12 The dutiful son act gone wrong

Well as much I like seeing my parents muster their way into apologizing as any other child does, I'm not comfortable with it. Oddly enough I have never been comfortable with it but maybe that's cause I was always used to being actually in trouble than standing on the other side of it.

' But that's life for you, giving lemons when you ordered oranges. But at least I got lemons, god knows there are the unfortunate bastards who didn't get even that '

But enough posturing and I break the silence without hesitation driving it into their minds that once again I'm right and they weren't in the situation and I'm really loving it, I kind of get why our parents always suspect us, it's a sugar rush but without the sugar on their side

" I won't say that I do not understand what you were thinking father...mother but it doesn't change that you apparently thought I wouldn't keep my word! "

I make sure to make my tone even as I say the last words just to make them squirm longer and also cause it gives a more dramatic effect ' Am I a drama child? Yes, yes I am '

And they are squirming even though it doesn't really show on the surface

How do I know that?....for one Mother hasn't stopped leaning into Father and he still hasn't looked away from my eyes and sat ramrod straightly

The others are not that important at this part so I don't really focus on their faces aside from Genma who looks like he knows they won't like what I have to say

' That's right prick !! Squirm, squirm and fall '

" I have asked time and time again for a chakra paper to find my affinity, but you both disagreed with me and have been dragging your feet with it. I did not like it but I accepted it " I look at them straight in their faces as seriously as I can just to screw with them later with what I'm going to do

" I believed that you would give it to me once the time was right, I believed that I would be held with the same level of belief in my training as that I held in you in regards to that. But it seems I was mistaken "

Now to swing the axe down

" Mother has grounded me for being foolish, I heard snide comments from the peanut gallery behind you and a boring speech from yourself Father because you believed that I wasn't responsible "

And I stand up waking them up from the guilt party I started and slowly walk to the yard

" As the punishment has already been decided, as the pieces of advice been told and comments heard there remains only one thing to be done now "

And now they know I'm not joking around even though they don't know what the hell I'm leading towards so I point at them and ask

" Choose.....armor or bullet? "

" Wha- "

" What the hell are we choosing for? "

" Shikaku you don't have one of those guns in the house right? "

" I would also like to hear you answer Shikaku-dono "

" No, we don't "

" But to be on the safe side I think we should all calm down, alright? That means you too Shikamaru-kun "

' What the hell happened to brat and kid Genma, where's your seniority pride now? Though I kind of expected these reactions anyway '

Dad will recognize I'm leading toward something and will probably try to work it out, Uncle Chouza and Uncle Iniochi will try to clarify what I meant by my words, Asai san will follow alongside them, Mom will calm them and Genma will try to get things as back to normal as he can

" If none of you can choose then perhaps we should toss for it "

" What are the options leading towards Shikamaru? "

" Towards the consequences of your actions "

" You're certain he doesn't have a gun right? Cause he's certainly speaking fighting words "

" Shikamaru won't harm any of us, at least not over this "

" I thank you for your TRUST in me Uncle Chouza "

I make sure to speak trust in a way that they know I want them to know that it's important

And they got the message alright, they've gone silent and aside from dad most of them are alternating between looking at the only calm one by them and each other with some nervous ticks

' Not yet '

I step towards father and hold my hand towards him, even a damn idiot will recognize that I'm asking for a coin

I'm not doing this because I don't have a coin on me, well I don't but that's not the reason anyway

' This is just a psychological attack, I want to reinforce their opinion that I have always given extreme weight to their words, that I have always trusted them to deliver me what I asked, that at the end of the day that the choice was still theirs '

' At least that's what I want them thinking '

I make sure to remain in that position for over 3 minutes without any dissatisfaction as father still tries to figure out what I'm doing while the others fidget between themselves as they see that I'm not budging on this

Finally, father breaks his silence

" I do not know what I'm choosing, you have refused to tell us but I suppose that we deserve your silence on this matter " Then he suddenly puts his hands on my shoulder and smiles at me

" But perhaps it's time we give weight to your words as well "

' Well ain't this something, is he calling the bluff? Has he seen through the play or is he just being a parent right now? Damn this shit is annoying, but you know what, there's only one outcome he would have chosen anyway in my mind '

He would choose armor because as we all know armor at the end of the day is to protect and only helps us live longer but on the other handguns here as weak and useless as they are is still dangerous to me and it's a decision he would make both consciously and unconsciously to ensure my safety

And I ensure that he knows while I'm angry I'm not even close to losing trust in them ' Especially since this is acting '

" As always so protective of me pops, but I guess it's also my fault, Kami knows I'm not an angel "

My words seem to have broken the tension completely as they relax though Father still seems alert he's not trying to think about what I'm doing anymore he's just watching me

' I guess he ain't seen past it, the guy still's a helicopter parent though '

But I stop being serious and slowly turn towards the tree in the yard drawing attention to my body to ensure they're watching me and I talk again and just to make it more confusing I do it with my normal tone while placing myself in the shooter pose with my aim being the tree

