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Unloved

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Late afternoon, the two days later, at the gates of Jiiya's capitol...

"Hey," Choji observed, looking straight up. "It's starting to rain again."

Ino experimentally held out her hand and then nodded in confirmation.

"Maaaaan..." Muttered Shikamaru.

Following their stay in the lean-to, the trio had spent the morning searching the scene for any signs of what had attacked the cattle. They found two carcasses they had missed in the night, but that had been it. Near nightfall, while continuing the original patrol, they spotted another kill site. It was, however, deep in the disputed territory. Shikamaru had spent considerable time studying it through a spyglass, and concluded the site was several weeks old. Not wanting to violate contested territory, and cynically figuring that the old site would be just as empty as the recent one, Shikamaru made the decision not to investigate the site, and to continue on the patrol. Neither Ino nor Choji questioned his decision.

On the second day the trio veered back to Jiiya's capitol. The patrol was uneventful, and by mid afternoon they had come out of the highlands and ran into one of the main roads. Shikamaru promptly called a halt to his team's usual jumping, and had them approach the capitol on foot. Again, none of the team complained. Having each pulled double watches the previous nights, none of them were feeling especially energetic.

"Try not to cause a scene," Shikamaru muttered as he finished putting on his cloak. "Just cooperate with the guards, and let me do the talking."

"Aye!"

"Sure thing. But why are we going in the front door?"

Shikamaru sighed and continued walking. "Because I don't want to bother sneaking in. Just stay quiet, would ya?"

As the trio approached the gatehouse, a guard in light armor held out his arm. "Hold up kids," the guard intoned. "You aren't from around here... State your purpose in Hanariau."

Shikamaru pulled the hood of his cloak back slightly so the guard could see his face. "We're here to speak to Lord Jiiya."

"Right," the guard said flatly. "Try again, kid."

"We're here to speak to Lord Jiiya," Shikamaru irritably repeated. "We are from the Village of the Hidden Leaf, and we wish to speak with him about the mission he commissioned of us." As he spoke, Shikamaru pulled the mission scroll out of his travel pack, and shifted his cloak to reveal the Leaf Insignia on his left sleeve.

The guard stared for a moment, blinking. "Oh, uh... I'll go tell him. But..." The guard eased towards the door of the gatehouse. "No warriors are allowed in Hanariau without papers from Jiiya, so you'll have to wait out here for now!" Obviously concerned that the Shikamaru wouldn't take the news well, the guard darted into the gatehouse, shut and bolted the door, and sprinted into the city.

Shikamaru sighed and replaced the scroll in his travel pack.

"Nice going, genius," Ino complained. "We could have snuck in just fine. But now, we get to wait out here. In the rain."

Choji surveyed the brick gatehouse and earthwork walls. "We could still jump this," he flatly stated.

"Shut up," retorted Shikamaru. The Chuunin pulled his hood all the way over his face and casually sat at the base of the wall. "We're waiting here. So just relax, and deal with it."

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Two hours later, In Jiiya's manor...

"It's amazing how good a hot bath can feel after a week on the road," happily observed Ino.

"A week?" Choji joked from beside her. "We weren't on a road for more than a day and half, total."

Shikamaru glanced at his two comrades, but said nothing.

Lord Jiiya, upon being notified of Shikamaru's arrival, had reacted quickly. Though busy himself, he had sent word that Shikamaru and his team should be brought in immediately and escorted to his manor. The trio were to be given quarters in which to freshen up, and would later attend dinner with Jiiya and his sons. Ino was overjoyed at the prospect of being pampered in the home of feudal lord. Choiji, having more than regained his appetite, was looking forward a lavish meal. Of the three, only Shikamaru was in a somber mood.

With responsibility for the mission weighing on his shoulders, the Chuunin could find no comfort in extravagant niceties. Shikamaru had tried to request an immediate audience with Lord Jiiya, but the servants he had talked to insisted that Jiiya was busy. Not wanting to press the matter with hapless servants, Shikamaru had let the matter drop, and simply waited.

