Chapter 66

Naruto sighed as he lay on the chair in nothing but knee-length shorts and sunglasses on. "This is what I call a holiday."

He and Temari had been here for three days now, and all had been quiet. Initially, he had been apprehensive that he would be recognized. Resort or not, ninja are present everywhere. In that case, he and Temari were carrying false identification cards. They had even taken off their wedding rings. But the civilians living in tea country were not aware of his identity, assuring him anonymity.

To the people of the resort, they were just a couple here to have fun.

The past three days were admittedly the most peaceful days he had ever spent with his wife. He and Temari were taking full advantage of all the facilities the resort had to offer: massage, hot springs, a top-notch bar and restaurant. Not only that, but there were outdoor sports as well. Naruto particularly enjoyed scuba diving, while Temari's favorite sport turned out to be couple boating.

Best. Holiday. Ever.

He turned his head to see Temari standing over at the bar, getting some drinks for both of them. He sighed in annoyance when he saw a couple of guys walking up to her, trying their best to act charming. The worst part about pretending to be a non-married couple was that both of them were getting hit upon. Temari already had had a number of guys try and talk their way into her panties. Some were easy to brush off, but the ones who couldn't take a hint were straight-up threatened by her.

Yes, his wife was sexy and beautiful. But a person would have to be stupid not to take a hint when the girl says she's here with her boyfriend.

He himself was the target of many appreciative stares from the female population of the resort. But they were smart enough to back off when they saw him with Temari, hand in hand.

Suddenly feeling himself in a shadow, he opened his eyes to see a guy sneering at him. "Hey, blondie! I'm talking to you!"

He sat up and removed his sunglasses, looking up with a frown. "How can I help you?"

"You the boyfriend of the hot chick at the bar?"

He lazily turned his head to see Temari at the bar, sipping her drink with a smirk. Upon making eye contact, she winked at him.

Cheeky minx.

He turned back to the brown-haired guy. "Yep, that's me."

The guy gave him a nasty look, scanning him from top to bottom. "I don't know what she sees in you, loser."

Wow, it's been a long time since he heard someone calling him that. Besides, this guy had to be blind not to notice all his muscles. Sure, he wasn't fat by any means, but he wasn't slim either. Naruto on the other hand, was all muscle. Seriously, single-digit body fat.

He stood up, only to discover that he was shorter compared to the guy. He stood at five feet ten inches, while the other guy probably stood at six feet two or something.

"You better break up with the chick, or else…." He left it at that to sound threatening.

He decided to humor him. "Or else what?"

"Or I break all the bones in your body. You don't deserve a girl like her."

This was the first time in this resort that he had to defend his position as Temari's chosen. Usually, the guys backed off from Temari because she could be quite threatening when she put in the effort. This one seemed different. He guessed that the guy made small talk with Temari, who pointed Naruto out as her boyfriend, a hint to not hit on her. The guy politely excused himself from her and came to threaten him. Probably thought it increased his chances of getting her into his bed for the night.

So immature.

The first statement was almost laughable. He was an SS-rank nin; the designation literally meant "run away from this guy or he would eat you for dinner."

The second one caused the laughter from the first statement to fade away. Who was this guy to decide whether he deserved Temari or not?

She was already his.

His arm shot out like lightning, the protruding middle finger hitting the point just below the sternum. The guy instantly crumbled, falling to the ground and whacking out harsh coughs. Naruto knelt down and grabbed the guy's chin, forcing him to look at him.

"That's not gonna happen, boy. You just aren't man enough for her."

With that, he left the guy moaning in pain and walked up to Temari. "Any particular reason you sent him to me?"

Temari smirked and wrapped her free arm around his neck, pressing herself into him. His hands went to her naked waist, and he smirked as she whispered in his ear. "Your possessiveness over me….it's a turn on."

His smirk never left his face as he separated from her and returned to his seat. He saw the guy who he beat up still on the ground, moaning in pain and pointing a finger at him, spitting curses. He almost thought that the guy would call for his daddy.

"You still bitching about? Get outta here!"

Slowly, the guy got up and limped away, throwing a fearful look in his direction. Naruto just put on his sunglasses and leaned back in his chair, hands resting behind his head.

This holiday was a great idea.

