At this moment, Hinata Ayane was happily devouring a bowl of ramen.
Her fair little cheeks were puffed out, making her look like a cute little squirrel.
On the two seats next to her, she had neatly stacked over a dozen empty bowls each, perfectly symmetrical.
Hyuga Aokawa's eyes widened in shock.
Was a large appetite hereditary for girls of the Hyuga Clan?
She was eating so much!
He finally remembered the first time he had met Hinata Ayane.
He now knew where that inexplicable sense of familiarity had come from.
She was practically a carbon copy of Hinata, who wouldn't be born for another few years.
It was just that Hinata Ayane had grown her hair long early on, and her features were more refined than Hinata's.
That was why Hyuga Aokawa hadn't realized it at first.
But seeing all those empty bowls beside her now...
He recalled that twenty-some years later, there would be another Byakugan girl.
Right here at Ichiraku Ramen, she would claim the title of the number one big eater.
Even the Akimichi Clan would fall behind her.
At the table, Hinata Ayane was eating with pure joy.
Eating out was the happiest time of her day.
At home, she always had to follow various Family etiquettes, which dictated that girls should take small bites and not eat too much.
She never felt full there.
Eating out was much happier, even if it cost quite a bit of pocket money.
She was about to tell the owner that he could start on the next bowl.
Suddenly, she felt a gaze fixed on her.
Confused, she turned her head to look.
In an instant, her expression froze.
She even forgot to chew the noodles in her mouth.
"Ao—Aokawa, what are you doing here?"
Hinata Ayane hurriedly bit off the noodles hanging from her mouth and spoke indistinctly.
After grabbing a tissue to wipe the soup from her lips...
Within two seconds, her posture suddenly became dignified and elegant.
"I came to try this ramen; I heard it's very good," Hyuga Aokawa said with a smile.
"Ah, ah, it is indeed very delicious."
She moved over to one side, gesturing for Hyuga Aokawa to sit beside her.
Hyuga Aokawa smiled and sat next to her, ordering a bowl of Miso Ramen from Ichiraku.
He turned to see the mountain-like stack of empty bowls at his spot.
He wasn't sure what to do for a moment.
Hinata Ayane finally realized the problem as well.
Her face flushed red, and she looked at Ichiraku, stammering:
"O—Owner, why haven't you cleared away the bowls from the previous customer?"
Her voice lacked confidence, sounding very guilty.
Ichiraku, who was boiling noodles, turned his head with a bewildered look.
After his brain stalled for a moment, he finally caught on.
"Ah, yes, yes."
He hurried forward and took away all the empty bowls next to Hinata Ayane.
As he took them, he apologized with a sheepish smile to both of them:
"Sorry, I've been too busy. Please excuse me!"
Hyuga Aokawa couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
He played along, saying, "Business is good, it's understandable."
He then started chatting with Hinata Ayane.
Ichiraku soon brought out the ramen Hyuga Aokawa had ordered.
The two talked while they ate.
Soon.
Hyuga Aokawa noticed that there were very few noodles left in Ayane's bowl.
But she was still eating slowly, as if waiting for something.
It was obvious she wasn't full yet.
But perhaps because he was there, she was too embarrassed to order more.
He finished his noodles quickly and ordered a takeout portion for Hyuga Fū.
He made an excuse to leave early so that Hinata Ayane could continue her feast.
When he reached the Hospital, Taro was already continuously treating the bones based on Hyuga Fū's condition.
"Mission accomplished!" Taro said with a happy smile as the light in her hands faded.
Hyuga Aokawa smiled at the news. "Does that mean he's fully recovered?"
"Not quite yet. The muscle tissue hasn't been repaired. Let me rest for a bit," Taro said.
"I'm sorry for the trouble."
After resting for an hour, green light once again gathered in Taro's hands, covering Hyuga Fū.
Her control was extremely exquisite.
Her hands continuously allowed pure Yang Release Chakra to slowly permeate the torn muscle fibers.
She stimulated the satellite cells around the damaged and broken tissues to divide and regenerate at high speed, guiding them to reconnect and realign.
