A/N:Concerning Scrolls, in this chapter Shikamaru meets the best straw-hat pirate at running away, I chose Shikamaru, because of his self-titled 'best shinobi at running away' title. Also thanks all of you for your reviews. This is the next chapter, Enjoy!

Normal

"Talk"

Think

Technique

Demon Talk

Demon Think

I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters, nor do I own any one-piece references or characters that are mentioned in this story. I do own any OC's displayed unless I say otherwise.

BEGIN

"300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305" Naruto panted as he did squats, his aim was 500, he hadn't yet reached that number. The most he could currently do was anything from 350-400, but he would keep on trying. A Byakugan distance away Hinata was watching admiring his efforts as she practiced extending and focusing her eyes… training her Byakugan. A training ground away a big-eyed bushy eye browed child was running circles around a training field… but that's not what we are focusing on.

In a field, about 2 kilometres from the Aburame compound Shino was sitting on a log, surrounded by various bug life forms pondering logically the changes, symptoms and character of Uzumaki Naruto, and this is what he determined

'In the beginning we saw a young child, who all his life had been refused what a child needs, friendship and family. Due to this he aimed to get attention, so he created a goal. One that meant he had to get respect, but most of all attention, the goal was to be the Hokage. He wanted attention, any type of attention so bad he acted a clown, constantly stuffing up. Unfortunately he lost a good few years in development. The teachers ignored him causing to mess up more, so 50 percent of every class he either missed out of because he was acting stupid, or he never turned up' Shino saw what that did to Naruto, he wasn't stupid and he was the quiet and hidden prodigy of the Aburame Clan, he saw that because of Naruto's stupidness early on, he lost so many lessons it became reality. No longer an act, he really was that stupid, he also remembered one week in which he didn't turn up at school, when he came back he only had 75 percent the logical capabilities and memory. Iruka was the only teacher that saw this, and decided to change that. Whatever it was it worked. Naruto Uzumaki was now a competent academy student capable of taking lower Genin in a strait out Taijutsu match, well only in fighting. Academically he was still stupid. Shino lifted himself from the log, and decided to come back later, he had an Iruka to find.

Naruto had just finished 380 squats and could continue no longer, exhausted he returned to Ichiraku Ramen for a quick meal.

"AYAME-NECHAN!" Naruto yelled as he neared the stand, grabbing a stool he sat and waited for the ramen. Pretty soon it arrived,

"So, hows the taijutsu scroll doing?" Ayame asked, Naruto brightened up,

"GREAT! I CAN KICK ASS WITH THIS STYLE!!" Ayame couldn't help but giggle, some things never changed. He will always be a loud mouth, but it was refreshing. Teuchi laughed from the kitchen, he always loved having Naruto over for Ramen, he was 'famous' for his cooking. He occasionally heard from the villages phrases such as,

"You know, that brat is actually a good cook!" and

"Did you know that he recently entered a national competition and won?"

Everyone in Konoha agreed the Jinchuriki was a good cook, but it didn't always mean he or she likes it. A cooking prodigy Naruto was, his recipes will change the cooking world, as we know it.

"Ayame, you're a girl right?" Naruto's innocent question made Ayame question wether she should be offended or think it cute how he asked such a question. So she chose to be neither,

"Yes Naruto, I am" Naruto let out a yell of thankfulness, after which he turned to Ayame so fast she could have swore she heard his neck crack and said, in a very serious voice,

"What do cute girls like?" Ayame looked wide-eyed at Naruto,

'what do girls like? Why would he want to know that?' Ayame pondered for a few secs

"Girls like flowers" was the simple reply, Naruto brightened up. Yes! Sakura would love flowers. Naruto conned the neighbouring person to pay his Ramen bill, and ran off to the nearest flower shop. Ayame shook her head in confusion,

"Boys" she muttered under her breath. Teuchi chuckled, she would get it one day.

Shikamaru was muttering 'troublesome' under his breath constantly as he searched for a scroll his father wanted. He had been looking for it the last ½ an hour. As he was muttering, he noted a worn out scroll, written in faded ink,

"Usopp, the greatest and most powerful warrior of the sea and straw hat captain" He decided to open it later.

