Shikaki Nara

"You want to repay me? Then surpass me! Be better than me so that when I grow old and retire, I can talk to other people, and then point to you and say 'That is my greatest pupil.'"

- Shikaki Nara

Biography
Born and raised in Konoha, Shikaki was the average young school child at the local academy. There, he was a bit of a rebel without a cause, per say. His equal treatment of absolutely everyone was highly insulting to those whom he is supposed to show respect towards, such as his teachers. The tension created did little to make Shikaki back down and change his attitude. In class, he was a moderate student. His grades were neither outstanding nor ridiculously poor, leaving him in relative anonymous stature (besides his attitude). Shikaki showed little to no interest in mastering any of the teachings of the ninja academy, although his proficiency appeared to lie in the fields of the ninjutsu tactics, with his smarts to guide him. As the graduation exam for Shikaki’s first year of the academy approached, he did practically nothing in preparation for the exam that would allow him to progress to the bottom of the real shinobi ladder: genin. His parents consoled with him to at least practice his ninjutsu for the exam, and Shikaki then only performed the techniques once or twice a week. It would seem that he would flunk his first year at the ninja academy, but Shikaki had confidence in his own abilities. The exam involved creating an excellent replica of one of the teachers through the use of the transformation technique. With that, Shikaki easily passed. Even so, he remained anonymous to those who are unfamiliar to his behavior in the graduation ceremony, accepting his new rank with a lack of celebration. With his acceptance into the chûnin rank a year later, Shikaki made attempts to reform himself as to be a more ideal role model to aspiring genin, with limited success. Those who were taught under his wing were given the emphasis of teamwork and that giving up the life of a comrade for the completion of the mission may doom them later on. Throughout the years, Shikaki successfully aided genin into the promotion to chûnin and eventually found himself promoted to tokubetsu jōnin, and eventually jōnin. As of now, Shikaki is a prominent member of Clan Nara, and a part of the famous Ino-Shika-Chō combination.

Personality and Traits
Shikaki is a firm believer of the Will of Fire, more so than any other religion or belief. Almost all the time, Shikaki maintains a stern expression: he dislikes the prospect of acting irresponsibly or placing those he cares about in unnecessary danger. He treats everyone equally (except his enemies, who he then looks down upon), including that of those whom he is supposed to garner respect towards, creating some tensions. He dislikes, although attempts to find some balance with, the prospect of ninja being tools of a nation; the guy preferring to be his own boss. A lack of diversity of techniques that Shikaki utilizes is offset by his ingenuity of their flexible uses.

He is also a skilled player of a multitude of chess games, including Western chess, shōgi, and Xiangqi (Chinese chess).