Within Yakiniku Q.
Several people booked a private room,
This is Konoha 12's first collective gathering.
Even Sasuke, who followed Kakashi to learn new Ninjutsu, was found.
Naruto sat down facing the door amidst the cheers of the crowd. To his left were Karin, Sakura, Sasuke, Ya, Shino, Hinata, and Neji.
On the right are Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Hanabi who came to join in the fun.
Of course, one of the highlights of the party, in addition to the upcoming Chunin Ninja Exams, is also Karin, who is sitting quietly next to Naruto and is somewhat out of tune with the lively atmosphere.
When the young Konoha Ninjas arrived one after another, squeezed into the box, and saw the strange Red-Haired Girl sitting next to Naruto, they had different reactions.
Some were surprised, some were congratulated.
This congratulations comes from the heart.
Naruto is an orphan. Being able to find his clan members is undoubtedly a happy event worth celebrating.
This understanding made the young Ninja present feel a different kind of warmth and fulfillment despite the tension of preparing for the exam.
Karin listened to the congratulations coming one after another around him, looked at Naruto's slightly embarrassed but happy face, and felt the kindness released by this group of strange Young Naruto girls. His heartstrings, which had been tense, finally relaxed a little.
She quietly raised her head, her purple eyes reflecting the dancing flames of the oven and the lively smiling faces around her.
This strange place, these noisy people... don't seem that scary.
"Chunin Ninja Exams is about to begin, everyone must go all out!"
Teeth looked eager to try.
"Woof woof!"
Akamaru also shouted twice in agreement.
"When you meet people in the village, just click here. We are all friends in the same village."
Naruto smiled and waved his hand.
If you go all out... there is no need at all.
"Naruto is right."
Everyone looked around and saw that Shino Aburame had silently eaten several pieces of meat and was slowly wiping the corners of his mouth with a paper towel.
He pushed up his sunglasses, the reflection of the lenses made it difficult to see clearly, and his voice lacked fluctuations as always. "Unnecessarily, excessive consumption or exposure of strength in internal competition is an inefficient and unwise behavior from a tactical perspective.
It is a more reasonable choice to preserve our strength and deal with unknown opponents from other villages."
Neji Hyuga, who was sitting opposite Naruto, paused almost imperceptibly while preparing to pick up the food, and turned his pure white eyes slightly in the direction of Shino.
Tenten, the relaxed smile on his face froze for a moment, and his eyes widened slightly.
Even Rock Lee seemed to be suddenly stuck, with a trace of confusion on his face.
The three people had a huge question mark in their hearts almost at the same time:
This guy who's talking... when did he come?
"Shino is right. This time there are thirty Genin from Sunagakure in the outer village. Among them is a troublesome guy named Gaara, who is undoubtedly our biggest enemy. The second is Amegakure's twenty-one Genin."
Shikamaru Arms around.
"As far as I know, there are a total of eighty-seven people in Konoha taking part in the Chunin Exam this time, and there are twelve of us here alone."
As he spoke, Shikamaru frowned.
"The selection mechanism of Chunin Ninja Exams, especially the first and second games, is often very elimination and competitive. Resources are limited and the number of places is limited."
He sat up slightly, and there was an undoubted realistic consideration in his voice. "If we don't prepare in advance and don't try to prioritize or weaken some competitors from outside the village at the beginning of the exam, everyone will probably consume too much energy internally and even be forced to face off in advance."
"In that case..."
Shikamaru spread his hands and came to the most realistic and cruel conclusion.
"There is no way we can all advance to Chunin. In fact, there may be many people who will be eliminated early without even having a chance to show their true strength."
The room was quiet for a while, except for the sound of barbecue.
Joint Chunin Ninja Exams is not only a competition of personal strength, but also a battle between villages, between teams, and even between individuals for limited promotion places.
Letting all twelve people advance sounds beautiful, but under the actual rules, it is almost an impossible task.
If you want to get as many Konoha partners as possible to Earth Flow until the end, or even gain an advantage in the final selection, you must have strategies, make choices, and even... maybe take the initiative.
"Shikamaru, what do you mean..."
Ino spoke thoughtfully.
"Join forces in advance to target other villages?"
Neji took it calmly, his eyes shining slightly.
He has already begun to think about the feasibility and specific operation of this strategy.
"That's right."
Shikamaru nodded, obviously beginning to enter the "strategist" state.
"At least in the early stages, we need a certain degree of tacit understanding and cooperation.
Sharing intelligence, covering each other when necessary, and even... creating opportunities to let trouble in other villages consume each other in advance, or we'll help them exit early."
"When the time comes, I'll leave it to you, Ino." Naruto turned his head and looked at Ino sitting on his right. Blue Eyes's eyes were full of trust.
"Depending on the situation, use your Yamanaka Clan and Mind Transmission Technique to build a temporary communication bridge for us."
Before she could raise her doubts, Naruto continued, with a relaxed tone but with a reassuring certainty. "If it's Chakra, you don't have to worry. I recently learned a way to deliver Chakra."
After careful consideration, Nine-Tails handed over the method of passing on Chakra to Naruto. The choice of whether to keep Chakra from Fourth Hokage after unsealing was also given to Naruto.
"At that time, I can pass my Chakra to you to support the consumption of Mind Transmission Technique."
"You just need to concentrate on maintaining Formula and spiritual guidance."
"Hmm."
Ino nodded vigorously, with a confident and motivated smile on his face.
"The communication network is all on me, and I won't be polite to your Chakra!"
She believes Naruto.
I believe he can do it if he says it can be done.
This unconditional trust is the tacit understanding and bond that has accumulated after being together for such a long time and witnessing each other's growth.
Shikamaru was listening on the sidelines, the corners of his mouth raised slightly, and he muttered, "This saves a lot of trouble... It's really good to have Chakra many ridiculous guys as logistics."
After finishing the meal, Shikamaru grabbed Choji and Ino and finally left.
"What's wrong Shikamaru?"
Ino originally wanted to leave with Naruto.
Shikamaru did not answer immediately.
He crossed his arms, walked to the door of Yakiniku Q, leaned against the wall, and looked towards the end of the street.
There, Karin grabbed Naruto's hand, and their figures gradually shrank in the afterglow of the setting sun, and finally disappeared around the corner.
The setting sun stretches the shadow of Shikamaru very long.
He was silent for a moment, then looked away and looked at Ino, who was walking beside him, with a rare expression of seriousness and thinking on his face.
"Nothing special."
Shikamaru's voice still had his unique laziness, but the content of his words made Ino slightly stunned.
"It's just... I have a gut feeling."
"Intuition? What intuition?" Ino raised his eyebrows, a little curious.
Shikamaru looked at Ino. A clear light flashed through his eyes that were always half-squinted and seemed to have no energy at all.
He paused and said in a calm tone:
"If, Ino, you... really want to pursue Naruto,"
"Then you have to work harder."
"Eh? Why are you talking about this all of a sudden?"
Ino's face suddenly turned red, like a ripe apple.
At this moment, Choji, who had been standing quietly next to him, also came over and said in a sincere tone, "Ino, Shikamaru is right. But don't worry!"
He patted his strong chest with a reliable smile on his face, "If you need help, you can come to me and Shikamaru at any time! We are Ino-Shika-Cho! Good partners forever!"