Chapter 2: Wind Comes and Goes

A/N Flashbacks are done in Italics so are thoughts

"Five more minutes dad. That's all. Five minutes." Asuma begged already tucked into his bed.

Shikamaru sighed a grin on his face. Fine five minutes then your going to sleep, alright?"

Asuma nodded obediently. "So he toppled the Sound Village by himself?"

Shikamaru shook his head, "Not exactly. Remember how I was telling you about Naruto's kage bunshin and how he utilizes it so effectively?"

Asuma nodded not quite understanding the look of concentration on his father's face.

"Naruto had adapted his huge chakra reserves and ability to perform kage bunshin to become a one man army. He used senjutsu- the technique he used to defeat Pein- to coordinate an all out attack. An incredible ability. He had himself seated at the edge of the battlefield protected by a single squad consisting of Neji, Lee, Temari, and Sakura. Then he went unconscious. And he coordinated the attack of his clones by transferring the information each clone learned to the others providing all the attackers with a huge amount of information on geography, enemies, and placement of other clones. He massacred the Sound Village. He said he didn't want their to be anyone left to feel angry. But in a single night he alone took thousands of lives. Their were no casualties for Konoha and no Kohona ninja participated in the battle beside himself."

Asuma gripped his sheets partly in amazement partly in fear. He hadn't imagined that amount of power possible.

Shikamaru wondered if he had gone to far in his description. A nine year old isn't meant to hear such things even if I did leave out the gory detail.

The truth was somewhat more devastating than Shikamaru had made it out to be. He had planned the attack on the Sound Village alone with Naruto. Tsunade and the other countries were coordinating an attack of their own but Naruto felt that too many lives would be lost that way and asked for Shikamaru's help. Needless to say Shikamaru did the planning and Naruto made preparations for the attack. Shikamaru had asked Neji and the others to protect Naruto and had barely gotten away with going behind the blonde's back.

When the allied village leader's inspected the Sound to see the efficiency of Naruto's job they dropped their complaints over the attack. Naruto had in one blow instilled fear into the elemental nations who now understood that their was now a standing army ready to step in and destroy any aggressive nation. He had become the entity Pein had wanted to create without knowing it. Or maybe he did.

"Naruto disappeared almost immediately after the other countries accepted the victory. He was on a simple diplomatic mission but he never turned up for the meeting. He had already finished his main mission and established the peace that Pein had desired. Even now after Naruto has been gone for ten years there is no threat of conflict between the nations. Crime still exists but the size of each countries military has declined year by year."

Shikamaru who had been perched on the end of Asuma's bed stood up.

"Dad has any one heard from Naruto since he left? Has anyone seen him?"

Shikamaru turned of the light so that Asuma wasn't able to see his frown. "No. He isn't within the elemental nations and the fact that we don't communicate with the west or the north make it impossible for us to know whats happened to him."

"Now," Shikamaru began breaking the mood that had been built up, " it's time for you to go to bed alright? You have class tomorrow."

It was dark, pitch black. Night had crept upon them as they were lost in the story of Naruto. Shikamaru watched his son for a few moments making sure Asuma breathed steadily. Asuma had been curious Shikamaru could tell that much easily. But Asuma was a patient child and acknowledged the difficulty his father faced reciting the events as he remembered them. Not even Shikamaru could look back on the events of the past with pride.

Shikamaru had thought of Naruto occasionally in the last decade. But with a son so soon after Naruto had left much of his curiosity towards Naruto's disappearance and his worry for his friend had left him. As Asuma had grown up he had thought of the one man army regularly but it wasn't any thing speculative or particularly sophisticated. Mainly when he thought of Naruto it was because something triggered his memory and a comparison between Naruto and someone else seemed fitting. Yet recent events had brought Naruto back, no, not physically, but his presence was something regularly felt. Shikamaru couldn't explain why this was. He supposed it had something to do with age; he was now the same age as Asuma when he had died.

The feeling quickly wore off when he realized Temari would not be awake. She had bought something from a lingerie store at Ino's suggestion, and while normally Ino's insistence on meddling with his life bugged him he was deeply satisfied when he found out what Temari had bought. She had blushed when she showed him which made him even more satisfied. At the moment however that would have to wait. As soon as Shikamaru stepped outside the presence of Naruto came back to him. Shikamaru acknowledged the reasoning at once. Naruto and he had shared an amusing habit in common. On nights when something was bothering them they would stroll around the village. At least Naruto used to Shikamaru corrected himself.

Everything was a memento of the past. Asuma in spite of everything he had heard over the past day still didn't know his namesake. The youth of the new generation was a reminder an older generations youth. Yet he was alone in recognizing the connections. Shikamaru sighed, no one seemed to know anything. Naruto had left the village in peace through his perseverance against hatred. Pain had entrusted this world to Naruto and Naruto had taken the responsibility as his only duty. A teenager has willingly sacrificed his freedom for the protection of both his friends and enemies.

Shikamaru followed the dirt path from his walkway. He was no longer alone he was with the night. He was with the darkness that countless humans had enter from and disappeared into since the dawn of time.

