Country of Silence

Shikamaru was pulled out of his investigation of Zen's notes with Iruka-sensei when his father barged into their borrowed room in the academy and dragged him towards the Hokage Tower without a word of reason. Normally, he would've protested but the grim look on his father's face stopped him from doing so. Something must've happened.

When they arrived at the Hokage's office, the Rokudaime's back was turned towards them as he looked over the village through his office window.

"Hokage-sama" Both Nara head and heir greeted the village leader.

Hatake Kakashi returned the greeting with a nod as he turned to face them. He approached his office desk and retrieved a scroll.

"We need fresh eyes to look over this report," The Hokage said as he handed the scroll to Shikamaru. With only a small nod, the younger Nara took it from the silver-haired leader.

A small frown marred Shikamaru's tired face as he read the second line. The whole report was obviously written in haste. And with every line he read, the deeper his frown went.

10 shinobi were missing, either dead or alive. And with how the report was worded, it was obvious that the last member of the investigation team hadn't delivered the scroll personally. They could also be dead if that was the case.

When he reached the middle of the report, he was perplexed at the sudden change in wording. From cautious and wary to enchanted praising. The immediate thought Shikamaru drew was that the shinobi were brainwashed, but if they really were, they wouldn't be sending this report back at all to leak the intel.

[I don't know who I am anymore...]

Lifting his head from the report, Shikamaru let out a deep sigh.

Kakashi was seated at his desk in front of him, his elbows leaning against the surface and cradling his jaw with both hands. His father stood beside the Hokage. Both of them wore grim faces, watching his reactions, and are now waiting for him to sort out his thoughts.

"I need more information" Shikamaru finally said. "Who was leading the investigation? How strong are they? How strong is the team as a whole? What are they investigating?"

Both the Hokage and Jounin Commander exchanged a brief glance before his father answered his questions.

"Sai was leading a team made up of ANBU's most skilled members. They were tasked to investigate the Country of Silence."

Shikamaru was looking at them with an anxious expression on his face. A team of 11 strong ANBU? An operation that would require that amount of manpower and skill... Shikamaru shuddered at the implications of it.

"Since about a year ago, every major hidden village had been losing one Shinobi per month." his father continued, "That makes 12 possible missing-nin for every village up to now"

"This seems to be similar to what Team Yamato had solved about the Exploding Humans" Shikamaru grimaced at the memory. They had lost more than a few comrades to that incident. Thankfully, they had figured out that as long as the victims were knocked-out, that they wouldn't explode. It took the whole Konoha Hospital staff to extract the poisonous chakra that invaded the victims' bodies. And thanks to Team Yamato (Team 7, actually. Just with Yamato-san as the team leader instead of Kakashi), - who had handled the case at the first mention of the words 'people disappearances' - the culprits were arrested quickly.

"No" His father disagreed. "They may sound similar but unlike Chino's diverse victims, the ones we are talking about are only missing male shinobi"

At Shikamaru's furrowed brow, the Nara Clan Head clarified.

"The Five Hidden Villages has had 60 shinobi disappear in total. And they were all young, single, male Shinobi."

Shikamaru pressed his lips in a thin line. Thinking over the information he was provided with so far and thought back to Sai's message. There are many possible reasons why one would desert their village. It is a grave crime and would be relentlessly pursued to face judgement. If Sai had needed to investigate the Country of Silence just to confirm about the missing-nin problem, then it would mean that this country is providing safety to the deserters.

[I don't know who I am anymore...]

That last line from Sai's message is bothering him.

Sai is no idiot no matter how naive he is on many things. The guy had been a former ROOT operative. Indoctrinated to accomplish these kinds of missions. They were given morally questionable tasks regularly before it was finally disbanded...

Shikamaru's train of thought went back to his earlier suspicion.

Brainwashing.

Shikamaru pressed the heel of his palms over his eyes in stress. First was Danzo, and now this? How many times would their friend be brainwashed before the world stops tormenting him? Why couldn't have Sai return if he had time to write this letter? It was clear that he still had a semblance of loyalty to Konoha at the time he wrote the message despite the obvious bias towards the current leader of the Country of Silence. Otherwise, he wouldn't even send the letter back at all...

"If Sai was brainwashed, it's possible that he's still alive"

Both the Hokage and Advisor exchanged another glance before the silver-haired Hokage sighed.

"We agree in that conclusion" Kakashi nodded as he unrolled the scroll on his desk, examining it once more. "With the way Sai had described this 'Gengo', it wouldn't be a far cry to assume that he was taken in."

