"Hey, Ino? Why are you here?"
Chie Mai was lying on the hospital bed, surprised to see Ino walking in with flowers.
She and Ino didn't interact much—they were just ordinary classmates.
Ino smiled faintly. "I heard you were injured and hospitalized. I happened to be passing by, so I came to see you."
As she spoke, she placed a bouquet of flowers on the windowsill and added, "We just split up today. We haven't officially started our mission yet, right? How did it get to this point?"
"Don't mention it!" Chie Mai said gloomily, avoiding eye contact. "The teacher we were assigned to is a psychopath. He doesn't want us to become ninjas at all. He said it was a practical test, but he actually beat us hard. We just graduated from the Ninja Academy—how could we possibly match a Jonin!"
A flash of gloom passed in Chie Mai's eyes. Judging from Ino's smooth path to becoming a ninja, Chie Mai felt both jealous and resentful.
"Did the Jonin teacher use force against you?" Ino asked, slightly stunned.
She recalled that when Itsuki's ability went out of control, everyone had their chakra sucked dry. But after a moment, Ino understood. Chie Mai probably didn't dare say it directly, so blaming the team leader was the easiest way out.
It was clear that with Itsuki and his two teammates in such a mess, they couldn't continue to form a team.
So, could Itsuki still successfully become a ninja?
"Who knows what he's thinking!" Chie Mai snorted coldly. "If you don't want to lead the team, then don't take over our team. After taking over, you deliberately don't let us pass. You feel like a psychopath!"
"Well, things have already happened. There's no point in worrying further," Ino said gently. "Even if you're eliminated, it doesn't mean you have to repeat your studies at the Ninja Academy. As long as you study and get the teacher's approval, you'll be assigned to a team again soon."
"But the most important thing right now is to take care of your health so you can catch up as soon as possible."
For students sent back to retake the course, the leading Jonin explains the reason for elimination. As long as they correct their shortcomings, make up for their deficiencies, and gain teacher approval, they can soon become official Genin.
However, there's no dedicated Jonin for 'make-up candidates.' Even if a strong captain is assigned, it's a temporary superior-subordinate relationship.
This was none of Ino's business. She pretended to comfort Chie Mai while secretly adding something to her infusion bottle when no one was watching.
Outside, Shikamaru and Choji were hiding under the windowsill, observing Ino's movements.
Choji showed an expression that said, "As expected." Ino was here to cause trouble, though he didn't know what she added to Chie Mai's infusion.
"It seems to be some kind of flower juice!" Shikamaru judged. "Ino wouldn't do anything too extreme. Probably just a mild effect—numbness, itching, hallucinations, or pain—to teach her a lesson."
"If it's just this, the effect won't be strong, right?" Choji asked, confused.
Could this really change Chie Mai's character? Even someone as naive as Choji thought it unlikely.
"Maybe she just wants to vent her anger," Shikamaru said, standing silently on Ino's side.
He added, "If we used the same method against Chie Mai and Ryota, Ino would be exposed soon. She might not be punished severely, but secretly harming fellow villagers isn't a good idea."
"I don't even admit they're companions!" Choji retorted.
"Of course, I don't agree either!" Shikamaru said with a smile. He pulled Choji to the next ward and whispered, "We have to help Ino. If anything goes wrong, Team 10 will handle it together."
…
Ino talked to Chie Mai for a while, then left after some polite words.
As she passed the next ward, she noticed a commotion. A group had gathered at the door, talking excitedly.
"What happened?" Ino asked, confused. She remembered Ryota was the patient in the ward next door.
"The young man inside might be crazy. He jumped on the bed to pee, and we couldn't stop him," a nurse said without looking at Ino.
Peeing in the bed?
Ino's face showed astonishment as she peered through the crowd. She could only see half of Ryota's back, with a small column of urine hitting the bed.
Two nurses tried to restrain him, but couldn't get close without getting splashed, so they didn't use much strength.
Ryota's body shook a few times, then the stream stopped.
"What the hell! It's disgusting!" Ino thought. She had wanted to tamper with his IV, but now it seemed unnecessary. Feeling sick, she decided to leave and wash her eyes.
Just as she turned, a dark shadow quickly shrank from the windowsill.
At the same time, Ryota collapsed onto the bed, lying in the puddle of water.
"Ah!!!"
"How could this happen! I didn't do this!"
"Listen! My body just lost control—I don't know what happened!"
Ryota howled, attempting to jump off the bed, but the nurses pinned him down, stopping him from moving.
The onlookers whispered in contempt, but Ino ignored them. She went around to the back.
Sure enough, she saw Shikamaru crouched in the bushes outside Ryota's window. Choji stood in front of him, blocking the view.
"It's you who did this!" Ino said, keeping her distance, disgusted.
"Shikamaru, are you okay? Ino found us," Choji said casually, munching potato chips.
Shikamaru smirked as he emerged, having used the Shadow Imitation Technique to control Ryota's body. Ryota's antics had been caused by them.
Even if someone saw, the most they could do was scold them for being unethical.
"Why do such unnecessary things!" Ino asked, realizing what had happened.
Though dissatisfied, she felt a bit happy. A caring teammate like this was better than Sasuke's cold demeanor.
Shikamaru and Choji grinned silently, taking no credit. They had always disliked Ryota and Chie Mai.
"Okay, let's go to the dessert shop—it's my treat!" Ino said, sincerely accepting her two teammates.
Before leaving, they could hear Ryota's howling from the ward, along with Chie Mai's chaotic singing:
"I want to fly~ to the sky~ to the sky~!"