An Uneasy Matter to Treat Someone to a Meal

Fighting is a physically demanding activity.

Tense nerves, high-intensity exercise—each minute consumes dozens of times more stamina than usual.

Katsuki clearly recalled something Sakumo had told him.

"Don't think that just because you can endure a whole day of rigorous training, you can spar with an enemy for half a day. When you actually fight someone, you'll realize how quickly your stamina drops. Even the harshest training can't compare to high-intensity combat."

Now, Katsuki had a profound understanding of this.

Although his spar with Otoha wasn't real combat, both of them were driven by a strong desire to win, their attention highly focused, muscles tensed, ready to attack and move at any moment. All of this was truly exhausting.

He had never felt this tired before, even when running uphill with weights on his body.

Every second of confrontation drained his stamina, his breathing grew heavy, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his muscles began to ache. Katsuki forced his eyes wide open, maintaining his focus, then suddenly lunged forward, throwing a punch that landed squarely on Otoha's crossed arms defending him.

Thump!

Otoha stumbled back two steps, his feet tangling, and his balance instantly lost. He fell flat on his back.

"That was great, truly great. I lost."

Otoha's chest heaved as he gasped for air, his hair slicked to his forehead with sweat, looking rather disheveled.

"Lost my ass, I'm almost out of energy too. Damn it, I always thought I had good stamina," Katsuki said, leaning on his knees and exhaling deeply, drawing in the cool air to soothe the heat in his chest.

"You were too tense. You probably haven't sparred much with others before, or you've only ever practiced with people you know well. That's why you were so tight when fighting me. It makes you tire out easily," Otoha said, relaxing completely on the ground, feeling like a puddle of mud, not wanting to move.

"Get up! Don't just lie there, aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

Katsuki took a few more breaths and felt much more energized. Seeing Otoha still sprawled on the ground, he chided him with a smile and offered his hand.

Teacher Takashima beamed with joy. With his Chunin-level judgment, he assessed that Otoha and Katsuki's strength was already close to that of a Genin. In the past, before the Ninja Academy, such strength would have been enough to qualify them for the battlefield.

Compared to the long, arduous cultural classes, physical education felt like time flying by.

Soon, it was time for class to end, the piercing bell echoing through the classrooms and hallways.

Many students were laughing and grouping together, forming small clusters and heading out of school in droves, either to go home or to other places to play.

Uchiha Otoha haughtily packed his books. Unlike those guys who only cared about playing, he was a proud member of the Uchiha Clan. He didn't need to waste time playing; he was going home to continue training...

"Hey, Otoha, come to my place for dinner tonight!" Katsuki pounced and landed on Otoha's desk, startling Otoha into instinctively shrinking back. Katsuki looked at Otoha with a smile. "We agreed earlier; I'm treating you to dinner tonight."

"Treating me?"

Otoha finally registered what was said, staring blankly at Katsuki.

"Are you sure you want to treat me? I'm from the Uchiha Clan?"

"What about it? Do I have to take you to a restaurant? I'm telling you, my sister's cooking is just as good as any restaurant's." Katsuki was displeased. It was rare for him to find someone he got along with so well, and Otoha was being picky.

"No, it's just that…" Otoha looked deeply at Katsuki and said in a low voice, "Even though you just transferred in today, don't you know the Uchiha are notoriously arrogant and unapproachable in the village?"

Katsuki was taken aback. His eyes narrowed, and he immediately noticed that Otoha occupied a whole table by himself, with no one sitting in front or behind him.

"I don't know how arrogant the Uchiha are. I just think you and I get along well. So, are you coming or not?" Katsuki met Otoha's gaze without fear.

Uchiha Otoha suddenly felt a warmth in his eye sockets. Damn it, he was just named Uchiha, and in the Ninja Academy, besides a few people like Minato, few dared to interact with him. They would avoid him when they saw him. He had heard other classmates discussing him privately more than once, saying how arrogant he was. The Uchiha were feared, but not admired, even though the Monument of the Valiant Dead bore the names of many Uchiha…

"I'll go. Since you dare to invite me, I naturally dare to go. But if no one else interacts with you because of it, I won't be responsible," Otoha said, his voice a little hoarse.

"Tch, I don't want to hang out with those wimpy guys anyway," Kushina said domineeringly, hands on her hips, puffing out her flat chest.

Katsuki smiled and shook his head. He inadvertently saw Minato, whose eyes were sparkling, looking enviously at Otoha…

"Minato, do you want to come too? My sister's cooking is really great," Katsuki said with a smile, extending the invitation.

However, before Minato could answer, Kushina exploded. She immediately kicked Katsuki. "Katsuki, why are you calling that sissy? I don't want to cook for him!"

As soon as she said that, Minato deflated like a salted eggplant.

Katsuki's mouth twitched. Well, he really didn't realize his sister disliked Minato that much. His eyes darted around, and he immediately had an idea. "Sis, look, there will be more people eating tonight, so washing the dishes will definitely be a hassle. Let's ask Minato to come along, and he can wash the dishes. That way, it'll be much easier!"

Kushina hesitated, her small face scrunched up, looking conflicted as she weighed the pros and cons.

"No problem. Besides washing dishes, I can also help cook. I live alone at home, and I usually cook and wash dishes myself. Don't worry, I'll wash them sparkling clean," Minato said shrewdly, seizing the opportunity and patting his chest to boast about his skills.

Kushina gritted her teeth and nodded reluctantly, perhaps swayed by the fact that he lived alone.

However, Katsuki still heard his sister muttering quietly beside him.

"Tch, what a sissy, he can even cook…"

Katsuki's mouth twitched. He pretended not to hear and huddled with Minato and Otoha, chatting idly. The group laughed and walked out of the school.

"By the way, Otoha, aren't you going to tell your family? Will it be a problem if you just go with us?" As soon as Katsuki finished speaking, Otoha froze in place, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

"Whatever, let them be. It's no big deal. At worst, I'll get spanked when I get back, it won't kill me," Otoha said through gritted teeth, but anyone could hear the lack of conviction in his voice.

Kushina blinked and looked at Otoha. "Why don't we go to your house and tell them first? What's there to get spanked for!"