Chapter 72

Male elder Homura Mitokado

Shikamaru was actively working in his role as advisor to the Hokage and eventhough his job was a drag sometimes, he didn't mind doing it if it meant he would help keep his village safe. He remembered after his first day that he wasn't going to work without breakfast anymore.

Kakashi always arrived late, and since Shikamaru wanted to make a good impression in his new role he was always at the office first.

When he let his toughts wander he mostly thought of Temari and what she might be thinking about. His mom had taken to having her and Konkuro over for dinner several nights a week so she could get to know Temari better, and also because it gave them some time alone before she had to leave for the evening. Last night he hadn't seen her and it made it hard for him to focus.

He shifted his mind to Naruto and Hinata's mission, wondering if they had made it to Iwagakure. He remembered the Tsuchikage Onoki and knew they didn't have an easy task ahead of them. He hoped that whatever did happen Hinata's presence would help when Naruto decided to be overly passionate.

Kakashi entered and Shikamaru briefed him on the issues for the day and handed him a big stack of paperwork.

One thing Kakashi could say he understood when he took the position was the amount of tedious paperwork that he would be responsible for on a daily basis. If he didn't keep ahead he'd be buried in no time. He understood why Lady Tsunade wanted to retire.

"And, one last thing," Shikamaru mentioned "I start my training with Homura today," he said, calling the elder by the informal last name.

"Ah, that's right, they were supposed to send you something about meeting, did you get something from both of them?" Kakashi asked.

"No, just from him, I expect there's more to tell and he'll probably do that in person."

"Better you than me, I hope you get what you are looking for from them." Kakashi sighed. "I wish there were another way, an easier way for you two."

"Yeah, well…I better get going, I don't want to be late," Shikamaru bowed his head and ducked out of the office. While he was walking he thought about his last interaction with the elders and how they knew his family name. He had asked his mom if she knew the elders.

"Who doesn't" he remembered her reply. But when he asked if she knew them personally, she didn't. It seems like there weren't many that did, and that seemed odd to him. 'They're known and respected as the elders of the village for the past several decades, yet no one seems to know any personal details about them…' he thought.

It's not that he minded his part of the mission, in fact, he was sure he could pull it off. The part that was difficult for him was going in blind and not having any idea of an effective strategy.

He waited on the street outside of the hokage's office when the elder showed up.

Shikamaru bowed his head "thanks for meeting me today," he mentioned.

"Let's get on with it," he motioned Shikamaru to move from the building and they started walking through the village together.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"Where do you think we should start," Shikamaru put it back on him.

The elder stopped walking, "Look kid, I know you're up to something, no one has ever made the request that you have, what are you after?" He asked point blank.

"…I…I just wanted to get to know you guys," Shikamaru uttered, which was technically true.

"But what's your purpose?" He eyed Shikamaru while he tried to think of an answer.

"I saw the way Lady Tsunade treated the elders of our village, and I saw Kakashi following down the same path. My clan doesn't believe in treating elders in that way, and I don't want their legacy to negatively impact the village." He used the only ammo he had, his anger towards the village leadership.

"Hmm, yes, you are from the Nara clan, I suppose I can see what you mean…" He replied as he thought over the reply. After he had accepted Shikamaru's answer he started walking again. Shikamaru found his weak spot.

They walked until they reached an area in the town with a bench outside and then sat down.

"I can't walk all day, but I do like to walk around the village when I have the energy." It surprised Shikamaru that he was starting a somewhat normal conversation.

He looked directly at Shikamaru, "I will teach you what I have learned in my time being an elder for this village, and kid, be advised, there's a lot to learn. I won't go easy on you and I won't tolerate a student with his head in the clouds. Are you sure you really want this?" He asked, trying to scare Shikamaru off.

"Yes, I'm sure," Shikamaru said while thinking about the contrast the elder made. He would much rather have his head in the clouds, but not when being with Temari was at stake. 'Man, I never thought I would do so much just for a girl,' he thought.

"Go get something to eat then come to my house in an hour," the elder said as he got up and began to walk away.

"Wait," Shikamaru stood up, "Where do you live?"

"I have an apartment on the east side of the village, in the 3 story building, the blue one. It's #18. One hour." He replied as he walked away.

Shikamaru felt glad that the elder had agreed to work with him, but he hoped Naruto's mission took a while so he had time to get things to work out. If the mission was too quick and the kage summit happened before he was finished then it would all be for nothing.

He went to Ichiraku and got some ramen. He ate quickly so that he could walk around the east side of the village before finially knocking at the elder's door.

The elder opened his door and ushered Shikamaru inside.

