Post by Shikamaru Nara on May 20, 2008 14:57:41 GMT -5
Name: Nara Shikamaru
Alias: Shadow Knight
Rank: Jounin
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Village: Konoha no Sato
Clan: Nara
Appearance: Standing at only 5'4" Shikamaru is not a very impressive person to see. His most often slouched posture, hands in his pockets and his shoulders a bit hunched, have gotten him written off as a lazy, untalented and good-for-nothing sleaze by those that do not know him or have not heard of him. Underneath the mandatory Jounin outfit his body is lean and muscular, honed by years of training and missions. Not as filled out as his own father, his body is more slender and even a bit to thin.
Hair always in a high worn ponytail, looking like it's trying to escape from it's containing hair band, but longer now then it was in his childhood. Should he ever let it loose, which he rarely does, it would probably reach halfway down his shoulder blades. It is still the dark chocolaty brown it has always been, but with a few light strands in it, courtesy of Ino forcing him into 'highlights'. He doesn't really care that they are in there, but it's to much of a hassle to have to comb his hair whenever the girl wants to do something with it. And there is simply no way he will let her brush his hair.
His face is not as round as it used to be, all of the baby fat that he used to posses vanishing as the years passed. Pointed nose and average cheekbones, there is not much special or off about the Nara's face except maybe for his always present expression. Mouth set in a bored line, eyes at half mast and to those that look closely, an ever preset calculating look in said chestnut brown eyes.
His outfit, as noted before, is the mandatory Jounin outfit containing the black pants, blue shoes, and vest, but, habit still has him sporting his fishnet shirt together with a long-sleeved black shirt with his Hitai-ate on it. With the weapons Asuma-Sensei gave him at his eighteen birthday party always in the pouch at his side, he's ready to go when you are.
During the off time though, he just puts on whatever is closest to either his bed or the shower, depending on where he gets dressed. Mostly it's just loose fitting pants and something of a shirt, but he's gotten into the habit of wearing his Jounin vest on top of everything, just to make sure that, should something happen, he always has his kunai and shuriken to fight with.
As for any other things, he's still wearing the earring that Asuma-Sensei gave Team 10 when they all made Chunin. He has been thinking about a tattoo, but thinks it's to much trouble to actually go and get one, though Ino was all for the idea.
Special body armor: Nothing special.
Personality: Shikamaru considers half of what most people do in their day to be a waste of time. Time is a thing to spent well, on activities that have a use for you. Such as cloud gazing. To the normal human being, Cloud gazing may seem to be a pointless activity, but it is actually a great way to focus your mind and ponder things. Or so he says. Whether or not people actually believe it is a different thing. Lazy and seemingly uncaring about what goes on in the world, Shikamaru comes off as a laid-back, happy-go-lucky and highly unenthusiastic person.
However, most of what he does do in a day is training to him. Playing Shogi with Asuma-Sensei or Shikaku, his father, helps him train his mind and brain think up strategies faster then the Japanese Bullet Train. Watching clouds is his way of contemplating events or people and if he ever starts doing it after he meets someone, it is most likely to analyze what he has learned and fit it into the pattern of human behavior, seeing what kind of person he is dealing with. Almost every move he makes is a calculated decision which has been thought off with at least ten different outcomes and reaction he can give. Whenever he has his hands together in his traditional thinking pose, he's often thinking up a storm.
After having been on several missions to god knows where, Shikamaru has come to terms with the fact that not everything in life is troublesome. His friends, family and the villagers do mean a lot to him, and the conversation he had with Asuma-Sensei one day also made him think about stuff like that. They where playing a game of Shogi and suddenly Asuma asked him which piece he thought he was. Answering truthfully, Shikamaru told him he was a knight. Asuma agreed with him and told him it was the knight's job to keep the people safe, to protect them from harm when they can not protect themselves. After he told Naruto this, on a blue morning, Naruto grinningly deemed him Konoha's official Shadow knight. Ever since then, Shikamaru has become a lot more serious about his job as a ninja and he will do anything to protect his people.
