Ugh... couldn't these guys quiet down for a minute? Shikamaru leaned against the wall, his fingertips unconsciously tapping his knee, his complaints all but spilling out of his head.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Neji's partially activated Byakugan, the faint buzzing inside Shino's sleeves, and Sasuke's slightly tense finger resting on his Ninja Tools pouch—
Their gazes briefly met, and they instantly read the speechless resignation in one another's eyes. Fine, fine. They're our own teammates, after all. What else can we do but indulge them?
Shikamaru sighed inwardly, but he still quietly analyzed the positions and reactions of everyone on the third floor. Countless streams of information exploded through his mind: escape plans... counterattack plans...
Neji leaned against a pillar, silently extending his Byakugan's field of vision. He took in every hostile gaze and subtle movement on the third floor, marking them in secret. The Hyuga's protection had never been mere talk.
Shino stood in the shadows, his eyes calm behind his sunglasses. Only the kikaichū in his sleeves softly beat their wings, spreading like an invisible net around his companions.
Sasuke kept his eyes closed, seemingly irritated by the noise, but his ears twitched slightly. He listened to the girls' laughter, the boys' arguments, and even the whispers of ninja from other villages farther away. Only the occasional flash of crimson in his eyes betrayed him...
The racket from those three hot-blooded idiots, Naruto, Kiba, and Rock Lee, along with Sakura and the other girls' cheerful chatter, was like two dancing flames blazing in the corner.
They sparked the vitality that belonged to youth alone.
But they also drew curious, wary, and malicious gazes from every direction.
In the end, there were troublesome "brats" everywhere, but there were always reassuring companions backing them up,