Authors note: Hi guys!
It's been a while because I am trying to do a chapter of each story. Plus real life has been a nightmare.
Anyway, I think I owe you all an apology, this story is so much world-building... I promise more action next chapter! Fights, missions, explosions, all of it.
Also, I keep trying to add more spacing between paragraphs, but they always vanish when I save it on here!
Thank you for reading!
-
Shikamaru groaned as she was dragged from her sleep. Typical. The first night she had got proper REM sleep without her old man cuddling her, and the alarm goes off at sunrise. She tugged her spare pillow up to cover her face. It was too early, and she'd gone to bed late last night, thanks to dinner with Kiba… Kiba. Now that's a whole bunch of thoughts. Shikamaru pulled the pillow to the side and stared up at her ceiling. The cool air brought the scent of damp earth and rain to swirl through her room. The pale light from the rising sun cast shadows in shades of grey across her ceiling.
Feeling faintly disconnected from emotion in the face of the quiet morning, Shikamaru reflected back on last night's antics. If she was honest, the very early morning was her favourite time of the day to reflect and compartmentalize the days before. With the issues due to the Nara clan's affiliation to the shadows, yin chakra, and the sleeping problems; most of her kinsman had a period of wakefulness in the early hours. That moment of time was emotionless. Everything became critical and reduced to facts. Shikamaru sighed again, last night had been a drag. Turns out that the BBQ place she and Kiba went to, was where the Ino-Shika-Cho family dinner was taking place…
Shikamaru and Kiba had been quite happy to exchange taijutsu tips and swap training stories as they arrived at the restaurant. In fact, Kiba had been in the middle of a hilarious anecdote about a training session that sent him flying into a local farmers pigsty when a high-pitched voice cut across him.
"Shikamaru!? Ditch the mutt and come join us!" The demand was made in the most grating of tones, causing Shikamaru to grit her teeth as she faced the infuriating owner of the voice. There sat Ino, smirking at her from her seat between her parents. Gods above, Shikamaru wanted to slap the condescension of Ino's pretty face. How rude of her, to call Kiba a mutt! Clan wars had been started over less. Luckily, it seemed that Uncle Inoichi had a similar thought, from the grimace across his face.
"Ino! Apologize to Inuzuka-kun. You weren't raised to be rude to others." Inoichi's smooth voice was filled with disappointment, which in turned filled Shikamaru with malicious glee. It was good to hear Ino be put in her place by her father. All too often, he coddled Ino, she was his little princess who could do nothing wrong. Shikamaru smirked darkly as a humiliated flush crossed Ino's face, oh karma was a bitch. Shikamaru's attention was drawn back to Inoichi as he apologized to Kiba on behalf of his heiress. He was definitely sincere in his apology, which means he wasn't chiding Ino for appearance's sake. Kiba agreeing with something, dragged her focus back to the verbal conversation.
"If you're sure, Yamanaka-sama. Shikamaru-chan and I are happy to get our own table instead." Kiba's voice was respectful but had a touch of frustration threaded through it. Clearly, he really didn't want to do whatever he had agreed to; but manners told him he couldn't decline the offer. Kiba thanked the waitress who added more chairs to the busy table before he dropped into the chair next to the older blond at the table. Shikamaru shot a shy smile at her father, before turning an amused gaze on the uncomfortable boy sat between her and Inoichi. She muffled a giggle as Inoichi shot her a sneaky wink over the top of Kiba's head; before asking what brought the two of them here.
