Chapter 41 : Promises(3)

Week one – Sarutobi Asuma.

Naruto's eyes were narrowed, his mind focused. He was in the most difficult battle of his life at this very moment. His opponent was better than him. He was trying, giving it his all, but he just couldn't get the upper hand. He was going to lose, he knew that now. He was giving off the feeling of victory. The fact that he had pushed his opponent this hard made it less bitter. This person had the mind of a god, and Naruto had kept up for this long. It was just too difficult, he didn't stand a chance.

"You lose, Naruto." Said blond sighed in defeat. "Damn, that was the most intense Shogi match I've ever played." Nara Shikamaru said, falling backwards so that his back was on the patio. "You're the greatest shogi player I've ever played against, besides my old man."

Naruto laughed. "Thanks. I never thought that you'd be so good. You have a serious knack for strategy." Naruto was currently at the Nara clan compound, having come home with Shikamaru after he observed Team Ten complete a mission. He had already been with them for a week now, and he had become incredibly close with the lazy genin.

Shikamaru's intellect was second to none in his generation. Being able to talk to someone around his age that was able to keep up with him in a stimulating conversation was something that hadn't happened since Itachi left. If the kid wasn't so lazy, he'd say the friendship was perfect, but, like everything and everyone, nothing was perfect.

He kind of guessed that it was for the better though, having someone who enjoyed just lying with you and watching the clouds float by was sometimes just what a person needed. And if Choji always brought snacks, Naruto could seriously get used to it.

It was such a new and exciting experience to hang out with other kids, doing nothing but talking, and sometimes not even that. He loved hanging out with his nee-chan, she was his best friend after all, but it was different when they were near his age, and boys. Sometimes you just couldn't talk about things with girls, and Naruto had plenty he wanted to say about the fairer sex.

Unfortunately, none of the boys he'd met were into girls all that much yet, for one reason or another. Neji and Rock Lee were so obsessed with training they couldn't bother with the opposite gender. Choji just hadn't hit that point in his life, and Shikamaru thought that they were just too troublesome, and couldn't be bothered with the hassle. Gai and Asuma were out of the question, so that put him right back into his predicament. He had no one to talk to about his feeling towards women. Yugao would overreact and he'd end up in trouble for no apparent reason, so he was just out of luck.

"It's just a game." Shikamaru waved off. "It doesn't account for stress and other variables that come with live combat. And it gets easier the more you play it."

"I kind of thought so." Naruto said. "That was a fun first time though." He added, accepting a glass of tea Shikamaru handed him.

The young Nara shook his head. "You really are a monster, Naruto." He continued. "If that was your first game, I don't want to see you when you actually know all of the rules." He chuckled. When he asked Naruto if he wanted to play, the blond had asked for a five minute crash course on the game, and then gave him one of his hardest matches he'd ever played. The blond was born with a mind equal to his, and that was scary if all of the rumors of his godlike power were true. The mind of a god, the power of a god, and the will of a god was the greatest triple threat the young genin had ever heard of.

Naruto actually smiled at being called a monster. "And don't you forget it!" He said playfully.

When Asuma introduced him to Team Ten, Shikamaru believed he was the Bringer of Hope right away. When asked why he was so accepting later on, he answered with, "the way you walk and talk, the way you hold yourself, and the way your eyes are so aware of your surroundings was a dead giveaway."

Naruto was impressed with his answer and had concluded that they were somewhat alike. Naruto could guess the intentions of an individual just by feeling them, and Shikamaru could guess an individual's intentions just by calculating it visually. He had found another monster, just a slightly different kind.

Choji had believed him the moment Shikamaru did. It was apparent that his team thought highly of his powers of deduction, and trusted him to know what he was talking about. Choji was so gentle and kind that it made Naruto question if he was fit for the shinobi life or not. After spending a few days with him though, he realized that the boy was determined to protect his friends, and that deep down, a slumbering cho was waiting to spread its wings.

