A/N: Thanks for the reviews, it's amazing how much encouragement it gives you to know that someone is actually reading your stories! The pace of updates is probably going to be slow now that I have to start working, but hopefully I'll be able to post a chapter every week or two.
I changed this chapter to correct the error I made regarding Shikamaru's mother's name. If you find any more errors in the story, drop me a review and I'll change them right away.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.
Chapter 3: How to Train Your Genin
Ino had a sneaking feeling that she might have been wrong. It wasn't a comfortable feeling, and not one she was used to. Although Sasuke had always been top in the class, Ino had been a close second and she was used to knowing the answers to most of her instructors' questions. But now, she was forced to admit that she might have been too quick to dismiss Shikamaru as a lazy good-for-nothing.
After her humiliating first attempt to retrieve the box during their first training session, Shikamaru had stepped in with no apparent effort and came up with a great plan. If Ino was honest with herself, she had to admit she would not have thought of using her teammates' abilities in the same way to finish the mission. She hadn't even known Choji could inflate himself like that, which she berated herself for bitterly. After years studying together, she didn't know what his techniques were! She would change that in the future.
Ino thought back to her Academy days, wondering if she'd missed any signs that should have warned her that Shikamaru had such potential. The class had done much more than free-sparring together; they'd played capture-the-flag and other war games that would have been perfectly suited for similar plans to the one Shikamaru had unveiled during their first morning with Asuma. But now that Ino was actually trying, she couldn't remember Shikamaru ever putting himself forward. He had preferred to lie in the grass, often talking to Choji and groaning whenever someone tried to get him involved.
This was so frustrating! It was like he was trying to not let anyone know how smart he was. But that made no sense; after all, they were all on the same side! Maybe it was just laziness after all.
Ino's embarrassment started turning into anger. She always tried her best, and look what it got her! Dancing around like a stupid puppet on the end of Shikamaru's shadow, contributing nothing except a body to be manipulated at will. Shikamaru yawned and lazed through class, and then effortlessly produced flawless strategies out of thin air. Well, Ino wouldn't just sit back and let Shikamaru take over! If he wanted to lead the team, he'd have to prove he was willing to work. Ino nodded to herself, her resolve growing. The first step would be working on her own skills. From their battle earlier it seemed that both Choji and Shikamaru had received training in the techniques of their clan; well, now it was time to catch up. Ino left her room and went in search of her father.
She found Inoichi tending flowers in the shop on the first floor of their house. Ino wasn't sure why a working ninja spent so much time with flowers, but for once she wasn't going to pick a fight over such a small issue. She had bigger fish to fry.
"Why haven't you taught me anything yet?" she shouted at her father. Inoichi remained silent, but he put down his pruning shears and considered his daughter thoughtfully. "Choji and Shikamaru have both been trained by their family already. Why haven't you been training me?" The last word came out in a childish whine, and Ino wished she could take it back.
Inoichi sighed. "Our techniques are special, Ino. We have access to the deepest, darkest secrets of the human mind. Do you know what that means?" Ino nodded her head impatiently.
"Of course I do! It means you have to be responsible and only use your knowledge for the good of the village. I knew that ages ago!" Inoichi shook his head patiently.
"If only it were as simple as being responsible. Ino, what do you think the mind is?"
Ino was frustrated that her father was turning this into a science lesson, but couldn't resist the chance to show off her lessons from the Academy. "The brain is an organ that controls everything our bodies do. It uses electrical impulses to regulate our muscles and process information from our senses. I can even name the parts of the brain if you…" Ino trailed off when her father continued to shake his head.
"That may be what the brain does, and even how it does it, but it doesn't tell me what it is. Ino, the mind is a maze. It's full of dead ends, and dark corners, and false hope. The mind is a mountain range, prone to sudden storms and treacherous footing. It's an ocean, where a riptide that you can't even see pulls you out beyond any hope of reaching land again."
