Return to Konoha

The next morning, after completing the employer's final treatment and collecting the payment, the three of them set out on their journey back.

Until the ship set sail and departed, there was no response from Kirigakure.

It seemed Ao's death had not yet drawn their attention, saving them some trouble.

Doichi Hyuga had left a gift for Kirigakure, while also causing Obito a headache and preserving the original plot.

By then, Kirigakure had already begun to stir. Some people had received information that the Mizukage was under genjutsu control. Word spread from one to ten, then ten to a hundred, and soon more than half of Kirigakure knew about it.

Those with ambition prepared to use it as an excuse to launch a coup and actively began gathering supporters. Some were half-convinced, while others scoffed at it...

With smooth sailing, they reached the Land of Fire, then entered Konoha two days later.

The three of them went straight to the Hokage's Office.

"Lord Hokage, we're here to submit the mission."

"You've worked hard on this trip. You'll have a week off next. If there are suitable missions, I'll send someone to notify you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he finished reading the mission report, then nodded in satisfaction.

The three took back the mission scroll and headed to the Mission Department to settle the reward.

The Hokage had countless daily affairs to handle and was generally only responsible for issuing missions from nobles and high-ranking missions.

The Mission Department handled the acceptance and issuance of missions from civilians, merchants, and other groups.

Once a mission's rank was determined, anything below B-Rank remained with the Mission Department. B-Rank and above were sent to the Hokage's Office for the Hokage to assign personally.

There were the most missions below B-Rank, and they demanded the greatest amount of effort. The Hokage alone simply could not keep up.

At the Mission Department, there were already over twenty staff members responsible for accepting missions, writing mission scrolls, and evaluating mission ranks. There were also no fewer than ten people responsible for organizing and issuing missions.

Add in the people at the mission reward settlement center, and the department had nearly fifty staff members.

As for the prince going to the Third Hokage for a C-Rank escort mission, that could only be called special treatment for someone with connections.

Doichi Hyuga returned home, picked up a set of fishing gear, and headed out.

Arriving at his usual training spot, he baited the hook and cast the line in one smooth motion. One look was enough to tell he was a professional angler.

He had only caught a few fish when Neji and Hinata arrived.

It seemed school was over.

He let them train on their own while he lay in his rocking chair, reading and fishing at the same time.

Just as he was enjoying his leisure time, several noisy kids came over from upstream.

"Eh! Hinata!"

"Ino!"

Ino Yamanaka grabbed Hinata's hand and began chattering away, asking question after question.

"Hinata, you're so diligent! Are you still training so hard after school?"

"It's... it's alright!"

"That didn't look like Gentle Fist just now!"

"I'm practicing Tai Chi. Brother Dao Yi taught me."

Hinata was an honest child and always answered when asked.

"Is that the Hyuga senior who's fishing over there?"

"Mm!"

Hinata's little face reddened slightly as she nodded.

"Something's off with you, Hinata!"

"W-what are you talking about?"

Hinata's face instantly turned scarlet, and steam practically began rising from her head.

"Ino! Don't go too far. That's enough!"

Shikamaru Nara looked helpless. Women really were troublesome!

"Mm-hm!"

Choji Akimichi nodded while stuffing chips into his mouth.

"That one is Neji Hyuga, the top student from the class above ours."

Shikamaru Nara looked at Neji Hyuga, who was training, and spoke to his companions.

"H-he's amazing! He's a top student as strong as Sasuke!"

Naruto Uzumaki was somewhat surprised, reminded of that show-off.

"Mm-hm!"

Choji Akimichi continued stuffing chips into his mouth.

"Wow! That senior is amazing! He's already caught so many fish. Let's get started too!"

"He won't mind if we catch fish here, right? Ahahaha!"

Naruto Uzumaki had already made his way over to Doichi Hyuga and was fiddling with his fish basket.

"Do whatever you want. I don't mind."

Anglers who received approval were always easy to talk to.

The Ino–Shika–Cho trio thanked him, then each began doing their part.

Naruto Uzumaki and Choji Akimichi stood upstream with dip nets in their hands.

Shikamaru Nara squatted downstream from Doichi Hyuga, fishing with a rod.

Ino crouched by the riverbank, responsible for guarding the fish basket.

Good grief, blocking them upstream and downstream? You guys really aren't holding back.

Doichi Hyuga's mouth twitched as he thought to himself.

The kids made a racket for over two hours, and their catch gradually caught up to Doichi Hyuga's.

Doichi Hyuga lifted his fishing rod and added Natural Energy to the bait.

Half an hour later, his fish basket was overflowing, leaving the kids far behind.

An angler's dignity could not be profaned.

"Neji, go bring back some game. Hinata, go start a fire."

The two answered and left.

Doichi Hyuga formed a Chakra Scalpel and used the river water as he scaled, gutted, and cut the fish.

In less than a minute, one fish had been cleaned and tossed into a large basin.

"Wow! Brother Dao Yi is amazing!"

Naruto came over again and helped pass him fish. He truly was a social beast.

They had only just met, and he was already calling him brother.

"I didn't expect Senior Dao Yi to be such an impressive medical ninja."

Shikamaru Nara said.

