What A Drag... || Shikamaru x reader

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Edited: 29/05/24

Reuploaded: 06/06/24

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I was sat in a tree, my eyes closed and allowing myself to relax in the breeze.

It's peaceful.

Nice to relax for the first time in a while.

Konohagakure is such a beautiful place and I've been exploring around it while my Dad has been working hard to rebuild his childhood home for us. It's been so long since we had a house or even a village that it almost feels strange.

Not many people have noticed me around the village, but that's purely because I travel through the shadows. Just easier honestly.

To explain, I was taught to step into one shadow and appear in another by my Mother. It's an efficient way to travel around easily. It doesn't necessarily mean that I'm actually controlling the shadows. I'm just manipulating them to hop me from one place to the other without being noticed and because of this, I don't have my own shadow—it's strange, but it's me.

No one really explained it to me.

Other than this, my family's jutsu is actually manipulating snow and ice. It has nothing to do with shadows. So I don't actually know why I can do this, I've just been able to for as long as I can remember.

The feeling of being watched brought me out of my thoughts and I glanced down to the side with one eye, keeping the other shut, to see two boys staring up at me. One of them had black hair tied up in a ponytail with his hands in his pockets and the other had brown hair and a bag of crisps(/chips)(/chips) in his hand, crumbs covering his face.

I was about to confront them when I heard my Dad's whistle. Time to go. Jumping up, I pulled my ring off and whistle back and then stepped off of the tree, falling into the shadow and moving to the tree opposite my home.

"What do you think?" Dad asked, presenting the view of the house with a proud expression.

It looks totally different to the house that was basically falling apart the day we arrived. He's worked hard and to have done all this as one man in such a short amount of time? Impressive.

I knew my Dad was one hell of a ninja, but this is... wow.

"It looks good. A traditional one-story wooden house that is oddly big. Obviously made for a large family. I suspect the garden will have a lake and a bunch of trees. Fit for the l/n clan to practice their jutsu without being tied down by the landscape," I say, my Dad just nodded, humming along with me.

"As observant as ever, y/n," he praised me as I walked down the tree and followed him into the house.

It was a layout where there were sliding doors leading to each room but where the living room was, there was a large sliding door leading to the outside where there was a wooden platform that led to another building separate to the main one and also a large grassy area with the exact landscape I'd described.

It was a bit too roomy for me, but I'll get used to it.

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"You will start attending the academy tomorrow," Dad told me as he placed a bowl of rice and small bowl of noodles in front of the two of us. I started eating and nodded.

So I guess that means I'm getting formal ninja training now and not just whatever he feels like teaching me whenever he feels.

"I understand," I replied before thinking and tapping the metal ring on my index finger, "the whistle. Do the rules stick?"

"No. We will act like normal people. However, use it if it's absolutely necessary. Oh, and while I'm on the subject, you should probably stop using the shadows to travel around," he told me, I frowned as if asking why, "if you keep using it, people will start fearing you. Or jump to conclusions."

Conclusions?

Never mind that, this is annoying and far too clear. It's the same everywhere we go.

"I see. So every village is the same after all," I sighed slightly annoyed. He sadly nodded. I finished my food and stood up.

"Well, I'll be going to bed now. I claim the second room on the right," I told him, he nodded with a small smile, and we went our separate ways.

The second room on the right wasn't too big but it wasn't too small either. It had a wardrobe in one corner and a sliding door to exit through to go outside with a large window on each side and a set of blinds covering each. In the middle was a double bed with the head against the back wall and a desk to the left of it.

Wait—how did my Dad even afford all of this? You know, never mind, how has he afforded anything we've had in the past?

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??? PoV

"Come on, Choji!" I yelled at the boy following me slowly.

"Come on, Shikamaru, just slowdown a bit. We're not going to be late!" Choji shouted back.

This kid...

We ran around the corner, and I froze.

"Who is that? I've never seen her before," Choji commented as we looked up into a tree ahead of us to see a small girl with h/l, h/c hair and a relaxed air around her, sleeping in the tree. I just found myself staring at her until I noticed her peering out of one eye down at us.

I was going to say something when she suddenly just stood up, almost like something was calling her.

Taking a step forward she just fell out of the tree. I looked back to Choji who looked at me just as astounded before we looked back at her, feeling panic as we watched her fall but instead of hitting the ground, she just disappeared.

"W-w-what? Was she a g-g-ghost?" Choji stuttered. I shook my head.

"There's no way..." I mumbled before turning to go home. I'll have to ask Dad about this. My interest has been peaked. I wonder if she will be around the village somewhere...

How'd she do that though?