(A/N) Continuing this conversation.
Shikamaru shrugged helplessly. "Danzo seemed to disagree with that statement. Using the people he most wanted dead in the villages, he sent them on suicidal missions. You two and Chouza were ordered to kill Deidara, an Akatsuki member. He blew himself, and you three, plus the rest of those on the mission, sky high."
"Who led after our deaths?" Inoichi asked.
"Your wives. They did a good job. Or, they are," Shikamaru replied, yawning.
"And your proof of all of this?" Shikaku said finally.
Shikamaru pulled out the storage scroll, unsealing the contents, and blushing slightly when they both raised an eyebrow at him for the stuffed deer. He quickly pulled the scroll out of the deer, pushing the deer back into the seal. "This was my old uniform, and the scroll allows me to contact my original world and time."
"How does it work," Shikaku asked, surveying the scroll cautiously.
"By a seal. I'm no seal master, I don't understand it," Shikamaru admitted. "Naruto designed it."
"Took after both parents, did he?" Inoichi asked softly, amusement crossing his face briefly.
"I would say he did," Shikamaru agreed. "Never did manage the Hiraishin, but one of our other friends is really close."
"Good, he doesn't need to be a clone of his father, even if he acts far more like his mother," Inoichi laughed, but quickly settled down. "Can you contact someone now?"
Shikaku stopped poking at the scroll reluctantly, allowing his son to open it up to an empty spot on the scroll.
Shikamaru pulled a pencil from a pocket on his old uniform before shoving it aside to get a better angle so his father and Inoichi could see, and he could still write.
"Sakura?" -Shikamaru
"It's Karin, Sakura's sleeping. We've been sleeping in shifts so someone's always awake to answer." -Karin
"I have my father and Inoichi here, I told them of the situation." -Shikamaru
"Good plan, you're what, four?" -Karin
"Two or three." -Shikamaru
"Three, you are currently three, Shikamaru," Shikaku drawled.
"Whatever. Either way, they'll have more political sway. Maybe they can stop the Uchiha incident." -Karin
"Was thinking that." -Shikamaru
While Karin was writing her reply, Inoichi took the opportunity to look at Shikamaru. "What do you expect us to do about the Uchiha massacre?"
"For one, you're clan heads. The Uchiha were planning a coup because they felt there was no other way to get attention or respect. Many people sort of blamed the Kyuubi attack on them, and they were resentful for that. They were ostracized. With both the Nara and Yamanaka clans reaching out to better integrate them into the village, with any luck, we'll stop it before a coup even becomes an idea."
"And the Akimichi will follow our lead," Shikaku agreed, narrowing his eyes as Karin finished up her writing.
"Oh, so Tenten's actually sleeping right now, but she had a mission over here, and came to deliver news. You know how the elder Ino-Shika-Cho was killed by Deidara? Well, apparently, Danzo thought it would be a good idea to straight up attempt to destroy Ame. Most of the people did get out, so there's that to feel better about, but Kisame Hoshigaki, the blue fish guy? Yeah, he died letting Itachi, Tobi, and Zetsu get the other civies and ninja out. Itachi and Tobi are residing at a newly found hideout near Ame, and I don't know what Zetsu's doing."
"Itachi?" Shikaku asked, eyes narrowing. "They're just letting him room with them?"
"At this point," Shikamaru said tiredly. "We're saving anyone we can get our hands on. And who knows, he may be useful in taking down Danzo once and for all."
"Can we get a subset of these scrolls over to him?" -Shikamaru
"We will need every scrap of information about the massacre we can get." -Shikamaru
"We'll see, I'll discuss it with Tenten, and if Naruto comes out this way again, I'll discuss it with him. Or get Tenten to do it remotely. Give us a few weeks, and maybe we'll get back to you." -Karin
"Give it a few hours, and both Sakura and Tenten should be awake." -Karin
"Alright." -Shikamaru
"Any other questions?" Shikamaru asked his father and Inoichi.
They looked at each other for a long moment, then shook their heads. "I would like to check out your head at some point in the near future," Inoichi said. "If we could schedule a time to do that, it would be appreciated."
Shikamaru nodded. "Dad, you know my schedule, or lack thereof, you can plan it." With that out of the way, Shikamaru laid his head down on his arms and fell asleep. He would take sleep when he got it, and it was apparently far enough past dawn he could take a nap.
