Ay yuh get it I guess
Third person pov
One thing had led to another and suddenly everyone was asleep, and Arron wasn't happy.
Finding out she wasn't allowed to see Shikamaru after his match had deeply offended her. Them declaring that he had not actually won was also quite irritating. He had trapped his enemy, yes? If killing were permitted, he could easily have thrown a knife at her throat. Thus, winning. The logic was very flawed in her opinion. Even more flawed was the disservice that stated she was not allowed to go give him a hug to console him on his fake loss. Very much injustice was being committed today. Even more proven by the fact that Trexx had just woken her up, and there were feathers everywhere. Everyone was sleeping, and Shikamaru was very much gone.
She didn't like being separated from Shikamaru, even now. Arron could do it. She could distract herself in helping the women of the village a building, but that was all because she knew that Shikamaru was okay. There was no unknown element to it. Those days she left were days he was mostly at home training, or out with Choji or his father. Not missing in the middle of some sort of... of crisis! She did not know the word! There was very much violence, and she did not appreciate it. It enraged and worried her greatly.
"I do not like this." She decided aloud. A kunai flew at her from... somewhere. Trexx's hand was reaching out before it could hit. The weapon bounced off of his shadowy paw rather pathetically, and the ninja who'd thrown it looked rather pale as the hulking beast focused its eyes on him. Arron frowned. Where had Shikamaru gone, and what was happening? An attack, she had already deduced, but why? Everyone was fighting. That wasn't very fun. If an attack was being held against the village, that mean Shikamaru was probably in danger, and so were her friends. What of Shikaku-san, and Yoshino? And the women? And Asuma?
Arron should've felt more nervous. The haze of the genjutsu was still wearing off, even as she kicked Noot awake and shook Mothball back into consciousness. Her eyes scanned the area, trying to figure out what to do. Various fights had broken out in the stands between ninja from the Sand and Sound village, and the Leaf. Fighting was easier than social interaction in Arron's opinion. Something about it was less terrifying, as there was less expectation on you to perform. All you really had to do was survive and go for the other's throat. What were they doing the exact same thing, in theory. Both of you were held to the same standard, with the same goal. No strings attached. Thus, she was willing to fight should she be provoked. Very easy to understand.
Shikamaru was most definitely gone, and Arron couldn't say she was a massive fan of that. She could panic about it later. Finding him was the priority right now. It shouldn't be too hard. Arron had definitely fine tuned her Shikamaru-finding skills. Wherever he was, she was quite sure she'd be able to track him down. But then there was also the matter of the big purple box on that building. Was that something to worry about? Even if she did find Shikamaru, the village being destroyed wouldn't be very good.
The village had become a home to her. It had taken her in when they really had no reason to. It was the place the Nara's held their sacred forest, and that so many kind people called their home. Shikamaru would be broken if that was taken from him, and so would Shikaku and Yoshino. Asuma as well. That was where the Hokage had been sitting, and Hokage was his father, right? Arron bit the inside of her cheek, glancing down at her shadowy friends. The enemies weren't attacking those who were asleep. That meant she didn't need to worry about Ino and Choji so long as they stayed down. She could send Noot and Mothball up to the box and take Trexx to go find Shikamaru. That seemed quite reasonable.
"Sun." Trexx stared at the sky. Arron swatted at him in a scolding manner.
"Me and you, Shikamaru." Arron said simply. Ino wasn't awake to correct her grammar, and quite frankly, now wasn't the time to worry about it. "Noot and Mothball, go up to the box and help."
Mothball jumped out of her arms readily, trilling as he went. Noot angrily began to repeat his name, giving a bob of his head before beginning to rush off to do as ordered. Arron nodded in a satisfied manner. Yes. She could contribute in more ways than one this way. Finding Shikamaru was at the top of her list of priorities. She felt a bit apprehensive, but mostly mad. Why would they attack the village in the middle of the chunin exams? Very foolish. They would be beat up very fast. And if not, Arron would call the gay men. They could handle it.