Ino was… friendly. He wondered if all Yamanaka were so… friendly. If she grew up to be anything like Risu, he'd have to have a serious talk with the Clan Head when he became Hokage. She was easy to be around though, and he could feel the real her. Underneath the obvious fangirl was someone who cared about her friends and family, and would protect them with her life if she needed to. And that was good enough for Naruto.

"Seriously though, man, you don't need to wait for my dad to get back, you're welcome to come in whenever you want to." The Nara genin said again, trying to convince his new friend.

When they had arrived, Naruto had asked if Shikaku was home. When Shikamaru's mother, Yoshino, said that he was out with Inoichi and Choza, and wouldn't be home for at least another hour, he had asked if they could stay outside until he returned.

Nara Shikaku was the Jonin Commander, and an extremely respected shinobi. Naruto had only spoken to the man a handful of times, but he too was one of the people who respected him. If the man wasn't home, then he wouldn't enter until he returned. The greatest mind since the Lord Second Hokage deserved at least that. Shikamaru had thought it was stupid, but Naruto wouldn't budge. That's when they decided to play Shogi.

"It's important to me, Shikamaru." Naruto replied. "Your father is a great man, and he deserves to be able to decide if he wants to allow me into his home or not." Naruto knew that Shikaku didn't see him as some comrade killing demon, but it was a sign of respect that he would give the Nara Clan Head. If he didn't want a monster in his house, then Naruto would honor his wishes.

"Whatever." Shikamaru sighed. He took a drink of his tea before he continued. "What else do you want to do?" He asked, looking at the sky above.

Naruto smiled and turned to the street. "It looks like we have company." He said, watching the blonde ponytail swing back and forth as it made its way to them. Even though Ino was prone to obsessive behavior, she was still a Konoha-nin, and Naruto wanted to get along with as many as his people as possible.

Yamanaka Ino appeared at the front gate of Shikamaru's home. "Oi, Shika!" She called out behind the gate. "Let me in! I'm bored, and Sasuke-kun won't talk to me!" The mention of Uchiha Sasuke got Naruto's attention. Shikamaru sighed, but got up and let his blonde teammate in. When they walked to the patio, Ino was surprised to see Naruto sitting there, "N-Naruto-kun? What are you doing here?" She asked somewhat shyly. The young Yamanaka had already added the –kun suffix to his name, the girl already that comfortable with him after only one week.

Naruto smiled at her. "Shikamaru invited me over." He shrugged. "I had nothing better to do, so I accepted."

He really didn't either. After his time with Team Gai, and then the week with Team Ten, he still was no closer to finding what his Sage Dust was missing, and it annoyed him something fierce.

"My nee-chan is on a mission, and my aniki is busy with his team, so I might as well hang out with you guys for a little while." He had taken up calling Kakashi aniki in front of friends, the silver-haired man being the closest thing to an older brother he would ever have. Hayate had gotten closer to him during his three weeks of living in his apartment, but it would kind of be strange to call his sister's lover his brother… so he just stayed Hayate.

"Oh," she said, "okay then. What are you guys doing? I'm bored," she stated again.

Naruto smirked. "So, who's this, 'Sasuke-kun'?" He decided to pretend that he didn't know who the Uchiha was, so that he could start a fresh bond with Sasuke when they first met.

Ino sighed dreamily. "He's only the cutest boy in the whole world." Naruto finally understood why he had thought that she was a fan-girl when they first met. "He's so cool and mysterious," she continued, her eyes still shut, "and one day, he's going to realize that I'm the one for him." Naruto could see Shikamaru shake his head from his cloud watching position. "Then, Forehead will know her place!" She suddenly shouted, her eyes opening, only to narrow and squeezed her hand into a fist. Apparently "Forehead" was another girl that ached for Sasuke's affection. Naruto was already proud of his future student, only just a genin and already a lady killer.

"Well, good luck with that then, I guess." Naruto said. He was about to say something else until he noticed who was arriving. Naruto stood to his feet and walked over to the man he was waiting for.

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