The battle was over, but Shika was exhausted. His chakra reserves were almost empty, and he didn't have the energy to open a portal to transport them to safety. Not like he can, unlike Utakata, Han was quite loyal to his village.
So he can't bring Han to the Yuguure's base like he did for Utakata.
Instead, he had to carry the unconscious bodies of Haku, Suigetsu, and Han to a secluded place where they could recover without any immediate threats.
After some time, he finally found a small, abandoned wooden hut deep within the forest. It wasn't much, but it would have to do for now. He laid down Haku and Suigetsu carefully, making sure they were in stable condition before setting Han down a little farther away. He didn't want the Jinchuriki waking up and immediately attacking the others in confusion.
After ensuring their safety, Shika leaned against the wooden wall, catching his breath. His body ached, and his chakra reserves were dangerously low, but he couldn't afford to rest completely. He had to stay alert in case more enemies showed up.
Now that he realized, if Han attacked him after waking up, he might not be able to defend himself or the other two with this low of chakra reserves.
Clicking his tongue, he unwillingly took out the chakra reserve scroll and started to absorb chakra again. He didn't wish to, doing it the third time would really cost him a huge headache, however, he didn't have any other option.
"I have to do something about my pitiful chakra reserves," Shika muttered to himself with frustration. And the countless ideas about how he could do that ended up running in his head.
He knew that when it comes to high-level fighting, his chakra would be a hindrance, and now finally he was feeling the strain. Even after coming up with multiple ways around to solve the chakra problem, he knew that workarounds in the end are just that, workarounds.
Not long after, Han was the first to wake up. His eyes opened slowly, and as soon as he saw Shika, he tensed. His body immediately shifted into a defensive stance, and his eyes darted around, assessing his surroundings.
"Not here to fight. You were fighting with the Akatsuki with them, remember," Shika said calmly while pointing at his still unconscious teammates, not moving from his spot.
Han narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
"Not an enemy," Shika replied. He could see that Han wasn't lowering his guard, which was expected. Jinchuriki were used to being hunted, and after what had just happened, it made sense that he wouldn't trust so easily.
"What happened?" Han asked, his voice steady but filled with suspicion.
"You were ambushed by the Akatsuki," Shika explained. "Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki were after you, I believe you should remember that, right? They should have helped you well. Of course, what I saw by the time I got there, it didn't seem to do much."
Han's eyes darkened at the mention of the Akatsuki. "So, you're saying that you beat them?"
"It was a tie. And we are not here to discuss who won or who lost, now are we?"
Grunting, Han nodded and the topic went back to Akatsuki.
"You're not the only one. The Akatsuki have already targeted multiple Jinchuriki. Roshi, though, might be the first one they captured."
Han clenched his fists. "And what about you? Why did you interfere?"
Shika sighed. "Because my organization is trying to stop them. We're not part of any village. We exist to stop Akatsuki, which currently means protecting Jinchuriki from being captured. If the Akatsuki succeed, the balance of the world will be destroyed."
Han looked at him, still skeptical. "An organization to protect Jinchuriki? Why would you risk your life for us?"
"Not Jinchuriki, no. We are against Akatsuki and their goal. It's just a coincidence that it's led us to protect Jinchurikis," Shika said simply. "And thus I'll give you the same offer I gave other Jinchuriki... offering you a place in my group. You'd be safe with us. A real goal, monthly salary and no scorn which people have against Jinchuriki."
Han scoffed. "And what if I say no?"
Shika expected this response. Han was pretty loyal to his village.
"I won't force you," Shika said. "It's your choice. But if you refuse, you need to be careful. The Akatsuki won't stop coming after you. You might have survived this time, but next time, you might not be so lucky."
Han looked away, then sighed. "You don't have to worry about that. Do you know where Roshi could be?"
Shika shook his head. "No."
Han didn't say anything else after that. He turned around and walked away, disappearing into the trees.
Shika watched him leave, knowing that he had done all he could. Some people simply wouldn't trust so easily, and he respected that. Now, he had to focus on Haku and Suigetsu, who were still unconscious.
'Nue's gone. All because I couldn't use all my power for the lack of chakra.' Shika was irritated. There hasn't been a time when he was so envious of someone with large chakra reserves like Naruto than now.
"I have to fix this situation somehow."
And just when he was thinking about this, a notification came to him making him baffled.
xxx
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