…Huh? That's it?
After a long silence, Shikamaru finally began to process what just happened. Seeing that Naruto had nothing else to add after his self-introduction, he couldn't help but ask instinctively, still caught in a daze of disbelief.
"Hmm? Of course. What else did you expect me to do?" Naruto replied with a smirk. "Did you really think I'd disqualify you all just because of a couple of jokes earlier?"
Seeing the utterly confused look on Shikamaru's face—like someone lost in the fog—Naruto's eyes lit up with amusement. He scratched his head with his free right hand, all while giving Shikamaru a long, judgmental stare, as if evaluating an idiot.
'Wasn't that—Cough, cough, cough! I mean, yeah, fair enough… hahaha…'
Almost blurting out "Wasn't that your intention?", Shikamaru barely held himself back in time. Fortunately, his returning reason kicked in just enough to trigger a survival instinct so strong it stopped him at the cliff's edge. Playing it off as a slip of the tongue, he quickly changed the subject to avoid saying something that might get them actually disqualified.
'Well, thinking about it, since he's the examiner… he must be someone magnanimous. There's no way he'd take what us kids say seriously.'
After a short pause, Shikamaru's eyes darted around as he scratched his nose awkwardly and began to flatter Naruto with subtle flattery.
"Haha, you really managed to say that with a straight face… Still, now that you've said it, disqualifying the three of you doesn't sound like a bad idea at all."
Naruto pursed his lips and blinked dramatically, feigning innocence while dragging out the words in playful mockery.
"If you really want me to disqualify you all, I wouldn't mind…"
"No no no! We don't want that! We definitely don't want to be disqualified! Please don't disqualify us, we beg you!"
At that exact moment, Ino, who had been covering her ears in terror, finally relaxed once she sensed no malicious intent around her. Just as she began lowering her hands—timing as unlucky as ever—she caught the tail end of Naruto's teasing.
Panicking all over again, Ino took his words literally and blurted out in panic.
"Uh… why are you all looking at me like that…?"
The words left her mouth before she could stop them. Ino slowly realized what had just happened as she noticed the strange looks coming from both Naruto and Shikamaru. Seeing their expressions twisted in barely-suppressed laughter, she scratched her cheek in embarrassment and stammered:
"Did… did I just miss something important?"
"Well, in a way… yeah, you could say that."
Having fully confirmed that Naruto held no ill will toward them, Shikamaru let out a subtle sigh of relief. As his nerves finally relaxed and Ino continued to panic beside him, a smile crept onto his face.
"Well then, I guess it's our turn now."
After a short pause, Shikamaru refocused on Naruto's smiling face and nodded slightly, speaking up:
"My name is Nara Shikamaru, of the Nara Clan. This is Yamanaka Ino, from the Yamanaka Clan. And…"
Suddenly remembering something, Shikamaru stopped mid-sentence. Ignoring Naruto who was still waiting for him to finish, he turned and scanned the area. Sure enough, he spotted a certain someone sulking on the ground nearby.
At the same time, as if sensing Shikamaru's gaze, the forgotten little guy who had been sitting silently with arms crossed and head lowered finally puffed out his cheeks in frustration and raised his head. Some food crumbs clinging to the corner of his mouth revealed what he'd been doing while feeling left out—comfort eating.
This little guy, whose presence was almost completely ignored from the start, was none other than Akimichi Chōji.
"Tch. So you finally remembered me, huh?"
Wiping the grease from his mouth, Chōji tilted his head back and emptied the last crumbs from the snack bag into his mouth. As he lowered his head again, he furiously chewed with clenched teeth.
"I'm not mad… not mad at all!"
Even Naruto couldn't help but wince at Chōji's pitiful, betrayed expression—let alone Shikamaru, who had actually ignored him.
"Eeehhh… Sorry, sorry, Chōji. That one's on me."
Despite being confident enough to maintain direct eye contact with Naruto earlier, Shikamaru couldn't handle the wounded stare of his teammate. Guiltily looking away, he quickly changed the topic and continued with the introductions.
"Ahem… Anyway, back to what we were saying. That over there is Akimichi Chōji from the Akimichi Clan. Don't be fooled by his, uh, solid build—he's incredibly strong!"
Feeling that he still owed Chōji an apology, Shikamaru added a little compliment for good measure, hoping to win back some goodwill.
Kids' emotions are fleeting. And Chōji, being a softie by nature, quickly brightened up when he heard the compliment. His earlier frustration, already softened by snacks, now completely melted away.
"Hmph, now that's more like it…"
Chōji stood up and dusted himself off. As he looked back and forth between Naruto and Hinata, he hesitated slightly, unsure of what to do.
'They're not enemies… so I guess that makes them friends?'
After a brief moment of thought, Chōji nodded to himself and took a step forward. Reaching into his clothes, he pulled out two brand new bags of potato chips—clearly his favorites—and handed them over to Naruto and Hinata.
"My dad always said… if someone's your friend, you should share the good stuff with them. So, here—these are my favorite chips. You guys can have them."
"Eh? Potato chips? What are those?"
The moment Chōji took them out, Hinata's curiosity was immediately piqued. She tilted her head, eyes sparkling with wonder, and asked softly:
"Do you know what they are, Naruto-kun?"
Hinata wasn't trying to make a big deal out of it, or tease Chōji. It was just… since childhood, as the heir to the Hyuga Clan, her father had kept her sheltered, raising her under strict training schedules.
She rarely played outside, and had barely eaten even the famous Ichiraku Ramen—let alone ever seen snacks like this.
"Of course! Potato chips are a super tasty snack," Naruto said with a grin. "Tell you what, once we've got time, I'll take you out to try all the best B-rank local food around the village—cheap, delicious, and absolutely worth it!"
His voice softened as he addressed the girl in his arms. Then, looking back at Chōji's offering, Naruto raised a brow and smiled.
"You're giving these to us? Are you sure? I mean… can you really part with them?"
Unlike Hinata, Naruto knew just how intense Chōji's foodie nature could be.
The fact that Chōji, who once flipped out over someone accidentally eating his last bite, was now sharing his favorite snack—that alone showed Naruto and Hinata had earned his deep trust. A gesture like this wasn't something you'd make to strangers.
Because of that, Naruto's smile grew even warmer.
"…Yeah, of course!"
Chōji, who had just started to regret his decision, was instantly comforted by Naruto's gentle and respectful reaction. That, along with the compliment about the chips, made him even more determined to become friends.
That's one of the best things about kids—they don't overthink things like adults do. If they share common interests, they can become the best of friends in no time.
"Hehe, snacks I can always buy more of…"
Any lingering regret vanished as Chōji beamed brightly again. Grinning like his usual easygoing self, he stuffed the chips into Naruto's hands and said:
"But real friends… you can't buy them, no matter how much money you have!"