Naruto sat atop the rock, looking down at the boy before him—this so-called genius with an IQ rumored to exceed 200 in the anime—with a half-smile.
"That's it?" he asked lightly.
"Do you even know who I am?"
Shikamaru nodded slightly.
"The Hokage said… you're somewhat dangerous."
Naruto stared at him, voice calm and emotionless.
"No, you're wrong."
"Here's a little hint."
"I'm not 'somewhat' dangerous—
I am the danger."
Shikamaru didn't reply right away. Feeling Naruto's gaze on him, his mind flashed back to the photos he'd studied. He slowly looked up, and for the first time, locked eyes with those icy blue irises.
They were deep.
Bone-chillingly cold.
After a few seconds of silence, Shikamaru spoke seriously.
"You're right. There's more to this. The Hokage didn't just send me here to be your friend—he wants me to understand you as much as possible… and report back. He gave me this mission months ago."
"Smart guy," Naruto said without changing expression.
Then added coldly,
"How thoughtful of the Hokage, arranging for me to make friends in the middle of his busy schedule."
"But now that you've told me your mission, how do you plan to become my friend?"
"And how will you explain this to the Hokage?"
"Your mission's a failure."
A complex look flashed across Shikamaru's face.
"I don't know," he said.
"Before I came, I remembered something a certain person once told me—'A friend should be the one you trust the most.'"
"If I were to follow the mission instructions to the letter… then I wouldn't be someone worthy of trust to my friends. And I'd never be able to trust anyone else again, either."
"Besides, I knew from the beginning this mission couldn't be completed. I never promised the Hokage I'd succeed."
As he finished, Shikamaru felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
He thought about the unfinished game of shogi he had left with his father that morning, the many calculated moves now spinning in his mind.
Naruto remained silent atop the rock.
He'd been watching Shikamaru's face the entire time—not to judge whether he was telling the truth, but simply to observe.
He knew Shikamaru.
But Shikamaru didn't know him.
And the real question now was—what to do next?
Naruto was certain the Third Hokage was watching them through his crystal ball at this very moment.
Ever since Shikamaru had left the Hokage's office, Hiruzen's chakra signature hadn't moved.
But there was something odd about Shikamaru's story.
If the mission started months ago, that meant he must know about the Hokage's crystal ball surveillance.
Yet he never mentioned it. Not even once.
That omission was a red flag—a test.
Shikamaru was testing whether Naruto knew about the surveillance.
Or maybe he was trying to gauge just how much Naruto knew.
After all, if he'd been studying Naruto for months, he would've been thoroughly briefed on everything, especially the surveillance.
But instead of playing it safe, he'd blurted everything out on the spot.
He exposed the Hokage's plan… but kept himself hidden.
Just like—
Naruto's thoughts suddenly clicked.
This tactic felt familiar.
He remembered a moment from the original anime—when Shikamaru, under Tsunade's orders, led the team to retrieve Sasuke. At one point, when they were trapped by Jirōbō's Earth Style barrier, Shikamaru had used a similar strategy to mislead the enemy.
This was the same move.
He must have sensed something from the surveillance data, and now he wanted to confirm it—by using this exact kind of ploy.
Naruto had always presented himself as aloof, withdrawn, solitary.
If he refused to cooperate, the mission would fail, but the Hokage wouldn't blame him—he was just a socially isolated Jinchūriki.
Shikamaru's play was clever:
Reveal the truth.
Act like he's reluctantly going along with the Hokage's orders.
Make it look like he's on Naruto's side.
If Naruto played along, it would confirm Shikamaru's theories while simultaneously fulfilling the Hokage's mission—without Shikamaru compromising his personal integrity.
If Naruto refused, Shikamaru could simply go back and "sell him out" again—this time with plausible deniability.
He could report:
"I tried to build trust, but Naruto didn't cooperate. I accidentally revealed too much in my eagerness to succeed. It was a misstep, and I take full responsibility."
Either way, the blame would fall on the unpredictable Jinchūriki.
After all, what was the Hokage going to do—punish a five-year-old?
This was a high-level move.
In the grand game of shogi, Naruto realized: for someone like Shikamaru, the outcome didn't hinge on whether they became friends.
It was how he could manipulate the situation either way.
Understanding this, Naruto jumped down from the rock and walked straight up to Shikamaru.
Just as he was about to speak, a familiar voice echoed in his mind—an internal system prompt.
A glint flashed through Naruto's eyes.
"Looks like the rumors were true," he said, his tone light.
"People in the village say the Nara clan has incredibly high IQs."
Shikamaru looked surprised by Naruto's sudden compliment, his expression turning sheepish.
"You're smart," Naruto continued, his gaze intense.
He extended a hand.
"I like making friends with smart people. You seem trustworthy. I'm Uzumaki Naruto—you already knew that."
Shikamaru smiled, raising a hand to meet Naruto's.
"I'm Nara Shikamaru. From now on, we're friends—mutual trust and all."
'Collecting data…'
'Update complete. Current data integrity: 7%. Please continue collecting.'
Naruto let go of Shikamaru's hand, his face returning to a neutral expression.
Then he suddenly added,
"By the way, Shikamaru. When you mentioned 'trust' earlier, it reminded me of something."
Shikamaru, composed, nodded and asked,
"What's that?"
A fleeting glimmer of mockery passed through Naruto's eyes.
Then he smiled.
"Trust is a ridiculous kind of affection. I seek it… but can never obtain it."
Hokage's Office
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen was smiling, watching the crystal ball alongside Shikaku.
"Heh. I knew it—Shikamaru could pull it off. See? That wasn't hard at all. Looks like Naruto isn't so closed off after all."
"Indeed, Hokage-sama," Shikaku replied.
"We didn't catch their exact words, but judging from their expressions, they got along well."
Hiruzen nodded subtly and dismissed the crystal ball's image.
"Then from now on, have Shikamaru stay involved. That boy has great potential. He'll become an outstanding ninja."
Shikaku nodded solemnly, though a trace of pride flickered across his face.
That Night
Shikaku had just returned home.
As he stepped into the living room, he saw Shikamaru already back—sitting alone, brow furrowed, staring at the unfinished shogi game from earlier that morning.
Shikaku sat across from him and began casually adjusting the pieces.
"What's on your mind?" he asked.
"You look serious."
Shikamaru replied gravely.
"My mission failed."
"What?"
Shikaku blinked, then frowned.
"But you two shook hands—you became friends, didn't you?"
Shikamaru lowered his head.
"Before I even met Naruto, I'd already made another decision. A personal one. I thought maybe we could truly become friends. But after seeing those two photos… I got ahead of myself."
"I'd spent so long studying his surveillance data… that when I finally met him, I felt something I shouldn't have—curiosity."
Shikaku was still confused.
"But didn't you see him smile when he left? The Hokage and I both did."
Shikamaru's gaze swept over the shogi board.
He stood up slowly.
"Father… you know, sometimes when people smile at you, it's not out of politeness or kindness."
"Naruto's smile… felt more like a warning."
(End of Chapter)