"That's everything I was able to determine."
Looking at Akimichi Choji and Ino Yamanaka, who were already dazed from everything they had heard, Shikamaru Nara slowly set down the Official Order scroll. His gaze swept over the room as he quickly reviewed the other scrolls on the desk. Once he confirmed there was nothing else of value, he delivered the conclusion to his chain of deductions.
For now, this was all he could infer.
After all, the information was limited.
Being able to deduce this much was already the best he could do.
It was impossible for him to infer anything more detailed. This was already his limit.
It was also the limit of what could be deduced from the information they had obtained.
"So, according to your deduction, this Taki Chiba should have been a candidate for Fifth Hokage, while this Hyuga Yukina was the Deputy Captain of the Defense Force and likely a candidate for the future Captain of the Defense Force?"
At that moment, hearing Shikamaru Nara's final conclusion, Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji exchanged glances. Neither of them seemed to know what expression they ought to wear.
Shikamaru Nara's speculation, along with the fact they had already known—that Hyuga Yukina had become Deputy Captain of the Defense Force at such a young age—was so utterly beyond common sense that it left them unable to react. Or rather, it was so shocking that they could not calm down for a long time.
Perhaps because they had learned too many unbelievable things at once, and the shock had been too great, they seemed to be getting used to this kind of information.
Before this, learning that Taki Chiba was not only a hero but also a candidate for Fifth Hokage—according to Shikamaru, not merely a candidate, but the