Chapter 122 Concealment and Departure
"...Even if we grew up together, there shouldn't be such a heavy filter on us."
Nara Shikamaru wasn't at a loss for words as he usually was. His tone was low, and although he was talking about ordinary topics, his thoughts seemed to have drifted far away.
Haruko stared at him for a few seconds, then said definitively, "Shikamaru has something on his mind!"
Nara Shikamaru, caught off guard by her words, looked even more miserable with his deadpan expression. "What could possibly be on my mind..."
"Shikamaru has been acting strange ever since he returned from the mission."
Although Haruko was busy helping Tsunade after returning, it was still possible that she never ran into Shikamaru Nara who came to visit, unless he deliberately avoided her.
Unexpectedly, she still noticed. Nara Shikamaru sighed, straightened up, lowered his head, and revealed his thoughts to her.
"I know what it's like to carry out a mission, and I know in my heart that this is the world of ninjas."
"But when I saw them getting hurt one by one in front of me, even being tortured by the enemy, and I, as the squad leader, was completely powerless to do anything about it, that feeling... was really too hard to bear."
"I was too naive. I thought that if everyone worked together, we could definitely complete the mission perfectly. It's all my fault that things turned out this way..."
Listening to Nara Shikamaru's seemingly calm words, Haruko suddenly realized that she, as a fellow Chunin, was constantly reflecting on her failure to protect her teammates. How much psychological pressure must Nara Shikamaru, who was serving as captain for the first time, be under?
She hadn't even noticed...
Haruko gently patted his shoulder, her tone dejected, "Shikamaru, it's not just your fault, it's mine too. If I had finished collecting the files sooner and helped you guys, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way."
"No, it's a problem with my decision-making!"
Nara Shikamaru's voice suddenly rose, his body curled up slightly, clutching his head in pain, "I underestimated the enemy's vigilance, and even allowed them to escape, dragging you into a dangerous situation!"
When the enemy escaped, Nara Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat. He knew that if the enemy rushed to the base, they would definitely catch Haruko off guard, and might even put Haruko's life in danger. But he was helpless and could only watch.
Seeing her, whom I had promised to protect, in danger...
"In this mission, I served as a squad leader for the first time, and then I realized... I'm not suited to be a ninja."
After saying that, Nara Shikamaru seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and gave a wry smile.
"Shikamaru!"
Haruko turned his face directly to meet his gaze, and said with a stern expression, "Are you going to abandon me?"
"I didn't..." Nara Shikamaru tried to refute, but her bright eyes made him see right through him.
"If you weren't a ninja, who would protect me? Who would protect everyone? It's because you're the captain that we can carry out our missions with complete peace of mind."
"Shikamaru is not only able to quickly come up with strategies and arrange us in the most suitable positions, but he is also meticulous. He takes care of Ino's injuries, tells others not to offend Choji, and treats everyone equally."
"I've always thought so. I'm so lucky to be Shikamaru's friend, so Shikamaru can't abandon me!"
Feeling Haruko Hayama hug him, Shikamaru Nara slowly raised his hand and hugged her back.
Where Haruko could not see in the morning, Nara Shikamaru let his tears fall, his hands slowly tightening as he held her tightly in a gesture of devout protection.
Nara Shikamaru took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound as if nothing was wrong, "Don't worry, if I abandoned you, my mom would be the first to kill me."
The sight of the two embracing on the rooftop was so poignant that it was almost too beautiful to disturb them.
Ino Yamanaka, who had come looking for Haruko Hayama, stood by the door on the rooftop, staring blankly at the scene before her, her hand gripping the door frame unconsciously tightening.
"What's wrong with Ino?" Sakura Haruno, who was following behind her, asked in confusion when she suddenly stopped.
As Sakura Haruno took a step to the side to take a look, she also saw Nara Shikamaru and Hayama Haruko embracing.
Realizing that Sakura Haruno was still there, Ino Yamanaka quickly snapped out of her daze and stood aside, suppressing her confused emotions. She smiled and teased her, "Haha, I didn't expect Shikamaru to make such a quick progress!"
“Yes…” Sakura Haruno snapped out of her daze, but her gaze kept drifting toward the two people in the distance.
Yamanaka Ino returned to her usual self, chuckling smugly, "Looks like Shikamaru is going to crush Naruto in this Haruko contest!"
"Naruto likes Haruko too?" Sakura Haruno asked, slightly surprised.
Yamanaka Ino was taken aback. "You didn't know all this time?"
"I thought they were just good friends."
Sakura Haruno recalled that she often saw the two of them together at the Ninja Academy. They not only went to and from school together, but also ate and chatted together. Haruko Hayama mostly took care of Naruto Uzumaki.
If it weren't for the fact that they looked completely different, Sakura Haruno would have almost thought they were siblings.
Because Naruto was ostracized by his classmates at school, Sakura Haruno also noticed him. But apart from the mischievousness that boys have, Sakura Haruno didn't understand why everyone disliked him so much.
It wasn't until a girl told her that Naruto Uzumaki was a monster that she started wondering why Haruko Hayama would be friends with him.
But when Haruko came to her house specifically to see her in the morning, Sakura couldn't contain her joy. Haruko had always remembered her and was paying attention to her just like she was.
This realization made Sakura Haruno unable to resist looking at her every time.
But now...
“You’re even more slow-witted than Naruto.” Yamanaka Ino crossed her arms. “Naruto is probably still in a state of not quite getting it, which is why I’m on Shikamaru’s side.”
"I see." Sakura Haruno's eyes were still fixed on the two people in the distance.
She thought that after their brief time together at the base, she and Haruko Hayama were already friends, but compared to Ino, Shikamaru Nara, and Naruto Uzumaki, she was indeed just an insignificant classmate...
Sakura Haruno withdrew her gaze, forced a smile, said goodbye to Ino Yamanaka, and left.
Only Yamanaka Ino remained in the same spot. After Haruno Sakura left, she silently looked at the two people in the distance, and slowly raised her left hand to press on her heart.
What happened...?
I should be happy, my childhood friend and best friend are together, I should be happy...
But why do I feel so empty inside...?
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