That Nara... | Naruto Fanficiton

||41||

"I'm home!" I called through the building, "that is if anyone is awake."

"We're all in here, honey," Ma called back. 'Honey' when was the last time I was called that? When I was 7 maybe?

Nevertheless, that's quite strange, did something happen?

"Hello?" I popped my head into the dining room to see Ma, Pa and Shika all sat at the empty table, "something happen? I haven't been called 'honey' in years.."

"Oh yes," Ma nodded before pointing to Shika, "he's a ninja now."

"Oh wow, really?" I asked, "great work, Shikamaru. Time to drop your lazy attitude and work hard."

"Alright, can you teach me a jutsu today then?" Shikamaru asked with motivation deprived eyes.

"It's a bit late don't you think?" I asked with a yawn to prove my point, he just gave me a bored look.

"You never do anything with me anymore," Shikamaru complained, "not since the Uchiha massacre especially. Actually, we never get to see you often either."

"Sorry that I have to work, see you in the morning," I waved and started walking down the hallway until I reached my bedroom and then dropped down onto my bed.

Resting my hands behind my head, I let out a sigh and stare up at the ceiling.

Why'd he have to bring up that night, huh?

"Maybe I'll have a day off tomorrow and go and train, sitting behind a desk all day is starting to take its toll," I commented before sighing again, "but can I really be bothered to? Seems like a drag."

"Indeed, it does," Pa's voice filled my room, I looked towards the door to see him leaning on the door frame, "how about a round?"

Shogi?

At this time?

He wants to lecture me...

"Alright," I nodded before pushing myself off my bed and walking with him to the back garden platform and sat on one side of a shogi board while he sat on the other side.

We sat in silence for a while as the game begun.

"So, you're working very hard," Pa finally spoke.

"I guess," I replied blankly.

"For a traitor?"

"He's not a traitor, Itachi is someone who's had a bad inside life," I replied, fighting to keep my voice steady.

"Would you kill the whole Nara clan if you were told to?" Pa asked.

"I would if there was a reason for it. Just as Itachi with the Uchiha to prevent a coup d'état," I replied.

We fell silent again, the only noise was the sound of the clicking of our pieces.

Probably shouldn't have said that.

But I have a feeling Pa has known this whole time what exactly happened that night and why.

"Are you happy to become distanced to your family?" he asked.

"No, but I'll do what I have to," I replied without hesitation.

"Shikarei," he started before stopping himself and sighing before standing up, "you need to become Shikarei Nara again, not Shikarei the rogue ninja chaser."

With that, he left me to sit out on the platform with a one-sided shogi game in front of me and the moon shining down at me from afar.

"Shikarei?" Shikamaru called me, I looked up and over to him before smiling. He gave me an unsure look, but I already knew what he wanted so I gestured for him to come and sit with me.

"Tomorrow, would you like to train with me?" I asked him, I saw him brighten up next to me before he slumped forward.

"I can't, I'm meeting my new sensei," he told me. I hummed in thought before nodding and standing up, I jumped into the garden and pulled Shikamaru with me.

"Then we'll have to train now," I told him, lightning the lamps around the garden to try and give us enough shadow to actually do anything, "can you do the shadow possession jutsu?"

"No... Dad said he'd teach me later in the week," he replied, I smiled and nodded.

"Then I'll teach you how to do it," I told him before doing the hand signs and capturing him in my shadow, "Shadow possession jutsu, complete."

He gave me a weird look, but I just shook my head.

"The shadow possession jutsu, previously known as the shadow paralysis jutsu, is really useful because it can easily capture your opponent's shadow and render them useless. Upon their shadow being attached to yours, you're able to control their actions with your own," I explained before I raised my arm in example, he also raised his.

"Now, there are obviously draw backs like any good jutsu out there. The big two you need to watch out for are: the time limit, and your vulnerability. When you are using your shadow possession jutsu, you'll find that you'll be extremely vulnerable because you need to concentrate on holding your opponent in the jutsu, too weak and they can break out and get you, too strong and you can become completely oblivious to your surroundings. As for the time limit, it really depends on how skilled you are with the jutsu and how much chakra you have. For example, I can hold a moderately strong shadow for about an hour to an hour and a half. Though there's no real reason for me to be able to hold it for that long, I really doubt that any fight will last an hour without others getting in the way."

He looked like he was listening intently. I retracted my shadow and then showed him the hand sign: rat.

"You know the hand sign, you know how it works, now you need to put it into play and catch me," I told him, he nodded and crouched down and did the rat hand sign, his shadow shot out but came shooting back in.

We might be here... for a while...

°🥢°

I was lying on the grass, hands behind my head as I watched the sun rise until I suddenly found myself sitting up against my will. When I was up completely, I noticed that my shadow was stretched out more than usual.

Following the shadow, I see that it's connected to Shikamaru who looked utterly exhausted.

"Shadow possession jutsu, complete," he said, out of breath. I smiled and nodded. The shadow released and he fell back, I quickly jumped over and caught him before he hit the floor.

"Good work, Shika," I praised him before sending some of my chakra into his exhausted figure, "now go and become a great ninja."

He nodded and hugged me before walking away, I sat there for a few moments before getting up and going into the house.

"I'm proud of you," Pa tells me.

"Thanks," I replied, "but I wasn't doing it because of you. I did it because it was Shikamaru. Anyway, I am going to go and request a mission. I'll see you when I get home."

"Alright, bye," Pa kissed my forehead before I left the house and headed towards the Hokage's office.

I'm still pissed at him but he's my leader, I need to get passed my anger eventually but honestly, anger doesn't just disappear, it just becomes small compared to more important things around it.

One day the truth with come out.