Shikamaru tilted her head and watched as Kiba flushed a bright red and squirmed in his seat. She raised an eyebrow as Kiba glanced at her and stuttered an answer under his breath. Shikamaru mused distantly in the back of her mind that if the positions were reversed, she would be extremely embarrassed. However, watching it happen to someone…now that was highly entertaining. Still, if there could have been no Ino sitting there, watching with sharp eyes, it would have been better. A gleam of glee in the teal orbs, as she delighted in the new gossip she was gathering. Rolling her eyes at Ino, Shikamaru turned to ask Chouji how he was doing. Shikamaru's eyes softened as Chouji's face lit up as she spoke to him. Listening to him ramble on about his new training, new flavours of crisps he had tried, and the antics of his cousins; Shikamaru had to admit to herself she missed spending hours watching the clouds and eating with Chouji. Shikamaru opened her mouth to reply to what Chouji was saying, very aware of the happy gazes from her parents and the other adults at the table when Kiba finally exploded with something she hadn't expected.
"We are on a date, alright!? I wanted to take Shika out for dinner. Now, will you please stop asking me?" Kiba's voice was harsh, filled with frustration and humiliation. Clearly, he hadn't wanted to admit that to the table. Shikamaru knew why he wouldn't want to admit it too, especially when the table went quiet and the air cooled as everyone fixed hard eyes on him. Shikamaru swallowed harshly as her father's eyes flicked between her and the feral boy next to her. She prayed to anyone listening that they let it go, and no one felt the need to say anything.
Shikamaru groaned and dragged a hand down her face. Luckily someone must have been listening, as her old man just hummed thoughtfully and changed the subject. Still, how was she going to deal with this? She liked Kiba, sure, but she wasn't interested in dating yet. She also hadn't predicted that outburst from him, nor the biting comments from the rest of team 10. Ino's issue was clear, she was jealous of not being the center of attention. Chouji, on the other hand, his comments really threw her off her game. None aimed at her of course, but still, they were clearly aimed to cut. Kiba's face was a mix of confusion and anger, but he held his tongue, keeping his composure. She'd have to talk to him today.
Sighing, Shikamaru rolled out of bed with a thump, shuffling to her bathroom. Plan for today, library to work on the project for Kakashi, some training and maybe she'd hunt Chouji down in the evening. Smiling slightly at the possibility of a good evening stargazing with an old friend, Shika got herself ready for the day and headed down towards the muffled sounds of her parents. From the smells that were drifting out of the kitchen, it seemed like today was a western breakfast. Apparently, her parents were in a celebratory mood. Strange, she wondered what they were celebrating.
Sure enough, the spread on the table was not their normal breakfast food. It's heavier than the lighter dishes that their family preferred for day to day nutrition. The usual pot of coffee and green tea sat at opposite ends of the table; 3 delicate cups sat next to two coffee mugs. Shikamaru paused in the doorway to stare thoughtfully at the veins of gold running through the dark blue pottery. Its spider reach reminded her briefly of the wiggling lines of ink and chakra of an activate seal. It also reminded her that things break and get damaged but can still be fixed. A small surge of confidence warmed her from within. Maybe, in the same way, you can fix pottery, she could fix her team bonds. With a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, Shika turned her attention to her mother.
"Good morning. Just going to let you know that I'll be home late tonight, I have to hit the library. I've got a project from Kakashi-sensei. After which, I'm going to hunt down Chouji to see if he wants to go stargazing tonight. I've missed him." Shikamaru groaned at the thought of extra work. A chuckle drew her attention to her father sitting by her mother.
"What's this? My daughter willingly spending free time in the library!" Shikaku sniggered, his eyes glinting in amusement. "Well, colour me surprised! Would you indulge an old man about the material you're looking into with such… motivation…" Shikaku grinned widely at the fake pout and huff of indignation from his fawn.
"Troublesome old man. If you really want to know, Kakashi said he would teach me seals if I could do a few things. One; create and master a storage seal, and two; I have to give him a decent reason for why I want to learn." Shikamaru sighed and drizzled some honey over the strawberries piled on her pancakes. "Iruka has given me only a few hours each week to teach chakra history and manipulation. He says it so I can take advantage of being young, do more missions, and expand my horizons."