Around his friends and family he is a bit more relaxed, usually just hanging around with either just Choji or Choji and Ino at or around their favorite Barbeque restaurant. Ino still makes him cringe most of the time but he does whatever she asks of him, to get it over with. If there is one thing he can not stand it is a whiny woman nagging at him to do something. Unfortunately for him, his life is filled with women like that. His own mother, Ino, Sakura, Tsunade-Hime, even the only women he has ever had somewhat of a crush on, Temari is a bossy annoyance sometimes.
Whenever someone comes up to him with something he has to so, or a question, he makes up an excuse so that he won't have to do it. Often this results in someone calling Ino in, to have her ask him, because she's familiar enough with Shikamaru's behavior to be able to counter it. Meaning, nag him until he gets the job done.
In a battle situation however, the lazy assed Jounin drops the bad personality and gets serious. His quick thinking and his shadow techniques have gotten him out of trouble more often then he cares to count, and should the need arise, he'll use his techniques to save his team members before himself.
Weapons:
The usual weapon pouch attached to his right leg is filled with the following and always renewed whenever he comes home from a mission. He's quite diligent in keeping his kunai and shuriken sharp, unlike most people think. He's got around 5 shuriken but the bulk of it are kunai and explosive tags, along with some smoke bombs. He has got a few soldier pills in his Jounin vest, and some more kunai and explosive tags.
The only special weapons he uses are the hand blades Asuma gave him, quite similar to the ones Asuma himself has. They are tear dropped in shape and have four holes in them to put your fingers in. The blades are made from a specially enhanced metal, created to allow excessive chakra use. Also, the metal can hold chakra and is adapted to have a steady flow of chakra course through it, adjusting itself to the users chakra type.
Main fighting style: Kagemane no Jutsu. A jutsu that allows the one using it to manipulate ones shadow and stretch it to the fullest. Other shadows in the surrounding area can also be used to make the covered distance even greater. When he touches his shadow onto that of someone else, he takes full control of that person, forcing them to either freeze or mimic his movement. Very handy when your team mate uses Mind Manipulation.
Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu. A jutsu that is usually used in combination with the Kagemane no jutsu. If a target is captured with the Kagemane, Shikamaru can then use the Kage Kubi Shibari to form a hand with his shadow, therewith being able to suffocate the target.
Kage Nui. When he uses this jutsu, he can shoot of several tendrils of shadow at more then one opponent.
Kagemane Shuriken no Jutsu. Used in combination with his Chakra Blades, Shikamaru channels his chakra through the blades, after which he can pin them into a shadow, effectively preventing the shadow's owner from moving. He can throw these from a distance without the effect being undone.
Kage Yose no Jutsu. With this jutsu in combination with the Kage Nui, Shikamaru is able to effectively damage an enemy without ever being seen. Kage Yose no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique developed by the Nara clan. It uses the Kage Nui threads to extend from a Kage Kubi Shibari bound on the body. These threads can then pull an object back towards the one bound. In this case, the shadow thread was used to pull in wire and explosive tags which were surrounding the target. The Kage Nui then sewed the wire into the target, binding them with the wire and lacing them with explosive tags.
Kujiku no Kage - lit. Crushing Shadow. Controlling the shadows around a person, Shikamaru can alter the particles in the air creating a heavy atmosphere. The person will experience a feeling not unlike total darkness. The air will feel more heavy to breathe and the senses will feel choked. It is a combination of Genjutsu and Ninjutsu.
Zanzou Kokuhei no Sukedachi - lit. The Afterimage of a Dark Shadow Assists in the Fight. Creating a mirror image of the enemy out of their own shadow. It is, in fact, their own shadow. It contains ten procent of Shikamaru's chakra reserves, so it is pretty testing to create one. Once it's there though… At first, it will seem as if one would be simply fighting oneself. However, since a clone can never surpass the original and neither does it have the same charka and/or jutsu. However, if you damage the clone, you damage yourself. Killing it will not kill the owner of the shadow, but it will leave them taxed.
With all of these shadow techniques Shikamaru has also developed the ability to lift his shadow from the ground to actually use weapons. Effectively, this also enables him to use someone's own shadows against themselves.
