The graduates of the Ninja Academy were having their final conversations. After today, they would officially be genin and could no longer spend every day together as they once had.
But... following the Third Hokage's team assignments, he had only grouped together a few students who already got along. For the most part, everyone was just chatting with their new teammates.
Nara Shikamaru stood by the window, watching Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha make the Seal of Reconciliation. A small smile touched the corner of his mouth as he called over to his best friend.
"Hey, Choji. If Naruto and Sasuke had kept fighting, who do you think would have won?"
"Sasuke, of course!"
Choji Akimichi was still engrossed in his potato chips and wasn't paying attention, so Ino Yamanaka, one of Sasuke's biggest fangirls, answered first. "Sasuke is the top student at the Academy. Naruto is just the dead-last!"
"That's not necessarily true..." Shikamaru said, casually cleaning out his ear.
Seeing this, Ino's eyes widened. "Hey, Shikamaru, didn't you just see Sasuke use a Fire Style jutsu?" she snapped. "If Jonin Kakashi Hatake hadn't stepped in to save Naruto, that dead-last would be in the hospital right now!"
"Heh... that's not necessarily true, either," Shikamaru replied, cupping his hands to hide his expression. "It's rare for people like us to have access to information about the Hokage..."
He continued, "As far as I know, besides the Flying Raijin Jutsu, the Fourth Hokage's most famous technique was one he developed himself: the Rasengan. Isn't that right, Choji?"
"Haha..." Choji laughed, pouring the last potato chip from the bag and carefully placing it in his mouth. He chewed for a moment before swallowing. After thinking over Shikamaru's question, he spoke reluctantly. "Ino, it's pretty much what Shikamaru said..."
"How do you two know about this?" Ino asked.
"Because Choji's father and cousin were once teammates with Lord Fourth," Shikamaru explained, pointing to his own eyes. "As for me, I figured it out with these, of course."
Based on his observation, the jutsu Naruto used perfectly matched the description of the Rasengan. It was a forbidden jutsu that had rarely been seen since the Fourth Hokage's death. Shikamaru had only heard about it from his father.
Even though he was only twelve, as a genius who inherited the Nara clan's wisdom, his intellect and keen observation skills far surpassed anyone else present. Even some chunin and jonin couldn't compare to him.
For example, that watermelon-headed jonin who supervised the previous Team 3, and his favorite student with the matching hairstyle—those two weirdos who always wore skintight bodysuits—their IQs were ridiculously low.
It was truly hard to imagine. Rumor had it that the jonin, Might Guy, had a contemporary whose IQ was even lower than his. Someone dumber than Guy? Wouldn't that just make him an idiot? And it was true; that contemporary later died at the Kannabi Bridge during the Third Great Ninja War. Funnily enough, that hero also had a close relationship with the Fourth Hokage.
But how did Naruto manage to master the Rasengan so well in just a few days?
Shikamaru winked at his friend, a smile tugging at his lips. "Choji, it looks like we both underestimated Naruto."
"Hmph! Only you underestimated him!" Choji stood up, trembling slightly as he spoke with conviction. "I've long believed that Naruto is the most outstanding person in our school!"
"Eh? Didn't you always say I was the most outstanding?"
"That was just me being polite because of our families' relationship..."
"Tsk, and I was just about to lend you money for more potato chips." Shikamaru took out a few coins, the metal clinking in his palm. "How about it, Choji? You still have a chance to change your mind."
The chubby boy glanced at the empty chip bag in his hand, swallowed hard, and frowned. "Naruto's excellence is a fact. You saw it, too. That can't be changed..."
"I give up," Shikamaru sighed, pointing to his backpack. "There are two bags of salt and pepper flavor in there. Try to eat a little less..."
Shikamaru had always been tolerant of his friends, especially Choji, who had grown up with him. Their friendship could be summed up in one sentence: Is Choji Akimichi important? Very important, no matter how much he weighs.
Their other teammate, Ino Yamanaka, the third member of the new generation's Ino-Shika-Cho trio, clearly felt she couldn't get a word in. Just as she was about to quietly slip away, Shikamaru called out to her.
"Hey, Ino, it's probably best not to go see Sasuke right now."
Ino stopped, turning back with an annoyed look. "Huh? Why not? And how did you know I was going to see Sasuke?"
Shikamaru put a finger to his temple and squinted, replying with a hint of helplessness. "For someone like Sasuke, who just witnessed a powerful new ninjutsu, do you really think he's in the mood for romance?"
"So what!"
"Idiot. You'll only annoy him if you go now," Shikamaru said, his tone flat. "If a woman is always this troublesome, how could a guy possibly like her?"
Ino scoffed. "Tch! You talk a big game, but it's not like any girls like you. What do you know about love?"
"..."
Shikamaru didn't get angry at the jab. Instead, he leaned back against the wooden wall, looking bored. "That troublesome thing... it's best if it never comes."
Love between a man and a woman might be complicated, but the friendship between men was simple to build.
After their 'evenly matched' battle, Sasuke Uchiha reluctantly gave his approval to Naruto Uzumaki. "Hey, dead-last, don't be late for the survival exercise tomorrow morning."
"I have a feeling..." Naruto held his chin, his tone serious. "...that Kakashi-sensei might be the one who's late."
Hearing this, Sakura Haruno rushed up to them. "Idiot! Kakashi-sensei is a jonin! How many missions has a jonin carried out? How could he possibly be late for something this important!"
"You never know..." Naruto brushed his messy blond hair and waved goodbye to his teammates. "I have nothing to do this afternoon, so I'm going to go practice ninjutsu."
"Dead-last, you'll be weak if you run out of chakra. How can you expect to pass the survival exercise tomorrow?" Sasuke reminded him, a rare show of kindness. "Watch your condition. I don't want someone dragging us down."
Perhaps it was because they were both orphans. If this dead-last named Naruto had a slightly more normal way of thinking, if his worldview wasn't so bizarre, and if his strength was always just below his own... then he would actually be a pretty good teammate.
"Don't worry, I have plenty of chakra!" Naruto adjusted his ninja headband, a confident smile on his face. "More than you can possibly imagine."
He was the person with the most chakra in all of Konoha. More, even, than the so-called strongest in the village—the Hokage.
-----
Bonus:
Recommended reading: "I Thought I Could Raise the Future Hokage"
Choji Akimichi: "I knew from the start that Naruto Uzumaki would become Hokage one day!"
Shikamaru Nara: "Heh, yeah, and you also thought Hinata Hyuga would become Hokage."
Ino Yamanaka: "Wait—what's that supposed to mean?"
Shikamaru Nara: "Probably because Naruto eats so much."
Ino Yamanaka: "Then what about Hinata? She's tiny and slim."
Shikamaru Nara: "Champion of the Ichiraku Ramen Eating Contest — Hinata Hyuga."
Ino Yamanaka: "I need to get a picture of that!"
The next day's headline:"Is the Hyuga Clan's prestige just for show? A closer look at the heiress of the Hyuga main family and first in line to inherit — Hinata Hyuga: The girl who's never full at home!"