004. shikamaru: think

The sun isn 't even up yet when Shikamaru has to wake. He smacks his alarm into silence and rolls out of bed, already hating his life from the moment he opens his eyes. Six o 'clock. Why even.

Downstairs, his folks are awake, but that 's only because they 're shinobi and therefore unable to sleep longer than five or six hours a stretch. His old man says even that much feels like an indulgence. Shikamaru does

not

want to be like them when he grows up, but he knows he will be; look at him now, awake at six in the morning, dressed and ready to be slaughtered on Ground 5 with his teammates who are probably going to be more trouble than they 're worth '

Speaking of said teammates.

'Otou-san, ' Shikamaru asks at the breakfast table, 'isn 't Kage Bunshin an advanced technique? '

'Maa, if you 're trying, the main obstacle will be chakra exhaustion, ' Shikaku tells him while stirring goopy egg into delicious white rice. 'The technique splits your chakra into half each time, so if you tried for four bunshins ' '

'Your chakra would be quartered. '

'Sou. Not many who can do four or more even in Konoha, though I 'd say most jonin are capable of at least one. Dead useful, though. Each bunshin retains a connection with you but is capable of independent thought and action; moreover, neither the Sharingan nor the Byakugan can distinguish between original and clone, unless the user has high mastery over their doujutsu. Well, the only person I 've heard of who could see through it was Uchiha Madara, and he 's long dead. '

Several points to consider there ' Shikamaru quietly puts more pickles on his rice and takes a sip of his miso soup.

'How 's your team so far? ' Shikaku asks him, exchanging a brief look with his mother, who looks similarly amused. She 's already heard some from him last night, but otou-san came home late and Shikamaru was too tired to wait up.

'Sensei is ' strong, ' Shikamaru frowns down at his food. 'Really strong. '

'Well, it

is

Orochimaru-sama, ' Shikaku chuckles.

'Sasuke isn 't bad, ' Shikamaru continues, 'but Naruto can be loud. And a bit simple. But not completely stupid; just simple. '

'Been a while since the last Team 7, hasn 't it, ' his mother remarks, placing a glass of milk by his elbow and pinning him down with a Look. Shikamaru grimaces but takes the damn thing. Yoshino turns to Shikaku and continues, 'Hatake 's team was the last one, and that 's more than a decade ago now. '

'Before that was Jiraiya-san 's brats, and before

that

, Orochimaru-sama 's own team, ' Shikaku muses, 'though that was before our time. They 're legends now. '

At this, Shikamaru looks up and has to ask, 'Where are his teammates? '

Shikaku snorts. 'If only I knew. Well, Jiraiya-sama 's out there somewhere but he does come back every now and then with a load of good information. Tsunade-hime, though ' who knows. She left a long time ago. '

A heavy sort of silence descends between his parents, both of whom appear to know about some drama that has long since passed into memory. Shikamaru doesn 't ask; he knows he won 't get a straight answer. He 'll have better luck waiting on clues from his own sensei.

'Gochisousama, ' he puts down his polished bowl of rice, 'okaa-san, can I have extra rice in my bento? I have a feeling I 'll need it today. '

Yoshino prepares it while Shikaku tidies the table and Shikamaru washes the dishes. 'Who 's Hatake? ' he asks, rinsing out a teacup with care. This one 's broken before and has golden lines tracing the old cracks. Kintsugi. No need to let it go to waste, after all.

'Don 't we have a lot of questions today, ' his father chuckles. 'Hatake Kakashi. Last of his clan. Jonin. One of our strongest. '

'Stronger than Asuma-san? '

'Definitely. '

'Stronger than you? '

'No match there. '

'Stronger than Orochimaru-sensei? '

'No, ' Shikaku laughs, 'though that 'd be one hell of a fight. ' A large hand lands on his head, squashing his hair and tipping him sideways; Shikamaru snarls but his own hands are too soapy to bat his father away. 'Son, understand this. You, ' Shikaku tells him with a hard shake, 'have been handed the opportunity of a lifetime. Orochimaru-sama has never held a genin team before and will likely never take one again. The only shinobi in this whole village strong enough to have a good chance at taking him down one-on-one is none other than the Hokage; that 's how strong your sensei is. There aren 't many nin who have flee-on-sight flags on the Bingo Book anymore, you know. He 's in line to be the next Hokage; not much competition in the way either. So make sure you pay attention. '