Beyond his major techniques, he also possesses the usual bunch of jutsu taught to all genin.
Bunshin no Jutsu
Henge no Jutsu
Kawarimi no Jutsu
Fighting strength: His quick mind, strategic way of thinking and his shadow jutsu almost always provide Shikamaru with the chance to give either his team mates the chance to attack the opponent, which he has captured, or himself time to think up a good plan. His fight style allows him to solo as well as be in a team.
Fighting weakness: Even though he can solo, it's not his best thing. His strategies are always build around more then one person and his jutsu's are most useful when in a team. He can then either stall of hold the enemy while his team members, like Choji and Ino attack the opponent. Also, his techniques are particularly handy when he is teamed up with Ino, seeing as she can then successfully take over the enemy's mind.
Team members:
Sarutobi Asuma. Team Ten's Sensei. Shikamaru is very close with his sensei and often plays games of Shogi or Go with him. Asuma is the first to ever realize Shikamaru's potential after he created a test to check his IQ. After that, he did whatever he could to stimulate Shika in order to have him use his brain more. And it worked. Currently still being trained by Asuma, since his hand to hand combat never was much in the sense of good, Shikamaru finds that one never actually finishes school.
Akimichi Choji. His best friend and lifelong partner, Choji just loves food. In his ever going contest to challenge Asuma and thereby winning them a free ticket to the barbeque place, he's dragged Ino and Shikamaru with him and now it's one of their favorite places to go. As a friend, Shikamaru loves Choji and would do anything to keep him from getting hurt, as long as the mission allows for him to do so. More often then not though, his plans don't work out that way and they end up splitting up. But, Shikamaru has faith and confidence in Choji and is certain that the other will achieve victory.
Yamanaka Ino. The last of the trio and a big pain in the ass if you ask Shikamaru. Ino is the only girl on the team and an extremely bossy one at that. Always nagging Shika to so stuff he doesn't want to do because it's to much of a hassle, dragging him on her useless shopping gigs and always with his hair! She drives him insane, but she's one of his best friends. He wouldn't trade her for the world. And even though his father might say so, no. He has no plans of marrying that boar.
Friends/family: Nara Shikaku. Dad. The only one who keeps defeating him at Shogi. His father is a lot like Shikamaru, lazy and unenthusiastic, but a genius nonetheless. Being married to a bossy and dominating woman has had them both out of the house more then inside of it. As the owner of Nara Forest, Shikaku is the town's major provider of medicinal powders and fluids which come from the carefully taken care off deer antlers. He hopes that Shikamaru will one day take over the Forest.
Nara Yoshino. Mom. Always bossing him around and sneaking up behind him with hugs and chores, she's one of the bossing women in his life. Even though he's always complaining about her, he does love her and yes, after a good bout of nagging and harassment he will do what's asked of him. Reluctantly. Yoshino used to be a ninja, but quit after she got pregnant.
Sabaku no Temari. One of the few women he can stand without being annoyed, the Sand nin has gained his respect during their battle in the Chuunin exams. As a strong kunoichi she has proved her value more often then not and during the years she and Shikamaru have often worked together on missions. Also, whenever the Hokage visits the Kazekage, or the other way around, they often act as emissary's.
Kurenai Yuhi. Asuma's lover and Sensei to Team 8. She and Shikamaru have become quite close over the years, seeing as he almost has a second home with Asuma. He confides in her more then his own mother and father, for reasons only knows to him.
Uzumaki Naruto. Once the biggest annoyance in class, now a great ninja and an even greater man. Naruto has successfully gained Shikamaru's faith in him and his trust.
[Just like Neji said, I am not going to tick of a list of people he knows. Most of them are still just friends or fellow nins.]
Other companions: None really.
Character history: Born on the twenty second of September to Yoshino and Shikaku Nara, Shikamaru was quite fast in proving to be a menace to his mother. Not cleaning up his room, skipping classes in the academy and lazing around whenever there was housework to be done. Yoshino frowned upon her husbands lame hearted attempts to get his son motivated and took matters upon her own. The root of Shikamaru's aversion to bossy women lies here.
