. One was in the meeting, the other has his face covered by a hood.

-They are going to pass directly in front of us. -Hinata had activated her Bakugan too.

-How far are they? -Shikamaru asked as his mind accelerated.

-About seventy meters. -Neji answered.

-If we try to run away now they can hear us. And if we stay, they will see us. -Ino panicked.

It was true. The vegetation was not very coarse in that area, and they were too many. They still had the seals that decreased their chakra emissions, but that would not work if the enemy saw them directly.

Shikamaru took out his backpack, opened it and pulled out a roll of paper, a brush and an ink jar. He walk a few steps and place the roll on the floor, unwrapping about 90 centimeters. He hastened to write some words with the brush, and when he finished he put his hands together and spoke a few words.

The air around them seemed to tremble as if it were a gelatinous mass.

-What the hell was that? -Naruto asked.

-It will keep us invisible in a range of 4 meters for 20 minutes, as long as no one crosses the seal. That's why you should stay behind it. We will keep silence until they pass.

But they did not pass. They reached the clearing where the group was concentrated at one end, and they stopped.

-Let's stop here for a moment. -said Hisao.

They did not seem to have noticed their presence. A space of approximately three meters separated them. They could see and hear them perfectly. If everything went well, they would have gone away in less than 20 minutes without discovering them, and maybe they would even get a little more information. But they could not make any sound.

-Why have you brought this kid, Hisao? -asked the man who was at the meeting.

-I needed help to bring the money. You know that an operation like this presupposes convincing many supervisors. And a lot of money means a lot of weight.

- So you had to put a lot of your money?

-Take it as an investment. In short time it will return multiplied.

Both men smiled with satisfaction.

-And why do we stop to rest? You are not carrying anything now.

Hisao laughed at the thought that he might be tired.

-We are not going to rest. Come here, boy.

He gestured to the hooded person to come closer. The figure hesitated long before taking the first fearful steps towards the man.

-Hurry, we do not have all day.

When the stranger reached him, Hisao pulled out his hood, discovering the terrified face of another Hyūga. He shouldn’t be more than 20 years old.

Shikamaru turned his face slightly to look at Neji and Hinata. By their expressions they seemed to know him. They both watched the scene with their eyes wide open.

-Take off your Hitai-ate.

-Mister please. I will not say anything.

-Come one, Haru, let's not make a scene.

-No, sir, I swear, I will not tell it. I swear. -the young man began to cry. He watched as if the temperature had turned polar.

A chill ran down Shikamaru's spine and his stomach contracted. That boy had the cursed seal. And Hisao was going to use it to kill him.

Some of his teammates had not yet got to this conclusion, but Shikamaru's mind was already analyzing his possibilities. If they tried to save the boy, they would have to face the two men. They could probably win, but if this guy was willing to kill a branch house member, nothing would stop him from trying to killing Neji too. And since the weapon to do it was graven directly on the boy's forehead, the chances of the older Hyūga for getting it activated were too high. Or they let one person die, or two probably would .

Hisao had taken out the young man’s Hitai-tie and thrown it unceremoniously aside. Then he put one of his hands on the kid’s forehead.

-Shhh -he whispered. -You did a good job.

-No, please, don’t. -Hiro cried inconsolably. Shikamaru did not ask himself why he wasn’t running, because he knew that many seals could be activated at certain distances. The boy knew he had no chance against the spell tattooed on his forehead.

Shikamaru noticed a movement to his left, and saw the startled face of Naruto, who had just understood the situation.The Nara knew that he would try to intervene. He couldn’t allow it, he couldn’t put Neji's life in danger too.

With no need to use his hands, he extended two shadows tentacles and grabbed Naruto before he could move. The blond young boy was about to throw an insult to him, but when he looked at Shikamaru to do so, the Nara shook his head vehemently and pointed at Neji, who was a few steps behind him. When Naruto looked at him, he seemed to understand. He relaxed his body and closed his eyes, still unable to believe that they were going to let an innocent man die. But he would have felt worse if he had to bear the guilt of the death of a friend.

A cry of panic caught Shikamaru's attention, and he turned his head to the scene in front of them. Hisao had begun to utter the words that would activate the cursed seal.

Shikamaru turned his face again, this time to look at Neji. What he saw filled him with grief, and at the same time put him on alert. The young Hyuga's eyes were fixed on Hiro's forehead, more open than ever. He trembled from head to toe, already totally unaware that his teammates could see him. There was no way someone could hide a fear like the one he should be feeling.

