"Bang, bang, bang!"
"Clang, clang, clang!"
"Ting, ting, ting!"
Beneath the gloomy sky, in the relatively quiet old Uzumaki Clan residence—a place untouched by the bustle of the prosperous district and silent for a long time—the sounds of construction that had continued all day finally stopped before nightfall.
"Whew! It's finally done!"
Wiping the sweat from his brow and loosening his sweat-soaked clothes, Asuma looked at the inner room before him, now fully restored with beautiful timber cut from ancient giant trees and bearing perfect grain patterns. He spoke with no small amount of pride.
"Yeah, I'm exhausted. Finally."
At that moment, Raidō, standing beside him, dropped heavily to the ground.
"I never thought the few of us could build such a beautiful house."
Meanwhile, Genma, beside Raidō, bit down on the senbon in his mouth and looked at the house before folding his arms across his chest, his tone appreciative.
It's finally finished.
Now we won't get beaten up.
Hirohiko, standing beside Genma, still wore his slightly sweaty poker face, but inwardly, he let out a long breath of relief.
Is it just my imagination?
Why do I feel like there's something wrong with Chiba? During this restoration, Chiba seemed to be acting strangely.
As for Kakashi, after wiping away his sweat, he said nothing. His gaze did not linger on the house for long before he turned to look at Chiba, who stood at the very back, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Asuma, Raidō, Genma, are you staying for dinner? It's almost dinnertime."
At that moment, Chiba did not even glance at the inner room as he spoke.
"No, I can't eat out today. If I don't eat at home today, my mom will kill me tomorrow."
Genma was the first to answer. He gave Chiba an embarrassed smile