After finishing the desserts, Hinata suddenly realized something and jumped to her feet.
"Oh no! I'm going to be late!"
Wen Lan froze for a moment, then quickly understood—she meant class time.
"Don't worry. I'll take you."
He picked her up, stepped out of the dessert shop, and in the next instant transformed into a streak of golden lightning, darting through the streets and leaving faint electric afterimages behind.
Buildings on both sides blurred into flowing light. Instinctively, Hinata wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as a cool breeze swept through her hair.
By the time they reached the Ninja Academy, they were already late.
Class had started twenty minutes earlier.
Voices from the lecture echoed through the hallway. Several students near the windows peeked outside. At the door of Hinata's classroom stood Naruto and Sasuke—both being punished.
Sasuke gritted his teeth and muttered to Naruto,
"I told you to eat after school, but you insisted on eating now. Great—now I have to stand here with you!"
Naruto shrugged carelessly.
"We're already late anyway. What's there to be afraid of?"
Wen Lan gently set Hinata down, glanced at Sasuke and Naruto, and smiled faintly.
"It's just being late. No need to make a big deal out of it."
Hinata straightened her clothes and quietly thanked him, her cheeks still slightly flushed from the rapid journey.
Through the small window on the door, Wen Lan saw Iruka teaching the class. He knocked.
Iruka paused, looked through the window, and immediately looked startled. He hurried to open the door.
"Lord Wen Lan, what brings you here?"
Wen Lan stepped slightly aside, positioning Hinata behind him.
"I went to see Hinata today and caused her to be late, so I brought her here.
As for those two troublemakers, they were protecting a companion—that's why they're late as well. Let them back into class."
Iruka naturally had no reason to refuse. He nodded quickly and stepped aside.
Wen Lan looked at Naruto and Sasuke still standing by the wall and kicked each of them lightly.
"What are you waiting for? Do you need me to carry you in on a sedan chair?"
Sasuke hurried inside at once. Naruto grinned and swaggered in casually.
Inside the classroom, the students immediately began whispering.
They were both awed and curious about this young Hokage assistant.
Some quietly discussed the lightning streak they had once seen across the sky. Others secretly studied his calm expression and gentle eyes. A few whispered about his achievements.
Ino stared at him with sparkling eyes.
"Wow—so that's Lord Wen Lan! He's so handsome!"
Shikamaru glanced at Wen Lan calmly, resting his hands behind his pineapple-shaped hair.
"I suggest you save your energy. I heard from my dad that Lord Wen Lan has a pretty nasty personality."
Sakura looked at Wen Lan, pouted slightly, then gazed at Sasuke with admiration.
"I still think Sasuke is more handsome."
Hinata quietly returned to her seat. Her heartbeat had not yet settled, and the sound of rushing wind still echoed in her ears.
Of course, none of the classroom chatter escaped Wen Lan's hearing.
When he heard Shikamaru's comment, the step he had been about to take toward the door suddenly paused.
A faint smile curved at the corner of his mouth.
He turned and walked into the classroom.
Iruka blinked in surprise but did not stop him.
Ino gasped excitedly.
"Wow—Lord Wen Lan is coming over!"
Shikamaru suddenly felt a bad premonition. When he looked toward the door, he saw Wen Lan already standing beside him, smiling warmly.
"So… you said your father told you my personality is nasty, right?"
Shikamaru instantly began to stutter.
With his high intelligence, how could he not realize Wen Lan had come specifically to deal with him?
Well… not exactly deal with him.
After all, this was his own big mouth's fault.
He opened his mouth, hesitated, then thought silently:
Dad, don't blame me! I didn't want this either!
Finally, he nodded.
"Yes."
Wen Lan chuckled softly and tapped Shikamaru's desk with his finger, producing a crisp sound.
"Thank you for the reminder. I'll make sure to have a nice chat with Lord Shikaku."
Sweat formed on Shikamaru's forehead.
In his mind, he could already picture his father returning home with a frown—then grabbing a whip.
Mom… whether I survive tonight depends entirely on how much authority you have over Dad.
No—knowing him, he'll come to school to beat me instead!
I need to run home immediately after class!
Wen Lan then walked to the front of the classroom and said,
"Study hard, everyone. Strive to become the pillars of Konoha."
With that, he turned and left, transforming into a streak of lightning that vanished into the distance.
His objective was simple:
To repeat Shikamaru's exact words to Shikaku.
Shikaku was in the Hokage's office helping Minato process documents.
When Wen Lan suddenly appeared, Shikaku looked up, about to speak.
But Wen Lan immediately recounted Shikamaru's statement word for word—then stood there smiling.
Inside, Shikaku cursed silently.
Damn it. This is using a borrowed knife to kill.
He often complained casually at home, but in reality he had an excellent relationship with Wen Lan.
However, hearing those words from his own son was a different matter entirely.
And Wen Lan coming here so quickly made the message clear:
He expected Shikaku to discipline his son personally.
After all, if Wen Lan himself beat Shikamaru, the situation would carry very different implications.
"That brat is really causing me trouble," Shikaku sighed, rubbing his forehead.
He stood up and put on a stern expression.
"Rest assured, Lord Wen Lan. I'll go to the academy right now and educate him personally."
The outcome was predictable.
Under his desk, Shikamaru trembled in fear.
The moment school ended, he sprinted toward home at full speed—but before he could leave the school gate, he saw his father standing there with a dark expression.
His heart sank.
Just as he opened his mouth to explain, Shikaku grabbed his collar and dragged him straight toward the Konoha training grounds.
"You still dare to run? If word of this gets out, how am I supposed to hold my head up in front of Lord Wen Lan?"
His voice was low and stern, each step pounding like a drumbeat in Shikamaru's chest.
Of course, Shikaku wasn't foolish enough to take him home.
His wife—the real "tigress" of the household—was still there.
If he brought Shikamaru back, she would decide the punishment.
And at that point, it might be unclear whether he'd be beating his son—or getting beaten himself.
Villagers along the road glanced over curiously. Shikamaru nearly burst into tears, praying the storm would end quickly.
Soon, cries of pain echoed from the Konoha training ground.
Meanwhile, Wen Lan crouched casually on the outer wall, smiling as he listened to the screams.
Even more cruelly, he had positioned himself where Shikamaru could see him every time he opened his eyes.
Thus the scene became:
Shikamaru being beaten—
while looking at Wen Lan in despair.
And Wen Lan sat on the wall, silent but smiling, casually cracking sunflower seeds in his hand.
At that moment, Shikamaru finally understood his father's old saying:
"That kid Wen Lan is good in every way… except his personality is absolutely terrible."
A sunflower seed shell flicked lightly from Wen Lan's lips, tracing a small arc through the air.
His gaze remained fixed on the staggering figure in the center of the training ground.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes again and again, until finally collapsing face-first into the sand with a muffled groan.
The shadow of the wall cut across half of Wen Lan's face.
But the smile there only grew clearer—
as if he were enjoying a carefully staged silent comedy.
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