"Well, I personally am glad you're going to spend some time with Chouji. In fact, why don't you invite him over tonight? I'll set up the guest room today, and your father can ask Chouza if Chouji can stay." Yoshino's face lit up in happiness at the idea, her head already turning to confirm with Shikaku that he would do as she asked. An agreeing hum rumbled out of the chest of the guy at the table, caused Yoshino to bounce out of her seat and grab her recipe books. The father and daughter exchanged amused looks; fully aware that the Nara matriarch was looking forward to trying out a range of new recipes tonight and would spend the day shopping and cooking.
"I think we have some books and scrolls in the Nara archives on seals. Probably in the restricted session. I'll see if I can find them for you. I expect if Kakashi agrees to teach you, that you master the skill set. You're a Nara, and my heir. I expect perfection in whatever you choose to pursue as a skill." Shikaku's voice was soft but firm. Shikamaru glanced over and took note that her old man was unusually serious about this. Quirking an eyebrow at him in question, Shika blinked at the slow catlike smirk that appeared across her father's face.
"I don't mind you being half-assed about most things, however, if it's something you choose to do that's different. I expect you to put 100% into that. I don't care how long it takes. I expect you to excel in it." Shikaku answered his daughter's unasked question. He wanted her to recognise how serious he was. She needed to understand that he needed her to put her all into this new adventure of hers. He loved his daughter, but she did have an unfortunate habit of ignoring training if she could.
Shikamaru inclined her head in acknowledgement, frowning in consideration. Her old man looked like the cat that got the cream with that smirk on his face. Something about her new project seemed to be making him extremely satisfied. Sighing Shikamaru resigned herself to having her dad hound her about her progress. Well if it made the old man happy, she would put up with it. Besides, it was rare that he asked her to put a full amount of effort into something. At least it was something she wanted to do. Turning back to her plate, Shikamaru speared a couple of the honey drizzled strawberries and popped them into her mouth, her eyes closing in delight as the sweetness burst over her tongue. A giggle drew her attention away from her food, as her mother grinned at her.
"So Shika-chan, you and Kiba-kun?" Yoshino smiled sweetly at Shikamaru and pushed a filled cup of green tea towards her. Yoshino's eyes, so much lighter than her husband's, gleamed as she waited for an answer; her arm resting on her cookbook, her other hand tucked into Shikaku's hand. Honestly, she was just happy that Shikamaru was being social, but she really hoped that it wasn't actually a long-term thing… The Inuzuka clan were a bit too loud and energetic for a good match with the Nara clan. Her smile widens into an amused smirk as an embarrassed flush coloured her daughter's cheeks. Exchanging an entertained look with Shikaku, Yoshino waited for a reply, topping up the cups on the table.
"There is no me and Kiba. I like him, as a friend, but I'm not interested in dating." Shikamaru squirmed under her parents' gaze, uncomfortable with the conversation. She could feel the blush darkening and heating her face. How could she be comfortable with this topic with the woman that until yesterday was so cold towards her? Pushing her half-eaten plate away, Shikamaru pushed herself to her feet and muttered thanks for breakfast. Ignoring the disappointed and disheartened look in her mother's eyes, Shikamaru slipped out of the kitchen and out the front door.
Shikamaru sighed and stuffed her hands in her pockets. The cool morning air sunk through the flak jacket and into her skin. Shika shivered and hunched into herself before trekking into the village. Considering her old man was going to get the materials in the Nara archives for her, she might as well head to the village library. Now she was a chunnin she could get into the level 3 section. Maybe the peace and quiet will help her settle down. Shikamaru huffed a breath out, watching as it misted slightly in the brisk morning. Something had changed, her mother had done 180degrees in attitude towards everyone. Clearly, her old man knew why her mother had changed. Shikamaru whined gently under her breath, oblivious to concerned looks being thrown her way by the guards at the compound gates, she really wanted to believe that her mother meant the changes; but it was just so hard to get past the years of screaming and threats. Shikamaru headed to the library on autopilot as she sunk into a memory of a particularly bad day with Yoshino.
