21.
Far in the distance, Hinata smirked as she confirmed through her Byakugan what had just happened behind her.
That's more like it. If she had to suffer and fight for strength, then the other characters from the original story damn well better eat some pain, too. Otherwise, where's the fairness in that?
"Hehehe~ Finally, my mood's starting to lift."
——
Sigh… seriously, why am I even doing this…?
Shikamaru let out a long yawn and rubbed his eyes, staring blankly at the chaotic mess of charts and numbers in front of him.
There was no doubt—he was looking at the sales data for Fox's Tale across the Fire Country. He was calculating the optimal distribution schedule based on actual sales and pre-orders in various regions.
And it was exhausting. Even with his IQ, Shikamaru had had to stay up all night just to get it done. It wasn't much different from an overworked salaryman grinding through spreadsheets at 2 A.M.
"Oi, Shikamaru? Still up this late?"
Shikaku opened the door, surprised. He'd only gotten up to use the bathroom, but seeing his famously lazy son still awake with the lights on shocked him.
"What can I say? I got paid… so I've got to finish the job I was hired for."
Flipping through his nearly finished data sheets, Shikamaru filled in the last number. At least this particular task was done… though, knowing that woman, there was no way this would be the last of it.
He'd better delay the next deadline by a few days.
"Hmm? That's rare—someone actually managed to hire you? Let me guess, they paid you what? A hundred ryo? Maybe two?"
Shikaku chuckled. It was almost comical seeing a kid like Shikamaru use grown-up logic like 'getting paid to do a job.'
"Not much… just 200,000 ryo."
"Haha, what? Only 200,000—COUGH COUGH COUGH!!!"
Shikaku nearly choked to death on his own spit. He stared at his panda-eyed son in utter disbelief. This wasn't a lie—Shikamaru wouldn't bother lying about something so stupid. But 200,000? That was almost two months of net profit from their entire pharmacy business.
"Wait, Shikamaru… you're joking, right?"
"Nope… I was surprised, too. I mean, I'm just a kid who hasn't even graduated. Why pay me that much?"
Chin resting in his hand, Shikamaru looked exasperated as his dad suddenly bowed in mock reverence.
"Oi, Dad… why do I feel like I'm doing the kind of work thirty-year-olds are supposed to do…"
"No… this is the kind of crap you'll be doing at thirty…"
Shikaku glanced at the ridiculous piles of data and wisely chose not to ask about the job's details. Instead, he reached out and patted his son's head with a look of sympathy.
"Try to get some rest. I'll ask your mom to brew some brain-boosting herbal tea tomorrow."
"Yeah… night, Dad."
Peeling off his shirt, Shikamaru collapsed into bed, fast asleep within seconds.
---
Ssszzzz!
A harsh burning sizzle echoed through the cave as a column of white smoke rose from Hinata's iron-sand training pot. The source? Her left fist, freshly driven into the burning-hot metal grains.
Despite her best effort and maximum chakra output, her fist had only sunk about three centimeters deep—and the searing heat was nearly unbearable.
Still far from enough…
Retracting her scorched hand, Hinata gritted her teeth, staring at the angry red burns that covered her fingers. Even with her improved chakra coating, the heat had ravaged her skin, and she'd nearly drained her entire chakra pool.
Cough, cough…
Sasuke's ragged cough echoed nearby. Clutching his left arm, the Uchiha heir looked just as beat-up as Hinata. Though he too had pushed his chakra reinforcement to the limit, he still couldn't punch into the iron sand.
Naruto didn't fare much better. His fists were already bleeding, dark red streaks smeared across his iron-sand pot like war paint.
But overall, this round was at least an improvement from the first attempt. They were learning—slowly. It was now Day Five of training.
"…That's enough for today. Clean up. We're going to the barbecue place."
Hinata moved to the side, unwrapped her hands, and submerged them into a pot of bubbling herbal medicine. The herbs stung like hell, making her forehead immediately bead with sweat.
But the cool relief came shortly after. The specialized concoction was far more effective than real-world medicine, accelerating cell regeneration and tissue strengthening—so long as the injury wasn't critical.
Their first-day injuries had been so bad they required full hospitalization.
Sasuke and Naruto also retreated to their respective medicine pots, both biting back screams, clearly determined not to cry out this time. Hinata's silence during their last treatment had bruised both their egos.
After ten minutes of soaking and confirming their hands were healing, Hinata stood and exited the cave.
Time to eat some meat.
And check on the others, too.
"Meat~! I'm starving!"
Naruto clutched his flat belly dramatically. Hinata, walking ahead, paused as they passed a glowing storefront. It was dinnertime and the main street was bustling.
She stopped in front of a glass window.
Reflected in it were the three of them—and it wasn't a pretty sight.
Hinata still wore her oversized gray jacket and plain black pants. Sasuke and Naruto were both stuck in their signature outfits—navy blue, orange, etc.
Honestly? They looked lame as hell.
Her pale eyes narrowed. She didn't care much for fashion, but this was getting ridiculous.
"What is it?"
Sasuke asked, a slight frown on his face. He was slowly getting used to talking with his 'teammates,' but his tone was still cool and terse.
"You two… your fashion sense is trash."
The comment made Naruto bristle immediately. "Hey! That's rude! I put a lot of effort into picking this outfit!"
"Exactly. Like an orange you can't shut up. Very fitting."
Sasuke, ever the opportunist, added fuel to the fire. Clearly, he'd been wanting to roast Naruto's jumpsuit for a while.
"Shut up, both of you. We're fixing this before I have to keep looking at you like this."
Hinata took a step back and looked up at the store's sign. Neon lights blinked above the shop—"Kozakura Style Studio." A boutique and salon, from the looks of it.
"Ugh. Who cares about appearances."
Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets, unimpressed.
"Yeah! What a pain. Let's just go eat already."
Naruto agreed for once.
"Shut it. You've got two choices: one, walk in there like good little boys and fix yourselves. Or two—get lost."
Hinata's icy tone made both boys grumble, but neither objected. She pushed open the door.
The interior was clean and modern, with racks of stylish outfits and accessories neatly arranged.
A woman with neon-colored hair popped up from behind the counter, smiling warmly.
"Ooh~ what cute little guests! Welcome, welcome! I'm Mizuko from the Kozakura Styling House. What can I do for you?"
Hinata smirked.
"Oh, trust me—you're about to get one very profitable job."