Yoshino was worried.

Well, she was pretending to be fine but Shikarai knew she wasn't. He's known the woman his older brother married for almost his whole career as a shinobi and the commander of the Chunin. He could spot her true feelings a mile away, even when she hid them.

Truthfully, Shikarai was worried about his older brother too.

But what could he do? He couldn't bring back the man's dead pawns. He couldn't even save his own precious people.

Every Nara were geniuses. That was just a fact, despite how arrogant it sounded.

Regardless, Shikarai had went out to get his brother anyway. If not for Yoshino's sake, then for Shikaku's own sake.

Shikarai didn't even blink as his brother suddenly looked over to face him from his spot in front of the memorial stone.

"Shikarai...what do you want?"

Shikarai half smiled, "Got any cigarettes to spare?"

Just like that, his older brother dug into his pockets and produced a pack.

Shikarai took one of the cancer sticks, not that he's ever seen that desease in the world he lived in, but he wouldn't stop referring to the cancer sticks as such.

He could feel Shikaku's intense stare as he lit the stick and took a drag from it.

Inhale.

Exhale.

"Bothersome," Shikarai finally muttered as he met his brother's gaze, "What?"

Shikarai hated standing in front of the memorial stone. It was just a reminder of the people he wasn't able to save despite working hard every damned day.

"I heard about Obito."

A stupid sentence strung together by four equally stupid words.

Truly, the sentence shouldn't have had much effect on him considering the boy wasn't even his student or his responsibility.

The boy was supposed to be just a stranger to him. A future enemy to defeat in less than two decades.

"Rai-sensei! Look, look! I finally mastered that jutsu you showed me!"

"Rai-sensei...what's your nindo?"

"Ne, Rai-sensei? Do you think Rin-chan will ever like me instead of Bakashi?"

"Hokage! That's my goal. It's not a dream. I am going to become Hokage!"

Yet...

Why?

Why did it feel like he lost his son?

"I'm sorry," Shikaku apologized, looking guilty.

A bitter chuckle escaped Shikarai's lips.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Shikarai wasn't sure to who he was apologizing.

"Shikarai, look-"

"Yoshino's worried," Shikarai cut off his brother, letting the cancer stick fall down and hit the ground, "You should come home for once. Especially now that you're not out on the field."

And really, it was rare for all three of them to be off at the same time. Even though he was set to go back on the frontlines tomorrow with Kushina.

Shikaku frowned at him.

Shikarai sent his older brother a look.

Finally, Shikaku sighed, "How troublesome," he started walking back to the compound.

Shikarai glanced at the Memorial Stone, easily locating Obito's name.

It didn't belong there.

"R-Rai...sensei...look after 'em for m-me...Bakashi...and Rin-chan...p-please..."

Fuck.

Shikarai willed away the memory of a boy burried by boulders from his mind.

He willed away the forced smile Obito had given his teammates.

He willed away the sobs Obito had finally choked out when his teammates left.

He willed away how the boy, not even thirteen yet, had desperately cried about not wanting to die.

He willed away the butt of his kunai knocking the boy out before he too left the boy.

All alone.

"You can't hate Namikaze forever, you know? The man's torn up in guilt enough already. Besides, holding a grudge would be too troublesome."

Shikarai was well aware of that.

He was a genius. He knew rationally that he would have to put up with Namikaze eventually.

And well, his anger was justified in his opinion. He told the man not to take Team Seven out to the Kannabi bridge mission. Forced the man to take another mission. Yet, Namikaze had somehow manage to disobey his order without really going against him.

Jiraiya's orders overruled his after all.

But.

Stupid and childishly, Shikarai couldn't help but cling to the bitter hatred he was feeling.

He knew he couldn't hate the man forever. The man was after all his best friend's boyfriend.

As he walked back home, he was comforted by the fact that Obito wasn't really dead despite being buried beneath the ground two weeks ago.

"So then the little brat yanked my hair!"

For the first time in what felt like forever, Shikarai laughed.

It was quiet, considering they were two hour's away from the front line. They were backup. A deadly unit consisting of a powerhouse and a strategist. Brains and brawns if you will. But what made them unique was that Kushina had brains and Shikarai also had brawns.

Perfect for the battlefield they would be facing.

Two weeks ago, Konoha was still fighting against Iwa. Until Obito's death triggered a complete massacre.

Now, Konoha was focusing on the relatively tamed front lines of Kumogakure who was too stubborn to give up despite their dwindling forces.

"Oii, it's not funny, dattebane!"

Shikarai managed a crook smile at his best friend, "Mikoto's little weasel's quite the daring boy, isn't he?"

Kushina's face softened.

