Naruto: Shikamaru's Story--A Cloud Drifting in the Silent Dark

NARUTO -ナルト- 秘伝 [Naruto Hiden] #2

by Masashi Kishimoto (Original Creator, Illustrator), Takashi Yano (Writer), Jocelyne Allen (Translation)

Two years after the Great Ninja War, Shikamaru spends his days racing around, hands full as one of Konoha’s key protectors. Then, large numbers of ninja from every region are reported missing. Even Sai disappears. And the place where the missing shinobi end up is the mysterious empire, the Land of Silence.

As a ninja, as an adult, to protect all that he is responsible for, Shikamaru must do battle with the shadow of a new generation.

Genres: Manga, Light Novel, Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Novels, Anime

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2015

About the author

Masashi Kishimoto (岸本斉史 Kishimoto Masashi) is a Japanese manga artist, well known for creating the manga series Naruto. His younger twin brother, Seishi Kishimoto, is also a manga artist and creator of the manga series O-Parts Hunter (666 Satan) and Blazer Drive. Two of his former assistants, Osamu Kajisa (Tattoo Hearts) and Yuuichi Itakura (Hand's), have also gone on to moderate success following their work on Naruto.

Kishimoto's first work as a manga artist was Karakuri (カラクリ?), which he submitted to Shueisha in 1995. This earned him the Weekly Shōnen Jump's monthly "Hop Step Award" in 1996, granted to promising new manga artists. This was followed in 1997 by a pilot version of Naruto (NARUTO－ナルト－), published in Akamaru Jump Summer. In 1998, Kishimoto premiered as a Weekly Shōnen Jump artist with a serialized version of Karakuri in Weekly Shōnen Jump, but it proved unpopular and was canceled soon after. In 1999, a serialized version of Naruto began publication in Weekly Shōnen Jump and quickly became a hit.

Reviews

[Lisichka · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Naruto was the sun. In his body, he housed an inexhaustible flame, a blinding, shining sun. Anyone bathed in that passion opened their heart and became his friend." To put it straight, this is what the whole anime and manga is about.

I'm so glad that there are Light Novels of characters from Naruto. This book captured Shikamaru's complexity and growth well. Even though he is not my favourite character, I think of him as brilliant.
Nevertheless, it made me a little bit sad to see how violent Sakura is potrayed because in my eyes she isn't like that when a friend comes to here to talk about important things. Sigh.

"What does it mean to be an adult?"- Kakashi to Shikamaru. This question hit me hard. Twice.

[Aja: The Narcoleptic Ninja · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some reason I have been convinced that I already wrote a review for this book… and I just realized that I haven’t. So whoops.

I love books that fill in gaps after a story ends, especially with a series like this because I’ve been reading it for so long that it just feels wrong for it to suddenly be over. So these books have been an amazing way to continue the series and I’m already super impatient for more.

So, as the title suggests, this story revolves around Shikamaru. If you’re an InoShikaCho fan though, this is probably going to be a disappointment because his teammates aren’t really in it. Instead, Shikamaru is working with two Anbu on another mission. The girl (who’s name I have already blocked from my mind) was so incredibly annoying that I was actually longing for Ino. I know there’s always some changes and things when it comes to translations, and I get verbal tics, but this girl said ‘like’ at least once per sentence. I wish that was an exaggeration, but it’s not. If she spoke she said it, and yes, there were instances where she said it more than once in a sentence. So points to Shikamaru for telling her to shut it.

Overall though it was a fun and entertaining read and I’m excited to read more about the characters that I’ve come to love.

[Avery (ThePagemaster) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shikamaru is my favorite character in the Naruto universe, and probably in anime, period. I've been curious about these novels--especially Shikamaru's--since I've heard about them. And, despite my bias towards my favorite anime character, I will say this is still a quick and fun read. It's like a filler episode, but the story didn't feel nonsensical or unnecessary. Though, I will admit, it is exposition heavy in the beginning. But, regardless, I did have casual fun reading this, and if you're a avid or casual Naruto fan, this is worth the read.

[Aeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars! I absolutely loved it. We didn't get to see much of Shikamaru's inner conflic in the anime and more so after the anime ended, thats given ofc. But both the mission and how the story progressed kept me engrossed enough to forget the time.

