"Farfetched..." And because it's Asuma, Chouji fails to keep as silent as he ought to. The words come tumbling out almost without his permission. "There was a war going on, and I should still be on the battlefield. I thought this was just another enemy technique. It would have made more sense." Especially given who they were fighting and the nature of their enemy's end goal.

It hasn't sunk in, really, that he's not still there. He's braced for an attack that isn't coming, temporarily numb to the deaths so frequent that they're only numbers right now, and estimated ones at that. Except, of course, for the three names echoing in his head. Neji. Shikaku. Inoichi.

His next words are muttered, almost a whisper. "Ino and Shikamaru don't know." And Chouji has no idea how much to tell them.

Chouji shakes his head and manages a smile. "Sorry, Sensei. I'm not exactly giving us the happy reunion we should have." The expression grows more genuine when he adds, "You being here makes it all a lot better, really."