She bossed him around and got him to do the bare necessities of his homework, just enough to graduate the academy. When Asuma ones gave him a rigged test, the Sensei discovered that the intellect of the most lazy genin he had ever trained was an IQ over 200. This greatly surprised not only him, but a lot of the other teachers as well. Why did he have such mediocre grades if he was that smart? When asked, Shikamaru shrugged and replied that it was to troublesome to pick up the pen of most exams.
Asuma clobbered him and sobered him up a bit, before challenging him to another Shogi game. The best they could ever talk was over a game so they did. Asuma taught him about what it meant to be a ninja, and why he aught to stop the child's play and grow up now that he had become a full fledged ninja. Hesitant at leaving behind his youth and ideals, Shikamaru often pondered what Asuma meant by this. Until he had to compete in the first Chuunin exams, he never really did get it. But then he saw it happen. Genin teams, slaughtered in front of his eyes by Gaara. Then, the fight with the Sound nin, in which Sasuke suddenly went wild and hauled major ass.
That alone should have been enough, but all of the stuff that happened after that, with Orochimaru, really got him thinking about his role in the village. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to protect them before, but seeing how frail human being were made his mind set. He would train and become a great ninja, like his father and Asuma. Maybe even a teacher himself.
The years after his promotion to Chuunin went by quite fast. Training with his dad to learn all of the jutsu that where secret to the Nara clan, trained by Asuma to use his chakra blades to their full extend and after that, his Jounin exam, which he passed on the first try. It was tougher then he had expected, but then again, he hadn't had a clue of what to expect. Asuma had kid around about it, but he barely made it out alive and had to have some serious medical help afterwards, but he made it trough. Now, three years after that, he has gotten his own team assigned to him. Troublesome as they may be.
Role play Sample: Hands shoved into his pockets, posture slightly slouched and mouth set in a bored line, Shikamaru oversaw his three genin 'train'. With a slight sigh, he rolled his eyes heavenward and silently asked Asuma if he, Ino and Choji where as bad as these three goons. Making a mental note to ask the man that evening he checked his pocket watch. Thank god. Five pm.
"All right you three, play time is over." He waved at them and turned around to leave the field as an arm grabbed his sleeve.
"Sensei, are you going to teach us something tomorrow?" A flash of red crossed onto Kumiko's face as the girl realized what she had just said. "I mean, not that this isn't great… but-" Shikamaru cut her of with a smirk.
"Thank god you still know how to open your mouth. Tomorrow I will teach you something. Try to keep in mind that unless you ask for something, or make it clear that you need something, you will probably not get it." He gave her a pat on the head and nodded to the other two that where gaping at their Sensei. "Remember that. And bring your kunai and sharpening stones tomorrow." With one last wave he was off. He still had that Shogi game to finish.
It bothered him. He and Asuma had been at it for two and a half week now, without either of them winning. He had skipped out on the weekly dinner at home to go and continue the match, much to his mothers displeasure. They had come to an agreement when he left the house to live on his own. In return of his mother helping him figure out how to use the friggin' washing machine, he'd come over and have dinner there every Friday. 'Because in your line of business, you may never know when it's the last time I see you.' So she said. He sighed. "Women are a bother. Why even try."
Coming up to the house of his former Sensei he gave the cat an absentminded pat on the head, his mind already on the next ten or so moves he was going to make when something attached to his leg from behind. Feeling a grin itch it's way up to his face, he turned around and grabbed the toddler, swinging him trough the air. "Hey there, little devil! Out to give your mom a stroke again, are you?" He smirked and messed up the kids hair a bit before turning the smirking youth over to Kurenai, who had just exited the house. "Sorry about that, you know how he is." She smiled and he gave her a peck on the cheek. "No problem. The old man in the back?" After receiving her affirmative nod, he moved around the house to find Asuma already putting the board and pieced on the wooden floor, ashtray and cold beers next to it.
"Preparing to meet your doom, I see?" Asuma snorted and opened one of the bottles, handing it to Shikamaru as the other sat down across from his, eyes glued to the board. "Not in your lifetime."
[Kujiku no Kage and Zanzou Kokuhei no Sukedachi are both mine and will be applied for in the appropriate section. The name Kumiko was just used to complete the RP sample.]
