Update: This is a re-edited version of chapter one. There are not a ton of changes to what I had in already, but I fixed a lot of grammer and spelling issues, and hope that it flows a little smoother than before.

A/N: I decided to really play with an AU idea. I find it kinda funny that all the clans had their heirs at the same time, save Itachi, and with him becoming a missing nin then you've got Sasuke anyways in that age group. So, I'm gonna make it a little less convenient. In this story, Shikamaru will be two years younger than all the other main characters. But that doesn't mean he graduates later...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I'm just borrowing the characters for fun.

The third Hokage sighed and rubbed at his temples as Kakashi glared at him with his one eye.

He knew this was how the jounin would react.

Ugh. He really didn't need this headache right now.

"Hear me out, Kakashi," the old Hokage said. After dropping that particular bombshell, he wasn't sure what Kakashi might say. But he was ready to divert and fight any argument.

Where he could just order Kakashi to take on this task, he'd rather have the young man do it willingly. Kami knew that he needed more ability to chose instead of numbly attending his duties all the time.

Beneath the mask, he could hear teeth click together and realized that Kakashi had been opening his mouth to speak and probably argue. The respect that was honed in the copy-nin kept him from speaking though, and Hiruzen was thankful.

He sighed again.

He was getting too old for this.

Hiruzen started to speak. "Shikaku came to me and specifically asked you to be his son's jounin instructor." He quickly held up his hand as Kakashi started to speak again. "Shikamaru is a genius, plain and simple. He's only been in the academy for a year and passed the graduation test with flying colors. I had his sensei give him an I.Q. test and its off the chart – over 200. I could keep him in the academy, but that would be wasting his potential."

Again, Kakashi tried to speak and again, Hiruzen cut him off. He had a sneaking suspicion that Kakashi would have said something about how of course, ninja and potential was what Konoha was known for. Didn't they spit out a genius every few years? It was becoming a staple of the place, honestly.

The third Hokage shook himself.

"I know you don't think you'd do well teaching. I am well aware that you didn't pass your first team last week," he said this with a glare. "I know you don't want to be a teacher after leaving the Anbu. But you would be the best person to actually teach the boy anything. Shikamaru has shown a reluctance to doing anything without proper motivation, and where a lot of people are seeing it as laziness, his academy sensei says he's pretty sure it's because nothing challenges him to the point of motivating him."

Time to possibly put his foot into his mouth.

"I'm not asking you to do exactly what Minato did for you."

Kakashi stiffened.

"But after what happened with Itachi…Shikaku has good reason to be worried about his son's future."

Even if what happened with Itachi was the council's fault. Shikaku doesn't know that though…

Hiruzen, pushing away the old guilt, finally stopped speaking. Kakashi slumped a little.

He looked at the Hokage, resignation in the visible eye. "You must know me pretty well. You just totally took apart all of my arguments."

Hiruzen gave a small smile.

Kakashi still tried though. "Won't Inoichi and Choza be upset that Shikamaru won't be on the academy to graduate with their kids? I had heard that they wanted another Ino-Shika-Cho combination."

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair.

"Shikaku brought that up, and the other two are understanding of it. Even though Ino and Choiji are two years older than Shikamaru, he is already way beyond their level. Perhaps they can work together in the future sometime. But for now, it looks like that particular formation will just have to wait another generation. With the age gap between them, and the intelligence gap as well, I gathered that they aren't as close as perhaps they could have been had Shikamaru been in the same class with them. And with him passing the test early anyways…"

Kakashi sighed. "Am I right in assuming that Shikamaru took his it last week with the other graduates then?"

Hiruzen nodded. "He's stayed at the academy for now. Only a few of the academy sensei know he passed the test and only Iruka-sensei and Shikaku know about his IQ results. I didn't want him drawing any unwanted attention. He thinks, and I am quoting Shikaku on this, that it is a 'drag.'"

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed, and Hiruzen knew he'd realized he'd been referring to Danzo as the unwanted attention. But then his eyebrow went up in slight amusement. "A drag huh?"

The Hokage snorted. "As far as his peers know, he didn't take the test and therefore didn't pass it. Shikaku requested it be kept quiet until we figured out what exactly we were going to do."

Kakashi nodded.

"I guess I can take him on as an apprentice." Kakashi suddenly perked up. "Does this mean I don't have to take on a full genin team then?"

Hiruzen shook his head in exasperation. Of course that was where he went with this. Perhaps Kakashi wouldn't be the best person for an already fairly lazy boy to learn from.

Ah, it was too late for that now.

"It depends on how well this goes. You do know how Minato eventually added Rin and Obito to create your four man team. I don't know if that's what will happen here, but for now, it'll just be the two of you."

Kakashi nodded. "Hai, Hokage."

Hiruzen smiled as Kakashi left via the window. He would never quite understand the jounin's distaste for doors.

He rubbed at his temples again and then stared balefully at the piles of paperwork. At least he had one priority figured out. Now for all this other junk.

Sometimes being Hokage sucked.

Kakashi stood in front of the Memorial, his sharingan uncovered.

