"You're very good at rising to the occasion and acting when it counts, then." Ikki might still be learning, but she was competent enough to rescue one of Chouji's friends in one of the many, many timelines, and that's the part he'll focus on.

He laughs delightedly at the revelation about Shikamaru's shadow puppet show. "I bet those were the best shadow puppets you've ever seen. He'd be good at that. I hope it helped you settle in" Chouji knows where Shikamaru got his soft spot for kids, and seeing that he's been indulging Ikki here sends another wave of reassurance that things haven't changed, no matter how much Chouji missed.