45. Bloodline Executions

"Shikamaru-san, this is convenient. I was hoping to speak with you." Haku stated. "My apologies for disturbing your sleep, but I have a very important question to ask you."

"Hmm?" Shikamaru gave Haku a confused look. The Nara noticed the serious tone in Haku's voice and made the mental effort to become more awake.

"I have a very important mission and I would like you to be part of my team." Haku requested.

After briefly talking to Haku and giving his consent, Shikamaru quickly prepared himself for a new mission. He gathered all of his weapons and packed any essentials needed for travel. He then, after briefly saying goodbye to his team, went out of the inn and rushed to the entrance of the village. Upon arrival, he was greeted by Haku, who was standing in front of a group of three shinobi. One of the shinobi was

"Shikamaru-san, thank you for arriving so quickly." Haku commented. He then pointed to the other shinobi behind him. "This is the rest of our team: Hōzuki Suigetsu, Uzumaki Honoka, and Kiri."

"Yo." Suigetsu waved, greeting the Konoha shinobi.

"Hello." Honoka greeted politely. "You are Naruto's and Hinata's teammate, right? It's nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. I have heard a lot of good things about you." Shikamaru greeted her.

He then turned his attention to the third shinobi – a boy that looked a couple of years older than him with short, spiky black hair. He wore very standard clothing; a Kirigakure flak jacket over a black full body suit and had pin-striped leg and arm guards. He had the Kirigakure forehead protector directly below his head. His most interesting characteristic, however, were his eyes. He had very sharp black eyes that seemed to have a lot of anger within them.

"Kiri, right?" Shikamaru questioned the third teammate, making sure he heard the name Haku gave him correctly. "Like the village?"

"Yes. My parents named me after the village." The shinobi, Kiri, nodded in affirmation. "It is a pleasure to work with you, Shikamaru-san. Although I know Haku-san would have preferred to Sugita-sempai instead of me, I hope to be of some use during the mission."

"I wanted you on this mission, Kiri-kun. Do not doubt yourself." Haku stated bluntly.

'Kun?' Shikamaru noticed the honorific the boy gave to Kiri.

"Whatever." Kiri grumbled, putting his hands in his pockets. "No need to console me. I can get the mission done. Just let me know what to do."

Haku sighed in response before turning his attention to the entrance to the village.

"I only briefly explained this when I told you, Shikamaru-san and Kiri, about this, so allow me to go into more detail. The village of Chishio, just east of Kibō, is apparently going to be executing five people that have been identified to have kekkei genkai." He stated. "Our mission will be to infiltrate the village and rescue the people."

"Also to slaughter all of the executioners." Suigetsu snarled, the very topic of the mission infuriating him. The boy instinctively reached for the katana that was on his back.

"No, Suigetsu." Haku shook his head. "If we need to engage in combat, then fine. But our priority is to get the people out. No exceptions."

"Tsk." The Hōzuki scoffed. "I suppose. But I swear, those assholes will pay for what they are doing to them."

"I don't care if we end up having to kill them or not. In the end, they'll get their comeuppance once we win the civil war. At the moment, though, we just need to make sure we get those innocent people out of there." Honoka mentioned. She, like Suigetsu, seemed equally angry at the mention of the mission's details.

"That is correct." Haku nodded his head. "If we continue at a decent pace, we will arrive at Chishio by sunset. We'll stay at an inn there and pose as civilians entering the village to watch the execution. The next morning, we'll begin our search for the people. We need to be careful, though. We cannot alert Yagura's troops that we are there. If they suspect that rebels are in the village, they'll execute the people in private. We need them to be unaware as we search for them. Is that understood?"

Shikamaru, Suigetsu, Honoka, and Kiri nodded in understanding. Seeing their approval, Haku then turned his attention towards the entrance to the village.

"We need to get moving then." He ordered. "Keep up with me. It's going to be a long day."

The group of five shinobi proceeded to leave the village, heading in the direction of Chishio. Their mission was now underway.

"So Shikamaru went off on a mission with that Haku guy?" Naruto asked in between bites of his omelet.

The blonde had met Hinata, Anko, and Dosu for breakfast that morning. He had expected to find everybody at the diner, but he learned from his former-sensei that Shikamaru had been given a mission.

"Yup. It's the mission that they talked about at the meeting yesterday." Anko commented as she took a sip from her cup of water.

"It's not going to be too dangerous of a mission, is it?" Hinata asked with a frown.

"Shikamaru will be fine. He was chosen for a reason, no doubt. I have no doubt that they'll make it back safely." Anko shrugged in response. She then looked to her fellow kunoichi. "You can't let yourself worry anytime one of your teammates goes on a mission. If that's the case, you'll just stress yourself out every time somebody goes out on a mission. And that is definitely not a good attitude to have."

"I know, I know." The Hyūga sighed in response. "Still can't help myself. Shikamaru-kun's my friend."

"Hey, Shikamaru's resourceful. You know that." Naruto informed her. He placed his right hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "He'll be fine."

"... Yeah." Hinata nodded in response. For some reason, Naruto's words helped her feel more comfortable. She smiled back at the blonde. "Thank you."

Their interaction earned a snort from Anko. The two chūnin turned their head towards the jōnin, who was now grinning at them.

"You two are so fucking cute that it's almost sickening. And I actually like sweet and sappy shit, so that's saying something." She told them with a snicker.

Both Naruto's and Hinata's faces brightened in color.

"W-What did we do that was sappy?" Naruto questioned the jōnin frantically.

"Just by being you two! You're so goddamn cute!" Anko nearly squealed.

"Sh-Shut up! What does that even mean?" Naruto replied, his blush seemingly brightening.

In truth, the two weren't doing anything special. Hell, they were acting like they did prior to their confessional from the day before. Still, Anko had no intention of letting any second go to waste. They were too easy to tease and Anko enjoyed every second of their embarrassment. The jōnin had plenty of material and jokes planned that she would make her former students 'suffer' for quite some time, much to their chagrin.

"Is this going to be a thing now? Where you just start making stupid comments like that about us?" Naruto mumbled to himself.

"Most likely, yes. I'd get used to it if I were you two." Dosu suggested.

A few more minutes passed by at breakfast as Anko proceeded to continue to tease Naruto and Hinata about their newly formed relationship, much to their embarrassment and Dosu's amusement. After a period of time, though, they had finished their meals and the group was now starting to leave.

"So what's your plans for the day?" Naruto asked the group. "Ero-sennin said he wants me to train with him until the day of the invasion. Says he has a lot of stuff I need to work on."

"I am going to be training as well. Misora-san has agreed to spar with me each day. She also mentioned something about introducing me to a few shinobi here that I could learn a few things from." Dosu stated.

"Since Kakashi is here, I think I'm going to ask him if he wants to have a training session with me. He's probably one of the best people to train with if you want to improve. Dude knows his shit if you can keep up with him." Anko commented. "If he's not available, I'll go to Zabuza. And if he's not available, I'll just train by myself. I got some shit I need to get done with my own jutsus."

"I, er, was planning to do some independent training today." Hinata admitted with a sigh. "I haven't really been doing anything with my water element other than Water Style: Gunshot, so I'd like to do some training and get better with it."

"Do you want a jutsu scroll or something Hinata?" Anko questioned. "I got some shit I could maybe give you if you're interested."

