A/N
Happy birthday, Shikamaru! :D
Like with 'Beyond the Shadows', although the plot doesn't take place on Shikamaru's birthday, I hope it does justice to his character. Unlike 'Beyond the Shadows', however, this does not feature ShikaTema.
Set during the break Tsunade gave Team Ten and the new Team Seven; right after the Hidan and Kakuzu arc.
Disclaimer
All shinobi featured in this fanfiction belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
Special Thanks
To all who have reviewed my previous fanfictions, particularly AnonymousHZ, whom I haven't been able to formally thank for reviewing 'Beyond the Shadows'; your comments and advice have been very much appreciated.
Konoha's Will of Fire
It was nearly lunchtime when Kakashi arrived at the Nara compound.
Since the day Asuma fell, Team Ten had gotten serious, and the memory of their sensei and pride as a team had procured them two resultant victories in the battlefield, within three days of their sensei's fall. Asuma may not have been all that close to Kakashi, but as far as he was concerned, it was his duty to watch over them, as well as Team Seven, because this generation would surpass theirs and go on to protect the next generation of Konoha.
Although opportunities to work with Team Ten had been limited, from what he'd seen, these three could be entrusted with protecting, and passing on the Will of Fire. Kakashi knew he didn't need to worry about them, especially not Shikamaru, who certainly hadn't wasted any time getting those Akatsuki back for his sensei, and living on to become a better shinobi. Not Chouji, whose efforts and increased training strengthened him by the day. Ino, though, he'd have to pay more attention to... She was capable of more, he was sure, but she seemed to doubt her own abilities, and it wasn't getting her anywhere.
.
Kakashi had first thought to see if Shikamaru was at his favourite cloud-watching spot, but when he found the space vacant, realised that Godaime was right in saying that the Will of Fire burned stronger than ever in Shikamaru. Sure, he didn't have chakra that would make him a menacing threat to enemies of Jounin level and beyond, but he was working hard on increasing the limits for his jutsus. Bloodline abilities he may lack, but he had that incredible brain to work with, and his comrades' support. Asuma had been right in placing high hopes on Shikamaru. Chuunins, Jounins, and even Advisors and Kages from various Hidden Villages had come to acknowledge and respect Shikamaru as a force to be reckoned with.
The boy hadn't let it get to his head. If anything, his successes pushed Shikamaru further to train harder, develop new techniques, and sharpen his thought processes, and each time, his defence strategies and attack tactics permitted less loopholes.
'I don't want to see another comrade fall.' was Shikamaru's rationale, and getting stronger was his way of reciprocating his comrades' unwavering trust in his abilities.
It was thus unsurprising to see Shikamaru and Neji having a shougi showdown. Neither were rash, and Kakashi knew both of them to be deep thinkers with dangerous intellect that had cost their enemy many a life. Unwilling to disrupt their thought process, Kakashi watched from behind a tree.
'Chakra or jutsu… Which matters more?' wondered Neji, as he made his move.
Shikamaru observed the board for a moment, before giving Neji a sideward glance.
'You've thought about it,' Shikamaru pointed out mock-accusingly, without malice.
He then added thoughtfully, 'I wouldn't give either up. When we were younger, jutsu probably mattered more, because there's no point having chakra if you can't use it, although Lee's very much proven that wrong… As for jutsu, even if we master one, it'll be pointless without chakra. In training, it's possible to alternate between developing the more lacking and polishing the other, but in a fight, which matters more depends on the enemy's capacity.'.
Neji studied Shikamaru, smiled, and watched Shikamaru move his piece.
'What matters most is therefore knowing yourself well, exploiting the opponent's loopholes, and turning what they have against themselves, like what you did to me in our previous game.'
'Tch, Neji. That was your first time playing shougi and you were already so hard to read… And now you've trapped me, huh?' he responded as Neji pushed another piece into position.
Neji's move would force the Climbing Silver, and Shikamaru didn't intend to use it if he could help it… Not even in shougi. He'll have to work a way around it with minimal sacrifice, even if it took longer; he'd challenged himself to do so since Asuma's death, building up attack and defence to prevent that situation from materialising. But despite his careful planning, Neji had gotten around that and made it happen.
Without hesitation, Shikamaru's hands moved into position, and he withdrew into his mind. It was Kakashi's turn to smile. Asuma would be proud of Shikamaru… He'd come so far. Kakashi himself was proud of having had Shikamaru on his team, even if for a limited time.
O-O X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X O-O
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Neji nodded in approval and willing defeat as Shikamaru checkmated.
'I hadn't imagined you'd get me this way,' he conceded.
'Me neither. You pushed me to the edge,' admitted Shikamaru.
