Sometimes, When People Smile at You, It’s Not Out of Courtesy

Sitting on a rock, Naruto scrutinized the boy in front of him—the one who, in the anime, was said to have an IQ over 200. Looking down at him with a half-smile, he said, "Is that all?"

"Do you know who I am?"

Shikamaru nodded slightly. "The Hokage said you are somewhat dangerous."

Naruto stared at Shikamaru and spoke in a calm tone. "No, you're wrong."

"Let me give you a hint."

"I'm not dangerous."

"I am danger itself."

Shikamaru didn't respond immediately. Feeling Naruto's gaze on him, he instinctively recalled the photos of Naruto he had seen before. Looking up, his eyes met those deep, blue ones.

All he saw was a pair of dark, fathomless eyes—cold to the bone.

Shikamaru thought for a few seconds before seriously replying, "No, there's more to it. The Hokage not only asked me to befriend you, but also to learn everything I can about you and report back to him. This mission has been ongoing for months."

"You're quite smart." Naruto's voice carried no emotion, but there was a hint of appreciation. Then, in the same indifferent tone, he continued, "But for the Hokage to go out of his way to assign me a friend—how considerate of him."

"You've just told me the details of your mission. How do you plan to befriend me now? And how will you explain this to the Hokage? Your mission has already failed."

A flash of complexity crossed Shikamaru's face as he admitted, "I don't know. Before coming here, I remembered something someone once told me—'Friends should be the most trustworthy companions to each other.'"

"Setting aside whether the mission succeeds or fails, if I were to make friends according to a mission's instructions, then to my friends, I wouldn't truly be someone trustworthy. And in turn, I wouldn't be able to trust anyone else either."

"Besides, from the start, I knew I couldn't complete this mission. I never promised the Hokage I would."

After saying this, Shikamaru felt as if he had shed a heavy burden. His thoughts drifted to the unfinished shogi match with his father that morning, various strategic moves flashing through his mind…

Naruto, still sitting on the rock, fell silent. He had been carefully observing Shikamaru's expressions, but he didn't care whether his words were true or false.

Because he understood Shikamaru.

But Shikamaru didn't understand him.

Now the question was—how should he handle this situation?

Naruto was certain that the Third Hokage was watching them through his crystal ball, using the Telescope Jutsu. Ever since Shikamaru had left the Hokage's office, the Third hadn't moved from his position.

Yet, there was a critical flaw in Shikamaru's seemingly sincere words.

If he had accepted this mission months ago, he must have known that the Hokage had been monitoring Naruto through the crystal ball.

But he hadn't mentioned a word about it.

Naruto's gaze sharpened instantly.

This was a test.

Shikamaru was probing to see if Naruto knew about the Hokage's surveillance.

Or perhaps, he was testing how much Naruto understood about the extent of that surveillance.

If he had been tasked with this mission months ago, then he must have been thoroughly briefed on Naruto's situation.

Yet, instead of acting covertly, he had openly exposed his mission right from the start.

He was selling out the Hokage while trying to hide himself completely—just like…

A thought struck Naruto. This kind of "selling out your teammate" scenario felt familiar. In the original anime, when Shikamaru led a squad to retrieve Sasuke under Tsunade's orders, he had pulled the same trick.

Back then, when they were trapped by Jirobo's Earth Release technique, he had used a similar strategy.

Shikamaru must have sensed something unusual from Naruto's surveillance records and was using this approach to confirm his suspicions.

Naruto had always acted as an eccentric, solitary figure in the village. If he ignored Shikamaru, the mission would fail, but the Hokage wouldn't blame him.

By immediately revealing that his orders came from the Hokage, Shikamaru was portraying himself as just another helpless pawn in the game.

If Naruto cooperated, he would confirm Shikamaru's suspicions. Shikamaru would not only complete the mission but also stay true to his own ideals of friendship.

If Naruto refused to cooperate, Shikamaru could simply report back to the Hokage with the same approach—exposing the Hokage once again while controlling the narrative.

For example, he could say that he sincerely tried to befriend Naruto but was rejected. Then, using his high emotional intelligence, he could frame it as a mistake on his part—saying he had been too eager to complete the mission and accidentally revealed the Hokage's plan. He could even feign self-blame and apologize.

In the end, all responsibility would be shifted onto Naruto, the unpredictable and unapproachable Jinchuriki.

Would the Hokage punish a five-year-old child like Shikamaru?

Of course not. He wasn't a Jinchuriki like Naruto.

For someone as intelligent as Shikamaru, whether he and Naruto actually became friends was irrelevant.

Having figured this out, Naruto jumped down from the rock and took two steps toward Shikamaru. Just as he was about to speak, a familiar notification sounded in his mind.

His expression shifted slightly before he refocused on Shikamaru.

"It seems the rumors about the Nara clan are true—your people really are geniuses."

Hearing this, Shikamaru's face showed a hint of modesty.

"You're smart." Naruto's eyes gleamed as he extended a hand. "I like making friends with smart people. You seem trustworthy. Uzumaki Naruto—that's my name, as you know."

A pleased expression flashed across Shikamaru's face as he naturally reached out and grasped Naruto's hand. "Yeah, I'm Nara Shikamaru. From now on, we're friends who trust each other."

—'Data collection in progress…'

—'Update complete. Current data integrity: 7%. Please continue to improve data.'

"Hm~" After the voice in his mind faded, Naruto released Shikamaru's hand and suddenly added, "By the way, Shikamaru, when you mentioned trust earlier, I wanted to ask—have you ever heard this saying?"

Shikamaru immediately made a show of attentively listening. "What saying?"

Naruto's eyes flickered with amusement before he smiled and said,

"Trust is a ridiculous kind of affection. I seek it, yet never obtain it."

In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage and Nara Shikaku were watching the crystal ball, both smiling.

"Heh, Shikaku, I knew Shikamaru could do it. See? It was easy. Looks like Naruto isn't opposed to making friends after all."

"Yes, Lord Hokage. Though we couldn't hear their conversation, judging by their expressions, they seemed to be getting along well."

The Third Hokage nodded subtly, then dispelled the crystal ball's image. "Have Shikamaru keep at it. That boy is truly exceptional—he'll be an outstanding shinobi in the future."

Shikaku nodded solemnly, though a flicker of pride crossed his face…

Night fell.

Nara Shikaku had just returned home when he saw Shikamaru in the living room, staring intently at the unfinished shogi game from that morning, his brows tightly furrowed.

Sitting across from him, Shikaku casually moved a piece and asked, "What's on your mind? You look serious."

Shikamaru replied gravely, "My mission failed."

"What?" Shikaku froze for a moment, then said with a strange expression, "But didn't you two shake hands and become friends?"

Shikamaru kept his head down. "Before meeting Naruto, I had already made another decision—one that could have led to real friendship. But influenced by those two photographs, I overthought it."

"I spent too much time analyzing his surveillance records. When I finally met him, I felt an inappropriate curiosity."

Shikaku frowned. "But the Third and I saw Naruto smile before he left, didn't we?"

Shikamaru's gaze drifted across the shogi board. He stood up, his expression grave.

"Father, you know… sometimes when people smile at you, it's not out of courtesy or kindness."

"Naruto's smile… was a warning."

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