27 POVs

(Shikamaru POV)

After Aizen and the loud Naruto left, Choji stayed after for a while.

"Hey, Shikamaru."

"Yeah, Choji?"

"What do you think Aizen trains for? My parents make me train, but it's just plain hard. Aizen doesn't have any parents, so why does he train?"

"... I'm not sure why Choji."

"Ehh. But you're so smart Shikamaru!"

"Troublesome."

My mother promptly called for Choji.

"Chojiiii! Come downstairs!"

Choji and I went down, and we saw his dad there.

"Hey, Choji. I thought I'd find you here. It's time to go home now, son."

"All right, dad. Bye Shikamaru. Bye, Mrs. Nara."

"Yoshino, a pleasure as always. Say hi to Shikaku for me. Have a good night."

"You too, Choza. And I will."

After that, they left the house and started walking home.

"Hey, mom, where's dad?"

"He's in his workroom, Shikamaru. Why? Do you need anything?"

"No, I just wanted to ask him something."

"All right, honey."

Usually, I would be too lazy to go trouble my dad, but something about this piqued my curiosity.

Going to my dad's workroom, I knocked on the door before I heard a faint

"Come in."

I went inside and saw the entire room filled with papers and books. Dad had a shogi board out as he was playing against himself. Seeing me come in, he took out a new shogi board and laid it on the table.

"Up for a match?"

"Yeah."

He laid down the pieces, and we started the match.

If there was anything I didn't like about playing with my dad, it was that he would always win.

"Hey, dad."

"Mm."

"Choji asked me something today."

"Oh. Choji, huh? And what was that, son?"

"He asked me why Aizen trains so hard, even though no one is making him."

"Hm. Choji asked you that?"

"Yeah, he did."

"Well, there's a lot of answers to that question, son. Maybe he has nothing to do, or he likes training, and he might even train for the sake of training. But I think Aizen trains for another reason. A reason you can probably understand."

"What's that?"

"He has a dream."

"A dream?"

"Yeah, a dream. You have a dream, don't you, Shikamaru?"

"Hmm, yeah, I do. I want to be as carefree as the clouds."

"As carefree as the clouds. As expected from you. How would you go about doing that?"

"I plan to be an average ninja, making an average living. I'll get married, have some kids, and spend my days playing Shogi until the day I die. That's the life."

That was the life. Leisurely spending my time, not exerting myself in any way. Caught up in my fantasies, I was only taken out of them when my dad mercilessly broke my dreams.

"An average ninja, huh? If that's what you want, then I'll support you in that life. But I want you to think about it a bit more."

"What's there to think about?"

"Well, for one, you aren't an average ninja, Shikamaru. You are the heir to the Nara clan. That means your every move is judged, by both outsiders and insiders. If you want to be an average shinobi, then you have to do so under the scorn of our entire clan, unfortunately."

"What a drag."

"Plus, you have to think about your friends."

"My friends?"

"You know that every generation has an Ino-Shika-Cho formation. This time, all three were born the same age and in the same class. If you were to graduate, there is no question that you will be put together with Choji and Ino."

"Troublesome, not Ino. She's so annoying."

"Heh, that might be, but she's your future comrade. And as ninjas, you have a mission quota to fulfill every month."

"..."

"If the Hokage gave you a mission, then it would be treason for you to refuse. You understand that, right?"

"... Yeah, I do."

"I'm not trying to ruin your dreams, Shikamaru. There is a method to bypass all of that."

"There is?"

"Yeah, it's a simple one. There are two even. You can either defect from Konoha and live a life hunted down by Konoha."

"What are you talking about, old man? I'm sure to die a gruesome death like that."

"Well, I'm just listing out your options. The other option is to become strong."

"Strong?"

"Yeah, strong. The stronger you are, the more say you have. Let's say you even become the strongest in the world."

"That sounds like a lot of work."

"Well, let's say you did. If you were the strongest, no one would be capable of saying you couldn't just spend your days carefree, could they? Except maybe for your mother, of course."

We both shuddered at the mention of her name. But what he said did give me thinking. Even if I wanted to be an average shinobi, I wouldn't be allowed: my mom, the Clan, my friends, or the Hokage. There were too many reasons stopping me.