I also loved the TemaShika interaction, we even got to read a little , teeeeny bit, about InoSai too! Amd the ending! Even though it wasn't something unexpected, it caught me offgaurd!

Cant wait to read Sakura Hiden now.



P.S. I wish the other Hidens get translated too! ☹

[marcjannas · Rating 1 out of 5]

bon objectivement c’était nul et super mal écrit mais j’aime trop Shikamaru donc c’était quand même fun

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

La historia que nos relata la novela es mucho más interesante que la relatada en la adaptación al anime; ya que nos plantea cuestiones que todos nos hemos hecho en el momento en el que dejamos al niñez para convertimos en adultos.
¿Qué es ser un adulto? En un mundo donde aún quedan vestigios de guerra y donde, sin proponérselo, Shikamaru se ha vuelto indispensable para el mundo, él no sabe qué es ser un adulto ni tiene una motivación real.
A pesar de la aventura y la lucha personal que se presenta, no hay una conclusión final. Nunca vemos que shikamaru descubra una respuesta a las múltiples preguntas que se plantea, sólo vemos que ahora tiene una meta.

Adentrarnos en la psicología de uno de los mejores personajes creados por Kishimoto fue, sin duda, interesante. Pero no está del todo logrado, y sin una conclusión real, no puedo darle a este libro una calificación más alta.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

is this a 5 star because I'm biased because I love Shikamaru as well as whenever he and Temari interact? Hell yeah.

I don't really touch Naruto much anymore but I really wanted to read this book since it focuses on Shikamaru more with a little side story.

[Claudia ✨ (_Skyream) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo único que puedo decir es que me encantó. <3

[Téyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shikamaru purée quel grand monsieur

[Mirai · Rating 4 out of 5]

"ขี้บ่นจังแฮะ น่ารำคาญชะมัด"

เล่มนี้ตัวละครเอกเป็นนินจาหนุ่มขี้เบื่อโลกอย่างนารา ชิกามารุค่ะ มุมมองการเล่าเรื่องต่างๆ ก็จะผ่านความรู้สึกนึกคิดของชิกามารุ คนที่ติดตามมังงะนารูโตะจะรู้จักตัวละครตัวนี้ดีว่าเป็นตัวละครที่ขี้บ่นขี้เบื่อขนาดไหน.. ใช่ค่ะ เล่มนี้ นางเล่นบ่นตลอดทั้งเรื่องเลย 5555555 (บ่นให้ตายกันไปข้างหนึ่ง) บ่นอย่างเดียวไม่พอนะ ยังชอบตั้งคำถามเชิงปรัญชากับตัวเองอีก เช่น การเป็นผู้ใหญ่คืออะไร ชีวิตคืออะไร บลาๆ ที่สุดแห่งความปวดขมองเลยนายคนนี้! 555555

และด้วยความที่ชิกามารุเป็นคนเนือยๆ ใช้ชีวิตเหมือนจะชิลๆ เรื่อยๆ แต่เคร่งเครียดและเคร่งครัด เนื้อเรื่องก็จะเอื่อยๆ ตามตัวละครเอก แม้จะมีฉากต่อปากต่อคำกับโซกุ นินจาเด็กน้อยจากหน่วยลับบ้างเป็นบางฉาก หรือมีฉากซีนคู่ชวนจิ้นระหว่างชิกามารุกับเทมาริ กิ๊กสาวต่างแคว้นแทรกอยู่บ้างประปราย แต่บรรยากาศโดยรวมก็ยังอึดอัดและตึงเครียดไปกับสถานการณ์คดีนินจาหายอยู่ดี

ในช่วงแรกลากยาวไปถึงกลางๆ ค่อนไปท้ายเรื่องจะมีแต่ความเครียดอันเกิดจากการสืบคดีจริงจังและการพยายามแทรกตัวเข้าไปในแคว้นชิจิมะโนะคุนิ แต่ช่วงท้ายเรื่องจะเต็มไปด้วยความมันส์ เพราะเป็นฉากต่อสู้บู๊ล้างผลาญแบบตะลุมบอนวุ่นวายสุดๆ ซึ่งก็สนุกใช้ได้ ลืมความน่าเบื่อในช่วงแรกของเรื่องไปได้เลย