After some time, all three ninjas had been summoned to Jiiya's private dining hall. There, they had been seated on a bench along a small table. A second empty bench was positioned opposite them, and what was obviously Jiiya' chair was placed at the head of the table. Ino, being the kind of girl she was, felt the need to dress up for the occasion, and was wearing V-necked red dress she had borrowed from one of the handmaiden, accessorized with some white leather gauntlets from her travel pack, and her forehead protector tying off her now-skimpy pony tail. Shikamaru and Choji, being the kind of guys they were, had dressed in clean sets of their usual outfits, with Choji forgoing his arm-wrap and headband for the occasion.

"...And the shampoos they have here," Ino continued, more to herself than to Shikamaru or Choji. "Just amazing. One of the handmaiden gave me some hazel oil... Back home, just a vial of this would have cost me two weeks' salary from the flower shop. And she just gave it to me! The whole thing. Like it was no big deal to her."

Choiji grinned as he tucked a napkin into his shirt and tried to look proper. "It's good to know royalty."

Leaning on the table, Shikamaru sighed. "Well I hope you didn't use it all, Ino. We are on a mission, after all."

Ino abruptly got testy. "Don't lecture me, Shikamaru! I know how to handle myself on missions. Before the exam, I was the leader of this team after all..." Ino huffed and shook her head dismissively. "I just used a few dabs. The rest of the vial is in my pack for me to take home."

Shikamaru grunted dismissively.

Choji glanced back and forth between his teammates, hoping they would leave it at that. Abruptly, he looked to the door. "Hey do you guys hear that?"

"Yeah..." Muttered Shikamaru.

Ino glanced at her teammates for a moment, then looked sharply at the door.

The door was opened from beyond by a servant, and Lord Jiiya confidently strolled into the room. Jiiya was not the picture of royalty, looking neither regal, opulent, nor foppish. He was, instead, somewhat lanky, with a posture that seemed more in place on a street corner than in great hall. His clothes, exemplified by an open vest which hung halfway to his knees, were of fine cloth, but were not worn in such a way as to showcase their quality. Jiiya was followed by his two sons. Both had inherited their father's build, but neither held his disregard for proper posture.

"Ah," Jiiya proclaimed, walking forward. "Welcome, welcome... I apologize for not seeing to you sooner, but I trust you were well taken care of."

"Oh, yes," replied Ino. Twisting in her seat to face Jiiya, she bowed her head slightly. "Very much so."

"Good, good. Well, then," Jiya grabbed a pitcher from a servant who had entered from another door and hurried to his seat. "Let us begin. The appetizer shall be here shortly."

Choji rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

The elder son, standing next to the table, stopped short. "Father, these can't be ninjas. They're barely more than children!"

"Sit down, Lyiija," said Jiiya before any of the ninja could protest. "And mind your manners to our guests." Jiiya gazed harshly at his son until the young man reluctantly took his seat. Pouring himself a drink, Jiiya continued. "And do observe them. All three bear the Hidden Leaf insignia. As long as they bear that, you should do well not to doubt them."

"Thank you," Ino said with sincerity. "Though we are still the youngsters of the village."

"Indeed," Jiiya muttered after taking a sip. "Indeed. I believe introductions are in order. I am, of course Jiiya Hyrii. My elder son and heir is Jiiya Lyiija. And the quiet lad beside him is Jiiya Trypi. A bit of a rider, and a future tradesman, I should hope." Jiiya chuckled and looked the ninjas over. "Well, I don't expect full names, but for the sake of conversation..."

Shikamaru, sitting at Jiiya's left and making a half-hearted effort to sit up straight, nodded. "Mh. Ino, Choji, and I'm Shikamaru."

"You are, I take it, the leader. A... Chuunin?"

Shikamaru nodded.

At that point, a servant arrived carrying a platter of fried potato slices. The servant graciously placed it on the center of the table and then hurried back to the kitchen. With the platter right in front of him, Choji eagerly picked up his chopsticks and dug in. Ino and Shikamaru knew better than to get in Choji's way, while the two sons watched him eat with a passive interest.