But becoming strong was a drag too. It would defeat the entire purpose of me not wanting to exert effort.

"I'm sure you see the problem with what I said, Shikamaru. This is reality. You might want to be a cloud, but you were born a human. You might have wanted to be an average human, but you were born a Clan heir. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't become a cloud. If anyone were to do it, then it would be you, Shikamaru. But you can't disregard the reality in front of you for the dreams you have in the sky. The only way those dreams will come true is if you make those dreams happen. And unfortunately, more times than not, in this world, strength is the way to make those dreams happen."

"..."

Strength.

"Think about what I said, Shikamaru. Then you can see if you understand why Aizen trains so hard, despite not being told to do so."

"All right, dad."

Placing a shogi piece on the board, I looked down only to see that my dad had won yet again.

"..."

"Another game?"

"Yeah."

Night came quickly, and I went to bed. I kept thinking about our conversation.

If I didn't want to exert effort in the future, then I had to exert effort in the present.

But if I didn't want to exert effort in the present, I'd have to exert even more in the future.

No matter what path I took, exerting effort seemed necessary. I just had to decide if I wanted to do less now or more in the future.

Sigh, how troublesome. I eventually fell asleep to this conundrum, and when I opened my eyes, it was morning.

Sighhh, what a drag. I even had school today. Things were not going my way. Getting up and stretching, I thought about yesterday. If it was only exerting a little effort now...

Sighh.

I started doing some stretches. If there was anything my father always made me do, it was stretching. He said I had to, as it was the bare minimum necessary.

Completing the stretches, I felt my body relax as soon as I finished them. As if it knew it was finished for the day.

I would have to let it down, though. Today, I wanted today to be different. I dropped to the floor.

My body tensed, fearing for what was happening.

I was scared too, terrified even.

I got into a pushup position, and the closer I got to do the unspeakable, the tenser my body got.

Gulping, I steeled myself for what was about to come.

I dropped down to the floor and pushed back up.

"One."

My muscles loosened a bit as I dropped back down.

"Two."

I kept going until I reached twenty pushups. That was when I stopped.

Panting, I got up from the floor. Twenty pushups were already somewhat challenging for me. I could do more, but even twenty was tiring.

When Iruka-sensei made us work out in class, I noticed that even after we ended, Aizen or Sasuke didn't have shallow breaths. Even Naruto, the dunce, kept his breath even after we finished.

What did that say about me?

I went downstairs and greeted my parents before eating breakfast.

"Shikamaru! It's your first day of school! Hurry up and eat so you won't be late!"

"Sigh, all right, you don't have to yell."

"What did you just say to me."

"I meant, yes, mom!"

Troublesome woman.

After finishing breakfast, I got dressed and made my way to school. My parents didn't accompany me this time since it was already my fourth year.

Getting to the Academy, I saw Choji on the side with his parents. He was eating a chip bag while offering some to his parents.

"Yo, Choji"

"Omnomn, yo, Shikamaru! You want some chips?"

"No, I'm ok, Choji. Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Akimichi"

"Hello, Shikamaru."

"Hey, Shikamaru. Shikaku and Yoshino aren't coming today?"

"No, it's just me."

"Come stand with us then."

I nodded and stood with them until the inauguration was over. I noticed that neither Naruto nor Aizen were here yet, though that was usual for the both of them.

Choji and I walked to class. It was already filled up with classmates, though less than last year.

Some people had moved to civilian classes again.

The two screaming banshees were still here, though.

I sat next to Choji and sat in silence until Iruka-sensei came in and quieted us down.

After about ten minutes of class, Naruto suddenly burst into the room.

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei! Heh. The old frog alarm didn't wake me up in time."

Iruka-sensei seemed on the verge of explosion, but he calmly said,

"Naruto. Just get to your seat and stop disturbing the class."

Naruto rubbed his nose and said

"Yes, sir."

Naruto went up to us and plopped his butt next to me.

"Hey guys, have you seen Aizen today?"

"No, he didn't show up to school. Why? Come to think of it, don't you guys go to school together?"

