The Perfect Shinobi (Part 1)

Rotten Roots Poison the Tree.

Naruto was currently playing shogi with Shikaku. It had been a week since he returned from the Mist, and he was preparing for his next mission. Shikaku was helping.

"There's this tree in the yard of the Namikaze mansion, and I noticed a rapid decline in its health. I searched underground and found that the roots of the tree had become rotten. What do you think is the best solution for the problem?" Naruto asked.

Shikaku eyes never left the board as he moved his next piece. "Can you prove the roots are rotten?"

Naruto's eyes were also locked on the shogi board. He made his next move. "Yes. It took me awhile, but I finally found what I was looking for. It was well hidden, but what I found was damning." Naruto says.

"If you can confirm the problem then the best way to cure root rot is to get rid of the decay." Shikaku explains as he moves his next piece.

"What about the roots that are free of rot?" Naruto asks as he moves another piece.

Shikaku grabs his next piece and moves it. "If all the rotten roots are removed successfully then the rest can prosper, but you have to make sure all decay is removed. If your tree still has rot afterwards then the rot can come back worse than ever before." Shikaku says.

"How could I tell them apart?" Naruto asks.

"Sometimes you can't, but starting with the worst roots will increase the odds of the rot being completely removed. All the others will reveal themselves with time. You just have to watch closely."

"And if I protect the roots that are potentially healthy then they can expand and grow roots with a healthier future." Naruto says.

"If these roots are saved then the rest then your tree will grow healthy in the future, but if you save the wrong roots the tree could die just as quick as it grew." Shikaku says. He then moves his last piece.

"It seems I won this game." Naruto says. He then observes the board. Naruto attacked Shikaku on different fronts while his chariot took out the general. The pieces who caused the distraction took out all pieces they could with some casualties. Then Naruto's chariot avoided taking out all opponents. Instead, the chariot took the most efficient path to the general. The strategy never would have worked in a real shogi game, but this wasn't a normal shogi game. This was a simulation for something bigger.

"Good luck with your tree Naruto. Update me when you are finished." Shikaku says.

"Thank you for your help Shikaku Sensei. The rot will be removed by tomorrow." Naruto says.

Then the door to the room slid open. "Hey dad, hey Naruto." A bored voice said as he entered the room Naruto and Shikaku were playing Shogi in.

"Hello son. How was the academy." Shikaku said.

"Boring. They tried to make me fight Choji so I just surrendered the match." Shikamaru said.

"Well, that's not how ninja fight Shikamaru. You could use that brain of yours to make some remarkably interesting strategies. I doubt any Genin would be able to beat you if you tried a little harder." Naruto said as he set up another game of Shogi.

"You can't even talk. You were only in the academy for two years. This is my fourth year, and the classes are so boring I sleep through them." Shikamaru replies blandly.

"That may be true, but I know you can do better than that. A skilled shinobi should be a mix of mind and body. You have a lot in the mind area, but if you keep on slacking your body will fall behind even more. I know you don't want to see your friends fail, and to help them you should increase your own skill." Naruto says.