The Hyūga heiress shook her head: "Maybe later, but for now, I want to do some experimentation myself."

"Eh, suits yourself." The jōnin shrugged. She opened her mouth to say something but then noticed Kakashi walking through the streets of Kibō, openly reading the book, 'Icha Icha Violence', with no shame. She proceeded to start walking in his direction. "Well, there's the dude I was looking for. I'll see you guys later. Get some good training in!"

With Anko gone, Dosu promptly dismissed himself before heading to meet Misora. Naruto and Hinata were left alone for a moment.

"Guess I should get going too, then. Ero-sennin won't be happy if I keep him waiting for too long." Naruto commented with a sigh.

"That's fine. Get your training done!" Hinata encouraged him. She then brought him in, hugging him tightly. "Good luck today, okay?"

"Heh." Naruto smiled back as he returned her hug. "You as well!"

After a few seconds, the two chūnin proceeded to break their hug and start walking in opposite directions. A few seconds into their walk, Naruto quickly turned his head back to the kunoichi.

"Oi, Hinata!" He called out to her. Hinata stopped walking and turned her attention back to Naruto. "Let's try and get dinner again tonight. That was fun last night!" A grin then developed on his face. "Anyway, good luck at training again. Let's also see if we can squeeze in a spar session sometime soon."

"Dinner sounds great." Hinata nodded her head in approval. A grin of her own developed on her face as she gave Naruto a thumbs-up gesture. "And yes. Let's try and spar tomorrow maybe?"

With that suggestion, the two chūnin walked their separate ways again. Both were anxious to start training again. They were also equally excited to meet up with each other later that night and to have a sparring session the next day.

"Ah!" Naruto hissed as his balloon popped.

The blonde had been working with balloons for the past two hours. Although the blonde had reached success in the first steps of the Rasengan relatively quickly, the last step was taking a lot longer than he would have liked.

While the first two steps revolved around rotation and power respectively, the third step was focused on balance and stability. Chakra control was necessary, which was one of Naruto's primary weaknesses as a shinobi.

"You're getting closer, Naruto, but you need to keep working on it." Jiraiya instructed him sharply. "If you can't get this jutsu down, then I will revoke my permission to Mei and prevent you from fighting Yagura."

"What?" Naruto nearly demanded.

"You heard me." The Sannin replied seriously. "If you can't manage this final step in the jutsu, then how do you hope to have the skill to defeat the Yondaime Mizukage? If you can't learn this jutsu, then I simply will know you have a long way to go before you are ready to take on somebody like him, regardless of any back-up you may have."

"But… but…" Naruto shook his head in frustration.

"He has a fair point, you know. To be honest, I'm surprised you are getting permission from him in the first place. Not that you need somebody's permission to fight somebody." The Kyūbi spoke within Naruto's head with a snarl. "Doesn't change his point, though. You need to be strong if you want to face off against this man. While I may be stronger than Isobu, that is no guarantee that you'd be tougher than his jinchūriki."

Naruto, again, shook his head in response: 'I am tough enough. I will be fighting against him and I will be the one to break him out of that genjutsu!'

"Then prove it. Actually focus on your training!" The fox demanded.

'I am!' Naruto shouted back. 'I'm not going to get anywhere arguing with you, though, so shut up and let me focus!'

Recalling the words of advice Han had told him about the benefits of meditation and keeping your emotions in check, Naruto quickly brought his hands together and closed his eyes. The boy then proceeded to take a seat on the ground. He tried to push away all concerning emotions out of his head – his desire (and failure) to learn the Rasengan, his desire to fight against Yagura and free him of his genjutsu, his anger at the thought of being denied the change to fight him, and his rage at the man who was responsible for the genjutsu.

Han had always told him that being at peace was the secret to discovering what you were capable of. He said it was important to be aware of his emotions and desire, but to be able to push them aside when necessary if they were proving to be distractions to improvement. Naruto's mind, always running rampant with thoughts, used these concepts as distractions. The Uzumaki took Han's advice to heart and tried to calm himself down in an attempt to find that peace.

"Are you meditating?" Jiraiya gave the boy a surprised look. "You didn't strike me as the type."

Naruto did not respond, prompting Jiraiya to remain quiet and let the boy meditate. The only sound heard in the area was Naruto's breathing. After thirty minutes of meditation, Naruto opened his eyes and proceeded to stand-up. He then grabbed another balloon and went back to training.

'Focus on the task. Don't think about anything else.' Naruto told himself. 'Focus on chakra control!'

With that in mind, Naruto began to pump his chakra into the balloon and start spinning it inside the balloon. The boy stared intently at it as he attempted the step.

This time, however, the balloon was not moving. Naruto could feel his chakra moving within the balloon, but the balloon itself was seemingly unaffected by his actions. Jiraiya noticed this instantly. His eyes were widened.

"Naruto, stop." He ordered. Naruto did as he was told and dropped the balloon. "Repeat what you just did without the balloon."

The Uzumaki nodded before trying to create the same spinning-motion with his chakra. This time, however, a sphere of pure, rotating chakra developed in his hand. The sphere developed in size slightly, extending to a size bigger than Naruto's hand. It was slightly larger than the balloon Naruto had been working with.

"This…" Naruto started to mumble. He remained concentrated on his actions, but he couldn't help himself but feel slightly amazed at the sight in front of him. "This is the Rasengan?"

"… I'll be damned. Just by threatening you with something and motivating you to do some meditation, you get it. Immediately." Jiraiya commented to himself.

After Jiraiya's comment, Naruto stopped rotating his chakra and canceled his jutsu. The blonde was now looking at the Sannin intently, excitement present in his eyes.

"So, that was it? I did it?" He questioned.

"… Heh. You did. Great job kid." Jiraiya grinned at the boy. "Now that you got it down, let's start working on some application for it."

"Dattebayo!" Naruto chanted immediately, excited about the idea of using the jutsu in combat.

At the pond where she normally trained with Honoka, Hinata trained there by herself. The Hyūga was currently standing on top of the water, moving around swiftly. Around her body was a constantly rotating orb of water. With every move Hinata made, the water would move with her, rotating faster.

After performing a series of exercises associated with her variant style of the gentle fist, Hinata raised her right hand upwards towards the sky. The orb of water floated upwards, directly above her hand. The kunoichi then concentrated her elemental chakra into the hand. The orb grew started to grow larger. Eventually, the orb reached the size of her body. Hinata then made a slight gesture with right hand, hoping to continue moving the orb around her body. Instead, however, the orb fell apart, releasing all of its water directly above her. The kunoichi was completely drenched by the water.

"Ah!" She shouted after getting soaked.

The impact of the water took her by surprise so much that she almost stopped concentrating chakra on her feet. She nearly sunk into the water of the pond. Hinata managed to catch herself in time, however. She then quickly rushed to dry land.

"Ugh…" She frowned to herself as she took off her soaked jacket, leaving her in a black top. It wasn't much drier, however. "I need to remember to bring a change of clothes the next time I do this exercise."

"That's not a bad idea." A voice called out to her.

Instantly, Hinata turned her attention towards the direction of the voice. She noticed the source of it sitting in a nearby tree. It was a large muscular man with dark brown hair tied in a topknot and a similarly colored brown beard. He wore a dark purple poncho over a black sleeveless shirt and matching pants. He was also wearing the similar pinstriped arm and leg warmers that were typical to Kirigakure shinobi.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Hinata questioned. She activated her Byakugan upon seeing him and prepared to engage him if necessary.