"Yeah! He wakes me up every day, but he wasn't there today. That's why I got here late in the first place! Believe it!"

"Hmm. Usually, Aizen doesn't skip school like this. But maybe he's out training. He usually comes to school later on those days."

"Omnomnom, yeah. We can swing by his house after school if he doesn't come."

"Good idea, Choji. He'll probably show up later, though."

He didn't. The day passed, but the seat next to Sasuke remained empty. Even Sasuke seemed confused by the absence of his seatmate.

It was unusual. I know that Aizen trains pretty intensely, but even he wouldn't skip the first day of school.

After school ended, we all headed toward Aizen's house and knocked on it.

"Hellooooo, Aizennn! Wake upppp. It's me, Naruto!"

No one answered. There was an imprint in the wood in front of his house, but nothing else. It had a weird shape, but before I could continue my line of thoughts, Choji said

"I know where he hides his spare key."

After saying that, Choji lifted an ornament he kept outside his house, a cat sculpture, and found his spare key.

"Woahh, how'd you know where it was, Choji?"

"He told me in case we ever needed to go to his house. Omnomnom, but he made me promise not to tell the both of you since you'd go in for no reason."

"Reasonable."

"Yup."

Choji opened the door, and we went inside. His house was clean and plain. There was no sign that anyone even lived in this house. The only tell tales were the food in the fridge and the wear marks on his walls.

"He's not here."

"I wonder where he could be."

This was worrying me, but there was no reason to panic. Aizen might simply be out training in the mysterious training grounds he always goes to.

I said that to Choji and Naruto who were beginning to freak out.

"Let's wait for him here until he gets back."

"All right, that sounds like a plan."

And we waited. There was nothing to do, so we chatted about waiting for Aizen. He never showed, though.

It got to the point that we contemplated leaving, but with our increasing boredom, our worry increased as well. Ultimately, we stayed.

To appease our boredom, we played with Puma, Aizen's cat. She just walked into his house one day, and he decided to keep her. She eventually got bored too and curled up in her bed to sleep.

Boredom came back to us, and to combat the boredom, I suggested an idea.

"Why don't we play some card games."

"Yeah! Good idea, Shikamaru! I know Aizen has a deck in here somewhere."

We started searching for the said deck until we came across a cupboard with one.

It seemed new.

"Maybe he just got this deck?"

We opened the deck up and let the cards fall out of the deck.

Instead of seeing cards fall, however, what fell was a small yellow note.

"A note?"

Naruto opened it up and read it out loud.

"Hey, guys. If you guys found this note, that probably means I wasn't around to stop you from searching for it. If you're looking for a deck of cards, look in the cupboard next to my bed. That's where I keep our usual one. If you're looking for me, and only then, search under my bed."

"What is this?"

"I don't know, but it seems like we're going with the second option."

"Onomnomn, this is getting scary."

"Yeah, no kidding. Why is Aizen leaving us clues?"

I went under his bed and searched. There was nothing visible. One of the wood was out of place, though.

The marking didn't match up with the surrounding wood.

"Let's move his bed. I need to get a closer look."

After we moved his bed, the wood looked even more out of place. Not only was the pattern inconsistent with the surrounding wood, but it was also slightly raised.

"That wood looks out of place, doesn't it?"

"Omnomnom, now that you mention it, it does."

"Which wood? What are you guys talking about?"

"Just hold on, Naruto."

I went to the wood and picked it out of place. It was easy to raise from the slight tilt it had.

Under the wood was another note, this one in a dusty deck of cards.

"Why is this guy leaving riddles for us?"

I opened it up and read it out loud.

"So, you guys are looking for me. That's not good. Honestly, I've been feeling as if someone was constantly watching me. At first, I thought I imagined it, but the feeling only grew stronger and clearer over time. When I trained, or when I went to school, and even when I was hanging out with you guys. This note was only a backup plan in case anything happened to me."

All of us stood as I read the note, dumbfounded. What was Aizen even talking about? Is someone watching him? Inside Konoha? Who would do something like that? And why?

Questions swirled in my head as I thought about the implications of this.

"What the hell is happening?"