ในเรื่องของภาษา.. ก็ตามสไตล์วรรณกรรมญี่ปุ่นอ่ะนะ กระชับ สั้น ไม่เยิ่นเย้อ เดินเรื่องเร็ว ขอแค่มีสติ.. ก็จะเข้าใจว่าใครทำอะไรที่ไหนและพูดบทพูดไหน เล่มนี้มีมุกเกี่ยวกับภาษาด้วย คือมันไม่เชิงมุกหรอก ออกแนวเอกลักษณ์ในการพูดของตัวละครมากกว่า ซึ่งผู้แปลก็แปลให้คนอ่านชาวไทยเข้าใจมุกทางภาษาญี่ปุ่นได้ดีระดับนึงทีเดียว อันนี้ขอชื่นชม

สรุปแล้ว.. ชิกามารุ.. นายเครียดเกินไปเปล่าวะ?!
การเดินเรื่องเลยพลอยเครียดไปด้วย พอมันเครียดมากๆ ความสนุกมันก็หาย ทั้งที่คดีนินจาหายจะน่าสนใจระดับนึงก็เถอะ แต่จุดหักมุมของเรื่องใช้ได้อยู่นะ แถมฉากแอคชั่นท้ายเรื่องก็สนุกอยู่ มีฉากชวนจิ้นหลายฉากสำหรับคู่ชิกามารุ-เทมาริให้พอหอมปากหอมคอ (แถมยังมีฉากตัวละครอีกคู่ที่โผล่มาเซอร์ไพร์สให้เราได้จิ้นในตอนจบด้วย แต่เราไม่อยากสปอยยยยยล์!) ที่สำคัญสุด.. เราดีใจกับนายด้วยนะ ชิกามารุ ที่ค้นหาคำตอบเชิงปรัชญาของนายได้น่ะ 555555

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shikamaru is one of my favorite characters from Naruto and when I read the blurb it sounded interesting. Unfortunately the plot, the villain are really weak. If that wasn't enough they need to add forced romance with Temari (she just comes up as violent and plain annoying in this book) and his way to adulthood. That part was like reading fanfiction. If you like Shikamaru, avoid this book. The only positive thing about this book is the interaction with Naruto which was good.

[Shyames · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tak czułam, że to będzie historia, którą wrzucili pod sam koniec anime.
Jednak co książka to książka - i w przypadku takich dosyć mocnych konfliktów wewnętrznych bohaterów to wypada zdecydowanie lepiej.

[Adam Gower · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Much better than the Kakashi book with some interesting themes explored.

[Ida Raffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5
The strength of this light novel was Shikamaru's inner though & self-perceptions.
I liked learning that Shikamaru actually viewed himself as being the darkness and shadow to Naruto's light & sun. I know he's not the only one, but he didn't express this in the manga for himself, so I like that this book taught me something even after finishing the manga/anime.

Seeing his inner thoughts also allowed me to understand his internal struggles more, despite watching the adapted scenes from the anime. It even helps me a bit to understand present-day 'Boruto: Two Blue Vortex' manga's version of Shikamaru where his personality seems a bit...changed.

That being said, I didn't realise this light novel was the same story I watched in the anime (towards the end, post-manga adapted episodes). I'm not sure whether I would've read it or not if I knew since I assumed I was reading an unadapted story and recall not caring for the newly introduced side characters during the assassination mission (I don't read blurbs sometimes as I like going into things surprised).

While I enjoyed the beginning (Shikamaru's thoughts/darkness), occasional POV switch to side characters from the series (i.e. Gaara/Temari) and the end (the rescue, fight, resolution of Shikamaru's struggles), I didn't enjoy the actual mission & villain itself. I thought it was made worse that Shikamaru was put in a team with nobodies we didn't know or care about and couldn't bond with because their personalities were 1-dimensional or annoying (one girl's whole trait is that she is childish and says "like" all the time).
The dialogue was off, the villain was mediocre in the end, the 2 temporary teammates didn't need to be there instead of established characters since the end didn't flesh them out anyway.
This is why the rating is lower than expected of my fave shounen series franchise.