"Relax, brat. I'm on your side in this war, you know? I'm with the rebels." The man said with a chuckle. "Recognize the name Akebino Jinin?"

"You… are one of the Seven Swordsman of Kirigakure." Hinata, indeed, recognized the name. She deactivated her dōjutsu and dropped her guard slightly, realizing that he was an ally. Still, she looked suspicious at him. "What are you doing here, though?"

"I was heading out to my own area to start training, but then I noticed you and got curious. It's rare to see a Konoha shinobi with a water affinity, so I wanted to see what you were capable of." Jinin admitted. He jumped off the tree and started walking closer to the girl. "Which, not gonna lie, you need to do some more work."

Hinata sighed at his answer. She knew he was right. That was why she was practicing with her elemental affinity, after all. It was still upsetting to hear somebody who had just met her realize that her skill with the water style needed improvement.

"I'm working on it." She mumbled, more so to herself than to him.

"I know. And, to be honest, you got the graceful, flexible shit down to an art form." Jinin mentioned. Hinata looked up at in surprise at his compliment. "You're focusing too much on that. What you need to work on is sheer power."

"Power?" The Hyūga blinked in surprise.

"Yeah. Water's a powerful element, you know. Tsunamis and shit. The reason that orb of yours fell apart was because you weren't strong enough to move something of its size. You needed to put in more power to move something like that." The swordsman explained. He then slammed his fist on the ground, creating a small crater upon impact, to demonstrate his own 'power'. "You need to be tough as nails to literally control and use water as a weapon in its proper, devastating form."

"… I see." Hinata frowned in response.

The kunoichi never considered herself to be 'powerful'. Brute physical strength wasn't her strong point. Hearing Jinin's explanation was troubling to her. She didn't know if she had it in her to obtain the level of power that he said was a necessity.

The swordsman seemed to notice her frustration. He sighed in response as he started to reach into a pocket on his poncho.

"What's your name, kid?" He asked her.

"Hyūga Hinata." She answered half-heartedly. Her mind was still focusing on this 'power' dilemma.

"A Hyūga, huh? Interesting." Jinin chuckled to himself. He then finally found what was looking for in his pocket and pulled-it out. "Well, Hinata, I got something for you."

The girl looked towards him in time to catch something. She studied the object she was handed and noticed it was a jutsu scroll. She quickly glanced over the title.

"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu?" She read.

"You want to have the strength to properly manipulate water? Well, I'm the guy who can help you reach that level! Have you seen my muscles?" Jinin declared confidently as he placed his left hand on his right arm, feeling the muscle on it. He then gave the Hyūga a more serious look. "In all seriousness, I can help you with your power. And it's not necessarily pure muscle. Your chakra system just needs to be stronger. Your ability to be forceful with chakra needs to be stronger. I can help you get to that level so you can properly use water as an element."

Hinata gave the man a surprised look. She had only just met the swordsman and he was offering to train her?

"One of the philosophies I live my life by is to go up against the harshest of circumstances immediately, knowing that if I can make it out and accomplish my task despite the difficulty, the payoff will be larger." Jinin informed her. "The scroll I just threw to you is one of the most difficult water style ninjutsu out there to learn. However, it is also one of the most deadly. It's an A-rank technique for a reason." The swordsman then slammed his fists together. "Learning the jutsu will be hell for you, I think, but if you can accomplish it, you'll be on your way to mastering water style ninjutsu. Being able to pull it off will provide you with the necessary power to do whatever you want with water manipulation."

"I… I see." Hinata nodded her head in understanding. She then gave the man a confused look. "Why help me, though?"

"Why not?" Jinin gave her a confused look in return. "We're allies. We'll be fighting in this same damn war together."

"Yeah, but you said you were coming out this way to train yourself. Why spend the time to help me train?" She questioned.

Jinin was silent for a moment as a frown developed on his face. He let out a deep sigh before starting to speak.

"You're young. You have a lot of life to live." The swordsman answered. He recalled seeing the girl and Naruto at dinner the night before and let a smile grace his lips again. "You still have time to love somebody and have a family and do all of those things people are supposed to do when they get older. A lot of the things that I ended up missing out on." He shook his for a moment before speaking. "So, if I can help even one person get out of this war and maybe survive a few more things that they may have to fight in so that they can live an actual life, then I'll be happy."

There was a deep sense of bitterness in Jinin's voice as he explained what he was thinking. Hinata noticed this bitterness and frowned. While she still didn't understand his logic, she could tell that there was some event in his life that was still bringing him sorrow. If helping her improve in her water manipulation helped him with this sorrow, then who was she to deny his help?

"… Anyway, let's not focus on that." Jinin shook his head, pushing himself away from his thoughts. "Let's get to work, shall we?"

Hinata nodded her head in response.

After hours of non-stop, silent moving, Haku's team arrived at the village of Chishio just as he predicted: at sunset. Upon arrival, the group proceeded to change clothes into civilian attire. They also made sure to remove their forehead protectors.

The village, itself, was very active and lively. People were walking around, talking eagerly to themselves. There were banners on the sides of the buildings, welcoming the shinobi of Kirigakure to their village.

"What… the…" Shikamaru mumbled to himself as he walked into the village. He had noticed a particular banner with large writing that was on a building he walked by. "'May the gods bless Yagura-sama and his soldiers for eliminating all those with evil blood?'"

"If you can't tell, this village is pretty much the opposite of Kibō." Honoka whispered into the Nara's ear, explaining the situation to him. "They support Yagura in the war. Similarly, they hate everybody that has a kekkei genkai."

"Fucking assholes." Suigetsu growled under his breath.

"Suigetsu, control yourself." Haku demanded. "Focus on our mission."

"Grr…" Suigetsu hissed under his breath in forced compliance.

Haku sighed for a moment before he stopped walking. The four shinobi with him stopped walking as well and turned their attention towards him. .

"I'm going to find us our room in the inn. While I'm busy getting that, I want you four to start searching the village and try talking to villagers. See if you can find out any information." He ordered the other shinobi. "I think it would be prudent for you all to travel in pairs. Therefore, Honoka and Kiri; you two should stick together. As should you two, Shikamaru and Suigetsu. Remember our cover; we are here as travelers to watch the executions. You cannot give anybody any reason to think who we are. Understood?"

"Understood." Honoka, Kiri, and Shikamaru replied in unison.

Suigetsu gave no verbal answer. He did, however, nod his head in understanding.

The group proceeded to go in separate directions. Haku went looking for an inn, Honoka and Kiri moved to the eastern half of the village, and Shikamaru and Suigetsu went towards the western half of the village.

As they walked through the village, Shikamaru would approach different people, asking them vague questions about the execution and seeing if he could get any form of information. Each attempt failed, though, as most people simply did not know anything about the people being executed nor did they care. They gave no hints about where they were being held. Instead, they simply gushed over and over again about how excited they were to see the execution.

