"Senpai Aoba," Ino greeted Yamashiro Aoba, a special jonin from the intelligence division. He had visited her home before, so they were acquainted.
He was quite polite: "Oh, it's Yamanaka-san. Out for a meal with your classmates? That's great, go ahead."
"Yes."
On the other side, Shikamaru exchanged a few words with Nara Suzaku, a jonin elder from his family.
After they took their seats, the boss lady brought out plates of grilled meat one after another. Choji Akimichi's large frame was quite representative—serving too little meat would be an insult to him!
Ino, Shikamaru, and Shino, who relied on ninja techniques, quickly finished eating and sat aside chatting. Kiba Inuzuka and the hefty Choji, who practiced body techniques, were still devouring the food. Hinata clearly hadn't had enough but didn't want to lose her ladylike demeanor, so when no one was looking, she would quietly extend her little tongue to lick the plate. She didn't lick continuously but would lick once, sneak a glance to see if anyone noticed, and then lick again as if nothing had happened.
Ino was still counting on her to pay the bill—licking the plate wouldn't do!
"Boss lady, bring two more plates." Hinata, you're so thin, come on, eat some meat. It's on me today, don't be shy."Ino patted Hinata's stomach: "It's amazing, where does all the barbecue go?" Such strong digestion? Still not full? No problem, I'll order two more plates for you. Boss lady, two more plates!"
"Come on, don't be shy, eat as much as you want. I have money! Boss lady, three more plates!"At the table, only Ino and Hinata were girls, and Ino kept feeding Hinata grilled meat."
Even though she knew beforehand that Hinata was the undisputed big eater of Konoha Village—Tsunade and the hefty Choji were nothing in front of her—Ino was still shocked by the seemingly delicate but voracious Hinata.
This wasn't just about being able to eat—this was about eating way 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 any more, don't order more.But in the end, plate after plate of grilled meat was devoured by her. Ino's share of the barbecue was less than one-twentieth of Hinata's. To make Hinata willingly help share the bill, Ino tried to ease the awkwardness and steer the conversation elsewhere: "Hinata, your shuriken throwing technique is really good. Can you teach me later?"
Feeling that she had eaten too much and wasn't being ladylike, Hinata's face turned bright red. Without thinking too much, she nodded hurriedly.
When it came time to settle the bill, it turned out that six people and one dog had consumed a whopping 8,500 ryo worth of grilled meat, which was roughly equivalent to a D-rank mission for a ninja team.
Forty percent of the barbecue went into Choji's stomach. Hinata kept saying she couldn't eat anymore, but she still managed to finish twenty-five plates. Ino estimated that she was only half-full.
"Well, you all stay seated, I'll go settle the bill," Ino said slowly, standing up and giving a crazy hint to everyone, including Shikamaru.
Seemingly sensing Ino's financial difficulties, the virtuous and good wife-like Hinata secretly handed her own wallet to Ino.
"I'm really sorry... I ate so much. Use... use mine."
Ino gave her an approving look.
Girls are so much better. Look at those four guys—either pretending to be clueless or genuinely clueless, with no sense of awareness at all.
After finishing their meal, the six of them watched Naruto cleaning the Hokage Rock for a while before leisurely making their way back to the Ninja Academy.
The afternoon consisted of a practical class and a rather dull history lesson. The history of the Leaf Village was now essentially synonymous with the study of the Will of Fire. The teacher held up the Will of Fire written by the Third Hokage and repeatedly "brainwashed" them with it.
The practical class was a bit more interesting. Hinata, as promised, taught Ino how to throw shuriken.
Training in ninja clans started much earlier than for civilian ninjas. Climbing trees and walking on water were already completed tasks. Ino could throw shuriken, and her technique was even considered decent.
What's so difficult about it? Like Uchiha Itachi, who could jump, spin three and a half times, and then shoot in eight directions with precision—that was indeed challenging. Not just Ino, but many jonin couldn't do it either.
But they weren't at that level yet. This was just the most basic shuriken throwing at the Ninja Academy. With sufficient eyesight, wrist strength, and coordination, hitting a stationary target from thirty meters away was a piece of cake.
Whether in the original timeline or now, Ino's role in the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was always that of a support member. She had enough sensory abilities. Her "strength" stat was currently at 2, which seemed extremely low, but Hinata, who was teaching her shuriken throwing, also had a strength of 2. Female ninjas generally didn't excel in arm strength or muscle power, but for throwing shuriken, a strength of 2 was sufficient.
Of course, if one insisted on mentioning Rock Lee throwing shuriken with the Eight Gates Formation, she would admit that greater strength indeed made the shuriken fly faster and more accurately. There was no denying that.
Right now, throwing shuriken was just a game for her.
"Ino, your arm needs to be straight."
"Like this?"
"No, it should align with your line of sight."
"Then like this?"
"Yes, yes. Don't rush when you exert force."
Hinata's voice carried a hint of timidity, and she occasionally tilted her head, frowning in thought. Seeing her serious expression, Ino found it particularly amusing.
She had no intention of "stealing" the Seventh Hokage. From the bottom of her heart, she respected the Seventh Hokage. Using bloodline theory to dismiss Naruto's efforts and perseverance was unfair. After going through so many hardships and still reaching the pinnacle, such a person deserved admiration.
Ino just found it quite 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 Taijutsu dominating all realms had passed. Her past life experiences were of no use here. Without using tactics, Ino found that she couldn't beat Hinata at all—her Taijutsu was at level 3, while Hinata's was likely at least level 5.
She didn't have much talent in Taijutsu and wasn't planning to use rare Pot Points to boost it, so daily practice was crucial.
"Alright, will you practice with me next time? I feel like my Taijutsu is really lacking," Ino said earnestly.
Hinata smiled politely, agreeing to the request.
The day's classes ended just as the sun was about to set, and everyone headed home.
Watching Haruno Sakura sneak off alone, Ino calmly bid farewell to her classmates.
To avoid arousing suspicion from the village's higher-ups, the ninja clans of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had long abandoned the Warring States era practice of living together as a clan. Nowadays, they were dispersed throughout the village, living as individual families.
The Yamanaka family, responsible for the village's intelligence work, maintained an exceptionally low profile. The family of three ran a flower shop, and to their unsuspecting neighbors, they appeared as a gentle husband, a kind wife, and a slightly mischievous daughter. There was no hint of the immense influence their family held within the village.