Mask Boy

by tarohuzuu

Summary:

Shikamaru ran into a small blond boy wearing a mask accidentally while trying to find a quiet spot to take a nap.

Feared and shunned, the boy holds onto the most feared. Because of it, a curse was placed on him. A curse that the villagers hopes one day, he would activate and leave this world.

Uncharacteristically, Shikamaru took interest.

Chapter 1

Age: 8-12 years

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

It was just another, ordinary day. Nothing new, nothing special.

Nara Shikamaru, a simple kid who doesn't really put a whole lot of effort into much. He found almost anything and anyone inconvenient, it was just something in his nature. Just a simple genius who likes simple and quiet things in life.

"Shikamaru, you wanna go hangout with me?" Choji, his first best friend, asked.

Shikamaru shifted around in his spot, laying down on his crossed arms in an attempt to get comfortable. He slowly raised one arm up, flicking his wrist in a back and forth motion.

"Sorry Choji, I don't have the energy right now. Sensei really drained me this time." Shikamaru responded, grimacing as he can vaguely feel the subtle pain on his forehead from the thrown chalk during earlier's lecture.

"This time? You never have the energy for anything." Choji jokingly snickers out before walking out of the classroom. He waved his hand high in the air with another small chuckle. "Alright I'll see you tomorrow then! Bye."

Shikamaru waved back until Choji was out of the classroom. He laid back down on his arms, snuggling a bit as a sigh of comfort was released from his nose. After a long day of learning, he needed a nap in order to function for the rest of the day.

He can feel himself slipping into slumber already. 1... 2... and-

"Shikamaru, you know you're not supposed to stay here and sleep. Either help me clean up or head out."

He fought back a groan upon hearing the voice belonging to Iruka. Here he is again, ruining Shikamaru's mood after hitting him with his chalk. Taking a few moments to gather himself, he got up with a slump and walked out the door, begrudgingly. All he just wanted was to sleep, why is it so hard to get something so simple? It's not like he will do anything bad.

Walking out of the school, he traveled around the village, searching for the perfect spot to pass out for a few hours. Today seemed more busy then usual, every place he visited were filled with people. He walked further away from the bustling town and felt like luck was on his side at his new discovery.

He managed to spot an area full of grass and flowers at the end of a deep forest. It was beautiful and very quiet, an ideal place that he never knew about until now.

It was perfect.. almost.

He examined his surroundings more closely and spotted something that looked out of place from the natural side.

A bundle of bright yellow hair swaying with the grass below.

The person was crouched down, seemingly picking some flowers while humming and a light ring of bells could be heard every time they swayed their head.

"Scratch that, luck is not on my side."  Shikamaru thought to himself, a little saddened that he has to search even longer. He took a step back, trying to leave as quietly as possible so he wouldn't get the other persons attention. However, he managed to fail doing so when he watched their head perk up and turned to his direction, causing his shoulders to jerk a bit.

"Dang it..."

Having a better look at them, it is a small boy that looked around his age. The boy had a fox mask with two bells dangling on one side of the ear, covering half of his face so Shikamaru couldn't really identify who he is. The main thing that he could see is three scratch marks on both of his cheeks, resembling whiskers. A unique and uncommon feature here.

The boy watched him silently, almost like a statue. When both of them didn't make a move after a minute or two, he walked up towards Shikamaru with slight hesitation in his steps, hand behind his back as he leaned forward.

"Yo! Are you lost?" The blondie questioned with a booming voice.

"No, not exactly..." Shikamaru mumbled, taken aback a bit at the sudden loudness. He did not expect such a high voice from such a small body.

"Oh.. well if you're not lost, you wanna keep me company? I'm pretty bored and no one nice is ever around this area but you look like a nice person!" The boy spouted, holding his hands together with a hopeful smile presented on his face.

This was the exact opposite of what Shikamaru was planning on doing and he wanted nothing more than to leave, but hearing how this boy closely sounded desperate for some company-- he didn't have the heart to say no. 

With his shoulders slumped down, he gave him an answer.

"Alright, I'll keep you company BUT don't blow my ears off." Shikamaru put emphasis on that before walking deeper into the grassy area. He then proceeded to sit down and rested his head on his arm, taking in a deep breath of the calming smell.

The boy instantly glowed, a smile raising higher up as he jumped in his feet.

"Ah really?! You'll stay with me?!" The boy yelled out of surprised, leaping beside Shikamaru before crouching down in front of him. Shikamaru had to quickly pull his head backwards at how close the boy is in front of his face.

"Troublesome, you're too close. What did I just say about not blowing my ears off? Ugh..." Shikamaru sighed out while he rubbing a finger in his ear.

"Ah sorry sorry! I just got a bit excited, I never really interacted with kids around my age before!" Naruto bashfully responded, rubbing the back of his head and showing off a apologetic grin.

Shikamaru doesn't really care for the details but for some reason, he felt like questioning the boy since he's never seen him before. "What's your name? Age?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, age 8! Nice to meetcha."

"Uzumaki?" Shikamaru repeated quietly. "Hm, I'm Nara Shikamaru, age 9, likewise.."

Interesting, he'd never knew anyone personally from the Uzumaki clan. He heard stories from his dad that they were abolished long ago from a disaster, this is quite an interesting encounter.

"Woah you're a big kid Shikama.. maaar- Can I just call you Shika?"

His name isn't THAT hard to pronounce but this kid is struggling to say it. Also, he's only a years older than him so why 'big kid'?

Well whatever, it's no big deal anyways.

"Sure."

After their short introduction, Naruto continued to chatter about some random nonsense while Shikamaru laid and listened, sometimes responding. This normally bothers Shikamaru, a person talking just to talk but with Naruto, he didn't mind too much at the moment. It's a little annoying, yeah, but Naruto's chattering was bearable as his voice had died down to a more softer tone. This went on for a while, being in each other's company. Shikamaru eyes were closed, still listening to Naruto until he couldn't hear his voice anymore. All he heard now is the sounds of bells ringing again.

Cracking one eye open, he took a small peek to see why Naruto went silent all of a sudden.

He saw Naruto's shoulders moving, looking as if he was working on something. Once completed, he raised it up in the air and let out a quiet cheer. He turned his body to face Shikamaru's laying form and placed something carefully on his head.

Shikamaru raised a hand to touch it.

"What's this?"

"Heheh silly, it's a flower crown!" Naruto giggled as if he had asked a silly question. Shikamaru sat up with one leg bent up and his right arm resting on it, staring straight at Naruto who was still giggling. The longer he stared, the more brighter Naruto seemed to get.

Shikamaru felt a sudden heat grow on his cheeks as he realized Naruto was laughing at him. He huffed lightly, placing his hand on his own cheek while the other reached to ruffled around Naruto's hair. Shikamaru honestly didn't have a reason behind this, he was just... soft looking. Naruto made a surprised noise, froze up for a few moments before realizing what he was doing and smiled shyly, leaning in a little closer.

In Shikamaru's vision, Naruto kind of resembles a cat purring while being pet.

Interesting.

"Awh man! It's getting dark now, just when I was having fun." Naruto whined out suddenly, pulling himself away from Shikamaru as he looked at the direction of the sun. "You should go home to your family, I bet they will be super worried if you stay out here longer!"

He was right, the sun was setting now. Shikamaru stood up and stretched his body before reaching a hand towards Naruto. He watched as Naruto flinch a bit at the action, frowning as he stared between Shikamaru's hand and face.

Shikamaru couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in confusion. That is strange, what an active reaction just from his outstretched arm.

"U-uhm, what are you doing?" Naruto questioned, continuing to stare at Shikamaru's hand.

"What does it look like? I'm trying to shake your hand."

Naruto made an O shape with his mouth at the short explanation, still confused on what the Nara was planning. He stood up quickly afterwards and dusted off the dirt from the ground before grasping Shikamaru's hand softly. Shikamaru then lifted their hands up and down.

Naruto tilted his head to the side, "Why are we shaking hands?"

This didn't really make sense to him. Is this what kids do nowadays?

Shikamaru shook the interlocked hands up and down a few times before letting go and pushing his hand into his pocket.

"Take it as a token of a new friendship."

Silence engulfed them as Naruto processed what Shikamaru told him.

"Friendship...?"

SHOCK!

"A friend?!"

Naruto gasped loudly, covering his mouth with both hands. He beamed happily realizing what that meant, excitement burning in his chest. His arm began to flail side to side as he tried to speak out through the excitement.

"Really?? Me and you? You're the first person to say that to me! You're my first friend, dattebayo!"

Naruto was beaming so brightly that Shikamaru had to squint his eyes. He stayed at his spot, watching once more at his now new friend is jumping with much energy and flailing like a penguin. He'd never seen someone get this excited over a friend before. Yet again, he did say that he was his first friend.

Also, Naruto said an unfamiliar word. What does dattebayo mean?

"Wah! I'm so happy! Other people would always avoid me but you- Oh oops! Said too much-- Well anyways, get home safe. I hope I see you again, Shika!" And with that, Naruto gave out a wave and ran off happily.

"... Avoid him..?" Shikamaru repeated in a mumble, watching as Naruto's figure slowly disappear into the distance. Processing through their interaction, he realized what he had just got himself into and let out a huge sigh. He ended up not taking a nap like he wanted.

Uzumaki Naruto, the person who covers half of his face with a fox mask, wearing a regular white t-shirt with a swirl on the center, and long black pants.

What a strange boy.

Naruto's energy was easy to read, easier than other people but Shikamaru felt like there is more to him than what he's presenting. Something felt off and he's not sure what exactly it is.

Finally, he left to go home. He did his daily night routine and laid in his comfy bed, mind wondering off with swirling images of Naruto and their conversations. Maybe Shikamaru was the strange one, he just randomly met someone and decided to befriend him after only just meeting him.

Looking at his hand that shook Naruto's, he started wondering if he'll see him again.

This is troublesome. What a troublesome day.

Notes:

Thank you for reading <3

this story was created a long time ago, i’m heavily editing it to make it as less cringy as possible while trying to keep the parts that were loved from previous readers ^^

Chapter 2

It has been a week ever since Shikamaru had encountered Naruto. He purposely tried to ignore his thoughts regarding the blondie, already knowing how much work he'll go through and he didn't want to go through all that. Naruto's type of energy is one Shikamaru tries to avoid at all cost.

But deep in his heart, the guilt was eating him up for purposely ignoring Naruto. He was the one who said that they were friends and now Naruto is probably waiting patiently for his arrival while he's just relaxing at home. The scene where Naruto was jumping from joy came into mind, adding onto the guilt.

Innocent smiles and very happy high jumps.

And maybe, deep in his mind and heart, he was a little curious.

"Ugh.."

Alright, he made up his mind. He was going to go see the blondie soon, no matter how troublesome it might be.

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

About an hour and a half has past and Shikamaru had searched around the whole village after his class, trying to spot Naruto. However, he was only met with nothing at every stop so far. The process was draining him physically and he didn't want to search for too much longer. He cursed himself mentally for being so noisy about another person's life as he walked past yet another empty park.

Trying one last place to hopefully find him, the grassland cliff place.

As he pushes through the tall bushes, he let out an exhausted sigh of relief. There he is, sitting near the ledge while quietly humming.

He finally found him.

As quick as his arrival, Naruto stopped his humming immediately. Carefully listening, he could hear the sound of the grass cracking behind him. He immediately stood up and held up his guard, positioning himself as if ready to bolt any moment.

"Woah hey, it's just me." Shikamaru raised his hands in defense. Naruto made a small shocked noise upon seeing who it is, shoulders relaxing as he felt excitement wash over him. He quickly made his way towards Shikamaru with a big smile.

"You're here! I've been wondering when I would see you again! I don't know where you're usually are so I have been waiting at this spot for you." Naruto happily shared, stopping in front of him with his body now swaying back and forth. Shikamaru felt a small jab on his chest, laughing awkwardly at that.

Hahah...hah.. way to add on more salt into the wound.

"Sorry about that, I've been- uh-- busy is all." Shikamaru gently grabbed onto Naruto's arm and dragged him back to where he was originally sitting, but at a more safer distance. Though he doesn't need to know more about Naruto, he strangely wants to know more. His brain had nonstop nagged at him even though he does not want to admit it.

Shikamaru sat down, making sure to pull Naruto down with him and got himself comfortable. He's already prepared a whole plan on how to lead the conversation to get the information that will satisfy his curiosity.

"You know, it's a little weird to suddenly become friends without knowing each other right? How about we exchange some things about ourselves, yeah?"

Hidden behind his mask, Naruto couldn't help but squint his eyes at Shikamaru. Yeah he knows it's natural to get to know someone but the way Shikamaru said it-- it made him sound a little suspicious.

Back on his guard again, he moved his head closer towards Shikamaru's face and tilted his head to the side.

"Are you gonna use the info against me? Are you planning somethin bad?"

"What? No, I just wanted to know you better." Shikamaru looked at him strangely, confused to why he would even ask something like that. Still giving off an unconvinced atmosphere, Naruto quickly raised his pinky up in front of Shikamaru's face.

"Pinky promise me!"

"Huh?"

Shikamaru did as he was told without questioning, interlocking his own pinky with Naruto's.

The two lightly raised it up and down and with a satisfied smile, Naruto made himself comfortable on the ground again. "Phew! You got me scared there for a second! Okay, what would you like to know?"

Is Naruto doing this on purpose or something? He's only adding more fuel to Shikamaru's burning curiosity about him. He really wanted to ask about his situation but that felt insensitive since they are still strangers in a way.

So for now, the basics.

"Favorite color, food, what do you like to do, and do you go to the Shinobi Academy?"

"Hmmm let me think." Naruto hummed, positioning into a thinking pose with his hand under his chin.

"I like the color orange and blue, I really love ramen, I like to have fun or at least try to have fun, and no I don't go to the academy sadly," Naruto answered before adding, "I wish I did though."

"How come you aren't part of the academy?" Shikamaru asked further.

"Well- uhm- I didn't get an opportunity to join~?"

Naruto could feel the corner of his lips twitch a bit, he hopes that Shikamaru didn't catch onto the awkward response he gave. Looking at him, however, he couldn't tell if Shikamaru was convinced or not.

"Alright, I can understand that."

Naruto released a sigh of relief, he praised himself silently for being able to be convincing as possible. What he didn't know is that Shikamaru didn't really believe it at all. Though he chosen to stay quiet about it.

Okay, he got the basics down. That should really be enough, yet he couldn't help but want to question more. He slowly raised a finger up and pointed at Naruto's half mask, "Why do you wear that mask?"

"Because it makes me look cool!" Naruto answered with much praise, flicking the bells back as cartoony sparkles presented around him to add onto his act.

 

. . .

 

.   .   .

 

This is incredibly awkward, Shikamaru is just staring at him without giving a single response. Naruto felt his body heat up as embarrassment started to overlap him, feeling sweat slowly running down his forehead.

"D-don't just sit there! Say somethin!" Naruto yelled out, gripping the end of his own shirt and rubbing it between his fingers.

 

.  .  .

 

At this point, his face is most likely as red as a tomato, a complete opposite of Shikamaru's who is still staring at him blankly. Naruto couldn't handle it anymore and covered his face to hide safely behind his hands.

"Enough already, 'ttebayo!"

"...Pfft-" Shikamaru suddenly let out, not being able to hold back his chuckles anymore. He couldn't help himself, he wanted to see Naruto's reaction if he just sat there without responding as it was a perfect opportunity. He couldn't believe something as simple as this made him laugh.

"Hahah! Your reaction, it was great! Even though I can't see half of your face, it was enough to tell how embarrassed you got."

"Wha- you were messing with me?!" Naruto huffed out angrily, crossing his arms tightly around his chest as he visibly fumed. He tightened his arms around himself, turning his head away from Shikamaru with another loud huff.

"Hahah! Alright, I'm sorry," Shikamaru quickly cleared his throat. "Okay but tell me the actual answer."

"But that was the actual answer.." Naruto responded with a little hesitate tone, letting his arms fall back to his side with his fingers playing with his shirt once more.

"Nope it's not, thats just half of the truth." Shikamaru confirmed, as if he was very sure of his assumption.

Aahh shoot, Naruto ended up getting caught. He was super sure that he sounded very convincing enough! He even added extra actions just to make it more pizazzing~.

"You're a pretty smart guy, ya know?"

Without thinking much of that, Shikamaru simply shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "I get that a lot, yeah."

Naruto could feel one of his eyebrows twitching at the response.

So he was one of those guys.

"Hmph! Since you're so curious, I'll tell you my answer if you start telling me about yourself."

Realizing that he had not once said anything about himself, Shikamaru agreed. Laying his back on the ground, he started listing off his own likes. "I like the color green, I enjoy eating mackerel, and I like quiet and peaceful activities like cloud watching. A lot of things are bothersome so I choose not to do anything, it makes life easier in a way."

"Sounds boring.. AH- Oops! I'm not judging!" Naruto nervously started laughing afterwards. Shikamaru lightly glared at Naruto, who in returned faced away from him, twirling his thumbs together with a broken whistle. After a few seconds, Naruto cleared his throat before standing up and stretched his body.

"Ah lookie here, the sun is going down! I must get going now, thank you for continuing to talk to me!" Naruto briefly said, giving Shikamaru a peace sign as he began walking away.

"You didn't even answer my question." Shikamaru pointed out as he continued laying at his spot, watching the blondie stop at his tracks.

"Mhmm~ I swore I did answer all the questions you asked me."

Naruto rocked his legs back and forth in an almost teasing manner, acting as if he didn't know what Shikamaru was talking about. Shikamaru squinted his eyes at him, he's messing around with him now. Oh okay, alright, two can play that game.

"That's not even fair, you aren't being fair.." Shikamaru almost gagged at himself for using such a baby-ish tone, never in his life he had used such thing but it was worth a shot.

Hearing his fake-wavering voice, Naruto twirled around fast and ran back to where Shikamaru was sitting. He quickly bent down and cupped his cheeks, hoping no tears were being shed.

"Oh don't be sad! I'm sorry!!" Naruto hurriedly shouted out of guilt, he didn't mean to upset him!

Shikamaru could feel the corner of his lips twitching upwards, he almost wanted to laugh again but out of disbelief this time. Like there is no way, Naruto couldn't seriously have fallen for this simple trick, he couldn't be this gullible. No one is this gulli-

"Hic.."

Huh.

Shikamaru eyes snapped wide open, mouth agape as he watched Naruto's lips quiver.

He fell for it?!

"Dang it no no, I was only kidding around. Look- hahah- I'm fine!"

".. .Really?"

"Yes really so please- uh-- don't be sad?" Shikamaru awkwardly tried to comfort him, giving him hesitate pats on his head until his hiccuping died down. So he's more of a gullible type of person, noted.

"You are so-!! Ugh!" Naruto pouted, raising his arms in the air and fuming angrily again.

The nerve this guy has!

"Hahah.. I didn't think you would fall for it, I'll make it up to you..?" Naruto sniffed in deeply, seeming satisfied with the apology and stood back up again. Turning his back towards Shikamaru once more, he first put a distance between them before standing still.

"The reason behind this mask is..."

Naruto then tilted his head around, causing the bells to ring slightly.

"... a secret."

Naruto placed his pointer finger on his lips, a playful grin returning on his face as he begin to walk away from him.

"The eyes only hold truth, after all."

Shikamaru could only let out an unsatisfied hum, laying his head back on the ground and staring at the pink and purple sky. Naruto's messing him with his games again. Maybe that was his revenge towards Shikamaru for making him almost cry.

His curiosity was only half full, he'd only received the basic answers but he wanted to know more. Naruto was like a puzzle, for whatever the reason is, he wants to solve him. For the first time in his life, he found someone interesting and that is definitely something out of his comfort zone.

Laying there for 10 minutes, Shikamaru pushed himself off the ground and began walking back home, pondering his next course of action.

He feels like his life was going be more interesting now, a change.

Chapter 3

From that day onwards, Shikamaru has been continuously meeting up with Naruto.

A few times a month turned into once a week.

Once a week turned into every few days.

Every few days finalized into everyday.

Shikamaru had been able to figure out small things about Naruto during there times together. Like the way he talks is naturally loud, his likes for flowers, his fear of fictional creatures, and stuff like that. But the one main thing that kept Shikamaru wanting to see Naruto is how much positivity he radiates.

No matter how bad the weather is or if Shikamaru wasn't having a good day, Naruto would always manage to see the bright side at anything. Always trying to cheer him up and bring out the best in any situation. It's like he never had a bad day in his life! Such a kind soul, Shikamaru wonders how someone like this exist in this world.

Curiosity aside, Shikamaru overall enjoys Naruto's company.

Even though it's been two, close to three, years since this outcome, Naruto still hasn't opened up to him fully about himself. Shikamaru is fine with that since it takes time for someone to fully be comfortable with another but he often hears his stomach rumble and sees dark marks on his skin.

Every time Shikamaru points it out and ask about them, Naruto would just brush it off and change the topic. It honestly worried him a bit but tried to dismissed it into "maybe he just accidentally skips meals" or "accidentally tripping himself."

He is naturally a klutz so it would make sense, maybe he is embarrassed to tell Shikamaru?

That reminds him actually, he needs to ask his mom to patch extras in his lunchbox to bring to Naruto just in case.

Anyways, here they are today, Shikamaru had recently finished up his class like usual and is now making his way to their meet up spot. When he arrived, the first thing he saw is Naruto chasing a butterfly around. Naruto was too occupied with capturing the butterfly that he wasn't fully paying attention to his surroundings and ended up falling, face first.

"Oow!" Naruto let out a painful grunt. He slowly raised his head up from the ground and carefully slipped his hand under his mask to rub his forehead. After he soothed down the pain, he zeroed right at the butterfly that landed right in front of him.

Using this opportunity, he readied his hands around the bug and--

"Got it!"

He finally caught it! Opening his hands slowly to not let the butterfly escape just yet, he sees the pretty blue shade of the wings and smiled widely.

"Aren't you a pretty one."

 

*Cough*

 

Upon hearing the coughing sound, Naruto snapped his head towards the direction of the source and immediately spotting Shikamaru leaning against one of the trees with his arm crossed.

"Shika! You just got here? Look what I caught!!"

Smile still present, he ran up to his friend with his hands closed. Shikamaru rested his face back to its usual expression, acting as if he didn't watch the whole thing happen and leaned down a little to get a better view.

"Hm~? What is it?"

Naruto opened his hand and presented the captured blue butterfly to him. With an excited grin, he shoved it closer to Shikamaru's face.

"Isn't it beautiful?!"

Shikamaru's naturally curled into a small smile, amused at how easily happy Naruto looks. Just a bundle of joy in a small body is a good way to describe him. Raising his hand up, he wiped off the dirt that was on the smiling blonde's cheek and patted it before letting his arm rest on his side.

"It is, you look proud of yourself." Shikamaru commented, admiring the insect as it wings fluttered lightly. Naruto shook his head up and down quickly, it did take him about 10 minutes to capture it. He held onto it for just a few more moments before releasing it back to nature.

The two were then set to do the usual, sitting down side by side and chatting.

"You've been staying here more often now, you're not slacking on your school work right?" Naruto playfully teased, knowing how much of a lazy person Shikamaru is. He remembered once when Shikamaru complained to him about how his book was placed too far on the coffee table from his spot, refusing to get up and grab it.

"School is boring and I don't like it. Though I'll be getting my team soon so I'll be even more busier, ugh." Shikamaru grumbles out as he got himself comfortable on the grass floor.

Naruto simply chuckled at him before asking, "What's the people you've interacted like?"

Shikamaru hummed quietly, thinking about his classmates and soon-to-be-teammates.

"Hm well there's these two girls name Sakura and Ino who are obsessed with this one guy. They always fight over him and it gives me a headache every time I have to listen to their arguments, it's actually insane what they do to each other. The guy's name is Sasuke, his attitude ticks me off a bit but he can be nice sometimes." Shikamaru took a quick pause, trying to remember the rest.

"Next is Rock Lee and Kiba. Those two are the loudest in the class, always have the energy for something and anything. Lee is more of a passionate person when it comes to his work with Guy-sensei while Kiba likes to brag about himself. Then there's Tenten, Hinata, and Shino. They're usually quiet so I don't have much to say about them, just that they're nice. Neji doesn't have much going on either, he keeps things to himself and distance from others. And finally, Choji. He is my first close friend and is a real nice guy, has a heart made of gold. Everyone else, eh."

Shikamaru took in a breath after finishing, changing his position into a laying one with his right elbow on the ground and hand on his cheek, body facing towards Naruto's direction.

"Eh~ your class sounds lively, not a single quiet day huh?" Naruto nodded at him before looking up at the sky. Shikamaru took a peek at him, examining for any changes at his expression. For some reason, the tone Naruto used sounded off from the usual bubbly one. It sounded.. sad almost, as if he was envious. Shikamaru took noticed of that and mentally wrote it down.

The two silently watched the white bundle of clouds drift in the sky, taking in the fresh air of Konoha village. The silence was soon broken however when Naruto suddenly announced something that made Shikamaru visibly shock.

"Well since you'll be busy, I'll stop coming here then."

Huh?

Shikamaru pushed himself up straight away, confusion written all over him.

"Wait why? I'm not getting it."

Naruto rolled his head to look back at him, Shikamaru is assuming that he was staring at him confusingly too due to the way he lifted his lips.

"Why what?"

"Why are you gonna stop coming here?"

Shikamaru watched Naruto's mouth went further down, assuming now he was getting more confused.

"You're gonna be busy? So you won't have time to hangout with me??"

Ah Shikamaru gets it now, it makes sense yet that doesn't mean Shikamaru is going to cut off seeing him completely. In a way, he felt a little disappointed that Naruto thought that way. He reached over towards him, pinching both of Naruto's cheeks and started pulling.

"Ita-"

"Idiot, I still want to see you, I'll make sure to come see you. It might not be everyday like now but I'll make sure to tell you when I won't be available." Shikamaru then pulled his cheeks further out. He didn't have to but seeing Naruto's reaction is pretty entertaining. Naruto body was shaking a bit from the pull while his hands desperately tried to stop his own but failed doing so. It would've been better if he could see his eyes though.

"Sh-shikrah! Pweash shtop!" Naruto tried to speak, words slurring around.

Tugging both sides one last time, Shikamaru finally let go, watching Naruto rubbed his aching cheeks with a scowl.

Shikamaru could feel the glare radiating out of him.

"Jeez! You didn't have to do that! I was only saying it because I don't want you to be even more exhausted ya know!" Naruto grunted out of annoyance while puffing his lips out and visible steam coming out of his head.

There it is, his kindness. It warmed his chest whenever Naruto showed concerns for him, caring about his wellbeing even through his dramatic times. Shikamaru raised a hand once more to place a finger on Naruto's mask, right between where his (assuming) eyebrows would be.

"I'm always exhausted so it's fine. Plus it's already hard and troublesome to find you anywhere else so I better see you here at least," He proceeded to push the finger forward, causing Naruto's head to flick back lightly. "Also, you said before that you always come here so you would be here anyways."

Naruto stared for a while longer, listening before breaking out a huge grin.

"Heh~ you like me that much to memorize what I've been saying~?" Naruto playfully snickered behind his hand. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, shrugging his shoulders half-heartedly.

"Whatever."

He raised a hand and plopped it on top of Naruto's head gently and began messing around with it lightly. In return, Naruto laid his head onto Shikamaru's lap happily, allowing him to continue his action. Shikamaru noticed a while back that Naruto really likes pats on the head and he found it enduring in a way so he continues giving him it.

They continued chatting more until the sunsets and with a wave and a short goodbye, Naruto runs off.

Shikamaru sat there, watching Naruto's body become smaller and smaller, until he is fully out of his sight. Shikamaru noticed that Naruto was always the first one to say goodbye when the sun sets. Always in a hurry like he'll get in trouble if he doesn't make it home on time.

Maybe he is on a strict schedule from his family? Hmm.

 

Notes:

Thank you for reading <3

Chapter 4

Age: 11/12-15 years

 

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

 

As the days continues to drag on, Shikamaru could feel himself slowly getting burnt out, mentality and physically. He's been training day and night almost nonstop, thus resulting in his muscles becoming sore as hell. Right now, he is finally able to sit back and really relax, doing the one thing he's been enjoying for a while and it's talking to Naruto. It's been quite enjoyable being with the fellow, it's to the point that Naruto has moved up as his special friend now.

He gave Naruto a heads up earlier about how he'll likely be busy for a while so it has been quite some time since he's last talked to him.

With a loud yawn escaping out of his mouth, Shikamaru made his way to the very familiar path and hopes that the blondie is still there, waiting for his unannounced arrival.

 

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

 

Staring right up, Naruto laid down on the grass in silence, watching the bird fly up in the sky at ease. The blue birds looked to be so carefree, traveling wherever they want without much worries.

"... How peaceful it must be." Naruto whispered to himself as he watches more birds gather together, like a small family and friends hanging out together. It's interesting, the blue birds are able to just roam around, without caring about any problems regarding on their own kind and just flying around. How envious he is of them.

"No!"

As those thoughts came into mind, Naruto immediately shook his head. He needs to get rid of these thoughts and feelings fast!

Think... think!

 

.  .  .

 

Ah that's right! Something came into mind.

Naruto looked down at his clothes, tugging the bottom of his jacket with a grin on his face. A few days ago, a nice man gifted him a new set of clothes to wear after noticing holes on his old ones. It is a pretty simple outfit-- an orange jacket that was slightly oversized that reached all the way to his hips with the collar being quite loose around his neck. Underneath it, he wore a long sleeve white turtle neck with black, bottom loose pants that stopped right below his knee and plain regular blue sandals.

It was nice to have something new like this! He doesn't remember the last time he'd received something new, especially from an older person. He practically jumped in joy when given the outfit. He hopes one day he will encountered the man with the mask again so that he could properly thank him.

"Hey Naru."

Well look who decided to show up. Naruto hummed upon hearing his voice, sitting up from his spot with his legs crossed and proceeding to rock back and forth. He turned his head towards Shikamaru's direction before chirping, "Yo! Long time no see~"

Shikamaru was holding onto a bag full of snacks and placed it between them. He slowly began to bend his knees down while grabbing onto Naruto's shoulder for support, making Naruto stop his movement. With that, Shikamaru fully sat down beside Naruto, back now facing at him as he then laid down onto his lap.

He let out a sigh of satisfaction, "Now this is great."

Naruto allowed him to do so, assuming that his friend is tired out from training. He playfully poked Shikamaru's forehead, wrinkling his nose.

"You stink and you look like you're more tired out than usual." Naruto giggled out, turning his head away from Shikamaru's hand that was reaching for his nose

"Yeah whatever, I still feel like I'm fresh out of graduation, yet, me and my teammates have to do so many things already." On cue, Naruto caught something shining on Shikamaru's upper arm and glanced down at it.

It is the official headband for Konoha Shinobi.

Naruto clenched his fist as his eyes looked like it held stars in them. At this moment, he felt so proud for Shikamaru since this guy had been skipping and slacking with his work so much. It was to the point that Naruto had to start nagging at him about his bad habits and being compared to his mom.

"Congratulations on becoming an official shinobi! Hard work pays off, 'ttebayo!"

Shikamaru cracked one of his eyes open to look up at Naruto. He was giving him a soft yet big smile that Shikamaru gave him a small grin in return. "Thank you, would you like to know what I've been doing?"

Naruto quickly nodded his head, hearing light sounds of bells. He's always excited to hear anything related to shinobi works, he likes it whenever Shikamaru would tell him about his family techniques and whatnots.

"Hm~ Alright, listen up to my amaz-ing adventure with this new chapter of my life." Shikamaru cheered in a monotone voice, twirling his finger around and saying soft woohoo's. Before continuing though, he skimmed through the bag he brought with him and pulled out a cold beverage, alongside a straw. "Here, I got some snacks for us to enjoy."

Naruto let out a soft chuckle at his fake excitement as he took the drink. It's also been a while since they had a conversation so he missed talking to Shikamaru. He's the reason that his days have become more fun.

"I'm in the typical Ino-Shika-Cho formation with a captain name Sarutobi Asuma. On the first day, all we did was introduce ourselves but then the very next day, we had to take a test on teamwork. It was easy considering we caught on pretty early but he really didn't need to roughhouse us around, my muscles were painfully aching afterwards. Oh jeez, just thinking about that again is giving me a headache."

"Are you okay? Shall I massage your forehead?" While asking, Naruto went to rub soothing circles on Shikamaru's forehead, hoping to help ease his tension. He watched as Shikamaru visibly relaxed at his touch and couldn't help but soften at that. For someone who's incredibly lazy, he sure does put lots of effort into his work, at least Naruto is assuming since he is a ninja and all.

As he continued the action, he chose to not speak for a few minutes, fearing that Shikamaru headache would get worse and he didn't want that to happen.

"Here, have some water." Naruto quietly said while bringing a water bottle close to Shikamaru's mouth. "A nice, cool beverage to help!"

"Naru, you must be an angel sent from the heavens."  Shikamaru thought to himself as he took a sip of the drink. This was definitely what he needed, he felt calm when he's with Naruto. What a peaceful life Naruto must live to become someone so considerate and thoughtful.

After gulping down the beverage, Shikamaru went onto a more details regarding his new field of work. "Anyways, went on a few basic missions and then here comes the greatest news ever--! The Chunin Exam."

Now this really got his attention. Naruto straightened his back, leaning closer down with his eyes and mouth wide open in shock.

"Hold on, seriously? The Chunin Exam?! Wow, has it started already?"

"Yep, I got tossed and turned around but I made it to the finals without a hitch. Honestly so tired of it."

Naruto chuckled at his tone, typical.

"Come on now, don't be like that! You're close on becoming a Chunin! Y-" He was going to say more when suddenly, his stomach made a loud rumbling noise, disrupting the two. Naruto let out a bashful laugh, "Oops- hahah.. ignore that."

Shikamaru stared up at him, watching Naruto rub the back of his head. This is actually perfect timing, he wanted to test something.

"Let's go and get you food." He suggested to Naruto, still staring straight at him.

Now, it's time for him to observe closely.

He noted how Naruto pointer fingers started to carefully tap on the ground, how he slowly turned his head away from Shikamaru's direction, and how his lips are opening and closing as if trying to hurriedly spout anything out.

"N-no! I'm okay, please continue on with your story."

The way he responded was a little too quick, Shikamaru mentally wrote that down as suspicious. Obviously, these were all signs of nervousness.. but what is he so nervous about? Also, Naruto is doing the thing again where he brushes off his offers/suggestions of going somewhere else.

"Why won't you go anywhere else than here? A small change in scenery?" Shikamaru finally asked one of his many burning questions. He felt like now is the right time to start bringing up his curiosity.

"I just like it here, it's nicer..."

Shikamaru wanted to keep it going but seeing how visibly uncomfortable Naruto's body language is giving, he stopped himself. Naruto's pointer fingers had picked up in speed and he started biting the bottom of his lips. He didn't want Naruto to be uncomfortable with him, he is just worried about him.

He's going to have to wait for another opening to bring it up again.

Releasing an exhale out of his nose, he thought of asking him something else instead in hopes of calming him down.

"I need a favor."

Relieved washed over Naruto that Shikamaru didn't push it any further, now attempting to calm his nerves before responding with his best voice.

"What's up?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes as he folded his arms against his chest, tilting his chin upwards a bit. "It's a pretty big deal that I made it to the finals and it be great if I had supporters watching my match."

 

. . .

 

"Having one of my good friends attending as an audience would really motivate me."

 

.  .  .

 

"And, you know, you're my good friend."

 

.   .   .

 

"Damnit I'm asking you to come and watch!"

 

!?

 

"I don't think I should go!" Naruto quickly answered after understanding Shikamaru's request. "Absolutely not!"

"Give me a good reason why."

"Aaah well- uhm-- you see~?" Naruto looked like he was really struggling on giving an excuse, fumbling over his words.

"See? You don't have anything better to do, just come and watch me."

"Okay but why should I? Knowing you, you're probably just gonna raise your hand up high in the air while your opponent does the same thing because of your shadow thingy and you'll mumble a short 'troublesome' before saying you forfeit or something like that!"

Shikamaru almost scoffed at that, eyebrows twitching in irritation. That's pretty low of Naruto to think he'd end up doing something like that and he also hated how accurate it sounded.

"Ouch?? That's a pretty low blow to assume I'd do something like that, do you have no hope for me?"

"It's not like that! I just don't think me going would change anything!"

"Yes it will." Shikamaru stated with a nod.

"How so?"

"You being there will make me motivated to try, wouldn't it be fun for you to see other people's skills? You're interested in these stuff so it will benefit the both of us."

Naruto is having a tough time right now, he already felt bad before for always rejecting Shikamaru's offers and now he's asking for support. Of course, he would like to attend but there's things to be worry some.

"Will.. it be interesting?" Naruto asked after some hesitation.

"I can make it interesting." Shikamaru answered, mind already set on convincing Naruto to go and watch his match.

".. Uhm."

"Please?"

Shit man.

"I... hm."

"It'll be worth it~"

Naruto released a sigh of defeat that he held back for a while, puffing his cheeks out before crossing his arms together. "Fine! A-alright, I'll go but you better win and put up a good fight. You better win!"

Shikamaru cheered to himself at successfully convincing him to go, grinning victoriously. Now this is progress he was hoping to achieve, he pushed himself off of Naruto's lap and started ruffling around Naruto's hair.

"Of course, thank you for accepting."

Naruto just turned his head away in response, his cheeks having a slight red hue as he pouted.

"... Whatever."

Shikamaru is happy to know Naruto is coming but now he had to make sure that he actually tries to win. It would be a little embarrassing if he hyped it up this much just for him to lose without putting up a good fight. Not after Naruto finally agreed to see him somewhere else that's not here.

He's going to have to think of what he should, and shouldn't do.

"Stop staring at me.. it's creepy." Naruto's mumbles snapped him out of his headspace. He placed his hand on Shikamaru's chest, gently pushing him back down to his lap and proceeded to rub his forehead again. Shikamaru reached up to Naruto's hand and placed his palm on top of his.

"You're an angel Naru."

"Shut up.." Naruto mumbled again, face burning even more.

 

Chapter 5

Notes:

Short chapter!

As Shikamaru chose to leave his hand on top of Naruto's, they sat in a comfortable silence once more. Shikamaru had his eyes closed while listening to Naruto's soft hums of an unfamiliar song as they bask under the sunlight.

 

*RUMBLE*

 

Naruto quickly slapped his stomach, smooshing it a bit before rubbing it out of embarrassment.

"Stop it!"

He glanced down and examined Shikamaru's chest, seeing that he is releasing even breaths. He assumed that Shikamaru is deep asleep and released a quiet exhale, he's gonna have to find some food later.

"I know you're hungry, why won't you just go and eat with me? I don't mind going now."

Naruto body jolted, surprised that Shikamaru spoke.

"Hahah, I'm fine! My stomach is just acting up a little so no worries!"

"Troublesome blonde, you're such a bad liar. You know what, I've been holding this back but I've been worried about you for a while now." Shikamaru informed as his expression is written with concern. Naruto tried his hardest to not bite his own lips again. Anything regarding about his life, it must be kept away from Shikamaru.

Shikamaru removed his hand from Naruto's to sit himself again and made a move to hold onto his hand more securely instead, rubbing Naruto's knuckles with his thumb.

"I'm your friend right? You can always chat with me about anything, I'm open to listen." Shikamaru encouraged, offering him a small smile.

That's so sweet of Shikamaru, wow, that made Naruto's chest warm up a whole lot unexpectedly. Naruto thought for a few seconds before giving him a small smile.

"It's really not a big deal, sometimes I have to miss meals but thank you for caring about me! You're super kind!" Naruto praised with his whole heart, raising his other hand to wrap the other that Shikamaru is holding.

Shikamaru couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Naruto keeps dismissing his troubles. He could obviously see how small Naruto is compared to others, not a lot of fat in his skin. Adding onto that, he could see small bruises on his arms every time his sleeves rolls up. With how he is looking, it wouldn't be hard for Naruto to get injured.

It's concerning but Naruto looks very unbothered by it.

Naruto watched as Shikamaru's expression shifted around, with two mainly being worry and disappointment. He squeezed his hand that he's still holding to get his attention back and gave him his best warm grin.

"Whatever is running through your head right now, you don't have to worry about me Shika! I'm okay."

 

.  .  .

 

"Are you really? Can you tell me how you almost always have bruises on your arms?"

"Ah- well about these.."

Naruto is once again, hesitant. Has no one ever told Shikamaru anything about him? It's quite unbelievable with just how populated the village is. But if that is the case, it would kind of make sense, but yet, not. It's very strange actually.

Shikamaru squeezed his hand back as a small encouragement that he is ready to listen if he's willing to share. Naruto throat tightened up a little, struggling to find the right words.

"I- well, sometimes they uhm--"

"Take your time, I'm listening."

Naruto exhaled out his nose deeply, this all felt strange, unfamiliar. He felt his voice crack, which made him inwardly cringe, as he tried to carefully speak again.

"They would... they can be a little aggressive towards me?"

 

!?

 

"What do you mean by that? Who?" His back immediately straightened up while his grip tightened up and leaned a bit closer towards Naruto.

Is he hearing things wrong?!

"Oh but it's no big deal! Please don't worry, I'm okay right now!" Naruto tried to reassure, cursing at himself for dropping something like that. He really didn't want to worry Shikamaru with his troubles. "I can handle these things alone, like, I've been doing these alone so it's nothing new!"

"Naru, I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable but I'm just worried--"

"Lets-!! Lets just worry about your exam, yeah? You're gonna need a lot of energy for the final one so you need lots of rest and training! If you pass out while fighting then I'll be super worried!"

Tick.

Naruto shouldn't be worried about Shikamaru right now, he just told him something that raised alarms in Shikamaru's head.

"I'm here now so you don't have to do things-"

Naruto let out a small chuckle, disrupting him mid sentence again. "Shika, when you finish your match, come to me and I'll massage you right up! Can't let your muscle act up while resting."

Naruto slowly stood up, pulling Shikamaru up along with him and releasing their interlocked hands. He went to dust himself off and gave him his usual grin.

"Good luck~!" He singsonged, giving Shikamaru a peace sign for fun. With his lips tightening shut, Shikamaru squinted his eyes a bit. He didn't like how fast Naruto changed the attention away from himself and directing it to Shikamaru.

Does Naruto not trust him? Hm.

Or is it something that could lead to something even worse?

As much as he didn't want to stop, he shouldn't push any further for right now. This is progress right here and it'll continue moving forward, as long as he plays carefully.

Slow and steady steps.

After some thinking, he sighed out before patting Naruto's head softly.

".. Thank you, please stay safe."

Naruto gave a short "Mhm!" before running off, waving up high while doing so.

Naruto keeps saying that he is fine but something in Shikamaru's mind and heart knew something is really off, the sentence he told Shikamaru didn't sound good at all.

Shikamaru hated how he couldn't get anything further than this but he needed to take it slow, he's just gotta push further to let Naruto know that he is someone who Naruto can depend and trust.

He is, after all, his best friend and he cares about him..

A lot.

 

Chapter 6

As another day start, Naruto is currently busying himself with collecting flowers around the field to make some flower crowns. Shikamaru had recently gotten more busy with training for his final so he is gonna be alone for a while until the finals starts. It's good that he picked up flower crocheting as a hobby, helps keep him busy since he got nothing else going on.

At the thought of finals, he is happy that Shikamaru wanted him to be there but he is honestly worried about himself showing up to an event full of people. Nothing good ever happens whenever he shows himself anywhere that's filled with people. But he can't just take it back so he'll find a way to get into the venue without being noticed.

Alongside that, he's gonna need to stop thinking so negatively or else he'll bring down Shikamaru's energy! He can't let that happen!

Naruto tilted his head to the side as a question came into mind, "I wonder how Shika fights.."

It excites him that he is going to be able to watch him fight for the first time. Shikamaru had told him about his clan jutsu with the usage of shadows and stuff but when Naruto asked him to show, he'd simply say no and fall asleep afterwards.

Hmph! So lame of him!

Anyways, he's trying to do something different today. Since he has practically mastered making crowns, why not make a bag now?

"Alright, if I just twist this there.. then there-"

 

*RUSTLE*

 

His hands came to a halt upon hearing the noise behind him. Whatever or whoever it is, he's detecting a very strong energy coming out of them. It's weirdly familiar but he can't exactly put his finger on why exactly it does. He sat still and carefully examined behind him, silently hoping it was just an animal. Once he saw a human head barley peeking out of the bushes, he knew it wasn't what he is hoping for. Instead, it is a boy with short red hair carrying a big gourd on his back. The boy was looking around the field until his eyes landed right on him.

People don't come around here usually so this sparked Naruto's curiosity, and also his guard. He stood up, preparing his escape route as the unnamed boy silently walked closer towards him.

"Uhm.. hi?" Naruto warily greeted, taking a few steps back. "Are you lost?"

The person just kept silent, boring his eyes into his own. Naruto is starting to get uncomfortable. The boy didn't look like he is from Konoha based on the way he dressed, he must be a visitor then.

"H-hello?"

"You."

"Me." Naruto nodded, pointing at himself with a blank expression.

"You are the same as me."

"Huh?" Naruto had one eye squinted as an imaginary question mark appeared above Naruto's head, not understanding at all. "What do you mean? What are you talkin about?"

"You have that thing inside of you, and so do I."

Naruto understood immediately what he was referring to after the word 'inside.' Shock came and left as soon as he got it, replaced with full interest for a split second before getting a sense of a bit discomfort.

Gaara is just.. standing there, staring at him. He almost resembled a statue, unblinking and unmoving. Is he expecting something? Naruto is clueless on what to even say and he tried his best to think of something to say.

 

. . .

 

"Uhm..."

 

.  .  .

 

"Youu- uh.. wanna make flower crowns with me?"

Not expecting Naruto to ask him something like that, Garra thought on it for a few moments. Him? Being invited to make something silly as a flower crown?

"... Sure."

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

"Aaah~ so your name is Gaara and you're from Suna village. It's nice to meetcha! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, welcome to Konoha and- oh! Just start turning it-- yeah, like that!" Naruto is instructing Gaara  with making the flower crown correctly, telling him to do the right twists and turns.

"It must be hard for you, it's a little funny how we're being treated in a similar way. And so, in that case, I'm here for you! Consider me a friend!"

What? This boy barley knows Gaara but he considered him a friend?

It was a short and simple sentence, yet, it somehow stirred around his heart a bit. He hadn't felt that in years, not ever since his betrayal. All he had is his two siblings, everyone else had vanished from his life or simply pretend he never existed. He is grateful for his siblings but with Naruto, it was hitting differently.

Naruto wasn't forced to talk to him, he didn't run away from him, no, he is relating to him even though Gaara had given him very vague descriptions of his personal life.

He even said friend.

 

.   .   .

 

What a strange kid. Strange, yet comforting, he's surprisingly enjoying the moment with Naruto.

"Heh, you're doing great! Just turn a bit here..." Naruto encouraged with a small smile. Even though the conversation felt, and kind of is, one sided, Naruto is fine being around him as he could feel how calm Gaara is. It's fine with him, as long as Gaara is comfortable.

"Gaara!!"

Upon hearing the shout, Naruto and Gaara looked towards the direction of rustling grass and saw two other people running towards them, both with worry expression. They quickly stopped in front of Gaara, not taking a glance at Naruto.

"What are you doing here? You can't just leave like that!" A girl with a big fan expressed worryingly.

"Yeah! We were worried about you man!" Next, a boy with the purple face paint added on.

"... I was making this flower crown with my friend." Gaara then proceeded to show them the process he made. The two newcomers stared at it strangely, not expecting Gaara to do something like this.

"Friend?"

They both glanced over at Naruto, who was trying to hide himself behind Gaara, in suspicion. Naruto felt a little intimidated under their gaze, making him shuffle in his seat. However, he also didn't want to be seen as a wuss so he cleared his throat nervously.

"Hiya! I'm Naruto, I was showing Gaara how to make stuff with flowers. Do you guys wanna join in?" Naruto tried his best to look as friendly as possible. The two then glanced back at Gaara, who simply nodded at them before agreeing.

"So, what's your guys's name?"

"Well Naruto, I'm Temari and this is Kankuro, we're his older siblings." Temari answered, stretching her muscles after the panic search.

"Are you guys here for the finals?"

"Mhm."

Naruto looked at them with much admiration, he was impressed that all three of them made it. That's some luck they have, sibling bond he guesses. "Woah!! That's really cool ya know! All three sibling making it into the finals."

When looking at him, the sand siblings couldn't help but think Naruto looked similar to a light bulb. He is just shining brightly while talking to them, maybe that's why Gaara is fine being with him.

"It's nothing new, we can easily do this in our sleep." Kankuro knowingly flexed, shrugging his shoulders half-assed and a smug expression. "Also, I didn't see you during the beginning of the Chunin Exam, are you not a part of it?"

Naruto shook his head, sulking a bit. "I really wanted to be! But I'm not properly trained and couldn't attend the academy like the others so I've just been roaming around."

Naruto turned his attention back to Gaara, praising him that he was getting better with the twists. Temari and Kankuro couldn't help but smile at the scene. They've never seen their little brother so relaxed before, this is the first in a long time since they last heard Gaara having a friend.

The rest of their time together went on smoothly and before they knew it, it was time for the sand siblings to bid their goodbyes to Naruto. Gaara offered him a small wave and quiet "goodbye" before leaving with Kankuro.

In return, Naruto raised his arms high in the air and did a big wave.

"I'll be watching the matches! Good luck you guys!" Naruto yelled out, using one of his hands to cup the side of his mouth to help make his voice louder. Watching their figures slowly disappear, Naruto let out a happy sigh. He somehow made another friend, maybe two more! That's a very good progress in Naruto's book. He was about to head out as well towards the other direction until a hand held onto his shoulder.

"Listen, I want you to do something for me."

