Blood Universe

Konohagakure, Research Center

Shiho: How's life going? I've heard you and Temari had a really huge fight last night.

Shikamaru: Yeah, it was bad – not that I'm complaining or anything, it's just a drag that whenever I come home from work, she gets so worked up over little things.

Shiho: Oh really? Anything strange happening to her lately?

Shikamaru: She snores now, and she got more appetite than Shikadai and I combined.

Shiho: Have you asked your wife if she's pregnant?

Shikamaru: Pregnant! But…but… I'm already preoccupied with a lot of things. I couldn't handle another stressor.

Shiho: I'm sure Shikadai would be a really huge help.

Shikamaru: Fine. What about you Shiho? Anything interesting happening in your life lately?

Shiho: The office had been pretty quiet, and there's no new research materials to work on since the Kaminarimon Company started monopolizing the black market. I would be surprise to see if something comes up –

Siren wailing

 Speakers: Attention all Konoha officer and researcher of the Konohagakure Research Center, an anomaly had appeared outside the office building. All non-combatants are advised to evacuate effective immediately. I repeat. Attention all Konoha officer and researcher of the Konohagakure Research Center, an anomaly had appeared outside the office building. All non-combatants are advised to evacuate effective immediately.

Shikamaru: You and your big mouth.

Shiho: What's happening?

Shikamaru: Come on.

Shikamaru brought Shiho out of her office and into the back of the research center. On their way, they saw a lot of researchers panicking and rushing to get out of the research center. In the midst of the chaos, Shikamaru grabbed Shiho into a room.

Shikamaru: Let's take a breather first.

Shiho: Shikamaru… what's that?

When Shikamaru turned his head around, he saw a red swirling portal in the middle of the room. As he focused his gaze into the portal, he noticed three figures are about to come out of the portal. He grabbed Shiho and ducked; they took cover amidst the tables inside the room. Three people got out of the portal; (1) A silver-haired guy wearing a uniform, (2) a short-haired brown-haired girl wearing a uniform, and (3) a purplish-black-haired girl wearing a uniform. All of them seems foreign and not a ninja. Seeing this, Shikamaru decided to step up.

The air was thick with tension. Shikamaru, always the strategist, kept his calm despite the chaos. Crouching low behind a table with Shiho, he quickly assessed the threat posed by the three new arrivals, who had emerged from a portal, weapons at the ready. These weren't rogue ninjas, nor did they carry chakra signatures he recognized. They were strangers—and dangerous ones at that.

The silver-haired guy, Sosuke Sugaya, had a calm demeanor, his eyes analyzing every corner of the room. The brown-haired girl, Hinata Okano, kept her gun trained on them, her movements efficient and focused. Finally, the purplish-black-haired girl, Yuzuki Fuwa, scanned the room with sharp, calculating eyes, as if reading into Shikamaru's next move.

Shikamaru: You are within Konohagakure grounds. State your identity and your intentions.

Okano: Tell me where's the core of this universe.

Shikamaru: I don't know what you're talking about. Lower your weapon, or I'll retaliate.

Before Okano could respond, a jounin entered the room, shocked at the scene.

Jounin: Commander Shikamaru, there you are—

With one fluid motion, Okano raised her gun and fired. The jounin dropped to the ground, dead. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, fury brewing in his gaze. There was no way he could let this slide.

Shikamaru: Shiho, stay sharp. These aren't amateurs.

He whipped a kunai toward Okano, who dodged it with remarkable reflexes, her gun now trained on him. Okano fired again, forcing Shikamaru and Shiho to duck and weave behind the tables. This wasn't going to be an easy fight—they weren't dealing with typical combatants, but rather highly trained assassins with lethal accuracy and tactical prowess.

Shikamaru quickly formed the hand seals for his Shadow Possession Jutsu. The shadows crept along the floor, stretching out toward Sosuke, who was already on the move. Spotting the creeping shadows, he leapt onto a desk, narrowly avoiding the trap. Yuzuki Fuwa, recognizing Shikamaru's tactic, flanked to the left, cutting off his line of escape.

Shiho: Shikamaru, they're skilled, but they don't know our jutsu.

Shikamaru: True. Let's use that to our advantage.

Okano raised her gun to fire again, but Shiho threw a smoke bomb, filling the room with a dense gray mist. Using the cover, Shiho darted around to the right, setting up a surprise angle of attack. In the thick smoke, she could hear the quiet shuffles and whispers of the intruders as they attempted to regroup.

Suddenly, a flash of silver—Sosuke lunged toward her, using the sound of her movements to find her position. He swiped with a knife in close range, forcing Shiho to jump back, narrowly dodging his attack. He was fast—maybe faster than most ninjas she'd fought.

Shikamaru emerged from the smoke, his shadow extending and reaching toward Okano and Fuwa. Fuwa noticed the shadow closing in and sidestepped it, but Okano was less fortunate; the shadow wrapped around her, immobilizing her in place.

Shikamaru: Got you.

Okano: Don't count on it.

With a sudden twist, Okano leaned her body just enough to pull her gun up and aim it at Shikamaru's shoulder. She squeezed the trigger, forcing him to release her shadow to dodge, but she'd bought enough time for Sosuke to make his move.

Sosuke hurled a series of small, metallic throwing knives at Shikamaru. Shikamaru deflected them with a kunai, but the distraction allowed Fuwa to sneak around and flank him from behind, aiming a strike at his blind spot. Just before she reached him, however, Shiho intervened, kicking Fuwa back and throwing a paper bomb attached to a kunai at her feet.

Shiho: Got you now!

Fuwa rolled to the side, narrowly escaping the explosion, but the blast knocked her off balance, giving Shikamaru a chance to refocus. Shikamaru used the moment to widen his Shadow Possession Jutsu, spreading it across the entire room. This time, the shadows latched onto all three of the assassins, binding them in place.

Shikamaru: End of the line. You assassins may be skilled, but you underestimated the Leaf Village.

Okano struggled; her eyes fierce with defiance.

Okano: We're not here to negotiate. Tell us what we want to know.

Shikamaru: You're in no position to ask questions. Now, unless you want to face the full force of the Leaf's defenses, I suggest you start talking.