Kurotsuchi stared at Shikamaru. After a moment, she finally chose to back down. "Let's hope so."
Seeing Kurotsuchi return so soon, Omoi sighed, though he had never held out much hope to begin with.
"How did Konoha react?" Omoi asked.
At that, Kurotsuchi, who had been seething with frustration, shifted her eyes slightly and folded her arms. "What are you offering in exchange?"
Omoi said, "If I remember correctly, I was the one who told you something was wrong with that Konoha contestant. Whether you met her or not, that information alone makes us even."
Kurotsuchi frowned. Although she was deeply annoyed, she knew Omoi was right. Since she had not learned anything important anyway, she answered plainly, "I didn't see her. Someone stopped me halfway there. Not an Anbu member. He looked about our age. It might have been a coincidence."
"So far, I haven't noticed anything wrong with Konoha. I trust you're no idiot, either. Whether there's something wrong with Konoha or not, our situation won't change."
Omoi looked mildly surprised, then nodded in agreement. "You're right. Speaking of which, while you were looking for that girl, I picked up an important piece of information myself. But before I tell you, I want to ask: are you hungry? Or rather, do you still have any food in your pockets?"
Seeing Kurotsuchi sink into thought, Omoi continued, "I just sent my teammates to search the area. I don't know what things are like outside, but at least around here, all the food is gone. Even the lollipops in my pockets vanished. Apart from that, all my ninja tools are still on me. I doubt Konoha would be bored enough to steal my lollipops just for fun."
Kurotsuchi said, "You mean an illusion?"
A barely perceptible trace of despair lingered