Ino couldn't restrain herself any longer. "You're just naming a bunch of things! I know it's dangerous, and I'll be careful!"
"Listen to me, Ino!" Inoichi stood up to his full height, towering over his daughter and somehow managing not to look any less threatening even surrounded by flowers and with a vine hanging over one shoulder. "Our techniques project our own minds into the mind of another person. The danger is every bit as real as if you were fighting with kunai. One mistake, only one, and your mind could be lost forever, swallowed up and buried in someone's subconscious. What's more, your own mind is still growing and changing. Your presence in another's mind would be a mere nuisance, without the authority and strength that you will possess when you mature."
Ino was more frustrated than ever. What did he mean her mind was still growing? That was obviously ridiculous, her mind was perfectly fine. Obviously he just didn't want to teach her, like Shikamaru didn't want to make an effort as a shinobi. She looked up at her father, hoping the disgust was plain on her face, then turned and stormed away toward the exit.
"Stop right there, young lady!" Ino stopped reluctantly, refusing to turn around. "I see you're not convinced, but that can wait for another time. Your first experience in another's mind will scare you enough, I'm sure, that I won't have to advise caution again. But maybe there is something I can teach you which will help you pull your weight on your team."
Ino was back in front of her father faster than you could blink. "Please dad, please teach me!"
Inoichi laughed. "At least you're eager, even if you have no idea what you're rushing into. Let's begin. This technique is called Mind Possession Jutsu, although the name is misleading. This technique does not possess the mind as much as shove it to the side for a short time. It does not possess any of the subtlety of our advanced techniques, but it is very useful in a fight." Inoichi repeated the words used to activate the jutsu several times until Ino could say them back without a hitch, and then showed her a seal that was made in front of the eyes, rather than at waist or chest height like most other seals.
"The seal looks like a window, because that's exactly what it is. A window through which you project your mind, straight out into the world. Your projection ends when it hits another person or reaches the end of your range. If you hit someone with this technique, your consciousness pushes their mind to the side, allowing you to control their body for a short time. I'll leave you to figure out how useful this can be in a fight. But I will help you figure out the drawbacks to this technique."
Ino practiced making the seal a few times, until the movements felt natural. She faced the wall, and executed the Mind Possession jutsu for the first time. Immediately she felt herself surging forward, though there was no feeling of resistance from the air. She looked back, and had the odd experience of seeing her own body standing where she had been a moment before, fingers still curled in the shape of the Mind Possession seal. Ino looked back in front of her just in time to see the wall she was hurtling toward. She braced her astral self, but at the moment of impact she found herself back in her body. The experience was disorienting, to say the least.
"Well done, Ino!" her father said warmly. Ino smiled with pleasure at the praise. "Now try it on me." Ino looked at her father uncertainly. "It's ok, you won't hurt me."
Ino didn't have to be told twice. Even faster than the first time she formed the seal and projected herself forward toward her father. As fast as she was, Inoichi moved even faster. He spun to one side and leaped forward, out of Ino's line of sight. Ino's astral body hit the far wall and she reverted back to her body, only to feel a kunai pressing lightly into the small of her back.
Inoichi brought his arm away and put the kunai back in his belt pouch. "Do you see the danger of this technique? It throws the mind forward in a straight line. But unlike throwing a kunai or a shuriken, you're not free to keep fighting. If your attack misses, you're at the mercy of your enemy. So be very, very careful when using Mind Possession."
Ino processed this information. Then a thought struck her. "But Shikamaru can freeze people with his shadow. That means they won't be able to dodge!"
"Now you begin to see why our clans work so well together. But you can't just rely on your teammates to keep you from overextending. You need to know exactly when the right moment is to use this technique, and your control and speed must be flawless. Do you see that fly over there?" Inoichi pointed to a small housefly buzzing around a patch of hydrangeas. "Use the Mind Possession jutsu on it. Let me know once you've caught it, and I'll let you have dinner." Inoichi grinned at his daughter's sudden dismay, and vanished with a substitution jutsu.