Turning around, he sees that Temari is still with him. Naruto bobbed his head to the side, bells churning faintly, signaling that he was listening.

"Gaara.. he's been through a lot and I haven't seen him this content with someone else in a while. So please continue being his friend."

So this is why she stopped him, Naruto chuckled at her request.

"You don't have to tell me that, I am the one who called on our friendship! No one should be alone and I understand the things he's going through, it's tough." Naruto huffed out happily, slamming his fist onto his chest.

Though she has spoken to him already, Temari was still quite baffled. She didn't expect Naruto's response to be positive, usually people use Gaara or just be a douche towards him. Yet, it's understandable as the two are Jinchūriki vessels so they understand each other more than she does.

This Uzumaki kid is something else.

"Hey, do you know what chakra element you work well with?"

Naruto hummed, tapping his chin as he stared upwards. "Element? Like wind, water, etc? Hmm, I was with this one adult a while ago and he showed me some basic stuff. We did this paper test and he told me I can be good with most if I tried hard enough, but naturally, my strongest is.. wind?"

"That's perfect! Since you said you don't receive proper training and want to be like a shinobi, how about I help you out and train you? You'll learn how to use this big fan and other techniques under my teaching. Something for self defense whenever you're in danger or whatever." Temari said as she showed him a confident, toothy grin, bringing her thumb up and pointed at herself.

Naruto had to process the words in, crows crowing in and out of his ears.

"Huh?! Seriously!?" Naruto gasped loudly, covering his mouth with both hands in complete shock. Him? Getting trained? Actually getting a chance to use his chakra?! SHINOBI NARUTO??!?! But not like an OFFICIAL-official shinobi of course. If that's okay with you! Oh god I can't believe this."

Naruto glowed even brighter. With a wide smile and clasp hands, he jumped up and down at his spot while spouting out cheers to himself.

"Hoorah! Hoorah! Woohoo!!"

Watching Naruto celebrate about the offer, Temari felt a little proud of herself that she managed to make someone happy like this. In more of a sisterly instinct, she kind of views Naruto as an adorable ball of sunshine. Also with this, she's finally gonna have someone who'll actually listen and follow her around.

"How old are you?"

"11 years old!"

Temari hummed and patted Naruto's shoulder. "In that case, call me Big sis then."

"Oh okay! Big sis Temari! I'm super excited to learn from you, please teach me well!"

This is what Temari always wanted to hear, her younger brothers never acted like this with her. No matter how many times she told them to respect her, they'd just scoff at her before continuing onwards with whatever they were doing. 

Sometimes, she wishes to blow them out of this universe.

"Mhm, that's the attitude I like to see and hear!"

"Ah- but what can you actually do?"

Temari smirked at him, confidently patting her fan that is on her back. "Just watch my match and see, promise it won't be disappointing."

Naruto stared up at her with pure admiration. She sounded so confident, her words were laced with confidence, and even her aura is wrapped in confidence. This is what Naruto wanted to be like one day, he wonders if he'll ever achieve that.

Confident!

 

Chapter 7

"I'm so tired of this..." Shikamaru mumbled to himself, the tip of his fingers tapping against the cement ground.

Today is the day, the finale of the Chunin Exam. Everyone seemed to be pumped to watch or experience the fights, all but Shikamaru. He's been dreading this day, counting down with his calendar in his room.

"So loud..." Shikamaru thought to himself, obviously not wanting to be here. Sometimes he questions the sanity of some people. Why is everyone, these mostly being adults, so excited to see a bunch of underage kids fighting near to the death to simply receive a title? Hm.

As of right now, he is sitting on the ground, surrounded with familiar faces. Shino, Sasuke, Neji, those sand siblings, and other irrelevant people. Most of them had finished their battles already, making him almost envious since Shikamaru had been praying that his just starts now and so he could get it over with.

"PSST!"

Upon hearing the noise, he looked down from the railings to find the source of the hissing. He saw all of his friends seated below, all who hadn't made it this far into the round. Ino, Sakura, Hinata, Choji, Tenten, Kiba, and Rock Lee. Their past challenges were quite hard to watch honestly, some were sad and others were just brutal.

"You better win this! Don't be slacking alright?!" Ino whispered-yelled at him, punching the air in hopes of encouraging him to get that win. "You're so close to becoming a Chunin!"

Shikamaru just gave her a tired thumbs up as a response. He could honestly just call it quits and continue his life without doing such dragging things. Just lay under the warm sun, inhaling the fresh breeze of air, and with Naruto by his side.

Oh, Naruto.

He had scanned around the crowd earlier but he couldn't spot his fox masked friend anywhere. Maybe he didn't show up? Maybe what happened a couple of days ago made Naruto uncomfortable to be around him.. but Naruto is not the type of person to just leave Shikamaru hanging, he's too nice to do something like that.

Examining around again, he kept looking around until the announcer started announcing the next battle.

"Next up, Temari from the sand vs Nara Shikamaru"

Damnit, the wind girl. Her fight against Tenten was one of the brutal ones, very one sided. Full of taunts and harsh wind techniques that blasted Tenten's weapon around. She also likes to get under people's skin and is really good at doing so, he's sure she's going to say something about him soon.

"Huh~ Another easy opponent? I'll blow him away just like the other girl, just like a piece of leaf." Temari taunted as predicted, holding a confident smirk on her face as she stared at him.

See? Cocky.

"Come on already! Get on with the fight!"

"Yeah, what's the hold up?!"

"Boo!!"

The crowed started to get riled up, growing impatient as they were taking their time preparing for the fight. Shikamaru is, yet again, in disbelief at all of the shout he's receiving.

 

.   .   .

 

Shikamaru let out a sigh and pinched the center of his eyebrows, alright fine he'll go for it now. He then jumped over the rails and landed on the field before slowly approaching the center where the referee and Temari waited.

"Let's just get this over with." He spoke without much excitement, shoving his hands in his pockets as he stared down at Temari.

"What's with that attitude? Not feeling confident?"

Shikamaru just turned his head away, almost scoffing at her but chose to click his tongue out of annoyance instead.

 

*RING~ RING~*

 

When the wind swirled past them , a very faint sound of bells could be heard, catching Shikamaru's attention. Shikamaru immediately snapped his head around to find the source of the familiar sounding bells, his heart racing in hopefulness.

And there, at a far distance, a bundle of orange and yellow presented out and Shikamaru only knew one person who has such color palette. Naruto is seated high up on one of the bleacher's roof, close to the edge. It is a strange seating but whatever. Shikamaru overall mood rised up at the sight of his blond friend, feeling better knowing the person he asked actually showed up.

At the same time, Naruto noticed that Shikamaru is now looking right at him and gave him a big wave of acknowledgment/encouragement with both arms. He really wanted to shout out a 'good luck' but chose not to do so, opting to just use his body motions instead.

Shikamaru smiled softly at the sight, giving Naruto a small wave back.

"Huh? Shikamaru? Smiling? I never seen that type of smile on him before!?" Ino gasped loudly, completely taken aback at the scene. This is the most happy she has seen on him and to witness it at a place like this..

"Me either, I didn't know it was even possible to get that smile out of him. I can't even see where he is looking at." Sakura responded, trying to glance over at what is causing such a look.

As the scene went on, Temari took this moment to take out the fan resting on her back and held it in her hands.

"Enough of this, if you're not gonna come to me then I'll go to you!" Temari announced, running past the referee and straight towards Shikamaru.

"How troublesome, he didn't even say start yet.." Shikamaru grumbled while pulling out two kunai from his pouch. Guess it's time for him to get serious.

When Temari reached a good distance, she raised her fan above her head while jumping, and slammed down as hard as she could where Shikamaru stood. She quickly opened her fan and swung it to the side to get rid of the smoke, glaring at the sight of an indent on the ground and a missing Nara.

It was then, she heard a faint sound of cracking and glanced upward. There she found where he is, standing on his kunais that are shoved into the wall.

"Even though I could care less about this exam, I have an important guest watching right now so I can't disappoint him. Sorry if you wanted an easy win fight." Shikamaru spoke in a non-apologetic tone, smirking down at her while grabbing more things out of his pouch.

Temari returned the smirk, "That's funny, I have a guest as well. Someone who will soon learn from me."

"Well let's see who wins."

 

•°. *࿐

 

 

Thus, the match went onwards from there. They had started fighting, with mostly Temari doing the work while Shikamaru avoided the attacks and hid behind the trees planted. It's been quite some time now and Shikamaru hadn't landed any attacks on her.

"Dang two people that told me to watch their match is now fighting against each other. Who am I supposed to cheer now?!"  Naruto whined quietly to himself. His body is almost dangling at how close he is near the edge. Whatever Shikamaru is doing right now, it's kind of worrying Naruto. He can't possibly win if all he is gonna do is avoid and hide! This is no time to look cool, he'll lose at this state.

With his worries in mind, he is also thinking about Temari. He's very impressed with Temari's style of fighting, the way she's able to swing that big fan at ease and her usage of flexibility. This is also his first time seeing techniques being used. It made him even more hyped to train and use those techniques just like her, to become cool just like her!

"Ah." Realizing he's getting stuck in his mind, he quickly shook his head for a bit before paying back attention at the fight. As he observed, he notices Shikamaru now squatted behind a tree with his hands forming a circle shape.

"Hm? What's with that pose?"

 

 

•°. *࿐

 

 

Shikamaru took his time to fully develop a plan, ignoring all the shouts around him and sighed through his nose. While he did that, Temari had been leaning on her closed fan for a bit now, bored out of her mind. She sighed out loudly when she noticed a shadow coming towards her, kicking her fan to release it out of the ground and jumped back.

"How disappointing.." Temari mumbles while half ass-dodging the shadow. Clearly, he won't be able to extend it any longer if she went farther back. She was hoping for a more competitive match after watching his match previous ones but it only ended with something disappointing.

It's whatever she guesses, it's an easy win.

When she stopped running from the shadow after it couldn't stretch any further, she tisked. "Come on, this is a total waste of time!"

What she didn't realize is that this had been his plan. Shikamaru grinned after hearing her bored tone, now having her guard completely down as he played himself as someone weak. He kept his posture, extending his shadow till it reached its limit and waited.

Earlier, he had sent up a kunai into the air, using his shirt as a parachute and now hovering closer to where his shadow stopped.

"Alright, I'll just finish this-" She gasped lightly when her body suddenly refused to move, visibly confused at how that even happened without her realizing. She attempted to force her body to move again, futile as nothing changed. "What..?"

Having her head being forcefully moved to look behind, she scowled at the sight of the shadow coming from behind. It had went through one of the holes from a previous match and out on the one she created.

"Kagemane no Jutsu, success."

Shikamaru released a tired exhale before picking up his items he left on the ground and walked out of his hiding spot. He dangled the four explosive kunais on his finger, almost taunting her. All that bad mouthing just to end up getting caught over something so simple? Almost laughable to him.

"No hard feelings, yeah?" And with that, he threw the explosive kunais right at her direction and released his jutsu three seconds before the kunai's pierced through her skin. Temari didn't get the chance to digest the pain as the tags immediately ignited.

 

*BOOM*

 

Upon the explosion, Temari went flying, sliding painfully against the ground before coming to a full stop. There she laid, body twitching at the burning sensation all over her body. Not only that, Shikamaru had directly hit the most painful parts on her arms and legs.

"Damnit!"  She cursed while feeling something wrapping around her body tightly, slithering closer and closer towards her neck.

"Smart move is to forfeit now or just don't, your choice."

This is humiliating, it just can't be.

She can't be beaten by this shadow user, she shouldn't have gotten caught by someone like him. She was the one who was supposed to over power him, represent her family and village. Easily win this damn battle!

She was supposed to show Naruto how great she is, show how powerful she is so that he could proudly be represented with her.

"Agh!"

The shadows is now fully on her neck and it's getting harder to breathe. She's not sure how long she'll last before the timer runs out, she's getting lightheaded at the tightness.

"Ugh!" She tried her best to take in as much air as possible, her hand wobbling as she forced herself to lift it up high enough for others to see. With desperate gasps, she managed to speak out. "I... I forfeit.."

The crowed grew silent for a few moments, watching as the referee blow his whistle and raising a hand up.

"Winner: Nara Shikamaru."

"He did it! Oh my god, he actually did it!" Ino shouted in excitement, breaking the silence and throwing her fist in the air. The crowd soon joined in with her, cheering out praises to the Nara.

"Now that was quite a fight." Kurenai said to Asuma, surprised and pleased at the results.

"Yes it was. Before the exam even started, he had already announced that he didn't want to do anything bothersome. Seeing him like this, however, he must've found something to ignite that passion."

Making his way up, Shikamaru is basically dragging his legs since Temari landed some harsh hits on him. He entered into the opening and saw his friends waiting for him, all ready to congratulate him at his successful fight.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Really proved to everyone just how awesome you are!" Ino happily laughed, patting his shoulder rather harshly.

"Stop it, that hurts."

"Good job Shikamaru!" Choji congratulated next, extending his opened chip bag towards Shikamaru as an offer. Shikamaru smiled lazily and took the offering before walking past them, waving his hand loosely in the air as a silent thanks.

"Hey where are you going?" Sakura asked, just now reaching them.

"Somewhere, don't bother following me."

With the rest of the energy he had left, Shikamaru pushed out chakra to his legs and jumped up high to the roof of the stadium. Everyone just looked at each other and shrugged, assuming that he is gonna rest up and recharge his energy.

Landing at ease, Shikamaru took his time to walk up towards the boy he'd been thinking about the entire time. He watched as Naruto's head perked upon the sound of his footsteps, turning around and immediately burst out into a wide grin.

Naruto ran up to meet Shikamaru halfway, jumping high in the air and landing in front of him. "Shika! You did it! Oh my god, you did it! You looked so cool when you did your stance and it was also cool to see how you maneuvered your shadows around! When you got up after your cool posing, you went full bam! And then you threw the kunais and it went BOOM! And-"

Shikamaru cut him off, raising his hand to cover his own mouth. "Yes I understand. I experienced the whole thing so there is no need to tell me what happened."

Naruto nodded at him, fist clenched as he lifted it up and down from the after thrill. He couldn't help it, this is something he'd been wishing to see for so long. To be able to spectate was enough to fill his happiness meter for a solid 2 months.

Shikamaru grabbed onto Naruto's shoulder and gently pushed him down so that the two were seated. He then turned around and laid on Naruto's lap, exhaling out as his body finally can relax.

"Ah right, you must be tired." Naruto said, grabbing a hold of Shikamaru's right hand and gently massaged it with both of his hands. The two sat in silence for a bit before Naruto whispered.

"Congratulations on becoming a Chunin."

Shikamaru relaxed his muscles, calming himself down from the fight and grinned lazily at Naruto. "Thank you for coming to watch. Did it meet to your expectation?"

"There's no need to thank me! And yes, you were so awesome!" Naruto praises, bright light and sparkles surrounding him. To add onto that, the sun is glaring right behind him.

"Bright.."

Shikamaru had to close his eyes to avoid further eye damage from the glow.

"I'm worried about Temari though, is she gonna be okay?"

"Yeah she'll be fine, she's a tough and a troublesome spirit. A quick visit to the medical team will make her better." Shikamaru quietly answered, feeling himself almost dozing off at how nice his small massage felt. It was then a question popped into mind after remembering where they are.

"Oh yeah, why are you all the way up here?"

Naruto didn't answer, choosing instead to stare right ahead of him.

 

.  .  .

 

"..Naru?"

 

.   .   .

 

"Hello-?"

"It's better if I stay out of sight."

Shikamaru opened his eyes slowly and looked up at Naruto, taking more mental notes. He's doing the things again, saying things that Shikamaru doesn't understand. Well yeah he understands that Naruto isn't comfortable being the public's eye, but why?

He remembers back on their previous conversation, connecting things together.

 

"Take your time, I'm listening."

"... Sometimes they..
                                .. They would... they can be a little aggressive towards me?"

 

Who is "they"? Why would they even harm Naruto? He is one of the nicest guys he's ever met and is a very caring boy. Shikamaru knows him long enough to know that Naruto isn't the type of person to naturally cause trouble and normally wants to stay out of it.

Before he could give it some more thought, his eyes were suddenly covered by Naruto's hand.

"You can nap on my lap. Overthinking will just give you a massive headache, I'll wake you up once the other matches are over."

Shikamaru took one last deep inhale, and then exhaling it out. He'll rest up for now so that he can have a more clearer mind to fully process everything, things have been hectic these past few weeks. But once he's rest up and this is all over, he's gonna definitely solve Naruto out. Naruto is being so caring towards Shikamaru so it's only right for him to return it.

He relaxed once again and slowly allowed himself to drift to slumber.

 

Chapter 8

After many matches later, the winners are now standing down below the battle ground again. The current Hokage, Hiruzen-sama, is also down with them to announce some things.

Everyone in the crowd looked focused on what he was saying so Naruto took this as a chance to go down carefully and find Temari. He was worried about her, she looked very dissatisfied when she called out a forfeit.

Taking a peek from the top of the opening, he sneaked inside and walked through the empty hallway. With careful steps, he examined each room in hopes of spotting her.

"Naruto?"

Hearing his name unexpectedly, Naruto jolted and turn his body quickly to see who it is. He let out a relieved sigh after identifying the person, clenching onto his shirt where is heart is placed.

"Oh, Kankuro and Gaara! You guys scared me!" Naruto whispered-yelled to them. He quickly looked around them to make sure no one else is here and made a shushing motion to the two boys.

"What are you doing? Why are you walking around as if you're sneaking?" Gaara asked while he and Kankuro walked closer to him.

"Nice to see you! And also, why are you whispering?" Kankuro whispered-yelled back.

"I can't get caught by anyone or else things won't end well for me but I'm looking for Big sis Temari, I'm making sure she's okay." Naruto whispers again as he continues looking for where she could be.

"Big sis?"

"Ah she told me that she is going to train me and teach me how to use wind techniques like her but she told me to call her 'Big sis'. I don't know why but I do not mind."

"She must be desperate since me nor Gaara address her like that." Kankuro thought to himself, feeling his eyebrows twitching.

"... You're really kind Naruto, she's in the other side and she's currently alone." Gaara informed him. "She's feeling better but she's not quite happy about her round."

Naruto nodded, giving him a quick thank you as he hurriedly made his way inside the room Gaara pointed towards. Speed walking inside, he found Temari sitting on one of the chairs with her head resting on her hands. She didn't look too happy, Naruto hesitated a bit on if he should talk to her right now or not.

"H-hello?"

Temari glanced at Naruto and sighed.

"So you did come and watched the whole thing."

"Yes and--"

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry you had to watch that, that was disappointing of me. I could've easily won that if I hadn't kept losing focus, I could've showed you my potential so that you wouldn't be let down." Temari sighed out once more. "How troubling this is.."

Naruto walked closer up towards her and sat down beside the chair. He reached out a hand to her shoulder and offered her a reassuring smile.

"What are you even talking about? You were totally awesome! The way you used your techniques and summonings, the way you moved, and even the way you spoked blew me away! It got me even more excited to learn from you!" Naruto spoke to her truthfully. Temari lifted her head, expression completely bewildered.

"What? Really?"

"Yes! So please don't bring yourself down, it's all about trials and errors right? I'll be looking forward to being under your teaching Big sis!"

Naruto chuckled a bit, smiling cheekily as he gave her a peace sign with his fingers. Temari watched as he did his little antics and let out a short snort. She raised her hand and patted his shoulder with some strength in them.

"You're right, I promise I'll teach you useful things."

"Mhm! Ah- but when would I be able to use those stuff though?"

"What do you mean?"

Naruto placed his hand on his chin and raised his head up. "Well, I'm not a shinobi so I wouldn't be able to go on missions and stuff. What use would it have with me?"

"Oh how about you visit me and my brothers whenever we are free? You're not a Konoha Shinobi so you can easily roam around as like a traveler. You could also use it whenever you're in danger or maybe, when you get better, come to missions with me."

Naruto really liked those options, raising his fists high in the air and jumping in his spot.

"I can go to missions with you?! Oh my, I never thought something like that would be possible for me, I can't wait for this!"

Temari just watched him jumped around with much admiration, a very passionate soon-to-be learner.

"I don't see why not, I'm sure my Kazekage will allow me to take you along. It'll be fun."

Naruto let out a quiet noise after remembering something, quickly stopping his jumps as he glanced at the clock on the wall. "Shoot I should hurry back now. Sorry Big sis, when and where should I meet you?"

"Hm.. it takes a while to travel back and forth so how about I meet you near the training ground by the Kiso river tomorrow? I'll make time to see you before heading back home. Then we can go forward from there on how and when you can visit Suna."

"Yes perfect! I'll see you soon then and thank you!"

"Bye bye."

Naruto waved her goodbye as he ran out and towards where he had been seated earlier. Excitement still lingered in his chest, imagining himself using wing techniques and looking oh-so awesome. He wanted to squeal out loudly but refrained himself from doing so, he'll do it when he's alone.

Successfully reaching the area without being noticed, he noticed Shikamaru already back and seemingly waiting for his return.

"Hey Shika, sorry for leaving without letting you know." Naruto apologized as he ran closer towards him.

"No you're fine, where were you?"

"I was checking on something, don't worry about it."

While Naruto sat down beside him, Shikamaru took a quick glance at him and thought to himself for a couple of seconds. He's going to test something again as an opportunity opened.

He stretched his arms high in the air, yawning loudly before speaking. "Well I won my match, how about we celebrate by eating out?"

"... Shika, you already know what my answer is gonna be." Naruto mumbled, tapping his fingers lightly on the top of the roof. His eyes squinted at him alongside his lips pouting ever so slightly. Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders with an exhale.

"You said yes to come to my match so it's worth a shot to ask this. It'll be my treat, we can go eat ramen if you want to."

Now that instantly caught his attention, eyes widening as the image of miso ramen flashed in his mind. He quickly shook his head and turned it away from Shikamaru's direction, he think something simple like that will win him over? How silly of him!

Naruto raised his chin high and took a small peek at the smirking Nara.

"You think saying that will make me say yes?"

"Huh? You're choosing to miss the opportunity to eat some delicious miso ramen? Oh, drinking the warm broth would be very satisfying~" Shikamaru taunted, using short hand motions to add onto his work.

Naruto's body began to shake a bit as he very desperately tried to hold himself together, feeling a part of him breaking at the description of his beloved dish.

"St-stop it."

"It would be too bad that I'd be eating such a huge warm bowl of noodles alone, sigh a pity." Shikamaru held back a snicker, knowing Naruto is fighting with himself at the temptation. Yet, Naruto is a weak boy with great desires.

Naruto couldn't handle it anymore and launched himself onto Shikamaru, his arms wrapping around Shikamaru's shoulder and hanged off him slightly. "Fine, fine! You win this time. I'll go but it's just to celebrate your accomplishment! Not because I desperately want to eat ramen."

Shikamaru grinned and placed his left hand onto Naruto's waist.

"Hm~"

Now his plan is going through perfectly. With this, Shikamaru could easily examine around to identifying who's been messing around with Naruto since he's not telling him any more information on the matter. He's gonna keep him close to him at all cost and hopefully see who and what the problem is.

Though he's never seen Naruto interact with others, he's sure Naruto lets people walk over him since he's too kind for his own good. It worries Shikamaru a lot actually.

"Thank you, let's eat well then."

 

.   .   .

 

"Don't say I didn't warn you..."

Shikamaru tilted his head, not able to hear what Naruto was whispering about, Naruto just shook his head, smiling at him a bit.

The two sat around the area for a while longer, talking about whatever nonsense comes into mind while Shikamaru gets back his energy.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you this but your new outfit looks nice on you. Suits you very well." Shikamaru complimented, tugging on Naruto's orange jacket.

"Ah thank you.." The tone made Shikamaru stare at him teasingly, Naruto sounded shy upon hearing his compliment. He noticed the hold on his arm tightening while Naruto's face looked more red than usual.

"Oh~ are you shy? Let me get a closer look at your cheek."

"What!? No I'm not! It's just that-- hey stop that! Don't squish my cheeks!!"

Chapter 9

Shikamaru stood, waiting for Naruto so that they can go and eat out. His set priority for today is to see anything different with Naruto, any sudden emotion changes or body motions. Anything that can help Shikamaru understand him more.

"Hey Shika! Sorry for making you wait, something caught up!" Naruto spoke out as he ran towards Shikamaru, swinging one of his hands high up. He stopped right in front of Shikamaru, taking in deep breathes from his jog.

Shikamaru let out a dissatisfying sigh and folded his arms together, eyes boring into Naruto which caused him to start sweating nervously. He's never looked at Naruto like that so it made him hesitate to speak.

"I was getting tired of waiting for you troublesome blond."

Naruto panicked a bit upon hearing that, "I didn't mean it! I just- erm-- busy! And-"

Shikamaru laughed lightly at him while Naruto is still trying to put his sentence in order. He unfolded his arms, raising one up to ruffle Naruto's hair and smiled softly at him.

"I'm just kidding, you're fine so let's get going yeah?"

Naruto let out a heavy sigh of relief, smiling back at him with a bigger and brighter one.

"Mhm!"

While they walked to their destination, the most Shikamaru can differentiate with Naruto is just that he is a little stiff while walking. Everything else however is the same. Naruto is chatting his heart away, still having his grin set and ready to be shown off. Everything is actually going well to his surprise.

Heck they were almost there to Ichiraku Ramen stand and nothing has happened.

Well yeah, it's a good thing nothing has happened but this doesn't help build off more on what is happening to Naruto, so you could say Shikamaru is a little frustrated. But, seeing how happy Naruto looks right now is enough for Shikamaru to defuse.

Just the typical Naruto.

He shook his head as Naruto began listing out all the different ramens he had not tried yet and looked around them. He squinted his eyes upon seeing the strange sights of people cowering away. Tuning out Naruto, he carefully listens to the whispers that bascially surrounded the whole street. When he glanced over to the other side, everything here felt off.

He listened and watched closely.

"... No... that thing..."

"Honey, it's... we need to..."

"Ew!... Who does..."

"Close the doors, it's..."

"This is...?"

He stopped his train of thoughts when he was suddenly pulled forward by Naruto, forcing him to speed up his pacing.

"--and can you believe that?! People these days, right Shika?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, very rude." Shikamaru answered, obviously lost on what Naruto is even talking about. That whole thing is strange though, what is everyone talking about? He'll have to ask Asuma about the latest news to be sure to keep an eye out.

The two finally made it to their destination, entering inside while being greeted by the owner.

"Welcome to- oh Naruto, long time no see! You brought someone with you this time." Teuchi greeted with a smile, waving at the two boys to take a seat in front of him.

"Yo Old Man! Sorry, I've been a little busy and this is my friend, Shika." Naruto introduced the two, grinning from ear to ear as he made his way to sit down. Shikamaru waved with a hesitate smile, following along with Naruto and standing behind him.

Calling someone an old man? That is quite a bold move there, Shikamaru tried his best not to smile at that and faked cough in his sleeve.

"Welcome! Just sit your butts on the chairs and decide what you guys want."

Chatting so happily, bouncing in his seat, looking fully comfortable and intact, Shikamaru felt a little more relieved that nothing happened to them.. to Naruto more specifically. 

"Sit down and order Shika!" Naruto said while flapping around the menu, breaking Shikamaru out of his thoughts once more. Shikamaru nodded and sat down beside him, picking up a menu to scan it.

"One miso ramen please Old man!"

"Hm, same as him."

They sat in silence after ordering, listening to the sound of water boiling and clashes of utensils. In the back of his mind, Shikamaru is still thinking about what he had heard not too long ago, he is a bit more cautious now about it.

"Did you hear-"

"Hey, hey! What are your future dreams?" Naruto asked, cutting off Shikamaru completely.

"Future dreams? Why do you want to know?" Shikamaru questioned, holding back his slight annoyance. Naruto has a bad habit of disrupting him out of nowhere, especially when he's asking a semi to very important questions. Actually, at this point, he feels like he's doing it on purpose.

"Just curious!"

Shikamaru thought it out for a bit, he had thought about his hopes for the future but it's not too amazing or anything. It was then, two steaming bowls were presented and placed in front of them. Naruto whole face lit up at the sight of the ramen, mouth wide open and drools threatening to drip out, hanging loosely on his lips. He sparkled, as if he is admiring the beauty of the noodles.

Shikamaru let out a quiet huff and watched him amusingly. His earlier annoyance and worries is now replaced with pure fondness. It can't be helped, Naruto has this innocent glow coming out of him that Shikamaru couldn't help himself but to let out a smile of his own. It's hard to stay annoyed at him.

With the way he's looking, Naruto is the second person who Shikamaru has ever seen to gaze at their food with so much liking.

"Hurry up and eat or else it'll get cold." Shikamaru nudged Naruto lightly. He grabbed a pair of chopsticks, broke them into two, and handed it to Naruto. Naruto accepted the chopsticks with a quick "thank you" and stuck them into his bowl. He was about to raise it up and slurp it up when he remembered that Shikamaru hadn't finished answering his question.

"Heh my bad, please continue. I'm still listening."

"Well it's nothing special, just want to... ahh.."

 

*SLURRRRP*

 

Shikamaru's eyebrows twitched out of sheer shock, Naruto is basically inhaling the bowl of noodles and it didn't even look like he is chewing. It frightened him a bit seeing Naruto eating like this.

He raised one of his hands up and proceeded to fold his fingers and unfolding.

"Hey eat slowly, you'll choke if you don't start chewing. Take your time, we're not in a rush or anything." Shikamaru told Naruto, getting even more worry about the amount he is slurping down without a break in between.

Naruto continued chugging through his bowl of ramen until it is completely empty. He let out a puff of satisfaction and patted his stomach with a loud chuckle.

"Wow! That was so good! Old man, you never fail when it comes to making delicious ramen! You're the best ah--" Naruto felt someone staring at him hard. He turned his head to his left and saw that Shikamaru, is indeed, the person staring at him with utter shock written all over his face.

Shikamaru's mouth is twitching slightly, his own chopsticks barley hanging onto his grip. The heat in Naruto's body immediately rushed towards his face, turning his cheeks flushed. Naruto staggered a bit, trying to form words together as embarrassment began to eat him up.

"I didn't mean to eat that messily! I normally eat like this and I try to control myself but ramen is just so good and I get a little carried away but the point is--!"

"Pfft-!"

Very rarely, he'd ever met someone with this much enthusiasm towards eating a bowl of ramen. It only took Naruto 6 minutes to finish his entire bowl and the way he started to explain himself afterwards really at the cherry to the top.

"Th-the way you ate that! Your lips kept puckering and-- hahah!"

Naruto turned into a deeper shade of red, if it was possible, steam would be coming out of his ears at how much heat his body is giving off. All while this was happening, he is already in the process of slamming his hand onto Shikamaru's shoulder to make him stop laughing.

"Stop laughing at me! It's not funny!" Naruto whined, his light slaps slowly turning into light punches the louder Shikamaru got. Shikamaru laughed and laughed until there is no more air in his lungs to let out. When that happened, he calmed himself down as he grabbed onto Naruto's hands with his own and held it gently in his grip.

"Sorry sorry, it's just that.." He wiped away the tear in his eyes and stared at his masked friend before continuing.

"It's fun being with you." Shikamaru chuckled out, resting his head on his other arm while closing his eyes, presenting Naruto with a small smile.

Naruto stopped his action and silently sat there, taking in Shikamaru's compliment him. It took him a minute to get it into his head but once it did, he felt himself panick again and quickly pulled his hand away from Shikamaru's grip. He slumped on his spot and placed his arms between his thighs, all while puffing out his cheeks before speaking quietly.

"You're talking nonsense, just eat your food already 'ttebayo.."

Shikamaru hummed happily and began eating his bowl.

"My dream is pretty simple. Grow old, get married, have children, etc."

"Oh? That's all? Not like getting stronger or going on harder missions?" Naruto asked, tilting his head at him. Shikamaru simply shook his head and continued slurping.

"What about you?"

"Oh well it's nothing much either, I'm kind of embarrassed to even say it out loud." Naruto mumbled shyly, tapping his fingers lightly on the chair. Shikamaru pat Naruto's back as a silent encouragement to just say it while he slurped on his noodles, nodding shortly.

Naruto gulped as his fingers tapping increase in speed, smiling warily as he mumbled. "Erm, well it's just to be looked as a normal... person..?"

Woah, all of a sudden, that pebble right beside him looks very interesting. Very gray and round, he totally did not make things awkward for himself.

Shikamaru quirked up his eyebrows in a questioning manner.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, wanting to understand what Naruto meant by that.

"Nothing you should be worried about."

"But what if I am?"

"Well you shouldn't."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because it's not worth worrying about~"

Naruto then hummed quietly to himself, swaying his legs and rocking himself side to side.

Shikamaru squinted his eyes at him. No matter how much Naruto tries to backtrack or cover his words, everything he spills out just sounds plain out strange and worrisome. He's going to store this in his "Naruto" section in his brain.

This is the first-ish time seeing and being with Naruto that isn't in their usual grassy meetup, making him uncomfortable now would probably cause him not wanting to go out with Shikamaru again.

And Shikamaru wants to show Naruto more places.

Silence engulfed between them again, not really a bothering silence though as the two indulged in the comfy atmosphere. Naruto continues to sway his head around, listening to the bells to ring as he did so and Shikamaru continues to finish his own bowl.

After about 15 minutes in, Shikamaru pays for the ramens and got off his seat with Naruto following along. They both walked slowly together, having their sides almost touching as the two let out satisfied burps.

"Thank you sooo much for the ramen! I promise I'll repay you whenever I get the chance!" Naruto thanked out loudly, rubbing his stomach with satisfaction written all over him.

"You don't have to, it's my treat." Shikamaru tilted his head up to look at the mix colored sky. "It's getting kind of late now, I'll walk you home."

Naruto made a face immediately after hearing that and faltered in step. He shook his head and went back to his usual demeanor. "Nah I'm fine! It's better for you to go home now, your parents are waiting for you."

Shikamaru glanced sideways to look at Naruto. He has this small yet very soft smile on his face, looking very calm and happy. As if the thought of his parents waiting for Shikamaru home made him feel cozy.

Shikamaru then glanced the other way once he thought of something. He couldn't help but noticed that Naruto was looking..

a little..

     bit..

        cute.

"They know that I'll be home a little late so it's fine." Shikamaru murmured, trying to ignore the sudden heat on his cheeks and how sweaty his hands feel.

"Besides, I was hearing around about an 'evil cursed' person walking around here so it's not safe for anyone to walk alone, especially someone who doesn't know anything about defense." He added on, changing the ending to a teasing tone. However, Shikamaru took notice of the few seconds of silence. When he looked over towards where Naruto should be, he realized that Naruto had stopped walking overall. Now a couple of steps behind him.

A little confused and concerned, he turned around fully and walked up to Naruto. Naruto isn't smiling like he was before, he is biting his bottom lips now. His hands are clenched tightly, causing them to shake and tremble slightly from the hold.

"Hey you alright? I didn't mean to frighten you." Shikamaru tried to comfort, placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder while bending his knees so that he could be at his eye level.

"... N..."

Naruto is trying to say something, Shikamaru leaned his ear closer to him.

".. N..no.."

Shikamaru is about to softly ask what the matter is and that he shouldn't be scared since he is here but he received a surprise for the day.

Naruto jumped to Shikamaru's right side, shaking his head side to side while releasing a laugh. Shikamaru tilted his head, his laugh didn't sound like his usual.

"Hahah cursed? I'm not THAT defenseless, I can easily defend myself so stop being such a worrywart! For real, please don't. Also uhm... thank you again for the meal, today made me really happy." Naruto grabbed onto Shikamaru's hand that was on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze before running to the other direction. When Shikamaru followed him into an alley, Naruto completely disappeared.

Some things just don't change, Naruto is the first to leave again.

Shikamaru let out a tired sigh realizing that there was barley any progress today of trying to figure out Naruto's suspects.

But what he'd just witness from Naruto stood a lot out.

No? No what? There is no such thing? Or maybe something else? Jeez another thing that Shikamaru needs to think heavily on to understand but seeing how Naruto looked made his chest pinch, he's never seen such a look on his face.

Why that expression?

Also, he wasn't able to catch anyone that was harming Naruto either and it disappointed him that he couldn't encounter them so that they could get a taste of their own medicine. At least now he's going home, he hopes that Naruto's parents know about the situation and is handling it right now.

Ugh, headache.

Despite that, today was fun though. Just him and Naruto eating together for the first time. Shikamaru thought about them doing it again and maybe do other things too like laying on the rooftops or eating some desserts. As long as it's the two of them, he doesn't mind what they do.

Honestly, anything is fun if he's with Naruto.

 

Chapter 10

Notes:

kind of a filler chapter!

"Uughh."

"Shikamaru! Damnit stop groaning every time you wake up!"

Shikamaru laid on his bed, not moving from his position despite hearing his mother yelling at him and telling him to get up. His upper body is currently being hanged off his bed, the top of his head resting of the cold wood floor.

"... Troublesome women."

"Huh~? You always want to mumble something to me so how about you come down here and say that LOUD and CLEAR to my face?"

 

.  .  .

 

Shikamaru lowly but quickly apologized after some silence. Her and her frightening good ears always amazes him, he didn't even say that loud enough yet she managed to hear it all. His dad did say she'd use her hearing as an advantage during missions back when she was active.

Today is his teams day off from missions and training, Shikamaru was planning on staying in his compound and laze away until the time to see if Naruto is at their usual later, but an idea popped up while he was sleeping.

He is gonna ask people, who he knew, about any information they know or heard about Naruto. This way, it'll maybe help build off from something more.

"Come downstairs and start eating!"

Heaving a tired sigh, he stood up and stretched out his body before walking slowly down his stairs where his parents were already sitting.

 

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

 

"It's more crowded then usual, hm how bothering." Shikamaru thought to himself as he is being pushed around in the crowd. He should've walked the other road to avoid this but he's already too far down so might as well continue through this. He wonders what's so special about today, there's nothing marked on the calender so this is strange.

Anyways, his first stop is at a familiar flower shop owned by the one and only Yamanaka clan. Once he reached the store, he entered inside and is already greeted with the sight of Ino and their newly added teammate from Kakashi's team, Sai.

Him and Sai aren't very close, Sai can be a little awkward with how he expresses himself and he can make things uncomfortable fast. For example, one day during his introduction of joining Konoh 12, Sakura was already in a somewhat bad mood and it was obvious. Sai saw how tired she looked and went up to her.

His intentions were to use comforting words to his new teammate but instead...

"You frowning makes you look more like a boar."

"What."

Let's just say the end results is just as imagined.

"Shikamaru? What are you doing here?" Ino questioned, tilting her head to the side while she gently placed down a bundle of flowers in a vase.

Shikamaru walked a little closer to them, resting his body on the counter, "I just have a question for the both of you."

"Huhh?? The both of us!? Oh my, could it be...?"

"Wait why are you panicking?"

Ino is full on pacing around her store, mumbling inaudible words and her eyes were quivering slightly.

Shikamaru was about to call her again but before a word could even come out, Ino grasped onto his shoulders and started spouting out nonsense.

"It's not what it looks like!"

"Ino-"

"He is here to help me around the store, it's nothing at all!"

"Ino please-"

He gave up fast, realizing that Ino isn't gonna calm down anytime soon and just accepted his fate for a while longer.

What a great way to start this off.

Shikamaru opted to turn and look over at Sai to see if he is okay enough to listen and NOT panic for absolutely no reason. Sai gave him a short nod, signaling him to ask away.

"Do you know someone by the name of Naru?" Shikamaru asked carefully.

Sai pondered on it.

"No, I've never met someone by that name." Sai answered honestly after a few seconds of thinking. "But it does sound familiar."

Shikamaru let out a hum while taking in the small information. He pushed his upper body up so that he is fully standing and began walking out to the door. That's all he needed to hear from them.

"Thanks, I'll leave you two alone now."

As he walked out, Ino finally calmed herself down and snapped out of her state. She hurriedly went to Sai and asked about what they were talking about since she didn't hear what Shikamaru asked.

Shikamaru continued on with his venture to his next targets, not sure who but hopefully people he recognizes will pop up somewhere soon and hope that they'll have things to say.

"Shikamaruu! How are you doing? Haven't seen you in a while man!"

Luckily, it took only two minutes and he already spotted one of friends. That's good, it'll make things move more quickly the faster he finds everyone.

"Kiba, you're loud as ever." Shikamaru grumbled, meeting Kiba half way through the sidewalk.

Kiba chuckled at that before wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close. "Oh come on, I know you missed me!"

Shikamaru groaned, trying to push himself away from Kiba's booming voice. He continued on to grumble, "Whatever.. but listen, I got a question."

"Well ask away."

"Do you know someone by the name Naru?"

Kiba thought it over for a few seconds before shaking his head side to side.

"Never heard of him, how about you Shino?"

"What? Shino?"

Shikamaru's shoulders almost jumped up. When he turned his head to the other side, a dark pair of glasses were staring straight at him, almost as if the eyes behind them were glaring at him hard.

He didn't even realize that Shino is with Kiba this whole time.

"Shikamaru, that's awfully rude of you." Shino began speaking slowly and lowly. "How could you not notice that I was here?"

Shikamaru could feel his eyebrows twitching at disbelieve, he isn't too sure but the way Shino said it sounded like he was close to sulking. It's something he'd never imagined to hear out of someone like Shino.

"M-my bad Shino.. I didn't mean to, I swear." Shikamaru stutters out apologetically, forcing his body to move slowly away from Shino's intense stare. Shino sighed out, pushing his glasses back in place and got back into his usual posture.

"Naru does sound very familiar but I don't believe I ever interacted with someone with that name. Maybe ask one of our Sensei's since they're more well aware of everything."

Even more of nothing, Shikamaru is getting a little disappointed with the lack of information. They chatted up for a few minutes before Shikamaru bid them a goodbye and went to try to find the others.

His mind began to wonder off to the exact person who he was doing all of this for, Naruto.

Over the years of knowing him, they've grown very close.. yet it also felt like they weren't close at all. Naruto had said before that Shikamaru is his close friend but, Shikamaru can't even figure him out. With the way he brushes Shikamaru's concerns away to his equally concerning answers.

This is all draining.

 

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

 

Shikamaru's next stop was at a well known restaurant. He knows for sure that his friend Choji will be in here, either alone or hopefully with someone else. Entering inside, just as suspected, he instantly was able to spot Choji in one of the booths. The multiple stacks of plates, bowls, and almond color hair gave it away.

"Yo Choji, eating well?" Shikamaru casually asked while making his way over to Choji's table. Glancing around the seatings, he was accompanied by Sakura, Sasuke, and Tenten.

Shikamaru gave them a nod of acknowledgment and them returning it.

"Are you here to join us? Come have a seat beside me!" Tenten greeted, ready to scoot and make more room for him to sit but stopped when she saw Shikamaru shake his head.

"Just need to ask something, from you all. Do you guys know anything, ANYTHING, about a person named Naru?"

All he received were the same answers as the others. Shikamaru was considering about giving up at this point and figure out another way somehow until-

"Ah wait I remember hearing something similar to that name from my brother." Sasuke announced.

Yes! Finally!

Shikamaru was washed over with relief, finally something! He cleared his throat and paid close attention, "What did he say?"

"Something about how that kid doesn't deserve all the harsh treatments he is receiving and that everything that happened wasn't his fault." Sasuke said all while grilling the raw meats on the heating pan.

Interesting...

So Shikamaru is right about how Naruto is being harmed by someone but the main question still stands.

Why? Why is getting treated badly and why is he at fault?

"Shikamaru? Is everything alright?"

He snapped back into reality once he heard Sakura call his name.

"Yeah I'm fine, thanks for telling me. I'll leave you guys to eat now." And with that, left the restaurant and started his journey back to his house.

The sky is getting darker indicating that dinner is about to be here. He can already hear his mother's booming voice nagging at him for being late.

Such a shame, he ended up not having time to see Naruto today.

 

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

 

"What have you been up to lately? You've been surprisingly going out a lot more than usual." Shikaku, his father, asked curiously.

Shikamaru made it home safely after walking through the street and now is eating a small dinner with his parents.

"Nothing much, I was just asking my friends a question about a kid I'm close with." Shikamaru answered before taking in a bite of the fish.

"Oh? What is that person's name?"

"Naru."

Shikaku and Yoshino stopped moving, seemingly surprised by the answer.

Shikamaru stares at them confusingly, "What's wrong?"

"..Naru? As in Naruto?"

Ah-

Shikamaru dropped his chopsticks in disbelief, staring blankly at his parents with his mouth agape. Shikamaru had forgotten that Naru is just a shorten nickname that he'd call him. He's so used to it that it just naturally slips out of his mouth without a thought. That's why everyone didn't know who he was talking about but sounding familiar, how troublesome.

"Yeah that's him, Uzumaki Naruto but why is your reaction like that?"

"No nothing... we're just a little surprise that you know him."

This all perked up his curiosity.

"Wait you know him? Can you tell me the things you know?" He immediately questioned, placing down his bowl as he paid close attention.

Upon hearing the question, Yoshino eyes soften and smiled sadly.

"I'm not sure how much we can share but he doesn't deserve the treatment he is getting. He's only a small boy and doesn't have anyone else.." Yoshino quietly answered before releasing a small sigh. "Disheartening honestly."

Shikamaru wanted more than just that, he continued to press on, "Can you tell me why he's being treated so badly?"

"Unfortunately no, just know that he isn't like any other kid around here but if you want to know more, it's better to just ask him yourself." Shikaku then informed, standing up to place the dirty dishes into the sink.

"You already know it's gonna be pointless unless you ask him directly." And with that, Shikaku ended the conversation.

Shikamaru grumbled at that.

Yeah he knows it is pointless but that's easier said than done. He had already attempted on  doing so but Naruto would most of the time just avoid it or give out short answer that Shikamaru has to connect on his own.

No matter how much bribery he offers, Naruto stays stubborn to solve things himself.

Is what Naruto is hiding really that serious to hide to this extent?

 

.        .         .

 

"I'm going straight to the answer the next time I see Naru."

 

Chapter 11

"Shika, isn't this butterfly beautiful?" Naruto asked, bringing the blue butterfly closer up towards Shikamaru.

"Ah yeah it is." Shikamaru absentmindedly responded, eyes drifting back to the cloud covered sky. Naruto glanced at him in suspicion, he noticed Shikamaru acting very strangely not too long ago and it's strange. Everything he's saying seems to go through one ear and out the other.

Hm, he's going to test something quickly.

"I can summon a blue circle on my hand." Naruto started off, paying close attention to Shikamaru's next response.

"Oh really now."

Hmm.

"Ya know, I actually really hate ramen."

"Interesting"

Hmmm.

"No like, I REALLY hate ramen. It's so bad that I can't stand the sight of it."

"That's very terrible."

Tick!

Naruto further frowned at the responses he was receiving. He isn't even listening to what Naruto is even saying despite his obvious lies!

Obviously he could tell that there is something going on in Shikamaru's head that's clearly bothering him and being the good friend that he is, he is gonna help him out. He hasn't seen Shikamaru this absentminded before so he's going to support him the best he can.

Naruto nodded to himself before laying down beside Shikamaru, on his stomach and prompted his head on his hands. He swung his legs lightly and tried once again to get the Nara's attention.

"Hey~ listen to me! I know there's something bothering you, you can tell me ya know." Naruto pouted at him, making a move to poke his cheek. "Yo~?"

Shikamaru stayed silent, almost like he is ignoring Naruto completely. Naruto drooped a little, poking his cheek again in hopes of it working.

"Come on, I'm open to listen to ya know!"

 

.   .   .

 

Naruto sighed, pushing himself up so that he could sit on the grass. He's going to have to think of another way to gain his attnetion, this is clearly not working. But just when he sat himself comfortably, Shikamaru's hand suddenly grab a hold onto his wrist and pulled him back down to the ground. He ended up landing a little hard face first on the ground, causing his mask to slam closer to his face.

"OW-?! Hey what was that for?!" Naruto groaned out angrily, carefully pulling the mask away from his face a bit so that he could rub his aching face. He carefully made sure that he still had it hidden. Shikamaru continued to hold onto Naruto's wrist. He made sure his grip is gentle so that he wouldn't hurt him. He always wants to be gentle whenever he is with Naruto, he'd never hurt him.

After a few moments of silence, Naruto began to feel worried as Shikamaru hadn't moved at all. He leaned a bit closer and spoke out his name softly. "Shika?"

"Do you trust me?"

Naruto was taken aback by this, laughing nervously as he tilted his head.

"Hahah... What's up with you? Of course I do." Naruto answered, confused to where this is going to lead. Though deep down, he had a feeling where Shikamaru is coming from and he readied himself.

There was a slightly pause between their conversation.

"I want to know more about you." Shikamaru voiced, slowly turning his head so that he and Naruto are face to face. "Just you."

"But you already know a lot about me."

"No, Naru that's not-" Shikamaru stopped himself, he'd almost raised his voice from the frustration building up. He shouldn't get so worked up over this. In order for this to work out well, he needs to stay calm. He needs to think carefully on his moves, no more pushing this back.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down before speaking again, "I've been worried about you for a hell of a while now, I saw how panicked you looked back when we were eating out at the ramen restaurant. Why?"

"But didn't I tell you not to worry about it? It's N.O.T important." Naruto gritted out, each words being spit out tightly.

"How can I not?! There like hints! It's like your trying to hint at me that you might be in danger! As your friend, I'm concerned about your wellbeing."

"You're thinking too hard about this." Naruto shook his head, gripping onto the grass in an attempt to ground himself. Shikamaru pushed himself off the ground, reaching for Naruto's shoulders and stared into his pitch black covered eyes.

"Damnit! No I'm not!"

"It's not that big of a deal!!"

"If it's not that big of a deal then why can't you just tell me?!"

"BECAUSE IT CAN'T--!"

