Ninja Pot Shadow

Ino and Shikamaru had most of their allowance spent on Choji. They had to stretch every penny to feed him, and even that wasn't enough.

Originally, I was planning to starve myself for a few days and then go eat Asuma's big spenders, but now that Mizuki is willing to step forward... then let's not be polite!

"Hinata! Come keep me company tonight! Why are you blushing? Let's go eat together. What are you thinking about?"

"Teeth? Together? Okay, that's awesome!"

"And that other guy...yes, Shino, let's come together."

Without much effort, the six of them made an appointment with Shuimu to go out for barbecue that evening.

"Sakura, shall we go together?" Ino saw the girl with the wide forehead in the distance and casually called out to her.

"Huh?" Sakura pointed to herself, a little surprised. Ino's small team was seen as very exclusive by outsiders.

Honestly, after her friendship with Ino ended, she hadn't made a single friend during her years at school, and she wanted to join them.

Seeing her hesitation, Ino added, "We're all ninjas now, and we might have the chance to go on missions together in the future. It's rare for Mizuki-sensei to treat us, so come on over!"

Shuimu could barely keep her smile going.

Sakura's gaze wandered, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Uchiha Sasuke, who had his hands in his pockets, a cold expression on his face, as if he was about to leave alone. Then she looked at Ino, as if to say, "Can I ask Sasuke to come with me?"

Ino didn't care at all. After all, she wasn't the one who lost that day, and she wasn't the one treating everyone today, so what was she afraid of?

"Sasuke, come on over."

Sasuke looked at her expressionlessly and coldly said, "I don't have time."

"Sasuke-kun, we're all classmates, let's go together..." Sakura seemed to want to persuade him, but Sasuke already knew about the "Sasuke's Youthful Tale" book. He was now filled with disgust for the women in the village. Women were so annoying! They would only slow down his revenge.

He snorted and walked away.

Shikamaru wanted to invite Naruto, but Naruto failed the Shadow Clone Jutsu test today and was extremely frustrated. He couldn't eat barbecue, let alone ramen.

Sasuke didn't go, Naruto didn't go, and after some hesitation, Sakura also declined the invitation.

"Forget it, let's just go eat together." Ino didn't take the failure of the small team expansion too seriously.

Seeing them calling out to their friends, Shui Mu's face stiffened, but she still maintained a basic smile. How much could a few children eat? As long as her plan was completed, this amount of money was nothing.

After smilingly seeing Ino and the other six off, Mizuki returned to the exam hall under the pretext of having official business to attend to, where he happened to run into a dejected Naruto.

……

In the evening, as agreed, Mizuki invited his fiancée, Tsubaki, who was also a teacher at the school. The two had gotten engaged not long ago, and this was a dinner invitation for them.

Choji arrived first, followed by Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Shikamaru, and finally Ino.

Ino was wearing a purple sleeveless jacket and purple pants, with fishnet knee pads and elbow pads, and a ninja headband around her waist. Except for not showing her lower abdomen or navel, her outfit was basically the same as Ino's original Chunin-era attire.

With daily medication and the significant increase in her Yin Release level a few days ago, her mental energy is driving her physical energy, and her chakra is increasing at a slow pace.

Currently, her "essence" score is 6, but she estimates that if she continues like this, and with the help of puberty, it won't be long before her "essence" score increases to 7.

Because the clothes were designed to be form-fitting, Ino's outfit made her look a bit mature.

Compared to when she first transmigrated, her cells are now full of energy, and with moderate physical exercise, she has grown much taller, and her body curves are now clearly visible.

Of course, she still can't compare to Hinata... The two of them soaked in a hot spring together, and if Hinata let go of her hands, those Pokémon would float up automatically. Is this a twelve-year-old girl? Even the hottest girls in the tavern would cry if they saw her.

Shikamaru glanced at Ino, his brow furrowing. He didn't understand. It was just barbecue, why was she dressed like she was about to fight?