'I

am,

' Shikamaru grumbles, 'paying attention. Why do you think I 'm asking so many questions. '

'The Hokage handpicked the teams for this year, ' Shikaku continues, wiping the table with a clean rag, 'and I was surprised as anyone when they didn 't put you with Chouji and Ino. But then again, it 's not every year that a legend takes a genin team, so who am I to question the old man? If he thinks you 'll do well in Orochimaru-sama 's hands, I 'm not one to complain. '

Shikamaru looks down again, watching the soapy water swirl down the drain. His own father sounds wistful and more than a little jealous of him; he, on the other hand, doesn 't yet know how to feel, because as judgmental as he is, it 's too early to make any judgments. Bits of rice are stuck in the strainer again, despite his best efforts. He 'll have to tap it all out.

' 'mendokuse. '

His two teammates are already waiting when he gets to the banks of the river. Naruto is a bright splotch of orange against the green grass and Sasuke sits next to him, their heads bent together in collusion.

It could be worse

, Shikamaru tells himself,

I could be stuck with Ino.

If he were more concerned about that sort of thing, he 'd maybe feel more jealous about how the two seem to have latched on to each other already. As it is, he 's too busy thinking of all the other strange things he 's been noticing to really care. Besides, Naruto and Sasuke both look like a lot of work, emotionally and otherwise; Shikamaru 's got no energy for all that. They can stay with each other. That 's fine.

'Shikamaruuuu! ' Naruto spots him first, arm all but detaching from his shoulder with his enthusiastic wave. 'Over heeeere! '

'Yeah, like I couldn 't see you, ' he mutters under his breath, hopping down the slope to stand next to them at the riverbank. Such a waste of energy, Naruto is. Must be nice to have the luxury of so much energy. 'Yo. '

'Na, na, Shikamaru, na, whatcha think we 'll learn today? ' Naruto positively gleams up at him, vibrating with enough energy to power the village. 'Ya think we 'll learn some cool jutsus? Maybe we 'll spar with sensei again? '

'Dunno, ' Shikamaru shrugs, because if he says otherwise, there 'll be more questions.

But probably not

, he thinks.

Today will likely be basics.

Sasuke seems to be thinking along the same lines and opens his mouth to explain this to Naruto instead. Excellent. He will let Sasuke do the explaining to Naruto from now on.

Orochimaru-sensei arrives in short order, which is why Shikamaru didn 't bother sitting down. The three of them snap to attention.

'Good morning, ' sensei says, voice soft and sibilant. Shikamaru has to wonder if sensei ever yells. Probably a good idea never to find out. 'Are you prepared to go? Good. Follow me. '

They are not, in fact, being slaughtered at Ground 5 today; their blood is being offered to the forest spirits instead. (Shikamaru only wishes he was joking.) Orochimaru-sensei brings them to a patch of wood just a few hundred meters away from the inner walls of Konoha, at the very edge of the village 's protected sanctum. Shikamaru can spot the tops of the walls peeking above the trees from here. They must be close to the Uchiha compound.

'The training grounds are usually booked out in the early hours. We will meet here everyday instead. I trust you can find your way tomorrow. ' Sensei puts down his pack underneath a tree; they follow suit. Shikamaru notes the overlarge bento stack Sasuke has packed for the day; how does one person eat so much?

'We will begin today with something you must learn to incorporate into your everyday routine. Spread out. '

They step back and sideways, giving each other space even as they keep their sensei front and center.

'A shinobi must master three aspects of themselves in order to grow. Care to guess? '

'Chakra, ' Sasuke quips immediately, a fitting response for an Uchiha.

'Mind, ' Shikamaru follows, because he 's a Nara and it makes sense.

'Um, body? ' Naruto goes last, tilting his head even as he squints at their sensei. Shikamaru is surprised. Maybe Naruto

does

think.

Orochimaru-sensei is quiet for a moment but there is a low gleam of surprised pleasure in those golden eyes: Shikamaru is beginning to learn to read him a little.

