Author's Note: Yo! Sorry for taking so long to update! I had the chapter nearly finished, but my computer froze. So, when I rebooted it, the whole chapter turned into pound signs and I had to rewrite it. It actually sounds better now though. To make up for it, I wrote an extra long chapter!... Anyway, this is the last chapter for voting for your favorite team assignments! Please vote now if you want your favorite team to win. And, if it's tied, I will use a team that I have been debating on using. There are four ways to vote. 1) By PMing 2) The poll on my profile 3) In the Reviews 4) An email I made for another story when the Guest Reviews weren't coming up on the Review page and being sent to me blank. It's ryuufanfictionpoll gmail . Com without the spaces. Thank you and enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 3: Silence Vs. Laziness

Naruto sat in the Nara House across from Shikamaru. He watched at Shikamaru set up the pieces for the both of them.

"So," Shikamaru said. "Do those bakas normally bother you?"

Naruto nodded.

"Why," Shikamaru asked. "You seem nice."

Naruto shrugged and gave him a small, sad smile.

"I hate people like that," Shika said. "I hate that they get joy in hurting other people. It makes no sense."

Naruto shrugged and picked up a Shoji piece, thinking for a couple minutes before he laid it back down.

Shikamaru hummed, and then moved his piece.

"How do you communicate with people if you can't speak," Shikamaru asked.

Naruto held up his drawing pad and moved his next piece.

"I see," Shika said. "Why don't you use a note pad and write instead."
While Shikamaru was thinking about his next move, Naruto looking for a picture to represent what he was feeling. Once Shikamaru had moved, Naruto held up his picture. It was a picture of someone talking, but everyone was covering there ears. Then he flipped the page of someone with stage fright.

"Your afraid no one will care about what you say," Shika asked.

Naruto nodded.

"But, how do you do your homework," Shikamaru asked.

Naruto took out another book and showed his completed homework.

"Ah," Shikamaru said. "So you only write to complete the Academy."
Naruto shook his head and held out his Journal.

"A journal," Shikamaru asked.

Naruto nodded and gave a silent snicker. Then he drew a picture of his journal under lock and key.

"So, no one's ever seen it," Shikamaru said. "I see."

Naruto just shrugged.

At that moment the door slammed shut, and Shikamaru's dad walked in with Inoichi.

"I'm telling you," Inoichi said. "I can't tell you specifically about the case, but it is the toughest case I've ever had. I can't get anything from the patient about what started everything."

"Have you tried having him draw what's bothering him...or her," Shikaku asked.

"That's all I can get him to do," Inoichi moaned.

"Then what's the problem," Shikaku asked.

"He never shows me the root of the problem," Inoichi said. "I can't help him if he doesn't tell me what it is that's bothering him."

Shikaku nodded.

"Hey dad, Inoichi-san," Shikamaru called.

"Hey son," Shikaku said as he walked into the sitting room. "Who's your friend?"

Naruto tensed, and started to draw into himself.

"Is he okay," Shikaku asked.

"Oh, hi Naruto-kun," Inoichi said. "How are you today?"

Naruto smiled and drew a picture of a rising sun.

"That's wonderful, Naruto-kun," he said. "I see you made a new friend. That's good. I happen to know Shikamaru-kun, so I know that he'd be good for you. He's lazy—much like his father—, but he's one of the smartest and most loyal kid I know."

Naruto smiled, and Shikamaru blushed in embarrassment.

"Inoichi-san," Shikamaru asked. "How do you know Naruto?"

Inoichi looked at Naruto for the go-ahead, and Naruto just shrugged.

"He's a patient of mine," Inoichi said. "He has social anxiety and select mutism."

"So he can speak, but chooses not to," Shikamaru asked.

"Pretty much," Inoichi said.

Shikamaru looked pointedly at Naruto, who just blushed and shrugged.

"Well, it doesn't really matter does it," Shikaku said. "If he doesn't speak, he doesn't speak. Anyway, how did you two meet?"

Naruto drew a picture and showed it to Shikaku.

"Ah. So my son's a hero, eh," Shikaku said with a chuckle.

"Well, what was I supposed to do," Shikamaru said. "They were beating him up. I couldn't just sit there and watch."

"And, I'm proud of you for helping," Shikaku said.

"Helping with what," Yoshino said as she walked into the room.

"It seems that our son is a hero," Shikaku said. "He saved this young boy from a gang beating."

"Oh, you poor thing," Yoshino exclaimed. "Is he okay? Do we need to get any wounds treated?"
Shikamaru shook his head and said, "Nah, I've already asked him and looked him over. He only has a couple nasty bruises."

Yoshino nodded and frowned in worry.

"He's staying for dinner," she said.

"He might," Shikamaru said, and then he turned to Naruto. "That's if you want."

"He's staying for dinner," Yoshino said in a 'there's no use arguing' tone.

Naruto and Shikamaru grew closer as the months flew by. By the time they were ten, Naruto practically lived at the Nara house. Shikamaru became Naruto's shield and voice to the rest of their peers. And, with Shika's help, Naruto started to open up to Inoichi more. Still, however, no one has ever seen Naruto's journal—no matter how hard they pried. Naruto also helped Shikamaru motivated. He still didn't try to hard at school, but that was more to fool his peers than it was for him just slacking off. Naruto was Shikamaru's ray of sunshine. He made life less "troublesome," even if he was pretty "troublesome" himself.