'Troublesome enough for you?' probed Neji.
'You bet.'
'I'll have a new strategy the next time I drop by,' Neji promised.
'Man… Another?' sighed Shikamaru, before countering with, 'It's troublesome, but if you insist I'll have to make you use every step you planned not to, Neji.'.
He meant it. Neji wasn't a boaster, and Shikamaru wasn't one to talk big either, but Neji had gotten too close to forcing that move, and he knew by now that if he didn't have a more sturdy plan to work with, Neji would take the game. Shikamaru didn't mind, but if he lost in their third match, it meant he was going way too easy on himself. Shougi was the base of most of his actual battle strategies, and taking on different opponents allowed Shikamaru to preempt attacks using varied tactics. Opponents like his dad and Neji, however, changed and strengthened their stance each time, forcing Shikamaru to rethink anything he'd planned because it was akin to playing an entirely different person each match. He took every match equally seriously, even those against Academy students, with the aim of winning by identifying his opponent's strategy, disarming or taking out the pieces necessary to execute it, and all while sacrificing the least possible number of pieces, though not necessarily in the shortest possible time. To him, shougi was a matter of life or death on the battlefield, because if he lost just one shougi match, if he let his guard down just once, he might very well make the same mistakes out there, when it mattered most. Depending on the strength and strategy of his opponent, Shikamaru adapted his playing style; sometimes moving after unhurried deliberation, other times without much hesitation, but there was a single luxury he allowed himself, which differentiated his shougi style from his battle style -- taking his time when he needed to. Out there, one wrong move, and it'd be over, and worse, it'd probably cost the life of another comrade, not himself. Each time he lost, he'd reflect deeply and play against himself, setting up traps and replaying the scenarios with newly formulated strategies. There was never one fixed battle plan, and no victory was predetermined. It was a basic concept for shinobi on the battlefield, and also why Neji and Shikamaru had chosen to forgo two hours of intense physical training to pit their minds against each other.
'Thanks for the best shougi match I've had in weeks.'
'My pleasure, Shikamaru. I enjoyed every bit of it.'
.
'Shikamaru, about Ino…' faltered Neji.
'… I'll be glad to practice chakra control with her, if she wants to train with me… I'm aiming to conserve my chakra and make my hits more deadly by sharpening my control over the jutsus.'
'Thanks, Neji. I'll let her know. Will Hinata be fine on her own, though?'
'Hinata-sama said it was the least she could do for Ino. Besides, once Ino comes to her senses, she'll probably find other aspects of training more important.'
'It'll be a while before that happens, but with you guys fighting alongside us, I believe she eventually will. On a side note, Neji, I need some advice.'
'Over lunch, then?' suggested Neji, stretching and stepping away from the shougi board.
'You gonna join us, Kakashi-sensei?' chipped in Shikamaru.
Kakashi, having wondered about when they'd discovered him, emerged from behind the tree and beamed innocently.
'Oh… Hi guys! Erm… Someday I'll take you both on in a game of shougi.'
'Separately, of course…' added Kakashi, a little too hastily, as if already regretting his challenge.
'And Shikamaru, Team Ten is to find me if they require any form of assistance. Godaime has approved. Please inform Ino and Chouji for me... Are you intending to do anything about Ino?' continued Kakashi.
'I'm giving her the whole of tomorrow, Kakashi-sensei. I've gotten warnings, offers and lots of concern from the Konoha Eleven and Godaime… Tch. If you all express your concern for her directly, I'll have it easier, you know?'
'Well, you see…' defended Kakashi, '… you're probably the person who knows her best, Shikamaru. Asuma always said so. Something about you knowing Team Ten inside out and keeping it safe regardless of how troublesome it was. He'd always been proud of you, and if he were here, he'd probably tell you the same. '.
'Thank you, Kakashi-sensei,' Shikamaru expressed, faint smile lingering on his lips as, with bowed head, he fondly recalled memories with Asuma.
Indeed, Asuma would no longer be able to protect him and the others like he'd always done. Shikamaru hated the fact that his flawed plan had sacrificed Asuma. But the least he could do now was to ensure that it never happened again. He'd protect them now – Team Ten, the Konoha Eleven, their senseis, Konoha, the unborn generation and the Hokage.
He wasn't strong enough, but he would get stronger. Besides, he could depend on his comrades. Some of these comrades outranked him, but still they adopted his plans unquestioningly, willingly letting him assume leadership when necessary. That was what really ascertained the successes.
