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[GUtW]—❈—28.1:: Interlude:: Ino-Shika-Chō
🕑 Added 2023-06-30 23:33:09 +0000 UTCIno Yamanaka
Three Months Ago
It actually takes a lot of effort to look like you're not putting in any effort.
In fact, many people would argue, and argue reasonably, that it takes significantly more effort than if you simply never bothered with the ruse in the first place.
These people would then go on to say that, consequently, you are actually more productive when you don't try to hide the amount of effort you put in, as you end up saving time and energy that would have otherwise been wasted on an ultimately pointless charade.
… These people have obviously never met Shikamaru Nara.
Ino met Shikamaru for the first time when she was much too young for it to matter.
As the heirs of the Yamanaka and Nara clans, they, along with their other friend, Chōji (the heir of the Akimichi clan) had quite literally grown up together, to ensure that the Nara-Akimichi-Yamanaka alliance would continue to maintain strong ties.
As a result, Ino felt quite confident in saying that she was something of an expert on Shikamaru, and in her expert opinion, Shikamaru was the most hardworking person she knew.
The girl was aware of how inaccurate most people would find her description of (as much as it pained her to admit) her best friend, seeing as Shikamaru had put so much effort into cultivating his outward persona that the most likely adjectives to be used to describe him would either be 'lazy', 'laid-back', or, quite probably, 'infuriating'.
But it was precisely because of this effort he'd put into that persona that Ino knew without doubt that Shikamaru was definitely not lazy. He just acted it.
Why? Good question. If she ever succeeded in pulling an answer out of him, she would gladly share, but, since as far back as anyone could remember, Shikamaru had apparently decided that he wanted to spend his life making people see him as being as lazy and as laid-back as it was possible to get away with.
And honestly, he played it so well that, despite being in on it, Ino sometimes found herself almost falling for the facade all the same.
Like right then for instance.
Shikamaru was at his favourite spot; underneath an oak tree situated on a low hill in the heart of the small forest within the Nara compound.
It was an old, large tree, with wide, huge branches, the lowest of which had dipped under their own weight and now grew along the forest floor for metres in every direction.
It created a nice bubble underneath the tree that, when within it, could, with a little bit of imagination, feel like its own little world.
Back when they were younger, it had been their favourite spot, hers, Shikamaru's, and Chōji's, and they'd spent many hours playing under, on, and around the old oak.
Now though, Shikamaru mostly came her to avoid people, or, most often, his responsibilities.
Ino walked up to the boy.
To the eye of the casual observer, he was just a boy snoozing peacefully under the cool shadows of an old tree, but Ino was no casual observer; she could easily spot the unnatural manner in which the shadows all around swayed and warped, giving the little world underneath the old oak an even more fantastic feel than it usually had.
Shikamaru wasn't dozing, he was training. He'd simply fully mastered the art of never looking like he was.
"Go away," Shikamaru said, eyes still closed, as Ino approached him.
"Okay," Ino agreed, coming to stand next to the boy. "As long as you come with me," she added.
"Why would I do that?" he asked.
"Because it's my mother's birthday and you need to be there," she explained patiently, even though she knew fully well that he knew.
Shikamaru waved her away. "Your mother doesn't like me; I doubt she even wants me there."
"Yeah, I doubt so too," Ino agreed, "but you're the heir of the Nara clan, and she's married to the Yamanaka clan head; I guess you're both going to have to deal with it."
Shikamaru let out a long, bone tired sigh and turned onto his side away from her.
Ino rolled her eyes. "We both know you're going to do what I want in the end," she said. "You always cave in."
"Sure," Shikamaru agreed easily, "but that doesn't mean I have to make it easy for you."
Ino kicked him in the butt for that. Gently. More of a poke with her foot really.
"Ow," Shikamaru deadpanned, not even bothering to put effort into faking an injury. "You know, violence won't make me agree any faster."
"That wasn't violence," Ino said. "It was an act of love."
"Well your love hurts."
"Aw," Ino said condescendingly. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"
"Yes."
"Okay, after you come with me."
Shikamaru let out another long sigh.
Ino couldn't help but roll her eyes in fond exasperation at the boy's antics.
She poked him in the butt again with her foot.
"Come on, Shika," she said. "We need to go."
Shikamaru let out another sigh. "Troublesome woman," he muttered, then he rolled onto his back and held out a hand.
Ino grabbed it and pulled him up.
She'd expected Shikamaru to relax in her grip, making her need to lift his entire weight off the ground, and while she wasn't as strong as Chōji, or that pink-haired freak of nature, she could more than handle that.
What Ino couldn't handle, especially not while off balance with all of Shikamaru's weight hanging off her arm, was for the boy to pull her down with all his not inconsiderable strength.
Ino went down, crashing onto Shikamaru and accidentally (and, in her opinion, fortuitously) digging her left elbow into his ribs.
"Ow," Shika groaned, for real this time.
"That didn't go how you were planning, did it?" she asked, barely able to keep herself from bursting into laughter.
Shikamaru sighed once again, but she could see the hint of a smile on his lips. "You really are a troublesome woman," he said.
—❈—
Chōza Akimichi
Three Weeks Ago
"Dad?" Chōza's son asked as he trained with the boy. "You know how we have the alliance with the Yamanaka and the Nara?"
"Yes?" the older ninja asked, curious as to where his son was going with this.
"Well," the boy hesitated a bit, "what if two important members of our clans liked each other? There aren't any rules against that, right?"
'Oh,' Chōza thought in realization.
Despite himself, he sighed a little. "No, Chōji, there aren't any rules against that; it would be rather silly if we went through all the trouble to maintain an alliance all these years only to make up such a rule, don't you think?"
"Oh." Chōji frowned. "Yeah, I suppose it would be," he said, then smiled, pleased.
Chōza felt the need to add: "Just… let them figure it out on their own, okay? Whatever it is, and whatever it becomes, let it be their choice."
Chōji looked surprised, as though he'd never considered the possibility that Chōza might know; like it wasn't obvious to everyone with eyes for a thousand miles.
Finally though, his son nodded. "Okay, dad."
They returned to training, the matter done with, and in his heart, Chō the elder felt pride as he stared at his son; he was a good friend, a good man, and, one day, hopefully long away, he would make a good clan head.
Chōza couldn't ask for more than that.
