Hinata, Stop Pretending

After saying that, he raised his head, revealing wise eyes and a seemingly wicked smile.

Kiba Inuzuka added, "Shikamaru is right. Even though that bastard Naruto has nothing outstanding about him, that confidence of his—or maybe just his stupidity—might have an unexpected effect on this matter."

Shino Aburame said, "There should be no problem with Shikamaru's judgment, but we cannot truly just wait here for the results. We need to do something as well."

Choji Akimichi: "Crunch, crunch!"

After leaving the classroom, Hinata did not linger at the academy. She headed straight out through the school gates.

Outside the gates was a completely different scene from inside the academy. It was noon, the liveliest time of day.

It reminded Hinata of the few times in her previous life when she had gone grocery shopping at supermarkets during holidays.

That, in turn, reminded her of a story she still had not forgotten—Yanzi of Qi's mission to Chu, where he battled wits with the Emperor of Chu.

Thinking of that, Hinata immediately stuck out her tongue. "Ptoo, ptoo!" she grumbled inwardly. What the hell is wrong with me? Am I having some kind of brain fart?

If she had possessed that kind of refinement in her previous life, she would not have stayed cooped up at home as a shut-in. She could have written a poem or a book and made the name Hinata famous for generations.

She immediately shook her head again. What is going on? Why do I love letting my thoughts run wild now? Any little topic can send my imagination soaring into the heavens.

"Could this be some aftereffect of transmigration?" She shook her head again. She could not keep thinking about this random nonsense.

As her stomach let out a series of growls, she realized that filling her belly was the most important thing right now. Then she spotted what looked like an uncle selling candied hawthorn skewers in the distance.

She was surprised inwardly. They sell candied hawthorn skewers in this world too? I wonder how they taste. I'll buy one and give it a try. Thus went Hinata's inner monologue.

Over the next stretch of time, curious cries of surprise constantly escaped Hinata's mouth, because she discovered that all of the food really was delicious.

Hugging a pile of food and chewing on something in her mouth, Hinata began strolling through the bustling streets. In search of new food, she planned not to stop anywhere for long.

Of course, a little girl walking down the street with a pile of food in her arms was somewhat eye-catching.

Just then, an extremely tempting fragrance wafted into her nostrils. Looking up, she saw that the shop was called the Ten Flavor Dango Shop. The dango painted on the Dumpling shop's signboard, along with the aroma constantly drifting into her nose, made Hinata swallow hard.

Mm, you'll be my lunch today. Don't disappoint me!

After thinking that, she looked at the pile of food in her arms. Waste was shameful, so Hinata decided to finish it all.

She picked up a grilled meat skewer and took a small bite. She looked elegant and quiet—no one would ever guess she was such a foodie.

Yet in less than two minutes, Hinata had polished off the last of the food in her arms. She even thoughtfully tossed the trash bag into a garbage bin.

After clapping her hands, she pushed open the shop's doors. Inside, tables were separated by partitions, making them resemble little private rooms without blocking one's view.

Many people dressed in white chef's uniforms hurried back and forth carrying plates. Amid the rising steam, the chatter and laughter made it clear just how thriving the shop's business was.

But Hinata's gaze did not linger on any of that. Following her line of sight, one could see someone seated at a table.

She wore a Konoha forehead protector, had somewhat unconventional hair, fishnet underwear and shorts, and a long yellow robe draped over her.

She sat in a completely unladylike posture at the table, one foot planted on the bench, holding dango of different flavors in each hand.

Her mouth was stuffed full, and satisfaction showed on her pretty face.

Whenever she finished a skewer of dango, she casually tossed aside the toothpick. Yet the toothpicks seemed to turn into sharp steel needles, viciously piercing the pillar beside her.

Two neat rows of toothpicks were already embedded in the pillar. Hinata silently recited a name in her heart: Anko Mitarashi.