Shino Stalked an alleyway, looking for the only person who had the equipment necessary to find Iruka, 'operation FIND IRUKA' was underway, step one, 'find Hinata'. He neared the Hyuuga compound, and 'nicely' told the guard he needed to find Hinata, when the guard asked what for, he told the guard bluntly it was none of his business. The guard called security; Hinata arrived just in time to prevent Shino from being arrested for his bluntness.

"Shino, what are you doing here?" Shino looked at Hinata and replied,

"I am here to ask for your help in locating Iruka" Hinata smiled an innocent but not so innocent smile.

"Of cause Shino-san, would you come this way" Hinata dispersed the guards and led Shino to her under-room hideout. She entered Iruka name into the console. They waited for the readings.

Naruto was running towards the flower shop, He cause 3 people to trip, one person to lose his mobile home (a sort of tent), another to squish her shopping and 2 ninjas to accidentally stab each other with Kunai. As Naruto neared the flower shop, he saw a bunch of medic-nin running past him, he thought nothing of it. He eventually saw the flower shop. He entered,

"Hello, how may I help you?" an angry young female voice flowed through the entrance.

Ino was bord, she had to watch the store, and thus so she had no time to look for Sasuke. Annoyed and angry she started muttering dark and evil thoughts under her breath. The door opened, she growled,

"Hello, how may I help you?" she saw it was someone her age so she brightened up a little. She recognised him as the academy dropout. Naruto, as he was called said,

"I need some flowers, preferable something Sakura would like" Ino nodded in understanding; she was in her element. She motioned Naruto that he should follow her, He did.

"Sakura's favourite colour is pink, she should like these flowers, and if I'm lucky then she will leave Sasuke and chase after you, so I can have Sasuke all to myself" Naruto muttered "that teme, why does he get all the girls" under his breath, Ino pretended to not have heard it. Instead she looked completely at Naruto,

"Why do you like Sakura Naruto?" Naruto thought hard,

"She's pretty, and really smart" 'unlike me' he added to himself. Ino agreed with the assessment, Sakura was pretty, but nowhere near as pretty as herself. Naruto then looked at Ino and said,

"Why do all you girls like Sasuke? I mean he isn't that special" Ino sighed a dreamy sigh,

"He is a broken jewel, A diamond in the rough. A sad lonely boy hidden in his broodiness" Naruto looked at Ino like she had another head on her head.

"What?" he said confused, Ino just sighed and patted Naruto like a master would his/her dog when it was good,

"It's a girl thing Naruto, a girl thing" Naruto left it at that, instead leaving the place to give the flowers to Sakura.

"THANKS INO" Naruto yelled as he left the store,

"That Naruto, always knows how to brighten a day", she began singing to herself as she swept the floor, waiting for some more customers.

Shikamaru Handed the advanced copy of his family's Techniques to his father, Shikaku. Afterwards he left to his room. When he entered the Bedroom, he looked at the scroll,

"I wonder what this is", he mutters to himself. He reads the tittle,

"Usopp? Warrior of the sea? Captain? How troublesome" his curiosity eventually got the better of his laziness and he opened the scroll. He fell unconscious, He doesn't see it at the time, but a blue like mist had entered his head. A voice was heard,

"What the, a Shougi board?" Another voice sounding strangely like Shikamaru's echoed,

"How troublesome"

Shino ran to location 'Ninja Academy', Iruka had been spotted finishing up some tests. He didn't have much time, he ran as fast as he could. Iruka had to explain how he helped Naruto. Once he had reached his destination, panting for breath he stayed in the shadows waiting for Iruka to exit the room. THERE! He waited, Iruka smiled at the corner Shino was hiding at,

"You can come out now Shino" Shino wasn't surprised; logically he was nowhere near Chuunin Level hiding skills. He left the 'dark place'

"Iruka-sensei, I have come to ask you some questions," Iruka nodded, he was curious what Shino would want to know,

"What did you do to Naruto to change his level of skills and perception towards school work" Iruka smiled, he wondered when someone would come to him to ask that question. That it was Shino that asked did not surprise Iruka at all. He sort of expected it.

"All I did was tell him to gain recognition and acceptance as something other than a prankster, I and the Hokage recommended cooking. Everything just escalated from there" Shino nodded, it made sense, stage 2 complete, now for stage 3, 'Find Naruto'.

"Thank you Iruka-sensei, I must be going now" Shino ran of towards the training grounds. He didn't have long to sundown.

