The Beast Inside (Shikamaru x OC)

Chapter 15

After several hours of sprinting through the woods, the group of Konoha shinobis arrived in front of a waterfall, its waters flowing on each side of a massive rock, on which a scroll was fixed. Exhausted from the journey, Choji collapsed on the ground with a sigh, while the others, though attempting to catch their breath, remained on guard. 

They were close. Very close. They could feel it.

- It's here, affirmed Kakashi. A huge amount of chakra is emanating from behind this rock. It can only be them.

A shiver ran down Yura's spine as she drew a kunai from her pocket, her brows furrowed.

"Gaara," she thought. "Hang on. We're coming. We'll get you out of there."

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned sharply to come face to face with Naruto, who stood there with a comforting smile on his face. 

- We'll make it. Don't worry. We'll rescue him and we will all get out of here together.

The young girl pursed her lips and nodded. Yes, they would make it, and soon all of this would be nothing but a dreadful memory, and the Akatsuki would be defeated. 

Or at least that's what she hoped. .

When the last scroll was removed, a dull thud was heard, and suddenly, the enormous rock revealed the entrance of dark cave.

A glance. A nod. And they infiltrated it.

As Yura set foot on the damp floor of the cave, she could distinguish two figures a few meters ahead of her, as if lurking in the shadows. The surrounding darkness prevented her from putting a face to the two silhouettes in front of her, but she could discern blonde hair tied in a ponytail. The other form resembled some sort of a humanoid creature. However, what quickly caught the young girl's attention was the figure curled up on the hard ground of the cave, as one of the individuals sat nonchalantly on it.

Yura clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. 

It couldn't...

"Gaara," whimpered a voice to her right, which she guessed was Naruto's. 

The young boy was about to take a step forward when Kakashi intervened, shaking his head. It was far too dangerous to act on impulse. They had no idea who they were facing.

"They beat Kankuro so easily" Yura remembered, her fists still tightly clenched. "We can't act out of anger."  

The young girl took a deep breath, directing her gaze upwards, facing the two assassins. One of them wore a mischievous smile, almost amused by the situation.

- Well, who do we have here, the blonde chuckled, eyeing the intruders. 

"Is that Sasori" ? Yura wondered, as she stared at the one who had just talked. 

Her eyes met his sadistic gaze and she clenched her teeth. No. If Sasori was Granny Chiyo's grandson, he couldn't be that young. In that case, it had to be... 

- I must admit, it's our lucky day, grumbled his raspy-voiced companion.

"His mouth isn't moving," Yura noted with surprise.

Then it clicked in her mind.

"A puppet, of course," she guessed. "So that has to be Sasori, or at least one of his puppets. The host must be inside."

- It's almost too easy, sighed the blonde, shaking his head. I mean, Leader-sama will be delighted. Two jinchuurikis for the price of one.

Yura completely froze, a cold sweat running down her spine, while Shikamaru and the rest of the shinobi furrowed their brows, caught off guard by the remark.