When the cries of pain began to fill the clearing, Neji closed his eyes and lowered his head. His fists were clenched on the sides of his body. Shikamaru could still see his face, and it looked like he was about to scream too.

He had to do something, or Neji would discover them, digging his own grave. He started walking toward the boy, as slow as he could to make no sound on the grass. He stopped right in front of Neji, covering his vision. He placed himself only a few centimeters away.

Neji slowly raised his head and looked at him, perhaps hoping he would offer some solution. Shikamaru did not have it, but he had to try that, despite the terrible situation, Neji did not lose sense of where they were and understood that he should keep silent.

Shikamaru raised a hand and placed his index finger on his lips. Neji nodded, but when a new round of shouting broke the silence of the forest, tears began to flow from his eyes, and he seemed about to sob. Shikamaru quickly turned his hand and covered Neji's mouth with his palm. But the poor boy still seemed about to collapse.

Around them, their friends looked at each other in anguish at the impotence. No one was watching the scene anymore, it was too strong. Hinata started crying silently and covered her ears. Many of them closed their eyes, as if not seeing help not to listen.

Shikamaru felt Neji shaking violently, and put his other hand on his back to bring them closer together. He placed his lips over the boy's ear and inside of it he whispered:

-Shhh...

He felt Neji's tears wet the palm of his hand. Never in his life had he seen him cry. In fact, he was sure that none of those present had. It was really disturbing.

A longer, heartbreaking scream erupted, and Neji's fingers dug into the sides of Shikamaru's thighs. The Nara clenched his teeth to contain the sudden pain. Now he would also have to worry about not shouting himself. Hoping it would cushion the sound a little, Shikamaru turned Neji's head to placed one of his ears against his chest, while still covering his mouth. With the other hand he covered his other ear.

Neji dug his fingers deeper and pressed hard against Shikamaru's chest. He could not help the thought that this young man, who was dying ahead of him, could easily be him. And that made him feel like he was.

The screams ceased slowly. Shikamaru turned his head a little to see, and saw. He saw Hiro's body lying on the ground with a hole in his empty head, spread over a pool of blood. Shikamaru knew how the cursed seal worked. To protect the Bakugan, the seal not only melted the eyes, but also most of the brain, so that its remains could not be studied.

-Ok, let's go. -Hisao said when finishing his task.

-You will not have problems if we leave the body here?

-Nobody will recognize it. It’s another of the advantages of the seal. Not only does it protect the Bakugan, it also prevents a Hyūga from being identified from a corpse with the naked eye. Today it will rain and all this area will flood, as always happens. The flood of the river will take the body and no one will never find it. Trust me.

Hearing him speak like that of the cursed seal, as if it were the best invention of mankind instead of an unjust and sadistic weapon, made Shikamaru's blood boil in his veins. On his chest, Neji still shivered and held back his crying as much as he could.

After Hisao changed his coat for another one, since the one he was wearing had been spattered with blood, the two men left. When he was sure they had gotten far enough away, Shikamaru pulled his hands from Neji's head and placed them immediately on the fingers digging into his thighs. He separated the Hyūga's hands from his legs and held them for a moment, stepping back a little to see his face. His eyes were still closed and he was crying silently.

-Oh, Kami. That was horrible. -Sakura exclaimed, drying some of the tears she had also shed.

As soon as those words broke the silence, Neji fell to his knees on the grass. He closed his fists tightly on the lawn and lowered his head, breathing hard. He was very disturbed.

-Neji! -Tenten shouted as she ran to his side. She put an arm around him and tried to comfort him.

Hinata approached to them and knelt too, just crying with her hands joined.

Shikamaru turned once more and looked at the body again. There were different things in his mind: a feeling of hatred for the older Hyuga, frustration for not being able to intervene, a heartbreaking guilt for letting the boy die, the uncertainty about how to handle things next. And the salty smell of Neji's tears through his hand.

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Well, this was my first Fic. Sorry if it's not very well written, English is not my first language. If anyone is interested in being my beta, I will appreciate it very much! I accept any correction. You will also see that I use the metric system, I hope it is not too confusing.

I tried to add a drawing to illustrate but I'm bad at drawing. So I took the base of this image www.zerochan.net/2007184 . Sorry author. I also just realized that Neji should have his Hitai-ate, but I'm not able to draw it, so I'll leave it like that.

All the characters belong to the Naruto series.

#shikamaru #neji #shijaneki #fanfiction

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