Chapter 105 A tacit understanding

Smoke filled the gaps between the trees, drifting from a half-dozen fires, making the air hazy near the treetops. Several bomb craters dotted the area, surrounded by jagged rocks and puddles of water that seeped into the cracks between the rocks, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of ozone. In the shadows, figures flickered, and the gleam of metal flashed in the light.

This is war.

Both sides called in reinforcements, bolstering their ranks and adding to the chaos.

Naruto hadn't been this happy in a long time.

"Come on, little one. We've caused enough chaos here, it's time to reunite with your team."

"Yeah, I think we need to have a war meeting," he agreed, his body flickering in the depths of Training Ground 31.

After a long time of practice, Naruto used his senses to search for familiar chakra signatures in the area, which had become a chaotic battlefield of energy.

As always, he found Sasuke first, his familiar, cold, sharp chakra like a beacon to his perception. From the dark, smooth texture of the nearby chakra signature, he was with Shikamaru.

Naruto found them huddled together talking in a recess formed by the curved walls of natural granite, the entrance mostly hidden from view by two wild cherry trees.

Naruto landed deftly on a low branch of one of the trees just in time to hear Sasuke say:

"You've arrived just in time. Come in."

"Such an hurry," Naruto smiled, bounding into their little camp. Spread out between them were several scrolls of what looked like new jutsu and a surprisingly detailed map of the area, drawn on the soft dirt.

Sasuke grabbed his arm and pulled him in, and together they crouched over the map.

"Where are the others?" Shikamaru asked, holding a thin branch nonchalantly in his hand. He didn't take his eyes off the map.

"Not sure where Kiba and Choji went after their fight with Anko, but last I saw Ino and Sakura were here dealing with Aoba, and then Genma nearly cornered me by the river and I had to run," Naruto said, pointing on the map to where he last saw the girls. "Where's Hinata? I thought she was with you guys."

"She was here, but she and Shino went to find Choji and Kiba," Shikamaru said, rubbing his chin as he studied the map. "We have to gather everyone together and regroup, or the situation will turn against us very quickly."

"This place will be exposed soon," Sasuke added. "We and Hayate's team are too close to here to remain undetected for long."

Shikamaru nodded.

"You two go find Ino and Sakura, and tell them to stop fighting if necessary. I'm pretty sure where Choji is - I'll pick him up, and the others." He tapped his cane at another spot on the map. "We'll meet at the fountain at Training Ground 27."

"Sounds good," Naruto said cheerfully, and Sasuke scoffed but stood up after him, a small smile on his face.

In fact, they hadn't intended to make such a big fuss at first. But Xuanjian was too easy to take the bait, and it was also his idea to bring in his crazy Anko to balance the situation.

From there, things got a little out of control.

So far, no jonin instructors had gotten involved, which was probably a good thing—especially if they were anything like Kakashi-sensei.

Now, Naruto was confident in their chances of winning.

******

They found an angry Ino and Sakura by the river, clearly upset over the loss of their catch.

"Aoba got rid of you?" Sasuke asked as they landed on the shore.

Sakura growled and kicked a river rock so hard that part of it broke off and flew through the air, narrowly missing Naruto's head.

Naruto glared at her in annoyance, but didn't flinch - even though an angry Sakura's control over chakra was near perfect, Naruto had a pretty firm faith in that control, no matter her emotional state.

"That sneaky bastard," she snarled.

"We'll catch him," Ino insisted. "He can't get far, whether he uses the dodge jutsu or not." She looked over at them from where she had been searching the woods, her blond hair swaying in the light. It was a little burnt on one side, and her bangs were uneven, but at the moment, she didn't seem to care too much.

She spotted Sasuke and waved.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun!" she called out, and Naruto had to admit - she was a bit of a nympho.

"Hmm," Sasuke grunted, and very deliberately moved his body so that Naruto was firmly between them.

"We will retreat now," Naruto told them. "Shikamaru has a plan."

"Got it," Sakura said cheerfully, nudging Ino with her elbow. "Come on, blonde. We'll get revenge later."

"We better keep our word," Ino growled, but obediently followed Sakura into the bushes.

As they made their way to the rendezvous point, Ino looked at Naruto oddly, her eyes moving between him and Sasuke before she moved closer to him and jumped between branches with him.

"So..." She hesitated. "You two are close, right?" Her eyes were fixed on Sasuke's back, so it was obvious who she was talking about.

Naruto blinked, then became suspicious.

"Why do you ask?" He didn't really answer her question.

"I'm just curious how you did it," she said nonchalantly, waving her hand as if to allay his suspicions. "Can you share it?"

"No," he said firmly, eyeing her warily.

Somehow, that only seemed to encourage her, and the gleam in her eyes gleamed with mischief that made Naruto feel like he had stepped on a landmine.

"Oh, really? No clue at all?"

Naruto didn't know what Ino was up to, but his protective instinct was aroused again.

"I wouldn't hold out too much for him if I were you," he whispered. He meant no harm, but he didn't like what she was suggesting.

Ino didn't look hurt, but the sweet smile she had always had turned into a hint of surprise.

"Wow. You two really have a great relationship," she noted.

Naruto shrugged. "That's not surprising. Aren't you, Shikamaru, and Choji also very close?"

"That's different. Our parents have always been friends. We practically grew up like siblings," Ino retorted, jumping a little ahead of him so she could face him as they marched.

Her sense of space must be as good as his—she knows where the branches will be almost without looking.

"We've been friends for over two years. Why are you asking this now?" Naruto wondered.

"Because you're more than just friends. You and Kiba are friends, but that doesn't mean you can read each other's minds. I saw you and Sasuke working together against Genma; do you have that level of chemistry with your other friends?" Ino asked, her eyes sharp. "Because it's really beautiful to watch."

Naruto shook his head after she finished.

"That's different."

"How is it different?" she asked, really curious and Naruto made a face.

"Look, that's different. He's different. We're just... in sync, I guess."

"synchronous?"

"Yes. That's all I have to say."

"Okay, okay. Really protective." Ino moved closer to him but dropped the subject in favor of mixed fighting styles—she briefly entered Aoba's mind for a few seconds, and even though his consciousness was severely compartmentalized (apparently a byproduct of being a spy), she still managed to get enough information from the surface to know that he had begun recording their patterns of action, and it was time to make a change.

"Shikamaru is probably thinking the same thing," Naruto agreed.

Ino hummed softly.

"He's really getting better and better at strategy lately."

******