What I LOVED was Shikamaru's determination to make Naruto Hokage, any Gaara interaction (that's my fave right there! Supportive brother, strong back-up, wingman & generous friend? My boy keeps getting better), Shikamaru x Temari romance of course (obsessed, relatable, hilarious, love them both even individually), Sai's whole captured ordeal (I wish Ino's romance was more fleshed out, cause I'm all for it. But it's too abrupt and short here. I withdraw this complaint if it's fully fleshed out in another light novel I have yet to read).

Overall-
Great for the previously established cast's character moments, relationships and interactions;
Dragged down for anything related to the new, one-time appearing characters who felt like filler characters.
Still glad I read it despite the latter.

[Prakhar Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few chapters in, you'll realise this story is covered in Shippuden. But there are always extra stuff and little details in books that you can't deny enjoying, and so you have little things and extra stuff here as well that are really nice to read. You're also able to see Shikamaru's growth in much more detail than in anime. For that reason, it's definitely a must read for all you Naruto fans.

[Klara Woodson · Rating 5 out of 5]

QUESTO, questo, questo! Questo era esattamente quello che i fan di Naruto desideravano, quello che si meritavano! Finalmente, dopo tantissimi anni, possiamo dire che almeno uno dei romanzi sia riuscito laddove tutti gli altri hanno fallito. E la deliziosa ironia che il romanzo sia dedicato proprio a Shikamaru mi riempie il cuore di gioia.

Purtroppo, i romanzi della serie spesso e volentieri non sono altro che delle eleganti fanfiction o scuse per inserire gli annesimi epidosi filler nell'anime. Gli autori non fanno abbastanza ricerche, i personaggi sono brutte copie di quelli dell'opera originale, le storie sono noiose e previdibili, quando non un semplice copia e incolla dalla trama di uno dei film. Solo l'ennesimo espediente per fare qualche soldo in più da una serie che ormai (soprattutto con l'introduzione di Boruto) sopravvive solo a stento alle pesanti e tristemente giustificate critiche di essere caduto nella commercialata più totale. A pagine e pagine di noiosisssimi combattimenti seguono in genere uno o due paragrafi dedicati ai sentimenti di personaggi secondari (come Lee, Kakashi o Gaara), che pure rappresentano la vera ricchezza di questa serie. In generale, gli autori dei romanzi di Naruto falliscono miseramente nel trasmettere quello spirito e quell'atmosfera che rendevano il manga e l'anime originali tanto speciali.

Pensavo che fosse una specie di maledizione dalla quale non saremmo mai usciti.
E poi ho letto questo libro.

"Shikamaru, una Nuvola alla Deriva del Silenzio" fa tutto quello che un romanzo di Naruto dovrebbe fare. Per prima cosa, hanno avuto l'idea geniale di dedicare uno dei romanzi Hiden a Shikamaru, che probabilmente è il personaggio che si presta meglio a questo tipo di opera. Il suo carattere pigro, riflessivo e desideroso di vivere una vita semplice e tranquilla nasconde sì la mente di un genio calcolatore, ma serve anche a rendere estremamente facile e divertente identificarsi con lui. Per questo, quando si legge un libro che richiede più concentrazione e attenzione rispetto ad un manga, è preferibile farlo dal punto di vista di un personaggio come Shikamaru piuttosto che uno come Kakashi o Gaara. Non fraintendetemi, questi sono tutti personaggi che adoro e di cui sono una grande fan, ma nei loro romanzi Hiden ci si sofferma soprattutto sulle loro gesta o sul loro passato, oppure su un unico aspetto della loro personalità. E questo va benissimo, perché sono personaggi che ci attraggono proprio per il fascino del loro mito. Ma questi miti, per quanto interessanti, si distaccano dalla quotidianità dell'essere, che invece in Shikamaru è molto presente: è questo l'elemento, unito alla sua incredibile abilità ninja, che ci spinge ad identificarci con lui. Questo rende più facile rimanere concentrati durante la lettura, a cui le riflessioni di Shikamaru (non forzate perché tipiche del personaggio) si prestano benissimo.

