Shikamaru Shinden Chapter 21

Hi everyone, thank you so much for your patience! I have a few things I’d like to say before we get started!

1. Please check my FAQ

2. If you’d like to, I have a Kofi. I’m not gonna demand donations, especially not for this, but if you’d like a sketch or just to say thanks, please consider it :)

3. Please support the official release by purchasing a copy of Shikamaru Shinden from CD-Japan! If it wasn’t for all of our efforts last time, we’d have never gotten an English release for the Hiden story!

4. If you have any questions at all, please ask me in my ask box.

5. I do not and never will own any property relating to Naruto. The series is owned by Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo, and the novel is written by Takashi Yano. I repeat I own nothing!

6. Please do not repost or release this translation anywhere!

7. If there is to be an official English release, I will take this one down.

CHAPTER 21

Shikamaru was getting sleepy…

He was alone in the smoking area of the venue. Everyone else was absorbed in the meeting, no one else had come to smoke.

He was laying on a bench, which was obviously made in a hurry, lazily watching the sky. Just below him, the meeting was being held.

Those who wanted to speak would go in turn and once that was over the podium would be taken up by the chairman. He was an old hat from the Five Kage Meeting all those years ago. At that time, another speech would happen.

If all the countries who wanted to speak did, the meeting would end around midnight.

“I’ve got some free time…” he sighed.

What would he do to fill in that time?

He heard many voices drift up from the great hall, many agreeing with Naruto and Ikkyu. Some countries even condemned the Land of Earth.

To Shikamaru, the weirdest thing was, on the list that he’d seen of the nations who had chosen to make speeches, the Land of Flowers was not on it. They were about to be attacked by a major power but they weren’t speaking at all during the meeting?

A long time had passed since he’d left the hall.

A few samurai had come out to take a rest. None of them spoke to Shikamaru, who was lying on the bench that was out of the way.

“The general concession of the Hokage can’t be ignored…”

He heard a familiar voice below him.

Kurotsuchi…

Even though the venue was much larger, her voice was still as strong as it was at the Five Kage Meeting.

The Tsuchikage talked.

“The imbalance of power from Konohagakure will always be a conflict between us. But I will accept their offer on behalf of the Land of Earth. I had decided to cooperate with the invasion of the Land of Flowers; However, the Hokage’s speech and the courageous actions of the Fire Daimyo, Ikkyu, everything I was worried about was fabricated in my mind. No genjutsu was involved, just my own misjudgment,”

The cold-hearted Tsuchikage had cleared her heart and mind. She wasn’t an idiot, if the circumstances changed, she’d accept them without letting her ego get in the way. For that she was wise.

“I would like to accept the Land of Fire’s offer. Therefore, there are no reasons for the Hidden Stone to enter any battle,”

“YES!” Shikamaru pumped his fist, still laying down.

Without their ninja, the Land of Earth would lose a majority of their military strength. They’d have no power to wage war with, especially without the support of the Five Nations.

Kurotsuchi’s words meant that the war had been averted. There was no longer a need for a resolution. Kurotsuchi had decided how the game had ended.

“Yaaaaaa~…”

He was suddenly so tired. He felt tears spill down the side of his face, from complete anxiety. He couldn’t help but cry, even if he tried not to.

For Shikamaru, this fight had been a riot. It was a tough battle that he couldn’t have fought alone. Compared to this event, all his previous work was nothing.

This was Shikamaru’s life work.

In past battles, he’d been alone. Even if he was working in a team, he took each battle as a test of his competence. He’d collapsed, even died without changing the world or how it worked. The Land of Fire was only a small part of the world after all.

But this time was different.

Shikamaru wouldn’t die after his defeat. His role as a shinobi had been brought into question.

If he died, even more serious situations would come along. Defeat would just mean that worse things could happen.

Yet he didn’t feel accomplished, this wasn’t his victory. It was the whole world’s victory. It was everyone’s efforts that would lead to peace.

“Not bad…”

When he decided to support Naruto, as his right-hand man, he’d thrown away his chances of a normal life. Shikamaru’s battlefield was here. A battlefield with no blades, no jutsu. Shikamaru chose to fight like this and he didn’t regret it.

“But as expected… It was so troublesome,” he laughed.

It wasn’t a bad thing to feel accomplished, the days of peace were back. His heart felt light again.

He closed his eyes. The darkness of his eyelids was sucking him in. He hadn’t slept properly in days. He’d been too anxious to sleep.

He wanted to sleep for now at least…

-00000000000000000000000000000000000000000-

“-maru…”

A voice.

“Shikama-…”

Who…

“Shikamaru!”

With a violent jolt, Shikamaru fell off the bench. Through his red eyes, he saw his friend against the night sky.

“Naruto…”

He’d had a pleasant dream, but he’d forgotten it when he woke up. Shikamaru groaned and glared at Naruto. Naruto had his hands on his hips, shaking his head.

“We’re done,” he said.

“Really?” Shikamaru asked.

“Did you hear the results?” Naruto asked.

“Nope…”

Naruto let out a sigh, the moon was high, at a quarter phase. They both watched it for a while.

“I don’t really care,” Shikamaru said.

Naruto looked confused, but laughed and shook his head.

“Why?” Naruto sighed.

“I remember up to Kurotsuchi’s speech,” Shikamaru said, wiping his eyes of sleep. “When she spoke of you and Ikkyu, I could see that it was game over,”

“So you went to sleep?” Naruto asked quizzically.

“Yep,”

“That sounds about right,” Naruto laughed, standing in front of Shikamaru’s view of the moon.

“Hey, Shikamaru,” Naruto said gently.

“Yeah?”

“It’s because of you that we managed to do all of this. Thank you. Without you I would have given up a long time ago,” Naruto said.

“Liar. Even without me, you wouldn’t have given up,”

Naruto’s words sounded weird.

“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have known what to do. You always light my way,” Shikamaru said.

Naruto helped Shikamaru to his feet.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you…” Naruto said.

Their hands were still together after Naruto had helped him up.

“Naruto, Shikamaru!”

Kurotsuchi approached the two. She smiled at them.

“You were prepared for this whole thing. I’m really sorry about what happened at the Five Kage Talks. I just finished apologizing to Chojuro,” she said.

Naruto nodded, smiling widely.

“You were only suffering because of that Daimyo. I should have known,” he said.

“I’m glad you think that,” she replied.

“I’ll be there for you from now on Kurotsuchi,” Naruto said.

Naruto stuck out his hand, and the Tsuchikage grabbed it graciously. She released the hand after a little while and turned with a chuckle.

“So Shikamaru…” she said, over her shoulder.

“Temari and I are friends,” she confirmed.

“I thought so,” he replied.

With a laugh, she left the two.

“It’s over…” Shikamaru breathed.

He took out a cigarette from his pocket.

Naruto wrinkled his eyebrows.

“I think you should stop smoking,” he said.

“I’ll think about it,” Shikamaru replied.

He lit the cigarette. Purple smoke poured out of the end, and it was delicious. He felt the sensation gush up inside him, overwhelming his senses.

“Are we going home now?” Shikamaru asked.

Naruto’s shoulders suddenly drooped.

“A mountain of paperwork is waiting for us…” he said.

“There isn’t is there!?”

Shikamaru could see it in his mind’s eye. It was all too real.

There was no time to drink to their victory.

Next chapter is the last one!