Alias: Shadow Knight
Rank: Jounin
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Village: Konoha no Sato
Clan: Nara
Appearance: Standing at only 5'4" Shikamaru is not a very impressive person to see. His most often slouched posture, hands in his pockets and his shoulders a bit hunched, have gotten him written off as a lazy, untalented and good-for-nothing sleaze by those that do not know him or have not heard of him. Underneath the mandatory Jounin outfit his body is lean and muscular, honed by years of training and missions. Not as filled out as his own father, his body is more slender and even a bit to thin.
Hair always in a high worn ponytail, looking like it's trying to escape from it's containing hair band, but longer now then it was in his childhood. Should he ever let it loose, which he rarely does, it would probably reach halfway down his shoulder blades. It is still the dark chocolaty brown it has always been, but with a few light strands in it, courtesy of Ino forcing him into 'highlights'. He doesn't really care that they are in there, but it's to much of a hassle to have to comb his hair whenever the girl wants to do something with it. And there is simply no way he will let her brush his hair.
His face is not as round as it used to be, all of the baby fat that he used to posses vanishing as the years passed. Pointed nose and average cheekbones, there is not much special or off about the Nara's face except maybe for his always present expression. Mouth set in a bored line, eyes at half mast and to those that look closely, an ever preset calculating look in said chestnut brown eyes.
His outfit, as noted before, is the mandatory Jounin outfit containing the black pants, blue shoes, and vest, but, habit still has him sporting his fishnet shirt together with a long-sleeved black shirt with his Hitai-ate on it. With the weapons Asuma-Sensei gave him at his eighteen birthday party always in the pouch at his side, he's ready to go when you are.
During the off time though, he just puts on whatever is closest to either his bed or the shower, depending on where he gets dressed. Mostly it's just loose fitting pants and something of a shirt, but he's gotten into the habit of wearing his Jounin vest on top of everything, just to make sure that, should something happen, he always has his kunai and shuriken to fight with.
As for any other things, he's still wearing the earring that Asuma-Sensei gave Team 10 when they all made Chunin. He has been thinking about a tattoo, but thinks it's to much trouble to actually go and get one, though Ino was all for the idea.
Special body armor: Nothing special.
Personality: Shikamaru considers half of what most people do in their day to be a waste of time. Time is a thing to spent well, on activities that have a use for you. Such as cloud gazing. To the normal human being, Cloud gazing may seem to be a pointless activity, but it is actually a great way to focus your mind and ponder things. Or so he says. Whether or not people actually believe it is a different thing. Lazy and seemingly uncaring about what goes on in the world, Shikamaru comes off as a laid-back, happy-go-lucky and highly unenthusiastic person.
However, most of what he does do in a day is training to him. Playing Shogi with Asuma-Sensei or Shikaku, his father, helps him train his mind and brain think up strategies faster then the Japanese Bullet Train. Watching clouds is his way of contemplating events or people and if he ever starts doing it after he meets someone, it is most likely to analyze what he has learned and fit it into the pattern of human behavior, seeing what kind of person he is dealing with. Almost every move he makes is a calculated decision which has been thought off with at least ten different outcomes and reaction he can give. Whenever he has his hands together in his traditional thinking pose, he's often thinking up a storm.
After having been on several missions to god knows where, Shikamaru has come to terms with the fact that not everything in life is troublesome. His friends, family and the villagers do mean a lot to him, and the conversation he had with Asuma-Sensei one day also made him think about stuff like that. They where playing a game of Shogi and suddenly Asuma asked him which piece he thought he was. Answering truthfully, Shikamaru told him he was a knight. Asuma agreed with him and told him it was the knight's job to keep the people safe, to protect them from harm when they can not protect themselves. After he told Naruto this, on a blue morning, Naruto grinningly deemed him Konoha's official Shadow knight. Ever since then, Shikamaru has become a lot more serious about his job as a ninja and he will do anything to protect his people.