"Rather fat for a ninja," Lyiija muttered to his brother.

Shikamaru held up a hand. "Please, lets not use that word..."

The younger son raised an eyebrow. "He's big boned?"

Ino smirked, glancing sideways at Choji. "How about.... Deceptively plump."

Choji growled, but not loudly enough to be noticed.

"We've been on the road for a few days now," Shikamaru added. "Travel rations are 'travel rations' for a reason. His compliments to the chef, by the way."

"Of course, of course," Jiiya replied. "I just hope he leaves room for the rest of the meal."

Ino grinned. "I wouldn't worry about that."

"So..." The younger son leaned forward, looking over the three ninjas. His gaze lingered on Ino, but only for a second. "I've heard that ninjas begin training young. But they actually send you on missions this early? You don't exactly fit the part yet... I doubt many people take you seriously."

"That guard sure did," Ino quietly responded.

"That can be the point, Trypi. Deception is one of a ninjas strongest weapons," lectured Jiiya. "If they can get others to underestimate them, their job is all the more easier."

"That's almost the way Iruka put it," said Ino, addressing Jiiya this time. "You seem to know quite a bit about how ninjas operate."

Jiiya smiled. "Yes, yes... Well, I have a general understanding. Comes from experience. I've hired Leaf ninjas on... Well, many occasions."

"Leaf ninjas?" Skeptically asked Shikamaru. "When the Village of the Hidden Rain is barely two days away?"

At the mention of the Rain, the elder son scoffed.

Jiiya, acknowledging the response, leaned forward. "Yes, well... I hire Rain ninjas running messages and such, but, for more important assignments... I... Well, I trust the Leaf more than the Rain. They bring fewer agendas with them. They... Have less interest in the area." Jiiya closed his eyes and nodded to himself. Sitting up, he continued in a louder voice. "Besides, Leaf ninjas are generally of higher quality than the Rain. Indeed, I've heard local ninjas dominated your recent Chuunin Competition, did they not?"

"Oh yeah," agreed Ino. "Leaf, Sand, and Sound, and that was it."

"Sand and Sound," repeated the elder son, still not impressed by the guests. "We've also heard they caused quire a row at the competition. Declared open war, more precisely."

The table went quiet for a moment, as even Choji paused in his eating.

"Lyiija..."

"The attack was repulsed," Shikamaru said in a grave tone. "The Sand has already surrendered to us. The Sound is isolated, and have lost their front line warriors. They will be dealt with."

Ino nodded. "It'll take more than killing the Hokage to bring down the Leaf. We'll bounce back." Ino tossed her head to the side. "We're already bouncing."

Lord Jiiya glanced around for a moment, looking for some excuse to break the uncomfortable silence that followed.

The excuse soon came in the form of the main course.

"It's fish," Jiiya informed as some servants began setting plates on the table. "Perch, from my private pond. Small, but quite tender. And when spiced right, and with the proper grains... Delectable. I hope you enjoy it."

"Oh, I will," said Choiji.

"I'll bet," deadpanned the elder son.

As the last meal was set, Trypi leaned forward with some interest. "So were you in Konoha for the Chuunin Competition? The actual competition, I mean."

"Oh yeah," Ino replied while picking away at her meal. "We were actually in it."

"You mean you and Choji," Jiiya interjected between sips of his drink.

"I mean all three of us. We were a team. One of the five Leaf teams to make it to the third round." Ino paused and tossed her head to the side nonchalantly. "Only Shikamaru made it to the final round in the stadium, but..." Ino trailed off with a shrug.

The younger son looked intently at Shikamaru. "So then you were in the Chuunin competition... You only just became a Chuunin?"

Shikamaru glanced at Ino, annoyed with her for letting that fact slip. "Yeah."

The elder son snorted.

"And it was an exam, not a competition." Shikamaru irritably corrected.

Choji, having finished off his plate, nudged, Shikamaru. "Good thing, too," he joked. "Or else you'd still be a Gennin."

