Daily Life

Was killing someone really that difficult? When the question first took root and began to sprout, one might feel lost and helpless. But when a precious life slipped away from one's hands, would the only response be guilt?

No.

Whether the blood spraying from that body was hot or cold did not matter.

So what if the wails erupting from that mouth were filled with such despair?

What did the hatred in the faint light reflected in those eyes have to do with him?

Was life precious? The only precious life was one's own...

With this thought in mind, Ye Zi followed Orochimaru. Like an emotionless robot, he carried out mission after mission, making the blood on his hands ever brighter as he grew stronger.

Blood and fire had always made people mature quickly, whether physically or mentally.

Kushina and Bei Xingye noticed this. Although fighting side by side for so long had deepened their bonds beyond what they had shared during their time at the Ninja Academy, they could still feel that their companion, who always charged at the very front, seemed to be slowly pulling away from them.

A year later, just as the cherry blossoms were dancing in the breeze.

That day, the three students who had graduated from the Ninja Academy became Genin. After a year spent shedding their childishness in blood, they could finally be officially called ninja.

Even during rest periods outside of missions, Ye Zi never stopped training. With such strict self-discipline and his natural talent, the speed of his growth constantly made Orochimaru take notice. The consequence was that the Hokage faction and other higher-ups began paying closer attention to Ye Zi.

Rather than attention, it was more like surveillance...

Several months earlier, Ye Zi, who had gradually grown stronger, had already sensed the watchers. Although the Anbu had not underestimated him and had concealed themselves and monitored him to the best of their ability, Ye Zi had still detected them. Even Ye Zi himself thought this was proof that he had become stronger. He did not know that with his current strength, it was impossible for him to detect the hidden Anbu monitoring him.

After discovering the Anbu, Ye Zi remained calm and did not question Orochimaru about it. He acted as usual every day, as though he had not noticed the Anbu watching him. Still, after gradually becoming part of Konoha, he had developed a slight grudge over it.

That day, Ye Zi had trained from before dawn until noon. At last, he could no longer endure the hunger in his stomach, so he quickly washed up and went out to find something to eat.

Orochimaru had gone out to take care of something. Ever since Ye Zi had begun earning money from missions, he had rarely cooked for himself, usually going straight to a restaurant instead.

It was noon, but there were few pedestrians on the street. Ye Zi walked along, wondering what he should eat.

"Ye Zi!"

A familiar shout suddenly came from behind. Ye Zi stopped and turned toward the source of the voice, giving a slight nod in greeting.

Accustomed to Ye Zi's personality, Bei Xingye did not mind. He walked up to Ye Zi, rubbed the back of his head somewhat awkwardly, and said in a low voice, "Um... Ye Zi, I want to invite you and... Kushina to dinner."

"Are you sure?" Ye Zi raised his brows and looked seriously at Bei Xingye. The corner of Bei Xingye's mouth twitched slightly as he thought of Ye Zi's appetite and wondered whether the money in his wallet would be enough. Still, in order to get Kushina to come along, he gritted his teeth and nodded firmly.

With a free meal ticket volunteering itself, Ye Zi had no reason to refuse. He nodded and said, "Good timing. I'm hungry. How about barbecue?"

As he spoke, his gaze had already drifted toward the most famous barbecue restaurant. Naturally, its price was just as high as its reputation.

Bei Xingye's heart jumped when he heard "barbecue." Following Ye Zi's gaze toward the most expensive barbecue restaurant, the muscles on his face twitched slightly, and he hurriedly said, "Um, um... I don't think I have enough money."

Ye Zi looked away from the barbecue restaurant, turned around, and said indifferently, "Then we'll go somewhere else. Let's get Kushina first."

Hearing this, Bei Xingye was overjoyed. He was not stingy; he really did not have enough money. Fortunately, Ye Zi had taken the initiative to smooth things over. Otherwise, he would not have known what to do. Besides, getting Kushina first was exactly what he wanted most urgently.

You don't even have the courage to invite her yourself. How could Kushina ever take a liking to you? You've spent a whole year with her, yet you still can't see something this obvious.

Walking ahead, Ye Zi shook his head slightly. He knew that Bei Xingye was interested in Kushina. Whenever they were not on a mission, Bei Xingye would always drag him along as an excuse before inviting Kushina—in other words, he brought Ye Zi along to give himself the courage to invite her.

With a personality like Bei Xingye's, how could Kushina possibly take a liking to him?

Knowing this, Ye Zi only felt sorry for Bei Xingye. He had no spare time to play matchmaker and bring the two together, nor had he clearly explained this to Bei Xingye. In his view, only if Bei Xingye realized it himself and changed for Kushina would he be qualified to pursue her.

When they arrived at Kushina's home, Bei Xingye, as usual, stood to one side of the entrance and pushed Ye Zi toward the door, leaving the task of knocking to him.

"Honestly..."

Looking at Bei Xingye shrinking to one side, Ye Zi shook his head in speechless exasperation. He tilted his head up slightly and was just about to call Kushina out when his brows suddenly furrowed. He vaguely sensed several unusual presences.

They're not from Konoha. Then who are they...?

Ye Zi's thoughts raced, but when he detected several Konoha presences hidden even deeper in the darkness, his brows relaxed. He called toward the house several times.

Kushina, who heard Ye Zi calling from inside the house, froze. After saying something to the uncle and aunt with whom she was staying, she came to the entrance. When she opened the door, she saw Ye Zi standing there alone.

"What do you want?" she demanded without the slightest courtesy. She had been just about to eat.

Hearing her question, Ye Zi said indifferently, "We're having barbecue for lunch today."

An unexpected gleam appeared in Kushina's eyes. The corners of her mouth curled up, and she immediately asked the most important question: "You're paying?"

Ye Zi raised a brow and sneered. "Does it look like it?"

"I thought so. You really are a stingy miser!" Kushina patted her forehead helplessly. "Where is Bei Xingye?"

"Um, I'm here." Bei Xingye poked his upper body out from one side and smiled at Kushina.

Kushina rolled her eyes at him. She turned back inside to say something to her uncle and aunt, then followed the two of them out onto the street.

"Which barbecue restaurant are we going to?"

As they walked down the street, Ye Zi asked Bei Xingye the question, but his eyes drifted toward the most expensive barbecue restaurant.

Bei Xingye's heart jolted when he saw this. He hurriedly pointed to a barbecue restaurant nearby whose food and prices were both average and said, "Let's go to this one. The food is really good."

"Fine."

Ye Zi withdrew his gaze in disappointment.

Watching from the side, Kushina shook her head. "Ye Zi, when are you going to treat us to a meal?"

Faced with such a question from a girl, Ye Zi simply turned his back on Kushina and, even more bluntly, said, "I'm broke."

Kushina was left staring at Ye Zi's back as he walked toward the barbecue restaurant, dark lines appearing across her face.

In truth, Ye Zi's finances were quite strained. He needed to eat a huge amount of food every day, and his mission pay was barely enough to break even. One could say that all his earnings went toward food. He had never even bought a new set of clothes; everything he wore was old clothing that had once belonged to Orochimaru.

If Kushina and Bei Xingye had been a little more observant, they would have noticed this problem.

After entering the barbecue restaurant, Ye Zi, adhering to the principle that nothing should be wasted, directly ordered twenty servings of meat!

Bei Xingye and Kushina had long since grown accustomed to this, so they were not particularly surprised. Even the server taking their order reacted calmly, because Ye Zi's reputation as a big eater had already spread throughout the streets and alleys.

And is twenty servings really enough?