Cotten candy. That’s what came to mind. Big white puffy clouds swam soothingly under the ocean of the blue sky as he rested under the shadow of a tree. Each floating mass of mist was molded into a unique form. Funny though, how he hadn’t found nor seen any figures in the sky for as long as he could remember…last time probably happening when he was still a genin, more likely after skipping classes or hanging out with Chouji on rooftops. He chuckled slightly at the memory. His mind wasn’t concerned then, and it wasn’t at all now….now that after so many years he could finally lay on his back and enjoy the evening to himself, even allowing his kid imagination to run wild again, letting go of his adult preoccupations.
The weight he had had on his shoulders of so many Shinobi under his command during the war and being responsible for their lives -not only from the fire nation but others as well- was something that had burdened him every minute with every passing second —even when he didn’t want to admit it aloud; he feared the slightest mistake on his part could lead to many drop-outs, specially those who had feith in him to keep them safe.
Everyone counted on him. The Kages, his parents, friends, the future generation and of course, Naruto! Naruto had to become Hokage and he had to become his advisor. There was no other way. What good would it do for him if he had complained, if he’d given up, and let himself die or…if he didn’t protect the king. Asuma’s king!
Maybe many years ago, he would have made different choices–taken the easiest way out. At the short age of twelve he had practically thought out his whole life, from beginning till the very end. Simple. He wanted a simple life with no difficulties whatsoever. And after so many years of training, endless missions and many painful deaths before and during the Fourth Shinibi War, it all made him grow up the cruelest and fastest way, thus changing his path, changing his plan of keeping everything so….simple.
The main factor giving him the strength to continue living to continue fighting during the war had been his father. He wanted to prove himself to him, to make him proud and show him he wasn’t the lazy boy from his younger years. He wanted to…protect him…
The soft cool wind on his face brought a smile to his lips yet a sour memory came afloat as a deer cloud shape came to sight. “Who would have thought I would ever cloud gaze again, huh dad? Just wanna say I really miss you and so does mom. But hey, old man! No need to worry. I’ll take good care of her. You keep doing your thing with Inoichi, alright?”
Now Konoha was slowly recovering, finally seeing the end of those bloody dark days. And that’s what he had set his heart on. He would do anything to keep Konoha safe. To maintain any disaster or anyone trying to harm their Village —away. It had cost them a lot to gain the peace among the five nations and so he would protect it with his life.
Speaking of which– he darted a glance to the left where a noise was coming from.He could hear rushed steps approaching.They had to be in a hurry, he could tell by the way their feet hit the ground nonstop. So he stood up knowing for sure they were coming towards him. His responsibilities were different ones after the war and as Kakashi’s adviser there were matters he had to deal with and take decisions in his place.
He shook off the dust of his pants “What is it?” He asked and waited for said shinobi to speak although the man’s face told Shikamaru the story before he even began speaking. His eyes widen in shock and a hint of horror crossed them. He didn’t trust their uninvited guest one bit and much less the way she had barged into the village like a criminal she was because it was evident the guard at the entrance would have never given her entry.
Then his fear became anger. He didn’t know much about the ex-Akatsuki member -saved for what little information that was on the bingo-book -but knowing what they had done in the past was enough to make his blood boil. He took in a deep breath and let it out slow. “Alright..I’ll take over from here. Please don’t alarm anyone and just notify Lord sixth. I’ll go see what the deal is.” And without another word he jumped onto the nearest rooftop.
And just when he thought having peace was a part of his daily life…what a drag…
“There must be an underlying reason as to why you are here.” He was standing at a rooftop with hands inside his pockets. He prefered to keep her at a distance, preferably where he could see every single move she made. “I’m sure you must already know you aren’t welcome. So start talking before I lose my patience.”
