Inside Yakiniku Q.
Several of them had booked a private room.
This was the first time all the Konoha 12 had gathered together.
Even Sasuke, who had been training with Kakashi to learn new Ninjutsu, had been brought back.
Amidst the group's heckling, Naruto sat in the seat directly facing the door; to his left were Karin, Sakura, Sasuke, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, and Neji.
To his right were Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Hanabi, who had tagged along to join the fun.
Of course, one of the focal points of the gathering, besides the upcoming Chunin Exams, was Karin, who sat quietly beside Naruto, looking somewhat out of place in this lively atmosphere.
As the young Konoha Ninjas arrived one by one and squeezed into the private room, they reacted differently upon seeing the unfamiliar red-haired girl sitting right next to Naruto.
Some were surprised, while others offered congratulations.
These congratulations were all heartfelt.
Naruto was an orphan, and being able to find a clansman was undoubtedly a joyful occasion worth celebrating.
This realization allowed the young Ninjas present to feel a different kind of warmth and completeness amidst the tension of preparing for the exams.
Listening to the waves of congratulations around her, Karin looked at Naruto's profile—embarrassed yet unable to hide his happiness—and felt the goodwill released by these unfamiliar boys and girls; the heartstrings she had kept taut finally loosened another notch.
She quietly looked up, her purplish-red eyes reflecting the flickering flames of the grill and the vibrant smiling faces around her.
This unfamiliar place, these noisy people... it seemed they weren't so scary after all.
"The Chunin Exams are about to start, so everyone must give it their all when the time comes!"
Kiba looked eager to give it a try.
"Woof woof!"
Akamaru barked twice in agreement.
"If you run into people from our Village, just stop when you've made your point; everyone is a comrade from the same Village."
Naruto chuckled and waved his hand.
If they really gave it their all... there was simply no need for that.
"Naruto is right."
Everyone looked toward the source of the voice, only to see that Shino Aburame had silently finished off several slices of meat at some point and was now unhurriedly wiping the corners of his mouth with a tissue.
He pushed up his sunglasses, the reflection making it impossible to see his eyes, and his voice was as flat as ever: "From a tactical perspective, excessively consuming or exposing one's strength during internal competition when it is not necessary is inefficient and unwise.
Preserving strength to deal with unknown opponents from other Villages is a more rational choice."
Sitting opposite Naruto, Hyuga Neji's movement as he was about to pick up some food paused almost imperceptibly, his pure white eyes turning slightly toward Shino.
Tenten's relaxed smile also froze for a moment, and her eyes widened slightly.
Even Rock Lee seemed to suddenly jam, a flash of bewilderment crossing his face.
A giant question mark popped up in the minds of all three almost simultaneously:
This guy who's talking... when did he get here?
"Shino is right. This time, Sunagakure has sent thirty Genin for the Chunin Exams, including a troublesome guy named Gaara, who is undoubtedly our greatest enemy. Next is Amegakure with twenty-one Genin."
Shikamaru crossed his arms.
"As far as I know, a total of eighty-seven people from Konoha are participating in this Chunin Exam, and twelve of them are sitting right here."
As he spoke, Shikamaru's brow furrowed.
"The selection mechanism of the Chunin Exams, especially the first and second stages, is often highly competitive and exclusionary. Resources are limited, and slots are limited."
He sat up a bit straighter, his voice carrying a hint of indisputable realistic consideration: "If we don't prepare in advance and find ways to prioritize eliminating or weakening some competitors from other Villages in the early stages of the exam, we might end up wasting too much energy internally or even being forced to face each other prematurely."
"In that case..."
Shikamaru spread his hands and delivered the most realistic and cruel conclusion.
"We won't all be able to advance to Chunin. In fact, many of us might be eliminated before even getting a chance to show our true strength."
The room fell silent for a moment, with only the "sizzle" of the roasting meat.
The Joint Chunin Exams were not just a competition of individual strength, but a battle for limited promotion slots between Villages, teams, and even individuals.
Having all twelve people advance sounded nice, but under the actual rules, it was an almost impossible task.
To let as many Konoha comrades as possible reach the end, and even hold an advantage in the final selection, they had to have a strategy, make choices, and maybe... even take the initiative to attack.
"Shikamaru, you mean..."
Ino spoke up thoughtfully.
"Team up in advance and target the other Villages?"
Neji followed up calmly, a slight glint in his eyes.
He had already begun to consider the feasibility and specific operation of such a strategy.
"Exactly."
Shikamaru nodded, clearly entering "strategist" mode.
"At least in the early stages, we need a certain degree of understanding and cooperation.
Sharing intelligence, covering for each other when necessary, and even... creating opportunities to let the troublemakers from other Villages exhaust each other first, or having us 'help' them exit early."
"I'll be counting on you then, Ino." Naruto turned his head to look at Ino sitting to his right, his blue eyes filled with trust.
"Use your Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu as the situation requires to build a temporary communication bridge for us."
Before she could voice her doubts, Naruto continued, his tone relaxed yet carrying a reassuring certainty: "As for Chakra, don't worry. I've recently learned a method to transfer Chakra."
After some consideration, the Nine-Tailed had taught Naruto the method for transferring Chakra, and also gave him the choice of whether to retain the Fourth Hokage's Chakra after undoing the seal.
"When the time comes, I can transfer my Chakra to you to support the consumption of the Mind Transfer Jutsu."
"You just need to focus on maintaining the technique and mental guidance."
"Mm."
Ino nodded vigorously, a confident, motivated smile appearing on her face.
"Leave the communication network to me; I won't be polite with your Chakra!"
She believed in Naruto.
She believed that if he said he could do it, he would.
This unconditional trust was a tacit understanding and bond that had settled after spending so much time together and witnessing each other's growth.
Shikamaru listened from the side, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly as he muttered, "That saves a lot of trouble... It's indeed good to have a guy with an absurd amount of Chakra as logistics."
——————————
After finishing the meal, Shikamaru pulled Choji and Ino back, being the last to leave.
"What's wrong, Shikamaru?"
Ino had originally planned to leave with Naruto.
Shikamaru didn't answer immediately.
He crossed his arms, walked to the entrance of Yakiniku Q, leaned against the wall, and looked toward the end of the street.
There, Karin was holding Naruto's hand, their figures gradually shrinking in the afterglow of the setting sun before finally disappearing around the corner.
The setting sun cast a long shadow from Shikamaru.
He fell silent for a moment before withdrawing his gaze to look at Ino, who had walked up to him, his face showing a rare expression of seriousness and thought.
"It's nothing special."
Shikamaru's voice was still as lazy as ever, but the content of his words made Ino pause.
"Just... I have a hunch."
"A hunch? What kind of hunch?" Ino raised an eyebrow, curious.
Shikamaru looked at Ino; those eyes that were always half-closed and seemingly lacking motivation now flashed with a clear light.
He paused and said in a calm tone:
"If you... really want to pursue Naruto, Ino,"
"Then you'll have to work hard."
"Eh? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"
Ino's face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple.
Just then, Choji, who had been standing quietly to the side, leaned in and said sincerely, "Ino, Shikamaru is right. But don't worry!"
He patted his solid chest, a reliable smile appearing on his face: "If you need help, you can come to me and Shikamaru anytime! We're the Ino–Shika–Chō, after all! Partners forever!"