"Boss! Two more plates of meat!"
"Boss, hurry up, I'm still a little hungry!"
"Hinata, you eat too! Teacher Mizuki is treating us today to celebrate his engagement with Teacher Tsubaki. Be happy and eat!"
As a descendant of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, Hinata, whom Ōtsutsuki Toneri called the "Byakugan Princess," was not lacking in talent. At least when it came to eating, she was truly someone who could eat from a large barrel.
Ino found that her appetite had also significantly increased, especially when she remembered that someone else was paying, which made her eat even more happily.
After Hinata hesitantly joined the ranks of the big eaters, the speed at which the grilled meat was devoured noticeably accelerated.
The owner of Yakiniku saw the glorious results at their table and became excited.
Wielding a large knife in the back kitchen, he shouted, "Yakiniku has never had a history of letting customers go hungry! Never! Everyone, pull yourselves together! Move it! Today's customers are particular, switch to larger plates!"
Watching the stack of empty plates beside them grow taller and taller, Mizuki's smile could no longer be maintained.
What the hell?! Do you guys usually not eat at home?!
He did have a plan to become a Rogue Ninja, but not because of debt! That would be too embarrassing to admit!
Midway through, he secretly checked his wallet several times, silently calculating how much this meal would cost.
Ino had long figured it out; her ten years of watching Detective Conan weren't for nothing. Mizuki definitely wanted to create an alibi.
She had no intention of exposing him and simply focused on eating.
Mizuki initially checked his wallet, then started checking the time. He still had things to do! Who knew these guys would eat endlessly?
He was burning with anxiety, his gaze constantly sweeping over their faces. As soon as one person said they were full, he would pay as quickly as possible and then go deal with the matters at the Ninja Academy. But he waited and waited…
Even Shikamaru, who usually ate the least, was devouring food, and Kiba's Ninja dog, Akamaru, had already gained two circles and was still eating.
The meal lasted a full two hours. Whether the "host" was happy or not was unknown, but the "guests" were certainly joyful.
Ino and the others looked satisfied, and even Hinata, who was still maintaining her ladylike demeanor, was secretly patting her stomach, clearly full.
Mizuki paid the bill, extremely embarrassed. These kids ate too much! Especially that girl named Hinata, why was she so capable of eating? This meal had depleted all his savings and left him in considerable debt!
He wanted to quickly finish things here and go make arrangements elsewhere, but the Yakiniku restaurant owner refused to let him leave.
After many oaths and assurances, the owner finally agreed to allow him to pay later, considering he was a Chunin and a Ninja Academy teacher.
Mizuki sighed heavily. He had completely made up his mind: Rogue Ninja! He would leave tonight!
After dinner, everyone dispersed.
Mizuki didn't want to associate the upcoming events with his fiancée. He hadn't asked for Tsubaki's money before, and now he didn't want to involve her in his affairs, so he made up an excuse and had his fiancée leave first.
Then he identified the direction and followed Hinata from a distance.
His target had never been Ino.
The Ino–Shika–Choji alliance was too strong. Konoha Village often let Rogue Ninja go without sending anyone to pursue them, but the Ino–Shika–Choji was different. If he truly provoked the alliance, they had enough power to directly dispatch a pursuit squad without going through the Village.
The Yamanaka Clan's name held great deterrence in the morally ambiguous areas.
Every member of the Inuzuka Clan raised dogs, and their tracking ability was simply invincible. If he made a move against them, these dog-raisers could track him down in a single night.
The Aburame Clan? Who was that?
Mizuki realized that his initial target, due to the lengthy delay, had probably already been exposed. Going there now would be walking into a trap.
He immediately activated his backup plan. His target was Hinata, who appeared weak but held the greatest actual value.
Watching Hinata separate from Ino, watching Hinata walk through the night market, watching Hinata enter a slightly dark alley, he immediately pursued her.
"Hinata-kun! Wait! Wait for me…" he called out, panting.
"Teacher Mizuki?" Hinata was puzzled, wondering why the teacher, who had just left, was chasing her again.
"Listen to me, Naruto! Naruto is a good kid. One Clone Technique exam doesn't mean much, but I'm worried he might do something extreme. You're his good friend, come with me to talk some sense into him."
Mizuki's explanation had no problems. Hinata seemed flustered and subconsciously nodded, following Mizuki onto another path.
They first went to Naruto's house, which was naturally empty at this time. Then Hinata said Naruto often went to a forest in the back mountain, so they quickly rushed to the back mountain.
Normally, Naruto would come to the back mountain alone to train, but tonight it was quiet, not even a ghost in sight.
He had anticipated this at the Yakiniku restaurant, but seeing his plan fall through with his own eyes, Mizuki still cursed under his breath.
Those guys were truly too good at eating, and the time spent haggling with the Yakiniku owner for credit also caused a delay. All in all, his arrival at the back mountain was a full hour later than expected.
How infuriating!
He forced himself to calm down.
After tonight, he would definitely be exposed, but because he had spent the evening with a few foodies eating Yakiniku, he had a solid alibi. His suspicion was not yet great, and he still had a little time to activate his backup plan.
For example… he glanced at the timid Hinata out of the corner of his eye.
This was the legitimate daughter of the Hyuga Main Family. The Byakugan was one of the best Bloodline Limits in the entire Ninja World. If he gave these Byakugan to that adult, he would surely be rewarded, right?
Perhaps that adult would prefer the Byakugan over the scroll of seals?
He applauded his own foresight, thinking he was truly too clever.
He suddenly punched a tree trunk with force. After Hinata's attention was drawn, he said with an anxious face, "Damn it! Naruto, that idiot! If he can't learn the Clone Technique tonight, he won't even have a chance for a retest tomorrow!"
Hinata reacted just as he expected, looking bewildered: "Then what should we do? What should we do, Naruto-kun? Teacher Mizuki, you must help Naruto!"
Mizuki frowned in thought for a long while: "Actually, Naruto's weakness is his poor Chakra control. If he can just fix that shortcoming, passing the graduation exam will be very easy."
"Then, Teacher Mizuki, how can we help Naruto-kun improve his Chakra control?"
Mizuki said with great hesitation: "I know a secret method that might work, but it requires buying several expensive medicinal herbs, and I don't have quite enough money on hand right now."
Before he finished speaking, Hinata's voice suddenly rose by two pitches: "What?! You actually dare to ask me for money! You f*cking…"
Mizuki: "???"
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