Hotpot

Might Guy was thrilled that his long-held fantasy had finally come true!

As he freely unleashed the hot-blooded passion known as youth, Guy's fighting spirit continued to rise.

Even Bai Yue felt his blood begin to boil!

Atatatata!

Ora Ora Ora!

Muda Muda Muda!

The exhilarating sensation of fists striking flesh finally sparked a little interest in Bai Yue!

As long as his absolute safety could be guaranteed, an occasional hot-blooded close-range brawl with fists colliding sounded pretty good!

"Eight Inner Gates! Gate of Healing, open!" x2!

They exchanged a glance, and sparks of passion seemed to burst between them. The two immediately opened the Gate of Healing!

The third gate followed close behind—the Gate of Life!

With all three gates open, their presence grew even more overwhelming.

Surging Chakra swirled around them, colliding fiercely!

...As expected of Young Master! His eye for talent was truly exceptional!

To spot such an unpolished gem at a glance in a crowd!

Hyuga Bun, who had been watching the battle, could not help but feel impressed!

Young Master was Young Master, indeed!

That Green Kappa! In terms of Taijutsu alone, he was at least a Special Jonin.

Compared to those so-called reconnaissance Special Jonin, interrogation Special Jonin, teaching Special Jonin, and the like—

This Green Kappa, a Taijutsu-focused Special Jonin, was practically a breath of fresh air!

Special Jonin focused on the three combat disciplines—Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu—were effectively Jonin in terms of combat strength.

A Jonin at thirteen or fourteen years old! Terrifying!

And Young Master was terrifyingly strong too!

What an enviably terrifying talent!

Before long, Bai Yue, who had fallen into a disadvantage, was sent flying by Guy's sweeping kick and crashed into a large tree nearby!

Boom—

The tree experienced a force it was never meant to experience and was smashed in two by Bai Yue.

"Cough, cough!" Bai Yue rubbed the arm that had failed to block the attack, pushed away the broken branches obstructing his view, and fanned the air to drive away the scattered dust.

His arm was definitely bruised!

That really hurt a little!

Grimacing as he rubbed it twice, Bai Yue looked at the excited Guy.

"Bai Yue, this is my 49th Victory. You need to work harder!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" Bai Yue nodded helplessly. At some point, Guy had started keeping track of the wins and losses between them.

It was just the outcome of a spar, after all. Bai Yue didn't care.

But seeing Guy act so "arrogantly," Bai Yue could not help wanting to get serious!

"But Bai Yue, you really are a genius among geniuses! You just learned the Eight Inner Gates, yet you can already open the third gate!" Guy gave Bai Yue a thumbs-up, affirming just how gifted he was!

"After all, I've trained Taijutsu with you for so long," Bai Yue immediately said. "I feel that the stronger one's physical condition is, the greater the boost from the Eight Inner Gates, while the side effects gradually lessen."

"Although my constitution can't compare with yours, it's still barely decent. The first three gates are no problem. The gates after that might be troublesome, but for now, there's nothing to worry about."

"Bai Yue! Let's work hard together!"

"Of course. I won't give up Taijutsu."

"Wow! This is so convenient to eat, and it's delicious too!" At the dining table, Guy frantically swept through the food laid out before him.

"It's very similar to Sukiyaki, but the broth isn't sweet soy sauce!" Hyuga Hanako beside him was also continuously tasting everything.

"I haven't had it in a long time. I really do miss it a little." Bai Yue leisurely swished food in the Hotpot, feeling rather nostalgic.

"Ah! This is so spicy! But I just can't stop!" Hyuga Hanako was focused on tasting the clear broth, but Guy feared nothing.

Worried that the two might not be used to the spicy broth, Bai Yue had specially prepared a Mandarin Ducks Pot.

The result was... not bad.

"Say, what do you think about me opening a Hot Pot Restaurant in the village?" Bai Yue suddenly asked. But he immediately took it back. "Never mind. It sounds kind of troublesome."

"It would probably be very popular!" Guy gave his assessment while eating. "At least, I really like it."

"If Young Master has the idea, I'll begin making preparations right away." Hyuga Hanako was even more direct, already planning to start the preparations.

"Is this some new flavor of Sukiyaki?" Before Bai Yue could speak, a familiar female voice rang out.

"What are you two doing here?!" Seeing the newcomers, Bai Yue immediately greeted them. "Perfect timing. Come have a taste."

"Sure~" Anko did not stand on ceremony. She sat down directly and began tasting the food...

"Ah! It's so spicy?!" Unable to handle spice at all, Anko immediately flushed and stuck out her tongue, repeatedly hissing and gasping.

Did people in Konoha even say "sizzle-hah"?!

"If you can't handle spicy food, try this side instead." Kurenai Yuhi was nowhere near as reckless as Anko.

"You can try this Dipping Sauce~" Bai Yue casually mixed two small bowls of dipping sauce and handed them to the two women.

"You can eat it like this too?" Watching Bai Yue demonstrate, Kurenai became interested.

The five-person Hotpot gathering officially began.

Then, with Bai Yue wearing a completely dumbfounded expression, they worked out a partnership arrangement for a Hot Pot Restaurant.

Aunt Hanako... or rather, Bai Yue! They would provide the shop and the staff, taking seventy percent of the shares. Kurenai, Anko, and Guy would each put up money and take ten percent.

Overall, the three of them were getting an enormous bargain.

But it was no big deal. He was not doing it to make money anyway, and he had not awakened some pay-to-win cheat system.

If he could not grow stronger by spending money, then Bai Yue would have to be out of his mind to want to make money.

"Hey~ Bai Yue, did you spot any pretty little girls at the Ninja Academy?"

???

Are you kidding me?!

If you want to fight, just say so. There's no need to provoke me by teasing a child!

"Looks like there weren't any!" Anko walked right up to Bai Yue and leaned against his shoulder. "You really have high standards, Kid!"

Bai Yue spun around and threw a punch directly into Anko's eye socket.

In an instant, a fresh Panda Eye appeared!

"You!" Anko was stunned for a moment after being hit, then flew into a rage!

"You little brat really deserve to die!"

"Hah! Anko, how could you possibly be my match?" Bai Yue was not going to indulge her!

The two immediately broke into a fierce battle!

"You two really are..." Kurenai Yuhi pressed a hand to her forehead. Whenever these two got together, they were incredibly likely to clash and start fighting.

"I'll give you a pair of black eyes!" Seizing an opportunity, Bai Yue landed another vicious blow on Anko!

"You brat! I'm going to kill you!"

"Heh." Bai Yue only smiled without speaking!

In Taijutsu, Bai Yue might not have been able to beat Guy, but Anko? He had her completely handled.

However, before Bai Yue could gloat for long, a heavy punch smashed directly into his face.

That punch sent Bai Yue flying, straight into Kurenai Yuhi's arms!

Huh?!

What just happened?!

A chunk of rubble turned into Anko and punched me?!

Holy shit! She actually used tactics!