Naruto ran towards the park, Sakura was always there looking for Sasuke, now all he had to do was get there before Sasuke begins his 'weekly-run-away-from-rabid-fangirls-chase©' It happened during sundown. When once a week he would go for dinner out. It varies every week, but Sasuke still hadn't gotten the idea that every night fangirls stayed at the park hoping he would come. Naruto neared the park; he could see all the girls just waiting for Sasuke to come. He spotted a mop of pink hair. His unconsciously tightened his grip on the flowers. His nervousness grew; he could hear his heart THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! All noises calmed down as Sakura saw him coming, she looked at him. His breathing quickened and time slowed right down.

Sakura saw Naruto in the crowed, why was he here; he could get in the way of Sasuke. Well she wasn't going to complain. She then saw the flowers,

"For me?" she all so delicately asked, Naruto dumbly nodded. Sakura smiled, that was the first time anyone had given her flowers, and she thanked him. He smiled and ran off. Sasuke never came, but she continued to smile even though her love never came to 'visit'.

Naruto walked nowhere in particular; he saw the sun going down so he headed to a distant field near a log. He saw another figure sitting on it.

'Shino' Naruto remarked to himself, Shino saw him and made a gesture for Naruto to sit next to him, Naruto's smile grew, not only had Sakura accepted the flowers, he had potential to get a new friend. When he sat, Shino remarked

"Iruka told me what he and the Hokage told you to do in concern to pranks, that was very logical" Naruto looked at Shino dumbly,

"What?" Naruto didn't understand any of what Shino just said, Shino seemed to see that so he changed tactics,

"Your change in attitude is good" Naruto got upset, did he just say that his attitude was bad?

"I DID NOT HAVE A BAD ATTITUDE!" Shino sighed a loud sigh,

"I never said it was, just listen. You are a lot better as a person and a ninja with the change of 'hobby'" Shino silently hoped Naruto would get it. They are the complete opposites in both attitude and thought process. Naruto brightened up as though a light bulb had just lit up in his head.

"Thanks Shino, I didn't see the difference" Shino sighed; Naruto would always be a mystery. Not even someone with over 200 IQ could figure him out. Shikamaru sneezed even though he was still unconscious,

"how troublesome" he unconsciously spoke. Naruto sick of the silence spoke,

"So, what do you use as a weapon" Shino looked at Naruto, as though determining if Naruto was worth the effort, this unnerved Naruto,

"I use insects" was Shino's eventual reply. They stayed until it was dark talking about their respective fighting styles.

Sarutobi, the third Hokage or Sandaime, looked in satisfaction as his Kage bunshin continuously cursed the very nature of paperwork,

"You may just have a good life yet Naruto" was the contented words of the professor.

Meanwhile, within the world's most complex mind, Shikamaru was having a stand off against a long nosed masked individual,

"Who are you?" Shikamaru said as he moved into a ready stance. Out of nowhere music flowed around the room. The figure began to sing:

SOGE-KING THEMESONG!

On sharpshooter island

I was born.

100 shots, 100 hits

lu lu la la lu

Even a mouse's eye
Lock On!!

Even on your heart's
LOCK ON!!!


The man that came from

Sharpshooter Island

Lu lu lu, lu lu la la

You better run and hide!

Sogege Soge Soge

So-ge-Kin-g!!

Shikamaru looked at the figure, and decided that this figure was dangerous; he grabbed a kunai he had created in his mind, threw it and ran as though his life depended on it. Unfortunately, The figure began to chase him; the figure easily over took Shikamaru,

"You have potential," the masked figure declared. Shikamaru stared in complete horror; this was a freak of nature.

"I, brave warrior of the sea" the self declared 'Sogeking' removed his mask.

"I the great CAPTAIN USOPP declare --insert name--" Shikamaru just stared as the long nosed freak

"Shikamaru" he replied,

"I declare SHIKAMARU as my apprentice in the GREAT art of RUNNING AWAY!!" Shikamaru just sighed,

"How troublesome" as he walked away, Usopp looked at Shikamaru,

"HEY! Don't just walk away, I was talking to you" What had he gotten himself into this time?

END

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this amended chapter, not many changes but I noticed that I seemed to switch from past to present tense a lot. So I changed it all to past tense.

NEXT TIME: Naruto attempts to befriend Sakura; unfortunately she is set on Sasuke. What's so good about Sasuke? What's this about a secret?

Please Review and honesty is appreciated. Thanks, The great David