"Indeed," said Jiiya, not having heard Choji's comment. "Indeed, indeed... So you three were a squad coming out of your academy. And they kept you together, even after one of you got promoted?"

Choji shrugged. "Well, you don't break up a good team." After saying his piece, he raised his arm to flag down a servant girl for seconds.

"And the three of you," droned Lyiija, "make up a 'good team?'"

"The best," Ino bluntly replied. "There is no team better than the Ino-Shika--" Ino broke off for a moment before reluctantly correcting herself. "Shika-Ino-Chou combo."

Lyiija snorted again.

Ino leaned forward and gestured with her chopsticks. "I'm serious. The only one to be promoted from that exam came from our team. And of all the teams that made it to the final round, we were the only one not to have a member injured, hospitalized, or crippled during the exam."

"Ino-Shika-Chou..." Mused Jiiya. "I knew you three looked familiar. Your fathers were on a team together as well, weren't they? Yes, yes... I commissioned missions from them several times when I was younger."

Ino looked at Jiiya with a lopsided grin on her face. "Really?"

"Yes," answered Jiiya nodding to himself. "Very interesting bunch..."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Runs in the families."

With a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, Jiiya looked fondly at his own sons. "Yes," he said quietly. "Yes, I suppose it does..."

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Later, in Jiiya' private study...

"Please, take a seat," suggested Jiiya as he walked past Shikamaru and plopped down into a plush chair.

The study, like most such rooms, was cluttered. It consisted of multiple desks, seemingly arranged at random and covered with books. Shelves of different styles covered most walls, and housed various scrolls, artifacts, and trinkets. The only uncluttered section of the wall was occupied by a giant map of the fiefdom. Three meters high and four meters wide, it was made of wood and meticulously carved to match the contours of the land. Jiiya's capitol was in the center of the map, with Rain Country to the north, Wind Country to the west, the rest of Steppe Country to the south and east, and the tip of Fire Country on the far eastern edge.

Shikamaru, thoroughly annoyed, stayed where he was.

Jiiya looked up, not fully appreciating Shikamaru's mood. "I was told you needed to talk with me..."

"About the mission you put us on. I hope what kept you was important."

"No, no," Jiiya shook his head. "Routine matters of state. But had I put them off... For the masses, perception is often as important as reality itself. Had I broken the routine, they would have been unduly concerned." Jiiya shook his head again. "But about the mission... You have found a sign of those responsible?"

"We found a sign of something," the Chuunin deadpanned. "40 dead cattle. Slaughtered in less than an hour, and left half eaten on the plains. No trace of what did it."

Suddenly quite pale, Jiiya sat upright.

"Was that how the villagers were found?"

"I..." Jiiya put his fist to his mouth, staring blankly at the wall beyond Shikamaru. "I don't know. But..." Jiiya shook his head and met Shikamaru's gaze. "The traders who reported the incident were... Religiously inclined. They tended to the bodies before leaving the camp. Out of reverence for the dead, they did not divulge the details of what they found. Only that it had been... Unspeakable."

"Where are these traders now?"

"Gone. They were moving south. Likely they are out of the country by now."

"Have you investigated the encampment?"

"We took their word on it. We then mustered additional guards for all the towns, and summoned you."

Shikamaru carefully studied Jiiya's face for a moment. "You said 'but...'"

"There have been rumors," mumbled Jiiya as he closed his eyes. "Hearsay, really, about missing herds. Most cattle are out to pasture now, well away from the ranchers. But according to some, a few herds have gone missing. Not migrating to where they usually do..."

"Then it's certain," Shikamaru concluded. "You've got an infestation of something big."

Jiiya stared past Shikamaru with a haunted look on his face.

Shikamaru wandered over tp the map, and picked up a pointer stick that was in laid in tray below it. "The site we found," he said, drawing Jiiya out of his stupor, "Was here. We spotted, but didn't investigate, anther site in the disputed territory, here. Now..."

