AN: Yay! Here is the first chapter!


"Hello Shikadai! I'm your most awesome surrogate uncle - Uzumaki Naruto! I'm gonna be Hokage one day!" Naruto announced enthusiastically, jabbing a finger at his chest, as he introduced himself to the one-month old baby in Temari's arms.

Nara Shikadai had a rather quizzical look on his face, his small brows knotted in confusion as he stared at the strange blond man in front of him. Naruto instantly blanched at his lack of reaction, whining something along the lines of "Why doesn't he acknowledge me… Dattebayo!" before he flashed a megawatt grin at the baby again.

"Oh right! Before I forget…" He hurriedly took his own child from Hinata. "Boruto, meet Shikadai!" He took his son's small hand and gave it a small wave. "You two are definitely going to be good friends, just like your Dads! But you both will be growing up in a very different world, one filled with peace and love, so better have lots of fun, the occasional prank on adults is fine, as long as it doesn't involve your parents!" Naruto then rambled on about how he is going to keep making the shinobi world a better place when he becomes Hokage, while the two babies stared at each other blankly.

"Enough! You have taken too much time, Naruto!" Yamanaka Ino pompously shoved Naruto aside. "Hello there Shikadai," She cooed lovingly at the baby. "I'm your Auntie Ino, and this is your 'brother' Inojin." She took her baby's hand for a small wave, similar to what Naruto had done with Boruto. "You boys will be part of the next generation of Ino-Shika-Chou, so better get along well with each other! You must learn your shadow jutsu properly, otherwise Inojin will have a hard time getting his Shintenshin no Jutsu* to work…" She then went on about the legacy he will be inheriting from the previous Ino-Shika-Chou, as well as the importance of the tri-family pact.

Inojin stared curiously at his Nara counterpart, probably used to his mother's constant nagging. Meanwhile, Shikadai decided he was too bored with listening to things he did not understand, and yawned loudly, effectively cutting Ino off.

"Haish, you're just like your father, aren't you?" Ino let out an exasperated sigh. "You better not inherit his annoying catchphrase, and learn more from your mother! After all, your grandpa Shikaku-san used to say that men are useless without women."

"Hey, Ino, do you have anything else to say?" Akimichi Chouji asked kindly. "ChoCho needs to meet Shikadai too!" Ino quickly shook her head and stepped aside, signalling to the Akimichi family that she had nothing else to say.

"Hey there Shikadai, I'm Uncle Chouji, this is ChoCho and that's Auntie Karui," Chouji smiled good-naturedly as he introduced his family. "Well, I guess Auntie Ino already said everything there is to say about Ino-Shika-Chou, so I don't think I have anything else to add. I just hope that you will be good friends with ChoCho, even though you may not talk to her much since she's a girl. But your father and I became the best of friends with Auntie Ino, so I guess it should be no problem."

"Shika-niisan*! Mari-neesan*!" A high, chirpy voice called out jovially. The adults immediately parted; a small girl with black hair and large red eyes ran past them. Shikamaru smiled at her as she leapt into his arms.

"Wow, Mirai, you're getting heavy." Shikamaru remarked as he hoisted her up so she can have a better view of the baby.

"Is that my otoutou*, Shika-niisan?" Mirai asked. Shikamaru nodded. "He's so cute! I can't wait until he gets older so I can play with him… I can teach him stuff when he's about to go to the Academy… I will learn how to use Papa's chakra knives so I can protect him from bad guys..."

"Mirai!" Kurenai finally caught up with her energetic daughter. "How many times do I have to remind you? Shika-niisan and Mari-neesan are married, so you have to call them Uncle and Auntie now."

Gaara shifted uncomfortably from his position in the corner of the room, swinging his cup absentmindedly in his hand. When he thought about it, it was pretty ironic that all the surrogate uncles and aunties were swarming around the baby, while he - the real uncle - hid in a corner. No, it wasn't the case that he treasured his nephew less than anyone else, he was just busy thinking of what to say to the newborn.

After hearing the meaningful (and sometimes superfluous) mini-speeches from the surrogate relatives and Shikadai's self-assigned elder sister, he was even more stressed out and embarrassed by his lack of preparation. When he first received the invitation, he was overjoyed and hurriedly procured some gifts, before leaving for Konoha with Kankuro. Throughout the journey, he thought all he had to do was to congratulate his sister and brother-in-law, meet his nephew and catch up with his old friends.

So it was no surprise that he was giving way to the surrogate relatives while he hung back, thinking about what to say. From what he heard, this type of speeches must sound innocent but not childish, sweet but nevertheless genuine, and highlight the important connection between the baby and the speaker. That was a tall order for several sentences.

"Oi! All you surrogate people are taking too much time! I'm the real uncle down here!" Gaara's musings were interrupted as he watched Kankuro reprimand the 'surrogate people' indignantly. A small smile unconsciously formed on his face, his brother was only so eager when it came to new puppets.

