Hinata always felt that Ino's gaze was particularly aggressive, her eyes like hooks, appearing especially dangerous. It seemed there was a strange eagerness hidden in her expression, and Hinata always felt that Ino was up to no good. She instinctively wanted to keep her distance, so after softly mentioning the Third Hokage, she bowed slightly and prepared to leave.
Ino felt it was wrong for Hinata to unintentionally take the blame for her, so if there was an opportunity, she wanted to compensate her.
Look how thin this child is. How long has it been since she ate meat? She probably just gnaws on rice balls at home.
Ino sighed. A significant characteristic of Japanese cuisine is that it looks good, but the portions are small!
She herself had firsthand experience. Many of the dishes Yamanaka Rino made were extremely refined and beautiful, but when eating, one had to maintain that damned ladylike demeanor. Even she couldn't wolf down her food.
As a Ninja who cultivated daily through meditation and contemplation, she often felt hungry. Hinata, who woke up at three in the morning, went to bed at eleven at night, and practiced Taijutsu all day, even more so.
Ino's excellent performance recently brought Inoichi much prestige, and her cheap mother gave her a lot of pocket money. Why not use a portion of it to treat this unlucky child, Hinata, to a good meal?
This time, let's not eat barbecue. That stuff is too greasy. Let's eat something lighter.
She grabbed the hood of Hinata's hoodie. "Don't go yet, don't go yet. How about we go eat after school tonight? Let's go to Amaguriama for some yokan. My mom has a membership card there, so we get a 10% discount."
"Ah? Uh... that! Yokan..." Hinata hesitated. At home, she could only gnaw on rice balls. If she went out to eat... yokan. Just thinking about it made her mouth water.
Hinata quickly covered her mouth. She hadn't even agreed yet, but Choji, who was seven or eight meters away, appeared instantly to Ino's left, as if he used Flying Thunder God. His chubby face was set, eyes wide, staring intently at her.
Ino scratched her head. "...Then you come too? Just so you know, Amaguriama doesn't have barbecue."
"Okay!" Choji didn't mind at all, his chubby face full of smiles. As long as he was invited to eat, anything was fine; he wasn't picky.
After Choji, Shikamaru was called, then Kiba. Just before class, Ino finally saw Shino Aburame, who had been standing beside her, and immediately extended an invitation, which he happily accepted.
The six of them unintentionally formed a small circle. Watching them one by one take leave to train at home, now returning in succession, and even planning to eat together tonight, Uchiha Sasuke, the sole remaining member of the Uchiha Clan, felt very uncomfortable.
Today, he wore white capri pants and a high-necked, dark blue short-sleeved top with the Uchiha Clan crest on the back.
The Uchiha Clan had dominated the Ninja World for so many years, accumulating a great deal of wealth and knowledge. Unfortunately, with the clan's annihilation, apart from the property left by Sasuke's parents, all other clan assets were swallowed up by the Village under various pretexts.
They claimed to be keeping it safe for him, but Sasuke wasn't a fool. Those so-called "safekeeping" were actually appropriations; the Village had no intention of returning them.
Watching his classmates being taught by clan elders and having clan resources for training, while he could only go home alone to practice Shuriken, a fire burned in his heart, filled with envy, jealousy, hatred, and all sorts of emotions.
His gaze was stern as he continually scrutinized these clan Ninja.
To prove himself, he had to defeat them.
He first looked at Hinata, whose hoodie hood Ino was holding. Her combat power aside, just her demeanor was insufficient. What could defeating such an opponent prove?
Then he looked at the Ino–Shika–Chō. Ino was a girl, so he ignored her directly. Shikamaru was lazy, so he ignored him. Choji was a fat boy who looked stupid, so he ignored him.
He looked at Kiba. The intensity of internal competition these past few days had been too high, and Kiba's Ninja dog, Akamaru, was sick with exhaustion. He was now listlessly lieon the desk, slowly sipping medicine.
Sasuke "hmph"ed. The Inuzuka Clan's Secret Technique required the cooperation of a Ninja dog. With the Ninja dog so sick, if he were to challenge Kiba, even winning would be a disgrace. His proud nature disdained such an act.
Sasuke's gaze finally swept over Shino Aburame. He felt a little puzzled and couldn't help but look twice. Who was this person? Was he in the same class as him?
Six people, but after looking them over, none seemed suitable to be his opponent.
His expression was cool as his gaze circled and then returned to the Ino–Shika–Chō.
Perhaps he should try a one-on-three?
Deciding to act immediately, he walked up to the three of them. "Fight me. I'll take on all three of you."
Shikamaru: "???"
Ino: "???"
Choji continued to eat his snacks, head down.
Ino and Shikamaru exchanged glances, both speaking at the same time.
"Not interested."
"I surrender."
Choji continued to "crunch, crunch" his snacks.
Sasuke clenched his fists. The trio's dismissive attitude infuriated him.
Yet, since none of them would fight, he was helpless.
The situation suddenly became very awkward.
Shino Aburame, however, was enthusiastic. He took a step forward, indicating that he would be Sasuke's opponent, but neither Ino nor Sasuke, nor even the uneasy Hinata, noticed him, not one of them.
"Ino, fight this child. Practicing Ninjutsu alone isn't enough; you also need some real combat experience." Inoichi's voice suddenly appeared in Ino's mind.
This was a derivative Ninjutsu of the Mind Body Switch Technique, the Ninja Art: Mind Communication Technique, which allowed one to directly input their words into the target's mind without any special device.
Ino formed the "Unfinished" hand seal and activated her sensory ability, searching the vicinity of the school.
With just a glance, she detected seven or eight high Chakra energy signatures.
Among them were Inoichi, Shikamaru's father, Choji's father, and several other people she didn't recognize.
These were all Jonin, right? Why do you Jonin never go to work and always hang around the Ninja Academy?
Ino knew she couldn't avoid the fight. With so many people watching, if she showed cowardice, her future prospects would definitely be affected.
A Ninja needs to endure, but also needs courage.
She was a familiar face in the eyes of the higher-ups. Now she needed to prove she was a capable person among those familiar faces. How to prove it? Real combat!
Defeat a strong opponent, and you become capable. Next time there's a benefit, those Village higher-ups will think of you.
Ino stared at Sasuke. The "white armbands" on his elbows were a bit glaring. The original Ino also had a pair of "armbands" stored in her closet, planning to wear them after graduating from the Ninja Academy, with the intention of telling everyone that she and Sasuke were a couple. Now, it seemed there was no chance.
She took a step forward, pointing at herself with her thumb. "You want to challenge all three of us? You're being a bit much. How about this: I'll fight you."