Celebration

Leaving aside Zi Xu, who was half-heartedly slacking off, the battle between Chino and Gen was still intense, but overall Chino had the advantage. After all, the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist wasn't just for show. Even without the Byakugan's assistance, she could rely on her memory of human acupoint locations to infuse her own Chakra into every strike that hit Uchiha Gen, blocking the flow of Chakra within Gen's body through acupoint interference. The Uchiha Clan's Taijutsu wasn't particularly strong; most Uchiha members hit their stride only after Awakening the Sharingan. Since neither of them had Awakened their eyes yet, Chino, with her mastery of the Hyuga Gentle Fist, held a subtle edge.

"Stop." Chino's final palm strike landed on Gen's chest. The latter only felt a stifling tightness in her chest, her Chakra flow severely obstructed, leaving her with no strength to continue fighting. Takeshi Goda noticed this and stepped in to stop the two from fighting further—after all, he had to give some face to the major clans.

"Alright, this match is over. The winner is Chino's team." Takeshi Goda stood between them, raising Chino's extended hand, which had been poised in an attack stance. Though Uchiha Gen was a bit unwilling, she knew that continuing would only lead to certain defeat, so she quickly accepted the outcome.

Hatsumi supported the "injured" Zi Xu as they walked up to Chino, beaming with joy.

"We won!" Zi Xu and Hatsumi congratulated her. Chino rarely cracked a smile, but when she saw Nohara lying unattended in the distance and Zi Xu being supported by Hatsumi, the corners of her mouth sank again.

"You're injured?" Her tone was still the familiar cold one, but there seemed to be a hint of concern in it.

"Just a minor injury, nothing serious." It really was a minor injury—or rather, maybe just a slight itch.

"You worked hard. I'll... apply to the clan for some herbs later..." Chino's expression was conflicted, as if she really didn't want to deal with those old fogies in her clan.

"I... I'll ask my clan for some medicinal ingredients too. This time, it's all thanks to Zi Xu-kun, otherwise my hand might have..." Hatsumi wore a deeply apologetic expression. Zi Xu had done her another huge favor, and she wasn't sure how to thank him anymore.

"No need, they're just small injuries. Besides, aren't we all comrades who share the same Will of Fire? It's only natural for comrades to help each other, right?" Zi Xu smiled. He genuinely didn't need treatment—if they found out during treatment that he was perfectly fine, that would be trouble.

"Comrades... huh." Chino was taken aback, as if the word was unfamiliar to her. Then she gave a faint smile, but it vanished in an instant, well-hidden.

"If we're comrades, then you have to accept our help. Or are you saying you don't see us as your comrades?" Chino's reply was firm, leaving Zi Xu no room to refuse. Hatsumi chimed in from the side, and looking at the miserable state of Nohara lying on the ground, she couldn't believe Zi Xu was as fine as he claimed.

Left with no choice, Zi Xu had to accept the goodwill of these two girls. Just then, Takeshi Goda urged them to come up and receive their prize.

"First, let's congratulate these three students: Hyuga Chino, Uzumaki Zi Xu, and Aburame Hatsumi. They performed excellently in this match, so I'll give their team a gift as encouragement..." Takeshi Goda waved his hand, and three scroll-like objects appeared in his palm. With a mysterious air, he handed the three small scrolls to Zi Xu and the others, explaining:

"These are Sealing Scrolls, imbued with Space-Time Power. Inside, there's about one cubic meter of space. You can seal various tools inside and take them out when needed..."

As the crowd listened to Takeshi Goda's introduction, their eyes gleamed with desire, and they were practically drooling. Sealing Scrolls imbued with Space-Time Power were rare. Since few people mastered Space-Time Power and Sealing Power—classified as specialized talents—Sealing Scrolls were also scarce resources. Many kids' clans didn't even have a few scrolls. Now, three were being given away at once, making the students who had just lost their matches full of regret and lament.

This was, of course, an instruction from higher-ups. It aimed to boost students' competitiveness while also sending a message to the clans behind them: "Konoha is strong now; stick with us and you'll benefit." This would naturally make the various clans more loyal to Konoha. In terms of politics, Hiruzen Sarutobi played it perfectly.

Zi Xu was naturally pleased too. This was essentially free storage space. Although his system would likely unlock a similar function later, at least the Sealing Scroll could be used right away. Plus, it could later serve as a cover for him pulling items out of his system.

