Naruto was nervous. A few days ago was Shikamaru's birthday.
He invited Naruto during their regular shogi match. Naruto didn't have a choice but to accept. It was a small event between the Ino-Shika-Cho families in an Akimichi restaurant.
Naruto made sure to be on his best behavior. He made small talk with the clan heads and devoted most of his attention to his friends. The dinner was uneventful. Finally, it was time for the cake and presents. Ino got Shikamaru a cactus and told him how to care for it.
Choji got him a small portable shogi board. His family got him some training supplies; it was finally time for Naruto's gift. "Happy birthday Shikamaru. I hope you like your gift." Naruto gave him the neatly wrapped box.
Shikamaru opened the box was a scroll. It was emerald green with designs of trees and nature in gold. Shikamaru opened the scroll. Inside the scroll, four names were written with faded ink. "What is this?" he asked.
"It's a summoning scroll. It is a contract to squirrels." Naruto said.
Shikamaru's eyes widened as he looked at the scroll again. He paid attention to the names written. "Uzumaki?" he asked.
"Yes, the scroll belonged to my clan. They are very clever and known for their speed and ability to go unnoticed. It makes them great for spying without being noticed. Of course, they can also be aggressive." Naruto said with a slight chuckle.
"Naruto-kun, are you sure it is OK for him to take it?" Shikaku asked. It was then that everyone was looking at them with awe and disbelief.
"Of course. It is not like there are many Uzumakis around, and I am the current clan head. I have a contract with the Foxes, and they won't really suit me. Plus, I always planned on giving this to Shikamaru. From the moment I found the scroll, it reminded me of him. I'm sure he can use them to their fullest potential." Naruto said as he scratched the back of his neck.
"Still, summoning scrolls are quite rare." Shikaku tried again.
"I am quite sure Shikaku-sama. Shikamaru is my friend." Naruto said with a warm smile.
Naruto then guided Shikamaru on how to sign it and showed him the hand signs of summoning. It took him a few tries, but he managed to summon a squirrel. It was an adorable brown squirrel with dark patterns.
After some confusion and introduction, they cut the cake and had a great time. Before it was time to go, Shikaku invited Naruto for a shogi match.
Naruto accepted, which brought him to now, where he was getting ready for dinner with the Naras. He made his way there, carefully holding a parcel. He knew that Shikaku wanted to use the opportunity to interrogate him.
While Naruto was friendly with many Jonin and spent quite some time in the Jonin lounge, he tried to avoid Shikaku as much as possible. There was a reason that the man was deemed a genius. While Naruto was sure that Shikaku didn't suspect anything close to the truth, he didn't want to give out unnecessary information.
He wasn't going to burden anyone with a future he was going to prevent. He had already taken many steps toward his plan, so it was only a matter of time. He couldn't let anyone know his true plans. He finally reached their compound and entered after a talk with the guards.
Shikamaru was waiting for him near the door. There was a small white squirrel sleeping on his shoulder. "Hey, Shikamaru. Who is the little guy?" Naruto asked.
"Hi, Naruto. This is Shiro. She is one of my summons. The boss insisted I spend some time with one of the younger ones to learn more about their ways and skills." Shikamaru said as he absentmindedly brought a hand and petted her head.
They went inside, and Naruto greeted Yoshino, who came out of the kitchen. "Hello, Yoshino-san. Pardon the intrusion." Naruto said.
"Hello, Naruto-kun. You are welcome here anytime. Shikamaru doesn't usually bring guests over, so it's a pleasure to finally spoil one of his friends." She said with a smile.
"Thank you so much. Oh, and this is a cinnamon apple cake I made. I hope it is to your liking." Naruto said as he handed her the parcel.
"That's wonderful, Naruto-kun. Shikaku will be home soon, so why don't you two head to the other room? I'll bring you some refreshments." She said.
Naruto headed to the room with Shikamaru. There was a shogi board ready as if he was expecting a match. Naruto indulged him while they sat together playing a game.
"So Shika. Have you decided which course you are going to choose?" Naruto asked.
"What a drag. I don't really have the energy for the extra classes. I mean, they already added first aid. Why do we have to choose something on top of it?" Shikamaru mumbled as he moved a piece.
"Oh, come on. We both know you are already aware of the reasons. The village might be in peaceful times, but it only lasts as long as villages don't have a reason to attack each other. If a village gets overly powerful or powerless, there will be another war."
"We managed to get through the Kyubi incident only by overworking the Jonin and ANBU. Despite the hit to the forces and loss of a Kage, we took just as many missions as before and kept the same performance. Do you know the effects it had?" Naruto asked as Shikamaru shook his head.
