What A Drag... || Shikamaru x reader

||prologue||

Edited: 29/05/24

Reuploaded: 06/06/24

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A Father and his daughter both approached Konohagakure village and paused a few paces away from the gates. The older of the two glanced around, his gaze following the road back the way they'd walked just off the side of the path in the treeline before looking back down at his daughter.

"Wait out here for me. Stay out of sight," he was a man with long black hair and a scar running through his right eye, and his daughter was a shorter girl with h/l, h/c hair and e/c eyes.

She just silently nodded and stood in the shadow of a tree, almost effortlessly blending in with it. Watching as the older man turned and walked towards a large set of gates a little way down the path, she just kept herself out of sight and quiet.

The man approached the gate keepers with a smile and a wave, quickly recognising the pair and deciding to brandish himself with friendliness even despite the tenseness he was feeling.

"F/n! Good to see you! It's been years since we saw you last, glad to see you're still alive!" one of the keepers jumped to their feet with pure surprise written across his face before running out of the booth and hugging the man.

The other just hugged him back, giving him a couple firm pats on the back before they parted, and he shook the hand of the other gate keeper waiting to greet him.

"I must see the Hokage before we catch up. The office still in the same place?" the man named f/n asked, the two men smiled and nodded laughing out a 'unless it sprouted legs and walked away since the last time we were there' causing the other to laugh as well.

F/n walked further into the village and towards the Hokage's building. People who recognised him froze upon the sight of him and stared but didn't approach him. He just ignored them and continued on his path to the office, not planning to let anyone stop him again anyway. The sooner he speaks with the Hokage, the sooner he could meet with his daughter again, that's all he cared about.

Climbing the stairs in the building, he finally reached the great brown doors. Familiar, great brown doors. Almost imposing great, brown doors.

Knocking twice on the door lightly, he only had to wait a moment before a voice echoed back out towards him gruffly.

"Come in," they called.

He took a breath and composed himself before opening the door and the man on the other side froze upon seeing him before a small smile replaced the shock.

"Lord Hokage. It has been a while, you don't mind if I come and have a chat, do you?" f/n asked the old man in front of him. The Hokage let out a small hum and nodded before gesturing towards a matt off to the side. F/n smiled and grabbed the matt before pulling it to the centre of the room and plopping down opposite to the old man.

"I, f/n, one of the last of the l/n clan of Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves, request grant to return to the Hidden Leaf, along with my daughter," f/n placed his hands on his knees and bowed his head to his former leader in sincerity.

"Daughter?" the Hokage, Lord Hiruzen, questioned, watching the man who used to be so highly praised, bow with complete respect to him.

In the past, he never thought he'd ever see a l/n, let alone the former clan head bow his head to him. F/n used to be so stubborn too. And here he was.

"Yes. I have a daughter who is 9 years old. She would be a great asset to the village, and I want her to know what having a stable home and friends is like," f/n replied, not sitting back up. The Hokage could see that this man, the man who used to challenge him so often, was really fighting for his daughter to have a home to turn to.

Who knew all it took was to have someone you want to protect to have you act like this, he thought as he looked down across f/n with a low hum before he nodded.

"I accept your request. Please fill out the paperwork for both you and your daughter. I'm almost certain your old home is still unoccupied so you may return there," Lord Hiruzen accepted, pulling sheets of paper out and sliding them across to f/n as he thanked him and finally straightened up, allowing the old man across from him to really see just how tired and ragged the man looked in comparison to the former neat and well put together young and arrogant man he used to see in front of him.

F/n signed all the sheets right there and then, both confirming their identities and personal information, and also enrolling his daughter into the academy as well.

"Nobody took over the l/n clan's land, so the entire compound is still under your control," the old man informed the younger one as he flicked through the sheets before tucking them away and looking back at f/n across from him, " Though... I'm not sure what two people will do with all that land, all those houses."

F/n smiled at him sadly before sighing, "maybe one day in the far future... it will be full again."

"Maybe," the Hokage nodded before looking at him curiously, "and your daughter?"

"You'll meet her one day," f/n told him as he stood up and bowed his head to him again, "thank you, sir. Excuse me."

He turned and left the room, not even bothering to wait for a response.

"Never waiting around—that's not changed," Hiruzen almost chuckled at the thought before looking out of the window and letting out a low hum, "regardless, I am glad to see him alive and well. I'm sure things will get lively around here again soon."

Meanwhile, f/n reached the front gates again and stopped before pulling off a ring and blowing through it causing a high-pitched whistle to sound out.

The sound travelled to his daughter, who wore the matching ring, and she appeared in the shadow behind him.

"Dad," she looked up at him expectantly, "are we good?"

F/n smiled and nodded before brushing his daughters hair to the side just to mess it up by ruffling it as he spoke.

"Y/n, we will be living here from now on," he told her as she batted his hand away and brushed her hair back down again. After a few moments, she nodded and followed her Dad through the village.

"Where are we staying?" y/n asked as she followed after him, he refused to answer and instead the pair just ended up walking in silence until they reached a large set of wooden gates, stopping outside of it.

"Dad. This place. That crest..." y/n trailed as she stared at the extremely dusty but still familiar patterning on the crest carved in the arch in the dead centre of the gate. F/n glanced down to y/n and nodded as he pushed the gates open.

"Yes, y/n," he confirmed as they stared down the long empty street of abandoned, empty houses, "that is our family crest. This was my home before I left. Come on, I'll take you to our house."

She nodded and followed after her Dad down the long-dusted street. It was a ghost town. Almost appearing as though a large group of people had lived there and then one day just up and left without warning. It felt unimaginably empty.

They stopped at the largest house at the furthest end of the street. It had its own set of waist high walls around and a wooden gate in the centre. It had a plaque on the left side of the frame of the gate and although the wood was rotted, it was clear that the same family crest was on it, albeit a bit aged.

"It's... uh—right now it looks... a mess, but I promise that I'll make it look as great as it used to when I was a kid," f/n told the girl who was peering at the building they were now standing in front of. It seriously looked so neglected.

"I can't wait to see it," she smiled for the first time in a while before using the shadows to move around the house and explore easily.

"I should tell her to stop doing that so naturally. It may become an issue if she uses it all the time," f/n mumbled to himself before rolling up his sleeves and starting to move the wooden boards out the way, he let out a low breath as he looked around the exterior of the house again, "this... is going to be hard work alone. Hm."