Author's note: when I wrote this story, it was during the interim between original Naruto and Naruto Shippuuden (volumes 27 and 28 of the manga). I had gotten some bad information-- namely, that Shikamaru had been promoted to jonin (when, in fact, it was Neji). So I wrote the story to explain how Shikamaru made jonin even though he's still a chunin. Oh well. I'm not about to waste a story I had fun writing, so here it is. Enjoy.
"I bet you can't wait for this, Shikamaru!"
"This will be a great chance for you to show what you can do, Shikamaru!"
"I have high hopes for you, Shikamaru!"
The oft-complimented shinobi sighed.
It was one thing to get a pat on the back after a successful mission. It was another to be showered with praise by someone else's cell leader.
"If you do well on this mission, you'll be well on your way to making jonin!"
That one irked him the most. Being a chunin was turning into way more hassle than it was worth. The increased responsibilities far outweighed the increased privileges in Shikamaru's book. The last promotion had been almost against his will. The prospect of another was just salt in the wound.
"Hey, Madam Kurenai," Shikamaru said as they danced through the trees, "why are you leading us on this mission? Our sensei is Master Asuma."
"Oh, that. On occassion we mix up the squad leaders a little," the kunoichi answered. "Just to make sure things are as reported. Not that we don't believe your cell's reports," she added, "but we like to get another set of eyes on things. After all, everyone sees things differently. When we get more people looking at something we're likely to get closer to the truth."
Shikamaru frowned. The truth about what?
"Madam Kurenai? Could you explain the mission now?" said Choji.
"Yeah, what was so important that we had to leave the village before you'd tell us?" added Ino. "Normally we get our mission brief before we leave. What kind of mission are we talking about?"
"A theft," said Kurenai.
"A theft?" Ino repeated.
"Why do you sound so surprised?" said Kurenai. "With our stealth and jutsu, shinobi make superb thieves... for a price. This sort of mission comes with a hefty price tag, but among the feudal families, that actually makes it seem more legitimate. If you have to be robbed, it's comforting to know the other guy paid a stiff bill."
Kurenai looked over her shoulder at Ino. "You're not bothered, are you? Because there are times we have to do missions a lot dirtier than a simple theft."
"I'm not bothered," said Ino defensively, "it's just I've never done a theft before. What do they want us to steal that's worth paying so much for?"
"A ring," said Kurenai.
"A ring? That's it?" said Choji.
"Is it at least a flashy, expensive ring?" said Ino. "Like with jewels all over it and stuff?"
"No, it's simple gold," said Kurenai. "With symbols etched into it. But those symbols make it not just a ring, but a signet ring."
"Now things get interesting," said Shikamaru.
"You just lost me, Shikamaru," said Choji.
"It means this is about to get political. Doesn't it, Madam Kurenai?"
The kunoichi smiled-- the sort of smile she made when she was about to compliment him undeservedly. "That's exactly right," she said. "Signet rings are more than just jewelry. They're heirlooms that mark status or belonging within a noble family."
"That still doesn't tell me why it's such a big deal to take one."
Shikamaru sighed. "Look at it like this. Each ninja clan has its own jutsu, right? They're taught those jutsu from an early age, and it's something that belongs to the clan. Strategically, it makes sense for the different families and clans of Konohagakure to teach each other all their jutsu, but that doesn't happen."
"Of course not!" said Ino. "No clan is going to teach someone else their jutsu just because they ask."
"Right," said Shikamaru. "It doesn't work like that. To learn a jutsu you have to belong to the clan that invented it. Exceptions are rare-- Kakashi-sensei having the Sharingan, for example. A kekkei genkai can be lost if the members of its clan are all killed off. Jutsu doesn't have to be like that, but a lot of times it is. Why? Because it matters to the clan to be exclusive."
"A special or secret jutsu is seen as a marker of being in a certain family," continued Kurenai. "The expansion jutsu belongs to Choji's family, and the Transference jutsu is unique to Ino's family. So the jutsu is more than just a technique you use; it's part of who you are."
"The Nara clan uses Shadow Possession jutsu," said Shikamaru. "I'm a member of the Nara clan. Therefore, I must use Shadow Possession jutsu."
