Training Ground No. 10.
Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji rushed back together, only to find Kamizuki Hikari lying under the shade of a tree, enjoying the breeze. Ino immediately exploded.
"Hikari-senpai, you're our instructor! We're over here suffering, and you're just lounging around? That's way out of line!"
"Hmm~"
Kamizuki Hikari responded with a lazy yawn.
"Did you bring back the yakiniku I asked for?"
Ino nearly lost it. So all her complaints just now had been completely ignored?
Shikamaru stepped forward, blocking Ino, and took the bento box from Chōji, walking over to Hikari.
"Hikari-senpai, this is the yakiniku we bought with our mission funds!" Shikamaru deliberately emphasized the last two words.
Normally, after a mission, the instructor would keep half the earnings, while the other half would be split among the genin team. Based on Shikamaru's calculations, as long as Hikari had even a shred of decency, he wouldn't eat alone.
But today, Hikari was here to teach him a lesson.
"Nice!"
Sniffing the delicious aroma, Hikari opened the box and began devouring the yakiniku at lightning speed.
"Senpai?!" Shikamaru was dumbfounded.
"Hikari-senpai!" Chōji's mouth watered as the scent of the meat filled the air.
Ino was grinding her teeth in rage. From the look on her face, it seemed like she wanted to go bite Hikari to death.
This senpai was seriously too much.
Rubbing their still-empty stomachs, the trio could only sigh in resignation.
How did they end up with such a ridiculous teacher? If they'd known earlier, they never would've come.
Hikari paid them no mind, happily finishing the yakiniku before smacking his lips. "A bit too little. Not satisfying enough!"
Chōzi finally exploded. "Senpai! We bought this with our mission earnings! And I even got the shop owner to give us a 40% discount! Most importantly—we haven't eaten yet!"
"Oh." Hikari replied absentmindedly, clearly uninterested.
"And?"
"And..." Chōji was at a loss for words.
What could he even say to such an outrageous instructor?
'I'm telling Dad to ask the Hokage to fire you!'
For even Chōji to get this angry, Hikari had truly crossed a line.
"What? Judging by your looks, you're all upset. You think I went too far, huh?" Hikari picked his teeth with a toothpick, looking nothing like a proper shinobi.
The Ino-Shika-Chō trio stared at him in silence.
"What, trying to beat me with your glares now?" Hikari shook his head. "Don't blame me for looking down on you. With your current strength, you're only good for bullying Konoha's civilian genins. In front of me you're all just little brats!"
His expression was cocky to the max—absolutely begging for a punch.
"Senpai!" Ino boldly stepped forward, standing up to him.
"Go on." Hikari looked at her with high expectations, sincerely hoping she'd blow up, then go crying home and ask Yamanaka Inoichi to get him dismissed.
Just imagining all the free time he'd have afterward made him feel rejuvenated.
Ino took a deep breath, her face serious. "Senpai, I'm a girl!"
Hikari: '...What the hell kind of argument is that?!'
"And?"
"So, you should call me a little lass, not a little brat!" Ino emphasized, then returned to stand beside Shikamaru.
Shikamaru and Chōji were stunned.
'Ino... only you could pull that off!'
Hikari sighed and looked up at the sky. He hadn't expected these three to be so resilient. It seemed he'd have to escalate things.
"Shikamaru, just now you questioned me, didn't you?" Hikari stood up and slowly approached, looming over Nara Shikamaru.
Nothing he could do about it—being tall had its perks.
Shikamaru: 'Can you at least wait until I'm 18 before we talk about height, damn it.'
"What about it?" Under Hikari's oppressive gaze, Shikamaru felt his courage evaporate, leaving only two words in his mind—play along.
"When I gave you your mission earlier, what exactly did I say?" Hikari pressed mercilessly.
Shikamaru replied, "You told the three of us to catch Fat Tiger, turn in the mission, buy yakiniku, and give a gift to Tenten. We did all of that!"
"You really think you did everything?" Hikari's tone turned mocking. "I said all three of you should go together. Why did you split up? Did my words just go in one ear and out the other?"
The moment he said that, Shikamaru's eyes widened. He opened his mouth but ultimately hung his head in defeat.
So that was the real test!
"Senpai, we found it really tiring to travel as a group earlier. Later, to avoid delaying your lunch, we decided to split up. Was that wrong?" Ino protested.
Despite how much she wanted to strangle him, her good upbringing kept her polite.
"That does make some sense." Hikari stroked his chin, looking a bit surprised at Ino.
'Isn't the Yamanaka Clan supposed to be the pig of the Ino-Shika-Chō? Why is Ino so sharp? That's not how this works!'
"Senpai, your stare is really rude!" Ino crossed her arms defensively.
She couldn't read Hikari's thoughts, but that playful look in his eyes definitely felt off.
"Ah, my bad!"
"I just didn't expect Inoichi-senpai's daughter to be so clever."
Hikari 'kindly' explained.
Ino: （#￣～￣#）
"You two, move! I'm about to lose it!" Ino grabbed Shikamaru and Chōji's arms, then started kicking wildly in Hikari's direction.
Shikamaru and Chōji exchanged a glance before peeling Ino's hands off and stepping aside.
Ino: You traitors!
She felt utterly betrayed. This fatso and pineapple-head had forsaken the sacred bond of Ino-Shika-Chō! She would lodge a formal complaint on behalf of the Yamanaka clan!
"Alright, alright."
Seeing how heartbroken Ino looked after being betrayed by her teammates, Hikari stepped forward and gently patted her head, ruffling her hair like petting a cat.
"My bad, I shouldn't have said that."
"Ino's always been clever, right?"
Though she didn't like how he was talking to her like a kid, since he had apologized, Ino decided to be generous and give him a chance.
"Fine. Since you apologized so sincerely, I'll let it go this time. But if it happens again, I definitely won't forgive you!"
"Deal!"
As she spoke, Ino looked up at Hikari, her eyes brimming with sincerity.
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