"That's impossible..." Karin stared at Anko, whose body was suddenly enveloped in a black aura. She was shocked, her sensory abilities had detected no other chakra from Anko before this!
"What a powerful surge of chakra..." Karin murmured, stunned. She had no idea what was happening to Anko.
Just then, a voice echoed near Anko and Karin. It sounded unfamiliar to the members of the Snake Squad, but it was very familiar to Anko and her companions.
"Shadow Ninja Art, Alloy Spike!"
Shikamaru's True Shadow suddenly condensed in front of Anko, transforming into his shadow clone! Upon appearing, both hands burst forth with a terrifying black glow, chakra coiling densely around his fists as he launched a powerful strike toward Jugo!
Clang!
The resounding clash of metal rang out as the clone's fists collided with Jugo. The force sent Jugo flying backwards.
Shikamaru's clone wasn't unscathed either, it was shaken back from the impact. But he used the momentum to pull Anko safely into his arms.
Upon seeing the condition of Yakumo and Kurenai, Shikamaru's expression darkened with rage. His eyes blazed as he stared at Jugo and the others.
"You hurt my women. I don't care who you are, you're dead."
"Shadow Ninja Art: True Shadow Summon!"
At his command, two waves of black energy erupted, one from Kurenai and one from Yakumo. Unless in life-threatening danger, Shikamaru's embedded shadows in the women wouldn't appear. But he could still summon them manually.
Karin froze again. It was already shocking that one person had hidden chakra she couldn't detect, now there were more?
Boom!
As the shadows emerged from within Kurenai and Yakumo, the crystalline orbs trapping them shattered instantly. The chakra thread connected to Yakumo's heart was immediately destroyed by Shikamaru.
"Shadow Ninja Art: Shadowflame!"
Amaterasu's black flames, if even chakra threads couldn't withstand them, what could?
"Guren, fall back!" Karin shouted. She could sense the strength of Shikamaru, Guren was no match. They had to retreat!
Roar!
Jugo regained his footing and let out a ferocious howl. With a burst of speed, he charged at Shikamaru like a missile, eyes bloodthirsty, fists swinging violently.
"Shadow Ninja Art, Alloy Shield!"
Still holding Anko, Shikamaru wasn't about to face Jugo head-on. A solid black metal-like shield, compressed shadow chakra, manifested in front of him.
Crash!
The shield shattered under Jugo's monstrous strength, but it bought enough time for Shikamaru to leap back with Anko in his arms. The other two shadow clones spread their wings of shadow and rushed toward the pursuing Jugo.
"Shadow Ninja Art: Monster Strength Fist!"
Both shadow clones roared in unison. Black energy spiraled around their fists like a tornado as they soared upward, the sheer visual impact enough to make one's heart race.
"Guren, let's go!" Karin ordered the moment Guren drew near. She and Sasame took one last glance at Jugo, who was already being pummeled by two Shikamarus, then turned and fled. These newcomers were clearly out of their league.
Shikamaru didn't chase them. His priority was Yakumo's condition. Plus, his True Shadow clones had a ten-minute limit, after that, they'd dissipate, leaving only a trace of their soul to return to the women's bodies, completely drained of chakra.
Boom!
Explosions echoed overhead. Jugo, fully transformed into his second state, was being relentlessly beaten by Shikamaru's two clones. His howls of rage rang through the skies.
Shikamaru didn't use Shadowflame to kill him quickly. That would be letting Jugo off too easily. Instead, he continued to trade brutal blows using Tsunade's monster strength techniques and sharp alloy attacks.
He also didn't want to waste Jugo's shadow. Since his main body wasn't here yet, the best option was to cripple Jugo first.
"Shadow Ninja Art, Alloy Spike!"
Slick!
Like black lightning, Shikamaru's clone slashed across Jugo's back, severing one of his wings. Jugo crashed to the ground in a mangled heap.
Roar! Roar!
Furious and wild, Jugo launched himself up again using his powerful legs, moving even faster than flight. In a blink, he was in front of one of the clones.
With a beastly snarl, he extended his clawed hands toward Shikamaru, only for his target to vanish in a puff of smoke, replaced by a wooden log. The real clone appeared behind him, landing a devastating kick that sent Jugo crashing down, leaving a massive crater.
"Time's almost up..." one Shikamaru muttered. After ten minutes of relentless fighting, the clones exchanged glances and began forming hand seals together.
"Shadow Ninja Art, Demon Forest!"
An enormous wave of chakra erupted outward, covering a ten-kilometer radius, Karin felt it instantly, even while fleeing.
From the ground, countless black trees sprouted at lightning speed. Within moments, a dense forest of living shadows had formed, Shikamaru's most powerful wood-style shadow ninjutsu: Demon Forest.
Unless activated for special effects, it was a pure S-rank containment technique. Shikamaru's goal: trap Jugo until his real body arrives. Even Karin's superhuman sensory skills would need time to navigate this place, escaping would not be easy.
