-3rd Person-

The air was thick with tension as Team 7 made their way through the crowded corridors of the Hokage's Tower. It wasn't often that they were summoned with such urgency, and Naruto's brow was furrowed in concern as they ascended the stairs in silence. Sakura's gaze flickered nervously to him and then to Mizuki, who walked a step behind them, uncharacteristically quiet.

"Do you know what's going on?" Naruto asked, his voice low but tight with restrained energy. "Tsunade-baa-chan didn't say anything except for us to get here fast."

Sakura shook her head, her own apprehension clear in the way she clenched her fists. "No idea. But it must be serious."

Mizuki's eyes were downcast, her mind spinning with uneasy thoughts. She had sensed something was wrong the past few days. The village felt different — heavier, like the air itself was weighted with some unspoken dread. But this... whatever had happened, it was bad enough to have Tsunade summon them without explanation.

As they turned the corner, they froze at the sight in front of the Hokage's office.

Shikamaru Nara was standing there, shoulders slumped, staring blankly at the floor. His face was ashen, eyes hollow, and his entire body seemed to sag under the weight of something terrible. A bandage wrapped around his upper arm was stained with blood, and the usual spark of intellect and laziness that defined Shikamaru's gaze was completely absent.

"Shikamaru?" Naruto called hesitantly, stepping forward.

Shikamaru's head jerked up at the sound of his name. For a moment, he just looked at them, his dark eyes clouded and distant. Then, his gaze settled on Naruto, and something in him seemed to break.

"Naruto..." he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. He opened his mouth as if to say more, but the words seemed to get stuck, his throat tightening painfully.

Naruto's stomach twisted. Shikamaru looked... destroyed. There was no other way to describe it. He had never seen his friend like this, not even during their most harrowing missions.

"What happened?" Sakura asked softly, her voice trembling. "Shikamaru, what—"

"Go inside," Shikamaru interrupted quietly, his tone flat and lifeless. "Tsunade-sama is waiting for you."

Mizuki's heart pounded painfully in her chest as she stared at Shikamaru's face. There was something broken in his eyes, something that made her chest tighten with a sense of impending doom. She glanced at Naruto, and when he nodded, they stepped past Shikamaru and pushed open the door to the Hokage's office.

The atmosphere inside was suffocating.

Tsunade sat behind her desk, her hands clasped tightly together. Her expression was grim, jaw clenched, and there was a dark, furious glint in her eyes. Standing beside her were Ino and Choji, both looking utterly devastated. Ino's eyes were red and puffy, her hands trembling at her sides. Choji's usually cheerful face was pale, his gaze fixed on the floor as if he couldn't bear to look up.

"What... what's going on?" Naruto demanded, voice tense. "Old Lady, why did you call us here?"

Tsunade took a deep breath, her eyes flicking between the members of Team 7 — from Naruto's anxious face, to Sakura's worried frown, and finally to Mizuki's wide, fearful eyes.

"I... I'm sorry to call you here like this," she began quietly. Her voice was soft, almost gentle, and it sent a chill down Naruto's spine. Tsunade never spoke like that — not unless something was terribly, irreparably wrong. 

"But you needed to know. Earlier this morning, Team 10... they ran into two members of the Akatsuki."

Naruto's entire body tensed, and Sakura let out a small gasp, covering her mouth with trembling fingers.

"The Akatsuki?" Naruto whispered, his voice sharp with shock and disbelief. "Here?"

Tsunade nodded slowly, her gaze never leaving them. "Yes. They were ambushed near the borders during their mission. By the time they realized what was happening... it was already too late."

Sakura stepped forward, her face pale. "What do you mean 'too late'? Tsunade-sama, what are you saying?"

There was a long, agonizing silence.

Tsunade's hands tightened into fists, her knuckles turning white. She took a deep breath, and when she spoke, her voice was filled with a raw, aching pain. 

"Asuma Sarutobi was killed in the attack."

The words hung in the air like a death sentence, sinking slowly into the stunned silence that followed.

For a moment, no one moved. No one breathed. It was as if time itself had frozen, trapping them in that single, horrific moment.

Then—

"N-no..." Mizuki's voice was a broken whisper, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. "No, that can't be... Asuma-sensei...?"

Naruto stumbled back a step, shaking his head violently. "No way... You're lying. You're lying! Asuma-sensei can't be... he can't be dead!"

Tsunade flinched, pain flashing across her face. "I wish I were lying, Naruto," she murmured quietly. "But it's true. He's... he's gone."