"I'm just super excited to see those bloodline freaks get what they deserve!" One elderly woman in particular admitted to Shikamaru. "I lost my husband and all of my children when those Kaguya bastards came to the village I used to live in and slaughtered them all." She shook her head as memories entered her mind. She resisted the urge to cry and let a smile develop on her face. "I don't know why I stayed alive. I guess it was so that way I could live long enough to see the bloodline freaks all die. That's what they get for killing so many innocent people. That's what they get for killing my family!"

"Tsk." Suigetsu scoffed in response.

Immediately, the white-haired shinobi stormed off. The woman blinked in surprise at his aggression.

"Did I say something that offended him?" She asked Shikamaru in confusion.

"He… He also has lost family." Shikamaru replied carefully, making sure not to sound suspicious. "You just reminded him of too many things."

"Ah, I see." The woman nodded her head in understanding. A sympathetic frown developed on her face. "Well, hopefully he'll receive some comfort tomorrow during the execution. It won't bring the dead back… but it does help in a little way to see the types of people that were responsible get what they deserve."

"I agree." Shikamaru forced the words out of his mouth. It left a disgusting taste and he wanted nothing more than to leave. "Anyway, I'm going to go find my friend and calm him down. Sorry about that."

"No, I'm sorry for bring back memories for him." The woman apologized. A smile developed on her face. "I hope that he'll find comfort soon."

Shikamaru nodded his head before walking off towards Suigetsu. The white-haired shinobi was currently heading in no-particular direction, fuming silently. People noticed his mood and were stepping away from him to avoid his ire. Shikamaru, however, didn't seem to care and approached him. He placed his right hand on his shoulder and leaned in to his ears.

"Remember what Haku said, Suigetsu." Shikamaru told him, reminding the boy about the mission and telling him not to make them look suspicious.

Suigetsu didn't respond immediately. He turned directions, starting to walk into an alleyway in the village. Shikamaru followed. Once the two were in the alley and Suigetsu realized that there was nobody there, he turned around and slammed the Nara against the wall of the alley hard. Shikamaru winced slightly in pain. The Hōzuki then proceeded to hold Shikamaru in place.

"I know about the fucking mission, okay? I'm doing what I can! But it's kinda hard hearing these bastards talk about how they're excited to watch people like me die." Suigetsu hissed at him. "I don't care who or what killed their families. It wasn't me and I sure as hell know it wasn't any of the people they're going to execute. So sorry if it pisses me off listening to them talk for too long!"

"Don't think you're the only person who's pissed off about this." Shikamaru replied with a scoff. He pushed back, breaking himself out of Suigetsu's grip. "It's absolutely sick. And I'll admit, I want to punch a few of these people in the faces. But there's nothing we can do about them. All we can do is focus on completing the mission and getting the people out of here alive."

"I know, I know." Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "It's just… look, it's hard. You're from Konoha. You wouldn't understand. Losing people because of this damn persecution… it's hard."

Realization dawned on Shikamaru's face. When he told the woman that they had been talking to that Suigetsu had lost family, he had been lying in an attempt to give a justifiable reason for his reaction. It appeared, however, that Shikamaru didn't lie at all.

"What happened?" He asked.

"… My brother, Mangetsu." Suigetsu said the name with a frown on his face. He was resisting the urge to tear up. "He was a member of the Seven Swordsman of Kirigakure, just like Zabuza-sempai and Jinin-sempai. Oh, and I guess Chōjūrō now." The Hōzuki, for a moment, rolled his eyes at that comment. His face then returned to its frown when he thought back to his brother. "After Zabuza's failed coup and when Mei defected to form the rebels, Jinin-sempai, Mangetsu, and I were planning on leaving as well to join the rebels. The day we were supposed to leave, though, Mangetsu said he had some last minute business he needed to take care of in Kirigakure. He asked Jinin-sempai to get me out of Kiri and that he'd meet up with us back at Mei's base. He never came back."

"What was he going to do?" Shikamaru asked quietly.

"… He knew that Jinpachi and Kushimaru weren't going to betray Yagura, so he decided to try and steal their swords from to make sure that Mei's side, the true side of Kirigakure, would still have all of the swords of the Seven Swordsman of Kiri. They managed to find him before he could get out, though." Suigetsu answered. He turned his head downwards, unable to resist the urge to cry. "H-However, they didn't kill him. Because Mangetsu, like me, has the damn hydration kekkei genkai. So they made an example of him and executed him out in public for all to see in this damn village."

The Hōzuki then looked upwards. His eyes, still letting out tears, were narrowed at the Nara. "So yeah, it goes beyond just wanting to do the mission. I'm trying. It's just really fucking hard hearing these people talk about those with kekkei genkai as if they are monsters, because they aren't. They're the real fucking monsters!"

Silence filled the alleyway. Shikamaru was silent, unable to think of something to properly say to Suigetsu. Suigetsu, on the other hand, was too angry and upset to properly come up with something to say. A full minute passed by before Shikamaru finally was able to say something.

"Are… you going to be okay, Suigetsu?" He asked him in concern.

"… I'll be fine." Suigetsu replied with a sigh. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. "I'm on this mission for a reason. Haku knows about what I'm passionate about and he knows I'd want to help out the people on this mission. I'll be fine. And focus better." The white-haired shinobi then shook his head, brushing away his tears. "Sorry for losing my cool there."

"Don't apologize." Shikamaru shook his head. He placed his hand on Suigetsu's shoulder once again and let a small smile take over his lips. "Look; we got this. We'll save these people and take down Yagura."

"… Heh." A smirk developed on Suigetsu's face. "You're damn right we will!"

With that sentiment on their mind, the two proceeded to continue on their quest for more information. They proceeded to walk through the alleyway they were in. After making their way to the other end, they entered a large square. They were apparently now in the center of the village.

Both Shikamaru and Suigetsu noticed something in particular in the square. On one of the buildings was a large, black screen. There was nothing visible on it at the moment but it seemed as if something would be later. Shikamaru and Suigetsu were both confused. They turned their attention to one of the passers-by: a young man with no hair.

"Do you know what that is?" Shikamaru asked him.

"You're here for the execution tomorrow, right boys?" The man questioned. Both Shikamaru and Suigetsu nodded, causing him to chuckle. "Well, you're in for a treat then. It's going to be taking place here and that thing up there is where the magic will start."

"Really?" Shikamaru's eyes widened in response. "How?"

"You'll find out, kid. Just enjoy the show tomorrow. It's at five o'clock in the afternoon, so make sure you're here." The man replied with a chuckle.

The man proceeded to walk away after answering the question, leaving Shikamaru and Suigetsu confused and concerned.

Four hours had passed since the arrival at Chishio. After reuniting at the inn and relaying information, the group proceeded to go to sleep. Honoka proceeded to set up a seal that would alert the group of any intruders, so they could all sleep peacefully. She, along with Kiri and Suigetsu, managed to fall asleep relatively easily. Shikamaru and Haku, however, were having difficulties. The two of them, who were sharing a bed, were currently lying down and simply talking to each other.

"I know we haven't known each for too long, Shikamaru-san, but I expected you to fall asleep very easily. I'm surprised you're still awake with me." Haku chuckled.

"I have a hard time falling asleep when I have a lot on my mind, actually. Doesn't happen often, but it does from time to time." Shikamaru said with a sigh. "I've just been thinking too much about this civil war and all the shit that's going on here. I had a long talk with Suigetsu today about his brother."

