So, I wanted to write, but found myself incapable of continuing a certain plot coughBabiescough Ahem. So, I stole 64damnprompts theme list, and did a drabble from that. I will update with more chapters when/if I write more drabbles from this list. By the way, this is #14 from that list, "Chess".
Since I'm not sure if anyone plays chess in the Naruto universe, "Chess" became "Shogi" in my mind very quickly.(-.-") And of course, if you have a Naruto-verse drabble featuring Shogi, who else would be in it but Shikamaru?
The setting is after Sasuke has left, and after Naruto has failed a second time to bring him home. Naruto realizes that just his strength and luck alone won't be able to bring Sasuke back, so he goes to Shikamaru for a "strategy" lesson. Shikamaru POV.
"Shogi"
Naruto screwed up his face as he pondered his next move. Shikamaru could see the wheels in his head attempting to work after such a long period of disuse. This could take a while… but at least Shogi didn't involve any physical training. That was the main reason he had picked this type of exercise for Naruto. The idiot (well meaning idiot, but a simpleton nonetheless) had asked him for help training this morning, surprising Shikamaru before he had even got out of bed.
Naruto fiddled with a spare piece, staring diligently at the board. He'd be at this for another ten minutes at least.
"Naruto? Are you going to move in this century?"
The blond looked up at him startled, and more than a little angry. It wasn't hard to puzzle out his thought process. He must have thought he'd been on the verge of a spectacularly brilliant move, only to completely forget what it was when Shikamaru had interrupted him. Before the other boy could protest this unfair dealing, Shikamaru cut in,
"You do realize why we're playing Shogi? You asked me to help train you to beat Sasuke. My expertise doesn't lie in the field of brute strength— I'm a tactician. You keep training with Kakashi and Sakura all you want, but if you refuse to think while on the battlefield..."
And Shikamaru didn't even need to finish, because Naruto could continue this thought himself. Slowly, oh so painfully slow, Shikamaru watched Naruto work it out. Finally he was beginning to realize that his amazing luck would not be enough to bring Sasuke home. Getting stronger and hardening his resolve wouldn't help him win this battle. Perhaps he had already had suspicions of this, maybe that was the reason he had sought Shikamaru out. Out of all of the other "rookies" he was considered the best for the kind of skill Naruto needed desperately: strategy.
Shikamaru looked at the board. In three more moves, this game would be over, unless Naruto pulled a miracle out of his kunai pouch and made it last another six. So would end their lesson for today. Shikamaru was supposed to meet Choji for lunch anyhow. But still... he did owe Naruto a proper training session, one where he actually tried to teach the blond a thing or two of strategy.
"Naruto?" he asked, getting the other boy's attention.
"Uh, yeah?"
"If you want to play Shogi again, just ask." Naruto didn't pose much of a challenge at all—scratch that, he was no challenge— but he was a friend, and he had come asking for help. Shikamaru started putting away the game board as Naruto stayed uncharacteristically lost in thought.
"…yeah…" Naruto mumbled. Then, seeming to gain more confidence, he turned to face Shikamaru,
"Yeah, I would like that."