Arc II: Half a year after completing his first A-rank mission, Shikamaru's life has returned to routine tasks. Finally confessing his feelings to Temari, he is overjoyed to discover that she reciprocates his sentiments. However, their relationship must be kept a secret, a difficult feat with "Big Brother" broadcasting Shikamaru's every move. Can Shikamaru uncover who is watching over everything he does, or will his relationship with Temari be jeopardized first?

Chapter 19

Big Brother IV

"H-hey, Gaara," I waved my hand up in what I hoped was friendly greeting with a smile on my face. Judging by the thick concentration of sand that hovered above me, however, his social awkwardness had just hit an all-time high.

"Shikamaru!" His voice rasped from the darkness as the sand formed a large grainy hand. I yelled out in alarm and dove to the side. The forest soil was flattened down in my place.

"Kill…I'm gonna kill you…"

Why me? I took off in a dead sprint, ignoring the panicky yells to flee from Kankurō. I felt Gaara's sand attempt to smash me as I dodged invisible attacks and unseen assailants. Whether Gaara's sand managed to catch me or whether I merely tripped over a fallen tree branch, I can't even say, but my foot got caught by something and I went tumbling downhill for a period of time that would make a sitcom hero envious.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed painfully as I brushed crushed debris off of my jacket. I slapped my hand to my mouth and pressed back against the tree's dead and interlocking roots as I saw a shadow pass above me. Sure enough, there stood Gaara, arms crossed stoically as he surveyed the landscape disdainfully. I tried to avoid any movement as I blended in with the shadows. Gaara certainly had the instincts of a predator; his nose wrinkled as he inhaled his surroundings. There was a vein throbbing in his forehead that seemed reminiscent of his Chūnin Exam insanity.

At long last, that ominous tanuki shadow passed and life seemed to flourish in the forest once more. I allowed my hand to fall from my mouth, where it landed limply over my rapidly beating heart. Shit…Gaara's seriously gonna kill me if he finds me…

My journey back to the village seemed to drag on as I took meticulous care to avoid leaving any evidence of my trail. I could only think of Temari as the village came into my sights once again. Somehow, Kankurō had obtained a scroll with a depiction of Temari and me skinny dipping, and I couldn't imagine that they would refrain from giving her grief about it. And what was worse…

How does this affect things with the Sunagakure Council? Lady Tsunade's gonna be pissed if Gaara goes about making a scene on my account…

I could see it now. The Sunagakure Council leaving in disgust, Gaara staring me down furiously as he forced Temari out of my life forever, being helpless to stop it as Lady Tsunade pounded me into a pancake…

Shuddering, I opted for secrecy as I retreated toward the Ninja Academy. As I did during the Prankster Game mission, I was disguised via Henge no Jutsu. I took solace in the fact that none of the Hyugas were my enemies this time around, and I made my way across the village with relative ease.

I dispelled my jutsu as I came up before the Mission Assignment Desk. Though I had absolutely no desire to do so, the only way out of this mess was to come clean to Lady Tsunade. I saw her frowning over her paperwork as I pushed my way past the doors.

"I figured you would be by soon," she muttered. I saw a half unfolded scroll resting on the table that bore a striking resemblance to that abysmal piece Kankurō had confronted me with.

"Lady Tsunade, I…I think I might have screwed up…"

Lady Tsunade looked up at me sternly as she abandoned her paper. "No shit. You have some explaining to do."

"So what you're telling me is Gaara and Kankurō discovered you were fooling around with their older sister?" Lady Tsunade asked me exasperated. I wish she had gotten disgusted with me earlier. At least maybe then, she wouldn't have hit me.

"We didn't do anything," I protested defensively, but she glared daggers at me and I let it slide. "More or less," I conceded meekly.

"Hmm…" Lady Tsunade thumbed her chin irritably. "This was horrible timing on your part."

I bowed my head ashamed. As she thought it over, Lady Tsunade sighed. "While this was no doubt a disgraceful blunder on your part, we can also look at this as an opportunity."

"An opportunity?" I asked, quite sure I had misheard her.

"Yes," she replied thoughtfully. "You are the ace of your generation right now. Granted, Team Kakashi is out of the mix when I say that, but you are undoubtedly brighter than Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura…in spite of your raging hormones," she added nastily to my chagrin.

