"

"Who are you, and what have you done with my Yuna?!

"

"

Yuna could only chuckle in amusement when she heard Hinata and Anko's question.

"Well, that's just unreasonable. I haven't done anything with her because I am her.

"

Hinata and Anko only snorted in disdain when they heard Yuna's claim, and moments later, Hinata started talking with a dismissive-sounding voice.

"Nonsense, you serving cake normally was already pretty suspicious, but compensating Shibuki for something you have already taken is on an entirely different level of suspicion.

"

"Geez, you two have quite the negative image of me, huh. Can't I simply do something nice for someone without thinking about my own benefits?

"

When the duo heard Yuna's question, they rolled their eyes and answered Yuna simultaneously.

"Only if it is to seduce a woman.

"

"...

"

"

"...

"

"

"Okay, fair enough.

"

Honestly, Yuna was slightly interested in how serious Hinata and Anko were with this, but she decided to humor them for now.

"Fine, fine, I just didn't want to taint the innocent Fuu with stuff like blackmail and coercion.

"

Before Yuna could get another word in, Anko snorted in disdain and started speaking instead.

"Bull**! Do you think we have forgotten what kind of person you turned Naruto into?!

"

"*Cough* Okay, first of all, that was rather rude to Naruto, and I didn't plan for him to turn out like that either. It just kinda...happened.

"

Yuna couldn't help but chuckle when she noticed Hinata and Anko both rolling their eyes at her statement, and after a short moment of contemplation, Yuna simply shrugged her shoulders and decided to give the duo the real explanation.

"Fine then. Guess I'll just explain my intentions behind my actions. First of all, me serving the cake normally and giving Shibuki compensation were for two different reasons. Honestly, the reason for serving the cake normally is a little awkward, but since you want to know it so much, I'm willing to tell you.

"

Although Hinata and Anko were, to some degree, messing around up until now, after hearing Yuna's words, they became genuinely suspicious. When Yuna said that the reason for serving the cake like that was a little awkward, it almost sounded like Yuna was a little ashamed of it, which immediately increased the duo's caution to the max.

"Well, as you two should know by now, I am studying the Dao of Cake, so I have been using cake in all kinds of manners. I attacked, I distracted, and I sealed with them. I used cake in all kinds of manner, and the more I did, the more my proficiency rose.

"

Although most people would only look at Yuna blanky when they heard her explanation, Hinata and Anko more or less knew what she was talking about, so they only nodded their heads in acknowledgment and allowed Yuna to continue her explanation.

"Recently, however, I noticed that I arrived at a bottle-neck, and my improvements came to a drastic halt.

"

Wait a moment! Is that why you pulled that stunt with Pain!?

'Haha, correct. Although it was rather fun to do, it didn't really help my Dao much.'

"After thinking about it for a while, I finally realized the problem. I forgot about the basics, the foundation! At the very core of the matter, cakes are made to be served to people! How can I claim that I am aiming for the pinnacle of the Dao of Cakes when I haven't even tried out its most basic aspect: Serving the cake to a person who will then eat it! What a blunder!

"

Hinata and Anko's eyebrows twitched in irritation when they heard Yuna's nonsensical explanation. If it were any other person who tried to sell them such a ridiculous story, they wouldn't believe it for even a second, but the person telling the story was Yuna, which made it more believable and, at the same time, even less believable.

Instead of being bothered by it, Hinata and Anko decided to simply ignore what they just heard and instead focus on something else.

"Fine, whatever. I guess that doesn't matter anyway, since the more important point of suspicion is you giving Shibuki that defensive seal as compensation. What are you planning to do with that?

"

Yuna could only roll her eyes when she heard Hinata's next question.

"Seriously, if you are so curious about what my plans are, then you should just ask, instead of interrogating me like this. Now I will have to punish you after this matter is over.

"

While Anko only chuckled a little when she heard Yua's words, a light blush appeared on Hinata's face.

"Hehe, or maybe that is why you did it like that? Considering Hinata's preferences, I wouldn't be surprised about that.

"

Hinata blushed even harder when she heard Yuna's words and lowered her head in shame.

"Anyway, the reason why I want to give that seal to Shibuki is actually pretty simple. Do you two know anything about Hero Water?

"

After pondering the term for a moment, Hinata and Anko both shook their heads in denial.

"It is something that is only produced in Takigakure. Or, to be more precise, it is produced by the giant tree that is towering over the village. From what I have heard, the person who drinks it will have their chakra temporarily increased by about ten times but will lose some of their lifespan as a drawback.

"

Hinata and Anko widened their eyes in surprise when they heard that. If the effect was really like that, it would be an incredibly powerful tool for people like them, who were constantly increasing their lifespan by cultivating.

"Anyway, that is only what I heard about it, and I very much doubt it would have that kind of effect on people like me, who already have obscene amounts of chakra, but I'm still somewhat curious about it. I could just...borrow... a little bit of it, but I would rather understand how it is created. The barrier I will install in Taki will have all kinds of hidden features that will help me analyze the creation process of the Hero Water and might even allow me to create it myself.

"

Hinata and Anko's eyes shone in understanding. Having something like that as a trump card could be incredibly useful, after all, and it might even save their lives if they get into a sticky situation one day.

"So, that was the reason why I acted like that. Do you believe that I am the real me now, or would you like me to give you some more proof? For example, we could go to my room, and I could show you that I know all your sensitive spots, hehe.

"

Yet again, a light blush appeared on Hinata's face, but a moment later, determination appeared on her face as she looked Yuna into the eyes.

"I-I still don't believe that it is the real you, s-so I will take your offer!

"

The more Hinata spoke, the redder her face became, and when she finished speaking, smoke was almost coming out of her ears.

Although Yuna was slightly surprised by Hinata's proactive attitude, she would naturally not complain about it. Before Yuna could say anything about it, though, Anko started speaking as well.

"I agree with what Hinata just said. I'm also not convinced that you are the real you, so I'm coming with you as well. Hehe, now that I think about it, Hinata has been acting rather suspicious as well, so I guess I need to give a very close inspection, too.

"

The trio walked towards Yuna's bedroom without saying anything else while Fuu and Shibuki were chatting about what happened during the chunin exam and how her life in the Uzumaki compound was so far.