Prolouge
It was a beautiful day in Konoha. The skies were blue and full of fluffy clouds, a light breeze stirred dresses and send leaves rustling. People were out in the comfortable temperature, laughing and running through the streets.
A certain Nara was far from the streets of Konoha, relaxing against a hill staring up at the sky. Clouds drifted slowly in the air as he rested under the shade of a tree. The teen was sleeping under the open sky, dressed in his casual clothes.
Overall, it was a perfect day for cloud watching, which was exactly why the teen was outside lounging in the shades.
Shikamaru opened his eyes, staring up with his usual lazy expression. Of course, his mind was still running miles a minute, but it was a perfect day for him just to laze around in the shadows.
If no one could bother his peace, that'd be amazing. But based on how a chakra signature was closing in on his location, he severely doubted it.
"Oi, Nara-kun."
Shikamaru raised his eyes, greeting Kotetsu with a shallow nod. The other chunin came out of the forest, glancing around the area.
"Tsunade told me to come get you on my way to the gates- some new mission that needs briefing and specifically you." He sighed, scratching the bandage on his cheek. "She told me to tell you to 'haul your ass faster than if your mother was chasing you, or I'll make it wish it was your mother.'"
Shikamaru sighed, scratching his forehead. "I'll get there, thanks for telling me." The Nara, drawled, slouching to his feet. "How-" He yawned, raising his arms above his head as he stretched. "Troublesome."
Kotetsu shrugged, waving goodbye as he leaped off in the direction of the eastern village gates, no doubt for guard duty.
Shikamaru watched him go, before he too, leaped away from the clearing. What a shame, it was a beautiful day outside. Shikamaru let his thoughts wander as he entered the village itself.
The wind whistled his hair as he bounded from rooftop to rooftop, usual Nara laziness in his movements. His landings and takeoffs were silent, as befitting as a Ninja. He could see other shinobi on the rooftops, transversing in and out the village; either for a mission or a simple jaunt to a training ground.
What could Tsunade want him for? Shikamaru sighed again mid-jump. The Hokage tower was in sight, and he easily slipped through the open window and into the Hokage's office. He landed just inside the window, easily seeing Tsunade grumbling as she worked through stacks of paperwork.
"Nara, reporting in." He sighed out, Tsunade flickering her eyes to glance at him.
"Alright, get in front of my desk for debriefing. This is a pretty serious mission I'm going to assign you." The Hokage grouched. She reached for a small shot glass, throwing back the liquid.
"Where's Shizune-san?" Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow at the obvious alcohol.
"Not here." She opened a drawer, slamming a folder onto the desk. "Read that. You should only need 5 minutes to brush it over."
Shikamaru tilted his head to the right slightly, before picking up the folder to read. His eyes quickly scanned across the pages, moving onto the next after he finished the previous. After a few moments, he lowered the folder to look at Tsunade.
"We're going into the Eastern continent?"
"Correction-" Tsunade tossed a scroll at Shikamaru, who caught it easily. "You're going into the Eastern continent. More specifically, an Island in their Asian country called Japen."
Shikamaru opened the scroll, reading over the mission objective. "It says 'Japan' here."
"Japen, Japan, close enough," Tsunade grumbled- she seemed a bit tipsy.
"And why me?" He questioned, reading through the scroll. It covered a lot of Japan's customs and current powers, most likely gathered from their spymaster.
"Well, you're going to be there to take notes on those, 'Quirks' or whatever bullshit they've got going over there in the East." She snorted, signing her signature on a paper. "Of course, we're both aware of each other, but this is the first time in a while a Shinobi is going to cross over. You're going to be allowed to tell them which country you're from, but since their schooling and ways are different then ours, you're going to have to say you're from Konoha Academy."
"Just me?" Shikamaru looked over the scroll.
"For now. You're one of the smartest Shinobi we've got on the block. Strong enough to show what we've got, weak enough to not reveal all our strengths. We'll probably send another Shinobi, maybe Asuma or somebody to check up on you every once and a while or something."
Tsunade twirled a pen around her fingers, glaring at the stacks of paperwork. "Over there, they've got a system of some sort. Kind of like our Shinobi and missing Nin playthrough, except they call it Heroes and Villains. Villains break the laws and kill people, while Heroes also break laws but they're allowed to and save people."