Naruto seemed the most confused about us all, probably cause he lived next to the guy.

"I don't know, but let me read the other side first."

After saying that, I flipped the note and continued reading,

"If it has gotten to the point where Choji let you guys in, then I know it's serious. I don't know what happened to me, but if I'm not there, whoever has been watching me has done something to me. If they took me, they can take you too. I suggest you take these notes to Shikamaru's dad and ask him for help. He'll probably know what to do. I didn't go to him cause I couldn't prove my thoughts. Hopefully, this note is never opened, but if it is, cross your fingers and hope for the best. Also, please take care of my cat for me.

Love, Aizen"

We stood in silence, thinking about what we found out.

We only thought something might have happened to Aizen during training or that he was sleeping.

Not kidnapped by some shadowy figure who stalked him for months.

"What do we do now?"

Naruto, in a rare moment, said smartly said

"We should go to your dad, Shikamaru. Even Aizen doesn't know who's following him. Maybe your dad has an idea."

"Yeah, we should go to your dad, Shikamaru. He's smart. Maybe he knows what's going on."

"All right, let's go to my house right now."

We started running to my house. Naruto had no problem running the entire way, but Choji and I were struggling. This was another time when I found my physical shape to be lacking.

We pushed through, though, and quickly made it to my house.

I unlocked the door as we raced in, looking for my dad.

"Hey! Take your shoes off first!"

I paid no attention to my mom and went to my dad's study room.

Without even knocking, we entered the door.

My dad was there, looking at some papers. He looked at me and before admonishing me, saw my state.

Panicked and panting, I spoke first.

"Dad, something has happened to Aizen!"

He donned a serious expression and responded

"Tell me."

Before I could, Naruto shouted out

"Aizen's been kidnapped!"

My dad looked at me for an explanation before I told him what was going on.

"Aizen didn't show up at school today, so we visited his house. Inside, we found these notes that told us that he felt like someone was watching him and that if we couldn't find him that meant something had happened to him. He told us to ask you for help if that was the case."

He frowned after hearing what I said.

"Show me the notes. And stop panicking. Panicking doesn't help with anything. You need to be calm so you can think clearly."

I handed the notes over to my dad before taking a deep breath.

He was right, panicking wasn't solving anything. I needed to be calm.

After reading the notes, his expression only got more solemn.

"Was there any sign of a fight?"

Choji and Naruto shook their heads, but I thought about what I saw. His house was tidy, his door was locked, and everything was in place. His shoes weren't even in the house, implying he never entered. Naruto walked with him yesterday, so that means the only time he could have been taken was from the time he left Naruto's side till the time he got to his door.

Outside his door. I remember there was an imprint in the wood. It was even shaped like a foot.

"There was. Outside his door, there was a small imprint on the wood in the shape of a foot."

"Let's go see."

We went downstairs once again, greeted by my fuming mother.

"Shi-ka-ma-ru. Didn't I tell you not to--"

"It's ok, Yoshino. It was important. We have to go real quick. I'll tell you why later."

After saying that, he went out and said

"Hurry up."

We got to Aizen's house in a hurry, and this time even Naruto was panting from the pacing. My dad still had an even breath, however.

He went up to his door and saw the imprint. Squatting next to it, he inspected it before saying,

"Probably from a Body Flicker. It seems like the weight was too much for the wood."

My dad disappeared before our eyes before going back to his original position.

"My body flicker didn't make an imprint. Shikamaru, come next to me."

I obliged, and my dad proceeded to pick me up.

"Woah, dad, what are you--"

Before I could finish, my surroundings became a blur. I was so dizzy that after my dad put me down, I fell on my butt.

Where my dad stood, however, was another imprint of his shoe.

"So either the person performing the Body Flicker is about sixty pounds heavier than me, or they were carrying somebody. Since Aizen disappeared somewhere from where he parted with Naruto and here, it's safe to assume that Aizen was carried away by a person performing the Body Flicker Jutsu."

After reaching that conjecture, my dad looked at us before saying

"We're going back home. Naruto, you can stay the night with us. Choji you can choose to go back home or stay the night as well."

"Woah wait! What about Aizen? I'm not leaving until we find out what happened, believe it!"

