"I'm not avoiding anything."

"720 episodes," he whispered, holding the final reel of Naruto: Shippuden in his hands. The label read: "The Last: Closing the Loop."

"Borrowing history without permission, Lord Seventh?"

The story hadn't ended. It had just become real.

"Obviously." Shikamaru walked over and sat down heavily. "Which episode are you avoiding?"

He remembered the first episode. A loudmouth kid in an orange jumpsuit, painting the Hokage monument with cheap yellow paint. Iruka-sensei's tearful confession over a stolen headband. The way his stomach had growled during the ramen scene, even though he'd just eaten.

Shikamaru was quiet for a long moment. Then he reached over and took the reel from Naruto's hands.