"You're going to enlist in the top hero school program. That should give you plenty of information on their society and whatever quirk stuff they got going on there. See if they're a threat or not." Tsunade suddenly slammed her pen straight through her desk, "You better get in or else."
Shikamaru sweatdropped before he nodded, binding the scroll back together and tucking it away into his kunai pouch. "Going back to school? What a drag. How long am I going to be over there?"
Tsunade hummed, dropping a stack of paperwork into a box. "You'll arrive by boat, and venture by foot into a city. We have Jiraya and Naruto over there at the current moment, but they can't stick around in one place for too long. Jiraya's already bought a flat for you, and Konoha will supply you funds."
"School typically there is around 3 years for something called Highschool, whatever that name is." The Hokage snorted, yanking out the pen easily. Shikamaru eyed the brute strength with wary. "It depends, at least a year, at most the full three years. Jiraya and Naruto are sticking around in Japan for a year before returning to the Land of Fire. But they're going to be all over the country, rather than you who will remain in the city."
"You'll be arriving six weeks before the exam starts. I expect you to get high enough scores to get in, but not high enough scores to stand out. In the time frame in between, train and brush up on the history that they've got. For the highschool time itself, remain middle ground. Don't stand out."
"As for communication, we've got some networks with the boat company that'll take you there. Every month submit a new report on what's going on there. Cover everything you think might be important, throw in some hilarious things too. I'll be actually reading those personally and I don't want to read boring reports; in your mission scroll is the address that you'll mail em too. Every six months I'll be sending someone over there for a check-up. Think of it as an undercover mission except it's more of a vacation and you probably won't die if you get found out."
"Hai." Shikamaru intoned, sighing inwardly. 'This mission was going to be so troublesome.'
"Dismissed. You leave in three days, say your goodbyes, and pack up. Go buy some civilian clothing but bring your shinobi gear. They've got something called costumes, and I doubt you'll come up with something yourself so just bring your vest and everything else. Now I will proceed to get drunk. Get out of my sight Nara."
Shikamaru nodded, before springing back out the window. He wanted to enjoy the amazing weather before he had to pack up. A mission for a year? How... Troublesome... Shikamaru yawned as he jumped over a crowd. Cloud watching would help his mind formulate some plans perhaps. The Hokage should've picked any other ninja then him...
What a drag.
-------------------
"A year or more?" Yoshino frowned as she bustled around the kitchen, chucking a kitchen knife perfectly into its holder without even looking.
Shikamaru nodded, face down on the table as he lounged around the main room of his family's house. "Yeah, it's in the Eastern parts too. Dunno why Hokage-sama chose me of all people to handle this sort of nonsense. Any other ninja would've been just as good, and probably better."
"Don't say that." Yoshino sighed, pulling out a chair to sit next to her son. "You're just as capable. Your intelligence and quick thinking makes you stand out in this sort of mission. Being able to observe and take in detail is no doubt huge importance in this mission."
Shikamaru made a grumble but otherwise made no other arguments.
"While you're there, you better take care of yourself, alright?" Yoshino sighed, her eyes filled with worry. "You're still underweight*, and I don't want you to overwork yourself and collapse. At the same time, don't laze around all day like a certain husband of mine."
With the last sentence, Yoshino shot a glare at Shikamaru's father who was lounging on the couch. Shikaku only waved a hand at her as he continued to sleep.
Shikamaru raised his head, resting on his forearms. "I leave in three days according to Hokage-sama. I'll have to travel from foot after the boat ride. How troublesome." He sighed, closing his eyes. "I glanced at the map she gave me. It's about the same distance from Konoha to Suna, so it should take me two to four days of travel until I arrive."
"So you'll have to bring camping gear?" Yoshino frowned, "I'll go see if I can dig up a Nara Storage Scroll. Last time I remember Shikaku had shoved them somewhere in the attic...
Yoshino stood up, pushing the chair back into its place as she walked into the living room. "Shikaku, why don't you help me instead of lying on that couch of ours so we can help our son?" It was worded like a request, but it sure wasn't one.