"Yeah, dad. He's our friend. We can't just leave without knowing what's happening with him."

"I get that. But this is above what you guys can handle. Go home, and I'll tell you what I know when I confirm it. No debating this."

Before we could protest more, he picked us all up and our surroundings blurred once more. After blurring for a bit, we were so dizzy that we couldn't even register when we were dropped.

"Yoshino, I have to go to the Hokage's office. Keep these three here until I get back."

"All right, Shikaku. Stay safe, whatever you're doing. Ok?"

"I will."

After he said that, my dad left in a flicker once again.

"Mom, you have to let us go. Please."

"Yeah, Mrs. Nara! You have to let us go with him!"

"Now, boys. Shikamaru's dad has this handled. Just let him take care of it and he'll be back soon, alright?"

"But, Mrs. Nara, we j--"

"I SAID ALL RIGHT?"

..

"Yes, Mrs. Nara." X2

"Yes, mom."

Going to my room, the atmosphere was gloomy and solemn.

"You guys think Aizen is ok?"

None of us knew. Apparently, the person who took him was a real ninja. Aizen was the strongest person in our class, and even he didn't put up a fight.

"Yes, Naruto. Aizen will be ok. He's strong, you know. He can take care of himself."

"Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense."

"I hope he comes back soon."

"Us too, Choji."

...

(Shikaku POV)

The day was going as usual.

I woke up content today, happy even.

My son was thinking about finally becoming stronger.

I knew the day would eventually come. Shikamaru cared about his friends. And if he cared about them, he'd want to protect them.

I was grateful that he had friends he could care for. That was all a person needed in this world, people that would support and love him back.

His group of friends will all do that.

Naruto was exactly like Kushina, caring and energetic.

Choji needed time, but he would come into his own one day as a confident and kind man, just like my dear friend Choza.

Finally, Aizen. The boy was unexpected. To see my son make a friend on the first day of school was a pleasant surprise. And one so dedicated to training.

Even I'm surprised by the extent he goes. Scars littered his body, yet he didn't seem to mind. Other kids his age are still playing ninja, and he's already on his way to becoming a fine one.

He's even inspiring Shikamaru to start training. All of them will grow into fine shinobi for the Leaf Village.

The day continued as usual. Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork.

Sigh, how troublesome.

No matter how much I do it, it never gets better.

I heard the door open, and I assumed that Shikamaru was back, though early.

Usually, he hangs with his friends a bit longer. As I went back to reading my paper, I heard the stomping of three children as they made their way to me.

The stomping became clearer and clearer until, finally, Shikamaru burst into the room with two papers in his hand.

I was about to remind him that he should knock first, but it looked like something was wrong.

"Dad, something happened to Aizen!"

Hmm. Troublesome.

That boy always seemed to be getting into trouble.

Naruto entered right after Shikamaru, and from there the matter only seemed to get more serious.

Kidnapped? Not many would do a thing in Konoha. Not many except for two people.

Admonishing my son for being so flustered, I took the notes and read them.

The handwriting was practiced and decisive. Every stroke was complete.

The contents of the note were much more jarring, however.

Watched it for a long time? Why would anyone monitor him?

Even in this situation, I had to admire the boy's foresight. He'd set up a childish yet elaborate plan in case anything happened to him.

I instructed the boys to take me to his house, and when we did I was sure he was taken.

The floor had the imprint of a foot, meaning that whoever stepped there had a good amount of power in that step.

A power that usually comes with chakra enhancements, like the Body Flicker Technique. Someone needed quick movement, but the Body Flicker Technique usually doesn't leave an imprint since a ninja is too practiced and careful to leave traces.

Not unless they were forced to change their usual output. Hmm.

Aizen was kidnapped, which meant someone had to have taken him. The best way to do it was quick and unexpected. Like when someone was entering their house.

This matter was getting worse and worse. A ninja capable of the Body Flicker Technique, masterful too since the next imprint was far from here.

At least a High Chunin rank.

What was a High Chunin rank ninja, or higher, doing with Aizen?

This needed investigation.

I took the boys back to the house and told Yoshino to keep them there. I didn't want whoever was doing this to take them as well.