L'autore inoltre ha fatto la scelta giustissima di dare importanza anche ad altri personaggi. Di nuovo, la cosa che rendeva tanto speciale Naruto era questo mosaico di personaggi con cui entrava in contatto, tanti individui alla ricerca del proprio modo di essere ninja, ognuno con le proprie caratteristiche e i propri sogni. E la lezione più importante della serie era quella di vedere l'Altro non come un nemico, ma come un compagno. Togliere importanza ai personaggi secondari è un piccolo grande peccato in cui tutta la serie è caduta, a cominciare dalle saghe inoltrate dello Shippuden.
Questo romanzo, tuttavia, NON commette quell'errore. Troviamo personaggi come Sai, Kakashi, Gaara, Sakura, Naruto, Ino, Choji e Temari. E tutti, ma dico tutti, hanno il loro momento di gloria, si dimostrano essenziali per la trama e non si limitano ad agire secondo la versione più stereotipata di se stessi, ma sono pienamente coerenti con la complessità del loro personaggio. Anzi, in certi punti troviamo delle splendide evoluzioni, alcune delle quali talmente ben fatte e descritte che mi sarebbe piaciuto vederle nel manga. Oserei persino dire che mi hanno ricordato i primissimi episodi di Naruto, quelli che per primi mi hanno fatto innamorare della serie.

Altra importantissima caratteristica di Naruto era il modo in cui tesseva uno stretto rapporto tra il passato dei personaggi e il loro futuro, anticipandone l'evoluzione e gli ostacoli che avrebbero dovuto superare per raggiungere la maturità e il loro posto nel mondo. La struttura stessa di questo romanzo opera in maniera tale da ricordare in maniera quasi commovente quella della serie originale. Si inizia con un pigro lembo di nuvola che vaga nel cielo (elemento che nella mente di qualsiasi fan di Shikamaru scatenerà immediatamente una pioggia di ricordi), per terminare con uno sguardo rassegnato, ma sorridente, al futuro.

E ora, parliamo di uno degli elementi più piccanti del romanzo:

La ShikaTema.
Piccola premessa: devo restare fedele ai miei ideali di fujoshi, ammettendo che questa è una delle pochissime coppie etero che shippo e ho sempre shippato in Naruto. E c'è un buon motivo per cui continuo a farlo.
Ecco, a volte tendiamo a dimenticare che questo é un universo di ninja. E quando penso ai ninja io NON penso a Hinata che lava i piatti o a Sakura che prepara il pranzo per Sasuke.

Penso invece a Shikamaru e Temari che arrivano a conoscersi davvero solo sul campo di battaglia, che si aiutano a vicenda in missione, che si allenano insieme e che lavorano per rafforzare l'alleanza tra i loro paesi. Il loro rapporto non nasce da un'improvvisa infatuazione, dall'ossessione o dall'insicurezza: nasce dalla stima reciproca. Perchè Shikamaru è uno shinobi incredibile e Temari è una kunoichi coi controcazzi.
E non smettono mai di esserlo.
Anche dopo la nascita di Shikadai, Shikamaru continua a lavorare per il villaggio e Temari continua ad andare in missione. Non lascia il suo ventaglio a prendere polvere in un angolo mentre lei prepara la cena. Lo tiene a portata di mano. Questi due hanno sacrificato tanto l'uno per l'altra, entrambi si sono messi in gioco per migliorare come coppia e come shinobi. Per quanto mi riguarda, non smetterò mai di adorarli.

E sinceramente, trovo che l'autore del romanzo si sia dimostrano ancora una volta molto abile nel rendere questo elemento realistico e simpatico insieme, con diversi riferimenti ai primi episodi che fanno capire come dietro la macchina da scrivere non ci sia l'ennesima sanguisuga pronta a fare soldi, ma un autentico appasionato della serie che ha fatto tante ricerche e si è sforzato fino all'ultimo per trasmette quell'atmosfera e quei sentimenti che rendevano Naruto tanto speciale.

[Thomas Maluck · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like giving a Shikamaru-centric book two stars. He's one of my favorite characters in the Naruto series, and the opening chapters where he struggles to find his place as a pseudo-leader in Konoha had me hooked. If this book gave Shikamaru the same treatment as Kakashi in his light novel, peppering character moments and "where are they now?" spotlights into some action setpieces, I would be satisfied.

