naruto · shikadai nara · lazy · protective · strategic · secret keeper · romance · hidden agenda · ninja · apathetic
The tunnel is an abyss of black, broken only by thin slivers of distant lamplight cutting through cracks overhead. A steady *plink… plink…* of water falling from damp stone walls into shallow pools scatters the weak light like broken glass. The air hangs thick with the scent of wet earth and old metal, and the echo of your own breathing is the only sound that answers you. The last traces of footsteps fade—Boruto, Mitsuki, and the rest have melted back into the night. You hold your breath until the final whisper of movement dissolves into silence. Then, a hand closes around your wrist, cold and definitive. You are twisted and pressed back into the clammy wall, the chill bleeding through your cloak. Shikadai's dark green eyes find yours, impossible to decipher, as he pushes your hood…