#shikanaru

[person25]

Organizing my thoughts/feelings towards Naruto ships and my thoughts/feelings on it (also disclaimer I can’t outright hate any ship, I can always get why people ship it so no bashing in this!)

Let’s start with Canon(if one’s not here then I have zero opinion on it):

ShikaTema: They’re widely liked among the fandom. I don’t hate them. They’re cute and had good development. I would never read a fic for them though so. Take that as you will.

NaruHina: Oh boy. Let’s get into this. So, the thing with them is I love that they could give each other the loving family that that never had growing up. I enjoy them as they are in canon. They’re just..not my favorite romance wise, ya know? I wouldn’t read a fic for them.

SasuSaku: Now these guys, I like these guys. I used to not like them so much but they’ve grown on me a lot. Their dynamic is good and does have development despite what others might say. I would read a fic for them.

NejiTen (they’re canon to me): They could’ve been so much more😭 The one ship with the obvious romantic tension(early on). Probably wouldn’t read a fic for them though.

Non-Canon Straight Ships:

ShikaIno: I think they could’ve grown together as people. Him getting over the sexism. Her getting over the obsession with her looks. Though, honestly, I don’t mind their canon interests it would’ve been interesting to see them together. Would read a fic if it fit specific standards.

LeeSaku: I can see why people ship them, but personally don’t like them romantically. Would not read a fic for them.

KibaHina: I like them. Misunderstanding trope would go crazy with these two. Wouldn’t read a fic but i sure as hell could write one.

NaruSaku: My loves. They could’ve been so much more😔 Though, with them, I love their dynamic in anyway shape or form so I don’t mind that they didn’t end up canon as long as they stay friends. Would read a fic for them.

Non-canon queer ships:

ObiKaka: I love them in a way that nobody else loves them. I like the idea of their og team being a love triangle in the actual way. Obito likes Rin, Rin likes Kakashi, Kakashi likes Obito. But of course, Kakashi couldn’t handle emotions bc of course. Would read a fic for them.

KakaIru: I love them in a married couple and their adopted child way. Not too crazy about them though. Would read a fic where they main pairing but would enjoy their romantic side-plot.

SakuHina: I have very complicated feelings towards this ship. So, the thing with them is I know most people only shipped them so that sasunaru’s wives were out of the way. I don’t like that. But if someone likes them for different reasons then ily. Wouldn’t read a fic for them.

SakuIno: FAV WLW SHIP😍 So much potential. Another pairing that could grow together + the comphet thing they got going on. I would read a fic for them.

ShikaNaru: Holy biscuits guys, I love them. Naruto’s first friend. The Hokage and his advisor?! I also love the idea of Chill Guy Shikamaru with the most unchill person in existence. Would read a fic for them.

SasuNaru: Very first queer ship I ever shipped (that’s crazy) back in the day. Of course I love them!! The bond they share is like no other in the show. They’re like, literally soulmates. Sun and Moon. As Sasuke said, his “ONE AND ONLY…friend!” Would read a fic for them.

MadaTobi: Oh my lord. I love them. Was very confused when i first discovered this ship. I definitely understand now. They’re so divorced in the war arc lmao. Would read a fic for them.

Team 7: As in, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto. This is a no brainer since I love all of these ships individually. It’s very “I’m bisexual and my girl and guy crushes started dating😕” They figure it out eventually. Would read a fic for them.

Boruto ships:

InoHima: They’re cute. Love a ship where the girl is stronger than the guy. The implied future canon ships in Boruto have a lot more development earlier on than the Naruto canon ones do so i’m really enjoying it. Though, I wouldn’t read a fic for them just yet (this may change).

BoruSara: By far my favorite straight ship in all Naruto media. Way up there in all time favs. Love an Uchiha x Uzumaki ship, but honestly, I don’t ship them this crazily because they’re the next best thing behind sasunaru. They have a completely different dynamic that i love. Would read a fic for.

Holy yap bro.

Anyway, if you wanna hear my thoughts on any other ships or a more in depth breakdown of any previously mentioned just let me know!

This post was mainly just me sorting through how i felt because i’ve had some pretty complicated relationships with some of these guys.

[konohomies]

sketches

[garlicsunshine]

gaaaaaaaaaaaaay (shippuden s2e61)

[astrozure]

i'll give you everything i have

[kathrahender]

Please can the male character of a fantasy show/shonen anime not end with a female character for once? Stop with the heteronormativity dear God.

Give the main male character more female friends instead of giving him female love interests. Male characters deserve to have female friends. They don't have to be always romantically involved! I'm tired of people always wanting to ship a girl and a boy without any other option. They could be just friends! (and this feels very close to me because I had a best male friend in high school and people ALWAYS saw us as lovers and it WASN'T true at all! It was so irritating I swear. "You look good together" "You are a good couple" "Are you two together?" Why can't you leave us alone??? He was just my friend). Because YES, a girl and a boy can be friends without feeling romantic love for each other.