"And the other way around, too," agreed Kurenai.
"That makes sense," said Ino, "but it still doesn't tell me why we have to steal a signet ring."
"Well, non-ninja don't have jutsu," said Shikamaru, "so they can't hand those down to their kids as a marker of identity. They have to use other things, like... signet rings."
"Exactly," said Kurenai. "The ring we're out to steal belonged to a now-deceased clan. Our clients claim to be the descendents of that clan. But they need the signet ring to prove it."
Shikamaru nodded. "If we can retrieve it for them, they can say to the minor lords, "We're the rightful rulers here". It'll go a long way towards clearing up some of the political confusion amongst the minor lords of the North."
Kurenai shot him a harsh look.
"That's where we're going, isn't it?" said Shikamaru. "I figured it out after you mentioned the ring. It was pretty obvious."
"It wasn't obvious to me," said Choji.
"And Madam Kurenai? Can we stop heading in the wrong way? Since we all know where we're going now, we can stop with the misdirection."
Kurenai smiled brightly, and Shikamaru groaned. "I'd expect nothing less from you, Shikamaru. Come on, this way!"
Shikamaru felt more depressed as he followed the jonin in a turn. He'd only said it to save time and be lazier, and now she'd made him out to be... well... motivated. What a drag.
"But be careful," said Kurenai. "One of the reasons that I was reluctant to tell you all the specifics is because a ninja must never get involved in politics. We can't question who's giving us a mission or why. If we ever did, we'd be taking sides, and we'd get dragged into far more conflicts than we want."
"I'll say," said Shikamaru. "We have enough trouble just fighting the other ninja villages. I don't want to get involved in some feudal battles."
"That's sound thinking, Shikamaru. All we can do is stay loyal to the money. It's our way. That's why we charge a lot for this sort of mission-- it endangers our neutrality."
"And because it's dangerous, I'm guessing."
"Maybe," said Kurenai. "Probably. It's a B, with an option to go higher based on resistance. It's no secret that our clients covet this ring, so it's sure to be guarded. How heavily will determine how much the village gets paid."
"So we're not sure what we're up against?" said Shikamaru warily.
"Nope," said Kurenai, "but you're in luck. You have two of Konoha's best at covert entries right here with you."
His frown deepened. "I'm in luck? Don't you mean we're in luck?"
"Not at all," said Kurenai. "You're leading this mission."
"Wow, congratulations Shikamaru!" said Ino. Choji gave a big thumbs up and a grin. And Shikamaru just sighed. It was going to be a long time before he could relax again.
"Alright," said Shikamaru, "we're all back from our initial recon of the target. After a day we should have some good intel. Tell me what you've found."
"I'll start," said Choji, "because I probably found out the least."
"Don't worry about it," said Shikamaru. "Not everyone is built for subtlety. But don't worry, I have an important job for you later on."
Choji smiled proudly, then turned to the ground and drew in the dirt. "It's a straight-forward sort of castle," he said. "Basic square shape, front gate on the north wall, forest to south and west, steep drop to the east. There's a redoubt on each corner," he drew the corners as large circles, "with a guardhouse on top. From what I saw, behind the top of the wall is a walkway that connects the guardhouses." He added another line behind the wall. "The front gate has a deep portcullis; the teeth stick pretty deep into the ground. It'd be close to impossible to knock it in... too much dirt in the way." He dug the northern wall deeper, then stood up. "Who's next?"
Kurenai took the stick. "We have information on where the ring is stored," she said. "Behind the outer wall, there are clusters of huts and support buildings surrounding the inner keep. The inner keep has three main portions. The first is the lord's quarters..." she drew a box near the east wall, "...the second is the main court and banquet area..." she drew a box perpendicular to the first, "...and the third is the servants' quarters," she drew a third box, completing the U-shape.
"As you might expect, they keep the most valuable things in the lords' quarters. We don't have a detailed floorplan," she admitted, "but I can give you lots of information on the storage location."
Shikamaru nodded. "And you spent your time checking that this info was correct?"
"Yes," said Kurenai. "I saw enough details matching to trust they got the rest right. I'll add in the minor structures later on, if you think they'll matter."
"It might not," said Shikamaru. "Ino, what did you find out?"
