As hard as he was trying to keep himself from selfish emotional retreat, Shikamaru couldn't help looking away after seeing Sakura's reaction. He was used to wincing when he saw her punch something, but that was because he usually knew or was the person on the receiving end. When he pulled back further into the wall, the movement was slight and he remained in full control.
Sai's comment irked him, though. Only a few seconds before, the ninja had shown a far greater capacity for empathy than Shikamaru had previously granted him, but now he seemed to overlook the fact that there was another person who'd been just as close to Kakashi. True, Sakura wouldn't witness the death the way Naruto might, but in Shikamaru's mind, that wasn't as relevant as Kakashi seemed to believe. As avoidant as he was, he would have had more trouble reconciling himself with Asuma's death if he hadn't actually seen it. The situations were different, but he found it troublesome how readily Sakura was expected to support Naruto while dealing with everything on her own.
Which was a pain in the ass, since even when it didn't involve women, handling emotionally delicate situations was a few steps below calculating and filing fifty years of the village's financial records on the list of things Shikamaru enjoyed. He'd try to find her tomorrow, though. Even if they didn't talk about anything important, and he hoped they wouldn't, the whole team would probably be better off if she knew there was someone around but uninvolved in case she ever did need support with the whole being-supportive thing.
Either that, or it would get him punched. Wouldn't be the first time. Either way, she'd probably feel better afterwards, and if she felt better, she'd be better at doing her job. Shikamaru rubbed his neck as he thought.
He looked to Kakashi when the ninja finished speaking, frowning. Assuming that he meant the stated purpose for calling this meeting, was it really the best idea to talk strategy with people who'd just suffered an emotional shock? Wasn't that the whole point of what Shikamaru had said before almost leaving? He exhaled quietly, not a sigh but a sound of uncertainty. And seeking out potentially deadly opponents right after hearing something that did more to pull them apart than bring them together as a team was an even worse idea. He gave the briefest glance to the others, hoping that the quick movement would be enough to convey his concerns to Kakashi without implying that anyone was weak.
Re: M18 (Naruto spoilers, whee!)
Sai's comment irked him, though. Only a few seconds before, the ninja had shown a far greater capacity for empathy than Shikamaru had previously granted him, but now he seemed to overlook the fact that there was another person who'd been just as close to Kakashi. True, Sakura wouldn't witness the death the way Naruto might, but in Shikamaru's mind, that wasn't as relevant as Kakashi seemed to believe. As avoidant as he was, he would have had more trouble reconciling himself with Asuma's death if he hadn't actually seen it. The situations were different, but he found it troublesome how readily Sakura was expected to support Naruto while dealing with everything on her own.
Which was a pain in the ass, since even when it didn't involve women, handling emotionally delicate situations was a few steps below calculating and filing fifty years of the village's financial records on the list of things Shikamaru enjoyed. He'd try to find her tomorrow, though. Even if they didn't talk about anything important, and he hoped they wouldn't, the whole team would probably be better off if she knew there was someone around but uninvolved in case she ever did need support with the whole being-supportive thing.
Either that, or it would get him punched. Wouldn't be the first time. Either way, she'd probably feel better afterwards, and if she felt better, she'd be better at doing her job. Shikamaru rubbed his neck as he thought.
He looked to Kakashi when the ninja finished speaking, frowning. Assuming that he meant the stated purpose for calling this meeting, was it really the best idea to talk strategy with people who'd just suffered an emotional shock? Wasn't that the whole point of what Shikamaru had said before almost leaving? He exhaled quietly, not a sigh but a sound of uncertainty. And seeking out potentially deadly opponents right after hearing something that did more to pull them apart than bring them together as a team was an even worse idea. He gave the briefest glance to the others, hoping that the quick movement would be enough to convey his concerns to Kakashi without implying that anyone was weak.