Ino concentrated on the buzzing insect, determined to develop her new jutsu to its fullest extent. And once she caught the fly, she would send it straight into her father's soup.
oOoOo
The sun was just about to reach the horizon, its red light lengthening the shadows of trees almost the entire length of the training field.
"All right, that's enough!" Asuma called out. His three genin stopped sparring and bowed to their chunin partners, who bowed back before disappearing with three substitution jutsus. Asuma shook his head. It seemed once a ninja was able to work the simple body-substitution jutsu they were incapable of simply leaving by foot. Of course, he knew he was also guilty of trying to look cool in front of his genin. And anyway, a substitution jutsu saved time and kept anyone who might be watching unsure of your location. Definitely a good habit to develop, regardless of its somewhat flashy nature.
Sparring with off-duty chunin was Asuma's latest idea for training his team. In the beginning he had made them fight each other, but the dynamics were awkward. It was good for them to get to know each other's strengths, but when all of their taijutsu was flawed in different ways they weren't able to learn as much. It was better to spar with someone whose form they could observe and imitate. Furthermore, since they were only three people Asuma had to fight the odd one out, which meant he couldn't spare as much attention to the first two for correcting their form and evaluating their moves. Of course, he could have them fight in rotation, with one resting while the other two fought, but that would definitely not set the right tone. They could rest when they were dead, not when they were training to become shinobi.
After a few days Asuma had decided to call in a few favors and bring in three chunin every day, just for the purpose of sparring with his genin. It gave them a challenge, and allowed Asuma to observe more effectively. And if it also meant that he was able to sit back and smoke a cigarette in peace, so much the better.
Team 10 had fallen into a comfortable routine over the first two weeks of training. In the mornings Asuma walked them through taijutsu forms and stamina exercises. He wanted to begin building up his students' chakra reserves and drill them until every muscle in their body instinctively felt at ease in any combat situation. This was also an opportunity to get each of his students to hone their individual abilities and come to know their own strengths and weaknesses.
Choji was the strongest of the three, and had the most straightforward and powerful techniques. His power was offset a little by his speed, which Asuma was attempting to account for. He made Choji go through the early morning exercises in full armor, further augmented with weights distributed evenly across his body. Even after just a week, the chubby boy had started to move his body quicker and fight with more precision and control. Asuma could tell that in time Choji would become a powerful taijutsu user, even without his clan's special techniques.
Shikamaru was an interesting case. He was already passable with taijutsu, and showed a startling amount of foresight in terms of knowing where and when his opponent would strike. In one revealing bout a few days earlier, a young chunin had tried out a special combination meant to mislead the opponent into attacking. Shikamaru had taken the opening, but when the chunin sprang his trap Shikamaru had already moved aside, precisely far enough to avoid the counterstrike. His outstretched foot sent the chunin flying. Of course, the lazy genin's infuriated opponent had then used his superior speed and strength to get his own back, but Asuma had no doubt that with a few years the chunin wouldn't be able to lay a hand on Shikamaru.
That said, the Nara boy was slight and skinny. A straight punch from Shikamaru barely fazed Choji at all, and while Shikamaru rarely had to limit himself to a straightforward attack it was important that he not become too dependent on Choji to supply the brute strength. But strength was not the only important thing, and considering Shikamaru's particular abilities it would likely not be the most important weapon in his arsenal at all. In the end Asuma decided to focus most of Shikamaru's efforts on increasing his stamina, which would pay dividends in the long run with his Shadow Possession techniques.
On several missions Asuma had been able to see Shikamaru's father manipulate his shadow to great effect. Shikaku could split his shadow in multiple directions, give it tangible form in order to strangle enemies or throw objects, and most importantly could keep up his efforts for hours at full strength. In preparation for such abilities Asuma had Shikamaru running for at least an hour every morning, followed by precision drills in which the young boy had to send his shadow through a difficult obstacle course that got longer every day. The young boy complained bitterly, but it was apparent to the entire team that his prowess with Shadow Possession was increasing exponentially.
