Her Mask (Shikamaru x Oc)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Shingami glared at the unconscious man that was strapped into the interrogation chair, who would have thought breaking a single finger would cause the man to pass out.

It pissed the girl off to such an extent she planned to break the rest of his fingers while he was out just to show him why you don’t piss off the person that was tasked to get information out of you.

That was before there was a knock on the door, stopping her from yanking back the man’s middle finger. She hesitantly let go and walked over to the door looking up, expecting to see Ibiki or Genma.

She wasn’t expecting to see a slightly disheveled Sakura with evidence that she’d been crying recently. 

“S-Shingami?” The girl stammered out, afraid of the girl’s appearance. It didn’t help that there was a little blood smeared across her mask.

“Did you need something, Sakura?”

The Pinkett opened her mouth to speak when the man in the chair screamed himself awake. The Silver-haired girl quickly turned around, closed the door to keep Sakura from seeing what she was doing, and shoved a rag into the man’s mouth, muffling him.

She walked back over to the door opening it and closing it behind herself, looking back at Sakura.

“Sorry about that.”

Sakura then looked back and forth from the door to the girl before starting to speak again.

“Um. Lady Tsunade wanted me to bring you to the Hospital.”

Shingami leaned against the door behind her. “I already donated this week.”

The girl looked down at her feet. “It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?” The girl said quietly, waiting for the timid girl just to say what she needed to say, looking at the door behind her, trying to sense if the man had been trying to escape his bindings. 

“Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji are in the Hospital.” She got out while flinching when she heard the sound of Shingami’s neck snapping over to look at her with angry eyes.

“They’re what?” The girl pushed off the door and approached Sakura, causing the pink-haired girl to back up in fear. “Why didn’t you think to say that before?”

The girl was shaking. “I’m sorry I was trying to-”

Shingami walked off before the girl could finish.

She walked into the room Genma, and Anko was in to see the later burning a man with a hot iron rod.

“One of you take my case I’ll be back soon.”

Genma stood up from his chair. “Something happen?”

Shingami turned to leave. “Half my team is in the hospital. I’ll be back soon.”

Sakura walked over and stayed a good five feet away from the girl to avoid bothering her further, regretting not just blurting it out in the first place.

____________________

Sakura had lead Shingami to the ICU. Shikamaru was sitting just outside with a couple of cuts and bruises.

Shingami sat beside him and waited for him to say something. She wasn’t sure if he knew she was there, but she was more than willing to wait as long as he needed it.  

Sakura had left to see Naruto, who the Pinkett had mentioned wasn’t in critical condition, which was why she didn’t go to him first. 

Shikamaru kept his face covered with his hands while he was bent over. He didn’t say anything, so Shingami placed her hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing it to try and comfort him the way he’d done to her.

He put one hand on top of hers but kept the other planted on his forehead. He gripped her hand tightly, not letting go.

Shingami could see that he was really upset about what happened. But Shingami? Shingami was pissed off. Sakura had told her what Sasuke had done. She understood wanting to get revenge. But she would never risk innocent lives to get it. 

When they killed their father, Shingami and her brother made sure that they were in the middle of the woods far away from the house and the rest of the village with no chance of anyone getting caught in the cross-fire. 

They went through great lengths to ensure that.

But Sasuke, Sasuke decided that nobody else mattered but him and what he wanted.

That wasn’t something that Shingami could relate to. In fact, it was something that she would kill someone for.

Selfishness was not something Shingami let slide.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes before Tsunade came out of the operating room, saying that everyone was okay before she pulled Shingami to the side.

“Did Sakura explain what happened?”

The girl nodded.

“Okay, do you know where any of Orochimaru’s bases are?”

The girl shook her head. “No, my investigations only got me so far, and if I hadn’t found the Kazekage’s body, I would’ve never known he was in the village.”

Tsunade sighed and shook her head. ”Damn.”

She took a minute to think. “Alright, do me a favor and check on Naruto, make sure he’s still in his room.”

The girl looked at Shikamaru; he was holding Choji’s hand even though he was still unconscious.

“Okay.”

__________

When Shingami walked all the way up to the third floor, she didn’t even bother to knock on the door before she opened it.

Jiraya noticed her before Naruto did, he nodded in her direction in greeting.

She ended up walking all the way over to Naruto’s bed before he noticed. 

“Shingami-Chan! What are you doing here?”

The girl sat down in the chair next to his bed, and the boy was smiling even though he was sad.

“Good to see you awake.” The girl said, taking off her mask, gently scraping off the dry blood.

“Shikamaru said you had work today.”

“Yeah, well. Some things are more important than making grown men scream.”

Naruto made a face that said it all, making the girl’s lips quirk up.

“...And I thought Ibiki was a sadist.”

Shingami turned around, seeing Kakashi standing in the doorway.

The girl shrugged, “What can I say? I love my job.”