Shikamaru huffed as she stared out of the window, pouting at the rolling storm clouds chucking icy cold rain. She really wanted to go outside and hide in the forest, but her mummy would kill her; especially if she got her expensive kimono muddy. Shika looked down at the deep emerald colour, with its black stitching and sighed. Unless her daddy was home and could save her, her mummy insisted on her wearing kimonos and dresses. Falling in a heap on her bed, Shikamaru briefly kicked her heels against the soft bedding, a frustrated cry on her lips as for the fourth day in a row she found herself stuck in the house with her mother. The woman who was meant to love her. Shikamaru turned over to muffle her sobs into her pillow. What was she doing wrong? Why wouldn't her mummy love her, like Ino's mummy?
Shikamaru sobbed until her belly hurt, and she had no more tears to cry; instead she lay there listening to the soothing sounds of the rain hitting the roof, and the windows. The faint sound of the does baying for their fawns to get out of the rain, mixed with calls of clan members as they ducked in and out of shelter whilst running errands, helped ground Shikamaru to the here and now. The sound of faint voices downstairs had her hopping up in excitement, in hopes that maybe her daddy was home early!
Scurrying to her door, Shika swung it open and darted out across the landing only to be stopped short as the voices registered. They weren't her daddy. That was Shikiesu-sama and Natsu-sama, from the elder council. Why were they here? Sneaking quietly, Shikamaru listened in to the conversation, practising the skills her father had started the teacher her to mask her footsteps.
"Well, Yoshino-san, has the child got control of her shadows yet? We know Shikaku-sama has decided to slow her training down, but we do not know why. Is there a problem with Shikamaru-chan?" A deep croaky voice floated through the open doorway, to Shikamaru's ears. That was Shikiesu-sama, the elder of tradition. Shikamaru had met him a few times. He was shrunken with age and had snow-white hair. He and his wife, Natsu, were the eldest on the Nara council. The two of them always had a soft smile and a sweet treat for her. Maybe, after they had finished with mummy, they would play with her! Shikamaru let a mischievous grin linger on her face before the next words wiped them off.
"The girl can't handle it, that's why he is slowing down. Of course, Shikaku says it's because she is strong and needs more time to effectively harness the shadow. What he means to say, and won't because she cries, is that Shikamaru is useless at it. She is not motivated and wants to laze the days away." Shikamaru pressed her little hands against her mouth to muffle her sobs. She knew her mother didn't think she was worth much, but this just about broke her 5-year-old heart; hearing her mother speak in such a harsh, disgusted tone about her. "I keep telling Shikaku that he should choose a new heir, one that can do the job."
"Yoshino!" Shikamaru didn't stay long enough to hear Natsu rise to her defence, she just pushed past the Elder that appeared in the doorway to catch her. His gnarled hands were pushed aside as he went to scoop her up, worry lining his face as his eyes followed her down the hall.
Shikamaru ran blindly, tears pouring down her rounded cheeks mingling with the rain, dodging around the odd clansman she passed. She wasn't sure where she was running, but something was tugging her towards the clan forest. Urging her to run fast, to keep going until she was safe. Whatever it was, it wrapped itself around her, layering her mind in a soothing blanket as it directed her. The rational part of her reasoned that it was her shadow, and she was giving it too much power over her. The scared child part of her didn't care. She just wanted away from that house. So, she ran… and ran. Straight into a pair of familiar strong arms. The arms wrapped themselves around her, hoisting her into the air and tucking her head into a neck that smelt familiar. The woodsy, smokey scent, tinged with medicinal herbs and metal could only belong to one person. Her protector. Her daddy.
Her shadows sunk back into the corners of her mind, confident in Shikaku's ability to protect their charge. Shikamaru just wrapped her arms around her daddy's neck and sobbed into him; his deep rumbling voice soothing her as much as the hand lightly rubbing her back. She wasn't sure how long they were stood under the trees, in the pouring rain, but his voice soon lulled her to sleep.
