Chapter 63 Quiet Space

The clearing was quiet and peaceful, with only the sound of the gurgling brook and the rustling of willow branches in the breeze filling the air. Even the crickets seemed to have lowered their chirping, and Shikamaru hadn't heard even a single shrill crow cry since he arrived here.

He likes this place very much, likes the peace, tranquility and comfort here.

The green willow branches formed a beautiful picture against the backdrop of the narrow waterfall, the soft grass caressed his fingers, and the open view allowed him to look up at the sky without any obstruction.

This was Naruto's secret base, and Shikamaru didn't even feel jealous - Uzumaki Naruto had generously shared this place with him and Inuzuka Kiba, as if the magic of this empty space wasn't something to be desired and treasured.

But Shikamaru will treasure it.

If he was the first person to discover this place, he would definitely take this tranquility for himself. If possible, he would stay here every night and immerse himself in this silence.

Naruto was being far too generous for his own good, and this wasn't the first time Shikamaru had thought so.

Therefore, he and Inuzuka Kiba reached a kind of tacit understanding that if Naruto was unwilling to be selfish, they would be selfish on his behalf.

This is why Kiba Inuzuka didn't tell his sister and Hinata Hyuga about what happened here, why Shikamaru didn't tell Yamanaka Ino that he actually knew where Haruno Sakura went every morning, and why Akimichi Choji only knew where to find him in an emergency.

They selfishly guarded Naruto's secret.

Haruno Sakura likes the freedom and privacy provided here, and she doesn't want more people to know about this place.

According to Shikamaru's observation, Sasuke also has a strong possessiveness over this place, but his reason is different from that of Haruno Sakura.

What Sasuke cares about is not the place itself, but the owner of this place.

Shikamaru had arrived here early, enjoying a rare moment of solitude, away from his teammates, teachers, and all kinds of expectations. There were many quiet places in the forests of the Nara clan, but his father always found him, and none of those woods could see the clouds in the sky as clearly as here.

He put his hands behind his head and stared at the ever-changing clouds in the sky. The setting sun dyed them with brilliant colors, as if someone had splashed dye on a white canvas.

The first day of training went better than he had expected, even though he had been careful to keep his expectations low. Asuma seemed like a nice guy, even if Shikamaru thought he was a little too enthusiastic at times.

He closed his eyes and felt the cool air rushing into his lungs, with a hint of the earthy smell before night fell. He could feel the shadows lengthening, and pictured them blending with the last rays of the setting sun.

A sudden dog barking broke the silence, signaling the end of his time alone.

His eyes shot open to see Akamaru rushing out of the woods, not with Kiba Inuzuka at his side like usual.

The ninja dog ran straight towards Shikamaru, but accidentally slipped when it was almost in front of him, and ran into his arms, licking his face.

Shikamaru grunted in frustration and pinned the excited ninja dog down with his hands to stop any further "saliva attacks".

"I see you're in a good mood right now," he muttered quietly, scratching Akamaru's ear reluctantly.

The ninja dog barked happily a few times, its tail wagging like a propeller, then it suddenly jumped up from Shikamaru's legs, fell heavily on his chest, and licked the other side of his face, as if to keep its balance.

Shikamaru wiped his face with his elbow to get rid of the saliva.

"Inuzuka Kiba, take your ninja dog away quickly, it doesn't listen to me!" Seeing that Akamaru was about to pounce on him, he couldn't help but raise his voice.

"Don't worry, I'm coming!" Inuzuka Kiba responded as he pushed aside the last bush of thorns and walked up along the stream. "Akamaru! Come here!"

The ninja dog pricked up its ears and responded, then jumped off Shikamaru and dived into Inuzuka Kiba's arms.

Inuzuka Kiba skillfully zipped up his coat and locked Akamaru tightly in his arms, leaving only a furry head exposed. Akamaru looked around curiously and barked again.

Inuzuka Kiba couldn't help laughing when he saw Shikamaru's disgusted expression.

"It just likes you, don't make such a fuss, Shikamaru." He sat down opposite Shikamaru, and Shikamaru once again put his head in his hands and closed his eyes.

They were silent for a while, no one spoke, and Shikamaru enjoyed the quietness.

Inuzuka Kiba took out a few biscuits from his pocket and began to feed them to Akamaru. Akamaru ate them contentedly, and finally simply lay down on Inuzuka Kiba's legs, closed his eyes and took a nap.

"Have you ever wondered what's in that scroll?" Inuzuka Kiba asked as he nonchalantly stroked Akamaru's back.

"I've thought about it." Shikamaru answered with his eyes closed.

"I couldn't sleep all last night. I kept thinking about this." Inuzuka Kiba said worriedly.

Shikamaru didn't sleep well either, but he didn't tell Kiba Inuzuka about it.

He knew that Inuzuka Kiba could be overprotective sometimes, and he also knew that he needed more sleep than most people.

Inuzuka Kiba suddenly stopped, raised his head and sniffed the air.

"Sasuke is here."

As expected, a few seconds later, the black-haired and black-eyed boy emerged from the woods, brushing off the leaves on his body as he walked.

"Hey, Uchiha." Inuzuka Kiba greeted.

"Hey, Dog Nose." Sasuke also greeted him. "Hey, Akamaru."

Hearing someone calling him, Akamaru immediately stood up from Inuzuka Kiba's legs, wagging his tail happily, wanting to play with Sasuke.

Inuzuka Kiba had no choice but to let it go and glared at Sasuke with dissatisfaction.

"Where are the other two guys?" He said as he sniffed the air again, as if hoping to smell the scent of Naruto and Haruno Sakura on the wind.

Sasuke sat down next to Shikamaru, propping himself up with one elbow and resting his other hand casually on his knee. He was wearing a low-cut short-sleeved T-shirt and navy blue ninja pants, the standard attire for missions.

Shikamaru hadn't seen him wearing that shirt with the Uchiha clan crest on it for at least a month.

"Sakura is still in the hospital." Sasuke explained with a sigh. "A group of Chunins were injured in the border conflict with the Hidden Cloud Village, and she stayed to help. Naruto just went home to get the scroll, he should be here soon."

"Did he tell you what was in the scroll?" asked Inuzuka Kiba.

Sasuke shrugged.

"I guess so..." He lowered his voice, with a hint of barely perceptible nervousness in his tone. If Shikamaru hadn't seen with his own eyes that Sasuke's fingers were tightly grasping the ground, he would have thought that the other party didn't care at all.

"I know the tone of his voice yesterday made it sound like he just picked up a few random things from the side of the road, but..." Sasuke shook his head.

"In fact, what is recorded in those scrolls is more like a lost civilization."

"Those?" Shikamaru said, sitting up on his elbows. "There's more than just one scroll?"

"There are two." Sasuke nodded, holding up two fingers for emphasis. "The one he showed you contains most of his findings, and the other one is specifically for forbidden techniques."

"How terrible." Inuzuka Kiba muttered. "He's going to bring both of them?"

Sasuke nodded.

At this moment, there was a sound of breaking branches behind them, mixed with the rustling sound of footsteps.