"That's right," Haruto said, glancing at the group. "This is the curse of the sea!"
Everyone's attention sharpened as they listened closely.
"As long as a Devil Fruit user is submerged in a certain amount of seawater, they become completely powerless. Even if they're incredibly strong, their bodies will weaken, making them helpless."
The group gulped at the ominous explanation.
"Not only seawater—pools, lakes, rivers, or even hot springs can have a similar weakening effect if the body is submerged past a certain point," Haruto continued, his tone teasing yet informative.
As he finished speaking, he handed the Shadow-Shadow Fruit to Shikamaru, watching his reaction with amusement.
"What a pain…" Shikamaru muttered, scratching his head in frustration.
"If I eat this, I'll be completely useless against Water Release users!"
His analytical mind quickly identified the biggest drawback.
"That's right," Haruto nodded approvingly. "It's a huge disadvantage."
But before Shikamaru could dwell on it, Kiba grinned mischievously.
"C'mon, Shikamaru! Eat it already!"
"Yeah, stop overthinking! Eat it, eat it!" Naruto chimed in, making ghostly wavy hand gestures, pretending to be the 'vengeful sea' that would haunt Shikamaru forever.
BAM!
BAM!
A pair of fists struck their heads, leaving large bumps.
"Idiots!" Ino scolded, rubbing her knuckles.
Naruto and Kiba whimpered but quickly backed off.
Ino turned to Shikamaru, her voice firm.
"It's okay, Shikamaru. We're here for you."
Chōji nodded in agreement, his mouth still full of chips.
"Yeah! You're my best friend—I won't let anything happen to you!"
Ino and Chōji's unwavering support touched Shikamaru.
A rare, genuine smile crossed his face.
"You guys…"
At the back, Asuma watched with pride, feeling deep gratitude for his students' bond.
Kakashi, however, stiffened.
For a moment, he saw a reflection of his past team—a time when he stood beside Obito and Rin, before everything changed.
Haruto smirked.
"Heh… so, you really are going to eat it?"
He leaned forward slightly, watching closely.
The entire scene amused him.
He had left out one small, but significant detail…
The Devil Fruit tasted absolutely disgusting.
He wanted to see how the normally stoic Shikamaru would react to the legendary worst taste in existence.
But in Kakashi's eyes, Haruto's expression meant something else entirely.
"Something's wrong," Kakashi thought, his grip tightening on his kunai.
Shikamaru took a deep breath, then bit into the fruit.
Silence.
Then—
"BLLLEEEEGGHHH!!!"
Shikamaru's entire body convulsed as his face twisted in horror.
His expression shifted from annoyance, to regret, to complete and utter betrayal.
"GAH! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" he gagged.
His eyes watered, his breathing became ragged, and his entire body tensed like he had just swallowed poison.
Naruto and Kiba fell to the ground, howling with laughter.
"Hah—HAHAHAHA!" Naruto clutched his stomach.
"Look at his face! He looks like he just ate rotten ramen!"
Even Sasuke, who rarely reacted to anything, couldn't stop his eyebrow from twitching.
Chōji—who valued good food more than anyone—stared in pure horror.
"That… that bad?"
Shikamaru stared at Haruto, betrayal in his eyes.
"You knew… didn't you?!"
Haruto BURST into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
He slammed the counter, struggling to breathe as tears formed in his eyes.
"HAHA! I KNEW IT! Even you couldn't handle it! Ah… priceless!"
Shikamaru glared daggers at him.
"So you DID know! And you still let me eat it?!"
Haruto grinned shamelessly, wiping away a tear.
"Oh, I definitely knew. I just wanted to see how you'd react!"
End of the Chapter.
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