Archive of Our Own ^beta

Shikamaru’s first impressions of Naruto weren't anything remarkable. Seeing him running around all the time- extremely hyper, but considering the fact that they were all 5, he’s not special in that regard- he considered him troublesome. 

Everything was, really. Being forced to take first day photos in front of the academy, being encouraged to make friends, and getting the talk about responsibility. It was all so troublesome.

He’s never been told directly, but he knows he’s worse than any other Nara child when it comes to his lazy attitude. And that’s saying something. If it were up to him, he’d set up a blanket outside to sleep, and when he woke up, he’d stare at the clouds until he was tired again. Over and over again, until the last of his days.

Alas, he was too smart to attempt something so destructive, so he settled for lying down in one of his favorite spots in the forest- not the Nara’s, because then his mom would be within earshot, reminding him of troublesome things like chores- for only a few hours before he’d have to go home for dinner.

Just him, the grass on his back, and the clouds. No expectations, and for once, his brain slowed down its thought processes. Perfect.

Whoosh!

Unfazed by the noise, Shikamaru didn’t budge from his spot on the ground. Animals around here knew better than to attack humans; it was an instinct passed down from their ancestors, from all the ones who were ignorant to what would happen if you attacked a human in a ninja village. 

“Woo-hoo!” a giddy voice rang through the trees, growing in volume.

A kid? From the sound of his voice he sounded around Shikamaru’s age too. What were they doing here?

He began to quietly move from his spot on the floor, but he was already too late. A loud whoop was his only warning before a boy with hair like the sun came crashing down the trees.

“Ha?” The boy’s smile dropped as he noticed Shikamaru’s presence, and before he could stop himself he tumbled right into him.

“Oof!”

And oof, indeed. Shikamaru grunted in pain as a sharp elbow stabbed him in his stomach, and the perpetrator yelped as he banged his nose against the lazy boy’s chin.

“Troublesome…” he mumbled weakly, attempting to shove the boy off of him.

“Owww,” the blonde boy whined. “Where did you come from?! Nobody was here a few minutes ago, I would’ve sensed you!”

Shikamaru groaned as the boy finally got off of him, and he blinked as he slowly realized who he was staring at. Naruto Uzumaki. A boy who had once been quiet, but has steadily been increasing his volume in class as he attempted to prank their teachers and classmates.

“I just got here. Why couldn’t you look before you jumped?” he frowned.

“Sorry…” Naruto sulked, rubbing his bruised nose. The interesting thing though was that Shikamaru saw in real time as it healed. Just a moment ago, he was sure it was broken. 

For any other 5 year old, witnessing someone’s crooked nose readjust itself would be unnerving. But all it did was pique the Nara's interest. And that almost never happened.

“Is that a Kekkei Genkai?” he gestured towards his nose.

“Wassat?” the blonde tilted his head. Which was strangely adorable, bruised nose and all.

Oh wait- that healed too.

“It’s a ninja ability that’s passed down through family,” he’d assumed the academy had taught this already, but because he was always asleep during class he couldn’t be sure. His classmate could’ve very well forgotten the lesson, too. Either way Shikamaru didn’t mind explaining it to him to fuel his own curiosity. There’s no way it wasn’t a Kekkei Genkai, right?

“Oh…” Naruto’s brows creased as he looked down. “I don’t have any family.”

Oh. Shikamaru didn't know that.

That isn’t to say he was ignorant to just how many kids were orphans in the academy, but Naruto just hadn’t seemed… like one of them? The kids from the orphanage all ate the same thing for lunch, usually together, and seemed close to each other.

And as far as Nara knew- which is a lot- Naruto didn’t have anyone in their class he was particularly close to. Sure, Kiba would laugh along with his pranks, but then the very next day he’ll be laughing at Naruto for messing up in class. Such is the life of 5 year olds, but his point still stands.

The thought is surprisingly saddening. Did the energetic boy really not have friends? Or a family that he knows of? And why not? 

If he really had a Kekkei Genkai, his caretaker should have noticed and reported it to the Hokage. And then the Hokage would be responsible for telling Naruto his abilities so he’d be able to utilize them in battle once he becomes a genin. That involves telling him of his family.

So why hasn’t that happened?

Just from one sentence alone, Shikamaru could tell something was up with Naruto. Specifically, the adults around him.

“Sorry,” he said, genuinely apologetic. He can tell he accidentally hit a sore spot. “The fact you can heal fast is pretty cool.”

“Really?!” Naruto sprung up, his earlier energy resurfacing. Flattery goes a long way, he supposes.

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “It’s a convenient skill for a ninja. You shouldn’t rely on it though.”

“That’s great!” he cheered, grinning ear to ear as he fell over in his excitement. “I’m practically a shoe-in for Hokage!”

Not exactly, but who was Shikamaru to burst his bubble? At least he seemed to feel better now.

“Being Hokage sounds troublesome, but if that’s what feels right to you, go for it,” he stared up at the clouds and surprisingly enough, he saw a cloud that faintly resembled the Hokage hat. If Naruto saw it, he’d no doubt think it was a sign that he was right. Too troublesome to tell him though, so he’s going to keep his mouth shut.

“It is…” Naruto said, voice taking on a serious tone. “Sometimes… it’s the only thing that feels right.”

Shikamaru resisted the urge to look over at him. What was with all the mood changes?

“Naruto Uzumaki, the Hokage! Everyone respects him!” Despite voicing his dreams out loud, his voice lacked luster. “Everyone wants to be his friend, and when they look at him… they smile! Instead of…”

Oh wow. That actually explained a lot. Like, a lot.

“They’ll look up to me, instead of always looking down at me like- like I’m filth!” Finally looking at the boy, he saw as he bit his lip to stop the overflow of words. In that moment he realized that he might be the only person Naruto has ever told this to.

Silence rang through the forest as one boy refused to make eye contact while the other neutrally observed. 

“I don’t look down at you… even though you’re technically shorter than me,” the blonde huffed at that. “And no one else should. You’re only an academy student, you deserve to be given a chance.”

Naruto’s wide eyes finally met him as they watered. He’d never been told this before, has he?

“You deserve to be smiled at, especially when you always smile at others.”

Shikamaru truly doesn’t understand why people don’t. Naruto had been quiet but eager at the beginning of the year. And even now, joking around and pranking people, he’s never been harsh to their classmates. So why do they all avoid him like the plague? 

Admittedly, he’s starting to feel bad. His first impression of Naruto was as a troublesome kid who was too loud for him to tolerate. Because now, all he can see is a boy with a quiet, but steadily growing pain in his heart.

“T-thank you…?” Naruto hiccuped, despite the fact he doesn’t allow a single tear to fall from his eyes.

“No problem,” he said simply. He racked his head on how to deal with this- even when he knew there really wasn’t anything he could do to attack the main problem. His perception of Naruto won’t affect the people who seem to unreasonably hate the poor boy. Being so powerless was humbling. But his ego was far less important than comforting Naruto, despite him not knowing exactly why that was.

“Do you want to cloud watch with me?” It was a desperate attempt at distraction, he knew, but anything was better than nothing. And maybe that’s what Naruto needed. A friend.

“Uhm- okay?” the boy said hesitantly, having no reason to refuse but heavily confused.

…

“Doesn’t that one look like the Hokage’s hat?” Shikamaru said, already anticipating a loud response.

“Holy crap, you’re right!!”