(I am skipping to graduation day so if someone wanted to know more about his time in school.
Creation is hard, cheer me up! VOTE for me!)
graduation day – The Weight of Names
Shikamaru learned three things before noon.
Team 10 was official.
Naruto wouldn't stop celebrating.
His father was acting… weird.
That third one was the most troublesome.
Morning – Team Announcements
Iruka stood at the front of the class, smiling.
"Today, your teams are finalized."
Naruto practically vibrated.
"Team 7," Iruka continued, "Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura."
Naruto cheered. Sakura smiled. Sasuke nodded once.
Then—
"Team 10: Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chōji, Yamanaka Ino."
Choji beamed. Ino clapped. Everyone looked at Shikamaru.
He sighed. "Figures."
Ino leaned over. "You're the brain, right?"
Shikamaru glanced at Choji. "…He's the important one."
Choji nodded seriously. "I carry snacks."
Balance restored.
After Class – An Unusual Summons
Shikamaru was heading toward his favorite cloud spot when a messenger ninja appeared.
"Nara Shikamaru," the ninja said, "your father requests you come home immediately."
Shikamaru frowned.
Dad never rushes.
"…Troublesome."
Nara Compound – Late Afternoon
The compound was quiet.
Too quiet.
Shikaku sat on the porch, pipe unlit. Beside him sat an elderly woman wrapped in a dark blue shawl, posture straight despite her age.
Her eyes were sharp.
Too sharp.
Shikamaru stopped walking.
"…Dad?" he said slowly. "Who's that?"
The woman smiled first.
"So this is Shikaku's troublesome son," she said. "You look just like him. Unfortunately."
Shikaku smirked. "You get used to it."
Shikamaru squinted. "You're… family."
The woman tapped her cane lightly against the ground.
"Sit, boy," she said. "This story deserves patience."
Shikamaru sat.
The Truth
"My name," the woman said calmly, "is Tōka Senju."
The air felt heavier.
Shikamaru blinked once.
Then again.
"…The Senju?" he asked.
"The Senju," she confirmed. "Hashirama's clan. Tobirama's niece."
Shikamaru stared.
That explains the pressure, he thought distantly. And the way shadows behave around her.
Shikaku spoke quietly. "Your grandmother retired from active duty long before you were born. She married into the Nara clan. Kept her name out of records."
Tōka snorted. "Too many people tried to make me into a symbol. I preferred peace."
Shikamaru scratched his cheek. "So… I'm part Senju."
"Yes," Tōka said. "And entirely Nara. Don't get confused."
"…This is a lot."
She chuckled. "Good. If it wasn't, you'd be boring."
A Test (Of Course)
Tōka tapped the ground again.
"Show me your shadow," she said.
Shikamaru hesitated. "Dad—"
Shikaku waved a hand. "She already knows something's different."
Shikamaru sighed and extended his shadow—carefully. Clean. Controlled.
It stretched across the yard, smooth and precise.
Tōka watched closely.
"…Interesting," she murmured. "Your Yin is unusually dense. Calm. Heavy."
Shikamaru stiffened.
She looked directly at him. "You're carrying something that isn't chakra."
He didn't answer.
She smiled instead of pressing.
"Good," she said. "Secrets kept wisely last longer."
Shikaku raised an eyebrow. That's approval.
Evening Tea
They drank tea as the sun lowered.
Tōka spoke softly. "The Senju believed in overwhelming life force. The Nara mastered restraint. Balance."
She glanced at Shikamaru. "You sit at the crossroads of those philosophies."
Shikamaru watched steam rise from his cup. "Sounds like work."
She laughed—genuinely.
"You'd have gotten along with Tobirama," she said. "He also complained while changing the world."
Shikamaru blinked. "…That doesn't make me feel better."
Before Nightfall
As Tōka prepared to leave, she paused beside Shikamaru.
"You don't owe the Senju anything," she said quietly. "Not greatness. Not sacrifice."
She placed a hand on his head.
"But if you ever choose to act," she continued, "do it your way. Calmly. Decisively."
Shikamaru nodded.
"…Thanks, Grandma."
She smirked. "Troublesome child."
Night – Clouds and Roots
Shikamaru lay on the grass outside the compound, staring up.
Clouds drifted slowly.
Senju blood, he thought. Nara mind.
And something darker, deeper—still quiet, still patient.
"…Guess my family tree's more complicated than I thought," he muttered.
The shadows around him didn't move.
They didn't need to.
For the first time, Shikamaru understood something important:
He wasn't just reborn into a body.
He was born into a legacy—and free to choose what to do with it.
"…What a drag," he said softly.
But there was a small smile on his face.