'Hmm? How strange... Ever since the seventh Great Fireball disappeared, there hasn't been another one... Could it be that this is already Sasuke's current limit? I thought he could use it at least ten times or so.'
Carrying Hinata's petite frame securely in a princess carry while maintaining a brisk pace, Naruto deliberately adjusted his speed to keep it just right for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio—not too fast, not too slow.
Occasionally, he would glance up at the clear, cloudless sky where no further anomalies had appeared.
Squinting slightly to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight, he furrowed his brows in puzzlement, keeping his gaze fixed on the direction where the fireballs had emerged as he muttered to himself habitually.
So, while the Uchiha clan is renowned for their Sharingan bloodline limit, the trade-off is that their members inherently possess relatively low chakra reserves, especially compared to their peers.
This weakness is quite apparent... Looks like in future training, I'll need to focus more on improving this kid's chakra reserves, making it a top priority for enhancement.
Wait a minute... That doesn't add up. During that year of special training, I put a lot of effort into strengthening Sasuke's physical condition.
Even though most of the energy I implanted into him was wasted as he gradually absorbed it—preventing him from fully assimilating it as I'd hoped—there should still have been some passive expansion of his chakra reserves. Plus, with Ero-sennin's rigorous, tailored training...
But Naruto's subconscious conclusion didn't last long. The obvious flaw in his logic led him to completely dismiss it, easily overturning his own reasoning.
His frown deepened as he grew increasingly perplexed, muttering inwardly in frustration.
By that logic, even if Sasuke's chakra reserves didn't grow to the massive levels of my Uzumaki clan after the training, they should at least be comparable to—if not slightly better than—an average adult's.
How could he possibly run out of steam after just seven Great Fireballs?
.'..Agh! No, no no no... That's not it! What am I even thinking about right now?! This isn't the time to worry about that!'
As he puzzled over it, turning the question over in his mind, an unexpected yet inevitable answer surfaced—one that aligned perfectly with Naruto's deep understanding of Sasuke.
His expression froze, then twisted into something even more peculiar, as he inwardly groaned and clutched his head in dismay.
'Even though I knew perfectly well that Sasuke had already unleashed seven Great Fireball Jutsus, I still wanted to push for a few more?!
Could this be considered as me ensuring my own miserable death later...
The prolonged silence clearly meant the kid was thoroughly pissed and had no intention of responding to me anymore! Or perhaps... he was too busy plotting how to beat me up when we met to spare a thought about whether I'd seen his signals?!'
Meanwhile, as Naruto's thoughts spiraled out of control, conjuring up a hundred different ways he might die upon reuniting with the little fan-wielder, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio trailing silently behind him exchanged glances.
Unable to endure the eerie, oppressive silence any longer, they nudged each other until Shikamaru reluctantly stepped forward, attempting to snap Naruto out of his daze.
"Naruto? Naruto? Hey? Naruto? U—zu—ma—ki—Na—ru—to—!"
Yet, whether it was the initial tentative whispers or the progressively louder calls that eventually bordered on roaring right into Naruto's ear—none of it managed to snap him out of his trance.
The only reaction came from Hinata, nestled obediently in Naruto's arms, who cast increasingly puzzled and curious glances their way.
Naruto himself remained utterly unaffected, continuing to stride forward under the guidance of his sensory perception, following Sasuke's chakra signature.
"Ugh, absolutely no response at all..."
Faced with the reality that no amount of shouting would elicit a reaction from Naruto, the naturally lazy Shikamaru quickly gave up.
He swallowed, soothing his dry throat from all the yelling, then slumped back into his usual lethargic demeanor.
With an innocent shrug, he turned slightly toward his teammates.
"Guess I'm calling it quits."
"Hey, Shikamaru... is Naruto really okay like this?"
Only after confirming Shikamaru's failure did Ino finally relax.
Earlier, witnessing Shikamaru's bold—almost suffocating—attempt to yell Naruto's name outright had sent her into a panic, given the lingering trauma from Naruto's cold reprimands.
Her legs had nearly given way, almost sending her tumbling to the ground.
Now, she patted her chest lightly, calming her frantically pounding heart, and stole a cautious glance at Naruto's retreating figure.
There was something inexplicably tragic and pitiable about his posture, as though he were marching toward his own execution.
After a hesitant pause, she tugged lightly at Shikamaru's sleeve and whispered:
"At this rate, I feel like he's going to walk straight into a wall..."