"… Oh." Haku's face dropped instantly at the topic. He sighed in response. "I see. So then you know why he's on this mission and how much our success would mean to him."

"Yup." The Nara nodded his head. He then gave Haku a curious look. "Why'd you pick me to be on this mission, by the way?"

"Why? Because you are smart, Shikamaru-san." Haku answered with a chuckle. "I know you're bright. Probably up there with Misora, if not more intelligent. I can trust you to think on the fly if I need to. Our sparring sessions showed me that first hand. While I may be stronger than you in regards to skill, your intelligence seems to bridge that gap well." The Yuki gave a thumbs-up gesture to him. "That's something I felt was useful to have on this team."

"… Heh. I see." Shikamaru actually laughed in response. "You think too highly of me, though."

"I don't." This caused the team captain to frown. "I see people objectively, Shikamaru-san. Others tend to put themselves down for some reason. I just see people the way they are." His frown deepened as his eyes wandered to the next bed, where Suigetsu and Kiri were sleeping. "Kiri-kun does the same thing."

"I noticed. He didn't seem too confident that you wanted him on the mission. Said something about Sugita?" He shrugged.

"Kiri-kun is a medical shinobi and Sugita is his instructor. He has a tendency to put himself down. He really thinks that I wanted another person and I got roped with him." Haku frown deepened. "I honestly trust Kiri-kun with my life. He is a caring soul who would put the village and other people before himself. I hope that this mission will show him that he is really worth something."

Shikamaru proceeded to blink. It was very small, but he noticed a slight pink tint on Haku's face when he talked about Kiri.

"… Do you like him?" Shikamaru questioned.

Haku was quiet for a moment. His cheeks seemed to darken slightly at the question. His silence answered Shikamaru's question, causing him to chuckle.

"Figured. You definitely seem very aware of his positive traits." Shikamaru teased.

"Keep your voice down. I don't want him to wake up and hear this conversation!" Haku finally spoke-up frantically.

The boy's response earned a good laugh from Shikamaru. Haku was someone who had very good control of his emotions. It was entertaining for the Nara to finally get under his skin.

"Fine, I'll keep quiet when he's around. But you best be prepared for shit later. Ask Naruto and Hinata; I'm prone to make a few comments from time to time." Shikamaru replied.

Haku continued to blush in response for a moment before he shook his head and sighed. The boy had a sad expression on his face.

"I just don't want him finding out. That would be awkward, especially considering there is no hope for it to happen." He answered.

"Why do you think that?" Shikamaru questioned. "Do you know if he's not into-"

"I don't know." Haku spoke up before Shikamaru could answer. The boy then sighed again. "I hope he's straight, though. That'll make it a lot easier for me to get over him."

"… I don't follow." The Konoha chūnin still appeared confused.

"I'm a Yuki. I have the Ice Release kekkei genkai and, as far as I am aware, I am the only person alive with the bloodline." Haku answered. "… If everything worked out with Kiri-kun and we actually got together, we wouldn't have biological children. And I feel like, as the only living person with the Yuki-clan's bloodline, I have a job to pass on the Ice Release bloodline to the next generation."

"Oh." Shikamaru realized Haku's dilemma. The Nara immediately frowned in sympathy.

"So, I'm obligated to have a relationship with a woman and have a child. But I don't find myself… attracted… to women, so I'll end up not having a necessarily happy life. But I really do need to have a biological child to pass on the Ice Release to." The Yuki clan shinobi sighed in frustration. "I don't normally think about this stuff, though. My priority is making sure we win the civil war. Once that is ensured, then I'll think about my own personal life and what I want to do with it."

"I suppose that makes sense." The Konoha chūnin replied.

"That's all that matters in the end, anyway. Making sure events like the bloodline executions stop. Making sure people like me and Suigetsu-san aren't hunted down just because of kekkei genkai." Haku mumbled in response. He then proceeded to lay back down on the bed. "Anyway, even if it's hard to sleep, we have to try and get some. It's going to be an important day tomorrow."

"I hear ya." Shikamaru sighed in response as he got himself comfortable on the bed.

With those words, both shinobi closed their eyes in an attempt to fall asleep. A few seconds later, Shikamaru re-opened his eyes.

"Hey, Haku?" He called out. The rebel opened his eyes upon hearing his name. "I know you want to think about that stuff after the war is over, but just do whatever makes you happy. It doesn't matter if that means living the life you want or continuing your clan. Just do what makes you happy in the end and what will make you happy in the long run. You're a good guy, Haku, and you deserve to have a good life."

"… I really appreciate that Shikamaru-san." A smile developed on Haku's face. "I wish you the same happiness as well. Hopefully you find somebody."

For the briefest of moments, an image of Kurotsuchi appeared in Shikamaru's head. A blush developed on his face instantly. The Nara then shook his head, pushing that thought of his head before closing his eyes to go to sleep. Strangely enough, though, he was able to sleep rather peacefully. Still, the brief thought of the kunoichi from Iwa was enough for her to come into her dreams. As he fell asleep and entered his dreams, the Nara let a smile grace his lips.

The next day came quickly for the group. The group of five ate breakfast quickly before they hurried out to begin searching for new information.

After three hours of further searching, the group met-up once again at their room in the inn. Haku looked particularly frustrated at the information he had received.

"I found out some info from a few civilians who were familiar with how these 'executions' work." He admitted as a scowl of disgust crossed his lips. "Apparently, they are being escorted here by the executioners. They are on their way and are supposed to be here sometime after five o'clock."

"So they aren't here. We can't break them out early." Kiri sighed in response .

"It just means that we wait for the executioners at the village's entrance. We pound the shit out of them and free the people." Suigetsu suggested.

"No, that's not going to work. Apparently, the executioners never come in just 'through the entrance'. They make a spectacle of it." Haku spat out, still disgusted. "No, we'll have to be at the square of the village and wait for them there. You are right, though. We won't have much time. We'll have to take the people in plain sight. Don't kill any civilians, though."

"But the executioners?" The Hōzuki questioned.

"… Just focus on getting the people out alive." The Yuki answered.

'He never said no. Guess that's an answer in of itself.' Shikamaru thought to himself.

"Do we know anything about the executioners? Got a name?" Kiri asked.

"I actually heard something." Honoka spoke-up, getting the group's attention. "Apparently, it's a group of shinobi that are in charge of it. It's headed by a man named Karitoriki and he's infamous in the new Kirigakure as the 'Kekkei Genkai Hunter'."

"Of course it's him leading the execution." Haku rolled his eyes at the name.

"Know anything about him?" Shikamaru questioned.

"He was from a village that was wiped out during the Third Shinobi World War by a Kemuri Clan shinobi. They were a clan of shinobi that had a kekkei genkai that allowed their bodies to turn into smoke. They also had the ability to release different types of smoke and gases." Haku explained to the Nara. "Anyway, his whole village was wiped out with the exception of ten people. Karitoriki was one of them. He quickly entered Kirigakure to become a shinobi and was quick to give his support to Yagura once he started hunting bloodline users. Apparently, he made a name for being a merciless executioner who loves to 'torture' all of his subjects."

"… Asshole. Fucking asshole." Suigetsu hissed. "I know for a fact that he had something to do with Mangetsu's death. I'm going to make sure his death will be slow!"

"Do we know anything about his fighting style?" Shikamaru questioned.