I rushed to the Hokage's office to report this.

The secretary let me in right away since I was the Jonin Commander, and I walked straight to Hiruzen's desk.

"Lord Hokage, something has happened."

"Oh? I usually don't see you flustered, Shikaku. Report what happened."

"Yes, Lord Hokage. I have reason to believe that a student at the Academy was kidnapped."

At my findings, Hiruzen took a solemn face, even slightly melancholic.

His student was involved in child kidnappings, after all, I wouldn't be surprised if that was who he thought of first.

"Who is the student?"

"Aizen Sosuke."

"Aizen Sosuke? He's the contender for Year 4's top spot, right?"

"I'm not sure about that, sir. But I've gathered intel that he was taken at the front of his house."

"Kozo."

An Anbu dropped from the ceiling, kneeling to the Hokage.

"Investigate the matter."

"Yes, sir."

The Anbu performed a Body Flicker Technique and disappeared from view.

"Lord Hokage, what should we do about the matter?"

Taking out his pipe, Hiruzen started smoking. He smoked for a while before saying,

"I shall investigate the matter. You may leave now, Shikaku."

"Are you sure you don't want me to assist you, sir? I do know--"

"Yes, I'm quite all right. Don't worry, Shikaku. I'll investigate the matter fully and retrieve Aizen Sosuke. You may leave now."

"...Yes, sir."

I left the office in mild anger. Whenever it came to Danzo, Hiruzen was always too soft-handed. And Danzo was a scourge who took advantage of that.

The only explanation for who would be bold enough to take a kid in Konoha would be Danzo. Hiruzen disbanded his Root, but everyone knew it was still active, just undercover.

Otherwise, we would have received an influx of Jonin in either the Anbu or under my command.

Hiruzen knew it as well, but he chose to turn a blind eye and let it continue to operate in "secret".

I could accept the Root being in operation, but I couldn't agree with its methods nor that it was under Danzo's command.

Too much power and favors were given to that man. Now, he was starting to take children again, as he did with the Yamanaka and Aburme clans.

I could only hope that Hiruzen would probably deal with this.

Sigh.

Now I had to go home without any news for Shikamaru and them.

I need a smoke.

.....

(Hiruzen POV)

Sigh, why did you have to make trouble again, old friend?

"Kato."

An Anbu dropped from my ceiling.

"Summon Danzo here."

"Yes, sir."

Before Kato could come back with Danzo, however, Kozo came back first.

"Kozo, report your findings."

"Yes, Lord Hokage. There were indeed traces of a Body Flicker Technique outside of Aizen Sosuke's home. The distance between the steps also implies that a Jonin-level shinobi was the user of the Body Flicker Technique. I assigned some men to look for Aizen in the Forest of Death, a place we've seen him train in before, however, there are no traces of him. My hypothesis matches the one Jonin Commander Shikaku Nara has provided. Aizen Sosuke was taken by a high-ranking shinobi and his current location is unknown."

"All right. You may go back to your post now, Kozo."

"Yes, sir."

It seems that Danzo was responsible for this. I knew my old friend too well.

Sigh. Why must you make things so difficult for me, Danzo?

A knock came from the outside, before

"Sir, Danzo is here."

"Let him in."

Danzo came in after. He was dressed in his usual outfit and had the same blank face he always had.

"Danzo. Do you know anything about the disappearance of Aizen Sosuke?"

"Aizen Sosuke? I can't say that I do."

"Danzo. I have no time for your games. Were you responsible for kidnapping an academy student?"

"Why would I? I have no use for shinobi anymore. After all, you disbanded my Root organization."

My aura flared.

"Danzo. As the Hokage, I demand you report to me if you took Aizen Sosuke."

He kept his blank expression and said,

"As I've said, Hiruzen. I don't know anything about Aizen Sosuke and his disappearance. Don't try to blame your incompetence on me. You've always been too soft-hearted, allowing everybody free operation and will. Who knows if a shinobi simply took Aizen for their own reasons? If my Root still existed, such a thing would never happen."

