Shikamaru accepted the news with a nod. "This place seems to do that," he agreed with an edge of weary frustration beneath his tone. He unclasped his fingers and slid his hands down his face while he thought. Though he could picture the skies of Konoha with near-perfect clarity, the thick, stagnant air of the greenhouse made complete immersion impossible. Figured. He tried to overlay the scent of flowers with what he remembered of Ino's family's store, but everything in this place was sickly-sweet and out of season. Just familiar enough to remind him how unfamiliar it was.

So what did Sai want, then? A better strategy, or was he just trying to be friendly? "We made it into the kitchen. Some other fight was going on in the cafeteria, and Kakashi wanted to make sure that everyone there was okay." It wasn't the choice he would have made, but his tone was matter-of-fact and showed no hint of disapproval. There was a reason Kakashi was a jounin and he was only a chuunin. "Where was your group headed?" Then, a second later, "and who are you working with here, anyway?"