MTLNOVEL Chapter 9: The Good Soldier
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It was like he had been stung on the butt—Shikamaru, usually so slow and relaxed, suddenly panicked. But before he could even finish speaking, Choji, who was eager to prove himself, raised his hand and answered Hinata's question first.
"Naruto looks really pretty in that outfit~! And Sasuke looks really cool in his! Are you guys filming something?"
Without a doubt, the moment those words were spoken, the entire atmosphere grew heavy, as if the temperature had dropped several degrees.
Shikamaru, who had been about to cover Choji's mouth, turned pale as a ghost. At that moment, he fully understood the meaning of the phrase "idiot teammate." But, of course, it was already too late.
"No choice then..."
Hinata stretched her wrists, the sound of her joints cracking making her tone even more chilling. "We have to silence them. Take them out!"
Naruto gritted his teeth, his face filled with frustration, while Sasuke turned red with embarrassment. Their shadows stretched out in the sunlight, looming over Shikamaru and Choji. Feeling the sudden chill, Choji even started to shiver slightly.
Then, like a spark igniting an explosion, the tense silence shattered in an instant.
"Too late to run now!"
Naruto, as expected from someone with boundless energy, pounced forward like a starving tiger.
"You saw what you shouldn't have seen! Just accept your fate!"
Sasuke, still blushing furiously, pulled two shining kunai from his pouch and flung them. They whizzed through the air, stabbing into the wall behind Shikamaru and Choji. Attached to the kunai were steel wires, forming an invisible barrier that blocked their escape.
"Wait, wait! I don't even care about what you guys are doing—gah!"
Shikamaru waved his hands, trying to talk his way out of it, but Naruto tackled him to the ground with a perfect chokehold. Not that Shikamaru really resisted, anyway.
"Shut up! You can explain after you've been silenced!"
Hinata lunged at Choji, swiftly tripping him with a smooth takedown. With a heavy thud, he hit the ground face-first. "Ow! Hinata, my chips spilled!" he whined.
Soon enough, Shikamaru and Choji were tied to a wooden pillar in the corridor. Huffing angrily, Naruto sat down and started munching on the rice balls Shikamaru had brought. With his mouth full, he asked, "So? What do we do now?"
"I told you already. We silence them."
Hinata also bit into a rice ball. This was definitely made by Shikamaru's mom. The taste wasn't particularly amazing, but it was better than the ones sold in stores.
"Cough, cough... But you don't mean, like, actually... you know... kill them, right?"
Still in her transformed state, Ino wiped the sweat off her forehead. As childhood friends of Shikamaru and Choji, of course, she didn't want anything bad to happen to them. But this situation involved Sasuke-kun's pride, and that made things... complicated.
"That's what I'm saying! It's not like we're gonna run around telling people!"
Tied up against the pillar, Shikamaru relaxed a little. The ropes weren't even tied tightly. That alone told him what Hinata really meant.
Obviously, she wasn't actually planning to kill them. Even putting aside the fact that they were all part of the same future Twelve Konoha Guardians, Shikamaru and Choji were key members of the Nara and Akimichi clans. If anything happened to them, not even the fact that Hinata was a Hyuga heiress would save her from the consequences.
"Are you all idiots? 'Silence them' just means making sure they never talk about this. Naruto, you should be familiar with this method. Isn't that how we ended up bonded in the first place?"
Hinata smirked. The moment she did, Naruto shuddered, his face turning pale. He swallowed hard and, in a small, weak voice, replied, "Y-yeah... I remember..."
"Shikamaru, Choji. We're classmates, and I believe you guys aren't the type to blab. But~"
Hinata walked up to Shikamaru, raising her hand and wagging her finger. "Rules are rules. Since you discovered our secret, you only have one choice: become part of it."
"Ugh... such a drag. I just wanted a quiet afternoon. Now I'm tied up like this?"
Shikamaru sighed, clearly annoyed. Hinata simply shook her head in disappointment. "Jeez, acting so unmotivated won't do. Choji, say something to him. If you both cooperate... I'll treat you to grilled meat tonight. How about that?"
"Ohhhhh!!! Yakiniku!!"
The moment he heard that, Choji's eyes burned with excitement. His arms jerked up with such force that the pillar he was tied to cracked with a loud snap. Meanwhile, Shikamaru, who was still tied to the same rope, was nearly strangled as it tightened around him. His eyes rolled back as he yelled, "Waaahhh!! Fine, I agree! Just make this idiot let go!"
