When Naruto woke up again he was greeted by Shikayun who paused his examination to greet him. "Well welcome to your new home,"

"I don't want to be here," Naruto's voice was raspy, dry and he could feel that his lips were chapped but his words could be heard quite clearly. "I want to go home," His eyes started watering and he sniffled as his tears soaked his pillow. 

"I'm sorry Naruto but there is no going back to your once village," Shikayun said in a soft voice, he placed his chart down. The Uzumaki started crying harder and he didn't stop crying even Shikamaru and Shikaku came. They were notified of his much calmer awakening and to see such a beautiful person crying was unnerving. 

Shikamaru sat by his side and held his hand. "Hey look at this," Shikamaru pulled down his black sleeveless turtle neck to show his Soulmate mark. Across his throat was Naruto Uzumaki branded within the Uzumaki symbol.  Naruto blinked away his tears and stared at it in bewilderment. 

"You're-"

"I'm your SoulMate and I promise to protect you with everything I have," Shikamaru squeezed his hand and Naruto tightened his hold before melting into more sobs that Shikamaru comforted him through.

********

"We gathered these from your home..." Shikamaru trailed off quietly as he gave Naruto the photo album and other little trinkets that he found on the male's dresser. Naruto stared at them with a distant look in his eye. Then he looked up at Shikamaru and the Nara froze.

Naruto's hair was in the style of a fresh undercut with the top being a slight mess. It was enough to have some of his hair fall over his eye. Eyes that had now turned dark blue with hatred. It was scorching hot and he couldn't help but flinch away a bit. 

A seasoned shinobi like himself.

Who had been on the battlefield for years and had been in the ER for his near-death missions. 

Flinched.

"I hate shinobi." 

The sentence tore through him like an acid-dipped blade. The absolute certainty Naruto spoke it in was shattering. Naruto's hand that was holding his at the moment retreated from his. There was now a wall between. A wall from Naruto's newly acquired hatred for his profession. How such a beautiful face could scowl with so much malice was beyond him. He tried to take back Naruto's hand but the Uzumaki wasn't having it. 

"Don't touch me, just don't. Because of this fucking war I lost the only people who gave a damn about me," Naruto clenched his teeth harshly as his tears came back. "And though you may be my soulmate a parents' love is different from romantic love which we clearly don't have. I don't think we ever will, what now? I lose my parents to war, am I going to hear about your fall on the battlefield soon as well?"

"Naruto-"

"No, I refuse to hear it. Do what you were doing before you found me. I don't care about you or your clan," Naruto turned away from him to caress the pictures within the album. He wanted to go home, his real home. 

"I know you don't mean that, we don't have to be romantic, we don't even have to be friends. Just let me stay here and keep you safe. You're grieving right now and I won't hasten you to get over it, take as long as you like but don't push me away. Don't even acknowledge me as a shinobi, just see me as Shikamaru Nara, heir to the Nara Clan and SoulMate of Naruto Uzumaki."

He got up and left the room to give Naruto space. 

**************

Shikamaru came home that day looking broken. He sat across from his father looking lost to even form his thoughts into words. He summed it up in one sentence, however. "Naruto hates ninjas." 

Shikaku frowned, this wasn't ideal. But he could see where Naruto was coming from. He was tortured and had his parents murdered brutally by Kumo ninjas who they were at war with. He looked over at Shikamaru who was just staring at the board in deep thought. "Make him come around, we are trying to end this war so show him that you can be kind. After all, he was shown the cruelty of our world to the point he doesn't see us as human."

"I'll try but it just hurts to know Kumo did that to him, it's like a slap in the face for all the other soulmates I have killed. Now they were hoping mine was dead," Shikamaru mumbled as he shifted the pieces in a nervous tick. 

"I understand you may see it like that but you have to remember they only saw Naruto as a toy, they didn't think Konoha had any connection with the village itself. Shikamaru get ahold of yourself. Now isn't the time to have an epiphany moment. You are in a war and you are going to fight. Not because your soulmate has an issue with your profession means you should question everything you've done up to now. You don't know him yet and he doesn't know you yet."

"I will Dad," Shikamaru took a deep breath and released it before he broke into a small smile. 

*************

"You should be able to be released in a day with how your injuries are healing," Shikayun reported as he did the final check-up on Naruto that night. Naruto hummed uninterested. 

"Where will I be going afterward?"

Shikayun looked up from the checklist with a puzzled face. "You'll be staying with your soulmate at the Main Household."

"How wonderful, I guess this is my fate now. I always knew I had shitty luck," Naruto cursed at himself as he massaged his wrists that hurt from time to time. 

"I know this might not be my place but don't be so quick to lay down judgment because a few fucked up ninjas decided to do what they did too," Shikayun said as he felt the need to stand up for his future leader. Naruto laughed but it wasn't jovial it was filled with mockery. 

"A few fucked up ninja," His eyes narrowed into slits as he tilted his head a bit. Shikayun refused to acknowledge how a shiver went down his spine. Those looked like the eyes of a shinobi who was dead set on murdering its target. "I wish all of you keeled over. I can't imagine the fear these citizens must be feeling living under your thumbs waiting for the next bomb to go off."

It stung, Shikayun gritted his teeth and left to go report the development. 

Naruto smirked after the door closed. "Serves you damn right, all of you are disgusting."