"The only things we know about him is that he is a master of the Wind Style manipulation and he has a summoning contract of sorts. Nothing much, though. None of Mei-sama's nor Aō's spies have any real information on him. He apparently is a loner even in Yagura's Kirigakure." Honoka answered.

"Regardless of what he can or cannot do, he will be there at the square by five. We need to make sure we are there and prepared to fight." Haku stated sharply. "We should be making our preparations. We need to make sure we get the hostages out before he can do too much to them!"

Shikamaru, Suigetsu, Honoka, and Kiri all nodded their heads in agreement.

Hours went by slowly for the team. They made all the necessary preparations and were now waiting time.

At four o'clock, Haku led his team into the square. There were plenty of villagers already there, chatting and waiting eagerly for the arrival of the executioners, much to the disgust of the rebels. Still, they did not make a scene and remained waiting for the event to occur. With each passing minute, though, more civilians came onto the scene.

After waiting for an hour, the screen on one of the buildings lit up. All eyes were focused in on the screen. The screen displayed an image of a man in his forties. He had long, unkempt, brown hair that went to his neck and had similarly-colored brown eyes. He wore a black skin-tight, sleeveless gi and wore dark blue pants. On his gi were two pockets that had scrolls sticking out of them. Around his neck was a Kirigakure forehead protector.

"That's him. That's Karitoriki." Honoka explained.

"… Where is this being recorded?" Shikamaru asked the group. "If we can find out where-"

"It looks pre-recorded." Kiri mentioned.

"What does that asshole have to say?" Suigetsu questioned angrily.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of Chishio. I trust you all have been having a good day. Just like I have." The man, Karitoriki, asked from the screen. People across the square cheered loudly in response. There was a pause in the video, as if he predicted there would be a loud applause. The video then started to play again. "As you all know, my name is Karitoriki and I assume you all know precisely why I'm here. I'll be down at the square in just a few moments, but before we begin, I think you all should meet the pieces of shit we're going to watch die today."

Karitoriki walked backwards and revealed five figures that were tied-up behind him. Each of them had chakra-suppressing seals on their foreheads. It was hard to really identify anything about the five except for some general comments about their appearances. One was a bald man with scars running down his face. The second was a woman with light blue hair that was styled in a spiky ponytail. The third was another woman with short brown hair. The fourth was a man with short black hair, but also had feminine features on his face. The fifth was a young girl with long white hair that went to her back.

"There's a little girl there!" Honoka gasped.

Before any of the group could reply, the audience that was around them started to boo. A few of them were chanting angry phrases that were incomprehensible due to the sheer volume and anger in their voices. A few phrases, however, stood out.

"KILL THEM!"

"SET THAT GIRL ON FIRE!"

"I WANNA SEE THAT BALD GUY'S HEAD ON A STAKE!"

"What… the… fuck?" Shikamaru's eyes were wide. 'How can they say this crap? They didn't even do anything for fuck's sake!'

"Haku, hold me down before I slaughter every last person here!" Suigetsu hissed.

On cue, Haku grabbed the white-haired boy before he did anything reckless. Despite this, though, Haku himself was also fuming. His eyes were narrowed and the area around him was starting to get colder.

"So let's start introducing you to these lovely people, don't you think?" Karitoriki questioned the audience as he walked over to the bald man. "So, you are Kenshin, right? Of the Hemo Clan? The clan that has a kekkei genkai that allows you to manipulate other people's blood? I've heard that if somebody went against somebody of your clan, you could drain their entire body of all their blood if they had even one open cut for you to take advantage of." The executioner then got into the man's face. "Don't you wish you could do that to me now? Drain me of all my blood? Kill me? Cause I know your clan was particularly bloodthirsty. Killed many of innocent people."

"My clan only killed when ordered by the Mizukage." The man, Kenshin, replied with a grunt. "We were a loyal clan to Kirigakure. Always had been!"

"Loyal, huh? Funny. Yagura-sama knew just how loyal you pieces of shit were. Your clan was caught planning a coup long before those fucking rebels tried anything!" Karitoriki exclaimed.

"That's a lie-" Kenshin was about to say before Karitoriki pulled out a kunai knife and stabbed the man in his shoulder. "AH!"

"I don't approve of liars, asshole." Karitoriki hissed as he dug the knife deeper into the man, causing him to scream more.

The audience started to cheer even louder as the screaming grew louder. Haku's team was now looking very pale.

"This is wrong…" Honoka mumbled to herself.

"Anyway, let's move on." Karitoriki walked over to the next person – the blue-haired woman. "Guren, right? If I recall correctly, you use the Crystal Release kekkei genkai. I don't even know the name of your clan. I do know, though, that you aren't from Mizu no Kuni. You used to live in Ta no Kuni. What are you doing here again?"

"… I'm here to die." The woman, Guren, admitted with an emotionless voice. "With Orochimaru-sama dead, I have no reason to live. I came here to isolate myself, but when I was found out by you, I figured I'd just let you all kill me. I have no reason to live, after all."

"Wait, you said Orochimaru-sama? As in the Sannin from Konoha? I wonder what Konoha shinobi would think of that." Karitoriki turned his attention to the camera. "Because there's a nasty rumor that Konoha shinobi have sided with the rebels? Would they side with them, though, if they knew that the people they were working with were defending the lives of people who worked with Orochimaru of all people?"

"Yes, we would. Not everybody was working with him anyway. And that's no excuse." Shikamaru hissed under his breath. "Asshole."

"As least you are willing to die. You will get the fastest death of the group here." Karitoriki said. The executioner than walked over to the woman with the brown hair. "Unlike you, you bitch. You're Kemuri Kimiko. You are one of those fucking smoke assholes that burned my village to the ground!"

"I… I… I didn't do anything. I promise!" The woman, Kimiko, pleaded to the man. She was in tears. "Please, believe me. I-"

"STOP FUCKING LYING!" Karitoriki screamed as he stabbed her with his kunai knife in the arm. She screamed in pain, which only caused him to go deeper. "I SAW YOU BASTARDS DESTROY MY FAMILY! I THINK IT'S ONLY FITTING THAT I FINALLY GET TO SOME REVENGE ON YOU!"

Karitoriki eventually stopped torturing the woman and moved on to the next person – the feminine looking man with short black hair.

"And you are one of those Ice Release Yuki-clan shinobi. Daisuke was your name, right?" He asked.

"Yuki?" Haku's eyes widened at the name of his clan.

The black-haired man, Daisuke, gave no response. This prompted Karitoriki to punch him in the face. Haku winced at watching the action and tightened his palms into fists.

"Speak when addressed." The executioner ordered.

"… I have nothing to say to you." Daisuke spoke with anger.

"… Your death will be slow. I'll make sure of that." Karitoriki grinned as he then moved over to the final person in the room – the little girl. "And here we have sweet, sweet Kaguya Mari. How old are you?"

"E-Eight." The girl, Mari, answered quietly. The word was mixed in with sobs.

"Eight, huh? You must have been born around the time the rest of your clan was slaughtered by Yagura's troops because they tried to attack the villages in Mizu no Kuni. That was a great day. We got to rid the world of your evil, evil clan!" The executioner noted. A sadistic grin developed on his face as he noticed the little girl's sobbing intensify. "Why so sad? Were Mommy and Daddy killed that day?" He received a small nod in affirmation, causing his grin to develop further. "Are you ready to meet them? Cause you'll be spending the rest of eternity in hell with them!"