XXXXXXX

Shikamaru's eyes were burning with tears as he hopped over the trees, Asuma's dead body slung over his shoulders. The mission was an absolute failure.

His team had found the two Akatsuki members, Hidan and Kakuzu, exiting a bounty station. Hidan, they had discovered, was a sort of immortal. Conventional means of killing him didn't work on him. It only got worse when he revealed his abilities: linking himself to a target through a blood ritual and inflicting injuries on himself. Only, those injuries were transferred over to the person whose blood was used in the ritual. Hidan's immortality saved him from any fatal wounds, while his target had no such protection.

He had figured that out just in the nick of time to save Asuma, who then cut off Hidan's head. Imagine their surprise when Hidan was still alive! Even chopping off the guy's head didn't work!

It only got worse after his partner got involved. Kakuzu was a dangerous nin of unknown capabilities, who seemed to have millions of threads inside his body, which he used to attach Hidan's head back to his body. Izumo and Kotetsu engaged him, but he easily incapacitated them.

Shikamaru had been almost entirely exhausted from using his shadow sewing technique, and was therefore, unable to stop Hidan from stepping back into the circle and completing his ritual.

He fatally stabbed himself in the heart, and Asuma took the whole brunt of it. End result, Asuma had died and they had barely escaped with their lives.

Ino had tried to save him, but their sensei had sustained too many stab wounds, too many injuries. Nothing short of a miracle could save him, and Tsunade was in Konoha. Asuma bled out in front of their eyes.

It took their party a few more hours of tree hopping to arrive in Konoha, and Shikamaru reluctantly handed over Asuma's body to Chouji and Ino, telling them to take it to the hospital. He needed to report to the Hokage.

He entered her office, and he was sure that had it not been for protocol, he wouldn't have needed to say anything. His eyes were telling everything.

"I've come to report that the mission….was a failure, Hokage-sama."

XXXXXXX

Naruto and Temari were just lazing around in their bed. He was tired from their lovemaking, which had lasted for more than an hour, and was just planting kisses alongside Temari's breasts and neck. He breathed in the scent of her and found himself getting aroused once more. Temari must have noticed it for she groaned.

"Kami, you still aren't tired?"

Naruto smirked as he advanced and engaged her in a short, sensual make-out session. Breaking away, he said. "Hard to be when you're naked in my arms."

Temari smiled and just as they were about to engage in another round, a buzzing sound caught their ears. Naruto went death still as he heard it, and in the next moment he was out of the bed and over to his pad, not caring if he was naked.

He opened up his pad and rapidly scanned the message from Tsunade. Temari sat up, holding the covers to her chest and asked with concern. "What's wrong?"

Naruto put down the tab. "We need to get back to the village."

Hearing the grave note in his voice, her heartbeat quickened. "Is something wrong?"

"…Asuma is dead."

XXXXXXX

It took them no more than ten minutes to pack and check out. Once they were outside, Naruto reached out and sensed the tag in his home. It was a bit of a tedious process, considering the number of places he had marked during his training with Jiraiya. Once the tag was firmly pictured in his mind, they flashed away.

It only took them five more minutes to change into their uniforms before Naruto flashed them away to the outside of the Hokage's office. He knocked and once they received permission to enter, he almost threw the door open and walked in. Seeing the ashen faces of Shizune and Tsunade only confirmed the authenticity of the message.

"We got your message," he nodded to Tsunade.

The blonde healer took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "You made good time. I got the news only an hour earlier."

"Was it the Akatsuki?"

The silence was all the answer he needed. Naruto turned his head away, unable to look Tsunade in the eye. If only he had been on that mission….

"It's not your fault Naruto."

His head snapped back to face Temari, who was looking somber. She shook her head. "We couldn't have known that this would happen."

It was an explanation that was hard to accept, but it was true. There was no way Naruto could have known that someone was gonna die on this mission. S-rank missions were no joke, because they carried a 90% risk of death. Which was why they were only given to the most skilled of shinobi. Asuma's team was comprised wholly of chunin, so the fact that they made it out alive was more shocking than anything. Sure, Asuma was A-rank, but even an A-rank would struggle against an S-rank nin. The latter was a whole another league of danger.

Oh kami, jiji….

