Hated Family

Chapter Two

It is through the action of merely walking that Shikamaru takes to grasping the attention of a man whom he had not expected to meet. His eyes had cast fast towards his obvious stalker, nary a foot-width away. He'd glared, his cigarette had felt heavy upon his lips in doing so however, receiving a smoldering intensity not matching his own but doubled against it; from a man whose height was far superior to his own. Intimidation wavered his mentality from firm resolution to anxiety inappropriate unto a fully trained Konoha shinobi, Shikamaru could feel his fingers twitch within his pockets as a scaping of fear burnt at his mind to retreat. However, with a quickly formed rationality, he knew that the man burning him with a smoldering glare of black ice was not necessarily a threat unless provoked; and he had done nothing. Thus, he attempted instead to straighten his stance with some form of dignity befitting his station as a chunin.

He was met with a scoff for reply, as the irises staring him down turnt away to the building nearest with a detached stoicism Shikamaru had scarcely seen from anyone save his father; and if he were generous, Uchiha Sasuke. Yet, this man was neither, his height and the obvious scar across his torso one not entirely hidden behind the tightly tied haori, made that deduction simple to the genius. However, the scar was one of war, made by a quick katana- possibly infused with chakra, uncommon within the Land of Fire, but not unheard of: It was the thickness of the cut and the bold protrusion of the flesh that drew Shikamaru to wondering how it had been made; for that type of scarring was typically made only by masters of infusion; such as the Second Hokage, and it had become a rare ability during this day and age.

Questions battered in his mind, and being as he were a man of knowledge he longed for answers, still he made no attempt to reach for them, instead his mission came to the forefront of his brain as if in a fragile reminder. He turnt on his heel, fully towards the towering man, a bold move to be sure, but as they both stood within the main streets of a town Shikamaru doubted a confrontation would occur. In addition, he could make the assumption that as the man had been following him without an attempt at assassination, there would be a solid reasoning. Pulling the bud of the cigarette out and successfully gaining the detracted attention of the shinobi before him, he smothered the bud into the ground without looking away, and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I presumed the Nara would join Konoha. You always were interesting dance partners." His voice was a thick indeepened baritone, and the intensity of it made Shikamaru shiver slightly; for it felt as if he were being threatened by the drawling stoicism integrated within, his nerves were flared with the unsettling intensity the man managed to produce while merely standing. "I believe you seek me." Above confidence, the sound egotism creased his voice as muscled arms covered a traditionally clothed chest, he was certain.

Lines creasing upon his forehead, Shikamaru felt his teeth click together in aggravation, realization coming forth where it had not been before. Whomever the stranger was, the man was using his own inexperience in the field against him, presuming him to be a child in mind, and it had worked. Blatant intimidation tactics were used, and Shikamaru sneered at the understanding that they had worked; oh, he knew they were old, but if cliche or not, if tradition worked then it was still a valuable strategy. Even so, as he hadn't been attacked, the young chunin regained himself; it may have been a tactic, but it had been one of deduction not of a want to kill, the tall stranger had been obtaining information about him, perhaps Konoha without even an indication for what he was doing; inwardly Shikamaru marvelled at his skill.

He was a genius, but the man afore him was an obvious intellectual as well. Thus, he must've heard their inquiries, no matter how studle they had been, around town that they were looking for a certain poise of man. Specifically, an Uchiha, and though their team had been smart enough not to state such information brazenly unto gossiping locals whom would spread the information across continents. It had likely been obvious to the man in question.