"Well. Obito, Rin, Sensei...I just got conned into taking on an apprentice. Yeah. I know. Me? A teacher? I just know that this is a bad idea. That's why I used the bell test last week on that other genin group. I figured there would be less of a chance for them to pass, and I'd be free for a year. Because what snot nosed academy graduates will understand teamwork? After everything that we had to learn the hard way, lack of teamwork is not something I will ever let by. But nope. Lord Third just had to pop up with another genius. And he's an even younger snot nosed academy graduate."

Kakashi stuffed his hands into his pockets, and looked up at the blue sky.

"I'm supposed to head over to the academy and pick him up this afternoon. And I can't be late this time because he doesn't know I'm coming, and he'd leave if I didn't show up."

Kakashi sighed.

"I'm not sure what to think of this. You know how my life went. Not the greatest, but it was because of you guys that I turned out as good as I did. Itachi...I told you about him, Obito. He killed your clan-everyone but your cousin. He was a genius. Pushed too hard too soon. Everyone said he finally snapped. Maybe if I'd been there for him, he wouldn't have killed his clan and become a nukenin"

He looked back at the Memorial Stone, his sharingan tracing over Obito's name.

"I think that's what has Shikaku so worried. He doesn't want his son to snap eventually. Like I almost did. Like Itachi eventually did. Kami, even you sensei, were regarded as a genius, and you died."

The weight of responsibility settled on Kakashi's shoulders.

"I don't know how you did it, sensei. I know I was a difficult student. I suppose Shikamaru might not be that way. But still. I could really use some advice."

Sighing, his only response the chirping of a bird in a nearby tree, Kakashi pulled his forehead protector back over his left eye. Judging by the sun, he had a few minutes to get over to the academy.

Well.

Here goes nothing.

Without a backwards glance, the young man disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Shikamaru stopped in surprise as Iruka-sensei put a hand on his shoulder.

"Shikamaru. I've been asked to keep you here for a little bit."

The Nara blinked up at him, and then shrugged.

"Okay," the seven-year-old said. He sauntered back to his desk, and slid into the chair. He could feel Iruka's stare on his back.

"Don't you even want to know why?" Iruka finally spluttered.

Shikamaru propped himself up on his elbow, and closed his eyes.

"Well, it's obviously something to do with my test last week. Why else would you have come over here from your other class? You're the only teacher here who knows I took the IQ test and one of the only ones who know about me passing the graduation test. I'm concluding that after a week, someone is coming to talk to me about what I'll be doing now."

He didn't have to look to know Iruka was dumbfounded.

Shikamaru sighed.

How troublesome.

He hadn't planned on taking the test last week. It had really been a spur of the moment decision. But it had just been one of those days where he felt like he was surrounded by idiots and really just wanted to be out of there. It wasn't like he had any friends here. No one seemed to like him and he reciprocated the feeling.

Upon having him actually pass the test, Iruka had dragged him into another room and then questioned him on how on earth he had done so. Granted, Shikamaru had been too bored to try to get good grades in the last year, so he supposed Iruka's disbelief was founded.

And then after waiting, supposedly to ask someone how to handle the situation, because they hadn't had someone graduate this young since Itachi Uchiha, so he supposed that that could have been some cause for alarm… and he'd made him take the IQ test. Shikamaru had been surprised, but then actually quite happy to have a bit of a challenge. When he'd been told that his IQ was off the charts though, that had surprised him.

Well.

At least he knew that he wasn't really surrounded by idiots. He was just that much smarter than everyone else.

In truth, he didn't like the academy, but when he realized that he made an uneven number of genin graduates, he was worried about where he would go. He was still worried. He didn't want to stay here, but it wasn't very common for someone to take on an apprentice. And who wanted a seven-year-old genius on a team with two twelve year olds? That was a recipe for disaster.

Shikamaru sighed. Sometimes he really wished he had been born earlier. He spent some time with Chouji and Ino, as their clans were such good friends. But he had never really felt like they connected well because of the age difference. Kami...Ino thought he was adorable.

It wasn't Shikamaru's fault he was short for his age.

There was a knock at the door, and Shikamaru turned in his chair. Iruka was already headed over to open it. When he did, Shikamaru eyed the newcomer with interest.

Gravity defying silver hair. Check.

Weird mask over bottom half of face. Check.

Forehead protector tilted over left eye. Check.

Slouch. Check.

Porn sticking out of pocket. Check. Also, gross.

Shikamaru immediately decided he didn't like the looks of this guy.

"Hatake-san," Iruka stuttered. "I didn't expect you to be...on time?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

Reputation for being late. Check.

Kakashi Hatake. Shikamaru knew about this man. After all, he was the only person in Konoha who bore that last name now. He'd never met him before, but his father had mentioned him a few times in passing. Plus, they'd all been taught the history of the village in their classes (he actually liked that subject here) and he knew about the legendary White Fang. Not a lot of people knew the White Fang was a Hatake. But his father had told him when Shikamaru had asked who he really was.

And this was his son?

Shikamaru was not impressed.

And then suddenly, as Kakashi strode forward and curved his visible eye into a crescent, and Shikamaru knew exactly why he was here.

"Shikamaru Nara? My name is Kakashi Hatake. I'm your jounin sensei. And my first impression of you? You're boring."

Shikamaru face-palmed.

Whew! This is longer than I though it would be.

Shikamaru is 7

Kakashi is 22

Rest of the Rookie Nine are 9

Please review and let me know what you think! I would love to know. =]

Edited 9/6/21