Hey guys, before we get started, I'd like to answer some of your questions and comments.

The people who took Shikamaru are not space marines at all; however who they are will be explained in this chapter. I'm debating the possibility of space marines later in the story but if they are there it will only be a very small number.

I'm sorry if I get the spelling wrong sometimes, I'm only human no some sort of super god machine, although that would be pretty cool.

Before I forget, there will be character deaths and/or maiming, so if you don't like that thing then you best get out now while the getting out is still good.

As for the rest of you, Enjoy!

Chapter 2: The Inquisitor

Tsunade looked grimly in the object in her hand. It was a little bigger than her hand, and weighed a little over 5lb; also it was covered in dirt and was a sickly green color. It had a vent like cover on the front and was covered in an array of green and red lights, with what she could only assume were knobs and switches. Each of them had what she could only assume were letters of a language she couldn't understand. She could've easily crushed it into her hands, but Shikamaru's captors must have left it for some reason.

Shikamaru's kidnapping hadn't gone over well with anyone in the village. Ino and Choji had attempted to go after him themselves, but unfortunately they had no idea where to start other than the area where he was kidnapped from. Naruto meanwhile kept ignoring his wounds in order to try to search for him as well, much to the hospital and Sakura's chagrin. She could guess what he was thinking, and he was guessing that the people who took him were affiliated with whatever group that warrior was a part of. However, whoever had kidnapped him had hidden their tracks well, thus making them impossible to find.

And that's what worried her.

"Where is she? Where is Tsunade?" yelled a familiar voice

"Please calm down, you need to make…" said Shizune, attempting to diffuse the situation

"Get out of my way! I have to know why…"

"But…"

"Go ahead Shizune, let her in…"

The doors opened to reveal a very flustered Temari enter the room. Her face was set in an angry grimace.

"What can I do for you Temari?" inquired Tsunade, quiet aware why the young shinobi had entered her office.

"I was here on official business from the Kazekage, but as soon as I heard the news about some mysterious attack and the fact that Shikamaru is missing I had come to see you personally"

"Okay but that doesn't explain why you go and burst into my office in such a manner."

"What I want to know is why does it look like nobody is doing anything about it!"

"Don't you think we're trying," said Tsunade getting frustrated, "but I'm afraid it's not that simple."

"What do you mean?" said Temari, skeptically.

"Come with me and I'll show you why"

Across the street from Tsunade's office was a small art dealer. The dealer had been there since the village started and proudly advertised it. However during the Khorne crisis, as it became known, it served as the place where every artist would try to sell their drawings of the Berzerker. Sales had been good at first but after the berzerker had escaped again they had dropped dramatically.

Tsunade and Temari both walked in and were greeted by the shop keeper, and then made their way to the back of the store where the Khorne section was held.

They finally reached a room with a red curtain over the entrance. Tsunade grabbed Temari's shoulder as she began to make her way into the room.

"Now just to remind you, we had to face this thing so just keep that in mind" said Tsunade.

"Why would you need to remind me of that…" she had started to say as the curtain was pulled back. Her words were immediately taken from her however.

All over the room were pictures of a red giant with a gold trim. His poses varied, from being in sort of an attack stance to actually fighting shinobi. One in particular caught her eye. It was a ninja in orange fighting the thing with a large kunai, sparks flying in every direction where the two blades met. Temari moved closer to the picture.

"Is that…" she began

"Yep, that's me" said a voice in the other room.

Tsunade and Temari turned to see Naruto walking in. His arm in a sling and several scars all over his face; not to mention all the other bandages on his face and body.

"What happened to you?" asked Temari, starting to put the pieces together.

"That thing did" said Naruto, nodding his head towards the picture of him fighting the Berzerker.

"So what your saying is you think that whatever group this thing is a part of is the ones who took Shikamaru?"

"I'm afraid so" said Tsunade, moving her head down.

Temari sat down, turning over the thought in her head. This thing had nearly killed Naruto, one of the most powerful ninja alive, and it now had Shikamaru. Who knows what could be happening to him right now.

"There are just two problems with that theory" interjected Neji, who everyone was surprised to see walking in.

