Just as Naruto was suffering both externally and internally—falling headfirst into the trap he had dug for himself twice in a row—he stood dazed, questioning his very existence. Meanwhile, Shikamaru, the smartest of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, was mumbling to himself in growing concern.
'We're screwed. If this guy is really who I think he is… then aren't we…?'
His face showed no trace of amusement. In fact, he looked like someone staring at the incoming apocalypse. His neck instinctively shrank back as he shot Naruto a glance filled with anxiety and unease.
'Trouble, trouble—this is seriously big trouble... Ino, oh Ino, you really had to say that, huh…'
At the same time, seeing Naruto frozen in place with a twitching mouth, Ino completely misread the situation. She didn't know that Kurama had just hit Naruto with another verbal blow from inside. Instead, she thought her teasing had been too harsh. The smile on her face gradually faded as a strange sense of guilt crept in.
"Hey... Shikamaru, did I go too far just now? Why does it feel like… he's turned into a total idiot?"
She glanced nervously at Naruto, who stared blankly ahead and occasionally let out a silly smile. Nudging the equally stunned Shikamaru with her elbow, Ino hesitated a moment, then carefully whispered:
"Chōji's probably rested enough anyway… how about we head off first?"
"'Head off first'...?"
The sound of a teammate's voice finally pulled Shikamaru out of his thoughts. But the complicated expression on his face—somewhere between a grimace and a laugh—didn't improve at all. He looked Ino up and down so intensely she started wondering if she had something on her face, then sighed softly and shook his head.
"It's too late to leave now. All we'd be doing is slightly postponing the inevitable... Nice going, Ino."
Ino blinked, confused by the unexpected reply. She instinctively assumed Shikamaru was just messing with her again.
"'Nice going'...? What did I even do?"
She pouted, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. But when the corner of her eye caught the strange, tangled expression on Shikamaru's face, she swallowed whatever complaint she was about to voice.
Among the three clans that make up the Ino-Shika-Chō alliance, each has its own distinct secret techniques. Through countless battles, their teamwork has become perfectly synchronized. Thanks to the deep-rooted camaraderie passed down through generations, the relationship between the three clans remains one of the closest in the Hidden Leaf Village.
Naturally, this new generation—with Shikamaru unofficially leading Ino and Chōji—was no exception.
From the time they could walk, Ino, Chōji, and Shikamaru had been guided—subtly or not—by their parents into becoming close playmates. That's why Ino could read Shikamaru's subtle facial cues like the back of her hand.
And the look he was wearing now—one she could count on a single hand how many times she'd seen it—was unforgettable.
That expression only ever showed up after Shikamaru had seriously messed something up.
'What… what exactly did I do...?'
That thought made Ino's confidence waver. She bit her lip, her voice shrinking to a murmur as she tugged on Shikamaru's sleeve with watery eyes.
"Is it really that bad…?"
"...Yeah... If my guess is wrong, then maybe not."
Shikamaru's gaze never left Naruto for even a second. Seeing Naruto shake his head and gradually return to his senses, he reached out to pat Ino on the shoulder, then said in a meaningful tone:
"But if I'm right, and he's the type to hold grudges... we probably won't be getting into the academy until next year."
There wasn't a hint of joking in his voice. Ino's unease only grew stronger. She followed his gaze—never once having shifted—to see what he was looking at. Aside from Naruto and Hinata, there was no one else in sight.
That's when it finally hit her—why Shikamaru had praised her so cryptically.
'Wait… it's that serious?'
Ino swallowed hard. She eyed Naruto carefully, finally starting to suspect that this boy might not be so ordinary after all. But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't figure out what sort of secret Naruto might be hiding that could make someone like Shikamaru, who normally couldn't care less, look so troubled.
Eventually, she could only hope that Shikamaru would just tell her outright.
"Who… is he really?"
"If you mean his name, I'm just as clueless as you. I hadn't even seen his face before this exam started... But there's one thing I can say with one hundred percent certainty."
After seeing Naruto regain his composure, and rather than lash out, gently pull Hinata back into his arms and soothe her in a soft voice—his expression not nearly as bad as expected—Shikamaru finally let out a small breath of relief.
He started walking as he spoke, muttering quietly in response to Ino's question:
"But if you're asking what role he plays in this exam... well, let's just say that offending the 'official' proctor would probably have less consequences than offending him."
Even though she'd braced herself, Shikamaru's answer still far exceeded Ino's expectations.
She had thought the worst case scenario was that Naruto was just really strong—strong enough to beat the three of them senseless if he wanted to get back at her. In a way… she wasn't wrong. In fact, she might've guessed more than she realized.
But no matter how wild her imagination ran, Ino had never once linked Naruto to the terrifying proctor from earlier. Much less consider the possibility that Shikamaru believed Naruto was more dangerous than that monster who had single-handedly suppressed everyone in the room?!
'Getting on that scary proctor's bad side… is better than getting on his? How can that even be?!'
The answer she got from Shikamaru completely shattered the goofy image Naruto had shown earlier. The contrast was so intense that Ino instinctively gasped.
Realizing she was drawing too much attention, she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. After hesitating for a second, she sped up to catch up with Shikamaru—her most reliable teammate—and clung to him like a lifeline, hoping his calm could help soothe her panic.
"Hey, Shikamaru... what are you planning to do now?"
"Tch. Women are such a pain... Do you really have to ask? The damage is already done. Rather than sit around and wait to be crushed, might as well take advantage of his seemingly good mood and…"
Sensing the fear and uncertainty behind Ino's voice, Shikamaru raised a hand and ran it through his hair in frustration. Without saying a word, he subtly shifted his path, placing himself slightly ahead of her—as if shielding her from something.
Then, slipping back into his usual lazy, unmotivated persona, his eyes glinting faintly with resolve, he muttered under his breath:
"Let's go ask the real proctor… if he'll let us off the hook."