Shikamaru shook herself out of her memory and blinked slowly in surprise at the looming library. She really must have been deep in that memory. Shikamaru hummed thoughtfully, and roughly swiped her arm across her face, wiping away any unshed tears in her eyes. No point wasting time over troublesome memories, not when her father had calmed down over her learning seals. She might as well get on with her project. Groaning at the effort required, Shikamaru dragged herself up the steps and into the darkened halls of the library, relaxing at the dimmed light. With a half-smile, Shika signed herself in with the librarian, receiving a new card that gave her access to the second level of the library. Slinking across the entrance hall, Shikamaru made her way towards the stairs leading to the second level archives, a slight grin curving her lips as she inhaled the scent of scrolls and ink. She might not have spent as much time as Sakura in this place, but she had spent enough to connect the scent to feeling peaceful. A harsh whisper cut through the silence like a knife, filling Shikamaru with dread at the voice. The quick shuffling steps that started after the loud hail, had Shika exhaling in relief before she continued up the stairs hastily. She'd let the librarian deal with Sakura, besides she has no reason to interact with the pink-haired girl. It was better to pretend that she hadn't heard the girl, and just avoid her for the rest of the day.
Ducking down rows of bookshelves and scroll holders, Shikamaru grinned in excitement. With all this new knowledge to learn, it was a pity she had to focus on the moment rather than just explore. Quickening her pace, Shikamaru trotted up and down the aisles looking for the seals section and learning where everything is placed for future reference. It was like being in an introvert's heaven, she mused as she dragged her fingertips lightly across the spines of books. Surrounded by silence, books, and no people, Shikamaru could completely relax. Her eyes lit up as she found the section on seals. It was different from the rest of the library. It was a corner filled with shelves and shelves of scrolls, with two large floor cushions and a low table. Shikamaru hummed in delight at the sight of a place to work. Looking closely at the scrolls, they had clearly not been touched in a while. That was evident in the thick layer of dust covering them. Carefully, Shikamaru lifted a tiny scroll labelled "Primer" and placed it on the table, before picking up another that was labelled "The history and basic uses of Seals". These seemed to be the best place to start; the primer was a curious and unexpected surprise. Now that she thought about it, the primer made sense. Seals were basically a language, so it would be worth keeping this scroll to hand. Settling down on the green cushion, Shikamaru opened the first scroll and started reading, whilst she took notes in her own shorthand. Completely entranced by the new information, she failed to notice the singular dark grey eye watching her from the top of a nearby bookshelf…
Shikaku sighed and slouched further as he headed down to T&I. He hated visiting Inoichi down there, it was cold! Shikaku swore that they kept their building like an icebox just to prove to everyone that they were completely insane. Urgh, why could the blonde gossip just visit Shikaku's own toasty office every now and again?! With a huff, Shikaku descended the last staircase to the T&I offices, silently sulking as he pulled his deer pelt vest closer. If he was lucky, he would be able to slip past some of the more …eccentric… members of the department. They seemed to think that seducing everything that moved was their goal in life, and Shikaku liked living. If Yoshino found out he had let himself be seduced, or even flirted back, she'd kill him. With a cautious glance around, he made a break for Inoichi's office, he was going to make it! He was going to…. not make it. Shikaku whined sub-audibly, as the purple-haired, snake wielding, crazy lady appeared and threw herself at him in a hug.
"Shikaku-sama! Fancy seeing you all the way down here! What brings your..." Here Anko paused, and rather visibly dragged her eyes down and up his boy, with a lick of her painted red lips. Shikaku suppressed a shudder and glanced over the fishnet shoulder to spot Inoichi leaning against the doorframe with a wide smirk. Shikaku narrowed his eyes at his teammate, in warning of the retaliation that will follow. Anko pressing herself against his front dragged his attention back to the admittedly pretty woman. "…very fine self, down to our lair?"
