Naruto: An Uchiha With A Superpower Roulette

"Temari?"

As Shikamaru pushed open the door to their inn room, he found it empty. A wave of unease swept over him. This morning, he'd said some unforgivable things to her. Even though his memories of Temari had just returned, Shikamaru couldn't shake the feeling that he was in deep trouble.

He had to find her immediately and apologize. Otherwise, he'd be eating cold meals for days, if not worse.

"If she's not at the inn... where would Temari go? The fact that I just remembered her existence must mean she worked hard to restore it herself. And if she was still in the village this morning... could it be?"

Shikamaru's mind raced, quickly narrowing down her possible location: Yoichi's apothecary.

Currently, only two people were studying the White Whale—Orochimaru and Yoichi. Compared to Orochimaru, who demanded large quantities of flesh and organs from the creature, Yoichi's requests were relatively modest. He'd only asked for a small amount of tissue, less than one-twentieth of Orochimaru's demands.

If Temari didn't know Orochimaru's whereabouts, it was only logical she'd seek out Yoichi. With this in mind, Shikamaru hurried to the apothecary.

Upon arriving, he reached for the door but was immediately stopped by the sound of chains rattling on the other side. Peering through a small gap, he noticed the door was secured from the inside with chains.

"Locked from the inside? Someone's in there..."

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Yoichi appeared at the door. However, instead of unlocking it, he asked, "What do you want?"

"I remembered Temari. The White Whale erased her existence, but now I recall everything. Have you seen her today?"

Shikamaru's urgency was clear, but before Yoichi could respond, faint clapping noises echoed from inside the shop.

"Are you entertaining guests? Sorry to interrupt. I'm just trying to find Temari," Shikamaru said apologetically, though his nose twitched slightly, catching an odd scent in the air.

"I was conducting an experiment; don't mind the noises. As for Temari... you mean that woman who came with the White Whale issue? I haven't seen her today. She did visit yesterday, though," Yoichi replied, feigning recollection. "I don't know where she went after that. Honestly, I'm not even sure about this whole 'existence erased' situation. What exactly happened?"

Just as he finished speaking, another sound emerged from inside—this time accompanied by what sounded like labored breathing.

"No, it's nothing. If she's not here, I'll leave. Sorry to bother you," Shikamaru said, brushing off the strange atmosphere in favor of resuming his search for Temari.

After Shikamaru left, Yoichi shut the door, turned into a mist, and vanished. A sealing tag fluttered to the ground in his wake.

"Shikamaru..."

Lying on the floor, Temari's consciousness flickered in and out. Despite her muddled state, she remembered what had just happened—Shikamaru had remembered her. Relief welled up in her chest.

Had she not been semi-conscious and unwilling for Shikamaru to discover her here, Yoichi wouldn't have been able to muffle her completely. The situation would have spiraled out of control.

"It's hard to work properly downstairs. Let's move upstairs, Lady Temari," Yoichi said with a smirk as he scooped her up and grabbed his camera.

Though weak and drained, Temari mustered the strength to mumble, "Home... I need to find Shikamaru..."

"We're not done yet, Lady Temari. You made a recorded promise and signed a contract," Yoichi replied, ignoring her words as he carried her upstairs.

Night fell, and Shikamaru was still tirelessly searching for Temari.

At one point, Naruto, who couldn't bear to watch his friend's distress, offered to rally the village's ninja for a search. However, Shikamaru declined.

This was his chance to prove his sincerity.

After searching for over an hour, Shikamaru finally found a lone figure sitting near the metal fences on the edge of the Forest of Death.

As he approached, his heart eased when he recognized the person—it was Temari. He rushed to her side and immediately bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault, Temari. Please forgive me."

Temari didn't respond right away. The surrounding atmosphere was heavy with silence.

When the silence stretched too long, Shikamaru remained bowed, not daring to rise. Finally, after two minutes, Temari spoke.

"You remembered me?"

"Yes, I remember everything. I'm so sorry, Temari. It's all my fault," Shikamaru said, looking up to see tears streaming down her face. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms.

"Let's go home, Temari."

"Mm," she replied softly.

For the next few minutes, neither of them spoke. After a while, Shikamaru broke the silence.

"Let's head back. Shikadai might still be waiting for us."

"That brat... staying up so late," Temari muttered instinctively, a hint of reproach in her tone. The couple exchanged a glance and, for the first time in days, shared a laugh.

As they walked home together, Temari's eyes occasionally drifted toward Shikamaru. He seemed to be doing the same, and every time their gazes met, they couldn't help but smile.

But the more Temari saw his smile, the heavier her guilt grew. She knew better than anyone why Shikamaru had suddenly remembered her—she had paid a great price earlier that day.

I'm sorry, Shikamaru...

Her thoughts darkened as she recalled the recording and contract still in Yoichi's possession. Temari silently vowed to retrieve and destroy them, no matter what it took—even if she had to kill Yoichi.

When they arrived home, they found Shikadai waiting at the door.

"Mom, I'm sorry for not remembering you these past two days... and for avoiding you," he said earnestly.

"Hmph," Temari huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "Go to bed, Shikadai! If you sleep in tomorrow and end up late, don't blame me for punishing you."

"Got it. I'll head to bed now," Shikadai replied, heading toward his room with his hands behind his head, grumbling about the hassle of school tomorrow.

Once Shikadai was out of sight, Shikamaru and Temari moved to the living room. After pouring her a cup of tea, Shikamaru sat down and asked, "Temari, what happened? Why did I suddenly remember you this afternoon? Do you know the reason?"

The question about Yoichi lingered in his mind, but he didn't voice it.

"I don't know. I was near the Forest of Death and later the Valley of the End today. Why did you suddenly remember me?" Temari deflected, knowing Shikamaru's sharp mind would catch any falsehood. Despite her disgust, she relied on Yoichi's advice to hide the truth.

She resolved to deal with Yoichi later and retrieve what was rightfully hers.

"I'm not sure. The village still doesn't know much about the origins or abilities of these beasts. We're hoping Orochimaru's research yields something."

Shikamaru shook his head, resting his chin on his hand. "Could it be related to time? That White Whale is already dead. Maybe the jutsu ceased when its caster died."

"I'm not sure. Has the village made any progress?" Temari asked, feigning ignorance. She already knew the secret medicine from Yoichi was the real solution.

"Not much. The fourth beast hasn't been found yet, and the village remains on high alert. I was supposed to be on duty tonight, but Naruto covered for me," Shikamaru explained with a sigh.

The ninja world had faced four beast-related incidents so far, but only the first two had been investigated. The first beast still lingered in the deep sea, and the second was mysteriously killed—reported by ordinary civilians.

According to Yoichi's prophecy, the beasts would bring treasures, yet the village had only found a single fruit from the first beast. The third and fourth beasts hadn't appeared within the Five Great Nations, possibly manifesting in harsher regions outside the ninja world.

After summarizing the current situation, Shikamaru turned to Temari. "Get some rest, Temari. The family needs you."

"Mm. I'll take a bath first, Shikamaru," she said.

Temari needed to carefully check her body before she could truly relax.

(End of Chapter)

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