The Predators; The Predator's Little Game

Shikamaru Continued

-No one's POV

Naruto suddenly clapped his hands together
"Ok! Then onto the next question!" He said excitedly "Wha-" Shikamaru suddenly interrupted him

"Why don't we take turns with the questions?" He asked, earning an uncertain look from the blonde.

"I don't know, that isn't how this normally goes.....I think...." Naruto said slowly and Shikamaru gave him what he hoped was a reassuring look.

"Since when do you roll the normal rules?" He asked "plus, this way should be..." he paused for a moment to find the proper word "fun....you said you wanted to play, right?" Shikamaru asked, hoping that he could try to control the situation a bit, Naruto looked excited

"Yes! That sounds fun!" Naruto said in a childish manner "but first" his eyes glowed for a few seconds and the scenery changed to a nicer one, it was a shady meadow with a table and a light that seemed to shine from nowhere, bright enough to make the sun unnecessary. The only thing that screamed unnatural was the lone door that stuck into the ground a few feet behind Naruto, a door that led to the real world. Shikamaru looked behind himself and saw a door, the same one he had come from. There was a checkers board on the table that they were both sitting at and Naruto moved a piece to the side, Shikamaru quickly caught on and moved a piece, though he wasn't paying much attention to the game.

"I'll ask the first question; did you really do it?" Shikamaru asked

"Ya need to be more specific" Naruto said while moving another piece, it made a small clock noise on the hard-wood board.

"The mur-hunts" Shikamaru replied, having to correct his wording so that he would be understood by the blonde. He moved another piece

"I participated in it all but no, I didn't do it by myself." Naruto answered while jumping a piece and smirking to himself proudly "but I kinda doubt that we're done" he added, earning a shocked look from Shikamaru on both of the the things the blonde was saying. Even with the horror he felt, he still knew to keep a cool head for this situation if he wanted to get out alive.

"What do you mean that you aren't done?" Shikamaru asked slowly

"Well, last I heard Konoha isn't finished with us just yet, we don't exactly have that many resources anymore so you guys are our resources for now." Naruto replied while moving another piece, he was talking almost absently as he thought about how to beat the brunette in the game.

"Are you going to kill me?" Shikamaru asked after a while, the result was one Naruto one the ground, laughing as if he had just been told the most hilarious joke in the world. Then he suddenly looked at Shikamaru when he realized that he wasn't laughing with him

"Oh....you're serious?" Naruto asked to make sure si he would be jumping to conclusions "Nope! Your'e here because you know stuff and you already gave us all the info we needed so.....you're really free to go whenever you feel like it...." Naruto trailed off as a door opened behind Shikamaru, a door that led him straight to his bedroom "....though I would like it if you stayed...." Naruto added quietly. Shikamaru was about to jump through the door when he realized that if he stayed for just a little while longer he could get more information and maybe, just maybe, get his childhood friend away from all of this. Shikamaru didn't,t say anything as he moved his piece, signaling his decision.

"It's troublesome but I might as well finish the game." He said and saw the happiness his words brought to his old friend

"This'll be fun ya know!" Naruto said happily, it wasn't often that he got to spend time with normal people that actually knew about him, and while he loved his family; he did want to hang out with someone else every now and then. Mostly all that they had been doing in the Burrow was work too and so the only real fun he ever got to have was in the hunts.