Shadows of a Nightmare Future

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, and as such not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 1

"Is there anything quite like watching clouds go by." I muse with a contented sigh, enjoying the slow passing of those white puffs of atmosphere as the sun's rays warm my face quite nicely. Indeed, it is a bliss augmented only by how perfect the lush green grass of the knoll is at cushioning my back.

Shifting my gaze lazily around me I'm pleased to note that I wasn't having to share this slice of paradise with many souls either. Just a few birds in the trees and a dear grazing silently around the edges. An added bonus if ever there was one given that the formers melody was quite soothing and the latter never bothered him anyways. "Yeah I don't care what anyone says it doesn't get better than this. And if there is something better I bet it's too troublesome anyways."

In short my current situation is perfection personified, at least as far as I am concerned anyway. Honestly I can't believe that someone hasn't come along to ruin my little piece of bliss yet. Indeed if it wasn't one of the troublesome women in my life, armed with a seemingly endless list of admonishments for my lazy attitude, it would be a pesky mission.

"Kami, I can`t remember the last time I got more than ten minutes to myself since making Chunin." I acknowledge irritable, wishing I could have found away to turn down the promotion. I let out a snort knowing full well that even if I had my mother would have made my life hell for giving up such an opportunity, "Ahh well a man can dream I guess and for now at least I seem to be getting left alone."

My smile fades as I realise that logically speaking it would surely be only a matter of time before my tranquillity was broken. "There's no way I can keep getting away with this right?" I ponder forbiddingly, wagering that my luck would surely falter soon. "Still, worrying about such things would be counter-productive and far too troublesome. I guess I should just forget about it and enjoy the moment."

Yet, I can't. I am beginning to feel uneasy, like the current tranquillity was not right somehow. Like I had something I really should be doing. "I never feel like that. I mean, I know I should be training and doing a whole host of more productive things with my time, but such thoughts never bothered me in the past. Doing nothing was my thing. Why now?" I question in genuine confusion as the alien sensation refuses to leave me be.

Suddenly a loud wail, of what I guessed to be a siren, fills the air and breaks me away from my bewildered thoughts. Letting out a weary sigh I sit up slowly, groaning at the effort of the most arduous of tasks. Scanning the environment around me with narrowed eyes I fail to pinpoint the source of the annoying wail.

"Shikamaru!" Come`s the irate voice of one of the aforementioned troublesome woman in my life. "How the hell did she get so close without me noticing?" I think irritable, annoyed at being caught unaware by her once again." Honestly, this is becoming a troublesome habit of hers. Ever since we began working together she seems to have been taking a great deal of satisfaction in foiling my attempts to shirk my responsibilities. Kami How does she keep finding me?"

I look round and sure enough there is Temari, evidently annoyed by my latest attempt at avoiding her and most of all work judging by the irritable scowl that adorns her face. Yet, instead of calculating possibly ways to avoid her wrath as was the norm, I for some inconceivable reason find myself admiring the fair skinned Suna Kunoichi.

Garbed in her black short sleeved kimono, complimented by the vivid scarlet sash tied neatly around her slim waist, the troublesome blonde is utterly captivating to my eyes. Her beautiful sandy hair tied in such a way as to divide it into four spiky ponytails. Her keen teal eyes that, despite the irritation found within, I find myself becoming entranced by. Her tantalizingly low neckline. Her body.

I stop, thoroughly confused by my current train of thought. "Woman are troublesome and Temari just so happens to be a prime example of why." I begin to reason, trying to dispel the alien emotions coursing through me with tried and tested logic, "Kami, until now I`ve never dedicated much attention to Temari at all despite her troublesome efforts at idle chit chat. Still what I do now about her is that she insufferable stubborn, opinionated and above all intelligent. In essence she is a highly troublesome woman, and more importantly, far too smart to outmanoeuvre when I want to slack off. "

As such, she is the epitome of all the traits I regarded as most bothersome .

"What's changed?" I demand of myself in pure bafflement at my current predicament, "I don't ogle woman, in fact I usually pay them little heed at all. And anyway, a girl like her would be far too high maintenance and not nearly average enough in the looks department for me anyway...."

