"What are you all huddled up doing?"
Shikamaru and Chōji walked over from a distance, curious about the crowd.
"Nothing much."
Everyone turned to them. Naruto, standing in the center, smiled slightly upon seeing the two.
Naruto was not surprised by the arrival of Shikamaru and Chōji.
These two had already been factored into his plans.
After all, one was his chief strategist, and the other his logistics officer!
Since they were working for him, their strength naturally needed to be enhanced.
Chōji was easy—dangle some good food in front of him, and he'd jump off a cliff.
But Shikamaru was difficult.
This guy would sit rather than stand, and lie down rather than sit. He was incredibly lazy.
How to make Shikamaru actively train?
A thought flashed through his mind, and Naruto instantly had a plan. He turned and instructed Neji and Hinata, "You two keep practicing the techniques I just taught you."
Then, he walked toward Shikamaru.
His gaze swept over the two. He was a little surprised that the third person hadn't shown up. Ino actually missed something like this?
Did something delay her?
However, that wasn't the main point.
As he approached, Naruto hid his thoughts, wearing an expression of calm, innocence, and composure.
As usual, he asked with concern: "Shikamaru~ How is your Shadow Imitation Technique coming along?"
"It's alright," Shikamaru replied.
He noticed the expression on Naruto's face, especially the gaze he couldn't quite conceal. The sense of incongruity gave him a bad feeling.
Naruto raised an eyebrow and beckoned. "Well then, how about we spar?"
"Fight you?" Shikamaru was completely against it.
Him fighting Naruto?
Wouldn't that be serving himself up on a platter?
His intelligence would never allow him to do something so stupid.
"How about this: I promise to stay in place, use no genjutsu, and no elemental ninjutsu whatsoever!"
Hearing this, Shikamaru was suspicious. He carefully scrutinized Naruto's expression.
"Really?" he asked.
"Of course."
Seeing that Shikamaru still hesitated, Naruto used provocation. "You didn't come all this way just to watch and do nothing, did you? Come on! A practice match!"
Saying this, he decisively stretched out his hand, giving Shikamaru no chance to refuse.
Looking at Naruto's outstretched hand, Shikamaru wanted to complain, "I was actually dragged here by Chōji! If Mom hadn't forced me out, I'd just be lying in the yard watching the clouds."
However, since his good friend had invited him like this, he had no reason to refuse.
Besides, Naruto had always been reliable in his memory.
"Alright then."
He took Naruto's hand.
The two stood ten meters apart.
"Begin!"
Chōji shouted from the side.
The match had started, but the two stood motionless, as if time had frozen.
They quietly stared at each other.
"Uncle Chōji, what are they doing?" Boruto didn't understand the situation.
Crunch, crunch~
Chōji swallowed a chip, then said loudly, "I don't know."
Boruto turned to him, looking surprised. He doesn't know, but he can say it so confidently?
Shikamaru cautiously observed his opponent, his mind rapidly analyzing the situation.
Naruto wasn't using elemental or illusionary jutsu, so what was his motive? Thinking about how Naruto had used Neji's Gentle Fist before, he had a bad feeling.
Could it be...
No, Shikamaru quickly refuted his own thought.
He had never seen Naruto practice his clan's techniques. Furthermore, such secret techniques were passed down within the family. How could an outsider get access to them?
"I'll just have to try it out..."
Staring at the motionless Naruto, Shikamaru activated his Shadow Imitation Technique.
To his confusion, as he made his move, Naruto across from him also moved in sync.
Like a mirror image.
"That hand sign..."
Noticing Naruto's hand sign, Shikamaru's eyes twitched.
Could his premonition actually be coming true?
His own shadow had been activated, but what about Naruto's?
He quickly looked down at the shadow beneath Naruto.
There were many trees around, but the two were standing in a clearing, where there were no shadows from trees, not even from a blade of grass.
Therefore, Naruto's shadow was perfectly clear to see.
Under Naruto, his shadow... was moving under his own control!
Moving?
Shikamaru was struck with terror.
It's actually true?!
I'm finished!
Before the shock in his heart could subside, Naruto's shadow quickly elongated, stretching into an impossibly thick black line that rushed straight toward him.
A cold sweat broke out on Shikamaru's forehead, and he decisively started to run.
"Good thing... I had a premonition!"
Even as absurd as the situation was, Shikamaru had mentally prepared himself.
Naruto had stipulated that he couldn't move, but Shikamaru was free to move as he pleased.
The length of everyone's shadow was limited. Even if Naruto had mastered this jutsu, his proficiency couldn't possibly be enough!