"Long time no see, Neesan! Since I'm the real uncle, you will let me hold my nephew right?" Kankuro was obviously trying to flaunt his special 'uncle privilege' - which he hoped exists - to make the surrogates feel jealous.

"Okay… Be careful with him! Don't scare him or do anything funny…" Temari was full of reminders as she carefully handed over the small bundle to Kankuro. Gaara felt a slight twinge of envy that his elder brother got to hold their nephew before him, it only meant that Kankuro had already planned out what to say.

"Hai, hai, seriously, I'm your otoutou and you don't trust me with my own nephew?" Kankuro questioned indignantly as he steadied the delicate bundle in his hands. Temari merely glared at him but said nothing. Gaara couldn't help but chuckle at his elder siblings' attempts to frustrate each other. It was rare for them to be speaking so familiarly to each other, and it reminded Gaara of the times when the three of them went on missions together as one unit.

"Hello Shikadai, I'm your Uncle Kankuro, and I'm the real deal, unlike all of those surrogate people you met earlier. I hail from the faraway village of Sunagakure - that's where your mother came from - so you won't be seeing me very often. Pity, but who told your mother to run away with a Konoha shinobi?"

"Kankuro! Stop telling Shikadai lies!"

"C'mon, you know I'm only joking. Still, Shikadai, I hope you don't forget where half of your family come from, and perhaps you can grow to love the wind and the desert… The greenery in Konoha is nice, but it's nothing compared to the sunset in Suna! I'll definitely show you around when you're old enough to visit us."

"Oh, I almost forgot! Actually you have another uncle, I've tried searching for him just now but he disappeared… he's probably too shy to meet you, the formidable Kazekage seems to be afraid of the most innocent of things…"

It was then that Gaara felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. He turned and was surprised to see Shikamaru, his brother-in-law.

"Hey there Gaara, don't you want to meet your nephew as well?" Shikamaru asked kindly. "You don't have to give a terribly touching speech… just do a better job than Kankuro." He ended with a chuckle. Gaara felt encouraged by Shikamaru, and stepped out of the corner.

"Ah, looks like he's finally here! There you go, Gaara." With that, his elder brother unceremoniously handed their nephew to Gaara. He stiffened up instinctively at the delicate bundle in his arms. After Shikadai settled down, Gaara took the time to have his first proper look at his nephew.

In his honest opinion, Gaara couldn't decide whether Shikadai is Shikamaru with Temari's eyes, or Temari with Shikamaru's hair. The baby seemed to give off an aura of easygoing laziness, and was unusually calm even when surrounded by strangers. Grateful that he didn't express any hint of fear, Gaara cleared his throat to speak.

"Hello Shikadai, I'm Gaara, your real uncle, that is, your mother's brother…" Gaara heaved a sigh of relief when he finished introducing himself. It was short and straightforward. "You probably won't see me around as often as your surrogate uncles and aunties, since I'm from another village far away from Konoha… But I promise to visit you whenever I can, watch you grow up, shower you with love, just like how my own uncle did when I was young… what a twist of fate, he's also my mother's younger brother!" He smiled as he recalled happy memories of Yashamaru. In his mind's eye, he saw Yashamaru chasing after him down the empty streets of Suna, during a simpler time when the pain and loneliness of being a Jinchuuriki had yet to catch up with him. For some reason, the blond man and red-haired boy gradually transformed into a red-haired man and a boy with a spiky black ponytail. "Because you are part of my family, and you are a precious to me."

Gaara paused to think of more innocent things to say, when Shikamaru's first letter suddenly came to mind. "Since you're a boy, looks like your mother was right…" He instantly felt awkward and rather daft for stating the obvious, so he decided to hurry along. "She's right about a lot of things, so better listen to her… try not to make her angry, though I doubt she can stay angry at you for long… After all, you have her beautiful eyes." Of course, Gaara knew better than to leave Shikamaru out. "You kinda look like your father, so I hope you can grow up to be like him too - a smart, loyal and kind man who never hesitates to lend a hand to comrades in need. He's probably gonna give you advice about… uh… troublesome things… so do keep them in mind!" He figured he was probably taking too much time, so he wrapped up with a few extra reminders. "That being said, I also hope you don't inherit or emulate your mother's temper and her glares… Your father's laziness and catchphrase should also be something that you ought to keep away from… But I hope you can become an outstanding shinobi like both your parents, and as your uncle, I believe in you!"

Little did he know what would become of his reminders, four years down the road.

TBC...


*Shitenshin no Jutsu - Mind Body Switch Technique

*Niisan - Older brother

*Neesan- Older sister

*Otoutou - Younger brother


AN: I'll try to update weekly or something like that. There aren't many chapters so you all don't have to wait for super long. We have the whole story written out so don't worry about us abandoning this piece halfway or something. We just post slower so that we can get more feedback from you readers on how is the story to make the story better for everybody. So, please review! Tune in again to find out what happens four years later!