"Aoba-senpai." Ino greeted Special Jonin Aoba Yamashiro from the Intelligence Division. She recognized him because he had visited her home before.
He was very polite: "Oh, Miss Yamanaka, out to eat with your classmates? That's good, go on in."
"Yes."
On the other side, Shikamaru also exchanged a few words with his Jonin elder, Suzaku Nara, from his clan.
After the two of them sat down, the proprietress brought out plates of barbecue. Choji's large physique was quite representative; if there wasn't enough meat, it would be disrespecting him!
Ino, Shikamaru, and Shino, who used Ninjutsu, quickly finished eating and sat aside chatting. Kiba and Choji, who trained in Taijutsu, were still devouring food. Hinata clearly hadn't eaten enough but didn't want to lose her ladylike demeanor, so when no one was looking, she would quietly stick out her little tongue and lick the plate.
She didn't lick continuously; she'd take a lick, secretly glance at the others, and if she found no one was paying attention, she'd act as if nothing happened and take another lick.
Ino was still counting on her to pay the bill; plate-licking wouldn't do!
"Proprietress, two more plates! Hinata, you look so thin, come, eat some meat. My treat today, don't be shy."
Ino patted Hinata's stomach: "How amazing, where did all the barbecue go? Is your digestion that strong? Are you still not full? It's fine, I'll order two more for you. Proprietress, two more plates!"
"Come on, come on, don't be shy with me, eat as much as you want, I have money! Proprietress, three more plates!"
At the dinner table, there were only Ino and Hinata, and Ino continuously fed barbecue to Hinata.
Although she knew beforehand that this girl was Konoha Village's true big eater, making Tsunade and Choji look like weaklings in front of her, Ino was still startled by the gentle but incredibly hungry Hinata.
This wasn't just being able to eat; this was being *too* able to eat!
Each time, Hinata would refuse in a voice like a mosquito.
"I'm already full."
"Thank you, I can't eat anymore."
"I really can't eat anymore, please don't order more..."
The result was plate after plate of barbecue being devoured by her. The amount Ino ate wasn't even one-twentieth of what she consumed.
To make Hinata willingly help her with the bill, Ino helped her overcome her embarrassment and steered the conversation: "Hinata, your Shuriken throwing technique is really good. Will you teach me later?"
Hinata felt she had eaten too much and was not ladylike at all, her face flushed crimson. At that moment, she didn't think too much and nodded repeatedly.
When it came time to pay, the bill for six people and one dog came to a whopping 8,500 Ryo for barbecue, which was basically equivalent to a D-rank mission for a Ninja squad.
Forty percent of the barbecue went into Choji's stomach. Hinata kept saying she wouldn't eat, but she still ate twenty-five plates. Ino estimated she was only half-full.
"Um, you guys sit. I'll go pay." Ino slowly stood up, subtly signaling to the others, including Shikamaru.
Seemingly noticing Ino's tight budget, Hinata, with the demeanor of a good wife and loving mother, secretly handed her own wallet to Ino.
"I'm so sorry... after eating so much, use... use mine..."
Ino gave her an approving look.
Girls are the best. Look at those four boys; they're either pretending to be dumb or genuinely dumb, completely lacking in perceptiveness.
After the six of them finished eating, they watched Naruto, who was scrubbing the Hokage Rock, for a while, then leisurely returned to the Academy.
In the afternoon, there was a practical lesson and a tedious history lesson.
The history of Konoha Village was now essentially synonymous with learning the will of fire. The teacher, holding the will of fire written by the Third Hokage, repeatedly "brainwashed" them.
The practical lesson was somewhat interesting. Hinata, as promised, taught Ino how to throw Shuriken.
Ninja clans' training started much earlier than that of civilian Ninja. Tree climbing and water walking training had long been completed. Ino knew how to throw Shuriken, and her throwing technique could even be described as pretty good.
What's so difficult about this? If it's like Uchiha Itachi, jumping up, doing three and a half rotations, then shooting in eight directions and hitting the targets, that's indeed very difficult. Not to mention Ino, even many Jonin can't do that.
Currently, it hadn't reached that level; it was just the lowest-level Shuriken throwing at the Ninja Academy. Sufficient eyesight, sufficient wrist strength, and coordinated limbs were enough. Shooting a fixed target from thirty meters away was easy.
Whether in the original timeline or now, Ino's role in Ino–Shika–Chō was that of a support member. She possessed sufficient sensory abilities, and her "strength" stat was currently 2. It seemed extremely low, but even Hinata, who was teaching her Shuriken throwing, also had a 2. Female Ninja typically weren't high in arm strength or muscle strength. For throwing Shuriken, 2 points were sufficient.
Of course, if someone insisted that the Shuriken thrown by Lee when he opened the Eight Gates were fast and accurate, she would admit it. Stronger power indeed makes Shuriken fly faster; there's no questioning that.
She was just playing around when throwing Shuriken now.
"...Ino, you need to straighten your arm..."
"Like this?"
"No, it needs to be in a straight line with your gaze."
"Then like this?"
"Mm-hmm... Don't be too hasty when exerting force."
Hinata's voice carried a hint of meekness, and she would occasionally tilt her head and frown in thought. Seeing her serious expression, Ino found it particularly amusing.
She had no intention of cuckolding the Seventh Hokage. From her heart, she still respected the Seventh Hokage. To deny Naruto's continuous efforts and persistence with bloodline theory would be unfair. To go through such hardships and still reach the pinnacle, such a person deserved admiration.
Ino just found it very enjoyable to tease the little girl in front of her.
During free practice, Ino sparred with Hinata. When it came to hand-to-hand combat, the era of Tai Chi dominating all other worlds had passed. Her past life's experience was useless. Without strategy, Ino found she couldn't beat Hinata at all.
Her Taijutsu was 3, and she estimated Hinata's Taijutsu was at least level 5.
She didn't have much talent in Taijutsu and currently wasn't planning to use rare stat points to boost it, so daily practice was very important.
"Mm, will you practice with me again next time? I feel my Taijutsu is really too poor," Ino said very earnestly.
Hinata smiled politely, which counted as an agreement.
The day's lessons ended before the sun set, and everyone went home.
Watching Haruno Sakura sneakily heading home alone, Ino calmly bid farewell to her classmates one by one.
To avoid arousing suspicion from the Village's higher-ups, the Ninja of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans had long abandoned the Warring States Period custom of living in clustered communities. Now, they were dispersed throughout the Village as individual families.
The Yamanaka Clan, being responsible for the Village's intelligence work, was even more low-key to the extreme. The family of three usually ran a flower shop. To unsuspecting neighbors, the husband was refined, the wife gentle, and the daughter a bit mischievous. No one could tell the immense influence their family held in the Village.