Ino was a struggle, in more ways than one. First was simply her smaller build. Kunoichi in general were weaker than their male counterparts, and it was up to each one to figure out how to offset this inequality. Asuma knew that Yuuhi Kurenai avoided problems by developing her genjutsu, a subtle art in which kunoichi were often more skilled than male shinobi. But even when she limited herself to taijutsu, Yuuhi was a formidable opponent who used her speed and trickery to make up for her lack of bulk. Asuma smiled, remembering one practice bout when the jonin with the striking red eyes had avoided his trench knives with ease, slipping past his guard with a sharp kick that had left his leg numb for days.
Asuma was in no way qualified to teach Ino genjutsu, but he could definitely help her become more agile. As she matured she would doubtless learn more about the mind-delving techniques of the Yamanaka clan, and that increased understanding of how the mind worked would inevitably make Ino a formidable genjutsu master. In the meantime, Asuma developed several exercises meant to increase her speed and dexterity, and Ino took to them like a fish to water. He would never admit it, but sometimes Asuma found it very therapeutic to throw blunted kunai at his young student while she tried to dodge. Her acerbic tongue and constant aggression could be more than a little wearing.
After the morning exercises and a light lunch came Asuma's favorite time of the day. The afternoon was the time in which Asuma worked with his genin on their teamwork, creating potential mission situations which forced them to work together and learn more about their own capabilities. Every night he wracked his brain for ideas, trying to modify hundreds of missions he had carried out or studied in order to put his students in new and challenging situations. He was almost never disappointed by his students, either. They seemed to instinctively synchronize their movements on the battlefield, regardless of how much Ino and Shikamaru seemed to argue off it.
Asuma had been worried going into training about the segmented nature of his genins' education. Shinobi clans with their own special techniques tended to train their youngsters alone, without sharing much knowledge with other clans. Take the Hyuugas for example, who guarded the secrets of their Byakugan like a dragon hoarding its gold, or a dog keeping watch over a juicy bone. The stuck-up white-eyed bastards almost never worked well on a team with other shinobi, no matter how valuable their abilities were for scouting and gathering information.
But thanks be to the gods (or perhaps to generations of Ino-Shika-Cho trios), Asuma almost didn't have to worry about getting his team to coordinate their abilities. One of the early missions had been to assault a "castle" guarded by "enemy shinobi." The castle was a simple stone structure in one of the training areas, guarded by a team of three older genin that Asuma had rounded up for the day. Asuma still couldn't keep from laughing as he remembered Choji bearing down on the dumbstruck genin with his newly acquired Meatball Tank jutsu. They had jumped aside, not sure how to react to a giant spinning colossus spurting jets of blue chakra. They had been so surprised they didn't even notice the shadow of a nearby tree extend rapidly to catch hold of one of them, or the tell-tale twitch that signaled a successful Mind Possession jutsu. After Choji barreled off and the genin returned to their post, Ino used her host's body to knock the other two unsuspecting genin unconscious.
And the last stage in a full day of training was the free-sparring session, in which Asuma recruited chunin to push his genin beyond their limits when they were already tired and their chakra was depleted. He was proud of how hard his team was working, and even prouder of their successes. It was amazing how quickly leading a team had become second nature to him, after years of operating by the seat of his pants with nothing to answer to but his fancy. Indeed, it was almost scary to reflect how dear his genin had become to him – the thought of any one of them coming to harm filled Asuma with a deep, cold dread unlike anything he had ever experienced.
He wondered if the Hokage had known how leading a team would affect him, and figured that the answer was probably yes. His father's foresight never ceased to amaze Asuma, now that he was mature enough to appreciate the position of a father whose duties meant that he didn't always have the luxury to lavish praise or attention on his son. Asuma had to admire the subtlety with which the Hokage had bound him anew to the village. His genin tied Asuma to Konoha with chains stronger than steel, all the more resilient for being a responsibility freely accepted.
