Kit or Fawn?
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D/C: I own nothing.
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"Yin-Kurama Speaking."
"Yang-Kurama Speaking."
'Naruto and Shikamaru's mental link to each other and to their respective Kurama's. Or to emphasize something.'
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"How did things go with your father?" Naruto asked as he jumped onto his bed wearing a pair of dark orange pajamas. On the other side of the room is Shikamaru sitting behind his desk, wearing his own pair of pajamas, but his were a dark brown. The two had spent the entire day with their respective parent, and it was long needed.
It has been long four years since Shikamaru lost his mother, in that time, he hardly spent any quality time with his old man and they only spoke when necessary. Now several things are out in the air and promise to attempt to reconnect with each other. Even if the two have conflicting schedules, they two made a promise to at least take time to just talk… or clean up the stables together at least. It's a start, it's a start… "He plans on training me in the clan's techniques soon. And you? How did you spend the day with your mom?"
"Kakashi visited and I quickly made an exit when she started to yell at him."
"Told her about him constantly reading Icha Icha in front of us?"
"Yes." There was no hint of remorse in Naruto's voice, just a hint of amusement in his upturned lips. He lifted his head to stare up at the ceiling as he thought over his short time, he spent with his mother today. The actual talk he had with his mother was mainly about him asking about his birth father, and things got rather… awkward. Simply stating that he's a spitting image of the man. That's it. Just a spitting image. If it wasn't for Kakashi coming down to visit, things would have just gotten even more awkward than it was. "I have yet to put a name to my biological father."
"Woooow…. what an idiot."
'Care to explain?'
"If you can't see it, then it's not worth saying."
'Does it have to do with the fact she always quickly changes the subject whenever the Fourth pops us in the conversation?'
"Bingo."
"Oh, well… I'll figure it out later." Naruto deadpanned before he plopped himself back on his bed, causing Shikamaru to break communication with Yin-Kurama.
Shikamaru gave the blonde his own deadpanned expression before he got ready for bed. "Naruto?"
"Hm?"
"…ask dad to train you too."
"Okay."
-.-.-
"Sasuke… What are you doing?"
"I'm hiding."
"I could see that… why?"
"… Fangirls."
"Ah… carry on then."
"Thank you, Big Brother…"
Itachi walked away from where his little brother is hiding away from his rabid fangirls once more. It was market day and his mother had tasked him with retrieving this weeks' worth of groceries. This was just like any other day, typical for the upcoming Head of the Uchiha Clan. With him retiring from Anbu and becoming the Captain of Konoha Military Police Force, it was becoming increasingly for him to find some sort of normalcy as of lat-
"There he is!"
"Itachi-kun!"
"Look over here!"
"Marry me, Itachi-sama!"
It only took Itachi less than .5 seconds for him to go hide alongside of his brother. The two hid behind the tarp as they watched their respective fan-girls run by them. Oh, the fan-girls…
"How many marriage proposals has it been this week alone, Brother?"
"Too many to count."
"You could avoid all of it if you just marry Big Sister Izumi already."
"Is this your way of giving your blessings in giving your only brother away?"
"No, she already asked for my blessings to marry you. You are too much of a dunce to read the room."
"What."
-.-.-
Shikaku thanked Ino for the two floral bouquets he currently has in his arms. One has a mixture of crimson roses mixed in with tea roses and a single pink carnation. The second bouquet has a mixture of gardenias, hydrangeas, jonquils, and forsythia. Random, but to the point. Each of them holding different meanings and it is something he put deep thought into it. "Thank you, Ino."
"You're welcome." Ino gave her god-father a sly smile as she watched him leave with the flowers in his arms. It's good to see him like he is right now, no longer tense, there's light back in his eyes and his head is no longer dragging down on the ground. Hm… maybe Shikamaru and Naruto know about what's going on with Shikaku's personal life. Far as she's concerned, there are only three important females' in his life, the late Yoshino Nara, herself, and Kushina Uzumaki. Shikamaru never made mention of his father seeing anyone and far as he knew, never made any sort of effort. Who could it be? This is going to annoy her now. "DADDY!"
