Shikamaru Nara had an epiphany.
How this divine revelation happened to come upon him is a sad tale of laziness, pride, foolish well-intentioned acts and an expensive skill-set. In truth, the first two factors could likely be lumped together. The last two factors are quite important as well, though. The final point, however, is what brought about such understanding.
Nara Shikamaru was a broke bastard. Of course, he should've seen the signs long ago.
But, as most issues are wont to do, things started out innocently enough.
The birth of Kurenai and the late Asuma's daughter, Yuzuki, was met with much fanfare. Friends, family & even acquaintances all got at least something for the new child. Shikamaru himself may have even spent a bit more than he expected to.
Having a fair amount of money saved up, coupled with the fact that he lived with his parents at the tender age of sixteen, Shikamaru figured he was due for a vacation anyway. And so, the Nara heir spent the next few months lavishing the infant with useful materials as well as generally lounging about, taking the occasional mission every so often solely due to requests.
It was during one such mission, that Shikamaru truly discovered the remarkable range of uses an explosive tag could serve. Imagine what wonders the liberal application of explosive tags to one's shinobi duties could achieve, Shikamaru marveled.
Time passed once more, Yuzuki had grown from an infant and into a fully functioning toddler. It had long since become knowledge that Shikamaru was devoted to the girl, a common source of amusement among his peers.
Now twenty years of age, Shikamaru had come across a completely different set of difficulties. Confronted by his parents, it would seem that the time had come for him to spread his wings and take flight on his own (read: he was kicked out) as a man. Unaware of the crisis & too naïve to realize the predicament he had been thrown into, Shikamaru merely shrugged in acquiescence.
It was then, that the Nara heir realized the situation he was truly in. He had nowhere near enough money to purchase a home within the Nara compounds. This of course, was a normal thing, as the majority of youth from even the most prominent of clans usually set about living on their own in simple apartments to establish themselves. Fortunately, Shikamaru had more than enough money to pay for the deposit of one such domicile.
The necessary furnishings for such a small living area were easily acquired and set without much fanfare. Before anyone (aside from Chouji) could know of the Nara's relocation could be informed, Shikamaru had to deal with one more issue. His funds had all but dried up. Paying for the month's actual rent would be a problem. The occasional B-Rank mission a Chuunin could get wouldn't be enough to get him off of the ground and into a respectable plot on Nara lands for a considerable amount of time, either.
Had he seen the signs and saved up, as Chouji –who planned to move out at a later date- had, he had a feeling he wouldn't be in such a bind. After much discussion with his close friend, Shikamaru had come to have his epiphany.
"Money, is the single most important resource in the world" he moaned to the Akimichi.
"Come now, don't say that Shika" Chouji warned. "There are multitudes of things that are important and work towards living a content life" he stated.
"All of which can be obtained through money. I am well aware, Cho" Shikamaru deadpanned.
"We'll get back to this" Chouji sighed, choosing to postpone this debate. "But first, back to figuring out how you plan on coming up with the rent for this place" he declared.
"I could take on a group of missions at once…." Shikamaru grumbled. Chouji simply stared, his face conveying exactly how much stock he took in that idea. "Alright" Shikamaru sighed, "no, I probably wouldn't" he admitted.
"Well…." Chouji began, scratching the back of his head in discomfort. "There is one foolproof way to make enough money to support yourself, with a minimal amount of missions" he finished, looking anywhere but at the Nara.
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at the Akimichi, already aware of where this was going.
"Bounty hunting is a relatively lucrative venture" Shikamaru offered, dodging the subject.
"You know what I'm suggesting, Shika" he sighed.
"Don't be troublesome, Chouji" Shikamaru sighed as well. "You know as well as I do, that doing something like that will mean I can't change my mind later" he mumbled, rubbing his temples.
"Come on Shikamaru!" Chouji groaned. "You're already-" the window abruptly chose this moment to slide open.
