The Chūnin Selection Conference

Synopsis
Shikamaru visits Naruto in his office, asking him about his decision on who to promote to chūnin, as the exams had been derailed by the Ōtsutsuki attack. Naruto finds it difficult to choose, as he can only promote one genin. Shikamaru stresses that chūnin are team leaders, and should be chosen based on their ability to discern battle situations and make decisions. Naruto and Shikamaru review the sections of the exams and those who passed them, discarding them as they analyse how they fought and strategised their battles. They eventually narrow it down to Sarada, Sumire, and Denki, and Naruto decides to promote Sarada, as while she's on par with Denki and Sumire in terms of strategy, he finds her to have the better fighting skills among them. Sasuke arrives, feeling the need to report in. He says he hasn't been able to find Urashiki, but has discovered evidence that Urashiki had been around in several locations before Momoshiki and Kinshiki arrived, and Shikamaru speculates he was gathering intel. Seeing Sarada's photo, he deduces Naruto wants to promote her, but having learned from Sarada's desertion after the exams from Sakura, voices his concerns over who should be promoted. Sasuke leaves, and Naruto reconsiders Shikadai, pointing out his contribution in the resolution of the Iwagakure incident. Shikadai is promoted to chūnin.