I just returned to Konoha and found that my entire clan was gone.

After finishing speaking, Mitokado Homura picked up the tea that Shikaku had prepared, took a sip, and looked somewhat pleased.

The taste was surprisingly good; I guess I'll have to take some back with me later.

"Has Advisor Hayama agreed?"

Lu Jiu looked somewhat embarrassed. This was the fault of the interrogation department; they hadn't managed to get anything out of them.

If Ibiki Morino were here, he would definitely risk offending Shikaku and hurl insults at him. How could he possibly interrogate these two? Would he subject them to torture? Not to mention whether his subordinates would be willing to do it, some of the village's ninjas who had connections with these two former advisors could easily verbally kill him.

Tsunade's desk will probably be piled high with reports targeting him.

"You are acting consultants. You from the Lu family need to understand your current status; you are merely agents."

Xiaochun, who was turning over the dormitory, said with dissatisfaction, emphasizing the word "agent" as if afraid that others would forget.

"Yes, yes, you're right, we are acting advisors. If Baiyun, the acting advisor, agrees, then what about the Hyuga clan leader?"

Shikaku kicked the ball away again.

"Hyuga..." Koharu Utatane wanted to continue, but Homura Mitokado put down his teacup and interrupted her.

"Hiashi has agreed; he has agreed to let us resume our roles as Hokage advisors."

"Oh, is that so?"

Shikaku pondered for a while, recalling Hiashi Hyuga's performance after becoming an advisor. If he agreed, it was possible, since he was the only one who didn't really want to be an advisor.

"Then please allow me to consider it."

Shikaku decided to think it over. Although he could make the decision himself, the Ino-Shika-Cho trinity meant he still needed to ask his two old friends for their advice.

"Okay, we'll come back to see you in a couple of days."

The two elderly people stood up, about to leave, when Xiaochun from the next room opened her mouth.

"Lu Jiu, I remember you mentioned that your deer farm is in a remote area, making transportation difficult, right?"

Shikaku narrowed his eyes slightly. He had said those words before, but only when he was drinking at Choza's restaurant. How could they know?

"Don't be too wary. I just overheard someone talking about it."

Koharu patted Shikaku on the shoulder, looking on with approval.

"Hmm, Lu Jiu, your tea is quite good. I'll take some back for my family to try."

The topic of Mitokado Yan changed so suddenly that even Shikaku didn't react for a moment, and finally stammered out a sentence.

"Please...go ahead."

Although they didn't get an answer from Shikaku in the end, the two left Shikaku's house quite satisfied.

In the evening, Shikaku took a bottle of sake and began drinking alone in his room. Surprisingly, Lady Nara, who was usually hot-tempered, did not lose her temper.

After thinking it over, Shikamaru decided not to get involved.

Just as he was about to go to rest, his father called him back.

"Shikamaru, you heard what happened during the day, right?"

Shikaku's tone appeared to be asking a question, but it conveyed a sense of certainty.

As the leader of the Jonin squad, Shikaku's strength should not be underestimated. He was once a person who fought alongside the Fourth Hokage.

Shikamaru made no attempt to hide anything and slowly nodded.

"Just pretend you didn't hear that. You don't need to get involved in this kind of thing yet."

Lu Jiu's face was somewhat flushed, indicating that he had drunk quite a bit; he was still worried that what happened during the day would affect his son.

"Isn't this just a dirty game played by people like you?"

Shikamaru unexpectedly offered his opinion, his eyes showing complete indifference.

"you..."

In an instant, Shikaku felt the alcohol taking effect in his body, and a surge of heat rose from his chest, stuck in his throat, making it impossible to speak.

"Why aren't you asleep so late!"

Nara Yoshino, Shikamaru's mother, roared, once again displaying her fiery temper.

Chapter 147 An Unexpected Encounter

Neither Shikamaru nor Shikaku discussed that day's events again, as if nothing had changed.

The only change was that Konoha now had five advisors, and the investigations into Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu came to nothing, with them returning to their advisor positions.

What disappointed Hiashi Hyuga was that he didn't get rid of this position; he just became even more inactive after having more advisors.

Shikamaru, who frequented the Hokage Building, also saw the two advisors who had been reinstated, and couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

Another thing that displeased Shikamaru was that he had the ANBU take back the scroll Sasuke gave him without even looking at it.

Although he understood that the village's actions were correct, he was still unhappy because he never saw the antelope.

"This is incredibly boring..."

It's unclear whether Shikamaru is referring to his current state or something else entirely.

Life went on as usual. Every time it was time to leave the Cipher Department, Shikamaru would sneak back home, completely ignoring his work. Those who paid attention noticed that something was off about him.

It's not the same as being lazy. In the past, Shikamaru might have found things troublesome, but he would still try his best to complete the tasks assigned to him. Now, however, he has become perfunctory.

