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Shikamaru and Sora were deep in conversation but looked up as Ino and Choji approached.
"Hey, you two are back early," Shikamaru observed, his sharp eyes noting their unsettled expressions. "Did something happen?"
Ino and Choji exchanged glances before launching into their tale. As they recounted the eerie encounter with the old woman and her cryptic message, Shikamaru's brow furrowed in concentration while Sora's eyes grew wider and wider.
"...and then she just vanished into thin air!" Ino finished, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
There was a moment of silence as Shikamaru and Sora processed this information.
"...and then we met this woman named Hana who works at the temple," Ino continued. "She told us the old woman we met was probably Yukikoha, a former caretaker who died 62 years ago!"
Sora's eyes widened, a flicker of fear crossing his face. "W-wait, you mean you actually saw a g-ghost?" His voice cracked slightly on the last word, and he instinctively took a step closer to Shikamaru.
Shikamaru, for his part, remained outwardly calm, though his mind was racing. He glanced at Sora, noting the young ninja's growing distress. "Let's not jump to conclusions," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "There could be a logical explanation for this."
Choji nodded, adding, "And that's not all. Hana also told us about a legend of a trickster spirit called Zashiki Warashi that haunts the mountain."
At this, Sora's face paled visibly, and Shikamaru could feel the boy starting to tremble beside him. "A t-trickster spirit? Like the ones in those scary stories?" Sora's voice was barely above a whisper now.
Shikamaru placed a steadying hand on Sora's shoulder, feeling the tension in the young ninja's body. He was torn between his natural scepticism and the need to take his teammates' experience seriously. "Calm down, Sora," he said softly. "We don't know for sure if any of this is real."
"Exactly," Ino confirmed, not noticing Sora's growing discomfort. "Apparently, it steals things for fun, especially shiny objects and rare treasures. Sound familiar?"
Sora gulped audibly, his earlier bravado completely evaporated. "F-familiar? No, not at all! That sounds terrifying!" He looked up at Shikamaru with wide, frightened eyes, silently pleading for reassurance.
Shikamaru's brow furrowed in thought. "That does match up with what we learned about the thefts at the inn. But a spirit? That seems..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. He didn't want to dismiss his teammates' experience, but he also didn't want to feed into Sora's growing panic.
"Absolutely horrifying?" Sora squeaked, his voice trembling. He was now pressed so close to Shikamaru that he was practically hiding behind the older ninja.
"I was going to say 'far-fetched', but I see you have other thoughts, Sora," Shikamaru sighed, noting the young ninja's distress. He gently patted Sora's back, trying to offer some comfort. "Look, we need to approach this rationally. Even if there is something supernatural going on, panicking won't help us solve the case."
Ino continued, oblivious to Sora's increasing panic. "Hana mentioned something about the Zashiki Warashi only being caught by someone pure of heart and quick of mind. Someone who could out-trick the trickster."
All eyes turned to Sora, who was now visibly shaking. "W-why are you all looking at me like that?" he asked, his voice quavering.
Shikamaru noticed the way Sora's eyes darted around, looking for an escape route. He could practically see the gears turning in the young ninja's head, probably contemplating a hasty retreat. "Sora," he said firmly, "nobody's saying you have to face this alone. We're a team, remember?"
"Well, you're certainly quick-minded, Sora-chan," Ino said with a grin, still not fully grasping the extent of Sora's fear or intentionally doing it, nobody knew.
Sora's eyes darted between his teammates and the road leading away from the town. "Quick-minded for normal ninja stuff! Not for g-ghost hunting!" He looked up at Shikamaru imploringly. "Right, Shikamaru? We're not really going to hunt ghosts, are we?"
Shikamaru sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on. On one hand, he was sceptical about the whole supernatural angle. On the other hand, he couldn't ignore the possibility, especially given what Ino and Choji had experienced. And then there was Sora, clearly terrified but trying so hard to be brave.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, kid," Shikamaru started to say, but Sora cut him off.
"But Shikamaru!" Sora protested, his voice rising in pitch. "This is crazy! We're not equipped to deal with spirits and ghosts! What if our jutsu doesn't work on them? What if they can possess us? What if-"
"Sora," Shikamaru interrupted, kneeling down to look the young ninja in the eye. "Take a deep breath. We're not going to rush into anything without a plan."
Sora nodded shakily, trying to control his breathing. Shikamaru could see the conflict in the boy's eyes - the fear warring with his desire to prove himself and not let his team down.
"Look," Shikamaru continued, his voice calm and steady, "I know this sounds scary. And I'll admit, it's not something we've dealt with before. But remember, we're shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. We've faced tough challenges before and come out on top."
Sora bit his lip, still looking unconvinced. "But those were normal enemies, Shikamaru. This is... this is different."
Shikamaru nodded, acknowledging Sora's point. "You're right, it is different. But that doesn't mean we can't handle it. We just need to approach it differently."
"How?" Sora asked, his curiosity momentarily overriding his fear.
Shikamaru stood up, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, let's think about it logically. If this Zashiki Warashi is real, and if it really is behind the thefts, what do we know about it?"
Choji piped up, "Hana said it steals for fun, not out of malice."
"Right," Shikamaru nodded. "So it's not necessarily evil. Just mischievous."
Ino added, "And it seems to like challenges. That's why it can only be caught by someone who can out-trick it."
Sora listened to this exchange, his fear slowly giving way to curiosity. "So... we need to think like the spirit? Come up with a trick of our own?"
Shikamaru smiled, pleased to see Sora engaging with the problem. "Exactly. We need to set a trap, but not a physical one. We need to outsmart it."
"But how?" Sora asked, his brow furrowed in concentration. "It's probably been around for a long time. It must have seen all kinds of tricks."
"That's where you come in, Sora," Shikamaru said. "You're unpredictable. You think outside the box. If anyone can come up with a trick to catch a trickster spirit, it's you."
Sora's eyes widened at this. "Me? But... but I'm scared, Shikamaru. What if I mess up?"
Shikamaru placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Being scared doesn't mean you can't be brave, Sora. And remember, you're not alone in this. We're all here to support you."
Sora looked around at his teammates, seeing their encouraging smiles. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. "O-okay. I'll try. But if things get too scary, we run away, right?"
Shikamaru chuckled. "We'll be careful, I promise. Now, let's start planning our trap for this Zashiki Warashi."
As they began to discuss strategies, Sora felt a mix of emotions swirling inside him. He was still scared, there was no doubt about that. The idea of facing a supernatural entity made his knees weak and his palms sweaty. But at the same time, a tiny part of him couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement.
After all, how many six-year-old chunin could say they'd gone toe-to-toe with a legendary spirit? If they succeeded, it would be an amazing story to tell. And if they failed... well, Sora tried not to think about that too much.
As the team continued their discussion, Sora's mind raced with possibilities. Maybe they could set up a puzzle for the spirit to solve? Or create an illusion so convincing that even a trickster would be fooled? The more he thought about it, the more ideas he had.
But then, a chilling thought struck him. What if the spirit got angry at their attempts to trick it? What if it decided to take revenge? Sora's newfound enthusiasm quickly gave way to renewed fear.
***
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