My mental check-list of reasons of why I shouldn't be interested in her is suddenly interrupted by a swift strike to my head courtesy of said women's unforgiving metal lined fan. Rubbing my throbbing head in a reflexive attempt to sooth the pain, I demand crossly, "Damn it Temari what did you do that for?!..."Not giving her a chance to answer, I continue as a more pressing thought comes to mind, "...And how did you manage to sneak up on me like that anyway?"

Resting her fan on the ground she answers with a smirk. "I've always been out of your league Lazy; but to answer your first question you were gawking at me like a damn pervert."

"Sheesh ... I was not." I grind out carefully, trying to hide my true embarrassment. "I just got caught up on thinking how you managed to appear out of nowhere, that's all." Sadly it appears as though my words would prove wasted as I feel my face begin to heat up, my crimson countenance betraying me as surely as if I had admitted my true feelings. Indeed, judging by her impish smile it's clear that my valiant attempt to lie my way out of the disconcerting situation I find myself in is an utter failure.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say lazy." Come`s her smug reply, clearly pleased by my obvious discomfort. Her jovial mood soon evaporates however, leaving a look of stern seriousness. "Shikamaru you've got to get your head out of the clouds." She commands severely, her tone leaving no room for argument, "There`s things to do and you're the only one who can do it. You have to get going."

The look in her eyes tells me I shouldn`t argue; but I have no idea what Temari is demanding of me. Deciding that trying to determine the meaning behind her cryptic words is too troublesome, I pose, "What things? And what do you mean I have to go and more importantly where? Does it have something to do with the damned siren?"

Instead of answering Temari kneels down in front of me, placing her hands on mine.

"Temari what are you..." My words die in my throat as her face begins to move towards mine. I begin to panic not sure what the hell is going on. Yet, as her lush lips draw closer I`m overcome by a level of desire never experienced before. As such, I lean in as my usual over analysing is lost in a sea of hormone driven anticipation.

Our lips are so close.

Only a few more centimetres and...

Nothing...

My eyes flutter open, finding only darkness rather than the promised kiss I craved. "A dream...of course it was a dream."I curse bitterly as I let out an irritated groan and instinctively turn on the light beside me. Sitting up I take stock of my current abode.

The walls are a soulless grey, not that it matters much given that nearly all available space is covered in a seemingly chaotic array of charts and maps. To further add to the general sense of dishevelment, the floor had long since been claimed by my discarded clothing. As such, I couldn't say what colour the carpet is if indeed it was carpeted at all. Yet, by contrast my oak desk is the picture of order, not a pen or paper out of place.

"Temari and work were really the only things that I ever found to be worth the trouble." I acknowledge with grim bitterness, not at all happy to be met with my cold reality again rather than the warm embrace of my wife. "No, thats something I can only get in my cursed dreams at this point. Morose musing aside, I note that the annoying siren I heard earlier in my dream is still blaring. However, without the fog of the dream world I know all too well what kind of siren it is.

"We were under attack and all personnel were to report to their stations."I determine sombrely after puzzling out which troublesome noise had the gall to wake me. Realising that there was no use bemoaning my fate, I get out of bed in a feat of un-characteristic speed and form an outfit from the available clothing that litters my floor.

Running to the door, I absent-mindedly grab my green flak vest and ninja tools before putting my raven hair into the traditional Nara top knot while sending a cursory glance at my rooms solitary mirror. "I wish you were still around old man."I muse sadly, as I take in my appearance that so readily reminds me of my father, "You`d have probable have had this crisis figured out by now."

Being compared to my father is one of the many troublesome misfortunes that I have been subjected to over the years. The expectation being that the son of the great tactician would surely be able to live up to his father's meteoric standard of strategic genius.

Sadly, although I could boast to being one of the best, I had yet to reach my father's level. A fact that causes me no end of grief as I desperately try to emulate his ability to save his allies when things looked so grim. A talent that is sorely needed in a world that was closer to the brink of oblivion that it had ever had been before.

"Not that I do myself any favours." I acknowledge wryly, unable to dispute that if not for my gaunter and scar free complexion that I could have been mistaken for his clone. The fact being that in addition to our similarly slim frames and hair styles I had also taken to sporting a goatee over the years. "I guess, I can't really blame anyone for making the comparison, at least in terms of physical similarities regardless of how much of drag it is."

Banishing my troublesome hang-ups to the back of my mind, I leave my father's reflection behind and head out into the partially illuminated hallway.