"Stop bringing that up, Danzo. You were too impertinent. The Uchiha could have still been peacefully co-existing with us today if you let me diplomatically solve the issue."

"Your 'diplomatic' means failed! The Uchiha were planning a coup d'etat! If not for me doing what was necessary, Konoha would have been besieged by all the Elemental Nations, and we would have perished! Your incompetent means would have led to the doom of Konoha Village."

"That still doesn't justify your means, Danzo. The shadow cannot exist without the light, yet you acted on your own and instructed Itachi to do the unspeakable. Now, we have lost the last Founding Clan of Konoha, and our strength has decreased by more than half. We also had to redistribute ninjas to the police force."

"Hmph, a small price to pay for survival."

"A price that we should have never paid at all."

The shadow to the light and the antithesis of my ideals, it is why I allowed Danzo to keep his political power and undercover Root program. Konoha needed my compromises and Danzo's ruthlessness to flourish, to allow the new generation to inherit the Will of Fire while Danzo protected them in the ground.

"I'll let you pass this time, Danzo. However, if I receive word that any other child has gone missing, I will personally come to execute you for your misdoings. I promise you that as the Hokage of the Leaf Village. As sure as the Sun rises from the East."

"Hmph."

Without another word, Danzo left the room.

Sinking into my chair, I lowered my Hokage hat for young Aizen. Although I wanted to retrieve him, the Village couldn't afford to lose Danzo and his men.

Orochimaru had defected, Jiraiya was conducting research all over the Elemental Nations, and Tsunade had lost herself and become a drunken gambler.

With the loss of the Uchiha as well...

Danzo and I were currently the only Hokage-level shinobi in the Village.

Konoha couldn't afford to lose any more power, lest the other nations start developing ideas on us again.

I'm sorry young Aizen, but your sacrifice is necessary for the greater good.

.....

(Shikamaru POV)

It's been a week since Aizen disappeared.

No matter how much I pestered my dad, he said there was nothing he could do.

The Hokage had personally taken over the case and is searching for Aizen.

But it's been a week with no results. At this point, Naruto, Choji, and I started fearing the worst.

Either we would not find Aizen, or he was already...

Choji took on the duty of taking care of Puma since he had the most food available at his house.

Today was another day of school.

The class was largely unaffected by Aizen's disappearance. Some, like Sakura, wouldn't even notice he was gone if it wasn't for the fact that the seat next to Sasuke's was empty.

Sasuke himself noticed and surprisingly approached me about it.

"Shikamaru."

"Sasuke. This sure is a surprise. What's up?"

"Do you know where Aizen is?"

"...We don't know."

"Don't know?"

"Yeah. It's been about a week, but there's no news on him yet."

"...Ok. Thank you."

The class continued, but I found myself even more disconnected from it than normal. Where did Aizen go? Who has taken him?

No matter who I ask, no one can give me an answer: not my father, not my friends, not even the Hokage.

I thought back to the conversation I had with my dad.

To realize one's dreams, strength was necessary to clear the obstacles ahead first. I didn't know what that meant, until now.

If I was stronger, I would surely be able to find Aizen.

If he could have depended on me more, he would have told me that he was being watched.

If...

But there were no ifs. Aizen was gone, and there was nothing I could do to change that.

Looking over at Choji and Naruto, I couldn't help but think,

What if this happened again?

What if Naruto was next to disappear? Or Choji? Even Lee? Would I just stay on the sidelines again, hoping for my dad or the Hokage to find them?

I didn't like exerting effort, but not at the expense of my friends. For them.... for them, I could afford to try.

When spars began, it eventually reached my turn to battle against Shino. Except, this time, I didn't forfeit right away.

We did the Seal of Conformation, and I raised my hands as if in surrender.

I knew I had no chance to win against Shino. Shino was one of the strongest in the class, right below Aizen and Sasuke.

The only way I could win is if I caught him off-guard.

Shino even started moving forward to do the Seal of Reconciliation, since that was how we've done it for years now.

Before Iruka-sensei called the match, however, I did the Rat seal and said,

"Shadow Possession Jutsu."

Just like that, I caught Shino in my Jutsu, and he was forced to copy my movements. Iruka-sensei on the side had his jaws drop from the fact that I was trying, even most of my classmates, including Naruto and Choji, had their jaws drop as well.

