(PS -()
Time - A few hours after Yagura was killed (The next day)
"Okay, so you both go in that direction. Remember, our goal is to scout out some civilians. If you find any hostile ninjas, just shoot the flare."
"What about you? Will you be fine alone?" Choji asked him.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't trust any random ninjas, as we have no way of knowing who is hostile and who isn't," Shikamaru warned them one last time before seeing them off.
Shikamaru walked on the wall and reached the top in one push.
"Hmm, what a drag. I have to scout the area. What if we encounter some jounin or something?" Shikamaru commented while looking around.
He went in a random direction, hopping from building to building.
Unfortunately or fortunately, he wasn't very sleepy today, or he might have fallen once or twice.
It's subconscious for him to do certain things, but being a Nara has its pros and cons, too.
You have a super-brain, but that requires so much energy that you have the instinct to not think at all.
And be still, like breathing more, or staring blankly at something, or doing something similar that doesn't require much thinking, yet your brain can still focus on something.
So, when Shikamaru felt sleepy, he would try to focus on something, generally questioning things to entertain himself.
That sometimes made him aware of his leg movements, taking away the automatic control and making him fall.
It's very similar to how, when one focuses on their breathing while trying to sleep, they sometimes hold it for a moment until they have to consciously stop.
It interferes with the subconscious process.
Making it very annoying.
Another example could be that some people can consciously burp by swallowing their saliva.
Because of this, they can and will continuously burp.
That sounds funny, but it definitely isn't funny to people who have experienced it.
Especially when you're trying to sleep.
And you're not alone in bed.
Anyway, back to Shikamaru not falling on the rooftop and not trying to resonate too deeply with the readers.
Shikamaru almost tripped and fell in one instant.
Just as he was falling, his trajectory was changed, and a second later, a senbon passed through where his head would've been.
Shikamaru didn't fall to the ground but instead stuck his foot to the wall and clung there.
Another senbon passed through the spot where his head would have been if he hadn't stopped.
"Seems like you don't know how to do the math," Shikamaru said, weaving hand signs and flickering from that spot on the wall.
A water ball collided with the spot where he had been standing.
Shikamaru took out the flare, but it was sniped from a different position.
"You really should show yourself, or is this silent killing?" Shikamaru had already noticed the mist surrounding the area and said that to get some reaction from the other person, who was at least chunin level if not jounin.
***
"So, do you think Shikamaru will be fine?" Ino asked Choji.
"Yeah, he's smart. He doesn't make dumb decisions."
"But, I don't think it's wise to go into this town alone and even disperse separately."
"Yeah," Choji commented while taking all the chips in his mouth at once.
He rubbed his hands together to remove the crumbs of the chips.
"We have some company," Choji said, cracking his neck.
Ino had already noticed and had signalled Choji.
It might seem like Choji noticed first to a third observer.
But that was intentional.
No, this wasn't Choji trying to act cool.
It was so the enemy wouldn't figure out that Ino was the actual sensor.
A psychological tactic is used here.
They were Ino-Shika-Cho; how could they not use such tactics?
"Tch, I told you to attack directly, you waited, and they figured it out," they heard a voice but didn't see anybody.
They only saw the mist spreading.
"Oh, this is going to be interesting," Ino said, taking out a kunai.
She also took out the flare and used it above.
But the flare was intercepted by a kunai mid-air, unable to escape the mist.
"Time to create a war," they heard the voice in the mist.
***
"So, Kakashi-sensei, when is the inauguration ceremony for Terumi-Nee-chan? When can we go home?"
"I think it's supposed to be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Some elders aren't keen on seeing her rise to the position and kill the previous Mizukage with the help of Konoha ninjas, who were also lent the Seven Legendary Swords," Kakashi said, lazily lying on the bed.
"So, trust issues, huh."
"Yeah, they had to take help from foreign village ninjas to kill their own Kage. Some are saying it was unnecessary, and others are wondering about the conditions of the treaty. You probably won't understand the politics right now," Kakashi waved his hand downwards.
He had noticed that prodigies like him or Itachi might have been very intelligent, but they were still kids.
Kids with no experience could easily be manipulated.
So, he didn't have high expectations for Sora's political understanding.
The only thing he remembered was Sora causing Danzo's deeds to be 'publicized' and making Kakashi kill Danzo.
But Kakashi probably assumed that to be pettiness or revenge or something.
Little did he know, he was sitting in front of the kid who wrote some... interesting things on the Chunin exams.
Nobody clearly knows the extent of Sora's personality but himself, that he wrote everything in a serious manner, and they were more or less what he would do in such conditions.
It was a sad but harsh truth.
Sora had some form of sociopathic tendencies that came out in the form of pranks on others.
Sociopathic wouldn't be the right word in this context.
He could disregard random people's lives on the spot if needed and would only show regret after a while.
He could also ignore that regret by convincing his brain to focus on something else until time washed away his regrets and guilt.
He also had some sadistic tendencies, but they hadn't fully manifested... yet.
But he really liked the people he was close with, so it wasn't really much of an issue...
"So, you're trying to say that if we're gonna steal one of the Seven Swords, we need to make it seem like a rogue ninja from the Mist stole it while we look innocent by having an alibi?"
Kakashi almost dropped his book.
"I- I guess that's what I meant," Kakashi just covered it up.
'This kid really wants that sword, doesn't he?' Kakashi thought.
Kakashi would have to make sure that a Mist ninja got blamed if Sora decided to steal the sword.
He was the negotiator for the swords, so if any blame went to Konoha, he would have to answer for it.
Which was definitely a drag for him, so he'd make sure it didn't happen.
"Hmm, right."
"Ino-Shika-Cho went to take part in the aftermath, right?"
"Yeah, they should accomplish their mission objective soon," Sora said, looking at the clock on the wall.
***
Shikamaru was currently in the mist, unable to see anything, as it had grown thicker than before.
So, Shikamaru decided it was better to change tactics.
Shikamaru closed his eyes, weaved hand signs, and prepared for the shadow-possession jutsu.
"Too late," a voice said before a senbon passed through where Shikamaru's heart had been.
***
Choji used his partial expansion jutsu to enlarge both of his hands and clapped them together.
The mist was being dispersed.
"Tch, seems the Akimichi isn't braindead."
"Well, our luck is just that bad," the man's voice sighed.
"So, you guys should show yourselves. It seems you really are cowards who like to sneak attack," Ino said, aiming to rile up her opponents.
Any sane and logical person would agree that an ambush is much better than a direct attack.
They are ninjas, not fools.
"You brat, you should play house at home instead of coming to play ninja," Ino deflected the senbon aimed at her with her kunai.
"It seems you're an old hag since you don't want to show your face," Ino smirked internally.
"YOUU—" That voice was interrupted and fell silent.
"Mission completed," Choji said, dispelling all the mist with his partial expansion jutsu.
The mist cleared to reveal Shikamaru's shadow holding two people with his shadow possession jutsu. A third person lay unconscious near Sora's foot.
"Since when did you guys figure out the plan?" Shikamaru smirked at Ino and Choji.
Sora knocked out the other two conscious people.
"We realized it midway. You don't seem like the type to make irrational decisions like a certain Uzumaki," Ino stuck out her tongue at the red-haired Uzumaki.
"I am a shadow clone, but I have feelings too."
***
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