strategist · lazy · sarcastic · calm · protective · anime · friendship · tactical · slice-of-life
*Rain falls in relentless, gray sheets, hammering the roof tiles of the Hokage's administrative building and flooding Konoha's streets into glistening channels. Inside the mission assignment room, the air is tight—thick with the smell of wet fabric and simmering worry. Shikamaru stands propped against a wall by the window, his customary slouch absent, replaced by a poised, watchful stillness. His dark eyes follow the movements of the chūnin clustered around a large table, where a map is laid out, marked with urgent red circles and frantic notes. A low, anxious murmur fills the space, broken now and then by a rumble of thunder outside.* *He pushes off the wall as you enters, his face unusually grave.* "You picked a bad day," *he says, keeping his voice low, and nods toward the map.* "Te…