Chapter 7:

"I can't believe you pulled it off. I don't know how, but you did. I just… What? I'm still in shock."

"That really was amazing, Shikamaru. I mean, the way you were acting, none of us had any confidence in you, no offense. But you had to admit that with that display…"

"I'd really rather not talk about that," Shikamaru said in his usual tone.

Just as the men said, the drug did wear off by that afternoon. Shikamaru was back to his old self without any side-effects. He was reluctant to talk about the events and wouldn't give in no matter how much Naruto pressured him. The whole thing was very embarrassing for him. All the more reason Naruto wanted to bring it up, it seemed.

"I don't get it, though," said Ino. "If that drug took away your intelligence, how…?"

"It didn't take away intelligence," Shikamaru corrected. "I don't think there's any drug that can. It just impairs you. It affects your brain but it doesn't take away your intellect."

"But still… How? How could you have passed that test? Did it start to wear off? Or did the flashcards help? We didn't do it for nothing, right?"

Shikamaru didn't stop walking as he answered. "There are different kinds of intelligence. And they're all measured differently. The most recognized are the book-smart type of intelligence and the kind I have. But there are others that are often overlooked or people just don't consider them a form of intellect."

"So… it only took away- or impaired- the kind and level you possess?"

Shikamaru looked at his two teammates. "That's why I wanted you guys specifically for this mission. I wasn't sure what kind of test it would be or how they would choose to target the test-taker. I had to cover all my bases."

"That's why you wanted us to come along?"

"It's not just that we work well together, Ino. It's because you do have a unique intelligence. You're very observant. You're a fast learner, too. You can multitask which is also a form of intellect. Your justu may have also come in handy, but I was focusing on other aspects you possess."

Ino blushed a little when he said this.

"Naruto is clever and has emotional intelligence. He's able to connect with people in a way no one else can. He can understand people on a level few can begin to comprehend. His empathy allows him to connect with others and even sway them. He's not book smart by any means-"

"Hey!"

"- but he is intelligent in his own right. That's why I wanted him to come along. I wanted a variety of different types of intellect so I could understand who would be targeted and why. And what they were looking to suppress."

"Huh?"

"Didn't you notice that I still displayed some level of intellect?" Shikamaru asked them, stopping on the road to look at the two. "I showed creative intelligence because that drug only impaired a certain part of my genius. That drug impaired my ability to figure out puzzles in the straightforward sense, my book smarts, tactical genius and the most common types of intelligence people recognize, leaving the cleverness and creative genius."

"Is that why you could still answer the questions?" Naruto asked, stunned. "Because you had to be creative in order to figure them out? Does that mean you may not have been able to do it if they hadn't drugged you?"

"No way," said Ino. "He still had that creative genius in him. It was just more highlighted because the other parts were impaired or suppressed."

"Right. They didn't account for that with the drug," explained Shikamaru. "They may not have known or didn't take it into consideration. Drugged or not, I probably would have been able to solve those riddles."

"So they were riddles after all," said Naruto.

"That's the way my mind saw them. It all depends on your take. A more literal person would have probably tried to calculate the exact measurements, showing that kind of genius. I might have, too. Who's to say? But I went for the clever answers, mainly because that's the part of my brain I could still use. Which I may also have gone with even if I weren't drugged."

"Seems like that guy's test was really open to interpretation," said Naruto. "Depending on the person's take on the question. Does that mean other answers might have gotten you a passing grade as well? Or was he just looking for clever answers?"

"Who knows? I think there could have been a number of acceptable answers." Shikamaru started walking again. "Or maybe I passed because I made him laugh."

Naruto followed close behind as they made their way back home. "I get that's why you chose us to come along. For our type of intellect. Is that also why you didn't want Sakura to come along? Because her book-smarts and fast learning was too similar to yours and Ino's?"

"That and she was needed at the hospital. And Ino's a good medic in her own right. We didn't necessarily need Sakura for this mission. She was needed elsewhere anyway."

"It wouldn't have mattered since I already tried to use medical ninjutsu to help Shikamaru and it didn't work. Sakura wouldn't have made it any better," said Ino. "We just needed to wait for it to wear off, like they said."

"Having a lot of people on this mission wouldn't have been a good idea," said Shikamaru.

Ino then glared at him. "Going back to what you were saying about not being sure who would be targeted and why… Does that mean we were part of an experiment and you just needed to round down the numbers?"

"I wouldn't put it like that. But I did say that I needed my bases covered." Shikamaru looked over his shoulder at her. "Besides, I had a feeling they were only looking for one type and I needed to narrow it down. I knew that if everyone were the same on the team that they would all the targeted. I needed a variety. And I knew that whoever was left would not be a target and therefore safe."

"I know, but still."

"If you think about it, I actually helped you. You guys weren't targeted and I was. You're safe because of me."

"Personally, I'm pissed off that no one considers me smart enough to even target," Naruto complained.

"For this mission, that was a good thing," pointed out Ino.

"Why can't my strengths be recognized like Shikamaru said? I'm smart and no one knows it because they only think of one type. That's so not fair."

"We just went over that, Naruto," said Ino. "We can't all risk getting caught."

Naruto stifled a laugh. "I guess. Though why is Shikamaru's clever genius a cross between a drunk and a sleep-deprived kid on a sugar rush?"

Ino giggled. "Yeah, he was pretty silly. What was up with that?"

"Can we agree to never talk about it again?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'd tell everyone only no one'd believe us," Naruto said, trying not to laugh. "It's really something they'd have to see for themselves."

"Now that it's over, we can laugh about it," said Ino, giggling.

"I'd really rather we didn't," Shikamaru moaned.

"I'm sorry but you were so ridiculous! A pain in the ass and so annoying and crazy but funny now that you look back on it."

Shikamaru grimaced. "Can we please just go back home and not talk about this?"

Ino grew somber and decided to ask something she had been wondering since halfway through the mission. "Shikamaru?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it. And no telling Choji, either. Not that he'd care."

"No, I mean… Well…" Ino looked at the ground. "I was just wondering… Do you like being a genius? Isn't it annoying and bothersome?"

Shikamaru raised his brow.

"I had been wondering about it for a while and I never really asked you how you felt. Do you… Do you resent it? I mean… You seemed so happy when you were like that, so I thought maybe you…"

Shikamaru exhaled loudly. "It's a double-edged sword. People expect things from you and when you mess up it's always worse because you're a genius and should have known better or accounted for it. And it's troublesome having everyone look to you and rely on you for plans and everything."

Ino continued to stare at the ground in silence.

"But I'm not gonna lie. I'm proud of what and who I am. Knowing that I can make a difference and that my plays could help protect my friends means a lot. Thinking how much worse things could be if we didn't have certain things… I guess what I'm trying to say is that like with a lot of gifts, they can be a pain in the ass and something you love having. If someone else were calling the shots, we might be worse off. If my genius keeps you guys and the village safe, I'm happy to use it."

Ino looked up at him. "Really?"

"Yeah. But it is nice to have a break once in a while." Shikamaru cracked a smile. "Just because you're a genius doesn't mean you can't have a sense of humor… Or a silly side."

Shikamaru lifted his arms and placed his hands on top of his head so they resembled animal ears. Ino didn't know why he was doing this until she heard Naruto complain. Behind him, Naruto was doing the exact same thing, a shadow connecting them.

"Dammit, Shikamaru. Stop!"

Shikamaru chuckled.

The end!

Hope you enjoyed this silly fiction. Thank you for reading and please review!