The next morning, Shikamaru said goodbye to his mother and lazily made his way to the Ninja Academy. Today was the day of team assignments. Despite living in the village for so long, he had yet to meet his future team leader, Asuma, the rugged, ever-smoking son of the Third Hokage.
Passing by Choji's house, Shikamaru called for him, and the two walked to school together.
When they arrived, nearly all the students were already there. Shikamaru casually took a seat. A moment later, he witnessed Naruto and Sasuke accidentally kiss. His mouth twitched as a cold sweat slid down his temple. Thank goodness that wasn't me…
After Naruto got thoroughly beaten up by Sasuke's fangirls, Iruka finally entered the classroom.
As expected, everything played out just like in the manga. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were put on one team. Shino, Kiba, and Hinata on another. And Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino formed a team together.
Outside the village, the three stood in an open training field, facing their new team leader, Asuma Sarutobi.
"Alright! Let's start with introductions. I'm your jōnin instructor, Sarutobi Asuma. My hobbies are smoking and drinking. I don't really have anything I hate. My dream is to protect our village, Konoha."
Asuma's tone was casual but sincere, nothing like Kakashi's perfunctory attitude.
"Alright, who wants to go first?"
"I will!" Choji raised his hand. "I'm Akimichi Choji. I love snacks and barbecue, and I hate when people steal my last bite. My dream is to become a great ninja like my dad."
"Haha, good! Not bad at all." Asuma laughed, though inwardly he sighed. Of course, food again…
"Me next!" Ino piped up. "Hello, Asuma-sensei! I'm Yamanaka Ino. What do I like? Sasuke! What do I hate? Naruto! And my goal is to win Sasuke's heart!"
Three giant sweat drops formed behind the heads of all the men present. Too direct! Even Asuma nearly dropped his cigarette. What kind of team did I get assigned to? He quickly turned to Shikamaru, hoping for something more normal.
"I'm Nara Shikamaru." he said, pausing for a moment. "I like sleeping and stargazing. I hate troublesome things. My dream is to sleep until I naturally wake up, and count money until my hands cramp."
Before Shikamaru could finish, an even larger sweat drop slid down Asuma's neck. Great… definitely a problem team. Ino looked at Shikamaru with a surprised expression, unsure if she should laugh or be shocked.
"Alright." Asuma said, recovering. "Now that we all know each other, I'd like to test your abilities. I've prepared a small exercise for you."
He pulled two bells from his pocket.
Shikamaru blinked. Really? The same bell test as Naruto's team?
"You see these bells?" Asuma explained. "The test is simple. Snatch them from me. If you get a bell, you pass, and I'll treat you all to a barbecue."
"Wait a second, Asuma-sensei." Ino said, pointing. "Why are there only two bells?"
"Well…" Asuma smiled. "Because only those who get a bell pass. The ones who don't? They'll have to watch the others eat."
Asuma gave Ino a subtle approving look. So she's not just a Sasuke fangirl after all.
"AAAH!" Choji's eyes sparkled with determination. "I'm not going to lose! I will get a bell!"
Ignoring Choji's outburst, Asuma continued, "You have five minutes to come up with a strategy. After that, we begin."
With that, he stepped back.
Shikamaru's eyes glinted with a sly smile. "Come here. I've already got a plan."
He leaned in and shared his strategy with Choji and Ino. They nodded along eagerly. Asuma, watching from a distance, gave a satisfied nod. Good. They understand teamwork.
Five minutes later, Asuma stared at the lone Choji standing in the clearing. His mouth twitched. This is their plan? Bait? But he didn't let his guard down. According to the intel, Shikamaru was exceptionally intelligent.
"Sensei! Watch out! Partial Expansion Jutsu, Human Boulder!"
Boom!
Choji's body instantly swelled. Tucking in his limbs and head, he began spinning at high speed, barreling toward Asuma.
"This all you've got?" Asuma said with a chuckle and punched the spinning Choji, sending him flying. Asuma's strength far surpassed that of a fresh genin, but Choji wasn't hurt.
Suddenly, Asuma's instincts flared. He heard Ino's voice in the distance.
"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Poof! Asuma turned into a log. Substitution. Ino's technique was missed.
On a nearby tree, Asuma reappeared, only to hear another voice:
"Ninja Art: Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
Before he could react, his body froze. His shadow had been caught. He couldn't move.
"Heh, got you, Asuma-sensei." Shikamaru said with a smirk.
"Oh really?"
Shikamaru blinked. The voice had come from behind him. "A clone?!"
"Remember, a ninja should never expose their back so carelessly…"
Asuma's real body appeared behind Shikamaru, a kunai pressed to his back. But before he could finish his sentence, he noticed something was wrong, he couldn't move.
He looked down in shock. His shadow had been caught again.
"You knew?" he asked, stunned.
Shikamaru just smiled and took the bells from Asuma's belt. "All part of the plan."
Choji was the decoy. Ino forced Asuma to dodge. Shikamaru predicted exactly where Asuma would retreat to, laying in wait with his shadow already spread a meter around the area. The first time Asuma had narrowly escaped, but this time, he walked straight into the trap.
"Sigh…" Asuma exhaled. He had underestimated them.
Back in the field, he looked at Shikamaru with a mix of frustration and amusement. "Alright, clever kid. But you've got a problem. You've only got two bells. There are three of you. What now?"
"No need to worry, sensei." Shikamaru said, stretching lazily. "Today's my treat. We're all going for a barbecue."
"Woohoo! Awesome!" Choji shouted with glee.
"Yeah!" Ino agreed, sneaking another glance at Shikamaru. She couldn't help but be impressed. This normally lazy boy had completely outsmarted their jōnin instructor.
"You coming, sensei?" Shikamaru asked, a mysterious glint in his eye.
"Uh… of course I'm coming. But this time, I'm paying."
Asuma gave a wry smile. This kid saw through the whole point of the test.
"Yay!" The moment Asuma agreed, the three cheered and high-fived. Asuma slapped a hand to his forehead.
Outsmarted again…
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A/N: If you're enjoying the story, you can read up to Chapter 32 (28+ chapters ahead of the current one) on my Patreon: patreon.com/vynthor.