Setting out for the command centre as procedure dictated, I as per usual I can't help but feel a little disoriented as I make my way through the shadowy corridors of our facility. A Facility that happens to have been originally constructed by Orochimaru.

Sadly for my sense of direction the psychotic Sanin seemed to think the décor should match his twisted mind. One such example being the walls and floors which he, in his deranged wisdom, had made a sickly yellow covered in interlocking spirals that confused and disorientated the mind like an eerie maze.

What's worse, as interlopers ourselves we had the added disadvantage of not knowing where some of the major utilities were found. The result being that certain areas, such as my own, were without a reliable light source which naturally compounded the visual issue further.

"Why did I have to take a nap right when the rooms we're being claimed?" I bemoan, damning my own short sightedness, "Regardless of how good a nap it happened to be, having the lights cut out while shaving is far more troublesome than scouting out potential rooms."

Hearing a faint sound I cease my self-pitying thoughts as my well honed instincts take hold. Slowing down, I press myself against the wall and slink along to the corner ahead. Fishing out a small mirror from my flak vest I carefully edge it past the corners edge, granting me a near perfect view of the corridor ahead.

Three figures come into view. All three decked in standard black shinobi gear, though one bore what appeared to be some kind of sword based upon the prodding hilt coming from the figures back. More importantly however, judging by their dress, chosen destination, and slow methodical pace I would guess they were enemy infiltrators.

Such was my haste that I probably wouldn't have even heard them if not for the base`s decaying masonry causing a faint crunching sound as they moved towards me. "Let's see if you guys have the misfortune of being one of his puppets." I muse matter-of-factly as I channel Chakra into to my eyes, having long gotten over the horrible fate that many of our enemies found themselves in. Seeing that the interlopers do not bare the identification seal Naruto had engineered for our forces I take a moment to evaluate my opponents and begin to move. "It's a drag but there's no going back once you fall under its sway."

I create a pair of clones, which I take great pains to create without the usual tell-tale smoke, and send my shadow round the corner. As it connects with the clueless assailants, my clones `Body flicker` next to them. In an instant, two heads swiftly leave their bodies and hit the floor with an echoing thud courtesy of my clones' trench knives. Without missing a beat, I deftly mimic taking a sword from my back and move the invisible blade across my throat. To anyone who wasn't familiar with the Nara clan the action would seem bizarre. To me it means only one thing.

"Checkmate." I breath out triumphantly as the last body falls to the floor, satisfied that the encounter proved relatively simply. Releasing my `Shadow Possession Jutsu` I make my way round the corner as my clones' dispelled memories confirm my success. Before me lie three corpses, two headless with the final cadaver lying face down in a pool of its own blood.

I can't help but breathe a sigh of relief at the easy victory. "I need to ration my reserves if I am going to survive the desperate fight I'm heading too. A long fight would have been way too troublesome anyway." My relief is short lived however, as my ears pick up the distinctive hiss of a lit explosive note. Eyes widening in horror, I channel Chakra to my feet and dash backwards in the hopes avoiding the deadly payload.

It is not enough.

Suddenly, I'm hit by a blinding light and intense force that flings me backwards against the hard unforgiving wall. Letting out a sharp hiss as my back makes contact, I crumble to the ground with a torturous thud. "Such an idiot! " I admonish harshly as an intense pain seizes my body. "How many times have I used those things to catch an over confidant enemy off guard? Taking a moment to recover from the disorientating explosion, I shakily sit up and begin to take in the damage that could have so easily been inflicted upon me. "Kami one second later and that would have been it for me."

The corridor is now blackened, riddled with shrapnel holes and coated in random splattering`s of blood. The area that had previously been the resting place of my recent foes, now dominated by a large smoking crater. The surrounding area smeared in gore, no longer a sickly yellow but crimson red.

"Far too close." I acknowledge grimly while letting out a relieved sigh. I was lucky not to be trapped or indeed dead as a result of my foolishness. Still there was no point dwelling on it. "I have to get moving."

Running a basic diagnostic Jutsu over my aching body I determine that apart from said soreness I am otherwise uninjured. Groaning, I pick myself up of the floor and pat the dust out of my clothes and begin my journey once more.

"This day is already turning out to be a real drag."