It was with that responsibility in mind that Asuma had decided to get to know his genin personally, even beyond the familiarity bred by training and fighting together every day. So far he had invited Choji and Ino home, to try and get inside their heads and figure out what made them tick. He hadn't been too surprised by what he'd learned, for neither of the two genin acted differently when interacting with him one-on-one than they did during training.
Choji was a kind, gentle kid who had a strong bond with each of his two teammates. In fact, if Asuma had to guess Choji's motivation was probably based around a desire to protect his team rather than to become the best shinobi he could be. From some hints Choji dropped Asuma gathered that the chubby kid was actually averse to needless violence, and took pride in his strength only to the extent that it allowed him to shield his teammates. Asuma reflected sadly that Choji's innocence would probably not last; he remembered how quickly his own illusions had been stripped away on the battlefield. But Asuma knew that Choji's innate protective instinct would keep him on the right path, especially once he accepted that in a world ruled by shinobi ordinary citizens had need of strong guardians.
Ino too seemed fairly simple to figure out. She was loud and aggressive, but essentially good-hearted. She looked out for Choji with an attention that was at times a bit condescending, but apparently (to judge from Choji's behavior) not unwelcome. She refused to blindly accept authority and challenged many of Asuma's instructions, but Asuma was willing to accept that attitude toward authority; after all, he had been much worse as a child. Recently Ino seemed to have developed a strange attitude toward Shikamaru, as well. She chewed him out for his laziness with much more vigor than Asuma could muster, yet in many of the team's missions she would look first to Shikamaru for his ideas. She challenged him every step of the way, but generally acquiesced to the plans he laid out (though Asuma had often heard her grinding her teeth in frustration). Such an objective evaluation of her teammate's ability gave Asuma a lot of hope for Ino's potential, and reassured him that she was in no way too stubborn or pig-headed to shelve her pride if it meant successfully completing a mission.
And then there was Shikamaru. Asuma shook his head and watched as the dark-haired boy trudged across the field, already lagging a good twenty feet behind his teammates. Asuma already knew that the young genin was a good deal smarter than he let on. That much was clear from the way he developed strategies during training that incorporated an understanding of tactics that was well beyond what Asuma had expected from a genin. Asuma was willing to accept that, but what puzzled him was the boy's attitude. If, for example, it had been Asuma that had possessed such talent as a child, he wouldn't have been able to keep from flaunting it. He would have been much more outgoing and, chances are, the other students would have welcomed him as long as his plans paid dividends. But Shikamaru remained aloof, and it was generally only after much prodding from Ino that he could even be induced to explain the idea behind a certain strategy.
Yet, strangely enough, he seemed to develop strong connections with the people around him. Asuma knew that Choji would cheerfully take a shuriken in the eye for Shikamaru, and Ino's constant badgering was in fact a mark of her deep respect for the boy, as grudging as it might be. Tonight Asuma was hoping to learn more about Shikamaru, and potentially find out what it would take to light a fire under the lazy genin, so to speak.
Asuma waited until his team was all assembled in front of him before he spoke. "Good work, team. I especially liked your performance just now Choji – with a little more stamina you might have been able to fight that chunin to a standstill." Choji blushed slightly at the compliment.
"Arigato, sensei. Next time I'll eat a little more at lunch, I didn't stock up properly." Asuma blinked at this reminder that the Akimichis had such control over their own energy reserves, and held back a laugh when he thought how badly the chunin might have been embarrassed, if only Choji had packed a few more calories.
"Anyway, you should all get back home and rest up. I've got an especially fun exercise for you tomorrow. Not you, kid." He said, pointing at Shikamaru. "It's your turn for some quality one-on-one team with your beloved sensei." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, something Asuma had grown used to seeing over the past two weeks. Choji and Ino left together, and Asuma set off with Shikamaru in tow.
