While Naruto was teasing Hinata with a straight face, in just those few brief moments, Shikamaru and Ino—whose consciousness had already been on the verge of awakening—finally completed the acceptance and fusion of the "seed" Naruto had planted inside them.
Thanks to the earlier help restoring their stamina and chakra to peak condition, they both began to stir and awaken just as Hinata nervously chose her answer and called herself a "dummy."
"Mmm—! That was such a good nap... Hehe, I feel like I had a really nice dream. My body and mind feel so refreshed~"
Perhaps it was because she had been playing the role of the hunter—the aggressor—rather than the prey, or maybe because her injuries weren't as severe and she benefited more from the physical strengthening, but despite being a girl, Ino woke up before Shikamaru.
Still a bit groggy, she smacked her lips lazily, stretched with a yawn, and blinked sleepily as she looked around.
"Huh? Eh...? Where... am I? This doesn't look like my bedroom..."
Compared to Ino, who was so carefree she even forgot she was in the middle of an exam, Shikamaru—who had played the role of prey—clearly carried more psychological trauma...
"Owowow, easy, easy, that hurts... huh?"
Still trapped in the trauma of being relentlessly chased, Shikamaru jolted upright, screaming and pleading as he instinctively tried to bolt again.
It wasn't until his consciousness fully returned and he realized there was no pain anywhere on his body that he stopped in confusion.
"It doesn't... hurt at all? How is that possible..."
As disbelief spread across his face, Shikamaru started moving around energetically, only to find no injuries—on the contrary, he felt like his whole body had been soaked in warm water, loose and relaxed, full of energy, and brimming with chakra.
The strange, "abnormal" feeling left him stunned, his mind racing with thoughts he dared not finish.
"Looks like not only am I not injured, but... my body feels lighter than ever? Wait... does this mean, the more I get beat up, the stronger I become...? D-Don't tell me... am I a masochist?!"
"Hmm? That's actually a pretty solid theory..."
At the same time, Naruto, whose arm was now casually draped over Hinata's shoulder in a light embrace, didn't speak up right away.
He wanted Hinata to see for herself that he hadn't lied—so she could fully relax.
But after hearing Shikamaru seriously wonder if he had masochistic tendencies, Naruto couldn't hold back the smirk tugging at his lips.
His voice trembled slightly with amusement as he responded in a teasing tone.
"So... shall we test that theory? Hmm… like maybe I give you another solid beating and see how much stronger you get after recovery~?"
"Absolutely not! No way! I refuse!!"
Still muttering and half in disbelief, Shikamaru immediately snapped to attention the moment he heard Naruto's playful threat.
Standing stiffly with legs clamped together, his earlier confused expression vanished, replaced by a righteous and firm declaration.
"Huh? Wait a sec... that voice... that's not Ino."
After a pause, Shikamaru finally caught something off about the voice. Muttering to himself, his calves tensed subconsciously, ready to flee at any second.
Slowly, he turned toward the source of the sound—only to freeze as he spotted Naruto smiling brightly. He pointed a shaky finger and gasped in realization.
"Ehh?! Naruto! I... I get it now! This is all your doing!"
"Whoa whoa, Shikamaru, don't make it sound so shady... 'my doing'? Is that how you treat your savior?"
Naruto didn't seem to mind Shikamaru's accusatory tone. Smiling as always, he exaggerated a pout and responded playfully.
"You guys were seriously out cold in the middle of an exam! If I hadn't helped you both out, you'd probably still be lying here when it ended. And now instead of thanking me, you're blaming me for 'messing around'? Sniffle sniffle, Poor Naruto… always trying to help… and what does he get in return? False accusations and emotional damage… sniff sniff…""
"Hsss...! Fine fine! I was wrong, okay? I was wrong, is that not enough? Just stop doing that! Don't you feel even a little gross acting like that?"
Watching Naruto's exaggerated pouting and fake crying, Shikamaru couldn't help but feel a shiver of disgust.
Sure, it fit Naruto's youthful face, but for some reason, it still felt more like watching a creepy uncle trying too hard to act cute.
Reflexively, he raised both hands in surrender, quickly turning away to avoid losing all will to live from the cringe.
"Geez, was it really that bad...? I thought I looked kinda cute, though..."
Seeing Shikamaru's visible discomfort, Naruto's mouth twitched. He started questioning whether there was something wrong with his "cute attack," the same one that had even fooled Danzo. With a sigh, he dropped the act.
"Ahem. Alright then, since you two are now awake..."
Naruto coughed lightly to cover the awkward moment, scanning the two of them with a serious look. His playful grin faded as he continued, one word at a time:
"It's time for you both... to pay the price."