I just returned to Konoha and found that my entire clan was gone.

"I'll have a bowl of their signature ramen."

Shikamaru rarely eats this kind of food, so he just ordered one casually.

After hearing Shikamaru's request, Uncle Ichiraku started working skillfully, and Ino and Sakura came over to help.

"Shikamaru, judging from your appearance, you've just finished training. How come you're out here after only one morning? Didn't you say you wanted to become a Jonin?"

Ino, Shikamaru's former teammate, joked that Shikamaru had initially shocked her when he mentioned it, but now it seems he's back to being unmotivated.

"Don't say that to Shikamaru. Maybe he just came out for a meal to take a break."

Sakura isn't as sarcastic as Ino, nor does she have the same drive to beat up Shikamaru.

"I'm so sorry to disappoint you, but that's just how I am, there's nothing I can do about it."

Shikamaru spoke lazily, not wanting to explain anything. Ino wouldn't say these things anymore once he truly became a Jonin.

"Shikamaru, at least try your best! Neji has already become a Jonin, and Shino has gone to the border. Our team is counting on you!"

When Shikamaru was truly unmotivated, Ino encouraged him instead.

Shikamaru smiled; he knew Ino had this kind of personality.

The two girls chattered away beside him, which made Shikamaru, who had previously disliked women, feel much better.

"Shikamaru, you guys ran into Sasuke on this mission, right...?"

Just then, Sakura spoke up and asked the question.

Shikamaru looked at Ino, thinking that Ino had revealed it.

Ino quickly shook her head, indicating that it was none of her business.

"Don't ask Ino, I learned this from Lady Tsunade."

Sakura explained that she found the document while tidying up after Tsunade got drunk; it contained information about Sasuke's whereabouts.

"Since you already know, there's no need for us to hide it from you. Yes, we encountered Sasuke."

Shikamaru's noodles had already been served, but he had no appetite for them at the moment.

"Sakura, and Ino. I know you still have some unrealistic ideas in your hearts, but all I want to say is give up."

Ino, who was originally more cheerful, had a dimmed look in her eyes.

"Sasuke can never return to Konoha, absolutely not. Trying to win him back with emotions and bonds won't work. You can tell by the fact that he'd rather join Akatsuki. There are some things in his heart that are more important than us classmates."

The air fell silent instantly, the only sound in the entire noodle shop being Uncle Ichiraku's cooking.

"I'm finished eating, you guys can continue."

Sakura stood up, her eyes vacant, and left the noodle shop dejectedly.

"Shikamaru, you bastard."

Ino glared at Shikamaru, said something, and then left with Sakura.

"Wouldn't it be better to face reality sooner rather than later..."

Shikamaru spoke in a low voice, it was unclear who he was talking to.

"You boy!"

Uncle Ichiraku's serious face approached Shikamaru, instantly disrupting his thoughts. He wondered what Uncle Ichiraku wanted to do.

"Is it because my noodles are bad? They're almost mushy! No wonder I don't attract girls!"

Upon hearing this, Shikamaru couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly twice, then quickly picked up his bowl and chopsticks and began to eat heartily, instantly banishing all his random thoughts to the back of his mind.

Chapter 159 Shikamaru's Day (Part 2)

Shikamaru emerged from Ichiraku Ramen looking disheveled. He decided that next time he should go for yakiniku (grilled meat), since he was relatively familiar with Choji's mother and didn't feel as much pressure.

"Get out!"

A shout disrupted Shikamaru's thoughts, and he realized that the source of the shout was the herbal medicine shop owned by the Nara family.

A somewhat obsequious man was kicked out of the herbal medicine shop, and the shop assistant came out with a grim expression.

"How dare you, a ninja who failed in your mission, still live in the village? If it weren't for you, our advisor wouldn't have died!"

The sympathy that had initially been directed at the man turned into disgust, and people began pointing and whispering about him.

"It's because he didn't report the Uchiha's defection in time that Danzo, the advisor, wouldn't have died."

"Lady Tsunade is so kind; no one has been punished for this."

"Tsk tsk tsk, I heard he broke one leg and the medical team couldn't do anything about it. Lady Tsunade was just taking pity on him."

The surrounding conversations were undisguised, and the midday sun felt like an icebox on his skin. The man's face turned pale, and he opened his mouth but couldn't offer any explanation.

Shikamaru found the man's figure somewhat familiar and frowned slightly as he observed everything. To his surprise, Danzo's reputation in the village was actually quite high.

Danzo's original propaganda seemed to have some effect; in the eyes of the uninformed public, Danzo was still a diligent and good advisor.

"That's enough. The Nara clan isn't the type to kick someone when they're down. Besides, he's done a lot for the village."

A man with the same pineapple-shaped hairstyle came out. He had a tuft of beard on his chin, slightly thick eyebrows, and looked at the pharmacy clerk with a serious expression.

"No matter what, he's not someone you can bully. Apologize."

Shikamaru's brows relaxed. It seemed he didn't need to make an appearance. The newcomer was Suzaku Nara of the Nara clan, who was his uncle by seniority.