After a light walk through the streets of Konoha, which served as an excellent cool-down after the day's grueling workout, Asuma arrived at his small house. He led Shikamaru inside, and ushered him into the living room. Asuma was very happy with his house – it served all of his needs, and it was easy to keep clean. At least, it would be easy to keep clean, if he ever made the effort. He looked around at the clothes lying on most of the chairs and the dishes piling up in the sink, and hoped that it hadn't affected his genin's opinion of him too much.
"So," Asuma led off, once Shikamaru had taken a seat on a sofa free of dirty laundry. "Let's talk. Can I get you a cup of tea?" Asuma had to fight to keep a straight face when he saw Shikamaru's facial expression. His student clearly did not know what to make of this new side of his demanding sensei.
"I'm fine," Shikamaru mumbled.
"I know this is a little strange, but to try to bear with me. I need to figure out who you are, and not just how you fight. We're going to be seeing a lot of each other for the next few years, and even after I'm no longer your sensei we'll probably fight together often. By that time we'll know each other's style, and who knows? I might even be taking orders from you." Asuma watched Shikamaru carefully to see how he took that carefully presented bait. He didn't see any change of expression, except for a tiny flick of his eyes that indicated no surprise, only disinterest.
Asuma regarded his young charge in silence, wondering where to go next. It was then he noticed the quick glances that Shikamaru kept sending to the coffee table to the right of the couch. Asuma followed his glance, wondering what was attracting Shikamaru's attention. His gaze came to rest on his most prized possession, a Shogi set presented to him by the daimyo for his years of service as one of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi. That gave him the insight he needed.
"Do you like to play?" he asked Shikamaru quietly. The boy blinked, surprised that his interest had been so obvious, but only nodded.
"Let's play a game then." Asuma moved the coffee table between them, feeling his curiosity kindling. Back in his rogue days, he had picked up Shogi from his best friend. The monk was a brilliant player, and maintained that any good commander needed to be proficient in the game. Asuma wasn't sure he agreed about the correlation between skill at Shogi and skill in war, but he had come to love the game for its own merits and considered himself a student of no little ability. Once he had even beaten the daimyo himself, who was a master. There were only a few people Asuma knew of who played a better game, two of whom were the Hokage and Shikaku Nara. Perhaps this game of Shogi would help him better gauge Shikamaru's potential.
It soon became clear that if Asuma really wanted to get to know his student, he couldn't have picked a better way. Shikamaru's normal indolence disappeared the moment he sat down to the board, and his fingers caressed the exquisitely carved pieces with care. Asuma started out aggressively, sure that Shikamaru had experience playing with his father.
Around ten minutes later Asuma was staring at the board, mustering all of the self-control he had developed during his years as a shinobi in order to keep from betraying his shock. The board told a story to any with the eyes to see, and it was not kind to Asuma's pride. His forces had been routed, and his king captured after masterful play by Shikamaru. Asuma would have said it was like playing Shikaku with less experience, but Shikamaru played with a style all his own.
Asuma looked up at his student, who was plainly still exhilarated from the match. "Want to play again, sensei?" Shikamaru asked with a sly grin. Asuma felt his competitive spirit rise to the fore. It appeared his young genin would be his sensei, in this area at least.
"By all means." Asuma took an extra-deep drag on his cigarette as a worrisome thought came to him. Shikamaru was clearly a genius. Just from a simple game of Shogi Asuma could already tell his student would test off the charts as far as intelligence was concerned, and in time he would be a truly formidable resource for his village. Judging from what Asuma knew about Shikaku, the famed Jonin Commander of Konoha, he knew Shikamaru's potential could not have escaped his father. So why had Shikaku allowed his son to get away with his apathy? It was as if Shikaku had acquired a magic sword and then let it go to rust; was the Commander so focused on his own duties that he had neglected to teach his own son? Asuma resolved to meet with Shikaku at the earliest opportunity.
