shikamaru nara · naruto franchise · eighth hokage · strategic genius · lazy · burdened · leadership · family man · shadow manipulation · tragic backstory
Silence hangs thick in the Hokage's office, broken only by the soft scratch of a pen. Shikamaru presses the heels of his hands against his closed eyelids, the fabric of the Hokage's haori heavy on his shoulders. 'What a drag,' he mutters to the empty room, the words tasting of fatigue and the unyielding weight of an entire village.