"Troublesome woman," Shikaku grumbled but rolled off the couch to trail after Yoshino. "Shikamaru-" The man glanced back at his son, "Why don't you go tell your friends that you'll be leaving. Don't just wait for it off until the last day and tell the hours before you leave."
"Fine." Shikamaru rolled his eyes but remained seated at the table. "I'll do it in a bit, I need to think right now."
"Alright." Shikaku nodded, before leaving the room.
Shikamaru was left to think in silence.
'A mission away from home for years-' The Nara sighed, ducking his head back under his arms. 'That means I won't be able to learn clan techniques as easily unless Tou-san sends them to me. Even then, it'll probably be troublesome to learn it on my own. Ino's probably going to complain about Hokage-sama separating the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, but probably won't pressure her about it. Choji's going to be sad, no doubt, but he'll probably get over it.'
'How annoying... I'll have to pack rations for the trip and double-check the scroll about where I meet with Naruto and Jiraiya-san. I'll probably get lost otherwise unless there's a good map of the city in my mission scroll.' Shikamaru breathed in and out, before standing up and stretching. His bones popped with the movement, and he groaned slightly.
Shikamaru could hear the sounds of rustling and crashing from upstairs, as well as the faint sounds of his mother yelling and his father cursing. Whatever it was, they could probably deal with it.
Now, before he tells his team where he was going for the next years, there were some other people, or rather, animals he had to tell he was leaving.
Shikamaru strode out the front door of his house and into the Nara clan's woods, deer crackers in hand.
It's honestly interesting how the deer flock to him once he enters the forest. The second he steps foot in, there are at least two deers to welcome him in and rustle his pockets for food. Even Shikaku doesn't get swarmed like him. Today, four deer emerge from the shadows and try to eat the crackers he has.
"I'll give them to you once I get to the clearing." Shikamaru smiles, rubbing his hand along the antlers of one of the deer. The deer always like it when someone pets their antlers, or at least around the base of them.
He walks through the woods, deer following in his footsteps as they continue to try and take the crackers. Shikamaru keeps them away from the food, smiling at the attempts. The smaller deers only reach his waist and have white spots all over their back*, while the bigger deer reach almost his shoulders and are a solid dusty brown color.*
Speaking of which, such deer are currently trying to eat his hair. "Oi, don't do that." Shikamaru gently pushes away the nose of the deer, who just huffs at him.
Shikamaru soon reaches a clearing(in a few years, he stands in the same clearing, lighter in hand as explosions echo) where many deer lounge in the shadows and dappled sunlight.
Many instantly stand up to swarm him, and he has to raise the bag of crackers above his head before the deer snatch it from his hands.
"Be patient," He sighs, exasperated. Opening the bag holding it still above his head, Shikamaru carefully begins to feed the deer. "You guys will have to deal with another clan member for a couple of years, you know?"
One fawn tries to start eating away at his kunai pouch, Shikamaru easily steps away. "I need to talk to the head, can one of you bring her here?"
One of the deer bows its head(nearly bludgeoning several other deer in the process) before it quickly bounds away from the clearing.
Shikamaru waits, patiently feed the deer as he moves around the clearing to check over them all. Ever so often he'll pull out a small medicine container to rub over a wound, most likely from roughhousing or accidents. Most of the fawns play while he feeds the adults, and at one point nearly ram themselves into his leg.
A quiet breeze stirs across the clearing, making leaves rustle. Bells chime.
Shikamaru turns around and watches as a large white deer enter the clearing. Her antlers are grand with bells hanging from them, as well as a necklace made of charms and bells around her neck. The deer is taller than him, and regal energy surrounds her.
The head of the Nara deer, in a sense the boss of the forest.
"Kane-sama," He greets, watching as the other deer bow. He winces as one of their antlers catches on his back, but otherwise remains standing.
It's a tradition for the Nara people when assigned a long term mission to visit Kane in the forest, whether it is the main family or the branch family. Kane is the only deer out of all of theirs that can talk and is the only deer who has been recorded to be over two hundred years old.
"A mission over the eastern continents," He says, feeling the wet nose of another deer sniff his hand. "One to three years possibly."