"It's official. He's dead today." Suigetsu declared.

Nobody disagreed with the Hōzuki's statement. Haku didn't even bother to scold him about focusing on killing him. The entire team, at the moment, wanted nothing more than to both free the hostages and make sure that Karitoriki suffered a painful death.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, those are the five pieces of shit that are going to die today." Karitoriki stated. He turned his attention away from Mari and looked back forwards, as if he was addressing the audience. "The execution will start momentarily, so just you wait!"

Immediately, the video stopped playing. On cue, a large cyclone fell down from the sky and into the center of the square. Civilians that were standing around the area moved away to avoid getting hit. Everybody stared intently at the center.

"What the hell is going on?" Shikamaru demanded.

"… He has to be coming out now." Haku answered with a scowl. He then turned his head to Honoka. "Are you ready?"

"Right." The Uzumaki nodded as she immediately started making hand signs.

As Haku predicted, when the cyclone vanished, a group of individuals were present now in the center of the village. Tied-up and unable to move were the five hostages: Kenshin, Guren, Kimiko, Daisuke, and Mari. Surrounding them were a group of masked Kirigakure shinobi. Standing in the front of the group was Karitoriki. The man was wearing the same attire as he had in the video. The only difference, however, was that he was now holding a large axe in his right hand that he was holding up with no effort.

Upon seeing him, the crowd began cheering loudly. Karitoriki, noticing the cheering, grinned as he made a gesture with his left hand in an attempt to pump up the crowd further. They responded back with more cheering.

"Again, he's making a fucking show out of this. Attention whore." Suigetsu hissed.

"He's so dead." Honoka commented. She was nearly finished with her hand signs.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I hope you enjoyed the little video I had planned." Karitoriki spoke to the crowd. He received cheering, giving him his answer. His grin seemed to widen. "Good. Very good. Then, why waste any time? Let's get right to work! Let's make this a slow, fun process!"

"Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Chains of the Earth!"

Upon finishing her hand signs, a series of chains developed from the ground underneath the square and were flung forward. The chains made contact with the groups of Kirigakure shinobi, holding them in place. The civilians in the crowd began to scream instantly and start to run away.

"What?" Karitoriki gasped at the chains. He tried to move, but was unable to do so. "Who's trick is that?"

On cue, Haku, Kiri, Shikamaru, and Suigetsu rushed forward while Honoka continued to hold the Kirigakure shinobi in place. Haku, Kiri, and Shikamaru quickly rushed over to the hostages and began untying them. Suigetsu, on the other hand, pulled a katana out of a sheath on his side and held it tightly. He rushed forward to Karitoriki to stab him in the heart, but the man managed to step-out of the way, managing to overcome the chains that were holding him back.

"Rebel scum, huh?" Karitoriki noted in disgust. "I was wondering when some of you would try and interrupt one of my precious executions."

"Precious?" Suigetsu snarled at the word choice. "You're going to die today asshole!"

While Suigetsu attempted to cut down Karitoriki, Shikamaru, Haku, and Kiri were focusing on untying and freeing the hostages.

"Wh-Who are you?" Mari asked nervously as Shikamaru undid the rope around her. She was still openly sobbing.

"Friends. We're here to help." The Nara replied with a comforting smile.

"Friends?" Mari repeated the word with a sniffle. "I-I'm still scared."

"Don't be. I'll protect you." Shikamaru told her. "I promise."

"We are here to help." Haku spoke-up to the group as he untied Daisuke's ropes. "Rest easy, cousin. You're safe."

"… Cousin? So you are a Yuki as well." Daisuke noted. A small smile developed on his face. "Heh. And just when I thought that a miracle wasn't going to come."

"Ah!" Kimiko hissed in pain as Kiri untied her ropes. The wound inflicted on her by Karitoriki was still acting up

"I know medical ninjutsu. I'll get you patched up." Kiri told her with a comforting smile of his own.

"P-Please." She begged him. "I-It hurts."

"I'll do what I can." He told her in assurance.

In moments, the group of five hostages were freed. Mari and Kimiko looked as if they were near tears in relief. Kenshin and Daisuke were equally excited as they were. The only person who seemed frustrated was Guren, however.

"Why interfere?" She questioned.

"You don't deserve to die. Not like this." Shikamaru answered sternly.

"No, I needed to die. This was my suicide." Guren replied, shaking her head.

The moment she lost Orochimaru, her life was gone. She had lost the only purpose in her life. He was the person that made her feel strong. He gave her a reason to live and he was now gone. In as sense, she was obsessed with him. Having Orochimaru gone shattered the life that she had finally obtained.

She wanted nothing more than to die.

With that thought in mind, Guren created a shuriken designed from crystal. She then tossed that shuriken directly at Honoka. The Uzumaki kunoichi, who had remained where she was to keep the Kirigakure shinobi stuck in her chains, noticed the shuriken. She was forced to move away to dodge the attack, ultimately breaking her concentration. This caused the chains she had formed to disintegrate, freeing the Kirigakure shinobi.

"What the hell?" Kiri's eyes widened.

"What did you just do? Why did you do that?" Haku nearly demanded.

"With them free, maybe I can now be killed." Guren answered, speaking more to herself than to the others.

As soon as she said her words, the group was charged at by the Kirigakure shinobi that had previously been detained.

As soon as Honoka's jutsu was released, Karitoriki was released from the chains that were holding him back. While previously only able to move around a little bit to avoid being killed by Suigetsu, the man was now able to use his techniques once again. He grinned sadistically.

"Looks like the tables have turned in my favor." He commented with a smirk.

'Fuck.' Suigetsu cursed in his head. He still gripped his katana tightly and charged at the man in front of him.

This time, however, Karitoriki blocked the sword with his axe. He quickly pushed back with enough force to overpower the Hōzuki. The boy was knocked backwards momentarily. Karitoriki then proceeded to swing his axe, preparing to cut the boy in half. His axe connected with Suigetsu's body. To his surprise, however, the boy's body turned into liquid. His axe had cut through water. The liquid then started to move on the ground away from the executioner, creating distance.

"… A Hōzuki, huh?" Karitoriki grinned at the sight of the kekkei genkai. "Excellent! Another bloodline user I'll get to slaughter for an audience."

The water proceeded to reform into Suigetsu.

"In your dreams, asshole." The swordsman hissed in response as he held out his index finger towards the executioner. He then made a hand gesture that resembled a gun. "Water Gun Jutsu!"

Suigetsu made a gesture, as if he was 'firing' the gun. Instantly, a drop of water was released from his finger and flew directly towards Karitoriki at a rapid pace. The executioner dodged and proceeded to rush up to the Hōzuki. Suigetsu rolled out of the way of another swing of the man's axe before placing his finger directly in the man's face.

He activated his jutsu once again, shooting the man point-blank on the forehead. Karitoriki was sent flying backwards. He hit a nearby building before falling to the ground. Blood was dripping from his forehead from where he was struck by the jutsu

"Karitoriki-sama is being hurt!" One of the civilians declared.

With those words, the remaining civilians in the area cleared out. Everyone was screaming in fright about what was happening in the area. Karitoriki managed to pull himself off the ground in time to see the retreating civilians. He proceeded to glare angrily at Suigetsu.

