Chapter 59: Who's Supposed to Turn Off the Lights for Ino–Shika–Chō?
Shikamaru's personality was inherently lazy, averse to trouble, and afraid of change. He longed for a peaceful, uneventful life.
On top of that, influenced by his family elders and his team leader Asuma, Shikamaru was a firm defender of traditional rules.
In Shikamaru's hidden-story arc, the antagonist was someone who questioned why ninjas had to obey corrupt daimyō and wealthy merchants.
This was almost exactly the same question Shiromo had once asked Kurotsuchi.
The difference was that this antagonist was a frog at the bottom of a well. He didn't understand the power of Naruto, Sasuke, or the Five Great Nations. On top of that, even though his reasoning was correct, he chose to use jutsu to brainwash and control others.
Shikamaru pointed out these flaws and defeated the antagonist.
This approach could convince most people, but it couldn't withstand careful scrutiny by a minority.
Because this wasn't really a clash of ideals, it was more like an online argument.
When you can't win the debate, you start digging through the other person's profile and past statements, then try to slap labels on them.
Because the antagonist used genjutsu, because the antagonist had ambitions, everything he said was deemed wrong. His ideas were overturned in a black-and-white manner.
Nagato's original plan, he didn't know about Kaguya, didn't know about the Ōtsutsuki, didn't know he himself was just a pawn.
You could say his actions were wrong, but you couldn't prove that his ideology was wrong.
It was like posting "the sun rises in the east" on a chat app and taking a screenshot.
Then someone replies, "People actually believe chat screenshots?" to refute the sun rising in the east. Just as absurd.
With Shikamaru's intelligence, he naturally understood these issues.
But as mentioned before, he was a guardian of traditional rules. He didn't need to consider whether opposing viewpoints made sense, he only needed to remain firm in his own beliefs.
That was why Shiromo had said earlier that he didn't really acknowledge Shikamaru and hadn't planned to talk much with him.
Shikamaru was smart, but his kind of intelligence was different from that of Nagato, Terumī Mei, or Kurotsuchi, whom Shiromo had persuaded before.
Still, Shiromo decided to conduct an experiment.
He didn't know whether it would succeed, but he planned to try it on Shikamaru.
After all, Shikamaru had come to him on his own. And for Shikamaru, this experiment wasn't a bad thing, it would even fulfill his dream of being an ordinary office worker.
"You want to be an ordinary ninja. You don't need to deliberately make yourself ordinary, just make sure other ninjas are outstanding enough. Then you naturally won't stand out."
"With your role as a strategist and your friendship with Naruto, I think you'd definitely help him become Hokage, right?"
'But that would go completely against your dream."
"However, if Konoha learned a little from Iwagakure and Kirigakure, both goals could be achieved."
"As long as there are enough capable people assisting the Hokage, your workload would naturally become countless times lighter."
Shiromo's words were reasonable, yet absurd in a way Shikamaru couldn't quite process.
Indeed, even if Konoha didn't seize the daimyō's authority or start a revolution, simply decentralizing the Hokage's power, so the Hokage didn't have to review mountains of paperwork every day, would already be a decent reform.
And if other ninjas were strong enough, then he wouldn't need to hide anything at all.
There was another layer to Shiromo's meaning. Taking Hinata's younger sister Hanabi outside the village to grow stronger was precisely an example of making other ninjas stronger.
In other words, if Shikamaru wanted to realize his dream, the best path was to go along with Shiromo's direction?
What puzzled Shikamaru the most was that Shiromo showed no hint of mockery at all, he simply assumed Naruto, that dead-last student, would become Hokage.
Even among their friends, they felt Naruto's dream was extremely difficult to achieve. All they could do was support and encourage him as much as possible.
"What else?"
After thinking for a moment, Shikamaru raised his head.
"As for whether you want a son or a daughter, I can't help with that. Maybe you can go ask Orochimaru someday and see if he can control that."
"As for your idea of 'marrying an ordinary woman,' I can give you a case study. See if you can gain some insight from it."
"Oh? Please enlighten me."
Shikamaru's eyes lit up.
This was good news.