Naruto wanted to scream so badly but stopped himself, he took many deep breathes as his heart squeezed. This is bad, he's not sure if he can handle this much longer and it looked like Shikamaru isn't going to back out this time.

"Can't what?" Shikamaru persisted, eyes staring in anticipation and hope. It made Naruto's stomach turn seeing such emotions, just for someone like him.

He needs to leave now, he's been able to hide all of this for a while now and it can't end like this. He can't let Shikamaru know the truth, he's... he's afraid.

"... The sky is getting dark already, it's time for me to go." Naruto quickly yanked off Shikamaru's grip, pushed himself up, and made a run for it without looking back. Shikamaru quickly got off the ground as well, hands held tightly as a burning determination lingered in his chest.

Not today, he's not letting Naruto go again.

 

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

 

"Wow, so incredible! I totally didn't sound suspicious at all! Woohoo good job me! Ugh.."

Naruto scolded under his breath, punching his mask in irritation. He really set this up badly for himself and now he's not sure if he can continue covering up. When they were eating together, he knew he should've just denied Shikamaru's request right then and there so that nothing suspicious would be brought up.

"So stupid! What was I thinking."

Walking quietly back to his apartment, he could feel the cold glares at him, the hateful whispers being spread around, and even the avoidance. It's not unfamiliar, something he's been receiving ever since he was young so you could say he's used to it.

It's also a reminder to him that he can't escape from this destiny of his.

But even with all of this happening, his mind kept wondering back to that time he spent eating with Shikamaru. That day is one of the best days he ever had. Being able to eat out with a company by his side is enough to make him happy for the next months or most likely even longer!

Just him and Shikamaru, laughing and talking. It made him feel jittery for the first time in his life and remembering back is bringing the feeling back to his chest.

*BAM*

He winced when he felt his back slammed onto the wooden walls of a building. Unexpectedly, he had suddenly been pulled into some sketchy looking alleyway and looking upwards, he notices  two older men hovering over him. The light feeling he felt earlier quickly vanished, now replaced with a familiar fear overtaking now.

"Well well well, it looks like you still haven't learned your lesson Cursed. Everyone told you that they don't want to ever see you around here but look! It's like you want to be pummeled." One of the taller men spoke out tauntingly, an obvious unwelcome aura surrounding him and his buddy.

Naruto tried to make himself look as if he wasn't affected by his taunts but truthfully, his hands were shaking badly. No matter what he says or do, the results ends in the same way. It's a cruel and unfair game that he never wins in.

"Let the fun begin." The other man then announced, cracking his knuckles before pushing Naruto back hard against the trashcans.

"I-I didn't even do anything.." A pathetic whimper escaped put of his lips, he's sure a bruise is going to form at how hard the trashcan hit his back. Immediately, a foot was slammed onto Naruto's head, causing him to fall to the side all while it stayed in that exact spot.

"Talking back now are ya?! Someone who's holding a curse and also being a hideous beast has no right to speak! Get ready now, punching bag."

"Wait please! Just leave me alone, I promise I won't do anything! I'm- I'm not--" Naruto desperately tried to plea, however the others simply tutted before beginning to spout insults.

"Don't deny it you shitty beast!"

"A devil himself! Cursed by the gods!"

"Learn your place!"

His plea went ignored unsurprisingly. He shut his eyes tightly, sighing out in defeat. It's gonna be another one of those days, to his dismay. Why did he even bother trying at this point, they never listen. He's just glad enough that Shikamaru isn't with him or else he'd also most likely be harmed as well.

Naruto caused enough troubles for everyone, Shikamaru shouldn't get involved. He doesn't want him to see him in such state.

He doesn't want Shikamaru to dislike him, he fears that the most.

He held tightly onto his own sleeves, letting out shaky breaths as he prepares himself for another hit. He shivered under the cold night breeze, feeling so alone as a memory of Shikamaru smiling warmly at him flashes in his mind. He let out a tiny smile upon the memory.

However, instead of the two men above him speaking, a new, yet knowing voice showed himself.

 

 

"Are you two fucking idiots not listening to what he's saying?

                                                                                              Leave. Him. Alone."

  

Chapter 12

That little escape route isn't going to work this time. Shikamaru needs to stop letting this drag on and get to the bottom of this right here, right now. After getting himself situated, he ran after Naruto. With the skills he learned, he stealthily followed Naruto, making sure to keep a distance so that Naruto couldn't sense him.

However, the wind picked up some of the dust from the road and swirled right onto him, making him close his eyes for a brief moment. After a few seconds past and the wind died down, he quickly looked at where Naruto is but was met with nothing. He paused in his track, trying to figure out which direction Naruto would most likely go.

Naruto is surprisingly fast, where did he go? No way he would just poof himself away, Shikamaru had seen him try and failed to do so not long ago.

He walked down the semi-empty road, scanning everywhere for his blond friend. He notices people seem to be a little on edge weirdly. Could it relate to this curse person that's been rumored around? Shikamaru eyes widened a little at that thought, could Naruto be targeted by them?

Not taking that chance, Shikamaru hurried his steps. Scanning at everything and everyone until he felt the familiar presence at a distance. Soon came a loud bang noise inside one of the alleyways and he beelined over to that location. When he entered inside, he is met with a wave of uneasiness.

Could that be?

His heart began to quicken, mind going into a slight frenzy as many thoughts came into mind. He's not afraid of a bunch of troublemakers, no way, the only thing he is worried about is Naruto being their main target. The people reactions were the only hint he'd gotten from this. That kid doesn't know how to fend for himself, not even a basic ankle kick to make a person drop down.

He picked up his pace, getting closer and closer towards the loud noise.

"Wait please! Just leave me alone, I promise I won't do anything! I'm- I'm not--"

"Don't deny it you shitty beast!"

"A devil himself! Cursed by the gods!"

"Learn your place!"

Shikamaru overheard at least a small portion of the dispute, recognizing one of the voices he was hoping not to know. His heart dropped, eyes squinting in a deep glare.

Naruto.

Naruto is in danger.

"Hiding half of your hideous face behind that mask is such a good idea haha, who would want to look at you anyways right?"

"Those ugly colored eyes and those scars."

His fingernails dig deep into his palms, creating crescent shapes engraved on it. He'd finally found them, the two bastards harming Naruto.

It's finally time.

"Are you two fucking idiots not listening to what he's saying?

                                                                                              Leave. Him. Alone."

The two, clearly drunk, men head snapped towards Shikamaru direction and stared dumbfounded at him. The cold glare that is sent to their direction made their spines shake a bit. They looked shocked, even baffled. It was as if they were not expecting anyone to actually tell them to stop. Shikamaru casted his eyes downwards and at Naruto's laid body, he looked already all beat up and bruised from head to toe. Adding onto that, one of the men still had his foot placed on his head.

It felt like the world around Shikamaru stopped upon seeing the injuries. He hates seeing such sight, his breath is heavy as he felt his fists shaking at his sides.

"So you guys were the one harming my friend all this time." Shikamaru spoke lowly, sliding his hands inside his pockets as he tapped one of his shoe on the ground. He took in deep breaths, eyes never leaving the three as his heart raced.

It was completely silent for a moment until laughter broke out.

"Fr-friend?! This thing has a friend?? Bwahah!! " Both of them burst out of laughter, having a hard time believing the boy under their shoes has a friend. To them, it doesn't make sense as to why someone like Naruto would have anyone to like him. It sounded like a complete joke. As the two were distracted, Naruto took this opportunity to try his best to squirm away. However, them laughing caused the pressure on his head to be pushed down harder onto the ground. It's too difficult to maneuver with such weight on him. He grimaced when he felt his cheek scraping against the floor, he's sure blood is going to gush out anytime soon.

Shikamaru, watching all of this, dug his shoes onto the gravel ground as his eyebrows knitted. He could hear his own heart beat at this point, his teeth gritted together. 

Naruto is one of the sweetest and purest person he had ever met.

People who harm someone like him, deserves nothing.

He took in another deep breath, closing his eyes for a second before glancing up at the sky. Luck is on his side tonight, the lighting in here is perfect for him to use.

"I usually offer annoying people like you a chance to run off and stop being stupid but..." Shikamaru sentenced drifted off, his tone slow and dragged. Naruto took a peek from the corner of his mask and gasped out lightly. Shikamaru's surrounding is getting darker and darker, the darken area seemingly becoming bigger. Seeing such sight with Shikamaru being surrounded by shadow, even Naruto felt a little scared.

It seems Naruto isn't the only one to take notice as one of the men took hesitate steps back. "Wait a minute.. what's up with his surroundings..? Hey man, I think we should go-"

"Hahah! You think I'm scared of some kid acting all big and strong?! Come up." The taller man grabbed a hold onto Naruto's bundle of hair and held him up high. He then flung him forward while still having a hold on him. Naruto let out a pained shout, scratching the man's hands to let him go.

With his expression tightening, he spouted out words laced in disgust. "This the little thing you're worried about? Haven't your parents taught you anything about him?"

"Pl-please don't-- Ack!"

"Do you want to know the truth? How about we start from the very beginning, yeah?"

"Shut up I don't care, put him down." Shikamaru simply shook his head. "Or else."

Shikamaru outside composure actually looked relaxed, making the taller man glare at him. It's like he's taking the man as a joke. The man simply tutted under his breath, taunting him with his crooked smile.

"Or else what?"

That was it, all Shikamaru needed to hear.

He allowed his shadows to expand even more, covering almost the whole alleyway's floor and making it go way higher up onto the walls. Without showing much remorse, his shadows looking like it is engulfing them inside.

"Trying to escape total darkness is hard, you know. No matter how much you walk or search, you will end up with just nothing. Sounds fun, right?"

The shadows below the men then traveled up their legs, trapping them at their spots and not letting them move at all.

"What's the deal?!"

Shikamaru stayed silent, eyes glaring hard as he chose not to break any eye contact with their struggling bodies. Naruto took this chance of distraction to jab a kick on the persons side. The captivator yelled out curses and successfully, the man let go. This allowing him to run away and stumbled his way to stand beside Shikamaru.

Shikamaru instantly raised his arm in front of Naruto, pushing him back to have him hide behind him and away from this. He didn't say anything to Naruto as he quietly raised his shadows higher up to the men's bodies. There isn't any other thought in his head right now, the one and main thing he is thinking about is getting rid of these disgusting pests.

Naruto isn't too sure on what Shikamaru's intentions are but felt frightened by this side of him. With how much anger Shikamaru is giving off and how he's bascially engulfing the two others, Naruto began to panic. Is he thinking about killing them?

Afraid that he'll actually do it, he quickly grabbed onto Shikamaru's clothing and pulled onto his shirt in desperation.

"Shika, you're gonna kill them! Please don't hurt them!"

"What?! But they hurt you!" Shikamaru snapped out, breaking his focus on them to look over at Naruto. There's no point in worrying about people like them, they taint Konoha's title. Naruto grasped onto the back of his sleeves tightly, lips quivering and his whole body shook. Shikamaru instantly softened at the sight.

"There just regular civilians Shika.."

Shikamaru is honestly having trouble thinking about what he should do. He can't just let these two people run off without any punishment but Naruto is here defending them.

"Shika..."

.    .    .

Shikamaru clicked his tongue begrudgingly, they got lucky this time. He'll just have to report about them to the Hokage later, at least some justice will be served that way. He calmed himself down once again, releasing his two targets out of his shadows grasp.

They fell onto the ground with a loud thump, looking all shaken by the attack and gasping out of shock. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at such sight, it was pathetic.

Weak.

Cowards.

He will forever remember their faces.

Allowing them to be left alone, Shikamaru picked Naruto up, scooping from the back of his knees and neck ebfore turning his back at heaving mens. Before making his move to jump up and leave, he decided it wouldn't hurt to leave a small message. Just something small and sweet.

"The next time I see any of you, remember that you won't be so lucky."

And with that, jumped onto the sides of the building's wall and right on the rooftop of one. He carried Naruto further away from the edge to avoid accidental falling and gently placed him down. With a worry expression, he examined closely as he tried to idientify all the the injuries he received. Bruises, scratches, and small trickles of blood tainted his tan skin. Good thing that he made it in time or else Naruto could've received way more than this, things that Shikamaru doesn't wish to imagine.

Naruto hurriedly checked if his mask is still in place and fixed it in position. After he finished, he turned his head away from Shikamaru, not wanting to look at him at all. He almost felt embarrassed that he'd showed such a weak side of himself and also felt a little scared.

With what he witness, what does Shikamaru think of him now?

However, before he could attempt to think of any ways to avoid their conversation, two hands are placed on both side of his cheeks and having his head turned gently to stare into Shikamaru's worried ones.

"We need to treat your wounds, come with me to the hospital."

"No."

"Naru, now is not the time to act like this."

"They won't do jack shit to me! They don't care!" Naruto bursted out, his emotions going haywire. He's already stressed and the thought of going to the hospital is enough for him to actually burst. He grabbed onto Shikamaru's wrists and yanked them down.

He pushed himself up quickly, wincing from the pain and backed away so that they were at a distance. "I'll be fine! Just pretend all of this never happen."

Shikamaru was confused but then it quickly got replaced with slight irritation. He also stood up and grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him back so that they are close again.

"Naru! How about you come to my house and my mom--"

"No!" Naruto screamed, his voice cracking as he desperately tried to get rid of Shikamaru's hands. "Please stop being so nice to me! I don't deserve your kindness!"

There is a thin line that is about to snap inside Naruto's brain, this shouldn't have happen. Shikamaru shouldn't see him like this, he's supposed to stay unaware of this for a while longer.

Shikamaru refused to let go, his expression softening as he spoke out. "I'm only nice because I care about you, I care so much about you."

Naruto stopped after hearing that, standing silently. Shikamaru could see how shaken up Naruto is again, he looked like a shivering fox. He made a move to pull Naruto back towards him so that he could carry him again but is suddenly pushed down and onto the ground.

Naruto bolted right passed him and jumped dangerously onto the next rooftop.

What the hell?!

Shikamaru immediately shot back up and ran after him. He is worried about Naruto's injuries but now he's even more worried that Naruto is gonna miss a jump and hurt himself even more.

"Now is not the time to try out stunts that shinobis do!"

The chase went on for about 5 minutes. It was one of the most stressful chase he'd done, Shikamaru had watched Naruto barley make it onto each of the roofs and during one of those times, Naruto slipped once but managed to pull himself up and continued on. Shikamaru felt his heart leaped out when he witnessed that.

Every time Shikamaru reached him, Naruto would throw himself so he'd have to draw back each time. Naruto's actually quick too despite his clumsy jumps, if Shikamaru used his shadow, it would not reach since he is still limited.

After some more time past, Naruto finally made a stop. Shikamaru caught up to him, landing at ease as he placed his hands onto his knees. Shikamaru let out a sigh, so relieved that Naruto didn't fall off and further injure himself. He wanted to scold him for recklessly throwing himself when they were near edges but bit his tongue.

Taking in one last deep breath, he examined their new surrounding. He noticed that they are in a more busted section of Konoha, it kind of gave off a lonely aura. There is no sign of anyone here, just empty streets and a lonesome feeling. Naruto made his way up the stairs and walked further down the crusty hallway until he reached a certain beat up looking door. He opened the door without much effort and entered inside.

Shikamaru continued to follow silently behind, eyes scanning around some more. When he made it to the entrance of where Naruto entered, he slowly made his way inside and is met with such a sight. The couch is so torn and bumpy, the kitchen is barley visible as it is covered in dirty dishes and many empty cups of noodles. The floor looked very dirty, and overall the place looked beat up and disgusting.

How can someone live in this condition?

"Welcome!"

Shikamaru snapped his attention back at Naruto, his lips tightening at his expression. He is displaying off such a wide smile, but Shikamaru knew it isn't his actual one. This one looked more force.

"I guess there is no use on hiding it anymore, today is the day where you finally get to know the true me!" Naruto chuckled out bitterly, angling his head to the side a little and made his smile wider.

However, that smile.

That forced smile he's showing is so dissatisfying to look at.

 

Chapter 13

They stared at each other, Naruto still smiling at him while Shikamaru stared confusingly back. Naruto lightly kick the beat up floor, eyes down-casting a bit.

"Sorry, my place is dirty so we'll have to talk in my room. It's more decent there." Naruto said before walking further inside the beat up apartment. Shikamaru didn't utter a word as he followed silently, eyes wondering around. When he entered inside the bedroom, it is a lot cleaner than the other rooms but still, the bed looked stiff and there are many papers scattered around the room. Alongside with a few scratches on the walls and floor.

He then looked back at Naruto, slowly and unsure. Naruto is standing, as if he is waiting patiently for him to give a reaction.

"It's really messy, isn't it?" Naruto commented knowingly, pointing down at the room. Shikamaru blinked and shook his head lightly, realizing that he was judging too hard at his living condition. It's just unexpected, is what his parents said really true? That he's actually all alone, no family?

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry... I'm sorry."

"Nope! It's fine, I would be thinking like that too but I'm used to it being like this." Naruto shrugged it off, nudging the empty noodle cups to the corner of the room.

He then sat himself down onto the apartment floor, a small pillow already set. "You have questions, don't you? Well now is your chance to ask me anything and this time, I won't be running away. Fire away."

Naruto patted on the floor, signaling to Shikamaru to take a seat in front of him and which Shikamaru took the invitation.

Complete silence surrounded the two, both awkward and unsure on how to start off the conversation. To Shikamaru, the air around them felt tense and anticipation bubbled in his chest, so he is getting a little nervous for whats to come. While Naruto looked at ease, as if it is a normal meeting that they usually do. Raking around his brain, he prepares everything in his head. "About the guys back there.. why did they attack you?"

"You heard most of the things they said right? About being a devil spawned and whatnots?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"Well that's your answer! Funny, right?" Naruto chuckled dryly, his voice dying down as he tapped onto the ground with his finger. Shikamaru didn't know how to feel or even think, Naruto is still acting with this carefree persona and it's honestly getting on his nerves. Not in a bad way but this is serious, Shikamaru is being serious and wants to be taken as that.

"Explain more in details, I'm not understanding."

"It's really not that hard, I'm hated by everyone here. No one likes me, they remind me everyday of it." Naruto's smile now shifting into a slight scowl as he tried his best to keep his head held up.

"But why do they hate you? I've known you long enough to know that you're not the type of person who could harm anyone, at most kill someone."

"Aah! But I apparently I have. I'm a monster, a beast, a killer, hence why people have been calling me these titles, remember when we went to eat out at the ramen restaurant?"

Shikamaru flinched upon the memory. He remembers the whispers that were around them, he remembers hearing about an evil--

"After all, no one likes a person who carries around a curse with them." Naruto informed, completing Shikamaru's thoughts. Shikamaru heart beat slowly, swallowing down his salvia as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Curse?"

"Yep! Fun, isn't it? Ever since birth, I have always been hated. This place hates me so much, to the point they all planned out someone to set a curse on me." Naruto took a quick pause, seemingly doubtful but chose to continue what he started. " I bear a curse from a young age, everyone is waiting for the day I finally set it into motion and activate it."

Shikamaru needed to take a quick breath in, this is heavy information he wasn't expecting to hear. How was he able to not hear a single thing about this? That shocked him the most since Naruto spoke as if the whole town knew of him.

"And what is your curse?"

"Disappearing from existence." Naruto immediately answered, voice noticeably becoming duller and duller the longer the conversation dragged on. Shikamaru stayed quiet after hearing the answer, biting his tongue as he processed what he have listened so far. He never thought that the village he grew up in with much respect would end up being so harsh towards someone so young.

Yet, he shouldn't be in denial. This is reality, this is happening to his friend.

Naruto exhaled, breath shaking as he finally revealed his secret to him. After hiding it for so long, it saddened him that it had to be let out so soon.

It was fun while it lasted, he expected this day to come.

"I'm sorry for hiding this from you." Naruto apologized, standing up slowly and stepping back to give Shikamaru some space.

"I.. I didn't want you to know because I wanted to continue being with you. When I first met you, it was one of the best days of my life. I finally felt so happy to have company and since you didn't know anything about me, I tried my hardest to keep this secret from you in order for us to stay as friends." Naruto couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle, gripping onto his own sleeve as he took another step back. "I guess I'm more of a selfish person, huh?"

His heart is pounding so hard against his chest, it hurts. He nimble the bottom of his lips as he grew uncomfortable at how unresponsive Shikamaru is being.

.   .   .

"Do you, perhaps, feel betrayed?"

.     .     .

"Maybe even hurt?"

.        .       .

Naruto took the silence as a yes and smiled bitterly.

"I understand if you also think of me badly. My hands are tainted with the sin I titled, the hideous colored eyes I have, and a reputation that isn't ideal. I'm not a good person to be around and I'm sorry if I also affected your reputation as a Nara."

After finishing, Shikamaru slowly stand up from his spot with his fists clenched hard. Naruto could see how strong he held by how his knuckles turned white. Naruto tilted his head down, staring at the floor as he readied himself.

"You can slap, hit, or just leave. I understand and accept whatever I receive."

He listens to the sound of heavy footsteps coming closer to him, his stomach dropping at each step he hears.

"I was planning on activating my curse soon anyways so--" Having his sentence cut off, two hands raised up fast and pinched both of Naruto's cheeks. Naruto winced at the pain, feeling Shikamaru now tugging his cheeks as far as it can go. Even through the pain, he is surprised at the action of the Nara.

Of all things, Naruto did not expect being pinched as his starter.

"Shrikraa-?!"

"You... you absolute idiot." Shikamaru gritted through his teeth, eyes meeting the covered ones in anger. "A super fucking idiot!"

Naruto tried his best to keep his whine low when Shikamaru pulled his cheeks further one last time before letting them go, causing a light slap sound to happen. Naruto covered his cheeks with his own hands and whimpered quietly, feeling the burning pain of the aftermath. But not too long after, he is suddenly pulled against Shikamaru's body.

Strong arms wrapped around his body, Naruto's arms being trapped under his as Shikamaru squeezes tightly. He bent down a little so that he could rest his forhead on Naruto's shoulder. He is shocked and baffled, his body isn't cooperating at all so all he could do is just stand here. He could feel Shikamaru's chest shaking at every breath he took in, feeling his hot air blown on his neck.

All he could really process in his mind is his heating cheeks and the warmth of another body transferring over to him.

"Warm..." If it weren't for their current situation, Naruto would've laid his own head onto Shikamaru's and bask in the hug. He glanced down carefully and spoke out again.

"What are you doing?"

All he heard is the sound of a tongue clicking.

"Utterly stupid of you to think that I'm like the others." Shikamaru whispered in his ear, causing him to shiver at the breeze. "Don't speak for a bit, let's just be here together."

"But Shika-"

"Ah! Shh."

"... But-"

"Naru, shut up."

Naruto zipped his mouth shut, chin resting on Shikamaru's shoulder and breathed in the scent of forest. They stayed like this for a while, no talking, no movements.

.   .   .

After the two have fully calmed down, Shikamaru quietly began questioning him further. "Have you ever actually killed someone?"

"... No, I've just been told that I have."

"Do you think of yourself as a monster?"

"No..? Maybe? I don't know, I've been told so many times that I began to start thinking that I am one. Sometimes I wonder if I had my memory lost or something since I can't recall when I've acted out."

"So you believed that I'll be like everyone else if I had known the truth?"

Naruto let out a shaky yes as a response, nodding his head and grazing it on the cotton material of his shirt. Shikamaru tightened his hold, sliding one of his arms to wrap around Naruto's waist and pull him closer while lifting his head up.

This allowed Naruto to lean and nuzzle his cheek against Shikamaru's chest. He felt Shikamaru's hands giving him comfort pats, making him drop his unwavering act.

"I know you, I know how kind and positive you are. I don't care what everyone else says, I have my own judgment of you and that is how I am going to view you. I know and understand who you are, more than those losers." Shikamaru whispered, continuously rubbing circles on Naruto's back.

"But--"

Shikamaru shushed him lightly, "Stop, no more of that and just listen to me."

Naruto shuts his mouth into a tight line, nodding his head after a few moments. Shikamaru carefully placed his words together in his mind before speaking his true thoughts.

"All that talk about how you're tainted and evil, no more of that yeah? Someone as kindhearted as you deserve to hear better things and I'm going to be the one who'll shower you in praises. You are important but don't expect to hear me say that everyday."

Naruto laughed lightly at his playful tone, trying his hardest to fight back the tears threatening to drip from his eyes. Shikamaru smiled at the sound of his laughter, that's better. Him being his happy self again helped put Shikamaru at ease, releasing a quiet exhale out of his nose.

"Earlier, you were calling yourself selfish for wanting me to stay with you..." Shikamaru took a moment to drag on his sentence, pulling a tad bit away from Naruto so that he could look down at his covered eyes. Even though he can't see them, he's sure naruto is also staring back at him with much warmth. "So I'm also gonna be selfish and ask you to continue to stay by my side."

Shikamaru then smiled softly, "Please don't ever activate your curse."

"Wha?! I- I uhm--?!?"

Naruto became a stammering mess, his face heating up at a dangerously high temperature. He almost felt like passing out at the sudden request. He's never heard of such nice things before so it made him terribly bashful.

"I firmly believe you are a good person and nothing will change my mind. I genuinely care so much about you so don't go around saying shit like I was gonna activate my curse anyways. Say that again and I'll pinch your cheeks even harder," Shikamaru scolded playfully, tilting his head to the side as he closed his eyes and smiled wider.

Naruto's heart picked up in speed at every word Shikamaru is spilling out of his mouth. He felt his hands beginning to sweat, his mind now jumbled with how much of his thoughts pummeled together.

"Alright? You hearing everything clearly right? If not I will keep saying it until you understand."

He's absolutely out of it. The way Shikamaru is looking at him with a warm gaze along with his small grin-- it made him feel some sort of way. He didn't feel disheartened nor embarrassed, he felt something new. Afraid that Shikamaru could see how red his face is, he looked down and pushed against Shikamaru's chest so that they could be at a distance.

"I- uhm I don't know what to say." Naruto's mumbled truthfully.

Shikamaru chuckled lightly at how shy Naruto looked before placing his hand under his chin and directed Naruto's head back to look up at him. Once Naruto's face is fully there, he softly caressed his cheek with his thumb.

"Just promise me you'll stay here with me. The two of us together."

"I..." Naruto seemed hesitant at that.

"What about the others..? They'll hurt you if they figure out you're hanging out with me."

"Screw them, I don't care what they think. I'll just beat their ass if they got anything to say about you." Shikamaru jokingly (not really joking) reassured. "You underestimate me."

"Shika.. it's just too dangerous." Naruto still is very hesitant, it's too much of a risk and he didn't want anything to happen to Shikamaru because of him. It's worse that there is more to the truth then what he is sharing as well.

Shikamaru seemed to understand what he was thinking, raising his hand to pat Naruto's head and ruffle around the soft hair.

"You don't have to worry about me, I can deal with them. I promise to protect you no matter what."

"But what about my curse? I don't-"

"I promise to figure out a way to get rid of it, I'm not gonna let you deal with everything by yourself anymore so stop being such a troublesome blond and just accept the fact that I'm not going anywhere." Shikamaru instantly cut Naruto's sentence.

Naruto's chest fluttered once more, a warmth engulfing him as he stared awestruck at the grinning Nara.

Naruto never felt something like this before, it is a nice of a feeling that he had yet felt until he met him. In a way, he almost felt as if he didn't deserve this kind of treatment since he has never been treated like this before. Such a gentle and calming action.

He took in a shaky breath, head hung lowly as he bit his bottom lip to hold himself together. With a few heavy seconds of silence, he nodded a little. "Okay... I'll stay, just for you."

When he picked his head back up, he tilted his head as he stared at Shikamaru. Finally, a smile graced over Naruto's mouth. Shikamaru pulled him back into his embrace, the two falling into a comfort silence as the barrier between them seemingly disappeared.

Shikamaru will do anything to keep Naruto happy.

He will do anything.

 

 

Chapter 14

Age: 14-17 years

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

 

Through the years that team 10 has worked alongside with Shikamaru, they never thought this day would come when the genius boy asks something so out of character.

"Asuma-sensei, please train me more in Taijutsu."

 

.    .    .

 

?!

Shikamaru + Physical Combat = huh?

Of course, they're all trained in basic physical fighting but for Shikamaru to ASK to train better at it is a bit weird. He prefers fighting at a far distance while the others do the rest, only going in hand to hand combat when necessary.

"No way?! Am I hearing this right?!" Ino gasped out loudly, examining Shikamaru's head closely to see if there are any injuries that would had caused this request.

"Shikamaru, are you okay?" Choji asked, leaning a bit to the side as he stared at him worryingly.

"Huh?" Shikamaru stared at the two weirdly, "What? I'm fine? You guys- stop getting so close to me!" Shikamaru sighed out before walking up closer to Asuma, ignoring his friends worried looks.

When he looked up at Asuma, he was met with another confused stare, "Whats this all of a sudden? You usually just let your shadows and brain do your dirty work, you even said that punching and kicking is so-on-so too much work."

Then, in the background, someone began to snicker.

"Kuku could it be~? Shikamaru wants to work hard for a certain someone~?"

Shikamaru felt something ghostly hit his head, shivering a bit at Ino's thoughts. Right on target, Ino's instincts is frighteningly as good as his mother's and it's a little spooky. Hiding anything from her is basically impossible most of the time.

"AH! I am right, right?! Who is this person?!" Ino quickly bombed questions at him, shaking him back and forth in an insane speed that's making him feel dizzy. Shikamaru was slowly regretting asking Asuma while his teammates are right in front them, he should've just waited till they were away or something.

When he managed to maneuver his way out of her grasp, he clenched onto his shoulder and grimaced a bit.

"Listen, I've just been realizing that I should try to work a little harder to better my skills. As we grow older, we need to be more up in training since we're gonna be receiving more dangerous missions sooner or later." He explained, hoping that this will make Ino and everyone else stop staring at him all weird like.

Asuma chuckled loudly and patted his back. "Look at you! You certainly did change in attitude these days, working harder to improve yourself and such! Of course I will help you out with more physical combat."

Shikamaru let out a breath of relief. He's grateful that Asuma isn't questioning him further on this, he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to last if they kept pushing the subject.

"Hmm but Shikamaru~ I still believe that there is more into this, it's just so unbelievable... no offense." Ino hummed, raking around her brain to think of something that could cause this. After a few seconds of thinking, something popped up and she hit her fist onto her palm lightly.

Ah!

"Wait, I remember you asking about someone name Nature! No, that sounds wrong... N... Na--"

"And that's where you stop talking." Shikamaru immediately cut off her sentence, voice tense as he notices the glint shining in Ino's eyes.

"I. Knew. It! It is because of someone! Do we know them? what're they like?"

Ugh, not this, anything but this. Shikamaru looked at Choji with pleading eyes, wanting to get away from her. After Naruto explained his situation, he doesn't want people to know he's connected to Naruto, for the safety of both of them it's best to keep quiet. Choji, chuckling lightly, pointed over towards something.

"Ino, Sai is calling for you over there" Choji interjected.

Right on cue, Sai had turned the corner and is walking towards their direction. He waved at them, which the two boys returned it. Ino gaped for a moment before letting go of Shikamaru and cleared her throat.

"Don't think I'll forget about this Shikamaru! Ahem, Sai~" And with that, she left them as she skipped her way to meet Sai halfway through.

.          .           .

"She's truly lovesick." Shikamaru mumbled with a light chuckle.

Choji nodded in agreement, munching on his snack.

Now that's been solved, Shikamaru straightened himself and turned his attention to Asuma. "Whenever you're ready."

Asuma eyes widened for a split second before closing them and sending the boy a playful grin. The look in Shikamaru's eyes reminded him of the time in the final Chūnin Exam, the eyes holding fire of determination.

"Alright, ready your fist!"

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

 

About who knows how long, Shikamaru returned home after getting thrown around by his teacher. Spilling out curses along the way, he walked inside his house with a limp and stopped right in front of the stairs. He took in a deep breath before attempting to lift up his leg. Sore and pain is the only thing going through his body and he absolutely hated this feeling with all his might.

In a different area, Shikaku and Yoshino watched their son struggle to even lift his leg high enough to land a single step.

"Screw this.." They heard out of Shikamaru as he decided to lay on the stairs insteadand slide himself up with the help of the rails.

"I've never seen him like this before." Yoshino spoke out quietly, shocked laced in her words. "Something had to happen, he asked for some stick dummies plus extra punching bags and placed them in our backyard. I'm a little frightened."

Shikaku nodded in agreement though he has a small hunch on the reasoning. After a while, Shikamaru came back downstairs with changed clothes and a semi wet hair. He still looked stiff as he walked and headed towards the kitchen, scurrying around for whatever he felt like having. It was still early in the afternoon so dinner won't be starting anytime soon.

Once he grabbed a hold of a bottle of water and a red apple, he went out of the kitchen but instantly halted in his step upon the sight in front of him. His parents were seated at the dining table, hands folded together and placed right below their noses. When did their dining room look so dimmed? This made him a little nervous, just what are they planning on doing?

"Sit down right here." Shikaku directed, pointing at the empty seat right in front them.

This was freaking him out, is he in trouble? He hasn't done anything recently so he should be cleared. Shikamaru carefully and slowly made his way over and sat down at the directed spot he was told.

"What's going on? I was gonna take a nap."

They stayed quiet, eyes squinting right at him as they scanned him up and down.

"Mom, dad, seriously."

.     .     .

"Confess."

"Excuse me?"

Shikamaru didn't like the sudden atmosphere shift, it felt like he was being questioned for a robbery or something. His parents being the interrogator and him being the criminal.

"You've been acting really strange these days, months even." Yoshino said, squinting her eyes further as she tries to unfold everything.

"Oh that, uh well-"

"It's Naruto, isn't it?" Yoshino immediately cut through his sentence, unfolding her hands and placed them on top of the table as she leaned closer over.

"You decided to start learning more about Taijutsu for Naruto, right?" Shikaku added right after.

Okay well what was the point of the set up if they were just gonna answer the question for him? Shikamaru's expression soured, Ino had used her power on him already and now he's receiving another one from both of his parents on the same day.

They stared in silence, Shikamaru being the first one to break the tension as he nodded, turning his head away as he felt his cheeks heat up a bit. For some reason, confessing out the reasoning is a little bit embarrassing.

The only reason why he wanted to learn and better himself is in order to protect Naruto. He realized that, yeah, he could just depend on his shadows but there might be times when he'd need to actually get physical and there is no way he is gonna disappoint Naruto with his lack of combat skills. He's also worried with how big the target is on Naruto's back, he wouldn't be able to prevent anything from happening to him and Shikamaru didn't want that risk.

Yoshino squealed, hugging her son's head against her chest and embraced him tightly.

"My cute son! This is amazing news!" She spouted out, "This is like a fairy tale story!"

She never thought her son could even express himself like this! He is usually just like his father, unfazed by anything when talking about likes, crushes, and whatnots but now he's being all embarrassed over someone!

Absolutely precious!

"Mom please stop! I have questions."

"Oh yes of course! Ask away!" Yoshino said happily, sitting back down while attempting to calm herself. Shikamaru sighed tiredly but it's overlapped with a feeling of anxiousness. It looked like they didn't mind Naruto but after hearing Naruto himself say that all of the village hated him, he needed to hear if his parents are a part of those people.

"Do you guys hate him? Are you guys gonna force me to stay away from him?"

Yoshino and Shikaku was taken aback by the question, eyes widening as they see Shikamaru being dead serious.

"Personally, we don't have anything against him. Nothing is that kid's fault." Yoshino answered honestly, smiling sadly thinking about Naruto.

"We're not gonna force you to do anything, it's your life so we trust your decisions." Shikaku answered as well.

Shikamaru exhales the air he had been holding in once he heard the answers. He kind of knew that they aren't like the others but it is extremely relieving to hear them say it. If his parents didn't agree, he wouldn't know what to do.

"Tell me, do you think he deserves the treatment he is getting?" Shikaku then asked.

Shikamaru immediately shakes his head side to side and scowled, "Of course not! Someone like him doesn't deserve so much hatred. When I heard about how much he deals with at a daily basic, it makes my head hurt that I wasn't able to help out. He believes he deserves the treatment but I believe that the village should be the ones punished-"

Shikamaru stopped himself right there and slapped his mouth onto his mouth, he is getting way to worked up right now. He can't blurt out all the negativity out of his mind, Naruto wouldn't like hearing all of this. He slouched his body onto the chair and mumbled inaudibly to himself, rolling the apple around the table top.

The two parents smiled warmly at him, he surely does care a lot about him.

Yoshino stood up from her spot and walked inside their kitchen.

"Shikamaru, how about you invite Naruto over for the night?"

Shikamaru perked up at the suggestion. Seeing how Naruto's living condition wasn't very good, it sounded like a very good idea. With parental permission, this is a great opportunity.

"Yeah okay, I'll be back!"

Shikamaru, seemingly forgotten his soreness, bolted right out the door.

Shikaku and Yoshino laughs at him wholeheartedly.

 

 

 ∞༺♥༻✧

Shikamaru walked down the familiar road, destination right at eyesight as he moved closer towards the apartment building. He walked up the stairs, down the hall, and stopped right at Naruto's busted door. He should talk to Naruto about fixing around his apartment, it's way too messy and looked to be unlivable soon.

He knocked at the door and waited patiently.

.         .         .

He doesn't hear any shuffling or anything. Just met with complete silence between him and this door.

Strange, could he be at their area?

"Oh Shika! What are you doin here?"

Turning his head down the hall, there stood Naruto tucking something inside his pocket.

Perfect timing! Shikamaru turned his body and gave him a lazy grin.

"Just wanted to see you Naru."

Naruto took a step back with a pretty pink blush slowly showing up. He turned his head and made a playful ick sound before walking closer up towards him.

"Yeah yeah whatever, what do you want." Naruto asked with a fake bored tone, crossing his arms and leaned his body towards the right.

"Well I wanted- ah wait, why are you all dirty and scratched up?" Shikamaru alertedly asked, instant worry written all over his face as he met Naruto halfway through.

Naruto just laughs softly at his worried friend, "Don't worry! It's not what you are thinking, I was trying out some training and stuff earlier before I got here. I read some books and decided to try it out!"

Relief washed over Shikamaru as he felt his shoulders relax. Just Naruto determination to become a ninja, the usual.

"Good, that's all. Anyways, I just wanted to invite my good friend over to my house and spend the night over." Shikamaru answered, his grin becoming bigger at the thought of Naruto being with him for the night.

Naruto froze, a sense of worry and fear bubbling inside his chest. He pinched his jacket and with a weary voice, he whispered. "What about your parents? They know about me..."

Shikamaru quickly shook his head.

"Don't worry, they were the ones who suggested the idea first." Shikamaru informed, softening his expression when he notices Naruto beginning to light up. "They're not like the other adults, I promise."

"Do they really not mind me coming over?"

"They'd love to meet you."

Shikamaru had never lied to him so it seems promising. He'll just stick close to him if anything. Naruto heart fluttered upon hearing that, this is a rare thing to happen to him. He felt his lips begin to curl upwards, excitement bubbling in with a hint of worry.

"Oh jeez I don't know a whole lot of house rules, I don't have any gifts to give and I haven't done my laundry! Oh no, oh no..." Naruto mumbled to himself, thinking about what he should do.

Shikamaru guesses this is his first time sleeping over another person's house, his reaction is understandable and he hopes that he can help Naruto feel comfortable around them.

Shikamaru chuckles lightly, "Don't worry so much, you don't need to give us a gift and you can just borrow my clothes."

"Ah- but is that really alright?"

"Yes, it might be a little troublesome but it is what it is so let's just go." Shikamaru playfully sighed out, grabbing onto Naruto's wrist and began walking.

Naruto followed without much struggle, allowing Shikamaru to hold his wrist and guide him to a safer path to avoid most the villagers. Though they often make skin to skin contact, Naruto secretly loved the warmth of Shikamaru's. He's not sure how to explain it but it's one of his favorite feelings.

Shikamaru's hands are bigger than his own, it practically engulfs his whole wrist and it makes Naruto want to laugh. He simply smiled instead as the two walked in a comforting silence with the sound of soft bells filling in.

 

 

Chapter 15

Naruto was nervous, like REALLY nervous.

He and Shikamaru are currently inside the entrance of his house. They took their shoes off and Naruto stood, waiting for further instructions on what or where he should go or even do.

Shikamaru looked at him and let out a snort, "Whats gotten you so stiff? You are fine, you're safe inside my house so just act like yourself."

Naruto nodded and tried his best to ease himself. Shikamaru's comforting words helped him a bit as he took in deep breathes, as long as they are together, everything will be okay.

When Shikamaru began walking, Naruto quietly followed along like a little duckling. He started looking all over the Nara's house, it is very cozy and gave off a warmth atmosphere. Everything is set neatly and right in place.

He honestly felt out of place, something so clean and fresh shouldn't be tainted. He is afraid that he'll ruin this somehow with his impurities.

Not paying much attention, he accidentally bumped against Shikamaru's back with and letting out a soft noise. He fixed his mask quickly before looking up at Shikamaru to see what was up.

"Naru, meet my parents." Shikamaru introduced carefully, pointing towards the kitchen where the couples are present. Upon hearing that, Naruto quickly straightened himself with his chest held high.

"Already?! Oh h-hello! My name is Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meetcha Mr. and Mrs. Nara!" Naruto introduced hastily, bowing a sharp 90 degrees at them. He wasn't expecting to meet them so suddenly, everything he prepared in his mind instantly flew out. He hopes whatever he spouted out didn't sound rude.

"Hey~ no need to do all that. It's nice to meet you too, Sweetie." Yoshino greeted, voice laced with warmth.

Naruto mouth gaped open a little bit as he stares at her. How long has it been when he received words from an adult with such kindness? His chest swelled up in comfort once he fully registered the kind lady calling him "Sweetie".

As he stood their without uttering a word, Shikaku cleared his throat and offered him a welcoming smile. "I can see how dirty and scratched up you are, how about heading upstairs and take your time in the shower? We'll be having dinner soon so make yourself comfortable."

Naruto took a couple of seconds to nod dumbly at him.

Shikamaru snickered at how awkward Naruto is being and grabbed his wrist again. He directed them up the stairs and into Shikamaru's room where he'll give him some clothes to sleep in. Once inside, he let go and went through his drawers.

So Naruto is left standing there, fiddling with the fabric of his clothes once more as he scanned around Shikamaru's room. Everything here is very neutral colors. Gray, black, white, and green.  Everything in here is also well organized and clean, suits Shikamaru very well actually.

He carefully went towards a small dresser placed right beside the bed and looked over at a small picture. Upon closer inspection, it is a picture of Shikamaru and his parents. Behind them is an academy, Shikamaru was holding a bouquet while Yoshino was holding up a headband high up in the air, smiling proudly at the camera. Shikaku had an arm wrapped around Shikamaru's shoulder and held a proud smile too.

The funny part is that Shikamaru wasn't smiling at all. Instead his eyes were looking away from the photo and opposite of his parents, looking as if he was tired of everything.

It is a cute family picture.

"Lazy and boring vibes... Just like him heheh, he could've at least smiled a little bit." Naruto snickered jokingly to himself, poking the image of Shikamaru lightly.

"What are you snickering about over there?"

"Oops wellmPH--?!"

Naruto turned around to look at Shikamaru but instead of seeing his spikey hair friend, his vision is covered by a piece of clothing. He pulled it away from his face and pouted while Shikamaru sticked his tongue out.

"You can wear those, they might be a little big but deal with it. If you go straight forward out of my door, you will find the bathroom."

Just when Naruto was about to exit out of the room, his worries began to present itself once more as second thoughts came into mind. He gingerly looked at Shikamaru again, holding the clothes against his chest.

"Are you guys sure about letting me stay the night? Because I--"

"Yes, yes, I want- I mean we want you here so shush those thoughts and get your butt inside that bathroom." Shikamaru reassures quickly, pushing Naruto gently out of his room and into the bathroom, closing the door once he is fully in with a grin.

Shikamaru then walked back inside his room and plopped onto his bed to wait.

He retraced back to how Naruto was acting once he entered his house, all nervous and full of curiosity. Normally Naruto would be booming in energy that Shikamaru couldn't even keep up. He hopes he'll enjoy his stay here, Shikamaru sure as hell is enjoying it. Thinking about Naruto is enough to make him feel happy so hanging out with his adds onto the happiness.

He turned to look over at the picture Naruto was staring before and had a thought. Maybe Naruto wants to have a picture with them together? That would be nice to have since Naruto's house didn't have a whole lot of pictures. It's also totally not because Shikamaru wants to hang an image of them together somewhere in his room.

.     .     .

Strange, he hasn't heard any water running down at all. He stood right back up and went towards the bathroom door again. Softly knocking, he asked, "You okay in there? I don't hear any water running."

 

.    .    .

 

"Hello~ You alright in there?"

A few more seconds of silence passes by and Shikamaru frowned in confusion. Just when he was about to knock again, the door began to creak open with Naruto's head popping out. He mumbled something inaudible as he stared downwards.

"What was that?" Shikamaru asked, leaning his head closer down.

"... I... don't know how to turn on the water..."

Oh that's all? Shikamaru had to laugh at that, he wasn't expecting that at all.

Naruto frown deepened, face burning in embarrassment for not being able to do something so simple. But it's not his fault! The knob happened to be one of those fancy ones! What could he do about it?

When Shikamaru finally finished laughing, he pushed the door softly, making sure not to hit Naruto while doing so and entered inside. He went towards the bathtub and turned on the water for Naruto, stopping at a good temperature until it was filled the tub.

"There you go, hurry before dinner gets cold." Shikamaru singsonged quietly, patting Naruto's head before exiting out and closing the door behind him.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, thank goodness that's one embarrassing moment over. He quickly took his clothes off (plus mask) and carefully placed his foot into the water. His eyes widened and his mouth opened wide.

The temperature...

IS PERFECT!

He dunk himself down fully into the bath water, letting out a puff of satisfaction and smiled lazily. This is the first time in a long time that he's able to bathe in such hot to warm temperature, it felt soo good. He slowly sink himself deeper, his mouth blowing bubbles as he enjoyed the soak for a bit longer.

 

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

 

 

Shikamaru estimated that 25 minutes passed since Naruto had entered inside and hearing a faint bell ring signaled that he is out. When Naruto entered his room, hallucinating flowers basiaclly surrounded Naruto as he walked with a dazed smile. The shirt that he is wearing exposed his collarbone just a little bit and the sleeves were all rolled up on his wrist. The pants are also long but he just rolled the bottoms up and called it a day.

"Did you enjoy it that much?" Shikamaru went up to Naruto and proceeded to grab onto the towel that was wrapped around Naruto's neck. He slid it off and placed it on top of his head.

"Yeah, I liked it a lot! I usually take my baths at a far away river since my landlord always cut off the water supply." Naruto said while holding onto his mask so that it doesn't move, giggling quietly while Shikamaru was rubbing his hair to dry it. "I'm not sure how long ago it was when I last took a warm bath."

Shikamaru's movement came to a halt. He stared down at the bundle of yellow, baffled at how light toned Naruto sounded while telling him this piece of info.

Feeling no more movement, Naruto looked up at Shikamaru and made a confused noise with a smile still plastered on his face. Shikamaru shook his head and gave him a smile, well an attempt of a smile, back. He continued his action, making sure to dry it enough so that he wouldn't get sick. Naruto shrugged and looked back down while wiggling his toes, completely missing the way Shikamaru eyes darkened.

"If you don't mind me asking... What's your living condition like?"

Naruto let out a quiet hum, thinking of how to tell Shikamaru.

"Ah well Shika, you remember the mess right? It's actually a struggle to throw away my things since there is a lot of obstacles preventing me to do so. The trash collectors often avoid going to my area so I'd have to sneak my trash where it can be collected, I don't do it often though as it's a little hard." Naruto then pauses for a moment, trying to get his thoughts organized.

"Actually, it's hard for me to get food as well since I can't get a job nor a place that would let me inside without them chasing me out. The ramen stand is the only place that accepted me inside and welcomed me kindly." Naruto let out a shaky laugh, taking in deep breaths in an attempt to keep himself calm.

Shikamaru expression fell further as he removed the towel from Naruto's head. He could feel his heart ache painfully for his friend.

"... What about your family- Ah no! Never mind, that's asking too far I'm sorry." Shikamaru quickly dismissed it upon seeing how Naruto body tensed at the question. He internally cursed himself for bringing up a topic that's obviously too sensitive.

Naruto shook his head, "No it's fine, I trust you enough to share about my life. I've been an orphan ever since birth, I don't know where I'm from or who my parents are. No one will tell me anything so I'm clueless on that. It's okay though! I'm still holding onto hope on discovering who they are! Though, there are times where I'd received funds from the higher ups."

"... I'm sorry." Was all Shikamaru could get out after a few moments of thinking. He wants to say more in this situation, but what could he even say to make this better?

Naruto shook his head again and glanced out the window with a small smile.

"There's no need to be. Even though I have nobody, I always hold back my sadness." Naruto voice then softened, "To not cry, or else everything I've built up till now will be in vain."

 

*PINCH*

 

"Ouch!"

Naruto yelped in pain, Shikamaru had suddenly began pinching his cheek hard. He looked back at his direction and was about to scowl at him until Shikamaru smoothed down the pain with the hand he used to pinch.

"Silly boy, you have me now." Shikamaru softly spoke out, bending his knees a little so that he could rest his forehead against Naruto's covered one. Naruto made am embarrassing noise in the back of his throat upon seeing how close Shikamaru's face is. He didn't dare to move, praying silently that Shikamaru couldn't feel the heat escaping from his face as he smiled nervously.

Their breaths mingled together as they stayed in this position, unmoving.

"You don't have to hold back your emotions anymore." Shikamaru whispered to him, making sure he was hearing every single word clear. "You're safe to express exactly how you feel here, you're still strong even if you cry."