The old man must have been devastated by the news. His relationship with his son was already strained, but now he had no chance to make it up. The pit of despair he must have fallen into…

"I need to go," he excused himself and flashed away, not waiting to hear Tsunade's dismissal.

He appeared right outside the Sarutobi clan compound and hurried inside. The atmosphere was already sad and saturated with grief, but Naruto tried his best to ignore it as he reached the former Hokage's house. He almost tore the doors open in his hurry to get inside, but stopped in his tracks at the sight in front of him.

Jiji was crying.

Never before had he seen his pseudo-grandfather cry. The loss of his estranged son had, without doubt, crushed him like nothing had ever before. He just walked up to him and stood beside him in silence. He didn't know the pain of losing one's child, but it had to be something absolutely unbearable. Something that would crush the will of a person to live into nothing. Jiji had already outlived his wife, but to outlive his own son? With whom he had been working to fix his relationship?

Naruto wished he had some way to ease off the pain from jiji's shoulders.

"The pain I felt when Biwako passed away…..it still remains with me, to this day," he whispered, eyes fixed on the portrait of his family. "I have learned to put it behind me, but Asuma…" his voice cracked up, "he was my son. Estranged or not, he was my child. The little boy who I brought up with my own hands."

The pain in his voice was so…raw, Naruto couldn't help but shed a tear of his own. It pained him to see jiji suffering such a loss. "I thought I had seen it all, the pain the world has to offer. But life once again proved me wrong.

"Losing your child is the worst pain anyone can go through."

Naruto didn't have a child, but the pain in jiji's voice told him that it was the absolute truth. He closed his eyes and vowed to himself; he would do his utmost to keep all of his family, present and future, safe or die trying.

He almost missed jiji's next words. "Parents put their child's needs before their own. We feel responsible for their well-being. Losing a child doesn't just mean losing a person we loved. It means," he took a shuddering breath, "losing the years of promise we looked forward to."

Naruto wondered whether jiji would ever recover from this ordeal. There's only so much grief a man can take before his mind snaps. The village had taken too much from him: his unwavering loyalty, his wife, his successor, his prodigious student and now his son.

Shinobi were always prepared to face death, but that didn't mean it was easy to deal with.

He took a deep breath. "I appreciate your presence Naruto, but I need some time to myself. Please…leave me alone."

Without saying anything, Naruto turned and walked away. Or would have, had the person in front of him not stopped him. Konohamaru had grown up, no longer the little shit with a missing tooth and ridiculous helmet. He looked like a proud shinobi of Konoha.

A shinobi who was broken.

Tears were streaming down his cheeks in an unstoppable flow. His eyes were full of grief and sorrow. Naruto felt a little guilty for coming here. Ever since his return, he hadn't met Konohamaru once. The first time he meets him is at his uncle's death.

"Konohamaru-"

He couldn't finish because the young Sarutobi crashed into his gut, arms wrapped tight around him and bawling his eyes out. He couldn't help but feel sympathy for the young genin.

"H-H-He's dead ni-chan!"

Naruto just rubbed his hand in Konohamaru's hair, truly feeling bad for what happened to the genin. He coaxed himself out of the embrace and knelt down. "I know Konohamaru. And while I wasn't that as close to him as I am to your grandfather, I knew that he was a good man, with good intentions in his heart. Death is a part of our life, and it is a harsh reality that we sometimes tend to forget."

He squeezed his shoulders. "I understand that you are in pain, Konohamaru. We are in the middle of a war now, and time is a precious resource. There isn't much we have, but what we do, use it wisely. Now is the time to mourn. Be with your grandfather." He wiped the tears away with his thumbs. "Right now, he is much more vulnerable than you realize. He needs strength from you, just as you need strength from him."

With that, he stood up and walked out.

XXXXXXX

The funeral was held two days later. Naruto and Temari were standing in line with the rest of the jonin. He made sure to be standing close to Konohamaru and hold his hand; the poor boy couldn't seem to stop crying. Naruto didn't fault him; Konohamaru was closer to Asuma than Hiruzen was, and must have spent a lot of time with him.

It was a bit of a surprise to see that quite a lot of shinobi were affected by Asuma's death. Gai was crying, and for the first time, Naruto saw Kakashi looking genuinely sad. While he had always seen him acting quite aloof and distanced with the other jonin, he didn't know that Kakashi genuinely liked the bearded jonin as a friend. A valued comrade sure, but not as a close friend.

