At that moment, standing behind Neji's Team 3 were three familiar figures: a lanky boy with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle, perpetually sleepy eyes, and an aura that screamed "can't be bothered"—Nara Shikamaru—alongside his teammates, Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka.
Ino clasped her hands together with a wistful sigh, watching the exchange between Tenten and Neji with sparkling eyes.
"Ah~ young love is so sweet~ so pure~ so innocent~ (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)"
But almost immediately, her expression deflated into visible gloom.
"Aghhh~ When will my love story begin…"
She turned to glance at the two people next to her—Shikamaru staring blankly at the sky with his hands behind his head, and Choji happily munching on chips without a care in the world.
"How come both Tenten and Sakura got teamed up with the guys they like, and I end up stuck with you two totally emotionless weirdos…"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes and replied in his usual lazy drawl.
"Not our fault. Our dads were on the same team, so we've been together since we were kids. That kind of history builds compatibility, you know. Same rank, same status—we make the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio."
"That's not the point, you emotionally bankrupt sloth."
Shikamaru was used to being interrupted by Ino, so he just sighed and muttered under his breath.
"Tch… Women really are troublesome…"
After seeing Neji's team walk off with four scrolls in hand, Shikamaru casually stepped forward, pulled off his sandals, and retrieved a hidden checkbook from a concealed pouch in the sole. He turned to Maruboshi Kosuke.
"Senior Kosuke, you got a pen?"
Maruboshi looked at the young Nara heir with a flicker of admiration.
"Ha! Of course. Always prepared."
Shikamaru scribbled a quick figure on the check—two million ryo, just like that. With a few flicks of the pen, a worthless scrap of paper became a bank-certified promise for two million taels.
"Two pairs of Heaven and Earth scrolls."
After accepting the scrolls from Kosuke, he and his childhood teammates entered the tower without a fuss.
Team 10—advanced.
Next up was Hinata Hyuga, followed by Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino.
As soon as Hinata laid eyes on Saya, she froze.
Something clicked.
The outfit Saya was wearing—it wasn't just similar. It was identical to Uchiha Hikaru's, even down to the measurements. It felt like she had taken them straight from his body.
"Um… Senpai… what are you wearing?"
Saya tugged gently at her sleeves, her gaze softening the moment she looked at Hinata.
"My name is Saya. These are Master Uchiha Hikaru's clothes. My own haven't been tailored yet, so I'm borrowing his for now."
"Y-You're… also Master Hikaru's disciple…?"
Hinata blinked, stunned.
And then her thoughts exploded.
Wearing his clothes... living with him? That's definitely not a sibling relationship—Hikaru-sensei's an only child. And given how close he is to Lady Hokage... but the Uchiha don't do intra-clan marriages like the Hyuga do. Wait—could she be... his girlfriend?
Her face turned scarlet.
If that's true… does that mean… I could…?
The thought bloomed in her chest like a fragile flower in spring.
Hinata had once buried her feelings for Hikaru deep in her heart. After all, how could she compete with Lady Tsunade?
But now, with this revelation…
Maybe I still have a chance…!
Her wide-eyed, flushed expression made her look like a shoujo manga heroine who had just met her destined love.
Saya, watching her, immediately understood.
So, this is the kind of girl Lord Hikaru likes? (๑>◡<๑)
She reached down, pulled out two sets of Heaven and Earth scrolls, and handed them directly to Hinata.
"Here~"
There was a light, teasing warmth in her voice.
Hinata stared at the scrolls, stunned.
"I—I don't have any checks or cash with me… could I maybe write an IOU from the Hyuga Clan…?"
As the heiress of her clan, Hinata had the authority to do so.
But Saya shook her head, then motioned for her to come closer.
Hinata leaned in—and caught a waft of something sweet and unfamiliar. Saya's skin up close was porcelain smooth and almost unnaturally flawless.
Then Saya leaned close to her ear and whispered:
"Come on, Hinata-nee~"
Hinata stiffened.
Come on? C-Come on what?!
Just as panic started to rise, Saya nodded gently, as if affirming Hinata's muddled thoughts.
Then she pushed the scrolls into Hinata's hands and gave her a playful nudge on the back, whispering softly:
"But you'll have to wait till you grow up a little~"
Hinata glanced at her hands… then at her chest… and her face turned the color of a tomato.
Wait, does she mean my age? Or… that?
Almost unconsciously, she took a step forward—as if accepting Saya's silent challenge.
Shino and Kiba, unaware of the intense emotional drama that had just played out, followed behind as Hinata walked into the tower, scrolls in hand.
Just before entering, Hinata turned back and met Saya's gaze with a tiny, determined nod.
Saya smiled in quiet satisfaction.
A fine girl indeed~ She's already grown this much. She might surpass even Lady Tsunade someday.
Lord Hikaru will definitely be pleased~ (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
Then, as she turned back to the waiting crowd of Genin, her expression immediately returned to its usual stoic calm.
She looked at the gathering with a flat, professional expression and suddenly declared:
"The discount event starts now."
"We're offering scrolls at half price. Originally 500,000 ryo per scroll—now only 100,000."
"Limited supply. First come, first served."
Everyone froze.
Even her two teammates—Maruboshi Kosuke and Kisame—looked utterly dumbfounded.
"…Did she just say 100,000 ryo?"
"…She skipped a whole zero."
"…Wait, is this another of her traps?"
Chaos was about to erupt—again.
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