Chapter 39: Friends

Sasuke's words caused the entire hall to cool down a bit. Shikamaru, who had been lounging around, glanced at Sasuke in surprise.

Tonight, Sasuke's behavior made Shikamaru feel that his perception of Sasuke over the years was completely wrong. This orphan of the Uchiha clan was far more intelligent and capable than he had imagined. No, something still felt off.

Shikamaru didn't believe he could have been that wrong. But Sasuke's behavior was indeed surprising, which led to only one possibility.

Shikamaru's eyes brightened slightly. Someone was helping Sasuke. Yes, there was someone behind the scenes assisting him in organizing this gathering.

As the brain of the Konoha 12, Shikamaru saw things on a completely different level compared to the others.

From a political standpoint, this gathering tonight brought together representatives from Konoha's most iconic clans: Uchiha, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Hyuga, Inuzuka, and others.

Moreover, whether it was himself, Choji, or Hinata, they were all future successors of their clans. Hinata, in particular, was the princess of the Hyuga clan and had come to this gathering with Neji from the previous generation as her bodyguard.

And then there was that blond kid, Naruto. Others might not know, but Shikamaru was well aware that Naruto was Konoha's Jinchuriki—a strategic weapon for the village.

In this light, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the future of Konoha was gathered around the orphan of the Uchiha clan tonight.

Konoha's future was revolving around Sasuke, and Shikamaru could already imagine that many people in Konoha would have trouble sleeping tonight.

However, there was something Shikamaru didn't quite understand: why had his father allowed him to come? Given their family's traditional loyalty to the Hokage, shouldn't they be on the side of the Hokage?

As for the orphan of the Uchiha... theoretically, he was destined to have nothing to do with the Hokage. Unless...

Shikamaru shook his head, trying to dismiss the dangerous and complicated thoughts from his mind. It was too troublesome and too risky. Just thinking about it made his head hurt. Better to just focus on eating. If nothing else, Sasuke had definitely gone all out for tonight.

He had ordered all sorts of luxurious, expensive dishes from Konoha's hotels. Just look at Naruto and Choji, both too busy stuffing their faces to even speak.

As for Ino and Sakura, they were fighting over who could sit closer to Sasuke. Speaking of Sakura, she was the only true exception at the gathering. She was the only pure civilian ninja—no bloodline, no secret techniques, just an ordinary ninja.

But then again, she wasn't exactly ordinary. Shikamaru knew very well that Sakura's academic performance was outstanding. Even if he took it seriously, he might not be able to surpass her.

So, Sakura was also a rare talent—an administrative genius.

No, no, stop thinking about it! Shikamaru quickly grabbed a large chunk of meat from Choji's plate and shoved it into his mouth, ignoring the murderous look Choji gave him.

At the banquet, the kids were busy either eating, feeling jealous, or just enjoying the lively atmosphere. But Sasuke seemed a bit distracted.

He was thinking about what jutsu Aoba would teach him.

"Hey, Sasuke! What are you thinking about? Eat something! This moonfish is absolutely delicious. If you don't eat it, I'm going to finish it all," Naruto's loud voice snapped Sasuke out of his thoughts. Seeing that most of the food was already gone, he finally joined the frenzy.

A bunch of growing boys with huge appetites quickly devoured everything Sasuke had prepared. Fortunately, the Nara family had brought plenty of snacks as backup, so the group of boys and girls could continue chatting while munching on those.

Sasuke also noticed that the little princess of the Hyuga clan, Hinata, had an astonishingly large appetite. The mountain of food near her had all disappeared into her stomach without a sound.

And all the while, the little girl was sneaking glances at Naruto.

"Tch, even someone like Naruto has a girl crushing on him, huh?" Sasuke muttered internally, but he made sure to remember this detail.

Yes, this was also part of Aoba's conditions: observe his classmates' likes and dislikes and the relationships between them during the meal.

Oh, and there was Shikamaru Nara, whom Aoba had specifically mentioned. If Sasuke had any doubts, he should ask Shikamaru.

The Nara clan had been Konoha's strategists for generations, and the clan head usually also served as the Jonin commander. They held a lot of power.

But no matter how Sasuke looked at him, Shikamaru just didn't seem like such an impressive person. He was clearly just a lazy bum with no motivation.

As Sasuke silently criticized him, he also made sure to commit everything to memory.

When night finally fell, it was time for the kids to go home.

Sasuke escorted his classmates out one by one, but when it was Hinata's turn, he called out.

"Naruto, can you escort Hinata home for me, then come back and help me clean up?"

Then, turning to the blushing Hinata, who was on the verge of fainting, Sasuke said, "I apologize for not being a better host."

Neji was a bit surprised by Sasuke's actions. Sasuke had performed a formal bow toward Hinata, almost as if this were an official interaction between their two clans.

Unfortunately, Hinata herself didn't seem to notice, as her attention was entirely focused on the nearby Naruto.

'This girl is hopeless,' Neji thought to himself.

"Hey, Sasuke, I can take Hinata home, but why do I have to help you clean up? Everyone else is gone," Naruto grumbled.

"Because this is the difference between me bringing two lunches tomorrow or just one," Sasuke replied.

"Uh, Sasuke-kun, I can stay and help clean up too," Sakura offered meekly, raising her hand. However, Sasuke replied seriously.

"No, you should head home now. It's late, and your parents are probably waiting for you. If I may say, you should cherish that kind of wait."

"Ah..." Sakura was at a loss for how to feel.

"Sasuke is so gentle, so kind... why does fate have to be so cruel to him?" As Sakura slipped into her usual daydream, Sasuke could only sigh internally.

He couldn't help but remember his conversation with Aoba that day.

"You're the last of the Uchiha. If you die, the Uchiha will have nothing left. Even if you become the strongest ninja, you alone can't support an entire clan."

So what exactly did that mean? That he needed to have lots and lots of children? With Sakura? But she didn't exactly seem like the type who could handle that...

Unaware that his thoughts were spiraling off into space, Sasuke watched Sakura leave with a lovestruck look on her face.

Afterward, Naruto returned to the living room with an unwilling expression.

"Seriously? So much trash and so many dishes... how long is this going to take to clean up?"

Seeing Naruto's complaints before they even started, Sasuke could only feel helpless.

"Fine. If you help me clean this up, you can take half of the leftover snacks and drinks."

"Ah!! Sasuke! Let's get started right away!!"

"..."

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