"You four..."
Nara Shikaku looked at the four truants, his gaze fixed on Shikamaru, veins throbbing on his forehead, and the scars on his face looking even more menacing.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Shikamaru, you speak."
"I heard at noon that there was going to be a match here this afternoon, so I wanted to come and see..."
Shikamaru lowered his head.
He understood his father; lies would only make him angrier, so it was better to be straightforward.
Nara Shikaku stared at him and asked, "Only Jonin and above know about this assessment match. How did you find out?"
Shikamaru didn't answer, just looked at Nara Shikaku.
Nara Shikaku seemed to remember something, immediately slapped his head, pointed at him for a few seconds, then lowered his hand, his expression turning helpless:
"You brat, you put all your cleverness into this?"
Shikamaru bowed his head, awaiting a scolding.
Inuzuka Kiba and Akimichi Choji dared not interrupt.
Uzumaki Naruto, however, scratched his head: "Are we not allowed in here?"
"Of course not!"
Nara Shikaku glared at him, but then remembered it was Naruto, and he became helpless again.
"This is a combat arena, usually only open during important events, and it's never fully open to the public."
He scanned the four of them. "Today, because all the Jonin were inside, there weren't any Special Jonin patrols. Otherwise, you four..."
"I just guessed it might be a teacher's test, so I climbed in. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother!"
Shikamaru answered weakly.
He was so tired he almost died, barely making it up.
And... he glared at Naruto and Kiba.
If it weren't for these two idiots arguing, they could have quietly returned the way they came before the fight ended, instead of being caught red-handed.
Useless teammates!
Shikamaru sighed helplessly. He didn't feel the helplessness of "having wisdom but no power" that Masahiko spoke of, but he deeply understood that—
Sometimes, you can't trust your teammates' wisdom, and you have to prepare in advance for them to be utterly foolish.
He slowly exhaled.
"Father..."
"Take them away!"
Nara Shikaku waved his hand, directly ordering the Ninja nearby to apprehend them.
No matter what, he was going to make these four spend some time in confinement.
Returning to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side, Nara Shikaku's face was filled with embarrassment. He said, "Hokage-sama... this is a lapse in my work."
"Hahaha, it's nothing. Shikamaru is a smart one; he can't be treated like an ordinary child."
Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed heartily.
Afterward, he stood up and said, "Don't punish them too much; they're just children..."
Nara Shikaku shook his head and said seriously, "This isn't the first time they've skipped class."
He pondered for a moment, looked down, and smiled, "However, Masahiko is the education class monitor, so I don't think we need to worry about this."
"Haha, that's right!"
...Outside the restroom, Masahiko finished washing his hands and came out into the corridor when a voice spoke from beside him.
"Congratulations, Jonin Yagyu Masahiko."
"Just lucky."
Masahiko smiled, straightened up, and looked at the other person, "When are you applying for the exam?"
"Not for a long time!"
Anko Mitarashi rolled her eyes and said, "Unlike you, so fierce, getting promoted again in less than half a year."
She liked sweets, but her words were tinged with sourness, making one want to laugh.
Kurenai Yuhi, standing nearby, pursed her lips, but couldn't hide the smile in her eyes.
Masahiko suppressed a laugh and said, "You have to work hard. When Kurenai becomes a Jonin someday, you might still be a Special Jonin."
"What's wrong with being a Special Jonin?"
Anko said as if she didn't care, then walked into the restroom after replying.
Kurenai Yuhi chuckled softly, "If she really didn't care, she wouldn't have said so much to you."
"I could tell."
Masahiko smiled, then looked at Kurenai Yuhi, raising an eyebrow, "Being a Jonin isn't that hard, is it?"
"Hmph!"
Kurenai Yuhi rolled her beautiful eyes, immediately losing interest in talking to him.
Just as he was about to speak again, Masahiko heard footsteps and looked in their direction.
Nara Shikaku walked over from the corridor.