He woke up in his own bed, not caring in the slightest his father had dropped him off at home, as his deer stuffed animal had been set next to his pillow, a note taped to its forehead.
Shikamaru
I placed the uniform back in the scroll, then placed both scrolls inside the deer. We will talk when I get back home.
Shikaku
It didn't really bother Shikamaru that his father had signed with his name, he was used to it, many shinobi, once they had reached the same rank as their parents, just sort of gave up on using anything but their names while on duty. Or ceased using 'mom' and 'dad' completely.
Shikamaru supposed it was a sort of growing up thing. You left mom and dad behind, and became their equal.
He glanced out of his bedroom window, noting that he'd been sleeping for a couple of hours. Sakura and Tenten might be awake, and he could ask a couple of questions that had been bothering him.
He pulled out the scroll, finding a pencil. He quickly drew a little deer instead of bothering to ask if anyone was awake and/or paying attention.
He was quickly answered.
"Hello Shikamaru." -Sakura
"I assume you arrived safely then?" -Tenten
"I did." -Shikamaru.
"I would guess you have a couple of questions." -Karin
"Yes. For one, you said the seals on my arms bound my chakra to my soul and mind. Was there a reason for that." -Shikamaru
"The intention was to allow you to access your own chakra, as a sort of secondary system, lying fairly dormant underneath your kid body's chakra. Still build up your current body's chakra, but you have an extra store to draw from when things get dire." -Karin
"We're pretty sure we succeeded." -Sakura
"And I checked over the seals, and I'm pretty sure they'll do what Karin says they should do." -Tenten
"Is it any different from accessing chakra normally?" -Shikamaru
"We can't tell you that. We don't know." -Karin
"But do try it and get back to us!" -Sakura
Shikamaru chuckled slightly.
"When I bother dredging up the desire to do it, I will. Troublesome." -Shikamaru
They didn't reply for a while, and Shikamaru imagined them laughing, leaning against each other laughing their heads off in a way they hadn't in at least a year. A little drawing of a laughing person agreed with that.
"Alright, we'll leave you to it." -Sakura
"And we'll keep working on a seal to increase the number of people you can talk to." -Tenten
"Itachi and Tobi first." -Shikamaru
"Yeah. Of course." -Tenten
"Ak, it's getting late, I have to leave and actually complete my mission." -Tenten
"Talk to you again sometime." -Shikamaru
"What's your actual plan for the Hyuuga incident?" -Sakura
"A guard near Hinata's room that isn't a Hyuuga. Preferably an Uchiha, if not, a Nara or Kurama. Someone who can stop the Kumo nin, but not kill him." -Shikamaru
"Would any Uchiha be willing to do that? Stand guard outside the Hyuuga princess's bedroom? Or worse, would the Hyuuga accept that?" -Sakura
"Don't most Hyuuga have sticks up their butts?" -Karin
"Yes. Hinata being an exception." -Shikamaru
"And don't most, if not all Uchiha have sticks up their butts too?" -Karin
"As far as I know, yes. Itachi may know one or two that don't. That are hopefully able to look past their long rivalry with the Hyuuga to prevent a freaking disaster. Troublesome." -Shikamaru
"I was about to suggest asking Sasuke. Then I remembered he's dead." -Sakura
"And you felt the need to write that why?" -Shikamaru
"No reason I suppose." -Sakura
"Well, I'm going to eat something, then sleep." -Karin
"Do try out using chakra while I'm asleep, Shikamaru." -Karin
"No promises." -Shikamaru
Shikamaru rolled up the scroll, tucking it into his back pocket, and leaving his room. Perhaps they were right, he should try using both this body's chakra, and his original chakra. By chakra exercises, of course. He didn't feel like using a jutsu right now.
He'd have to talk to his father about the guard later, when he got back from work. Perhaps his father could manage to convince Hiruzen to do it by saying something about Kumo wanting the Byakugan, and Hinata is a young unsealed girl, she would make the most sense, should Kumo betray them. If not, better safe than sorry. Yes, that should work.
He ended up in a clearing in the Nara forest. He was pretty sure it was the clearing he had buried Hidan in his other world.
He set the scroll down, placing his foot on a tree. He reached inward, finding first this body's chakra, small, weak, hardly used, then reaching deeper, he found his own, far larger and more controlled. He tapped into the second one. There would be time for increasing this body's chakra reserves later.