After holding Shikamaru down, Naruto glanced around. Seeing no one nearby, he immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport Sasuke, Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru to his dorm at the Academy. It was a detached villa; everyone ranked in the Academy's top ten had a villa of their own as a dorm.
Only then did Naruto release Shikamaru. He formed hand seals, creating a seal that enclosed the entire dorm. Once that was done, he relaxed a little and said, "Now you can talk."
Seeing that Naruto had gone through all this before letting him speak, Shikamaru immediately realized there was more to Naruto's request to survey the Azure Continent's terrain. With his IQ of 200, he quickly pieced together a possibility, though he still dared not be certain. If his suspicions were right, this continent, peaceful for countless years, was about to be shaken.
Shikamaru set his suspicions aside and said, "You asked me to look for the best places on the Azure Continent for us to build up our forces. I've nearly finished my survey. There are three places that would suit us best."
"Which three?" Naruto asked. "Tell me their advantages and disadvantages."
Shikamaru spread a map on the table and pointed to a location bordering Elf territory. "This place is called Mount Wanzong. Mountains stretch on and on here, with several ranges providing cover. It's easy to defend and hard to attack, making it the best place to build up our forces. But it's very isolated from the outside world, and demon beasts roam the area."
Naruto studied the place Shikamaru was pointing at. It was indeed ideal for secretly building up their forces, but its isolation would make contact with the outside world difficult. It wouldn't do. He ruled it out.
He looked up