Shikamaru: Ambu in Peril

Chapter One: Beginnings

Hey guys. This is my first Naruto fanfiction. I worked really hard on this first chapter. Also, this is completely clean of inappropriateness or language or etc.  Please let me know what you think. I'm always open to ideas as this story is still in the making. Just let me know! Enjoy!

Shikamaru gazed wistfully at the clouds as they peacefully moved across the sky. He lay relaxing on the smooth grass outside of the Nara household. Pretty soon he would have to make his way to the Hokage's office for another troublesome mission.

"What a drag...," Shikamaru said with a sigh.

He closed his eyes with hopes of taking a quick nap before having to go on whatever mission would be assigned to him. Much to his dismay, those hopes were swiftly extinguished.

"SHIkaMARu! Get your lazy butt off that grass and get going! You're going to be late!" Shikamaru groaned at the sound of his mother's boisterous voice. After taking one last look at the blue sky, Shikamaru stood up and wiped the grass off of his Ambu black ops uniform. He untied his Ambu mask from his pants and looked at it fondly. It wasn't that long ago that he had become an Ambu member. A lot of people had thought that he was too young for Ambu, but here he was nonetheless. Shikamaru donned his deer mask and took off towards the Hokage's office.

What a drag...yet another mission. I suppose this is what I signed up for, but still...how troublesome, Shikamaru thought. Granted, Shikamaru didn't carry out all the duties that the normal anbu would. He was primarily a part of the black ops because of his stunning intellect and his vital combat strategies. Not to neglect Shikamaru's physical abilities, however, because his battle skills were certainly jounin level. His need as a strategist for Ambu wasn't required very often, so he mostly carried out normal missions and worked for the Hokage. After a few minutes of speeding towards the Hokage's office, Shikamaru soon arrived at his destination.

Swoosh! The four people in the room turned their heads to look at Shikamaru when he suddenly appeared in the Hokage's office. He was kneeling with one knee and one hand in a fist on the floor, his head bowing towards the ground.

"Shikamaru Nara reporting in for assignment, mam." he simply said.

Tsunade paused then said, "Shikamaru...I see you thought that taking a little nap was more important than making it on time for your mission assignment."

Her tone was serious but you could tell that she was smiling. Shikamaru took this as his cue to be at ease. He stood up, slouching and casually put his hands in his pocket with a relaxed grin. Tsunade organized some papers for the briefing, talking while she did so.

"I take it your mother gave you an earful for it."

"Indeed she did."

Tsunade smiled fondly then continued gathering papers. Shikamaru used this as a chance to look at the other three people in the room. He recognized them as Genma, Anko, and Raido, all more than decent shinobi. Raido was staring at him in silent contemplation. Shikamaru made eye contact and the two quietly stared at each other. The room was filled with a comfortable and professional silence, save the rustling of Tsunade's papers. They had never met, but Shikamaru could tell that Raido recognized who he was. And he knew what Raido was probably thinking. This is the kid who helped win the Fourth Great Ninja War with his genius strategies then became an Ambu at an extraordinarily young age. Shikamaru was thinking something similar about Raido. Both people saw each other as exceptional shinobi and they both knew it.

"Well, now that everybody is here, let's get started with the briefing." Tsunade's voice brought the men out of their assessment of each other. "This mission is going to be a double mission. First off, you four will be sent to a small village on the edge of the land of fire. Missing nin have been attacking that village there for some time. There are already multiple squads of shinobi there and they're currently fighting off the missing-nin from a defensive position in the village. This issue has not reached the level of war, but it is a significant battle. Shikamaru, upon arrival you are to take command of all the squads of shinobi there. They have already been informed of this. You three will be a part of the command squad, helping with strategy and troop management, and fighting when necessary."