Chapter 35: Akamaru's Secret Treasure - The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

**Chapter 35: Akamaru's Secret Treasure** Upon first meeting, Kakashi was undoubtedly an infuriating nuisance. With half his face and one eye covered, he seemed to exude mystery. But in reality, the visible dead fish-eye completely shattered Kakashi's aura. Couple that with his lethargic demeanor and lifeless tone. It was clear as day: he was saying, "I look down on the three of you." Naruto, though somewhat dim and reckless in action, did one thing that Hinata found incredibly wise, and she swore to learn from him. That night, Hinata replaced her gentle fist practice sandbag with an image of Kakashi and pummeled it until late into the night. Hinata rarely put this much effort into her training. However, if she kept pummeling a Kakashi-themed sandbag, she was convinced her gentle fist technique would improve rapidly. Kakashi had scheduled the drill for 5:00 AM. Hinata dared not be late, getting up shortly after four, quickly getting ready, and eating a hearty meal, even packing servings for Sasuke and Naruto. These simpletons certainly believed Kakashi's nonsense. At 4:55 AM, Hinata arrived at the seventh training ground, finding Naruto and Sasuke already there. "Yo! Morning!" Hinata greeted groggily, placing the breakfast on the ground. "You haven't eaten yet, right?" "Here! Brought some for you!" "Good morning, Hinata!" Naruto pranced over with a goofy smile. "Hinata, you brought me breakfast? I'm so touched!" Hinata nudged Naruto, snapping, "Get away from me!" Naruto, starving, was about to dig in when he suddenly remembered Kakashi's warning from the previous day. "Hinata, didn't Kakashi-sensei say not to eat breakfast?" Sasuke sneered, "Idiot." "What did you say?" Naruto fired back. Hinata explained, “Kakashi-sensei only said we might vomit if we eat breakfast, but he didn't say we weren't allowed to eat.” Naruto hogged the two boxes, clearly not planning to share with Sasuke. What a childish fool! ‘Bam!’ Hinata landed a solid punch on Naruto, scolding, “The other one is for Sasuke! You won’t have the strength for Kakashi-sensei's survival drill on an empty stomach.” Sasuke glanced at Hinata, saying coolly, “I’ve already eaten.” Was Sasuke getting smarter, or was he just puffing up with pride? While Naruto ate, Hinata gestured for Sasuke and pulled out trap-setting tools. "Sasuke, let's set up some traps." “Traps?” Sasuke queried, puzzled. Hinata nodded, explaining, “There are two parts to the traps: first, for the drill, and second, as a punishment for Kakashi-sensei's inevitable tardiness!” Kakashi, as a Leaf Village elite Jōnin and the seventh team's leader, had every right to be late and make up some lame excuse. But as novice ninjas, even if Hinata knew full well that Kakashi would be late, she had to arrive on time. Otherwise, if Kakashi wrote in her ninja report, "Hinata is not punctual," it could impact her future promotions. How utterly unfair! Sasuke assisted Hinata in setting up the traps, then unexpectedly asked, “Did you figure out what the survival drill will be?” Hinata nodded, fastening a wire. "It's probably a battle scenario. I assume we'll be up against Kakashi-sensei." Sasuke's face darkened. Combat with a Jōnin? After some effort, Hinata and Sasuke emerged from the woods. Hinata walked over to Naruto, stepping—one, two, three steps... about ten steps—before stomping on the ground, declaring, "If we're over where Naruto is, Kakashi will probably stand here!" Curious, Naruto asked, “Hinata, what are you planning?” Hinata pulled a mouse trap and a peculiar pouch from her backpack. "This is a special mouse trap. We can hide it in the grass; it’s hard to spot." Sasuke retorted, “But he’s a Jōnin. Such gimmicks won't work.” Hinata smirked, picking up the odd pouch and spoke with gritted teeth, “I know a simple prank won’t work on a Jōnin. That’s why I’ve got a special gift for Kakashi. What's inside this pouch is Akamaru's secret treasure.” “No matter how well we hide the mouse trap, Kakashi-sensei will definitely notice.” “But I’ve figured out Kakashi-sensei’s personality. To mock us, he will definitely stand by the trap without triggering it.” “So, if we place Akamaru's secret treasure next to the trap, Kakashi-sensei is sure to fall for it.” Naruto and Sasuke: “……” Sasuke wouldn't bother with such juvenile antics, but Naruto was thoroughly intrigued, helping Hinata set up the trap and positioning Akamaru’s secret treasure beside it, stealthily covering it with grass to ensure it was unnoticeable. When people are focused on one thing, they often ignore others. If Kakashi found the mouse trap, he would surely overlook the secret treasure next to it. Moreover, Akamaru’s treasure was designed to disgust, not harm, so even a Jōnin wouldn't instinctively spot it. As expected, Kakashi was severely late. Hinata and her companions waited from 5:00 AM until well after 10:00 AM for Kakashi to finally, leisurely arrive. With a backpack slung over his shoulder, Kakashi nonchalantly approached. His fish-eye gave a quick scan, immediately catching the odd patch of grass ten steps from the trio. Indeed, they were just three childish fools. The corners of Kakashi's mouth twitched under his mask. As Hinata predicted, Kakashi deliberately stepped close to the mouse trap without triggering it, even waving a hand to greet them: “Yo! Good morning!” None of them replied, their eyes fixated on Kakashi’s right foot. Huh? Kakashi was puzzled, having stepped on something odd. "What is that smell...?" With a sense of smell allegedly keener than Akamaru’s, Kakashi realized something was amiss. Being a dog owner, he immediately recognized the smell. “Wahaha-” Hinata and Naruto laughed heartily, with Hinata breathlessly saying, “Kakashi-sensei, we’ve decided that if you're late again, we’ll give you a gift every time!” Naruto chimed in, “Yeah, that’s right!”