The clerk walked over somewhat reluctantly. As a pharmacy clerk, this job was hard-won. The reason didn't matter; what mattered was that he couldn't bear to give it up.

The man was surprised that Zhuque would speak up for him. He waved his hands to indicate that he didn't care, but under Zhuque's gaze, the waiter still bowed solemnly.

Then Suzaku took out a packet of prepared herbs and handed it to the man.

"Although I can't heal your injuries, I can at least ease the pain. This is my apology for not disciplining you properly."

The man hurriedly declined, but being injured, he was no match for a Jonin like Suzaku, and the medicinal herbs were stuffed directly into his arms.

Zhuque patted the other person on the shoulder and said, "If you're done using it, just come and get it."

The little incident had ended, and the excitement had died down. The other villagers began to disperse, and Shikamaru thought for a moment before going up to greet Suzaku.

The man carrying the medicinal herbs passed by Shikamaru. Shikamaru sniffed the air, and his expression instantly changed, as he was familiar with the herbs.

What are you doing here? Come with me.

Suzaku also spotted Shikamaru and led him directly into a private room in the pharmacy.

"The medicine you gave that person is wrong. It can relieve pain, but he will die if he takes too much."

Upon entering the cubicle, Shikamaru said grimly, "I never expected that the seemingly respectable Uncle Suzaku would do something like this."

"Not bad, you've improved. I thought you'd really become like your dad."

Faced with Shikamaru's questioning, Suzaku showed no remorse, picked up a pot of boiling water, and began to brew tea.

"Don't change the subject."

What bothered Shikamaru even more was that the person seemed familiar, as if he had seen them before, but he couldn't recognize who it was.

“I told Shikaku a long time ago to let you get involved in this kind of thing, but you still can’t hold back.”

After brewing the tea, Suzaku handed a cup to Shikamaru, but when he didn't take it, she smiled and placed it on the table.

"Could this be the Hokage's intention?"

Shikamaru looked surprised and asked in disbelief.

"How could that be? Lady Tsunade wouldn't worry about such trivial matters. Besides, that person was once Lady Tsunade's subordinate..."

Suzaku immediately rejected the idea; Tsunade couldn't afford to get her hands dirty with something like this.

"The Hokage's subordinate?"

To be precise, all the ninjas in Konoha are subordinates of the Hokage; Suzaku's statement is too general.

"He's a member of Uchiha Sasuke's team. It's normal that you don't recognize him because you've never seen him without his mask."

Shikamaru remembered. The familiar figure was indeed one he had seen many times before. Besides the already dead Antelope, Sasuke's other team members were Gray Wolf, whom he hadn't paid much attention to.

Shikamaru never saw this person again after that night. If Suzaku hadn't mentioned it, he probably would have forgotten about it soon.

"Since you were part of the former Anbu, how could you..."

Perhaps recalling the death of the antelope, Shikamaru's emotions became slightly out of control.

Suzaku interrupted Shikamaru's speech directly, saying seriously, "Strictly speaking, he did fail in his duty. He and the antelope not only failed to stop Sasuke, but also failed to report it to the Hokage immediately. If they had known earlier, the outcome that night might have been different."

"Heh, you talk as if you can stop Senior Ye Lan."

Suzaku's expression turned cold, and he placed the teacup on the table. "Nara Shikamaru, you are now a Konoha ninja. Uchiha Yoran is a rogue ninja wanted by the Hokage and is no longer your senior."

"Grey Wolf's dereliction of duty has already been decided; you should not interfere in his affairs."

Perhaps feeling that he had been too harsh, Suzaku softened his expression and said, "Shikamaru is, after all, the successor of the Nara clan."

Ultimately, it's just an excuse for their incompetence, giving the panicked village an outlet for their frustrations. The people of Konoha are already very adept at this.

Having already understood everything, Shikamaru felt a wave of nausea and saw no need to continue discussing these matters with the other person, so he turned to leave.

"I heard you want to become a Jonin, which is a good thing. With Asuma's recommendation in a while, Shikaku and I will find a way. As for strength, there's no need to rush, just train slowly."

Seeing that Shikamaru no longer objected, Suzaku assumed that Shikamaru had taken his advice and began to say things that would be helpful to Shikamaru.

However, such words had the opposite effect.

"Uncle Suzaku, my lack of emotional expression doesn't mean I'm not angry, and my silence doesn't mean I agree with you!"

Shikamaru left without a word, and didn't drink a drop of the tea that Suzaku had prepared for him.

As he left the pharmacy, the clerk who had just been cursing the gray wolf greeted him with a smile, and the other customers in the pharmacy all gave him friendly looks.

In the past, Shikamaru would have felt embarrassed by such looks, or thought it was normal.

At that moment, Shikamaru felt his hands and feet were ice-cold and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

Recalling the direction the gray wolf had just left, Shikamaru went straight there without hesitation. He hadn't been able to collect the antelope's body, and he couldn't just watch the gray wolf die.

Chapter 160 Shikamaru's Day (Part 3)