A Couple Steps Back

Chapter 19

Trigger warning

Third person pov

Only after one week was Shikamaru absolutely sure about what they should do. 

"We have to get stronger." Shikamaru announced in a hushed tone to his two friends, ducking his head low as though that somehow hid his voice more. Through lots of complaining and way too much crying, they'd convinced their parents to let them have a play date at a nearby park. Itachi was there watching Sasuke, while Shikaku was there to watch both Shikamaru and Naruto. The three boys could feel their stares. 

Naruto had been sleeping in the Hokage's office, waiting patiently for the old man to decide what to do with him. The couch in there wasn't half bad. It was definitely an upgrade from his creaky, smelly old bed. He wasn't upset to see that thing go, and found that he wouldn't miss his apartment all too much either. Wherever he was going to end up was going to be ten times better in the long run.

"Yeah, a blind hobo could have told you that. Get to the point." Naruto nudged Shikamaru, who retaliated by knocking the blonde's sand castle over with a swift swipe of his hand. The Uzumaki gasped in absolute horror, looking to the boy he thought was his friend with widened eyes. "Shikamaru! That was my castle!" He all but screamed at the Nara. Shikamaru simply smirked at him in triumph, his hands crossed over his chest firmly. 

"It took you five minutes to build. Man up." Sasuke grunted, rolling his eyes. Building a sand castle with one arm was a whole lot harder than doing ninjutsu with one arm was, surprisingly. He'd settled for just watching Shikamaru and Naruto create theirs, occasionally looking over to Itachi to smile and wave, as though reassuring him that he was indeed fine. His older brother seemed to relax slightly every time he did that. And then by the time he'd tensed up again, Sasuke would turn and wave once more. It was a never-ending cycle. 

"Sasuke," Naruto put a hand on his friends shoulder. Sasuke glared slightly in response. "That castle might as well have been my life's work. Do you know how crushed I feel-"

"Shut up." Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head in slight annoyance and exasperation. Why was Naruto such an idiot? "Listen, we need power to fix things. It's as simple as that. Getting stronger is our first step, but that isn't the important part. The important part is how we do that." 

"Oh... yeah." Naruto blinked dumbly as though he understood what he meant. Sasuke scoffed at him. Naruto had the mind of a grown man, but this was what they had to deal with? "He's right. We're five year old boys who just got," Sasuke lowered his voice and made a single air quotation, "raped. There's no way they're letting us train. My dad is already talking to Shikaku-san about group therapy between the three of us, plus one on one." 

"I heard my dad mention that." Shikamaru nodded slightly, mindlessly patting the sand around his castle down. It's true: their guardians were looking into group therapy for them. It really wasn't that big a deal. If anything, it would help them refine their lie farther. "The Hokage checked out The Cantaloupe. He hasn't said anything, but he looks at me and seems super sad most of the time." Naruto shrugged. He supposed that was a good sign. A sign that the single clone he'd worked so hard to make had actually done its job. 

God, that clone. After trial and error, Naruto had managed to make one after spending around three hours in the hospital's bathroom, where he'd been taken. The results seemed to horrify most everyone who saw them, but that wasn't the point. He'd made a clone that hadn't exploded, and it could now go set the scene of the crime. Naruto was an idiot, but he was a resourceful one at the best of times.

"Boys! It's time to go!" Shikaku called, interrupting the three. They all groaned in response, standing up slowly, as though it were painful. Shikaku rolled his eyes at them, tapping his foot as he waited or them to stop moseying about. "Look, just practice chakra control as subtly as you can until you can at least make one solid clone. Then, we'll be able to send them out to do easy stuff. You know, move through katas," Shikamaru picked up his bucket, "mediate, and try to get their feet to stick to stuff. We can also have them meet up to talk more about the stuff we find. Right now we need two things: power and as much information as we can get our hands on."

"Alright, that sounds good. I'll see getting some info on Danzo's movements, and the sannin's." Naruto whispered as they walked towards Shikaku. Sleeping in the Hokage's office had its perks, and he was already trying his best to bond with the ANBU. He wasn't sure how well that was going since they didn't really say anything, but he was sure they were beginning to like him... maybe. "I'll look at the Uchiha's status in the village, and try to listen in on some of Dad's meetings or something like that. Good luck." Sasuke murmured to the pair before branching off and scurrying over to Itachi, who captured the boy in a hug. Naruto and Shikamaru had to snicker as Itachi held onto the small boy as though he were dying from cancer. 

"Boys." Shikaku sighed, shaking his head at the two. They were a lot different now, traumatized even, but they were still kids. And kids were troublesome as all fuck. 

~

That fucking Nara brat was a real dick, but Hidan understood why he did it.

Not only had Hidan killed his sensei, but he was a part of a criminal organization that was a major threat to his village. After being stuck underground for a while, Hidan understood that. He got it. If he were in that brat's shoes, he'd probably feel the same way, and he'd want to do the same exact thing. This is what Hidan realized after the first year of being buried. But his wandering mind didn't stop there. It went farther. 

Regret was an emotion he'd never really felt strongly in relation to the bad things he'd done, but lone behold, the man actually began to feel sorry for all the heinous acts he'd committed. It took a while, but like any other human being, he began to feel guilt. He'd killed countless innocents. Ruined lives and destroyed families, and all for a God that nobody else followed. If that wasn't a dick-ish thing to do, he really wasn't sure what was. If he could redo his entire life, he honestly would. Just to be a good person, like those damn Konoha nin. They were soft, but they had bonds. They were all friends or whatever. Hidan wished he'd had real friends. That would have been cool as shit.      

It definitely took a while, but Hidan eventually died. You can't exactly do your religious rituals underground, and if you don't do your rituals, you aren't immortal! Simple as that. 

It should have been over then, forever. He should have passed on into the next life, or into hell, or wherever he was meant to go. In fact, that's what he wanted to happen It's what Hidan had been waiting for. Instead, he was brought back as an un-dead slave. Another victim of the Edo-Tensei, and a prisoner in his own body. For a little while, he watched as he fought again to kill, unable to break free from Kabuto's hold. Kabuto, that slimy little bastard. Controlling him like that. 

His revival must have done something, although he wasn't sure what, because he sort of stayed alive after that. He wasn't sure where his body was, but it was dark as all living shit, and he couldn't really move his body, or feel it for that matter. He began to think more. He tried to convince himself his life had been awesome as shit, and that he'd been awesome as shit, and everything was awesome as shit. But sitting there, alone with his thoughts, he couldn't help but think about all he'd done, and all he'd do different.

And now, waking up in the woods as a rogue ninja, maybe he could.

He just had to find that little blonde shit and his bratty Nara friend.