Inside one of the shadow trees, two clones dispersed, sending their remaining soul fragments back to Anko and Yakumo. The final clone turned to the three women and said,
"Kurenai, Anko, Yakumo, stay here. Don't go out. Wait for my real body to arrive!"
With that, the last fragment faded into Kurenai's body. The clone had also healed the women's injuries, though they were still weak.
The three had wanted to throw themselves into Shikamaru's arms, longing to express their feelings. But to their surprise, all of them had only encountered shadow clones. The real Shikamaru had yet to appear.
"Kurenai-sis, Shikamaru's been protecting us all along..." Yakumo said softly, her voice full of warmth. She had realized Shikamaru cared for her too, his True Shadow had been inside her body as well.
"Mhm." Kurenai and Anko nodded, smiling. They began recovering quietly within the massive shadow trees.
⚔──────────────
Outside, Jugo was still roaring furiously, thrashing and destroying trees in a desperate attempt to escape the oppressive forest. But no matter how much he rampaged, the broken trees regenerated instantly, he couldn't get out.
"Karin, what do we do now?" Sasame asked nervously. Surrounded by pitch-black trees, she was understandably terrified.
"Don't move," Karin said calmly, closing her eyes to sense chakra in the area.
After a moment, her eyes opened, troubled. The three shadow clones were gone, but she couldn't detect where Anko and the others had gone either. Only Jugo's presence remained, feral and unhinged.
She now understood the terrain, and realized something even more disturbing: every tree in the Demon Forest was alive.
⚔──────────────
A day later, flying at full speed, the real Shikamaru finally arrived above the Demon Forest. While he didn't possess Karin's pinpoint sensory range, his wide-field mental perception was even stronger. He quickly found Jugo, Karin, Guren, and Sasame, along with the ones he truly cared about: Anko, Yakumo, and Kurenai.
He didn't waste time on the others, he didn't yet know their identities. If his shadow clones had activated Demon Forest, there had to be someone extremely important involved.
With a flicker, Shikamaru's body vanished into the forest. Using his shadow-travel technique, he merged into the enormous shadow beneath the trees and instantly emerged before Anko, Yakumo, and Kurenai.
"Who's there?" Anko barked, then gasped as she saw his face.
"Shikamaru!" she cried with joy, throwing herself into his arms.
Despite his more mature appearance, Anko recognized him immediately.
"Shikamaru..." Kurenai and Yakumo also called out, smiling with joy.
Even the usually quiet Yakumo couldn't hold back anymore. After two and a half years of longing, she rushed forward and embraced him from behind, the front was already taken!
"Kurenai Anko, Yakumo... are you all okay?" Shikamaru asked gently, holding Kurenai and Anko while feeling Yakumo's warm embrace from behind.
None of the three replied. They just held him tighter. Shikamaru let them have this moment, until they finally let go, and he began asking about the danger they had faced.
"Jugo… Suigetsu… Karin… Guren… and who's the last one?"
Shikamaru frowned as he listened. He recognized all the names except one, Sasame. She'd only briefly appeared in the original story.
"So Suigetsu died... just like that?" he murmured, surprised. Killed by Yakumo's genjutsu. He'd looked for them during his training journey, but never encountered them.
He'd wanted Suigetsu's shadow too, Water Release: Hydrification Technique, total physical immunity. A shame. He admired Yakumo's strength, but was frustrated she'd been caught off guard by another girl. If not, the three wouldn't have fallen into danger.
Among the three, Yakumo was the strongest.
As he reflected, Anko, breathing in his familiar, intoxicating scent, couldn't hold back anymore. She looked up and kissed him deeply. No prompting needed, she slid her tongue right in.
Shikamaru was momentarily stunned, then smiled inside, returning her passionate kiss. He did wonder when all his women had become so forward, but he wasn't complaining.
Little did he know, they'd been waiting for him for two and a half years. A woman's longing was far more intense, and this reunion was long overdue.
As the heat between him and Anko grew, a fire ignited in his lower abdomen, his body instinctively reacting.
After parting from Anko, he turned and kissed Kurenai, giving her the same love. Finally, he faced Yakumo, who had been silently watching.
Her cheeks flushed red, her gaze locked with his, deep and full of love. Her beauty had blossomed, and her figure was even more alluring than before.
No words were needed. Just one look from her, and Shikamaru knew: Yakumo had completely fallen for him.
He leaned down and kissed her deeply...
⚔────────
Visit my Patreon for more: patreon.com/vynthor
Extra Content Already Available:
The Mountain of Ice and Fire (GOT) – 56 advanced chapters!
Naruto: I Am Nara Shikamaru – 30 advanced chapters!
One Piece: Summoner of the 3D Zone – 38 advanced chapters!
That's a total of 184 chapters ahead of public updates!
With your support, I release 10 chapters per fanfics every week, keeping the stories alive and growing.
Thank you so much for being part of this journey!