Around his friends and family he is a bit more relaxed, usually just hanging around with either just Choji or Choji and Ino at or around their favorite Barbeque restaurant. Ino still makes him cringe most of the time but he does whatever she asks of him, to get it over with. If there is one thing he can not stand it is a whiny woman nagging at him to do something. Unfortunately for him, his life is filled with women like that. His own mother, Ino, Sakura, Tsunade-Hime, even the only women he has ever had somewhat of a crush on, Temari is a bossy annoyance sometimes.
Whenever someone comes up to him with something he has to so, or a question, he makes up an excuse so that he won't have to do it. Often this results in someone calling Ino in, to have her ask him, because she's familiar enough with Shikamaru's behavior to be able to counter it. Meaning, nag him until he gets the job done.
In a battle situation however, the lazy assed Jounin drops the bad personality and gets serious. His quick thinking and his shadow techniques have gotten him out of trouble more often then he cares to count, and should the need arise, he'll use his techniques to save his team members before himself.
Weapons:
The usual weapon pouch attached to his right leg is filled with the following and always renewed whenever he comes home from a mission. He's quite diligent in keeping his kunai and shuriken sharp, unlike most people think. He's got around 5 shuriken but the bulk of it are kunai and explosive tags, along with some smoke bombs. He has got a few soldier pills in his Jounin vest, and some more kunai and explosive tags.
The only special weapons he uses are the hand blades Asuma gave him, quite similar to the ones Asuma himself has. They are tear dropped in shape and have four holes in them to put your fingers in. The blades are made from a specially enhanced metal, created to allow excessive chakra use. Also, the metal can hold chakra and is adapted to have a steady flow of chakra course through it, adjusting itself to the users chakra type.
Main fighting style: Kagemane no Jutsu. A jutsu that allows the one using it to manipulate ones shadow and stretch it to the fullest. Other shadows in the surrounding area can also be used to make the covered distance even greater. When he touches his shadow onto that of someone else, he takes full control of that person, forcing them to either freeze or mimic his movement. Very handy when your team mate uses Mind Manipulation.
Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu. A jutsu that is usually used in combination with the Kagemane no jutsu. If a target is captured with the Kagemane, Shikamaru can then use the Kage Kubi Shibari to form a hand with his shadow, therewith being able to suffocate the target.
Kage Nui. When he uses this jutsu, he can shoot of several tendrils of shadow at more then one opponent.
Kagemane Shuriken no Jutsu. Used in combination with his Chakra Blades, Shikamaru channels his chakra through the blades, after which he can pin them into a shadow, effectively preventing the shadow's owner from moving. He can throw these from a distance without the effect being undone.
Kage Yose no Jutsu. With this jutsu in combination with the Kage Nui, Shikamaru is able to effectively damage an enemy without ever being seen. Kage Yose no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique developed by the Nara clan. It uses the Kage Nui threads to extend from a Kage Kubi Shibari bound on the body. These threads can then pull an object back towards the one bound. In this case, the shadow thread was used to pull in wire and explosive tags which were surrounding the target. The Kage Nui then sewed the wire into the target, binding them with the wire and lacing them with explosive tags.
Kujiku no Kage - lit. Crushing Shadow. Controlling the shadows around a person, Shikamaru can alter the particles in the air creating a heavy atmosphere. The person will experience a feeling not unlike total darkness. The air will feel more heavy to breathe and the senses will feel choked. It is a combination of Genjutsu and Ninjutsu.
Zanzou Kokuhei no Sukedachi - lit. The Afterimage of a Dark Shadow Assists in the Fight. Creating a mirror image of the enemy out of their own shadow. It is, in fact, their own shadow. It contains ten procent of Shikamaru's chakra reserves, so it is pretty testing to create one. Once it's there though… At first, it will seem as if one would be simply fighting oneself. However, since a clone can never surpass the original and neither does it have the same charka and/or jutsu. However, if you damage the clone, you damage yourself. Killing it will not kill the owner of the shadow, but it will leave them taxed.
With all of these shadow techniques Shikamaru has also developed the ability to lift his shadow from the ground to actually use weapons. Effectively, this also enables him to use someone's own shadows against themselves.
Beyond his major techniques, he also possesses the usual bunch of jutsu taught to all genin.