"There's one guard at each guardhouse," she said. "Not a shinobi, just a normal guard. But there *are* shinobi guards on the *inside* of the wall, down below." She drew a circle inside the middle of each of the four walls. "The shinobi think the guards are dirt, I heard them say things like that. The regular guards probably think the same of the shinobi, but they're not stupid enough to say it."
"What's the guard schedule like?" said Shikamaru.
"The normal guards are pretty regular," she said. "Every four hours, though they're not very professional about it, so there's some slop. Still, every time I saw it was within five minutes of the hour. The shinobi, on the other hand, are unreadable. I think they've designed an irregular rotation to defeat this sort of recon. We'd need to watch 'em a while to get it right."
Shikamaru frowned at the drawing. "Alright," he said. "I estimate there are two cells of shinobi on hand. I'm guessing it's a long-term security contract, which is why they fill the lookout spots with non-shinobi guards. Still... half-on, half-off is a hard posture to keep up for weeks on end. I bet these guys are bored out of their minds. Tired, too."
He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "The castle was designed and built with a certain retro-style," he said. "They've got murder holes in the upper walls... sections of wall with hinges," he said, responding to his teammates' puzzled looks. "They're supposed to allow someone on the wall walkway to shoot straight down on to someone at the foot of the wall. Those shinobi would be total amateurs if they hadn't cooked up something to deal with people hopping the walls, but I wonder if they know about the murder holes."
He looked over to the wall. "Murder holes are designed to be pushed open from the inside, but I don't see why we couldn't pull one out with a little chakra control... not different from the tree-climbing exercise in principal. Once we're inside..." he shook his head. "Nah, getting ahead of myself."
He returned his gaze to the drawing. "This castle may have a simple design," he said, "but that makes it a hard break-in. It's got superb lines of sight-- every position on the inside can be seen from at least two guardhouses. The exception," he said, "are the guardhouses themselves."
"Yeah, they can be seen from all the other guardhouses and all four ninja on the ground," said Choji.
"Not completely," corrected Shikamaru. "Only the top of the guard's body is visible... the guardhouses are supposed to give some cover, after all. That means that, if we get someone inside, we can control the guards, even if we can't take them out."
"Why not take them out?"
"We just said that the guardhouses are all visible," Shikamaru said. "If they can't see the other guards they'll raise an alarm. We have to control the guards instead. That means Transference jutsu," he pointed at Ino, "and genjutsu," he pointed at a very surprised Kurenai.
"Genjutsu?" she said. "Why not Shadow Possession?"
"Two reasons," he said. "First, I don't have the chakra to hold even a single Shadow Possession indefinitely, and the thief may need half an hour or more to pull this off. In contrast, genjutsu is easy to maintain once it's established."
"True enough," said Kurenai. "And the other reason?"
His expression soured. "We have to keep in mind the second part of the mission. Getting in is just the beginning. After that we still have to steal the ring. And out of the four of us, no offense to Madam Kurenai, I have the top scores in stealth and traps."
Kurenai frowned. Not all of the hidden capabilities of Shikamaru were turning out to be pleasant. "How would you know that?"
"A good guess," he said. "Which you just confirmed. I got top marks in concealment 'cause I was always hiding to get out of work and chores and school, so I got to be the best at that. I didn't know about you, but I had a hunch, and now I'm sure."
"Good work, I guess," said Kurenai.
Darn it, I'm showing off again, said Shikamaru. "Trust me, I wish I could get out of it. The person who goes in the middle has the toughest job of all... they have to evade or overcome the shinobi sentry in the middle, then get to the ring alone and steal it. The rest of the mission is safe; the lone infiltrator is the only guy at risk."
He shrugged as he stood. "But it makes tactical sense. We can't win a straight-out fight, so stealth is our trump card. And if it goes wrong, worst case is we lose one guy. The rest then can make a new decision." He looked at the castle again. "Still, let's get some more recon on this. They don't know we're coming, and that's our single greatest asset right now. We need to get it right the first time, or the second time will be way harder."
"Lucky for us we can take our time," said Ino. "There's no rush, right?"
"I can't see why there would be," said Shikamaru. "Unless..."