"Obviously, there should have been an impact. I mean, we lost many capable shinobi that night. So it only makes sense if our mission rates go down. If we could have done more in the past, why wouldn't we? Why were we taking less when we were capable of more?" Naruto let the question hang between them for a few seconds before continuing.
"The truth is we took an impact. If you look at the downtime or recovery time of our ninja, it used to be significantly higher. There were many forced through back-to-back missions even when they had injuries."
"But this is not the only thing. We also manipulate. Each village is roughly aware of the amount of higher-ranking missions the other takes. Whether it's from spies or hearing from clients, it is also a mark of power for the village, so they usually announce it in some way."
"However, what we did to take the same amount of these missions is to choose them more carefully. Even between these missions, there are those that take less time or less risk of injury to the shinobi. What we did is to lean toward those just enough not to be suspicious."
"We took infiltration, assassination, and anything we could get our hands on and pushed through. But there is always a price to pay, and ours will be due soon."
"What do you think happens when your best shinobi are constantly on the field? Who will train the new generation?" Naruto saw the realization in Shikamaru's eyes.
"With the best always away, there would be hardly anyone to train the newer generation. Of course, the clan shinobi can always rely on their clans, but the progress even for them wouldn't be as fast as with a mentor. There are also those shinobi who developed their unique skills that could only pass through teaching."
"Have you ever noticed the amount of shinobi who get stuck in the rank of chunin? That is what the new academy plan is for. We want to use retired and skilled shinobi to pass on their skills. There is a high chance of the current burnt-out Jonin to die in critical missions without a chance of ever passing their skills."
"We are trying to preserve their skills. The first step was to use our current forces, who were unable to be fully active, to take roles as main instructors. Our next step is to Have Jonin on downtime to teach part-time."
"This way, even if there isn't a chance for them to take a team or formally train people, they can still pass their skills. The program is supposed to be continuous even though the rank of chunin so that we can make a smooth transition to Jonin and fill our ranks."
"By no means Konoha is the only village with this weakness, but the sooner we start fixing it, the sooner we can get back on our fit and fix the pressing issues in our Jonin. So we can make sure they will have higher chances on their missions and enough time to fully recover." Naruto said as he moved his last piece and won the game.
There was a moment of awe between them. Shikamaru was taking his every word to heart. "He is right, you know." They both turned their head to see Shikaku standing at the door. The Jonin commander approached them and motioned for Shikamaru to change places with him, which he reluctantly did.
"I didn't know you cared so much about the current state of the shinobi Naruto-kun," Shikaku said as they started to set the board for another game.
"It is not only the village Shikaku-sama. I care about the people. No matter what, innocent and guilty will suffer through a war. There is no true victory, only the ones who suffered less. But really, is it that easy to compare suffering? Is it just a number of people that lost their lives? Or is it also those who suffered through hunger, pain, and loss of their homes or their jobs? There are so many things lost, yet not a single thing worthy of being called a prize." Naruto said with a sad look as he made the first move.
"Isn't that a pessimistic view to have?" Shikaku asked as he moved his piece.
"I don't think so. I believe knowing what can be lost can be used as a measure to prevent us from making decisions leading to a conflict. Sometimes people need a shared belief to achieve peace. A shared goal."
"But it is also true that not all fights can be prevented no matter what we wish for. We can only do our bests." Naruto said thoughtfully.
"Then what is your goal." Shikaku said looking into Naruto's eyes.
"I have many, but the most important of them is to make sure the next generation thrives," Naruto said.
"Is that why you spend so much time and money in the orphanage?" Shikaku asked. While Naruto didn't make his visits public, it wasn't a secret to anyone how much he cared for them.
"Of course, but I also help them because I simply can. Those children deserve a happy life just as any other child in the village. I can't give them many things. The love and full attention of a family is one of those things. But I can make life easier for them by providing them with what I can." Naruto said with a sad smile.
"Well, I believe the game is mine," Shikaku said with a smile. Naruto was impressed. The game was a fast-paced one. He was so close to winning. He didn't make a wrong move. Only Shikaku knew how to make better ones.
"Thank you for the game," Naruto said with a smile. Yoshino then called them to dinner, and they spent the rest of the night with small talk.
Shikamaru announced his decision that he wanted to pursue sealing. Shikaku warned him of the time and effort needed, but after the day's talk, he was a motivated Nara. He also said that he could always change his decision later, but they all knew he won't.
They were having dessert when Shikaku asked. "Tell me, Naruto-kun, what is your next plan in the village."
Naruto thought for a few seconds. "I think I want to rebuild the Uzumaki temple." He said with a grin.