Trexx lifted the girl up, raising his nose to the sky and sniffing. Arron hadn't quite realized he could smell anything. She didn't comment on it as the beast took off, pushing off the back of some of the seats and launching them towards the bottom of the arena so that they could leave through the massive hole that had conveniently already been made for them. Arron nodded surely. This way, she would not have to make one. Very handy. She would have to thank whoever created it, unless they were rude. She would send them to therapy with Inoichi if that were the case. It would be punishment enough.
Arron thought she heard someone call her name, but she ignored it. She had a Nara to hunt down.
~~~~~~~~~
The Third Hokage was barely able to hold up. Had it just been Orochimaru, maybe he could've handled it. The reincarnated versions of the First and Second Hokage, however... it was a miracle he'd kept up for this long. He could feel his chakra dwindling, even if these were not technically the Kage's real bodies. Hiruzen couldn't dwell on the logistics. They were capable either way, hosting the abilities of the two first Hokage's. It took both an emotional and physical toll to be fighting like this. He wasn't confident he was going to make it out of this in one piece.
Orochimaru cackled, wild and unrestrained. It hurt him deeply to see what his student had become. So bright and full of potential, only to turn to dark obsessions and inhuman experiments. He felt his throat tighten up. He had to force himself to be strong. He was old, but he was still the kage of this village for a reason. He was capable. He had to protect them no matter the cost. He trusted his shinobi would be able to handle the other parts of the invasion. If he could just stop Orochimaru. Weaken him, even, and hold him off until they could get this barrier down.
He had a soft spot for Orochimaru. The village was in danger, and even now he was wishing he could save him. He wasn't a horrible person at heart. Hiruzen knew this as surely as he knew how to breathe. He was simply misled. Certain things in life had led him down his path, and bringing him back from it was nearly impossible. He truly believed there was good in him. It was hard to see it right now, watching him laugh in such an unrestrained, merciless way. It saddened him more than seeing his ex-mentor did.
Hiruzen opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by a distant sound. It was a angry rumble that made even Orochimaru pause in his laughter. They both stood at a standstill for a moment, ears open.
"Noot, noot, noot," The noise was getting steadily closer. Hiruzen turned just in time for a shrieking, black ball to fly through the barrier and right past him. Hiruzen jumped to the side on reflex as the creature screamed, smacking Orochimaru in the face and causing him to sputter in surprise. Another shadowy creature rolled past The Third's legs as well, knocking the snake sannin over by bowling into his legs with incredible speed. Hiruzen stared dumbly. Were these... Yes, these had to be the shadowy beings Asuma spoke so fondly of. Undoubtedly!
He searched for signs of the little girl who'd created them but didn't see her anywhere lingering outside the barrier. His attention snapped back to Orochimaru as he kicked at the 'noot' creature, tossing the small one off of him. His face was an angry red, his eyes widened with unbridled rage that made Hiruzen wince. The ANBU observing from outside the barrier winced behind their masks. What the hell were those things, and how had they gotten through the barrier? Nothing had been passing through. At least, not until now.
The small creature came back at Orochimaru with a vengeance, too fast for him to defend against. It seemed rather angry, squabbling at him as it tackled him back to the ground. The Noot creature screamed 'noot' again, sounding even angrier than before. Hiruzen watched with wide eyes as it began to... consume Orochimaru. It started to absorb him, starting at his feet and beginning to slowly move its way up. Orochimaru let out an undignified shriek.
"What is the meaning of this?!" He screamed at the very top of his lungs. Hiruzen could do nothing but stand there and stare. Even the two other Hokages, reanimated or whatever they were, could do nothing but watch. It was an astonishing sight. Orochimaru flicked his hand. "Get them off of me! Now!"
Tobirama was closest. The small, shrill creature turned on him so fast you could've blinked and missed it. Hiruzen didn't try to withhold his wince.
The Second Hokage never stood a chance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arron found Shikamaru standing off against what looked like a group of the same person. Clones? Arron did not know, but she was not happy. Shikamaru looked impossibly tired, his posture sagging and his eyes set harshly. He looked like he'd resigned himself to his fate. Arron certainly would not stand for that. If anyone was going to kill Shikamaru, it was going to be someone, because Arron was never going to let anything happen to him. It was not hard to understand, yes? She agreed.