Naruto heart stuttered, eyes widening as he processed Shikamaru's words. Feeling Shikamaru's breath up this close isn't helping much either, he can't think clearly and his body is getting more jittery.

So he chose to stay silent, in which Shikamaru took this as a chance to speak again. He lightly pinched Naruto's cheek and spoke again in his soft voice.

"It's okay to cry, let everything out when you feel too much."

"Uhm I don't-! Uh--?"

Naruto basically looked like a fish, his words kept stuttering as he tries to form a proper sentence but fail on doing so. He is feeling too much, he doesn't know how to even react to Shikamaru's kindness. All he could do is stare deep into Shikamaru's brown eyes that somehow holds so much meaning in them, there is something in there that he doesn't recognize.

"Boys! Dinner is ready, come downstairs now!"

The two blinked rapidly, as if they were snapped out of a trance. Shikamaru nuzzled his forehead against the wooden mask shortly before pulling his head away with a grin presented on his face. He grabbed onto Naruto's wrist and pulled him along to go downstairs.

When they made it to the dining room, Shikamaru pushed a chair out for Naruto to take and in which, he did. Naruto sat down quietly, observed without uttering a word. He simply sat and observed the way the Nara family functions.

He watched as Yoshino nagged at Shikaku who had his arms wrapped around her waist and head rested on her shoulder. Shikaku chuckles as she spouted out words, responding with a playful tone in return. Whatever he said caused Yoshino to laugh out shyly while pushing his head away from her shoulder. While they were doing that, Shikamaru rolled his eyes in disgust, bringing in some of the side dishes to the table.

Maybe it's his own lack of experience but he thinks they all interact well, it's honestly comforting to watch and listen to them. Despite their constant bickering, they all have a smile on their faces as they talked. He wonders to himself, is this what having a family is like?

If Naruto's parents had stayed with him, would it be just like this?

His lips wavered a bit, as he drew a conclusion about the Nara family. Truly, what a beautiful family they are.

A bowl of rice is then placed in front of him, the clinking sound brought him back from his deep thoughts. He followed his gaze up along the arm to see that it was Yoshino, who is already smiling warmly at him. Then she went around the table and sat across from him, next to Shikaku. Everyone is seated now, all ready to dig in.

Naruto carefully scanned the food on the table while everyone began to grab onto the food. 

Fried fish, bowls of rice, beef, fried vegetables, soup, and some hard boiled eggs.

He never ate something like this before, he didn't even know which one to grab first. He never had enough money for regular groceries so he opted with eating ramen cups since they were really cheap and easy to heat up. Sometimes, at the ramen shop when it's not busy (which is quite rare).

This all felt too good to be true, his chest swelled up with many emotions that he couldn't even pinpoint at least one of them. Too many things are running through his head right now as he struggled to lift up his given chopstick.

"Shikamaru, you better eat the damn eggs! They are a good balance nutrition and--"

"No way, hard boiled eggs taste disgusting! You agree with me, right Naru?" Shikamaru said, looking over at Naruto and waited for his back up. But when he did, he noticed how Naruto's shoulders are visibly shaking while his head hung low, seemingly trying to hide into himself.

The longer he felt, the more Naruto curls. He could feel his lip quivering as his breathing began to become hiccups. Not only that, his hands had started trembling when he raised one of them off the chair to grip onto his other arm.

He wanted to stop himself since he's in the presence of others, but he's not strong enough to keep back his emotions. A thought came into mind, tears now pooling inside his eyes.

"This is... such a perfect life to live."

"Hic..!"

Naruto let out a noise, unable to further contain himself as trails of tears ran down his cheeks. The small sound of pattering could be heard after the tear drops land onto the wooden table. He remembers back on the short conversation he and Shikamaru shared not too long ago, it's okay for him to cry... right? He's not going to be alone again, right?

"Naru..."

" ! "

Just a simple call of his name was enough for him to immediately burst out into a loud sob. He quickly raised up his hands as an attempt to wipe the tears away, his fingers struggling at the endless stream under his mask.

"I'm sorry!" Naruto managed to wail out, his heart so warm to the point it's too painful to bear. "I'm so sorry!"

Without noticing, Shikaku had stood up from his chair and pulled Naruto into his embrace. He held onto the crying boy tightly, silently soothing him with small strokes on his hair. Naruto instantly cling onto him and accepted the comfort.

Soon, Yoshino and Shikamaru joined in, all bundling together in a group hug. They stayed like this for a while, allowing the blond boy to finally let out his emotions that has been building up over the past years of loneliness.

 

 

Chapter 16

After Naruto calmed himself down, they all started eating again. Chatting full of life and comforting silence, though Naruto felt a little self-conscious from his earlier action, he still feels the comforting warmth in his chest happily settled.

When they finished up, Naruto and Shikamaru were the first to dismiss themselves after cleaning up and went to their room. Naruto stood in the middle of the room, patting his stomach in satisfaction.

"Hey hey Shika, what do you like to do in your free time?" Naruto asked, glancing at the young Nara beside him. Shikamaru quirked his eyebrow, tilting his head a bit as he rested his hand on his chin.

"Uhm sleep, think, laze around, and I guess feeding the deers in my backyard."

Naruto isn't sure how to react to that, it's expecting from someone like him. Simple yet... a little uneventful.

"Anything else?" Naruto asked again, leaning to the side a bit so that he is a little closer. Shikamaru hummed once more, pointing vaguely at his closet.

"I also play a game call Shogi. Usually with my dad or my Sensei and sometimes alone when I'm concentrating on a strategy."

Naruto perked at the unfamiliar name, "Shogi? What is that? Can you show me?"

"Hm but I don't feel like setting it up right now." Shikamaru whined lowly, silently admiring his bed that was basically calling for him to lay. Not backing down, Naruto clasped his hands together in an attempt to look as desperate as possible.

"Please~! With a cherry on top!"

Shikamaru felt his lips wavered a bit and raised his hands high in the air. Naruto is now leaning even closer towards him, hands grasping his shirt and chin prompted on his chest so that he is looking right up at him. He doesn't think Naruto would enjoy playing such game but he is making it hard for Shikamaru to continue to deny him.

After a few moments, Shikamaru finally gave in. With his shoulders slouched while grumbling inaudible words, he walked towards his closet with his feet dragging against the floor. Naruto cheered to himself, feeling excited and a little proud of himself that he'll be able to discover a new game.

Naruto is lucky that Shikamaru has a soft spot for him, but he doesn't need to know that.

When Shikamaru grabbed his shogi board, he walked back where Naruto stood and sat on the floor. Then he proceeded to set it up with placing all the pieces in the correct places right in front of him. Naruto joined him, sitting at the opposite side as he watched Shikamaru finish up with curious gazes.

"Alright, listen well. This is a pawn, it can only move one square forward. Next is the bishop, it can move as many spaces diagonally but cannot jump over another piece. This right here is a rook, it can move as many spaces orthogonally but same as the bishop, it cannot jump over another piece. Then..."

Shikamaru continued his explanation while Naruto listened silently, trying his best to memorize everything that is being said. To be completely honest, he had forgotten half of it already and might've even started daydreaming towards the end. He didn't expect it to be so... instructional.

"-and so until your king is at a place where it cannot escape, that's checkmate. Alright now let's play."

Naruto hasn't moved an inch from his position at all, even after Shikamaru had finished his explanation. He was just sitting, looking blankly at the pieces set in front of him.

"What's wrong? Not feeling confident? You said you wanted to try it out but it looks like you're completely blanked out." Shikamaru playfully pointed out, yawning behind his hand as he took a peek. Even if that is true, Naruto still felt offended. He puffed up his chest and pointed a finger at Shikamaru.

With a confident tone and a determined mind, he announced to Shikamaru, "Hell no, I'm not backing out! I'll show you!"

"There it is~" Shikamaru muses, Naruto always falls for simple things like this. Prideful as ever.

"Okay Mr. Confident, let's see if you'll win against me."

Then Naruto picked up a piece, hesitatingly holding it up in the air before carefully setting it down in one of the squares.

*Clink*

*Clink*

 

.     .     .

 

*ClinK*

*Clink* *Clink *Clink *Clink* *Clink*

About 30 minutes into the game, Naruto's confidence had demolished within the first 5 of it. No! He cannot give up and lose like this, he will definitely win and rub that smug off Shikamaru's face! All he needs to do is move this piece here and maybe here? Ah what about-

"Checkmate."

"RAGH! It's too confusing 'ttebayo!" Naruto whined loudly, huffing out in irritation as he fell onto his back and throwing his arms around in the air.

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders while a know-it-all smile on his face. He could've won within the first 10 minutes of playing but seeing how much reaction he was getting out of this was way too entertaining to miss out. Naruto stood up and stomped towards Shikamaru's bed. He made a move to lay on the floor and sulk himself to sleep but was quickly stopped by two hands placed right under his armpits. He turned his head and quirked his lips, confused and upset.

"Why are you quirking your lips like that you baby. You don't actually think I'm gonna allow you to sleep on the floor, right?" Shikamaru said, easily raising Naruto up and right off his feet.

He then flung Naruto onto his bed, causing a small noise to escape Naruto's mouth once landed. Before he could even react, blankets were thrown over his whole body. His earlier irritation quickly disappeared upon feeling the bouncy bed and warm blanket, a dumb smile now on his face.

Shikamaru joined in, laying beside him and relaxed. Finally, after a long day of being tormented in training, he can rest.

"Wow... it's so cozy and soft!" Naruto felt his mind beginning to drift, he understands why Shikamaru loves to sleep so much. If he had a bed like this one, he'd never want to leave. His bed at home has become lumpy and kind of hard so this is such a new feeling, his body is screaming in joy.

Naruto turned himself around so that he is facing Shikamaru but quickly felt regretful at that decision. Shikamaru happened to already be staring at him with warmth in his eyes, it made him feel embarrassed and a little self conscious.

"Uhm so uh- I'm sorry about earlier." Naruto suddenly apologized awkwardly, gripping the blanket with one of his hands in habit. Shikamaru raised on eyebrow at him, confused.

"What? Why? It's completely alright."

"Oh... okay."

Unsure on what to say further, Naruto simply sinked himself more into the mattress. He took a quick glance at Shikamaru's face before shyly looking away (unnoticed to Shikamaru, thank you mask!)

"Thank you... then." Naruto mumbled under the blanket. Why is this whole exchange so awkward? Is it because this is his first sleepover? Or is it because him and Shikamaru are closer than usual?

Shikamaru smiled softly, their friendship has reached a new level and it makes him feel great. Especially the level of trust they have built over the years, Naruto is comfortable enough to lay beside him.

He suddenly has this urge to feel Naruto's skin, not in a weird way of course. His fingers twitched lightly as he gazes at the mask moving ever so slightly. He slides his left hand up and placed it right on top of Naruto's gripping one. He then squeezed it until Naruto got the hint to unfold his fist, and when he did, Shikamaru interlaced their fingers together.

Just as he expected, Naruto's hand are plush and soft with a few rough spots. He wonders what causes the roughness to develop. Naruto let out a quiet whine, this whole ordeal is too much for him to handle in a single day. The hand holding is causing his body to heat up, yet he's not uncomfortable. He actually discovered something about himself that he will never admit out loud.

He really likes this skin-ship.

"How did you like the food?" Shikamaru asked.

"It was really delicious! Your parents are really good cooks, they should start selling food as a side hustle." Naruto responded, changing his volume to a whisper.

"Why are you whispering?" Shikamaru questioned once more, also whispering.

"Why are you~?"

The two then laughed quietly at their random antic.

Shikamaru glanced at their hands, relieved that Naruto didn't shun his hand away since it was out of nowhere. Being able to hold his warm hand, watching his head snuggle against the pillow, and listening to the soft sound of yawning escaping his lips.

It is truly a sight he'll cherish, his heart thumped at such sight.

"Shika~"

Shikamaru hummed, noticing the shift in tone that usually indicates sleepiness. Naruto joined in the humming, feeling himself slowly drift away into the land of dreams.

"I really appreciate you a lot, sometimes I feel like I don't deserve someone as great as you..." Naruto let out another yawn, "Sometimes I wonder why you care so much about me."

His breathing began to even out, voice slowly going away.

"It's not like... I'm special or... any..hing..."

Off he goes, leaving Shikamaru to ponder around.

.       .       .

 

"You wonder why I care so much...?"

Shikamaru moves his unoccupied hand up and placed it on Naruto's rosy cheek. He caresses the plump of skin with his thumb lightly, following the lines of his whisker marks.

How can he not care? Someone who's cute, soft yet loud spoken, and have a childlike heart that shows so much kindness. Shikamaru will do just about anything to keep Naruto safe and happy, anything as long as he can stand by him.

He will even fight for Naruto.

Shikamaru sighed out through his nose, it is hard to believe that someone as simple as Naruto managed to make him do and even think things he'd never done or thought about before, he is even going out of his comfort zone to learn how to physically fight people better just for him.

*Snore~*

He let out a snort at the sound Naruto let out before closing his eyes. He gripped Naruto's hand a little tighter, bathing in the great warmth of the boy as he let his own body relax with the back of his head resting on the pillow and hand resting at his side. Naruto asked a good question though.

Why does he care so much?

It is then, an image came into Shikamaru's mind. An image of Naruto, sitting at the area they hung out at, making flower crowns for the both of them all while shining under the suns beaming light. Soon another image occurred, Shikamaru staring right up at Naruto while he laid on the blond's lap. Naruto caressing his hair gently with his lopsided grin as he sang a soft tune to him.

A feeling blooming in his chest at the memories, all focusing at Naruto's bright and almost contagious aura.

One last memory came into mind as Shikamaru solved his own answers and feelings. Naruto happily pulling Shikamaru around the field of flowers, laughing loudly while twirling the both of them as if there isn't a care in the world. Just the two of them, together.

"Well, it's not that hard of an answer."

He turned his head over at Naruto's direction one last time for the day, smiling gently as Naruto is sleeping peacefully right beside him. He then proceeded to shut his eyes, taking one last deep breath in as he allows his mind and body join Naruto into dreamland.

"It's simply because I have fallen for you, Naru."

 

 

Chapter 17

“Shika! Please nooooo!"

It's been days after their little sleepover. Naruto is currently lounging around in his apartment, trying to clean up all the empty cups of ramens and whatnots into the trash bags so that he could have more space. He’d been feeling a little embarrassed at the state of his home ever since Shikamaru came over, inspecting it with such curiosity. His little cleaning, however, is interrupted by the said boy who’s been trying to drag him to go out and eat somewhere.

Ever since Shikamaru had discovered where he'd lived, he'd been visiting him a lot more often with random excuses. Not that Naruto minded, it was just a little funny is all. Whenever he showed up, it was mostly them talking for a bit and then taking a nap on the floor. He too was allowed to visit over Shikamaru’s place anytime so it was a win-win type of thing.

Though he wonders what Shikamaru’s true thoughts are on Naruto. After finding out some more things about him, has any opinions he had on him changed? To be completely bare, the questioned nagged Naruto quite often, curiosity and a hint of worry eating him.

Besides that, he’d pushed those thoughts aside as he paid attention to the current situation.

"Naru come on, you can't keep eating ramen noodles. That's why you're so damn short!"

*GASP*

Okay, yeah, fair point but how dare he even utter those truthful words?!

Naruto cheeks swelled up, fuming at Shikamaru's remark.

"I'm a growing boy damnit!! I'm still at the growing age so shut up about my height!" Naruto tried to clap back.

"Interesting to say when I grew a lot taller than you did at your age. But as the oldest, I'm taking you to come with me to try out some other dishes." Shikamaru lulled, a grin threatening to break out. Naruto huffed, bringing up something irrelevant to their conversation.

"You’re speaking as if you’re an old man when in truth, you’re only a year older than me. Ah-- that’s not the point! You should already know how they'll react when they see me.”

Just what is he thinking?! Naruto would rather not drag Shikamaru down with him, especially in a public place.

Yet the boy gave him a comforting grin, "Don't worry, they  will accept you inside. Trust me, alright? I’ll never let anything happen to you."

Even with such comforting words, Naruto is still baffled by all this, no way in hell is anyone going to let him enter inside nor even allow him to just walk by!

Shikamaru could sense that Naruto is still hesitant about going so he took action next, taking Naruto's hand with both of his own and held onto them to form a ball.

"You want to explore out more right?" Shikamaru questioned, staring into the black mesh of the mask.

It took a few seconds before Naruto answered, nodding his head slowly. He did in fact want to explore more of their town, he’s lived here his whole childhood yet he knows so little.

"Then I'm gonna make sure that you can,, leave it to me. I'll figure something out." Shikamaru reassures, letting one of his hand go and ruffle Naruto's hair around.

Naruto still wanted to deny his request but couldn't bring himself to continue doing so. Seeing how confident and reassuring Shikamaru is being made him want to believe that it'll all be okay.

Maybe just for one day, just this day. Deep down, he also wanted to be with Shikamaru as greedy as it sounds. 

"Ugh alright you stubborn man, you win this time." Naruto sighed, giving into Shikamaru's request.

Shikamaru smiled victoriously, this causing Naruto’s chest to stutter at the sight. He… liked seeing such look on him. He felt the way the Nara shifted their hands around so that they were interlacing, walking down the road of Konoha as Shikamaru took the lead.

Naruto stared at their hands, feeling his cheeks heat up at the intimacy. This is also something they’d been doing a lot lately,, holding hands, snuggling on each other’s laps, and more. It's quite strange, he enjoys such actions but it is kind of embarrassing being so affectionate in public, or even when they are alone. He wonders if it’s normal for friends to do such things to each other, if Shikamaru does this to his other friends?

"Why are we holding hands?" Naruto asked quietly, staring at the dirt ground while they walked.

"Hm I wonder~" Shikamaru playfully responded, Naruto could feel a hint of tease into his tone, maybe even a smirk forming.

For Shikamaru, he could feel a sharp glare shooting right at him. Humming, he turned his head slightly over towards Naruto’s direction, meeting the sight of his cute face scowling at him in annoyance.

"I'm being serious! You're always messing with me, ya know."

Shikamaru thought of his next move, wanting to continue playing around but also throw in truths into the conversation. 

"How troublesome, if you really need to know then it's because I like you." Shikamaru lulled with a shrug, watching fondly at Naruto as he waits for the reaction he wants to see.

"WH--?!"

And as expected, Naruto was flabbergasted by the sudden confession, this causing him to completely freeze as he stared at the Nara. A few seconds passed by and his whole body was engulfed into a bright red color after taking in the confession fully inside his head.

He quickly shook their interlaced hands up and down, trying to force Shikamaru to let go of his hand, in which, Shikamaru refuses to let go.

"Let go!!" Naruto screeched at him, hoping that he would just let go so that Naruto won't die from his sudden body temperature change.

Shikamaru watched a bit longer before letting out a short cackle, pleased at the reaction. "Hah! You should go take a look at your reflection, it's quite a sight!"

upon hearing this, Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance, raising his hands to begin hitting Shikamaru's shoulder angrily. He's not sure when the other started to up the teasing, it randomly happened out of the blue and he wonders why. Shikamaru continued to chuckle, grabbing onto Naruto's wrists as he let out a sigh.

"Sorry, sorry. You always give the best reaction, couldn't help myself."

Naruto scowled some more before turning his head towards the opposite direction, refusing to even look at him again. Shikamaru leaned closer to him, trying to meet the gaze of his friend.

"Hey now, I said I was sorry~"

"I have enough of your playful antics! I swear I'll get my revenge one day!"

.    .    .

Yeah, right...

Shikamaru shook his head as he faced forward to see if they were close by. Naruto still refuses to glance at him, a noticeable puff on his cheek.

Quite unfortunate, Naruto took his confession as a joke. To be honest, Shikamaru doesn't know if it was good or bad that he did, the way he delivered it seemed as a joke too so he shouldn't be too discouraged. Maybe it's good because it felt too soon to confess,he'd rather present it in a less - half ass way and be more passionate. He can definitely do a better job, just a little more extra time and thought to make it perfect.

As he concluded his thoughts, Shikamaru came into a halt, making Naruto stop as well.

"We are here." Shikamaru pointed out. Naruto felt his back growing stiff, gingerly looking up to read the sign.

"W-wait! I haven't fully prepared myself yet! Can't we just walk around some more? Preferably somewhere far from here?" 

Shikamaru shook his head, squeezing Naruto's wrist a little. 

"Don't worry, trust me."

Naruto could only nod slowly, trying his best to take in his constant reassurance. Whining and groaning when someone else invited him out is rude, he just now realizing his attitude. Though, it is hard to stop himself from having such thoughts, he can't help it. Shikamaru tugged Naruto inside with him, Naruto instantly shifting himself so that he's hiding behind, trying to hide himself the best he can away from view.

"Hello and welcome! I will prepare a table for tw-- Oh..." The lady at the front cut her greeting off, instantly recognizing the person hiding from her. Naruto took a quick peek over Shikamaru's shoulder, instantly pulling back and hid when he saw the person glaring at him in disgust.

"Excuse me, you're gonna get wrinkles on your face if you continue to look at us like that. Not like they aren't there but..." Shikamaru snapped his fingers, mumbling the last part as he stared at her. Even with the discomfort atmosphere, Naruto gripped the back of Shikamaru's shirt to stop himself from laughing.

The lady facial expression changed again once her eyes land on Shikamaru. Attempting to switch her expression, the corner of her lips twitching.

"I'm sorry for making such a face, it's just- well we don't serve that thing." She said, pointing her finger towards Naruto.

Naruto sighed hearing the all too familiar title, his nerves were beginning to show itself again, a headache soon forming. He opened his mouth in an attempt to tell Shikamaru that he will leave so that he could enjoy the meal but Shikamaru beat him to it. 

"Who exactly is this 'thing' you are speaking about? Cause all I have with me is my friend so table for two, please." Shikamaru's demeanor changed in an instant, eyes narrowing right back at the lady.

The lady clicked her tongue but still held her tight smile.

"Like I said, we cannot--"

"Hm interesting..." Shikamaru quickly interrupted. "You know it'll truly be disappointing if I told the Akimichi clan about how you guys are disrespecting me and my friend, it would be such a disaster if all your fundings are gone." Shikamaru then sighed out, kicking an imaginary rock and turning around.

"This restaurant would be in shambles, truly saddening. Oh well, that's none of my business, see ya when the restaurant goes bye."

Naruto mouth opened in shock, he didn't expect things to turn out like this. He felt a little flattered that Shikamaru was telling someone off on his behalf. He raised his hand to cover his mouth, hiding a small smile behind it.

"Wait hold on! Please understand that it's the rules set by the owner--"

Shikamaru cuts her off with a dark glare, "Continue making excuses and I will do more than cut off the fundings."

The lady jolted, her persona threatening to break as she took in deep breaths. With tight knitted eyebrows and a force smile, she raised a hand in a welcoming manner.

"I-I mean you are both welcome in! Please follow me to your table." The lady gritted through her teeth, rushing through all of her words before walking further inside to find them a table. With her back turned, she let herself scowl at the current event, mumbling incoherent words to herself as she guided the two boys.

Shikamaru hummed in victory, tugging the Uzumaki along to walk. Naruto had not return from his shock so he didn't even notice all the stares and whispers he was receiving, not unnoticed by the other however. He felt the shadow below him begin to expand more, successfully intimidating the other guests to look away. He also had this aching feeling within him. Ever since he began his extra training, his hands have been itching for some sort of contact.

It took a bit but the lady had finally found a spot for them to be seated, placing the menu down onto the table before taking a step back. Naruto snapped back to reality once he felt Shikamaru lightly push him into one side of the booth. He quickly shuffled to sit while Shikamaru went to the other side.

Once they were seated, the lady bowed and left them alone without uttering a single word.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Shikamaru questioned, seeing Naruto mouth opened slightly while staring at him. Naruto wanted to laugh out loud at the sheer casualness.

The hell does he mean "Why are you looking at me like that?", he's acting like he didn't just threaten to shut this store down a few minutes ago!

"You can't even see my eyes."

"You're right but I can tell that you are staring at me with such heat, what's up?"

"Oh nothing, it's not like you threatened to pull fundings off of this restaurant that could cause them to fully close and lose their whole business and most likely live in poverty. Nope. Nothing." Naruto said, sarcasm laced in each words.

Shikamaru simply laid his back against the booth and shrugged, as if he didn't see any problems in that.

"If they can't respect their customers then what's the point of running a business."

"Shika! Isn't this pushing it too far?" He did agree to what Shikamaru is saying, he still felt somewhat guilty for causing such stress. He's used to how he'd been treated so it's worrying him, scared of how people are going to view the Nara now since he's in a well known clan.

Shikamaru closed his eyes, as if pretending to think deeply on the question asked. He then smiled, leaning over the table with his hands crossed on top of the table.

"I don't believe I went too far at all. If it involves you then I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are happy." Shikamaru lulled, sliding his right hand up and placed it on top of Naruto's hand.

Naruto breath shortened as he stared down at their hands. The warmth spread across his whole arm, engulfing him in a comfortable feeling. Naruto glanced up slowly, meeting the deep brown colored eyes as more warmth entered inside. Shikamaru reminded him of a fireplace, ready to comfort him through a chilling night.

Naruto shoulders scrunched up a bit, as he mumbled out. "How can you say such thing when a title you hold onto so honorably could be tainted..."

"How can it be tainted when I'm with someone whose presence is pure as snow?"

Not knowing what else to say, Naruto shut his lips into a fine line, his cheek growing red upon understanding the compliment. Him being pure as snow... this is the first he'd heard such thing.

"What would you like to eat?"

Naruto stared at the menu, scanning at all the images provided to see which one looked for appealing. There's so many options that he feels a little overwhelmed, what would he like?

Not given much time to think, the lady from earlier returned, holding up a pen and notebook in hand.

"What can I get started for you... two."

Sensing hesitation from Naruto, Shikamaru went ahead and ordered some appetizers for the both of them. This allowed Naruto more time to decide, the rush feeling he had now disappearing.

She took note of the orders and then left shortly after. Naruto wonders if she still felt scared of the threat from earlier, a change in sight from her previous angered words.

The two now sat in silence, Naruto finalizing his choices as he glanced out the window. He watched as a blue butterfly appeared in front of him, landing gently on top of a flower from the outside.

"I'm sorry for causing a scene."

Naruto turned his attention back at Shikamaru, surprised once more at the sudden apology.

"I don't regret anything I've done, however I understand that I brought you great stress at my actions. I want you to enjoy your life, do things you want to do, I wish to see you smile more." Shikamaru sighed, his body slumping as he tapped his finger on the table top. "I don't mind how others will view me, I care more about you."

A flutter in his stomach caused Naruto to fluster even more, trying his best to clear the butterflies in his throat as he spoke. "You don't have to apologize... Truth be told, I'm actually very happy you reacted the way you did. It sounds stupid after I spouted about the potential harm to your name but I appreciated everything you've done for me."

Naruto then offered him a playful, yet also serious grin.

"You better watch out though! Someone out there might not take in your defense as easily."

Shikamaru snorted and rested his head on his hand that is prompted on the table.

"Like I'd ever let anyone beat me up."

The two laughed together, the atmosphere lightening up.

 

 

Chapter 18

"Aren't you just my angel at this point?"

"Gross don't say it like that, it makes me sound weird now." Naruto grumbled, grabbing onto Shikamaru's arm and pulled it away from his head.

"I don't get why you'd take it that way."

The two's conversation went on as they waited for their food, Shikamaru back to teasing the blond and enjoying the flustered expression given. Naruto glared through his eyelashes, pondering about his lazy friend.

Shikamaru's been making Naruto feel all embarrassed lately and it's getting harder to handle, especially when he has that cheeky grin plastered on his face. Swear, one day, Naruto is gonna think of a small revenge to get back to him.

*Clink* *Clink*

Plates suddenly appeared in front of them, a hand quickly withdrawing before placing another on top of the table. Glancing over, they noticed that a different person is serving their food, the lady from before nowhere in sight. This waiter just silently placed everything down without any greetings or words, face not showing any trace of emotions. Maybe they heard the commotions earlier and didn't dare to test their luck.

After a few moments of silence, the waiter finished and straightened their posture.

"Sorry for the wait, here is your food.. enjoy..." They said, bowing down to them and then making a move to turn their heels to leave. But before doing so, they gave Naruto a quick squint and continued their way back to his stationed area.

Naruto felt a slight shiver run down his spine, the way they looked at him was different from the others. It felt like their were hidden meanings in them that Naruto isn't sure exactly what they were, instead he chose to not dwell too much as he shook his head lightly.

Shikamaru also caught the person's little act and clicked his tongue. What was all that about? Did they not think he'll notice at all? Childish.

Unbelievable that people older than they are--are acting with such unpleasantness, embarrassing! If Shikamaru could just-

"Mfh--!?"

Shikamaru thoughts came to an instant halt when a single wonton is forcibly shoved inside his mouth. Luckily, the heat had cooled down as the flavor overtook his tastebuds. He looked at Naruto confusingly as the said person drew his chopstick away.

"I can hear your head turning in there, it's annoying..." Naruto quietly tutted, tightening his lips together as he grew shy at his action. "Eat your food before it gets cold."

Shikamaru offered him a knowing smile, chewing the wonton and swallowing it, "Huh~? If I continue my oh-so annoying thoughts, will you continue to feed me?"

"As if! I know that tone you're using and I'm not falling for it." Naruto huffed, cheeks reddening in embarrassment as he picked up one of the plated foods. He carefully ate one of the pieces, immediately glowing at the taste as invisible stars twinkled around him. Such flavor he has yet to try until now! He wonders what the rest will taste like, glancing at each and one of them in fascination.

Whipped, Shikamaru sighed out softly and followed along with what Naruto told him to do. Things were going well, none of them brought up the scene and started chatting happily amongst themselves once more.

To Naruto, it looked like time was traveling fast now because they were somehow already done eating. He's a little saddened that his time with Shikamaru has come to an end but with how somewhat well today went, there should be a next time! The thought brought much happiness to him, his chest swelling in warmth as he imagined other places the two could visit together.

As always, Shikamaru paid for both of their meals, which Naruto felt extremely bad that he had to but Shikamaru dismissed it immediately with a wave of a hand. It doesn't hurt to pamper the person he likes, he's willing to do it anytime.

They walked out without any further trouble, stomachs filled and spirits high.

"Oh yeah!"

Naruto shoulders scrunched upwards as he remembered something. He waved his arms excitedly, turning his whole body backwards and fully facing Shikamaru's direction.

"Shika, Shika! I just remembered something that I've been wanting to share with you for a while now!" He said excitedly, huffing out with a huge grin on his face. "I'm actually quite proud of it and I'm highly sure you will be too."

"Oh really now? I'm listening."

"So basically, I learned this thing where I can use..."

At first, Shikamaru was listening closely to his happy chatterbox, visibly amused at how excited the other looked while talking. That was until he caught something weird in the corners of his eyes. Shifting his gaze carefully to his left, he notices a man sneaking suspiciously out of the restaurant's side doors. It looked odd, it was like he was trying to be careful with his movements, sneaking on his toes, and examining his surroundings in weariness. It was as if he was going to do something illegal and didn't want to be caught, something Shikamaru has seen before.

Shikamaru squinted his eyes further as he caught sight of something shining in the other's hands. It was a beat up bucket, having black liquid dripping out of the lid and onto the sides of the metal. While in the other hand, he was holding some sort of thick brush.

Paint.

He frowned a bit at the sight. How strange... painting this late in the afternoon?

"And then- hey wait, are you even listening?" Naruto pouted, snapping his fingers beside Shikamaru's ear. Shikamaru eyes lingered at that direction for a few more moments, watching as the person's figure disappeared into the alleyway before shifting his attention back over at Naruto. He didn't want Naruto to get involved in whatever that man was planning on doing so he raised his hand and ruffled Naruro's hair lightly, distracting him the best he could.

"Yes, yes you troublesome blondHey, how about I take you somewhere you might like?" Shikamaru yawned out as he shoved his hands in his pockets and began walking down the street. He listened to the blond huff out, clearly irritated by the way he was stomping along. Naruto mumbled under his breath about how Shikamaru wasn't actually listening and that he'll remember that for his next revenge.

Shikamaru simply whistled playfully in fake ignorance, enjoying the little pout set on Naruto's lips and his cute angry stomps. He'll never get tired of doing this, it's basically his second job to rile up the other with how easy it was.

He swiftly pulled out his right hand to grasp onto Naruto's left and held it softly.

"Stop grumbling, I promise I'll listen once we make it to the destination. It will be a better place to discuss furhter." Shikamaru said, shifting their hands around so that their fingers were interlaced instead.

That seemed to do the trick, Naruto grew calmer as they continued to walk down the dirt road. He turned his head the opposite direction of the Nara, trying to ignore the familiar comfort bubbling in his chest from Shikamaru's warmth spreading to his own. Damn him for being such a softy over something so simple as holding hands. But what can he do? He was touched starved.

The longer they walked, the more Naruto forgets about why he was mad and now swinging their arms back and forth, chatting happily about how he learned a new way of making a flower crown and expressing his want of seeing different types of flowers.

As Shikamaru listened to his rambles, a thought came into mind. Naruto and Ino would get along well since both have such a high passion and liking for flowers, he should introduce these two soon so that Ino could show Naruto some of her plants. He can already imagine how bright the younger will look once his wish is granted.

Shikamaru perked up when something came into view, stopping them as they stood at the entrance of the area.

"We are here."

Upon the announcement, Naruto scanned the place that Shikamaru had brought them to. Swings, slides, pull up bars, seesaw, and a monkey bar.

"A playground?"

Why did he bring him to a place like this? He was sure Shikamaru wasn't interested in such a thing due to maturity of age, too cool to do some monkey swings.

Unless he brought him here to poke fun at Naruto again...

"I remember you saying that you've never been to a playground before so I wanted to take you to one. Come on, lets play around for a bit." Shikamaru smiled and tugged Naruto along towards the direction of the swing set.

Naruto took a moment to process and glowed happily, slamming his heels down onto the dirt and causing Shikamaru to be pulled back. Shikamaru turned around with a confused expression but he soon grew even more confused when he saw Naruto biting his bottom lips and sniffling.

"That's- that's so thoughtful of you! I never thought you'd remember something so insignificant, 'ttebayo!"

Oh that's why, Shikamaru didn't know how else to react but to chuckle awkwardly. The more Naruto's doe eyes widen, the more imaginary sparkles appeared and it kind of worried the Nara. He wasn't sure if he had gone mad for seeing things that aren't there. He yanked the blond once more, clearing his throat and continued towards the swings.

"Don't be dramatic now, let's just get on the swings before someone else takes them."

Naruto nodded in agreement and proceeded to run, dragging his spiked haired friend along with him. He then let go of the other's hand and jumped onto one of the swings, immediately began swinging as high as he could. He let out a shriek when he nearly flipped over, laughing loudly as his inner child was practically healing.

Shikamaru shhok his head amusingly before taking his own seat and swung lightly.

Even with their growing age, Naruto still had such childlike wonders in tact, smiling so brightly as he swung up and down the swing without the care of the world.

Though, that thought made Shikamaru's chest grow heavy. The sudden reasonings to why he does came into mind. It wasn't a rocket science, the reasoning to why Naruto had such personality was because he'd never got to experience this as a young kid. Having to hide away throughout his whole life, away from everything, away from everyone, away from danger.

He was all alone, by himself with no one in his life to comfort him nor even play with him. Shikamaru wished he could travel back in time and helped Naruto experience things every other kid got to do.

"Shika, I can practically hear your thoughts screaming. What's wrong?" Naruto's soft voice snapped him back once again.

Shikamaru opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut after some hesitation. Another thing he shouldn't bring up, Naruto was happy right now so he shouldn't ruin the mood that was built around them. He will keep his own worries to himself for now, maybe another day they'll have a deeper conversation. Instead, he covered his mouth to fake a cough and leaned his body back a bit to stare up at the gray sky.

"I was just thinking about what the new Hokage and that there is going to be an important meeting set soon. Sadly, I will be attending it with my father."

"Huh? We have a new Hokage?!"

"Yeah, her name is Senju Tsunade. Jiraiya-sama managed to find her after all these years and convinced her to come back to Konoha to take the next spot as Hokage. Lord 3rd is now retired but is still helping around inside the Hokage's tower."

Naruto pointed his toes down so that he could slow down his swing, turning his head fully at Shikamaru's direction. He had this doubtful look on his face, the corners of his lips lowering and eyebrows knitted.

"Hokage, huh..."

That made Shikamaru to quirk an eyebrow as well, waiting for further explanation from the blond.

 

.        .         .

"Naru?"

"Hm? Oh don't mind me, that's really cool that they finally found someone! Anyways, I'm wondering what you've been up to lately, you know with the missions and such."

Okay... weird but Shikamaru will shrug it off just because Naruto looked cheerful again.

"Well my most recent mission was gathering information about this group of S-ranked rogues. Apparently, they've been causing a lot of ruckus in other villages for a while now, such as kidnapping people, killing innocents, etc, etc. There is a high possibility that they will come to our village soon since we are one of the few who haven't made any contact with them yet," Shikamaru explained, sighing out tiredly. "Bothersome honestly."

Naruto shivered, "Damn, that sounds actually scary. I wonder what their motive is to cause this much ruckus, I can't imagine what type of goal they want to achieve."

It will always intrigue Naruto with how shinobi's worked, it sounded so interesting to be able to do such important tasks and he dreams that one day, he'll be able to be like Shikamaru and help out as much as he can. To be at least useful to the village then being a mope and hiding himself within the forest. If he were to go on thrilling missions, he would also have the chance to leave Konoha and explore more of the outside world! How exciting is that!? Of course, he wasn't stupid of the dangers. It was kind of scary thinking of the many risks and hazards shinobis face while being on missions, it wasn't all sunshine and gumdrops after all.

"... You're really a brave guy, Shika."

"What makes you believe that?"

"Fighting to the death to earn a higher rank, being assigned to high ranked mission that is most definitely life threatening, risking your life to protect this village, what more can I say? I think it's quite heroic of you to choose this path as your career," Naruto finished listing out, grinning bashfully at the other. "You're a cool guy, ya know."

Shikamaru eyes widened for a split second before he looked away, coughing at his fists as he attempted to fight off his reddening cheeks.

"It's something I have to do, it's not like I had any actual motives to become a shinobi. The only main reason that I try hard is--"

"Because I want to become stronger for you."

As his mind finished his sentence, Shikamaru groaned out softly, "No, never mind. That's too embarrassing to admit out loud." He jumped out of his swing, stretching his back and sighing out in satisfaction.

Naruto got up too and quickly went to stand right beside him, "Say it! Stop stopping midway through your sentences damnit! You always do that and I'm always curious as hell to know what you are gonna say! It's soo annoying!"

"Hmm." Shikamaru hummed softly as a response, walking out of the playground and onto the hard pavement sidewalk.

"Hey! I complimented you and this is the thanks I get?!" Naruto yelled out angrily as he ran to catch up to Shikamaru.

He stopped Shikamaru from taking a step and pushed himself against his chest, staring directly at him with an angry pout set on his lips. Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat at the sight.

Rosy cheeks and naturally tinted red lips. Shikamaru had to hold himself back from bending down and kissing the blond. Temptation is a strong drug, and Naruto is a literal walking embodiment of one.

Fuck, Naruto was the most dangerous thing here.

After some back and forth, they were currently headed towards Naruto's apartment. It was getting dark out so it was best that they end their little hangout for the day.

For Naruto's safety, of course.

They made it to his apartment and went up the stairs, Naruto feeling all light and bubbly. It felt surreal that nothing bad happened to him thus far, he'd expected to get ambushed, things thrown at him, more curses and angry shouts! But none of those really happened besides the restaurant incident and that wasn't as bad, he was left unharmed.

While Shikamaru was quietly telling Naruto something, Naruto made a move to unlock his door but to his surprise, there was no clicking sound being released.

That meant that it was not locked.

Already beginning to feel weary, he tried his best to not think too much of it. There was no need to think negatively so quickly, he must've forgotten to lock his door when Shikamaru was pulling him out of his apartment and thus it's unlocked. Yet the nagging in the back of his mind was getting stronger, his hand sweating as it gripped onto the metal tightly.

Shikamaru stood beside him, watching carefully at Naruto's sudden shift in mood. He could tell that the other was being cautious about something so he prepared himself just in case something happens.

Taking in deep breaths through his nose, Naruto slowly crack opened the door, letting the light from the outside hallway engulf some of the darkened area. He took short steps inside carefully, sliding his hand against his wall to find the switch to his living room light.

When his fingers grazed lightly on the switch, he held his breath and--

*FLICK*

As the light shined down the room, Naruto couldn't help but let out a gasp at the sight presented in front of him. His whole body froze in place, eyes automatically scanning around his living room wall.

"Hey Naru, what's wrong?"

Shikamaru moved Naruto aside gently, wanting to see what had the other so distraught. His breath hitched, eyes widening as he finally saw it.

There were words written on Naruto's walls, covering almost every part of the living room from the sides to the roof with such disgusting words.

"HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR HORRENDOUS FACE?"

"YOU DARE TO DEFY US?"

"ARE YOU TAKING OUR THREATS AS A JOKE? WE WILL SHOW YOU."

"SET THE CURSE, YOU DEMON."

"LEAVE AND NEVER COME BACK."

"Ah..."

How silly of Naruto to think nothing was going to happen to him, it was almost predictable but he chose to be ignorant and fall into a false hope he built for himself. He was never lucky in the first place, the happiness from today had him close to forgotten of his status, he felt like a regular person for once. Able to walk so freely around the town and entering places without getting hurt with the help of his friend.

Hah, how naive of him.

He couldn't stop himself. He reread through the words and threats again and again, feeling more and more numb the more he took in the words. He only stopped when Shikamaru grabbed into his upper arm and dragged him right out of the door, breaking his trance.

He was about to ask Shikamaru where he was taking him but stopped himself, realizing that it would be dumb to ask. It was obvious where he was being taken and he silently accepted it. They made it to the Nara's house quite fast actually, Shikamaru was walking faster than usual and Naruto was growing worried at his unusual behavior.

Pulling Naruto gently inside, they took their shoes off hurriedly, heading upstairs while Shikamaru's parents watched them with curious glances. The two ignored them and went inside Shikamaru's room, closing the door behind them.

Naruto stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, not knowing what to do at this situation. He hadn't even processed everything from his own place yet. It didn't take long to break the awkwardness though when Shikamaru placed his hands on his shoulders and pushed him backwards slowly.

Each step he took, his bells ringed lightly in this quiet space between them.

"Sh-Shika..? What are you doing? It's kind of- woah!"

Shikamaru had shoved him down, the back of his legs hitting the edge of the bed and causing him to fall on top. Soon after, arms were being wrapped around his waist and pulling him closer towards Shikamaru's own body. Glancing up through the small crack of his mask, he saw that Shikamaru was facing forward.

Shikamaru slowly moved his left hand up from Naruto's back and onto his hair, brushing the strands of hair gently.

"... Shika?"

"You can let it all out, it's okay. I will hold you until you feel better."

Naruto's eyes quivered, lowering his head and rested his forehead on the other's chest. His mind went into a frenzy, everything catching up to him, mashing into one another as many emotions bubbled.

Everything was going so well, he ate something so good and got to make another great memory with Shikamaru. But it all came crashing down at the end. He can feel his heart twisting painfully upon the words finally striking him, the threats he received. The oh-so-familiar feeling he had grown up with, the loneliness and the aching of self hatred.

Before he even realized it himself, he had already begun his breakdown, a whimper escaping out of his mouth. He ignored the discomfort of his mask and pushed his face further into Shikamaru's chest, hiccuping and tears streaming out of his eyes.

Shikamaru stayed still, hand drawing small circles on his waist, and whispered comforting words into his ears.

"W-why me? Why does this keep happening to me? I'm not a monster, I don't- I won't kill anyone but people keep saying that I will!" Naruto stuttered, breath shaking. "What have I done?"

"Absolutely nothing, you're truly a kind soul."

"I knew this was a bad idea, I dragged you into my problems and now you're going to get targeted too! I'm so stupid, I should've-" Naruto whimpered, unable to finish his sentence as more tears streamed down and pooling the inside of his mask. Shikamaru shook his head, making low shushing noises.

"I don't care if I get dragged along, I'll always be by your side."

He held onto the boy tightly, his heart breaking at every whimper Naruto made, body trembling in his arms. The two didn't continue their conversation, choosing to bask into each other's warmth instead.

Shikamaru wasn't sure how much time had past but when he felt the blond grow limp, breath slowly evening out, he carefully pulled away to look down.

The poor boy cried himself to sleep.

Shikamaru cautiously sat up on his bed and picked up Naruto's head a bit to lay him on his pillow. He then tucked Naruto under his blanket, gazing at the boy sadly as he patted him lightly.

He was disappointed at himself for not managing to keep Naruto away from all the hate of the village. He was so damn stupid to allow all the obvious hints get away with their plan. But he will fix this.

He slowly leaned down to Naruto's face, squishing his cheeks softly between his fingers before placing a small kiss right on it. He pulled away, savoring the softness and dragged himself off the bed and heading straight out the door.

Shikamaru mind blanked, only one mission in mind to complete.

He's going to find whoever did this, what he will do to them, he wasn't sure yet. He'll have to wait and see how he feels at that moment.

He walked out of his house, thankful that his parents didn't see him leave. His expression showed nothing, a suspect already in mind.

The one who carried black paint.

Chapter 19

.       .        .

Dead silence.

There wasn't a single person in sight, stores and restaurants were all closed or beginning to close as the moon begins to slowly reveal itself in the darken sky. The sound of dirt and rock being stepped on were the only sound Shikamaru could focus on to calm his nerves down, his heart beating lightly against his chest.

He walked in his usual demeanor, shoulders drooped, hands in his pockets, and slow, steady steps. His face held no expression, no emotions were shown despite the circumstances. This situation kind of felt similar to the first he had encountered such thing first-hand when they were eating inside the restaurant, just the mer thought of it had his palms itching once again. His finger nails were scraping lightly against his palm, the feeling becoming almost annoying as he yearns for some sort of contact.

Walking slowly and steadily, he came across the place he was hoping was still open, the restaurant that him and Naruto had eaten earlier. He hastily hid himself under the shadow of the building across from it, keeping himself away from view and enough to peek over from the corner.

The lights inside were still glowing and he could see a couple of silhouettes through the window. The corner of his lips twitched a bit, pulling himself back to lay his head against the wall behind him. He then let out a short, dry chuckle. This was perfect, everything was set into place so nicely and he hasn't even started anything yet.

Though his smile instantly dropped as he stared coldly back over at the people behind the window, hearing them burst into laughter as if they weren't guilty of anything. That was enough for Shikamaru, he couldn't wait any longer.

"You're going to regret messing with Naru."

After is whispers were carried amongst the wind, the shadow behind him fully engulfed Shikamaru's body, allowing him to enter into the dark unknown.

 

 

∞༺♥༻✧

 

 

 

"Goodness today was such a long day!"

"Tell me about it, it was strangely busier today but at least we made more money!"

The lady and the man both sighed out at the same time, all visibly delighted at their hard work. They were currently cleaning up the restaurant, preparing to leave for the day and head off home, a usual routine of theirs that they had grown up doing. They cleaned in complete silence for a while until the lady let out a small noise, eyes squinting as a frown decorated her face.

"That little shit showed up to our restaurant."

The man grunted in response, his wiping becoming more harsh as he spoke out. "It sure did... the nerve of it to show up to our place or even come out at all. Truly unbelievable, does that kid wish to be dead?"

"Not only it but that Nara kid too... he was weirdly protecting it when confronting our waitress. Has his parents not taught him not to do so?! He's gonna get himself killed if he stays with that beast. Aggravating honestly!"

The man hummed as a thought came into mind.

"Maybe he's plotting something? The Nara family are known to be high in intelligence so could it be that he is most likely just observing before getting rid of it for good?" A chuckle escaped from his lips, "Hah! No one here actually likes that freak of a monster so I'd say the Nara kid is doing some sort of sick joke."

The two laughed together as they continued to clean, uncaring with the way they were speaking. After 20 minutes passes, the lady had finished up moping the floor meanwhile the man finished up cleaning the dishes. They directed themselves towards a single table to continue their chat, sitting down as grins broke out of their faces.

"So, how did it go? What did you paint? I hope it's something that it'll memorize. Clock is ticking you know~"

"Do not worry, I made sure it was loud and clear." The man assured with a raised hand, offering her a confident thumbs up.

"Wonderful... then, shall we further discuss the plan? The others are on board with what we offered."

"Honestly I think we should rest before discussing more about it. After all, we've done enough work for the day."

The lady nodded in agreement but leaned back on her chair with a heavy sigh. "Ugh- I want to see it in motion now but I guess you're right. Let us go-"

The two mouth were agape, no further words escaping from their lips as they felt a chillin presence surrounding them. They stared at each other as they tried to silently question each other on what this strange phenomena was, goosebumps suddenly formed at the back of their necks.

It was then, they heard it.

"Don't mind me too much, you guys should discuss further on that little plan of yours. Right here, right now."

The sudden voice had the two snapped out of their frozen state, pushing themselves off the chairs and shuffling back in panic. When they were at a bit of a distance, they turned around and guarded themselves, scanning around the darken restaurant to try to identify the unknown intruder. In doing so, the man manage to catch a glimpse of a pair of opened-toed shoes peeking out from the moonlight provided by the window.

"I see where you are, show yourself now bastard! I know exactly where you are so might as well!" The man words echoed throughout the empty room, voice booming as his irritation becomes more noticeable. 

"Awh that's all you got? I was expecting some more since you guys had the balls to mess with someone dear to me, but it's quite understandable from someone who's of low class. Pathetic, really."

"You-! Show yourself damnit and I'll beat the-"

Before the man could get his final words out, a dark line of shadow wrapped itself around his body tightly and stopped right onto his mouth, silencing him. The lady let out a shriek as she witnessed her partner being held tightly, unsure on what she should do in this situation. In a state of panic, she tried her best to back away from the scene but ended up getting caught by the shadowy strands too.