Bunshin no Jutsu
Henge no Jutsu
Kawarimi no Jutsu
Fighting strength: His quick mind, strategic way of thinking and his shadow jutsu almost always provide Shikamaru with the chance to give either his team mates the chance to attack the opponent, which he has captured, or himself time to think up a good plan. His fight style allows him to solo as well as be in a team.
Fighting weakness: Even though he can solo, it's not his best thing. His strategies are always build around more then one person and his jutsu's are most useful when in a team. He can then either stall of hold the enemy while his team members, like Choji and Ino attack the opponent. Also, his techniques are particularly handy when he is teamed up with Ino, seeing as she can then successfully take over the enemy's mind.
Team members:
Sarutobi Asuma. Team Ten's Sensei. Shikamaru is very close with his sensei and often plays games of Shogi or Go with him. Asuma is the first to ever realize Shikamaru's potential after he created a test to check his IQ. After that, he did whatever he could to stimulate Shika in order to have him use his brain more. And it worked. Currently still being trained by Asuma, since his hand to hand combat never was much in the sense of good, Shikamaru finds that one never actually finishes school.
Akimichi Choji. His best friend and lifelong partner, Choji just loves food. In his ever going contest to challenge Asuma and thereby winning them a free ticket to the barbeque place, he's dragged Ino and Shikamaru with him and now it's one of their favorite places to go. As a friend, Shikamaru loves Choji and would do anything to keep him from getting hurt, as long as the mission allows for him to do so. More often then not though, his plans don't work out that way and they end up splitting up. But, Shikamaru has faith and confidence in Choji and is certain that the other will achieve victory.
Yamanaka Ino. The last of the trio and a big pain in the ass if you ask Shikamaru. Ino is the only girl on the team and an extremely bossy one at that. Always nagging Shika to so stuff he doesn't want to do because it's to much of a hassle, dragging him on her useless shopping gigs and always with his hair! She drives him insane, but she's one of his best friends. He wouldn't trade her for the world. And even though his father might say so, no. He has no plans of marrying that boar.
Friends/family: Nara Shikaku. Dad. The only one who keeps defeating him at Shogi. His father is a lot like Shikamaru, lazy and unenthusiastic, but a genius nonetheless. Being married to a bossy and dominating woman has had them both out of the house more then inside of it. As the owner of Nara Forest, Shikaku is the town's major provider of medicinal powders and fluids which come from the carefully taken care off deer antlers. He hopes that Shikamaru will one day take over the Forest.
Nara Yoshino. Mom. Always bossing him around and sneaking up behind him with hugs and chores, she's one of the bossing women in his life. Even though he's always complaining about her, he does love her and yes, after a good bout of nagging and harassment he will do what's asked of him. Reluctantly. Yoshino used to be a ninja, but quit after she got pregnant.
Sabaku no Temari. One of the few women he can stand without being annoyed, the Sand nin has gained his respect during their battle in the Chuunin exams. As a strong kunoichi she has proved her value more often then not and during the years she and Shikamaru have often worked together on missions. Also, whenever the Hokage visits the Kazekage, or the other way around, they often act as emissary's.
Kurenai Yuhi. Asuma's lover and Sensei to Team 8. She and Shikamaru have become quite close over the years, seeing as he almost has a second home with Asuma. He confides in her more then his own mother and father, for reasons only knows to him.
Uzumaki Naruto. Once the biggest annoyance in class, now a great ninja and an even greater man. Naruto has successfully gained Shikamaru's faith in him and his trust.
[Just like Neji said, I am not going to tick of a list of people he knows. Most of them are still just friends or fellow nins.]
Other companions: None really.
Character history: Born on the twenty second of September to Yoshino and Shikaku Nara, Shikamaru was quite fast in proving to be a menace to his mother. Not cleaning up his room, skipping classes in the academy and lazing around whenever there was housework to be done. Yoshino frowned upon her husbands lame hearted attempts to get his son motivated and took matters upon her own. The root of Shikamaru's aversion to bossy women lies here.
