Naruto and his two companions left the altar and found Shikamaru and the others. After some discussion, Shikamaru decided to go with them to Free City before deciding what to do next. While they were gathering some documents from the laboratory, Shikamaru approached Naruto and said, "Naruto, not long after you went to the altar, two people suddenly showed up here. We chased one of them outside, but they soon disappeared. When we came back, one of the experimental subjects in this laboratory was gone. I can't make sense of it. If that person could take the subject without any of us noticing, they must be stronger than us. So why did they need to lure us away?"
Naruto's heart lurched at Shikamaru's words, but he quickly composed himself and smiled. "Really? Maybe they didn't want to get tangled up with you. Their target was the experimental subject, after all. Taking it was all they needed to do. Wouldn't fighting you just be a lot of effort for nothing? You or I would've done the same thing."
Shikamaru looked intently at Naruto, making him feel a little uncomfortable. Just as Naruto was about to ask something to change the subject, Shikamaru suddenly smiled. "Heh, maybe. Forget it. As long as everyone's all right. I'll go see if Choji needs help. Sigh, there's no rest for me. What a drag."
Once Shikamaru left, Naruto quietly breathed a sigh of relief. But when Shikamaru reached the doorway, he suddenly remarked, seemingly out of nowhere, "The experimental subject they took was a fox magical beast with nine tails."
Naruto hurriedly looked toward Shikamaru, only to find that he had already walked away. A wry smile spread across Naruto's face.
At that moment, the Nine-Tails inside Naruto said, "That Nara Clan brat seems to