"Shut up already, I've heard that line so many times already and it's so annoying."

Finally deciding it was time, Shikamaru stepped out of the dark and revealed himself to the two workers. He was lightly hitting his forehead with his palm with his eyebrow scrunched up together, visibly displeased.

"Can't you people think of something else to say? How troublesome." Shikamaru grumbled out tiredly as his eyes scanned the two suspects' face closely. He recognized them both actually, though quite unsurprising since it makes things easier on his part. He had gotten them under his little technique, right where he wants them.

"Based on your facial expression, it seems that you guys recognize who I am." He spoke with a bored tone, yet his words clung onto something, tense almost. Everything about Shikamaru was anything but bored.

"I was listening to you guys this whole time and to be real honest, you guys are nothing but barking mutts. You two should really start minding your own businesses but since I'm here, I might as well clarify some things before you both do something rash."

He then drew in his shadows to tightened up their holds more, causing the lady to release a muffled gasp while the man forced himself to hold back any noises. The quickly glance at each other in hopes of beginning one or the other to think of something to get them out of here, though Shikamaru would never allow them to do so. He tapped the front of his shoes onto the floor, sighing out loudly.

"I am Naru's friend and no, I'm not plotting anything. I actually like him a lot so that counterstrikes that little statement of yours." He explained while lifting a finger to point straight at the man.

When Shikamaru made eye contact with his, the man felt a shiver run down his spine. The slanted eyes belonging to the Nara burned into his own and it caused a wave of dismay to appear within his heart. Shikamaru proceeded to walk closer up towards the two without breaking his concentration. He watched as the suspects began to wither in their holds, desperately trying to loosen up his shadows. The man, seemingly not wanting to be talked down upon, attempted to shot at Shikamaru but to no avail. The shadow around his mouth was only pulled tighter in return and forcing him to stay silent.

Shikamaru stopped once he was in arms length to them.

"Getting straight to the point, I'm here because there was an incident that involved black paint. Actually, I wanted to thank you guys for making it easy for me to figure out where the culprit is. Gave me a lot of spare time in doing so since I didn't need to hunt."

Right after he finished, the shadow that was wrapped around the lady's mouth slipped loose and untwisted. She inhaled through her mouth as relieved as she was, however, the false sense of hope was short lived when the shadow stopped right around her neck, still having a tight hold onto her body.

"What do you-"

"Shh. I didn't say you can speak yet."

Shikamaru leaned his body against a nearby table, rolling his eyes when he saw how the lady flinched upon watching his every action. For someone to cause this much trouble, she was quite a coward.

"Previously, I was just going to focus on that man right next to you but after hearing that you both apparently have more to do with Naru... I have a change of mind actually." Shikamaru's words dragged on ever so slightly, tapping the table top with his nails lightly.

"W-what exactly do you want?! Just let us go you brat!" She begged in distress, tears brimming in the corner of her eyes. Shikamaru snapped his head at her direction, in which, caused her to flinch once more. He shook his head and mumbled a few incoherent words to himself, something about how screeching her voice was.

"Nope, just tell me more about this little plan of yours."

Upon hearing that, her eyes widened and she quickly turned her attention over at her co-worker. The man immediately shook his head violently, signaling that she should not say a single word about it.

Too stubborn for his own good, that's surely going to bite him right back if he continues acting tough. Shikamaru could only hum quietly as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.

Estimating about 5 minutes passes by and she finally looked back at Shikamaru, her expression mostly of dread as he swallowed down her saliva. Shikamaru silently stood there, awaiting for her answer.

"If-" she took in another nervous gulp. "A-and if I don't?"

Shikamaru simply quirked his eyebrow and shook his head once.

"Then say goodbye to your friend."

The man groaned out loudly right after Shikamaru spoke. The shadows the were wrapped around him had tightened up with a simple snap of a finger. With how tight it was becoming, it wouldn't be too surprising if a few of his bones had already snapped out of place, his breath was noticeably shortening too. He struggled and withered under the tight hold, pain noises muffled by the shadow around his mouth.

Soon, he began to thrash and kick his legs violently.

"Wait!" She shrieked, "Please don't kill him! W-we can offer you money if that is to your standard!"

Shikamaru frowned deepened, "Are you fucking dumb? I told you what I want and it's definitely not your dirty money. I said I want more information on your plan, nothing else besides that."

She hurriedly glanced between the two a few times and Shikamaru offered her a small smile.

"I'd hurry if I were you."

That seemed to not be enough for her as she still looked to be debating with herself. Shikamaru, being the kind man he was, gave her another chance and lifted up three fingers.

"3..."

"H-Hold on! Let us be civil about this and talk normally! We can arrange something and-"

"2..."

"Please!"

"1."

Just before Shikamaru could fold his finger down completely, the lady finally gave in. Her head hung low as she bit the bottom of her lip.

"Alright! Alright, I'll fess up..." She then mumbled unconfidently, "Only if you loosen on him first."

Shikamaru thought on that for a moment but decided to do so. After all, he didn't see a point on tormenting the guy further as he was gaining more information. Nevertheless he could repeat the process again if needed since he still has them in his hold.

She first cleared her throat before beginning, "After he painted on its walls-"

"Use his pronouns right."

"I'm sorry! After he painted on his walls, we placed a tag bomb in his apartment and was waiting for a perfect moment to set it off. The words were to have in spiral into his headspace and to hopefully stay inside until we... you know." She managed to confess without stopping too much. Her explanation was fast, to the point where some of the words were mixed in together but Shikamaru still understood the whole thing.

Bomb?

Set a bomb in Naru's apartment?!

Shikamaru's stomach turned uncomfortably, his mind beginning to be filled with anger. The thought of losing Naruto never crossed his mind, but upon hearing such confession, it had his heart dropping.

Not wanting to think of that possibility any longer, he slammed his fist onto the top of the table and nearly breaking it at the process.

"You idiots! What the hell is wrong with you people?! In what part of your brain made you guys think that this was morally correct? Why is it that all of you guys are reacting this way to-" Shikamaru had to shut his mouth for a moment once he felt his blood boiling, "He hasn't done anything yet you people..."

He was sure that his ranting was loud enough for anyone to hear from the outside, but Shikamaru could care less about people eavesdropping. He won't hesitate to bring them in too if he was required to. His jaw was hurting with how tight he was forcing his mouth to shut, stopping himself from letting anymore words escape his lips. His palm was getting irritatingly itchier as he was beginning to get hotter. His fingernails had been digging against his palm, the pressure deep enough to have some of his skin scrapped off and drawing in some blood.

The flash image of Naruto's tear stained face came into his mind. How he cried and cried until he passed out from exhaustion. The tears that were caused by these two. He looked at them once more, his expression darkening as his inner thoughts became more known.

He wants nothing more than to see them gone.

He wanted to see them suffocate, he wanted to see them struggle, he wanted to see them wither in pain.

He could easily cover himself up and no one, including Naruto, won't ever know that he was the main suspect. Having one of the most respected titles held onto some benefits.

Despite his mind swirling in irrational thoughts, for some odd reason, Shikamaru felt warm hands grasping onto his upper arm. The familiarity of the lingering warmth had him snapping his head around to see if he was here, a sense of comfort wrapping itself around Shikamaru.

Naruto.

Naruto wasn't there, of course he wouldn't be. Weird, why does it seem like he was here? Shikamaru could feel it, his presence somehow remained by his side and it strangely helped the Nara to think more properly once more. It reminded him of the time when he faced a similar situation as this one. Where Naruto was holding onto him tightly while Shikamaru helped him from the two older men from the alleyway. The way he was shivering in fear as he tried to stop Shikamaru from further hurting them.

Truly a kind soul he has.

It had him thinking, if he was here right now, he would definitely be disappointed in his actions and Shikamaru didn't wish to be the cause of that. He was having split thoughts, one wanting to harm them while the other nagged at him to let them go.

In the end, he chose to let them go.

The only thing he will say was that it would be a different story if they weren't part of Konoha.

He hesitantly released his bindings from his fellow townspeople and watched for their reactions. The man had fell onto the ground, panting hard while desperately trying to take long-deep breaths in and as for the lady, she had fell onto her knees and hands, sweat and tears dripping down her face as her body shook in relief. Five ticks went by and she was already crawling over to her partner, checking up on him.

"I guess Naru really is my angel. Being able to stop my action without even being here."

Though there was one thing he had to do in order to truly release his pent of anger. Shikamaru waited until the man was fully seated up and his skin to start regaining its color. He walked up to him, the lady scooting back out of panic, and crouched in front of him.

He raised up his hand, clenched his fingers tightly to form a fist, and went to punch him right on his face. The other was launched behind, back landing right on the ground again as he released a painful grunt, clenching his nose tightly with his hands. His coworker gasped in shocked as she crawled over to him and raised his head up and onto her lap. She looked up at Shikamaru with wide eyes, mouth opening and closing with nothing coming out of it.

Shikamaru fanned his hand gently, the itching feeling disappearing right after landing a blow. Seeing how the man is withering in pain was enough to satisfy a bit of his desire, only a little.

"Say a word about our encounter and I will not hesitate the second time to kill you both, got it?"

The lady quickly nodded her head, arms wrapped tightly around her friend as if Shikamaru was going to take him away. The man didn't give him anything for a few minutes but ended up letting out a low grunt in agreement.

How pleasant, the tough act had finally dropped and now they were being civil. Shikamaru shoved his hands into his pocket, stood back up, and started walking towards the main exit. Before he made a move to open the door, he needed to know just one more thing.

"Where did you place the bomb?"

 

.     .     .

 

"...Under his bed."

And with that, he slammed the door right behind him and quickly headed off to where Naruto's apartment awaits. He was no longer thinking about those two troublemakers, now shifted to just Naruto and his safety. It didn't take long for him to arrive and he jumped down to land on Naruto's little balcony, opening his window with ease and entered inside swiftly. It was a lot more cleaner than the last time he was here but there were still some things that Shikamaru hopes he can help fix to make this place more suitable to live in.

He crouched down and reached out carefully under the bed for any signs of the tag. His fingers graced upon a thick paper and he knew it was the thing he was hoping to find. He yanked it off of the wooden material and pulled his hand back. Examining it closely, he could see that it was indeed a bomb and he wonders how someone like them could withhold such item. It was definitely one of the stronger types, enough to cause quite a damage to this building.

Shikamaru grimaced at the sight.

If he hadn't met those two tonight than today could've been the last time he would ever hear Naruto call out his name with his beautiful voice. Having that thought in mind made him feel empty inside.

He stood up and jumped back onto the balcony, closing the window securely before hopping to the top of the building and running back home. All he wants right now was to embrace Naruto and feel his warmth against his body, he needed to feel him in his arms. It didn't take long for him to reach hone and he hurriedly went inside, careful to not wake is parents up. He closed the door behind him, took off his shoes, and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower to help his tense muscles to ease up. It was also a just-in-case he smelled different from earlier.

After finishing up, he went inside his room, carefully scanning his bed to see if Naruto was still there and sleeping. He listened to the sound of light snores and watched the blanket moving slightly under the moonlight. What a relief, Naruto was still sleeping and hadn't noticed his absence.

He walked quietly towards his closet and picked up his clothes to put on.

Finally, he made his way to his bed and laid beside the sleeping blond and sighed out of his nose. Naruto was facing his direction so Shikamaru was able to see his whole front view. His mask had slipped up a little, most likely from all the movements he does in his slumber. For the first time, Shikamaru could see a peek of what was hidden behind the mask. He wonders what color lies behind Naruto's closed eyes, hiding away behind that mask of his. He hopes one day he'll be able to see what his eyes look like but for now, he will wait as long as Naruto needed.

Shikamaru's hands raised up to caress Naruto's cheek but then was stopped right before he could place it down.

Another set of hands had grasped onto his own unexpectedly.

Naruto's fingers were lightly running around his hand. Shikamaru could see his cheek twitching, assuming that the smaller was frowning as he felt the roughness of his palm.

"Shika... did you-where did you go? Did you hurt yourself?" Naruto whispered quietly, sleep laced around his words and eyes remaining closed. So Naruto did know he was away, that was alright, he could lie his way out of this.

Shikamaru smiled softly, gushing a little upon hearing Naruto's sleepy voice after dealing with a long night.

"I went out for a bit but don't worry about it, I'm alright."

Naruto shifted around a bit, scooting closer towards Shikamaru's body and laid his head on top of his chest.

"Okay but please be careful... don't wanna... see you hurt."

Shikamaru embraced Naruto's waist and pulled him a little closer towards him, kissing his head lightly before shutting his eyes close.

"I don't want to see you hurt either, my angel."

Chapter 20

"Naruto, sweetie, it's time to wake up."

Naruto mumbled out inaudible words as he was taken away from his world of slumber, slowly pushing himself up so that he could be fully seated. He rubbed his eyes and was about to take glimpse of his surroundings when all of a sudden, it remained dark. A few beat passes and he realized that a hand had covered over them.

"Your mask fell off while you were sleeping, don't want you revealing something you don't want to right?"

Oh he recognizes who this was, it was Shikamaru's mom.

He listened to the sound of ruffling from around him, wondering what Yoshino was doing. It didn't last long when his eyes were flashed by the sunlight within the room, squinting his eyes a bit all while he felt something familiar covering his face. He blinked a few times and stared right at Yoshino, who in return, was smiling right at him. He could feel her hands tying a knot around his head before taking a few steps back, staring down at him with the softest expression. 

"What a pretty smile." He could see the similarities between her and Shikamaru, both holding onto the most gentlest gazes he had ever seen.

"Shikamaru went off for a mission earlier and Shikaku went to work. This meaning it'll just be you and me for the day. Let's spend some time together, hm? Shikamaru has been hogging you so much that I haven't been given a chance to get to know you better!"

She gave him a quick peck on the head before walking out the door to prepare breakfast. Naruto stared at the empty hallway where she had left, his hands slowly reaching to the place she had left her kiss and blushed at the action. A small smile tugged the corners of his lips, shifting in his seat a bit as warmth spread through him. It wasn't the same warmth he would experience with Shikamaru, no, it was something entirely new and different.

He'd never received a motherly kiss on the head before and he wonders if the warm he was feeling was something from a family. It did help a bit to lifting up his spirit but after last nights incident, he honestly didn't have the motivation to do anything. Yet, seeing how Yoshino looked so excited to spend time with him, he didn't have the heart to turn her down and decided to force himself to get the day done.

He stretched out his limbs to crack his back and began his little routine. It was nice of them to keep his things in their house just in case he was gonna come back, makes things easier to navigate and get everything done quickly.

When he finished, he went downstairs and stopped right at the dining room entrance. There he watched Yoshino travel to the kitchen and to the table with a expression that screamed "everything has to be perfect!"

She was carrying quite a lot of dishes in her arms and Naruto was very much impressed.

"A power mom..." Naruto whispered to himself as he applaud lightly at her dedication. Yoshino, upon hearing the noise, turned her head to his direction and made grinned brightly at him while displaying the table with jazz hands.

"What are you doing standing over there? Come on now, it's already finished so eat up." Yoshino said as she removed her apron and seated herself on one of the chairs. Naruto nodded quickly though he continued to stand there, taking in the sight in front of him.

Another wave of warmth overlapped his entire heart, a bubble of appreciation swelling up. She want out of her way to cook something for him and her, she truly did want to spend time with him and that enough made Naruto's doubts of entering their lives die down.

This whole thing reminded him of a time where he had passed by an apartment one night, noticing a mother and a daughter having a meal together and laughing. He remembers feeling he went through that day, stuck to him like a parasite that leeched on him. He was envious of them.

"Naruto?"

"Huh? Oh, yes! Sorry, sorry." He shook his head to stop himself from dazing off into space, quickly taking a seat across from Yoshino and clapping his hands together. Excitement setting in fully as he smiled widely, "Thank you for the food!"

As Naruto began to dig in, he missed the way Yoshino was watching him. Yoshino eyes softened at the sight of him eating so eagerly and glowing at every bite.

"Remember to chew your food or else you'll choke."

"Mph mph!"

Naruto nodded while not really paying attention, too busy savoring the flavor of the food and enjoying the moment. What really got his attention was the unexpected sound of a camera film being dispensed, causing him to stop mid-chew and lift his head up to see where it had came from. In front of him, he sees Yoshino holding a camera in front of her eye and pointing it straight at him.

Confused and hesitant, he watched silently as an image slowly dispersed from the camera in her hands, the colors already beginning to show itself. He continued to chew the food inside his mouth before speaking, "Mrs... what are you doing?"

"Hm? Oh I'm taking a picture of you!" Yoshino answered, the image now in hand as he fanned it lightly.

"But why? I'm not doing anything special to deserve a photo?"

Yoshino seemed to take offense to this and gasped out, "What do you mean? You eating so well definitely deserves a picture! Just look at how cute your little cheeks are!"

She then presented the photo to Naruto, laughing a bit as he examined it. Ignoring the fact at how ridiculous he looked with how overly stuffed his face was, his interest peaked.

"Woah!? Is that what I look like in a photo? It's kinda weird to see, this is my first time having my photo taken but I guess it's no different from a mirror."

"Really now..." Yoshino hummed as she fiddled with the camera a bit, looking as if she was thinking about something deeply. Naruto just sat and waited for her to continue on, not really knowing how to proceed forward. His eyes followed the camera being lifted higher, Yoshino now grinning at him excitedly. "Then once we're done with breakfast, how about we head out to the Nara Forest and take some photos of you? That way, you'll have more than one!"

"Ah, uhm, I'm not really that photogenic so- or actually, at least I don't think I am?" Naruto cut himself off as he thought about it more, was he photogenic? How would he know if he had only gotten one photo taken of him? Now that is a question he can ponder on.

Yoshino, seemingly not minding his random moment of questioning, placed down her camera while the photo in her hand was tucked carefully inside her pocket.

"Well I believe you're doing perfectly fine! The photo I took proves it, just act natural and the photos will always turn out good."

The protest in his throat died down as the lady in front of him grinned widely, Yoshino surely perfected the arts of talking and he wouldn'y be surprised if she had a degree in it. It could also be because she lives with two of the most laziest people in this town, being a smooth talker must run in the family.

He snickered to himself at the thought.

They sat in silence as they slowly finish up the food on the table. Naruto was humming quietly to himself until Yoshino spoke out again.

"How... often do you eat these type of meals?"

"Oh not often! This is my first experience having breakfast at a dining table," Naruto expression softened, "It's my first experience eating breakfast with another adult."

A quiet noise drew Naruto's attention away from his bowl, raising his head up to question Yoshino if she heard that too. However, before he could utter a word, a shocked gasp escaped out of his lips, the chopstick in his hand dropping inside the bowl.

Yoshino, who looked so happy and cheerful not even five minutes ago, held unshed tears in her eyes as she stood up from her spot. Naruto watched silently as Yoshino gathered the empty dishes, the sounds of the bowls clashing lightly against each other filling the silence. She then headed to the direction of the kitchen, placing down the plates while turning on the faucet.

What should he do in this situation? Was he the one that caused her sudden sorrow? Panic struck his heart as he dug through his mind to figure out what he did that lead to this direction, his fingers began pinching the end of his shirt. He will never forgive himself if he was actually the reason for hear tears.

"Having to survive on your own without any guidance..."

Naruto quickly snapped out of his thoughts to listen to Yoshino, one hand on the table now as he hurriedly spouted words in hopes of reassuring her.

"I-It's no big deal, ya know! I'm fine so-"

"No."

The short, but stern response had him flinch lightly.

"...No?"

He noticed the way Yoshino's scrubbing started to become more rough, endlessly cleaning the same bowl she had began with. "I've known about your situation... I knew that you were going to struggle greatly and I even promised your mom that I was going to help her out once you were born."

"Mom?"

This was the first someone had mention any of his parents, curiosity struck him hard but he fought back the urge to question about her. With the way Yoshino's voice was wavering and her breathing was slowly becoming shaky, his heart cracked. 

"No matter how much we wanted to, we were instructed to not get close to you nor even interact with you by the head counselors. Me and Shikaku still fought against them to have you under our care despite the rules against it," She let out a short chuckle, "Sounds a bit weird now that you and Shikamaru are... you know."

The bowl and sponge dropped from her hands, the water splashing everywhere. Naruto stood up from his chair, carefully taking steps to get closer to Yoshino.

"Anyways, in the end, they threatened to banish you if we continued fighting for you. So we decided to stop in worries of them actually doing something to you... though I thought long and hard after the decision was made and realized that I was such a coward to give up so easily. It's relieving to know that you turned out to be such a sweet boy despite everything, if it weren't for Shikamaru's persistent and us covering you, than you would've- Oh god, it's my fault you even ended up like this in the first place--"

Naruto wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly from behind. Shikamaru usually hugs him and it helps him feel better, he hopes it was the same for Yoshino.

"I never blamed anyone so it's okay, Mrs. I'm grateful to know that you and Mr. Nara tried for me, it's cool to know you guys weren't scared of me like the others. Makes ya cooler, 'ttebayo!"

Thankfully, he heard a cackle from her, feeling her hands gently grasping onto his arms.

"You really are like Kushina."

Kushina...? Kushina. 

The name he was unfamiliar with, sent warmth straight into his stomach as lowered his head a bit. Kushina, a name that belonged to his mother.

It was unsure how long they stayed in this position, but after some time the two decided to do the dishes together. At some point, bubbles somehow flew into the air above them, the sound of loud cackle filled the space as the two nearly slipped from the soapy floor. Once that was done and finished, the both of them excitedly walked to the Nara backyard and into the forest attached right behind. Exploring around, Naruto looked at the scenery in fascination. It really does fit the whole Nara image, the calming sound of the leaves bustling along with the wind and the calming atmosphere of nature. They looked for spots that seemed like a good spot and snapped some photos of each other. They even snapped a few together, laughing at each other's silly expression.

"Ahh! These will look so nice inside my photo album!" Yoshino shared, looking through all of the films that they've taken. She stopped at one, humming in satisfaction before handing it towards the young boy. Naruto grabbed onto it and examined it happily, it was a photo of the two of them, Yoshino holding up the camera high and Naruto midair jumping in the back. The two held a peace sign and stuck out their tongues playfully.

"Keep it for yourself as a small little memory." she said, patting Naruto's head. Naruto thanked her with a grin and carefully placed the photo inside his pocket, making sure that it won't get smooshed around.

"There you guys are."

"Shika!"

Upon seeing the other boy, Naruto ran up to meet Shikamaru half way and waved his arms excitedly.

"Welcome back! Me and Mrs. Yoshino were taking pictures around this forest and also, this place is huge!"

Shikamaru smiled softly and patted Naruto's hair around, the action being the same as Yoshino's, they truly are son and mother. Naruto inspected Shikamaru from head to toe, taking a step back as he curiously asked.

"Wow man, you look so rough. Was the mission really serious this time?"

"Not necessarily, just groups of people who refused to cooperate and ended up choosing to fight. The usual, the usual," Shikamaru grimaced, waving his hand back and forth at the memories of the earlier encounter, "It's crazy how often people choose action when talking is also an option."

"I wish I can see you in real life action! It's been so long since I've last seen it, like, how does your technique work with the rest of your teammates?" Naruto questioned with a finger tapping his chin while tilting his head to the side.

"I've already told you how it works."

"Telling is different from seeing!"

A shutter sound cause the two to look back at Yoshino, who was flailing a photo around in excitement.

"Yes! I finally got a shot of those two together!" Yoshino whispered, audibly awing at how the image was captured. She soon marched her way over to the two and placed the camera around Naruto's neck.

"Well I'll leave you boys be, come back inside later so that we can have dinner and Naruto, thank you for giving me a chance." And with that, she left hurriedly so that they could continue with their little conversation.

"You have to show me around this place! Come on!"

When Naruto grabbed onto Shikamaru's hand, he completely stopped his movements upon feeling how rough the palm were. It sparked a faint memory and he frowned.

"Oh yeah... what happen to your hand?"

"I did fight some people during my mission..."

"Well, yeah, but I remember last night you came back into your room and your hands felt rough already." Naruto explained worryingly, carefully thumbing over Shikamaru's palm. "Did... something happen?"

Shikamaru mentally cursed at himself, he didn't think he'd notice with his tired state.

"Ah it was nothing, I went outside to watch the moon and since it was pitch dark, I couldn't see properly which basically ended up with me falling onto the concrete floor." Shikamaru lied, smiling slightly at the pouting blond.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, very sure."

Naruto still didn't quite believe him, obvious hint from how he was frowning at Shikamaru and it was kind of making it hard for him to continue lying.

"Did you... try to find the person who damaged my apartment?"

Sharp, Shikamaru wasn't too surprised that Naruto caught onto it. It was obvious, anyone would notice but it was worth a shot though. Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head now being caught, "Yeah I did, I promise I didn't do anything necessarily bad to them though. I just chatted with them for a bit and they ended up telling me some things."

"Just chatted, huh," Naruto pointed at his hands, still not convinced, "What's up with your palms then?"

Shikamaru raised his hands up in defeat, "Alright, I did get a little angry. I was holding myself back and I ended up unconsciously digging my nails into my own palms."

Naruto grimaced even more at that. He couldn't believe Shikamaru went out of his way to find out who had done the graffiti and all Naruto did was sleep throughout the whole thing, unaware of the danger the Nara put himself into, willingly. Though there was no point in nagging the the other, persistent was a strong trait of his and what's done was done.

Naruto shook his head, sighing out loudly. "As long as it was calm then I guess that's good..."

"Calm isn't necessarily the right word but whatever." Though Naruto didn't need to know about that part.

"So what did they tell you?"

Shikamaru scowled upon remembering the conversation, debating whether or not if he should tell Naruto that two people had planned on bombing his apartment in hopes of ending his life. He'd rather not think of that possibility anymore nor did he want to bring him down any further than he already was.

"Another time, there's something I need to do first actually."

With that being said, he took the camera off of Naruto's neck and brought it close to his own face.

"Alrighty, say cheese!"

"Huh?"

Click!

Naruto blinked a few times and pushed his hands under his mask to rub his eyes, attempting to get rid of the small circles within his vision caused by the flash. As he did so, Shikamaru took the dispensing film and flapped it quickly. Once the image was clear, he whistled teasingly.

"What a shot." Shikamaru snickered as he turned the photo over to let Naruto see. In an instant, Naruto reacted bashfully.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!" Naruto whined, snatching the camera back and faced it over to Shikamaru.

"Your turn!"

He quickly pushed the button and took the picture. Waiting a few seconds, he grabbed onto the film and shook it lightly.

"Heheh! Now we both have a picture of each other."

"How troublesome."

The two continued chatting as Shikamaru directed Naruto through his family's forest. They only stopped when Naruto saw something move in from a distance. He couldn't sense anything so it's most likely not another person.

Unusual, Naruto leaned over to Shikamaru and whispered, "Shika, I saw something move over there."

Shikamaru glanced over at where Naruto was pointing and quickly understood what he was referring to.

"I see you have spotted our specialty within this forest, deers."

"Deers? Really?!"

"Yep but at this time, I don't think they'll interact with us right now since it's past afternoon. On my day off, I'll show you them and you can even feed them."

Naruto nodded, anticipation written all over his expression. "Yes! Oh my god, I don't think I've ever properly seen a deer in real life! I can't believe you guys just have some here."

Soon the two ended up at a special spot, showed by none other than Shikamaru himself. They sat themselves onto the ground, Naruto audibly wow-ing at the greenery filled with nothing but grass and tiny white flowers.

"Woah...!"

"Pretty, right?"

Naruto hummed as he breathed in the fresh air, the sunlight hitting directly at his face. He always loved the outdoors, so much to do, so much to explore. He then tilted his head down to look over at Shikamaru, who was laying down on his back.

Shikamaru's eyes were closed, expression relaxed as if there was no care in this world even after coming back all scratched up. Naruto couldn't help but admire him, how hardworking he truly was with his job and always going out of his way to help Naruto out, no matter how big or small it was. Even if he had never personally asked to, Shikamaru would just do it out of the kindness of his heart.

Shikamaru made him feel something he thought he'd never would ever experience.

Happiness.

Being with Shikamaru makes him happy.

Badum! Badum!

"Ugh..."

Naruto let out a sudden, quiet grown, bringing his hands up to his chest and squeezed his shirt. His heart was beating hard against his chest and it was slowly growing uncomfortably warm, something he had yet to feel.

Badum!

"Why are you acting like this body?"

He puts even more pressure against his chest as an attempt to calm down his beating heart, trying to understand why had all of a sudden decided to pick up at such a high speed.

"Naru, I want you to live with me and my family."

Naruto's shoulders jolted when Shikamaru began to talk. Too busy dealing with his internal issues, he missed what the other had said to him.

"Sorry, repeat that again."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and shifted around to get comfortable. "I said move in and live with me. Once we are adults, I can buy a house and then we can both live together, maybe somewhere far from here."

"What?! I can't possibly just move in with you! I would only be a burden since I don't know how to do most of the housework and I don't even have- mph--!?"

Naruto's lip had been pushed against Shikamaru's finger, shushing him.

"Stop that, you'll be fine. Me and my parents had a conversation earlier about letting you move in with us so we don't mind at all, plus, my mom can teach you some basic things too and I'm also here. It'll be safer for you to stay somewhere else where nobody can easily access your location and, either way, I'm not gonna take no as an answer."

"Buph Phika!"

Naruto pouted hearing his words being weirdly pronounced and lightly slapped Shikamaru's hand away from his mouth. He licked his lips to get rid of the dryness but sticked out his tongue instantly, cringing at the metal taste.

"I get that you want to help me and stuff but I'm not... Ugh! I just feel like a burden. You've done so much for me already and I can't do anything for you in return." Naruto confessed as he fiddled around with the camera around his neck. He would be lying if he said that the guilt wasn't eating him up for a while now, he couldn't help but think that he was annoying Shikamaru with all of his troubles and problems. It was most likely true that he would be safer if he lived with him and his family but... Wouldn't he disturb the atmosphere? The warm family gatherings and such?

He knows Shikamaru cares for him a lot and his actions had shown, it was just his own insecurities that failed to reassure him.

He curled up his knees and continued fiddling with the camera as a little distraction.

"Why are you doing so much for someone who's not even that important? No less someone that everyone hates?" He mumbled, turning his head to look over at Shikamaru. He watched as the iconic lazy smile formed on Shikamaru's lips and eyes looking straight at him, it was as if Shikamaru was staring at the most precious thing in the world. Naruto had to glance away for a moment because it was making his chest warm up again.

But the next sentence that Shikamaru spoken had him frozen at his spot.

 

"It's because I like you."

Naruto's back straightened up immediately out of pure shock, mouth slightly agape at the response he was given as he looked back at the other. He had heard Shikamaru answer like that before but he dismissed it as a joke, and right now, he really wanted to dismiss it as a joke yet again. But with the way Shikamaru's eyes held so much warmth in them, it was making him think otherwise.

Shikamaru's ponytail was swaying along with the wind, the sun making his pale skin glow under it and topping it all off with the familiar smile he had always liked to see on the Nara. His sharp brown eyes was glowing also under the sun and the way he positioned himself added onto the whole image.

He had always seen Shikamaru like this though, but today... todat was different. Naruto's chest was swelling up again and his heart was beginning to pick back up in speed just like earlier.

It was swelling up so much, it was to the point that it almost hurts.

This feeling was not entirely new but it's definitely growing stronger as the days gone by with Shikamaru by his side. He was afraid that this day would come, despite all the odds of him believing it would never happen. He has been afraid that he would soon grow too attach, a feeling he has been so afraid to possess.

The hand that was holding onto the picture of Shikamaru was slowly crinkling from the pressure under his fingers. He could feel the cold sweat beginning to build up at the back of his neck upon the realization of what this really meant.

In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think that maybe allowing Shikamaru to get so deep into his life was...

 

 

 

A mistake.

Chapter 21

Notes:

hello, thank you all for the support and curious comments regarding this story :> updates are going to be slow, but i hope to be able to upload more!

Shikamaru was staring blankly at his cieling, laying on his bed with his arms spread out against the sheet. He could feel his current mental state slowly slipping away from him as he begins to register through everything he went through over the past days.

4 weeks, to be more precise.

It took him 4 weeks to convince Naruto to move into his house and within some of those days, he couldn't find that blond boy at all. It was like he completely hidden himself away, where no one can find him and it stresses Shikamaru out. What if Naruto was in danger and he couldn't find him? What if something does happen? Though he had audibly voiced his concern to Naruto (with carefully picked words, hidden in a nonchalant tone), the younger would simply laugh at him for being a "worrywart." Can you blame him for being one?

Moving on from that, when he first asked Naruto to move in with him, Naruto just sat and stared at him for an estimate of 10 minutes before telling him a straight "no." After that, he ran away from him and hid behind Shikamaru's mom for the rest of the day. He still remembers how he felt during that moment, extremely confused, flabbergasted, and bewildered.

But of course, he wasn't gonna give up that easily. He had been working tooth and nail in attempts to persuade Naruto into moving out of his clumsy apartment. He had tried gifting, low flirting, offers, and even went as far as to beg the boy.

And nobody else, and he means nobody, will ever see him beg like that.

Even after all of that, the only close answer to a yes he got was--

"Uuh... maybe?"

That was a progress right there, the most he has ever gotten away from a no. Now there was a 50/50 chance... no, he was simply lying to himself. It was more like an 80/20 chance with no being the biggest number but he still wanted to hold onto that small hope.

"Ugh! I should ask Ino for some tips on convincing people, she's good at these type of things." He mumbled to himself, sighing out tiredly. He was growing worried again that the longer Naruto stays at his apartment, the closer the villagers were to get their hands on him and do things Shikamaru would rather not think about. Naruto wasn't utterly defenseless though, he took it upon himself to teach the blond some basic defensive skills to get away from people if he ever encounters anyone dangerous.

But after the bomb situation and Naruto's naturally kind personality, he couldn't take any chances.

That was just one of his worries, the other was that Naruto's attitude towards him has been... different. Whenever he speaks to him, Naruto would visibly get nervous and fidget, more than usual. At some point, it looked like Naruto was trying to avoid him whenever he brings up about hanging out or something related to that.

Could it be that his confession made him uncomfortable? He did it once before so maybe Naruto finally got the hint? Strange though, he thought he read the atmosphere well enough to execute it and it was also kind of obvious that Naruto shares the same feelings.

"At least I think he does."

Big sigh, big annoying, not being able to understand something was annoying and he hates that. He could plot out at least 5 different plans for each missions, he could even solve some of the hardest puzzles thrown at him! Yet, just one boy was able to throw him off completely, as if he didn't have any brain cells left in his head.

Like-liking someone was such a heavy task, how do people do it at ease? How can one form a clear conclusion to please the other?!

.         .         .

A glass of milk sounds nice right now.

He lazily rolled himself off the bed and went out of his room. With a loud yawn, he made his way into his kitchen and proceeds to get himself a glass of milk. However, just when he was about to pour it, a knock was heard from his front door.

"Troublesome, can't even pour my milk in peace."

*Knock*Knock*

He begrudgingly walked towards the front of the house, dragging his tired legs along, and slowly opened the door. Not bothered to see who it was, he greeted with much annoyance.

"What."

"Geez, I'm so glad to see you too."

Presented in front of him, load and behold, the boy he was just thinking about. Naruto's stance was clearly of annoyance equal to Shikamaru's tone, one of his hands being placed on his hip all while a frown decorated his whiskered cheeks. On the other hand, he was holding two small bags beside him and a little pouch hanging around his shoulders.

Shikamaru had not expect this.

"I thought you'd be happy to see me after all of your attempts on trying to get me to live with you, hmph!" Naruto pouted, one side of his cheek puffing up slightly as he turned his head to the side.

Relieved washed over Shikamaru instantly upon hearing that, he almost couldn't believe it. "Wait, really? You're actually saying yes to move in? That quickly-ish?"

"Yeah, it was kinda pitiful seeing all of your hard attempts failing. So, here I am to grace you!" Naruto snickered, flipping his bell back to add into the scene. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the dramatics and punched Naruto lightly on the chest. Naruto chuckled in return and made his way in.

"Is that all of your things?"

Naruto nodded curtly.

"That's.. not a lot."

"Yeah I know, I can't afford to buy things for myself like clothes, food, weapons, and such. Don't tell anyone this but sometimes I steal in order to get something in my stomach heheh." Naruto whispered the last part, rubbing the back of his head in both embarrassment and guilt.

Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed.

Alright, new mission for himself. Spoil Naruto with many things once he gets his next paycheck. Even though Shikamaru totally doesn't get the satisfaction of Naruto wearing his clothing, Naruto would most likely appreciate some actual fitting clothes too.

"Come, follow me to your room." Shikamaru instructed, beginning to walk back inside his house. Naruto followed along, whistling playfully at the other.

"You already prepared a room for me?"

"Duh, I knew you were going to agree sooner or later. I had this all prepped ahead of time, all that needed was for you to finally fall into my offer."

Naruto scoffed, "Cocky... I would say your offering was more like begging, I can easily change my mind, ya know."

"Yes you can but you won't."

When they reached the room, Shikamaru turned around to look back at Naruto, grinning from ear to ear at the other's raised eyebrow. It was a look of 'challenge'.

"Why don't you think I won't, huh? Trying to test me?"

"Hmm well, it's because you like being with me.. right? You wouldn't have gone all the way here if you didn't," Shikamaru's expression then softened, "At least the present you trusts me enough to allow yourself in an unfamiliar space."

The random observation had Naruto stumbling with his words, his face growing a bit hotter as his mouth spouted out nonsense even though his brain was telling him to stop. At the end, all he could do was sigh loudly in defeat.

"Whatever..."

Shikamaru beamed victoriously, much to Naruto's annoyance, before bending down a little so that they were face to face, estimating around two - three inches apart. Naruto watched as Shikamaru's expression grew more relaxed, slowly leaning his face closer until their foreheads lightly bumped and decreasing into a mer inch. They both were seemingly on the same wavelength and none took any more action. It was as if they were silently waiting for one of them to make a move, any move, almost like a small challenge at who will break first.

As odd as it seems, Naruto finds this comforting to have Shikamaru close like this. He grew up staring into these brown colored eyes and despite getting flustered because of them at times, he'd never be tired of them...

Naruto found his gaze wandering around, from Shikamaru's eyes, to his nose, to his mouth, and back to his eyes.

Actually, he'd never be tired of being with Shikamaru.

It was unsure how long they were standing there and it only took a small creak from the background to finally snap Naruto out of their staring contest, a quiet panic noise escaping out of his lips as he quickly slid behind Shikamaru, and proceeds to push him out of the door.

"Alright, alright! You win, you weirdo! Now get out so that I can adjust for a minute."

Shikamaru faked a whine, "Aw, you're never the one to do things by yourself though. Let me join and we can continue our little game."

Naruto ignored him and continued to push Shikamaru out the door, using his full body strength. The other simply chuckled again as he allowed Naruto to push him out fully, not fighting back and instead turned around to pat the blond locks.

"I'm just teasing you, but my offer is still up!"

"Hah! And I'm still gonna get comfortable without you so stay out, you big teaser!" Naruto sticked out his tongue while pulling down one of his under eye before slamming the door. He leaned against the door and let out a soft sigh, a hand on his chest as he felt it refusing to calm down in speed. He listened to the quiet huff from behind the door, assuming that the other was smiling stupidly that his teasing worked, and then footsteps walking away.

"Well when you're done, you know where to find me."

He stayed there until he couldn't hear any footsteps before completely dropping his things and grasping his hair. His full emotions began to overflow at the scene where he'd memorize the details of Shikamaru's face, the fact that he was almost tempted to close the gap between them and seal their-

"GAHH?!? I can't think like this!"

He slapped his cheeks but was unsure if the burn was from that or from the annoying thing called 'feelings'! Fake emotions, fake emotions, he doesn't feel anything towards Shikamaru pass the friendship.

"Deep breathes in and out..." He mumbled to himself a few times and stood there for a minute. But it was a futile thing as his body grew even hotter somehow, nearly feeling like he was going to pass out with the amount of heat he was handling. Uncertain on how else to get himself to stop, he shut his eyes closed, lips sealed tight, and bolted straight towards the bed. Standing at the edge, he begins to gaslight himself and nodding.

"He's just a friend, yeah! A great and wonderful friend!"

Exactly Naruto! Shikamaru was just his friend and nothing more than that! Just his incredibly cool, intelligent, slothful, handsome guy!

 

.        .       .

 

Sigh.

He took a big jump and landed safely onto the soft cushion. Taken in another deep breath, he raised both his fists and started punching the pillows under him. After a few good uppercuts and many, many screeches, he slowly sat himself up and blinked.

The flash images of Shikamaru was no more... holy crap he couldn't believe that actually worked! The power of releasing your emotions through physical comeback onto objects was definitely something he'll remember to do again, though his face was still hot, it was most likely from the frantic movements he was doing on the bed.

Ahahah! How silly of him for overreacting earlier!

"I knew it was fake, 'tebayo!"

He had beaten his feelings down quicker than last time! This truly shows that his feelings to Shikamaru weren't actually the oh-so troubling one and just him being an idiot. Celebrating, Naruto jumped off the bed and marched towards the door to display his new found confidence to the said man. His hand was on the handle and he snickered to himself.

Oh Shikamaru, you really thought you can get through Naruto with all the stupid teasings. Win? Nah, he'd never let that happen!

He walked next door to his room with big strides and saw that the door was wide open. He took a peek in but couldn't see any signs of the other.

"Where could Shika be?"

Then a soft sound of thuds coming from Shikamaru's backyard entered his ears, having a hint of where the other could be.

Why was he outside and causing a small ruckus? No matter the answer, Naruto quickly made his way to the backyard with a wide mischievous grin set on his face. He was so ready to tease the hell out of him.

His best bud, great pal, amazing friend and awesome-

.         .         .

Oh.   .   .

What the actual fuck.

The thing Naruto sees was punching bags, dummies, kunais, shurikens, and Shikamaru himself at the center. You would think this was something normal based on the simplified descirptions provided, no, it was way more in Naruto's eyes. Nothing could prepare him at the sight he was seeing

He gaped, his mouth opening and closing as his tried to scramble through any normal words he can piece together. But of course, it's Naruto.

"Bro... you're shirtless?!"

Shikamaru head snapped at Naruto's direction. He smiled at him tiredly and wiped off the sweat from his forehead, which did not help at all mind you!! Naruto eyes scanned nervously and making direct eye(??) contact with Shikamaru's body. Since when did Shikamaru gain this much muscles?! Yes Naruto had felt it before through their hugs and whatnots but actually seeing it in person was a whole new thing and it was odd.

Naruto would be lying if he didn't say that his heart did a full 360 turn, some flips, and maybe even some shaking here and there. His body wouldn't budge even though his brain was screaming at him to stop being so goggly, his feet stayed glued on his spot and he just continues to stare... respectfully.

Shikamaru, seemingly not caught on with Naruto's internal battle, stretched his body around before walking up towards the blond. "You came out a lot fast than I assumed, drama queen."

Naruto made (forced) his head look up at Shikamaru, trying his best yet again to form a sentence. Maybe it was better if he'd kept his mouth shut because the next words that came out of his mouth made him want to curl inside a hole and be left there.

He could've just been normal, ya know, play it cool. Instead, his mouth wanted to speak before his mind could properly think.

"You're toned as fuck."

Rather than a weirded out reaction as any friendship between bros would be, Shikamaru snorted out a laugh, which caused Naruto's stomach to flutter a bit, and reached over to grab his shirt that was on the floor.

"Thanks, glad to hear that you're impressed. You're the only one I want to hear that so my work is paying off."

Naruto chose not to say anything else, finally realizing that it was best to do so as his gaze shifted away from the other. His finger gripped the side of his jacket and bit the bottom of his lips. He let out a small yelp when Shikamaru suddenly entered his vision, Shikamaru's eyebrow quirked as he placed a hand directly onto his forehead. 

"Are you alright? You're looking a little red... wait, could it be?" Naruto grimaced at the sight of the corner of Shikamaru's lips going upwards, eyes glinting in delight. "Were you actually that impress? You like seeing me like that?"

Naruto instantly flamed up at being caugh and quickly shoved Shikamaru away from him, bolting back inside the house without turning around.

"Aaah!"

"Hey! Why are you running?!" Shikamaru shouted.

"Shut your mouth! Not a single word!"

Just when he somewhat convinced himself, Shikamaru had to bring it right back in! What an asshole!

This was going to be way more difficult than he thought, he almost regrets coming here and agreeing to moving in. How can he possibly compose himself if Shikamaru was going to bring this reaction out of him every minute of his life?

He needs to get rid of these feelings, he can't feel like this. He shouldn't let Shikamaru have his hopes up as it will only lead to devastation.

He can't admit that he was in-

"Ouch!"

A sharp pain entered in his chest, causing him to clamp his hands over it and gripping his jacket tightly. He quickened up his pace and ran straight back inside his room, making sure to lock the door before leaning against it once again.

*Pant*Pant*

 

.   .   .

One of his hand moved up from his shirt and onto his hair, gripping it as he slid down to sit fully on the ground. This was his first time experiencing such pain, but he wasn't a total idiot and has an understanding of what the cause was. Never in his life he thought he'd understand and he was in utter confusion if this was supposed to be good or bad.

He let out a frustrated sigh, burying his head into his knees.

"This damn curse..."

Chapter 22

"Damnit... it's morning already."

It's been a week since Naruto had settled down at the Nara house. Of course he was incredibly thankful that the smaller agreed to stay, but having him here however, caused the usually quiet house to become a more chaotic and loud household.

The norm was that Naruto and Yoshino would be the two screaming together for whatever reason while Shikamaru and Shikaku steer clear from them just in case they planned on taking over the house with their unknown antics. 

It wasn't his usual style of life, but was not bad thing.

Yeah, Shikamaru likes peace and would do anything to get any sort of peace--

But he likes Naruto more so it was all good at the end.

With that being said, this morning... something was a little different today.

Something felt very off.

Shikamaru woke up to a heavy heart set right in his chest. It was confusing, nothing much had happened these past few days to cause such... nervousness. He laid on his bed for a few more moments, digging through his head to figure out the cause of this random thing. But he couldn't think of anything at all, so he will have to choose to ignore the feeling and continued on with his daily routine.

Walking downstairs with his uniform on, he headed towards the living room and quickly spotted Naruto seated quietly on his couch with a scroll in his hands.

Instantly, a smile formed on Shikamaru's face naturally and his feet carried him over to the boy without a second thought.

Seeing Naruto every morning always sets him off right, the heavy feeling in his chest began to lighten up at the simple sight of the masked boy, who was silently sitting on the couch and a cute little pout whenever he was thinking hard.

When he was close to Naruto, he threw himself beside the other and mumbled, "Hey, Naru."

"Finally awake?" Naruto asked without looking away from his scroll.

"I didn't want to get up..."

"Yeah, yeah. You just want to lay in bed without anyone disturbing you and ignore your responsibility as a shinobi-- blah, blah, blaaah." 

Shikamaru grinned, leaning his head on Naruto's shoulder.

"You know me so well."

Naruto shook his head before pushing Shikamaru's head back playfully so that he landed behind him instead.

"It's not like I grew up with you for the past few years, of course I will know things about you at this point."

Proud to announce, Naruto had slowly gotten used to Shikamaru's antics! It seems that staying with him had caused him to get used to the spiky hair boy's teasing and he was basically on his high horse.

Nothing was going on between them, believe it!

Shikamaru chuckled a little and smooshed his face against Naruto's back, his arms gently wrapping around his waist.

.   .   .

Okay... maybe he lied a little bit.

With how affectionate Shikamaru had become over the years, Naruto found himself reacting much more. His ears were getting hot and his stomach flipped once. Despite that, ever since he had moved in, Shikamaru had been making even bolder advances towards him and it was still greatly making his heart do flips.

He really wanted to keep a distance from Shikamaru due to his own internal problems, but why does he keep leaning closer towards the Shikamaru? Why does he seek for the other's touch?

He doesn't know.

Naruto quietly released a breath from his nose, attempting to ignore the blooming nerves and glanced out the window. He had noticed ever since he woke up that the outside looked more cloudier than usual, the air was a little hard to breath and it was overall strange.

Shikamaru would be going to work soon and he couldn't help but feel a little worried about him.

"Shika, be careful when you go outside. The air has been smelling weird lately, like a hint of bomb powder."

Shikamaru perked up upon hearing that, "Actually, I've been smelling that too, strange. It's probably the defense team--"

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Shikamaru! Hurry it up already, we have business to attend!"

"Damnit..." Shikamaru groaned out of annoyance.

One look at Shikamaru's face and Naruto was already snickering, his teammates are as loud as ever and ready to cause chaos. Naruto stood up from his spot and took a hold of Shikamaru's arms.

"Come on lazy boy, your teammates are waiting for you." He whispered as he help pulled Shikamaru up to stand.

"Troublesome."

"Shikamaru! Hey!"

"I'm coming! Jeez."

The worry still lingering in his mind, Naruto quickly pulled Shikamaru into a hug before pushing him towards the front door. He then gave him two encouraging thumbs up and grinned widely. Shikamaru returned it back with one thumbs up and a small smile before twisting the door knob open.

"Open up already!"

"I heard you the first time! Stop it already, fuck." Shikamaru glared at his two friends as he stepped out the door. Ino smiled at him innocently while Choji waved at him with a grin, he clicked his tongue lightly.

"Good morning~" Ino sing-songed, giving Shikamaru a playful peace sign. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her tone before leading the small group to their destination. But of course, things didn't end there and he could tell that Ino had even more things to bother him about.

"By the way, we heard another voice in your house. Heh... could it be the boy you were talking about a long time ago?" Ino questioned, snickering to the side as Shikamaru's shoulders stiffen.

She still remembers about that? That was not good, Shikamaru was so stupid to slip that up.