Annabeth could have been Percy Jackson's first female friend and she could have been the first girl who cared about him, just like a "female version of Grover" and just a friend- but no, they had to end up together because God forbid a main male character not being the boyfriend of a girl (and the same happens with Hiccstrid, Jlaire and Anidala, they could also just have been friends)

Naruto and Hinata could have been besties instead of lovers but no- they had to make Hinata a girl whose life was only centered in "How do I make Naruto-kun love me?" (and the same happened to Iris West. She could have been more important to the plot and Barry's best female friend- but instead she was just his love interests and her development was null. And the same happened with Allura. At first she was a good character, but then she was only there to be Lance love interest, what he should have been overcome. And btw Allura's romantic love towards Lance felt very rushed. As well as Hinny was so bad developed in the movies and Ginny's development didn't exist).

Seriously people stop with these things. Stop reducing a female character to a love interest. Don't make the main male character end up with a female character because that "it's better for the plot" "it's better for the world" "people won't accept the male character dating another male character" "people won't accept the male character not dating anyone". Not everything has to be a straight couple. Actually, not everything has to be a couple! All relationships in the book/show/movie/anime could be platonic and it wouldn't be a big deal! (Although personally I like romance, but aroace people also exist and they deserve to be represented in media).

[liph-zip]

the ultimate love triangle: aloof dudes who fixate in the sunshine boy in their lives (and treat him with blatant favoritism)

[run-stray-wolf]

Best friend, husband, advisor - page 34-39 (read from right to left, like the manga)

What if instead of Iruka, Kakashi chose Shikamaru to help Naruto study for becoming the next Hokage? What if Shikamaru took it seriously and discovered Naruto had ADHD? What if along the way Shikamaru became Naruto’s best friend? This is a Naruto x Shikamaru comic, following mainly Shikamaru's POV. Page 27-33

Page 1-6

[rayshippouuchiha]

Okay, abt your S&S, the part where Shika hopes in the future that he gets injured enough so Naruto can stitch him up or heal him.

let’s put a spin on that.

how about: a scenario where Sasuke gets a pretty ugly gash somewhere, and Naruto’s the one that has to stitch him back up, just Sasuke smiling smugly at the thrashing Nara in Kakashi arm just WAITING for Kakashi to let go so he can beat that broody teenager up.

Oh gods look if Sasuke manages to be the one who gets stitched up by Naruto first? Shikamaru is going to be livid. Kakashi is gonna have to start sleeping with both eyes wide ass open to keep Shikamaru from going at Sasuke with a kunai to cut those stitches right back out.

[theylovevenus]

Shikamaru and all his exes plus his current girlfriend in chronological order. This has gotta be one of his top ten worst nightmares

[hellcifrogs]

The two Shika ship fusions!

[epitome-of-an-openbook]

look I love Shikamaru and Temari's relationship, they are probably my favorite canon ship in the whole franchise - but as a ShikaNaru truther I find it very interesting that Shikamaru ended up with a blonde haired, blue eyed, babe with wind nature chakra and a close connection to a tailed beast, as well as a complicated family situation hinging on the fact that their father was a kage who sealed a tailed beast into his infant son in a move that ultimately killed the mother.

[mugiwara-lucy]

I love their relationship so much 🥹

[bitchy-peachy]

"You can't ship that! They're not canon!"

Stfu. I'm allowed to ship nonsensical ships for any reason including them looking extremely fucking sexy together, you fun-hating canon /fanon policing fuck.

[kankuroplease]

Day 1: ShikaNaru || stockings

Worst maid and butler at the maid cafe, but they still look good in the uniforms 🖤

[viperingz]

You're not a monster, you know

[ircn-mvn]

tw: omegaverse (omega!naruto, alpha!shikamaru), canon disability

The War was over. 

Shikamaru had it on good authority that Naruto and Sasuke had made up, and he wouldn’t be surprised to learn the pair had bonded. They were meant to be after all. Or at least, many of their peers thought so.

It was the reason Shikamaru had yet to go looking for Naruto. He wasn’t certain he could handle another heartache so soon. Mourning Shikaku was hard enough. He didn’t have it in him to mourn what could have been. What Naruto and him had shared and what they could have had together.

Thankfully, Tsunade and Kakashi kept him busy. 

Shikamaru managed to avoid facing the truth for a little under 24 hours before Tsunade was summoned to the hospital. The message said Naruto wasn’t doing as well as they had thought. His recovery had slowed significantly.

It made sense if they had locked up his mate right after they bonded.

Still, Shikamaru followed Tsunade to Naruto’s hospital room.

