Seeing both daughters shielding Naruto, Hiashi widened his eyes in disbelief.
Huh?
Uzumaki Naruto, damn you to hell!
*Ahem, ahem…*
Naruto coughed twice, rubbed his aching chest, and stood up.
The old man really hadn't held back with that palm just now!
"Naruto-kun, are you alright?"
Hinata quickly turned to support him, her eyes full of worry.
"I'm fine."
Naruto gave a wry smile and waved it off. "It's all a misunderstanding; I'm under the Third Lord's orders to arrest the spy Mizuki."
"Oh my, so it was just a mix-up!"
Inoichi's face fell in disappointment; he sullenly relaxed his half-formed hand sign.
He hadn't even had a chance to "teach" the kid a lesson before the boy spilled the truth.
Now there was absolutely no excuse to strike.
"But why didn't you say so earlier, Naruto!"
Inoichi deliberately raised his voice, shooting a sidelong glance at Hiashi.
"Blame the clan head for jumping the gun—he didn't give the youngster a chance to explain."
Hiashi's face turned livid. Watching his two daughters still guarding Naruto, he felt his chest tighten even more.
When he'd first arrived, he'd run into Yamanaka Inoichi, who'd been observing Naruto. The man hadn't said any of this back then!
At the time, Inoichi had sworn he'd long been irritated by this blond brat and wanted to beat him up for fun.
Now he was wiping his hands clean of the whole thing.
"Dad!"
Yamanaka Ino and Nara Shikaku arrived as well.
Ino took one look and immediately ran to her father's side, eyeing Hiashi warily.
"Oh, Clan Head Hiashi is here too."
Shikaku scratched his head, acting as if he'd only just noticed, a sly glint flickering in his eyes.
"Shikaku, it's you."
Hiashi managed a stiff nod, though his mind was in turmoil.
That blond fox must've sensed his daughter approaching and changed his tune!
Yamanaka Inoichi, damn you!
He shot Inoichi a fierce glare, wordlessly demanding: with senses that sharp, why didn't you tell me my daughter was coming?
Inoichi casually looked away, pretending to study the moon in the sky.
By now Naruto had caught on.
Looks like this was another test from the Third—old man still didn't trust him!
But then again, why not turn it to his advantage?
"Uncles, I'll take the scroll of seals and Mizuki to see Lord Third."
Hearing Naruto refrain from exposing the mission in public, both Hiashi and Inoichi breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Suddenly Inoichi understood.
The Sandaime had chosen the two of them not just to test Naruto, but to gauge each clan's stance as well.
As for why it had to be them… He glanced at Hinata and Hanabi standing close to Naruto, then at Ino beside him.
Who had just arrived? The answer was obvious.
No wonder the Anbu messenger had been so obliging tonight—they'd foreseen this scene.
Shikaku smoothly mediated: "In that case, I'll escort Naruto back to the Hokage Building; after all, the scroll is vital."
As he spoke, he cast a meaningful look at his two comrades.
"You two should take your daughters home; it's getting late."
Hiashi and Inoichi nodded.
——————————
On the way to the Hokage Building, Shikaku pondered a moment, then scratched his head and remarked as if off-hand:
"Our Shikamaru's been in your care all these years at the Academy."
Naruto smiled and shook his head; the dim street-lights gilded the tips of his blond hair.
"Not at all. Honestly, they're the ones who've looked after me—they're some of the few friends I have in the Village."
That clean, warm smile made Shikaku momentarily lose himself.
Through the boy's face he seemed to see another golden-haired figure with an equally radiant grin.
"Shikamaru used to be terribly lazy."
Shikaku's tone softened.
"But after meeting you, he actually asked me to teach him our clan's secret arts—something I never expected."
"I figure you're the one who changed him."
What he didn't say aloud was how the Ino–Shika–Chō kids had stirred up trouble countless times defending Naruto.
It wasn't just Kiba setting his dogs on people—Shikaku, Chōza, and Inoichi had all been summoned to school because their children had punched classmates who mocked Naruto.
As for Sasuke, who fought most often, or Naruto himself—who would sneak out at night to "visit" the families of kids who'd tattled—no one ever tried calling their parents.
Everyone in the Village knew the score with those two.
To summon their parents you'd need either Edo Tensei with proper offerings or a trip to the Pure Land.
Besides, most villagers still had no idea who Naruto's parents were.
Inoichi would occasionally grumble to Shikaku and Chōza.
Though he joked that Naruto had stolen his daughter's heart, seeing the kids grow closer and more responsible because of him secretly delighted the fathers.
Naruto was surprised by Shikaku's words.
He'd assumed the families started teaching clan secrets when the kids came of age; he never thought Shikamaru had asked for it himself.
That lazy cloud-watcher who always moaned "what a drag" actually requested training in secret arts?
Naruto could almost see the boy again—hands behind his head, yawning, "losing to you is such a pain."
Shikamaru, you rascal… Naruto looked up at the star-filled sky, the twinkling lights forming the mischievous grin of that trouble-shy friend. He would treasure this heavy bond forever.
At the Hokage Office, Shikaku tossed the half-dead Mizuki to the floor with a dull thud.
"Well done, Naruto."
The Sandaime took a puff of his pipe, eyes deep behind curling smoke. Though he'd watched everything through his crystal ball, seeing the boy safe before him still eased the old man's heart.
"Your performance with the Three Basic Techniques still leaves much to be desired, but you've more than earned the rank of Genin."
The Sandaime smiled kindly.
"Go home and wait for your team assignment!"
"Thank you, Grandpa Third!"
Naruto beamed like any child who'd just been recognized, hopping with joy.
Everyone in the office knew—no one mentioned Naruto's peek at the scroll of seals.
It had become the Hokage's tacit approval.
From now on, any jutsu Naruto used could simply be chalked up to the Third's permission.
As Naruto bowed and stepped out, his gaze briefly swept the Hokage's wrinkled face.
It wouldn't be long before Orochimaru launched the Konoha Crush in the original story.
The Sandaime Hokage, who had towered over the Ninja World for decades, would soon take his final bow.