What A Drag... || Shikamaru x reader

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Edited: 29/05/24

Reuploaded: 06/06/24

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"So I've already taught you how to control the chakra flow, and to concentrate it in different places in your body, haven't I?" my Dad asked, I nodded, "alright, this jutsu is basically that but using our families sacred jutsu. Our kekkei genkai. You remember what that is, right?"

"Yes..." I nodded. Earlier my Dad had agreed to teach me our families jutsu but before we started he told me to change into a shirt and shorts. So here I am, stood in a f/c shirt and a pair of dark shorts in the middle of a lake, watching as my Dad spoke on and on about random stuff that wasn't necessary.

"Basically, do you remember that ice you created on the Nara households pond?" he asked, I nodded, "well, to cut this whole thing short, imagine that ice forming under your feet, then manipulate it into whatever you want. The greatest thing about our families jutsu is that it's all just concentration and a little bit of chakra. No complicated hand signs. Just energy and perseverance."

"Alright. Doesn't seem too difficult," I said, closing my eyes and thinking about the ice, the lake and then the chakra that was allowing me to stand on the water so easily. I opened one eye to see my Dad sat on the platform again, watching. When he noticed me peaking he looked at me confused.

"Something wrong?" he asked, I shrugged.

"One itsy bitsy detail, I don't know how I made the ice appear," I told him, he sighed and fell onto his back before getting up and walking across the water's surface towards me.

"Think of something that could trigger it. For example, my trigger is your Mother. If you don't come up with a trigger, then you can't actually do any of our jutsu. I guess until you find your trigger, I can only teach you them all theoretically and then you will have to put it all into practice when you can do it," he said, patting my head and then pushing me off the lake and into the house. He started teaching me everything.

Theory is boring. Damn—I wanted to actually do something here.

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"That's all there is to the clans jutsu," he concluded his lesson before a question hit me.

"Dad... where is the rest of our clan?" I asked, he just dropped his head down before standing up and motioning for me to follow. We left the house and walked to what seemed to be a graveyard, a large glossy stone stood in the centre. He knelt down in front of it and ran his fingers over names with our last name.

"The mAnjiority died during the nine tailed fox's attack, others disappeared, others went rogue, some just changed their names and left. Others stayed and died in the village," he told me, his finger lingering over a name that wasn't the same as the others he was tracing.

"Ikkaku Umino? Who's that?" I asked, reading the name.

"He's my Dad," a voice piped up from behind us. We turned to see Iruka sensei.

"Iruka..." my Dad whispered before standing and pulling him into a tight hug.

"Hello, f/n, it's been a while," Iruka replied, hugging back before separating the two of them, "what're you both doing in a place like this?"

"Could ask you the same question, Iruka," my Dad replied, they both stared at each other and then Iruka finally broke the staring by stepping around my Dad and placing a few flowers on the stone. He closed his eyes and bowed his head before standing up again.

"I just came to see my parents again," he says before turning around, "see you in class tomorrow, y/n."

"Yeah... see you," I agreed, looking at my Dad's pretty solemn expression, "they also died in the attack, didn't they?"

"Yes, Iruka was in the academy when it happened," he says. He must've been a bit older than me. I feel bad for him, there was a distinct difference between the two of us. We both lost family, but I still had someone by my side, he had no one.

"Let's go home, it's going to rain," my Dad finally spoke up before walking ahead. I looked at the flowers quickly before following my Dad out the graveyard.

We barely reached our house by the time it started raining. After that, I walked into my bedroom and started to think about what my trigger could be.

Could it be Mum?

No. It doesn't seem like something that would help me with anything. I don't have as many memories with her as Dad does.

Dad?

Nah.

The whole idea was infuriating. Who cares about triggers anyway?! I'll figure out a way to tap into the ice without my trigger! Shouldn't be too hard... right?