Path Of War-Chapter 333: Like My Mother

Some days later.

When Shikamaru woke up, he could already smell his mother's cooking coming from the kitchen.

At home, he reminded himself. He was at home.

He had yearned for it but wasn't sure he would ever see it again, and it felt like both a dream and something real even after everything that's happened.

His mother's voice broke through his thoughts as she entered his room: "Shikamaru, are you alright today?!"

Still groggy, he answered, "I told you yesterday, mom, I'm alright."

"You never know," she said after motioning for him to get up.

Reluctantly, he rolled out of bed and changed into his clothes, obediently following her instructions without protest. Returning to the rhythm of his family was both strange and reassuring.

By the time he made it into the kitchen, Yoshino had already prepared the traditional morning fare of rice, soup, and pickled vegetables at the kitchen table.

"Did anything unusual happen last night?" his father, Shikaku, asked at the table.

Shikamaru took a seat, answering, "Nothing out of the ordinary.'

"Eat everything, then," his mother pleaded. "Don't let a single thing get too cold."

Only five days had passed since his and Ino's return, and each day had seemed to fly by. He kept thinking about the idea that the two had actually died. And he was also surprised because of Naruto's parents coming back.

News spread like wildfire despite the village's best efforts to control the fallout. The return of the dead was not easily concealed, and almost everyone believed that Orochimaru played a role in all of this.

As far as the dead returning was concerned, many were eager to see their loved ones also come back—like the Inuzuka clan. But after some time, no news of their whereabouts was made.

Then there was the mounting pressure of the four who had returned. To ensure their safety, they were being monitored by several ninjas from the shadows.

Shikaku eyed his plate and inquired, "Are you still wishing to be a ninja after all this?"

With a sigh, Shikamaru said, "I don't see a reason why I shouldn't be, especially after everything that's happened. Simply put, I'm just glad to be back."

Suddenly the two heard Yoshino slam her palm on the table.

Bang!

"I don't want to hear more about that ninja talk," she firmly said. "You have no idea what your father and I have been through."

Knowing better than to argue with her in such a situation, the guys fell silent.

After a while, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Shikamaru announced, knowing who it likely was. He opened the door to see Naruto and Chōji standing there. "You're late, you two."

"Sakura wouldn't leave us alone," Naruto smiled.

Shikamaru waved to his parents before heading out the door. It was safe for him to be out and walk around the village.

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"How do you feel today?" Chōji asked as they strolled.

"Will you please stop asking me that?" Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes. "I'm doing fine, just like yesterday."

"We gotta make sure," Naruto stated. "You never know."

For a brief moment, Shikamaru chuckled and said, "You two are beginning to sound like my mother. Which reminds me, Naruto, how are your parents doing?"

Naruto's face brightened as he said, "They're doing better than ever. It's almost crazy to believe!"

Chōji and Shikamaru looked at each other. They could see it in Naruto's manner—he exuded happiness—and it went beyond his usual enthusiasm for missions. The boy was standing tall despite having gone through a lot.

"Are you and your family planning anything special?" Chōji asked.

Naruto said, lowering his voice a little, "Yeah, but it's more of a me thing. If I tell you guys, you gotta promise to keep it a secret, okay?"

Needless to say, this wouldn't be much of an insider since they were being tracked by at least one ninja at a time—that included Alice.

"What is it?" Chōji pressed.

Naruto admitted, "I'm going to exact revenge on this guy named Obito. See, he's the leader of the Akatsuki, and I think he destroyed my clan's Eddy Village."

That was one unexpected ambition.

The Eddy Village, also known as the "Village Hidden by Whirling Tides," was a shinobi village in the Land of Whirlpools, renowned for the longevity of its inhabitants and their expertise in sealing techniques.

The village, which had a close relationship with the Leaf due to a shared ancestry between the Uzumaki and Senju clans, ultimately fell to destruction during conflicts with other villages.

Following its destruction, survivors of the Eddy Village spread throughout the world seeking refuge, while elements of their legacy, such as their crest, were integrated into the attire of allied villages like the Leaf Village.

Shikamaru scowled as his thoughts raced. Why the sudden desire for retribution? And what made his friend come to the conclusion this Obito was the cause?

So he asked, "Why would you want to do that?"

Naruto clarified, "It's because of what my mom wrote in her book. I talked to her about three days ago. In it, she listed a few names of those our elders believed were responsible for their fall."

Shikamaru carefully reflected on what he was hearing. First off, no one really knew who destroyed the Eddy Village. Second, what did Naruto's parents think about this?

"I talked about taking revenge with my parents," the boy admitted. "Shikamaru, you're the smart one. My clan was the target of some major plot that I think the Akatsuki were behind, and I'm gonna find them no matter what!"

"Whoa, whoa," Shikamaru interrupted. "You're not gonna go rogue like Sasuke, are you?"

"Definitely not!" Naruto shook his head angrily. "I would never do that; my parents are back, and I've got a lot to learn from them, like the Flying raijin!"

Then Chōji laughed, "Besides, the fifth Hokage's never gonna let Naruto out of the village after what's happened lately."

By the time the trio reached the hospital, Shikamaru experienced a recognizable feeling of dread.

"Guess we'll see each other later," Naruto declared.

