Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing pertaining to this story and hope others will take inspiration from this work to pursue their own stories for me to enjoy.
Chapter One - Prologue - Late Night Visit
Yoshino was smiling. Beaming in fact. All towards their son. She was always a diligent woman who liked getting things done. Worked hard when she was still a ninja and was prompt in her promotion to chunin shortly after she left the academy. Shikaku was more than certain she would have been a jounin by now if she didn't choose to become the matron of his household.
Even then it was a choice that still stumped him. He wouldn't mind if she was still active. Would have preferred it too as it would get her out of the house for a bit.
It would be nice to try and connect with Shikamaru a little.
His son was only five years old yet…
"Oh you're such a good boy Shikamaru. Helping Mommy with the dishes. Do you want some desert afterwards?"
His son barely shook his head. So fixated on the plate in his hands as he scrubbed it methodically in a clockwise motion. There was a murmur, something audible enough to placate his mother. Not that Yoshino would expect anything else. Shikamaru would rather eat tofu and renkon than confections or frozen treats. Birthdays so far had been difficult when he looked at the cake like it was made of poison.
"What about some fruit? I know you like peaches and I bought some at the market today."
Once more he shook his head. Shikamaru set the last plate onto the rack before drying his hands. Then proceeded to wrap and store all the leftovers neatly into containers before placing them into the fridge. Yoshino would put them in his lunch for tomorrow leaving her time to sleep in. Such a thing was strange for them. At least, it used to be. Yoshino would only cook enough for dinner and made sure they finished off what was left. It was Shikamaru that started storing them without any prompting.
At three years old it was a bit bizarre.
"Dear? Why are you just sitting around? You could help too, you know." Yoshino scolded.
Shikaku eyed the clock. It was almost eight. Any time now their guest would arrive. He didn't want to deal with anything else right now. Rather, he wanted to sit and watch Shikamaru. Just soak in his son's unresponsive demeanor. There was something calming about it. Something he couldn't understand. Perhaps a feeling that was best discussed with someone...but even then he doubted anyone of his friends could understand having a son like Shikamaru.
'Fugaku might,' he mused, not taking such thoughts seriously enough to act on them. He would understand but probably would find any levity in it. The man had become more closed off than before. The present circumstances of the village are undoubtedly a reason for it. Anything less than a professional meeting would be acceptable. By the head Uchiha and by his soon to be guest.
"Shikaku are you listening to-eep!"
Yoshino yelped. She turned too fast and knocked over a vase on the counter. One that was given to them by Inoichi's wife, Ume, gave to them. An expensive one that had been in their family for a generation. It happened too fast for him to react. Even more so that he was sitting at the table on the other side of the room.
The height of the counter was three meters. The vase with water and flowers likely weighed 8 pounds. Gravity was a constant 9.8m/s2. Initial velocity was hard to calculate based on visual cues but it was not greater than 1m/s. Time it would take the very fragile porcelain vase to shatter on the ground was roughly 0.78 seconds. Something only a ninja with years of experience and reflexes could catch.
Yet Shikamaru, with neither one of those things, did.
Standing several feet away his son spun around. Hands already formed together, shadow already stretching across the floor, shooting up into a black claw shape and grasping the vase before it reached the ground. Slowly, as silence reigned in the room at this casual display of skill was the vase lifted up and gently placed back onto the counter by the shadow.
"Amazing Shikamaru-chan!" Yoshino cooed. Her exuberance at their son's aptitude for the clan jutsu to be a sign of his brilliance.
Brilliant. He undoubtedly was.
More so than any other member of the clan in living and written memory. There was talk that Shikamaru could graduate early. Within his first year when he started next spring. It was a bit shocking to think his own son could potentially be thrown out into the world when other kids his age were playing with toys and learning to read. He could be proud of that. Would have preferred it too if it meant his son would stay a child for as long as possible.
Shikaku Nara wished wholeheartedly that his son wouldn't face the horrors of the shinobi world before it was too late.
Shikamaru's head tilted as his wife kissed his cheek. "I'm going to go read."
"Okay, I'll bring you some sliced peaches later then."
The moment Shikamaru left the room his wife's switch flipped. How easy it is to not look at the love of your life in the eyes when her's could melt through steel. Sure it was her standard look ninety percent of the time but that didn't make it easier for him to deal with. Arguments with her were like shogi but all his pieces were pawns. Winnable but not without considerable effort, planning and strategy.
Three variables he never could muster up after coming home from his work.
Sadly, he would have to tonight.
"Shikaku! You've been sitting there for hours doing nothing! What's the matter with you?"