Ino proceeded to lean closer to his side, a glint of excitement sparkled in her eyes, "Ooh? Am I right?!"

Shikamaru chose to stay silent, he was pretty sure the twitch of his eyebrow was giving away his developing irritation. Whether or not he chooses to respond, Ino was the type to never let anything go until she was full of info. He wouldn't dare expose Naruto to others after knowing the dynamic that had been built, as much as he trusted his friends, he can't risk anything.

"Ino, let's leave him be. Don't want him to be anymore grumpier than he usually is, especially as we're going to the Hokage too." Choji tried his best to shift the conversation away, but there was an underline of playfulness in his words too. Ino rolled her eyes and crossed her arms against her chest, letting out a huff to further present her disgruntle.

As the three continued walking, the teasing atmosphere simmered as it was slowly replaced with more seriousness.

"Our mission is to spy around for the S-rank rogues again."

"Yeah... it's worrying about how none of the Leaf Shinobis have encountered them at all. It almost feels like its purposeful."

Shikamaru hummed, "The only information we've have of them from other suspects is that they are after people with powerful chakra in their systems. Apparently, one of them is an explosive type of attacker."

Ino then snapped her fingers, a small little detail coming back into her mind. 

"Oh! I remember finding this small piece of paper when we were escorting one of the princesses to her village! '04/08/xxxx', I wonder what that date was for though."

"It could be anything, let's not dwell on it too much but also not to ignore it. Anyways, all we can do is to brace ourselves for everything and anything.

 

🦌 🍃 

 

Landing carefully on the tree branch, the trio sat quietly as they observed their surroundings. After briefly discussing with Tsunade, they've been sent to an open road area where reports shown of sightings of these rogues. Before they left, they had some exchanges with people who believed to overhear the rogues.

"I heard them saying that they'll strike at dawn! Where the leaf blows and rustles against the wind, an open space with the purple hue waterfall."

"They are similar to foxes! Sly little bastards!"

The location only location of a purple hue waterfall was quite a distance from their village. They planted themselves within the tree bushes, hidden from view. The heaviness that Shikamaru had felt earlier, returned as he crouched. Were what they were saying true? Where did they hear such thing?

"This is kind of eerie." Ino mumbled, shivering at the sudden cold chills running down her spine.

"So, now we just wait for them to walk down the road, right? Shouldn't be too hard." Choji said, feeling himself also shivering at the coldness.

"That's the plan but the question is, can we stall them long enough or even defeat them? They are S-rank criminals after all and we don't even know what skills they have."

"We'll have to do what we can, we're only here to watch them. Anything note worthy is worth everything, appearance, conversation, and what supplies they have. We need to know what they want and their goal is."

Silence engulfs the three as they patiently waited.

However, 25 minutes had passed and nothing had happened. No one had walked by nor anyone suspicious from the distance.

"It's almost dawn at this point, do you think they meant to do it on a different day?"

Ino sighed, "That means we'll have to patrol every day until they come."

Shikamaru stared at the empty road, watching as the ground slowly lose light as the sun had began setting down. He laid against the tree and pondered to himself. He couldn't ignore his nerves anymore and it was becoming annoying, the longer he stayed here, the more tense he felt. 

"What the hell, I've been feeling off ever since I woke up."

He couldn’t be sick, right? No, that wasn't it.

He placed one of his hands under his chin, closing his eyes as he attempted to think about everything. There wasn't time to dwell on such feeling, he needed to think through all the clues provided to them because there current assumption seemed wrong.

They needed to hurry before disaster happens.

It was currently pass dawn, that was checked.

Very sly, similar to a fox.

One of the criminals was an explosive user.

It was then, Naruto's words from morning presented in his mind.

Within the village, there was a lingering smell of bomb powder in the air.

04/08/xxxx was today.

"!"

Then, it finally got to him.

"Shit, we have to go back!"

Shikamaru suddenly shouted, already beginning his run without hearing his friends words first.

"Shikamaru! What's wrong?!" Ino asked, quickly catching up the Shikamaru's pace and soon followed by Choji. It was then, Shikamaru announced something that sent everyone into a frenzy of panic.

"They're heading straight to Konoha!"

 

 

🦌 🍃 

 

 

"Hokage-sama!"

It didn't take them long to arrive back to the Tower and they wasted no time running inside Tsunade's office. Upon entering, they found the rest of their teammates already inside and had been discussing something with Tsunade.

"Woah, are you guys okay? Did something happen?" Sakura hurriedly asked, noting the panicked expression on all three of Team 10's faces.

"They are here! There's something they want within Konoha and they've been here, hiding!"

That immediately caught everyone's attention and they all stared at each other, alarmed and worry surrounding the group.

"What do you mean? How can they get passed through while everyone is surrounding the area?!" Tenten questioned, panic laced with the words she was spouting out.

"There's no time, we have to start evacuating everyone!"

"Wait, what is it that they want here? We don't have anything that holds high importance compared to other cases."

While everyone was questioning through this, Tsunade was strangely calm as she listened. Her eyes were scanning a piece of paper on her desk, reading and re-reading the same sentences. Soon, she lightly banged her fist on her forehead and finally spoke out, "Everyone! Calm down!"

Everyone in the room quickly followed the order, turning their attention towards the Hokage.

Tsunade straightened herself, eyes scanning everyone before speaking again, "I've already sent Itachi and his team to escort everyone already, they are to stay guarded and protect them from the upcoming threat."

She then picked up a paper that she had been reading, raising it in the air to get the others to see it.

"I already knew that they have arrived. A letter had mysteriously showed up on my desk while I was at a short meeting earlier, it was before you three left. It seemed like they were generous enough to allow me to send an emergency request. Kakashi and the others are on the higher levels, preparing."

"What does the letter contain?" Neji was the one to question the content within the letter, eyes glaring at the empty side of the paper.

Shikamaru heart had picked up in pace, another weird thing. It could be easily because that the S-ranked rogues have somehow shimmied their way to his home without anyone noticing, but he had this feeling since morning. He had never felt this much nervousness in his life and it was something unknown, it was like the universe was trying to send him signs. 

He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what the letter saids.

"The letter was sent from a group called Akatsuki, the rogue criminals we've been after for a while. They are here to retrieve someone very important in Konoha and they made an offer that if we hand the person over to them, they'll leave us alone with only a few scratches. But if we are to stall any longer, they will begin to go with more forceful actions."

"Akatsuki?"

"Who is it? Someone that important to cause this much panic?!"

"Yeah! Who exactly is this person they are after?"

Sure they have some talented shinobis here, but not enough to threaten destruction. No one they knew of held high chakra stamina that was enough for a dangerous gang to come by, so who was this person?

Despite that, something was nagging at Shikamaru in the back of his mind. The atmosphere in the room thickened as they eagerly awaited for the answer. Shikamaru felt his throat tightened up, his palms begin sweating as his stomach swirled in discomfort.

The next words that came out of Tsunade's mouth, was enough to send Shikamaru into straight disbelief. A wave of dread and his discomfort forming even bigger.

"They are after someone name Uzumaki Naruto."

Shikamaru's world crashed downwards as his expression shifted into something more... scared.

Naruto...? As in his Naru? Why him, why was this gang of criminals going after his Naru? And why does Tsunade look like she knew of Naruto?

There was so much he wanted to ask, but the only thing he could utter was a singular word, tone full of shock as his nerves buzzed in dread.

"What?"

Notes:

surprise!! after reading comments wishing for a continuation, here is a chapter! sorry for the wait, i didn't think people would still be interested hahh... woohoo!

Chapter 23

The sound of stomps and screams surrounded Konoha, people rushing to safety with no clue on whats to come. Shikamaru was amongst the runners, but instead of heading away, he was heading deeper inside to where his house was.

After a few seconds of processing Tsunade's announcement, he swiftly bolted straight out the tower and onto the rooftops. His running and jumping were all lightword, yet his breathing was becoming rigid as panic seeped into his veins.

All he could think about was Naruto, Naruto, Naruto!

"Shikamaru! Where are you going?"

The call fell into deaf ears as Shikamaru picked up in pace, he had no time to waste. He needed to get home as fast as possible, Naruto was in danger. There was absolutely no way they can just hand over him, Shikamaru would rather die fighting than to do that.

Right when his feet landed on his backyard, he bolted straight inside his house and scanned every single room.

"Naru!"

Dining room? Nothing.

Kitchen? Nothing.

Living room? Nothing.

The more emptiness he was met, the more anxious he was becoming. There was still more to look into and he refuses to stop, not until he figures out where the hell he was. Naruto wasn't even responding to his calls either and it wasn't helping the situation.

Naruto's bed room? Nothing.

"Shikamaru! What are you doing?! Now is not the time to--"

Kiba's sentence was cut off when he received a harsh shove on his shoulder. Shikamaru had pushed past him and made his way through the other rooms he haven't looked at.

Not only was Kiba here, Neji and Sasuke had came along and was watching the strange situation unfold.

His bed room? Nothing.

Spare room?

Shikamaru cursed loudly as he slapped his face with his hand.

"Still nothing?!"

He took in many deep breaths, his hand sliding upwards to grip his hair and crouched down onto the floor. Naruto always avoids going out unless he was with Shikamaru... could he possibly be at the grassy field they often visit? Or had he been... did they--

"Did they take him already...?"

No, he refuses to think that. Naruto had always been good at hiding so there was a high chance he was just hidden somewhere, he just doesn't know where. He'll have to scout this whole village and then that way, he would be able to deduct areas.

As he came to that decision, he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, bringing his attention to the person.

"Are you alright?"

It was Neji and he was staring at him, confusion and curiosity written all over his face. Neji took a step back as Shikamaru stood up, eyes already glaring in irritation.

"What kind of question is that?" His tone was a lot harsher than he meant, but could you blame him?

Kiba frowned at the response, "Hey man, we don't know what the hell is going on with you so of course we're gonna ask that!"

"You didn't give us an answer as to why you rushed out too, we have business to attend to right now but you're..."

Upon hearing them, Shikamaru eyes softened a tad before he turned his head away from his friends.

"Look, I don't have time to explain so head back to the others while I-"

*BOOM*

The loud sound of explosion had all of their heads turning towards the window. In the distance, they could make out something small falling down from the sky. It was hard to see what exactly it was, but it looked white and once it landed, a huge puff of smoke and fire engulfed the small area.

*BOOM*

"Alright, enough stalling now! Show yourself, little fox! Or else this place will go into bits and pieces, un!"

Neji and Kiba immediately took action and ran right out of the house. Sasuke was about to join them but stopped when he noticed how the lazy genius looked strangely hesitate. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed as he ticked loudly. He reached over to grab onto Shikamaru's arm and pulled him forward with force.

"Remember, you're a shinobi and it's our job to keep everyone safe first."

"Screw everyone..." Shikamaru scowled, throwing Sasuke's hand off of hi, "I'll attend my duties once I find him."

Sasuke let out an sigh, his own irritation presenting, "Shikamaru, do you hear yourself right now? Who the hell is this important that you're willing to throw the entire villlage just for one person?!"

"Isn't it obvious, Uchiha? I'm looking for Naruto, damnit!"

"Wait, you know him?" Sasuke eyes widened upon hearing Shikamaru.

Shikamaru knew where the Uchiha was going towards and his glare hardened, his hands curling into fists as he fully turned his direction.

"Yes and I know what you're thinking, don't you dare."

"You do remember what the letter said, right? Shikamaru, you out of everyone should understand. Since when were you someone that chose emotions over logic?" Sasuke questioned, taking a step forward and shuffling into position.

"No."

It was obvious that Sasuke was going to continue on fighting, his expression unwavering as he stood there with a hand hovering over his pouch. Shikamaru shuffled his shoes against the floor, his mind already mapping out multiple directions he could take. Sasuke was in his way and he wasn't going to continue wasting anymore time. If it was a game of chase he wants, Shikamaru will indulge then.

"You're going to abandon your duties." Instead of questioning him, Sasuke's tone was like he came to that conclusion. It was unfortunate that the other was correct. It was his job to serve and protect the village first before anything else, he knew that when he received the headband. Still, he couldn't bring himself to care.

Without uttering another word, Shikamaru ran straight towards the window and broke through it. He ignored some of the cuts he was getting as he landed on the ground and bolting away.

But it seems like even the universe was against him as only a couple of rooftops in, something suddenly appeared in front of his face and fallen from the sky.

A small white spider that smelt like bomb.

His body moving first, he smacked the spider away from him before bracing for impact. The spider ignited just a second after and caused Shikamaru to be thrown off the roof, his shoes digging through the ground as a line followed.

He removed his arms from his face, eyes squinting through the smoke as he tried to analyze the situation. Not too far from him, his other teammates stood face to face with two people wearing cloaks.

"Fuck you and your art! My teammate Sai is much better than you!"

"Watch your damn mouth, squirt!"

As the dust settles, he was able to get a better look at the two enemies that were clearly causing destruction. One of them had long blond hair and the other had a scorpion tail, both were wearing a long black cloak with a red cloud imprinted.

The Akatsuki?

Shikamaru's lips tightened and his eyebrows scrunched together. This must mean that they didn't get a hold of Naruto so that was relieving, even so, it was clear that they were going to use force.

"Who are you?" Shikamaru asked. Just talking to them left a disgusting taste in his mouth, bastards who were after Naruto.

The blond smirked as he pointed right at himself, "Names Deidara and this is my sidekick, Sasori! You better not forget but I would totally understand if you forgot about the additional, un."

"Shut up, Deidara. No one cares."

Deidara scoffed, crossing his arms while turning his head away.

"You're no fun, old man."

The red hair, Sasori, let out a deep sigh before turning his attention back at the group of teens.

"So? Where is that fox?"

"Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Ahah! So he does exist here!"

Sakura clenched her fists, "You guys didn't even know if he was here? And still chose to destroy our home?!"

"Oh come on, use your fucking brains will you? If we just continue twiddling our thumbs and wait for an answer, it'll waste time. Better to make my art stand out than to wait pitifully!" Deidara rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders, his demeanor was as if he was speaking to actual idiots. "Now, give us the little fox."

"You..."

Ino and Choji, who were close by the Nara, both took a glance at him and their eyes widened in shock. Shikamaru looked truly-- angry. For the first time in their lives, the Nara was showing his hatred towards another.

The then looked at each other, the same thought coming into mind. What was going on?

"What do you want from him?"

Deidara groaned, "So many questions... you all are the same no matter what. You want to see more of my art so badly? Here!"

With a wide grin, Deidara pulled a bundle of white clay from his pouch and smooshed it between his hands. In just a few seconds, it formed into a spider and he proceeds to throw it behind him.

With one of his hand positioning in front of him, he raised two fingers up and shouted, "Katsu!"

At once, the spider ignited and the familiar explosion was born, blowing up more buildings in that direction, and dust settled. The group reacted to such and stood even more guarded, weapons in hand as they gritted their teeth.

”I hope you realize that our Hokage-sama won’t go easy on you guys.”

Sasori rolled his eyes slightly, gaze wondering at the open area. “Hilarious… it’s only if she manages to get through the other thing first, she’s surely taking her time though.”

Neji gaze hardened.

"The person you’re looking for, we don't know where he is, nor who he is. It’s highly possible that he’s not even here."

Sasori and Deidara stared at them for a few moments before looking at each other, silently communicating.

"Well, isn't that too bad. I guess we'll have to see if he’ll eventually present himself." Sasori mumbled through his mask, his tail raising higher up and the sharp end presenting itself to the group.

That was when Sasuke took a step forward, "Shikamaru knows--"

"Kagemane no jutsu."

Not letting Sasuke finish his sentence, Shikamaru sent his shadow towards the two with his hands already in position. He watched as the two quickly split up in different directions to avoid his shadow, which allowed the plan to go into action.

If anyone one of them were to initiate a fight, then the others will follow along. It was simple out of nature as teammates and he was going to use that in order to distract everyone. He didn't spare a glance at the Uchiha, but he knows that the other was staring at him in intensity.

Right on call, Choji was the next to take action and charged his expanded fist towards Sasori, successfully making contact as the sound a wood echoed. Sasori's body flew back and his body breaking into parts as it landed on one of the building walls.

"What the hell?" Choji mumbled to himself as he was now staring at a puppet like body.

"Predictable."

Upon hearing the unknown voice, they all snapped their heads towards the direction. There stood a boy with bright-ashy red hair, one of his hands raised as his expression held nothing but boredom. He then raised his hand up, blue strings suddenly making an appearance and reaching to attach the fallen body on the ground.

The string swiftly assembled the body back together and presented itself once again, as if it never took any damage in the first place.

"A puppet user..."

Then, the puppet's mouth opened wide and began shooting out a wide range of kunais directly towards Choji.

"Hakkeshō Kaiten!"

Neji landed himself in front of the other and created a blue dome around himself, managing to deflect all of the flying kunais without a single scratch. Hinata soon joined afterwards and ran right past them, stopped in front of the puppet. She readied her palms and pushed one of them forward with her fingers folded.

"Hakke Kūshō!"

As they busied themselves with Sasori, the rest focused on the other Akatsuki member. Ino had managed to get into close contact with Deidara and began kicking him from all sides. As they tussled, she grabbed a handful of her flower bombs and threw it directly at Deidara, the contact immediately igniting the bombs.

Deidara chuckled as his body flew out of the smoke, his own moves unwavering upon the shadow also following him with much persistence. 

A few more back and forth, Ino landed a harsh kick down towards Deidara's head, but he was able to snap right back and grabbed onto Ino's leg. With much force, he slammed her right onto the ground below as the area crumbled from the force. He jumped once more when the shadow emerged from the dust, yet he didn't take notice of another coming from the side.

Sakura lunged herself towards Deidara, her fist pulled back as she shouted, "CHA!"

She landed the punch right on him, flinging the other back with great force that created a shockwave of air to rustle everything around them. The team watched as the Akatsuki's body tumbled backwards and slamming onto a wall, leaving an indent right behind. Deidara wasn't able to react because as soon as he landed, insects had somehow appeared from the ground and had began engulfing his legs.

Shikamaru sighed out softly as he concentrated on his next course of action. Peachy, things are going as planned so far. Everyone had taken fallen into place, if the main front lines continue on with close combat while the middle can support, then it will be--

His eyes snapped to the side when a hand suddenly grasped onto his shoulder, his thoughts cut short as he examined who it belonged too. It wasn't the hardest thing in the world when the person took a step past him.

Sasuke, the other whom he had an argument with not too long ago, wasn't looking at Shikamaru. He was spectating the way their teammates were fighting, choosing not to say anything to the Nara as he stood there. Sasuke didn't utter a word, but Shikamaru knew what the other was thinking. The grip he had received was enough.

"You have some explaining to do, Nara."

He too turned his attention back to the rest, his fingers cracking lightly as he repositioned them.

"He's someone... special to me." Shikamaru plainly explained, it wasn't easy to explain their relationship. Even so, Naruto will always be someone special to him and his heart was heavy with nothing but determination and worry.

Sasuke stood there for a few moments after Shikamaru's explanation before patting his shoulder, and quickly ran forward.

Cool, they were somewhat on the same wavelength. Maybe if he explained this earlier, Sasuke probably wouldn't have tried to expose his secret. That, even if it was a justifiable thing to do, still left a bitter taste in his mouth though.

As the fight continued onwards, one of Akatsuki ultimately grew fed up as he dogded yet another fireball. They watched with shallow breaths as Deidara dug his shoes onto the dirt floor, getting himself steady before pointing a finger at them. A scowl already presented on his face, "We've dragged this long enough! Un."

The red hair boy soon joined beside him, dragging his puppet along as they stood side by side. Despite the team managing to land many hits onto the enemies, the two genuinely seemed fine, a complete opposite of how they were doing.

Konoha's 12 gathered together and kept a distance from the Akatsuki, panting heavily as they felt themselves growing exhausted at the continues battle.

"Might as well just give up! The person you're looking for still hadn't shown up!" Tenten yelled as she gripped her chains tightly.

Shikamaru focused at every action the enemies were doing, Deidara and Sasori glanced at each other before nodding.

"I guess you're right... but it wouldn't be fun if we just leave. How about a gift? I'm sure you all will like this one." Deidara grins as he raised his hands up and proceeds to fold his fingers accordingly.

Shikamaru eyes widened at the action, his senses heightening as he quickly examined his surroundings. Where did he plant it? When did he do so? His eyes continuously until it landed on a building right next to them, the whole bottom part having white clay nestled.

He watched in panic as the white color glowed an yellow and orange hue in mer seconds.

"--!?"

"KATSU! "

There wasn't enough time to react, the other had casted his technique and the bomb had ignited, similar to the others he had done earlier. The bomb completely set off and caused the tall building to crumble downwards, the large and loose pieces heading straight towards them. Not only that, the small bits of clay that didn't go off the first round was also falling alongside the building.

Soon, the sound of sharp objects being thrown could be heard.

Shit, they had got them on all sides. Shikamaru braced himself by covering his body in a protective layer of his chakra, teeth gritting as he awaits for impact.

"Fūton: Kakeami!"

In just the right moment, a gust of wind that was faintly seen shaped as a net blew directly at the fallen building. Instantly, the loose pieces  were cut into smaller pieces and the clay material crumbled into fine dust. The smaller bits landed on the group, the impact being severely less than they had braced themselves.

The sudden appearance had everyone promptly snapping their attention, focused on who had saved them from the rubbles. At first, Shikamaru wasn't able to see them clearly due to the sand surrounding the person after casting their wind.

"Well, well, well... look at who we have here."

Shikamaru then squints his eyes, being able to line out a figure and them holding a giant shaped fan beside them.

It looked extremely familiar and he couldn't help but mutter his first thought, "Temari?"

As another gust of wind blew past them, it was then he heard a faint, yet so familiar sounds of bell chiming. Shikamaru froze at his spot, now second guessing as his expression shifted into something more in disbelief. 

His eyes never left the shadow as the dust finally settled, the person no longer hidden within and now presenting themselves fully.

Standing there was a blond boy wearing a white turtle neck shirt with loose black shorts that reached barley above the knees, and a long orange haori jacket with a red swirl on the top area sleeves. It was obvious that the boy was confused and nervous based on his body language, he almost looked like he was hiding behind his fan as he stared at everyone.

But what really stood out from him, was the half fox mask with two set of bells.

Shikamaru throat dried up a bit as he spoke in barley a whisper, "Naru?"

Naruto looked at Shikamaru, his demeanor changing as the two met eyes. It was as if Naruto had not expected to see the other here, shocked and weary.

"Shika..."

There was so much questions he wanted to ask him. Since when did he learn wind release? Where did he get the fan from? How did he learn to use it?

Last time he was told, Naruto didn’t have any mentor nor the experience to use ninjutsu so this was truly a discovery.

"Hah, if it isn't the little fox himself. Took you long enough, un. Your chakra spike is the same as the others we’ve encountered. Jinchūriki surely are a beautifully unique thing to exist in this world, hm?"

Shikamaru couldn't turn his gaze away from Naruto despite Deidara’s focused now directly at the masked boy. He noticed the way Naruto visibly stiffen upon hearing the title, his hands gripping onto his fan tightly as his lips were pressed together.

The Akatsuki weren't targeting just some ordinary people with high amounts of chakra- no, they meant certain special people who had immense power. One that could only belong to Jinchūriki.

They keep referring to him as a fox even before discovering what Naruto looks like. Within Konoha, there was a deep rooted fear and hatred towards foxes. The demon who destroyed and killed many, left a deep scar in their history.

Kyūbi.

It was said that the Kyūbi was sealed away for good and hidden in the depths of the most protected area, where no one can access its power nor the being itself.

But if the Akatsuki were here then that meant something more. They have brought up Jinchūriki and the fact that the village only had one tailed beast incident.

”Oh.”

Shikamaru heart dropped upon the realization, his mind clicking as he stared at the blond boy whom he’d known since childhood and recently was told about his curse.

Naruto... was a Jinchūriki.

Notes:

itzz getting seriouss omg!

writing fight scenes is soo hard T-T i hope it makes sense!

Chapter 24

Everyone stared at the newcomer.

He had saved them all, but who was he and where did he come from?

Nobody uttered a word as they all tried to wrack their brains around, causing Naruto to take a step back and eyes never-ending jumping from one person to another. He grabbed onto his fan and proceeds to fold it quickly, taking a deep breath in to calm his heart down.

He had just came back from his personal training and was met with smoke all around the village. As he ran around town, he didn't realize that the group he had saved happened to be Shikamaru and his friends. As relieving as seeing Shikamaru not badly injured, the other two men in black and red cloaks were intimidating, their whole demeanor screamed 'I'm dangerous!'.

"So, you're the most dangerous Jinchūriki out of the rest, hm? I thought you'd be more... wow-zing, but you seem more normal than the others we've come across."

Naruto flinched once again. That title-- it was nothing but poison in his veins and he hated hearing the word.

But that was very strange, they knew of his status as a Jinchūriki. How did they know? It was one secret that only the higher ups know about, how could his status get leaked to outsiders? And why were they looking for him?

He clenched his fan tighter as he tried to make of the situation, but his brain only wanted to focus on one thing-- no, one person. With much hesitation, he turned to look at Shikamaru again and fought against recoiling.

Shikamaru was staring at him still, his expression had shocked and troubled written all over it, and stood frozen at his spot.

All that effort he went through to hide this fact about himself, quickly down the drain. He desperately prayed that this day would never come but he had never been the one who had such luck in his side.

Was he mad? He didn't want the other to be mad at him, his breathing was slowly growing rigid as his heart pounded against his chest.

Please, don't look at me like that...

He hugged his fan closely to his body, taking trembling steps forward.

"Shika..."

"Excuse me?!" Ino screeched quietly, her eyes darting back and forth between Shikamaru and Naruto. Everyone else joined her too, watching closely at the two's interaction.

The even closer attention was not helping Naruto calm down at all and the fact that Shikamaru had snapped out of his trance to stand up was-- he was beyond scared and nervous.

"I-I know this is most likely a shock to you but I really was planning on telling you soon!" Okay, a small lie, he panicked. 

He only stopped walking when he noticed the way Shikamaru's frown deepened, his stomach churning uncomfortably. The urge to run away was so strong, still, he pushed forward. Yes, he didn't want Shikamaru to be mad at him, but the more important one was that he didn't want Shikamaru to hate him.

Naruto hugged his fan even tighter as he stuttered through his panic, "Please, I-I know it's not great to find out that you're friend is a J-Jin-"

"You idiot..."

His lips wavered as he stared wide eyed at the other, the tone Shikamaru used sent chills down his spine. He took a step back when the other began walking towards him, closing the rest of the gap between them, and now standing right in front of him.

This was it, he broke his trust yet again.

He knew it was stupid of him to keep this hidden away from his treasured friend, even so, he wanted to savor their friendship. He knew the consequences of doing so, and yet he went for it. He was selfish yet again.

"It was great while it lasted."

He took in another deep shaky breath as he braced himself for whats to come, his eyes closed shut. But what came was something he did not expect at all, the sudden aching pain of his cheek getting pinched got him wincing and snapping his eyes open in utter surprise.

His head was turned to face upwards, meeting Shikamaru's eyes once more and the other was staring at him in anger. But not the anger of true hatred, it was something more of worry.

"You absolute troublesome idiot! Do you have any idea how stressed I am?! You just vanished from my house without leaving a note or anything!" Shikamaru said through gritted teeth, yanking on Naruto's cheek a little bit.

Naruto could only whine lowly.

"I-I'm sorry! You said that you were going to be gone the whole day so I didn't think to leave a letter! I was planning on coming back before night hit but-"

He stopped his rambling when he suddenly felt arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him forward, and forcing him on his toes. Soon, something heavy rested on one of his shoulder and hot air blowing on his neck.

Shikamaru was no longer pulling on his cheek, instead, he had pulled him into a hug. It was a little awkward with his fan in between them, but the two didn't think too hard on it as comfort slowly blossomed. Shikamaru rubbed his forehead against Naruto's shoulder blade, squeezing Naruto a little harder, and released a sigh of relief.

"Thank god you're okay, I wouldn't know what to do if something had happened to you..."

Naruto, confused and a little bashful, questioned, "... Why are you hugging me?"

"Because I miss you, is that wrong?"

"Wha-?! Now is not the time for that, Shika!"

"I know, I know. But we're kind of in a situation right now, you can explain all about why you have Temari's old fan and how you know how to wield it. Just let me hug you for a little longer."

Naruto's mouth opened and closed for a bit before ultimately shaking his head in endearment. Placing his fan down gently between their toes, he went to wrap his own arms around Shikamaru's head and buried his face in his black hair.

"Holy shit, oh my god."

"He's- he's hugging someone?!"

"Are my eyes deceiving me?!"

"That boy called him Shika and he allowed that?"

"Youthful!"

As the two was having their moment, majority of Shikamaru's friends were having a full on panic attack at the sight of their lazy teammate interacting with their enemies supposed target.

"Unbelievable, I can't believe those words left Shikamaru's mouth! When did he become such a softy too?" Ino voiced, a hand covering her mouth in utter shock.

"Wait so that's the Jinchūriki? Since when did we have one?"

"Wasn't it said that the Kyūbi was locked and sealed away within Konoha's hidden storage? People say that he was horrendous and reeked nothing but evil, yet that blondie..."

Sakura snickered a little as another thought came into mind, "Hey, hey, how do you guys think they met each other? What is their relationship?"

"Well it looks like that boy has Shikamaru wrapped around his fingers by the looks of it." Tenten snickered, drawing circles in the air while pointing at them.

As their whispers began to grow louder, there were two individuals who were still awaiting, the feeling of awkwardness surrounding them.

"Hey! We are still here!"

"Oh, right..."

Snapping back into reality, Naruto quickly pushed Shikamaru away from him, a visible pink hue on his cheeks as he cleared his throat. He grabbed onto his fan and took a step to the side, his attention back at the other two.

"Shika, who are they?" Naruto whispered to the taller.

"The Akatsuki, you've heard of them?"

Naruto shook his head as his gaze never leaving the two. There was something nerve-wracking about them that he couldn't put his finger on, like a nagging feeling. There wasn't time to get more info of them, all he knew was that they looked to be people who are dangerous, an aura of powerful chakras. He took a few moments to collect himself before speaking to them, his nervousness still present.

"Uhm, what is your goal here? How'd ya know that I am a holder?"

"You, of course! And as to how we know, lets just say we have great intel," Deidara answered, holding out his hand. "So, if you come with us without any difficulties, we'll leave your little home alone. I'd say that's quite generous of us, un."

Naruto stared at the extended hand, contemplating whether or not he should do it. Shikamaru and his friends were clearly having difficulties defeating the two Akatsuki members and if they continue to drag it on-- there was surely going to be nothing left of the village. Outside of this little bubble, there were even more troubles going on, There was armies of puppet like machines and white blob of bodies distracting the other group of shinobis too. 

It was clear that they were after the Kyūbi’s power within him, but for what, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

He took a quick glance at Shikamaru, who was glaring hard at them.

If he goes with him, then things will be okay.

He stared at the hands longer but due to his nervousness, he accidentally spoke out, "You have mouths on your hands and you expect me to touch it?"

Deidara ticked at that, eyebrows creasing even more, "You little-"

"Oops! My bad!"

Naruto slapped his cheek at his own stupidity before focusing on Deidara and his outstretched hand. He had made up his mind.

He started to take steps towards the other, his own hand outstretching slowly as he reached to grab onto--

"You're not taking him."

In a blink of an eye, he was pulled back before he could grasp Deidara's hand, Shikamaru's arm raised in front of him as if to shield him. Naruto gripped onto his sleeve, "Shika! Don't make this complicated! They will leave everyone alone if I just go with them."

"Yeah spiky hair, don't waste anymore time, un." Deidara pointed his thumb at Sasori, who raised up his puppet, its mouth opening.

Shikamaru scowled harshly, shoving Naruto further behind him.

"Please, just let me go!"

He was ignored this time.

Naruto frowned in irritation, tugging more harshly to gain the taller's attention. The other had vowed to serve and protect the village once receiving his headband, there was a solution to end this yet Shikamaru wasn't going for it.

"One life isn't worth risking many others. You're supposed to be the genius here!"

A few seconds of silence and unexpectedly, Shikamaru sharply turned his head around, eyes pleading-- no, begging at him. Naruto paused upon seeing such emotion, never in his life had he ever seen such thing from Shikamaru. He looked so... desperate.

"What's with you and wanting to throw your life away? Why don't you get it?" Shikamaru asked as his eyes softened.

"Get what...?"

"That I don't want to lose you. After all these years, do you really think I'd let you go so easily? I'm a selfish man, you should know that by now, sunshine."

Naruto simply stared at Shikamaru, his chest swelling as warmth spread on his cheeks. Sunshine, that was new.

It was like he lost his voice at this very moment.

Many don't like him, he was practically a nobody in this world. He doesn't deserve to be standing here alive while everyone else was risking their lives because of him. That was what he grew up believing and it was something he found hard to change.

Yet, Shikamaru sees him as everything, like he was the only thing in this world-- in his world. Someone who deserved to live his life through the fullest.

 

.           .           .

 

Was it alright for Naruto to be a little more selfish too?

"How disgustingly sweet, but time is ticking." Sasori voiced out, the sound of wood being moved filled the small bubble.

Naruto stood for a few more moments, a hand on his chest as he felt his heart pounding in content before nodding to himself.

He was going to do it.

He took a step to the side, Shikamaru's arm no longer shielding him. He picked up his fan and tucked it under his arm, taking a deep breath in, and began walking towards the two.

Alarmed, Shikamaru went to grab his hand but was blown back by wind, creating a further distance between them and never ending.

1, 2, 3, and 4 steps in, he finally reached the Akatsuki.

He watched as Sasori offered his hand to him, his expression blank as ever while Deidara was smirking victoriously. He then raised his own hand up, his expression hardened.

"I'm not going with you."

Swiftly changing position, he redirected his hand and unraveled his fan, jumping back, and raised it high above his head.

"This brat-!?"

"Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!"

And just like that, Naruto casted his technique with one swift motion.

The wind were as sharp as blades, several of them blown straight towards the Akatsuki members. It seemed that his surprise attack somewhat work as he managed a few hits on them, but unfortunately they escaped away at ease with their reflexes kicking in on time.

"Tsk, I wasn't fast enough." Naruto clicked his tongue as he directed his fan downwards.

As he took his stance, Shikamaru watched in awe, surprised to see Naruto in action like this. Now that he thinks about it, he remembers peeking at the scrolls Naruto had been reading and most were related on wind techniques.

Ah, now that connects everything, kind of.

He ran to stand beside Naruto, another worry coming into mind. His hands got into position as he spoke, "Have you ever fought someone before?"

"Ah- actually no, this is my first time. I've only practice fight against Big Sis Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro."

"Huh? You're related to them?"

The rest of team also surrounded the two, all eyes still curiously glancing at the blond.

"Oh no, I'm not like blood related but- agh I'll explain later."

Naruto then heard a quiet scoff from the side.

"Oh wonderful, a newbie who's clueless in fighting."

Naruto huffed out at that, glaring behind his mask at the unnamed fanged boy. This person dares to scoff at him? And what's with that cocky tone?

"I saved your life from a falling building that you could've easily moved away from if you'd taken five steps! Ungrateful, 'ttebayo."

"Well excuse me! I didn't expect it to happen okay?! I panicked and-"

"Kiba, stop. There's no need to pick a fight."

Naruto held back a snicker as the person, now he knows as Kiba, crossed his arms against his chest and mumbled bitterly. But the sound of laughter had him turning his head, Deidara wiped a cut on his cheek with his sleeve, and stared at Naruto with wide eyes.

"You made your choice, don't start regretting, Uzumaki Naruto."

Ino pointed a finger at him with a heated glare, "We won't let you take the Jinchūriki- or uh- this kid!"

"Kid?" Naruto was found dumbfounded.

"She is correct! I shall not let you have your hands on my new youthful friend!" Lee announced loudly.

”Friend?!”

Naruto remembered Shikamaru talking about his friends, how most of them are extremely energetic and equally as strange they are. He understands it better now that he was actually with them. Actually, it didn’t click in time but now he was realizing that he was with the Konoha 12.

Oh god! His frown deepened as he began to feel tense again about this situation, his hands clenching tighter around his fan. This was his first time doing a serious fight, he only recently got the hang of channeling his chakra and controlling it through his fan.

It was all scary, but he was going to do his best.

He needed to be careful because one, single mistake could leave him in the hands of the enemies. He hopes that he was making the right choice because having this many people around him, all he doesn't know personally, was quite nerve-wracking too. Can he do this?

Before he could swallow up deeper into his second thoughts, a hand was placed on his shoulder, leaving a short squeeze on it. He flinched harshly and lowered his body to remove the hand from his shoulder, head snapping towards the side and was met with pale purple eyes and long brown hair.

"Don't worry."

Naruto took a few seconds to process his words before giving him a short nod, and faced forward with cold sweat forming on the back of his neck. The expectations was practically weighing him down, damn.

"I think it's best if we split into two groups again, it'll be easier to focus on what's going on, "Sakura spoke quietly, "We'll be able to watch over Naruto too."

"It would be best if--"

As they briefly discussed with each other, Shikamaru kept looking at Naruto. He couldn't help but feel unease at the smaller being here, no experience in fighting and being the main target, it just screamed danger no matter how much he wanted to trust Naruto's skills.

However, before Shikamaru could tell Naruto to take shelter and hide somewhere far, Shino's voice caught everyones attention.

"Up above us!"

Looking up, massive amount of white clay insects fell down  from the sky and coming right at them.

Deidara smiled and placed his hands in position, "Kat-"

Quickly getting into action, Naruto pulled his fan up and a strong gush of wind blew the bombs further up and away. At the same time, Hinata folded her fingers back and pushed her palms forward to create a strong gust of air alongside with Naruto's wind.

"-su!"

Just in time, they managed to push the explosions back far enough from creating major wounds. Naruto snapped his head over towards Hinata, amazed written all over his body language.

"You did that with your palms? You're pretty cool, ya know!"

Hinata looked to be flustered at the unexpected compliment but thanked him shyly with a small smile, Naruto grinned at her happily. The conversation was cut short as the smoky air had cut lines going through them, kunais flying directly towards them within the smoke.

They all jumped away to avoid the attack, Shino sending out his bugs from his sleeves to create a wall and block out the rest.

"The bug user!" Naruto glowed a bit as he watched Shino in action, he remembered him from the Chunin Exam and how cool his technique was.

Ah! Now wasn't the time for that!

When Naruto landed, his mind already making a plan of his own. It was risky and would go against the pink hair girl's plan. It was so risky he believed that Shikamaru will shout angrily at him afterwards.

But what choice does he have?

Agreeing wit himself, he proceeds to fold up his fan, turned around, and made a run for it.

"What the- where are you going?!" Shikamaru yelled, grunting as he wielded his kunai to block the nonstop shurikens being thrown his way. Soon, the sound of wood crackling had the group dodging once again, Sasori stringing around his puppets around.

"Deidara, you deal with the Kyūbi kid."

Shikamaru watched as Deidara hopped onto a bird made out of clay before flying towards the direction Naruto had ran to. He was about to follow along but was stopped by another puppet confronting him, a sword pointing straight at his neck.

"Aren't you eager..." Sasori hummed quietly, twirling a finger around softly.

Irritation grew and Shikamaru brought out his kunai, another obstacle in his way that he will get through.

 

 

🦊🍃

 

 

"Alright, I managed to drag one of them away like I planned... but how do I defeat this guy?!"

Naruto was currently running as far as he could away from the village, hoping that he'd at least get one of the Akatsuki members away so that the others can deal with just one. Yes, this was a risky plan he mapped out within the short given time, this way, he could at least distract the bomb user and can only hope that other shinobis will arrive after finishing their task in hand.

If he wasn't killed by then, that was.

Too high of hopes, yes, but honestly what else can he do?

He let out a shriek upon hearing, and seeing, his surroundings beginning to explode into bits and pieces.

"Enough running, little fox!"

Realizing that his running was going to soon not work, Naruto jumped off from the tree and landed onto an open area, his shoes scrapping against the dirt floor as he turned to face his opponent.

He gripped onto his fan and scowled.

"What do you want with me?"

"Isn't it obvious? That nine-tailed fox in you is what we need."

"Yeah, but why? How do you know about it?"

He listened as Deidara sigh out loudly, the other crossing his arms against his chest as his head hanged loosely to the side.

"I'll give you all the details needed if you come with me, curiosity comes with a cost."

Naruto frowned deepened.

"Nope."

"Suit yourself then kid."

Cutting their conversation short, Deidara threw a a handful of clay spiders directly at Naruto, who in return, blew them away and directing them towards the forest.

That was... weird. The way Deidara had threw them were strangely off, it was lazy and not as serious as he was earlier. Or maybe he was overthinking it, he shook his head quickly before getting into his stance. He'll need to get closer and invade Deidara's space in order to get some sort of damage in, he was only assuming right now but the other seemed to avoid close combat.

He rolled his shoulders once and sighed out softly. Alright, it was time for his training to (hopefully) pay off.

When the leaf beside him fallen onto the ground, he went into action and darted towards Deidara's direction. He raised his folded fan up and once he was close enough, he swung it down, aiming to land on top of The Akatsuki's head.

The other dodged it at ease and raised one of his leg off the ground, a harsh kick soon landing right on Naruto's left side. Naruto grimaced a the impact but he quickly slammed his fan onto the ground to keep him from flying off and spun around on the top, returning a kick back at Deidara.

However, when he landed the kick, a small white spider had somehow gotten right on his leg and began crawling up at a rapid speed. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he surrounded himself with his wind chakra, forcing the bomb to lose its balance and ultimately flying off. With that out of the way, he then shifted his leg around to use Deidara as a wall to push himself back and flipped away.

Right after he got a good distance, the clay spider had set off between the two.

He wasn't given much time to process as when he landed on the ground, he heard a faint hissing noise coming from his right side and he snapped his head.

Another clay insect, a weirdly shaped one, somehow crawled its way onto his shoulder.

"Damn it!"

"Katsu."

The spider ignited, causing Naruto to be sent back opposite of the explosion, his feet briefly leaving the ground before landing harshly onto the harsh grass. He quickly gather himself off the ground while covering his right ear, a painful burning sensation developing. He hissed quietly as he pulled his hand away, staring at his blood covered palms, and grimaced.

Usually his injuries would instantly heal, but these days, they have been taking a while longer or sometimes, his body would just naturally do it in a human rate.

Stupid fox.

With this much explosion, he was sure he will be hearing endless ringing and he hopes that he won't end up losing his hearing as well.

Upon hearing soft chuckles, his attention was brought back to the Akatsuki member and he chucked his fan to his back, gripping it tightly as he scowled. The other was walking towards him with much confidence, much to Naruto's irritation.

He went to flick his fan downwards in an attempt to make Deidara lose some balance, keeping a distance between the two. Though, the most it did was forcing him to fling back, his shoes digging against the floor. Naruto needed to think further on how to proceed with this fight, now was the time for his brain to remember all his training and lessons on this right now! Come on!!

He eyed Deidara's every move, watching as he raised his hands at his direction. The mouths on his hands opened and spat out white chunks of gooey clay, pooling down on the ground, and creating a small puddle.

Naruto shivered at the sight and whispered to himself, "Gross..."

Unexpectedly to him, the puddle of clay soon raised up, forming itself into weird looking creatures that he wasn't sure if they were animals or insects anymore. Naruto noticed that they were still attached to Deidara's hand, almost mimicking a puppet.

It didn't take long as in just a mer second, the clay puppet lunged forward in an intense speed.

Naruto staggered back a bit, his heart picking up in pace as panic set in even more. He raised his fan up again and landed a hit one of the puppets, directly on its side. Much to his dismay, the clay simply wrapped itself around the fan, basically forcing it in place.

Soon after, another puppet presented itself to Naruto's side and punched him square on his face, his grip loosening around his fan as he flung to the other side.

On the dirt ground once again, he pushed his upper body up with shaky hands and felt something heavy on his chest. Dread washed over him as he took a glance down, his eyes widening and body frozen. As the puppet punched him, it had somehow attached some of its clay onto Naruto's chest, clinging.

*Boom!*

Naruto screamed in pain, his back grazing the dirt under him before slowing down by itself. He hugged himself tightly, the searing pain of the after explosions becoming almost unbearable. It stung, it burned-- he could practically smell some of his clothes and skin burnt from the bombs.

Whatever type of bomb material the user was using, it was something greater than the typical ones used. He had been hit with one before during his trainings with the Sand Siblings, but those didn't hurt as bad as this one.

His breath hitched, the corner of his eyes taking notice of two makeshift feet stopping right beside him. Naruto looked up and was met with a faceless being, eerily staring at him despite not having any eyes.

"Come on, is this all you got?" Deidara taunted, his hands moving upwards and the puppet mimicking as well. Just as it was coming down, Naruto reacted and raised a shaking palm up.

"Fūton: Kiryū Ranbu."

A gust of wind swirled in front of his palm, picking up the dust from his surroundings and creating a dust storm within seconds, withholding the puppets and Deidara within its strong current.

He observed the other's reaction, Deidara coughing harshly from the dust and hurriedly covered his face with his sleeves.

Taking this as a chance, Naruto immediately pushed himself up before running, tripping a bit as he went straight to where his fan was trapped at and held onto it. He first yanked hard to see if it was enough to get it out but to no avail. Taking a different route, he maneuvered his hand upwards and forced his fan to unfold inside the clay completely. The cut was clean and he managed to slice the puppet into two, pulling his fan back to his side as he turned his body around to focus back on his target.

He pushed his legs forward as he jumped high up into the air and raised his fan.

"Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!"

He casted the same jutsu from earlier, sending several blades of winds down and over to where Deidara and his puppets were awaiting. The dust storm was cut through straight away, the blades making contact with the clay puppet and slicing them into smaller pieces. Deidara, on the other hand, received several cuts on his body and two of the landing on the same spot, leaving a huge gash right on his chest.

Deidara staggered back and coughed up a bit of blood, his breath becoming shallow.

Naruto landed back down, his expression shifting into something in pity and mild disgust at the display in front of him. This was, after all, his first fight so seeing such a sight wasn't very pleasant to say the least. He knew what to expect putting himself in this position, but he couldn't help but react in a negative way. Yet, he shook his head to get rid of such thoughts and positioned himself once more.

He placed his fan in between his legs and went to grab a scroll from his poach, unfolding it in the process. He then threw it high up in the air, watching as a poof of smoke ignited from the scroll.

"I just learned this recently so get ready bomb man!"

When the smoke settled into nothing, many loud clanks of shurikens landed on the ground in front of him. They were scattered all around, looking similar to how flower petals would be spread.

He quickly guided his fan to rest at a side-upwards angle.

"Fūton:—"

Finishing the technique, he swung his fan diagonally.

"—Senkō Hanabi!"

Multiple gust of winds trailed forward, collecting the shurikens on the ground and spinning them directly towards Deidara, who was crouching on the floor. Each wind came from different directions, trapping the Akatsuki with no escape. Some of the sharp weapons landed a hit on his arms and legs, while the rest flew right onto the ground, the ends digging through.

Though some of them had missed, they were simply pulled right back up by the ongoing swirling winds and continued surrounding around Deidara until Naruto sees that majority of them were on the man.

Finally, Naruto hesitantly lowered his fan just a tad to see the state of Deidara.

"Heh, that seriously stings..."

His face was written in nothing but discomfort. Whenever he took any slight movements, the shurikens on his body would shift around and dig deeper inside his skin.

Naruto shifted a bit, his fan momentarily blocking his view of the other as he checked himself. By doing so, however, he missed the small smirk on Deidara's face.

Just as Naruto believed that he had made progress, the familiar sounds of hissing noises began to erupt from all around. His body jolted and he hurriedly looked around for the source of the noise, his stomach dropping as his eyes scanned.

Then, his eyes landed on the pile of puppet clays he had destroyed. The clays were now expanding up dangerously, much to his confusion and disbelief.

Despite his shock state, Naruto ran away from the corrupted area. Another detonate happened and this time, it was stronger than the earlier ones. The blast he felt caused him to stumble in his steps, forcing him to make contact with one of the trees to brace himself. He took a glance at it and quickly decided to run up, perching on one of the tree branches and hid.

As he squatted, he hugged his fan against his chest and attempted to catch his breath. Even though he hadn't used up his charka to exhaustion, his body unfortunately was beginning to feel the affects of the burns, his stupid damages not healing at the speeding rate he was used to.

Fuck, could he even keep this up? Should he make run for it? No-- it would only tire him out in the long run and it would be easier to catch him. He could possibly continue blowing the other away, that seems to be working so far.

He just needed to stall enough time until the others are successful on their part, because he was truly unsure if he could take this Akatsuki down on his own.

His thoughts was cut through when a sudden burst of laughter erupted the forest, the laughter belonging to only one person between the two. He glanced downwards and stared at the other, shivering at the crazed expression on his face.

How was the other still standing normally? How come the cuts on his body look less now?!

"This was quite an entertaining fight, I'm surprised that your mask is still in tact after all of that."

"Huh--?!"

Naruto unconsciously let out a noise, terror blossoming in his chest when he saw the familiar hand sign being formed on Deidara's hands. His head spun around his surroundings, desperately trying to identify where the bombs are hiding.

He turned and turned until his eyes landed on something... terrible. Towards his right side, he spotted many clay spiders sitting right on the side of the tree, all crawling over each other as the smell of gunpowder grew stronger.

They were the ones he had previously blew away.

It couldn't be... did Deidara purposely miss?

Deidara smiled widely, "Let's see if that mask of yours will still be in one piece after this one. After all, my art is--"

Naruto frantically tried to move away but realized that he couldn't, his body wouldn't budge at all. He took a quick look down and became aware of what had trapped him. A few of the clays had sneaked over to where he was standing and deformed itself to wrap around his ankles, glueing him in place.

They must've crawled over when he was in his shock state.

