Now What Have I Gotten Myself Into? ~Enter Konoha's number one knuckle head

16

Chapter 16

Asuma agreed reluctantly as rain began to downpour upon us. I barely know the man and I already could tell he hated the idea of retreating. So it was a well thought decision to go along with my suggestion. Once Izumo had recovered enough he had sent his doves to the remaining teams and the Hokage before we moved to the trees to set and wait for a response from her. Even though he agreed he had also countered saying that we needed to wait for the Hokage to decide what we do next.

Night fell and most of the group we had accumulated were asleep. I moved away from the fire and set up in a tree looking out away from us. I already figured Leader called them back to seal another tailed beast. That is about the only reason he would have interrupted them but the leaf didn't know that. Meaning it will take three days before we see any sign of them. So it is understandable that they didn't want to just leave the area when they could come back. I very nearly sigh thinking back through the last three years. The banters I held between Hidan and me. The jokes we would pull on the other members. Him chasing me down the hall because I stole his necklace while I couldn't help but laugh and toss smirks over my shoulder. At first he was pissed but sometime in the chase he couldn't help but grin. Yes, whenever I could steer his mind away from his religious ramblings... he was fun.

"It's not your shift." A voice meets my ears as someone lands on the branch next to me. "You should be resting." I smile but make no move to look at him.

"You're one to talk, Shika." I raise my right leg onto the branch and rest my arm over my knee. Seemingly as if I am watching for any sign of movement. Rather then having been lost in my own thoughts and memories.

"Shika, huh." He says and I could hear him smile. "I don't think you ever called me that before this mission." He points out making me lightly chuckle.

"Caught that huh." I tell him as I sober. "Before this mission. We never actually talked before. Shika is easier to say than Shikamaru. It's a pain to say an entire name when it's that long." This made him laugh as I feel him rub the back of his neck.

"So true. But in that case, what about the Hokage? You call her by name." I finally look away from the cloud covered view to meet his gaze.

"Well I can't possibly call her Tsu or Slug now can I?"

"No, she would probably kill you." He laughs making me smile as I turn my attention back onto the landscape.

"Probably, I've heard she has a temper worse than Sakura's." I laugh in turn knowing that it's true. When I sober I sigh openly. "You know, I think this is the longest conversation I've had with anyone since I got back. It's nice."

"Really?" He asks and when I nod I hear him kind of grunt before he too looks out at the trees before us. "I guess, everyone has been busy since most of us have been made either chunin or Jonin."

"Yeah, life goes on. You can't remain a kid forever." I mutter lowly.

"That's true." He sighs before falling silent as if there was something on his mind. "Say, Kira?" He asks almost hesitantly. Huh? I breathe to show him I'm listening. "On the way to the collection office. You were talking about an Akatsuki that doesn't like killing." I nod to him and finally pull my gaze back over to him.

"What of it?" I ask as he sighs and folds his hands in his lap before looking back at me to meet my gaze.

"You were speaking, fondly, of the guy." This time I smile softly and look away from him, though I continue to watch him from the corner of my eye.

"You want me to tell you his name and explain right?" I ask him causing his shoulders to slouch before he nods in turn. So I hit the nail on the head. "There isn't much I want to say yet." I tell him causing a look of confusion to come from him. "I dropped a bug in Kakashi's ear so maybe Tsunade is looking for the documentation that will back my words. Don't get me wrong. I want to tell you. But if I do and you tell someone else. It could put you and others in danger." This did nothing to alleviate his confusion. It just seems to make it worse as he furrows his brows.