Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 283: Incoming Troubles
"So, in the end, Lady Tsunade performed the ceremony," Ino said before taking another sip of tea.
"I can't believe a Senior Monk would pass out like that…" Shikamaru reached for another piece of shogi and moved it forward.
"You wouldn't have to believe it if you had been there," Ino huffed.
"I don't like crowded events. And my father was there, so the Nara clan was represented. My presence was unnecessary," Shikamaru said.
"You didn't miss much. They didn't even have any food," Chouji spoke of his disappointment while chomping on a rice ball.
"These are delicious!"
"Of course they are. My mother is an excellent cook," Shikamaru said.
"Too good, to be honest. At this rate, you're never going to move out of home," Ino pointed out. "Unless you find a girlfriend who is very homely."
"Women are troublesome. I'm fine where I am," Shikamaru responded.
"Mmmm, you say that. Let's wait until you hit puberty," Ino said with a playful grin.
"Very funny…" Shikamaru moved another piece. "You lost."
"Wait…hold on…" Ino checked the board. "Shit!"
"You're worse than Chouji. I don't know why I bother playing with you," Shikamaru said.
"I am not worse than Chouji!" Ino exclaimed.
"You do lose often against me," Chouji said.
"I…" Ino stopped when the door to the living room opened.
They were all expecting Shikamaru's mother, coming back with more tea and snacks, but instead, it was his father, Shikaku Nara, who now held the title of Clan Lord as well as Council Elder.
"I thought you were busy in a meeting," Shikamaru noticed the serious expression on his father's face.
"We had to cut it short…we received a…troublesome report…" Shikaku said.
"By the face you're making, it seems like it was more than troublesome," Ino mentioned.
"What happened?" Shikamaru asked.
Shikaku sighed and sat down. "The combined armies of the Cloud and Rock villages are currently marching towards our village, and they're moving very fast."
"What?! They're attacking us already?" Chouji shouted. "I thought we still had months before…"
"Where are they?" Shikamaru asked.
"They just crossed our border from the northeast. They killed most of the ninjas we had posted there, but one managed to escape and deliver the message."
"How long until they're here?" Ino asked.
"We were only able to do a quick estimation, but…in a matter of hours, perhaps around dawn," Shikaku said with a heavy tone. The severity of the situation was just sinking in.
"We only have a few hours to prepare ?! What are we going to do?" Chouji asked.
"There's a war council in one hour." Shikaku glanced at Ino and Chouji. "You two need to hurry home and speak with your parents. They'll tell you what to do next."
He then looked at his son. "You're coming with me to this council. We could use your brain."
"Wait, aren't we going to need Naruto? Where is he?" Chouji asked.
"He just got married, so I bet he's enjoying his wedding night," Ino had a specific idea of what he was doing with Hinata right now.
"Did he leave the village?" Shikamaru turned to look at Ino.
"He went to a tranquil location just outside the village." Ino didn't want to mention the cultivation cave, but that's where he probably was right now.
"But you can call him," Shikamaru stated. "We're going to need him, that's for sure."
"Don't worry about Naruto. He has eyes everywhere, inside and outside the village. Trust me…he knows already, and he'll be here." Ino was sure of that. He had promised Lady Tsunade to protect this village, and there was nothing that would stop him from doing that.
"I'm not sure how many ninjas they've brought, but…it won't be enough for him."
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"Here's a good place. I'll perform the ritual." Kabuto examined the forest near the border of the Land of Fire. This was one of the smallest ones in the country, and it was still far away from the village, but it would serve his purpose.
A massive army was at his back, all of them here for the same purpose…to destroy Konoha. And aid him in his vengeance, even if they didn't mean it.
'Naruto…I will soon have your head.' Kabuto repeated in his head as he summoned several wooden coffins and prepared himself to bring back some reinforcements for their attack.
Failure was not an option. He had already been killed by Naruto once, and the second time, he'd managed to escape thanks to his good luck. There probably wouldn't be a third time.
"Are we sure this is a good idea? The last time didn't go well." A, the Raikage from the Cloud Village, was a large and imposing man. Right now, he was glaring at Kabuto as if trying to measure his worth. "This boy has already failed once. Do we want to risk it?"
"That's different!" Kabuto exclaimed. "He was on another level…I couldn't have predicted he could free himself from my control so quickly." He had to admit that he'd underestimated that one.
The Impure World Reincarnation was a jutsu originally designed by the Second Hokage.
Orochimaru later made some modifications, but for the most part, the jutsu remained the same.
Kabuto, however, took the technique one step further. He had greatly enhanced several aspects of the jutsu. Particularly, he had improved the safety of the user by adding several more layers of seals that would prevent the resurrected individuals from breaking away from their control.
Unfortunately…he'd underestimated the power of the ninja he had previously called to serve as the vanguard for this army.
"Hahah! These youngsters are too naive nowadays." A short old man walked next to Kabuto and examined the coffins he'd brought forth.
"You thought you could control someone like Uchiha Madara?"
It had only taken a minute for the former leader of the Uchiha clan to break away from Kabuto's control. They were all preparing for a fierce fight with the ancient ninja, but much to their surprise, he just left without attacking anyone.
"We got very lucky there…boy," the old Ōnoki said.
"Tsuchikage…" Kabuto stared at the current leader of the Rock Village. Despite his harmless looks, he knew just how dangerous this old man was.
"I won't fail again. This time, I'll bring some crucial backup for our cause."
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