Ino already had a prepared answer to his question: "We're ninjas in the village now, and ninjas should always be ready for battle. Look at those Chunin and Jonin teachers, aren't they all always ready for battle?"

That's true. Shikamaru couldn't find any flaws either. He could only conclude that Ino was being too greedy! Now she's even trying to cheat them out of something as simple as eating barbecue! Is she even human?

Teacher Chun is very gentle. She taught them for two years before, so they are all familiar with each other.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, we started eating.

The foundation of chakra is the 130 trillion cells in the body. Absorbing energy directly from the outside world is Sage Mode, and no one in the ninja world except for Jiraiya, that pervert, can do that. Normal ninjas can only rely on their own bodies to create chakra, and the way cells replenish energy is basically by eating.

Ino wasn't quite a glutton, but her appetite was still much larger than when she first transmigrated.

"Thank you, Mizuki-sensei and Tsubaki-sensei. I'll start eating now!" Ino didn't stand on ceremony at all. After a simple thank you, she began to dig in.

Choji was furious. "I can't beat you in exams, but can't I beat you in eating?" He gave Mizuki a perfunctory greeting, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating.

Next up is Shikamaru. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio must stand together! If his companions eat and he doesn't, it will seriously disrupt the team's unity.

Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame didn't stand on ceremony. Apart from Hinata trying to keep the scene quiet and asking about Mizuki and Tsubaki's engagement, the other five people and a dog were eating heartily.

Chapter 49 Hinata, Something's Wrong

"Boss! Two more plates of meat, please!"

"Boss, hurry up, I'm still a little hungry!"

"Hinata, you should eat too! Mizuki-sensei is treating us today to celebrate his engagement with Tsubaki-sensei. Cheer up and eat!"

As a descendant of the Otsutsuki clan, the Hyuga family has a member named Hinata, who is called the "Byakugan Princess" by Otsutsuki Toneri. Hinata's talent is not low, at least when it comes to eating, she is a true person who can eat from a large wooden barrel.

Ino noticed that her appetite had increased significantly, and she was even happier eating, especially since she knew it was someone else treating her.

After Hinata reluctantly joined the ranks of the rice eaters, the barbecue was devoured much faster.

The owner of "Q Barbecue" saw the impressive results of their meal and became excited.

He brandished a large knife in the back room: "Q Grilled Meat has never let a customer go hungry! Never! Everyone, perk up! Hurry up! Today's customer is a bit picky, give me a larger plate!"

As the empty plate beside him continued to fall higher and higher, the smile on Mizuki's face could no longer be maintained.

Damn it! Do you guys never eat at home?!

He did have plans to betray the village, but not because of debts! That would be too shameful to say!

Several times during the meal, he secretly checked his wallet, calculating how much the meal would cost.

Ino had already figured it out; she hadn't wasted those ten years watching Detective Conan. Mizuki was definitely going to create an alibi.

She didn't expose him and kept eating with her head down.

Shui Mu first checked his wallet, then started checking the time; he had things to do! Who knew these guys would start eating so relentlessly?

He was extremely anxious, his gaze constantly shifting between the faces of the group. Whenever one of them said they were full, he would quickly pay the bill and then go deal with the matters at the ninja academy. But he waited and waited…

Even Shikamaru, who has the smallest appetite, is eating like crazy, and Kiba Inuzuka's ninja dog Akamaru has already gained two sizes of weight and is still eating.

The meal lasted a full two hours. Whether the host was happy or not is unknown, but the guests certainly had a great time.

Ino and the others looked satisfied. Even Hinata, who was still maintaining her ladylike demeanor, was secretly touching her little belly, which clearly meant she was full.

Mizuki paid the bill with extreme embarrassment. These kids could eat so much! Especially that girl named Hinata, why could she eat so much? This meal had wiped out his savings and left him with a lot of debt!

He wanted to finish things here quickly so he could make arrangements on the other side, but the barbecue restaurant owner wouldn't let him leave...