"Just become a damned Jounin already, Nara!" a new voice interrupted.
"Of all the people" Shikamaru sighed. Chouji merely nodded his head in greeting.
"Don't drop the discussion on my account" Temari of the Sand greeted the duo, climbing into the room. "Hmm, this isn't too bad of a place you've got here" Temari observed, taking stock of the furnishings.
"It's a standard two bedroom apartment, Temari" Shikamaru deadpanned.
"Why three couches?" the heiress queried, pointing out the three seats surrounding a simple table while ignoring Shikamaru.
"Well, the three of us like to take up a space of our own" Chouji replied, indicating Shikamaru sprawled across one couch and his own leisurely position in the middle of another. "Ino likes to sit in a similar fashion" he elaborated.
"I'm surprised there's no crib or playpen for little Yuzuki" Temari chuckled, setting her large fan down and claiming the third couch as her own.
"That's what I said!" Chouji added, joining in Temari's laughter. Shikamaru scowled.
"How did you find this place, Temari?"
"Were you hiding, or something?" Temari smirked. "The first person I asked knew where to find you" she replied.
"….Troublesome women" Shikamaru groaned, eying Chouji. "You told Ino?"
"No" Chouji replied, looking away. "She already knew."
Shikamaru sighed.
"Back to the problem at hand!" Temari clapped once. "So I hear you'll be taking the jounin exam, Shikamaru?"
"Whoever told you that, is a liar and should be imprisoned" Shikamaru replied.
"Come on Shika" Chouji groaned. "You know as well as everyone else, that you've qualified to take the Jounin exam years ago" he reasoned.
"Four years, to be exact" Temari clarified, crossing her legs and leaning back in her seat.
"Again, why are you here?" Shikamaru repeated. 'I can see she wasted no time in making herself comfortable' he noted.
"What, a friend can't come and visit?" the Suna Kunoichi feigned hurt. "Or is this get together a 'guys only' thing?" she teased.
"Thinking about it" he grumbled. Temari smirked as Chouji rolled his eyes.
"Here I am, tired after a long trek from home with a message to give your Hokage" Temari began "when I happen to discover that a dear friend of mine, has decided to strike out on his own" she snickered. "Of course, I simply had to drop everything and investi-"
"Hold on a minute" Chouji interrupted.
"Hmm?"
"You're in Konoha on business, then?" Shikamaru sighed. Temari blinked.
"Yeah, why?" she asked.
Shikamaru stared at the woman for a moment, unblinking.
"Quit your scowling" she growled.
"Where are your…. escorts?" Chouji asked, timid.
"Ditched 'em" Temari shrugged. "They're terrible company, you know. No good conversation or anything" she ranted. "It's all 'as you wish Sabakuu-sama' this or 'I live to be of service Temari-sama' that" she sighed, imitating male and female voices respectively.
"You can't just go around leaving them on a whim, Temari" Shikamaru groaned, rubbing his temples. "Now I probably have Anbu all over my house or something" he muttered. "Not to mention I'll have to put off visiting Yuzuki, because some people can't leave me be" he eyed Chouji "or think it's cool to lead Anbu and angry Suna ninja to my door" Temari shrugged.
"I think they're great" Chouji replied, smiling. "To the Hokage's tower, to see him about that Jounin exam, now?" he suggested. Shikamaru scowled at his portly best friend.
"Yeah, let's go" he sighed, languidly standing to his feet and walking to the door, the others followed suit.
Upon opening the door, he came face to face with two Suna ninja (a scowling Kunoichi and smiling male ninja) and an Anbu with their arms crossed.
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at the trio, looked towards Temari who merely shrugged, back to the trio, towards Chouji who also shrugged and then back to the trio.
The Kunoichi's scowl grew more pronounced, as did Shikamaru's. With a stiff bow, she prompted
"I would humbly ask of y-"
"We'll be at the tower" Shikamaru interrupted, abruptly closing the door on the woman.