As long as, as long as...
Shikamaru wanted to keep moving, but he found his entire body stiffening. It was difficult to even move a finger!
He then realized that he was frozen mid-run, unable to move.
He was captured by Naruto's shadow?
That fast?
Unable to move his body or even move his eyes too much, his horrified gaze could only strain toward the ground.
In his field of vision, the enormous, pitch-black shadow of Naruto filled him with dread.
"Dad actually knows that move?"
Boruto stared in astonishment at the incredibly agile shadow effortlessly controlled by Naruto.
Boruto knew about shadow manipulation; he knew it was a secret technique exclusive to the Nara clan. How did his dad know it too?
"Haha, you've been caught!"
Naruto laughed happily, like a hundred-pound fool who had opened a loot box to find three gold items.
"Well then..."
Naruto's tone suddenly became sinister, his expression turning equally dark. "Now, please enjoy the Shikamaru-chan Dance Medley."
"Huh?" (xN)
Neji, Hinata, Lee, Tenten, and the others, who had gathered out of curiosity, all looked bewildered and confused.
A Dance Medley... what's that?
"Start!"
Naruto shouted, and began to skillfully control his enormous, mountain-like black shadow to 'abuse' Shikamaru's body.
How did he abuse him?
By making him dance, of course!
His Chakra was as deep as the ocean, enough to make Shikamaru dance until the end of the world!
And so, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Shikamaru gloriously began to dance the Gokuraku Jodo (Pure Land of Bliss)!
The enchanting posture, the seductive footwork, and even the breathtaking little expressions on his face were brought vividly to life under Naruto's absolute control!
It was a spectacle of a different kind.
"Hahaha..."
Boruto, who was not involved, laughed the loudest, and soon everyone else began to laugh without restraint.
As for Hinata... after a moment of stunned silence, her face flushed red.
Shikamaru, the man of the hour, wore an expression of utterly wanting to die.
But no matter how miserable his face looked, his body was forced into various difficult poses under Naruto's control.
"I'm finished! I, Shikamaru, am finished!"
In that moment, no matter how much he usually slacked off, his face was beet red, for he was still young.
I!
Nara Shikamaru!
Truly want to die right now!
Yet, under Naruto's control, let alone dying, it was difficult to even move a finger.
After experiencing endless 'humiliation,' Shikamaru made a grand vow: he would absolutely! Absolutely! Make everyone here dance this dance!!!
No sooner had the fierce words left his mind than Naruto's control forced Shikamaru into a provocative pose, making everyone laugh even louder.
In that moment, Shikamaru truly wanted to die!
Shikamaru danced for the entire afternoon.
Night fell. The village of Konoha welcomed its magnificent evening.
Alright.
Naruto chose to turn off his brilliant light, letting the world rest for one night.
Because he was kind-hearted, you see!
After personally seeing the near-exhausted, paralyzed, and unconscious Shikamaru home and sincerely apologizing to Shikamaru's parents, Naruto and Boruto walked the path back home.
"Uncle, is Uncle Shikamaru going to be okay?"
"He's fine."
Everyone else might not know, but how could Naruto not?
Shikamaru was one of his best friends. How could he possibly let Shikamaru be in danger?
He had continuously fed him several Xiaoyao Pills (Free-and-Easy Pills) throughout the performance.
Shikamaru was completely faking unconsciousness just now!
Ahem.
After all, he couldn't possibly face anyone while conscious!
Naruto hoped that Shikamaru would learn his lesson from this and stop being lazy with his training.
Otherwise... otherwise he truly wouldn't have any other option!
After all, they were good friends. He couldn't just keep tormenting only him, essentially turning his life into hell!
However, after this personal, master-level instruction from him, and especially after Shikamaru experienced it firsthand, he only needed a little insight to achieve a massive leap in strength.
He looked forward to Shikamaru's improvement!
"Dad, you even know the Nara family's Shadow Secret Jutsu?"
Boruto looked excited, even forgetting to stick to his respectful title.
Before today, he had never imagined that the Shadow Secret Jutsu of Shikadai's family could be used in such a way.
It was truly, truly too cool!
Naruto looked humble. "Just a little, just a little! I only know a little bit."
"Haha... Dad, you are way too humble!"
Boruto was now absolutely certain that his dad was just being too modest, so much so that he was hiding so many great things and not passing them on to him.
He had decided!
Once he returned, he would formally apprentice under his own father and learn all these various ninjutsu!
With so many cool jutsu available, that somewhat uncool Mr. Sasuke could just step aside.
Sasuke?
Never heard of him!
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