"Masahiko, do you have time?"
"Nara Shikaku-senpai."
Masahiko immediately stopped chatting and walked towards him.
Nara Shikaku sighed helplessly and said, "I didn't want to bother you, but that brat Shikamaru... the four of them skipped class and trespassed into the combat arena. I've had them confined."
"The other three are Naruto and his friends, right? Shikamaru probably led them; the other three don't have that kind of brain."
Masahiko couldn't help but laugh at the remark.
Kurenai Yuhi asked, "Do they often skip class?"
Nara Shikaku nodded awkwardly.
Masahiko said, "It's not a big deal. Just scold them for skipping class; don't make it hard on the kids."
"We can't condone it."
Kurenai Yuhi shook her head, disagreeing.
Nara Shikaku, however, showed a look of anticipation in his eyes and said, "You have a way?"
"I remember tomorrow is Saturday?"
Masahiko smiled, "I'll go back and ask which teacher teaches that class and have them prepare more test papers for the four of them, so they don't get bored in confinement for the next two days."
"Good idea!"
Nara Shikaku nodded in agreement.
Kurenai Yuhi was speechless.
She took back what she said!
If those four liked classes, they wouldn't have skipped them. Making them do two days of tests would indeed be torture... In one of the quiet rooms.
Shikamaru's ears twitched, trying to amplify his hearing with Chakra, and finally heard something clearly.
The sound of a door opening!
Are they letting them out?
He sat up straight, his face serious, posing as if he was genuinely repenting.
A moment later, the door opened.
However.
To Shikamaru's surprise, the person who entered was not one of the familiar faces he knew, nor did it seem like someone coming to rescue them—
It was Iruka Umino, who was in charge of their cultural and Ninjutsu classes!
Iruka held a stack of books and test papers in his hand:
"Out of the school's caring spirit, Masahiko specifically asked me to bring you books and test papers, so you wouldn't be bored."
He smiled brightly and said, "You have to finish these by this weekend. I'll check them on Monday."
???
Shikamaru looked bewildered, staring down at the test papers, then looking up at Iruka, only to find that he had already turned and left, closing the door behind him... [naruto: prequel Episode 15 Filming Completed!]
[Editing in progress...]
[Film successfully produced!]
[Total screen time: 8 minutes and 48 seconds
Camera shot ratio: 42%]
[Hint:...]
On his run around the village, Masahiko was slightly surprised to see the subtitles appear.
It had been several days.
He didn't expect an episode to be completed today.
Masahiko pondered briefly, and some ideas vaguely formed in his mind.
He checked the time... but there was only an hour left, so he hurried to finish his hundred laps.
Masahiko sped up, running quickly forward.
Evening.
He rushed home.
After showering, it was just past eight, so not too much time had passed.
Masahiko sat down, and with a thought, the light screen unfolded.
The opening scene on the light screen was not Uzumaki Naruto, who might be in Kyoto, but rather focused on the front door of the Kurama Yakumo family.
It showed her at her doorstep, bidding farewell to her parents, and heading to school alone.
Kurama Yakumo walked down the street, looking quiet and gentle.
But.
After a few steps, she stopped, her gaze coldly fixed on a particular direction.
Afterward, she continued forward, silently taking out a small drawing board and beginning to sketch the current street.
A moment later... Thump!
Three falling sounds came from behind.
She turned around to see three members of the Kurama Clan following behind, now sprawled on the ground, looking disheveled.
The three unconsciously huddled together, trembling, and when they woke up, they looked at each other, all terrified.
Kurama Yakumo stared at the three, her gaze cold and filled with killing intent.
"You, you... what do you want to do?"
The three swallowed, unable to stop shrinking back.
Kurama Yakumo said chillingly, "You've been following me for three days... this is just a warning. Don't bother me again, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
"We just wanted to..."
The three were about to argue, but Kurama Yakumo had already left coldly.
They exchanged glances, not daring to follow again.