But of all the people, the one most affected seemed to be Kurenai.

She's a widow now. A woman with a child who would never see their father.

Naruto held no love for the female jonin, but it was hard not to feel bad for her. With Asuma she wanted to start a new chapter of her life, to explore parenthood. Now, that chance was gone. He could see jiji trying to be strong as he stood next to Kurenai. But he could tell that the old man was barely keeping himself from breaking down. He remembered a conversation with him from years ago.

"If there is one thing that I hate the most, it is going to the cemetery. It always reminds me of how I failed to protect my people."

XXXXXXX

Shikamaru was still standing at the grave while everyone else had left. He couldn't bring himself to leave.

Just a little more.

"It's getting dark. You should be going home."

Shikamaru knew the speaker even before he turned around. Naruto was standing there with a concerned frown on his face. "I could say the same to you."

"Can't a friend be worried about his friend?"

Shikamaru felt irritation bubbling from within. He just wasn't in the mood to deal with anybody right now. "Leave me alone Naruto."

He sincerely hoped the blonde would listen to him and wouldn't pester him about why he shouldn't be alone right now. So he was quite relieved when the sound of Naruto's footsteps began fading away. Peace was what he needed right now, but there was something nagging in the back of his mind.

It came out later, when he was playing against his father. He thrashed the board and shouted meaningless things at his father, who just stayed quiet and listened. When he was finally done, his father got up and said only one thing.

"Let it all out."

The four words were enough to make him stumble back in shock, but his father's expression didn't change. "Let out all the sadness, fear and anger that's building up inside of you."

His voice carried the weight of years of wisdom gained through pain. "That's the first step."

With that, he left Shikamaru to his thoughts. A small part of him wished that he hadn't, because his thoughts were in a turmoil so thick it seemed impossible to get out of. He was forced to confront them, and see the weight of his failure.

Asuma died because I was weak. If I was just a little stronger, a little more faster…..I could have saved him.

There were pieces of shogi littered all around the room. For the first time in his life, Shikamaru felt angry at the game he so liked to play. No, he felt outraged. Exercising the mind was what the Nara believed in, and they practiced what they preached. Most of the day, Shikamaru would just spend lazing around, or sitting and playing shogi with Asuma.

He felt regret, and it was crushing. If he had just put a little more effort into his training….

He didn't know how many hours he spent crying, but when the tears had dried up, his brain kicked itself into gear.

He picked up the scattered pieces, and set to work.

XXXXXXX

The week following the funeral was uneventful, and Shikamaru was glad for it. He hadn't spent even one moment lazing around, and was rather proud of it. Moving past the grief of Asuma's death was difficult, and he was working his way through it.

He needed to find the peace that was once in his soul. And it was impossible to do so, when Hidan was still out there.

He met up with Chouji and Ino, and they had all agreed to do it. It was unanimous. Asuma was like a father to them, and they would be damned if they let their father's killer live. Hidan was going to wish he wasn't immortal after Shikamaru was done with him.

They met up quite early in the morning, at the gates. He didn't find an ounce of sleep on any of the faces, only fierce determination.

Ino smirked confidently at him. "You ready to go?"

Shikamaru flipped the lighter shut. "Let's go."

"HOLD IT!"

The commanding voice instantly had them froze on the spot. All of them turned to face Tsunade, who curiously wasn't looking vehemently furious at the fact that three of her shinobi were leaving the village without permission. "Where do you think you're going?"

Shikamaru decided to take this one. He had to choose his words carefully, or risk invoking the Hokage's wrath. "Your orders are still in effect. We regrouped with different Team members and are going to continue our mission."

Even in the dark of the early morning, Tsunade's eyes seem to flash. "I won't tolerate selfishness! Do you take me for an idiot, Shikamaru? You go on a mission when I give you the go."

Her voice was akin to the growl of a lioness at the end of her statement. Shikamaru knew the risks when they had decided to leave without telling Tsunade. He knew that there was a very small chance that he would be sent on a mission where he would encounter Hidan and Kakuzu again.

It was the reason why Team 10 had collectively decided to go behind her back. Tsunade walked towards them, the sound of her heels clicking almost seeming to echo. "Shikamaru, I'll add you to a platoon I've organized personally. Once we've come up with a sound plan, you have my word that you will be deployed."