She frequently looked at the examination sheet nearby.
She constantly adjusted the intensity of the Chakra permeation based on the locations reported on the sheet.
Seeing this, Hyuga Aokawa also activated his Byakugan to assist her in the treatment.
He wasn't good at diagnosing injuries, but locating them was no problem.
About an hour later, the healing glow in Taro's hands finally dissipated.
"Alright, the muscle part is done too!"
She wiped the sweat from her forehead, a satisfied smile appearing on her face.
"Thank you, Dr. Taro!"
"What 'Dr. Taro'? Call me Big Sister!"
Taro feigned being angry and reached out to pinch Hyuga Aokawa's cheek.
He dodged it instantly, but seeing her reach out to pinch him again...
Hyuga Aokawa quickly shouted, "Big Sister, I'll call you Big Sister, alright?"
"That's more like it," Taro said, hands on her hips.
Then she suddenly spoke again:
"The X-ray vision of your Byakugan is really convenient; it saved a lot of effort."
"Are you interested in working at the Hospital after graduation? It's much better than fighting and killing on the Front Lines."
"Come to the Hospital?"
"Yes, don't waste the talent of the Byakugan. This year, the Village intends to expand the scale of Medical Ninjas."
Hyuga Aokawa felt a bit tempted upon hearing this.
Even though he wanted to be a Medical Ninja just to stay in the rear of a squad, it didn't mean he wouldn't go to the Front Lines.
Because killing enemies on the Front Lines would provide him with greater benefits.
However, the Hospital could also serve as a springboard for a Medical Ninja, so it was worth considering.
"That sounds very tempting!"
Hyuga Aokawa neither accepted nor refused.
Taro laughed. "Then think it over carefully."
She continued, "Your uncle can be discharged tomorrow."
"Okay, thank you, Big Sister Taro."
"I'll be going now then."
"Take care!"
After Taro left, Hyuga Fū leaned in with a bit of gossip.
"That girl isn't bad. Where did you meet her?"
"Dad, I'm only twelve."
"What's wrong with twelve? When I was twelve, I'd already dated several girlfriends."
"But she's eighteen, six years older than me."
"Older sisters know how to take better care of people."
Hyuga Aokawa rolled his eyes at that.
People in the Ninja World were truly precocious.
However, Taro's suggestion just now was indeed quite good.
Although he planned to be a Medical Ninja for a front-line squad, being able to transition through the Hospital first...
...and accumulate more experience was also a good direction for development.
He turned to see that Hyuga Fū was already able to eat by himself.
He asked with concern, "Dad, how do you feel?"
"Better than ever. I reckon I don't even need to wait until tomorrow; I could be discharged in a bit."
Hyuga Aokawa smiled at that.
He was also very happy that Hyuga Fū had recovered.
He stood up and said, "Then Dad, handle the discharge yourself tomorrow."
"Grandma has been asking where you went, saying you've never carried out two missions in a row before."
"If you don't get discharged soon, I won't know how to explain it to her."
Hyuga Fū gave a helpless smile.
"That's just how your grandma is, always worrying."
...The next day.
Hyuga Aokawa went to school as usual.
As soon as he entered the classroom, his classmates were whispering about him.
He didn't pay them any mind and walked straight to his seat to sit down.
He continued reading his school textbooks.
Before long, Inoue Reigetsu walked in.
Behind her followed a Ninja of the Hyuga Clan in his twenties.
However, Hyuga Aokawa didn't recognize this clansman.
"We are having a pop quiz!"
Inoue Reigetsu said with a stern look, holding a stack of test papers.
"Ah, why is there a test so soon? We've only had a few classes."
"Is this for real? No key points were highlighted, and there was no prior notice. Why is there an exam?"
"Are you stupid? Didn't you hear her say it's a pop quiz?"
The classroom was filled with a chorus of complaints.
"Quiet!" Inoue Reigetsu slammed her set square against the podium.
Once the room quieted down, she spoke:
"This test is just to gauge your current level. There will be no punishments, and the results won't be publicized."
"You must perform to your true ability during the test. Cheating is strictly prohibited."