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Azure Moon Island.
Orochimaru had just finished implanting Fugaku's eyes into the unconscious Sasuke.
"Kabuto, I'll be away for some time."
"Where to?"
"To clear my head. And… to visit an old friend."
"For the Ten-Battle Project, you've been running yourself ragged for a full year. Now the task is complete, and Sasuke-kun will soon see a new dawn. It's high time you took a breath. Please, go. We'll take good care of Sasuke-kun."
"Then I leave it to you… Ah. There is one more place I need you to go."
Orochimaru remembered a pending matter, delayed by the Ten-Battle project.
Kabuto adjusted his glasses with a smile. "You mean… that brilliant child from the Nara clan trying to get close to us? From my intelligence, I have a fair idea of his motives. I can handle this. No need for you to appear personally."
…
Sunagakure. The Leaf encampment.
The Anbu sent to search for Tsunade's whereabouts still had no good news.
As days bled into weeks, the mood in the Leaf camp grew heavy, sinking to the pit of their stomachs. In times like these, no news was the best news they could hope for. Any news now… would likely be the worst kind.
Night fell. Asuma found Shikamaru on a solitary pier overlooking the desert.
"The Fire Daimyo is worried our extended stay in Sand will cause friction," Asuma said, voice low. "Orders are to return immediately. We're to rebuild the Leaf… elsewhere."
Click.
Fwoosh.
Asuma lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and exhaled a cloud of pure exhaustion.
"Shikamaru… what do you think?"
With most Jonin gone or missing, Shikamaru had been the one making the calls. He was just a Chunin, but the respect he'd earned didn't fall short of any seasoned Jonin anymore. Asuma didn't just see his student anymore. He saw a shinobi who could stand on his own.
Leaning on the railing, Shikamaru watched the swirling sands beyond the pier. "Defying the Daimyo is treason. Sand has shown us immense kindness in this crisis. No matter our difficulties, we can't repay that by putting them in an impossible position. So…"
He paused, then made the call. "At dawn, all who can travel will depart. Only those still bedridden and the medics needed to care for them will stay."
Asuma studied Shikamaru's calm profile. "And you?"
"I… will stay one more day. To wait."
Sigh.
Asuma crushed his cigarette butt against the railing.
"Shikamaru… you don't have to hold it all in. There's no one else here."
The one missing, the one most likely dead, wasn't just Tsunade. It was Shikamaru's father, Nara Shikaku. From the moment the Leaf fell until now… Shikamaru had been the picture of cool logic. No emotion. No complaints.
Was he really that strong?
As his teacher, Asuma knew better.
"Can I… have one?" Shikamaru asked, voice quiet.
Asuma handed over a cigarette and a lighter.
Shikamaru put it between his lips, brought the lighter up. His hand trembled. He flicked the wheel. Once. Twice. The wind kept snuffing the flame.
Then—a large, calloused hand reached over, shielding the lighter from the wind.
Shikamaru looked up, met Asuma's gentle gaze.
"Don't rush it."
Shikamaru flicked again. The flame caught.
He inhaled sharply.
Spice flooded his mouth. He swallowed. His lungs constricted. A wave of dizziness. Then—violent coughing.
"Cough! Cough-cough-cough… Asuma… you live on this stuff?"
Asuma patted his back, watching his student cough until his face turned red, tears streaming. "Yeah."
"But… I think I get it now."
Shikamaru brought the cigarette back to his lips, took another drag. His eyes were distant. Clouded. The pressure inside him… released. Fled. Even if it was just temporary. An escape.
But still. It didn't hurt as much.
Kid… I wish you never had to understand.
Asuma silently lit another. "If Lady Tsunade doesn't return… the most qualified to be Hokage is Jiraiya-sama, another Sannin. But Jiraiya-sama isn't the type to settle down. He'd likely refuse. So… if nothing changes, Kakashi will become Hokage. And when that happens, the one to take your father's place as the Hokage's advisor… will be you, Shikamaru."
Shikamaru blew a stream of smoke into the desert wind, as if expelling his own resistance. "I'm… prepared for that."
Asuma gave his shoulder a firm pat. "Get some rest."
As he turned to leave… he left the cigarette pack, the lighter, and the ashtray on the railing.
"Sorry, Asuma-sensei…"
He hadn't even consulted his teacher about that matter.
It was too dangerous. And recently, his sensei had been drowning in the village's troubles. He didn't want to add to the burden.
Inoichi had left behind a clue—a 'tooth'—that hinted at a message in death. Shikamaru deduced it was a plea: Find a way to bring me back via Edo Tensei, so I can tell you the truth.
Edo Tensei… In Shikamaru's current knowledge, only one person could use it.
To find that person, he'd even asked Temari for a favor, using Suna's intelligence network to contact former agents who had worked under the spy Kabuto. It was a move to get Orochimaru's attention. But there'd been no response.
He wasn't staying to wait for news about Tsunade or his father. He was waiting for Orochimaru's answer.
He was smarter than anyone. And with that intelligence came cold rationality… So he couldn't lie to himself. Couldn't say his father was still alive.
That night… Shikamaru never let the cigarette die.
He waited. From darkness to the first hints of dawn.
Just before sunrise, he turned, lit his last cigarette with practiced ease, then… leaned back against the railing and closed his eyes, utterly spent.
"Dad… What would you do in a situation like this, where you're completely stuck? Tell me."
"Well… If it were the esteemed Shikaku-san, he probably wouldn't wait passively. He'd dangle a bait so tempting, we'd have to show ourselves…"
A black vortex swirled in the sandy wind. A man in dark robes descended slowly, raising a hand.
"But for your age… you're quite impressive."
Snap! The cigarette hit the ground. Shikamaru flew backward, landing in a crouch, hands already forming the Ram seal. Shadows flew from his feet, snaking towards the intruder's shadow.
The man's raised hand paused. A flicker in his gaze. The connecting shadow-line between them—snap!—severed cleanly.
Under Shikamaru's stunned stare, the man lowered his hood, revealing a refined, scholarly face.
The owner of that face, Kabuto Yakushi, adjusted his glasses and smiled. "Shikamaru-kun… weren't you the one looking for me?"
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