Naruto could only stare in horror, the bundle of white growing brighter at every second, the heat already reaching his exposed skin. His lips trembled as he stood there, only one thing coming into mind.

"Shika--!"

"-An explosion! KATSU!"

 

*BOOM*

The biggest explosion of the day had been set off.

Deidara watched silently as the fire expanded and large amount of smoke filled the air, Naruto's body limply falling from the tree and landing harshly on the ground with a thud. He walked forward and stopped once he was right next to the unconscious boy.

Naruto's body was covered in many burn marks, blisters, and cuts. The gushes on his body was disgusting to look at, plasma mixed with blood was truly a sight to behold.

Deidara hummed as he stared at the boy, "Seems like your mask is holding strong, little fox. Even your bells are still in tact."

He smirked victoriously as he crouched a bit and picked Naruto up.

"Hahah- the desperation of your fight was truly something, but I'm simply better. Un."

Chapter 25

Shikamaru glared at the red head boy, frustration bubbling within. They've been fighting for god knows how long and it didn't ease his worries at all. It was obvious that this opponent was just stalling them, constantly forcing them back to the start when any one of them made an effort to get past him. A game of push and pull.

Tsunade wasn't kidding when she said they were truly S ranked criminals, he can understand how they were able to get away with their crimes.

But that wasn’t important right now. The main important thing in Shikamaru's head was Naruto. Was Naruto doing okay? Can he really handle fighting against an S-ranked rogue on his own? Honestly, he didn’t want to doubt him but if him and his team can't even get through this singular one, then he can’t imagine what Naruto was going through with the bomb user.

They have been unable to reach the main source who was taking control of the whole fight. Should they even continue fighting? Should he order all of them to scatter?

"Shikamaru, get those gears turning and stop daydreaming about your boyfriend!" Ino said through her teeth, kunai in hand as she stood guarded.

Shikamaru scoffed in reply, side eyeing her briefly before directing his attention back at the puppet. He then heard Ino let out the most smug laughed he had ever heard, "Oh so your not denying it!"

He ignored Ino but chose to not deny. In his head, Naruto was basically his boyfriend... soon. One day.

Despite the timing of such talk, it undoubtably helped ease Shikamaru enough to think of a plan of attack. The puppets were obviously the main source of the user's weapon, diligently them around without breaking a sweat on his actual body. Within them, stored all sorts of sharp weapons that would launch right at them and the outer layers, had knifes laced with some sort of poison as coating.

He then examined his teammates, noting how each and every one of them were handling the puppets and placed them into two groups.

He took a few moments to double check his plan before slowly standing back up, "Everyone, gather to me!"

Everyone did as they were told and quickly gathered around Shikamaru. As everyone began to huddle, Sasori simply watched them with this bored expression on his face. Swaying his puppets back and forth as if to mock the group of teens.

"Ino, Sakura, and Shino. You three are gonna be together. Shino, gather your insect and try to get them to the compartment of the poison so that the outer blades can't be coated on the next swing. Ino and Sakura, you guys stall the best you can until Shino finishes before striking the puppet."

The trio nodded and quickly gathered together.

"Hinata, Tenten, Lee, and Choji. you guys will take on the other one, that puppet only contains weapons inside of it and it's unpredictable for when it will start shooting out things; But it seems to protect its back often, it could possibly be the weak point."

The next group listened intently, following along with the first one.

Shikamaru then directed his attention to the rest, "As for the rest, you guys will be going with me. Once the others manage to make him drop his puppets, it'll be our opportunity to… to—“

His words grew quieter as something dropped from the sky, time seemed to slow down as his eyes grew wider upon the sight. A small spider-- multiple of them falling right in front of him. His body moving on its own, he slammed his hands together and casted his shadows to fling everyone back while jumping away himself, cursing loudly as the sizzling noise erupted.

Then, one blink of an eye, the spiders expanded as bright colors emerged from within.

 

*BOOM*

Shikamaru grit his teeth as he felt his body sliding onto the hard ground, hands guarding his head until he stopped. He laid on the ground and stared at the smoked cover sky, the explosion had made his heart dropped and it was because of the actual hit. There could only be one meaning--

"Shit-!" He pushed himself off the ground, his head turning in all sorts of direction. He notices that his teammates were too picking themselves back up, but that wasn't his concern at all.

"Does this mean...?" He heard Hinata whisper, the obvious answer coming to everyone.

"It's definitely what you think it means! Un."

That annoyingly cocky voice, Shikamaru's attention shifted directly to where it came from. A breeze ran past them, taking the smoke with it as the sight became clearer. The exact spot where Sasori had been standing on this whole time, now standing right next to him was none other than Deidara. His eyes zeroed on the body Deidara was carrying on his shoulder and his heart sank deeper.

He was carrying Naruto's unconscious body.

"It took you long enough."

"I wanted to mess around with him a bit, kid put up a decent fight." Deidara grinned, shaking his shoulder a bit as he spoke. He was acting like Naruto was some sort of animal, tussling him around in such an uncaring manner.

It was maddening.

"Let him go!"

He didn't care to pay any mind at everyone's sudden attention towards him, after all, the cool and usually composed Nara wasn't one to raise his voice. They had witness hi frustration before, but not anger-- true anger.

It didn't help that he received a shit-eating grin from Deidara, he could feel his nails digging into his palms at how hard he was containing himself.

"Huh? But I don't wanna, you know I worked so hard to get him like this!" Deidara's tone was lively with each word almost sounding like it was being sung. "Not that much, hahah! Rusty little thing, I'll tell you that. Un."

Shikamaru absolutely despised-- no, he hates Deidara.

In everyone else's eyes, they were witnessing a different side of Shikamaru. Eyes glaring daggers, posture stiff, fist shaking at his side, and his shoes digging deep onto the ground. Yet, despite the taunts, Shikamaru's eyes never left Naruto.

Deidara turned to the side, showing a side of Naruto’s face and tussled him a bit.

”See? Out like a baby.”

Shikamaru felt a nerve on his neck. How dare he harm Naruto? How dare he speak of him that way? How dare he to even handle him in such an uncaring manner?

And just when he was about to take his weapon out, something shifted with the lighting, and it caught his eye.

Shikamaru thought of an idea.

"Been fighting until the sun set, huh?" Shikamaru spoke out, his legs moving him backwards until his back made contact with a wall. 

"I guess that is," Deidara turned around, one of his hand grabbing onto a bird shaped sculpture and threw it onto the ground. He soon formed his fingers as needed and made the sculpture grow in size. The two stepped towards it, Deidara laughing in victorious. "We got what we needed and shall bid our- huh?"

His words were instantly cut off with a puzzling nouse, a short but sharp breeze suddenly coming from his left side. In the corner of his eyes, he sees someone emerging from his shadow.

It was Shikamaru, he had a smirk on his face but his eyes were seething with nothing but anger.

"Lovely lighting we have right now, hm?"

After that brief conversation, Shikamaru brought his fist back and swiftly lunged it directly at Deidara's face. The sound of the contact echoed, Shikamaru adjusting his feet to fling the other backwards. Luckily, this caused him to lose his grip on Naruto and Shikamaru took that moment to grab a hold of him, bringing the blond into his arms, and securing him. He jumped back a good distance, his arms were tightly around Naruto's body, and he hurriedly scanned his features.

Burn marks and blisters were all over his skin, but he was still breathing, and that was enough for Shikamaru to finally feel at ease. A breath of relief escaped his lips as he lightly grazed the whiskered cheek with his thumb.

"Good job, I'll handle the rest."

 

.      .      .

 

"Pinch me, did I really just witness that...?" He heard Ino said, her tone was laced with disbelief and he was assuming that she was squawking at him.

"That is new..." Choji added on, he took sounding shock. "He wasn't kidding about his training."

As Shikamaru stood guarded from above, his teammates exchanged their own cents, and that only made him more aware of how different he was being. Explaining all of this was going to be a hassle, how troublesome that was.

"Tsk, how annoying."

He quickly tensed his body as he watched Sasori raise his arms upwards, a clear sign that he was planning on launching an attack towards him. However, he wasn't given a chance to do so when something unexpected wrapped around his hands.

"Sand?"

The sand was slowly tightening up as Sasori attempted to free himself from its hold, grimacing in displeasure when more began to wrap around his body. Deidara too showed his annoyance when sand started to move upwards from his legs, unable to even lift his feet from his spot.

As this was happening, at a short distance, a sand dome had risen from the ground for a few moments before dispersing and revealing three familiar faces.

"The sand siblings!" Lee pointed out.

Gaara had one of his hands shut tight, directed it right at the two Akatsuki.

"Yes, yes, it is us!" Kankuro soon announced, hands clapping once as he turned his body towards the Konoha team. Temari didn't say much and stepped forward.

Shikamaru immediately noticed how anxious she looked as she scanned the surroundings, and soon landed her eyes right at Naruto. Her expression shifted into worry for a split second before being replaced with anger. She opened her fan with a simple flick, brought it above her head and shortly, struck a downwards stroke.

"Fūton: Kamaitachi no Jutsu!"

Temari had summoned many currents of wind, the strikes all meeting one another to create a mini tornado that was aiming directly towards the Akatsuki. With the sand forcing them into place, Sasori and Deidara could only do so little and took the hit. Their skin and clothes were immediately sliced and teared, the roof they were on had started to crack with the added movements on it.

After a few seconds, the currents died down. The sand had disheveled and caused the captures to fall onto the concrete, a loud thud of their body could be heard.

As that finished, Temari landed right beside Shikamaru, securing her fan right onto her back, and scanned Naruto just like how he did earlier.

"Look at you, I should've been faster..." she cursed under he breath, a sad smile gracing on her face. Shikamaru watched as she lightly ran her finger on Naruto's face, questions surrounding on just how close were these two. He then noticed Gaara joining them onto the rooftop, walking up towards the two on the ground and stared.

 

.         .         .

"BOOM!"

The sudden outburst caused everyone to flinch, their guards back up. Deidara snickered before rolling away from Gaara and flipped over to where Sasori laid. He smacked him on his back and frowned when he wasn't given any reaction.

He let out a tired groan as he stood back up. Stretching his arms as if he wasn't all cut up and now surrounded by even more people. Crazy to be so nonchalant about his current situation.

"Looks like today is not the day." He mumbled while twisting his hands into a teleporting symbol. A small poof of smoke appeared right beside him, the clay bird he had created earlier now teleported.

He looked down at Sasori again and gave him a good kick.

"Get up already, don't tell me those old bones are getting to you."

Sasori stayed still for a moment before pushing himself up, grimacing when he made eye contact with the bomb user.

"Shut up, will you."

They both hopped onto the bird's back and it swiftly flew upwards.

"Until next time then, tell the little fox that I'll be back! Un."

And ending with that final statement, they took off.

Temari looked at Gaara, "Are we not going to go after them?"

Gaara shook his head as a response.

"We are in no condition to fight, we are here to discuss further with the Hokage on an actual plan," He then pointed a finger at Naruto. "You should bring him to the Hokage first, we'll meet up with you guys later after we help out with your team here. Check to make sure they didn't mess with his seal, that’s important. As for his injuries, it looks like it's healing on its own but it's going at slower speed than usual, make sure he gets wrapped up."

There was no disagreeing with that, Shikamaru offered a quick thank you and adjusted Naruto to lay fully onto his arms before dashing off towards the direction of the Hokage's tower. Tsunade was a well known healer, surely she'll be able to attend Naruto's needs. He tightened his grip around Naruto as he jumped from building to building, forcing his chakra within his legs to go faster until he landed right on the roof of the tower. He quickly ran down the stairs and over towards the direction of the main office, praying that she was inside there.

When he reached the door, he lifted up his leg and shoved the door open.

"Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade's head snapped towards his direction, her eyes squinting at the boy in his arms. He walked up towards her and raising his arms up a bit, "Please, can you-"

"Is that Uzumaki Naruto?"

That had Shikamaru pausing in his steps.

Had she never seen him before? Naruto was holding onto one of the tailed beast that she had spoken of, yet she was asking if this was him? Shouldn't she be responsible on keeping an eye on him?

Actually, now that he thinks more deeply on that, had she been keeping an eye on him this whole time?

It wouldn't make sense then if she had been, someone important as him had been tormented for so long and yet nothing had been done. Even with the previous Hokage, Naruto had been going through everything alone as far as Shikamaru could tell.

He squinted his eyes at her, Shikamaru was starting to feel iffy about Tsunade.

Without saying anything, he walked over to a more cleaner side of the office, kicking some papers and woods out of the way, and crouched to gently lay Naruto down. He then took of his jacket and placed it on Naruto. It was a vest but he hoped it was enough to keep him comfortable for the time being.

He grabbed a hold of Naruto's scratched up hand, bringing the back side of it towards his face, and gently laid a kiss on it. A silent promise that Shikamaru will be back to bring him home.

Once he finished, he pushed himself off the ground and took a deep breath in before turning around to face Tsunade fully.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at him, a silent way of asking what he was doing and it irked Shikamaru.

"Do you know who he is?"

Tsunade took a quick glance at Naruto.

"Yes, I do."

"For how long?"

"Why are you suddenly questioning me, Shikamaru?"

"Just answer me! I don't have any more patience left right now."

Tsunade eyes widened a bit at Shikamaru's outburst. He was scowling at her, eyebrows knitted together and a deep scowl was presented on his face. His eyes held the same burning anger from his earlier fight and now, it was directed towards his superior.

He was usually one of the most respectful person when in the presence of the Hokage, so he was sure that this drew in her attention more. 

"Ever since the beginning, I was quite close to his parents actually." Tsunade answered after a brief pause, her arms circling below her chest.

Shikamaru clicked his tongue at that answer, "Close you say... then did you know that he has been harassed by the villagers for years now? A bomb set in his apartment, he was dragged in an alleyway to get beat up one night, constantly trash talked to the point he was afraid if even setting foot within the village! All of this was because he is a vessel? The Jinchuriki?"

.    .    .

He carefully eyed her every move, watching the way she bit the bottom of her lips lightly before speaking again, "Yes, he is a Jinchuriki. A vessel to the most gruesome and dangerous tailed beast out there, he is titled as someone who is to be kept away from the hands of evil. He is important."

Respect be damned, he couldn't bring himself to care about his way of talking, there was so much pent up displeasure within him that he needed answers now. She was answering him but was missing all the key points, none of it made sense. She knows him but doesn’t, saying he was important yet it didn’t seem like he was treated as such.

Shikamaru lifted his head higher, eyes glaring down at her as he scoffed.

"Utter bullshit... If he's so important then why haven't none of you done your jobs in protecting him?"

Chapter 26

The silence in the room was deafening as the two stared at each other, the question lingering in the air.

Shikamaru glare hardened, "Withholding key informations from us about the whereabouts of the nine-tailed fox worked for a short time, but the doesn't mean that the outside world are going to be as blinded. An obvious proof with the attack of the Akatsuki, they knew of him but how come we didn't?"

Shikamaru reached his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, his mind swirling in even more confusion and questions.

"I don't understand what exactly the plan was for him, the older villagers knew of his identity but all kept it silent for the newer generation? But at the same time, still tries to ostracize him? For everything I've seen this far, you guys don't look to be taking his case seriously."

That seemed to break the neutral stance on Tsunade, though small, Shikamaru caught her eyes twitching. But that wasn't enough for him, he needed answers. Tsunade hadn't given him any sort of response to his questions, it was irritating.

"Despite my position being lower compared to the people in charge, I've been doing way more in Naruto's case. So, tell me, what exactly was the plan from the start?" Shikamaru said through gritted teeth, taking a step forward with his hands balled into a fist. The memories of Naruto's suffering replayed in his mind, the tear sheds, fake smiles, and hidden pain.

It took years for Shikamaru to see Naruto's true self, and discovering that he was someone so important that was left to basically fend for himself--

Shikamaru shook his head, his voice raising in volume.

"What the hell is with the silence? Why won't you answer me?!"

With his mind scrambling, he didn't realize that he had began striding towards her. So many things could've been done right from the start, but it wasn't. The incompetence had done nothing but harm Naruto.

Just when he was about to reach out to hear, a hand gripped onto his shoulder, and ultimately pulled him back harshly.

"Shikamaru, calm down! Don't do anything too rashly!"

Whipping his head back, the person who had dragged him back was Kiba. It wasn't just him too, some of the others were standing right behind them. They all stared at Shikamaru and Tsunade with weary eyes, obviously tense from the atmosphere between them.

He must’ve been into his head because he didn’t even notice them entering inside.

He knows Kiba means well, but he wasn't his calm self right now and he wasn’t planning on backing down either. Shikamaru took in a breath and shrugged off Kiba's hand, "I'll calm down once she gives me a reasonable answer."

He then notices Ino taking hesitant steps forward, her hand reaching towards him as her gaze softened.

"I understand that you're upset but this is still Tsunade-sama," Ino whispers as she placed her hand on his shoulder, "Please, be careful and think of your words."

Shikamaru could only roll his eyes at that.

"I could care less about what will happen to me, it will show that she's guilty."

That caused Ino to gasp loudly, her other hand gripped the other side of his shoulder, and she forced him to lean down.

"Are you crazy? Are you listening to what you're saying?!"

"I am, deservingly! How would you feel if you witness someone close to you being pushed to the brick? Scared to walk the streets of his village? Cursed and insulted everyday of every time? So many things happened!" Shikamaru snapped.

He grabbed a hold of both of Ino's wrists and pried them away from him. He then turned his body to fully face Tsunade once again, the burning sensation rumbling in his chest.

"I nearly lost him at one point!"

He made a move to take a step but was again stopped. Arms had circled around his stomach and pulled him back slightly, making contact with the person. He could feel them rubbing their face against his back, voice muffled a bit from the fabric of his shirt.

"Shika, that's enough."

In a blink of an eye, Shikamaru's anger instantly flipped upon hearing the voice and he quickly turned himself around. The person who was holding him so close was none other than Naruto, awake. His arms tightened around Shikamaru slightly, trying to ease the Nara's anger.

"You're awake!" The relief of seeing and hearing Naruto washed over Shikamaru, his expression softening as he wrapped his own arms around Naruto. With one hand on the back of Naruto's head and the other around his waist, Shikamaru buried his head between his neck and shoulder. He took in a short, shaky breath as his own hold tightened around Naruto.

Naruto rubbed his cheek against Shikamaru's head, a faint smile on his face.

"You shouldn't be standing."

"I wouldn't have to if you weren't causing some trouble here."

"I'm not causing trouble..." Shikamaru mumbled, causing Naruto to laugh lightly. "We should still get you checked out, I can carry you to get you medically checked."

"I'm okay to move around now, your friend with the pink hair was healing me while you were..." Naruto's sentenced drifted as he lifted his head, his gaze meeting with Tsunade's.

Shikamaru also lifted his head, eyes scanning Naruto's face closely. It looked like all his bruises and burn marks had healed up pretty good, was this the Kyūbi's doing? He remember Gaara mentioning something like that earlier, it was relieving nonetheless.

Being reminded of that, he’ll have to read more on Jinchūriki’s to understand better. He will also need to talk to Naruto about this as well.

And Sakura, he'll have to thank her personally later.

"The rest of you, what is the status?" Tsuande spoke out, breaking the two apart as they turned to fully pay attention to her. Shikamaru felt his blood pulsing, was she purposefully ignoring him now?

"Ah- yes, Tsunade-sama. We've provided the necessary resources for the villagers, our leaders are with them right now and sorting through everything. The bombs did numbers but it is something that can be fixed." Sakura answered.

"How was the situation with the Akatsuki members?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on the duo-- more so on the taller one.

"The nerve..."

Shikamaru frowned deepened, turning his head to the side so that he wasn't looking at her direction all while shoving his hands into his pockets. He was purposely trying to ignore her but Naruto shoved him with his elbow.

"Answer her, don't be petty." And gently elbowed him once more.

Shikamaru sighed, pulling one of his hands out of his pocket and rubbed the back of his head begrudgingly, "One of them had Naru but we managed to get him back. They escaped after the Sand Siblings showed up but it's a high possibility that they'll be returning."

As he finished his report, he interlaced his hand with Naruto's and began walking towards the door.

"Huh? Where are you guys going?"

Shikamaru continued walking while dragging Naruto with him, "Home. My house was luckily far from the destruction so we'll be fine. I need to get Naruto checked out, you guys can handle the rest."

There was unspoken words hanging in the air, some of them looked to be contemplating whether or not to speak out their concerns about the Nara. Acting out in front of the Hokage was ill-mannered, especially working under her.

Sensing this, Naruto lips tightened into a flat line as he stopped in his steps. The stop caused Shikamaru to be pulled back a bit, but he only reacted with a simple turn of his head.

"I know you're angry for my sake, but this is literally your job. Please don't cause any consequences for yourself." Naruto voiced out quietly, his fingers loosening around Shikamaru's.

In return, Shikamaru gripped onto his hand, refusing to let go as he stared at the pitch black space of Naruto's mask. He then faced forward and continued walking, forcing Naruto to follow along with him.

Hokage-sama this, but Hokage-sama that. Enough.

"If it involves you, I will do anything. I care more about you than this troublesome Shinobi shit."

Naruto perked up upon hearing that, his expression awed. He knows that their relationship had developed significantly, but for Shikamaru to outwardly say he was more important than his inherited work-- Going against Naruto's worries, his heart swelled in warmth. He couldn't help but smile softly as his gaze shifted to their hands.

Stubborn boy.

"Shikamaru."

As the two nearly reached the exit, Tsunade voice caused them to pause in their walk.

He listens to the way she took in a deep breath before continuing, "I understand your frustration and openly accept your criticism. There's many things going on behind the scenes involving the higher ups, I can't say much as of right now but I am doing what I can within my position. Even the Third could barely break them, you of all people should know what they're like."

He didn't answer back, instead he stood there with his back turned towards her.

"I hope you can at least believe me on that, Shikamaru. There will be a time where I can openly reveal everything, but it is not now. And you, Naruto, will also learn the truth someday."

Shikamaru stayed at his spot as he took in Tsunade's words, his eyes closed shut and breath beginning to follow its familiar rhythm. Choosing to not answer, he continued out the door with Naruto following along.

Naruto stared between the two before bowing towards Tsunade, an awkward smile plastered on his face as he exited.

"Thank you..."

When the two made their way out, they were greeted with the Sand Siblings. Naruto smile widens at the sight and he jumped towards them, "You guys are here too?"

Gaara nodded his head, "We were originally here to discuss with the Hokage but spotted you all fighting against the Akatsuki. It seems like the fox decided to stop acting out, but it's better for you to rest more. We'll catch up another time." Gaara offered him a gentle smile before walking

"When you get better, come and visit us at our place so that we can eat out!" Kankuro added on, grinning from ear to ear as he soon followed Gaara.

Naruto looked over at Temari, his newly found excitement bursting out. "Big Sis! I managed to use the skills you taught me during my fight perfectly, 'ttebayo! Ah- it probably sounds like I'm lying since I got knocked out but I swear-"

His sentence was cut off as Temari placed her hand on top of his head.

"I'm very proud of you, Naruto. I'm sure you gave it your all, even if it almost gave me a heart attack." Temari said while messing around with his hair, her expression pleased. "Reward yourself, alright? I'll meet you again some other time."

Naruto let out a short chuckle as he waved goodbye to her. The compliment boosted his confidence as pride swelled within his chest. Despite the outcome and his fearfulness, he was proud of himself for getting the techniques down as taught.

A squeeze of his hand caused him to look at Shikamaru and was met with an equally as proud gaze. Naruto, suddenly overtaken by bashfulness, cleared his throat and started their walk down the hall. The two were talking amongst themselves, trying to cheer each other up from everything that had happened.

“So, you and them?”

”Oh yeah, I met them during the Chūnin exam period and we just clicked. Temari offered to teach me her ways and thus why I have this giant fan with me. I was going to surprise you with it and I guess I did in a way.” Naruto sighed out. “Ended up finding out a lot more than I thought.”

”Mhm, I know you’re worried,” Shikamaru said, his voice steady and unwavering, “But know that no matter what, nothing will change my mind about you. I will always stick with you.”

Naruto felt his cheek beginning to warm up and raised his unoccupied hand to cover his mouth, hiding his smile that he was sure looked stupid. Shikamaru had openly confessed that already, in front of the crowd but hearing him say something similar was… cute.

He faked a cough before speaking.

"Ya know, you have great friends."

"Hm?"

Naruto raised his chin upwards, "They were worried for you, I noticed how all of them wanted to stop you from talking. But they all also respected your feelings too, putting them through a dilemma. You better make it up to them, dummy."

"I'm the dummy? I hope you know how stressed I was when you decided to take on the Akatsuki yourself, dummy." Shikamaru shot back, side-eyeing Naruto.

Naruto looked away, laughing awkwardly as sweat dropped from his forehead. Just when he was going to respond back, two adults walked right past them and it made him halt. He turned his head to look at one of them, curiosity struck him as he watched the man walk further away. But he swore, the adult glanced back at him for a brief second.

"Naru? Is something wrong?"

The man with gray hair. For some reason, there was a sense of familiarity from him but he couldn't pinpoint how or why.

Naruto simply shook his head.

"No... it's nothing."

He proceeds to swing their interlaced hand back and forth to ignore the feeling, grinning at the taller.

"You wanna play a round of Shogi when we get to your place? I promise I'll be better this time and if you win, I'll clean your room!"

Shikamaru knew Naruto was trying to distract him and lighten up his mood, it was so him. Their conversation regarding the new piece of info can be pushed aside for another day, he'll obliged his blond for now as he was sure Naruto was still shaken up by everything.

Him too, in all honesty.

"Hm... alright. But instead of cleaning, how about you lean closer up to my face and give me a kiss instead?"

"Shika!?"

Naruto let out a shriek, his face reddening at in instant. Shikamaru snickered as he pulled Naruto closer towards his side, letting his hand go as he proceeds to wrap his arm around the blond's shoulder.

Notes:

curious… >_0!

Chapter 27

After the recent attack, Shikamaru and his team were given some time off from missions in order to get their energy back up again. He was somewhat grateful because he wasn't sure if he'd be able to deal with the Hokage at the moment. He was bitter, bitter about the wait for important information. If she knew something, even just a little bit about Naruto's curse, it would make his research progress more. Naruto's check up was relieving though. Nothing had been tampered with his seal and his chakra was in tact as well. He only really suffered some burns and scratches but a simple patch up from his mom solved those.

With that out of the way, today was a little bit different. When Shikamaru went down the stairs after finishing his morning routine, he heard some faint groans coming from one of the spar rooms in the back. Knowing it was Naruto, he went to grab a quick drink for the both of them and headed his way to where he the other lingered.

When he opened the sliding door, however, the bottles in his hand nearly slipped from his grasp.

"Naru... what the hell?"

"I can explain."

The room was filled with papers, all having scribbles and drawings on them. It practically covered the whole flooring and some even somehow stuck on the wall. Looking at Naruto, brush in hand, he was covered in ink from head to toe.

"So, like, why and how did you make such a mess?"

Naruto let out a nervous laugh, picking up one of the papers and presenting it to Shikamaru.

"I thought learning sealing techniques would make me cooler, but it's a lot harder than I thought... hah."

Shikamaru took another look around him, nodding his head. "Yeah, you do suck at drawing them."

The corner of Naruto's lips twitched at Shikamaru's truthfulness and gripped his brush tighter, bastard. He huffed loudly and turned back to his fresh sheet of paper.

"I don't need to hear it from you!" Naruto mumbled before aggressively smashing the brush down and swirled it around. He kept mumbling some curse words here and there as he attempted to copy the book.

Shikamaru walked closer up to Naruto and sat right behind him. He placed the drinks down on the table and proceeds to lean onto the shorter's back, trying to get a better angle of how he worked.

He nearly laughed out of disbelief upon closer inspection. Naruto was doing it with a heavy hand, each lines were flung crooked and too thick.

"You won't get anything done if you're going to fling that brush around like that, take your time with it."

Naruto ears perked up hearing Shikamaru's advice. He turned his head a bit to look at him, smile full of hope.

"Does that mean you'll help me?!"

Shikamaru hummed, one of the corner of his lips tugged to the side as if to think on that. A beat goes by and suddenly, he leaned his head onto Naruto's shoulder, body going limp.

"Too troublesome."

"Please?"

 

.       .       .

 

"I'm going to take a nap."

Naruto felt his lips twitch but he persist another attempt, leaning his head to the opposite side as he put on his best pitiful pout.

"Shika, I'm really struggling here. You're going to let me continue on like this even though I want to learn?"

 

.             .            .

 

"Fine! Be that way, I can do this all by myself, 'ttebayo!"

Naruto's pout turned into a real one as he aggressively switched out the paper and began fresh once again. He mumbled even more inaudible words to himself as he attempted another seal, eyes following along with the book more slowly and less heavy handed.

He focused carefully as he drew each stroke, finalizing it with a quick flick at the end. He stared at it for a good moment until a new found hope blossomed within him. This one turned out differently from the rest, it actually closely resembles the image in the book and that had to mean something! He quickly placed the brush down and clapped his hands together.

"Okay! Now if I remember correctly, it goes rat, dog, boar..." He signed with his hands, focusing his chakra to enter into the seal. When he reached the final stage, he raised one of his hand up and slams it onto the drawn paper. "Go!"

*Poof*

Instead of a flashy light of barrier, he received a pathetically small poof of smoke.

"What the? Why?! It looks exactly like how it was instructed!"

Irritated at the lack of results, he crumpled up the paper with both hands and threw it against the wall before proceeding to slam his head against the table. He groaned out in pain when his mask made the pain extra painful but stayed at his position.

"I'm surprised Shika hasn't slipped off my shoulder yet, that guy is probably laughing at-- Wait, he's asleep."

The realization struck Naruto and he quickly rose back up with a mischievous grin already formed. A little mischief won't hurt anyone, right? He picked up his brush again, snickering to himself, and brought it close to Shikamaru's face.

Slowly, the brush drew closer and closer towards Shikamaru's cheek and Naruto fought against all his might to not burst out laughing already. Unfortunate that his plan didn't succeed when Shikamaru's hand grabbed a hold onto his wrist, forcing him to still in place as he let out a surprise yelp.

A few moments passes by and Shikamaru lifted his head up, staring at Naruto with a completely unamused expression. The younger could only laugh out nervously, his smile lopsided as he attempted to downplay the situation.

"Hey... you're up pretty early..."

"Funny guy, aren't you?" Shikamaru smirked a bit as he spoke.

"I wasn't going to do anything, my hand just accidentally lifted back a lot more without me realizing."

"Oh, you think that will help you better your drawing?"

That caused Naruto's eyebrow to twitch, his nervousness now turned into annoyance at the taller's remark. It didn't help that Shikamaru looked all smug as he said all of that.

"You know what-!" Naruto went and shoved Shikamaru in the stomach with his elbow, trying to get the other off of him. Shikamaru simply chuckled as the response and reached beside them to grab a new blank with the other still gripping Naruto's wrist. He then placed a new sheet right in front of them and directed Naruto's hand right onto it.

"You forgot to add this small detail onto the drawing." Shikamaru murmured as he guided Naruto, drawing each stroke with a steady pace. Naruto watched in silence until their hands came to a halt. He stared at the newly drawn seal for a bit, taking it in fully before placing the brush back down and repeating the hand signs he had done earlier.

Taking a deep breath, he placed his palm down on it and awaited. The end result was something he'd been wishing to see this whole day and he nearly jumped at his spot from excitement. The seal under his palm had glowed a blue hue and when he carefully lifted it up, a small chakra barrier followed along.

Naruto gasped out loudly as his smile widened, he couldn't believe it! He spent the whole morning trying to achieve a result and here it was! He turned his head to look over at Shikamaru, "Look, look! Do you see what I'm doing-"

He cut his sentence short, eyes blinking as his brain suddenly short circuited. He hadn't noticed just how close they were and when he turned his head, their faces were a mer inch away from one another. Deep brown eyes stared straight into his hidden ones, his skin tingled upon feeling hot breath fanning his face lightly.

None of them spoke, silence stretched onwards.

Shikamaru wouldn't know this but Naruto's own gaze was wavering, his eyes shaking slightly as his heart thumped inside his chest. His lips tightened together, trying to fight off the growing blush blooming on his cheeks. There was something so familiar yet not so with all of this, Shikamaru was staring at him as if he was the center of the world.

And he knows it wasn't an if, he was the center of his world.

Shikamaru took a quick glance down to his lips, a hand reaching up to gently place it on Naruto's cheek, thumbing the skin lightly. The atmosphere around them shifted-- or maybe it already had been different and the two seemed to feel it. Slowly, with their hearts aligned, the two began to lean closer to one another, eyes closing and head tilting opposite.

Just as the distance was close to nothing, something in Naruto shoved its way through his cloudy mind.

Panic had emerged.

Naruto blinked and snapped his head away from Shikamaru, hands on his chest and pushed the Nara back. His ears rung lightly as he took in quick, nervous breath. His body burned, his mind was jumbled, and he doesn't know anything anymore. Their face-- they were so close together and if they had closed it, everything between them would change. Through his adrenaline, Naruto daringly gazed back at Shikamaru and his heart jumped at the sight. Disappointment was visibly written all over Shikamaru's face, his eyes dimming as a small frown, worried frown was made.

Naruto could feel his stomach churning at such sight and it only made him panic even more.

"What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked quietly, breaking the silence between them as he moved his hand away from his cheek and onto Naruto's hand.

"We can't do this, w-we shouldn't play around like this." Naruto sputtered out without thinking, his mind and mouth no longer aligned. He nearly wanted to curl into himself when he noticed Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowing, his frown deepening as his eyes flashed an emotion that Naruto never wished to cause.

Hurt.

"Play around...? You think I'm joking? I'm not playing around with you and I'll never see our dynamic as such," Shikamaru muttered as he held onto Naruto's hand tighter. "I'm so so serious about you. Why can't you see that?"

Naruto couldn't find it in him to answer that because he knows-- no, he was so aware that he was important to Shikamaru, that his feeling for him had always been there. He knows and it was no doubt that he feels the same way about Shikamaru. He cherishes the Nara to the world and back, he treasure their moments together. But he was scared, frightened even.

This is for the best.

"It can't be that you haven't realized it by now, right? All my confessions, we both know is real and the most rawest I've ever been." Shikamaru began talking, his body visibly deflating as his gaze downcast. His heart felt like it was being tugged in two ways, his stomach twisted in a way that was dreadfully similar to the time he saw Naruto cry during their first dinner.

"I- It's just that- I don't-"

"I like you... yet..."

Shikamaru's eyes closed tightly, his breath releasing a heavy, yet shaky sigh. His hand slipped away from Naruto's and landed right beside him with a soft thud, his eyes opened once again as his voice now whispered.

"I thought our feelings were mutual... Did I perhaps miscalculate this whole thing? Believe in the wrong signs?"

Naruto eyes widened upon hearing his solemn tone. He had never seen Shikamaru like this before, vulnerable and dejected. It tore him up and he didn't know what to do. He wanted to keep his distance away in order to protect Shikamaru from him, but he hated doing so too. He was conflicted.

This is for the best... right?

Despite that, his fingers twitched as he reached for Shikamaru, "Shika--"

He was cut off when Shikamaru began standing up from his spot, a small, heartbroken smile gracing his face.

"No, I'm sorry about all of this. I'll just- I'll see you later."

Even though this was what Naruto wanted to happen between them, he couldn’t bear to see Shikamaru like this. Not with everything Shikamaru had done for him, not with how he openly accepted Naruto for who he was. It doesn't suit Shikamaru and Naruto hated himself even more for being the cause of it.

His own desires were getting harder to ignore as he watched Shikamaru walk away from him, the desperate need to reach out to the taller and scream his true feelings.

I want to be with him!

Then, another voice whispered from within his thoughts, deep and plaguing. Familiar, yet unwelcoming. 

This is what you've been wanting to happen, why are you crying about it now?

I want to hold onto him tightly.

It will only cause nothing good, you know it yourself.

I want to be with him.

You're only a demon child.

He makes me feel like a normal boy!

Without fully grasping his actions, he bolted straight to Shikamaru, stumbing along the way as he grasp the back of his shirt. Shikamaru was forced to stop at his spot, the two now standing together.

Shikamaru didn't turn around, however.

"Naru, please let go. I need some time alone."

"Shika, it's not that-!"

"Naru," Shikamaru's voice was like a knife, sharp and filled with dejection. "Let me go now."

Naruto flinched upon hearing the demand, yet he didn't listen. His grip tightened even more and he took a small step forward.

He wasn't given the chance to say a word when Shikamaru abruptly twist around, his arm forcing Naruto to let go of him and took a step back. His eyes were wide with his eyebrows scrunched up, scowling.

"Naru!"

"You're not miscalculating at all!" Naruto shouted, his chest clawing in desperation. His breath hiccuped as he gripped his own shirt to where his heart lied, his voice lowering in volume as he continued. "I don't think your feelings are a joke and I know everything you expressed is real. It's just- I'm the problem! I've- I'm- shit!"

Why couldn't he just speak clearly?! Unconsciously, Naruto started to tug his hair out of irritation, his face burning up as unshed tears formed in his eyes.

"I don't know what to do nor how to feel about this situation! I'm scared to hurt you because of what I carry and for who I am! I know you tell me that you don't care and accept me, but with this stupid fucking curse of mine, it's only going to hurt the both of us. I've purposely been avoiding your advances because you deserve a better person to be with!"

If only he had been born normal, if only this curse wasn't placed on him.

"Yet no matter how hard I push down my feelings, I can't stop feeling what I have for you. I'm just... scared of the consequences," Naruto finally confessed to him, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. "I'm scared of liking you, Shika."

The reaction was immediate and Naruto found himself wrapped in an embrace, arms squeezed tightly around his shoulder. The side of his face rested against Shikamaru's chest, feeling the way it rumbled softly as the hold brought comfort he was so used to.

"So, the curse is whats been confusing you about our relationship?"

Naruto simply nodded with a sniffle.

"The curse is related to relationships? Liking?"

"It's... deeper, more than liking. If I were to utter such phrase, I will be gone. But if I can't express myself-- my true feelings, than there's no point."

His words carried like the wind, airy and filled with sorrow. Everything he'd been keeping away from Shikamaru, everything he'd been protecting from him, now was fully revealed. His walls had crack-- or maybe it always had been crumbling over time.

Shikamaru gave him another squeeze, something comforting and a reminder.

"Don't worry."

Naruto glanced up at him, "What? What do you mean?"

Shikamaru pulled away and cupped Naruto's cheeks again, turning his head to look at him fully once more. No longer was that saddened frown, now presented a smile. One full of hopefulness and determination.

"You don't need to say it, I'll know what you'll express with other phrases and actions. Just because you're not able to say what you're cursed with, doesn't mean your feelings are any less. It's okay to be scared, but don't shove your feelings away just because you believe I can do better. You're the most 'better' I'll ever have."

Shikamaru stared at him with so much warmth, the same ones he'd always given Naruto. His stomach fluttered as the burden of his secrets lifted, he felt like the shackles of his insecurities were no longer there. Biting his bottom lip to hold back his noise, Naruto wrapped his own arms around Shikamaru and returned the hug with an equal grip.

Maybe, there was hope for him to live a happy life with Shikamaru.

He made up his mind, he wanted things to work out between them no matter what. He sighed out of content before speaking, "I never had parents growing up. No guardians and no other blood relatives, just me and the orphanage I was assigned to. Everyone in that orphanage wouldn't play or interact nicely to me. There were days where they'd throw things at me, spout out unkind words, and even purposefully harm me. You most likely knew of that already based on what you’ve seen.

I was always left out. The caretakers wouldn't teach me how to read or speak so I would sneak near the doors and listen to their lessons in order to manage. Every day blur into one, everything felt like a dread as I continue living the same lifestyle. But there was this one day-- a change I wished never happened, somehow even worse than what I've been experiencing.

I was accused of murdering someone's loved one.

I remember it so vividly. The lady, covered from head to toe, grabbed me by my neck and slammed me onto the ground. Her laugh was something so haunting, through her cloth covered face, I could see her eyes, seething with nothing but crazed in them. She placed a thin paper seal right on my face, the affects were quick. The burning sensation filled my body and my throat, raw and ached from my endless screaming. But no one came, no one cared to. A bummer, ya know hah."

Naruto laughed bitterly, his hold on Shikamaru tightened when he felt the other attempting to pull away.

"She told me the exact words that would activate it and told me that I might as well do it now since I'll never be able to achieve such experience. After all, who would think a Nine-tailed Jinchūriki would? When everything was done, she disappeared, leaving me laid on the dirt floor with a never ending burning pain within me. The curse was placed. I debated hard with myself whether or not to follow what she said, something as simple as death was available to me right there. But weirdly, I didn't. There was something nagging me to not do it, that there's something out there."

Naruto tilted his head to the side and stared up at Shikamaru, an embarrass smile graced his lips.

"Could it had been that you were the something I've been waiting for?"

He then laughed out, bashful at his own cheesiness.

Shikamru though, he didn't know how to react. A part of him was simmering in anger at Naruto's backstory, but another part of him was soft upon hearing Naruto saying that he was the one he'd been waiting for.

And looking at Shikamaru, Naruto could tell that the taller was swimming with mix emotions. He nuzzled his chin against his chest, trying to lift his mood up.

"I'm alright now though, no need to plot a plan in your head. I hope... this was enough to ease your questions about me, I'm sorry for causing a lot of problems today. I really appreciate you, Shika. Thank you." Naruto said, giving him one more squeeze before stepping back.

"When I told you that I was going to help break your curse, is it--" Shikamaru bit his lips for a moment, "Is the curse... reversible?"

Naruto smiled sadly, his head shaking softly. "No, I don't think so. My younger self was wishful, but growing up, I had to start believing in the hard truth."

Their was a brief moment of silence between them, both taking their emotions. Shikamaru gaze met his, his expression held a promise, a silent determination that made Naruto's heart race.

"Naru."

"Hm?"

"I swear, no one will ever do anything to you again. I will protect you."

Naruto let out another laugh, his mannerism softening as he smiled widely at Shikamaru.

"I know."

Notes:

it’s not a romance story if there’s not some sort of tension between the love interests, smirks*

Chapter 28

"You're going to be assigned to a mission with Team 7."

That was the one thing both Naruto and Shikamaru never expected to hear on an early morning. Apparently with the recent scare of the Akatsuki attack, the higher ups all agreed that it would be best to start sending Naruto away every once in a while in order to keep his trail relatively unpredictable.

Thus why he was standing inside the Hokage office, standing a foot away from Team 7.

He actually wants to collapse at this very moment, the weight of expectations and the actual need to perfect the mission was too much. They were given a description on what they've been commissioned to do and its making his stomach turn in an the most uncomfortable-st way possible.

They are to retrieve a missing scroll from somewhere hidden, it was said to withhold forbidden knowledge and must be returned into the rightful hands to be locked away. There are others whom had stake its claim on it and were currently guarding it. He'd never done something like this before and he couldn't believe the higher ups was just going to allow him, a complete newbie, to an outside mission. Yeah, he visited Suna before and thats a whole trip on its own, but the path he takes was always the same (instructed by the Sand Siblings). He has never stepped out much besides that.

He took in a nervous gulp and daringly glanced at the team beside him. Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai. He was given brief descriptions of each of their talents and skills, that might work well with his own. To no ones surprise, they all looked serious yet very relaxed. It was a complete opposite to Naruto's tense self, sweat forming at the palm of his hands. An unexperienced, non-official Konoha Shinobi, participating with a team full of skills and experiences under their headband... Fuck... He really can't let them down or else he'll look so incompetent.

He then glanced at Tsunade, who was talking about something that he honestly couldn't listen anymore due to his ongoing stress. Shikamaru wanted to tag along with them as he was worried about leaving Naruto with people he didn't know of, but he unfortunately had other important matters in hand within the towers that he couldn't abandon. It took a lot of convincing on Naruto's end (even though he too sounded unconvincing as he wanted the Nara to come along), Shikamaru reluctantly let it go.

"-It's truly a daring move for us to allow Naruto out of our sight, but it is what they agreed on. You are all in charge of him and getting this mission done, dismiss!"

"Yes!"

Naruto snapped out of his headspace upon hearing their shouts, his head snapping towards them and watched as they bowed. Panicking, he copied their actions with a little stumble.

"Yes?!"

He then followed behind them, making sure to keep a distance away.

"Finally! It's been quite a while since we all went on a team mission, I am so ready to get this mission perfect. Cha!" Sakura excitedly shouted as she punched the air a couple of times.

"Indeed, it's nice to be with you all like this." Sai responded with a simple smile.

Their energy was something Naruto found interesting, but he remained quiet as they talked. He was undoubtedly uncomfortable with this situation and he didn't really know what to do nor how to act. He had a brief exchanged with Sakura when she healed him, but other than that, nothing. He only had Shikamaru and his parents as interactions. Maybe it wasn't too late to convince Tsunade to pull him out of this because giving him a high ranked mission instead of starting with a C one was a jump. It doesn't make sense at all and no matter how much he tried to find a reason of them taking part of this, he couldn't find one.

He closed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh, what even was going on anymore?

He took a few moments to open his eyes and when he did, he was met face to face with Sasuke. It was so out of nowhere that Naruto had to fight back a scream, his feet instantly stopping and body leaning back.

Sasuke’s expression was neutral, eyes scanning him all around before he straightened himself, hands in pockets.

"Your head is going to get bigger if you keep overthinking." Sasuke stated, turning back around and began walking again.

.      .      .

"Did you just say my head is big—?!"

Sasuke didn’t react at all at Naruto’s shout, as if he was ignoring him and Naruto was thrown into an even more conflicting emotions.

The absolute nerve of this guy! That was out of the blue and Naruto wanted to shout that he had a duck butt shaped hair, but he refrained himself from doing so upon a returning thought came into mind.

Was Sasuke also part of the group of people who disliked him for what he bears? What about Sai and Sakura? What are their opinions on him?

His moment of annoyance was diminished as unease grew more, this was something he’d been worrying about since the Akatsuki’s attack. Being here, alone with them, was risky. But if Shikamaru was willing to not tag along with them, then that meant that they are to be trusted in some extent. 

Maybe it was the way Naruto’s shoulders droop or the way he started dragging his feet against the dirt road, Sakura had slowed down in pace and matched with his own. Naruto grew tense at the change and snapped his head to her direction.

She smiled, “Hey, I know this must be a crazy spot to be put in. But if you have any questions or need any help, just let me know! I’d say I’m a good friend of Shikamaru’s so I hope that’s some credible source,” She then laughed lightly, “We won’t bite!”

“O-oh! Yeah, thank you…”

She was still looking at him and Naruto fought the urge to turn away, his eyes scurrying all around to avoid staring at her face directly just in case she can sense his stare.

"You don't have to answer this, do you only hangout with Shikamaru?"

"Uh, for the most part, yes," Naruto answered, voice quiet. "I've been with the Suna Siblings before, not as often as Shika though."

"Ah, okay! Understood, I hope we can make this experience for you a great one then! Just stay by my side and I'll punch anyone that has ill intentions!" Sakura then flexed one of her arms, her other hand patting the muscle as she grin.

Naruto was at a loss a word for a moment there, it was weird hearing such thing from anyone that wasn't the Nara family. The way she was smiling at him, her whole aura, it was... kind. He could feel his body loosening a tad bit, his stomach no longer aching as bad. Maybe, he didn't need to stress out too much about them, though he knows better than to let his guard down completely.

He gave her a small, soft smile. "Thank you, Sakura. I'll do my best as well."

Sakura's grin widened and she nodded excitingly, much to Naruto's amusement. Out of the three, perhaps he could get to know Sakura better.

However, when he notices her reaching towards him, he hastily leaned away from her touch and kept a greater distance. He saw the way her expression turned startled and he offered her a crooked smile, apologetic.

"Sorry, I just-" He then glanced away, mumbling. "Sorry..."

"No, no! Don't apologize, I shouldn't had reached out like that without understanding your boundaries first." He heard Sakura say, but he couldn't get himself to look at her again as he felt guilty for such reaction.

Even so, he can't help it.

As they reach the gate of Konoha, Naruto takes notice of a familiar man leaning against the stone wall, as if awaiting for someone. The rest seemed to perk at the sight of the man and they all went towards his direction, Sakura being the first to greet the man.

"Sensei!"

Like before, Naruto kept a distance as they came to a short stop. He scanned the man from head to toe, his head tilting as he tried to ponder on who he was. He was the same man he saw during the aftermath of the Akatsuki's attack but there was something about him that had him believing he'd met him before.

"Off to another mission you all?" The man spoke with a cheery tone, hand briefly waving at the group.

"Yeah," Sai points as Naruto, "Hokage has assigned him to be with us for it."

Naruto flinched lightly when the man's attention was now on him. He couldn't see his expression due to majority of his face being covered, but with the way his eye softened, Naruto assumed he was smiling.

"Oya, I've been hearing a lot about you these days." The man spoke to him, taking short steps towards his direction. He stopped right in front of him and offered his hand, "My name is Kakashi, pleasure to see you, Naruto. I trust my students to help you out since I heard you're still learning under Temari's belt."

Naruto stared at the hand outstretched towards him. Kakashi... He had heard of that name a lot around town, he was known to be the copycat whom had skills beyond a normie ninja, a prodigy basically. Seeing him up close, however, something in Naruto's chest swirled in familiarity. A certain warmth, different from Shikamaru's. Yet, he didn't know if he was comfortable touching him.

Kakashi held his hand their for a few more seconds before pulling it back to his side, as if understanding Naruto's uncertainty to touch another.

"Good luck during your mission," Kakashi went to walk past him, the last sentence made Naruto shock frozen in surprise. "The eyes only hold truth."

That saying, it was the meaning of the mask he was wearing and Kakashi somehow knows of it. The only person who knows of such meaning was the person wearing a mask, the person who suddenly disappeared after checking up on him a few times from a few years back.