Instead, the Land of Silence is the Land of Tameness. The villain starting his own army to correct society's mistakes blah blah blah... the fights where limb position and move-by-move reactions are spelled out in detail... it became a slog. This is a short book, but I had to keep putting it down and delaying finishing because everything in Silence was so boring. Newcomers Ro and Soku aren't worth being tacked into the cast, serving as walking superpowers instead of fleshed out characters. Shikamaru's moments of "adulthood" near the end read like fanfiction. Maybe I'm too old to appreciate what happened there, or maybe Shikamaru should've had something more original/insightful to say about his growth across the series.

And that's without getting into the rushed romance and flash-forward marriage/parenthood with Temari.

[Nayade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Primer libro que leo de esta colección y, sin ninguna duda, ha superado mis expectativas al 100%. He podido saber más de mi personaje favorito, acompañarle en una nueva misión, y encima me ha dado un contenido fan que deseaba y ansiaba. Un verdadero regalo para mi gusto friki. Podéis tener por seguro que leeré, cuando pueda, el resto de libros de la misma colección.

Reseña completa en: http://elmundodenaya.blogspot.com/201...

[Fernanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia con el final que todos esperamos, no destaca tanto pero se le agradecen esos detalles hacia la pareja de ShikaTema. Aparte que lleva un poco de la historia de otra pareja, que no adelantare pero igualmente disfrute.
Un libro que fácilmente se lee en un par de horas.

[Ting Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the themes in this hiden: friendship, trust, true self, etc. Also, the Shikatema and SaIno moments were simply precious. <3

[Harrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only one so far worth reading I have found.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story!

[Keysia⁷ Herondale &#x1f349; *kinda ia* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stayed up late reading this and I regret nothing

[Shiva Sakthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the right life ❤️

[jana ☆]

ino + neji mentioned :3

[Rina Ayra Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does it mean being an adult?

In which Shikamaru replied...

“ he let the words that popped into his head come out as is. Honest. “Giving up on something and finding something more important… Maybe something like that. Although I’m not totally sure.”

Some guys are like Naruto; they’re totally focused on one thing from the time they’re kids. But most guys are lost and they give up on a thing, but they still keep on walking, and then finally, they find something important, and maybe they live toward that.”

This is the third light and dark novel I've read and so far and it still has not disappointed me. The focus in this novel this time is my all-time favorite character, Shikamaru Nara. Here we are guided through his thought process on how he suddenly went from being a lazy kid to shouldering one of the heaviest duties as one of the most powerful seat's right-hand man as well as a huge asset in the alliance. The main conflict wasn't very difficult to follow as well and was one of the things that I've argued mentally what happens to shinobis when the war was over. So Basically, since conflicts and fights have decreased significantly, the number of missions for shinobis to carry out decreased significantly as well. Thus, a huge number of shinobi went into a silent revolution and went to become rogue ninjas.

The story starts with Shikamaru daydreaming on how his world was once peaceful, with no obligations and worries, contemplating when did he change his perception in life. With the looming conflict, he decided to take care of things himself before it erupts into a much bigger problem. Personally, the main conflict wasn't the main thing that drew me to keep on reading. It was the relatability of Shikamaru's thoughts in the real world: the way he was only able to see his friends every once in a while with the need to set up a date just for them to hang out because everyone has work to do, the piling of obligations that he didn't want but have no choice but to accept because people relied on him, etc. Because admittedly, let's all be honest that Shikamaru's the only character that most of us can relate to. The way the author wrote down his thoughts was something that can be applied on a smaller scale regarding daily tasks and obligations.

What I meant to say is that it's just about growing up, being an adult, taking responsibility.

Shikamaru didn't expect himself to have a life he was living. He wanted a regular life, a regular job, a regular girl to marry and he was dumped with something much much greater. He didn't want any hassle, which I still find very alluring about his character.

So in the end, after the combat, he found himself in terms with his inner conflict--- accepting the obligations ahead of him and not forgetting who he was at the same time. We can see this when he finally had the courage to ask Temari on a date regardless of how he exactly didn't understand how he feels for her at the beginning. We even get a short glimpse of their son(Shikadai) at the very end of the novel, even acknowledging that he looked a lot like him (except for the eyes).

