Morning sunlight spilled over Konoha like it always did—warm, loud, and far too energetic for Shikamaru Nara's taste.
"What a drag…"
He lay on his back in the grass behind the Nara compound, hands folded behind his head, staring at the clouds. Same clouds. Same village. Same lazy heartbeat.
Different soul.
Inside his chest, something vast and heavy stirred—like gravity itself had learned how to breathe.
Dark-Dark Fruit, he thought calmly. No sea weakness. No drawbacks. Just darkness.
He sat up with a sigh. "Guess I can't skip my first day."
Ninja Academy – Classroom A
The room buzzed with noise. Kids bragging, laughing, yelling. Chalk screeching against the board as Iruka-sensei tried—valiantly and unsuccessfully—to bring order.
Shikamaru slouched into his seat by the window, eyes half-lidded. He didn't look special. No killing intent. No chakra pressure.
And yet—
The shadows under the desks subtly shifted when he sat down.
No one noticed.
Choji waved from across the room, already chewing on chips. "Yo, Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru raised two fingers in response. Too much effort to wave.
So this is the start, he thought. Again.
Iruka cleared his throat. "Alright! Settle down! Today we'll begin with introductions."
Groans echoed.
Iruka pointed. "Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto jumped up. "I'm gonna be Hokage! Believe it!"
Shikamaru watched him carefully.
That chakra… ridiculous.
Future trouble.
Then—
"Sasuke Uchiha."
The room went quiet.
Shikamaru's eyes sharpened just a little.
That one's a problem. And a magnet for worse problems.
Sasuke introduced himself curtly. Shadows beneath his feet trembled, reacting instinctively to something they didn't understand.
Sasuke frowned for a split second… then dismissed it.
Chakra Control Exercise
Iruka clapped his hands. "Alright! Tree-leaf sticking exercise. Let's see your chakra control."
Students groaned again.
Shikamaru sighed louder than anyone. "What a pain…"
He placed the leaf on his forehead.
Let's not stand out, he decided.
He channeled chakra—
—and immediately stopped.
Because the darkness answered first.
Invisible. Silent.
The leaf stuck too perfectly. Not just held by chakra, but pinned by a subtle, crushing force—as if space itself was pressing it into place.
Shikamaru blinked.
"…Oops."
He eased off the power. The leaf fluttered down normally.
Iruka nodded, impressed but not suspicious. "Good control, Shikamaru."
Troublesome.
Sparring Practice
"Pair up!" Iruka called.
Shikamaru prayed to any god listening that he wouldn't be chosen.
Fate, of course, laughed.
"Shikamaru Nara vs… Kiba Inuzuka!"
Kiba grinned. "Heh, easy win."
Akamaru barked.
Shikamaru shuffled onto the mat, hands in pockets. "Can we skip this?"
"Nope!" Kiba charged immediately.
Fast. Aggressive. Predictable.
Angle of attack, speed, shadow length…
Victory in six seconds.
Shikamaru didn't move.
Kiba lunged—
—and suddenly froze.
His shadow stretched unnaturally, flattening against the floor, pulled outward like it had been caught in a tide.
"What the—?!" Kiba struggled.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.
Huh. That worked even easier than I thought.
He hadn't used Shadow Possession.
The darkness itself had grabbed Kiba's shadow and pinned it.
The room went silent.
Iruka's eyes widened. "Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru scratched his cheek. "Must've… uh… lined up weird?"
Kiba fell forward as the pressure vanished, face-first onto the mat.
Akamaru whimpered.
Iruka stared at the floor, at the shadows, then back at Shikamaru.
"…Match over."
Whispers exploded through the classroom.
"Did you see that?" "He didn't even move!" "What kind of jutsu was that?"
Shikamaru walked back to his seat, heart steady.
Note to self: limit darkness output. Way too noticeable.
Lunchtime – Rooftop
Shikamaru lay on the warm concrete, clouds drifting lazily above.
"This life's gonna be a pain," he muttered.
Inside him, the darkness pulsed—patient, obedient, infinite.
Not hungry. Not violent.
Waiting.
I don't need to rush, he thought.
Let the village grow. Let the enemies come.
A shadow passed over his face.
He opened one eye.
Sasuke Uchiha stood there, arms crossed. "What did you do back there?"
Shikamaru sighed. "…You're blocking the clouds."
Sasuke didn't move. "That wasn't normal chakra."
Shikamaru closed his eye again. "You imagining things."
For a long moment, nothing happened.
Then Sasuke turned away.
"Hn."
As he left, the shadows beneath his feet twitched—like they were reluctant to let him go.
Shikamaru smirked faintly.
First day, he thought.
And already complicated.
Above him, the clouds drifted on—
unaware that something far darker had just enrolled in the Ninja Academy.