There was no warning for the weird cloned group of men. They were the worst type of people, simply because they had chosen to take his path of existence. She didn't know why people thought it was a good idea to kill and harm others. Arron had undergone her own share of trials and tortures, and she could say with confidence that absolutely nothing came from it. Why couldn't everyone just... calm down. Just mind their own business, respect each other, and not overstep boundaries? Arron would do anything for a world like that! A world where you could feel safe traveling anywhere you wanted. Where you didn't have to fear enemies leaping out and killing you just because of where you lived. A world where women could walk alone and not fear who might sneak up on them.
"Trexx!" Arron's voice boomed. Shikamaru turned sharply, eyes going wide as Arron dove off Trexx's shoulders and landed in a rough roll not far from where he stood. The ninja with the audacity to try and harass Shikamaru barely had time to prepare before Trexx was bowling him over. He tackled the group of clones without mercy, his shadowy paws sharpening into deadly claws that ripped into them with reckless abandon. Not to kill, no, but to severely injure.
Arron popped to her feet before Shikamaru could help her, fixing her crooked glasses and brushing the dust and grass off her. Shikamaru gawked at the girl, watching her pick a few leaves out of her poofy air with clear annoyance in the furrow of her brows. Her eyes shifted to him, raking over his body and taking inventory of his injuries. Shikamaru could only gawk at her. The last person he'd expected to come to his aid was Arron. He was glad, don't get him wrong, but... what?
Shikamaru shook his head, rushing over to Arron. Arron tackled him in a hug before he could check to make sure she hadn't broken anything. He stood there for a moment, eyes wide. His arms closed around her not a second either, a tense breath of air escaping him and his body sagging. He closed his eyes, trying not to shake. He was supposed to be the strong one here. The one who held her up. She shouldn't have to do it for him. He just... he had thought he was going to die. He'd been sure of it, actually. He had resigned himself to it, knowing he couldn't run without the enemy going after Sakura and Naruto, who were counting on him. If the village were destroyed, Arron would have no one. Nothing left. He couldn't let that happen.
Yet she'd come to his aid, and he didn't know what to do. She didn't say anything, seeming to understand. She rubbed his back the same way he did for her when he was upset, and it forced a weak laugh out of him. Wow. He had been about to die. Trexx and Arron had saved him. He'd been so sure they were both knocked out when he left. Someone must've freed them, or one of them woke up out of it on their own. It was unlikely, but not impossible considering how little they knew about Trexx.
"Where are Noot and Mothball?" He pulled back from her to look at her face. She blew a strand of hair out of her face. Next to them, Trexx roared and threw one of the sound ninja's clones. It flew past harmlessly, whacking harshly into a tree. They didn't bother to look.
"Purple box." Arron said. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her. She didn't meant... the box the Hokage had been trapped in? That surely wasn't possible, was it? Arron seemed to notice his disbelief, nodding. "They will be fine."
Shikamaru didn't quite believe her, but he wasn't going to argue. He glanced back at Trexx. The creature had completed its rampage and was now staring at a spot of sunlight that was shining through the trees and onto the grassy floor. He gazed at it in awe, his white eyes wide in wonder. A massive spike of chakra came from the direction Naruto and Sakura had run off to, drawing Shikamaru's gaze. Arron's head snapped in that direction as well.
Shikamaru didn't know what to do. Getting Arron to safety seemed like a priority. She wasn't a ninja. That being said, he knew she could hold her own if need be. She'd been practicing with her own shadows, and with Trexx by her side, was there anything she couldn't go up against? The creature had proven himself to be impossibly formidable. Strong enough to stand up against whatever was going on back in the woods, however? Shikamaru didn't know. He also didn't know if he could in good conscience not go check on them. There was no way Arron was going to stay behind either, however.
"...My friends." Shikamaru said. Arron turned to look at him. "My friends went that way. That redheaded guy... something's up with him. They're trying to stop him."
Arron nodded. Understandable.
"We will go check." Arron agreed, reaching out and grabbing his hand. She gave it a squeeze. Shikamaru felt oddly like crying. When had she come so far?
"Right," Shikamaru squeezed back, blinking a few times. He took a deep breath. "Let's go."
Trexx lifted them both up in his arms and set off, unwavering. Arron never let go of Shikamaru's hand. The Nara made no move to change that.