"Only someone like him could understand the feelings of those who longed for ordinary lives without dreams. What was wrong with being happy with just right? Dreams weren’t all about aiming for the sky, for some lofty goal or objective."

Anyway, this review is a bit messy. I *might clean this up later ( I'm at work so can't really put my thoughts down properly. But definitely a good read.

Will I read this again? Maybe, yes.
Will I recommend this book? To the fans, absolutely.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Naruto es el sol. Hay un sol resplandeciente dentro de él, cuyas llamas jamás se extinguen. Y todos aquellos que son iluminados por esa pasión abren su corazón y se hacen sus amigos. Todos saben que Naruto seguirá adelante, cómo siempre lo ha hecho y como siempre lo hará. Y un día cumplirá su sueño: se convertirá en Hokage, se ganará la confianza de todos en la aldea y su brillo aumentará cada vez más"

"Un jutsu ilusorio solo funciona en aquellos con grietas en el corazón...".

"Te estoy diciendo que es un error pensar que solo aquello que parece tener sustancia es ideal. Aun cuando uno no tenga ~sustancia~, aunque no tenga algo sólido ni firme, basta con que posea algo incorruptible como persona para salir adelante. Un imbécil que no comprende esto y que, además, cree que puede hacer que todos actúen como él desee no entenderá nada ni siquiera muriendo."

"Nadie es capaz de vivir completamente solo. No somos omnipotentes para poder hacer todo perfecto sin la ayuda de nadie. Por eso necesitamos compañía."

"El tiempo fluye lentamente llevándonos a todos."

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good story that focuses on Shikamaru still struggling with the aftermath of the Fourth War arc. We still see that he is still trying to live up to the promise he made his father before his dad which is to become a commander like him. But when a new threat from a mysterious place called the Land of Silence as various ninja seemed to be disappearing and defecting from their villages. I do like the central conflict is Shikmaru trying to stay true to his old ways but still trying to be responsible and ending up taking on to much responsibility. It is a nice conflict and a good message of trying to find balance. Gengo is an ok villain who at first sounded like a Ninja version of Magento from X-men as he wants to create a world with Ninja's at the top. The mystery about him is intriguing but I kind of wish the answer was more interesting as it is a little lame but I do have to admit the cult like nature of Gengo and the Revolutionaries is creepy and does help them stand out among the other Naruto villains.

[Narek Shukhyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

After having these books for years, came back to reading them.
Started from Shikamaru as he is my all time favourite in the series.

First impression was the nostalgia over the "what a drag" personality of Shikamaru.
And maybe even for a simpler life. Or just nice to see the character in it's familiar lazy shape (a change after the Boruto Manga).

The story seem to be a huge arc rushed in 60 pages (as always with these short stories), but still captivating with it's ideological debates, which I absolutely expect and look for in a Naruto story.

The question "What does it mean to be an adult?" in between Shikamaru and Kakashi hit me to the bone.
It gave the same familiar thought food I had when Asuma and Shikamaru explored "Who is the king" in shogi and for Shikamarus self exploration on the topic only I would say it's a 5 star read. But again, I am biased, it's Shikamaru after all :)

Overall, an easy light story to read which would go great if you start with expectations of Boruto (anime) like spin-off.

[Lisseth Morales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fue increíble conocer de cerca el pensamiento de Shikamaru, en mi opinión, un personaje que siempre ha destacado dentro del mundo de Naruto, esa singularidad que tiene sobre analizar cada movimiento de los enemigos y crear estrategias particulares para afrontarlos, han hecho considerale dentro del mundo shinobi como un estratega invaluable. A través de esta novela somos testigos de los cambios que ha experimentado, después de ser un niño perezoso que ve todo como un problema, pero siempre con un gran intelecto, al hombre maduro y consciente de sus capacidades e ideales, en que se ha convertido. Puede notarse lo mucho que ha trabajado para poder hacer que Naruto alcance su sueño, porque como bien él lo dijo en su momento, Naruto representa el Sol, no debe verse afectado por la oscuridad, para ello existen personas como él que pueden ocuparse en las sombras. Adoro esa relación que existe entre Temari y él, y cómo se hace tan significativa la interacción que tienen.