Thanks to ohud63 for the review, and yeah personally chapter 9 has been my favorite chapter so far.

Some terms you may or may not know:

dobe: it essentially means "idiot", and it's what Sasuke often calls Naruto. In turn, Naruto uses "teme"

teme: a word that means "bastard" or the sort, and is what Naruto often calls Sasuke

mendokusei/mendokusai: it's just "troublesome" in Japanese and the actual phrase Shikamaru uses is "mendokusei", which is Japanese slang for "mendokusai"

Chapter 10: Ino-Shika-Cho

Shikamaru was starting to get a headache as he watched Naruto talking excitedly to Iruka, moving his hands about in a wild manner as he described the events of their first day of school.

"You should have seen Gaara, dattebayo!" Naruto said as he stuffed ramen into his mouth. "He was so cool! He attacked Rock Lee and he wasn't losing either!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It's not like he was winning, either."

The Uchiha boy was sitting a few chairs off from the rest of the group, far enough that he could act like he wasn't a part of the group, but still close enough to be included. Shikamaru watched as Sasuke sipped his water, his eyes observing everyone else in cold silence.

"Why does he always come with us if he doesn't eat?" Chouji asked, following Shikamaru's gaze.

"He probably has nothing better to do," Shikamaru said as he sipped his own water. He was currently with Naruto, Chouji, Ino, and Sasuke at Ramen Ichiraku, a small ramen shop close by Konoha High. It was Naruto's favorite restaurant, and his default go-to for food.

"Didn't he not eat lunch today?" Shikamaru asked, remembering how a certain idiot had knocked over Sasuke's food during lunch.

"Hey, that was an accident!" Naruto exclaimed, finishing the last of his first ramen bowl.

"Slow down, Naruto," Iruka said, anxiously looking at his wallet. "I can't buy you that many bowls of ramen, you know."

"Especially with Chouji here," Iruka added under his breath, but Shikamaru caught the words.

"It's not like I'm eating," Shikamaru assured him. "Sasuke and Ino aren't, either."

"Though I did order a drink," Ino pointed out, swirling her straw in her smoothie.

Shikamaru was slightly surprised she was listening to their conversation; she had been eyeing Sasuke the whole entire time, trying to get his attention.

"The ramen here is the best, though!" Naruto asserted, starting his second bowl of ramen. "But anyways, like I was saying, Gaara's so cool! But I guess that's what you'd expect of the Kazekage's son, dattebayo! I really hope he joins the fight club. It's hard to see him otherwise since I only have homeroom and first period with him."

"Aren't two classes with him enough for you?" Shikamaru asked. "Aren't you scared of him?"

Naruto turned to him, confusion evident in his eyes. "What do you mean? Why would I be scared of Gaara?"

"Shikamaru does have a point, Naruto," Chouji said, also starting his second bowl of ramen. "I mean, he pulled out a gun, of all things. He could have killed Rock Lee."

"He had a gun?" Ino gasped. Ino, along with the other girls, hadn't been there to witness Gaara's terrifying moment during lunch, and none of the boys had thought to inform them yet.

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, he even had two of them!"

"Why are you so impressed with him having two guns?" Sasuke interrupted. "The Uchiha clan have many types of guns."

"Yeah, but you won't invite me over to see them," Naruto pouted. "I'll bet Gaara will show me the guns tomorrow when I ask him!"

Sasuke frowned, even more than usual. "I can show you my guns, too. We even have other weapons."

Shikamaru stared at him. Sasuke sounded petulant, even a bit envious. Was Sasuke jealous of Gaara?

"You will?" Naruto's blue eyes lit up and he almost knocked over a bowl. Thankfully, Iruka caught it in time and placed it back onto the table.

"Won't your father be mad?" Iruka inquired. "Wasn't that the reason you never showed Naruto before? Fugaku-san is strict when it comes to Uchiha clan secrets."

Sasuke shrugged, taking another sip of his water as he tried to act nonchalant. "It's just some weapons, not the clan's secrets."

"But the Uchiha oversee the police force," Iruka insisted. "Your father probably won't want strangers looking through police weaponry."

"Aw, come on, Iruka-sensei," Naruto pleaded. "It's just like Sasuke said! They're just weapons! It's not like I'm going to steal them or anything, dattebayo!"

Iruka looked at him skeptically and Shikamaru couldn't blame him. Naruto had a habit of causing trouble when he was younger.

"You do have a record for causing mischief, though," said Ino, voicing Shikamaru's thoughts. "Who was the one who defaced the Hokage faces with paint?"

"Hey, that was in my younger years, okay?" Naruto protested as he finished his third bowl of ramen. "I don't do that kind of stuff anymore, dattebayo! I'm all grown up now! I'm going to be Hokage, and one day my face'll be up there, dattebayo!"

"Say that after you pass your classes," Sasuke said, getting up. "It's been an hour already. I have to go home and help my father out."