The award ceremony ended amidst the crowd's longing gazes and ignited fighting spirit. Zi Xu's mind, however, didn't stop there. He was concerned about that Nohara kid with the cracked leg bone. In his view, either don't make enemies, or if you do, root them out completely. He could feel the resentment and anger in that kid's eyes when he looked at him. But for now, he was under someone else's roof and couldn't just off him in the village—that would ruin his infiltration plan. The fundamental reason was that Nohara was still a child. Zi Xu thought he should give him one more chance. If he didn't cherish it... then Zi Xu wouldn't mind letting him experience the wrath of Beast Kaido.

"By the way, why don't we go eat some grilled meat to celebrate?" Hatsumi suggested as school let out. She wanted to treat Zi Xu to something good to thank him.

Chino paused in packing her bag, then nodded in agreement.

Zi Xu naturally agreed too. To avoid going hungry because he'd spent his monthly allowance early, he hadn't had many full meals these past few days. After all, with his appetite, if he ate to his heart's content, his monthly subsidy might be gone in a single day.

The three walked home under the glow of the setting sun. Zi Xu had his hands in his pockets, gazing at the sunset and thinking about what to eat. Hatsumi walked ahead, enthusiastically describing the signature dishes of the grilled meat restaurant, her eyes sparkling behind her glasses. Chino walked side by side with Zi Xu, arms crossed, staring at the sky lost in thought. The sunset gradually stretched their shadows, until finally, the three shadows merged into one.

"Can I really eat as much as I want?" Zi Xu stared at the table full of red-and-white marbled tender meat, listening to the sizzling sound of meat slices hitting the grill from the next table, smelling the aroma of meat mixed with cumin and other seasonings. Tears almost drooled from the corner of his mouth.

"Of course. Think of it as my thanks to Zi Xu-kun, and to Chino for leading us to victory." Hatsumi gently raised her small cup filled with drink. Zi Xu and Chino also raised their cups, clinking them lightly together.

"Cheers!"

They downed their drinks in one gulp and started grilling the meat.

At first, Hatsumi didn't think much of it. But when she realized the serving speed couldn't keep up with how fast Zi Xu and Chino were eating, she sensed something was off. When the stack of plates grew nearly as tall as they were, she knew things were bad. She had no idea how Zi Xu and Chino managed to stuff so much food into their stomachs. Zi Xu was understandable—his Kaido's Physique gave him a huge appetite—but Chino? How did this little girl eat so much?

Zi Xu and Chino exchanged a glance. They confirmed it: both were foodies. Under the astonished stares of the staff and Hatsumi, Chino and Zi Xu finally slowed down.

"At this rate, I should be able to afford it... yeah, my piggy bank has enough. If worst comes to worst, there's the New Year's money from Grandpa..." Hatsumi calculated silently in her mind. Her little wallet was about to take a hit.

"Are we eating a bit too much..." Zi Xu said a little sheepishly, slowing down his movements.

"Yeah, a bit too much..." Chino picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth, agreeing with Zi Xu.

"It's... it's fine, everyone, keep going." Hatsumi forced an unnatural smile at them. The two of them had just shattered her understanding of human eating capacity.

"Then I won't hold back." Chino said with a straight face.

"!!!"

"Just kidding." Chino made a rare joke.

"Honestly."

"HAHAHAHAHA"

Just as everyone was having a good time, an untimely voice interrupted their laughter.

"Oh? Isn't this Chino from the Branch Family? Out this late and not going home, hanging around here instead? As expected, Branch Family kids are all bastards." A seemingly fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth, belly protruding, walked into the grilled meat restaurant and taunted Chino.

Hearing this, Chino's face instantly turned cold. Her clear, crystalline eyes widened, and faint veins bulged at the corners.

"What I do is none of your business. And you're from the Branch Family too." Zi Xu felt the temperature around them drop several degrees. The grill's flames couldn't ease the biting cold at all.

"I may be from the Branch Family too, but both my parents are Hyuga Clan members. My bloodline is pure Hyuga blood, unlike some people—a bastard." The slightly chubby youth opened his usually closed eyes. Unlike Chino's eyes, his were surrounded by bulging veins, looking fierce and terrifying.

Chino's eyes seemed ready to spit flames of anger. Her right eye even faintly glowed red. She calmly stepped away from the table, assuming a basic Gentle Fist stance, and was about to charge at the youth.

"Hold on, calm down." Zi Xu grabbed Chino, who was about to launch an attack. Though he wasn't entirely sure what was going on, his instincts told him this youth hadn't come here for no reason.

"What do you think you're doing? We're still Ninja Academy students. Is this how a great Konoha clan bullies fellow villagers? Do you remember Lord Third Hokage's Will of Fire! Every student must contribute to the village! Are you going to betray Lord Third?" No matter what, slapping a big label on the opponent first was the way to go. Can't lose momentum.

The youth was stunned by his words, momentarily speechless, stammering without knowing what to say.