On a typical day he could complain about work or tell her about some terrible mission or, the majority of the time just cow his head and apologise. How could he say this without getting her killed? Without raising the village to the ground with her association of mothers? She would do it too. The Hokage had nothing on her.
That's why he loved her.
"Yoshino," he started, standing up. He walked up to her silently, trying to convey his struggles without killing her. "I need to tell you something."
She was startled. Her intuition picked up his mood. "S-Shikaku?"
His eyes bore into hers. Hoping they would convey that pain. "Lord Danzo will be coming here soon. He didn't say why but...Shikamaru is talented and…"
Like a kunai to his stomach he could see the terror explode onto his wife as she realized what he was inferring. "You mean...No. No, I won't allow it. I won't!" She was about to run out, most likely to do something dangerous so he grabbed her arms. "Let go of me Shikaku! You hid this from me! You didn't say a word of it until now! You can't Shikaku! Not him! Not my baby!" She was breaking down into tears. Her body, trembling and shaking. He knew if let go now she would most likely grab Shikamaru and run away.
Most likely for good.
"I swear I won't," he said. "I'll do everything I can to prevent it. I'll beg the Hokage if I have to." His own words seemed to do little to change her breakdown and he couldn't blame her when he himself doubted his chances of success.
When Lord Danzo wanted something he typically got it.
As the second-in-command of the village his word was basically on par with the Hokage himself. A man who took on anyone who he saw had potential to become one of his soldiers on his crusade to make the Leaf Village the sole superpower in the world. No matter their age nor their preference to even becoming a shinobi. It didn't matter to Danzo Shimura.
"Promise me...Promise me Shikaku!" She sobbed as her nails dug into his arms. "Promise me that monster won't take my baby away from me!"
He pulled her in against his chest, holding her tightly. Repeating over and over again that he wouldn't give Shikamaru up. "I swear. I'll use every bit of power I have. No matter what." He lifted her chin up, sealing the promise with a deep kiss. Yoshino's shaking started to settle following it.
*KNOCK! KNOCK!*
Unfortunately that time was now.
Shikaku let out a dull sigh. Holding his wife for a few moments longer. This was not going to be an easy conversation. But it would be a conversation. Shikaku wouldn't let Danzo dictate to him what his son's future would be. Depending how tonight went he may be the one who takes Shikamaru and runs.
A last resort if ever there was one.
His wife stood behind him as they opened the door. Like their worst imaginations Lord Danzo stood there in all his cold stoicism. Half his body covered in bandages and a firm grip on his cane. The man walked around like he was the most handsome man in the world. Such debilitating injuries would have sent a lesser man into a depressed spiral.
At his sides were his bodyguards. He eyed them, standing silently and motionless. Like their bodies were just going through the motions. Dangerous men that made Shikaku glad they were part of the Leaf village. He wouldn't berate them for a lack of skill. All members of the Foundation were skilled.
It was everything else that made him so vehemently against Shikamaru joining.
Yoshino held the back of his arm, squeezing it uncomfortably.
"Lord Danzo, good evening," Shikaku greeted, bowing his head. "Please, welcome to our home."
"That will not be necessary. Let's make this as short as possible. Have your son meet me tomorrow at my residence. The Foundation will begin his training immediately to start harnessing his true potential."
There it was.
The hammer dropped on their heads without any chance for recourse.
Yoshino's nails drew blood.
"I'm sorry Lord Danzo but I won't allow Shikamaru to join your Root Anbu."
There was a jerk from his bodyguards. Loyalty ingrained into them as part of their training. A moment of doubt as to whether they would attack or not crossed his mind. Such a thing was unthinkable but...A true shinobi was prepared for all eventualities.
Danzo stood for a moment. His lone eye narrowing dangerously at his bold declaration. "I don't need to tell you, of all people, that this is not a request, it's an order."
He didn't reply. Just held the war hawk's gaze and stood his ground. The Nara clan may not be the most prominent in the village nor the strongest but they wouldn't back down when one of their herd was being threatened. Such was their way.
"Honey, why don't you go get those peach slices for Shikamaru. Allow me to entertain our guests. I'll come by after and tuck Shikamaru in."
She was clearly reluctant but knowing Shikamaru would need one of them close by, Yoshino agreed. Stepping quickly to go find their son. If something did happen tonight then he would feel more at ease with her nearby. Honestly, he knew his wife and son would be better off without him. Even if he died they would be alright so long as they had each other.
Before then he would shut this cold hearted man down.
"If I have to go appeal to the Hokage, then I will," Shikaku threatened. "I will stake the reputation of my clan on this."
