Asuma's POV

He was evil. Hell, he was downright diabolical! And he loved every moment of it. If his little student ever discovered that he planned all of this then that little genius would find a way to torment him to no end. Admittedly Asuma would enjoy Shikamaru blushing over the situation as he exacted his revenge. He could even use this moment as black mail to make Shikamaru work harder but that would mean showing his hand and having Shikamaru not know that Asuma was aware of his feelings for Naruto was too much fun.

Smiling, he turned the pieces of meat over on the barbeque, watching as they cooked. He wasn't as skilled in the art of culinary as Choji was so he had to be careful to not overcook the meat. He wouldn't want to ruin anything.

"So how is your training going?" Shikamaru asked, not making eye contact but instead looking bored at the rest of the restaurant.

"Horribly. I can't get this stupid jutsu and I pass out at the end of every training session, meaning Pervy-Sage has to take me home," Naruto slurred, eyes drooping. If they didn't get food into the blond soon than Asuma's plan would go down the drain. "It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't reorganize my whole house when he gets bored."

Shikamaru's hand shot out, so quickly that Asuma blinked in surprise. The young boy had grabbed Naruto's shoulder without looking at the blond, stopping him from falling forward onto the hot barbeque. Shooting the blond a look, he pushed Naruto back, making him rest against the back of the booth chair. With his head resting against the plush surface Naruto looked over at Shikamaru with half hooded eyes and smiled at him.

"Thanks."

"Troublesome." He looked away again, resting his chin against his palm. The small smile wasn't lost on Asuma.

"Here," Asuma said as he started piling food onto Naruto's plate, deeming it cooked enough. "Once you eat you'll feel better. I can't believe you have never experience chakra depletion."

"Usually I pass out," Naruto explained, shoveling food into his mouth.

"Ts, don't talk with your mouth full," Shikamaru groaned before slowly eating his own food.

"Sorry," Naruto said, having the decency to cover his mouth, even though it was still full. He swallowed. "At least you didn't chock me with my mouth full this time."

Asuma stifled a laugh as Shikamaru rolled his eyes. The more Naruto ate the more energy he regained making it less likely he would collapse onto the barbeque. Even though the danger was gone, Asuma noticed that Shikamaru kept looking over at Naruto in worry. The boy also put an extra large helping of the meat onto the barbeque when Naruto commented that he was enjoying it.

"How is your training going, Shikamaru? That shadow thingy you use is pretty cool." Naruto asked the question before eating some more, earning a reluctant smile from Shikamaru.

"It's a drag." Shikamaru sighed before frowning at Asuma. "Asuma-Sensei is a slave driver."

"You're just lazy." Asuma's smile grew when the Genin blushed upon hearing Naruto laugh.

"You two are a lot alike!" Naruto grinned, his eyes closed.

"You're one to talk," Shikamaru muttered. He slid out of the booth waving a hand lazily at the two males. "I'm going to the bathroom."

Naruto shrugged, seeming unfazed by the dark haired boy's distant behaviour. Then again, Shikamaru probably acted the same way back in the academy. Asuma looked over his sake cup at Naruto who was happily munching on his food. Colour had returned to his face and he now didn't look as though he was going to topple over. He had a smile on his face, something that Asuma had not really seen him without. The two were very different. Shikamaru was lazy, very rarely looked like anything other than bored or irritated and often judged a situation before even thinking of opening his mouth. Naruto on the other hand was energetic, expressive and seemed to say what ever came to mind. It made Asuma wonder if the reason Shikamaru liked Naruto was because the blond did such rash things that perhaps surprised even Shikamaru.

Finishing his sake, Asuma smiled at Naruto who didn't seem to suspect anything. Putting his cup down, Asuma had another piece of barbequed meat, chewing it slowly.

"Thank you for inviting me to dinner." Naruto wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before taking a large gulp of water, draining his glass.

"Well I could tell that Shikamaru was worried about you in the state you were in so I couldn't let you walk home like that." He watched Naruto look down, looking happy. Unfortunately he couldn't read Naruto's expression as easily as he could Shikamaru. "I think I'll go order some more drinks for the table. Do you want water again?"

When Naruto nodded Asuma slid out of his seat, trying to not look to eager to leave. Shikamaru was bound to return soon. He walked around the corner to the bar, making sure to take a seat at the end, where he could easily see the table. Lucky for him the bar wasn't as well lit as the dining area, meaning that the two shouldn't be able to see him as easily as he could see them. He ordered a sake for himself and water to be sent to the table before turning back to look to the table. As he did he spotted Shikamaru's slouched form sliding into Asuma's vacant seat. He tried not to curse. He had hoped that Shikamaru would sit next to Naruto again, even with Asuma's seat empty.

Shikamaru said something to Naruto, looking around. Whatever Naruto replied made Shikamaru scowl and say something that looked suspiciously like 'troublesome'. Asuma could never truly be sure… well he could, since it was Shikamaru. It was either 'troublesome' or 'what a drag'. He tried not to sigh when he noticed that the two had not spoken a word since the small exchanged he had witnessed. He had thought his plan would work well but apparently between Naruto having an appetite as large as Choji's and Shikamaru not being a talkative person conversation was not going to thrive. So much for Asuma creating this date for Shikamaru and Naruto. At this rate it would lead to nothing but awkward silence.

