But the one speaking was Naruto, so Shikamaru had no choice but to give it serious thought.
If it had been anyone else, he would have rejected the idea outright. Naruto might be a little foolish, but honestly, when it came to making friends,
Naruto's friends basically never had any ill intentions.
That was the conclusion everyone had reached after countless incidents.
And Naruto had also said that the other person knew a flying ninjutsu.
With the help of a flying ninjutsu, it would definitely be an enormously significant advantage for their operation.
Whether they were leaving the village or traveling, it would save them a great deal of effort.
After considering it again and again, Shikamaru finally said, "Naruto, can you be sure?"
At that moment, Naruto seemed unusually smart. After hearing Shikamaru's words, he made his habitual gesture of reaching up to scratch the back of his head. "He's changed. I believe in him."
Sakura also chimed in, "That's right. I can vouch for that."
After hearing Naruto's explanation and Sakura's confirmation, Shikamaru did not hesitate. At a time like this, there was no room to worry about too much.
Trusting because he trusted them,
he said, "Then, Naruto, you go make contact with him. If he's willing to help, I'd be immensely grateful."
"If he isn't willing to help, I won't force him."
Naruto said with great confidence, "He'll definitely help."
With that, he turned and left.
No one stopped him.
Not long afterward, Sai, dressed in black, arrived under Naruto's lead.
He narrowed his eyes a little unnaturally and revealed a smile.
"Hello, everyone!"
Though his smile was somewhat awkward, Sakura's explanation earlier had let them all learn of Sai's tragic past.
So they could understand.
And although the smile was unnatural, everyone could still feel