Oto Uchiha noticed this too, of course.
She stepped forward, snatched the Three-Color Dango from Zou Hyuga's hand, and ate it all without saying anything more.
Normally, she would have been a little upset and found some way to express her displeasure.
But now, after obtaining information from Cat Granny, she had deduced that Zou Hyuga might already be under Moryo's influence. Moryo could affect even Jonin-level Ninja.
And in that battle, Zou Hyuga had faced Moryo directly...
Oto Uchiha's actions confirmed what their acquaintances around them had been thinking, putting them at ease.
They did not want to see friends they had once gone on missions with quarrel, much less become enemies.
After a drunken Guy delivered a declaration of fiery youth, the gathering became lively again. Loosened up by alcohol, everyone began spilling stories of what they had been through over the years.
With a few cups of sake in his belly, Zou Hyuga moved through the crowd, listening to the Ninja recount their experiences.
There was the joy of promotion, the pride of learning new Ninjutsu, and heavier topics, too-former classmates who had died on one battlefield or another.
The Ninja of their generation had graduated early to fight in the Third Shinobi War. Fewer than one or two in ten of their peers were still alive, and only after drinking did they speak from the heart.
Even as they reminisced about the past, they did not forget to discuss the present and look ahead to a hopeful future.
Being a Ninja was a profession with an extremely high death rate. No one knew whether they would return alive from their next mission.
Oto Uchiha's face was flushed with drink, and her breath carried a faint scent of alcohol. Judging by the bottles beside her, she had