Red Is A Pretty Colour

76

Hiko's pov

I always get left out of everything major, I swear they do it on purpose. While I was at home healing up and running patrols, chunin training exercises and the occasional construction project Naruto and Sakura were off fighting Sasuke and running into Madara Uchiha. I suppose it was less work for me to deal with though. On the bright side I knew about Tsunade's recovery before the rest of them.

"Hiko, have you heard the news?" Shikamaru asked as he entered the newly built barbaque restaurant I had just finished working on.

"What now? Has Naruto summoned the sage of six paths or something?" I asked sarcastically making Shikamaru chuckle.

"Madara has declared war on the five Kage, we're gearing up for the fourth great shinobi war. What's more is that Naruto isn't allowed to know about it." Shikamaru said.

"I'm getting real sick of this shit. How do they expect to hide a whole war from him? I know he's stupid but he isn't that stupid." I said.

"I'm not sure." Shikamaru said and I sighed.

"This is such a drag." We both complained before looking at eachother and laughing.

"Same as ever, huh?" Shikamaru said.

"This is the only version of me I like, I won't be changing any time soon." I said. "Now I have a lunch break, want to grab some food? Ichiraku just opened back up."

"Sure, this is probably our last break for a while." Shikamaru said. "How about a game of Shogi afterwards?"

"I thought you'd never ask, I've missed our games." I said with a smile.

"If you weren't so troublesome we could have played earlier." Shikamaru said accusingly and I threw up my arms in mock surrender.

"Sorry, next time I'll just let my brother get his ass handed to him by an Uzumaki wannabe." I said.

Shikamaru smiled and shook his head.

"You're something special." Shikamaru said.

"So you always say." I said.

A smile grew on my face as Shikamaru instinctively grabbed my wrist and I began lightly swining our arms. It felt like it had been ever since I had experienced something so normal and calming. It had barely been a month since things had been normal but it felt like it had been so much longer.

Time skip

After lunch we went back to Shikamaru's house to play shogi. We were on our fourth round, we tied the other three games and things were getting tricky in this one too. I made my next move and grinned as Shikamaru took up his thinking position.

"I've got you now." I said.

Shikamaru huffed, scanning the board again for anything he could do. Shikamaru sighed as he moved a piece, he knew either way he'd be loosing a piece.

"I'll take that." I said replacing his promoted pawn with my silver general and facing his pawn unpromoted side up beside me.

"I guess I'll drop this turn." Shikamaru said, placing one of my knights that he had captured down on my side of the board near my king.

"I'll drop too." I said before placing a gold general I had captured from him down by his king. "Checkmate. I finally win!"

"Good job, why dont we watch the clouds for a bit? This is becoming troublesome." Shikamaru said.

"You're only saying that because you lost. I could go for some cloud watching though." I said.

"Sorry but I'm going to have to interrupt. Orders from lady Tsunade." Kakashi~Sensei said after he shunshined onto the grass beside us.

Kakashi~Sensei handed us each a scroll. I glanced over the instructions, it was a list of preparations that needed made and a team I would be in charge of to make said preparations. I rolled up the scroll and tucked it into my kunai pouch.

"Well, that was fun but duty calls. Save a game for me for when this is all over." I said with a smile.

"Yeah, only if you pay for lunch next time." Shikamaru said.

"As long as Choji isn't eating with us it's a deal." I said.

"See ya." We both said holding a hand up in a half hearted wave.

Kakashi~Sensei looked between us both, a look in his eye that I didn't quire recognise, before disappearing to God knows where. I guess this was it, the last chance to protect Naruto.