Shikarai thought of dozens of reasons why. A force of habit that most Nara admitted to sharing.

"Yeah," Kushina agreed, grabbing a piece of her red locks, "It must be weird for the poor boy to have a godmother with red hair."

Shikarai stopped, causing Kushina to do so too.

He didn't care if there was a war going on.

The war be damned.

Kushina's self esteem was the most important thing to him right now.

"Beautiful red hair," he corrected her as he grabbed a piece of her locks.

He brought it to his nose, exhaling the scentless hair. He wondered if after the war was over she'd use the same shampoo she used to use.

"I-I have a boyfriend, dattebane!"

Chuckling, Shikarai easily side stepped the panicked kick Kushina had sent his way.

"I know," Shikarai assured, poking the Uzumaki gently on her forehead.

He was merciful enough not to point out the small flush she gained from the action.

Yeah, Kushina Uzumaki was in love with Minato Namikaze.

But once upon a time, she had been in love with Shikarai Nara.

"Shika, why...why don't you ever want kids?"

Shikarai sighed at the expected question, knowing that Kushina had wanted to know the answer to that for years.

It was after all the reason for their break up.

Kushina deserved an answer.

But she'd have to wait.

Because they had company.

"Bothersome," Shikarai muttered as he and Kushina leaped away to another branch, narrowly avoiding a fist.

"Who the hell is this?" Kushina asked staring at who Shikarai recognized to be the future Raikage.

Instead of answering, Shikarai shoved Kushina off the branch and followed suit.

They both landed on the ground, Kushina glancing at the spot they were just on to see another Kumo-nin.

"That's...!"

Shikarai nodded at Kushina's tensed form.

Of course Kushina would know who Killer Bee was. She had a habit of keeping tabs on her fellow Jinchuriki to the best of her abilities.

"Shika?"

Shikarai didn't dare to look at Kushina as their two opponents also landed on the ground across from them.

"I'm guessing they were sent as a hard hiting surprise and retreat squad while the battle's going on."

"Judging by how tense they just became, it looks like you're right, dattebane..."

Shikarai didn't say anything as A stood straight and looked at them with a determined expression.

(By then it was too late already, the shadows had already trapped them.)

"Konoha's Hot Blooded Red Habanero and Rai no O," A stated their respective tittles, "If you two were to die today, the war would turn back in our favor."

Kushina laughed, causing A to glare.

"The only one who will die today is you idiots," Kushina boasted.

Never take too long to attack a Nara, especially when there were silhoutes all around you.

As a little proof to prove Kushina's boast, Shikarai seeped a little bit of Lightning natured chakra into the shadow that had the two Kumo-nin immobilized.

"How about a proposal?" He drawled to the shocked Kumo-nin.

Excuse the pun.

"Shikarai!" Kushina sternly looked at him.

"I'll let you two go and you can both just retreat. Consider it a mission failed. Kushina here will check if you two really do retreat."

Kushina perked up a bit, despite really not approving what he was doing.

"You..you have killed shinobi half my age and younger without batting an eyelash," A evenly said, "Why would you spare me?"

Shikarai paused at the question.

Indeed.

Why?

He's killed thousands by now. Elderly, women, children. By now, he would consider himself jaded enough to kill anyone if they even looked at him or his precious people the wrong way.

Shikarai muttered a bothersome under his breath as he glanced at Killer Bee before looking back at A.

"I have a brother too, you know? He's bothersome, but he's family. I'd do anything for him. And...I think you'd do the same for yours."

Shikarai didn't know how long he and A stared at each other before A nodded.

Releasing his Shadow Possession Jutsu, Shikarai warily watched as the two brothers retreated.

Maybe he wasn't so jaded after all.

"...that was unexpected," Kushina said after a moment, giving him an asessing look.

"Hmm?"

"I just don't understand you sometimes Shikarai."

"That's the point, 'Shina."

They didn't say anything after that.

They just waited for a while to make sure A and Killer Bee had held up their part of the deal before heading out to battle.

This time, Shikarai didn't even think twice as he mowed down shinobi after shinobi.

It was war.

He couldn't show mercy all the time.

Shikarai really didn't know how he managed to find himself in awkward situations upon returning to his home after a long battle.

It had started out simple enough, with Kushina asking to stay over for a bit until Minato returned. Why? The dense redhead had somehow managed to lose her house keys in a battlefield.

Who even brought housekeys to war was simply a mystery to Shikarai.

"I'm back," he calmly stated taking off his sandals.

"I'm here too!" Kushina happily exclaimed already bounding through the halls towards the kitchen.

Shikarai shoved his hands in his pockets and followed after.

When he arrived at the kitchen, he couldn't help but still in surprise.

