Trust || Narushika

The Guide

Of course, all good things come to an end eventually. "Oi- Shikamaru! Naruto! Time to go " Kakashi announced, tapping on their tent to alert them, before walking off to probably pack up the rest of their things. The two complied, moving away from each other to get out and pack up. Soon enough, the four of them were ready to set off, Naruto infusing chakra into his blind eye before facing everyone else, he still needed to tell the other two one day, but he couldn't help but doubt how they would treat him afterwards. He'd sort this out another time. "We're heading to the sand village to get some documents signed, so we shouldn't have to fight during this mission, but be on guard. Anything could happen. We're going to aim to get to the edge of the forest by sunset, then the guides will meet us in the morning to bring us to the village because the desert has been dangerous lately, is that clear?" Kakashi asked, three nods greeting him in return.

Now that the plan was clear, the group set off, Naruto rushing ahead out of excitement, Sakura not too far behind him and the lazy duo stayed behind, walking in silence. "You and Naruto, huh?" Kakashi questioned quietly, his eyes on the two ahead of them.

"What about it?" Shikamaru replied, unimpressed at his teacher's clear attempt at teasing him.

"Nothing- just wondering about when that happened, Sasuke has barely been classified as missing and the two of you are already kissing. You know Naruto has a soft heart, right? You're playing a dangerous game, Shikamaru, " the white haired male finished with a light shrug, putting his book away to look at his student.

"Don't you think I know that, Sensei? I know it's not something guaranteed and I know that, at the end of the day, his heart still belongs to Sasuke. I'll never be equal to him, since Naruto thinks of me as his best friend for life, yet I couldn't help but try to get him to look at me differently, the way I want him to," Shikamaru paused, glancing at Kakashi, before opting to gaze at the blond male in question, who was far ahead of them, excited to go on a mission as always. "Naruto does have a soft heart, I agree- how do you think we're even at this stage? It's all because of him. He probably doesn't want to hurt me, but I'll still take it. "

With a sigh, Kakashi lifted his hand and placed it on Shikamarus head, causing the two of them to come to a stop, "look, I know it'll be hard for you, but don't hurt him, okay? The kid is practically my own, but I trust you'll be able to take care of him," he replied, ruffling Shikamarus hair before removing his hand, another sigh slipping past his lips.

"I know, I won't- if I ever do, I trust you'll be able to kill me before he does. "With a nod, Kakashi continued walking and called out to the other two, making them come back to regroup.

"Shika, hurry up!" Naruto practically screamed at him- he didn't need to be told twice, that smile on the blond's face was enough to get him to speed up and grab his hand discreetly, lacing their fingers together naturally. "So... What did you and Kakashi-sensei talk about?"

"Don't be nosy" he answered, flicking Naruto's ear with his free hand, "it was nothing anyways, he was just talking to me about emergency plans," the brunet continued, ignoring Naruto's cry of pain as he gently squeezed his hand, knowing that Naruto could tell that he was lying through his teeth, but didn't bring it up.

"Fine," the blond grumbled ever so quietly, deciding that Shikamaru would tell him eventually if it was something serious.

The next morning arrived without warning, Naruto barely able to recall the previous night as they waited for their guides to come greet them, watching the sandstorms cause havoc wherever they passed, not daring to step into the desert. It wasn't long before two figures appeared, practically strolling across the sand until they reached the group. "It's been a while, Naruto, " one of the guides said, smiling slightly while they stepped towards the blond.

"Gaara?!" Naruto shouted, disbelief clear in his tone as he launched himself onto the male, wrapping his arms around the guide as if they were old friends. "The Kazekage himself came to guide us? What the hell are you doing here? Dont you have a ton of work to do?" The onslaught of questions caused the guide to laugh, shaking his head in response.

"Not much, I finished quite a heap of work to come here myself, but I left Kankuro at the office just in case of an emergency, so everything is fine," he paused, turning to the rest of the group, "my sister will guide you two and I will take Naruto and his companion," bowing ever so slightly (even though he didn't have to) Gaara turned back to Naruto, "how about we catch up?"

"Sure thing! It's been a while," the smile never left his face as they started walking, the blond dragging Shikamaru as they followed this Gaara guy. Shikamaru recognised the name from years ago, but decided against gathering the information he had on him already, not bothered to put in the effort as they walked. With a sigh, the brunet tucked their joined hands into his pocket, preferring to not watch Naruto get so excited because of another person.

This was going to be a long journey.

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Jealous Shikamaru??????