A Cloud's Shadow

Enter Shikarai Nara

Yoshino was worried.

Well, she was pretending to be fine but Shikarai knew she wasn't. He's known the woman his older brother married for almost his whole career as a shinobi and the commander of the Chunin. He could spot her true feelings a mile away, even when she hid them.

Truthfully, Shikarai was worried about his older brother too.

But what could he do? He couldn't bring back the man's dead pawns. He couldn't even save his own precious people.

Every Nara were geniuses. That was just a fact, despite how arrogant it sounded.

Regardless, Shikarai had went out to get his brother anyway. If not for Yoshino's sake, then for Shikaku's own sake.

Shikarai didn't even blink as his brother suddenly looked over to face him from his spot in front of the memorial stone.

"Shikarai...what do you want?"

Shikarai half smiled, "Got any cigarettes to spare?"

Just like that, his older brother dug into his pockets and produced a pack.

Shikarai took one of the cancer sticks, not that he's ever seen that desease in the world he lived in, but he wouldn't stop referring to the cancer sticks as such.

He could feel Shikaku's intense stare as he lit the stick and took a drag from it.

Inhale.

Exhale.

"Bothersome," Shikarai finally muttered as he met his brother's gaze, "What?"

Shikarai hated standing in front of the memorial stone. It was just a reminder of the people he wasn't able to save despite working hard every damned day.

"I heard about Obito."

A stupid sentence strung together by four equally stupid words.

Truly, the sentence shouldn't have had much effect on him considering the boy wasn't even his student or his responsibility.

The boy was supposed to be just a stranger to him. A future enemy to defeat in less than two decades.

"Rai-sensei! Look, look! I finally mastered that jutsu you showed me!"

"Rai-sensei...what's your nindo?"

"Ne, Rai-sensei? Do you think Rin-chan will ever like me instead of Bakashi?"

"Hokage! That's my goal. It's not a dream. I am going to become Hokage!"

Yet...

Why?

Why did it feel like he lost his son?

"I'm sorry," Shikaku apologized, looking guilty.

A bitter chuckle escaped Shikarai's lips.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Shikarai wasn't sure to who he was apologizing.

"Shikarai, look-"

"Yoshino's worried," Shikarai cut off his brother, letting the cancer stick fall down and hit the ground, "You should come home for once. Especially now that you're not out on the field."

And really, it was rare for all three of them to be off at the same time. Even though he was set to go back on the frontlines tomorrow with Kushina.

Shikaku frowned at him.

Shikarai sent his older brother a look.

Finally, Shikaku sighed, "How troublesome," he started walking back to the compound.