"I never really knew the man who had saved this village." Shikamaru paused his walk and stroked his jaw. Since as long as he could remember Shikamaru had no destination he simply went the way that seemed the easiest.

But at the moment he did have a destination. It was a small broken apartment in a rundown neighborhood. On the walls of the outside of the house people had written what they had thought of the former inhabitant. Shikimaru ignored the graffiti and reached for the door handle but as he did the door was pushed open by a warm gust. Shikamaru stepped into the apartment it was a wreck filled with broken glass, dirt, and grime. It was obvious from the state of things that no one dared come here. Save perhaps the rare child dared by his friends.

"The inside of the house has been as destroyed an the inside of Naruto." The words that seemed to have escaped on their own had a crippling effect on Shikamaru who felt as though someone had taken a swing at him." He didn't have the right to say that. He hadn't known Naruto well enough to be able to tell how he handled the insane circumstances he live with.

Shikamaru stepped over broken furniture as he moved from room to room. All of which had been destroyed completely except for the one he found last. Naruto's bedroom was very much out of place; it was well kept, the glass on the windows had been replaced, his bed was made, and a flower rested by his bed side. The room was clean. Someone had been in Naruto's room not long ago.

Shikamaru moved to Naruto's nightstand. There was a framed picture of team 7 that had been placed face down, besides which were a series of unopened letters. He tentatively flipped them over. The Hyuuga seal which had been looking for was there on all the letters. Predictably Hinata. It was a known secret that Hinata still loved Naruto.

The jounin sat down on the bed and looked out the window. The moon and the clouds still positioned in the sky. So similar to the night he and Chouji had sat on the roof and watched the night blossom into the infinite heavens. Engrossed by memories Shikamaru lay back on the bed and let his eyelids sink. A crazy desperation for the past scratched at the back of his mind caged by reality, trapped the desire moved on.

He slipped out of the house with a strong desire to run. Anywhere. "Naruto," Shikamaru began, looking up at the starry sky; fatigue weighing heavily upon him, "you know I've always been lazy. I've never had a dream to stride towards or goal to struggle for. Its held me back from accomplishing so much. But if I could help you make your dream a reality I would. For your sake and Asuma's."

The sky now nearly void of cloud cover looked remarkably beautiful. It was nearing midnight and while dark the open world was brighter than the average room with artificial light. Passing rows and rows of dark windows Shikamaru questioned his desire to visit Naruto's old home. Again he let his thoughts wander.

With the elemental countries disarming -admittedly slowly- countries were becoming less military factions and more economic powerhouses. With the death toll for ninjas at an all time low and inventions spurring development there were rumors that the ninja world was becoming a relic of the past. Naruto had done in a few years what past Kages had failed to accomplish in generations. The new ninja of Konoha knew precious little of their country's bloody history or the heroes created in times of war. What the ninja knew was the basics wars had been fought and Kages had risen and fallen. Yet there was a naivety at the ex pence of those who had died and those who had suffered, an innocence. Was it a good thing? Shikamaru couldn't say. What he could say was that Naruto had left a wake in his path but no one knew what would become of it.

Shikamaru focused back on the road. He had been here with Naruto once, what felt like ages ago. When neither of them could sleep and their boyish intolerance of emotion had dissolved under the weight of weariness.

"Hey Shikamaru. You ever think of taking on a genin team?"

Shikamaru laughed, "Are you kidding Naruto? I'm only 17 and I've only been a jounin for a couple months. What do you?"

"Yeah." Naruto was looking up at the clouds as they walked to the Hokage's tower.

Shikamaru smirked. "You think they'd let you lead a team? Hehehe. Sure buddy keep dreaming. The Hokage is not going to give the village's greatest warrior a team when he can barely remember to brush his teeth every night."

Naruto laughed ignoring the insult as only he could. "Your probably right. I guess I'm too immature to take on a team."

The two walked in silence for a few more minutes.

"But- But I think it would be awesome to be able to raise a team. I've been thinking about how much I've been influenced by Jiraiya and Kakashi and it's kind of crazy. Jiraiya really lives on in me. His techniques, his ideas, his beliefs. When you take on a genin team your given responsibility but your also given a way to latch onto the village so that if you go you're not really gone. And I've been thinking a lot about how much-." Naruto shut his mouth abruptly. His eyes seemed to quake in their sockets as he scanned the sky as if studying some ancient scroll.

"How much what Naruto?"

Naruto turned to Shikamaru, smiled sadly and said nothing. But he didn't have to. Shikamaru had already figured out the puzzle, and even without the final piece he knew what it looked like. And so Shikamaru finished the sentence in an inaudible whisper. "... time I've got left."

"You were right to wonder Naruto. You didn't have much time left Naruto." Shikamaru acknowledged regrettably.

I'm a little flabergasted how well this turned out. At least I think it turned out well. I re-wrote the chapter and edited the content a couple times. It was a ton of work which is why it hasn't taken so long to get out. Tell me what you think.