"Ahaha~ That's the spirit!"
Hinata covered her mouth as she laughed, then quickly formed a set of hand seals—it was the ones used for the Transformation Jutsu, but she wasn't using it on herself.
In ninjutsu, there was a technique called "assisting hand seals." It was mainly used when a shinobi couldn't move their arms freely. In those cases, a partner could form the hand seals for them, while the original caster simply needed to release their chakra.
Transformation Jutsu worked the same way. Just like how Naruto used it with Gamabunta during the battle against Shukaku, the person forming the hand seals could make the transformed person take on any shape they imagined. Right now, Hinata was forming the seals while Shikamaru was supplying the chakra.
This kind of cooperative ninjutsu was a basic technique taught at the Academy. It wasn't difficult.
"Transformation Jutsu!"
With a poof of smoke, Shikamaru's form changed.
Standing there now was a tall, stunning woman with long black hair. She wore a high-slit, elegant kimono, revealing her smooth, fair legs. Her hair was styled in a traditional hime-cut, adorned with an ebony hairpin that added an air of nobility. However, despite her glamorous appearance, her half-lidded, lazy eyes were unmistakably Shikamaru's. That mix of elegance and weariness gave her an oddly alluring charm. A Nara clan emblem was embroidered on her waist, making it clear to anyone who knew him who this really was.
Click!
Hinata snapped a picture and admired her work with satisfaction. Perfect. Shikamaru's naturally lazy vibe suited the role of a graceful yet indifferent noblewoman. They had been looking for someone to play the role of a courtesan, and she had planned to convince Shikamaru to do it—but he ended up walking right into it himself.
"Listen up, Shikamaru. If you ever blab about what happened today, I'll send this picture straight to your mom. What do you think she'd say when she sees it?"
Grinning wickedly, Hinata waved the photo in front of him.
Shikamaru visibly shuddered. He knew all too well what his mother was like. She was infamous throughout Konoha for her terrifying temper. If she ever saw him transformed into such a seductive figure...
"...She'd bury me alive. No doubt about it..."
Even Shikamaru, usually unfazed by most things, twitched at the thought. "Damn, that's just evil."
"All's fair in war~! Now, Choji, if you promise not to say a word, I'll treat you to delicious food from time to time. How about it?"
Hinata turned to Choji, who immediately lit up like a festival lantern.
"Yes, yes!! As long as you keep feeding me, I swear I'll never tell anyone!"
"Hey, wait a second! Why do I get blackmailed, but he gets bribed with food?!"
Even Shikamaru, who usually didn't care about much, was appalled by the double standard.
Hinata simply shrugged and dangled the photo in front of him. "Well, you see... different people, different conditions."
"That's right. Shikamaru and Naruto were still alright, but if Choji transformed into a beautiful woman... ugh... I don't even want to imagine that..."
Sakura visibly paled, clutching her chest as she tried to erase the horrifying mental image. Whether it was a chubby guy suddenly transforming into a gorgeous woman or a beautiful woman suddenly reverting to a chubby guy, both were nightmare fuel.
"Alright! That settles it. From now on, we're all comrades bound by the same secret. Untie them."
Cracking her knuckles, Hinata smirked.
"Now that we have enough people and actors, it's time to seriously plan our next story~!"
"Here! This is the new artbook."
Hinata placed a thick stack of illustrated booklets onto the counter in front of her. Across from her, a small, squirrelly man eagerly reached out, practically trembling with excitement.
Just from his thrilled expression, it was obvious that he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
"Oooohh! As expected of Hinata-sama! Let me tell you—last time's 'Fox Tales' artbook was a massive hit! If you weren't the heiress of a big clan, I would've been knocking on your door, begging for more! The fans are going crazy waiting for the next release!"
He flipped through the booklets with a satisfied nod, then suddenly remembered something. He hurriedly pulled out a heavy money box from under the counter and slid it toward Hinata.
"As per our contract, here's your payment—one million two hundred thousand ryo! Triple the usual fee!"
"This little bit of money is worth making such a big fuss over? Sure, it's good that sales have gone up, but this level is still far from enough."
As usual, Hinata opened the money box and activated her Byakugan to count the bills. One million two hundred thousand ryo was a decent sum, but for her, it was still just a stepping stone. After all, her current business was still small—just a collection of photos put together into an illustrated book. It was barely even worth mentioning.
"You're right, of course. That's why I wanted to ask if you'd consider working with us on a deeper level?"
