“And with that, this month’s meeting is over. Does anybody have any questions?”
Shikamaru closed his eyes as he listened to the dispassionate voice addressing the gathering. The bespectacled man speaking was Chojuro, a shinobi from Kirigakure. Shikamaru knew him from the war as one of the Mizukage’s bodyguards.
“If nobody has anything to ask,then, Shikamaru-san…” Chojiuro spoke with an imploring tone from where he was seated next to him.
Shikamaru opened his right eye toglance at Chojuro, then slowly opened both.
Ten shinobi were seated around thecircular table; both men and women could be found, all generally aroundShikamaru’s age.
They were in the Country of Iron;the Shinobi Union’s Headquarters.
The country had a multitude ofstrong samurai, and thus, not one single shinobi was needed. Before the war,the Kages of the Five Great Hidden Villages would comfortably hold meetings inthe Country of Iron, and now it was the Headquarters for the Shinobi Unionfounded by those Five Powers. The roots of the Union’s headquarters had beenset in the same Country of Iron where the alliance had initially begun.
All the leading villages of theFive Great Nations had some of their shinobi gather at the Union’s Headquarters and, whether night or day, continue their hard work for the sake of the expansion of the Shinobi World overall.
This meeting was full of people who would bear the burden of the next era’s world of shinobi. It was a place where the future of Shinobi was discussed. Shinobi sent to this meeting were the most capable ones in their villages, considered as candidates for kage as well as other positions. Of them, Shikamaru and Chojuro were the youngest.
Besides Shikamaru, and Chojuro, who was chairing the meeting, there was Temari of Sunagakure, and Omoi of Kumogakure as well.
Shikamaru had been charged with being the leader of this gathering of shinobi. Obviously, he hadn’t volunteered. This was the result of everyone recommending him for the job.
“Shikamaru-san?” Chojuro sounded like he’d become worried by Shikamaru’s long silence.
Shikamaru cleared his throat, and looking at all the members, opened his mouth to speak.
“I believe we don’t have any new topics of discussion for this meeting. I hope for more meetings at a comfortable pace like this. With that, see you next month.”
As he said that, Shikamaru rose to his feet and gathered all the scrolls and documents that had been spread across the table. Folding them under his arm, he turned to leave.
Confused by their leader’s cold attitude, the other members got ready to leave at haphazard paces. Everyone milled out into the two hallways leading left and right out of the room.
Even though so many shinobi were restlessly walking down the hallways, not a single echo of their footsteps was heard. They were shinobi, after all. Other people’s footfalls could be heard, but not a shinobi’s. That had been one of the basics of the basics, back at the Academy.
“Oi.” A voice called out to him from behind.
Shikamaru anxiously clicked his tongue. Right now, the owner of that voice was the person he didn’t want to talk to the most.
He stepped forward as if he hadn’t heard.
“Hold it, Shikamaru!”
The voice that hit his back felt like a flying kick.
“What is it?” Shikamaru turned his head to look over his shoulder at the woman behind him.
Temari of Suna. Her hair had gotten shorter since two years ago, and was now tied into two bunches on either sides. Her face looked a little bit more like an adult’s, and her eyes were even calmer than they’d been in the old days.
She was older than Shikamaru. Rather than say she looked like an adult, it was more like she had already grown into a splendid adult.
“What’s wrong with you?” She asked.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You’ve been acting strange lately.” Temari’s hands reached out to Shikamaru’s shoulders, turning him to face her.
Troublesome…
The word rose up to his throat, only for him to frantically swallow it down.
“Like your cold attitude at the meeting.” she said, “You’ve been making decisions without saying a word or giving an explanation, and it’s made everyone nervous. The atmosphere was so strained.”
“Oh, did that happen?”
“You didn’t even notice that…?” Temari’s eyes widened slightly. “What’s happened?”
“Nothing…”
“It’s something you’re not going to tell anyone about? Not even me?”
Temari’s gaze was pained.
Since the war had concluded, he’d been working with Temari at the Union for two years now. She was an understanding, good partner. They both shared the sentiment of not wanting all the shinobi who had been gathered together during the war to separate again, as well as the intention to work together and make the Union as good as it could be.
When you added that to the strong bond between Naruto, who intended to become Konoha’s Hokage, and Gaara, Suna’s present Kazekage, that easily made the bond between Suna and Konoha the strongest amongst all the villages united under the Union. With such external forces at work as well, it was natural that Shikamaru and Temari had reached a stage of existence where both was the other’s biggest support within the Union.
“Since you’re like this, something bad must be happening in Konoha.”
Temari had made a very good discernment. However, she’d missed the mark a little. The situation wasn’t in Konoha, though the situation did affect all of Konoha’s shinobi. Temari’s theory was half-right, half-wrong.
If there was one thing that never changed about the life of shinobi, it was that anything which passed the borders of your own village had to be jointly carried out with other villages. This was a basic principle of the Union. The course of action that Shikamaru and Kakashi were taking was a blatant violation.
And yet, Shikamaru still had no intention of telling Temari the truth. It wouldn’t be a wise move to get the whole of the Union involved with the business of the Country of Silence.
He’d firmly resolved that Konoha would handle it by themselves…
“You’re saying there’s nothing going on that you can depend on me for?”
“Nothing.”
Shikamaru’s firm tone made Temari close her eyes.
"Is that so…”
The punch came in the next moment.