For now, he had a chance to redeem himself. Asuma set up the board once more, nodded to Shikamaru across the table, and made the first move. Cautiously.
oOoOo
Shikaku Nara nursed a cup of coffee slowly, listening quietly to his wife's nagging. He wasn't upset or angry; in fact, his wife's abrasive tone washed over him like music.
"Yes dear," he murmured quietly when she stopped for breath. Shikaku knew many of his colleagues were puzzled by his relationship with his wife. They couldn't imagine putting up with her commands as meekly as Shikaku seemed to, and almost never came over to the house to visit. This was fine with Shikaku, who enjoyed what little time he got off to be alone with his family just as much as he enjoyed his all-too-infrequent nights out with Inoichi and Choza.
Even his own son was often puzzled at the way Shikaku always seemed to do what his wife said without complaint or argument. Shikaku could only hope that his son found someone he loved half as well as Shikaku loved Yoshino. She was his other half, and her loud tirades fit his dark silences like a glove fit a hand.
Yoshino walked out of the dining room, apparently having no more instructions for him. Shikaku was left to his own devices, and found his thoughts circling back to when he and his wife had first met. They were much younger then. Shikaku had found Yoshino's attitude charming, and she seemed to warm to him for some inexplicable reason. They dated for a while, but both were enjoying their new careers as shinobi and neither was contemplating anything serious. Then came Shikaku's dark period, in the few months after he became a jonin. He was a highly respected squad leader, and had been proud of his skill and reputation within the village.
On one disastrous mission, Shikaku had led a team consisting of Choza, Inoichi, and six other jonin into the land held by the Hidden Mist shinobi. The mission went horribly awry, and only five of them made it back to Konoha alive. For a while Shikaku hadn't been able to live with the guilt. The only thing that made life bearable was alcohol, and so he drank. And drank, and drank. His friends were at a loss as to how to console him. They told him it wasn't his fault, and asked him how he could have possibly anticipated everything that went wrong. Nothing could convince him to forgive himself, and Shikaku fell deeper and deeper into his downward spiral of guilt and anguish.
Until Yoshino. The feisty chunin had broken into his house and started yelling at him. She poured out all of his liquor down the drain and practically forced him at knife-point to clean up his act. There was no pity from Yoshino, no false words of comfort. She just told him, "Do better." If he had ghosts riding with him, so be it. They would make a fitting jury to judge him for his sins and his mistakes. Yoshino convinced him that his duty lay with the living, to offer everything he had in the service of his village.
Years later, Shikaku still relied on Yoshino. He told her his dearest dreams and his deepest fears, and she shared his pain as the missions mounted and the number of ghosts and regrets only grew. In turn, he had witnessed the few times when she shed her armor and allowed the true gentleness of her soul to shine through. Such moments were more precious to Shikaku than gold, and much rarer. Shikaku still remembered his wife's expression when their son was born – her face lit up with a joy that he'd never seen before and would probably never see again. So let his son complain that his father was "whipped." Shikamaru would come to understand, one day, how important it is to find someone who understands you; and more, who stands by you, to help when your burden is too heavy to carry alone.
The doorbell rang, distracting Shikaku from his increasingly sentimental musings. Choza would laugh at me, Shikaku thought. I must be getting old. He went to the front door and opened it, coming face to face with Asuma Sarutobi. Ah. This was a conversation he'd been expecting.
"Come in, Asuma-sensei," Shikaku said, bowing his head to his son's teacher. Asuma bowed in return and stepped inside. Shikaku got Asuma settled in the dining room, and waited as Asuma and his wife exchanged pleasantries.
"I'm actually here about Shikamaru." Yoshino nodded at Shikaku knowingly. "Are you aware that your son is a genius?" Shikaku looked to his wife to answer, but to his surprise she gestured at him to take the lead. This was unexpected. Perhaps she thought Asuma would respond better to his male commander than a kunoichi, though if so, Shikaku thought his wife was underestimating Asuma. Although some shinobi were of the opinion that women were not effective warriors, Shikaku was sure Asuma suffered from no such ignorant preconceptions. Well, whatever her reasons, Yoshino had decided to let him field this play.
