Chapter 101
"Uzumaki Naruto, how about becoming my apprentice?"
Nara Shikaku's demeanor was very similar to Shikamaru's—when he wasn't in work mode, he was just as lazy.
So that's where it came from—the Nara family's "fear of wives" and "fear of trouble" traits were hereditary~
Everyone froze in shock. Naruto was surprised and said: "Huh? Why bring this up all of a sudden?"
Naruto felt like he'd been hit by a pleasant surprise. Nara Shikaku's intelligence was extremely high.
In the original story, Shikaku replacing the Raikage as commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces showed just how important brains were.
If Naruto could learn a couple tricks from Shikaku, wouldn't his strength and smarts both go online? When fighting others, he could be as sneaky as he wanted—the enemies would have headaches galore!
Shikaku said casually: "I just heard your performance in the competition was pretty outstanding. How about it—interested?"
"Lord Squad Leader, please forgive my refusal." Naruto thought for a moment and still said to Shikaku:
"With a strategist like you in Konoha, I feel extremely proud. And I know my own limits—in strategy, I'm nothing compared to Shikamaru."
"What I'm better suited for is being a proper inheritor of the Will of Fire—charging on the front lines, using my own strength along with your wisdom to protect Konoha's family."
"So…"
Shikaku yawned and said: "I see. You're afraid of trouble too, huh?"
"Uh…" Naruto stopped his grand speech. Being seen through by Shikaku didn't embarrass him at all. He simply admitted:
"Yeah, I'm afraid of trouble. Plus I'm chasing a girl right now—I'm afraid it would waste time. You get it."
Sakyo: "…"
Nara Shikaku nodded: "Not bad. Youth is great. Well then… I'll take my leave."
With this, Shikaku could report back to Kakashi.
That Kakashi was really something—anyone could see Naruto was the type suited for top-tier combat power.
Having Naruto learn strategy from Shikaku? Pure waste of time.
Kakashi arranging a special meeting with Shikaku to discuss this just showed he didn't understand Naruto well enough.
Mm… looks like ANBU work really is exhausting.
After this brief conversation with Naruto, Shikaku suddenly felt heavy-hearted.
Naruto, as a mere academy student, not only knew Shikaku's position in Konoha but also that he was a jōnin squad leader—and even some details about the Will of Fire.
It was clear Naruto understood the Will of Fire very deeply… but whether he truly believed in it was another question.
Yes—in this short interaction, Shikaku had spotted a problem with Naruto.
If this were his previous life, the issue could be called: Unclear stance!
This was a very serious matter. It seemed… he'd need to pay a little attention.
After Shikaku left, the group didn't delay any longer and headed straight to the academy.
…
Unlike usual, when they arrived at the ninja academy, there were no classes. Iruka was just assigning summer homework and handling a few other matters.
The summer homework was written on the blackboard.
At the same time, anyone wanting early graduation needed to register.
The competition rankings were posted openly on the classroom's outer wall—visible to anyone at a glance, extremely prominent.
First place Uzumaki Naruto's name had already been pointed at and discussed countless times.
After cleaning up any leftover items in the classroom, they were free to leave school.
All around were parents with their children—making Naruto's group look a bit out of place…
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