"Oh, you're going already?" Naruto said, getting up also. "Take me with you this time!"

Sasuke shook his head, but Shikamaru caught a faint smile on the other boy's face. "Not today, dobe."

Naruto scowled. "Don't call me that! I'm not an idiot!"

Sasuke smirked and turned to leave. "Maybe if you stop acting like one."

"Teme!" Naruto yelled after him but didn't leave his seat. "Is another bowl okay, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka sighed and checked his wallet again. "Jiraiya-san transferred some money to my bank account this morning so it should be fine, Naruto. But only one more, and that's it."

"Ero-sennin is back?" Naruto asked, nearly choking on his water from excitement. Jiraiya was Naruto's legal guardian, but he was often out of the city, choosing to travel around to "research" material for his novels. In Jiraiya's absence, Iruka often took care of Naruto, and in turn, Jiraiya would give him the money he would have used on Naruto.

"Man, I haven't seen him in months, dattebayo!" Naruto said, accepting the fourth bowl from Teuchi, the restaurant owner.

Iruka shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you, but he's not back yet, Naruto."

"Oh." Naruto scowled. "I'll bet he's busy peeping again, that old pervert."

Shikamaru sighed. "I'm surprised you've never picked up his habits, Naruto."

"I'd kill him if he did," Ino threatened and Naruto nervously reassured her that no, he would never do such a thing.

Eventually the group finished their food and, after Iruka paid the bill, they went to the arcade, where Shikamaru won all the games they played.

"That's not fair!" Naruto whined. "Why can't we play the action games? If we keep playing these games that require brains, then Shikamaru always wins!"

"That was an action game," Ino pointed out. "You just suck at strategy."

"I do not!" Naruto denied. "Let's go one more round, Shikamaru! I'll beat you this time, dattebayo!"

Shikamaru sighed. "It's getting late, Naruto. Let's continue this some other day."

Besides, Shikamaru thought, I'm not Sasuke. Shikamaru didn't understand Naruto and the friends he made, though that included himself. Naruto was willing to be friends with anyone, from the rude Sasuke, to the intimidating Gaara, to himself, Konohagakure's laziest person.

"Fine," Naruto conceded. "See you tomorrow then!"

Shikamaru waved wearily at him as he ran off, with Iruka hurriedly trying to catch up to him.

"Time to head back now?" Chouji asked.

"Unfortunately, yes."

.

Shikamaru knew there was no avoiding his mother; as soon as he, Chouji, and Ino entered his house, she was there, smiling brightly at them. Chouji and Ino, noticing his mother's mood, chose to go along with it, greeting her cheerfully.

"So how was school today, Shikamaru?" Yoshino asked.

Before Shikamaru could reply, Ino answered her, a big grin on her face. "Oh, it was so fun today, Yoshino-san. Shikamaru really enjoyed his role as a guide."

Chouji nodded excitedly as he accepted the snacks Yoshino handed them. Opening the bag of chips, Chouji added his own opinions to Ino's.

"Shikamaru was actually talking. It's the most I've ever heard him talking outside of just the three of us."

Shikamaru glared at his two supposed best friends. He wanted to shut himself in his room so he didn't have to listen to the rest of the conversation. What kind of friends were they, anyways?

Yoshino raised an eyebrow at her son. "You voluntarily talked?"

Shikamaru shrugged and headed for his room as fast as he could, hoping Chouji and Ino would follow him. "Yeah, I guess."

Yoshino smirked and followed them, persistent as always. "I told you being a guide would be good for you."

"Mom," Shikamaru protested.

"Fine, fine, I'll ask you about it at dinner. Don't forget it's a Monday, though."

"Yeah, I know."

Shikamaru sighed and closed the door behind him. "Mendokusei."

"You have to admit you did talk more than usual," Ino said as she took over his chair and desk.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Yeah, since what else could I have done? Mom would kill me if I didn't talk, especially once she finds out they were the Kazekage's children. Man, what a drag."

Chouji offered the bag of chips to him. "Well, it's over now, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Where are we eating dinner tonight, anyways?" Shikamaru asked, changing the subject.

"Isn't it Chouji's turn?" Ino said, absentmindedly opening the drawers of his desk.

Shikamaru frowned at her. "Please don't do that."

"Why, do you have something to hide?" Ino said.

"No, but you'll mess things up and I just cleaned that yesterday. I don't need my mom to nag again." The way Shikamaru figured it, women were troublesome, no matter who they were. If it wasn't Ino teasing him, it was his mother bothering him to do chores, or Tsunade ordering him to stop slacking. It seemed his life was constantly filled with troublesome women.

"It's not my turn," Chouji said. "It was my turn last week, so it's Shikamaru's turn this week. I hope your mom is having barbecue for lunch."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Only if our dads are coming home early. They're the ones who do the barbecuing."

