VT Chapter 13
Shikamaru
Despite my saying last chapter that I couldn't think of much for a Shikamaru chapter, here it is, bled straight from my ears and onto my keyboard.
Ow.
Not that it's a bad chapter, but it simply took a hell of a lot of rewatching older episodes and reading on Wikipedia for me to get a good idea of his personality.
Anyway, I don't have enough time to answer all the great reviews I've gotten, since last chapter actually received more reviews then any other chapter in the story.
So I'll just pull a Kakashi and answer them next time. : P
Anyway, please read and review.
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Disclaimer: As long as there is suffering and sorrow, know that I will never own Naruto.
(What? I was bored of regular disclaimers, and screw the sequence; it's hard to rhyme sometimes.)
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Why?
Why didn't you kill me for being so lazy, Naruto?
Why didn't you kill me for ordering you to fight one of the only friends you have?
Look at me, I'm so lazy that I'd rather give up and die, rather then try to start making amends.
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Of course, now that I think about it, I'm betting that it's not apathy as much as cowardice.
Afraid.
I'm too afraid to speak,
Too afraid to suffer what you went through.
Too fucking terrified!
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I've noticed something rather odd about how the chuunin exam was set up.
Though we only worked in teams during one part of the exam, I was rewarded for my ability to lead my team well.
In the first part, it's not like I actually needed to cheat in order to answer.
It was in the forest of death.
I guess the hidden cameras in there weren't working too well when Team 8 was almost killed by three punk-ass Oto genin.
It was only because of Ino that I didn't just sit in that bush and watch those bastards slaughter Team 7.
What a great leader I am, neh?
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After getting all our asses saved by Hyuuga Neji and his team, we then proceeded to split up again.
And here's where some things stop making sense.
We fought in preliminary matches...
One on one.
We then fought in tournament matches...
One on one.
Not once in the last two parts of the exam did we need to display any sort of teamwork (well, excluding kage bunshin tactic's maybe.)
So, where the fuck did I display the qualities that showed people that I was good enough to become a chuunin?
I mean, I gave up in my match for crying out loud.
People were impressed with both my use of tactics and my discernment of situations that I can't win.
Compared to some of the other matches, mine was not really that remarkable.
Though Lee lost against Gaara in the preliminary matches, nobody accounted for the fact that he was fighting a mother-fucking DEMON-VESSEL!
From what we saw, after opening the celestial gates, Rock Lee could kick each and every sngle one of our asses.
Maybe even before opening the gates, if he's not wearing his weights.
Hell, it was just bad luck to go against Gaara. Only a Jounin or Kage might have been able to really do enough damage to put the red-head down.
Maybe.
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Next was Aburame Shino.
I've never seen anyone as unpredictable as him.
You could be beating the hell out of him, and then suddenly fall over dead, all your chakra sucked dry.
Plus with the effectiveness of his bug clones, I now find it hard to figure out if I'm talking to the real guy.
Why didn't he make chuunin?
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Finally, we get to Naruto.
First off, the guy knows a Jounin-level technique that seems like one that my family would be specialists in.
Then he manages to come back and beat Neji during his match.
I've read up on the effects that 'Gentle Fist' techniques have on their targets.
According to most records, someone hit with sixty-four hits should be out cold for almost a week.
Naruto manages to get back up in less then a few minutes.
I'm betting most of those damn holier-then-thou Hyuuga's were shocked at that accomplishment.
If I hadn't been amazed as well, I would have fallen on my ass laughing.
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I was awarded the rank of chuunin for my ability to supposedly lead a team well.
But that was pretty stupid, since I had never actually led a team before. I had always either fought with the other members of Team 8, or by myself.
But Naruto...
Naruto's use of kage bunshins to first gauge Neji's talent, as well as make the prodigy waste his chakra was brilliant.
Though I had never really believed that Naruto was as stupid as he seemed, it wasn't until then that I began to hold a deep respect for the blonde.
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Looking back, watching him in that fight might have been one of the reasons that I ordered Naruto to engage Uchiha while I dealt with one of the Sound Four.
He/she/it/whatever the fuck they were, put up quite a fight.
Enough of one that I was losing until I got my ass saved by Temari.
Hooray for me...
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Naruto, I ordered you to fight the one who was most likely your best friend.
If I hadn't been such an arrogant jackass, I might have known that that would make him try even harder to kill you.
I ordered you to fight him because I believed that you would know his strategies and techniques the best.
What I was too fucking stupid to realize was that the same also applied for him.
Damn it all!
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Naruto...
I may be a genius,
but I'm also a worthless coward.
Troublesome...
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Author's notes:
Ended in true Shikamaru fashion. I wonder how many times people thought he would say "Troublesome" in this chapter after just reading the title.
I don't have that much time to write up some good authors notes, but I will mention a few things.
This chapter is one of the longest because of Shikamaru's hobby.
Just staring at the clouds all day, thinking. Either that or sleeping, I've never been too sure.
Some people might believe that he's too lazy to think a lot, but I just believe that he's too lazy to say most of his thoughts.
His analysis of Naruto's actions in the chuunin exams is how I believe he would interpret things such as that.
Maa … mendokusei,
Oh well, sorry about the bad author's notes and lack of review acknowledgments this time, right now I only have 7 minutes to get to my class, at a campus that is a half-hour away.
I have the need for speed,
(and the major procrastination problem to boot)
Until next time,
Ja ne!