A Little Fanboy Gained

A powerful sense of absurdity welled up inside him.

Were Ninja Academy students all this monstrous now?

Back when he had been at the Ninja Academy, let alone solo-killing a beast of this caliber, he would have taken a detour if he encountered even a slightly larger venomous snake.

"Th... that so? Haha, Aoba, you really are incredibly strong." Kota gave a dry laugh, his movements becoming somewhat stiff.

As a senior, being weaker than an underclassman who had not even graduated yet made his face burn.

To hide his embarrassment, Kota shifted his attention and fixed his gaze on the barbecue.

"Well, if you don't mind, let me grill it." Kota rubbed his hands together, his eyes brimming with a professional's confidence. "I know a thing or two about grilling meat."

Aoba raised an eyebrow and casually handed over the skewer in his hand.

Having someone else do the work was naturally a good thing. Besides, when it came to an obsession with food, the Akimichi Clan truly were professionals.

Kota took the skewer, his expression instantly turning focused. His chubby fingers were unbelievably nimble as he flipped the meat, added seasoning, and controlled the fire. His movements flowed like water, as though he were carrying out some sacred ritual.

With a helper, Aoba was happy to relax. Watching the dancing flames, he casually picked up a pebble from the ground and rolled it between his fingers, lost in thought.

Before long, an even richer and more layered aroma of meat spread through the air.

"Try it." Kota handed him a skewer, anticipation on his face.

Aoba took a bite, and his eyes lit up slightly. It really was different. The fat had been perfectly sealed inside the meat, while the outer layer was crisp and the inside burst with juices. The texture had improved by more than just one level.

"Not bad craftsmanship," Aoba praised sincerely.

Having received approval, Kota chuckled and grabbed a handful of skewers to stuff into his mouth. The stomachs of the Akimichi Clan were bottomless pits; the little setback from before was instantly washed away by his appetite.

"Mmm! This seasoning..."

Kota's chewing suddenly slowed, and he frowned slightly as if recalling something. "This flavor feels so familiar. It's a little like... no, it's more fragrant than that, but this special numbing taste..."

He abruptly looked up, staring at the inconspicuous seasoning bottle in Aoba's hand as he recalled that wildly popular Hot Pot Restaurant in the village.

"Yamashiro Hot Pot Restaurant... Yamashiro?"

A piece of intelligence circulated within his clan flashed through his mind. It was said that the true owner of that Hot Pot Restaurant was actually a very young child.

"You're the owner of Yamashiro Hot Pot Restaurant?" Kota blurted out instinctively.

Aoba played with the pebble, unconsciously rubbing it between his fingertips. He neither confirmed nor denied it. "What, is the Akimichi Clan interested in hot pot too?"

That was as good as admitting it!

The shock in Kota's eyes instantly turned into admiration.

It was already outrageous to possess such strength at this age, yet he could even create such delicious hot pot!

To the Akimichi Clan, being strong might not necessarily earn respect, but someone who could make peerless delicacies was practically a brother from another mother and father!

"That's amazing!"

The flesh on Kota's face trembled with excitement. "My cousin has scratched out several handfuls of hair trying to figure out that seasoning. He said there are a few medicinal herbs in it that he simply can't identify by taste. Um... could you..."

Halfway through, he suddenly covered his mouth. Recipes were the core of the food business, just as ninjutsu was every ninja's secret.

"Sorry, sorry, I was just too curious." Kota looked embarrassed. To cover up his loss of composure, he took another huge bite of meat. "To make it up to you, I'll treat you to barbecue at my family's place next time! It's on me!"

"I appreciate the thought."

Aoba smiled and flicked the pebble away. "But this wild boar really is a bit too big. Help me carry it back later. Of course, before that, you can eat as much as you want."

"Don't worry, leave it to me!"

An hour later, Kota rubbed his belly, let out a full burp, and collapsed onto the ground in satisfaction. "I can't eat anymore... Thanks for the feast!"

"No need to thank me. Since you're full, this is the perfect time to get moving."

Aoba stood up and patted the dust from his clothes.

"Right!"

Kota found several sturdy vines and large leaves, then tied up the wild boar.

Aoba stood nearby watching Kota work. His movements were so skilled that it did not seem like his first time doing this.

"Let's go."

Kota used Partial Multi-Size Technique, and his two enlarged palms easily lifted the bundled wild boar as he headed toward Konoha.

The moment they passed through the outer wire fence, they ran headlong into two strange green creatures.

"Youth! This is youth, Guy!"

A middle-aged man in a tight green jumpsuit, with thick eyebrows and a mustache, was walking on his hands. Beside him was a miniature version of a watermelon-haired boy, also walking on his hands and panting heavily.

Might Duy. Might Guy.

A... unique sight in Konoha.

"Hey! Isn't that Aoba?"

Guy flipped upright, revealing a mouthful of gleaming White Fang that still reflected the setting sun's light. "Training with weights this late? As expected of the rival I acknowledge!"

His gaze fell on the massive mountain of meat behind Aoba, and his pupils shook. "That is... a wild boar? What a huge wild boar... I see, so this is the secret to your strength? Challenging fierce beasts as part of your training!"

"No, I just... went hunting."

Aoba took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice as calm as possible.

Might Duy had already been moved to tears. He rushed over and grabbed Guy by the shoulders. "Do you see that, Guy?! This is youth burning bright! Persevering, sweating beneath the setting sun—this is a man's romance! Guy! This is your role model!"

Aoba: "..."

He had only wanted to get some food, really.

Also, did neither of them listen when other people spoke?

"Yes, Father! I'll work twice as hard too! I'll run five hundred laps around Konoha on my hands! If I can't do it, I'll do a thousand push-ups!" Guy roared passionately.

"Excellent! This is youth! Let us run together!"

"Oh!!!"

Father and son exchanged a glance, as if they had reached some kind of spiritual resonance. Then, amid a cloud of dust, they once again sprinted off into the distance on their hands, leaving Aoba standing there alone, thoroughly disheveled in the wind.

The corner of Aoba's mouth twitched. He felt as though his toes were about to dig a three-bedroom apartment into the ground.

Kota was also dumbfounded. It was not as though he had never encountered those two before.

As Konoha's one-of-a-kind pair, its Eternal Genin were quite famous even among the genin.

But he had only ever watched them from afar before. This was his first real interaction with them.

"Are they... always like that?"

"You'll get used to it."

"Then should I carry it over for you?"

"No need. We aren't even going the same way. I can drag it back myself."

"Mm... okay. See you next time."

"Mm."

Aoba did not think much of it and simply grabbed the vines and dragged the boar away.

He had assumed it was an ordinary "see you," perhaps one that would become "never see you again." Konoha was quite large, after all. One of them was a Ninja Academy student, while the other was already a graduated genin. They rarely had opportunities to meet, and they even lived far apart.

He had not expected that they really would be seeing each other often afterward.