Chapter 224: Hinata's Guilt
Shikamaru didn't even need to look to know it was Ino's doing. He wisely didn't ask anything about it.
Ino didn't try to hide it much either. She held up a single finger towards Sandayu, a silent reminder that he owed her ten million – don't forget it. The old man nodded frantically. That poison, the one that prevented people from extracting chakra, was truly expensive, and it came with many restrictions. To ensure Kazahana Doto actually drank it, he'd had to use two inside agents, not to mention Kazahana Koyuki's exquisite acting skills...
The process had been a bit convoluted, but the outcome was truly excellent. Without a single ninja needing to make a move, Kazahana Koyuki successfully reclaimed her country and became the new ruler of the Land of Snow. Taking down her enemy with her own hands – this process of reclaiming her nation perfectly aligned with the values of this era, and no one could find fault with it.
With the Land of Snow's affairs being managed by the elder statesmen, Kazahana Koyuki was essentially a mascot. She had no intention of giving up her acting career. After finishing Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja, she was already planning to star in the second installment, which meant continuing her role as the female lead in Icha Icha Paradise.
Everyone also went to see the so-called 'Secret Treasure of the Land of Snow'. It turned out to be a massive geothermal device that had accumulated energy for over a decade since Kazahana Doto usurped the throne. After activating it, the device could maintain a warm climate in the Land of Snow for about a year or more, but after that, things would revert to how they were. The immense power of nature truly wasn't something that the current level of scientific technology could resist.
Even though the warm climate wouldn't last long, the changes brought by Kazahana Koyuki earned her the enthusiastic support of her citizens. Confiscating Kazahana Doto's treasury also yielded enough to pay Ino's reward. Everyone was happy.
The train in the Land of Snow greatly interested Ino. While useless for ninja, it would definitely be valuable for civilians and nobles. Considering that nobles currently traveled by palanquin or ox cart, something like a train was absolutely an epoch-making invention at this time. She needed to think carefully about when and where to build this, but she had to get her hands on the technology.
Ino discounted her fee by two million and acquired a series of technical documents related to trains. Aside from the "Beibei Jia," these technical documents were her biggest gain from the Land of Snow.
"Ino, come, open up and have some sushi." Hinata thought about it over and over, still feeling uneasy. She was simply terrified that one day she would wake up and find Ino had gone blind, or died, or something similar. It scared her so much that she had nightmares all night long, sometimes even crying out loud while sleeping.
On the way back, Hinata had been observing Ino from the shadows. Afterward, she started cooking for her. Shikamaru and Choji were sparring on the water, so nobody else was cooking. Ino didn't refuse.
When she was free, Ino would go watch the excitement on the film set, or continue researching her own jutsu, or study the train blueprints and such. After Hinata finished filming, she would come to feed Ino at every mealtime, using the opportunity of close contact to carefully observe her eyes.
"Today's pork rolls are really tasty. Hmm, these pork rolls remind me of Tonton... I wonder if Tonton has been happy lately..." Tsunade was fine in every other regard, but not being able to eat pork was a bit tough. Hinata had been cooking meat dishes for Ino in various ways these past two days, with meat at every meal, which made Ino practically drool.
It had to be said that while Hinata's ninja talent was average, she was truly excellent at things like cooking and housework. Feeding Ino, tidying her room, washing her clothes—she handled all these琐碎 (琐碎) tasks with perfect organization. When it came to housework, she had definitely reached Kage level.
"Hey, hey, stop looking! My eyes are really fine, and I'm definitely not going to suddenly drop dead." Seeing Hinata finish cleaning the dishes, and even though she had already left the room, she still peeked her head back in, cautiously peering in her direction, Ino honestly didn't know how else to explain it.
"Are you really okay? But I... I'll help you wash your clothes then? Where did you put your dirty clothes?"
"Don't change the subject! I'm fine! Look how bright my eyes are!" Ino stared unblinkingly at Hinata.
Hinata, cautiously, reached out and waved her hand in front of Ino's face a couple of times.
Ino: "..."
I'm not blind, what are you shaking for?
No matter what Ino said, Hinata wouldn't believe her. The records in the Hyuga clan were simply too frightening for her. At this point, she just believed Ino was comforting her and attended to her even more diligently.
Ino suddenly remembered something and asked, "Oh, right, if the Hyuga main family asks about your sudden increase in eye power, how are you planning to answer?"
Hinata stammered, clearly having not considered the question.
Ino instructed her, "Just say you had a breakthrough during a battle. If the Hyuga main family asks for details, be vague. Say you don't know, you're not sure. Got it? Your expression should have a hint of confusion, and your words should sound a little uncertain."
Hinata nodded like a little chicken pecking rice. "Okay... but your eyes, are your eyes really okay?"
"...Fine. Do you still want pork rolls tonight? I think the ones from lunch were a bit salty."
"Mhm, mhm, I'll definitely improve!"
Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayu were going to return to Konoha Village to film. Seeing Hinata's meticulous care for someone, they immediately believed Ino's earlier claim about her technique having a significant 'cost' or 'drain.' Good heavens, she wasn't going to die halfway back, was she? Sandayu came over sincerely to apologize, admitting that he had previously judged a gentleman's heart with the mind of a petty person.
Ino couldn't possibly explain to them the relationship between Sage Eyes, Sage Body, and eye power. Think whatever you want! she inwardly decided.
Upon returning to Konoha Village, the film crew continued shooting the remaining scenes. Aside from Ino and a few others, no one knew that if the female lead wasn't good at acting, she would just go home and become a Daimyo.
Kazahana Koyuki continued using the stage name Yukie Fujikaze, while Sandayu remained her manager. The events in the Land of Snow only appeared in Ino and Shikamaru's reports before being filed away in Konoha Village's archives.
There were still two weeks until the Chunin Exams, which coincided with the Konoha year 64 New Year. A piece of news, neither big nor small, broke within the ninja clans.
Hinata, whose eye power had greatly increased, had not only mastered the Hyuga clan's Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven but had also found a weak point in battle and defeated Hyuga Neji in a single move. The main reason for this victory was still Neji underestimating her, but her surging strength was clearly visible to the naked eye.
Hinata, who had originally been at the bottom of the Twelve Konoha Genin Rookies, suddenly jumped to the mid-tier level. This left Sakura feeling immense pressure.
Sakura could use Water Style Jutsu, Genjutsu, and Medical Ninjutsu. Compared to other female ninja of the same age outside of the Twelve, she was considered strong. Many ninja from civilian backgrounds didn't even have the opportunity to access these things. Originally, she didn't have very high demands for her personal strength; just being good enough was fine.
But Ino had long since dashed to the very front, Tenten, who was one year older, had always been strong, and now even Hinata, who used to be at the bottom with her, had become strong. She felt a little lost, wondering if she was about to fall behind.
Sasuke was diligently practicing swordsmanship at the training ground, and Naruto was getting tutoring. In a bad mood, she could only wander around the back hills by herself.
As she was walking, she suddenly saw a long-haired girl at the side of the mountain, painting with intense concentration. Who is this? She seemed to have never seen this girl before. Subconsciously, she walked over.
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