A/N:
As promised in Chapter 11 of 'Beyond the Shadows'.
I don't own any of the mentioned Naruto ninja, but I did think up this scheme… For a more proper disclaimer, please refer to my profile page.
The Konoha-Suna Collaboration Scheme
Formalities were a drag.
So were discussions, especially if they involved other shinobi nations. The two Suna Council members present, Shikamaru noted, were particularly troublesome. They had the rigid mindsets that distance had to be maintained in a relationship, and held ninja ranks in great esteem. They were respectful and respectable people, but their preference to be overtly formal was something Shikamaru didn't appreciate as much. Honourifics were necessary, he conceded, for diplomatic purposes, but their serious tones and the way they conducted themselves made it difficult for their counterparts to keep the atmosphere friendly, and though discussions progressed well, it was difficult to establish friendships with them.
Temari was a different story. If it hadn't been for her, diplomatic meetings would've been a whole lot more intolerable. Like him, she heavily valued relationships, and with her around initiating intellectual discussions, the formalities took on a whole new meaning. On the rare occasions in which Kankurou made his appearance, the Suna Council members actually managed to loosen up. The siblings had a way with their Council; he was glad Gaara could spare them for this.
Grouching about having to do something so awfully troublesome to Godaime-sama hadn't been enough to remove his name from the list of Konoha representatives. He was the best candidate, she firmly stated, and the job was his to keep.
He'd, however, understood the significance of the role Tsunade had intended him to play. Besides providing a summary of the discussions for her, he was expected to raise his opinions and formulate ways to better the ties between Suna and Konoha directly to her, or bring matters of interest or importance to her attention, and upon approval, to draft a comprehensive proposal or policy that was feasible and would benefit Konoha. It was Tsunade's way of acknowledging his talent, and her unwavering trust in his abilities, as well as his maturity and efficiency, convinced the Konoha elders to let him become an official representative of Konoha. They were even impressed enough to leave the reporting and advising of Tsunade to Shikamaru after seeing the quality of his work, being contented with leaving a few comments and vetting his thoroughly thought out proposals. Tsunade was pleasantly surprised that for once they were with her, rather than against her, and she hoped that was the first step to their interfering less with her judgments, and putting faith in the new, young generation of fine Konoha shinobi.
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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The Konoha elders were always present at the Collaboration meetings, and since the Suna Council members valued their opinions so highly, he was largely spared from technical explanations, even if not suggestions. Shikamaru was grateful for them, because they had the authority to refuse the Suna representatives without coming across as being rude. Unfortunately for him, once word got out that he'd single-handedly taken down an Akatsuki, the Suna Council members' respect for him multiplied, which resulted in his opinion being more frequently sought.
While he was fully aware that the 'pressing matters' that the Godaime had to attend to, which coincidentally popped up during such discussions, were bogus, he'd never once doubted her confidence in him to do an excellent job of whatever he was made to do. After all, she could've chosen a gifted Jounin like Neji, or an experienced representative like Shizune, but she chose him, a mere Chuunin. Maybe she liked torturing him, or perhaps he was the only one who wouldn't make a big fuss about having to do the Hokage's job, but whatever it was, once he resigned himself to accepting a troublesome task, he always put his best foot forward.
He wondered if he was pleased that these discussions brought Temari to Konoha, or upset that they took away so much of their time. Even now, after the discussion for the day, Shikamaru was finishing up his daily report and Temari was in a meeting with the Suna Council members.
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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Paperwork! If he wasn't reviewing Academy students' assessments, or helping with designing their curriculum, he was planning the Chuunin exams, or formulating policies. Since the day he made Chuunin, he hadn't had a paperless year. Once he took on Chunnin exam planning, however, he'd thankfully been relieved of his short-term stint at the Academy - he'd offered to help out in order to get a feel for the latest curriculum, class arrangements and rostering, so he could better suggest feasible measures for further improvement. Shikamaru mostly scrutinised material, observed classes and conducted pilot sessions of possible new curriculum or implementations with interested students outside their curriculum time. More importantly, Godaime had tasked him with privately, critically assessing the students' personalities, strengths and weaknesses (still more paperwork) so that he could actively assist with Genin team formations when the time arose, along with Godaime, Oyaji and the relevant Academy instructors. It still amused him that although he'd not technically been an Academy instructor, he was still recognized as a sensei by the kids. Having students greet him on the streets or approach him to share their opinions and complaints (he had been asking for it when he'd sought their opinion on difficulty and engagement levels), or clear their doubts, therefore, was nothing new.
Real missions were assigned to him whenever Tsunade could spare him (these days he was largely based in Konoha assisting Godaime and Oyaji with strategic planning); she always kept the 'good' missions for him. Even after exhausting missions, he was never assigned anything below a B-rank, though he was only a Chuunin. In fact, he ought to be glad when he got B-ranked missions; she was stingy with them when it came to him. Was it an offence to keep him unoccupied for just a little longer than necessary, or to give him something simpler? Though he'd come to accept it, he still complained, even if in smaller doses, when the situation permitted.
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 he finally left Tsunade's office in the evening, he commenced being Temari's guide. She'd long since left the Hokage building and headed back to her inn, and Shikamaru hoped she hadn't waited for him to take her out to dinner; he knew it was past her dinnertime.
He yawned and stretched, and made his way to the inn she stayed at. The exact room was always reserved for her when she was in Konoha; he'd made sure of that because he knew she loved Konohan sunsets, which spread across the sky beautifully in full view from the bedroom window.
He knocked twice, and she promptly received him with a smile, and a delightful smell drifted out. She closed the door behind him, and warmly towed him into the dining room, where he could make out simply garnished Suna cuisine. The apron around her waist gave her away, as she pushed him onto a chair.
He stood up, and, after untying the apron strings and lifting the apron off her, he encircled her waist with his arms, holding her tightly against him, taking in her scent, perspiration, smoke, food and all.
"Thank you, Temari."
A squeeze around his middle and her head against his shoulder was the response he got, before being gently but firmly pushed back onto his seat.
Just for today, he'd let her direct their course without protests.
Watching her lips purse determinedly reminded him of how seriously she took her work, and he fondly watched as she determined to make her first dinner for him perfect.
Maybe, just maybe, the Konoha-Suna Collaboration Scheme wasn't as troublesome as he'd made it out to be.
Maybe, just maybe, something really good would come out of it.
Maybe, just maybe, someday there'd be a Konoha-Suna union…
For the moment, he wasn't going to think too hard. All he needed to focus on was the woman he loved, seated before him, and the sumptuous dinner she'd set out for him.
And he didn't find it troublesome at all.
-The End-
A/N:
(#) I figured that since Temari is Suna's ambassador to Konoha, and Suna had (since the fillers before Shippuuden), already modeled their curriculum after Konoha's Ninja Academy (surely they'd have needed a little guidance?), they'd probably find it useful to exchange pointers about policies, schemes, or possible programmes, especially since Suna and Konoha have had a strong alliance since Gaara's appointment as Kazekage. Hence, I invented the 'Konoha-Suna Collaboration Scheme'.
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