"Neji, what are you doing here?" said Naruto

"Looking for you. Sakura and the rest of the staff want you back at the hospital now. Your injuries still haven't healed"

"Aw, c'mon. I'm fine" said Naruto, flexing his arm but then grimacing in pain only seconds after.

"Wait, why do you think differently?" said Temari, hoping somehow that this thing wasn't involved.

"Yes, why?" Tsunade asked as well, wondering at his conclusion.

"For one," said Neji, approaching the painting, "this thing seemed to have no subtlety at all. If Shikamaru had been kidnapped by one of those we would have probably heard it or found it by now. Secondly, if Shikamaru had been attack by one of those, there would have been more signs of a struggle and no doubt more blood. Whoever kidnapped Shikamaru was stealthy and skilled, yet they left us a clue."

Neji pointed to the object in Tsunade's hand. She lifted it up and looked at it closer again.

"Hey can I see it?" asked Naruto, holding his hand out.

"Alright but be careful, that's the only thing we have to help us find Shikamaru" warned Tsunade as she handed the object to Naruto.

Naruto clutched the object in his hand and was pulling it towards him when a sharp pain, perhaps associated with a muscle spasm or bone moving, caused him to wince and drop it.

"NARUTO YOU BAKA!" yelled Tsunade, as the clue clattered onto the floor.

"I'm sorry!" countered Naruto, still not quiet over the pain he was in.

Tsunade picked up the object, thankful that it did not appear to be damaged in any way. Neji had started to shout at Naruto and try to bring him back to the hospital when she started to hear something. It was faint but there. The noise in the room would not let up.

"Everyone quiet!" yelled Tsunade, getting the attention and silence of all present.

Now she was sure there were people talking. She looked down and realized the voices were coming from the thing in her hand. It was too faint to make out anything but she realized that there must be a way to change that. She looked to the left of the thing and realized that Naruto's clumsiness had actually been beneficial. There was a small grooved wheel on the side. She began to turn it to the left but the voices got quieter. She turned it the other way and soon the conversation became apparent.

"…yeah, but I taught her a thing or two you know. Back when I was in 183rd, me and her got into the mess hall after hours and started to fool around, you know. The best part was when I bent over the table where the Commissar sat and…"

What followed next was about 10 minutes of sexual escapades by the two voices, eliciting more than one blush from each person present. Tsunade thought the fact that voices were coming from the object was fascinating beyond belief but she really wanted to talk back to the voices.

The conversation switched over from sex to what the voices were doing currently.

"You think they'll figure out how to use what we gave them" asked the first voice.

"I doubt it," answered the second, "these people seem primitive beyond all belief. That one we captured I heard came at the scouting party with a knife. A KNIFE! Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if they started worshipping the vox as some sort of god."

"Don't let the techpriests hear you say that."

"Well the regardless those primitives will probably kill each other before they figure out how to use it"

"Did you see the prisoner?"

"Yeah, he hasn't said one word since we got him, not even after the Inquisitor grilled him for information. Wouldn't be surprised if he didn't know anything, being an ignorant savage and all, also did you see how ugly he was, he looks worst than…"

Suddenly the object was snatched from Tsunade's hand by Temari. She was shaking and squeezing the small box in her hand.

"THOSE ASSHOLES" yelled Temari, "IF THEY WERE NOT JUST VOICES COMING FROM THIS THING I TEACH THEM A LESSON THEY'D NEVER FORGET!"

"HOLY FETH!" responded the first voice from the other end, "They figured out how to use it!"

"Get the Inquisitor quick!" said the other.

Everyone stood still with the realization that Temari's comment had been responded to by the voices in the box.

"How did they hear that?" whispered Tsunade, wondering if they were still listening.

Temari turned the box on its side to discover a square indentation that could be pushed down. She showed it to the other and made a silent indication that that was what allowed for the communication.

"How are you sure though?" whispered Neji

Suddenly the first voice returned, much more serious and disciplined.

"Right here, my lord"

"Hello, can anyone hear me?" said a third voice, calm and dour.