"Ugh—! Well, if that's what you're worried about, you can relax."
"Huh? No need to worry... why's that?"
"Naruto's strength far surpasses all three of us combined... So, multitasking like this shouldn't be a problem for him."
Frowning slightly, Shikamaru strained to make out the mosquito-like whispers of the person beside him.
After finally deciphering the words, he lazily yawned and adjusted his gaze, directing it squarely at the doll-like figure of Hinata nestled snugly and adorably in Naruto's arms.
His words trailed off momentarily before he suppressed a chuckle, teasing with mock seriousness as he grew more certain of his thoughts.
'After all, he was holding his most treasured possession in his arms... With that concern in mind, not only would he not accidentally bump into a wall, but even if someone tried to push him into one deliberately, it probably wouldn't be so easy.'
'Treasure... possession? Where? I don't see it...'
'Right there, the girl in his arms... Not to mention how he practically flaunted her earlier, wanting everyone to know, but now he won't even let her walk, carrying her carefully the whole way... It's obvious without thinking—Naruto must really like and cherish her.'
'Hmm... Now that you mention it, to Naruto, Hinata really is his treasure...'
Shikamaru's reasoning made Ino recall the earlier scene that had nearly blinded her with its intensity.
A wave of secondhand embarrassment prickled over her, and she couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Tilting her head slightly, she blinked curiously and continued questioning, as if treating Shikamaru like an all-knowing encyclopedia she could rely on.
'But Shikamaru, I was asking whether Naruto would bump into a wall... What does that have to do with who he likes or considers his treasure?'
'Of course it matters—in fact, that's the main reason I'm sure he won't bump into a wall. Don't forget, when Naruto brought out his proctor's authority earlier, that girl Hinata was closest to him. Logically, she should have been the most affected at the time... But from start to finish, I didn't see even a hint of discomfort on her face. And judging by her reaction, it didn't seem like she was strong enough to match Naruto's level—more like Naruto, even while angry, was subconsciously shielding her from the effects.'
Faced with Ino's starry-eyed, admiring gaze, Shikamaru—though mature for his age—was still a child at heart.
The urge to show off his insights and bask in more admiration to satisfy his vanity was irresistible.
After a brief pause, he took advantage of Naruto's current distracted, unresponsive state and launched into an elaborate explanation.
Completely unnoticed by him, however, were the increasingly visible wisps of steam rising from the head of the unintended listener in Naruto's arms.
Given this premise, the answer becomes quite obvious—as the chief examiner, Naruto's strength is undoubtedly immense.
As for a small trick like multitasking, it's probably child's play for him, something he can effortlessly pull off... And precisely because of this, putting everything else aside, as long as that girl is in his arms, he would instinctively avoid any possibility of colliding with obstacles, unwilling to let her suffer even the slightest pain.
Naturally, there's no need to worry about accidentally bumping into a wall while lost in thought, right?
'Hmm, now that you mention it, that does seem quite logical... But Shikamaru, I have another question. Given Naruto's strength and status, what could he have discovered to make him look so lifeless and listless?'
Shikamaru's straightforward answer, combined with Naruto's earlier public display of affection—which he made no attempt to hide—made Ino nod in agreement.
After a brief pause, noticing the conspicuous steam from the corner of her eye, she followed it down to the fresh red tomato nestled in Naruto's arms.
Learning from her recent lesson, she chose to quit while she was ahead and smoothly shifted the topic elsewhere as she posed her second question, her expression unchanged.
Unintentionally, this gave Hinata a chance to calm down and recover, preventing her from fainting in Naruto's arms out of sheer embarrassment.
'Huh? I wasn't finished yet, why did you suddenly— Ah! Right, right, you're absolutely correct. This is indeed puzzling. With Naruto's endless repertoire of pranks and his role as the chief examiner, I can't think of any reason off the top of my head that would leave him so distracted.'
Shikamaru, who hadn't yet satisfied his urge to explain, was caught off guard when his friend abruptly changed the subject.
Before he could grasp the implication, he blurted out his question, only for Ino's small hand to clamp over his head and forcibly turn his gaze toward Hinata's visibly flushed face.
Hastily correcting himself, he felt a wave of dread wash over him.
Though he hadn't known Naruto for very long, Shikamaru had gleaned a pattern from their previous interactions...
Even if Naruto were currently distracted and unaware of his surroundings, even when fully conscious, he would usually just laugh off any teasing from Shikamaru and the others, never taking it to heart.