"Unless our clients got noticed hiring us," said Kurenai. "In that case, our targets might call in for extra protection."
Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag."
That night, a hawk arrived with a message for the cell from Konohagakure. It carried an apology from the group's clients that they had a spy in their midst, numerous apologies that their mission was known, and profuse apologies that reinforcements were on the way to the castle.
"This is way too much work," said Shikamaru.
"Well, that limits our options," said Ino. "We either get in some time tomorrow or there'll be way too many ninja for a four-man cell to dodge."
Shikamaru shook his head. "Rushing this is the stupid thing to do," he said. "It'd be way safer to abort, especially since this whole mission rests on my ability to be quiet." He sighed. "I need more information. I need to know for sure how many shinobi there are. I need to know what their relief schedule is like. I need to know what sort of jutsu I'm likely to face to get the ring itself." He sighed. "Man, I'd call that the bare minimum to make a good effort at this. And that's not counting all the info I'd like to know, like what kind of traffic goes in, what the servants' night work schedule is like, what nation the enemy shinobi are from and what jutsu they might use."
"You don't have any of that," said Kurenai severely. "You have to make your choice based on the data you've got. That's what being a leader is all about."
"I never said I wanted to be a leader," Shikamaru said. "This wasn't my idea, you know."
"I hope you're not choosing to abort just to get out of work," said Kurenai.
Instead of rising in anger, Shikamaru slouched. "I don't have to put up with this. I know you're not gonna tell me I'm not a leader unless I order us to go. I thought you guys valued me because I know when to cut my losses. Well, I say it's time to clock out."
"I don't think I'll ever understand you, Shikamaru," said Ino. "Don't you have any pride at all?"
"I've got no use for it," said Shikamaru. "What I need is clarity. That's why I have to take my emotions out of it. Reason tells me the odds aren't in my favor, and they don't compare favorably with the risks; so why play?"
Silence settled over the camp. Then Choji said, "Hey, Shikamaru?"
"Yeah, Choji?"
"Do you know why I'm not dead right now?"
Shikamaru blinked in surprise. "Huh?"
"Do you know why I was able to beat that monster from the Sound Village?" Choji said patiently.
"Because you used your clan's secret weapon," said Shikamaru, "and you used the strength to beat him down quickly, before the side effects incapacitated you."
"Yeah, that's a true thing to say," said Choji, "but it's not the real answer. The real answer is that I beat him because you said you believed in me."
Shikamaru's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?"
"Well, think about it," said Choji. "I'm sure that by any measure he had me beat. You know, stronger, faster, better jutsu, whatever. But I beat him... because you said you believed in me. And so I was able to do *better* than I thought I could do, than I had any right to do."
Shikamaru slumped again. "It's not that simple," he said. "You can't get things done just because you'd like to be able to. You can't just toss out a power balance because you want it bad enough."
"But you can't trust your brain completely either," said Choji. "I mean, think about it. You know what you did last time, right? And that's how you guess what you'll do this time. But you're a better ninja this time, aren't you?"
"Sure," said Shikamaru, "maybe. Possibly. But I don't know how much."
"Exactly!" said Choji excitedly. "You don't know, so you think you won't do any better at all! But I think you will. I know you will! You can do this, Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru sighed and turned away, unable to meet the enthusiastic gaze of his best friend for long. He stared long and hard at the castle, its forbidding walls, its alert guards, the unknown ninja on the other side and the worthless ring somewhere in the middle. Then he closed his eyes, squatted, and touched his fingers together.
No one spoke as the shinobi sank into thought. They just watched and waited. And inside numbers crunched. Wheels turned. Abaca clicked. Tables filled out.
"This is a bad idea," Shikamaru said at last. "Here goes. Ino, you'll use Transference on the guard in the south-west. Madam Kurenai, you'll use genjutsu on the south-east guy. I'll allow two minutes after we break up for that to take place, and after that I'll go in the south wall. We'll get in through the murder holes. If we go in half an hour after the normal guards relieve, we'll have a solid three hours before they relieve again, so that's not a problem. The rest..." he shrugged.
"The rest is on me."
He turned and saw his teammates smiling, enthusiasm plain on their faces. He sighed.
'What a drag...'
