Almost 2 years later since anyone actually reviewed this, I'm rather surprised. Your story is too good to be left without any for so long, so here you are.

Your story, well let's see... is magnificent. After reading this, I questioned why this wasn't included as canon. Yoshino is a character we haven't seen much of, so her personality is open to interpretation (unless you've watched the fillers). Character expansion is very important to me, but more important is their values and reasoning. It feels me with joy that she has her own little separate adventure which develops her as a person for the better and the worse. Change is great as long as it resounds within the character, which you have truly grasped in this piece.

I'm not a great Boruto fan, but this is something special. Shikaku's personality sprung to life as I read, further reinforcing my positive opinion of him. Everything felt believable and realistic. Amazing job and thank you for your work. Well done.

I knew it! The love letters weren't for her! Ha! Lol. And I also knew this was going to be one hell of an emotional roller coaster ride. This was brilliant! I miss Shikaku so much. I wish Shikadai could've met him. The story is just heartbreaking and definitely bittersweet. I hate how Yoshino thinks so little of herself here. Anyways, I think you've scarred my heart with this one. Thanks.

This...this was stunningly beautiful. My heart broke and joined again. I cannot describe in simple words about how I feel about this story. It was filling.
Thank you for sharing this with us!
Keep writing!

This is written so beautifully and I'm so curious about it! I'm hopping off to the next chapter!
Keep writing!

I love this fanfic! It's very nice to see how all the Naras interact with each other as well as Yoshino and Shikaku's backstory, since they weren't given too much insight in canon. In addition, you describe everything very well, too! Your imagery is very beautiful...you definitely have a gift. Keep up the great work!

Since I was away from Fanfiction for a while, I forgot how absolutely mature and amazing your writing is. It feels so natural and immersive when you're using the narrative to tell details like ''[Shikamaru] rarely ask[ing] things" of Shikadai and when you're telling stories through lengthy dialogue like in this chapter. And I believe every word of the story as if it were cannon. Hell, I even went on the Narutopedia Wiki before I typed that sentence just in case there was some truth to your fic. And implementing the box, something from the cannon full of mystery as a center to the story, it's just... wow. Wow.
I remember I found this profile via Regret all those years back, and it's even more amazing than I remember. There so much I want to say that I can't even figure out how to say it. So much realism and emotion, just the right amount of detail to paint a picture without slogging on. It feels like you're so confident in this narrative that I can't question the words for a minute. The dialogue is natural, even when it's setting up the conflict between Shikamaru and Yoshino in the first chapter.
Just
Wow.
I can't
Wow.
Writing goals.

This story is great and worth reading! It was beautifully depicted.

I really liked how we got an insight in Yoshino and Shikaku's relationship and how they came to be. It was great to read about it and you displayed everyone's emotions so well. Also I really loved the way Yoshino and Shikadai interacted. Wonderful story :)

Wow. I loved this so much. Her story, it had so many humane elements, from resentment to jealousy and insecurities, something we all struggle with from time to time, and yet she managed to overcome them and see the changed meaning of the love letters and how much her husband loved her.

This was absolutely wonderful to read. Thank you for giving us this insight into Yoshino and Shikaku's life

Oh my! This was not what I expected it to be, at all. I'm POSITIVELY surprised! Shikaku's reaction could easily be what you intended it to be too. You have my utmost respect for thinking along those lines! :D
Your writing was absolutely flawless. The dialog from Yoshino and the two Shikas listening to her story was touching and well written. It made a lot of sense. This fits really well into canon. Bravo! :D

Simply AMAZING

I like where this is going, indeed! What a smart idea to bring back that box that Shikaku told Shikamaru to toss away. The plot is cleverly thought and just great! Your writing in this is simple but yet so good. It's easy to follow and speaking of that your dialogs flowed well! :D

So yeah when I saw that episode I immediately thought about porn! Therefore, I can't wait to read what you have planned out in in the next chapter!

Wow I love the reason behind the box. It was so emotional written that I could truly understand what Yoshino felt. The fact that Shikaku's first love was her sister made it only even more tragic. It was such a nice idea and the end was heartwarming. Thank you so much for sharing this :)

I never would've imagined this when I thought of what might be in the box! You certainly surprised me. But in the nicest way possible.

It's always cool to read about minor characters in Naruto, mostly because there's so much unknown about them and reading fanfic author's takes on these characters reminds me how much room for exploration there is. I thoroughly enjoyed your exploration of the Nara parents and, just like Shikamaru and Shikadai, I was pleased to see a different side of Yoshino.

Again, your positivity shines through in this fic-having Yoshino not end up resentful was a beautiful moment. She could've just allowed Shikamaru to burn the box and all the memories of her husband's love for her sister could've disappeared. She could've resented her sister and continued to live a life feeling like second best. But Shikaku's purity of feeling for her penetrated the darkness.

I love how you use the idea of the shadow in this story, too. Yoshino lived in Yoko's shadow. When Yoshino was ill, Shikaku became her shadowy support. Really great imagery.

Thank you for not just giving us this wonderful fic, but also for supporting positivity in our fandom...and all fandoms! There's a ton of people out there who get a sick joy out of knocking others down. It's become increasingly rare to find people like you who are willing to not just talk about supporting others, but you walk the walk. I respect that so much. So, thanks for being a beacon in our community and beyond.

I have to admit, I completely forgot about the box. Hang on. I'm going to the anime to see if I can find the episode. I found it in chapter 616 of the manga. It was so nice to reread, so thanks for that! Anyway, back the review!

Having Shikadai there as the innocent was pivotal-he could easily become his grandmother's ally and overcome Shikamaru's resistance without really knowing what was going on. So, he becomes the reader's voice in this fic, despite it being written in Shikamaru's POV. Wonderful job using the characters like that! It must really seem odd to Shikamaru to find this box after thinking he'd destroyed it. I wonder if he looked inside before. I'm as entranced by the contents of this box as Pandora! I have to read the next chapter, but I have to thank you first for writing such an intriguing story...and for setting up this whole challenge. It's a beautiful way to unite readers and writers...so thank you. On to chapter two!

This was such a sweet and emotional chapter, Shikamarus's mom show so much love to her husbands by keeping the love letters from his first love, she knew that, that was so important to him. I loved this story very much, and I'm so glad that I was part of this challenge.

Ps. Maybe you next challenge can be 'What's inside Shikaku's box