"Hmm, perhaps I will take you up on your hospitality then. Let us discuss this and I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement."
Shikaku nodded, gesturing him to follow. They moved to his sitting room where he typically played shogi. A place where he felt comfortable and effectively more confident. It wouldn't actually give him any discernible advantage but a mental shift in the battlefield could affect the outcome. This was his home turf. His castle where he was a Gold General.
He would play this out to protect Shikamaru.
Taking his spot on his favourite cushion, Danzo similarly did with the other adjacent to him. The two guards knelt, one of their fists planted on the floor and heads lowered. Like lap dogs that would spring up at a moment's notice at the beck and call of their owner. It was difficult at times seeing such an archaic devotion to a single person.
Sure, most held such a feeling for the Hokage, but that was spread out to include the village and its people. Shikaku had seen all too often the ever increasing demands and sacrifices required of all shinobi of the village since the Nine Tails attack five years ago and the tragic death of the Fourth Hokage. Much of the village's systems and structures had been updated. Updated, being a term to describe some questionable activity by some of the elders.
Not that he could do anything about it without compromising the stability of the entire village.
But keeping his son from becoming a tin soldier wasn't a matter that would compromise the village. This was just a whim of an old man who never had children of his own and had no problem sacrificing others if it meant the village was strong.
"I'll be up front about this Lord Danzo, my son hasn't even joined the academy yet. So I don't see how you can order me to give him up when he isn't under your jurisdiction."
"No but each clan must do it's part to support the village. Everyone that possesses a forbidden jutsu must submit a candidate. Even the Uchiha and the Yamanaka clan has sent someone to enlist. Foregoing the fact he is your son, every report i've received has told of a prodigy unlike any other before him. Such a recruit, with proper guidance could become invaluable to the Hidden Leaf."
Shikaku frowned. Something wasn't adding up and it didn't take a genius to see the glaring hole in Danzo's reasoning. "Yes, as you say, but didn't we of the Nara clan already send you a candidate? Is Shumo not a member of the Foundation still?"
"That is true. Sadly he wasn't able to make it through the training. His first mission ended in his death." Danzo replied monotonously. "He had potential but it wasn't enough to meet our standards. That is why I'm ordering for the Nara clan to submit a new candidate."
"So you get one of our members killed and now you want me to just hand over my son! You think that gives you the right to order me!" This was unbelievable. The gall of him to ask for such a thing when one of his family was dead! He would go to the Hokage about this without a doubt!
Danzo was unfazed by his outburst. Even chiding him for it. "There is no need for such an emotional outburst, Shikaku. It's unbecoming of someone of your rank. You don't seem to understand the potential your son has. I dare say it's greater than any shinobi this village has ever seen. He could someday become someone who becomes a pillar that supports the great tree."
"Shikamaru is not some tool for you to use!"
"I beg to differ. He's more talented than you know, it seems. So why don't we ask him personally." The old bastard's head turned towards the door. On the other side was the shadowed outline of his son. He slid open the door revealing himself holding a plate of peach slices.
"Shikamaru…"
"Dad," his son acknowledged. Shikamaru always seemed so disinterested in anything around him. He never cried or yelled. Never argued with his mother or through tantrums when something was unfair. Yet, he was also diligent and took direction well. More discipline than he had as a child. So besides learning about ninja abilities and reading he would assume his son was the most apathetic person on the planet.
Shikmaru took a bite out of a peach slice as he strode across the room, cutting in front of both sides. He sat against the wall, lazily leaning while he pulled out a scroll from his little pouch. "Mom seems upset. I was going to advise you to up your usual ass kissing to apologize," his black eyes shifted to their guests, "but it seems you're not totally at fault this time."
A little caught off guard, Shikaku coughed, trying to brush off how casually his son talked about his routine with Yoshino. He had to hand it to his son, he could command a room and seemed to ignore tense situations like bad lectures. If he wasn't a cute kid most have called it having a bad personality or just not giving a shit.
"Shikamaru, let me introduce you to-"
"-Danzo Shimura. Leader of the Foundation and the Root Anbu. Ya, I'm aware of who he is."
"Shikamaru?" More than a little shocked, he saw that Danzo was smiling at this sudden revelation. There was something he was missing. His son was brilliant, true, but Danzo's role was ambiguous in the village. Mainly to those who weren't at least a jounin in rank. Most just thought him to be an influential elder with a high degree of authority. His role within the village hierarchy with his separate branch of ninja wasn't known.
