7 Going Home

"Aoba-san," Ino greeted the Tokubetsu Jōnin Yamashiro Aoba from the Intelligence Division, whom she knew because he had visited her home before.

The other party was very considerate. "Oh, it's Miss Yamanaka. Are you out for a meal with your classmates? That's nice; go ahead and take your seats."

"Thank you."

On the other side, Shikamaru exchanged a few words with his clan elder, Nara Suzaku.

Once they were seated, the proprietress brought out plate after plate of barbecue.

Ino, Shikamaru, and Shino, who focused more on ninjutsu, were quickly full and chatted idly. Kiba and the chubby Chōji, who trained in taijutsu, were still eating ravenously. Hinata clearly hadn't eaten her fill but didn't want to lose her ladylike demeanor, so when the others weren't paying attention, she would discreetly stick out her small tongue to lick the plates.

She didn't keep licking continuously but rather took a lick, glanced around to see if anyone noticed, and then licked again when no one was looking.

Ino was still thinking about making Hinata pay the bill. Licking the plate wouldn't cut it!!

"Boss lady, bring two more plates. Hinata, you're too thin. Come on, eat some meat. Today, I'm treating everyone, so don't be shy."

Ino patted Hinata's belly. "So strange. Where did all the barbecue go? Your digestion is that strong? Are you still not full? No problem; I'll get two more plates for you. Boss lady, bring two more!"

"Come on, don't be shy. Eat as much as you want. I've got money! Boss lady, bring three more plates!"

At the table, there were only two girls, Ino and Hinata, with Ino continuously feeding Hinata barbecue.

Although she already knew Hinata was truly the great eater of Konoha, making Tsunade and even Chōji seem like weaklings in comparison, Ino was still shocked by the gentle yet voracious Hinata.

This wasn't just about being able to eat a lot—this was eating too much!

Each time, Hinata would refuse in a mosquito-like voice:

"I'm already full."

"Thank you, I can't eat anymore."

"I really can't eat anymore. Please don't order more."

Yet plate after plate of barbecue was devoured by her, while Ino didn't even eat one-twentieth of what Hinata ate.

To willingly have Hinata help split the bill, Ino tried to defuse the awkwardness by changing the subject: "Hinata, your hand seal throwing technique is really good; you'll have to teach me later."

Blushing with embarrassment at eating so much, Hinata's face turned red. Without thinking much, she nodded eagerly.

When it was time to pay, they realized that the six people and one dog had eaten a whopping eight thousand five hundred ryō worth of barbecue, which was basically equivalent to a D-rank mission reward for a ninja team.

Forty percent of the grilled meat ended up in Chōji's stomach. And despite Hinata repeatedly saying she couldn't eat more, she consumed twenty-five plates. Even so, Ino estimated that Hinata was only half full.

"Um, you guys stay seated, I'll go pay the bill." Ino stood up slowly, frantically giving subtle hints to the others, including Shikamaru.

Seemingly aware of Ino's financial constraints, the demure Hinata secretly handed her wallet over.

"I'm really sorry... I ate so much; please… use mine."

Ino gave her an approving look.

Girls were indeed better—look at those four boys, either feigning ignorance or genuinely clueless, lacking any perceptiveness.

After the six finished eating, they watched Naruto scrubbing the Hokage Rock for a while, then leisurely strolled back to the academy.

In the afternoon, they had a practical class and a dull history lesson.

Learning about the history of Konoha is now basically equivalent to studying the Will of Fire. The teacher held the Third Hokage's "Will of Fire" book, repeatedly "brainwashing" them with it.

The practical class was somewhat interesting. True to her promise, Hinata taught Ino how to throw shurikens.

Ninja clan training started far earlier than civilian ninja. Basics like tree climbing and water walking had long been completed. Ino could already throw shurikens, and her technique was quite good.

Then what was so difficult about it? Doing what Itachi Uchiha did—leaping up, spinning three and a half times, and then shooting and hitting targets in eight directions—was truly difficult. Not just Ino; even many Jōnin couldn't do that.

But they weren't at that level yet. They were just practicing basic shuriken throwing, a minimum requirement for the Ninja Academy. As long as their eyesight was good, their wrist strength was sufficient, and their hand-eye coordination was up to standard, hitting a fixed target thirty meters away was a breeze.

Whether in the original timeline or now, Ino's position in the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was a support role. She had sufficient sensory abilities, and her "Strength" value was currently 2. Although it seemed low, Hinata, who was teaching her shuriken throwing, also had a Strength value of 2. For shuriken throwing, a value of 2 was sufficient.

Of course, if someone were to mention Lee using the Eight Gates and throwing shuriken with incredible speed and precision, she would agree. His strength was indeed formidable, and the shurikens thrown during the Eight Gates' state were fast and accurate. There was no questioning that.

She was just playing around with throwing shuriken for now.

"Ino, your arm needs to be fully extended."

"Like this?"

"No, it should be in line with your gaze."

"Like this, then?"

"Mmm, don't exert force too quickly when throwing."

There was a tinge of timidity in Hinata's voice, as she would occasionally tilt her head and furrow her brows in thought. Seeing her earnest demeanor, Ino found it quite amusing.

During free practice, Ino sparred with Hinata. When it came to hand-to-hand combat, her past experiences were irrelevant, and without using any tricks, Ino realized she couldn't beat Hinata.

Her Taijutsu value was 3, while Hinata's was probably at least 5.

She didn't have much talent in Taijutsu, and she wasn't planning to use rare Blame Points to boost her Taijutsu yet, so regular practice was essential.

"Well, next time, can you practice with me again? I feel like my Taijutsu is really bad," Ino said earnestly.

Hinata smiled politely and agreed.

The day's classes ended just before sunset, and everyone went home.

Watching Sakura sneakily heading home alone, Ino calmly said goodbye to her classmates one by one.

To avoid arousing the suspicion of the village's higher-ups, the three Ino-Shika-Cho clans had long abandoned the Warring States period habit of living together. Nowadays, they live as individual families scattered throughout the village.

The Yamanaka family, responsible for the village's intelligence analysis, was even more low-key. The family of three usually ran a flower shop. In the eyes of neighbors, the husband is elegant, the wife is gentle, and the daughter is a bit naughty.