"Not dealing with this" the Nara muttered, motioning for Chouji and Temari to follow as he leaped from the window Temari had entered from.
"You really dislike the idea of becoming a jounin, that much?" Chouji noted as he and Temari leaped across the rooftops on opposite sides of Shikamaru.
Shikamaru grunted. Chouji nodded in sympathy. Temari was still laughing at the situation.
"Ah, company" Chouji announced, as the three ninja they'd abandoned joined them.
"Was that necessary?" the Anbu asked, sounding more amused than annoyed. The male Suna ninja simply chuckled. The Kunoichi ignored them all, leaping beside Temari.
"So, what do you need?" Chouji asked the Anbu.
"Ah, I just had to help these two find their charge" they answered, nodding towards Temari. "Now that that's been settled, good day" the Anbu vanished in a flurry of leaves.
"Are all Leaf shinobi showoffs, too?" the Suna Kunoichi grumbled to Temari.
"Well-" she began
"Pretty much" Chouji chuckled, as a flurry of leaves settled in the spot Shikamaru was last seen in. "Ah, Shika's gone on ahead of us, then" he gestured in the direction of the tower.
"He ran" Temari muttered. The other Kunoichi smiled.
"Good riddance, the jerk" she offered. Temari rolled her eyes.
"Easy now, Kyo" the heiress warned. "He may be a jerk-"
"But I'd rather you didn't go around insulting my friend" Chouji added, killing intent causing the air around the group to thicken. Kyo and her companion broke into a cold sweat, unconsciously bracing for an attack.
"My companion would like to apologize" the other man replied, no longer smiling. Chouji's eyes narrowed on him. The man gulped.
"Then all is forgiven!" the Akimichi cheered, all tension vanishing in an instant, leaving the two Suna shinobi disoriented.
"Wha-"
"All Konoha shinobi are showoffs, remember?" Temari yawned, unaffected. "He was just messing with you" she assured them. "Well, somewhat" she amended.
Chouji grinned.
"So, your name is Kyo, then?" he asked the Kunoichi, who then cursed.
"Temari-sama" she whined. "I wished to remain anonymous within the village" she droned.
"I'm sorry Kyo" Temari replied, sounding indifferent the entire time. "If it makes you feel better" she pointed at the still unnamed man "his name's Souta" she informed Chouji.
"Souta Kato" the man added.
"A pleasure to meet you" Chouji offered.
"Likewise" the man nodded.
"Well, since I came all the way here" Chouji began, as they reached the tower. "I may as well escort you inside, too" he smiled.
"Lead the way" Temari motioned with her hand.
"So, how can I help you, Shikamaru?" Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage asked. "Any reason to put this paper work off" he motioned to the stacks of paper cluttering his desk "is a welcome change of pace" he sighed.
"Yeah" Shikamaru sighed, scratching at the back of his head. "Some things have come up" he began, searching for the proper way to phrase his request "and, well-"
"Just spit it out!" Minato laughed.
"How do I go about becoming a Jounin?" Shikamaru grumbled.
Minato stared, awed not by the request, but the fact that it came from the unlikeliest of people.
"Well" he grinned sheepishly "you'll either think this is hilariously convenient, or" he trailed off, looking around the room nervously. Shikamaru frowned.
"Or, what?" he prompted. Minato chuckled uncomfortably, causing Shikamaru to narrow his eyes. "Did you arrange something behind my back?" he ventured.
"Now, you see" Minato began, searching for the proper words. "You've been recommended for the Jounin Exam by quite a few people" he informed Shikamaru, stalling.
"And what's so important about that?"
"Funnily enough, you've taken multiple Jounin exams, in the field" Minato stated. Shikamaru blinked. "And passed all of them" he chuckled.
"What?"
"You're a jounin!" Minato cheered. "Congratulations" he added, tossing a book to the still stunned Nara.
"….What?" Shikamaru drawled, absently catching the tome.