"Yes, we are aware." Shikaku said, hoping to draw Asuma out a little more. The jonin did not disappoint.
"Then frankly," Asuma said, "I can't see why you've let him become so god-damned lazy! He has the potential to be one of the best shinobi the village has ever seen, but he seems to prefer watching the grass grow than improving his skills!" Asuma seemed to realize he'd overstepped, because he visibly made an effort to calm down, and opened his hands in an apologetic gesture to the two of them.
"I understand your concerns, Asuma, and I am in no way ignorant of their justification." Shikaku leaned forward in his chair, organizing his thoughts around the topic that had caused him and his wife so many headaches over the last twelve years.
"Imagine you have just found your three-year-old child reading military briefs that had slipped off your desk. You are understandably proud, and a little humbled. It's your responsibility to see that your child's gift is developed, and put to the best possible use. So you begin to teach him everything you know, and at first he seems to like an answer to your prayers, a child destined to bring the Nara clan to unknown heights. Then one day, he decides that he doesn't want to study. You ask him why, and he says it's too 'troublesome.'" Shikaku paused, seeing Asuma grimace at this mention of Shikamaru's favorite word.
"What do you do? Do you come down on him hard, emphasizing the importance of diligence and duty to a child still too young to understand or accept these concepts, no matter how smart he may be? That didn't seem like the answer; after all, isn't it common for the son to baulk at the burdens given him by his parents? We didn't want to risk making Shikamaru feel as though we were expecting him to fill a certain role. It would be only too easy for him to reject it, and reject us in the process."
Asuma visibly flinched at this reminder of his own rebellion.
"And the danger ran deeper still. We have all seen Shikamaru's apathy and been frustrated by it, but imagine encountering it for the first time in a small child. It's only natural, once you think about it, that to a child for whom nothing comes as a struggle, the drive to work hard might weaken. But if Shikamaru didn't want to study because it was too troublesome, what was to keep him from deciding that living a life in service to a village was too much trouble?
"Maybe you think we worried too much, projecting too much into the future, at the risk of neglecting our child in the moment. But think for a moment about Itachi Uchiha, whose own excellence and thirst for power led him to betray his own village and slaughter his clan. We decided to let Shikamaru grow at his own pace, presenting him with the lessons we wanted him to learn but not beating him over the head with them. As he grows and develops we hope he will grow out of his laziness, and take his place as a shinobi of Konoha with pride."
Shikaku could see the wheels turning in Asuma's head.
"And over the years we have had no cause to fear. Shikamaru has continually impressed us with his willingness to stand up for his friends. His friendship with Choji is perhaps the most positive sign of his growth, because Choji is the most heart-whole child I have ever met. Perhaps Shikamaru will never become the strategist and leader that his potential might predict, but we will be proud if he always stands by his team and adheres to the values that we have tried to instill in him."
Asuma stood up and bowed to Shikaku and Yoshino. "Thank you for your time. I believe I understand a little more now. I will try to develop Shikamaru's talent to the best of my ability. I have also seen how well he works with his team, and have high hopes for him." He made as if to go, but seemed struck by a thought and paused for a second.
"You seem to have put a lot of thought into this, but you must have been very worried at the time. Did you have anyone to go to to ask for help, like I'm coming to you now?"
Shikaku smiled wryly, sharing the joke with his wife. "I suggest you take a trip to the Konoha Bookstore, and pick up a copy of Drama of the Gifted Child. Best 20,000 yen I ever spent."
Asuma laughed and bowed again, then left with a thoughtful expression on his face. Shikaku and his wife exchanged glances, not needing words to communicate after so many years together. As with so many other things, they were in complete agreement. Their son was in good hands.