Naruto woke up with a grin spread across her face. This was her first official day as a ninja of Konoha, she was not going to disappoint. With a spring in her step, despite the ungodly hour, she set upon getting ready for the day. As she cooked her several packets of ramen, she strapped multiple kunai to her leg, ready for battle at a moments notice.

She wondered if this was how her parents felt on their first day as genin. They were only 12 at the time, compared to Naruto at 16, but she liked to think they felt the same mixture of excitement and trepidation. The same sweaty palms, the same twinkle in their eye as they imagined their life dedicated to the shinobi forces.

Naruto just hoped she got along with her team. She knew the importance of having a well working and complementing team, able to cover each other's weaknesses and blind spots. The first member of her team, she had already met. Sakura was an absolute doll; a medic if she remembered correctly. Apparently she apprenticed under Baa-chan for a while, and was widely proclaimed as a genius in the field. That was good; Naruto utterly sucked at first aid.

The other two people, however, she had no idea about. She had never heard of them before, which wasn't much of a surprise, this was her first time in Konoha after all. While she was intimately familiar with the power level of multiple foreign missing-nin, she knew next to nothing about the ones in her own home. At this point, she just hoped she got along with them.

She glanced up at the watch just as she was about to start her meal. She should probably leave soon if she wanted time to find where exactly Training Field 7 was. With a sigh, she placed her ramen in food containers. At least she could have it for lunch later.

Shikamaru sighed audibly as he leaned back into his couch. Tossing a scroll to the wayside, he brought up his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in hopes of helping to reduce his headache. Other ninja's were incompetent, he realized. He had long since come to this conclusion, preferring to take the important tasks in his own hands, despite his hatred for additional work. However, he knew the only way anything would get done is if he did it himself.

This personal philosophy was once more proven as he read over the scroll that was just delivered to his door, at an absolutely ungodly hour. He had hoped, prayed really, that he wouldn't need to intervene in this specific mission; he had no interest in causing unnecessary drama, which his presence was sure to do. With another sigh, he got up, ready to hunt down he Hokage to ask her for permission to join the mission. He winced as he pictured the older woman's reaction; he had begged her for weeks to be exempt from this job aspect, now here he was wanting to assist. Damn it.

With a groan, he lit up a cigarette before opening his door. It really was too early, he mused as he glanced at the window at the end of the hall, the sun hadn't even begun to rise yet. He placed the cigarette between his lips languidly as he locked the door behind him. Turning to make his descent down the four flights of stairs, he was surprised to find himself face to face with bright blue eyes.

"Oh. Hi Shikamaru! I didn't know you lived here," Naruto greeted warmly, if a bit awkwardly, as she closed her own door behind her.

Shikamaru blinked in confusion, his mind quickly coming up with the simplest answer: by luck or pure happenstance, Naruto Uzumaki happened to rent out the apartment directly across from his. It was way too early to deal with this.

"Hey Naruto. Um, yeah, I do. Moved here shortly after I made chunin." Shikamaru drawled.

"Oh, well that's cool! At least I know one of my neighbors," Naruto spoke with a grin.

"Welcome to the building, I guess," Shikamaru spoke, his mind racing. He was too preoccupied with his other work, placing his Naruto mission on the back burner until he could deal with more pressing matters. Glancing at her, he was surprised to see her completely dressed and ready for fighting, "Do you always wake up this early or is today a special occasion?"

Naruto chuckled as she scratched the back of her head, "I have my first day of training today. What about you, you don't really seem like a morning person."

Shikamaru shrugged, "A carrier ninja interrupted my sleep by delivering a scroll. I thought I may as well go speak to the Hokage about it."

"This early in the morning?" Naruto questioned.

"Coming from the girl making her way to training at four in the morning," He quickly retorted.

"I'm supposed to meet my team at 5 am."

Shikamaru quirked a brow, "You do realize you still have another hour, right?"

"I know, I just didn't want to risk being late. Plus, it's not like I know my way around here yet."

"I guess that makes sense," Shikamaru mused. Perhaps he should make another step in advancing their relationship, "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Naruto blinked in confusion, "Um, no?"

The Nara smirked, "Well then, you can treat me to breakfast as payment for the drink I never received."

The Uzumaki rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "You're still going on about that?"

"Yes, yes I am. Now come on, I can take you to wherever you're meeting your team later. That way, you get breakfast, and you make it on time."

Naruto grinned, "You got yourself a deal!"