"No!" Naruto shouted, his voice cracking. "That's... that's not fair! He—he was strong! He—"

"He was up against two S-rank criminals from the Akatsuki," Tsunade interrupted, her tone heavy with regret. "Even for a jonin of Asuma's caliber, it was a battle he couldn't win alone."

Sakura's legs gave out, and she collapsed to her knees, staring blankly at the floor. Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over her cheeks as she shook her head slowly, numbly. "No... Asuma-sensei..."

Mizuki's hands flew to her mouth, a strangled sob escaping her lips. Her mind was reeling, images of Asuma's easygoing smile, his gentle encouragement, flashing through her thoughts. He had always been so calm, so strong — someone who could face any challenge without fear. The thought of him being gone, just like that, was... incomprehensible.

She wasn't close to the man but she's heard so many great stories from her Grandfather and her friends... There were small moments of interaction between the two when she was still young.

"Shikamaru was the one who found him," Tsunade said softly, her gaze shifting to the door where Shikamaru stood silently, his shadow stretching long and dark behind him. "He, Ino, and Choji tried to reach him, but... they were too late."

Naruto's eyes widened, his heart twisting painfully as he turned to look at Shikamaru. "Shikamaru..." he whispered, his voice breaking. "No... no, no, no..."

Shikamaru didn't respond. He didn't move. He just stood there, staring blankly into the room, his expression empty and hollow.

"S-shikamaru," Mizuki breathed, stepping forward, but Shikamaru's gaze didn't even flicker. He looked as if he were a million miles away, lost in some dark, unreachable place.

"It's my fault."

The words were so soft, so quiet, that for a moment, no one realized who had spoken.

But then—

"It's my fault," Shikamaru repeated, his voice low and flat. He stepped into the room, his shoulders hunched, his gaze fixed on some invisible point on the floor. "I was the one who suggested we split up. I thought... I thought we could handle it. But I was wrong."

"Shikamaru, no," Ino cried, her voice trembling. "It's not your fault—"

"It is my fault!" Shikamaru snapped, his voice rising suddenly, fiercely. 

"I made the call. I led us into a trap. Asuma-sensei is dead because I wasn't good enough to protect him."

His voice broke on the last word, and for the first time, his composure shattered. He sank to his knees, his body trembling violently as he buried his face in his hands.

Naruto watched helplessly, his own grief momentarily forgotten in the face of Shikamaru's raw agony. "Shikamaru..."

"We were supposed to be a team," Shikamaru whispered, his voice choked and broken. "But I... I couldn't save him. I couldn't do anything."

Mizuki felt tears streaming down her face, her chest aching with a pain so deep it felt like it was tearing her apart. She wanted to say something, to reach out to him, but the words caught in her throat, and all she could do was stand there, trembling.

Tsunade looked away, her own eyes shining with unshed tears. "No one could have known what would happen, Shikamaru. You did everything you could."

"Everything I could?" Shikamaru let out a harsh, bitter laugh, the sound sharp and grating. 

"Then why is he dead?"

The silence that followed was suffocating. No one had an answer.

Naruto clenched his fists, his own anger and grief simmering just beneath the surface. He wanted to punch something, to scream, to make the world make sense again. But looking at Shikamaru, broken and defeated, he knew that would change nothing.

"I'm going to make them pay," Naruto finally declared, his voice low but fierce, his determination igniting a spark of hope in the room. "I'm going to find those Akatsuki bastards. They won't get away with this."

Mizuki felt a surge of admiration for her brother, even amidst the devastation. He was always so brave, so fierce. "I'll come with you," she said, her voice steady despite the tears streaming down her cheeks. "We need to help Team 10."

"No," Tsunade interjected sharply, her expression suddenly serious. "You all need to regroup. We can't act rashly. We need to plan and prepare before we take any further action."

"But Asuma-sensei—" Naruto started, but Tsunade held up a hand.

"I understand how you feel, but charging in without a plan will only lead to more casualties. We need to be smart about this," she said firmly, looking each of them in the eye.

Shikamaru raised his head slowly, his eyes filled with a mixture of despair and resolve. "Then we'll plan. We'll find a way to stop them."

"Yes," Tsunade agreed, a flicker of hope igniting in her expression. "Together, we can honor Asuma's memory by ensuring that no one else suffers the same fate."

Ino nodded, wiping away her tears as determination began to take root in her heart. "For Asuma-sensei."

"Yeah," Choji added quietly, his voice firm. "For Asuma."

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

That was intense. I could literally feel the tension and pain when I was writing this chapter. 

What about you? What are your thoughts?

Hope you guys are enjoying the updates!

Bye Potatoes!

Stay Fab!