"But for a large team of ANBU to fall just like that..." Shikamaru frowned. "Sai said that none of his comrades returned. It means that they were picked off one by one while gathering information. Either the Country of Silence has a great defense system or they have someone who can easily pick out spies."

The Country of Silence could be found in the far west of a continent that rivaled the Five Great Shinobi Countries as well as the countries surrounding them.

It was a country that had never made contact with any of the Shinobi Villages – or any other foreign country, for that matter. It was thus called 'the Country of Silence' by outsiders. The only details known about it were that it was a country with samurai who kept its citizens in line, and a Daimyo who ruled over the samurai. However, anything further than that was a complete mystery.

According to what Sai had relayed, it seemed that somehow, the 60 missing-nin had run towards this country. And those weren't the least of their concerns. There was also the matter of the multitude of shinobi who had gone Missing-In-Action during the war.

With the scale of catastrophe the war has wrought, the Alliance had lost roughly around 10,000 shinobi.

Their enemies in the war could have wiped out the whole world. Many said it was a great stroke of fortune for them to have ended the war with 'only this many lost'.

But that wasn't how Shikamaru saw the matter.

Even one victim was one victim too many.

In the last war, Shikamaru had lost one of the most precious people in his life. And even now, two years later, Shikamaru couldn't move on from it. He knows that he's only chasing a memory with what he's doing. That he should stop now before it's too late...

But how could he?

As the two leaders quietly talked among themselves, Shikamaru fingered the notebook in his vest pocket. It was Zen's. The one he was trying to decode. So far, he and Iruka-sensei managed to decode a few lines. Some of them were semi-altered parts he recognized from the published book, and some of them were recounts of moments he was familiar with (either being there in person or hearing it from someone else). All in all, it was both a draft notebook and a diary in one.

There was something that was bothering him though, now that he was reminded of the countless shinobi who had gone MIA during the war... Did they voluntarily leave or were they taken away from the battlefield? And most importantly... Why?

If it was voluntary, why would they stay out of reach? And if they were forcefully abducted from the battlefield, for what reason?

Why the Country of Silence?

Shikamaru took a deep breath.

"If Sai's alive, we can't just NOT save him."

"That's true..." Kakashi agreed. But Shikamaru can see their eyes darken.

Shikamaru could tell precisely what either of the two was going to say without needing to hear it out loud.

This situation had a greater and more important matter than that of saving a comrade.

Shikamaru himself forced out the words.

"If the internal affairs of the Country of Silence are really as Sai's reported, if the goings-on within are as you've guessed, then we have to take action immediately."

Both adults sighed. Of course, they knew that.

"It's been two years since the war. All the villages have finally regained their stability, but the status of the country as a whole is still less than half as strong as it used to be..." His father said.

"We couldn't possibly withstand another war." Shikamaru finished.

"Exactly." Kakashi replied with a tired sigh. "It seems like you've come to the same conclusion that we have."

"Yes." Shikamaru agreed. "And I'm volunteering."

"Are you sure?" His father asked. "You hadn't had a proper rest for weeks. We could assign another one for this mission."

"I can rest up for the meantime while we put on a small team. Then, head out first thing in the next morning." Shikamaru insisted.

If the Shinobi Union (the successor of the Alliance) and the Country of Silence went to war, then the Union they'd spent so long maintaining would be disrupted, and possibly even rupture. Each nation was still exhausted despite all their recovery so far – there wasn't a single person who wished for a war.

If Sai's letter was to be trusted, then assassinating this 'Gengo' would be the quickest and most effective way of stopping the Country of Silence from disrupting the world's hard-attained peace.

"We have to keep the circle of people who know about this matter as small as possible." Shikamaru tried to bargain at the sight of their protest.

"But I'm telling you, for you to go is…" Unnecessary. Kakashi couldn't bring himself to finish. The young Nara heir's determination was easy to see through his eyes.

"One of my comrades has been taken. Our village has lost a large number of shinobi, both those who went missing during the war and those who ended up disappearing after. Whether they really left the village of their own free will or ended up being captured by Gengo is something that we have to verify. Please allow me to go."

Kakashi sighed loudly. Nara Shikaku pinched the bridge of his nose in mounting stress.

"I get it. I won't say anything more. Who are you thinking of taking? You're not planning on going all by yourself, right?" Kakashi asked in defeat. He knows more than anyone not to get in the way of a determined man out to rescue a comrade.

Shikamaru's mind flashed through his friends. It hadn't been long since he last saw them but he could still remember their tense shoulders and sad faces as they waited for him outside his home to go to Zen's apartment.