With that, the two shinobi began their descent down the staircase. "Can we get ramen?" Naruto suddenly asked.

Shikamaru chuckled lowly, "Sure, I know this great ramen stand. They tend to open up really early to accommodate shinobi."

"YES!" Naruto fist bumped into the air, her eyes twinkling. Wow, she really must love ramen, Shikamaru mused.

The Nara hummed as they walked towards Ichiraku, "Where are you meeting your team anyways?"

"Umm…Training Field 7."

"You're on Kakashi's team?" Shikamaru questioned in surprise. Wow, the Hokage was really pulling all the stops in making sure Naruto is trustworthy. Assigning her one of the most famous and loyal ninja's as her team leader was the perfect way to keep an eye on her.

"Yeah, that's his name! Sakura and some guy named Sai are on the team as well," Naruto stated.

Shikamaru nodded, "Yeah, I'm familiar with the team. They're a good team, if a bit odd."

"Odd?" Naruto questioned, tilting her head to the side, "How so?"

Shikamaru sighed, stuffing one hand in his pocket while his other hand plucked the cigarette from his lips, "Kakashi is famous across the nations. He's powerful, he's trustworthy… But he's always perpetually late and reads porn in public."

"Seriously?" Naruto scrunched up her nose.

Shikamaru nodded, "It can be quite the annoyance, especially on missions. Now Sai… he's a little hard to explain. He doesn't quite understand most social cues, and will most likely insult you straight to your face with an infuriating little smile. Try not to knock him out."

Naruto nodded slowly, digesting all of the information, "Got it."

"Now Sakura… For all intents and purposes, she's perhaps the most normal out of the group," Shikamaru spoke slowly.

"For all intents?" Naruto asked, catching on to his peculiar choice of wording.

"When Sakura first became a genin," Shikamaru began, "She was put into a team under Kakashi, with Sai and the rookie of the year, Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto's eyes widened, "Uchiha?"

"You know him?"

Naruto nodded slightly, "I… once upon a time. We met a few years ago. He was hunting his brother. I was the last known person to have escaped an altercation with Itachi, so he found me. He wanted some answers."

Shikamaru withheld a groan. His target had a confirmed acquaintance with one of Konoha's missing-nins. This wasn't going to be good for her, "Listen, whatever you do, never mention this to anybody else, okay?"

He wasn't about to let someone else question his target. Naruto might get suspicious if people started poking around, no it was much safer for everyone involved if only Shikamaru knew of this. He would have to interrogate her more at a later time, any information on the whereabouts on a missing-nin is greatly needed. Quickly, he continued, "It's just that when Sasuke left, Sakura was heart broken. She loved him. Every time any one ever mentions him, she becomes a shell of her former self."

Naruto gave a determined smile, "Don't worry about me! I'll make sure nobody ever mentions that Teme's name in her presence!"

Shikamaru let out a small, genuine smile. She truly was an interesting person. He almost couldn't wait to dig up the rest of her secrets.

"This is, by far, the greatest ramen in the entire world!" Naruto cried, digging into her seventh bowl.

The shop owner chuckled kindly as he watched the small blond practically inhale her food. Shikamaru just watched with wide, unblinking eyes as Naruto ordered yet another bowl. Where on Earth does she put all that food?

Slurping the last bit of noodles, Naruto uncouthly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she grinned up at her companion, "Shikamaru, from the absolute bottom of my heart, thank you."

The Nara chuckled slightly, "I must be honest, I had no idea you'd react this much to some ramen, but regardless, I'm glad you're happy."

Naruto blushed slightly, avoiding direct eye contact with the attractive man, "It's just, I really love ramen. I guess I'm just happy to eat my favorite food with a friend. I've never really had one… a friend, I mean."

Shikamaru smiled, "Well I'm glad to be that friend. Now that we're neighbors, we'll be seeing a lot of each other. I never want you to be shy about coming over or asking me for help, okay? I can only imagine how taxing it is to move to a completely new village." Oh Kami, if only his fellow shinobi could hear him now, they would never believe that Shikamaru Nara could be this gentlemanly and helpful.

"It's been a little hectic," Naruto responded candidly, "But I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I'm excited to start my life as a real shinobi."

Shikamaru chuckled as he rose from his seat, placing enough bills on the table to cover both of their meals, "Well, we are always in need of good shinobi."

"Wait, I thought I was supposed to treat you to ramen," Naruto spoke.

Shikamaru smiled innocently at her, "Maybe next time."