Squirrel rubbed his hands together excitedly. Unlike regular h-books, "Fox Tale Chronicles" actually had a story, elevating it from cheap smut to something more respectable. That meant a much larger audience and, naturally, higher sales.
"I'll pass. Just make sure you take our works on schedule. We're shinobi, not merchants. Making money is just a means to getting stronger. But if the time ever comes, I'll let you know."
Lifting the money box, Hinata left the bookstore, satisfied. But before stepping outside, she suddenly stopped and turned back to wave at Squirrel. "Wait, give me a few copies of the new release of 'Fox Tale Chronicles.'"
"Huh? Oh, sure, sure! You wouldn't believe it—these books are selling out like crazy! Other people would kill to get just one!"
Squirrel quickly bent down and pulled out five booklets from behind the counter. Judging by their size, they were similar to "Icha Icha Paradise," but their contents were high-quality illustrations and text. The cover art featured Naruto's fox spirit songstress on the front and Sasuke's nobleman persona on the back. The printing quality and the sharpness of the illustrations showed that a lot of effort had gone into making this edition truly collectible.
Of course, what caught Hinata's attention the most wasn't the artwork—it was the price tag.
"A thousand ryo per book? That's pretty extravagant."
As someone who valued money, Hinata knew exactly how much a thousand ryo was worth. But since these were adult-oriented products, she figured the price wasn't unreasonable.
"HINATA!!"
A sudden loud yell nearly burst Hinata's eardrums. Rubbing her ears, she turned to see who it was. Standing there with arms crossed was a man with a pineapple-like hairstyle similar to Shikamaru's, a green chunin vest, and a distinct scar running across his nose. No doubt about it—this was her current year's ninja academy instructor, Umino Iruka.
"Ahh... It's Iruka-sensei. What's up? Something wrong?"
Even as she spoke, Hinata felt a headache coming on. She disliked a lot of things about this world, but Iruka wasn't one of them. Despite losing his parents to the Nine-Tails, he didn't harbor hatred toward Naruto like the rest of the village. Instead, he dedicated himself to teaching and guiding Naruto's generation, ensuring they grew up with the right values. If it weren't for this ordinary yet steadfast teacher, Naruto might have succumbed to the villagers' rejection and turned to darkness.
He wasn't a major character. He didn't have overwhelming strength, fame, or status. But still... it was impossible to dislike someone like him.
"Don't copy Shikamaru's lazy attitude! And don't play dumb! If I'm not mistaken, this is the seventeenth time you've skipped class this month, isn't it?!"
Iruka crossed his arms, looking at Hinata with a mix of frustration and concern. "You're a young lady—you shouldn't be acting like Naruto and the others!"
Of course, it was classic Iruka. His tone was stern but carried no mockery or contempt, only genuine care.
Ugh... I'm really bad at dealing with people like this.
Hinata sighed internally. Originally, she had planned to skip the afternoon classes to prepare for the second stage of her training. But now...
"Yes, I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei. I'll go to class now."
Lowering her head respectfully, she gave Iruka a proper bow. Seeing this, the young teacher visibly relaxed, a relieved smile spreading across his face. "That's more like it! Hinata is a lovely young lady—she shouldn't be goofing off like Naruto. Come on, today's class for the girls includes flower arranging and tea ceremony!"
"Ugh!!"
Just as she was about to take a step forward, Hinata froze. Right... The ninja academy prided itself on a well-rounded education. It didn't just teach basic jutsu and shinobi skills—it also had gender-specific classes. Boys received extra physical training, while girls had lessons in flower arranging, tea ceremony, and cooking.
For the original Hinata, these would've been no problem. But for the current Hinata—who had lived an entirely different life before coming here—being forced to take these "ladylike" classes felt like suffering an extra period cramp.
"Sorry, Iruka-sensei! I just remembered—my house is on fire! I need to go put it out!"
Without hesitation, Hinata spun on her heel and bolted. Iruka blinked in confusion before his expression darkened. "Wait a minute! If your house is on fire, I'll go help you put it out!"
"Oh, no, no, I couldn't trouble you with that! Ah, right! Sensei, I found a really nice book! Let's look at it together!"
Without looking back, Hinata pulled out one of the five booklets under her arm and flung it behind her. Iruka instinctively caught it. But the moment he looked at the cover, his face turned pale in horror.
Naruto's Sexy Jutsu.
Anyone unfamiliar with Naruto wouldn't recognize it immediately. But Iruka? He'd fallen victim to that jutsu at least seven or eight times. He knew exactly what he was looking at.
