The instant those words left her mouth, Sakura and Ino, who had already let their guard down, snapped to attention again, watching Neji and Tenten warily.
They had a healthy respect for those two's strength. If they really had come to steal their scroll, they would have to handle this carefully.
Hearing that, Neji Hyuga glanced at Rock Lee, who was still eating without even lifting his head. His face flushed, and for a moment, he was almost too embarrassed to speak.
Tenten was the first to react. "Hinata, you've misunderstood. We're not here to steal your scroll. We just followed Rock Lee here!"
She looked embarrassed as she explained, "He was hungry. He caught the scent of your food from way off and came running. We couldn't hold him back!"
Just then, Rock Lee finally recovered enough to turn toward Hinata and the other two with an admiring expression. "Hinata, I never knew you were such good cooks! This fish is delicious. I was too hungry to think about anything else earlier. I'll go catch some more for you right now!"
In that short time, Rock Lee had already polished off three fish. Looking at the fish bones on the ground, he felt thoroughly embarrassed. He scratched his head and headed toward the water.
Hearing this, Hinata and the other two finally relaxed. Hinata said to Tenten and Neji, "Since Rock Lee has already gone to catch more, Neji, Tenten, come have some too. It's already this late. You're not still planning to keep traveling, are you?"
Tenten thought that made sense, so she sat down, picked up a grilled fish, and started eating. Standing there, Neji understood the situation now. Leaving was no longer an option, so eating something was the more practical choice.
While they ate, Rock