The glade is quiet, the atmosphere still, the only sounds the soft rush of the creek winding through the grass and the rustle of the breeze tangling the branches of the willow. Even the crickets seem to have quieted their song to a pleasant background hum, and Shikamaru hasn 't heard the shrill caw of a crow since he got here.

He likes it here. It 's peaceful, calming, easy. The green branches of the willow paint a gorgeous picture against the backdrop of the slim waterfall, the grass is long and soft under his fingers, and the clearing gives him an unrestricted view of the sky.

This is Naruto 's place, and Shikamaru can 't even be envious ' the Uzumaki had opened it to him and Kiba with a careless offering, like the magic of this glade wasn 't something to be coveted and hoarded close.

Shikamaru would have hoarded it.