Chouji chuckles. Ino's sharp tongue has always been a central part of the Team 10 dynamic, and he really doesn't mind it. At Shikamaru's next statement, he grows more serious, nodding. "I've been given enough reasons to believe it isn't a genjutsu by now," Chouji admits.

"All of it, though?" Sakura covered some of the most difficult parts for Chouji to accept, and he is almost afraid to ask Shikamaru for confirmation. Shikamaru has been here for years. The dead can be brought here, alive again. Asuma.

"How long?" How long has Shikamaru been here, and how much has Chouji missed?