Obligingly, Jiiya approached the map and grabbed a second pointer stick. "The panning camp was here. I thought I had that marked in the mission papers..."

"You did. But the map so sent had some discrepancies on it."

Jiiya sighed, wearily. "Some twenty years ago, there was a terrible drought in these lands. The neighboring fiefdom was hit especially hard... By bad luck, a plague struck as well, killing the lord, and any suitable heirs. The capitol was abandoned, and most of the citizens fled."

"And then Rain moved in?"

"It is still supposed to be part of Steppe Country. But when the drought had ended, there was no great incentive for people to move back. It is naturally arid, on the edge of the Garrah Desert, without major rivers... The land was unsuitable for anything but open grazing..." Jiiya sighed and indicated with his pointer. "This section of land was part of the fiefdom, but has since been incorporated into mine. The rest has been nominally claimed by Rain Country."

"Nominally?" Challenged Shikamaru. "We spotted several Rain outposts. I don't see any way you can contest their claim."

"You've investigated the border already? Well, I suppose you must have to have found..." Jiiya shook his head again to realign his thoughts. "I say 'nominally' because they have been as unsuccessful of repopulating the land as we were. They have military outposts, but no cities. No inhabitants. The only people there are those hearty few who never left to begin with."

"And Wind Country hasn't laid any claim to it?"

"No. As you can see, they have little to claim it from. This whole plateau here..." Jiiya gestured to the northeastern corner or Wind Country. "Is the Gaarrah Desert. No one lives there. Not even nomads. I suppose they only control that land because no one else wants it..."

Shikamaru pursed his lips together, scowling. "The Garrah Desert... How'd it get that name?"

"It is the Unloved Land," responded Jiiya in a voice less grave than before. "Several hundred years ago, well before any of today's nations became what they are now, that plateau was one of the great centers of civilization. But then came the first of the great ninja wars, and the civilization crumbled. The cities were abandoned and the citizens fled far and wide. All of the southern nations, Wind, Crystal, Spire, Rain, Steppe, Grass, Fire, Tea... All of can trace part of our roots to that lost nation."

"And the name?" Shikamaru asked, trying to get Jiiya back on topic.

Jiiya grinned, momentarily loosing himself in the retelling of the legend. "The Unloved Land was the land that turned against the people who lived upon it. In a matter of a few years, it went from being lush and well watered to being bone dry."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Now," Jiiya continued, excitedly. "Now what I believe happened, is that the weather changed. That of course is obvious, but the reason... Back then, the clouds came from the northern seas, were funneled south, and then ultimately stopped by the Magoi Mountains here." Jiiya indicated a range of mountains near the southwest corner of the map. "All the moisture was then dumped onto this land. But because of a ninja battle... And it must have been a battle unrivaled ever since... Because of a battle, anther mountain range sprung up to the north. So all the water that had once gone to the plateau now falls here," Jiiya slapped the pointer against the map for emphasis. "In what is now Rain Country."

Shikamaru nodded in understanding. "Makes sense."

"For centuries, the land treated its people well. And then suddenly it became uninhabitable. I suppose we would call that hateful, or something similar... But in those days, 'unloved' was the more artful phrasing."

"Makes a lot of sense," the Chuunin muttered to himself, thinking of something else entirely.

Jiiya proudly looked over his map. But his mood evaporated as he remembered the current situation. "But... But we have more pressing matters in the present."

"Yeah we do," Shikamaru agreed, refocusing his thoughts. "But since there is some history to the area, history common to all three kill sites, there may be a connection. Has anything like this ever happened before? This could be some sort of locust-like infestation. Something that comes around every fifty years or so..."

Jiiya shook his head. "No. I know all the lore of my land, past and present, and there has never been anything like this."

Shikamaru sighed and turned his attention back to the map. "Maaaan..."

"I am sorry," Jiiya said quietly. "I did not believe this would be so serious. And, on what I imagine is your first mission..."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru affirmed. "But ninjas don't always know what they are getting into before they're in it. That's just how things go."