What Shiromo said earlier, given Shikamaru's current experience, he couldn't tell whether it was true or false. He had even planned to go home and discuss it with his dad.
But this was different.
Before coming to ask Shiromo, Shikamaru had observed him for a while.
Shiromo's popularity was actually quite good. In terms of quantity, maybe not as much as Sasuke, but in terms of quality…
The Tsuchikage, the Mizukage, and even the leader of Amegakure all treated Shiromo very well.
In this regard, Shiromo truly was qualified to teach him.
And this was the kind of knowledge that, once learned, could be used repeatedly in the future.
"Take your next match as an example. Your opponent is the eldest princess of Sunagakure. She's three years older than you, and her strength is quite impressive."
"So, what should you do to ensure that she does not fall in love with you?"
This question completely stunned Shikamaru.
What kind of nonsense is this guy talking about?
What do you mean, ensure she doesn't fall in love with him?
He wasn't Sasuke.
Even Sasuke wasn't some ultimate universal heartthrob that everyone fell for at first sight, right?
…Wait.
The question was "ensure she won't," meaning a 100% guarantee.
Even a one-percent chance had to be eliminated.
That actually did make it an academic question.
Shikamaru stroked his chin and lowered his head in deep thought.
In the end, he gave up. He had far too little experience in this area.
His dad was a complete henpecked husband, hardly someone qualified to pass down wisdom.
So Shikamaru could only turn to Shiromo.
"I really can't think of anything. Just tell me."
"Actually, I don't know either."
"?"
"What's the problem with that? Humans are complex creatures. Women are even more complex."
"If you outright surrender, surrender after fighting for a bit, or instantly defeat her, any of those could attract attention. But…"
Shiromo pulled a book out from behind his back and stuffed it into Shikamaru's arms.
"This is?"
"This is a new work by one of your Konoha ninjas, Hatake Kakashi. I only got this unreleased version early because I have connections with the publisher."
"It seems to contain the answer you're looking for. I'll give it to you."
Shiromo patted Shikamaru on the shoulder.
"Kakashi-sensei's book?"
Shikamaru lowered his head to look at the cover.
[Buff Man Strategy Guide]
[Author: Hatake Kakashi]
"There are less than twenty minutes left. This is your last chance. Do your best, find the method inside and master it. It's time to test your IQ."
After saying this, Shiromo stood up and left.
With a resolute expression, Shikamaru sat down, placed the book on his legs, flipped open the first page, and began reading at high speed with full concentration, trying to find the answer.
After reading for a while, Shikamaru scratched his head.
"I feel like I forgot something… oh right, Hinata's little sister… Whatever, let the Hyūga clan worry about it themselves. What a drag."
After complaining, Shikamaru immersed himself in the book once more.
Behind him, Ino, unconscious on her seat: ?
—
Elsewhere, Shiromo went to the restroom. After coming out and washing his hands, he looked at himself in the mirror.
"Oh. Almost forgot."
Thump.
Ino finally woke up on her seat.
The moment she regained consciousness, she stared at her hands in utter despair.
The Mind Body Switch Technique reflects damage back onto the caster. Pain, or rather, sensation, is naturally reflected as well.
What… what had she just touched?!
Damn Shikamaru!
Seeing Shikamaru still sitting there completely absorbed in reading, without the slightest concern for her condition, as if he'd already forgotten about her entirely, Ino felt rage surge up from her heart.
She came to help out of goodwill, and this was how she was treated?
Clenching her fists, Ino walked over step by step.
"What kind of book are you reading so seriously? You sleep through ninja academy classes, don't you?"
Curiosity got the better of her, and she glanced at it before striking.
Shikamaru happened to be reading a humorous short story in the book.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio had a great relationship and lived in the same dorm. They agreed to take turns turning off the lights every night.
One day, everyone lay down, but no one turned off the lights.
Yamanaka asked: Who's supposed to turn off the lights today? Why hasn't anyone done it?
Akimichi answered: Today it's Nara's turn.
"..."
Ino instantly recalled the sensation from earlier and took a deep breath.
"Go to hell, Shikamaru!"
Bang!
(End of this chapter)