Guilt

It had taken a week, but finally Shikamaru had worked up the courage to check in on his wounded teammates. His own injuries, however minor, had been treated. The mission reports had been filled and delivered, and now that both Chouji and Neji's lives were no longer hanging by a thread, the chūnin had at last run out of excuses for his absence.

Of course, he'd started with Chouji. I mean, why not? Chouji was his best friend, his right-hand man. Next to his folks, he was the most important person in his life. Come to think of it, even after checking on everyone else, he probably should've stayed with him. Be supportive and all that.

So why wasn't it his hospital room he was standing in front of instead of Kiba's?