"Is this still the mission I paid you for?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Technically, yes. Unless you deliberately deceive us, we can't bail on you halfway. You gave us the mission as you saw it..."

The two stared at the map for a long moment.

"When I commissioned your father's team, it was three of them, led by a Gounen." Shikamaru ignored the mispronunciation. "All you have with you is two Gennin. Are you going to need reinforcements?"

"I'm not sure if there are reinforcements available," Shikamaru bluntly replied. "If there were, I wouldn't have been sent without a full squadron. And it would be hard to convince them to send me additional forces if I can't give them a firsthand description of what I'm going to be up against."

"But you have--"

"A first hand account of what it leaves behind. Not what it actually does, or how it does it, or what 'it' actually is. Until I know for sure that the enemy outclasses me, I am categorically expected to be able to deal with it." Shikamaru sighed. "That's just the way it is."

"Then nothing changes?"

"Not yet," Shikamaru muttered. "But if we could send a message to Konoha--"

"The wire to Fire Country is not secure, but I will send one my messengers," Jiiya instantly agreed.

Shikamaru nodded. "I'll write up a scroll tonight. Tell them what we found. That the mission is bigger than what was commissioned, that we are investigating exactly what it is, and that we may need backup if things turn out poorly."

Jiiya nodded back. "I'll have ink and a scroll sent to your quarters. And some wax for a seal." Jiiya paused for a moment. "So do you know what your next move is?"

"Investigate," Shikamaru replied. "I don't suppose you know where any of the kill sites your people have talked about are?"

"No," Jiiya muttered. "No, thus far it is just hearsay passing from town to town. I've not heard where they were from."

"Then we head out at random. Where, I'm not sure yet. The three sites we know of are pretty spread out. We can't say yet if they are centered around any one point... And there could be more beyond the ones we know of. We just have to head out and find more information."

"Yes..."

"And find me a comprehensive map of your land, and bordering areas. Everything shown on this one if you've got one. If we find anything, I want to mark it down as accurately as possible. And the more references to landscape and all that, the better." Shikamaru paused for a moment. "And try to find out more about the rumors. Track it down to its source. That may lead us to more kill sites."

"If I do that," Jiiya said slowly. "Then it will lead the people to believe the rumors are true."

"They are true."

"Yes, yes... But if the people know that, it will scare them."

"They should be scared. I am..."

"But you obviously do not rule a kingdom... When the people are scared, things just tend to go poorly. They need to be reassured that they are safe. That is why they accept my rule. Because I keep them safe."

Annoyed again, Shikamaru looked at Jiiya. "But right now, against this, you can't. They have to accept that."

"They don't, and they won't," Jiiya corrected. Taping his chin, he walked away from the map. "Not if they think I'm doing nothing..."

Shikamaru remained silent, expecting Jiiya to continue.

"Ninjas normally work in the shadows, right?" Jiiya prompted, abruptly twirling around. "This time, don't. When you come near a town, visit it. Be visible. Let the people know that you are here, and you are working on the problem. The people will accept the danger, so long as it is transitory."

"So you'll track down the source of the rumors."

"Yes," affirmed Jiiya. "Yes, and I will muster more guards, as well. I can spare enough to patrol the lowlands, at the very least. I have them patrolled already, but I can do so more visibly and consistently."

"Why haven't you already done that?" Shikamaru asked.

"Because doing so wouldn't deter bandits from attacking highland settlements. Even in the most dire situations, I can't guarantee order outside the valleys. The highlands stay orderly because it isn't worth anyone's time to disrupt them. If someone actually decided to, then..." Jiiya trailed off. "Then the most effective way to deal with them is to commission a team of ninjas."

Shikamaru was quiet for a moment as he sorted out his thoughts. "So you already sporadically patrol your valleys. So far, nothing has happened there. Putting more patrols there..."

"Will do nothing but comfort the people. The real work is still up to you and your team. I'm sorry, but my forces are not equipped to handle more than that."

"I guess I expected as much." Shikamaru sighed and took one last look at the map. "Maaaaaaan..."

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