The Upcoming Graduation Exam

In the Hokage's Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen stared with a darkened expression at Lu Yu, who was lying on a small bed.

"This brat is just being ridiculous."

Sarutobi Hiruzen lit his pipe with a headache, took a deep puff, and only then felt his mood calm down considerably.

Sarutobi Hiruzen truly couldn't understand why someone who never trained managed to secure the top student position with overwhelming advantage every year during the assessments.

Ignoring the lazy fellow he couldn't comprehend, the crystal ball's view quickly shifted to Naruto and Sasuke, whose faces were ashen.

Watching the two swim with desperate speed, Sarutobi Hiruzen showed a gratified smile.

"Regardless, the strength of these two is indeed much greater than I imagined, and..."

Looking at the fear on Sasuke's face, Sarutobi nodded secretly:

"Sasuke's emotions seem to be quite good too..."

Upon seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered for a moment, and a plan quickly formed in his mind. He soon wrote out the team assignments for after graduation...

Looking at the list he had written, Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled and self-deprecatingly remarked:

"This year's students are really hard to manage..."

Two days later, at Lu Yu's home.

The family of four was warmly enjoying hot pot. As Lu Yu and Shikamaru grew older, Nara Yoshino seemed to have become gentler.

Nara Yoshino served dishes to Lu Yu and Shikamaru while curiously looking at the two listless boys:

"Lu Yu, Shikamaru, why do you two look so unenergetic? Are you afraid you won't pass tomorrow's graduation exam? Or are you feeling unwell?"

Shikaku's mouth twitched as he looked at the two, recalling their glorious deeds.

Shikaku had once stumbled upon his two sons' god-tier maneuvers during a mission.

Shikaku had always considered himself difficult to manage as a child, but his two sons were much better in comparison.

At the very least, no teacher had ever sought him out, and the two youngsters' grades were excellent.

However, when Shikaku found Shikamaru skipping class and basking in the sun under a tree, he was utterly surprised.

But then, Shikaku felt immensely gratified.

As expected of his son, he could get such good grades even while sleeping every day, and even the teachers covered up his truancy. Truly, each generation is stronger than the last!

In Shikaku's opinion, Shikamaru had fully inherited his talent in this regard.

Just as Shikaku thought his elder son wouldn't be so lazy, a few minutes later, Shikaku's worldview was completely reordered.

Shikaku stared blankly as his elder son comfortably reclined on a lounge chair, leisurely drinking milk tea and fishing. If it were just this, Shikaku could accept it.

The most terrifying part was that the little princess of the Yamanaka Clan—Yamanaka Ino—was massaging his son's shoulders.

The little princess of the Hyuga Clan—Hyuga Hinata—was fanning his son.

And the survivor of the Uchiha Clan and the orphan of the Fourth Hokage were grilling fish for his son?

At this moment, Shikaku felt utterly terrible.

His elder son was too incredible!

Every one of these people serving Lu Yu was from a prominent family, either now or in the past.

Instantly, Shikaku looked at Lu Yu with a gaze of awe and unparalleled admiration.

Thinking this, Shikaku chuckled and looked at his beloved, saying:

"Don't worry, these two brats might be a bit reluctant to leave the Ninja Academy? They'll be fine after a night's rest."

After speaking, Shikaku looked meaningfully at the two. Shikamaru, hearing the hidden meaning in his father's words, immediately lowered his head and started eating, pretending to know nothing.

As for Lu Yu, he indifferently began an exchange of glances with Shikaku.

Their pupils darted left and right, up and down. Nara Yoshino watched in shock as this pair of comical father and son communicated in such a bizarre manner.

"If you dare expose me, I'll tell Mom where your secret stash of money is!"

"Hmph, you're trying to blackmail your father? Impossible, how could I possibly hide private money."

Seeing his father deny it, Lu Yu's gaze flickered rapidly in six directions. Shikaku's face instantly changed.

He immediately said to Nara Yoshino, "I think Lu Yu isn't feeling well. I'll take him to his room to rest."

Without waiting for his wife's reaction, he grabbed Lu Yu and quickly ran towards Lu Yu's room.

Upon entering, Shikaku carefully closed the door, let out a heavy breath of lingering fear, and then glared at Lu Yu resentfully.

Lu Yu looked at his father with a wicked grin: "Heh heh, Dad, I know you found out that Shikamaru and I skipped class. Go ahead and tell Mom. If she finds out I'm with Ino and Hinata, she'll just marvel at my capabilities and be happy. But if I tell Mom about you hiding your private money, what do you think will happen?"

Shikaku's face changed drastically upon hearing this. Recalling the half month he spent at Yamanaka Inoichi's house a year ago, he gritted his teeth and glared at Lu Yu:

"Brat, what exactly do you want."

"Half of whatever you find."

"One-tenth!"

"Four-tenths!"

"Nara Lu Yu, don't push your luck..."

"Fine, fine, then three-tenths it is. And if I get into trouble later, I'll help you handle Mom."

"Hmm?"

Shikaku's eyes shifted slightly. He had to admit that his eldest son truly had a way with such things; Nara Yoshino had become much gentler lately, and Lu Yu deserved much of the credit.

"Alright, it's decided. Come to me whenever you need money."

The father and son quickly reached an agreement, which meant that Lu Yu, who had always been penniless, finally had his own piggy bank—even if it was a total rip-off of his old man.

The next day, as soon as Lu Yu and Shikamaru stepped out, they ran into Ino and Choji. The four of them walked toward the Ninja Academy looking utterly dejected; their expressions were beyond listless.

Yamanaka Inoichi watched them, his face full of confusion:

"I really don't understand kids these days. What's so great about being cooped up in a classroom at the Ninja Academy every day? Once you graduate, you can go on missions—isn't that sense of freedom what you should be happy about?"

Akimichi Choza scratched his head, equally puzzled, unable to wrap his mind around it.

Only Nara Shikaku looked at Yamanaka Inoichi with a meaningful gaze, offering an inexplicable remark:

"Some things are better left unknown..."

Watching the bewildered Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku walked away chuckling, unable to help but think to himself:

If Inoichi, that doting father, knew that his pearl in the palm was fanning my son, what kind of expression would he have? It would certainly be thrilling...