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"You're… Kabuto Yakushi?"
"We met during the Chunin Exams a year ago, didn't we?"
"You've changed. Quite a bit."
"It does… Feels like a lifetime ago. In just one year, I hardly recognize myself."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, a wistful, complicated smile on his face.
Then, the smile vanished. His gaze sharpened in an instant. "State your business. Why do you wish to see Lord Orochimaru?"
Shikamaru took a deep breath. He forced himself to stand straight under that piercing stare, to not disgrace the name of a Konoha shinobi.
"I… have urgent business."
Kabuto smirked. "How urgent? More urgent than searching for your missing, possibly-dead Hokage?"
Snap.
Shikamaru's pupils contracted.
So it's true. These people… they know Konoha's movements inside and out. Hell, they probably know the exact status and whereabouts of both the Hokage and my father.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
His heart hammered against his ribs. He wanted to ask about his father's fate right now. This very second. He was willing to beg, even grovel for it.
But he couldn't.
Calm. Stay calm. He's testing me. Probing my resolve. If I lose my composure here… I lose all leverage.
He clenched his fist, forcing his voice into a steady, measured tone. "It might be that urgent. Certainly… for you."
"Oh? For us?" Kabuto's eyebrow arched, his interest piqued. "Do tell."
Shikamaru went straight to the point. "It's common knowledge now. Naruto Uzumaki destroyed the village. And Sasuke Uchiha was his accomplice."
Kabuto frowned. "Sasuke…?"
"Ino and I saw it with our own eyes. When Naruto attacked, Sasuke was in the village's control center. He used a dōjutsu called Amaterasu to kill Inoichi Yamanaka."
Kabuto's voice hardened. "Shikamaru. Let me be perfectly clear. That was the work of a creature from Akatsuki called 'Black Zetsu.' A cheap trick to frame Sasuke. Someone as smart as you can't possibly believe Sasuke—with his skills and intellect—would be stupid enough to let you witness him and then deliberately spare your lives, can you?"
"I can believe you," Shikamaru shot back. "Fine! But… getting the rest of Konoha to believe the word of a multi-faced spy who works for another missing-nin? Not happening."
Kabuto's gaze narrowed. "So?"
Shikamaru reached into his robe. He pulled out a folded handkerchief, carefully opened it, and revealed the single tooth to Kabuto.
"Left by Inoichi-san before he died. I believe it's biological material he left for the Impure World Reincarnation. He left it so the truth could be revealed."
Kabuto thought, Just as I suspected…
His face betrayed nothing. "A tooth can't talk. What's your evidence?"
"Instinct."
Kabuto let out a soft, derisive laugh. "Heh. Just instinct? How embarrassing if you're wrong…"
"Then it's fine," Shikamaru pressed. "It proves everyone was right about Sasuke. No clarification needed. And honestly, whether this gets clarified or not… matters most to your interests. If you think I'm just wasting my time here, then by all means, show me the door."
"Wasting time? I wouldn't go that far." Kabuto pushed his glasses up again, the lenses glinting. "But one thing I need to understand. Sasuke… he's still a missing-nin of Konoha, yes? Even if you clear his name for the village's destruction, that status won't change much in people's minds. So why go to all this trouble… for him?"
Shikamaru's jaw tightened. "You're right. Clearing this one incident won't change his status as a traitor. But… if another one of my hunches is correct, the entire nature of his crime could change!"
"Another hunch?"
Shikamaru took another deep, steadying breath, his fist clenching.
"The one who held off 'Madara's' pursuit. The one who bought time for Konoha's survivors to escape… what if that was Sasuke?!"
He met Kabuto's gaze head-on. "That alone would be enough to wash away the stain of being a traitor! More than that! In the future, if he claimed his initial defection had some… compelling reason behind it, people would listen. They might even believe him. Even if the reason sounded utterly insane!"
This time, the shock in Kabuto's mind was genuine.
Since Sasuke's return, his only appearances before Konoha's survivors were infiltrating the Uzumaki Mask Hall and showing up at the village cemetery. Sure, with Shikamaru's intellect, deducing he was the one who stopped Madara isn't a huge leap.
But… but still.
I never imagined he'd pieced it together this far. From scattered clues to a hypothesis so close to the truth.
It's true. Sasuke awoke at the Valley of the End. To quickly synchronize with Lord Orochimaru in this timeline, defecting from Konoha again was the only option.
That choice also meant revealing the absurd, terrifying truth of the past and future would be… monumentally difficult.
Sasuke foresaw this. So he started damage control early. Like wearing that pointless mask during the Seventh Battle against the Five Kage.
But… Sasuke's needs and Shikamaru's current request, while they seem to align, are two different things. Priorities must be kept clear.
"I understand." Kabuto's voice was flat. "You want to see Lord Orochimaru so he can use that tooth to perform the Impure World Reincarnation on Inoichi Yamanaka. Correct?"
He pushed his glasses up once more, his eyes boring into Shikamaru's through the lenses.
Finally… laid bare.
Shikamaru nodded. "Yes. For Sasuke's sake, you have no reason to refuse."
But Kabuto said, "You are aware of the cost of that technique, I assume?"
Shikamaru froze.
That question… came out of nowhere.
"You mean… the living sacrifice?"
Kabuto's voice rose slightly, cold and clinical. "Yes. The living sacrifice. What are your thoughts on that? To put it bluntly, young master of the Nara clan… whose life are you willing to snuff out to let the wronged soul of Inoichi Yamanaka see the light of day again?"
The question was straightforward, cruel, and a stark test of one's humanity.
Kabuto thought to himself: Clearing Sasuke's name in Konoha's eyes would be nice. If not, the truth will out eventually. But… young Nara. This world isn't a game you can win with clever negotiation tactics alone.
"Shikamaru. This point is critical. You must give me a satisfactory answer. Otherwise… find someone else."
Shikamaru's hand trembled. A bead of sweat traced a path down his temple.
Kabuto offered a thin, sinister smile. "Oh, and… 'I'm prepared to offer myself as the sacrifice.' That kind of false, heroic logic… won't fly with me."
The pressure was immense… Are they really so indifferent to Sasuke's reputation in Konoha?
"Of course it wouldn't be me," Shikamaru said, his voice strained. "I promised that person. She only agreed to help me on the condition that I stay alive. Something as serious as a human life… I wouldn't come unprepared."
He paused, then bowed deeply at the waist.
"However… before I give my official answer, please forgive my earlier… confrontational attitude."
Kabuto's expression softened minutely.
That's more like it. The proper attitude for asking a favor.
Tap.
Beyond the railing, a figure emerged from the swirling, wind-blown sand.
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