Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

The Musical Whirlpool

Fire Country: Konoha / Hospital

The mission was a failure; it turns out that Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura had betrayed them all. They had abandoned Konoha and with the help of the Sound Five managed to escape into Sound Country. With the aid of the team from Suna, the Sound Five were all eliminated aside from the one that was captured...Tayuya.

Tsunade had healed Lee's wounds and he had aided the squad leader Shikamaru during his battle with the leader of the Sound Five: Kaguya Kimimaro. While Lee faced the bone-wielding Oto nin, Shikamaru headed off after Sasuke and Sakura to the Valley of the End.

When he got their however...things didn't exactly go as planned.

Sasuke explained that he only wanted power and wounded Shikamaru with Chidori. Truthfully if it were not for the quick thinking of a Nara, then the attack would have most likely killed him there and then. Naruto may have survived it and perhaps Gaara and Yugito might have also but a normal human wouldn't have been able to.

It was a good job is was only a glancing hit...

The two traitors escaped into Sound Country and Shikamaru knew he couldn't do anything about it. He passed out just as the medics arrived and attended to him before bringing him back to Konoha. He had surprisingly sustained the least damage during the mission of all the members on the team. He was released soon after and had gone to check on the others that were in the hospital also.

Choji and Neji took had the most injuries because of the physical wounds both external and internal. Yugito was close behind having practically had her skin burned away and her chakra network having been pushed to the extreme. Kiba was bedridden like the others but his wounds weren't life threatening and they said he could leave in a few days.

"There was nothing you could have done," Kakashi said as he appeared beside the young Nara.

"If it were Naruto that was leading the team then we wouldn't have failed and none of us would be injured," Shikamaru countered knowing how far his friend would go to keep them all alive.

"Well you're not Naruto...you're you and this time you were thrust into a situation out of your control. As for the mission...they were my students; if anyone is to be blamed for their leaving it would be me. I am the one who trained them after all," Kakashi told him.

Shikamaru shook his head at that, "perhaps it's not anyone's fault this happened...they wanted to leave...and they did".

"Yes...and now I have to write up a nukenin form for them both," the Hokage turned and headed towards the security section of the hospital...where the prisoner was located.

Yugito groaned as her eyes fluttered open; the effort alone caused her to wince. The light shone through the window which made her ask why it was even there. I mean what's the point in it other than to make its patients miserable? She shifted slightly and sat up with great effort, sending painful jolts throughout her arms.

"I hate hospitals," oh the irony.

"The why did you choose to become a medic-nin?" Tsunade asked from the chair to the side.

"It was a good idea at the time," Yugito groaned and painfully turned over to face her. "How long was I out?"

"Three days," the Katsuyu-Sennin answered. "You gave me quite the scare for awhile there; it's a good job you have the Nibi inside you or you would be dead right now".

"Oh...well what happened exactly? I remember fighting that...Uzumaki and then everything went blank. Where is she?" Yugito asked as she painfully sat back up.

"...So you already know," it was a statement not a question. "We just ran a DNA check on her; she's definitely an Uzumaki but we weren't able to find a name".