"Impressive, child. I assume you know why I'm here then. Starting tomorrow you will begin your training to be part of the Leaf villages prominent Anbu forces. "
His son looked at the aged ninja for a moment, his tiny eyebrows quirking up. He then turned back to face him with a look of disappointment in his eyes. What followed could only be described as a child's willful ignorance. The old saying that children will say the darndest things because they didn't know any better came to mind. There was no build up. No hesitation. Just plain and direct words.
Shimamaru hooked his thumb. "Ya see dad this is what happens when you leave food out. The vermin come in and infest the place."
Danzo's mood shifted from mild amusement back to his cold demeanor. Any patience the man had looked like it evaporated with his son's insult.
"Do not be so conceited in thinking you have power, boy. You may have learned the Fourth Hokage's Jutsu but it doesn't mean you have any choice in this matter. I'll be sure to discipline that tongue of yours first."
'Fourth Hokage's Jutsu?'
Shikamaru didn't even flinch as Danzo's bodyguards looked ready to haul him away. In fact he just smiled. "There is no need for such an emotional outburst, Danzo. It's unbecoming of someone of your rank. I can see you don't practice what you preach huh? Two faced and a hypocrite. No wonder the Second Hokage didn't pick you as his successor. At least the Third tries to stand by his ideals, whether you agree with them or not."
Gaping. Shikaku's mouth hung open as he watched on wordlessly as his five year old son just insulted the sixty year old veteran with the most shameless display of ironic rhetoric that Danzo liked to spew out. To his son's credit the man looked like he was ready to explode. His guards already had their hands on their swords.
"But it's ironic that you mention my tongue. You see I met a guy not not long ago who had a strange seal on his. Quite the doozy to figure out but I was persistent…well, I guess you can have this back."
From behind his back Shikamaru pulled out a white face mask. Red and green markings on its sleek exterior. With a loud thud, his son tossed it in front of Danzo.
All four of them stilled.
Staring wide eyed at the boy who was having difficulty eating because the peach slices were a little too thick for his baby teeth.
Then, as if to deny Danzo a chance to comment, his son ripped off a piece of the scroll he was reading. On the back he began to write something down. Shikaku couldn't see what it was. Hell, he was trying to wrap his head around all of this. As far as he could pick up from the conversation and the events unfolding in front of him this was what happened;
'Danzo's Root Anbu had been watching Shikamaru. They reported and saw him perform a jutsu that the Fourth Hokage used. Shikamaru caught on to them and captured one. He then managed to remove the curse seal that kept the Foundation members from revealing secrets of the organization. Now Shikamaru is aware of just what role Danzo plays in the village.'
His speculation on this seemed too extreme to believe. Yet, taken altogether it was the only logical explanation. Shikamaru's skill with their hidden jutsu already rivaled many of the chunin in the Nara clan. It was like he was born capable of doing it. That was a key reason why many of the members were so keen on protecting him.
Such skill invited conflict.
"Here, just in case you thought I was bluffing," Shikamaru said, passing the slip of paper.
Danzo's eye cast it's gaze upon it for only a moment before crumpling in up. The man looked blood thirsty now. Forget his bodyguards, the Nara head thought the village's second-in-command was going to kill his child with his one arm good arm. Never in the years he had been a shinobi had he ever seen such a look of intense hatred on Danzo's face. As far as Shikaku knew the man was born with a face of stoicism.
"I'm assuming you killed one of my men then? Killing a Leaf shinobi is a crime of the highest order! You know I can have you executed for that!"
"Wait! You can't just decide that!" Shikaku yelled, realizing that was something that even the Hokage would have a hard time pardoning.
"I can! This has turned into Foundation business! What you want now doesn't matter anymore Shikaku! Get in our way and you'll face the same!"
Panicking rising now as weapons were being drawn. He moved to use his Shadow Possession Jutsu to hold them while his son ran. He could use them to strike Danzo from behind, forcing them to withdraw to get him medical help. If the Foundation were out for blood then they would most likely get it. If he had to sacrifice himself to save Shikamaru then so be it.
"Just relax Dad. I'm not going anywhere."
He froze. His body didn't respond as he felt something grip his body. A familiar tug at his feet came from across the room. Shadows shooting out like threads from where his son sat. It was the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu. Without hand signs his son had locked him and their three aggressors to their spots.
"You didn't let me finish Danzo. I didn't kill your guy. Even if I did, you don't really care one whit about it. He was watching me on our clan's territorial boundaries. When I captured him I thought he was a spy so I wanted answers from him. After he got loose, he slipped and fell off a cliff." Shikamaru's smile turned from cute to smug. Mocking Danzo once again for his hubris. "I'm sure he had a ton of potential too, but I guess it was another matter of someone not meeting your standards, right? So what does it matter?"
