Shikamaru listened with a sinking sensation, and even before Kakashi gave them the option to leave the room, he was already fighting the urge to do so. For all he knew, all of Konoha could be destroyed. What the hell was the point of getting back at all, then? Just to watch everyone he cared about die? To know that he'd failed at one of only responsibilities he'd promised himself to fulfill at any cost? Shikamaru dragged his hands down his face, thinking for much longer than Kakashi probably would have approved of. It was phrased like a list of options, but he knew it was only a shade away from an order.
He couldn't argue. He couldn't argue, but he also couldn't take much more of this shit. As hard as he was working to become strong, Shikamaru's inability to fully compartmentalize emotion after Asuma's death had led to misjudgments that could have been fatal for Chouji and Ino if Kakashi and the rest of Team 7 hadn't stepped in.
He wanted to provide emotional support to Naruto, but more than that, he desperately wanted to keep the people left in his life alive and safe and he couldn't let his own weakness stand in the way of that. He wasn't used to desperately wanting things, though it seemed to be becoming a frequent occurrence as of late.
So, as usual, Shikamaru told himself that it was a strictly strategic decision to push himself away from the wall and start towards the door. Kakashi wouldn't want to hear his reasoning. Shikamaru knew that he was about to lose all of the jounin's respect, as well as Sakura's and Sai's and probably the rest of the Leaf-nin.
Which meant, he realized, that he could ask one final question. Shikamaru's gaze settled on Kakashi, though he wouldn't be surprised if one or two of the others answered instead. "Is it that important?" Once again, he trusted Kakashi's judgment, and even if his own estimate of his stamina told him to leave, Shikamaru knew that his life had been full of people who'd known his limits better than himself. "If I screw something up, one of you--us," he quickly corrected, "could end up dead." Shikamaru doubted he'd have to remind Kakashi of the recent events.
Re: M18
He couldn't argue. He couldn't argue, but he also couldn't take much more of this shit. As hard as he was working to become strong, Shikamaru's inability to fully compartmentalize emotion after Asuma's death had led to misjudgments that could have been fatal for Chouji and Ino if Kakashi and the rest of Team 7 hadn't stepped in.
He wanted to provide emotional support to Naruto, but more than that, he desperately wanted to keep the people left in his life alive and safe and he couldn't let his own weakness stand in the way of that. He wasn't used to desperately wanting things, though it seemed to be becoming a frequent occurrence as of late.
So, as usual, Shikamaru told himself that it was a strictly strategic decision to push himself away from the wall and start towards the door. Kakashi wouldn't want to hear his reasoning. Shikamaru knew that he was about to lose all of the jounin's respect, as well as Sakura's and Sai's and probably the rest of the Leaf-nin.
Which meant, he realized, that he could ask one final question. Shikamaru's gaze settled on Kakashi, though he wouldn't be surprised if one or two of the others answered instead. "Is it that important?" Once again, he trusted Kakashi's judgment, and even if his own estimate of his stamina told him to leave, Shikamaru knew that his life had been full of people who'd known his limits better than himself. "If I screw something up, one of you--us," he quickly corrected, "could end up dead." Shikamaru doubted he'd have to remind Kakashi of the recent events.