"I need to shake your boss down for some information. Which is what I was about to do before you appeared, Anko." Shikaku kept his tone steady and bored sounding, hoping it would bore her into leaving him be. The mischievous twist to Inoichi's chakra caught Shikaku's attention, and he looked up sharply. Shikaku's face twisted into a dark snarl at the grinning blonde, as he snickered and cheerily opened his mouth.
"Why Anko-chan, why don't you take Shika-kun to the lounge and get him a coffee, show him around? There is no rush, I'll be in my office when you're done." Inoichi's grinned was starting to look very shark-like.
Shikaku glared at his soon-to-be-dead teammate before a thought crossed his mind and he relaxed, directing a lazy grin at Inoichi. His grin widening at the slight paling of Inoichi's skin, and the wary glint in those teal eyes. Shikaku knew just what to do. It had been a while since the last round of gossip about him and Inoichi, time to give the grapevine a little tidbit. Making a mental note to get his secretary to have a gift basket delivered to Inoichi in the middle of the day tomorrow, Shikaku offered his arm to Anko with a charming smile.
"I believe you were going to take me to the coffee, Anko-san?" Shikaku directed a smug smirk at his fuming teammate and let Anko direct him through T&I, listening to her chattering about a recent mission. Nodding at the occasional shinobi he knew as they passed by, Shikaku was drawn back into the conversation at a hesitant question. Quirking an eyebrow at the normally blunt woman on his arm, Shikaku waited patiently for her to finish asking.
"Um, I don't mean to overstep Commander, but how comes Shikamaru does know about your reputation? On our mission, she was very confused that Kakashi and I were mentioning that you could be scary." Shikaku watched as Anko chewed her lip, clearly trying to decide if she should, in fact, continue with her questions. With a lazy tilt of his head, Shikaku decided to answer her first question instead of waiting for the second.
"Hmm, the same reason Ino and Chouji don't know their fathers' reputations either. We didn't want them to grow up terrified or wary of us. We also didn't want them to feel pressured to be just like us. Besides, it's been long enough that most of Konoha have forgotten exactly who it holds." Here, Shikaku paused and shrugged. "We never saw any need in reminding younger shinobi or the civilian population of why we got our reputations."
Shikaku picked up one of the spare mugs and filled it with coffee. He had said more than enough, now it was time to get the information he was looking for. Maybe he could drag Inoichi out to the training fields for a bit. Chouza had left on a mission about three hours ago, but they could go for a drink after without him. With a final glance at the torture expert next to him, Shikaku headed back to the main office, leaving Anko to her own thoughts. Shikaku slunk through the open door and dropped down into an open chair, cradling his fresh mug of coffee to his chest. His eyes close briefly at the rich earthy scent of his liquid gold rising from the mug. A soft chuckle had him opening his eyes, and staring at his friend, tiredly.
"You look tired, Shika-kun. You are overworking yourself again?" Inoichi's smooth voice coiled around the room, caressing Shikaku ears. Shikaku would never admit it, but he loved listening to his pseudo brother's voice. It was like chocolate; smooth, rich, and calming. Reaching out with his shadow, Shikaku shut the door and leant forward in his chair.
"I'll be fine, Ino-kun. I was hoping you would have some information for me about the traitor in the Hokage's building." Here Shikaku growled, frustrated with the idea. "Some days I wish I wasn't the jounin commander or Hokage's adviser. Helping hunt the bastard down is where I should be."
Inoichi put his pen down, and rested his chin on his interlocked hands, watching his overworked friend lose the cool collectiveness that Shikaku is famous for. His teal eyes darted across the shinobi's body, picking up little hints and clues of Shikaku's stresses. Hmmm, Inoichi mused to himself, maybe he should drag the old boy to the training fields this afternoon. It would do them both some good. A quirked dark brown eyebrow brought Inoichi back to focus; he noticed that Shikaku had slumped back into the chair sipping his coffee as he waited.
