It was a peaceful day, and for once, you weren't focused on training or pushing yourself. Instead, you found yourself lounging in the grass, arms stretched out, staring at the sky.

Beside you, Shikamaru did the same, hands resting behind his head as he let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Man, you really live the easy life out here."

You turned your head slightly to look at him. "You say that as if I don't train."

He smirked, his eyes half-lidded as he lazily glanced your way. "Yeah, yeah. But compared to running errands in the village and dealing with people, this is paradise."

You let out a small chuckle, plucking a nearby flower and twirling it between your fingers. "You just hate effort."

"Exactly." He closed his eyes, exhaling again like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Troublesome stuff."

A comfortable silence settled between you two, the only sounds being the rustling leaves and the occasional chirp of birds. It wasn't often that you had company like this—peaceful, unhurried. Most of the time, people were either training, fighting, or rushing off somewhere. But Shikamaru was different. He actually enjoyed doing nothing.

After a moment, you finally spoke. "I'm joining the Chunin Exams."

Shikamaru cracked one eye open, looking at you with mild surprise. "Huh?"

You turned on your side to face him fully. "I'm going to compete in the exams."

He stared at you for a second before groaning. "You too? Man, what a drag. Now I really have to participate."

You blinked. "Wait, you weren't going to?"

Shikamaru waved a hand dismissively. "I was hoping to lay low and let the others handle it. But if you're joining, that means Naruto and Sasuke probably are too, which means Ino and Choji will want to do it, and if they do it, Asuma-sensei is gonna pester me about it."

You rolled your eyes. "So you have to join just because your team is?"

"Pretty much," he muttered. "But still, what made you want to take the exam? I thought you couldn't leave this place."

You plucked another flower and let the petals scatter in the wind before answering. "I can leave—only as long as I leave a clone behind to take my place. If my clone stays in the field, I can move around freely."

Shikamaru sat up slightly, resting his weight on his elbows. "Huh. That's pretty convenient."

"It is," you admitted. "I used to think I'd be stuck here forever. But now, I get to see the world beyond the flowers."

Shikamaru hummed, watching the clouds as they drifted overhead. "Must be nice, finally having that freedom."

You nodded, a small smile tugging at your lips. "It really is."

Another stretch of silence passed, but it wasn't awkward. It was just... easy.

Then, without warning, Shikamaru groaned dramatically. "Ugh. If you're in the exams, that means you're actually going to try. That means Sasuke's gonna try, and then Naruto's gonna try even harder just to prove something, and then I'm going to get dragged into all of this mess."

You laughed softly, shaking your head. "You act like you don't care, but I think you do."

"Tch." He turned away, muttering under his breath, "Yeah, yeah. Think whatever you want."

You smirked. "See you in the exams then, huh?"

Shikamaru let out another exaggerated sigh before flopping back into the grass. "What a drag."

But he didn't say no.

(631 𝘞𝘖𝘙𝘋𝘚)