Hinata, Stop Pretending

Elsewhere, Shikamaru asked quietly, "How did it go with Naruto?"

Naruto grinned. "Don't worry, Hinata didn't notice me. If this keeps up for another two days, she might start to catch on."

After hearing that, everyone fell silent. Naruto's smile vanished. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

The Konoha 7 gave him a thumbs-up. "Impressive." But then Sakura struck Naruto hard on the head with lightning speed.

"Idiot," Sakura said. The others fell silent again, then turned their gazes toward Shikamaru. He covered his face with a hand, never expecting that he had overlooked a step.

His original plan had been for Naruto to follow Hinata, get caught by her, and have his identity exposed. A blockhead like Naruto would definitely reveal his true colors.

Then, as the Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter, Hinata would surely press Naruto for an explanation. Under that pressure, Naruto would definitely spill everything.

Under those circumstances, any emotional reaction from Hinata would point straight to the heart of the problem, allowing him to prepare a response.

Put bluntly, this plan was about finding a scapegoat. Looking at the Konoha 7 around him, Naruto seemed to be the only one who was truly brainless.

Then there was the option of laying everything out in the open. Honestly, if they did not care about saving face, they could have simply asked Hinata directly. But in Shikamaru's view, that would have been nothing but brute force.

The Smiling, Warmhearted Mizuki Appears

It seemed they had reached the point where they had no choice but to decide. Shikamaru rubbed his temples in frustration. What he had thought was a sure thing had unexpectedly taken a turn.

Then he said with a bitter smile, "Sigh! It can't be helped! We can only come clean to Hinata. We've been whispering here for so long—any normal person would get suspicious."

Kiba Inuzuka sighed as well. "Naruto, you pig of a teammate."

"Then let's come clean to Hinata! It's not like it's anything shameful."

Naruto scratched his head, feeling that his friends were speaking far too cryptically. He could not understand a word of it.

Sakura lowered her head. "Forget it. Since I was the first one to notice the problem, I'll ask her! Besides, Hinata won't get mad at us over something this small."

She then turned and walked toward Hinata. But before she could go far, a sudden voice rang out. Shino Aburame, who had once again been overlooked by everyone, spoke up. "Sakura, since we all had a hand in this, let's bear it together. Right, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru smiled. "Well, who knows? But maybe it'll be better if we all go together."

The Konoha 7 immediately nodded. Sakura smiled. "Then let's all go together!"

While Hinata was still somewhat confused, she found herself surrounded by the Konoha 7. Six of them wore serious expressions, looking as though they were being very solemn. Only Naruto did not fit in, glancing left and right.

Hinata spoke weakly, "What's wrong with everyone?" After saying that, she shyly lowered her head.

Hinata's appearance instantly dispelled the somewhat serious atmosphere. Sakura said, "Hinata, did something involving you happen in your clan?"

She immediately explained, "Don't misunderstand. We're not trying to pry into your clan's affairs."

Kiba Inuzuka said, "Yeah, Hinata!"

Choji Akimichi cut in, "Hinata, they've actually been wondering why you never bring your own lunch, and always go out to eat instead."

Naruto seemed to realize something as well. "Hinata, you're our friend! If someone's treating you unfairly, tell us. We'll beat them up for you."

The only thought in the other five Konoha 7's minds was: With these two blockheads here, why were they even bothering? They could just let those two ask her directly.

Hinata was startled. What should she do? Was her foodie nature about to be exposed here? She could not possibly stand up and point at Choji Akimichi, saying, "Actually, I can eat a lot. More than this guy, even."

Her foodie nature could still be saved. Besides, making Hinata say something like that out loud was rather hard to bring herself to do, and it did not quite fit her image.