Not long after, Naruto went to the Hokage Tower and went straight to Shikamaru's office.
When Shikamaru saw Naruto walk in, he sighed before even speaking. He then looked up at Naruto and said, "You need to brace yourself. The Yamanaka Clan has a lot of opinions about you. I didn't get to see Ino, but... I doubt there's any good news."
"From what I gathered, Inoichi-san seems to have an inkling about your relationship with Hinata, and he's not too pleased. But since Ino hasn't admitted to anything, it's…"
"The situation's pretty grim." Naruto sat directly next to Shikamaru's desk and took out a small snack for himself.
Seeing this, Shikamaru couldn't help but smile, and leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed. He stretched out his body comfortably, and his bones all over his body crackled.
"So, you've figured something out?"
"Not exactly. I don't have a surefire plan." Naruto said, "But the problem needs to be solved. It's not a good idea to keep dragging it out."
Since Naruto didn't say anything, Shikamaru didn't press further, and just smiled. If it were Choji, he would probably be scratching his head anxiously, and asking details from Naruto.
"Alright, as long as you have a plan. I can only help you this much." Shikamaru said.
"That's more than enough. You've been a huge help." Naruto grinned, and before leaving, he took a bag of tea from Shikamaru's desk, which made Shikamaru so angry that he almost couldn't help swearing.
After Naruto left, Shikamaru looked at the closed door, rubbed his head and smiled again. He leaned back in his chair, and his dead-fish eyes glanced at the pile of documents on his desk with a look of resignation.
He slowly turned his head, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, feeling a wave of melancholy.
'What was my original dream? To be an average Shinobi, making an average living, and marry a regular woman who is neither too pretty nor ugly.'
'I would have two kids, a girl then a boy, and retire when my daughter get married and my son become a successful Shinobi. I would spend the rest of my day playing shogi and lying in the yard looking at the white clouds in the sky.'
'Living a carefree, leisure retirement and dying in front of my wife without any regrets. This was the life I want.'
'Now, my dream has been realized by about one tenth. My wife is as beautiful as the average person's idea of a beauty. She is also well-matched in status, gentle, and virtuous.'
'It seems like I started a family ahead of everyone else, but now, I was constantly busy with work, drifting further and further away from a leisurely life.'
The village needed the Will of Fire, needed people to keep pushing forward.
But in this village, aside from Naruto, everyone seemed to be a good person. Matters between great nations couldn't be resolved with kindness and sincerity alone.
You had to plan ahead, and sometimes you needed to be ruthless. Having come this far, Shikamaru understood more and more why Sandaime had allowed Root to exist.
The village needed a continuous stream of successors, people who would charge forward without hesitation, and always be righteous and noble. The leader sits high, untouched by the storm.
But there also needed to be those who operated in the shadows, doing the bloody work, committing necessary evils. And as time passed, Shikamaru sensed that he was the most suitable candidate for that role.
Thinking of this, Shikamaru couldn't help but show a tangled look on his face. The people around him were too naive and kind-hearted, and they would never assume the existence of enemies beforehand.
There were too many smart people in the world, and Shikamaru didn't consider himself the smartest in the Shinobi World. However, intelligence alone wasn't enough, as it often led to self-preservation.
'Only those who were truly intelligent and unafraid of death could step forward, take on responsibilities they didn't want, and gather other smart people to work together.'
With this in mind, Shikamaru closed his eyes.
Last night, Kakashi had spoken to him, and subtly probed him about his opinion on Konoha. Shikamaru was smart enough to know that Kakashi was planning to entrust him with an important task.
After all, among his peers, he was the first to become a Chunin, the first to become a Jonin, and the first to have a family. In Kakashi's opinion, he was a prime candidate for leadership.
He didn't agree and just said he would think about it.
Even in times of peace, some people still starve to death on the roadside, and in times of war, some families remained intact and prosperous.
The smarter a person is, the more difficult it is for them to cross the moral line in their heart.
Once Shikamaru accepted this role, what responsibilities would he have to shoulder? The previous generation had either died in war or bled for the village.
The village is still the same village, with its dense foliage. Where there was fire, there would be a village. Withered leaves burned to ash, nourishing the next generation of saplings.
There would always be young graduates from the Academy, putting on their flak jackets, grabbing kunai, and charging out into the world, fearless and naive.
Shikamaru pondered about it carefully, not wanting to overlook any possibility.
…
On the other side, Naruto had no idea about Shikamaru's internal struggle after he left. After all, Naruto didn't have a job and didn't believe in the Will of Fire. He wasn't about to sacrifice himself for the village.
For Naruto, he felt that his reluctance to cause trouble in Konoha was largely due to his friendships with his peers and his respect for Tsunade, Kakashi, and Jiraiya.
As for sacrificing himself? That was out of the question. But contributing to the village's population? That was acceptable.
Before long, he had quietly slipped into the Hyuga Clan's compound.
Since Shikamaru had already gathered information about Ino's side, Naruto naturally had no choice but to go ask Hinata herself without having to worry about being discovered.
Anyway, he just needed to be careful. If things went south, he could always play his trump card, the Hyuga Clan's Clan Head, Neji, to silence any witnesses.
As for why he chose Hyuga Clan. Firstly, Hyuga Clan had recently changed power, so it was easier to infiltrate them. Second, he had never been to the Yamanaka Clan's compound, so it was difficult to infiltrate without being familiar with it.
Third, Hiashi had never liked him much. Unlike Ino's parents, who Naruto felt might have accepted him, Hiashi's initial dislike could easily turn into hatred now that Naruto's actions had been exposed. The more Hiashi had once tolerated him, the deeper the hatred would now run.
That's why he chose to let Shikamaru go and test the waters with the Yamanaka Clan. Shikamaru had a flawless excuse, and Inoichi wouldn't direct his anger at Shikamaru.
With the Yamanaka Clan's stance somewhat clear, Naruto now turned his attention to the Hyuga Clan. Naruto didn't even need to gather information, as he could guess the general situation.
Hiashi wouldn't yell or scream. He would only tell Hinata in the most dignified tone not to bring shame to the clan. And given Hinata's gentle nature, she would be torn between her feelings and her duty.
Naruto already had a plan in mind.
He first sought out Neji.
When Neji saw Naruto climbing in through the window, he was stunned for a moment before regaining his composure.
"What are you doing here?"
"I just came over to take a look. Don't worry, no one saw me on the way." Naruto landed, clapped his hands, and said straight to the point, "Neji, can you find a way to get Hinata here?"
"This…" Neji seemed a little troubled, "Have you contact Hinata beforehand?"
"I tried."
"That's good." Neji sighed in relief.
"But I couldn't reach her." Naruto found a chair and sat down casually.
Neji: "…"
"That… doesn't sound good. If you can't reach her, even if I try to get her here, she'll probably guess it's you. What if she refuses?"
Neji looked troubled, as he's caught between Naruto and his cousin.
"Even though I'm the Clan Head now, many things still require Hiashi-sama's approval. If we're discovered, both of us will..."
Naruto also understood Neji's concerns and waved his hand, "Don't worry, just give it a try. I know what I'm doing. Nothing will go wrong."
Neji: "…"