Shikamaru slowly rose to his feet. After all that deduction and calculation, he had more or less figured it out.
As he was now, he did not have the slightest chance of winning, but that did not stop him from continuing the fight.
For no other reason than to give the audience an exciting battle—an answer sheet that would satisfy his nagging mother.
The instant he stood up, countless images flashed through his mind.
Since childhood, he had grown up in a happy family. He did not have many friends, but he had a few.
His childhood friends included Choji, that glutton, and Ino, whose head was full of fantasies and longing for romance.
Then, at the Ninja Academy, there were Kiba, Akamaru, and Naruto, the good friends he had met while being made to stand as punishment for sleeping in class.
Well, Akamaru counted as a good friend too, even if it was only a dog.
After that, he often skipped class with Choji, Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru.
It was just that whenever school ended and they went home, he would always see Naruto standing there alone. The other students and their parents all looked at Naruto with obvious disgust.
Being smart, Shikamaru had long guessed much from all the rumors. He had asked his father about it too, but his father had refused to say anything.
By looking through books himself, he had more or less worked it all out as well.
Compared to Naruto, he was far too fortunate. Yet Naruto always gave his all when facing opponents in battle, and as Naruto's friend...
Even if he could not win, he could not lose so disgracefully. Not to mention, his mother was expecting something from him.
He had always imagined that he would become an ordinary chunin,