Soon, the three of them left Training Ground 10 and rushed toward the dense forest where "Fat Tiger" had fled.
As one of Konoha's most notorious cats, Fat Tiger's frequent escapes had become a rite of passage for many genin.
Shikamaru had already completed this mission once before, so he was familiar with Fat Tiger's habits. As long as they got there, catching it wouldn't be a problem.
"Shikamaru, this Hikari-senpai doesn't feel very reliable!" Ino commented as they ran.
Just thinking about how he had messed up her hair made her dislike him even more.
What kind of teacher just casually plays with a student's hair like that?
Total playboy.
Hmph!
"Hikari-senpai was personally chosen by my old man to lead us. You really think he would waste time on something pointless?" Shikamaru countered.
Ino fell silent.
In the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, the Nara clan are the wise deer, the Akimichi clan are the perceptive butterflies, and only the Yamanaka clan are the pigs.
A name can be given wrongly, but a nickname is never mistaken. How smart could the Yamanaka clan really be, if they're nicknamed "pigs"?
Still, the Yamanaka had one redeeming quality: self-awareness. Knowing they weren't the brightest, they relied on those who were. That, in a way, was its own kind of brilliance.
Nara Shikaku's intellect was renowned throughout the shinobi world. Even if Ino had her doubts about Kamizuki Hikari, she wouldn't dare question his judgment.
Even if she messed up ten thousand times, Nara Shikaku wouldn't be wrong even once.
"Actually... I also feel like Hikari-senpai isn't very reliable." Shikamaru muttered quietly.
Ino's face instantly brightened.
See? Maybe her intelligence wasn't so far off from Shikamaru's after all.
Shikamaru thought Hikari-senpai was unreliable. She also thought Hikari-senpai was unreliable. Therefore—
Shikamaru = Ino.
Chōji panted heavily as he ran behind them, watching the two chat happily. He only had one thing to say.
"Shikamaru... I'm hungry!"
Shikamaru facepalmed. He turned to look at Chōji. "You were just eating! How are you hungry again already?!"
"I dunno either! It feels like this run is burning way more energy than usual!" Chōji wiped sweat from his face, his round cheeks full of confusion.
Shikamaru frowned. Something felt off.
He focused on his own body, and sure enough — he was burning through chakra and stamina at more than three times the usual rate.
"Ino, how are you feeling?"
"I'm okay, but my stamina is draining way too fast. At this rate, we won't make it back by noon."
"So it's not just me. Try disrupting your chakra flow—see if we're under a genjutsu." Shikamaru's eyes gleamed with suspicion. He was starting to find Kamizuki Hikari very interesting.
"Genjutsu: Release!"
Chakra is a mix of spiritual and physical energy. If they were trapped in a genjutsu, disrupting their chakra flow would break it.
But...
Nothing happened.
Their stamina continued to drain at a rapid pace. Just running through the forest had already drained most of their energy. The worst part was, the rate of energy loss kept increasing.
Now all three were so exhausted they could barely catch Fat Tiger.
By the time they finally caught it, they were drenched in sweat and completely out of breath.
"I can't... take this anymore!" Ino threw her arm over Chōji's shoulder, soaked in sweat.
"I'm tired too!" Chōji grumbled, looking at Shikamaru. As the heaviest of the three, he was suffering the most.
Shikamaru sat on the ground, holding Fat Tiger while gasping for air.
"It's been twenty minutes. We need to get moving and turn in this mission. Let's split up — one person goes to the village gate to deliver the box to Tenten, one buys yakiniku, and one turns in the mission."
Ino rolled her eyes. "If you had this idea, why didn't you say it earlier?"
"I thought this was a test. I wanted us to work together to complete it. But now, that's clearly not happening. So we'll have to cut corners."
"Alright, who's going to the gate?"
"I'll go!" Ino volunteered immediately.
"Who's buying the yakiniku?"
"I will!" Chōji chimed in. The moment he said that, Ino and Shikamaru both gave him very skeptical looks.
Putting a delicious meal in front of a starving Akimichi... yeah, they seriously doubted the food would make it back intact.
"Trust me! I can do it!" Chōji insisted.
He knew he wasn't as sharp as Shikamaru. Turning in the mission meant dealing with people — something he was still shy about. Not his strong suit.
"Alright then, let's move! Remember to regroup at the entrance of Training Ground 10 before heading back, got it?"
At this point, Shikamaru didn't have many options. He just hoped they could finish quickly.
Strangely, after splitting from Shikamaru and Chōji, Ino felt her exhaustion lessen, and the abnormal stamina drain vanished.
"This is so weird..."
Muttering to herself, Ino dashed toward the Konoha village gate.
Twenty minutes later, outside the Konoha gate, Ino found Tenten, who was in the middle of training.
"Tenten, this is a gift from Hikari-senpai."
"Ooooh! This is the power of youth!" Gai's eyes sparkled as he examined the wooden box, curious about its contents.
"Gai-sensei is right! This is youth!" Lee, who had mostly recovered, was doing rehab training under Gai's supervision.
"Why did you bring this? Where's Hikari-senpai?" Tenten asked, eyeing the box with mixed feelings.
She was happy to receive it—as long as Ino wasn't a romantic rival.
Of course, Ino had no idea what was going through Tenten's mind. She simply answered honestly, "Hikari-senpai is our new team leader. He said he's been too busy lately to drop by, so he asked me to deliver this."
"Hmph, liar!" Tenten huffed.
As someone who knew Hikari well, she was fully aware of his laziness. If he could lie down, he'd never sit. If he could sit, he'd never stand.
Too busy?
What a joke.
"So Hikari is leading your team now, huh?" Gai studied Ino before nodding approvingly. "Since you're Inoichi's daughter, I'll let you in on a little secret."
"A secret?" Ino perked up.
Unlike Sakura, who was more superficial, Ino took her role as the Yamanaka heir seriously. She made sure to remember Konoha's elite shinobi—and Gai was among the top, nearly on par with Kakashi.
"Hikari's actually really strong. Even I can't say for sure that I could beat him. If you're training under him, make sure to listen to him. Trust me, you won't regret it."
To Ino, that sounded exactly like someone trying to trick a child.
Maito Gai's strength was common knowledge. And yet here he was saying Kamizuki Hikari — a well-known slacker — might be stronger than him?
Highly suspicious.
Still, she was well-mannered enough not to say anything impolite, even if she didn't quite believe it.
Still, she knew how to be polite.
Bowing respectfully, she replied, "Thank you for the advice, Gai-sensei. I'll keep it in mind."
"Go on then!" Gai waved her off cheerfully.
Once Ino was out of sight, Tenten muttered, "She obviously didn't believe you. Gai-sensei, even I don't think Hikari-senpai is that strong. He's kind, sure, but he's nowhere near your level."
Lee and Neji nodded in agreement.
"Impossible. Hikari is very strong." Gai's pride was clearly wounded, and his passion immediately reignited.
"If you don't believe me, then we'll all train harder!"
"I've decided — we're running 500 laps around Konoha! Start now!"
As Gai exploded with enthusiasm, Tenten really wanted to slap herself.
Why did she have to open her big mouth?
She knew full well how close Hikari and Gai were — and still poked the bear.
Now she was going to pay the price.
"Gai-sensei, we just finished training! Can't we—"
"No excuses! Lee, let's go!"
"Yes, Gai-sensei!"
As Gai and Lee dashed off, Tenten and Neji exchanged glances, both sensing the other's despair.
With a shared sigh, they reluctantly followed.
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