It All Started With A Smell

Cheers and Tears

He knew he was being somewhat pathetic. It hadn't even been three days since Naruto had left and he missed her more than he thought possible. Unfortunately, he knew he had to get his mind on the important matter of the war. Every able body in the village above Genin had moved out to meet with the forces from the other villages. The number of ninjas were overwhelming, and yet, Shikamaru couldn't help but wonder: would this be enough?

Madara was a legend, a warrior with only one equal, the first Hokage. A fighter of their calibre had not been seen since their death. Except, that wasn't entirely true. Shikamaru thought about the little blonde everyone saw as a screw up, then he thought about the powerhouse that had not only taken on all 6 Pains when even the top Jonins had trouble taking on one, but had also been able to move the collateral that was the Nine-Tails away from the villagers. If Naruto could gain control over the power of the Nine-Tails she could be on par with Madara, though there was no knowing for certain. There was also the added risk of sending one of the two people he needed straight at him. Not to mention the woman Shikamaru loved. There was no way he was uttering a word of his suspicions about Naruto's true strength to anyone.

Instead of dwelling on those thoughts he tried to hope that there were some talented fighters from the other villagers that he didn't know about and sheer numbers would have an effect over Madara and any forces he had. That was another big issue. There was no way the nearly depleted Akatsuki could have been the only form of an army that Madara had. Even as powerful as the man was, he couldn't be so arrogant to fight alone. So, who were making up his forces?

He scanned the assembled fighters wondering if there was someone secretly strong enough to at least hold out against Madara. He was so focused on studying the swarm of people in front of him that he didn't notice anyone walk up behind him until they slammed their hands into his shoulders painfully. With the sound of laughter ringing in his ears he spun around to glare at the offending party. He ended up scoffing and rolling his eyes when he saw Kankuro grinning at him.

"You're a pain."

"Sorry," Kankuro chuckled. "Couldn't help myself."

"Hmm." Reaching out, Shikamaru quickly run his finger through one of the lines of war paint on the other man's face. He smirked at Kankuro's indignant squawk.

"Well, there goes two hours in front of the mirror," Declared Temari, coming to stand beside her brother. "We saw you getting lost in your own mind and thought we'd save you."

"Thanks. Though a gentler route would have been nicer," He joked, rubbing his shoulder with a pointed look at Kankuro who just shot him an amused grin. With a sigh, he sobered up. "So, what do you think our chances are?"

"Nope!" Temari said, shaking her head viciously. "Don't think about the odds. Honestly, think about all our major fights. So often it seems like the battle is against us, and we win, and then I know I've been in battles I thought I could easily win, and I didn't."

"Hell, when the Sand invaded the Leaf we thought we had it in the bag," Kankuro admitted, "When Gaara lost control I thought your friends would be dead for sure. Then I found Naruto and Gaara in the same clearing, Gaara unconscious and Naruto still having enough strength to finish him if she needed too. You can't predict these things. And yes, I know Naruto is a girl!"

"But do you really know?" Shikamaru asked, throwing his head back with laughter when Kankuro stomped his foot in frustration.

"Yes!"

Temari suddenly grabbed Shikamaru's head, pushing it to the side and yanking down the collar of his turtleneck. She gave a dramatic gasp whilst Kankuro, having seen what his sister exposed, started fanning himself as though he saw something scandalous that made him feel faint. Shikamaru smacked Temari's hands away and pulled his collar back into place but it was too late. He could feel his face reddening as the two siblings continued to laugh and act like Shikamaru was debaucherous.