"Dad, what's wrong?"
Shikamaru looked at him in surprise.
"Does he really think that after being the Hokage's advisor for so many years, he's completely lost the ability to distinguish right from wrong?"
Shikaku poured himself a cup of tea and said with a smile.
" Yuzuru, actually I really admire him."
"Well?"
"To change the Shinobi World, three things are needed: absolute power, the ability to see through everything, and finally, the determination to overthrow the world and become an enemy of all people."
Shikaku extended three fingers, then retracted two, leaving only his index finger pointing upwards.
"We, the Nara Clan, possess exceptionally high intelligence, but beyond that, we have nothing."
"Unlike the Senju Clan, we don't possess the highly potential Wood Release, nor do we have the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan. In terms of strength, the Nara Clan's limit is just that."
"As for resolve, we can't lead so many clansmen to the ends of the earth, can we? As the head of the clan, I must shoulder the responsibilities of the clan leader. The survival of the clan is the most important thing. This Shinobi World is a cannibalistic Shinobi World; strength is everything."
Shikaku Nara sighed.
" Hashirama Senju was short-sighted, Madara Uchiha reckless. If either of them had just a little foresight, how could there have been so many wars later on?"
Hearing this, Shikamaru learned his father's true attitude for the first time from his own father.
Sure enough, if even he could see it clearly, how could his father, someone who had experienced war, not see it?
However, he carried the burden of his family on his shoulders. The Nara Clan could distinguish right from wrong, but unfortunately, they did not have enough power to correct the wrongdoing. They could only use their wisdom to navigate the situation as much as possible, just for the sake of the family's survival.
Shikamaru sighed, lay flat on the bamboo mat, and quietly stared at the ceiling.
"Alright, you're so young, don't act so mature."
Shikaku looked at him and laughed and scolded, his eyes showing both a hint of relief and a hint of reluctance.
He hoped Shikamaru could have a happy childhood, but the high intelligence of the Nara Clan seemed like a curse, allowing them to see through everything, yet they could only see through everything and could do nothing about it.
"Dad, before I came back, Mr. Lan specifically wanted to have a chat with me."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of curiosity flashed in Shikaku's eyes.
What did he talk to you about?
Shikamaru didn't hide anything and told Shikaku everything about his conversation with Mr. Arashi, and also mentioned some of his classes at the Sea Region Academy and the books in the library.
After hearing Shikamaru's words, Shikaku fell into a long silence.
"Mr. Lan, have you ever seen what he looks like under the mask?"
No, what's wrong?
Shikamaru looked at his father.
"I have a feeling that Mr. Lan and Yuzuru must have some inseparable connection, perhaps even..."
Shikaku wanted to say that it might be the same person, but thinking about what happened after the Five Kage Summit, he didn't say it. In addition, he had met Mr. Arashi a few months ago, and he was indeed quite different from Minazuki Yuzuru. Their eye and hair colors didn't match, not to mention that he knew Storm Release.
The Yuki Clan knows Storm Release? That's highly unlikely.
But it's unlikely that the two have no contact; at least, Shikaku absolutely doesn't believe it.
Based on everything Shikamaru said, this Mr. Arashi could never possibly be on the side of the Shinobi World or the ninjas.
"Dad, what do you think would happen if the family were to enter the Sea Region Academy?"
Upon hearing Shikamaru's words, Shikaku's hand trembled slightly.
This is no small matter.
"More importantly, it's easy for our family to relocate, since there are only a little over a hundred people. But the problem is, what about your Uncle Yamanaka and Uncle Akimichi's families?"
The friendship between the Ino-Shika-Cho is not just empty words; our three clans have stood together through thick and thin since the beginning of the chaos.
Shikaku explained.
Hearing this, Shikamaru didn't say anything more.
He certainly knew the relationship between the Ino-Shika-Cho families. It seemed he needed to have a serious talk with Mr. Arashi about this.
"You should rest at home. I need to talk to Inoichi and the others about this."
"Um."
Shikamaru nodded, then, as Shikaku got up to leave, he suddenly asked, "Dad, have any Uchiha Clan or Hyuga Clan gone missing?"
"Hmm? Why do you ask that?"
Shikaku had just changed her shoes when she turned to look at him.
"There are three special people in our class: Hinata Hyuga, Sasuke Uchiha, and the last one is Naruto Uzumaki."
"Boom!!!"
Upon hearing those three names, Shikaku's mind exploded.
He rushed back, looked at Shikamaru, grabbed his shoulder, and asked earnestly, "Are you telling the truth? You've seen them with Byakugan and Sharingan? And that Naruto Uzumaki, he has red hair?"
"Everything before that is correct, but not the last one. Naruto Uzumaki has short blond hair, while his girlfriend Karin Uzumaki has red hair."
"Short blonde hair?"
Short blonde hair!
"Haha, short blonde hair! What a lovely short blonde hair!"
Shikaku smiled with relief, and a familiar blond figure appeared in his eyes.
"What's wrong, Dad?"
Shikamaru noticed his father acting strangely and immediately asked curiously.
" Shikamaru, after school starts, go and talk to Mr. Arashi. The Ino-Shika-Cho Clans are willing to join the Sea Region Academy, but they hope Mr. Arashi can help them with how to leave Konoha."
"Well?"
Shikamaru was somewhat bewildered by his father's sudden change in attitude.
You'll find out later.
Shikaku laughed loudly, patted him on the shoulder, then grabbed his clothes and immediately went out.
Shikamaru was completely bewildered, seeing that his father seemed to have suddenly gone mad.
"Could it be that these three people have something special about them? Or is it Naruto?"
Is there any connection between gold and red?
Shikamaru went to his father's study, looking for something.
Soon, he noticed a photograph.
The image above shows a man with short blond hair and a sunny smile.
"Isn't this... the Fourth Hokage?"
Shikamaru glanced at the Hokage Rock through the window and compared it to the man in the photo.
In an instant, he realized what was happening.
With short blonde hair, Naruto Uzumaki is the wife of the Fourth Hokage, Kushina Uzumaki, who was kidnapped Nine-Tails' Attack.
Naruto Uzumaki, Uzumaki.
"No wonder, I see, I see."
Shikamaru realized what was happening and immediately burst out laughing.
The answer has always been right beside us.
After leaving, Shikaku found Inoichi and the others.
"What's wrong? Playing chess again? Didn't your son come back? Why are you looking for me again? Let me make it clear beforehand, you have to give me a half-game handicap, otherwise, forget it."
Inoichi looked at Shikaku with a helpless expression.
He knew how skilled Shikaku, and given the high intelligence of the Nara Clan, wasn't this just a case of utterly humiliating him?
"What are you talking about? I have something important to tell you."