Naruto narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "Are you only doing this so you have an excuse to drag me out another time?"

Shikamaru eyes widened in faux innocence, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Mhmm," Naruto hummed, unconvinced, "Anyways, we should probably start making our way to the training field."

"Sure, it's this way," Shikamaru led, as they continued their conversation.

"Do you think we'll ever be on a mission together Shikamaru? It would be nice to have a friend around."

"I hope that someday I'll have the pleasure of being on a mission with you. Perhaps maybe when I revert back to being a regular jonin."

Naruto looked up at him in confusion, "What do you mean? I thought you were already a jonin?"

"I am," He responded, "But shortly after I made jonin last year, I was recruited by the ANBU." He lifted up his headband slightly to show her the tattoo etched into his shoulder.

"Woah, I mean I knew you were some God-slaying genius jonin, but I had no idea you were ANBU," Naruto said, her tone painted in amazement.

Shikamaru gave the girl a weary look, "How did you hear about that nickname?"

Naruto scratched the back of her head nervously, "Well, I've told you about Itachi Uchiha attacking me? I may have also ran into Hidan a few times as well. My sensei, after mentioning that I met you, told me that you were the one to finally kill the bastard."

Jiraiya of the sennin knew he was friends with his protégé. He probably warned her to be weary of me. Damn it. Although, he supposed it was only a matter of time. It was no secret, at least to him, that the Akatsuki were after jinchuriki, and with what he knew about Naruto, he knew they would all be after her.

Shikamaru shrugged nonchalantly, "I never understood that nickname. Hidan wasn't hard to kill, just as long as you understood his power and came up with counter measures. He was egotistical, and completely reckless. He thought he was immortal. He was wrong."

Naruto glared at the strategist, "Oh no, don't you dare try to act humble about this. Remember, I've fought the bastard myself, and almost died because of it. For you to not only analyze his techniques, but also develop a countermeasure against them, while actually implementing it to perfection, is nothing short of genius! Of course you're deserving of that nickname!"

With a surprised smirk, he replied, "Many here wouldn't agree with you."

Naruto snorted, "Then those people are idiots. I mean think about it, you're intelligent, at least enough to apparently help the Hokage with paperwork. You made jonin at the age of 15, youngest of your generation. You were recruited into the ANBU, and your practically famous for killing an S-rank missing-nin. How does anyone not see how powerful you are?!"

Shikamaru blinked in shock. This girl, only knowing him for a single day, had a better grasp over his true prowess than anyone else in Konoha. This… couldn't be a good thing.

"I assure you, you have a much higher opinion of me than is deserved," He spoke slowly.

Naruto shook her head, "I disagree."

Shikamaru looked at the girl oddly, "I'm a lazy jonin who's good for nothing besides paperwork."

Naruto rolled her eyes, "Oh come on Shika, you can't trick me with that. You may be slightly lazy, but something tells me that you're not half as bad as you portray yourself to be."

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. She had good intuition.

Shikamaru shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets, "Let's just agree to disagree."

Naruto grinned, "That means I'm right."

Shikamaru gave her a fake glare, "No, it doesn't. All it means is that we're here, and Sakura is giving me a weird look that I'd rather not interpret right now."

Naruto blinked and looked around, only to realize that they had in fact arrived at training field 7. Sakura was standing close by, leaning against a tree, and giving the pair an odd, confused look. Sitting beside her feet was an androgynous looking boy wearing a midriff, his eyes never straying from a scroll that lay beside him.

Shikamaru chuckled as he took in her confusion, "I'm guessing you never noticed that we arrived, huh?"

Naruto scratched the back of her head, "No not exactly."

Shikamaru smiled slightly, careful not to let the odd expression be seen by Sakura, "Don't worry, I can help you get here again tomorrow. Just be sure to actually pay attention next time."

The Uzumaki frowned playfully at his teasing, "Well next time, don't distract me!"

Shikamaru zipped his lips, "Don't worry, tomorrow I'll focus solely on helping you memorize the way."

Naruto grinned, "Thanks Shika!"

Shikamaru took out a cigarette and lit it with a snap of his fingers as he waved goodbye, "See you later, Naru."

"See ya!" Naruto waved at his disappearing silhouette. With a slight blush on her face, she turned to face her new teammates, who she was surprised to see staring at her with incredulous expressions.

"Were you just flirting with Shikamaru Nara?!" Sakura screeched.

Naruto gulped. Oops.