Even when scolding Ino, it was merely a convenient excuse...
But if their teasing pushed Hinata past her limit, causing her to faint in Naruto's arms—and if Naruto happened to regain his awareness at that exact moment...
Well, even Shikamaru could imagine, without needing to think too hard, that this doting husband's rage meter would skyrocket from 0% to 200% in an instant!
The consequences would undoubtedly be far worse than failing the exam—utterly unbearable, in fact.
In other words, under this subtle influence, Shikamaru and the others had subconsciously come to regard Hinata as Naruto's reverse scale.
Moreover, a fundamental rule brimming with survival instinct had been deeply imprinted in their minds—if forced to choose between opposing Naruto or Hinata... they'd rather provoke Naruto than bully Hinata. Don't even think about it!
However, just as Shikamaru and Ino exchanged relieved glances upon seeing Naruto still showing no reaction, an unexpectedly familiar voice reached their ears.
The speaker earnestly answered the casual question they had posed earlier.
"Ways to make Naruto distracted... Let me think. Given Naruto's personality, these might work..."
At this moment, the usually taciturn Choji, in a rare display of initiative, picked up their conversation.
As he pondered seriously, he suddenly seemed to have an epiphany.
Counting on his fingers, he listed the possibilities one by one while curling his lips into a gentle smile that appeared natural yet carried an indescribable oddness.
"Betrayal, traitors colluding with enemies, foreign invasion, losing loved ones, war breaking out, the apocalypse, life-and-death separations... Or the simplest one—like the bedtime stories my dad used to tell—the Nine-Tailed Fox going berserk again, nearly repeating that catastrophic disaster in Konoha... Huh? Why are you all staring at me with your mouths open? I'm not snacking this time, so there shouldn't be crumbs on my face, right?"
"...No, we're just wondering what's going on in that little head of yours... Why you'd suddenly come up with such terrifying ideas..."
"Huh? Didn't you ask? I'm just telling the truth."
Exchanging glances and seeing the same astonishment in each other's eyes, Shikamaru and Ino pressed their hands to their faces, forcibly resetting their nearly dislocated jaws.
After some thought, they conceded that Choji's words did hold some logic. Assuming it was just a sudden spark of insight from his clever little mind, they didn't dwell on it further.
Gradually composing themselves, they began teasing the bewildered Choji in a playful back-and-forth.
"Well, you're not wrong, but..."
"Something feels... off?"
"After all, Choji, you rarely speak up. Suddenly becoming so intel—cough, I mean, proactive. It's just..."
"A bit hard to get used to, haha."
"...Hey! Shikamaru! You were totally about to say I suddenly got smarter, weren't you?! Don't act like I'm some mute idiot, you jerk! Next time I go for barbecue, I won't invite you!"
"Huh?? You invite Shikamaru to barbecue? How come I've never heard of this? I've never been invited even once... sniffle..."
"Eek—! Oops, slipped up... cough I mean, Ino, don't cry! I, I... Shikamaru, stop laughing and help me out here!"
"Heh, sure—not! Comforting girls is too much trouble. No thanks."
"Wh-what?! Shikamaru—!"
Faced with his friends' teasing, Choji instinctively responded with his usual playful banter.
However, the faint glimmer of clarity that had been flickering in his eyes gradually faded away, and along with it, the subtle sense of incongruity that had surrounded him earlier vanished completely...
Meanwhile, had Naruto been fully conscious when Choji spoke, he would likely have been plunged into deep existential doubt by Choji's astonishing remarks.
He might have even started reconsidering just how likely it was that Choji was a transmigrator!
Because, in a way, every single incident Choji mentioned had once happened to Naruto—or rather, to Uzumaki Naruto, the emotionally dense son of the Fourth Hokage!
But even more unbelievable—and unnoticed by anyone—was the elderly figure floating cross-legged in the air directly above Choji.
Clad in peculiar white robes, with a strange face adorned with twin horns and wielding a bizarre black staff, the old man seemed almost otherworldly.
'Hohoho... I had already decided not to interfere, yet I couldn't resist... This child must be the "Child of Prophecy" Gamamaru spoke of, no?'
Muttering softly to himself, the old man's gaze grew increasingly warm and affectionate as he glanced down at Naruto, who was trudging forward mechanically below.
As the reincarnations of Indra and Asura, they get along unusually well—just like those two did when they were young... But this time, it seems Asura is more like the elder brother...