On the other side of the table, Ino seized the opportunity like a hawk. Both she and Sakura could feel it—the dawn of victory had arrived.
Sasuke-kun, usually so aloof and cold, not only commented on the food, but even mentioned his favorite ingredient. This was it. The moment they'd been waiting for.
"Geez, Ino, Sakura! You could at least ask how we liked the food too!"
Chōji grumbled, shoving a rice ball into his mouth. After all, he'd been chopping firewood all morning. Meanwhile, Shikamaru munched lazily and shrugged. "Give it up, Chōji. Just be glad they even remembered to cook for us at all."
"Tch! Damn you, Sasuke! Next time I'll totally knock you flat!"
Naruto grumbled bitterly into his miso soup. It really got under his skin how good looks earned someone this kind of treatment.
Shino calmly interjected. "Naruto, I must inform you: based on your current skill level, you are not yet in a position to challenge Sasuke. His strengths lie in ninjutsu and tool use, so the previous match was highly unfavorable to him."
"Ugh—Shino, you creepy weirdo! Why are you siding with him? Hinata! What about you?"
Naruto turned to Hinata, who didn't even bother looking up as she swallowed a mouthful of food.
"That's true. But not entirely."
Both Sasuke and Naruto looked toward her. After all this time training together, they had a pretty good sense for when Hinata was hinting at something deeper.
"The Sacred Fist training we've done so far is really just a cultivation method—no techniques yet. But from watching your fight today, I think we're ready to begin learning actual moves."
Hinata stood up, collected her dishes, and turned toward the door.
"I'm heading back to copy the moves from the scroll. You guys can do as you like. Oh, and the photography shop owner should be dropping by soon. Shino, Shikamaru—you'll be in charge of negotiating with him. Once you've agreed on a price, don't bother reporting back. Just pay the deposit. Also, make sure our completed photo series gets delivered to the bookstore. The contact is Squirrel, the owner of Konoha Bookstore."
Her rapid-fire instructions left Sakura and Ino unconsciously sitting up straight, feeling like interns being briefed by a terrifying boss.
"Man, sounds like a lot of hassle…" Shikamaru groaned.
Shino, ever the consummate professional, calmly adjusted his sunglasses. "Understood. We'll have everything completed by this afternoon."
"Great. Once the money comes in, each person gets an advance of 100,000 ryo. I'll sort out the rest when I return."
With a satisfied nod, Hinata left the Uchiha compound.
Sure, it seemed like she was shirking responsibility, but she trusted that both Shikamaru and Shino were meticulous enough not to get scammed—even most adults wouldn't fool them easily.
As for her, she needed to find references on taijutsu techniques. It was time to cook up some legitimate-looking "moves" for their made-up martial art.
Back inside, Sakura and Ino finally exhaled and patted their chests in relief.
"She's terrifying… Is that the power of a noble clan's eldest daughter? I swear she wasn't like this before!"
"People change. Given her background and upbringing, it's not surprising."
Shino remained the designated narrator. Shikamaru rubbed his temple. "Anyway, all this sounds like a pain. Got a plan, Shino?"
"Yes. Judging from her tone, the photography shop owner should be here soon. That makes negotiations the top priority. But delivering the photo series to the bookstore is also essential. So I propose we split into two groups. One stays here for the meeting; the other delivers the photos."
It wasn't hard for Shikamaru to follow. He tilted his head thoughtfully, then nodded. "Alright. I'll stay and handle the negotiations. Shino, can I leave the delivery to you?"
"No problem. But since it involves money, I'll need Naruto and Chōji to act as guards."
"Then I'll ask Sakura and Ino to prepare snacks and tea for the guests, with Sasuke assisting."
Division of labor complete, Shikamaru tilted his head in curiosity.
"Huh. Shino, I'm surprised. Talking with you isn't actually that hard."
"Likewise. Perhaps we think similarly."
Meanwhile, Naruto and Chōji stared blankly, their brains completely left behind. After exchanging a glance, they nodded in silent agreement: Let's just go with it.
---
Elsewhere, Hinata arrived at Konoha's library once more. After last time—when she'd bought a pile of expensive medical scrolls without even checking the price—the librarian treated her with the utmost respect.
"All the taijutsu-related texts are here. Mostly hard-style techniques, with some soft-style mixed in. If you need any scrolls brought over, just let us know."
The plump librarian bowed deeply before withdrawing.
Surrounded by towering bookshelves, Hinata frowned slightly.
Techniques, in essence, are just methods of transferring internal power outward. Applied to taijutsu, that means learning how to maximize your body's physical output.
She pulled out a book titled "The Secrets of Generating Power in Fist and Foot Techniques."
Perfect.
Since the Sacred Fist was entirely made-up, the corresponding moves didn't have to follow any real-world martial art—just needed to match the style.
She flipped through the book and quickly found what she wanted.
The key to powerful strikes lies in adding power—layering force from different parts of the body.
Take a simple straight punch. Maximum force comes not just from the arm, but from combining wrist, forearm, shoulder, chest, core, hips, thighs, calves, ankles, and feet in a unified chain of motion.
It's like math: add more contributing parts, and the attack becomes stronger. But coordinating all those moving parts is no small feat.
So what's a "technique"?
It's just a way to optimize that chain reaction—how to time each body part's movement to funnel the maximum force into one strike.
Hinata smiled and unrolled a blank scroll.
"At this rate, I should be able to design an entire move set by sundown."
Her fingers twitched with excitement.
"Guess I really should thank all those childhood hours spent in arcade fighting games."