His team did not understand. Very few people would ever (ever) understand the merits of, well, running away. Shikamaru, however, understood those merits very well. Too well, according to some of his teammates.
They were foolish, ruled by hot-blooded impulses and living moment-to-moment. But Nara Shikamaru was the exact opposite; nothing about him was strikingly intimidating at first glance. The lazy drawl, the slumped posture, and dull look in his eyes all spoke to say that he was just another jaded ninja with no drive, no passion. It was an easy and convenient misconception for the Nara, and he was able to use it as an armor of sorts; what you see is not what you get.
There was only one instance in which that armor ever cracked. Killing Hidan, avenging Asuma; Shikamaru didn't dawdle around with his 'revenge', he just got the job done. But he had gone about it all wrong, and had adapted the same sort of traits he had once admonished in one Uchiha Sasuke. What a hypocrite I am, the Nara thought.
Strength and courage, to Shikamaru, was not the swiftness with which one acted their revenge, or the brute strength of their attacks. No, Shikamaru knows that courage is (very simply) one's ability to put aside his pride, his reputation, his impulses, everything, for the good of those that he loves.
Many would be cowards if they had courage enough.
prompt was: 15 sentence fic.