DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from the Naruto universe but I do have an imagination of my own.
Thinking
Emphasis
Biju, etc. speaking
Biju, etc. thinking
Naruto Uzumaki had been one of Shikamaru Nara's closest friends. Alongside Choji, whom Shikamaru had known his entire life, Naruto was his best friend. The two seemed, and in some ways, were very different, but they valued the same things, had a good time together, could count on one another, and believed in each other. It's what made them great ANBU partners.
Even when they were in the Academy, Shikamaru had pegged Naruto as troublesome. But Naruto was a different brand of it altogether. Naruto was dismissed as being an idiot, a dead last, whereas Shikamaru himself was actually fighting for that position - if you can call sleeping for being ranked dead last "fighting." Even back then, though, Shikamaru saw potential in the young Uzumaki. The pranks he laid, the ANBU he outran, the competitive spirit he had: there was a lot to admire, really. Especially when compared to the treatment he received from the village he loved.
He figured out that Naruto held the nine-tails the same day that he guessed the Yondaime was his father. His parents had been friends with the Fourth and he'd heard them speak of him and his wife often. He'd also seen how they reacted to seeing Naruto mistreated in any way from as far back as he could remember. His father was the Jonin Commander and his mother a former Chunin. For them to care so much about an orphan - one who was extremely close to the Hokage - was interesting to Shikamaru. And even when he was young, when Shikamaru Nara found something interesting, he wasn't going to leave it alone.
He had, of course, seen pictures of the Fourth and knew that Naruto looked very much like him. One day when he was at Iruka-sensei's desk, Shikamaru saw the class roll-call, which had full names and dates of birth. That's when he put it all together. He'd also had a clue sometime prior that summer when he heard his dad telling his ma that the village was only "lucky the boy didn't turn out like the Sand Jinchuuriki." Back then he didn't know who the boy was that his father was referring to, or what that term meant, but he was a Nara - so he looked it up in their clan archives.
What did he find? Not only the definition but a name: Mito Uzumaki. Along with the rather specific name-calling from the idiot villagers, who made it incredibly obvious, being born on the day of the nine-tails attack to the man who saved the village from the beast and his parents' reactions, he felt he had the full picture of Naruto Uzumaki.
Of course, he wasn't completely right. One of the best things about being with Naruto was that he was always unpredictable, which kept him on his toes - or was at least entertaining.
Since shortly after Naruto's return from his training trip with the Toad Sage Jiraiya, Shikamaru had been planning to become Naruto's advisor when the man became Hokage one day. After spending even more time with Naruto as his partner in ANBU, Shikamaru had no doubts that Naruto would surpass his father and the Shodai to become the best Hokage the village had ever seen.
And then his friend got killed. It was still unbelievable in some ways. If Naruto had just taken Sasuke out, he was sure the blonde would still be alive. He was positive Naruto could have done it too. But that wasn't his friend. Oh no: Naruto had wanted to save the Uchiha. He'd "promised Sakura," and although Shikamaru still couldn't help but hold on to a bit of a grudge against the woman for ever asking something like that of Naruto, he had to try to forgive her if for no other reason than the grief she still held at losing Naruto.
...Plus, Naruto would be pissed off at him for being an "unforgiving bastard." On some days, though, Shikamaru flat out told Naruto - who wasn't here anymore - to piss off - he'd be a bastard if he felt like it. Only Naruto never replied anymore.
Now he was standing on a roof, a good distance away from the Hokage Tower with the woman he knew was Naruto's sister in his arms. Things had certainly not gone as he had planned. Once again, Naruto had foiled him. Troublesome.
"Please forgive me for bringing a lady out before she's even dressed. I can assure you I mean no harm. I was a good friend of your brother's, and I only have good intentions," Shikamaru offered the female Uzumaki what he hoped was a warm smile. The blonde-haired woman looked up at him with those same big blue eyes - which looked even bigger on her - and only nodded her head in return. He grinned genuinely then and jumped down from the roof they were on, still holding her bridal-style, and made his way further away from the center of town.
He had a few moments to not only plan what to do next but to think about what he had done. I doubt if Kakashi would accuse me of treason… Still, he had not reacted well or rationally when speaking with his Hokage.
When he saw the menacing look in his Hokage's eye as the man stood up, Shikamaru had only been preparing to defend himself: Kakashi Hatake was an incredibly dangerous man, after all. As soon as that fierce and what he'd call feral gaze went towards the door only to vanish, though, he had to look to see what had caused such a change in Kakashi's demeanor.
That's when he saw her. A more real version of his departed idiot friend's sexy jutsu, standing disheveled in only a man's shirt - which was way too big on her and probably made her look even sexier. Her face, more slight whisker marks, eyes, hair, and coloring? All the same or so similar to Naruto. He looked back at the Hokage for confirmation and saw a possessiveness in the Hatake's eyes he had never seen before. Shikamaru matched it.
Not for the reasons his perverted Hokage had, mind you. This was his best friend's sister! Kami! Kakashi was the guy's sensei: what was he thinking?!
It was obvious to him what the Hatake was thinking! The Uzumaki woman Shikamaru had been freaking out over: the one missing for months was in the Tower? Looking like she lives or sleeps there? In a man's shirt? Yeah, it was about Kakashi's size: that bastard! He was looking at her like she was his! Fuck you, Hokage-sama!
Shikamaru heard a small "EEP!" and looked down to see the young woman looking at him with even wider eyes, struggling unsuccessfully to get away from him.
"Gomen. It's okay; I was thinking about something troublesome." At that, her lips quirked up a bit and she settled back down against him. Maybe Naruto told her about me? "I'm just going to take us to a friend's place. You'll enjoy meeting them all, I'm sure." The woman still didn't respond. Maybe she's shy. Great - with the way she looks I'm going to have to buy a bat to start beating away the perverts. What a drag! He noticed that she was still looking up at his face with her head cocked to the side. She looked like a kitten. Why does she have to be so cute? Troublesome blondes: every last one of them.
Making his way toward the Hyuuga compound, the Nara promised himself then and there: no way in hell was he going to let Kakashi Hatake get his perverted mitts on Naruto's sister.
The second that the Hokage could breathe again, he stood, and let out what sounded like a roar. He flung his desk out the window, scattering papers everywhere. The sound alone was so frightening that the ANBU didn't want to enter the room. They were afraid Tsunade-hime was back!
"Where the fuck were you?" the Hokage whispered darkly to the lion-faced ANBU standing at his doorway.
"H-Hokage-sama?" Lion wasn't used to being spoken to this way from the too-calm, too-cool Kakashi Hatake, a man he had known and respected for years.
"Gather the ANBU."
"Sir?" Lion asked, his voice going a little high. Damn, but Hatake's pushing out the Killing Intent in a mean way!
Kakashi shrugged off his white silk robes elegantly and laid them on the chair in the corner of the room. "Gather than ANBU," he repeated in a menacing tone. "I want Shikamaru Nara in my office within the hour. When you find him you radio me, am I understood Lion?" The Hokage opened up an armoire and began changing into his battle gear.
Lion could only stare: but it's Shikamaru Nara, Hokage-sama…
"God help you if you fail me, Lion, because I will not accept failure. Gather the ANBU right now and GO!" The look on the Hokage's face was one of fury. Lion finally got out of there, fast.
"Enjoy this time with her Shikamaru, because I'm going to kill you as soon as I get my hands on you, you filthy bastard!"
