An Anbu Story

ch 5 Shikamaru

The first year of training was harsh. Shikamaru barely got any sleep, and despite the fact that he wasn't as lazy as the rest of his clan, he still missed sleeping in the Nara forest. 

Thanks to the shadow clone Jutsu, his parents were none the wiser. So much for being the smartest clan. Naruto had to make their shadow clones for the first 6 months since they didn't have the chakra to both make the shadow clone and train with Jutsu's. 

After the first 7 months, Naruto eased them into making the shadow clones themselves. Starting by making one per week and gradually moving up. 

The first month was harsh, not only did he and Ino have to get used to the backlash of information entering their minds all at once, but they were using more chakra then ever before. This month one of the few that they were working on the exact same thing: expanding their reserves. They spent the whole month meditating and sending chakra through every Tenketsu and then reversing the flow of their chakra network. To Shikamaru, it felt as if lightning was crossing through his veins and burning his chakra paths. 

Throughout their mornings they would do this for an hour. 

For the first week of the second month, they had chakra control exercises. Ino blossomed under this exercise and finished water walking in two days, Shikamaru however took a week. It was at this point that Naruto separated them. From what he saw, Ino was working on genjutsu with Naruto's clone and what seemed like a hundred scrolls. Shikamaru was working on ninjutsu. He already was able to complete the basics of his clan, but this was different. 

" This is a chakra paper. Pour chakra through it and it will tell you your chakra nature" Naruto explained with a smile crossing her whiskered cheeks. 

"Fire: The paper will catch on fire and turn into ash, Wind: The paper will split in half, Lightning: The paper will wrinkle, Earth: The paper will turn to dirt and crumble away, Water: The paper will become damp." She finished pouring chakra through her paper. In seconds her paper was split in half with one-half dampening and the other wrinkling slightly. 

" I have a main wind nature, with a secondary water nature. Thanks to the training I have a bit of lighting nature" She said and handed Shikamaru a paper. 

Shikamaru poured a bit of chakra through the paper and smiled when it wrinkled and burst into flames. 

" Fire with a secondary lighting nature. I can work with that" Naruto said and grinned. 

Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang, Lightning Release: Black Panther, Lightning Release: False Darkness, and lighting ball were the four lighting techniques he was taught. 

Great Fireball Technique, Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique, Fire Style: Flame Hurricane, Fire Style: Flame Capture Dragon Fire Technique, and Fire Release: Flame Bullet was the 6 fire jutsu's that Narutomainly taught Shikamaru during the 3rd 4th and 5th month. 

Ino was learning how the mind works and a few genjutsu's such as Sly Mind Affect Technique, Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique, Bringer of Darkness Technique, and Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique. These are just the one Shikamaru has seen, but he knows that there are more. 

If Shikamaru had to chose the worst month out of this while training year it would be months 6 and 7.

It was already implied that Ino and Shikamaru would not be in the taijutsu specialist. But Naruto still said that they should at least be at genin level by the end of the year. Basic 20-pound seal weights were placed on bracelets that they both wore. After all, having a seal on their body would be too noticeable at this age. The bracelets could be easily explained. 

" Ino gave it to me and it's too troublesome to take it off and hear her nag at me"

" Shikamaru gave it to me and I'm using it to make Sasuke-Kun jealous. "

Shikamaru wasn't going to tell his family about these training sessions and based on Ino's face she wasn't going to either. 

So for now they will be acting. Shikamaru like the perfect Nara. Ino like a fangirl. It matches with Naruto's idiot mask. Which made Ino and Shikamaru nearly bust a lung whenever it happened. 

Plus it was already well known that Shikamaru, Naruto, and Ino were all friends so whenever they would leave together it wasn't questioned. 

20 pounds might not seem like much but when you are doing laps, pushups, squats, and even more weight lifting it adds up. 

Month 8 was learning Kata's and all chakra training was put on hold as Shikamaru and Ino started to use there own chakra to send the shadow clones to the academy. 

Ino who had fewer reserves than Shikamaru was struggling to keep the shadow clone up for the 7 hours of the academy. Thus making Naruto stop her from sending the shadow clones for another month and having Ino make a shadow clone for 4 hours every day to focus on expanding her reserves. 

And it worked after the 7th month Ino was able to keep her shadow clone for the whole day. She was still a little pale, but she stopped collapsing after the clone was dispersed. 

Shikamaru who didn't have this problem found this month calm. 

For months 9, and 10 Shikamaru was working on basic genjutsu's and Ino was working on some ninjutsu. Her elements are water and earth. 

Lastly, on the 11th and 12th, they did a mix of several things. Basic first aid, basic sealing, kunai, shuriken, reflexes, body flicker, and charka sensing. 

" I can't believe that I couldn't make a shadow clone a few months ago"

Ino said and her voice is light, but it carries something dark in it. 

But Shikamaru agrees because if you asked him last year what chakra nature he was he would have looked at you as if you were insane. But know it's become an essential part of his life. Just like Ino. Just like Naruto.