"Your first lesson will begin at the table. I head Kakashi brag about your mind for strategy, and to be honest, I think it's exaggerated. Tell me, have you ever played shogi before?" He had a way about being rude to offend that didn't rile Shikamaru up like it would normal people. He understood that this was the elder's purpose and wasn't going to let his emotions lead him through the interaction.

"Yes, many times." Shikamaru replied, unphased.

"Hmm, we'll see. Take a seat." He showed Shikamaru his seat opposite his and put the shogi board on the table and then sat down.

Shikamaru decided then and there that he wasn't going to lose to gain his respect. If he was going to challenge him, then Shikamaru would deliver.

They started playing and Shikamaru had to admit that the elder was pretty good, but not good enough to beat him. The first game lasted 20 minutes, the next, a half hour. After losing the elder wouldn't say anything, but just set up the board for another game. They passed a few hours this way, which Shikamaru enjoyed the quiet and the game.

He also felt that he was learning something about the elder by the kinds of moves that he was making. He often made moves that were calculated 2 or 3 steps ahead, but lacked consideration of the bigger picture. This coorelated with the elders decision to appoint Danzo as Hokage.

He also was too wiling to sacrifice his smaller pieces, even when he didn't need to, in order to try to pull off a bigger move, or gaining a victory for a bigger piece. Knowing his strategy made it easier for him to set traps, but the elder also learned quickly from his mistakes. If he saw Shikamaru leading him into a trap more than once, he memorized the pattern and tried a similar strategy in a different area.

Night started to fall and the elder, who had enough for one night, didn't reset the board after the game finished.

"Come over tomorrow morning and we'll go over the history of the village." He said as he started to put the pieces away.

"Sure, see you tomorrow." He nodded as he left.

He decided he really wanted to visit Temari on his way home and stopped by her place but no one was home. He sighed as he walked back to his house.

When he got home his mom was cooking and was talking to someone in the kitchen. 'Temari and Konkuro must be over for dinner tonight,' he realized before walking into the kitchen to join them.

To his surprise, the female elder was sitting in their kitchen and talking with his mom. Both of them seemed at ease and were even laughing and telling stories, but stopped when they saw him come in.

"I didn't know you were home yet Shika," his mom said as he walked in.

"And I thought you didn't know the elders…" he returned to his mom. If there was something she wasn't telling him, he hadn't calculated on her knowing them into his very limited plan. He also couldn't afford surprises right now. He tried to look calm as he addressed the elder.

She was clearly taken aback by his attitude towards his mother and raised her eyebrows at him.

"Oh, just ignore him Koharu, he's always grumpy when he's hungry." Yoshino smiled as she got plates out and began serving dinner.

Shikamaru sat down and observed the behavior between his mother and 'Koharu' as his mother called her. His mom appeared to be acting normal by his account.

"Koharu said you guys would be working together and she wanted to get to meet you in person." His mom mentioned when they were all seated together.

Koharu nodded her head. "And I've been waiting for several hours too. I'm glad your mom is such good company or I may have just left," she said as she glared at Shikamaru.

He knew there wasn't going to be a way past her behavior unless he acted with a better attitude. "I'm sorry about earlier, it's just that I've been busy all day and my mom's right, I am a little hungry." He smiled at her and his mom as Koharu's glare lightened considerably. "I'm glad you are able to join us for dinner," he added.

"I guess you're right Yoshino, he is a good boy afterall." She acknowledged as she began eating what was prepared. She had taken some time the previous day to ask around the village about Shikamaru. Overall, she found that he was a highly intelligent and highly respected Shinobi, which coincided with what her opinion was of him so far.

"I wanted to see if you could come by and meet with me tomorrow so we could discuss your education." She asked him.

"In the morning I'm training with the other elder," he replied as Koharu's glare returned to her face.

"Is that where you were all day?" She asked him in disbelief.

"Yes, he sent a note to meet him…so I did," Shikamaru was careful to answer, not sure what was upsetting her.

"I told him to wait for me so we could have our first formal meeting together." She tried to rebound from her disappointment. "It's okay, I can meet with you guys tomorrow. Did he cover any lesson today?" She asked.

Shikamaru wasn't sure how to answer that, he wouldn't really call playing shogi all day a lesson…

"No, I think he was just trying to get to know me. Introductions…" Shikamaru replied, thinking he found her weak spot.

"You guys have worked together for a long time" He pointed out to make conversation.

"Yes, we have." She said abruptly while wiping her lips with her napkin. "Yoshino I've had a wonderful night, thank you for this nice meal. I need to be going." She bowed her head at Yoshino and did a quick nod in Shikamaru's direction. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she left the house in a hurry.

Shikamaru wondered what was in store for him in the morning…