La joven, a la que llamaremos "Sombra" por ahora, yacía inconsciente en el bosque que rodea Konoha. Su cuerpo, agotado por días de huida, apenas reaccionaba al suave crujir de las hojas bajo los pies de alguien que se acercaba. Era Shikamaru Nara, quien, mientras paseaba para despejar su mente tras un entrenamiento, se encontró con la figura derrumbada entre los árboles.

—¿Qué es esto? —murmuró Shikamaru, rascándose la nuca con pereza—. Qué problemático...

Al notar que la chica comenzaba a moverse ligeramente, Shikamaru suspiró y dio un paso hacia ella.

Sombra abrió los ojos de golpe, sobresaltada. Su mirada desconfiada y aterrorizada se clavó en Shikamaru. Retrocedió instintivamente, tambaleándose al intentar levantarse.

—Oye, tranquila —dijo Shikamaru con su tono calmado pero despreocupado—. No soy un enemigo... aunque claro, supongo que cualquiera diría eso.

La joven no respondió; sus labios permanecieron sellados. Cada vez que Shikamaru intentaba acercarse, ella retrocedía más.

—¿En serio? —suspiró él, cruzando los brazos—. Esto es un fastidio... Mira, si quisiera hacerte daño ya lo habría hecho. Pero no tengo ganas de pelear hoy. Es demasiado esfuerzo.

Sombra lo observó en silencio, todavía tensa. Sus pensamientos eran un torbellino: ¿Quién es este chico? ¿Por qué parece tan relajado? ¿Y si es una trampa?

Shikamaru notó su expresión y levantó las manos en señal de rendición.

—Está bien, está bien. Quédate ahí si quieres. Pero al menos dime algo... o hazme una señal de que no estás completamente perdida.

Ella solo lo miró fijamente, sin emitir sonido alguno. Shikamaru arqueó una ceja.

—Ah... genial. Una chica silenciosa en medio del bosque. Esto se pone cada vez más raro —dijo con ironía mientras se sentaba en el suelo y miraba al cielo entre las ramas—. Bueno, supongo que puedo esperar aquí hasta que decidas confiar en mí... o hasta que me dé hambre.

Sombra seguía alerta pero algo en el tono despreocupado del chico empezó a calmarla ligeramente. *Tal vez no sea una amenaza... pero tampoco puedo bajar la guardia.*

Shikamaru bostezó y añadió:

—Si me vas a ignorar todo el día, al menos podrías decirme tu nombre... Aunque seguro será algo problemático también.

La joven no respondió, pero sus pensamientos eran claros: No puedo decirle mi nombre...

(Version inversionEnglish)

The young girl, whom we'll call "Shadow" for now, lay unconscious in the dense forest surrounding Konoha. Her body, worn down by days of running and starvation, barely stirred as the sound of footsteps approached. It was Shikamaru Nara, wandering through the forest to escape the monotony of training.

"What a drag…" Shikamaru muttered, scratching the back of his head as he spotted her collapsed figure.

"Why do I always end up in these situations?"

He crouched slightly, observing her carefully. As Shadow began to stir, her mismatched eyes snapped open, filled with panic. She scrambled backward, her body trembling as she tried to stand.

"Hey, relax," Shikamaru said calmly, raising his hands in a non-threatening gesture. "I'm not here to hurt you… though I guess that's exactly what someone dangerous would say."

Shadow didn't respond. Her gaze darted around, searching for an escape route. Every step Shikamaru took closer made her retreat further.

"Seriously?" he sighed, stopping in his tracks. "This is such a hassle… Look, if I wanted to attack you, I wouldn't be wasting my time talking."

Her breathing slowed slightly, but her guard remained up. Her thoughts raced: Who is this guy? Why is he so calm? Can I trust him?

Shikamaru noticed her hesitation and sat down on the ground with a dramatic sigh.

"Alright then," he said lazily. "If you're going to keep running away, I'll just stay here.

Honestly, this whole thing is too troublesome anyway."

Shadow blinked in confusion at his unexpected behavior. She had expected aggression or insistence, but this boy… he was different.

"You know," Shikamaru continued with a smirk, "you're making this way harder than it needs to be. If you're lost or something, just say so. Or are you one of those silent types who think being mysterious is cool?"

Still no response. Shadow's lips remained sealed, but her thoughts were sharp: I can't tell him anything… not yet.

"Figures," Shikamaru muttered under his breath. "A quiet girl in the middle of nowhere… This is going to be such a pain to explain later."

He leaned back against a tree and looked up at the sky through the canopy of leaves"

"Well," he said with a shrug, "I'll wait here until you decide I'm not some kind of monster or whatever you're imagining. But don't take too long—cloud-watching isn't as fun when someone's glaring at you like that."

Shadow's tense posture softened slightly at his nonchalant attitude. Though she still didn't trust him completely, something about his easygoing demeanor made her feel less threatened.