Oto thrived on power, Kiri on mercilessness, Suna on harshness, but Konoha thrived because of bonds and the desire to protect them. Every shinobi and civilian in the Land of Fire was precious. Konoha shinobi fought for each other, not themselves. So long as these values were imbued and passed down, the Will of Fire would never burn out. And thanks to this, Konoha would never cease to exist.
Kakashi, Neji and Shikamaru entered a nearby eatery and commenced their discussion about random affairs. Strategies and confidential matters were always discussed in a secure location where there was less likelihood of being eavesdropped on.
It was time for Ino to move on. Shikamaru would never forget what his sensei had done for them, but Asuma's sacrifice would be worthless if they didn't make the most out of what he'd imparted to them and use it to protect that which he'd died for – the king.
When she saw the sense and came to terms with it, they'd get stronger together.
O-O X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X. X O-O
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When Neji left to see to his duties as a Hyuuga, Kakashi and Shikamaru sparred.
This guy sure had impressive evasion techniques, possibly due to the fact that it was his way of staying out of a troublesome situation, like Kakashi knew Shikamaru used to prefer. Not anymore, though, eh? Even with the Sharingan, he'd had too many close calls with Shikamaru's shadow sneaking up on him, and very nearly catching him.
If Shikamaru had more chakra, he'd deal much more damage, even on his own. Still, it was after all Shikamaru's lack of chakra that fine-tuned his strategies, making them all the more efficient, was it not? Asuma really had known best, introducing Shikamaru to shougi. Hopefully, Konohamaru would live up to the Sarutobi legacy as well.
Konoha's bright future lay in these promising talents, some of whom, like Naruto, had already surpassed expectations and even their senseis, and their diligence and fervour spelt security and vibrancy for Konoha.
Being forced to use up more chakra than he believed necessary to evade Shikamaru's attacks, and not being given opportunities to attack, himself was taxing Kakashi, and thinking of how much these youngsters had grown made him feel kinda old.
It didn't make him feel all that bad, but he was inclined to believe that he'd have to take Gai's challenges more seriously now. Couldn't let the young ones beat him so soon, could he?
The setting sun brought their sparring session to a close, but not before Shikamaru ensnared Kakashi's shadow in the simplest, most conventional way.
Oh boy, he really was getting old, wasn't he?
Perhaps he ought to submit his resignation the next day… With shinobi like this lot, Konoha had nothing to worry about, not even losing him.
But he'd hang on, or get killed in action, like Sandaime, good old Jiraiya-sama, Godaime and Asuma.
Because the Will of Fire burned in him too.
-The End-
A/N
Thanks for reading 'Konoha's Will of Fire'! Reviews would be extremely appreciated, whether signed or anonymous :D
Two elite geniuses of Jounin calibre and bloodline limit abilities to boot; one Chuunin who can hold his own against opponents many times stronger. That's not all Konoha has to be proud of, eh?
I've always imagined that these three would be great on the same team (and nothing more, yeah); they manage to maintain their cool, get things so fast and react accordingly, but then again, if that were so, it'd be a waste of their talent, wouldn't it? Splitting them up would thus be more likely to ensure more victories and less loss for Konoha.
To clarify matters in this, if it wasn't clear enough, after Asuma's fall, each member of Team Ten had their own way of dealing with grief. Ino, I thought, seemed pretty uncertain of herself even prior to Asuma's fall, and just a wee bit so after it happened; a stark contrast from her bubbly, loud, bossy self pre-Shippuuden. And, in this fanfiction, the Konoha Eleven have sensed it and hope to help out in whatever ways they can...
There was a fanfiction involving Shikamaru and Ino I wrote before this, since at that point (yesterday) it was my intention, but the way it turned out made me decide against posting it today. Since I've already written it, I'll be posting it tomorrow. Please note, however, that it is not intended to be a ShikaIno fanfict, so you know what to expect in 'Ino's Smile', if you're interested, that is ;)
In addition, another possibly unexpected fanfiction is likely to soon be in progress. It'll revolve round two less featured shinobi, both of whom I'm quite fond of. It should be up by this week or next.
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The following are some inferences I've made based on research and from Naruto, i.e. they're my own interpretation and wording. Please note that unlike Shikamaru, I'm no shougi expert; I'm not a player, and I find the game considerably complicated, so I cannot guarantee complete accuracy.
Shougi -- A Japanese game of strategy involving two opponents with the aim of capturing the opponent's King.
Climbing Silver -- A shougi attack method involving using one's own piece/s as bait to either deflect or force an opponent to move there, sacrificing it in the process. In the Asuma VS Hidan battle, Asuma notably let himself be the sacrificial piece in defense of his Chuunin subordinates. I thought it fitting to use it in this fanfict, particularly since it's set shortly after Asuma's fall.