Chapter Seven: Shikakuro II

March 7th, Year 65, Nara Compound

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"Damn, he's too lazy to even cry," I muttered, my eyes welling up with emotion as I gazed at the tiny bundle in my arms. I had known that I would soon have a baby brother, but holding him made it all so real, so different from mere anticipation.

He was, after all, my own flesh and blood. My little brother.

A gentle thud on my head snapped me out of my reverie, and I turned to see the red-haired woman, Kushina, grinning at me. "You were just like that, too, dattabane. Too lazy to even cry. Although he's cuter than you were," she teased, attempting to lighten the moment. I couldn't help but agree.

"Of course, he is. He's my little brother, after all," I replied, a soft smile playing on my lips.

Kushina inspected the baby before turning to talk to my parents. "Seems like he's healthy and doesn't have the same issues as Kuro-chan. Like I said before, Kuro-chan was a special case."

Relief washed over my parents, and I joined in their sigh of relief. After spending so long exploring my powers and understanding the concepts of this world, I knew I was unique. Yes, I was reincarnated, but even then, my situation felt unique.

At such a young age, I had access to an unimaginable amount of chakra, which was almost alarming. Not to mention the imbalance of Yin and Yang that should have resulted in autism at best and death at worst, but instead it fueled my extraordinary shadow manipulation.

And then there was the earring, which I long deduced to be a sort of seal, possibly holding back any excess amount of chakra that would otherwise harm my body or maybe even others around me.

All these elements spoke volumes about my circumstances, but truth be told, I was too lazy to care about them. Yet, by this time, I had managed to learn how to control and use my shadows.

I mean, I was sure that I still had many things to discover about it, but I had ideas...

I was undeniably overpowered for someone my age, but let's not dwell on that right now.

During our father-son bonding moments, my father and I would have conversations about what made me... well, special.

Sometimes it would be during a challenging game of Shogi, where I inevitably end up losing to the old man, or during a peaceful session of cloud watching after taking care of the deer in the forest. But regardless of the setting, I managed to get my father to open up about my unique shadows and tell me what he had in his mind.

The adults were not oblivious to the fact that I had a firm grip on my powers. I mean, they're all ninjas, after all. I didn't feel the need to hide it from my family by being sneaky or anything. The only time I resorted to such tactics was to escape from my lessons.

But after discussing it with my father, we began to suspect that my powers might be some kind of Kekkei Genkai. Even though we the Nara, have a special affinity with Yin and shadows... it being a Bloodline limit was a better theory.

But let's not dwell on that for now.

My parents smiled gratefully and expressed their gratitude to Kushina. "Thank you, Kushina. We knew that this situation wasn't the same as Kuro's, as we were already aware of his abnormalities (HEY!) well before the due date. So we were hopeful that our new baby wouldn't face the same challenges. But it's always good to be cautious," my mother said, her smile brimming with happiness upon seeing my baby brother born without any complications.

"Don't worry about it, dattabane! I'm happy to help, and I finally get to meet adorable little Kuro-chan again," Kushina said, playfully squishing my face.

I retaliated with a protest, "HEY!" but it fell on deaf ears as she continued, "Anyway, what are you going to name the little guy?" She turned her attention to my parents.

Before my parents could even think about names, I piped up confidently, "Shikamaru."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Kuro-chan?" Kushina asked, puzzled. I replied with determination, "His name will be Nara Shikamaru."

Amused, my father chimed in, "As a deer?"

I shot him a glare that my mother and Kushina found endearing, and I retorted, "Got a problem with that?

He chuckled in response to my glare and said, "No, it sounds like a fine name. What do you think, Yoshino?" My mother's smile softened, a clear distinction from the one she usually wore before scolding me, and she chuckled softly. "Sounds absolutely lovely. Kuro-kun is already proving to be a wonderful big brother, isn't he?"

Laughter filled the air among the adults, but I paid little attention to it. In that moment, I felt truly blessed as I watched baby Shikamaru peacefully slumber.

"Well, I can only hope that my baby will be as adorable as little Shikamaru here," Kushina commented, her hand gently caressing her rounded stomach, a clear sign of anticipation.

"Congratulations, Aunt Kushina," I congratulated her, and my parents echoed my sentiments. She blushed slightly, but smiled warmly, thanking us for our kind words.

"Thank you. But I should be on my way, dattabane." With her farewell, she couldn't resist giving my face another affectionate squish before heading off.

Sighing, I couldn't help but hope that I would soon outgrow this baby-faced phase. Or even better, that Shikamaru would take my place sooner rather than later. A mischievous smirk crept across my face as I gazed at my slumbering little brother.…

…

A few weeks had passed since Shikamaru's birth, and we had plenty to celebrate. It seemed like my old man and my eccentric uncles were really getting into the spirit of things. Sigh... I guess they were planning quite the event.

Just four days after Shikamaru, Ino was born, and a couple of weeks later, it was Choji's turn. I mean, according to my knowledge of the series, Ino and Shikamaru's births were quite close, and Choji's wasn't too far off either. But seriously, it almost felt planned.

But hey, with the heirs of the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans now part of our trio, I found myself having three little siblings alongside my growing list of minions from the three clans. And honestly, I wasn't all that unhappy about it.

The three babies were... growing on me. I reached down and picked up Shikamaru, sensing that he wanted to be held. Just then, I heard my mother's voice calling out to me.

"Kuro! Your little friend is here."

Her voice was way too sweet, and I already knew who had come to visit. Sigh...

"How's it going, Izuna?" I greeted her.

"Hello Kuro-san, I came to visit you and check on the baby," she replied politely, as always.

"Sigh... You don't have to be so serious, you know. We've known each other for over a year now. I thought you could relax a bit more by now," I said, continuing to play with Shikamaru in my arms.

Izuna fell silent for a moment, seemingly trying to come to terms with something. Finally, she spoke softly, "I will try, Kuro-kun."

I didn't think too much of it at the time, as she had changed the way she addressed me. I simply nodded my head, still engrossed in playing with Shikamaru.

Izuna's smile grew softer as she sat down beside me and cautiously reached out to touch Shikamaru's cheek. I couldn't help but laugh at her cautiousness. "Hahaha, he won't break. You don't have to be so afraid, you know."

She seemed to ponder my words for a moment before gathering the courage to touch Shikamaru. The baby simply stared back at her. Finding the situation amusing, I decided to pass Shikamaru into Izuna's arms. At first, she panicked slightly but soon cradled him gently.

There was a look of awe on Izuna's face as she held the baby. It was a peaceful scene, with Shikamaru yawning in her arms while she smiled softly at him.

"I hope my new sibling will let me hold them like this," Izuna mused out of nowhere.

Oh, right. It was about time for Sasuke to be born, wasn't it? But that brought another issue to the forefront. The Kyuubi incident was drawing near, and I had no means to control the situation. I lacked power, recognition, a good excuse, and a way to protect myself and my family from becoming suspects on Danzo's list if I tried to intervene.

Honestly, I didn't want the Kyuubi incident to occur. It had caused so much death and destruction, shattered the peace, and would ultimately claim the life of our fourth Hokage and Kushina, leading to the tragic Uchiha massacre that I desperately wanted to prevent.

I felt lost, unsure of what to do in this precarious situation.

As I glanced back at Izuna, who was still smiling at a drowsy Shikamaru, I couldn't help but smile in return.

Well... I am a Nara, aren't I? I guess I'll have to find a way to protect those smiles, huh?…

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Lumi- Well in canon Shikamaru was born on September 22, Ino on September 23 and Choji somewhere in May I think. But as Kuro's birth causes ripple effects some things are getting changed.

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