"Stop right there! Hinata! What is this?! Why do you have this kind of book?! What?! This is an 18+ book! Get back here!"
Iruka was clearly panicking, but by the time he lowered his head to check the book, Hinata had already leaped onto the rooftop of a nearby shop and vanished into the distance. She had planned to skip class this afternoon anyway—now, it looked like she had no choice.
After all, the Academy's graduation exam had nothing to do with tea ceremonies or flower arranging. And honestly, what did that have to do with her?
Carrying the cash box and the four remaining booklets, Hinata smoothly made her way to a secluded area near the waterfall outside Konoha. As expected, six familiar figures were already waiting for her.
"Ah~ Hinata, you're so slow~"
Sitting in a circle were Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Choji, along with Sakura and Ino in Transformation Jutsu disguises. It was obvious that they had gone this far just to be near Sasuke. For top students like them, skipping class was a rare sight.
"Urusei! I ran into Iruka on the way here! He almost dragged me back to class! You guys have been skipping too much lately!"
With an annoyed expression, Hinata tossed the cash box into the middle of the group and quickly scanned their faces.
Naruto, of course, looked the same as always. Sasuke sat there, arms crossed, looking effortlessly cool. Sakura and Ino, still transformed, sat behind him like two loyal maids. Choji happily munched on an extra-large bag of chips, while Shikamaru, the laziest of the bunch, leaned against a tree, looking as unmotivated as ever.
Overall, everyone seemed fine—just as usual.
"Fine. After today, we should at least go to class tomorrow. Otherwise, Iruka might start hunting us down one by one."
As she spoke, Hinata opened the cash box. The sight of the stacked bills inside made even Shikamaru wince and suck in a sharp breath. After all, 1.2 million ryo was enough to hire a ninja for an A-rank mission. In the original story, Tazuna, a bridge builder from the Land of Waves, couldn't even afford a B-rank mission. That alone showed just how valuable this money was.
"Ohhh~ That's so much money! I could buy endless chips with this!"
Drooling, Choji dropped his bag of chips to the ground. Meanwhile, Sakura and Ino both swallowed nervously—this was definitely the most cash they had ever seen in their lives.
"Ahh... this feels like trouble..."
Shikamaru rubbed his forehead. As the smartest person in the group, he knew that this much money would only bring bigger problems.
"...It's nice to see such a big payout... but... after all the suffering we went through to film this, I don't know if it's even worth it..."
Naruto, looking pale as a ghost, clearly had the deepest understanding of the struggle—after all, he was the 'leading lady' of the project. Sasuke, sitting beside him, simply turned his head away, showing no reaction to the earnings.
"Heh~ This is the power of talent. A good idea, paired with proper organization and execution, turns into cash. Simple as that."
Grinning, Hinata picked up the stacks of bills and began tossing them to everyone. The cash box contained twelve stacks in total—each worth 100,000 ryo.
"Huh? This... this is for us?"
Holding her stack of money nervously, Sakura looked at Hinata in confusion. No matter what, this white-eyed girl now had a reputation as a money-making genius. Getting this kind of sudden cash felt unreal to her and Ino.
"Consider it an advance payment. I'm a generous boss. As long as you work hard for our crew, you'll keep getting your cut."
After handing out everyone's share, Hinata pulled out an extra stack and tossed it at Shikamaru. The lazy genius barely lifted his head. "What now?"
"Urusei~ Shikamaru, you're the smartest one here. I want you to calculate our sales distribution across different towns in the Land of Fire and come up with the best sales strategy. The data can be gathered from bookstores, but it'll take effort to analyze."
Closing the now mostly empty cash box, Hinata casually kept the remaining 400,000 ryo for herself. It would serve as compensation for the heavy expenses she had incurred during her last training phase.
"Hah?! 100,000 ryo?! You could hire a professional accountant for that! Why are you dumping this on me?! I'm just an 11-year-old kid who hasn't even graduated from the Academy!"
Holding his two stacks of cash, Shikamaru was far from thrilled. His voice, unusually high-pitched, clearly showed his reluctance.
"Stop complaining. I don't trust accountants. And you—well, I have leverage on you. If not you, then who? Shikamaru-chan, don't disappoint me~ Otherwise, you know what'll happen."
Dragging out her words playfully, Hinata stood up and stretched. Her tone took on a sharper edge as she continued.
"Alright~ That's it for today. Everyone can go home. Naruto, Sasuke! Your next set of combat techniques is ready. If you're not afraid of dying, come with me."