Nara Shikamaru; 7 Years Later

Age 19

-This Hat-

I hate this hat.

It doesn't fit over my hair.

I have been the Hokage for about a week and a half and already I was decreeing a new law.

"Raido!" I said, beckoning him over. He had been around to help me out while I had been working for the previous Hokage but now that I was the Hokage, I wished for him to continue his services.

It didn't take long for him to at my side.

I wouldn't call him a slave but he served his purposes quickly and efficiently. And with little or no complaining.

Probably because he doesn't want to lose his job.

"Yes Mr. Hokage?" he asked. You'd think he'd resent the fact that I'm still a teenager and I outrank him immensely.

"As Hokage, my next new law is to make it so that I don't have to wear this hat." I told him. He took out a pen and began writing it down on his notebook.

"So, is this on the same level of importance three hours of alone time each day?" he asked me.

How ignorant can you be? I'm a man who values my alone time and am not about to put it on the same level as my desire to not have to wear this stupid hat.

"No." I told him. "It would be more on the level of me never having an unsharpened pencil."

I hate having to sharpen pencils.

"I know how much you hate having to sharpen pencils." He said. Sometimes I think he can read my mind. But I guess I've been working with him long enough so that if he couldn't fool the ignorant into thinking that he can read my mind, I'd be disappointed.

Did I make a lot of laws? Yes.

Did I make a lot of unnecessary laws? Yes.

Was I taking advantage of being Hokage? So far, I'd say yes. But I was new to the job so I had an excuse.

I originally wasn't too thrilled with the idea of being Hokage but so far, it hasn't been that bad.

"You can go now." I told him. "You're cutting into my third hour."

I guess I could have waited to tell him that, but I would have forgotten until I had to put the hat back on.

I took the hat off and tossed it aside. It can be decoration.

I never intended to do any work during my alone time. I merely looked at the stacks of papers on my desk that I would have to get to. On the top was Hyuuga Neji's file.

Upon accepting my job as Hokage, the previous Hokage took me aside and explained something to me.

She explained the ridiculousness that is the Hyuuga family.

Apparently, Neji is to never achieve more than the chuunin rank. I had been curious as to why he had never been promoted but it all came clear to me now. It's a big conspiracy that his family has.

I guess since I'm not a Hyuuga, I'll never understand exactly why but I can't be bothered with it. All I know is that when Neji takes the jounin exam, I am to tell him that he needs more training.

And nothing else.

He deserved a high rank so much more than I did.

And not only that, he wanted it more.

I suddenly heard a knock at my door. I still had forty-five minutes left.

The door opened up and in walked Raido, Shino and Lee.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hokage." Raido explained. "But they didn't want to wait forty-five minutes to talk to you."

"It's okay, Raido." I told him. What good is three hours of alone time when people barge in during it?

I gave him the signal that his presence was not needed and he back out the door.

"So what is so important that you needed to see me so desperately?" I asked them, trying to sound patient.

"The guy at the door told me that you were busy!" Lee said, looking sad. "I was willing to come back later!"

"I wasn't." Shino said. He looked around.

"So…?" I led him.

"I resign from my teaching position." Shino said. I sighed long and hard.

"You've only been teaching for two days." I reminded him.

I guess he didn't realize how long the process of assigning him students was.

"I know." He said. "Teaching is not for me."

"And your students?" I asked him.

"I had to fail them." He said. I groaned, suddenly feeling a headache coming on.

"Shino, you don't do that." I told him.

"That's why he's here." Shino said, pointing over at Lee who only stood there.

His face kind of frightened me. Why did he look like that?

"Yeah!" said Lee, snapping back into reality.

"All right, explain to me." I told them.

"Well, Shino has students that he doesn't want…" started Lee. "And I have students that I don't want…"

"What's wrong with your students?" I asked Lee.

I thought I had assigned them well. Skill-wise, personality-wise. Everything.

"I'm not a strict teacher…" Lee began. "But none of them were very good at all."

I nodded.

"The three lowest ranked students in the academy…" Lee said with a cringe.

"They were three students who couldn't use ninjutsu and genjutsu." I explained to him. "I figured you could work with them."

"Yes…" Lee continued. "I was unaware of that."

…

"So what happened?" I asked.

"I sent them back to the academy for another year." Lee told me.

I took a deep breath and looked at the two of them for a minute.

"Okay." I told them. "Here's the plan."

"I don't want Lee's students." Shino reminded me. "I don't want to teach anymore."

"I know." I told him. I don't like it when people underestimate me.

Shino adjusted his sunglasses.

I was really curious about those.

"All right." I said, bringing a folder out of a drawer. It was the one that had the teachers and students listed on it. I shifted through until I found Lee's page and Shino's page.

I went though my desk and pulled out one of my sharpened pencils.

"Lee, I'm giving you Shino's students." I told him, handing him Shino's piece of paper. "They will need to be informed of this and that they didn't really fail."

"Great!" Lee cheered.

"Yes…" I continued. "And Shino…you're done."

"Good." He said, turning to leave.

"What about my old students?" Lee asked. What about them?

"There is another teacher who failed her students." I explained to him. "I will give them to her but if they are as bad as you say, they will probably be failed anyway."

"Okay!" Lee said, giving me a thumbs up.

"You can go now." I told him.

"Thanks Shikamaru!" he said. "I mean…thanks Mr. Hokage, sir!"

That felt kind of weird.

Lee then turned to leave. I looked at the clock.

Good. It only took seven minutes. I still have thirty-eight.

"Oh!" Lee said, stopping before he left.

"Yes?" I said. Why wouldn't he just leave?

Lee bent down and picked up the hat that I had discarded.

"The Hokage must always wear his Hokage hat!" he said, tossing it to me like a Frisbee.

Stupid idiot's aim was entirely off and it hit a stack of papers next to my desk.

How troublesome.

He threw his hands over his mouth.

"Oops!" he said. "Sorry!"

"It's okay, Lee…" I told him, shooing him away. "Just go."

He bowed to me and then stepped out the door.

I leaned over to pick up all the fallen papers and kicked the Hokage hat aside.

I hate this hat.