Translation: Get your ass back to your home. We'll discuss the consequences of your actions later.

But Shikamaru wasn't going to change his stance on this. "Just send them as back up later. I've already got a plan worked out for the three of us."

"ENOUGH!"

Chouji and Ino audibly flinched behind him at the sudden reprimand. "As hard it is to come to terms with, Asuma is dead. It's just the three of you now!"

Shikamaru shook his head. He refused to accept that just yet. "Asuma is still with us."

Tsunade's question held a note of incredulity. "You're putting revenge before your common sense? Do you understand what you're doing? You'll be throwing your life away, along with the rest of your Team's!"

Shikamaru closed his eyes. It had occurred to him. "We aren't stupid enough to go out there planning to die."

"That's exactly what it looks like to me."

All four faces turned upwards, catching the figure sitting on top of the gates. In the darkness it was hard to see, but the voice was unmistakable.

Naruto pushed himself of the gate and landed on the ground with a soft tap. He stood up and walked towards them. "Naruto?"

Naruto kept walking until he was right in front of him. "You might have a plan, but keep in mind that you're going against two S-ranks."

Shikamaru grit his teeth. "I know that."

Naruto's blue eyes held nothing but mock in them, and it irritated Shikamaru. "Really? Let me get this straight. Three Konoha ninja," he started walking around them, "who collectively, just barely touch B-rank, are going to take on not one, but two S-ranks, and hoping to win."

He completed his circle, stopping before Shikamaru once more. "Sounds like a load of bullshit."

"This isn't any of your business, Naruto," Shikamaru returned with narrowed eyes.

"It becomes my business when my comrades get hyped up on adrenaline and emotions and decide to go and get themselves killed."

Naruto leaned forward until he was in Shikamaru's face. "Look into my eyes, and tell me this isn't about sentiment. That your primary goal is to eliminate two Akatsuki members and nothing else. Look into my eyes, and tell me, that you will win with absolute certainty."

Shikamaru stayed quiet, because he knew that Naruto would pick up his lie immediately. He kept staring into the blonde's eyes until Naruto backed off. "I thought so."

Naruto walked towards Tsunade, but his words were still aimed at Shikamaru. "It was only less than two weeks ago, that I showed you the difference between us. The difference between a barely B-rank Team, and an S-rank opponent."

He whirled around. "Don't tell me you've forgotten."

"I haven't."

"Doesn't look like it."

"It is."

A muscle jumped in Naruto's jaw. "You're angry, Shikamaru. You want to get revenge. But do you know what hurts me the most about this situation?"

"…what?"

"That I saw the same thing happening three years ago."

A shiver coursed through Shikamaru at the reminder of what Naruto was saying. "I saw a friend get angry, and leave the village to get revenge. He left, because the village wouldn't give him a chance at what he so desperately wanted."

Shikamaru sensed Ino's hesitancy when she spoke. "Shikamaru, is he….."

He cut her off with a nod.

Azure eyes became sad as they stared into his own. "I can't help but notice the similarities."

Shikamaru took a deep breath and let it go. "This may look similar to you, Naruto, but I assure you it isn't. Yes, I'm out for revenge. But my mind isn't clouded with hatred. I haven't lost myself in the lust of power. I haven't lost any trust with my Hokage and in my village. I haven't severed any of my bonds. It's just that," he let out a sigh, "that if I don't do this, I won't be able to live with myself. This goes for all of my Team."

Naruto stared at him with an indifferent gaze, not giving out any hints to what he was thinking. It was at this time Tsunade reinserted herself into the conversation. "That may be so, but I still can't allow you to leave. Platoons are organized in a group of four-man cells, and you are only three."

"I'll go."

Shikamaru blinked in surprise. Did he hear that right?

Naruto turned to look at Tsunade, who looked just as surprised as him. "Naruto, what are you-"

"I'll serve as the temporary captain of Team 10." Naruto nodded towards him and his Team. "Look at their faces. They aren't gonna back down from this. Might as well assign me as their captain, so I can keep an eye on them." The last part of the statement was something of a grumble, but it sounded like 'keep them from doing anything stupid.'