Kane is wise, as expected as a creature older than Shikamaru has existed. She probably already knows he's leaving which is weird but that's usually how the Nara forest works. Who knows what happens to the enemy ninja who approach from the Nara forest only to get bludgeoned by deer.
God knows what would've happened to those Academy kids if Shikamaru hadn't shown up in time to prevent some of the deer from skewering the children with their antlers.
The bells jingle in the slight breeze, and after the sound rings out the deer around Shikamaru begins to move again, going back to sniffing at his clothing for treats.
Kane walks forward, elegant in every step(somehow her bells only make the slightest of sounds). The deer part for her, but otherwise remain around Shikamaru(still searching for treats even though Shikamaru had already given all the deer crackers he had away). Kane isn't a summon or anything(god, Shikamaru wishes his summons were like her)*.
Shikamaru startles as a rough tongue licks his forehead, lost in his thoughts about troublesome summons. Kane looks at him, looking bemused in a weird way. The Alpha Doe nudged him with her nose, tilting her antlers(with a loud jingle and swaying of the many bells) to draw his attention to a small pouch dangling from one branch.
"This for me?"
A nod(along with another loud cascade of bells chiming).
Shikamaru carefully plucked the pouch off(who knows how the deer get small pouches on their antlers, or even where they get said pouches. Even his father doesn't know.)
Opening it revealed a piece of what was obviously Kane's antler, and glancing up to examine said deer revealed a missing piece from her right antler.
Kane's antlers were more potent and powerful with medicine than the usual Nara deer. This most likely meant that his time in the East will be troublesome, and filled with some hardships.
Shikamaru studied the antler piece, let out a drawn-out sigh. "What a drag."
He bowed at Kane, who bowed back. The clearing was silent before Shikamaru began to walk away. Five deer split away from the group to lead him away(even though he knew the forest like the back of his hand), and Shikamaru left the forest without looking back.
Even though he had three days before he had to leave, there was no doubt he would return to the Nara clan forest until his mission was done. Kane's antler piece would be made into a medicine for him to take on his mission and with all the shitty luck in his life, he probably would need it.
<----------------------(ø)----------------------->
Ino crossed her arms over her chest, annoyance written over her face. "First with all that nonsense of Naruto and Sasuke leaving-" She ignored the small flinch Shikamaru made(such a failure)- "And now you're also leaving?"
Choji nodded, shoveling potato chips into his mouth. The Amikichi looked concerned, even holding his chip bag out for Shikamaru to take a piece.
Team 10 was sitting at their usual training grounds(Asuma was off somewhere. Shikamaru suspected he was flirting with Kurenai or getting drunk with Kakashi). Shikamaru had been lucky enough to find his teammates already at the grounds when he arrived- it would've been quite troublesome to find all of them and individually tell them he was leaving.
"Yeah, important mission and whatnot." He sighed, picking a small piece from the bag. He didn't really like chips all that much, but this was Choji offering food. "I'm collecting info from the East, Tsunade-sama picked me for some reason."
"Well, if it was Tsunade-shishou who picked you personally," Ino paused, "Then I guess you'll have to go." She suddenly punched him in the arm.
"What the-"
"Stay safe alright? You won't have us or Asuma-sensei to stop you if you go on a streak." Ino also smirked, leaning forward. "Don't fall behind either. It would be embarrassing if you came back and you couldn't even catch Konohamaru-chan."
"Yeah, back off woman." He sighed, poking her cheek. "I should be back around the same time Jiraya-sama apparently plans to bring Naruto back from exploring the nations. Probably sooner though. One to three years, hopefully it'll just be one."
Ino laughed, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You said Kane gave you a piece of her antlers? Yeah, either that one year with be oh-so troublesome, or you'll make it through all three years bored out of your mind."
"Neither are good," Shikamaru said, glancing up the clouds. "I really don't want to spend a year in a separate Nation. You guys know how I am with sleeping outside of home. It's going to be so annoying."
Choji nodded, "Though that may have been the fact you slept next to Asuma and he literally blew a cloud of smoke into your face."
Shikamaru grimaced, leaning back on his arms. "Yeah, that also could've been it." While Team 10 had already gotten used to the scent of Asuma's bad smoking habit, those had been the days where they weren't used to it. Shikamaru had just been the one unlucky enough to get the bedroll next to Asuma.