I didn't want to waste time since my chakra was barely enough to hold the Shadow Imitation Jutsu for a minute. I walked forward toward Shino, while Shino walked forward toward me.

I kept walking until I was at the edge of the sparring circle, at this point, however, Shino was outside of it. Since we started in the middle and Shino walked forward in anticipation of my surrender, he had walked closer to the perimeter of the circle.

"Winner is... Shikamaru!"

"Yeahhh! Good job, Shikamaru! You did it!"

Naruto, that idiot, was shouting from the sidelines.

I walked back toward the middle and did the Seal of Reconciliation with Shino, who was mumbling,

"I look forward to battling you again, Shikamaru. Why? Because I want to experience your new-budded resolve once more."

While he was saying that, a couple of insects crawled over his face. Even though I've known the guy for years, he still creeped me out.

"Yeah, I look forward to it too."

I went back to Naruto and Choji under the shocked gazes of my classmates.

I paid them no attention and just sat down on the ground, looking at the clouds.

Is my dream of becoming as carefree as the clouds closer to me now, or further? I couldn't tell.

I suppose only time can tell.

...

4 months have passed since the disappearance of Aizen.

Over these months Naruto, Choji, Lee, and I became more and more worried about Aizen, however, there was nothing we could do.

The Hokage was searching for him, which meant he had teams dedicated to tracking out there, while we were just academy kids.

Today, however, something happened. Something that left a mark on all our hearts.

My dad told me to bring all of Aizen's friends today since he needed to talk to us about something.

So after school, I brought Choji, Naruto, and Lee over to my house.

We knocked on my dad's room and entered. He sat us down and told us about the recent findings of the search.

"As you know, the Hokage has assigned a unit of Anbu specializing in tracking to find Aizen. After four months with no results... the Anbu unit has decided to close Aizen Sosuke's case and declare him dead."

My fists contorted.

"Dead! But they haven't even found a body!"

"That is right! Why would they declare Aizen dead if they in fact have no proof of that?"

Naruto and Choji stayed silent.

"They've searched all over the Village, and questioned any suspects. According to their results, if we take into account the Body Flicker Technique in front of his house, Aizen has been disposed of by either a rogue shinobi or an enemy shinobi."

An enemy ninja? But why were they declaring that if they had no evidence?

"Moving forward, Aizen Sosuke has been officially dead."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I let my fists relax.

Dead.

Aizen was dead.

"He's not dead! Believe it!"

In the looming darkness threatening to engulf us, Naruto appeared to be the light.

"If they didn't even find a body, that means he's not dead! There's still hope! Aizen is out there somewhere, and these 'Anbu' guys are already giving up on him. Well, guess what I'm not buying it! I'll find Aizen on my own! Because he's my friend!"

I looked at Naruto in a daze. That's right since there is no body that meant that there was still hope. He would only be dead if his body was found and the evidence was conclusive.

"No, Naruto. You're not going to find him alone. We'll find him together. He's my friend too."

"And mine." (Choji)

"He is my friend as well." (Lee)

Naruto took a moment to look at us, before popping a grin and saying,

"Then we'll all find him together! Believe it!"

I looked back at my dad. He had a small smirk on while he said

"I'm proud of you guys. You're all going to-- no, you are already displaying the characteristics of great shinobi. But I want to tell you guys something. You are not allowed to start your search for Aizen without officially becoming Chunin, understand? The person who took Aizen is suspected to be Jonin rank. You can be courageous, but don't be idiots. This is out of your league right now. Only when you prove yourself to be Chunin level are you at the minimum requirement to start your search."

Chunin-rank. That seemed so far from us right now. I took a moment to look at my friends.

Choji had his eyes closed as a resolute expression appeared on his face.

Lee had shining eyes as a firm bearing emerged.

Naruto had his fists clenched as a serious expression took over him. This was the first time I'd seen him so serious.

As for me, I wondered what expression I had.

I knew what I felt, though.

I could do it.

For Aizen.

Time moves on, and soon years passed in the blink of an eye.

..............

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