'Very good. Everyday, our training will comprise of exercises geared towards honing one or two of those at the same time, until you achieve enough skill such that we are able to do all at once. We shall begin with chakra and the body. '

Sensei assumes a relaxed standing pose that the three of them copy on cue. He says, 'Human chakra flows around the body through tenketsu of which there are eight large gates. You learned about this in the Academy, but you were never truly taught how to

feel

chakra, how to manipulate its gateways and regulate its flow. Today, you will begin exercising your tenketsu 'your chakra 's gateways 'and you will see how it can make a huge difference in every technique. Close your eyes and imagine a ball of energy in the very center of your body, ' Shikamaru closes his eyes, 'glowing brighter with each inhale and dimmer with each exhale. Keep it there. Fix it in your mind 's eye. Remember this image. '

Sensei pauses for a moment, allowing them space to breathe. Shikamaru can feel the tension fall from his own shoulders with each breath.

'Now, ' sensei continues, tone lower and quieter than before, 'imagine rivers of light flowing outwards from the core. A river for each of your arms, a river for each of your legs. Feel the flow of energy from your belly into your lungs, from your lungs into your limbs, from your arms and legs to the very tips of your fingers and toes. It is warm and sweet, like honey on your tongue, like fresh water on your skin. '

Shikamaru feels really warm now, like he 's been left out in a patch of sunlight for a little too long. He wants to nap.

'Let the warmth seep into your flesh. Visualize it spreading over every inch of your skin from the inside out. Let it fill you up, from the top of your head to the very bottom of your feet, until there is nothing left but that warm light. And then, when you are completely full, let it slowly flow out. It should coat you, surround you; it should feel like you are submerged in a warm bath. Open your eyes now. Can you feel it? '

'Yes, ' Shikamaru breathes, slow and even as he reluctantly opens his eyes. Sensei looks blurry before him, like he 's seeing through fog or water. He feels slow but paradoxically energized, something warm humming underneath his skin.

'This is your chakra, ' Orochimaru-sensei tells them, 'this is what it feels like. Your tenketsu are open right now, roughly halfway, allowing a healthy outflow of your energy. Remember this feeling. You will do this every morning when you wake and every night before you sleep. After some time, controlling your tenketsu will become second nature, which is what you need to be able to regulate the flow of your chakra. '

Something tickles at Shikamaru 's brain. 'Isn 't it dangerous to keep our tenketsu open like this for a long time? '

'Very good, Shikamaru. It is, if you 're not careful. Right now, you are letting it flow out of your body freely. You can easily drive yourself to chakra exhaustion if you leave it as it is for a few hours. Fortunately, this is not the human body 's natural state; if you let go of this conscious release, your tenketsu will return to neutral, the floodgates of your chakra shutting down once more. It will not close completely, no; it will let through just enough chakra to sustain your body 's basic daily needs. About 5-10% open for most people. '

'But they didn 't teach us this at the Academy, ' Sasuke frowns beside Shikamaru, 'so have we been doing jutsus with our tenketsu mostly shut? '

'Yes, ' Orochimaru-sensei nods, looking down at Sasuke with a pleased lightness around his mouth. Shikamaru notes down that this is how sensei smiles. 'Academy students are not considered proficient enough to be taught tenketsu manipulation; it can be harmful if they lose control and release too much chakra. Our reserves grow along with us as we age; the younger the children are, the smaller reserve they have. They cannot afford to leak chakra for even an hour. '

'So, so, when I do Kage Bunshin from now on, do I keep my tenketsu open like this? ' Naruto asks, blue eyes wide and sparkling in a state of wonder.

'You will learn how to gauge how much chakra you need to feed into a technique. For now, yes, you will perform your jutsu in this state, with your tenketsu about a fourth to halfway open. It will make your jutsus far more powerful, but it will also exhaust you. You must grow accustomed to this. Over time, you will build reserve as you continue to use and deplete your chakra everyday. '

Deplete?

Shikamaru dreads.

Everyday?

'Eventually, you will learn to adjust how open or shut you want your tenketsu to be during a fight or for a particular jutsu. '

'But wait, ' Shikamaru blinks, juggling three different questions in his head before picking the most urgent one, 'are you saying that shinobi regularly fight while leaking chakra like this? '

Sensei looks down at him, amused. 'Not all shinobi are capable of this, child, and many manage to make it to chuunin without ever properly learning tenketsu control. It is, however, basic; you must learn it now or you will have to relearn chakra theory all over again when you try to make for jonin. '

Shikamaru makes a face at that, truly a horrendous prospect for the amount of wasted effort it would be. Besides, who has time to

relearn

anything?

