What A Drag... || Shikamaru x reader

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Edited: 30/05/24

Reuploaded: 06/06/24

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When I woke up, I heard a ruckus. I looked up to see people either sleeping or fighting.

"What's happening here?" I asked.

"So you're finally awake?" Shino's voice hit my ears. I looked up to see him stood mysteriously in the shadows.

"Explain."

"Come, let's go and I'll explain on the way," he told me, I nodded, and we started running out of the arena and elsewhere.

"A former leaf ninja, the Sannin, Orochimaru, has attacked and the Hokage is fighting him right now. Sasuke has gone after Gaara, and the Naruto has gone after him with a few others. I fear this may end tragically," he explained.

"And where are we... go... ing..." I trailed off when we reached outside of the arena to the village again, two massive snakes were parading through the village and wrecking it. Killing people in its path.

"This place is a mess!" I exclaimed before turning to Shino, "you continue going wherever you're going. I'm going to help out here."

"Ok, take one of these then," he gave me a food pill, "good luck."

We separated after I ate the pill, and I reached the base of the snakes to see people aimlessly trying to their hardest to stop them.

I started thinking about Shikamaru and my ice eyes triggered. It's embarrassing having to think about him all the time like this. I really need to figure out how to not have to do that... The air around the snakes was filled with more water than the rest.

"Perfect," I muttered to myself before jumping onto the roof of a building and raising my hands. Focusing on the water around the snakes, I remembered mine and Honoko's conversation.

"I know just how to work this training in your benefit. But first, how do you want to hold it? To hurt someone? Defend someone?" she paused, "... or both?"

"I guess I would go for both of them," I told her with determination. She smiled and nodded.

"You want to protect someone or something so much you'll put your life willingly on the line for it?" she asked. I looked at her and nodded.

"Always," I told her. She nodded.

"Then let's get started then," she turned and walked to the ocean, I followed after her slowly.

"I'll put my life on the line if it means that the village is safe," I muttered to myself before raising my hands and moving them around, creating a figure 8 movement which started trapping the snakes from the end of the tail up in ice.

The ninja around the base looked up to where I was stood in astonishment before cheering as I held the snakes advancement through the village, off.

"Allow me to take over, these snakes and I are old friends," a man with long white hair and red makeup going from his eyes to his chin making him look like he was crying blood appeared beside me on a large toad.

"It's the Sannin Jiraiya!" someone yelled, I looked up to him.

"You're Jiraiya?" I asked him, he nodded and smiled.

"I am the Toad Sage, Jiraiya!" he introduced himself loudly before grabbing my arm and pulling me onto the toad beside him, "your ice is doing wonders, keep doing what you're doing. I'll take over the rest."

"Understood," I nodded and knelt down beside him so I don't fall while the toad moved around and kept my hold on the snakes as tightly as I could.

The toad moved around violently, and I barely stayed in one place but managed.

"Kid, can you spread the ice up a bit further?" Jiraiya asked, I nodded and clicked my fingers causing the ice to melt and burn the snakes before focusing on the extra water and freezing the snake again, but this time the ice went higher up the body.

"That's it! Hold it there!" the old man beside me ordered. I kept a hold and was used to the toads movements, so I managed to stand up and double layer the ice just in case.

After a while the battle ended, the snakes were defeated and everyone returned to the village, excluding the sand siblings who must've ran to the sand village.

I got rid of the ice and Jiraiya got rid of the toad, I was exhausted.

"Quick tend to the injured!" people were yelling all over the place, scurrying around as she went.

"Good work, kid. Now what's your name?" Jiraiya asked.

"I'm f/n l/n," I introduced myself and he just smiled.

"A l/n? It's been a while since I came across one of you," he told me as he helped me to where the medical nin had set up a little recovery centre. But the first thing I saw when I got there was my Dad having a blanket folded over his face.

I felt my body fall cold as I just stared for a moment before pushing myself away from Jiraiya and ran over to them. As soon as they saw me it was like their lives just crumbled and they tried to stop me from getting closer to my Dad, but I managed to get past them to find exactly what I feared.

"No..." I mumbled as tears started crawling up on me.

"Who's that?" Jiraiya asked the medical ninja.

"He's... F/n, y/n's Dad," they told him as I just stared at my Dad's lifeless face.

"How did he die?" he asked them.

"He... Uh—" they looked at me as I turned to watch them, "he was definitely attacked by a large group of people and was overpowered. Looks like multiple paper bombs, tools and a genjutsu that crushed his mind and a lot of his body possibly. We don't know who it was though."

"I see. Please go and tend the others," Jiraiya dismissed them before kneeling beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder, "let them out. It's easier to cry it all out rather than bottle it all up."

After that I couldn't help but to cry.

The tears just fell so naturally as I was pulled into a hug by the man beside me.

My Dad.

My only family left.

Gone.

Dead.

I'm alone.

All... alone...