Temari decided to test her theory by pushing down on the button.

"Hello?" she said with uncertainty

"Ah, good, I was almost afraid I would have to send someone with a message to you. But since you figured out how to use the vox, I would like to speak to your leader" responded the voice.

Tsunade grabbed the object from Temari's hand and pushed down in the same place as she did.

"Who are you and where is Shikamaru?" she asked quite loudly.

"All in due time, for now I want to meet you leader in person. Listen to my directions well and we'll discuss matters there."

Tsunade had no choice but to listen to him. However she knew that she wouldn't be so guillible as to go herself. If these people were as dangerous as she thought, then they would be in for one hard fight.

Naruto jumped with the others, going over the plan one more time in his head just to be certain.

They would pose Naruto as the leader of the village, a position he volunteered for much to everyone's concern, with Neji and Temari posing as his bodyguard. They would go and meet whoever has captured Shikamaru and try to take them alive. Hinata, Choji, and Ino would act as backup in case things went wrong.

Naruto hoped things would go smoothly but some part of him realized that this was only the start of something bigger.

They all finally reached the agreed meeting place, a small clearing somewhat far from the village, and it was there they saw an odd sight. It looked like an angular house made of dark green and black metal. The oddest thing about it was on the roof it curved upward slightly, with a long black pole jutting out on one the side facing Naruto and the others. On its side was a giant red "I" with a golden skull on the left side in the center.

The only person they could discern out to meet them was a man leaning against the foreign object, the right side of his face hidden and smoking what looked like a cigarette.

Everyone stopped to look at the sight briefly, before coming together to go over the plan.

"I say we jump him now, he's only one guy and he doesn't look so tough" loudly whispered Naruto.

"No, we follow the plan we have no idea what these people are capable of" responded Neji.

"Alright but I want to get this over quick" said Ino, out of concern for her friend and the current situation.

The "leader" and his two "bodyguards" jumped down in front of the man and the strange object. He just finished his cigarette and had tossed it aside.

"You must be a part of the group that took our friend, well here s our leader," said Neji, gesturing to Naruto who just continued to glare at the man.

"You must think I'm an idiot" said the man, turning his head to reveal that his right half of his face was made of some sort of metal and his eye glowed red.

Everyone winced a bit, not expecting that he was like that. Even the people hiding in the trees could see that he was very different.

"You really think that I'd believe that this little runt of a kid is the leader of the village" said the man, "where was that lady that was on the vox before, she had more authority in her voice then this little boy has in his entire body"

"Hey!" said Naruto stepping forward.

"C'mon then, prove yourself" said the man, waving his hand towards himself in a competitive manner.

Temari, from being with Shikamaru, could tell he was reading Naruto like a book and baiting him to attack. Naruto jumped forward to get closer to the man.

"I'll show you who's a little boy!" yelled Nartuo as lunged forward to attack the man with his one good arm before anyone could stop him.

The man saw the attack coming and blocked with his left arm. Naruto's hit connected but then he groaned in pain and stumbled back. However, the man would let him no respite. He punched Naruto with his right arm and then shot out his left arm to grab Naruto in a chokehold.

Temari and Neji, who had been trying to stop Naruto before now realized the situation had gone from bad to worse.

"Now, you two, I suggest you tell your other three friends to get down here peacefully or…" He began before putting his free arm to his ear.

"Benny, hit the third tree from the right of the blonde lady" he told to seemingly no one.

A bright red beam shot out from the nearby trees and smashed into the tree right next to Temari. This caused Naruto to stop struggling in his grip. The house that had been sitting still before roared to life and the top part with the pole turned towards Neji and Temari.

Neji slouched over in defeat, realizing that they were beat…for now.

"Who are you?" he said, raising his head at the man.

"I am Sergeant Mikals, loyal servant of the Emperor and Inquisitoral Stormtrooper" said the man, "Now I suggest you tell your friend here to calm down before I decide to give him a face full of las."

Sorry for the late update, lot of stuff going. But get ready for a long chapter next time cause I gots lots of explainin' to do

As always leave reviews, but no flames would be nice this time around.