"Oh, yeah, haven't they been really busy lately?" Ino said. "My dad said something about a gang or something?"

"My dad calls them the Akatsuki," Chouji said. "I think they're international fugitives."

"It's the gang Itachi's in," Shikamaru said, lazily lying down in bed and staring at the ceiling. "Though honestly, I don't understand how that happened. Itachi was always a model citizen. I never thought he would join a gang like that."

Chouji nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and he's also a Uchiha prodigy. He graduated college years early and was already in the police force. What more could he have wanted?"

Ino was silent for a moment. "I hope Sasuke doesn't join him."

At the mention of Sasuke, all three of them got quiet.

"Sasuke isn't like that," Chouji said, trying to reassure his friend, though Shikamaru could tell how hesitant he sounded about it.

"Anyways," Ino said, trying to lift the mood again, "How about we watch—"

Ino was interrupted by the sound of three loud, drunk voices announcing that they were home.

The children exchanged looks and Ino got off the chair.

"I think our fathers are home."

.

Three men were standing in the living room of Shikamaru's house. There was Inoichi, with his long blond hair tied up in a ponytail like his daughter; and Chouza, with a grocery bag filled with meat, which he passed to his son. Supported between the two men was Shikamaru's own father, who held a wine bottle in his hand and was swaying slightly.

"Dad," Shikamaru greeted, then frowned. "You went drinking?"

"Shh," Shikaku said, offering the bottle to his son, who politely refused it. "Don't tell your mother."

"I think it's too late for that," Yoshino said, appearing at the doorway with Chouji and Ino's mothers.

"Y-Yoshino, dear," Shikaku said, hastily hiding the bottle behind his back. "Guess who came back early today?"

Yoshino gave her husband a stern look, and Inoichi and Chouza quickly let go of him, surrendering their friend to his wife's wrath.

"And guess who is in trouble for drinking this early?" Yoshino asked as she dragged her protesting husband away.

"Why are you back early?" Ino asked her father. Inoichi smiled fondly at his daughter and gestured for them to all go to the backyard, where Chouza and Chouji had started setting up the grill.

"We finished up early," Inoichi explained. "We caught Zaku right where Shikaku said he would be."

"Zaku?" Shikamaru asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yeah. He's the one we're after, except it turns out he's also Orochimaru's spy. We turned him over to the Uchiha. Though, that means, since Zaku's been captured, it's the end of our involvement with the Akatsuki. It's the police and the ANBU's problem now. Shikaku figured it was a cause for celebration. After all, we have been tracking Zaku for weeks now."

Orochimaru was a name they knew well; he was one of Konohagakure's wanted men. He was a member of the Sannin, the three most talented people of Konohagakure. All three Sannin had once been the current Hokage's students at Konoha University. Orochimaru had been a renowned scientist, though his experiments eventually raised questions about his morality. The other two members of the Sannin were Naruto's guardian Jiraiya, who was a famous author, and Shikamaru's principal Tsunade, who had mastered all the medical knowledge in the Land of Fire, and more.

"Orochimaru's back again?" Shikamaru asked as he and Ino set up the silverware while their mothers brought in the food.

"Maybe, maybe not," Inoichi said. "We don't know for sure yet what he plans to do. Honestly though, I like to say we're done with the Akatsuki, but I doubt the Uchiha or the ANBU will stop asking for our help."

"That's because you three are one of the best at interrogation," Yoshino said, coming back with a much soberer Shikaku.

Yoshino sat herself down at the table and everyone followed suit.

"Does that mean you'll be back home earlier from now on?" Chouji's mother asked.

Chouza handed out some of the barbequed meat before replying.

"I hope so. But like Inoichi said, we probably won't be left alone for long."

"It's not like we have nothing to do," Shikaku added. "We still have a couple of cases left to solve."

"It should be quiet for a while, though," Inoichi said.

The three families fell into comfortable silence as they ate the food, with the adults having their own conversations occasionally.

"I hope the Akatsuki don't do anything in Konoha," Yoshino said, frowning. "It's already more dangerous now that the Kazekage's children are here."

"The Kazekage's children?" Ino's mother asked and Shikamaru tensed. He knew what was coming next.

"Yeah," Ino told her mother. She gave Shikamaru an evil smile. "In fact, they're coming to Konoha High as exchange students this year, and Shikamaru just so happened to be their tour guide today."

"Shikamaru was?" Shikaku asked, looking interested. "How was he? Did he talk?"

"I did talk," Shikamaru said sullenly. "Why do all of you act as if I don't talk, normally?"

Chouza gave him a friendly smile. "It's not a bad thing, to not talk."

"Shikamaru talks plenty when he's with us," said Inoichi.

"You make me sound like I'm introverted," Shikamaru muttered.

"No, you're just lazy," Yoshino said and everyone laughed. Shikamaru sighed. His family was by far the most troublesome.