Replenishing Strength

"Hurry up! Where's the pot? Put another pot on the stove! You bunch of lazybones, can't you even start a fire?"

"Pork chop, fried pork chop, and three more fried pork chops, please..."

"... Idiot, get out of the way! What are you standing there for? Go help wash the vegetables..."

The kitchen was bustling with activity. Even though it wasn't mealtime yet, the Grass Ninja were already working non-stop.

Because of the Grass Ninja's meager fighting strength, Konoha did not require them to go to the battlefield at all, but only sent them to do logistical work, such as boiling water and cooking, taking care of the wounded, and so on.

At this moment, the chefs that the Grass Ninja had gathered from the village were all putting in their best efforts to prepare food for the oldest among the old men from Konoha.

"I have to say, that big shot from Konoha is terrifying! He ate almost enough food for fifty people by himself." The chef, who was making soup, couldn't help but chat with his companion who was curing meat next to him.

"... Haven't you heard the saying 'A magnanimous person is generous'?"

His companion sprinkled spices on the large piece of leg meat and responded humorously.

"Hmm... is that what you mean?" The cook, who was making soup, stared at the soup pot and pursed his lips.

"Haha, that's about right. Who cares how much the customers eat? I actually hope there are more customers like this, so business will be better and I can buy the land around my shop and expand it..."

The cook, who was making soup, looked at his companion lost in thought and shook his head speechlessly.

Keep your eyes glued to the soup pot on the stove; that pot of soup is what you need to focus on right now.

Commander's tent.

A long, low table was piled high with bowls and plates, and behind this mountain of food came loud chewing and swallowing sounds.

The snoring is quite unrefined.

"This roast chicken tastes good, I'll have two more."

Katsuki tossed away the thigh bone in her hand, spitting out a bunch of small bone fragments, and casually gave instructions to the Grass Ninja standing nearby.

"Yes, sir."

The Grass Ninja bowed his head and responded, then staggered out of the tent carrying a tall bowl and plate. Then other Grass Ninja came in carrying huge plates.

The wild boar, roasted to a golden brown with a bright, fragrant aroma, was placed on the table that had just been cleared.

The meal lasted two hours and consumed enough food for a hundred people, leaving the Grass Ninja chefs amazed and envious of their Konoha counterparts. Such a guest would be the most popular anywhere; any business would love such a generous customer.

"Phew... Satisfied, satisfied."

With her legs spread wide and resting on the edge of the bed, leaning against the headboard, Katsuki held a bowl of buckwheat noodles, slurping them down with relish as her final dish.

"So... what happened in the end? What about the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails?"

With a struggle, Katsuki swallowed the last mouthful of buckwheat noodles, tossed the empty bowl onto the table, touched her flat stomach, and let out a long sigh. Eating so much had almost replenished some of her depleted energy, and her Chakra was slowly regaining its full and powerful feeling.

His gaze shifted, fixing on Nawaki, who was sitting elegantly in a chair, eating from a bowl, and he asked.

"... Well, what can you do? Tailed Beast aren't like chicks in a kitchen. Do you think you can just kill them whenever you want?" Nawaki picked up a handful of noodles with his chopsticks. "It's a lose-lose situation. Those two Tailed Beasts were pretty much the same; they couldn't maintain their complete Tailed Beast forms and were taken back by the Stone Ninja. I was too weak at the time, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to keep those two alive..."

Shortly after Katsuki awoke from her unconsciousness and was struggling to replenish the energy she had depleted, Nawaki Yuki Yoizuki, and Rokuro Kaguya also returned.

The great battle on the front lines has come to an end.

Neither Konoha nor Stone Ninja gained any advantage in this unexpected battle.

Konoha's commander was severely injured, and the Stone Ninja's Tsuchikage and two Jinchuriki were all exhausted and needed time to recover.

"That old guy Chakra and won't be able to recover for a while. Plus, the Four-Tails and Five-Tails are temporarily unable to act... It seems that the Stone Ninja are unlikely to attack today." Ōnoki Katsuki seriously, stroking his chin.

"You never know!"

The Nawaki shook its head.

"That Third Tsuchikage is notoriously cunning. If he senses our mindset, he might launch a night attack."

Even though ninjas are made of iron, they can't go without sleep. Even with ninjas with sensory abilities on guard, defenses at night are generally not as tight as during the day, so night raids still have their uses.

"... Ōnoki from the Two Scales? What an annoying guy." Katsuki touched her newly grown right arm, still faintly feeling the pain.

In an instant, a white light flashed, and half of its body was shattered.

The scene kept replaying in my mind, my emotions rising and falling like the tide, a mix of resentment, anger, and relief, before finally settling into calm.

"... Have people on guard at night. It's unlikely that the Stone Ninja will raid our camp. Ōnoki of the Two Scales never does anything without a certainty. As long as he hasn't fully recovered, he's unlikely to take such a risk... Of course, we still need to take necessary precautions."

Nawaki remained silent. He had said everything he could, good or bad; what else could he say?

He simply held the bowl, sipping the noodle soup slowly, a satisfied expression on his face.

This time, he fought against two Tailed Beasts with all his might, but it was really a stretch to fight two against one. If it weren't for the life-saving support of Yuki Yoizuki and Rokuro Kaguya, he probably wouldn't have had the chance to sit here and drink this bowl of noodle soup.

Thinking of this, something suddenly came to mind.

"By the way, Katsuki, there's something I need to tell you."

"What?"

"Rokuro Kaguya's condition isn't very good. He's still lying in the medical room. Although it's not life-threatening, his condition... how should I put it? In short, it's very strange, not an ordinary illness."

"... Has the Bloodline Disease flared up?"

Katsuki's eyes widened.

"Yes, yes, that's it, Bloodline Disease... That's a really strange name. A disease caused by Kekkei Genkai? I've never heard of such a thing before. Kekkei Genkai causing diseases? That's quite a shock... Huh? Katsuki?"

Nawaki was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly realized the person in front of him had disappeared.

Holding a bowl in one hand and touching the ground with the fingers of the other, he instantly captured Katsuki's Chakra.

"... I said wait for me! Let's go together... Damn, why are you running so fast?"

He hurriedly drank the last bit of soup, dropped the empty bowl, and chased after them. (To be continued)