He swore and made guarantees, and the boss finally agreed to let him buy on credit because he was a Chunin and a teacher at the Ninja Academy.

Shui Mu sighed heavily. He had made up his mind: he would betray the village! He would leave tonight!

After the meal, everyone dispersed.

Mizuki didn't want to connect what was about to happen with his fiancée. He hadn't asked Tsubaki for money before, and now he didn't want to involve her in his affairs even more. He made up an excuse and asked his fiancée to leave first.

After getting his bearings, he followed Hinata from a distance.

His target was never Ino.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio alliance is too powerful. Konoha often lets rogue ninja go and doesn't send anyone to hunt them down. But the Ino-Shika-Cho trio might be different. If they really offend the trio alliance, they have enough power to send out a pursuit team without going through the village.

The Yamanaka family's name carries considerable weight in the ambiguous, semi-legal world.

The Inuzuka family all own dogs, and their tracking ability is simply unbeatable. If he were to make a move against them, these dog owners could catch up with him in a single night.

The oil woman's house? Who is that?

Shuimu realized that because he had delayed his first-stage goal for too long, it had probably already been exposed, and going there now would be like walking into a trap.

He immediately activated the backup plan, and his target was Hinata Hyuga, who seemed weak but had the greatest actual value.

Seeing Hinata and Ino part ways, seeing Hinata walk through the night market, seeing Hinata approach a slightly dark alley, he immediately chased after her.

"Hinata! Wait! Wait for me..." he called out breathlessly.

"Mitsuki-sensei?" Hinata was puzzled, wondering why the teacher she had just parted ways with had come after her again.

“Listen to me… Naruto! Naruto is a good kid. A clone technique exam is nothing, but I’m worried that he might do something extreme. You’re his friend, come with me and try to persuade him.”

Mizuki's explanation seemed reasonable. Hinata appeared quite alarmed, nodded subconsciously, and followed Mizuki onto another path.

They went to Naruto's house first, but naturally no one was home. Then Hinata said that Naruto often went to a grove of trees behind the mountain, so they rushed there.

Naruto used to train alone in the back mountains, but tonight it's quiet and there's not a soul in sight.

Having anticipated this while at the barbecue restaurant, Shui Mu still cursed under his breath upon witnessing his plan fall through.

Those guys really ate a lot. After they finished eating, they had to ask the barbecue owner for money, which took them a while longer. In total, he arrived at the back mountain an hour later than expected.

That's outrageous!

He forced himself to calm down.

He will definitely be exposed after tonight, but because he had barbecue with some foodies tonight, he has a solid alibi. At this point, he is not a big suspect, and he still has some time to activate his backup plan.

For example... he glanced at Hinata, who looked timid, out of the corner of his eye.

This is the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family. Her Byakugan is one of the top bloodline limits in the entire ninja world. If I give her Byakugan to that person, I will definitely receive a reward, right?

Perhaps that person prefers the Byakugan to the Book of Seals?

He applauded his own foresight, thinking himself incredibly clever.

He suddenly punched the tree trunk hard, and after Hinata's attention was drawn to him, he said anxiously, "Damn it! That idiot Naruto, if he can't learn the Shadow Clone Technique tonight, he won't even have a chance to retake the test tomorrow!"

Just as he had predicted, Hinata looked completely bewildered: "What should we do? What should we do, Naruto-kun... Mizuki-sensei, you have to help Naruto!"

Mizuki frowned and thought for a while: "Actually, Naruto's weakness is his weak chakra control. As long as he makes up for this shortcoming, passing the graduation exam will be a very easy thing."

"Then, Mizuki-sensei, how can we help Naruto-kun improve his chakra control?"

Shui Mu hesitated for a moment before saying, "I know a secret recipe that might be worth a try, but it requires purchasing several kinds of expensive medicinal herbs, and I don't have enough money on hand right now..."

Before he could finish speaking, Hinata's voice suddenly rose two octaves: "What?! You actually dare to ask me for money! You son of a bitch..."

Mizuki: "???"