His son stood up. Standing as tall as one could for his age as he stood in front of the Foundation Leader. The shadows wrapping around his tiny legs like they were alive. With his left hand he gripped Danzo's dark hair.
"Let me get this through your thick skull of yours. I'm not as tolerant as the Third Hokage. I don't care about your position or your authority. That goes double for your fancy eye and the cells you have grafted to your body. If you cross me or my family, you'll find every bit of information I gathered on you and your little band of traitors morons on every street corner in every town within the Land of Fire. Forget your ambition of becoming Hokage. You'll be lucky not to have your head in a box by sundown."
Shikamaru held his other hand out. His palm flat as chakra surged. In the center was a tiny sphere. Only larger than a marble by a few inches. Despite being a far reach from its normal size the glow and intensity made it no less intimidating. Probably even more so as Shikamaru held it up to Danzo's visible eye.
"Don't take my threat lightly. I'm half tempted to release it all regardless of the fallout. Call it my naivety for being a decent human being. So tread carefully, because I will be watching. You may live in shadows and darkness but I actually control them. So much as look at someone I care about wrong and I will personally make you eat this. Do you understand?"
The constriction on the jutsu loosened enough for them to move slightly. Their feet were still firmly stuck. Shikaku watched with awe as Danzo's guards lowered their weapons, not willing to risk his son's threat.
Danzo's face tightened. Teeth grinding together to the point where his response was bit out with the utmost venom. "I...I understand. You're free to do as you wish."
"Good." Shikmaru said, lowering his tiny Rasengan. "Now leave and never haunt us with your presence again. Don't consider that a request but an order." He added, throwing in one last insult.
Wordlessly they complied. Danzo's bodyguards gripped their masters' shoulders. Flickering away with such speed it may have set a record for running away. They were gone. Like a bad dream.
Yet, it happened.
The candles had gone out, leaving the two of them in darkness. Only the glow of the moon casting any light. Shikaku stared at his son's back, trying to muster up something to say. What could he say? How should he feel? He was someone who prided himself on staying calm and collected no matter what. That was the bare minimum requirement for a battlefield commander. It's what his comrades needed to turn to when things went to hell.
But he floundered. His emotions got the better of him because he was trying to protect his family. Danzo had him dead to rights and nothing less than a political upheaval with the Hokage could have changed the outcome. Something he doubted would have worked regardless of his position.
Yet Shikamaru stopped Danzo cold.
His son was still an infant. Someone who managed to succeed in this impossible situation because of his unnatural gifts. Shikamaru looked down onto the Shinobi of darkness and scoffed. With prestigious skill that was anything but an idle threat that would threaten to unravel a lifetime of what Danzo achieved.
Shikamaru found the man's weakness and exploited it.
Like a real shinobi.
Shikaku should have been proud of this. Happy that his family wouldn't fall apart. Relieved that this had an outcome which could be seen as remotely amicable.
He did feel all of those and then some.
Yet, a small part of Shikaku Nara, war veterna and Jounin Commander, felt fear. Fear of his own child. He didn't know where it came from. Deep inside his stomach every instinct he had made him afraid.
"You should go see mom. Tell her you managed to convince Danzo to back off."
"Ah...that's...for the best."
Shikamaru reached into his pouch, pulling out a small sealed container. He scooped up all the remaining peaches and placed them inside. They were held out towards him. An expecting look on his son's face.
"Leftovers. For your lunch tomorrow."
"Ah," he grunted, trying to form words. His own speculations and quandaries of what he just witnessed still etched into his mind.
"I'm going to bed now. Night Dad."
Forcing up his courage he managed to ask one question. A question he never asked his son with such interest. Why would he when Shikamaru was so young?
"Shikamaru. Do you want to become a shinobi?"
His son paused at the threshold. Frowning for a moment before turning to face him.
"I'd rather not. I'm not too keen on becoming a soldier. In this and every other world it will always be those with money who have the final say. The Will of Fire doesn't keep our economy running and it's people fed. So this may not be what you want to hear but I'd rather become wealthy and retire before I turn thirteen." The faintest of smiles graced Shikmaru's lips. "Any other job seems like such a drag."
As the door slid shut it left Shikaku with another sense of disbelief. To show such unbelievable potential then to say it he would rather do nothing with it because doing so would be a pain in the ass. Yes, that much he understood. He had thought so strongly that he was like his mother.
Diligent and determined to work hard.
It turns out the two of them were more alike afterall.