Ino had originally thought that what Shikamaru said — "It's better to offend Tenzo than to offend Naruto" — was simply referring to the power gap between Tenzo and Naruto.
(Well… in a way, girl, you really hit the truth.)
And even that alone had already seemed outrageous and hard to believe to her...
But to her surprise, the "shockers" Shikamaru casually dropped didn't stop there!
As the original "strategic brain" of the Konoha Twelve in the main story, Shikamaru had, during this chaotic and noisy exam period, managed to deduce Naruto's true role in this year's Ninja Academy entrance test based solely on a few inconspicuous details he had observed.
What?! You're saying he's the... the actual proctor of this exam?!
The surprises came one after another, each more absurd than the last, leaving Ino completely overwhelmed. Her mind went blank, her expression dazed, as if her brain had short-circuited. She stood frozen in place, hands on her head, sinking into a state of utter panic and regret.
'Does that mean I was just… just picking a fight with the actual proctor who controls the outcome of this whole exam?! Am I insane?!'
Though she never said it out loud, having grown up together, Ino had always deeply respected Shikamaru's intelligence and insight after seeing it firsthand many times. So when he dropped this outrageous conclusion, her first instinct wasn't to question its validity — she didn't even ask how he came to it. Instead, she just accepted it completely… and then immediately spiraled into regret over everything she had just done.
'Dear god… Shikamaru! If you already knew Naruto was the one overseeing this year's test, why didn't you warn us earlier?! It's over, it's all over… boohoo… If I get eliminated just like this, how am I supposed to explain it to my dad?!'
At first glance, Ino's sudden outburst sounded like she was blaming Shikamaru and shifting responsibility. But knowing her straightforward nature thanks to their childhood bond, Shikamaru merely glanced at her flustered, panicking form — tugging at her hair and stammering — and didn't feel even a shred of irritation.
'You didn't give me a chance to speak up earlier, what could I do… Besides, I only just confirmed it myself.'
With a lazy shrug, Shikamaru instinctively spread his hands, a faint trace of helplessness sneaking into his usual indifferent expression.
In truth, he hadn't expected that Ino's sharp tongue would actually pick up on a subtle flaw in Naruto's words — and manage to bait him into falling headfirst into a trap of her own making. For a moment, Naruto had been completely speechless, his prior dominance wiped clean.
Everything had happened too fast. Even though Shikamaru had noticed something was off and tried to intervene, by then it was far too late to stop the disaster.
…
As Shikamaru continued explaining the shocking truth to his teammates and approached step by step, Naruto — who had just been utterly smacked down by Kurama again — returned to his body in a fluster, accompanied by Kurama's hearty, triumphant laughter.
'That illusion was way too realistic… What the hell is this "achievement unlocked" nonsense? I don't want that kind of messed-up reward, dammit!'
Still stuck on the bizarre system prompt he had seen during his moment of unconsciousness, Naruto grumbled inwardly. The moment he fully regained awareness and stood up, the first thing he did was gently reach out and pinch the soft, still slightly chubby cheek of the person in his arms.
Smiling warmly, he bent down and gently reassured her:
"Hey now, Hinata… Don't worry. Didn't I say? It was just a stomachache. After a little rest, I'm fine. See? I'm totally okay now, right?"
At that moment, Hinata was far too worried about Naruto to feel shy. Her usual bashful nature had been completely suppressed by her overwhelming concern for him. And when Naruto pulled her into his arms, she didn't go red and melt like usual — instead, she steadied herself against him, even tiptoeing a bit to make up for the height difference between them.
"Naruto-kun… Are you really okay? Should we call the proctor to take a look at you?"
Even though Naruto looked calm and composed now, Hinata couldn't shake the image of him just moments ago, grimacing in pain and clutching his stomach. The shock from that sight had left too deep of a mark. She bit her lip and asked quietly, worry still lingering in her voice. She leaned close, scanning his face intently for any sign that he was faking it just to make her feel better.
"Of course! See? After a short rest, I'm totally fine now — full HP and everything~"
Naruto tried not to lie to the girl in his arms, but the shame of having walked right into his own trap twice in a row was too much to bear. So, while flashing a smile and adjusting his facial muscles with expert acting skills, he also subtly lifted his head to create a visual blind spot — hiding the twitch in his lips caused by pure emotional damage.
'Hmm… He really does look okay now…'
Hinata, ever innocent, didn't notice Naruto's small movements. She pursed her lips and gave him one last thorough once-over before slowly dropping her heels and standing flat-footed again. After a short pause, she added with concern:
"But… Naruto-kun, if you start feeling unwell again later, please promise you'll let the teacher know, okay?"
Of course, Hinata was so focused on Naruto that she didn't realize how her intimate actions just now made her look… very much like a worried little wife fussing over her husband's health.
"Yes, yes, got it, Lady Hinata~"
Seeing that Hinata had finally been reassured and no longer planned to call over the exam proctor, Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Smiling gently, he basked in the genuine warmth of her concern, wisely choosing not to point out just how couple-like her actions had been.
And yet, as Naruto continued to soothe Hinata like no one else was around, the approaching Shikamaru and Ino both suddenly felt like two high-wattage light bulbs standing there blinking awkwardly in the dark.
"...Shikamaru, are you really sure... he's the proctor?"
"...Yeah... sure... probably..."
Though they were still too young to understand phrases like "single dog" or "PDA trauma," Shikamaru and Ino instinctively averted their eyes from the scene in front of them. It was clearly supposed to be warm and sweet — but for some reason, it felt gut-wrenching.
They looked at each other at the same time, both seeing the same strange expression on the other's face… and then, as if struck by Genjutsu, each briefly caught a glimpse of blurred glowing text flash across the other's eyes:
System Prompt: Congratulations to Player Nara Shikamaru [Yamanaka Ino] for unlocking the achievement — Won the argument, lost at life...
System Prompt: Congratulations to Player Nara Shikamaru [Yamanaka Ino] for unlocking the achievement — Eat Dog Food!
System Prompt: Congratulations to Player Nara Shikamaru [Yamanaka Ino] for meeting hidden conditions and unlocking the special title — Single Dog [Strikethrough] Distinguished Single Noble's Aroma!
As for how this development came to be — whether it was Naruto's unconscious misstep… or a deliberate act of counterattack from a different angle?
Well… probably only Naruto himself would know the answer.