That day, when Shikamaru showed Tsunade the work report of the Cipher Department as usual, Tsunade unexpectedly asked him to stay a little longer.

"Nara Shikamaru, you've been acting a bit strange lately."

Tsunade said this while looking at the report, her tone somewhat nonchalant.

"Thank you for your guidance, Hokage. I will adjust myself accordingly."

Shikamaru's formulaic answer made Tsunade sigh. It seemed that Yelan's defection had already affected many ninjas in the village.

Tsunade knew better than anyone how many people slept with her that night. She didn't talk to them because she already disliked Danzo. What Ye Lan said that day was probably true.

Looking back now, I realize that even my grandfather wouldn't have let him off easily if he had known. I was too impulsive back then because of Ye Lan's betrayal.

"If you can't go anywhere, go for a walk. I happen to have some tasks that no one wants to do."

Tsunade rested her chin on her hands, thought for a moment, and then spoke.

Shikamaru must at least take over his father's position in the future. His current state is not conducive to the development of the village. Tsunade cannot let Shikamaru remain like this, otherwise he will be ruined.

"Task?"

Shikamaru pointed to himself. Apart from the second Chunin Exam, he hadn't really carried out many missions outside the village. Most of his missions were within the village, specifically within the Cipher Department. It seemed that Tsunade was planning to let him take a break.

"Well, Asuma's injuries have almost healed. Let him take your Team 10 on a mission. Don't worry, it's not a particularly difficult mission, only a Rank B."

Tsunade handed Shikamaru a mission scroll, which he opened and began to read at her prompting.

It's a mission about transportation, carrying some material merchants to the Land of Iron; it's not a difficult mission.

"Consider this a break to clear your mind. When you get back, get back to work, you hear me?"

Tsunade couldn't bear to look at Shikamaru's listless appearance any longer, so she waved him away from the room.

...

"That's great, it's been a long time since we went on a mission together."

The tenth squad had assembled, and as soon as they left the village, Ino let out a sigh.

"The tenth squad has regrouped. This is my first mission since being discharged from the hospital, so don't let me down."

Asma, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, said that he had been suffocating in the hospital; the nurses had taken away all his cigarettes, and he hadn't had a good smoke in a long time.

"Okay, I know. You're so long-winded."

Shikamaru picked at his ear, looking a little impatient, but it was only in front of his teammates that he could show his truest self.

"Don't forget, we also need to ensure the safety of the goods; the journey here is not short."

The only one who was a little unhappy was Choji. The journey from the Land of Fire to the Land of Iron was indeed not short, and with the carriages pulling the goods, they could only maintain this speed, which would take up a lot of time along the way.

For Choji, who only wanted to stay home and eat and drink to his heart's content, this trip was going to be quite a ordeal.

"This mission will mostly depend on you guys. My injuries haven't fully healed yet. You can't expect me to handle all the B-level missions, can you?"

"Has the teacher's injury not healed yet?"

Ino looked at Asuma with some concern; she was more worried about Asuma's injuries than the mission.

"It's not that easy..."

Asma shook his head with a wry smile. He was lucky to have survived. He still felt lingering fear when a huge hole was pierced through his chest.

As they spoke, the group set off, mostly chatting and laughing along the way. These kinds of missions, where the ones who intercept goods are mostly low-level wandering ninjas or some rogue bandits.

Just as Asuma said, he didn't need to lift a finger; Team 10, who had already become Chunin, could handle it. They didn't encounter any difficulties along the way.

Perhaps because he had no other worries, Shikamaru smiled more often when he was with his companions, and was no longer as lifeless as he was in the village.

Asuma had been observing Shikamaru's behavior the whole way. Tsunade had specifically explained Shikamaru's situation to him when he arrived, and seeing that Shikamaru was able to relax, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's enough for today. Everyone, rest here. We should be able to reach the Land of Iron by tomorrow."

Asma looked at the sky and said...

"I really want to eat something delicious."

Choji rubbed his stomach and said somewhat resentfully, he was the most unhappy person among them.

At first, I could eat the food I brought with me, but later when my supplies ran out, I could only eat dry rations or soldier's ration pills. Although I wasn't hungry, I had no appetite and felt like I had lost a lot of weight.

"Choji, we can eat delicious food in the big city of the Land of Iron tomorrow. I heard it's not much different from the capital of the Land of Fire."

Shikamaru stepped forward to comfort Choji.

"Like that meal we ate when we were on a mission with Senior Ye Lan?"

Choji's eyes lit up as he recalled the lavish meal he had in the capital of the Land of Fire.

Shikamaru paused for a moment when he heard Yelan's name, but then his expression returned to normal.

"That's right, just like that time."