The Hokage was happy that Naruto had a friend, and when he visited, he'd often find Naruto painting and Shikamaru watching the clouds on the roof of Naruto's apartment complex. However, it was even a common site for them to be playing Shoji for hours on end.

Everyone was gathered in room 201. It was an exciting day today and everyone was talking loudly.

"You ready," Shikamaru asked Naruto quietly.

Naruto nodded and took a deep breath.

"Alright, settle down," Iruka said as he walked into the room.

No one heard him.

A tick mark appeared on the sensei's head and he did the Big Head no Jutsu as he yelled, "Settle down!"

Everyone immediately shut up and turned towards Iruka.

"Thank you," he said. "As you know, today is the Genin Exam. Now if you would, please follow me outside."
Naruto followed Shikamaru outside, his hand in Shika's shirt as he shied away from the others. Once they reached the training fields, Iruka had them trough kunai and shuriken. Naruto sat beside Shikamaru who was laying down and watching the clouds.

"We're going to do our best today, right," Shikamaru asked.

Naruto nodded his head as he started drawing their class mates as they through their projectiles.

"Good," Shikamaru said. "Then you better become Rookie of the Year."

Naruto just smiled and nodded.

"Nara Shikamaru," Iruka called.

Shikamaru lazily got up and threw his weapons at the target. He got 9/10 with the shuriken and a 10/10 in kunai.

"O-Okay," Iruka stuttered. "Good job, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru smiled lazily, and made his way back over to Naruto and went to 'sleep'. Naruto smiled and silently laughed at the looks of shock on everyone's faces.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Iruka called.

Naruto put down his drawing pad and walked over to Iruka. Iruka gave him a soft smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Naruto picked up the kunais and threw them all together. Everyone's eyes bugged out when they all hist the bull's eye. Everyone thought it was a fluke until Naruto picked up the shuriken and did it again. Sasuke was do dumbfounded that he fell over.

"W-Wonderful," Iruka said. "You got a 100%!"

Naruto gave him a shy smile, and practically ran over to Shikamaru with a blush on his face.

"Good job," Shikamaru drawled.

Naruto's smile widened, and brushed Shika's hand.

The next exam was the genjutsu exam. Again, Naruto and Shikamaru showed their worth by 'A'ing the exam. They did so well that they beat Sakura by 3 seconds dispelling the illusion. After the genjutsu, they ran a obstacle course for stealth. Shikamaru blended into the shadows and he only set off one bell. Naruto, like his mutism, made not a single sound. Taijutsu was where Shikamaru struggled most. He lasted the time limit, but he wasn't the best either as was common with support type ninjas. Naruto, also had some trouble. But, he did the best outside of Uchiha Sasuke. However, the written test is where Shikamaru and Naruto truly shined. They did the test so well that Iruka had to give them extra points for answering the questions like Chunin.

"The next test is the ninjutsu exam," Iruka said. "First up Akamitchi Choji!"

The time went by, and Naruto and Shikamaru played a quite game of Shoji. They were so into it that their peers watched them play as they talked.

"Nara Shikamaru," Iruka called.

"I'll be back," Shika said and he went in for a minute, and when he came back he had a hitai-ate.

Naruto smiled and gave him a picture that he had drew of that moment.

"Thank you," Shikamru said. "Mom would love it."

Naruto then moved a piece and Shika mumbled "Troublesome."

"Uzumaki Naruto," Iruka called.

Naruto moved one more piece, and Shikamaru started to bang his head on the table. Naruto stuck his tongue out and went over to Iruka.

"Okay, Naruto-kun," Iruka said. "I want you to do a Henge of the Hokage."

Naruto did a Henge of his Jiji with his pipe smoking.

"Good," Iruka said. "Now I want you to do three Bushin."

Naruto preformed the Bushin, however there were 20.

"Good," Iruka said. "But, you did have to make so many."

Naruto held up a picture of someone condensing a piece of paper to the smallest it can go.

"Ah, I see," Iruka said. "Now a replacement."

Naruto replaced himself with Iruka's glass of water.

"Good," Iruka said. "Please take a hitai-ate."

Iruka smiled when Naruto walked back into the classroom, but Mizuki scowled. He wanted the "demon brat" to fail so he could use him to steal the forbidden scroll.

….The Next Day...

The next day found the class in their classroom for the last time. Everyone was excited because they would find out their teams today. Again, they were all talking loudly.

"Hello everyone," Iruka said. "Please quite down."
No one heard him.

"Quite," Iruka siad using the Big Head no Jutsu.
Everyone shut up.

"Thank you," Iruka said. "Now—."

Naruto tuned out the speech with his nerves. He wanted to be on a team with Shikamaru. Shikamaru was outwardly calm, and pretending to sleep, but he was just as nervous. He didn't want to be on a recreated Ino-Shika-Cho team. He didn't really mind Ino and Choji, but Choji let Naruto be beat all those years ago and Ino was just loud.

Iruka smiled at them one more time and said, "Team One..."