Smoker

After the two left, the cafeteria erupted into chaos.

"That Uchiha Senga is a total monster—Smoker looked like a child in front of him!"

"What even is his ability? Wind and shockwaves?"

"Did you notice his eyes? So eerie. Just looking at them made me feel completely powerless."

"Whatever the case, Uchiha Senga is now the undisputed top dog of the training camp!"

Ain stood there with her roommates, a bit dazed.

It wasn't that she hadn't thought Senga could win, but she never imagined he'd win so easily.

"He's from a completely different world than us," one roommate said, glancing at the silent Ain and letting out a quiet sigh.

Having a crush on someone outstanding was fine, but being too outstanding was another matter.

Ain bit her lip, didn't call for her roommates, and turned to leave the cafeteria on her own.

Meanwhile, Senga supported Smoker as they walked. Smoker kept his head down the whole way, his expression unreadable.

"Maybe I went a bit too far with what I said and did earlier. But honestly, your last few words made me think you're not a bad guy."

Senga tried to break the awkward atmosphere.

"No, you weren't wrong. This time, it was mainly on me."

Smoker finally lifted his head and looked ahead.

"I didn't stop Barton in time at the start, and later I had no right to stop you from teaching him a lesson. Besides, I just wasn't good enough. I've got no complaints about getting beaten like this."

Senga found Smoker more and more interesting. He extended a hand toward him. Smoker looked at him oddly. Senga smiled and spoke.

"Let's be friends. A fresh introduction—I'm Uchiha Senga. Looking forward to working with you."

Smoker was taken aback, then quickly grasped Senga's outstretched hand.

"Smoker! 'Looking forward' is too much. Next time we face off, just go easy on me, alright?"

They both laughed, and all their past grievances dissolved. Sometimes, the way men build friendships is just that strange and simple.

After dropping Smoker off at the infirmary, Senga returned to the dorm. The three roommates swarmed him the moment their Big Brother walked in, crowding around—even Graves, who usually looked down his nose at everyone, and the stoic Binz, both eagerly pressed in.

"Boss Senga! You were so cool today! You're the real deal I, Bridge, recognize!"

"Yeah, I'm genuinely impressed. You're my boss from now on too!"

"Me... me too!"

Senga couldn't help but laugh at his roommates, who were more excited than he was. A wave of nostalgia hit him—their antics reminded him of his dorm days back on Blue Star.

Just as the four were chatting and joking, an officer knocked on the door and stepped in.

He looked them over for a moment, then fixed his gaze on Senga. There was no helping it—those iconic purple Rinnegan were unforgettable.

The officer spoke politely to confirm.

"Are you Cadet Senga? Head Instructor Zephyr wants to see you. He asked you to come to his office."

"Zephyr-sensei wants me? Alright, I'll head over now."

Senga followed the officer out. The three left in the dorm grew worried. Bridge spoke first.

"Boss Senga isn't going to get punished, is he? No way—this time it's partly my fault too. I'm going to follow and check."

"Could be. The damage from Boss Senga's fight with Smoker was pretty big. Zephyr-sensei might be settling scores now."

For once, Graves didn't argue with Bridge.

"No way. If Zephyr-sensei wanted to punish Boss Senga, he'd have done it in the cafeteria. Calling him over now must be for something else important. We'd better not go and cause trouble!"

When Binz spoke, Bridge and Graves stared at him in shock. The usually silent, opinionless plant-man had actually said something—and it actually made sense?

Binz got a bit shy under their gaze and got up to tidy Senga's bed.

Bridge and Graves just stared at each other, sitting dumbly on their own beds, unsure what to do.

After a long pause, Bridge shouted.

"Binz! You bastard, you're stealing my job! Move it—making a bed has its own technique!"

"What a piece of work!"

Graves once again expressed his disdain for Bridge, then pulled out a box of cigars from who-knows-where and slipped off to the bathroom to smoke.

After finishing the bed, Bridge's nose twitched. He knew Graves was off smoking again, and his own craving stirred. He loved the stuff too, and ever since coming here, he'd found that the ones he "borrowed" from Graves hit even better!

Stealthily activating his Hook-Hook Fruit ability, Bridge's left hand turned into a yellow hook, then detached from his wrist, connected by a thick iron chain.

Bridge's Hook-Hook Fruit was a Paramecia. It allowed him to turn any part of his body into a hook and extend it infinitely via chains conjured by the ability.

Anything he touched left an invisible mark. The next time he activated the ability, he could track and perfectly snag the target. He'd already secretly touched Graves's cigar box.

Bridge sniffed the air, grinned, and his left-hand hook crept along the wall slowly into the bathroom.

A little while later, Graves, satisfied, hoisted his pants with one hand and reached for his cigar box on the floor with the other—only to grab cold tile. Furious, pants still half-up, he roared.

"Damn it! Where the hell did my whole box of cigars go?!"

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