Tsunade turned to look at his Team, and her shoulders sagged just a little. Naruto's words rang true, and she finally admitted defeat with an audible sigh. "Fine. Do what you want!"

Shikamaru allowed himself a small smile, while Chouji and Ino outright cheered. But there was still one thing. "Naruto, are you sure about this?"

Naruto closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Trust me, if I were Jiraiya I would have dragged the lot of you back into the village by your ears for cheering like that. S-ranks are no picnic."

"No, I mean, you are what they are looking for."

But the blonde just gave a small, nonchalant shrug. "That's true. But just because I'm basically coming right at them, doesn't mean I'll make it easy for them. Besides," his eyes gained a hungry glint, "I've got a new jutsu. I need some test subjects."

Shikamaru almost felt bad for the missing-nin. They didn't know what was coming to them.

Naruto turned to Tsunade and muttered low enough that Shikamaru couldn't hear him. "Send Team 7 as back up in approximately….. twenty-four hours."

XXXXXXX

In the cave of the Gedo Mazo, eight figures, or rather holograms of those figures could be seen standing on the fingers of the statue.

The statue itself was grotesque and eerie, with its mouth open and palms facing upwards, as if stuck in eternal hunger. Wooden spike-like protrusions made up most of its back. The statue had nine eyes, four of which had irises and the others not. There was simply white sclera, with red blood vessels covering most of it. Currently, the eight members of the Akatsuki were busy siphoning off the chakra of Nibi no Nekomata from its jinchuriki, Nii Yugito.

Yugito was levitating in the air, red chakra coming out of her eyes and mouth, going into the mouth of the statue. Every now and then, she would make choking noises as if in pain. For her, it seemed never-ending. For the Akatsuki, it was simply another milestone. Just another bijuu collected and "rightfully" placed back into the Demonic statue.

The statue finally finished sucking out all the demonic chakra. It seemed that it was under the statue's force that Yugito was levitating, for as soon as the siphoning was complete, she fell hard onto the ground.

No one paid attention to that.

An iris appeared in a swirl in one of the eyes, making it a total of five open eyes. The leader of the Akatsuki opened his eyes. Strange eyes they were, and he was the only one to possess such a pair. They were no sclera; they were purple with concentric rings converging to the center. They were strange in appearance, but no one in the Akatsuki denied that those eyes held unfathomable power. When he spoke, his voice echoed with command.

"The sealing of the Nibi is complete. Only four remain. Dismissed."

Hidan groaned in relief. "Oh finally!"

"Time to head to Konoha, Hidan."

Zetsu, the plant-like creature and the resident spy of the Akatsuki, turned in their direction. It was the black half that spoke, in a throaty rasp. "Did you say Konoha?"

"Yes."

"A word of warning then. Konoha's jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto…..you are likely to cross paths. He's the guy who killed Deidara. Take caution around him. He's SS-rank for good reason."

Hidan scoffed. "His rank won't save him when I put him through my ritual!"

"That's if you don't get your head cut off," Kakuzu muttered sardonically.

"Oi Kakuzu! Who's side are you on you fucking shitbag?! We're supposed to be partners! Why the fuck are you always-"

"Enough! Let's go Hidan."

With that Kakuzu dismissed himself, Hidan following with an indignant scoff.

The figure of Tobi closely observed the conversation. No one noticed it, but Tobi never spoke up during the two nin's conversation, never said anything stupid like he always did.

The sharingan in his eye was hidden by the quality of the holograms and his mask.

So they're going after Naruto…it will be interesting to see what comes of their battle.

XXXXXXX

Both of them opened their eyes and got up, stretching to work out the kinks from sitting in the same position for three days. "Fuck, sitting for a long time sucks. Time to let loose."

He then saw Kakuzu walking in what he assumed was the wrong direction. "Oi Kakuzu! Where the fuck are you going? Exchange point is the other way!"

His partner turned around and glared. "Are you brain dead or what?"

"The fuck did you say?!"

"Our target is the jinchuriki. Just because we said we'd be back doesn't mean we're required to waltz right into an ambush. We'll simply take a different route to Konoha."

Hidan just stared at him, silently asking him to explain. Kakuzu's voice dipped low. "It's been three days. The bounty is most likely in Konoha by now."

Hidan's mouth opened in realization and he smirked. "Right then. Let's go."