Chapter 14: Ino Gets Tricked
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow was tightly furrowed. He had just invested in Akiyama Makoto, and the boy had fallen gravely ill in the blink of an eye? Was he just that unlucky, or was this child simply too fragile?
He took out the report and examined it carefully. His furrowed brow gradually began to relax.
With his vast knowledge and experience, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately realized what kind of illness Makoto had.
"It's Nightmare Sickness..."
The ninja world didn't have a term like "post-traumatic stress disorder." The older generation of ninja were accustomed to calling the condition of uncontrolled chakra due to severe shock "Nightmare Sickness." In truth, it wasn't really a disease at all; it was merely a manifestation of a ninja's inability to freely control the chakra within their body.
Ever since Konoha was founded and the Ninja Academy was established, all children in the village with chakra were required to attend school and receive the most basic training. Even children with extremely poor talent had to spend several years in the Academy learning to control their chakra and getting used to the feeling of it flowing through their bodies. As a result, cases of Nightmare Sickness were now rarely seen in Konoha.
But Akiyama Makoto had managed to meet all three conditions: recently awakened chakra, having suffered a severe shock, and having no one to teach him. This was what had allowed the old sickness to reappear.
Hiruzen put down the letter, lit his pipe, and contemplated how to solve this problem. He certainly wasn't going to let Makoto be tormented by such a minor ailment before his talent ran dry and he could no longer write. Moreover, the solution to this sickness was actually very simple: find someone to teach Makoto how to control his chakra. Once Makoto got used to it, he naturally wouldn't trigger a chaotic surge of chakra just from emotional agitation.
The only remaining problem was Makoto's status. He was not a ninja and was past the age for schooling. It wasn't convenient for Hiruzen to assign a real ninja to teach him. That would be a waste of Konoha's precious human resources and would also violate the rule that ninja must complete missions in exchange for learning jutsu. But if he let one of those duds who graduated from the Academy but couldn't even become a Genin teach Makoto, he was worried they'd turn the boy into a dud himself.
As he was pondering this, a knock came at the door.
Hiruzen said, "Enter," and Nara Shikaku pushed the door open.
Hiruzen's eyes immediately lit up. If Shimura Danzō was his "black glove," handling any unsavory business he couldn't do himself, then Nara Shikaku was his "white glove," handling any inconvenient private matters.
Half an hour later, Shikaku returned home, his chin resting in one hand, a troubled look on his face. This melancholy mood hadn't dissipated from his face even by the time Nara Shikamaru came home from school.
Shikamaru pretended not to see anything, but Shikaku was waiting for his son. He pulled Shikamaru into a game of Shogi.
They played until midnight. Shikamaru, unable to hold on any longer, finally surrendered. "Dad, if you want to ask me for a favor, just say it. Don't push me like this, okay? Your son is at a critical stage of growth!"
"Shika. A father just wants to bond with his son..."
"Tch."
Shikamaru gave him a look that said, I don't believe you for a second. Seeing this, Shikaku dropped the act. "Alright, it seems I can't hide it from you. Actually, Lord Hokage wants you kids to help with something."
After explaining, Shikaku went off to rest with his wife, looking completely relieved. He left behind a worry-faced Shikamaru, who now wore the same troubled expression.
The next morning on the way to school, Shikamaru's expression was still grim.
"Shikamaru, did you eat something bad?" Akimichi Chōji asked with concern.
Yamanaka Ino, who was passing by, teased, "He must've gotten crushed by his uncle in Shogi a hundred times again, right?"
Shikamaru shot Ino a look, originally planning to say something to annoy her. The Ino-Shika-Chō trio were deeply connected. Shikamaru, Chōji, and Ino had known each other since they could remember, so a bit of teasing and mockery between them meant nothing.
But looking at Ino's face, Shikamaru's eyes suddenly lit up.
Ino, who had been bracing herself for one of Shikamaru's sharp retorts, was stunned to see him mysteriously sling an arm around Chōji's neck and start whispering to him. The two of them would occasionally glance back at Ino and let out strange, giggling chuckles. Ino instantly felt like she was being left out.
"Wait, what are you guys talking about? Tell me!"
Ino followed after them in annoyance, but Shikamaru just grabbed Chōji and ran, which only made her more curious. For the entire day, Ino was distracted, losing even the interest to bicker with her good friend Haruno Sakura over Uchiha Sasuke.
After school, Shikamaru and Chōji were still acting all mysterious, walking out of the school with their arms slung over each other's shoulders.
Frustrated, Ino secretly followed them. She trailed them all the way to the main gate of Akiyama Makoto's house.
Two days had passed since Makoto acquired Uzuki Yūgao's pheromones, and his home had undergone a major transformation. The original gate had been completely repaired, and a new awning had been added in the small courtyard, under which sat four tables and a dozen chairs.
A group of elders sat at the tables, sipping tea and chatting. A gaggle of children played happily outside the front door, while inside the room, Akiyama Makoto was listening to another elder's story. The whole atmosphere was cheerful and harmonious, as if the place had become Konoha's nursing home and kindergarten all in one.
Chōji blinked and said in a low voice, "You think Ino will fall for it?"
"Probably. This Akiyama Makoto guy is actually kind of handsome."
Although Shikamaru was reluctant to admit it, he still had to agree. Yesterday, when his father told him that a suave man of letters, only a year older than them, had appeared in Konoha, he hadn't really believed it. But now, seeing the calm composure on Makoto's face—a face not much different from their own—he knew this guy's mindset was anything but ordinary.
Unfortunately, he and Chōji had no interest in literature. They were here to complete the mission assigned by the Hokage: to teach Akiyama Makoto basic chakra control and ninjutsu knowledge. There was no way Shikamaru was going to do something so troublesome. What if Makoto was an idiot who couldn't learn anything?
So, he came up with a plan to push the job onto Ino. The only remaining problem was how to make Ino willingly take it on. Luckily, he had an idea for that too.
Hearing Ino's deliberately lightened footsteps approaching from behind, Shikamaru pretended not to notice and said smugly, "He's going to write the story of the Uchiha clan into a novel, including Sasuke's parents and even his brother."
"If Ino knew about this, wouldn't she be scrambling to take this job?"
Chōji squinted his eyes, looking adorably clueless. But with one hundred percent trust in Shikamaru, all he had to do was follow his lead.
So he opened his mouth and said, "No way! This job is only for us two. For the sake of our allowance... Ouch, my ear!"
With both hands, Ino had grabbed each of their ears, a triumphant "I finally caught you" expression on her face. "Tell me what's going on!" she demanded proudly.