"Shikamaru, Rock Lee, Choji!"
Hinata, who had greeted them, wore her hair in a high ponytail, looking utterly assertive.
Freed from the fate of being the "Crown Princess," Hinata had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
Other than her appearance and eyes remaining unchanged, Shikamaru would never have been able to connect the figure before him, confidence written all over her face, with the girl who used to speak timidly and blush whenever Naruto was mentioned.
It had to be said that Hinata's acting had been astonishing.
Back in Konoha, she had managed to fool every last one of them.
"Hinata!"
Shikamaru returned the greeting, but said nothing more.
Their relationship was awkward now. Not interacting was better for both sides.
Unfortunately, what Tang Ping wanted to see was precisely an awkward exchange between them.
With Hinata Hyuga leading the way, the group advanced at full speed and soon arrived at a valley surrounded by stone cliffs hundreds of meters high.
Layers of radiance flowed across the area, enveloping the entire valley.
A barrier?
Shikamaru instantly realized that the radiance was nothing else but a barrier.
What surprised him was how quickly it had been set up.
It had only been a few days since they landed, yet they had already deployed such a large-scale barrier. It truly was astonishing.
Moreover, cannons and Kunai Guns had been installed atop the cliffs, turning the valley into a fortress of war.
In truth, Blazing Sun's higher-ups did not think this was necessary, because their strength genuinely crushed both Akatsuki and the Allied Forces.
But just in case, necessary defensive measures still had to be taken.
Preparing all this now merely wasted time, energy, and vast amounts of resources.
But if it was ever needed, it might save lives.
After entering the valley, Shikamaru was