Shinobi Isekai!

Of Mice and Men

((Here it is, hot off the press. I was gonna write out every individual fight scene, but I hate writing action. That's why it took me so long to update, lol. I just didn't want to write the fights, so I didn't. I hope it was worth the wait.))

Shikamaru followed close behind Kiba, the Inuzuka heir following Hanako's scent trail through the forest. It was only a matter of time before they encountered the group of Oto ninja, and he was running scenario after scenario in his mind, trying to cover every possible angle. In the weird, parallel world Hanako shared with him, Chouji was the one who fought first, almost dying in the process. Like hell he was letting that happen again, not while he had the knowledge necessary to stop it.

Someone bumped his shoulder and he turned to look at Sakura, her green eyes understanding as she easily kept pace. Right. He wasn't the only one thinking about this. He'd already discussed his plan with both her and Hanako, two of the smartest people he knew outside his family, and they both agreed that it was the best course of action. Still, he couldn't help but foster a few doubts.

He was doing it purposefully, though, so it wasn't really having the intended effect. Hanako had always been one of the most confident people he'd ever met. Every action she took, every decision she made, she did with absolute certainty. It wasn't hard to see why, now, but before she let him in on her secret it seemed a marvel to him. It wasn't hard to see the consequences that kind of overconfidence could have, either; a newly missing limb was hard to overlook. Though she, like all kunoichi, was an excellent actress, but he could still see the way her injury had affected her. She was no longer as certain, hesitating where she wouldn't have, before. She was absolutely sure in her ability to stop Orochimaru, and her defeat at his hands had completely destroyed her foundation as a person.

It was hard to watch. He'd known her for half his life, watched as his father taught her how to think like a Nara, held weirdly philosophical conversations with her that made a lot more sense now that he had context. Having witnessed her confidence grow, it was all the more shocking to see her suddenly without it.

That was why he was trying not to rely on Hanako's weird vision, for all it was the best source of information for...well, anything happening in the next several years. Of course, he knew that information would only grow less and less useful as he acted on it, changing the course of history. He could understand why Hanako had made the changes she had—namely those surrounding Sasuke and Naruto—but he still felt she could have done more.

That was a conversation for another day. He couldn't afford to be distracted when they caught up with Hanako and her erstwhile cousin. Known quantities the Oto nin may be, Hanako was not. She was like a warp in the fabric, changing the picture wherever she went. So far, that was a good thing. Consequences were often slow to show themselves, though, and he'd rather not risk anything he didn't need to.

Especially not Chouji.

"So," Temari asked, coming up to run along his other side. "What exactly is the plan?"

"When we catch up to them," he began, trying not to let the memory of his maybe-future-relationship with her affect him. "They will most likely try and waylay us using a capture technique. Chouji's our best defense if they do, but if they don't, then we have a few options. Do you guys remember your groups?"

Everyone gave some sign of the affirmative. He'd split them up into pairs based on who he believed had the best chance against specific opponents, but he had no way to be sure. Two heads were still better than one and having back up should go a long way to preventing the injuries their fantasy counterparts suffered.

"They're up ahead." Neji's voice put them all on edge, the coming fight now a reality they couldn't deny.

Shikamaru made a gesture with his hand and the group spread out, grouping up in accordance with their pairs. Naruto and Gaara came to stand beside Shikamaru, theirs the only group with more than two fighters. He tossed another glance at Chouji, his gut tying itself into knots as he once again considered the worst case scenario Hanako's Sharingan had shown him. Chouji was still the best choice to fight Jirobo, though, and he could only hope that pairing him up with Shino would have the intended effect.