"First of all, that's my mug you jerk. It has my name on it." Inoichi huffed, and pouted at Shikaku, mentally cheering at the twinkle of amusement in those dark eyes. "Secondly, and I'm going to ignore the fact that you know you chose my mug, I have managed to narrow the suspects down to 3 people. We are going to be dragging them in tonight. Nothing gets someone talking, then being dragged from their beds and thrown into a cell." Inoichi smirked sadistically at his darker counterpart, revelling in the returned toothy grin.
"Excellent. In that case, I'll leave you to it. I'd like to watch the interrogation tonight, but we have Chouji over. I want to be around to make sure nothing destroys any of the progress we've been making with Shikamaru." With a groan, Shikaku hauled himself to his feet and stretched, sighing in relief at the occasional crack of joints. With a cheeky grin, he raised the mug in salute before disappearing in a poof of smoke taking the mug with him.
Inoichi screeched as his (not so secret) favourite mug vanished along with his visitor. Glaring at the space where a shinobi had stood, Inoichi borrowed a word from his Nara counterpart. "So troublesome!"
Shikamaru groans as she unravelled her stiff limbs from the floor cushion, and flopped back onto the floor, desperately trying to restore blood flow to her extremities. It had been hours, interesting hours, but still, a lot of time had passed. So far, the history of seals had been a fascinating read. Their history a bloody, convoluted mess of creation that ended with the destruction of Uzushiogakure no Sato. Konoha's sister village. Supposedly a village filled with seal masters, before some of the nations teamed up to destroy it in the second shinobi war. From the scroll, it seemed like the other nations had kept Konoha distracted until it was too late to save Uzushio. The red spiral was adopted in mourning by the hidden leaf shinobi when the report of the devastation arrived. Shikamaru frowned to herself, it was odd. The Uzushio Uzumaki clan were heralded as the best in seal making, even creating a barrier seal that the chakra demons couldn't break. So how did mere shinobi break it? Shikamaru glared at the ceiling as pieces of the puzzle fell into place with each hypothesis. Some were discarded, others were shelved for later. So far, the main theory fighting for acknowledgement was that there was a traitor inside the barrier who destroyed it from within.
Putting that line of thought aside, Shikamaru considered one part of her given assignment. She needed to come up with why. Why did she want to learn seals, she mused to herself, is it because she wanted to be strong? Well, the answer is yes; she does want to be strong but there are many other easier ways than learning a practically dead art form. Unaware of the interested party hiding in the alcove near her, Shikamaru continued to think out loud. There were many reasons to learn, but none of them rang true for her. Until the thought struck her, and she bolted upright.
"That's it! I want to learn seals because I'm tired of being pushed in the lazy support ninja from the Nara clan role. I want to prove to everyone, and myself that I can do more. Be more." Shikamaru started at a murmur, and the more she spoke the louder and more passionate she became. "I want to protect the future of our village. I want to show all those baby nin at the academy that you don't have to be the most destructive, the most powerful person to be worth something. You just need to want to protect your comrades and the civilians. Protect the will of fire and Konoha's spirit!"
Shikamaru grinned and pumped her fist into the air in excitement. Now all she had to do was tell Kakashi that and create a working storage seal. Really the seal would be the deal-breaker now. Most ninjas had the ability to make the basic three seals: storage, explosive, and healing. The ability to learn more advanced seals was rare among the villages. Most medical ninjas had intermediary knowledge of working seals, but none of them had the ability to create or adapt the seals. That was what set the Uzumaki clan apart. Their instinctive knowledge of seal creation.
Taking out the example seal, Shikamaru turned back to her table to start practising, only to yelp and jump. Crashing her knees into the low table as she flailed at the sight of a copycat nin lounging across her desk. His nose, as usual, buried in that little orange book of his. His right hand raised in greeting before he handed over a scrap of paper and vanished into a cloud of smoke. Shikamaru blinked in bemusement before glancing at the scrap of paper and snorting at the doodle of a scarecrow. With an eyebrow raised in amused curiosity, she glanced at the three words.
"Assignment one: Success."