As long as he wasn't trying to give any motivational speeches, Fox qualified as acceptable company. Shikamaru had the sense that if he asked the man to leave him alone, the request would be obeyed without question or argument, which meant that there wasn't any reason to do so. He didn't mind company, as long as it wasn't obtrusive. With a soft exhale, he let himself fall back into a position where he could more easily watch the dimming sky. It was the same everywhere...Konoha, Suna, over borders he'd briefly crossed while working to organize the chuunin exams. The clouds themselves changed, listlessly drifting and merging until uneven wind tugged them apart, but the sky itself was a constant. Even when storms or darkness obscured it, in time it returned, unchanged.
Age and experience had tempered the fiercest of Shikamaru's cloud envy--as much as he disliked work, he disliked seeing harm befall his teammates and village even more, and a life with no responsibility could easily become a life of bothersome regret. Still, he'd liked knowing that the sky was always there, dependable in a way that very few things in a shinobi's life managed to be.
This wasn't the sky he was used to.
After a few seconds of silent contemplation and a few more seconds clearing that silent contemplation from his mind, he finally answered Fox's question. "There's a bunch," he said, voice tired and mildly bored, neither pleased nor deeply dismayed. As others had pointed out, this wasn't the kind of place you'd wish on your friends, but then, Shikamaru's friends weren't the kind who needed to be protected. They were all skilled ninja, used to confronting danger on a daily basis, and he was confident that as long as they stuck together, they could take care of each other and eventually return to Konoha. Their escape plans left something to be desired, he thought with a smirk and a quiet snort, but then, as troublesome as it was, he couldn't blame them. Most of them knew as much about strategy as he knew about high-level chakra manipulation or healing. Shinobi were meant to operate in small groups. Working with a well-matched team drastically increased the chances that they could accomplish what they needed to.
But what about Jiraiya? Could he go back, even if he wanted to? The thought barely registered before Shikamaru swept it away from his consciousness.
"They're all decent ninja, though," he continued. It didn't mean he had any less responsibility towards them, but fulfilling that responsibility would be a hell of a lot easier than protecting civilians or children.
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Age and experience had tempered the fiercest of Shikamaru's cloud envy--as much as he disliked work, he disliked seeing harm befall his teammates and village even more, and a life with no responsibility could easily become a life of bothersome regret. Still, he'd liked knowing that the sky was always there, dependable in a way that very few things in a shinobi's life managed to be.
This wasn't the sky he was used to.
After a few seconds of silent contemplation and a few more seconds clearing that silent contemplation from his mind, he finally answered Fox's question. "There's a bunch," he said, voice tired and mildly bored, neither pleased nor deeply dismayed. As others had pointed out, this wasn't the kind of place you'd wish on your friends, but then, Shikamaru's friends weren't the kind who needed to be protected. They were all skilled ninja, used to confronting danger on a daily basis, and he was confident that as long as they stuck together, they could take care of each other and eventually return to Konoha. Their escape plans left something to be desired, he thought with a smirk and a quiet snort, but then, as troublesome as it was, he couldn't blame them. Most of them knew as much about strategy as he knew about high-level chakra manipulation or healing. Shinobi were meant to operate in small groups. Working with a well-matched team drastically increased the chances that they could accomplish what they needed to.
But what about Jiraiya? Could he go back, even if he wanted to? The thought barely registered before Shikamaru swept it away from his consciousness.
"They're all decent ninja, though," he continued. It didn't mean he had any less responsibility towards them, but fulfilling that responsibility would be a hell of a lot easier than protecting civilians or children.