Chapter 367
【According to Asuma's instructions, Shikamaru lit his last cigarette. Choji and Ino couldn't stop crying, recalling their past experiences with Asuma. 】
【When they first met during the class division, they were choked by the smoke from this bearded man and cried. He emptied his wallet at the first dinner, so he had to kneel down and ask the boss lady for credit. When buying flowers at the flower shop, Ino saw through his relationship with Kurenai. He taught Shikamaru shogi, but lost to him. He praised Shikamaru for being the only one who became a Chunin in the Chunin Exam. After the three of them became Chunins, he handed over their earrings, which had been passed down from generation to generation, to them as a witness. 】
["This kind of sacrifice... will be remembered for a lifetime..."]
["Huh, even though my mind reminds me that the sacrifice was made by Konoha's ninjas and has nothing to do with me, I still feel a little emotional..."]
["Because this kind of thing is the easiest to empathize with, after all, most people should have experienced it..."]
[Before taking the last puff, the cigarette fell from Asuma's mouth, his eyelids drooped slightly and his pupils lost focus. 】
["Teacher!"]
[Ino and Choji burst into tears, and the others were also immersed in this sad atmosphere. The heavy rain poured down at the right time, and he half-knelt beside Asuma and said softly: "He was a ninja until the end..."]
[Shikamaru picked up Asuma's last cigarette, held it in his mouth and lit it. Even though he was choked and coughed repeatedly, he insisted on smoking it, "I really don't like cigarettes..."]
[Shikamaru hung his head, unable to tell whether it was rain or tears on his face, "The smoke got into my eyes again..."]
["That cigarette, I couldn't smoke it in the end!"]
["So Shikamaru smoked it for him, fulfilling Asuma's last wish..."]
["It's okay to cry at this time, there's no need to pretend to be strong, anyway, I've already lost my composure once before..."]
"Woo~~~~" Ino and Choji cried with themselves on the sky, Shikamaru pursed his lips, took a few deep breaths and got out of that atmosphere, of course his face was still ugly.
Asuma smoked silently, thinking that there was no regret in dying this way, but if possible, he still wanted to smoke the last cigarette by himself.
[The group who failed the mission returned to Konoha and reported the situation to Tsunade. All the ninjas who stayed in the village received the news of Asuma's death in battle, and Shikamaru personally conveyed this sad news to Hong. ]
[At the funeral, everyone dressed in black to see Asuma off, but Shikamaru was the only one missing. The scene changed, and he was lying on a grass with nothing to do, holding a lit cigarette, looking at the sky with lifeless eyes. ]
[After returning home, he had a quarrel with his father while playing shogi, and then, under the mediation and comfort of his father, he vented all his emotions and cheered up. 】
【Scenes flashed by one after another. With the rising and setting of the sun, Shikamaru collected information and practiced the use of ninja tools. When everything was ready, one evening, Ino, Shika and Chou came to Asuma's grave to pay homage. Then, late that night, the three armed men gathered at the entrance of the village. 】
["Say goodbye to Asuma, cheer up, and prepare a plan. Although no specific time was given, it should be a few days. So we are ready to face Hidan and Kakuzu for the second time?"]
["In such a short time, it is impossible to improve the combat effectiveness much. Next, it depends on how much Shikamaru's wisdom can be used!"]
["Even if there is a plan, it can only be formulated for Hidan alone. Kakuzu is still an unknown number to them. Can the three of them succeed?"]
["Ahhh, I don't want to think about it anymore. I don't want to think about it! Anyway, I'm not cut out for it, let's see how Shikamaru performs!"]
【"Are you ready..."]
【"Let's go, Shikamaru!"]
【Facing the trusting eyes of Choji and Ino, Shikamaru's face was not afraid at all, with a cigarette in his mouth and a determined look into the distance: "Hmm..."]
【As a result, just as the three of them walked out of the village gate, they were suddenly stopped by their backs: "Stop! Where are you going?"]
【Tsunade was standing behind the three of them, looking at them with a serious expression. Ino and Choji felt guilty as if they were caught, but Shikamaru said calmly: "Continue to complete the mission... We have formed a new team and are going to complete the mission now."]
【"I don't allow you to act on your own!" Tsunade shouted, and then stepped forward, saying in a stern tone that she would arrange a new team for Shikamaru and the others, but they had to wait until the battle plan was completed before they could continue the mission.】
["Have you all been led astray by Naruto? All of you are not good at it.Did you act without permission after being ordered?"]
["Normally it's fine, but this is to avenge the teacher, so it's understandable... Well, uh, suddenly I thought of Sasuke..."]
["Ha, when it comes to revenge, how can we avoid Sasuke!"]
["Before Sasuke regarded Konoha as an enemy, Konoha didn't think about doing anything to him, even though he was already a traitor... Maybe in Konoha, doing something extraordinary for revenge is some kind of acceptable unspoken rule..."]
["Tsunade, the Hokage, has a really hard time. She has to guard the gate in person in the middle of the night and deal with these subordinates who acted without permission. She has such a good temper!"]
["As long as reinforcements are sent to us later, we have already discussed and determined the battle plan..." Shikamaru wanted to persuade Tsunade, but Tsunade's voice was directly filled with anger: "Stop it! !"]
["Asuma is dead, there are only three of you now..."]
["Asuma is with us. ”]
[“Are you going to avenge him? This is not like you, planning to die in vain!” Tsunade frowned, Shikamaru exhaled a puff of smoke and responded: “We are not stupid, how could we die in vain, but…”]
[“Just keep escaping and live with a knot in your heart…” After a pause, Shikamaru looked at Tsunade with unprecedented seriousness: “I don’t like such a troublesome way of living.”]
[“Is Shikamaru too confident? Any one of the opponents is stronger than the three of them, not to mention that there is one with unknown intelligence. Where does he get the courage to take two companions to revenge!”]
[“Strange, according to Shikamaru’s previous character, he is not the kind of person who disregards the lives of his companions? Doesn’t he think that this impulsive behavior is likely to put his two companions in danger?”]
(To be continued)