It All Started With A Smell

Chapter 4: The Blonde Is

Asuma's POV:

Even though he should have been paying attention to his father, or his team, he couldn't help but study Naruto. The girl had some strength to her, having made it through the second phase of the Chunin exams but she was also easily forced into submission by Sasuke. He knew what their conversation was about. He had heard everything about the curse mark and Orochimaru sneaking into the exams. At least Naruto seemed to care about her team mates, even the blonde.

The blonde seemed energetic and admittedly Asuma had ridden him off as an idiot, until he had talked to Shikamaru. He had thanked Shikamaru for saving his team. It was a confusing interaction. At first Shikamaru appeared reluctant to look at the blonde and as though he wanted the conversation over with. But then it changed. The blonde promised to help Shikamaru, saying that he owed him one. Shikamaru had looked at the blonde in surprise, a number of emotions flickering across his face as he told the blonde he didn't have too.

"Yes, I do! You are annoying, and sleep most of the time, and are so lazy that you can't even be bothered to argue about anything you care about, or be passionate about anything but no matter what, I've got your back whenever you need me."

Asuma agreed with the boy's last comment. Shikamaru really needed to be passionate about something. As the blonde spoke Shikamaru had looked as though he wanted to contradict him, and by the end of it his mouth was hanging open. The rest of Team Nine had looked surprised at the blonde's words as well, though Asuma didn't see why they should be. Kakashi's student didn't seem effected by their expressions and instead gave Shikamaru a small smile before walking back to Naruto. Asuma was startled when he looked back at Shikamaru. The dark-haired boy was blushing!

Maybe it was thinking about saving Naruto, Asuma thought as Naruto and her team mate cheered on Sasuke. I'll have to learn that blonde's name. He turned back to his team just before the fight started.

As Shikamaru stood next to him, leaning against the wall, Asuma alternated between watching the fight and watching Naruto and her teammate. The two were watching Sasuke intensely. However, Naruto looked enraptured whilst the blonde looked as though he was studying the fight closely. Asuma honestly wasn't sure how to move Naruto's feelings from Sasuke to Shikamaru, and the lazy boy wasn't helping. He hadn't said a word to the pink-haired girl, though Asuma did notice that he looked over at Kakashi's team often, blushing again at one point. When the blonde yelled at Sasuke, goading him to keep fighting, Shikamaru looked over sharply. He had looked over with surprise before glaring at Sasuke. He seemed to descend back into his own thoughts after a few minutes, or perhaps never truly surfaced.

It was when Sasuke's fight ended that Shikamaru broke from his thoughts. He looked over at the two teammates as the blonde spoke quietly to Naruto. The glare was back, though it was starting to seem as though it was an involuntary reaction.

Looks like Shikamaru is the jealous type. Though I don't think Naruto has any romantic feelings for her blonde teammate, just Sasuke.

The fights went on and Asuma noticed that Naruto wasn't as dumb as he expected after Kakashi's knucklehead comment. She actually seemed knowledgeable, explaining why the use of puppets was allowed in a one-on-one fight to her teammate and occasionally making general comments about the fights. She didn't seem like a knucklehead at all. The blonde certainly did though.

Shikamaru had came out of his stoic silence long enough to throw some snide or harsh remarks at the boy but he went silent again when they were given a ten minute break. Choji walked over to the blonde, striking up a conversation about ramen, which the other ninja seemed to enjoy. Just as the last person stepped back into the room, though, the next match was chosen.