Could he do that to them though? The road he was about to take is a dark one. Though one of his missions was to rescue Sai, his main mission would be to assassinate one man. It wasn't like assassination was anything new to shinobi. Growing up, you'd realize sooner or later that things like that are necessary in this world.

But, still…

He'd feel better to have as few people as possible get their hands dirty. He didn't have the heart to drag Choji and Ino into the darkness too. Or anyone of their friends any more than they were already involved.

"Could you spare me two people from Anbu?" Shikamaru asked.

"Huh…" Kakashi was cradling his chin in one hand, his elbow resting against his desk. There was a serious look in his eyes. "Wouldn't Ino and Choji do?"

Shikamaru shook his head, "The InoShikaCho combination can be used for sneak attacks, however, I don't think it fits the requirements for this mission."

His father reluctantly nodded in agreement. They both could imagine the disaster it would create if Choji was forced to use their family technique to fight. Even secluded, the amount of damage they could dish out was bound to attract the attention of many.

"Infiltration is a great part of this mission. I want people who can hide chakra." Shikamaru added.

"Hmm…" Kakashi closed his eyes and thought. He was taking Shikamaru's proposal and comparing it to all the other options inside his head. "The one who deals the killing blow won't be you, right?"

"I intend to use my jutsu to bind the target." Shikamaru admitted.

"Then you'll need someone for the killing blow." Kakashi concluded ahead of any explanation. He understood what Shikamaru was thinking.

There was silence for a while before Kakashi nodded, as if coming to a decision.

"I have suitable people." Kakashi finally said. "I'll tell the two I have in mind to return quickly and I'll summon you when I've made the arrangements ready."

Shikamaru nodded and bowed respectfully at the dismissal. As he was about to leave the office, the Hokage called out to him once more.

"And Shikamaru?" The man's eyes were dark and unreadable. There was a few seconds of tense silence before the Hokage finally said, "Make sure you rest up plenty."

It felt like it wasn't the words Kakashi really wanted to say but Shikamaru nodded nonetheless.

~

"Are you alright with this?" The Rokudaime Hokage asked his Advisor.

"Even if I'm not, it's not like I can stop him now." Nara Shikaku sighed in resignation which was mirrored by the village leader not long after.

"Can you imagine what would happen if Team Yamato was around to hear about Sai?"

The Nara Clan Head nodded in sympathy.

"It's not even a joke to say that the Country of Silence would cease to exist tomorrow if they got wind of what happened" Kakashi chuckled to himself despite his words.

"Your team really improved a lot" Shikaku smiled sadly. Thinking of all the hardships and trials Team 7 went through. "I still remember passing by three incompatible little genin complaining about that demon cat, Tora."

Kakashi glanced outside as he reminisced too. He could still remember those peaceful times when the team would bicker during the mission. When Sasuke left and two new members joined them years later, there was an obvious rift between all of them but Zen had managed to keep the team together somehow. Even when Sai was insulting her right to her face, Zen didn't budge from her unbiased treatment of everyone. How she managed to do that is still a mystery to both Kakashi and Yamato. If it had been anyone else, there might have been a bigger rift in the team... and possibly a murder along the way.

And there was another issue on hand. Kakashi sighed at the reminder. A part of him wanted to deny the rising hope that Zen is in the Country of Silence. They have scoured the whole Elemental Nation by now but there was no sign of her or any of the ones who had MIA during the war. This new lead that Sai had found is both making him hopeful and dreadful at the same time.

If Zen was taken against her will from under their noses and was being kept in the Country of Silence, it's a mystery how the whole land is still intact. Zen is a very capable shinobi and no prison could possibly hold her down. Even if her chakra is cut off from her repertoire, she still had her sealing techniques that she had mastered. Seals that can be triggered only by touch.

If she wasn't there and they've run into another dead-end...

Just how far will they search? When will the prophecy that Naruto receive happen? How long will they have to wait?

Haven't they waited long enough?

It didn't even cross Kakashi's mind that his precious student could've run to a faraway country. There was no way she would do that. Zen had loved her village and had given her all to protect it at all cost. She would never abandon Konoha.

She would never abandon them.

~

[In the Country of Silence]

Wide onyx eyes met impassive brown eyes.

"Congratulations," The kid with an achingly familiar face said as she put her chin on the palm of her hand while resting her elbow on the pillow atop her lap and crossed ankles. Her tone was equally impassive as her eyes. Everything about her is familiar. "You've unlocked the hidden room. Please leave every weapon that you possess before you proceed back out the hallway."

Sai's mind short-circuited. He could only utter a name that almost became a taboo within their team.

.

.

.

"Zen?"