"It's your bingo book, of course. Within, you will find the seal required to access the update database. You are required to memorize the list of current missing-nin. You can carry it around and peruse the other entries afterwards if you want, but now that I've given it to you, guess whose name has been added to the raffle for training Genin" the Hokage teased. Shikamaru groaned.
"All I wanted was a way to make a bit more money" he lamented. Minato guffawed.
"I know a great way for you to do that" he smiled. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Stop ignoring those letters the daimyo sends every year, for starters" he smirked.
"You're telling me to become a guard for the Daimyo?" Shikamaru asked, skeptical. Minato shrugged.
"I'm just saying, keep the option in mind" he urged. "If it's you, I wouldn't be surprised if you become one of the twelve guardian ninja" he added, completely honest. "I know Asuma has told you the same thing, but that would be the perfect way to refine your own skills and learn new things along the way. It's practically required" he finished.
"I'm well aware" Shikamaru sighed. "I just don't –" Minato interrupted.
"I'm not saying you have to give me an answer now" he held his hand up for Shikamaru to stop speaking. "Besides, the decision is yours to make, alone" he folded his hands. "On a different note, with your promotion comes a mission, the expected difficulty is said to be A-ranked" his tone serious.
"What are the specifics?" Shikamaru asked, all traces of lethargy gone. Minato nodded towards the door.
"This will be a joint mission with Suna" Minato informed him. "The others should be waiting outside, now" he motioned for Shikamaru to open the door.
As expected, Temari and her two escorts were let in.
"Oh, so you did actually come here?" Temari smirked. Shikamaru slouched.
"I figured they would be the team" he sighed. Temari raised an eyebrow at the remark, and then noticed the book in his hand.
"If you're being told about the mission, I assume you'll also be taking part in it, then?" she deduced. Kyo cursed.
"Ah, excuse me for speaking out of hand" Souta bowed to Minato. "I mean no disrespect to Nara-san or his skills" he began. "However, I was informed that our support from Konoha would consist of a jounin level shinobi" he eyed Shikamaru skeptically. "Fairly recent conversation has lead me to believe that he is of Chuunin rank, the same as myself and Mori-san" he finished.
"Funny story" Shikamaru drawled "I've been recently promoted" he informed the trio. "So, I outrank the two of you, now" he shrugged. Temari grinned.
"Now, was that so difficult?" she teased. Shikamaru sighed again.
"It found a way to be troublesome" he replied. "Now, the mission details?" he prompted.
"Of course" Temari straightened, handing a scroll to Minato. "Roughly five days ago, a team of shinobi defected from our village, taking an extremely important artifact with them, killing several guards and wounding a handful of civilians during their escape" she informed them. "The team currently following them sent a message explaining that they have fled and are currently hiding here, within the Land of Fire."
"Which is where we, or more importantly, I, come in?" Shikamaru asked. Temari nodded. "Wouldn't it make more sense to send someone more proficient in tracking, then?" the Nara asked Minato.
"Your sensory skills are more than adequate"
"Nowhere near the level of any Yamanaka or Hyuuga" Shikamaru remarked.
"While this is true" Minato agreed "they have not requested our assistance in tracking the runaways."
"We already have people for that" Temari answered. "We just need someone to" Shikamaru interrupted.
"Accompany you, to state that you aren't trespassing, as well as not die, should the encounter with your missing-nin turn ugly" he filled in. "I've been given an escort mission, then" he summed up. "This'll be…. troublesome" he drily stated.
"In a nutshell" Temari shrugged.
"Very well then" Minato nodded to the four ninja. "You all leave within the hour, I presume?" he asked, looking towards Temari.
"The sooner the better" she confirmed.
"Then you are all dismissed" he declared. "Good luck."
A.N - Issues with the content, writing style, character portrayal? Let me know. Leave a review, comment, send a PM. Hell, I'll take the flames if it means that people are reading to the end of the chapters.