" As I told, the punishment received, advice heard and now the only thing left is " and here I pack in as much fierceness and wildness as I can gather in my voice because that can really make an impact, well at least in the movies and shows it makes an impact

" To commit the crime "

And as they repeat what I said in their heads Father gets it first as I thought he would, he opens his mouth to speak but I don't give him the chance

I smoothly go through the motions that I've literally itched to do in this world completely since I learned it instead of just holding it for as long as I could under a cover at night or in the morning to ensure they don't blow a fuse

And sure enough, the practice shines through as within the instant Father opened his mouth before the first syllable is out the tell-tale blue-coloured chakra take form at my pointed finger and I without hesitance with an eager expression pulled the figurative trigger

And oh man, watching the damage done when I know I'm weak and the technique is weaker because of it, knowing that it's not the best I can do and still watching it impact that tree with enough force to pierce through at least half of the tree without problem is so. fucking. amazing

' That's just lit '

After a brief period of silence enough for the broken bark pieces to land on the ground is all I'm given before Dad yanks me around to face him while the others begin acting like children

' Very loud and dumb children, especially Genma. Yes it's a damn jutsu. Yes, it's possible you prick, I just did it '

I believe I'm holding a petty grudge

" How did you do that? Where did you learn it? Were you taught it? "

Father though is acting as an adult enough for the rest of them

" I have told you in the past Father but it seems you have forgotten again "

I make sure to speak loudly because if naruto can do"believe it" Sakura can do"shannaro" and Sasuke can do"hn" of all things I sure as hell am doing

" I wanted to do it and so I did it "

Because honestly who won't like it to live by those words, to proclaim that my thoughts can become actions, to proclaim that I'm free to think, to act and to judge all I want, to live the life the way I want

Who honestly doesn't want to break free of the chains even if for a brief moment? And that moment may not be as long as the chained ones you have but it will be more precious because of how short it is

' I could have chosen to forget my life after ensuring my family's safety and use it to make this body more powerful, I don't remember everything I should and I don't know most of the things I should for this world '

But I chose to remember because at the end of the day, I did not choose how I lived and died the first time

I didn't do a lot of things, I didn't say a lot of things and I just didn't and wouldn't choose how to live

The way I want or the way I'm expected to live, That choice I could never make, or maybe I could have made if I wasn't so damned scared about it

But now!!

' I chose my body! I chose my home! My name!

And I swear to every god and demon I know, this time I'm doing it my way '

" You compared me, father! Even if you didn't know it you placed me in a category like at the end of the day my actions would be the same as another! Like at the end of the day I neither had the ability to be different in my actions and thoughts "

And all I can think is my memories and the regrets I can find, the mistakes I've made and most importantly I remember my family despite scolding and complaining never saying they wanted me to change, only that is what is expected of me

And it all just pours out, now the situation is out of hand because I can't calm down and I'm all emotional and shit and some part of me changed

And I did not realise it or maybe some part of me did because I didn't give a damn about the plan anymore

" Yes I bleed and breathe and eat just like everyone else but there is a damned good reason we have our own damn names father!

I, Shikamaru Nara born to Shikaku Nara and Yoshino Nara is not a damned copycat or some clone!"

And as I watch them try to speak to me, to correct me, to say that I'm overthinking and overreacting I still can't stop speaking

" I do not know if I'm the first Shikamaru Nara, I don't know if I'm the first Shikamaru! But at the end of the day, I'm me and that is more than enough to prove that I'm my own damn person! I don't give a damn about what society expects of me, I don't give a damn about its limits and its herd-ass behaviours "

" I make the damn choice! Not you, not mother and sure as hell not the ones above when I decide whether I want to be just another Shikamaru Nara or continue to be myself "

And if I was still fully aware of my surroundings then I would have noticed how all of them got tensed much more than necessary

How their hands almost reached their weapons without their knowledge

But I didn't see their wide and confused gazes meant that, I thought it was just my words

But it wasn't just my words

" So the next time you decide whether I belong to a category or not, ask my damned permission for it!! Because just like the world which expects me to eventually break to it "

And as I stand with my back straight and my fists curled enough that I can feel the nails digging painfully into my palm

The chains rattle

" I expect myself to eventually break the world over my own knee if it dares to deny me!!! "

And at my words spoken, ringing with my resolutions and proclaiming my own desire to be free

The chains break

And my will manifests in the world to proclaim its autonomy

And the knees of the denizens of this world standing in front of me buckle at the weight of my will

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Okay I'll admit this chapter may not be what many were expecting, mainly because it was not what I was expecting or going towards but the reveal of the spirit gun casually like a boss become a proclamation of freedom instead and I Honestly was so bewildered with the change in the thing I wrote that I went with It to see where this would end

Hopefully, you guys liked it like I did

As always I thank everyone for reading my story,your opinions are valued and respected and I especially thank Gambit bandit,Flamawix,the_myth_of_wolf,Rassert, Smithsonian86_,LeylinW,iza_9_2, unknown_demon_3751,Miyuki_Snowfall,

Vero_0315 and Jynxedis for giving this story their power stones

And as always stay safe, happy and have a great day