"Make sure to eat too," Choji commented, eyeing Shikamaru. "You're skinny enough already. Pops could break you in half like a potato chip."
"Thanks, Choji." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "I've got a couple of days before I need to go. Want to spend the time fucking around with Asuma-sensei, he does deserve it after ditching us to go drinking or flirting, whichever one he's doing."
"I've never heard anything better. Our sensei is off drinking with Genma, Raidou, and Aoba." Ino grinned, slapping Shikamaru on the back. "Let's get some Yakiniku Q tonight. We can even invite Team 8 and Sakura."
Choji nodded in agreement, already thinking about the salted beef tongue.
((time skip to the day that Shika departs))
Shikamaru woke up. It was the day he was supposed to depart from the village, and all he wanted to do was go back to sleep. Granted, that's how he felt every morning, but still. Turning over in his bed, Shikamaru stared at the clock resting on his windowsill, squinting to make out the numbers.
7:32.
Well, his boat out of the Fire Country was at 5 pm, and it'd take maybe five hours to travel there. That wouldn't count possible interruptions he'd come across such as annoying bandits or unplanned terrain. Bandits seemed to be the more likely time slower as he was going to be taking the Naki route down to the bay.*
Letting out a yawn that curled his toes, Shikamaru proceeded to fall out of his bed and onto the matted floor with a thump.
A couple of seconds passed.
"Shikamaru! Get up and get ready!" His mother called from what was probably the living room, having heard the thump.
"Coming!" He called back, still face down on the floor.
Kami, he really didn't want to get up right now. The matted floor of his room was feeling really comfortable right now
"Shikamaru!"
Groaning, the teenager pushed himself to his feet and lazily began his morning routine. Of course, this took him a while as he was still groggy and not really in that much of a rush.
Most of his closet was empty, as well as a dip in his wallet after Ino had dragged him out to buy civilian clothes. Overall, the experience had been a nightmare. It'd been okay in the end because he managed to get the things he needed to look civilian enough.
His forehead protector(though he never did use it as one) was already packed in his storage scroll as well as the civilian clothes. Since he was going to be quickly traveling for the next few days, he'd found it suitable just to wear something along the old lines of what he wore when he was a genin.
Baggy pants that were taped down at the ankles, his kunai pouch strapped to his left leg. A large hoodie with the Nara clan symbol on the back(it had originally been a normal hoodie but his mom has insisted on sewing the symbol to it) and fingerless gloves. As for shoes he decided to stick with his worn-out shinobi sandals, as they were made to travel around in.
He looked like any bratty civilian kid if they ignored the fact from the waist down it was all shinobi. Shikamaru strung his hair up into his usual ponytail, before stuffing his storage scroll securely next to his mission scroll. It'd be a huge pain if he lost it when he was traveling.
Exiting his room, he waved at his mom who was currently making breakfast for the family.
"Today's the day huh?" She said, sliding Shikamaru a bowl of Miso soup. "Sit down, there'll be some Yoū Tiāo out soon."
Shikamaru nodded, pulling out a chair to sit down at the table. The morning was undisturbed besides the sizzling of the frying pan and overall felt like a normal morning.
"Hopefully, your father will be awake by the time you're setting off," Yoshino commented, setting down a plate of You Tiao. "Eat more, you'll need the energy."
Shikamaru nodded blearily, sipping at the Miso. His father would probably be awake by the time he set off to see him off at the gate, his mother most likely also being there to wish him safe travels.
The fifteen-year-old sighed into his soup, setting it down with a slight klunk. Glancing outside revealed that it was once again cloudy, with a breeze seeing how the wind seemed to wave across the trees of the Nara Forrest.
"Eat some," Yoshino said, pushing the plate of fried dough closer to Shikamaru.
Shikamaru sighed, picking up his chopsticks and taking a piece. "Nagging mother."
"Just eat it."
Shikamaru appreciated the quiet morning, hearing the sound of his father climbing out of bed from across the hall. There was no need to be like a shinobi in the comfort of the home unless there were guests or intruders.