'Now, pay attention, ' sensei says, and that is all the warning they get before a gust of white hot energy pushes at them with intent to harm. Shikamaru stumbles back a step; Sasuke has jumped back five feet away.

'W-w-w-what was that, ' Naruto babbles, flat on his ass gaping up at their sensei.

'That, ' sensei tells them with a mild smile, 'is how enemy nin will come at you. When your tenketsu are open, you are far more sensitive to the fluctuations of chakra around you. It is good for detecting enemies, but ' '

'Enemies can detect you too, ' Sasuke finishes without relaxing his battle stance.

'Correct. This is why you must learn to shut your tenketsu to avoid detection but simultaneously keep your senses attuned in order to detect others. '

Naruto has the squinty-eyed look again, so Sasuke simplifies it. 'You gotta hide from the enemy but still be able to see them, is what he means. '

'Oh! '

'Alright, ' sensei straightens once more, beckoning them closer. 'Now we will lower your tenketsu release to a more sustainable rate and you will see how this is useful. Stand at ease once again, yes, relax 'at this moment, your chakra is flowing outwards from your body, like wisps of smoke evaporating into the sky. Can you see it? Close your eyes if you have to; you are seeing with your mind, not your eyes. Imagine: the wisps of smoke are pulling back into your body, folding over your limbs and sinking into your bones. But do

not

let it disappear back into the river. Keep the warmth there, just there, humming underneath your skin. Think of it like a very thin layer of silk, a piece of clothing you are now wearing. It should be light but solid all throughout your body, covering every inch of you and sparing none. '

Now it feels like Shikamaru has skin-tight leather over his skin, keeping him even warmer than before. He feels less dizzy, though, and more alert. No fog over his eyes this time.

'Your chakra is now engaged with your body. In this state, your tenketsu are about 25% open. Remember this feeling. You will spend most of today like this, you will train most of the week like this, so it shouldn 't be too difficult. '

Sensei then leads them through a series of active stretches, most of them full body but some targeting specific muscle groups, while they maintain tenketsu at 25%. It makes a huge difference: his muscles respond faster and his transitions are more fluid. He can feel every blade of grass under his leg, the faint give of the earth beneath his palm, that breath of a breeze on the back of his neck, and the heat of Sasuke 's body flanking him from the left.

'Finally, ' sensei tells them when they are standing at attention once more, 'your tenketsu and the chakra that it regulates are beholden to your body. Therefore, you must take care of it. As shinobi, we are subject to constant stress and physical exhaustion; you must take note of this and consciously make up for what you lose. Sleep at regular intervals, or as regularly as you can when in the village. Eat, and eat well; do not skip meals, do not binge on junk food. Drink plenty of water. Stretch like we just did, every morning and every night. Practice releasing your tenketsu, also every morning and every night. Trust me when I say you will regret neglecting yourself when your body decides to make its complaints known in the middle of a mission. Moreover, I have no interest in coddling you during training; if you are falling behind, the rest of us will not wait for you. Am I understood? '

'Hai, sensei, ' all three of them answer with varying levels of intimidation. Naruto in particular looks terrified at the prospect of being left behind.

'Good. Now we will move on to our next agenda. '

This was only his third round, but Shikamaru feels like they 've been going all day. He has to brace his elbow against a knee, crouching over to catch his breath. Sweat drips down the side of his face to his chin. The sun is higher in the sky now. Even his best tactics don 't work on sensei; he has no choice but to keep up a vain struggle. Maybe

that 's

the objective: persistence in the face of failure?

Sasuke is performing the best among the three of them, perhaps a combination of natural talent and years of focused practice. Shikamaru watches him flow from kata to kata, a moving textbook example of perfect form, a taijutsu specialist in the making. Sasuke 's hits land with satisfying impacts, and though they obviously do nothing to hurt sensei, the sheer perfection of each executed move is infuriatingly beautiful nonetheless. If it 's one thing Shikamaru can do, it 's to acknowledge fellow genius when he sees it. (Doesn 't mean he has to be happy about it, though.)