The scent of an omega in distress hit them immediately. Yet Naruto wasn’t acting like one. He was sitting with crossed legs on his bed, listening to whatever Sakura had been telling him with a soft smile on his lips.

He wasn’t hiding in a nest — an instinctual response to trauma. He wasn’t crying or dissociating as Shikamaru had hypothesized.

“Baachan —!” Naruto started. 

However, he promptly interrupted himself as he noticed Shikamaru behind Tsunade. His blue eyes widened, and his face did something complicated, his emotions unclear to Shikamaru.

“Shikamaru,” Naruto said at last.

It was barely a whisper, but it still caught Shikamaru off guard. As did Naruto’s next move. The omega got up from his bed, and the alpha took a step forward on instinct. 

Was he even supposed to be standing? 

Naruto swiftly crossed the distance between them, his exhaustion betrayed by nothing, but a faint blush. Shikamaru briefly thought about pressing his lips to the overheated skin. 

But that was before all his thoughts came to a halt as Naruto put his only arm around him. The omega brought their bodies together, leaving no space whatsoever between them. Naruto’s face found itself pressed against Shikamaru’s neck — his nose rubbing his scent patch — and Shikamaru’s breath hitched.

This wasn’t mated-omega’s behavior. Naruto hadn’t received a thorough education on Secondary Genders — Shikamaru knew as much from their shared childhood — but he couldn’t imagine him disrespecting his mate like this. That and the fact Shikamaru couldn’t smell Sasuke on him at all. 

He also had a pretty good view of Naruto’s neck. His scent patch was missing, but so was any trace of a mating bite. Had Kurama healed it already? Or was Naruto truly unbonded?

Did it matter?

Naruto was in distress and seeking comfort from Shikamaru, and truthfully, it was all that really mattered to him at that moment.

He took off his scent patch, having completely forgotten about Tsunade and Sakura’s presence. 

If he believed Temari, Shikamaru smelled of the forest and something akin to a campfire. Naruto smelled of sunshine, as ridiculous as it might sound. A warm summer breeze, red peppers — the ones used to spice up ramens — and something else he never could put his finger on but was what made Naruto’s scent unique, and the best Shikamaru had ever encountered.

Shikamaru’s arms closed around Naruto and the omega immediately relaxed further against him. His scent was turning from obvious distress to… Was it happiness? In any case, it soothed Shikamaru’s pain. At least partially. 

His head fell to Naruto’s shoulder before he tentatively imitated the omega and brushed his nose against Naruto’s scent gland. The omega jumped slightly before clinging to him even harder. His scent got sweeter. It was intoxicating.

“Well, I suppose I’m not needed after all,” Tsunade said.

Shikamaru tensed but didn’t move. Naruto mumbled something against his neck, his lips brushing Shikamaru’s skin in the process and distracting him from trying to make sense of any of it.

“What was that brat?” Tsunade asked.

“I said I’m fine,” Naruto said. Or more like exclaimed a little too close to Shikamaru’s ear but he still couldn’t bring himself to break their embrace. 

“Hmhm… You know, we would have understood if you had told us you two were pre-bonded, Shikamaru. Kakashi is actually more capable than he likes Iruka-Sensei and you to think.” Tsunade added.

“We are not —” he started. 

There was a slight tremor in Naruto’s hold on his jacket. He needed to choose his next words carefully.

“There hadn’t been any time for anything of the sort,” he said in the end. “Also now the war is over, I was hoping to ask him — you, Naruto — out, on a dat —?”

“Yes!”

They moved just enough to be able to look each other in the eyes. Naruto’s flushed face matched his own.

“But we already went on dates, no?” Naruto asked. He sounded uncertain. “I mean, you invited me to eat every time I got back to the village and I thought… Iruka and Kakashi said you were courting me?”

Iruka and Kakashi, uh? The latest was lucky he was Hokage. 

“I was,” he said. “I just wasn’t sure you were aware of it… or if it was something you wanted.”

“Why wouldn’t I want to date you? You are… you! And you were my first friend!”

“Yeah, and you are you, Naruto,” Shikamaru replied. “Usually, omega bond to alphas who match their strength or are even stronger, I’m not —”

“You are strong!” Naruto protested. “And even if you weren’t, I don’t need protection, I need…”

Shikamaru wished they weren’t having this conversation in front of an audience but here they were. (What a drag, ah.)

“I love you,” he said as Naruto trailed off.

There was a squeaky sound in the background that Shikamaru suspected to be Sakura’s reaction while Naruto didn’t outwardly react at first. However, because he had been paying attention to it previously, Shikamaru noticed the way Naruto’s heart skipped a beat.

“Oh,” Naruto said. The brightest of smiles suddenly appeared on his face, his blue eyes watering slightly as they never left Shikamaru’s. “I love you too. A lot.”

And well, maybe all hope wasn’t lost after all.