The next few days passed without incident, but somehow, that was what bothered Shikamaru the most.
The voice had disappeared...The strange dreams had stopped. Even the faint sensation of Zed's presence lurking somewhere at the back of his mind had become almost nonexistent.
But the shadows remained... They were always there.
Whenever Shikamaru walked beneath the afternoon sun, his shadow followed him. Whenever he sat beneath a tree, it stretched lazily across the grass. Whenever he practice his clan's techniques, it responded to his chakra exactly as it always had.
At least, that was what Shikamaru told himself.
Something had changed.
He could feel it.
His shadow seemed... quicker now.
More responsive.
Sometimes, it movedd before he consciously commanded it. The first time it happened, Shikamaru had blamed himself. The second time, he wasn't so sure.
By the fifth time, he had stopped pretending it was normal.
"What a pain"
Shikamaru lay beneath a tree outside the Academy, his hands folded behind his head as he stared at the clouds.
To anyone passing by, he looked exactly as he always did.
Lazy.
Uninterested.
Half asleep.
But beneath that familiar expression, his mind was working. He had been thinking about Zed. About the strange memories that had begun appearing in his mind. About the power that seemed to be growing alongside them.
And most importantly, about the shadow.
Shikamaru slowly raised one hand.
His shadow stretched across the grass.
"Move"
Nothing happened. He frowned.
"Move"
Still nothing.
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, then he thought about moving it.
The shadow immediately slid several feet across the ground.
Shikamaru froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
"I didn't use chakra nor any handsigns"
He sat up.
The shadow remained connected to him, dark and motionless beneath his feet.
'That shouldn't have been possible' Shikamaru thought as he stared at it for several seconds.
The Nara techniques relied on chakra. he knew that better than anyone his age. His clan had spent generations perfecting the manipulation of shadows, and every technique required control and precision.
But what he had just done wasn't quite the same.
It had felt effortless... Almost instictive.
Shikamaru slowly extended his hand.
"Come here".
The shadow moved. It slid across the ground and curled around his ankle.
Shikamaru's expression hardened.
"Stop."
The shadow stopped immediatley.
A chill ran through him.
He released the technique as the darkness returned to its natural position. Shikamaru glanced around the training field.
'Nobody had seen, good.'
He didn't know what was happening yet and until he did, there was no reason to tell anyone. Especially his father.
Shikamaru sighed and fell backward against the tree.
"Looks like I have another problem." Shikamaru quitely says.
"Hey Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru nearly jumped.
He turned his head as he watched Naruto running towards him.
The blond-haired boy waved enthusiastically as he approached, completely unaware of the thoughts occupying Shikamaru's mind.
"You scared me."
Naruto stopped.
"Really? You look like you just saw a ghost."
"I was thinking."
Naruto blinked.
"That's probably why."
"Anyway, Iruka-sensei said we're supposed to practice together."
"Why?"
"Thats not a reason for me to help y-"
Before Shikamaru could complain, Naruto grabbed his arm and began pulling him towards the training yard.
Shikamaru sighed.
"What a pain."