Naruto: I am Nara Shikamaru

"…Haku, do you hate me?"

Shikamaru gently held Haku's delicate body, his gaze falling on the dried tear streaks on her beautiful face. His voice was soft, tinged with guilt. He couldn't deny the absurdity of what had happened, but deep down, he didn't regret it, he even felt oddly satisfied.

Haku's body trembled slightly. Then, she pretended to still be asleep, silently avoiding him.

Shikamaru smiled faintly.

"Haku… Zabuza is gone. You don't have to keep punishing yourself. If he could see you now, he'd never want you to waste your life like this. He'd want you to live… to live well."

He spoke gently, trying to comfort her. Whether his words worked or not, he wasn't sure, but the next morning, when he looked into Haku's eyes, he could no longer see the will to die. Shikamaru felt a rush of joy.

Seeing his happiness, a warm feeling quietly bloomed in Haku's heart.

Zabuza-sama… is this what you hoped for? Someone… someone needs me again.

She remembered something Zabuza once told her:

"Haku, if one day I'm gone, and someone else comes along who truly needs you, then go with them."

At the time, she had refused. She hadn't believed she could ever leave Zabuza.

⚔──────────────

"Haku, I've decided, it's time for me to return to Konoha. Come with me?"

After a few days together in the Land of Waves, Shikamaru finally said it. By now, he had told Haku who he truly was.

"…Mm."

Haku nodded gently.

"Really?" Shikamaru couldn't help the excitement in his voice. He had been afraid she might refuse.

"You need me." Haku said, looking at him steadily. "So I'll follow you."

The unspoken meaning was clear: But if you no longer need me, I won't stay.

Shikamaru looked at her seriously. "Haku, I swear, I'll need you for the rest of my life. I want you with me, always."

He embraced her tightly.

They both shivered slightly at the contact. Shikamaru hadn't touched Haku again since that first time, but the memory still burned in his mind. Desire rekindled, and without another word, he swept her back into the room. Soon, soft gasps and sighs began drifting from behind closed doors.

⚔──────────────

Before returning to Konoha, Shikamaru and Haku made a quick stop at Gato's company. They robbed it clean, walking away with several hundred thousand ryo.

With that, Shikamaru snuck Haku back into the village. The border patrol ninjas never even noticed, another sign, he thought with some bitterness, that Konoha had grown too peaceful, too complacent. No wonder the village would suffer so heavily during Orochimaru's future attack.

After settling in, Shikamaru bought a house and had Haku live there quietly. He instructed her not to go out unless absolutely necessary. As for himself, he resumed his usual appearance and rejoined Asuma's squad without drawing attention. But every night, he would return to Haku, enjoying their secret life together.

Shikamaru also asked Haku to teach him how to perform one-handed seals.

Maybe it was thanks to his transmigrated soul, Shikamaru picked it up shockingly fast. So fast that even Haku, the originator of the technique, was astonished.

(In the original Naruto story, Haku, one of the ninja known to perform one-handed seals.)

⚔──────────────

Meanwhile, at the Hokage's office…

"I, Jonin Raika, recommend my student Jinsei to participate in the Chunin Exams."

"I, Jonin [Name Redacted], recommend my student [Name Redacted] to participate in the Chunin Exams."

One by one, Jonin filled the room with recommendations, nominating any students they believed ready for the upcoming exams.

"I, Jonin Sarutobi Asuma, recommend my students, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Yamanaka Ino, for the Chunin Exams."

"I, Jonin Yuhi Kurenai, recommend my students, Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba, for the Chunin Exams."

"I, Jonin Hatake Kakashi, recommend my students, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto, for the Chunin Exams."

At Kakashi's words, Iruka immediately objected:

"No way! Naruto and the others are still too green! They only just graduated from the Academy, they're not ready for something like this!"

The two began to argue, until Kakashi silenced him with one final statement:

"They're not your students anymore, Iruka. They're my subordinates now."

Iruka had no reply.

⚔──────────────

And so, the long-anticipated Chunin Exams finally arrived. That afternoon, Shikamaru received the summons from Asuma.

He could barely contain his excitement.

Note: Raika, Jinse, Tsukiko, and Kurozane are just random names, they're not important to the story, so feel free to forget about them.