'Better, ' Orochimaru-sensei directs the boy, 'but you are still far too predictable. Take those textbook patterns out of your head and move with your instinct. If you think you won 't land the hit, then

don 't make it

. ' Sensei slams a palm on Sasuke 's shoulder, catapulting him halfway across the clearing. Sasuke flips in midair to kill his own momentum, landing with enviable catlike grace; nevertheless, Shikamaru has to wince in sympathy, because he knows how that palm strike hurts like a

bitch

. Sensei straightens and beckons Sasuke once again with a crook of a finger, 'Come, little one. You have six more minutes. '

One-on-one with their sensei, rotating turns, ten minutes each, strictly taijutsu only: do any of the other teams get tortured like this? And sensei has made certain that they are keeping their tenketsu open at 25% as well. To acclimate them, Shikamaru understands; logically, it makes sense. But logic, he now learns, is not so convincing a motivator when one can hardly stand.

What 's worse, sensei hasn 't told them

when

they will stop. They have been going for an hour and a half, at least. Hard to believe that it isn 't even lunchtime; Shikamaru hasn 't worked so hard in his entire

life. Nothing

has ever been worth this much work. Nothing has ever

required

this much work. Shikamaru is coming to seriously reconsider his life choices: maybe he shouldn 't be a shinobi after all. Maybe he 's not fit for this sort of life. Maybe he should '

He ducks and rolls away, narrowly missing bodily collision with a flying Sasuke. 'maybe he should not let his attention wander around here. Carelessness is fatal.

Soon, Sasuke 's ten minutes conclude. Naruto doesn 't even wait for him to step away before hurtling toward sensei, a flurry of limbs backed with strength and spontaneity where it lacks Sasuke 's polished finesse. It 's as though Naruto doesn 't believe in transitions; that, or he doesn 't even know what a transition is, which wouldn 't surprise Shikamaru at this point. That boy has curious knowledge gaps that beg explanation.

Moreover, what 's with the endless energy? Shikamaru gets tired watching him zoom around. It 's Naruto 's third round now but he moves as though they 've just begun, packing kicks that resound solidly against sensei 's blocks. How are they able to land hits like that when Shikamaru felt like he was just glancing blows on sensei 's arms?

It 's not normal. These two are not normal.

Watching the two of them fight sensei, Shikamaru gradually comes to realize what sort of team they will become. It 's only the second day and yet he can already tell. They are already walking ahead of him, their backs slowly advancing into the distance. Naruto was terrified, but he had no reason to be; it 's Shikamaru who is already being left behind.

These two, under sensei 's tutelage, will become fearsome shinobi in the future; it makes no difference what

kind

of shinobi, because this much natural combat aptitude will find them on the battlefield one way or another, rank and titles notwithstanding. But Shikamaru, who is physically the weakest; Shikamaru, who is likely also the slowest; Shikamaru, whose chakra reserves are nothing next to these tireless fucking monsters 'Shikamaru will have fulfill a different sort of role. Shikamaru will

have

to be what they cannot be 'because when they are moving so fast, it becomes difficult for them to think too widely; they can only look toward their goal and aim for it with a single-minded zeal. But that very zeal that narrows their field of vision affords Shikamaru the luxury of a vast overlook;

they

will buy him time,

they

will give him space, and in turn, he will be the brain.

I am a Nara

, Shikamaru grimly tells himself,

I do not fight with my body. Thinking is what I do.

So he sits and trains his eyes on the skirmish before him, watching closely for sensei 's moves.

So think, Shikamaru: how can prey outwit a superior predator? Think, Shikamaru. Think.

tbc

first draft: 2017.06.12

last edited: 2021.12.16

NOTES & TRANSLATIONS

(1)

The

tenketsu

release exercise is borrowed from Hunter x Hunter. Those who know of it will spot the similarity to nen, which is something I didn 't have to create; the creators of Naruto & Hunter x Hunter admit to it themselves. They 're very good friends, did you know? They would sit together & brainstorm about their respective works, which is why we see so many parallels between their worlds. I think it 's wonderful.

(2)

Orochimaru would make a badass yoga teacher. I 'd bend myself into knots for a yoga teacher like that.