"Thanks?"

"My point is this: espionage is a serious threat to the peace and stability of any nation, military, and village. Your love life might be a trite concern, but it is nonetheless disarming that someone was able to obtain information of a private moment you shared and spread it around like wildfire."

I cocked my head. "You don't think this might have just been an isolated incident?" I asked.

"Unfortunately not. How do you think I learned about you asking out Temari?" She asked, unfolding another scroll that was buried inside her paperwork. I blushed as I saw a caricatured image of us at the restaurant, with me pathetically on my knees presenting her with flowers. I didn't do that at all… I thought irritably.

"Err…and since it was with Temari, couldn't this jeopardize our alliance with Sunagakure? Particularly if Gaara catches me?"

"It could, but Sunagakure needs all of the military support they can get, so I'm not as concerned over that as I am about the motives of this mysterious gossiper…"

"Lady Tsunade?" I looked at her questioningly as she trailed off disconcerted.

"This isn't the first reported leak. For nearly six months now, there have been anonymous leaks regarding confidential matters. We have not been able to successfully identify the source of these leaks, nor what purpose they are supposed to serve. If this same gossiper has now shifted his or her sights on you, it must be an internal affair. Perhaps someone with a grudge? I'm not sure, but this is more than just a personal issue for you; this is a problem with national implications for the village."

"Damn…I hadn't heard about any leaks," I muttered, racking my brain to recall any standout incidents.

"Well, we've done a good job at covering them up. Your father actually played a substantial role in damage control. But since they were incidents targeted at the village elites, we didn't think that there would be any personal attacks on individuals. I'm sorry that you had to be the sacrificial lamb to prove our assessment wrong."

"Well, it was my fault anyway," I admitted. And I'm much more worried about Temari…

"I realize that this is asking a lot, but I would like to request your cooperation with a top secret mission," Lady Tsunade declared. "Making things with the Suna Council successful is our immediate priority, and if any more Konoha secrets are breached, our alliance could be in jeopardy. I would like to task you with uncovering the source of these leaks."

"The source of these leaks? You want me to do this?"

"Yes. Your only objective is identification. This will be strictly a B-rank mission; you are not to engage in combat if you can help it."

I thought about it for a long moment. If I can nab the perpetrator, I can rest easy about my private life, and maybe exact a little personal revenge myself.

"Sounds good. I'm in."

"Alright. You had better get started then," Lady Tsunade dismissed me. "The countdown has begun. I want you to identify the perpetrator, this "Big Brother" figure, at the Council Meeting on Thursday at 4 pm. That gives you roughly three days."

"I understand," I replied as I stuffed my hands back into my pockets and made my departure. Where to begin…

"Oh, and Shikamaru?"

I turned back as I saw Lady Tsunade watching me with concern.

"This is not a game that Asuma or I set up. There is someone out there trying to make you look bad, and trying to make Konoha look bad. It is possible that someone has a grudge against you or Temari, and if that is the case, I want you to be very careful. If this mission becomes too much, I want you to abort it immediately."

"I'll be fine," I promised.

Walking down the hallway, I tried to recall some of the tactics that had worked with my former investigation. I hated myself for how quickly an immediate potential suspect list came to mind. Temari was the only person that I was aware of who had been present for both leaked incidents. My teammates were both aware of my infatuation with Temari. Ino's father and my father both had a proven history of meddlesome activities as far as privacy is concerned…

What am I thinking? This is much more than simply an issue of privacy. This time, the perpetrator is a legitimate criminal!

Well, if I was starting from scratch, the first step was obvious. I should collect a list of all the customers and employees that were present while Temari and I were at Okonomiyaki, that dreaded restaurant she had dragged me to. And talk to my father about the leaked incidents. And figure out who might hold a grudge against me or Temari. The lists could definitely be long. I chuckled in spite of myself as I stepped outside. It might be a major pain in the ass, but slowly, things were getting exciting again.

Author's Note: Haven't updated this story in nearly a year…that's just pitiful. Sorry to all my readers; there have been a lot of big shifts in my life lately. I graduated college, joined the full-time working world, made several moves, and had to figure out how to cope with the death of one of my best friends. Nonetheless, I'm doing my best to get back into it and make up for all the stories I've neglected. Good to be back; look forward to the next chapter!

Crow