He was about to give up when he noticed Shikamaru heave a sigh, resting his chin on his palm. Next moment his eyes slid over to the blond and he spoke. Asuma could have cheered. Luckily he held it in. The grin on his face was definitely drawing attention from the others at the bar though.

"What are you up to?"

He jumped, recognizing that voice from years of being scolded. Turning, he tried to not look guilty. "Dad! I'm not doing anything."

His dad gave him a look that that clearly said he didn't believe Asuma. Looking around he spotted Shikamaru who seemed to be laughing at something Naruto said.

"Oh, I see Naruto is here," his father exclaimed. "I'm glad to see he is making friends. I was worried for a long time that he never would. Konahamaru has taken a liking to him, which isn't necessarily a good thing." He sighed, hopping onto the stool next to Asuma, shooting the man a dark look for chuckling at the way he struggled, thanks to his height. "Naruto thought it would be a good thing to teach Konahamaru the jutsu he created. Konahamaru is obsessed with it now."

"Are you talking about Naruto's sexy jutsu? What is it?" Asuma took a sip of his sake, waiting for his father to reply.

His father, however, just gave him a look that made Asuma feel very stupid. "Naruto turns himself into a sexy woman… it's kind of in the name."

He did have a point but it did make Asuma wonder if perhaps Shikamaru actually had feelings for this 'sexy, female Naruto' instead of the real Naruto. One look back at the booth made him rethink that thought. "You know his been using that on his sensei?"

"Kakashi?"

"The Toad-Sage."

"Ah, that makes more sense. I can't see Kakashi falling for it. Though it is convincing." His father scratched his cheek which was turning red.

"Naruto has used it on you, hasn't he? Ouch." He pressed a hand to the crown of his head, glaring at his father who was calmly talking to the bartender as though nothing had happened. "Is Naruto the one Konahamaru calls boss all the time? Whenever I see him he is going on about his boss, who is going to be Hokage and is the greatest."

"That would be him!" His father accepted the sake off the bartender with a kind smile. "You haven't told me what you're doing here?"

"I came here with Shikamaru and Naruto but decided to let the two kids talk." If his father found out about Asuma's plan then the whole village would know about Shikamaru's feelings by tomorrow. Ever that or his father would torment the two.

His father looked over at the booth, noticing how the two Genins were now holding a conversation easily. "I'm glad Kakashi and Jiraiya have been keeping Naruto busy. I don't have to deal with complains about his pranks. People seem more willing to accept him too. Shikamaru has always been good to Naruto though, and I'm sure Naruto knows it, even if he doesn't know just how much."

"What do you mean?"

"Iruka was their teacher in the academy. He admitted to me a little after Naruto graduated that Naruto couldn't read until he was ten, which would explain how his marks were so low. Shikamaru had been the one to bring it to Iruka's attention. He also told Iruka when some boys in the class nearly got Naruto killed by an enemy ninja. That was around when Shikamaru first met Naruto. I always wondered if those two were friends." His father took a generous mouthful of sake, letting Asuma ponder what he had just found out. "By the way, next time I have a meeting concerning the Jonin teachers, make sure you pay complete attention. I don't appreciate you staring at Kurenai whilst I'm speaking."

Asuma started coughing; making the sake he had swallowed burn. "I was paying attention, Dad. I heard every word."

"So you heard the part where I selected you to run drills with the first year academy students the day after the Chunin exams?"

"Of course, I'm… looking forward to it." He tried not to grimace at the thought of teaching a bunch of six year olds how to not take their eye out with a kunai but he couldn't admit to his dad that he had not heard a word about it at the meeting.

"Excellent. Iruka is looking forward to the break."

"Can't wait." His smile was strained, he knew that. Next moment he noticed Shikamaru and Naruto getting up, walking towards them. Because of this he didn't see the satisfied smirk his father wore.

Shikamaru and Naruto were walking at a leisurely pace, still talking. Naruto had his hands behind his head, his eyes mere slits. The dark haired boy, however, slipped one hand into his pocket, the other holding onto a white slip of paper. The bill! Asuma had forgotten that he said he would pay and he had no clue how much the two ended up eating. Then again, if he found himself short he could always rope his father into helping him pay. The old man seemed to like Naruto after all. Either way it would be money well spent. He could tell just by looking at him that Shikamaru had enjoyed his date with Naruto, even if he didn't realize what his sensei had done. He grinned, feeling proud of himself as the two stopped in front of him.

So Asuma is evil! I wasn't planning to write this chapter from his POV at all, but I have noticed that so far the story has been Shikamaru-Asuma-Shikamaru in a pattern. That is really not intentional at all. Next chapter will be from Shikamaru's POV and should take us up to the start of the Chunin exams maybe up to the start of the invasion, depending on the length and how the story progresses.

The Third Hokage is a sly old fox, isn't he?

Please R and R, it really helps with motivation and knowing I'm not wasting my time.