The bells on his mask!

His body shook as he blinked out of his shock, turning his body to watch Kakashi's figure turning smaller and smaller.

"Wait... you're--"

"Naruto! Ready to go?"

Naruto went to open his mouth again to reach Kakashi but ultimately decided to close it and instead, continues to gaze at the disappearing figure. His chest thumped as the corner of his lips twitched into a tiny smile.

He then turns around and begins to walk towards the group.

"I'm ready."

 

 

 

🦊 🍃 

 

 

 

 

Nothing much happened while they continued their journey, having taken a few stops at local food and resting areas as the day goes by. Estimating their time, it would only take a night or two for them to reach their destination depending on their speed. When the first night struck, they had set up a little camp for the night and were currently debating on who should watch the first round.

Naruto volunteered to do it first, just because he felt it was right for him to do so. Thus, now sat high on a nearby tree, body leaned against the wood. He breathed in the crispy air and sighed out deeply. It was quiet, he was the only one awake, the night breeze blew against his skin and he finally allowed himself to fully relax. He made sure to still be close to the group just in case something happens, he was after all, held high on the podium.

Things have been going well so far, a few awkward talks here and there, but overall, good in his book. He learned that both Sasuke and Sai are like two sides of the same coin, they often say things they don't really mean but are also blunt. Sakura was more of an open one, making the group dynamic balance out quite well. As they traveled, he couldn't stop worrying about ruining the mission. What if he messes up badly? What if he causes them trouble?

He groaned out at the swirling worry from within, banging the side of his head against the tree, and directed his gaze upwards.

The night sky was full of stars tonight, all shining brightly with many different sizes and brightness. As much as he enjoy the bright sun, he likes the night sky just as much. Something about night time made it feel like he was at home.

"Is Shika also looking at the stars right now?"

He heard a light rustle and his hand automatically went to his pouch, his head now turned to his right side. He was thankfully greeted with a apologetic Sakura, her hands in the air as she went to sit next to him.

"What's wrong? It's not your turn yet."

"I know, I can't sleep so I decided to come to you. Hope you don't mind." Sakura answer, knees tucked to her chest as she rested her hand on top.

She wants to talk to him? Like casually? Even with his puzzled feeling, Naruto nodded and shifting around so that he was facing her completely. "Well, okay then. What do you wanna talk about?"

"Hm~ how are things going for you and Shikamaru?" Sakura threw the burning question, a cheshire like smile gracing her face slowly. " You know, Shikamaru talks about you often. He wouldn’t even let us know who you were for the longest time but he would nonstop mention you, even when we go out to eat ramen."

Oh no... the relationship question. How should he answer this?! Naruto's face immediately turned into a red hue, waving a hand back and forth as he laughed nervously.

"O-oh really now? Hahah, we're good... like ya know... typical stuff." Naruto quickly turned away from her as he begins to fidget with his pants with his fingers. He curled even more when he heard Sakura chuckle.

"I should rephrased on that, I meant how does he make you feel?"

The further Naruto leaned away, the closer Sakura would get so when his face was practically being smushed against the wood. No, he was honestly being dramatic because Sakura was keeping a good space between them, probably remembering her earlier attempt at reassuring him. Despite that, he can understand Shikamaru now when he told him that Sakura and Ino are the nosiest and persistent people ever. He hadn't properly met Ino yet but he shivers imagining what her and Sakura would be like together.

He finally gave in.

"We- uh- we grew up together and he's been with me since childhood."

"Yeah?"

He'd never spoken of these things out loud to another, it was, well, embarrassing. But he swallowed down his nerves and tried to answer Sakura the best he can, it was an innocent question.

"He makes me feel happy. He was the first person to accept me despite all of my qualities, he treated me in a way I never thought I'd ever experience. My heart flutters and I feel like I'm in clouds everyday," Naruto then smiled softly, "He's a great guy, 'ttebayo."

He took a glance at Sakura and flinched at her wide, excited eyes staring right at him. He could practically see the sparkles shining all around her and he let out a huff of a laugh

"That's so cute! Oh my gosh, I knew Shikamaru had a soft side but to this extent? Brings tears to my eyes, I'm so proud of him." Sakura mumbled out while biting her thumb. She truly did look like a proud mother seeing her son's first crush, it was a humorous sight to be honest. It makes him wonder what Shikamaru was like with his friends.

Sakura soon let go of her thumb and pointed a finger at him, "I don't know if this is supposed to be secret, but Shikamaru been working out even more than usual ever since the incident. Can you guess why?"

Naruto lips tightened as his face was practically burning at this point, Sakura was teasing him!

"Stop it!" Naruto whined, shielding his face away from Sakura's playful eyebrow raise.

"He really cares about you. Before we entered inside the office, Shikamaru had stopped us and gave us a briefing regarding you. He looked very skeptical to share informations regarding you, but he was very worried."

The tone she used had him lowering his hands, staring wide at her knowing expression. He slowly turns his head to his lap, his shoulders loosening as the image of Shikamaru flashed in his mind. The bells on his mask churned lightly, the noise following the breeze passing them.

He nodded once, a soft twinkle on his face as he played with his fingers.

"Yeah... I really care about him too." He faked a cough, wanting to change the topic as fast as possible. "How about you? Are you interested in anyone?"

It was now Sakura's turn to flush.

"M-me? Hahah, well-uh-I do. He's kind of the opposite of me in a way and a little bit of a tough guy play. There's a lot of guys who act like him though so-"

"Oh, Sasuke?"

"-You wouldn't really-- Wait, what?"

"I saw how you guys were interacting throughout the day, but I could be wrong since I'm not really good with these things."

The same as Naruto, Sakura went to cough in her fist a few times, as if trying to calm herself down.

"Y-yeah, you're quite skilled! It's been a long-term crush of mine, it was truly a life experience of understanding and growth. He's such a tough cookie to crack and there were times where I had to beat senses into him, but he's a good guy despite his bluntness."

Naruto tilted his head, a strange wave of comfort had developed slowly. Maybe it was due to their similar spot of romance, he didn't have any other people to talk about with such topic so this was unexpected. With how open Sakura was being, he wanted to talk more, to get an understanding of what he'd been troubled with.

"Is it mutual?" Naruto found himself asking, his curiosity bubbling more.

Sakura placed a hand on her cheek, grinning stupidly. "Yeah, it is... We're just taking things slow right now. There's a lot of important things we need to achieve and to sort out with each other. We are completely different from one another so it takes more work, but as long as we stay together, communicate, then all will go well."

She then looked around them carefully, a hand covered her mouth as her ears reddened.

"Don't share this but we actually kissed once!"

Kissing... Naruto felt the tips of his own ears burn.

"What... was it like?"

"Fireworks sparking."

She stood up from her spot and stretched out her muscles.

"Thank you for talking to me, it was nice chatting with you about this. I'll head off to sleep before my round, stay safe and warm. Remember to yell if something happens!" She bid goodnight before jumping down from the tree.

He watched as she entered inside her tent, her words lingering in his mind.

"Completely different..."

 

 

 

 

🦊 🍃 

 

 

 

 

Morning came and the quad were back on their feet, continuing onward to the location of the forbidden scroll. As strange as this sounds, nothing much has happened since they've first left Konoha and it has been relatively good.

Could it be that this forbidden scroll wasn't a widely known object? Naruto had even calmed down from his stressful high and that was saying a lot. The three others all seemed perplexed by the situation as it felt off, a mission like this was bound to have some sort of enemies as they said.

"Everything about this seems out. Didn't the commissioner say that there's people after the scroll?" Sai questioned.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. There is the chance that we're the first to successfully find it."

Sasuke glanced at the two, "But it doesn't make sense if there are people guarding it. Shouldn't we be seeing a few of them by now?"

"That's... weird." Naruto mumbled, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. It didn't take long for them to reach the main entrance of the supposed guarded area, noting that there was no person in sight. The hideout was a simple, small shed, nothing extravagant.

"For a place that's dangerous and well hidden, it doesn't look dangerous nor well hidden at all." Naruto he took in a peek inside the shed. There was quite literally nothing inside expect for a single podium with a scroll resting right on top of it.

Again, weird.

"Could it be that the person who sent us the letter was overreacting?"

"Maybe... there are times where we'd receive panic commissions," Sakura then sighed out, "They paid for it after all and it went through the selections."

"It could be a trap." Sasuke added his two cents into the mix, eyes squinting as he carefully scanned the inside.

Naruto flinched when they all suddenly turned to look at him, seeing if he had anything to add on for this mission. Feeling pressured, he tilted his head from side to side as he tried his best to think of something, hand set under his chin.

A few passing thoughts goes by and he ended up shrugging his shoulders.

"I got nothing."

They all scanned the inside one more time before Sasuke decided to retrieve the scroll by himself. Naruto perked upon seeing a short flash of red from his eyes, he'd seen it a few times but seeing it up close was even cooler than from a distance. They watched with their breaths held as Sasuke enter inside with light steps, stopping right in front of the podium, and hand reaching for the scroll. Then, he turned around with the forbidden knowledge in his hand.

Nothing happened, no traps were set off, no nothing.

"Let's go."

With the scroll in their possession, all they had to do now was to return home and submit the item back to the commissioners. It was a lot easier than Naruto had initially thought and he almost felt idiotic for panicking over it. He listened as the group start up another conversation but then, he started to feel strange. There was an intense wave of heat surging through his body, sudden urges that weren't his own appeared out of nowhere.

His eyes naturally drifted to the scroll, something about it drew his attention, like a soft calling to him. His gaze was set right on it, his mind and body seemingly separating from one another as his surroundings slowly grew dimmer, and quieter. Then, he heard it, soft whispers beginning to present itself, taunting him, urging him to reach for it. His stomach was suddenly burning-- no, his markings were burning up.

Grab it!

It was like he'd been put in a trance, the whispering growing louder and his body was aching from the intense heat. The scroll promptly began to glow a shade of red and that was it. He could sense it, the high amount of power begging to be let out. It was something he'd never experience before, it was almost terrifying feeling such immense needs-- He craved to have the power.

In his daze like state, the taunting had started to overpower his own thoughts and he wasn't sure if it was actually his at this point. Yet, it didn't matter, he just needs to get that scroll. His fingers twitched at his side and unconsciously, he went and reached over to the scroll.

Yes, yes! It's going to be all yours!

His hand reached closer and closer towards it, his fingers lightly grazing the paper material and--

"Oof-!?"

One hard blink and he was snapped out. He took a couple of steps back, his hands lightly shaking as he looked at them. His whole body was drenched in sweat and he couldn't resist the urge to sigh out deeply. He daringly glanced at the scroll once again, finding it to be in its normal state. Was all of that a hallucination? His mind creating the scene? He then snapped his head up and was greeted with the sight of the others staring at him, concerned.

It took him some time to process what had helped him break out of his trance and he was thankful. He had accidentally bumped into Sasuke.

"You doing alright?"

He quickly straightened himself up, holding back a groan as he offered them a lopsided grin. "Y-yeah! I'm totally okay, nothing wrong! I had something in my mind and wasn't paying attention, sorry bout that!"

"Are you sure? You look kind of pale, I have some pills in my bag that can help a bit if you're feeling unwell." Sakura offered as she removed her backpack.

"I'll take some, thank you."

Choosing to go along with it, he was handed a pill that she said she made herself. He made sure to successfully reassure them again so that their attention wasn't solely on him, watching as they turned back around and set off.

Naruto slowed down his steps to avoid another potential collide. His stomach still burned and it was getting to the point where it was almost unbearable. It was a familiar, yet unwelcoming feeling. This only meant one thing and he wasn't too excited for whats to come.

His consciousness began to fade away once more as his surroundings shifted into darkness, the natural light from the sun was no more. His shoes shuffled, the sound of water being moved replaced the dirt ground he'd been walking on. He took in a deep, shaky breath before turning around to look at his guest.

Hidden behind a tall, never-ending jail cell with a seal right at the center.

 

 

"You haven't bothered me in a while... What do you want this time, Kyūbi?"

 

 

Notes:

the end is near…

Chapter 29

Shikamaru yawned loudly as he walked down the hallway. He'd finally been release from the shackles of endless meetings and was able to do other things more worth while than in there. He'd never liked the high counsels due to their non existing empathy, it was as if you're talking to a thick brick wall with them. They believe what they believe and are won't hear anyone out majority of the time.

Superiority complex much.

And with Naruto being away for a few days or so, he found himself bored these mornings and nights. He'd grown used to having his company so being by himself was quite odd, he doesn't care if it seemed needy or whatever. With sluggish movements, he opened the door to his office and proceeds to walk further inside to where his table lies. He released a big sigh as he sat on the chair, his mind nearly at a fizzle. Being force to participate within the meeting, he could see how Tsunade felt undermined due to their beliefs. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to excuse her fully as she had yet to explain anything herself. He had a hunch on what she wanted to share to them, but he wants to hear it directly from her, to hear the so called 'valid' reasonings for everything.

He took a moment to glance outside, noticing how the weather was getting slightly dimmer in shade. He wonders how Naruto was doing, he knows he shouldn't be such a worrywart and trust his friends as well, but he can't help it. Yet he keeps it to himself, not wanting to be one of those annoying people who whine, he just hopes Naruto was okay and well, thats all.

 

 

 

🦊 🍃 

 

 

 

"Naruto, are you really sure you're alright enough to walk? You still look a little pale, would you like me to carry you?" Sakura asked, hints of worry laced in her words.

"Really, I'm fine. I think it's because I'm not used to this whole mission thing and got to up in my head." Naruto reassured with a smile, having his hands lightly.

"Just tell us if you want to rest. A terribly shaped shinobi won't get anything done if someone were to attack," Sasuke remarked as he side-eyed him, "They'll target you first."

Naruto could only laugh out anxiously, his hands playing behind his back. "Y-yeah! 'course I know that..."

Sasuke and his damn statements, it doesn't help him calm down whatsoever. As the trio turns their attention to the front, Naruto allowed himself to loosen a tad, his shoulders relaxing as weary had been seeping within. His one sided conversation with the Kyūbi had been bothering him since they left that area, it wouldn't even say a single word no matter how much Naruto persisted.

And not only that--

His eyes naturally traveled to where the scroll was stored (Sasuke's pouch), something he'd been catching himself staring more often than he should be. Ever since that thing made its appearance, it has been making him feel off in the worse way possible. His seal reacted so vividly that Naruto was terrified that it had broken, the Kyūbi's chakra had even seeped out and that itself was worrying.

He knows the capability of the Bijū and what he can do.

After that incident, he made sure to keep a great distance away from it. Even in sleep, he'd move right next to the walls of the tent. Having to avoid it and think about how to further avoid it was mentally exhausting, probably more due to him trying to also hide his unease from Team 7. Through sheer mental strength and his badly tongue lies, they were close to returning to Konoha, roughly a 30 minute walk from where they currently are.

Throughout this journey, there was something he’d been curious for a hot minute. Perhaps he can use this as a distraction while getting some insights too.

”Hey, who is Kakashi to you all?”

Sai turned his head slightly, “He’s our mentor, we’ve been around him since we were kids.”

“Oh, good to know. Has he been okay?”

”The most okay you’ll ever see, that man is a walking destination. Nose is always in that crummy book but still is one of the best teacher ever.” Sakura answered as the other two nodded along.

”He taught us a lot.” Sasuke added in his two cents.

Naruto would have never thought Kakashi would end up becoming a mentor to a group of young kids. They’ve only met a couple of times, Kakashi had a different outfit back in the day and he wore a fox mask that covered his whole face. Their meetings were mostly accidental, yet Kakashi provided him some things each time. But then, he’d just stopped showing up one day.

“You curious about our teacher?” Sakura hummed. “Special connection with him or something?”

”Ah no, not really. He was the one who helped me discover that I had something special with the wind element,” Naruto then pointed at his bells, “Even tested me, thus awarding me with these bells.”

Sakura expression shifted into shock, beginning to walk backwards. “Oh no wonder they looked so familiar! He gave us a test with bells during our early days!”

It was nice to hear about the kind man who’d offered him things, he’d been wondering about him for so long and running into him was like destiny in a way. He wonders why he decided to stop showing up, he knows their interactions weren’t anything long nor special, but a small farewell would’ve been nice.

But then again, he was weary of him when he was younger so he doesn’t blame Kakashi. Maybe it was Naruto himself, maybe the counsels, maybe his personal life— who knows.

He walked a short distance from the group, looking around at the greenery that surrounded them as a distraction. Up until now, there had been nothing going on and it had been a simple little retrieval. Yet, there was something within this area that had him scanning a bit more carefully. He stopped shortly, his ears perking as he took in the sounds and squinted his eyes.

It was then, a sound of a tree branch cracked.

"Gather!"

Unconsciously, Naruto ducked down from his spot, sensing something coming from behind. Sasuke was the person whom ran to him, jumping up, and swung his leg right above Naruto's head. Sai and Sakura quickly yanked Naruto away from the scene, the three now standing guard as they had their full attention to the new guest.

He watched as Sasuke pushed himself back using the other's arms as a sling, and landed right in front of the rest.

"Hm~ the famous red eyes, Un."

"No way?!"

Having a clear identification, Naruto hurriedly grabbed a hold of his personal scroll and summoned his fan. He gripped right onto it and rested it against his shoulder. The nerves in his body had spiked and he could feel cold swear beginning to build behind his neck, his throat suddenly dry.

What was he doing here again? Why of all places here? How?

It was the first person he had ever fought, the bomb user--

"Deidara..."

Acknowledging his name, Deidara had peeked his head from Sasuke's shoulder and fully looked at Naruto, a grin on his face. Naruto shivered at such sight.

"You remember, little fox! Can't believe destiny led us together again, huh?"

As Deidara stepped forward, Sasuke didn't allow him any more as he swiftly ran up to him, one of his knees lifted up, and targeted Deidara's stomach. Deidara, however, reacted just as quick. His hands caught the kick and he chuckled deeply, a taunt.

"How about a round two between me and you? Remember what happen last time?"

He could hear how hard his shoes were digging on the ground, the bubbling anxiety and dread setting right on his chest. It was too soon, he hadn't prepared enough to fight against someone like him again-- Heck, he didn't even want to face Deidara or anyone like him ever again!

As his mind clouded in panic, Sakura seemed to be the one who grew annoyed and launched straight at him, her fist drew back. Deidara flung himself back, barley avoiding Sakura's punch, and shoved Sasuke to the side harshly before jumping back a distance away. He shrugged his shoulders, a cocky smirked on his face as he eyed every person one by one.

"You guys seem to enjoy charging straight at me."

Sakura grunted out of displeasure as she straightened herself back up, sending a hard glare, "Shut up, will you."

"Are you here for Naruto?"

Deidara tilted his head and pointed right at them, "I'm here to retrieve that scroll in your poach, it was only a coincidence that I ended up meeting the small leaves. Guess you can think of it was a lucky two in one deal, Un." 

That was enough to set the group into motion, not only was he here to retrieve Naruto but the scroll as well. Had this been what the commissioner was warning them about? The Akatsuki?

"Same offer as before, give me both and I'll leave you all be. Great deal, if you asked me."

In a split second, Sasuke cupped one of his hands in front of his mouth and took a deep breath. He casted his technique, "Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu."

He released multiple small fireballs into the air, all scattered around wildly as it charge towards the bomb user. Unexpectedly, at the very last second, Sasuke used his chakra to direct all the fireballs to split up into different directions, each ended up landing in various places of the forest with loud crashes echoing around. Naruto observed in his circle, noticing how the trees themselves weren't burning into flames. Rather than that, small sound of crackling could be heard and immediately something from each hit had something falling down from the branches. 

Squinting his eyes further to get a better look at what was falling, it turned out to be something soft. Burnt white clay. Naruto had to stop himself from clapping loudly at Sasuke's keen eyes for noticing all of those hidden bomb clays.

Deidara still stood at his place with the same smirk lingering on his face. He shook his head and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Alright, whatever! Caught me, didn't expect anything less from an Uchiha."

"Why do you want the scroll?"

"Too many questions, boring." He clicked his tongue as he begrudgingly waved a finger towards their direction. "Obvious scroll holds great power, people who seek the power, can you connect the dots at this point?"

First a blank stare, then a grin slipped up.

"How about you start paying more attention instead?"

The group took a glance down the ground upon hearing sudden hissing noises, detecting a little too late as clay spiders have already gathered around them.

"Katsu."

The ground exploded under their feet, causing their balance to shift as the the dirt and smoke covered their whole bodies. In his next move, Deidara lifted his arms up and opened his fist to reveal the two mouths on his palm. The mouths proceed to open and spilled out white liquified clay.

As he was doing so, his legs suddenly snapped together with a tight binding. He wasn't given the chance to identify what had caught him as the bindings slithered upwards, firmly keeping him in place without allowing any further movements. He then felt something dripping down his hand and off his finger, he glanced down.

Black ink.

"Interesting."

With their actions going into full motion, Naruto and Sakura both emerged from the dissipating smoke and rushed to where Sai stood hidden. 

"Sai!" Naruto called out, clutching his fan firmly over his shoulder. He rushed to stand beside Sai, his shoes leaving a small trail in doing so. Sai skillfully began sketching out a picture of a bird onto his scroll and released the drawing in a matter of seconds. Naruto hopped on top of it with Sakura joining along and the two took off towards a higher field.

Damnit!

Naruto took in deep breaths to get his nerves to calm down, at least enough to focus on attacking. As much as he hates to admit it, he was a little scared to face off with the Akatsuki member. He was ruthless, uncaring. The burns and bruises etched onto his skin, he can still remember how much they hurt-- he could feel them even after being fully healed.

If he couldn't beat him before, could he do it now?

It didn't matter, this was no time to start doubting his abilities. He was with a team and he can't afford to hesitate through his endless stream of worries or else he'll drag them as well. He waited until the bird reached the designated before he stood up and unfolded his fan in one swift motion. This technique, he hadn't perfected it to its full benefit due to its rare chance of being used, but it was the one where he could see most useful in their current state.

He needs to focus his chakra into it, remember how Temari taught him.

"Please don't mess up, please don't mess up, please don't mess up!"

With his prayers in mind, he swung down his fan.

"Fūton: Tatsu no Ōshigoto!"

Descending from the sky and right below him, a giant tornado starts to take form and surrounded his target. The tornado was one of the stronger techniques, allowing everything and anything nearby to be swooped into its vicious rotation. As it grew stronger, it managed to pick up all of the explosive clays from before into the tornado— exactly what Naruto wanted to happen.

Naruto and Sakura held onto the bird closely as it slowly moved away from the scene as it intensified in speed and strength. The bird's wings flapped itself higher, reaching the very top of the tornado. It was now Sasuke's turn to use his technique and Naruto signaled him with a simple thumbs up.

Sasuke placed his hands together and activated another of his technique. He then cupped his mouth same as earlier, taking in a big inhale, and blew straight at the tornado.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu."

A stream of fire were summoned through his fingers. The tornado takes in the fire and combines with it, slowly mixing the two together to create a massive fire whirl. Naruto could practically feel the hot air brushing his skin, his mouth beginning to dry up. His lips twitched at the sight, possibly, maybe he went a little overboard with how big he created the tornado. This whole thing could destroy a whole village in all honesty and that was horrifyingly dangerous itself.

Finally, it was Sakura's turn to finish the final piece. Sakura stood up from her spot and clenched her fingers together to form a tight fist.

"Ōkashō!"

She then jumped off the bird and went straight down to the center opening of the tornado. At the sight of Deidara's burnt body, she pulled back her fist to build up her strength.

"SHANNARŌ!"

At a closer range, she punched Deidara straight into the ground, completely crushing below them with a single blow. The ground cracked into massive pieces and instantly into smaller bits, a few of those pieces flinging all around them. In between the cracks, pink flower petals were summoned and impacted with the current, forcing the tornado to deform into nothing. The flowers swirled high up with the ends burning, reaching a center before naturally drifted back down, dancing along with the wind.

Naruto stared in awe at the sight of the petals mixing in with the flames. Even though it could burn his skin, it was still such a beautiful sight.

Once it cleared, the bird glided him carefully down to the surface level and Naruto hopped off of it at ease. He patted the back of the bird in thanks, the ink creation then dissolved under Sai's command. Through his excitement, he ran up to everyone with twinkles in his movements.

"That was so awesome!" Naruto cheered loudly, jumping up and down from his spot. "I can't believe I got to be a part of that! Single-handedly the coolest thing I've ever seen, dattebayo!"

"Hell yeah! You did so amazing, Naruto!" Sakura joined in with him, the two now jumping together. 

Their excitement turned short-lived, Sai raised an arm up and shoved Naruto to the side.

"Look out!"

In a mer second, explosives were thrown right at the trio, sending them to fly back. Naruto rolled onto the ground, his body coming to a stop on its own, and he quickly pushed himself up.

"What?! But isn't he--" Naruto breath caught on his throat, his expression dropped as his stomach churned. Deidara had one of his hands raised forward, his palm opened. Deidara's body had been shriveled up from the heat and punch, but there was small particles patching his missing skins and creating new ones. He was healing himself with clay.

He went to open his fan back up but felt his shoe making contact with something. When he looked down, his fingers twitched.

The forbidden scroll.

Two ink tigers were summoned and bit right onto Deidara, Naruto snapped out of his short trance and focused at the rest. Everyone had began running towards Deidara, readying their weapons in hand.

"Get to Konoha!"

He hesitated for only a moment but forced himself to stop thinking, reaching down to grab onto the scroll, and nodded once. Without anymore delays, he broke off into a full sprint, refusing to look back as more explosions echoed around the forest. All be damned, he just needs to hold on until he gets home and get back up. With the scroll in his hand, he felt the sparks surging through his body. His stomach burned once again, the same as before but this one was greater somehow.

His hand was practically squeezing the scroll as he ran, the pain hitting him like a lightning strike at each step he takes. His breath became short and quicker, his sweat rolling down his face, and his heart pounded hard.

He could hear were them, the taunting. Their voice grew rougher, louder. Their tone held nothing welcoming, it was dominating and forceful, demanding Naruto to fulfill its wish. He tried his hardest to ignore everything and not fall into his headspace, he had a mission to complete, he has others waiting for help. Pinching himself, slapping his cheeks, biting his hands-- He did everything and anything to keep him in conscious.

 

Open it.

 

He ignored it.

 

Read it.

 

He shook his head.

 

Look inside the scroll.

 

He bit his lips harshly.

 

You can become something greater, stronger than all those who wronged you!

 

"Fuck!"

The sound of his shoes scrapping on the ground as his legs came into a halt, straightened out. Hands fell to where his knees were, his breath staggering from the scorching pain both physically and mentally. It was unbearable, the urges, the desire, the need.

He scowled, his fan dropping beside him as his hand reached to grip his hair harshly.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" He snapped at himself, "I can't fail this. Its one simple task, just one simple task!"

It was one thing, yet why was he feeling so lightheaded? Why do his fingers itch to open the scroll? Why was he wavering so much? His head was filled with many thoughts, many voices-- he can't even tell which was his own voice or if it was his voice, they all blended too much that it was starting to overwhelm him.

He glared at the scroll in his hand, it suddenly felt like a heavy weight, a burden. For something that hadn't been opened, it oozes out so much power that seemed to naturally mix with his chakra. Sweat rolling down his chin as he spoke in a breathless voice. "Quiet... I need to think."

"Hm? But Tobi didn't say anything yet!"

An unfamiliar voice cut through his dilemma, Naruto's head snapping towards the direction he heard it from. Slowly presenting themselves from the shadows of the trees, he was greeted with a man wearing an orange mask, a single eye hole void of darkness. What truly stuck out from the man was his cloak, the same red cloud designs that Deidara wore.

The universe was toying with him at this point. He doesn't recognize who this person was but there was no doubt about it, he was a member of the Akatsuki.

"H-huh?"

The uninvited guest offered him a wave, "I'm Tobi! Just noticed how much of a dilemma you seemed to be going!"

He took a single step forward, "Hoping that we can just--"

As if automatic, his hand grabbed onto his fan, kicking it and opened it all in one motion. His other hand swiftly held the other side and he swung it diagonally, "Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!"

His clothes and accessories shuffled along with the wind as several blade-likes were sent directly towards his target.

"Hey-!? Woah, woah!"

Tobi somehow dodged each wind blade while bending his body at the same spot, the style looking quite cartoonish. Naruto took this as his queue to run at him head on with his fan closed shut, jumping high in the air and lifted the fan above his head.

Tobi reacted with panic, his arms and legs bouncing as Naruto drew closer. In the last second, the Akatsuki member leaped to his left, managing to avoid Naruto's direct hit. Naruto slammed it hard enough to dig into the ground and maneuvered his body around to swing on the top, landing a unforgiving kick at Tobi's body.

He then changed the direction to a downwards angle, slamming Tobi right on the ground. Afterwards, he clutched onto the tip of his fan and flung himself away from Tobi. He rested the fan on his shoulder as he stood in a fighting stance.

What type of un-luck was this?! How many Akatsuki members are there?

His gaze left the figure for a brief moment, trying to identify where exactly he was and how much further he was from Konoha. He wasn't in the good enough headspace to be fighting, especially against an S-ranked rogue that he had no clue of their level of strength.

This was already two Akatsuki members, if he were to run back to Konoha, the chances of them following and causing mayhem again was high. But the chances of both him and the scroll getting captured was also something bad.

But at the same time, this guy seemed... weird. Tobi laid still on the ground, one of his legs twitching as soft groans filled the two. Was this person a scapegoat? One of the more weaker ones? Or perhaps--

"Ugh!" He hissed, eyes scrunch shut. The voices, they're starting to plague his scurry mind. They were growing more pressuring and erratic. Begging him, urging him to open the scroll, that it will grant him powers beyond this world and he'd be able to defeat his foes.

 

Survival is key!

You're strength alone will end up having everyone killed.

Just imagine how satisfying it will be! To dream of becoming someone worthy!

To be worthy of being by Shikamaru.

 

"How troublesome..." He mumbled to himself.

He heard soft shuffling and he looked back at Tobi. The other stood from his spot with a simple huff, brushing the dust off his clothes too calmly.

"Phew! You sure do know how to land a blow!" Tobi rolled one of his shoulder, his tone weirdly light. "My turn!"

He ran to Naruto and threw punches. Naruto were able to avoid each blow and he drew his fan once again, his body twisting to the side to get momentum. He went to hit Tobi with his fan, but the other swiftly caught it and forced Naruto to stumble forward a bit.

"Whatcha say about chatting, hm? Tobi is a good conversation holder!"

Naruto tutted, "Why should I talk to someone like you?"

Naruto made a move to open his fan, but Tobi immediately changed his position and gripped the fan, pulling it to one side of his body. A loud sigh and then his shoulders drooped slightly, Naruto tensed at the change of atmosphere.

"Fine, will do it this way. Why are you holding yourself back, Jinchūriki?" There was an unexpected shift in his voice, Naruto was caught stunned. Tobi chuckled lowly and he pulled back on the fan further, "Why withhold yourself in achieving even greater things?"

'I don't know what you're talkin' about." Naruto mumbled, his heart thumping hard as discomfort settled in. He was right about this Tobi guy, he was weird. How did the Akatsuki go from being cartoonish to downright serious? Did his kick actually cause damage to his head?

"You want to protect the people you cherish, of course you do. The solution is within your grasp, yet you're purposefully ignoring yourself of what you want."

Your desires. You want power, you want to be stronger.

"What I want? Why should I listen to you, Akatsuki?" Naruto tried to sound disinterest, but it probably didn't achieve the way he wanted.

"Simply because I want to help," Tobi then tilted his head, "And make it fun."

Through the void of darkness, Naruto noticed how his singular eye had began glowing. Purple hue staring directly into his own. He couldn’t look away, his body was frozen on spot, mind cluttered with endless words as his markings continued to burn. But strangely, he felt sluggish, his mind growing hazier.

What was going on?

Tobi chuckled, "Indeed, you hear it yourself, don't you? The limitless barrage of begging, craving. Your body is reacting as such and your own mind is telling you, why deny against your wishes?."

You want to protect Shikamaru, to prove the people of Konoha.

Naruto didn't react despite Tobi letting go of his weapon, beginning to walk around him like a prey. His judgment was clouded, the haziness in his mind intensifying as Tobi's honey words seeped through.

"To protect, to prove yourself," Tobi stopped behind him, his chin hovering over his shoulder as he pointed at the scroll in his tight grip. "This is your chance. A lot of people are after this, you know. Don't you want to stop us?"

He... does want to stop them. He wants to protect the people. He so desperately wants to prove everyone.

You've been a coward your whole life, only wishing, wishing, wishing. Day after day, training after training, you haven't done anything worthwhile since you've stepped foot into this world.

"You can change, its so simple and its in your possession."

It was strange, everything Tobi was saying seemed so... convincing. The scorching pain had minimized as he stared at the scroll, his body swaying ever so slightly, his vision blurring every few moments. If he were to unravel the scroll and permit the power from within, then it won't fall to the wrong hands. In order to shield Shikamaru and the rest from danger, to prove himself worthy to his hometown--

I will obtain more power.

I.

Maybe its been his thoughts all along and he'd been blaming at no one but himself. Unconsciously, he dropped his fan and held the scroll with both of his hands. He lifted it up closer, his nerves buzzing in anticipation as the sound of laughter erupted from within his mind. His hands slowly unwrapped the ribbon around the paper, the silk material landing right on top of his shoes. He then pinched the loosen end and without a second thought, he unraveled it open.

Tobi had taken a step back, his shoulders shaking as he watched Naruto.

"Gotcha."

And at that very moment, one hard blink, he realized too late what had happened.

Chapter 30

Something was happening.

Naruto breathing had increasingly quickened, his vision blurring in and out, his entire body having a thin layer of sweat. Gripped in his hand, the forbidden scroll. He wasn't supposed to open it yet here he was, unraveled to reveal its full glory. He wanted to desperately run away, drop the scroll, and return home, but his body was stuck frozen in place. No matter how much he begged his body to please move, it wouldn't. He could only watch, his chest uncomfortably twisted.

The ink writing faintly glowed a red hue, slowly gathering to both sides as they began to climb up his arms. It left a burning sensation as it trailed, continuously traveling without any hiccups. Naruto huffed in and out, eyes jumping from one lettering to another as panic resurfaced. It hurts, ever inch of his skin felt like they were beginning to melt off. He didn't know what was going on, was receiving such power always been this painful?

Finally, his body was lifted from its paralyzed hold, his fingers loosened and the scroll slipped off from his grasp. A second after, he fell onto his knees, hugging his stomach tightly as he let out even more quick pants. Though his whole body was bathing in an invisible flames, his stomach was the one receiving the worst. 

More specifically, his seal.

He was aware, yet not at the same time. He can't truly tell which was reality or within his head-- He was disoriented. But it didn't matter whether or not he could tell the difference, there was one thing that was the same. He could see him, his red eyes staring right at him, his dominate presence pressuring down his body.

The Kyūbi. The fox was laying at the same spot he'd always been for years, but there was something different about him today and Naruto felt his stomach drop-- The Kyūbi was grinning.

He can feel the inks mingling, tainting his seal, maneuvering until it settled completely. Soon, his body had reached an unimaginable temperature and he gasped. His chakra was shifting, increasing on its own as it oozes from his body. The hot chakra wrapped itself around, expanding outwards without any restraints. His nails grew sharper while his teeth became more animalistic, everything about him was changing. He whimpered out in pain, tears brimming in his eyes that only sizzled away from the heat.

He gritted his teeth upon hearing the Kyūbi snicker, rumbling in his head. He could feel himself slipping away despite his hopeless attempts on holding on to whatever he had left.

"Good, good."

That voice...

His hands curled into a fist, shaking at his side as another feeling began to reveal itself. His eyes widened as his eyebrows scrunched tight, scowling.

"Him...!"

In a flash, he disappeared from his spot and appeared right on front of the voice. He raised one of his hands upwards, his nail like claws shaking as he swung at his direction. When it fully swung, he was met with the tree instead of Tobi. The tree jostled upon impact for a moment, the scratch deep into its root as the result of it falling down.

"It almost looks natural with how out of control you are, Jinchūriki."

Standing on all fours, he spun his body around and growled deeply at the Akatsuki. He'd never felt like this before, this deep loathing towards another. But strangely, it felt so familiar, like it had always been there.

Tobi was staring right at him, relaxed beyond normal and it only fueled Naruto's anger even more.

"Look at you, exactly like a wild animal. No sense of thoughts nor actions, just a careless little fox." Tobi taunted, pointing a lazy finger directly towards Naruto. He didn't react upon the animalistic snarl and simply chuckled.

Naruto shook his head, scowling even more. He hated being compared to it, he hated being associated with it!

"I am not the damn fox!"

Naruto quickly scurried to where Tobi was standing and used his nails to attack once again. Like before, Tobi disappeared from his spot before he could reach him, emerging from nowhere at ease. Thus a cycle begins. On and on, one miss after another, they played this unspoken game of cat and mouse where Naruto would charge an attack while the Akatsuki easily slips away from it.

There was no such consequences in Naruto's mind as he ruthlessly attacks the other, no sense of any correlated plan nor thoughts. For the first time in this mission, he felt like he didn't need to think so hard and was light on his feet. Surging in his body was immense strength and power that he'd never experienced before. It was weird to finally feel so powerful, as if he could easily take down anything and anyone that stands in his way.

The more Naruto misses, the more frustrated he got and when he had enough of the game he was playing with the other, he let out a loud scream. It sounded so animalistic, nothing of it was remotely human. With how much force the scream had, the ground around him cracked and moved in all sorts of directions.

And you tell me that you're nothing like me, we are one of the same, brat.

"But I am nothing like you! I'll never be you!"

Then, his chakra began to take form.

The air around him grew heavier, the wind swirled chaotically, cutting down all of the forest's greens far from his reach.

Hah! Is there really a point of denying all of this? Look at yourself, do you still think this isn't who you are?

"Shut up!"

He slammed himself down before dragging his body along the broken rocks. He wanted to get rid of the Kyūbi's voice, to stop his provoking. He brought his hands to his head and gripped onto it, nails digging on his skin. His head snapped towards his right, Tobi was still just standing at a spot, staring at him-- almost of if to mock him. But then, right past his shoulder, the small sight of Konoha's wall entered his heightened vision. The feeling of pure hatred, the want of revenge, the urge to destroy everything.

His attention shifted, his deep rooted anger seeping out even more.

The village.

His home.

The people.

The higher ups.

All these years of torment, fear, and weakness... He wanted to get rid of everything that had wronged him, to give back what he'd been receiving.

Then, his thoughts cracked upon the realization.

"I... I've been..."

The feeling that he had kept denying from the start, desperately hiding deep within his heart as he hopes desperately for a positive change to and for everyone. It had burst forward so easily, as if it had been his truest most rawest emotions ever. What was the point of denying it now? Why was he even trying to play the good card?

This was his deepest, inner desires.

His arms fall loosely to his side as he slowly titled his head up and stared at the sky. A small, sad smile graced his face as another tear simmered.

"The clouds are as fluffy looking as ever... It's a good weather to go cloud watching."

His chakra cloak shifted around once more, ghost like tails swaying from behind his frame. He closed his eyes, finally giving up on fighting against his consciousness.

 

We are the same.

"I am like you."

 

Those were his last thoughts before he completely fell into unconsciousness, allowing the power to take full control.

 

 

🦊 🍃 

 

 

Smoke, fire, and the burnt mixture of wood filled the air. The forest no longer looked like how it did before, full of life and quiet murmurs of the animals living within it. Now replaced with sounds of cracks, thuds, and monstrous growls echoed through. The demon fox had been causing a massive destruction without a care, moving from place to place, destroying everything in his path. He was covered in the Kyūbi's chakra cloak, deep red nearly black marks latched onto his tan skin, smoke emitting from his skin as it simmered and burned. His eyes and mouth had gone completely white, two glowing circles for eyes.

Far from his human features, now replaced with fox-like ones.

Low growls could be heard, his ears twitched while his tails swayed around wildly. He stayed still for a few more moments before going back into action. He let out a loud scream, the strong waves caused the area to vibrate along. The wind circled around him, picking up the dust on the crumbled ground as it began to form a small tornado. He waved one of his hands, sending a massive pressure, and completely knocked down majority of the trees and rocks in that direction. He then fully turned his body and crawled down the path on his fours.

He walked and walked until he reached a rocky mountain.

Another booming scream rattled whatever was still left around him. He proceeds to open his mouth wide and tilted his head up. Right above his mouth, many small particles of dark red mix with black and hints blue gathered together, his tails curled. Each little particles mingled chaotically to form a ball. It grew and grew until it reached a medium sized purple sphere.

After it had reached its designated size, he threw his head down and shot the sphere directly at the rocks. The blast extended into a long beam, breaking a big pathway at ease. The gap was basically a clean cut with barley a few specks of rocks here and there, the ground had a deep marking as well and the trees ahead were burnt down.

His eyes focused straight ahead, low growls rumbling. There, in the far distance, was Konoha Village.

The mer sight of it alone sent an unimaginable anger throughout his entire body, his nails dug deep on the ground as he let out another monstrous scream. He made a move to dash ahead, but his body simply jolted forward a bit as his ears twitched. Someone was nearby.

He snapped his head around and sees a person hiding behind a tree, head peeking behind it.

"Fox...?"

The demon fox reacted instantly and sent an echo of screams towards their direction, uncaring of the consequences. In response, the kid shrieked, their body flying back at the powerful shockwave, and landing harshly on one of the trees.

He slowly crawled up to them, his low growls constantly filling the forest. He watched as they scurried pitifully closer towards the tree behind them, eyes widened in fear as unshed tears begins to brim. The demon fox huffed out a puff of air as he raised one of his arms high in the air and quickly swung down.

He had swung, but it didn't land. His arm had stopped just barley an inch from the person. Through his hazy mind, something in him clicked and made him realize.

They were a kid, a symbol of a leaf right on their shirt.

The demon fox backed away from the kid with shaky steps, his consciousness changing. Deep within the darken headspace, Naruto stared in horror as his tunnel vision showed a dim picture of the kid. He couldn't believe it... how could he do such thing?

He had almost hurt an innocent civilian.

Naruto blinked harshly as his own awareness was slowly coming back to him.

"No... No!"

His hands went straight to his head, covering his human ears tightly.

This wasn't what he wanted to do! This wasn't supposed to happen!

His body staggered from side to side, threatening to lose balance. His head felt like it was being teared apart, an inner battle. One side was him not wanting to continue on, to return back to his body-- While the other side refuses to let go of the hatred.

"Get out, get out, get out!!"

Having regained some of his strength, he fought back against the fox to gain control yet again. The chakra cloak around his body had started to fade, and the more he fought, the more the chakra decreases.

The Kyūbi wasn't too pleas, his voice rough in irritation as he pressed up against the cage.

We could easily get our revenge, you damn brat!? With the way they treated you, you still want to play the fool?

"I don't want to make this whole thing worse!"

Your inner desire was to get rid of the people who caused you pain ever since birth, I have all of the power to give to you to do so. Don't pretend you're some saint. I saw the way you perked upon the sight of Konoha, I felt your heart race in anticipation, I heard your thoughts of freedom. You are not innocent.

"Shut up already!? I don't want to destroy anything or anyone, you fucking bastard!"

All of a sudden, the Kyūbi was shoved back with an intense force of wind, forcing him further back into his cage. He growled angrily at Naruto and swung one of his arms forward, his nails digging into nothingness. He glared intently at the blond, his snarls growing louder in displeasure.

Naruto proceeds to lift up his shirt, hovering his unoccupied hand right on his stomach. Chakra glowed at his fingertips and he pressed them directly onto his seal.

Then, a loud thud landed right behind the Kyūbi. Upon closer inspection, he watched unmoving as the he let out another snarl.

A torii had been summoned.

More and more began to fall from the sky, trapping the Kyūbi tightly in between the spaces. Starting with his tails, then to his upper body, and finally his neck.

Naruto sighed out a shaky breath, the intense pressure now lightened. He'd won this round. He begins to leave his headspace to return to the real world, his back faced the Kyūbi. He tried to ignore the angry waves of shouts spouting at him, but the final sentence made his skin shutter.

Despite everything, nothing will change.

 

 

🦊 🍃 

 

 

Naruto let out a loud gasp, his eyes snapped opened as his body jolted at an upright position. His chest heaved heavily as his eyes quickly scanned around himself. His hands shook as he brought them away from his face and looked at them-- really looked at them. No more of the sharp, long nails. He then glanced past and looked at the rest of his body for another clearer scan. Though his clothes had tears and burn marks, they were now visible with no red chakra cloak. His skin had strange red and black markings on them but they look to be fading steadily.

Even with his skin burning, he was back to his senses.

"Shit--!"

He quickly looked around for the kid but at every turn, the place was void of any human existence. Nevertheless, he was met with the results of his outburst and it made his heart drop.

Many parts of the forest were practically gone, the mountains were crumbled, the trees were disintegrated with flames blossoming, and the ground no longer had its greenery grass. He couldn't believe that he had such powers to do this much damage. It wasn’t like he wasn’t unaware of the Bijū’s level of risks, but he’d never thought it reach to this point and it was only stage one. It terrifies him.

He was scared of himself, even more so than before.

"I did this...?"

He fell back on the ground, too shock to even force his leg to stay standing as he took in everything he had done. His actions, none of them were thought out. Everything he'd done felt like it was pure instincts. He fully let go of his hold on reality and fell deep into his darken desires, how could he possibly return after this?

He even planned on killing the people from his hometown.

Heavy tears fell from his eyes as he chocked up upon recognizing his wrongdoings. His cheeks stung as tears rolled down his face, the burn on his skin he grew uncaring of. Nothing about his injuries, thoughts, feelings-- Literally everything mattered, the pain was what he deservs after all of this. He brought his hands to his face and roughly wiped off the ongoing tears of guilt, he was undeserving to even shed tears.

Instead, he deserves to be burned, he deserves to get cut, he deserves to be punished, he deserves to be shamed.

"Wow, this was more than what I thought you'd do."

He flinched at the familiar voice, instant chills ran down his spine. Despite the heaviness, he forced his head to lift up. The atmosphere shifted to something more chilling as the person stared down at him. 

Tobi had returned, or maybe, he never left.

The Akatsuki tilted his head in a mocking manner, "Look at you, how'd it feel? Bet you were so happy to experience the small taste of freedom," He then chuckled deeply, "You're so blood thirsty, nearly killed that innocent kid. The adrenaline must've been great, hm?"

"N-no! I didn't- I never wanted to-" Naruto's breath grew rapid, shaking his head as his hands shook. "This was never meant to happen!"

Naruto hiccuped as Tobi crouched down to his eye level, unchanging but there was a sense of smugness from him. 

"Never meant, but it happened. If you're so worried, wouldn't it be better if you'd just disappear then?"

Somewhere in Naruto's mind halted at that specific word. He'd heard such phrase many, many times throughout his entire life, it all affects him the same. Yet this time, it was different, his heart felt like it was being squeezed so tight that it nearly stopped his airway. His tears briefly paused as he stared into the void of the mask.

"D-disappear?" Naruto repeated back mindlessly.

Tobi said nothing more and stood up from his position, his body beginning to vanish at the spot. One of his glowing eyes could be seen through the mask and it stained an image into Naruto's mind.

There, Naruto sat alone in silence.

He couldn't move a muscle, he was still too shocked about everything that unfolded within this mission-- his actions. He listens to the trees falling onto the ground from the fire, his brain replaying the horrified expression the kid held as he drew closer towards them.

If he had struck that kid, the chances of them dying was--

"This is all my fault..."

"Naruto!"

He didn't acknowledge his name and stayed at his spot, staring blankly at nothing. From the corner of his masks, he notices people landing around him, crouching down hurriedly.

Team 7.

"What happened to you?!" Sakura asked, words frantic as she scanned him all around. She placed her hand on his shoulder but shortly pulled it back when she was met with an abnormal heat.

"His skin... what are those red marks?" Sai queried.

Naruto didn't answer.

"You're burning! I'll heal you the best I can but we need to get to the hospital, we've sent a message to Tsunade-sama so the medical team should be on their way." She raised her hands next to him and her palms began to glow a soft green hue. That made Naruto shuffle away, his head shaking slowly as his spoke quietly.

"Don't bother, I don't deserve help."

Sakura smiled softly at him, "What do you mean? Of course you deserve-"

"No!" Naruto shouted while pitifully throwing one of his arms up to block Sakura. Heavy tears ran down his face once again as his stomach churned in disgust. He was disgusted at himself, he was undeserving to shed tears but no matter how much he wanted to stop, they flowed down continuously.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Sasuke voiced softened, something he'd never heard from him and it only added more to Naruto's guilt.

"Everything. Everything about me is wrong, I did all of this! Me!"

A beat passes and shuffling could be heard, more people had gathered at the area. Many voices ringed around, examining the damage. It must've been the back up team 7 had requested for.

"Damn, what a sight."

Naruto gripped his shorts tightly, pinching his skin along with it, and threw his head down. His tears were pooling up inside his mask now, his lips quivered as guilt ate him to no end.

"It was a set up," Sasuke reassured, "You aren't to blame of what had happened."

"You were tricked, we got answers from the other Akatsuki on what was happening before he escaped. None of it is your fault." Sai tried to reassure him as well, but Naruto didn't want to hear any of it. His mind was so jumbled up that he was having a hard time withholding his shame.

All the rumors about him, they were coming to light and he'd been denying it for so long. He'd been blinded by his own innocence and hopefulness that he felt horrible.

"I'm such a fucking idiot... I'm so stupid!"

Naruto's voice cracked as he weeped out, "No, this is a part of me. My own hatred got the best of me and I let it take full control. I-I'm dangerous to everyone.. They were right, everyone was right about me. Who am I to deny everything?!" He cried out loudly, throwing his head onto the ground and dug his nails deep into the dirt.

"I am a monster!"

Notes:

Thank you for reading <3