"Let us know how it goes this time," Chōji smiled.

After his friends left, Shikamaru eyed the doors. Then he muttered to himself, "I have to go through this again? What a drag."

It wasn't long until he was checked in and eventually wound up on a hospital bed. Different medical ninjas collected blood samples, checked his glucose level, and performed a battery of increasingly intrusive tests.

As he went through the procedures, minutes seemed to drag on for hours.

He let his thoughts wander, considering the ramifications of his return. Although he enjoyed being back, he couldn't help but feel sad for those others lost while he was away, like Iruka Umino.

So much had changed in so little time. There was a new Hokage, Sasuke was missing from the village, and almost everyone was going crazy that Minato had also returned.

There was a sense of relief when he was finally discharged from the hospital. As he stepped out, Asuma welcomed him and appeared genuinely happy to see his student.

Knowing what Asuma wanted to ask, like everybody else, Shikamaru said, "Everything checked out fine, just like it did the last time."

Asuma clapped him on the shoulder and proposed, "Let's go get something to eat then."

To the Jōnin's surprise, his student said, "I'm actually not that hungry. My mom's been making crazy meals these last few days. I don't mind them, but it's starting to become a drag."

Asuma chuckled as he considered the happiness that seemed to emanate from everyone upon their return. "Your parents are just really glad, just like Ino's mom."

"Speaking of Ino," Shikamaru pushed. "How's she doing?"

Asuma retorted, "Her mother's been keeping a close eye on her. Even though the rest of her clan wanted Inoichi to come back alongside her, they were happy nonetheless."

Truth be told, many thought he would still come back.

The two would later walk all the way to Asuma's house. There, they set up the shogi board.

As they played, it became evident that Shikamaru had maintained his shogi advantage despite the confusion of everything going on around him. And after five losses in a row, Asuma admitted that he was still very intelligent.

"I never gave up hope after receiving the message you sent," his sensei admitted.

Shikamaru's thoughts kept returning to that particular instance in the Forest of Death.

"The fact that I wrote it in one location and you discovered it in another country still seems strange to me."

"Have you ever considered the possibility that you... Oh, I dunno, got sent to some time rift or something?"

Shikamaru laughed. "Time rift? Like traveling through time? Since when did you start believing in things like that?"

"Ya never know," Asuma smiled.

The truth was, that Shikamaru wouldn't believe that since he was told that they discovered their bodies in the forest and confirmed it was Arthur who slew them.

"Mistakes can happen," Asuma said, referring to their charred bodies.

"If that's the case, then don't you think Arthur was wrongfully accused?"

When Arthur was brought up, Asuma grimaced, obviously unenthusiastic. He said sourly, "I hated that kid more than my past grudge with my father. I'm glad he's the one dad and you're not."

Quite the dark sentiment to make, so Shikamaru played along. He honestly never knew who Arthur was; he had a vague recollection of his former classmate.

After a few more matches, Shikamaru got up and said, "I'm gonna take a walk."

"Need some company?" Asuma wondered.

"No, I'm fine, Asuma-sensei."

With a twinge of regret in his eyes, Asuma watched him leave.

Outside, even though Shikamaru implied he wanted to be alone for a bit, he was also very much aware that Anbu were watching his every step.

Their presence served as a continual reminder to the village to exercise caution. At least until everyone's paranoia ceased.

Where he stopped was at the cemetery. The guards, standing alertly, stopped him at the doorway once he got closer.

"Sorry," one said, "but the grounds are being investigated."

Shikamaru wasn't the least bit surprised. He only came here because he wanted to check his grave to help with the investigation.

From what he was told, no one was allowed here after they discovered that their bodies—those who revived—had gone missing.

Among the village council's circles, there was a rumor that they might have been reanimated first through illegal methods. If that was the case, then it only made sense that their bodies were not present in their graves.

Naturally, Hiruzen and Tsunade demanded that the cemetery be both blocked off and also closely monitored.

Shikamaru didn't think they'd trespass him as well.

Rather than returning to Asuma's house, he decided to head toward the Yamanaka clan. Alice greeted him when he got there.

"Shikamaru!" she spoke. "How're you feeling today?"

It felt repetitive to be asked that again, but he forced a sigh. "I didn't think you of all people would ask me that."

"I know," she smirked, "I just wanted to hear you say I was acting like your mom."

She then walked with him through the clan as they headed toward Ino's house. By the time they walked inside, Chōji was also present in the kitchen.

"There go the groceries in this place," Alice remarked.

"I only had a snack," he said with a mouthful of meat.

Eventually, Ino joined them, and their bond's energy ignited immediately.

It became evident as the four friends shared updates. To think, though, that the player with the least amount of interest in this world had the privilege to interact with the Ino-Shika-Cho team.

Yet she was genuinely happy at the trio's dynamic.

Chōji was undoubtedly one of the happiest to have heard of their return. He, much like Asuma, refused to believe this was some sort of hoax or a trap. Not after all the tests that were done.

No matter what had happened before, their friendship's tenacity was either a sign that maybe something good would happen.

But if this was Arthur's doing, which Alice had refrained from sharing those thoughts with anyone, then who knew how long this would last?

Alice didn't want something like that happening. No, not again.