Because there at the table sat Mikoto Uchiha.

He felt the urge to back away and just go sleep over at Choza's. His brother in all but blood.

But before he could, Mikoto was smiling at him.

Inside his pockets, he clenched his fingers into a fist.

"Mikoto, what's up?" He casually asked, keeping his voice casual.

He didn't want Mikoto to know how much her presence affected him.

"Shikarai, it's been a while. How have you been?"

Shikarai shrugged in response, ignoring Kushina's confused look and Yoshino's worried one.

"Yoshino," the Nara looked at his sister in law, deciding to avoid the Uchiha for now, "I'm going over to Choza's for a drink."

"Shikara..." Yoshino frowned, "Will you be back for diner?"

Shikarai nodded, "I'll bring something sweet," he promised before looking over at Kushina and Mikoto, "I'll leave you girls to it."

"Actually," Mikoto quietly interjected, effectively halting Shikarai's attempt fleeing, "I came by to talk to you."

Shikarai raised an eyebrow.

He hadn't seen Mikoto since Obito's death and now she wanted to talk?

"Right now?"

Mikoto nodded, "It's about Obito."

Of course.

Everything was about Obito.

Whenever someone talked to him, the boy always seemed to come up.

Shikarai really hated that. But he endured. He was a shinobi after all.

"What about him?"

"His belongings."

Shikarai narrowed his eyes, "Talk to Minato then."

Usually, when an orphan died, his or her possessions were handed over to their sensei or legal guardian.

In this case, Minato was Obito's sensei, meaning Minato had to decide what to do with Obito's stuff.

"I did."

Shikarai fought back a wince at Mikoto's blunt admission.

"He however signed everything over to you."

Shikarai tsk-ed and walked away, tired of Mikoto's tone.

In fact, everyone seemed to speak to him in that tone.

Secretly urging him to just go ease Minato's guilt.

Normally, Shikarai would have just sorted out his problems by getting drunk with the person he was in an argument with. By the next day they would be good again.

But this time he wanted Minato to come to him.

To face him.

Maybe even receive a verbal beatdown from him.

Then Shikarai would consider doing what everyone was expecting him to do.

For now however, he wanted to go get drunk and maybe pretend he was back in New York.

Maybe he'd even bump into Inoichi or Choza and convince them to get hammered with him.

Too bad Shikaku was busy with strategy meetings, otherwise he would have gotten dragged along too.

Shikarai did end up bumping into someone.

But he wasn't Inoichi or Choza.

He was Kakashi Hatake.

"Oi, why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" Shikarai carefully asked, seeing how panicked and pale Kakashi was.

"It's Rin! She got kidnapped."

Shikarai felt the world stop spinning for a moment.

However, he wasn't stunned for long.

He was a Nara.

"Where. Why. Who. When. How."

Kakashi's panicked face seemed to ease a bit as he fell into standard protocol.

"Edge of the Eastern forest. Unknown. Kiri-nin. Twenty minutes ago. Surprise attack."

Shikarai took in the information.

The only thing he didn't understand was...

"Why didn't you follow?"

"Father ordered me to get back up."

Oh.

"Sakumo-sensei went after them?"

Kakashi nodded.

Shikarai automatically found himself relaxing a bit as he bit his thumb and slammed it on the ground.

A cloud of smoke quickly appeared and vanished, revealing a pair of cat-sized weasels. Unlike normal weasels, the two had silver and gold colored fur respectively.

"Sei, Ikiru," Shikarai acknowledged their presence.

"Rai-rai!" They chirped in unison.

"You got candy?" Sei, the gold colored one, asked.

"Actually, I need you two to do something for me."

"For candy?" Ikiru, the silver colored one, asked.

Shikarai nodded.

"What do ya need?!" Both eagerly exclaimed.

"Sei, go get Inoichi. Ikiru, you go get Choza. Tell them it's a rescue mission and then track me down near the Eastern forest."

"Got it!"

"Be back in a jiffy!"

The two weasels quickly scattered.

"Kakashi."

Kakashi perked up, looking at Shikarai intensely.

Originally, Shikarai was going to tell Kakashi to stay behind. He didn't want the rescue mission to end with Kakashi killing Rin. Even if it was an accident.

But he doubted Kakashi would stay behind.

"Let's go save Rin."

He'd do right by Obito.

Besides, it was getting too bothersome to not actively do anything with the knowledge he possessed.

Chapter End.

Author's note: hehehe, so why am I starting a new fanfic again, you may wonder? Easy. I'm not. This is actually one of my old works, which has been resting in my documents for almost a year already. And seeing as I don't have time to update (school exams), I decided to post this up.