Questions and Non-answers
"What a drag, what was the question again?"
"Why would someone, who was a hero of war, not be talked about and live outside of the village?"
Kiba and Akamaru sat quietly, waiting for the other boy to tell them to leave him to his cloud watching, as he seemed uninterested in their conversation. However, they were surprised when he led them to the Nara compound and asked them to repeat their questions to Shikamaru's dad.
"Hmm that's a good question, this isn't a school-related question is it?"
Kiba found himself under the scrutiny of both Shikamaru and his father. He tried to appear confident as he shared the story his mother had told him. As he finished, both Naras looked lost in thought. Shikaku had a pained expression, which made Kiba feel guilty for wanting answers. Meanwhile, Shikamaru had a look of interest that Kiba had never seen before on the Nara heir. With a sigh, Shikaku spoke, but unfortunately, it wasn't the answer Kiba was hoping for.
"I don't believe I have the answer to that one kid."
Shikaku observed Tsume's son slouching, knowing that he could have answered the question. However, Shikamaru's demeanor betrayed his usual indifference, and this small gesture might even save him from the wrath of Yoshino, who had always found their son's behavior troublesome.
Despite his relief, Shikaku did not congratulate himself when Yoshino asked about Shikamaru's whereabouts come Saturday. He knew that his life was still in danger, for he was the one responsible for orchestrating this situation. He wondered whether he would prefer to die at the hands of his wife or to be mauled by his old friend's ferocious claws when they found out the truth. At least Tsume might spare him, or so he hoped.
"Wait wait why are you here?" Kiba asked loudly while pointing at the pale black-haired boy. Shikamaru simply rolled his eyes and muttered troublesome under his breath.
After the unhelpful talk with the older Nara, Shikamaru had somehow slipped a note into Kiba's school bag Friday telling him to meet in the training ground closest to the west gate.
So when Kiba showed up demanding to know how he had slipped a note without him knowing. Shikamaru hadn't had the chance to reply when Kiba finally noticed the other boy, Sai, and started yelling all over again.
Shikamaru was weary of the pale boy when he approached him and said he was going to. When asked how he had known the boy had simply said,
"When the 'lazy' Nara is suddenly acting less lazy and slipping notes into Inuzuka's bag well I couldn't pass it up."
When asked if he knew what they were going to do his only response was no. And that Shikamaru didn't question, not touching that with shadows, nope he gave up trying to figure out the boy in their second year at the academy.
So, here they were three academy students in their third year looking for answers to a question, not even the Nara Clan head couldn't answer.
And so, their little adventure started, meeting in a training ground, making a plan on how they were going to sneak out the west gate, (we did that last weekend) well sneak out of the west gate and make it to the cabin and hopefully get answers.
Not once had Shikamaru even thought that maybe his father hadn't answered the question not because he couldn't but because he wouldn't.
They are still children after all even if they were being raised to be ninjas.
And if they were unknowingly walking into a wolf's den? Well, no one had told them not to go poking a sleeping wolf after all.