"Yes, princess?" Inoichi stuck his head out through the door that leads to the back room.
"Daddy, is Uncle Shikaku seeing anyone?"
"…No?" Inoichi walked out of the backroom and walked up towards with an expression of confusion. "What happened?"
"His order of flowers changed. Look." Ino handed her father the ticket she had created for her god-father's latest order of flowers.
Inoichi looked at the ticket that contained the list of flowers his friend had ordered this week. His eyes widened at the sight of it. "Tell your mother I'm taking the guys out for drinks tonight."
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Naruto sat on a high tree branch, reading a scroll he had checked out from the public and Nara library. Today's topic: military tactics. A military tactic that delves into one-sided battle which has the losing side winning in the end. It's a rather therapeutic read for the blonde and it gave him time to think.
Mainly on figuring out how to outmaneuver Shikamaru. Who's always several steps ahead of him, in some way or somehow. Even if Naruto has strength and stamina, Shikamaru uses his intelligence and it always seemed to win against him. What is he doing wrong?
"You're becoming too predictable."
Naruto blinked, he looked down at the forest floor to see Shikamaru waving at him. He took note how the other teen had swapped out his jacket to something that now went down to the waist and the sleeves are long enough they now must be folded up to his wrists. The scars he received four years ago are now fully healed but it left a horrible reminder of that night. On a lighter note, it did make Shikamaru look like his father. A running gag at this point. "Too predictable?"
"Yes, predictable." Shikamaru shrugged, he stuffed his hands into his pants pockets as he watched Naruto put away the scrolls he was reading. He couldn't help but snort, at least the Uzumaki is no longer wearing an excessive amount of kill me orange. The blonde is wearing a long-sleeved white hoodie with orange trimmings with a pair of matching pants with the colors inverted. Underneath the partially zipped up hoodie to reveal a mesh shirt and a pair of black sandals. His blond hair is now longer and shaggier, with jaw-length bangs framing either side of his face. "Come on, we are supposed to meet with Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-san at Ichiraku's soon."
Naruto jumped down off the branch and landed next to Shikamaru. He stuffed his hands into his hoodie's pocket's before he headed off towards the direction of the ramen place. "Let's go."
Silence fell upon them as they walked towards their destination, too many eyes are focused on them from all sides. Quite a sight to see both teens walking about the village. Normally the two would either be running about or not even be seen in public, as the two prefer to stick be unseen opposed to being seen. Especially when both are doing all sort of pranks, even if no one has enough evidence to persecute them they all know it's them.
Fun Fact: They only do massive pranks as part of dares or whoever discriminates against their friends and family. Besides that, they hardly done anything no one could prove or even remotely connect it back to them. Those are the best of pranks.
"Ignore it." Shikamaru stated when they walked passed a seemingly odd spot on the side of a building.
Naruto didn't outwardly show any sort of indication he saw took note of the odd spot or Shikamaru's words. He did roll his eyes when he heard a noise coming from the spot, the blond just ignored it. There was no need to get into his friend's shenanigans… again.
-.-.-
"I'm telling you, Kakashi-san… Naruto has a devious side to him, but he would never stoop himself so low to do that." Iruka pointed his chopsticks at Kakashi as the two talked over a bowl of steaming out ramen. "Even so, I approve his off actions if he was the one who had gotten your books and glued all the pages together. Plus… what would Kushina-sama say about her son's supposed actions? Who would be the one getting in trouble?"
"…ugh…" Kakashi's head fell forward, even if he does take out his anger out on the blond during training, the retaliation is something he's not looking forward to. "Could you say something to him? He does look up to you."
"Hm?" Iruka looked over at Kakashi with a mouthful of noodles, he raised an eyebrow at Kakashi when the Jonin plonked his head against the counter. Kakashi doesn't know this, but he was the one that glued all his books together. He just had Naruto and Shikamaru distract Kakashi while he did the deed.
To be continued…
R/R.