She bossed him around and got him to do the bare necessities of his homework, just enough to graduate the academy. When Asuma ones gave him a rigged test, the Sensei discovered that the intellect of the most lazy genin he had ever trained was an IQ over 200. This greatly surprised not only him, but a lot of the other teachers as well. Why did he have such mediocre grades if he was that smart? When asked, Shikamaru shrugged and replied that it was to troublesome to pick up the pen of most exams.
Asuma clobbered him and sobered him up a bit, before challenging him to another Shogi game. The best they could ever talk was over a game so they did. Asuma taught him about what it meant to be a ninja, and why he aught to stop the child's play and grow up now that he had become a full fledged ninja. Hesitant at leaving behind his youth and ideals, Shikamaru often pondered what Asuma meant by this. Until he had to compete in the first Chuunin exams, he never really did get it. But then he saw it happen. Genin teams, slaughtered in front of his eyes by Gaara. Then, the fight with the Sound nin, in which Sasuke suddenly went wild and hauled major ass.
That alone should have been enough, but all of the stuff that happened after that, with Orochimaru, really got him thinking about his role in the village. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to protect them before, but seeing how frail human being were made his mind set. He would train and become a great ninja, like his father and Asuma. Maybe even a teacher himself.
The years after his promotion to Chuunin went by quite fast. Training with his dad to learn all of the jutsu that where secret to the Nara clan, trained by Asuma to use his chakra blades to their full extend and after that, his Jounin exam, which he passed on the first try. It was tougher then he had expected, but then again, he hadn't had a clue of what to expect. Asuma had kid around about it, but he barely made it out alive and had to have some serious medical help afterwards, but he made it trough. Now, three years after that, he has gotten his own team assigned to him. Troublesome as they may be.
Role play Sample: Hands shoved into his pockets, posture slightly slouched and mouth set in a bored line, Shikamaru oversaw his three genin 'train'. With a slight sigh, he rolled his eyes heavenward and silently asked Asuma if he, Ino and Choji where as bad as these three goons. Making a mental note to ask the man that evening he checked his pocket watch. Thank god. Five pm.
"All right you three, play time is over." He waved at them and turned around to leave the field as an arm grabbed his sleeve.
"Sensei, are you going to teach us something tomorrow?" A flash of red crossed onto Kumiko's face as the girl realized what she had just said. "I mean, not that this isn't great… but-" Shikamaru cut her of with a smirk.
"Thank god you still know how to open your mouth. Tomorrow I will teach you something. Try to keep in mind that unless you ask for something, or make it clear that you need something, you will probably not get it." He gave her a pat on the head and nodded to the other two that where gaping at their Sensei. "Remember that. And bring your kunai and sharpening stones tomorrow." With one last wave he was off. He still had that Shogi game to finish.
It bothered him. He and Asuma had been at it for two and a half week now, without either of them winning. He had skipped out on the weekly dinner at home to go and continue the match, much to his mothers displeasure. They had come to an agreement when he left the house to live on his own. In return of his mother helping him figure out how to use the friggin' washing machine, he'd come over and have dinner there every Friday. 'Because in your line of business, you may never know when it's the last time I see you.' So she said. He sighed. "Women are a bother. Why even try."
Coming up to the house of his former Sensei he gave the cat an absentminded pat on the head, his mind already on the next ten or so moves he was going to make when something attached to his leg from behind. Feeling a grin itch it's way up to his face, he turned around and grabbed the toddler, swinging him trough the air. "Hey there, little devil! Out to give your mom a stroke again, are you?" He smirked and messed up the kids hair a bit before turning the smirking youth over to Kurenai, who had just exited the house. "Sorry about that, you know how he is." She smiled and he gave her a peck on the cheek. "No problem. The old man in the back?" After receiving her affirmative nod, he moved around the house to find Asuma already putting the board and pieced on the wooden floor, ashtray and cold beers next to it.
"Preparing to meet your doom, I see?" Asuma snorted and opened one of the bottles, handing it to Shikamaru as the other sat down across from his, eyes glued to the board. "Not in your lifetime."
[Kujiku no Kage and Zanzou Kokuhei no Sukedachi are both mine and will be applied for in the appropriate section. The name Kumiko was just used to complete the RP sample.]