"Lucky shot." He hissed. "You assholes are ruining my show!"

"Not ruining. Canceling." Suigetsu declared.

Karitoriki took the chance to look around the area. He noticed that Haku, Kiri, Honoka, and Shikamaru were holding off the other Kirigakure shinobi that had been traveling with them. They were all dying. He also noticed that his hostages were now free from their restraints. Even worse – Kenshin, Kimiko, and Daisuke were actually helping fend off the other Kirigakure shinobi.

"Impossible…" He nearly growled. "I'm not letting this happen! I will have my execution!"

"How?" Suigetsu taunted as he rushed forward towards the shinobi. He was preparing to launch another 'water bullet' into the man's head. "You're men are dying. Your hostages are able to fight back. Face it; you lost."

"I haven't." Karitoriki replied as a sadistic grin developed on his face. "Did you not think I would plan for an event like this happening?"

The man managed to side-step, avoiding Suigetsu's attack. He then proceeded to rush behind the swordsman and kick him away, establishing distance between himself and the Hōzuki.

"I had those bloodline trash with me for a couple of weeks each in preparation for this event! I always do. I always prepare in case if somebody were to interfere and try and stop my execution. Because it would be a shame if somebody were to free them all and they could escape and join the rebels. Yagura-sama would not be happy with me if that were the case." The executioner started to speak as he made a series of hand signs. "That's why I've implanted my own seals on the hearts of every hostage I've ever worked; seals that I can detonate with a single hand sign."

The executioner stated his words loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear. The rest of Haku's team heard the words and were all stunned.

"What?" Kiri's eyes widened.

"We're… We're…" Mari's eyes started to water. She turned to face Shikamaru. "Y-You promised me that you'd protect me."

"I… I…" Shikamaru's mouth was wide open at that statement. He was trying to think of something to say, something to do, but nothing was coming to mind.

Haku didn't waste a second; he quickly rushed towards Karitoriki in an attempt to cut him down. He proceeded to activate his own kekkei genkai and try to kill the man with ice pillars, but Karitoriki managed to jump away in time to avoid the attacks. Before Haku could reach him face-to-face to fight, the man made a singular hand sign.

"Fūinjutsu: Detonation!"

Instantly, five separate explosions occurred within each of the five former hostages. The explosions completely destroyed the hearts within each person. Large gaping holes developed in their bodies as they all fell to the ground instantly. Kenshin, Guren, Kimiko, Daisuke, and Mari were all dead instantaneously.

"NO!" Honoka cried.

Just as their bodies reached the ground, Haku managed to reach Karitoriki. The Yuki clan shinobi tried to stab at him with senbon, but the executioner managed to jump away from the man's attack.

"It's not my preferred manner to kill people. It's too fast. But it's a precaution I place on all of my hostages. I don't want to risk them somehow being saved and joining the rebels." Karitoriki explained. He then looked at the team captain in front of him tauntingly. "Are you mad that I had something planned in case you assholes tried to free them?"

"You're going to die!" Haku hissed in response as he charged at the man again.

Despite his cockiness, Karitoriki was not a foolish man. He realized that he was still outnumbered and that the shinobi he had been traveling with were now dead. He needed to get away to hunt another day. With that in mind, he proceeded to bite his finger and slam his hand down on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Instantly, a giant vulture appeared from a poof of smoke. The vulture grabbed Karitoriki's body with its talons and flew upwards before Haku could reach him. Seeing the shinobi getting away, Haku made a hand sign with one hand.

"Ice Style: Rising Ice Pillars!"

Instantly, a giant pillar of ice shot forward from the ground at a fast pace, directly beneath the vulture. The vulture managed to move away in time to avoid the attack. Haku continued releasing the same ice pillars on the ground, but his efforts proved fruitless. The vulture, and subsequently Karitoriki, were avoiding each attack. Within a few moments, the man was now too far away to try and attack. He had escaped.

"No… no…" Haku fell down to his knees.

Karitoriki had managed to escape. The five hostages were now dead. The Yuki clan shinobi immediately brought his head downwards to the ground and started to sob openly. His team walked over to him and sat down with him.

Their mission had failed and each of them felt broken as a result.

'Mari… I'm so, so sorry for lying.' Shikamaru told himself as his own set of tears started to fall down from his eyes.

Two days later, Haku's team entered Kibō. Upon entering the village, Zabuza's team, featuring himself, Jinin, Chōjūrō, Kakashi, and Anko were sent out on their own mission.

The group proceeded to report to Mei. They entered her office, carrying the bodies of the five hostages.

"… I see." Mei realized what had happened. The rebel leader looked visibly uncomfortable looking at the bodies.

"… They need to buried. I'd like to do the honors." Haku requested.

"As would I." Honoka spoke-up.

"Me too." Suigetsu nodded his head in agreement.

"Same." Kiri added, shaking his head slightly. "I wish I could've done more…"

Nobody denied his statement. They were all feeling the same way.

Mei agreed to the request for burial and made arrangements for a funeral that night. The group then proceeded to leave the office. Shikamaru, however, remained.

"Do you want to discuss something, Shikamaru-san?" Mei asked.

"Yes." Shikamaru nodded his head. "I don't know how you can make this work, but if somebody else other than me or anybody on this team fights Karitoriki in the invasion, I want him to be taken back as a prisoner. I don't want him to die a painless death. I want him to hurt. I want him to suffer." The Nara's eyes then narrowed in pure, unadulterated hate. "And I want to be there to watch him die."

News spread throughout Kibō quickly about the circumstances behind the mission. Naruto and Hinata searched throughout the village, looking for Shikamaru. Naruto needed to talk to Honoka as well and Hinata wanted to talk to Haku, but they needed to see how their friend was doing first and foremost.

It took them roughly an hour to find him. Shikamaru was lying down on a building's rooftop, looking at the clouds in the sky. Upon finding him, Naruto and Hinata sat down next to him.

"Shikamaru… are you okay?" Naruto asked him.

Shikamaru did not answer for a moment. He seemed as if he was still staring at the clouds. Naruto and Hinata sat next to him, waiting in silence for him. A full minute passed by before he finally looked away from the clouds. He then faced his friends as tears started to roll down his eyes once again.

"No. I'm not okay. And I don't think I will be for a while." Shikamaru admitted between sobs.

Naruto and Hinata quickly brought in their teammate and friend into a hug. Shikamaru returned it quickly. He proceeded to mumble the name 'Mari' to himself as he cried uncontrollably in his friends' embrace.

Quick Notes:

1: Technology in the Naruto universe is weird. The episode during the second exam of the Chūnin Exams establishes a precedent, though, that they at least have video cameras and screens and stuff. So yeah... the existence of a television screen doesn't seem too outlandish with that knowledge, does it? I don't think so at least.

2: Guren isolated herself and became despaired when she wasn't chosen to be Orochimaru's next vessel. I felt that actually hearing that Orochimaru was dead would cause her to enter the suicidal mindset that she was in during this chapter. This may seem slightly OOC, but I think it fits with what the canon material had shown of her. While she definitely developed in the Three-Tails Arc in the anime, she didn't get a chance to develop, so that is ultimately where her fate led in my story... I hope that it didn't offend anybody too badly or anything. I have reasons for everything!