"Huh?"

Ino Yamanaka did not quite understand.

Choji Akimichi also had a puzzled look in his eyes.

"The Chakra Scalpel isn't a technique every medical Jonin can master. Those who can use it are the best among medical ninja."

After Shikamaru Nara explained, his two companions also looked at Doichi Hyuga with respect.

"Kid! You know quite a lot!"

Doichi Hyuga took cooking utensils from a scroll, sprinkled on seasonings, gave the cleaned fish a simple massage, and let them marinate for a while.

A moment later, Neji Hyuga returned, carrying a wild boar weighing roughly a hundred pounds.

Meanwhile, the Ino–Shika–Cho trio and Hinata had worked together to get a bonfire going.

Doichi Hyuga took it from him, cleaned the boar in two minutes, and put it over the fire to roast.

Two bonfires, one for fish and one for pork, were just enough.

As time passed, the aroma grew stronger and stronger.

Naruto Uzumaki and Choji Akimichi's useless tears flowed from their mouths, nearly forming a river.

"The fish is about ready!"

Doichi Hyuga took down two fish and handed one to Hinata.

"Wow! It's so good! Mmm, mmm, mmm... I've never had fish this delicious before."

Naruto Uzumaki was busy taking huge bites, yet still found time to give a thumbs-up.

"Senior Dao Yi's cooking is incredible. I wonder what kind of woman will be lucky enough to marry you someday?"

Ino Yamanaka stared meaningfully at Hinata, whose ears slowly turned red.

"If you opened a restaurant, it would definitely be booming."

Shikamaru Nara's words were more refined. He flattered him without making it seem too obvious.

Choji Akimichi held a fish in each hand and buried his head as he devoured them.

After the fish were gone, the boar was roasted as well.

Doichi Hyuga carved it up, and everyone claimed a portion.

Everyone ate until their mouths glistened with grease, praising the food nonstop.

"You're all full, right?"

"I'm still a little short!"

Naruto Uzumaki raised his hand.

"Me too!"

Choji Akimichi spoke up.

I was just being polite, and you two actually answered honestly. Twenty fish and one boar should have been enough.

Doichi Hyuga stared at the empty grill and fell into deep thought.

His gaze swept around before stopping in front of Hinata. I almost forgot. There's another super eater here.

Everyone else was confused as well. There should have been too much food to finish.

"Wow! Look, Hinata ate even more than Choji."

Following everyone's gazes, Naruto Uzumaki finally noticed the pile of bones and fish spines in front of Hinata and spoke belatedly.

Judging by the pile of bones and fish spines, Hinata had eaten at least half a boar and six or seven fish.

Oh no! It was too delicious, so I couldn't help myself. I've been exposed. It's over, it's over... They'll definitely hate me now, won't they?

Hinata's face turned red as she lowered her head in shame.

"Hinata! Are you full?"

Doichi Hyuga held Hinata's head and asked with a smile.

"I... I, I'm full."

"Looks like you're not full."

Doichi Hyuga cleaned another thirty fish and laid them on the grill.

Once they were cooked, Doichi Hyuga picked up two and handed them to Hinata.

After Hinata finished the two fish, she did not want to eat any more.

"Hinata! Do you know that being able to eat is something many people envy? You don't need to feel inferior because of it. Let me see just how much you can eat."

Hinata raised her head and saw that no one intended to laugh at her. She gathered her courage and nodded silently.

Next, Doichi Hyuga kept feeding her, and Hinata kept eating.

Hinata ate delicately, but her little mouth opened and closed three or four times faster than an ordinary person's.

The group watched dumbfoundedly. Choji Akimichi stood with his mouth open, having completely forgotten about eating.

It was not until Hinata let out a full belch that she blushed and firmly refused any more food.

Everyone stared at the remaining grilled fish, questioning their lives.

Eighteen fish, just gone like that.

Eighteen, plus the previous seven, made twenty-five fish in total. Each weighed a little over a pound. After removing the innards, that came to roughly twenty-five pounds. Add the roasted boar, which weighed around sixty pounds after the innards were removed, and she had eaten at least half of it, or thirty pounds.

In other words, Hinata had eaten roughly thirty kilograms of food by herself.

Hinata was currently around 1.4 meters tall and weighed about forty kilograms.

The conclusion was that she had eaten nearly her own body weight in food.

"That was incredible, Hinata!"

Naruto Uzumaki laughed loudly and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Hinata! Are you sure you're not from the Akimichi Clan?"

Choji Akimichi had eaten around twenty pounds, which was nowhere near Hinata's amount.

Doichi Hyuga pressed his right hand against Hinata's stomach.

It really was bulging quite a bit, but no matter how he looked at it, there was no way it could hold that much food. Did she digest it that fast?

Hinata's face turned scarlet, and steam began rising from her head again.

"Do you eat this much at home too?"

Hinata came back to her senses and blankly shook her head.

Hyuga Hiashi had always been dissatisfied with Hinata's progress in her studies, making her feel deeply inferior. Let alone eating as much as she wanted in front of Hyuga Hiashi.

The sky had been dark for some time. After ending the barbecue picnic, the two groups went their separate ways and returned home.