"3, 2, 1! Go!"
As Shikamaru counted with his hands behind his head, Naruto, Sasuke, Choji, and Kiba scattered in four directions.
Shikamaru sat on a park bench with a look of helplessness, counting. Why was he always the one to play tag? What a hassle!
"My left eye keeps twitching. I hope nothing bad happens."
Shikamaru sighed, his expression far too mature for a three-and-a-half-year-old.
He just hoped Naruto wouldn't cause any trouble!
...
Meanwhile, Naruto, hiding in the east, sprinted through the streets with a joyful smile. He didn't even stop when he bumped into Teuchi, who was heading out to do some shopping.
"Teuchi-oji-san, sorry! I'm busy right now. I'll bring Sasuke to eat ramen at your place another day!"
"Naruto, you little rascal, why are you running so fast!"
Teuchi bent down to pick up the dropped flour bag. Luckily, the flour hadn't spilled. Otherwise, he would have definitely taught Naruto a lesson!
"Hee hee hee!"
Naruto grinned widely. The happiest thing for him now was playing with his friends. Of course, Sasuke's presence today made Naruto even more excited.
Naruto could tell that Sasuke was a bit proud and seemed reluctant to play with other children. He was thrilled that Sasuke had accepted his invitation to play hide-and-seek today.
This was a good sign. Naruto decided he would change Sasuke, making him join their happy family!
"But, I have to win this game!"
Naruto's eyes were filled with determination. Sasuke was a competitive person. If he won too easily today, Sasuke would lose interest in them. But if he managed to hold out until the end, Sasuke would surely find a way to beat him!
Naruto encouraged himself, "I can definitely win!"
However, Konoha was so big, where could he hide?
It had to be a place no one could find. Dad's office? If he hid in the Hokage's office, Shikamaru and the others would definitely not find him!
But then he remembered the rules they said: they could only hide in public places, and once they chose a spot, they couldn't move, and they only had five minutes to find a hiding place.
Thinking that two or three minutes had already passed, Naruto became anxious. Where could he hide without being found?
Since he couldn't move, he needed to find a secluded spot. A remote toilet? Or the Hokage Rock?
No! Not enough time, he couldn't run that far.
Naruto scanned the surrounding area, but he couldn't find any place to hide. They were all too obvious and Shikamaru would find him instantly.
Even though Shikamaru was only half as smart as him, he still had to be fully prepared!
Suddenly, Naruto's eyes lit up. He had a brilliant idea, one that would absolutely prevent him from being found!
Just then, two figures in loose black robes walked past Naruto, and then Naruto disappeared from his spot...
"298, 299, 300!"
Shikamaru in Konoha Park stretched and said, "Time's up, I'm starting!"
Shikamaru randomly chose a direction and started running with his hands behind his back. Since there was a new player, he had to finish this quickly!
First, there was...
In a barbecue restaurant, Choji was devouring meat, with plates of grilled meat piled on the table, exceeding his height.
"I knew it, Choji. Why do you always hide here?"
Shikamaru looked at Choji helplessly, doubting his friend's capacity for food. How could he digest so much meat!
"Ah! It's Shikamaru. Sorry, I smelled the barbecue and couldn't resist coming in. I forgot about hide-and-seek."
Choji ate the barbecue with both hands, showing no sign of embarrassment.
"You're like this every time. Remember to help me find Naruto and the others after you finish eating."
"Okay~"
After leaving the barbecue restaurant, Shikamaru aimed in a direction and ran again.
Not long after, at a pet store, Kiba, disguised as a wolfdog, was found by Shikamaru.
"How can this be! My brilliant hiding method was discovered by Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru twitched his lips as he watched Kiba howl at the sky.
Next were Naruto and that Uchiha Sasuke.
Shikamaru pondered where these two might have gone. Choji loved snacks and barbecue, so Shikamaru's targets were supermarkets and barbecue joints. Kiba liked visiting pet stores, and the Inuzuka clan were known for raising ninja hounds.
As for the Uchiha...
Shikamaru pondered for a moment and decided to check the training grounds.
"Kiba, go change your clothes and then come with me to find Naruto and the others."
"Are these clothes not good enough?"
Kiba patted his two furry paws, and the dog head he wore on his head nudged Shikamaru.
"If you don't mind being stared at with disdain, then by all means."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shikamaru ran towards the nearest training ground. He wanted to end this game quickly; he wanted to go back to playing shogi.
At two in the afternoon, the three of them sat around in Konoha Park. Shikamaru propped up his chin and murmured, "This isn't right. I've searched all the training grounds within a five-minute radius centered on Konoha Park, and I haven't found a single person."
"Does Uchiha have other hobbies?"
"Shikamaru, why don't we just give up? Let's all go eat barbecue together!"
"Didn't you just eat?"
Choji licked his lips and said, "Did I? Then let's go eat again tonight!"
"I can't do anything with you."
Shikamaru supported his face. Suddenly, a patch of green caught his eye. Why was this tree different from the others nearby...
Shikamaru smiled and walked to the distinctive tree, knocking on its trunk. "It's late autumn now, and the color of your bark is not right."
"Tch!"
Sasuke knew he had been found. He removed the camouflage bark he had draped over himself and said coolly, hands in his pockets, "I must be the last one, right?"
"That's right, you are..."
Shikamaru suddenly felt something was off. He realized someone had been overlooked. He smacked his forehead. "Naruto hasn't been found!"
"What! How could that idiot Naruto possibly not be found!"
Sasuke couldn't believe Naruto was better at hiding than him. He had already used the theory of "the most dangerous place is the safest place" to last this long.
How could that idiot Naruto last longer than him!
"Did you guys not search seriously?" Sasuke didn't believe it. He was sure Shikamaru and the others hadn't searched seriously for Naruto, and his own discovery was just a coincidence.
Shikamaru spread his hands. "We really searched everywhere. If you don't believe me, we can search again."
"Damn it! I will find Naruto!"
The four of them disappeared from their spots, searching all over Konoha for Naruto's whereabouts.
The sun gradually set. At half past four in the afternoon, Sasuke and the other three collapsed on the open space atop the Hokage Rock, all of them panting. They had searched every possible place Naruto might have gone, and still hadn't found him.
Now it was Sasuke's turn to lose confidence. He couldn't even find the idiot Naruto. How was this possible!
"This is Naruto's most frequent hangout, but we've already been here twice. Naruto doesn't seem to be hiding here this time."
Shikamaru was also leaning on the ground, his mind frantically trying to figure out where Naruto might be hiding, putting himself in Naruto's shoes, thinking from his perspective... Unfortunately, Shikamaru really couldn't emulate Naruto's thought process.
Suddenly, two figures in black robes caught Shikamaru's eye.
How come these two looked so dangerous? Were they from outside the village?