Soon, Shikaku appeared in the doorway, covering a yawn with his hand. "Morning'." He commented, sitting down next to his wife. He gave her a lazy peck on the cheek before pulling a bowl of miso toward himself.
Both he and his son were tired, having spent the night prior playing a round of shogi. Shikamaru had gotten closer to beating his father in the game but had lost, not that he minded all that much considering he had only beaten his father once.
"Your boat is at five right?" His father commented, "Best you leave the village afternoon, in case you run into some troublesome bandits. If you don't, try not to fall asleep at the port, you'll miss the boat."
"Yeah, got it." Shikamaru put down his chopsticks, standing up with a groan. "I'm going to see if there are any scrolls I can shove in my storage to take with me. Might as well learn something I guess. Be a big pain in the ass if what Ino says becomes true."
Shikaku hummed, waving his hand. "Take anything you want that's not marked with a red band, make sure to seal it after you open it-"
"-So no one will take our clan jutsu, got it." Shikamaru finished his father's sentence, heading to the family library.
The Nara were a clan that specialized in being lazy, smart, and shadow jutsus. The clan library was huge, any new techniques made by any Nara member was instantly shared. They didn't hoard their jutsus among each other, they weren't the type.
One of his cousins, Kasuga was already there, being unfortunate enough to be the one in charge of managing the library that week.
"Shikamaru-sama." The branch member greeted the teenager, tilting his head. "Here to bring scrolls along with your mission?"
"Yeah." Shikamaru scratched his head, "As much as I would like spending my time sleeping, I can't fall behind even in peace times."
Kasuga nodded, waving Shikamaru past the reception desk. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead."
"Thanks."
Shikamaru easily found his way into the chunin level section, ignoring the jonin and genin level. He probably didn't have the chakra control or chakra levels to handle the jonin levels and everything in the genin level he'd probably mastered.
Easily selecting a scroll from the shelves, Shikamaru picked at the scab on his thumb, causing blood to well up. Shikamaru easily ignored the mild sting and the smell of rust, swiping his bleeding thumb onto the scroll. The blood glowed before it vanished, and the scroll suddenly opened.*
Nara scrolls were sealed and were carefully coded so that it would only react to Nara Clan members. Most likely created from a Nara member who decided to specialize in fuinjustu. While Shikamaru himself didn't care all that much about fuinjustu, he knew enough to make a homemade exploding tag or a shadow binder.
"What a drag." He sighed, reading over the text. While the Nara wasn't really that big of a fan of self-study, it'd probably be a lot better than what he was going to be learning in the east. He wouldn't have Asuma or Shikaku to help him with a technique, so bring a bunch of jutsu scrolls would be his best bet.
He wasn't planning to become a strong shinobi like his father, but strong enough to make sure something like the Sasuke Retrieval Mission would never happen again.
"Bikou Shunshin, ha?" Shikamaru hummed, scanning over the info quickly. The Nara already knew the classic Shunshin(that left a pile of leaves even if you weren't in a place with trees- who knew how that worked), but the Shadow Shunshin was something he could work on.
The Clan Heir tucked the scroll away into a storage scroll on his gloves, heading out of the bookshelves.
"Kasuga-san, can you tell me which shadow, earth, and fire jutsus are good for me to learn?"
((time skip of about five hours))
Shikamaru stood at the Southern gates, checking over his gear one last time.
"Make sure you stay safe, alright?" Yoshino was worried, what kind of mother wouldn't be if they were sending off their only child for a year or more. "If anything happens include it in the report, and I'll storm the Hokage's office."
"Ka-san, that really isn't necessary," Shikamaru grumbled, but nevertheless gave his Mom an awkward hug.
"If anything happens to you I'll storm over to the eastern continents myself." Shikaku casually commented.
"Tou-san!"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, turning to his Team. Asuma looked normal, but Shikamaru could easily see the worry in the Jonin's eyes. Ino and Choji also looked worried but were more open about it.
"I'll be fine." Shikamaru sighed, waving all of them off. "Besides, Naruto and Jiraya are going to be there. If anything happens to me they'll shoot you a message or something. I doubt anything bad is going to happen it's just a school."
You know, later, Shikamaru would regret those words.
But for now, the chunin set off, waving goodbye to his friends and family.