The Ino-Shika-Cho Family Meeting

At night, Akimichi Denji took out a flesh-colored pill without hesitation; it was the Military Ration Pill that Akimichi Choza had just mentioned.

The Military Ration Pill could replenish both energy and chakra. Generally, it was an emergency supply for wartime, and due to its cost, few people could afford to use it in daily life.

However, thanks to Akimichi Choza's permission, the Military Ration Pills were supplied to him without limit, which perfectly satisfied his need for energy points.

Everything was moving in the right direction.

Swallowing it, Denji felt the chakra and energy dissipating within him, and he began to feel a bit heated.

After a month of binge eating, Denji's stomach had grown larger, and his digestive capacity had strengthened accordingly.

Even so, he estimated that it would take two days to fully absorb a single Military Ration Pill.

After all, the Military Ration Pill was a special supply for wartime ninjas, and eating one could satisfy the dietary needs of three days.

Correspondingly, the speed of his energy increase had also risen.

Based on this rate of digestion, Denji estimated that one Military Ration Pill provided approximately 10 energy points.

Feeling the energy points slowly increasing on his panel, Denji nodded with satisfaction.

This way, he didn't have to rack his brains over what to eat and could still ensure a constant influx of energy.

Otherwise, if he were to gorge himself every day, not only would he have to worry about what to eat, but he would also easily turn himself into a glutton with an oversized stomach.

Besides the energy, there was also excess chakra, so Denji simply took advantage of this chakra to start practicing the Three Body Technique.

The road ahead is long and arduous; I shall search high and low for the truth.

The night was not yet deep. In the heart of the Nara Clan compound, the heads of the three Ino-Shika-Cho families—Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, and Akimichi Choza—sat around a stove.

Sake was warming on the stove, and all three were dressed in casual attire.

This was a private conversation; there were no extra personnel, only the three clan heads.

As members of the same squad during the Second Great Ninja War and heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho, the three shared a close relationship and had forged a deep friendship through years of combat, often gathering like this in the past.

But today's topic was a bit different.

Nara Shikaku's face showed surprise: "Are you saying your new son has such talent that he could autonomously operate the Chakra Refinement Technique in just one day?"

Yamanaka Inoichi recalled the name Denji and felt it sounded familiar; his daughter seemed to have mentioned it to him tonight...

Choza's face was full of pride: "That's right! He must have inherited my genes. He has the same style I had back in the day."

Yamanaka Inoichi bluntly tore down Choza's facade: "Give it a rest. We grew up together; who doesn't know it took you a year to barely manage autonomous operation?"

Choza wasn't annoyed by the jab; their years of friendship meant they were used to this kind of bickering: "My son naturally inherited my style."

Among the three, Nara Shikaku, known as the "Deer of Wisdom," was not as naive as his two companions.

The fact that Denji had learned it in a day raised his concerns, and he felt there might be something fishy going on.

Nara Shikaku spoke slowly: "Are you sure he is operating your Akimichi Clan's Chakra Refinement Technique? After all, the Chakra Refinement Technique isn't exclusive to your Akimichi Clan. What if he is practicing the Chakra Refinement Technique from Amegakure..."

Akimichi Choza was somewhat irritated: "Of course it's real. I've been a ninja for so many years; do you think I can't recognize the characteristics of our own refinement technique?"

Nara Shikaku nodded: "In that case, it is a good thing."

Seeing that his two companions didn't have much of a reaction, Choza slowly threw out another piece of news: "Not only that, I discovered that after Denji refined his chakra, he also awakened a Kekkei Genkai."

As soon as these words were spoken, Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi, who had been calmly sipping warm sake, spat it out.

Yamanaka Inoichi blurted out: "What did you say?"

Nara Shikaku wiped the sake away with a handkerchief and asked: "A new Kekkei Genkai?"

Shikaku's previous worries about a spy were instantly cleared away.

If he were just a spy, hiding a Kekkei Genkai would have been the better choice.

No ninja village would be stupid enough to send out a ninja with a Kekkei Genkai to act as an obvious spy.

Regardless of the village, ninjas with Kekkei Genkai were strategic assets that concerned the foundation of the village.

"That's right. I've named it Scorch Release. I found that this Kekkei Genkai is highly compatible with our Akimichi Clan's secret techniques."

"I think the three of us should cultivate him together. This is an opportunity for our three clans."

Yamanaka Inoichi nodded: "That's good. Since it involves a Kekkei Genkai, he must be cultivated with emphasis."

After pondering for a while, Nara Shikaku spoke: "I agree that we should focus on cultivating Denji. But the fact that Denji has awakened a Kekkei Genkai must be made known to the Hokage."

"Is it necessary to tell the Hokage about this kind of thing?"

Akimichi Choza subconsciously wanted to object. A Kekkei Genkai concerned the prosperity and flourishing of a clan.

Revealing it to the Nara and Yamanaka clans was already a sign of their excellent relationship; the Ino-Shika-Cho had always acted in unison.

Exposing Denji's talent to the Yamanaka and Nara clans was beneficial for securing benefits for him among the three families.

But exposing it to the Hokage would increase the risk for no reason, and Choza was naturally unwilling.

"The reason the Ino-Shika-Cho have always been able to remain a major clan in Konoha has a lot to do with the fact that we have always stood with the Hokage's faction.

Although the Hokage did not stop Denji from returning to the village, he has always kept a close eye on him."

You must understand, the higher-ups have been suspicious of whether Denji is a spy. After all, Denji was lost in the Land of Rain for many years...

Choza muttered with dissatisfaction, "How could Denji possibly be a spy!"

Seeing his comrade's displeasure, Shikaku pacified him, "I understand, and Inoichi understands too. But others are not us, after all; they will inevitably have their concerns."

"Letting the Hokage know and demonstrating Denji's value will raise Denji's standing in the Hokage's heart."

"And by taking the initiative to clarify this matter, we can also dispel the Hokage's doubts."

"A Kekkei Genkai is not something that can be hidden forever, after all."

"If we wait for the Hokage to discover it himself, it might lead to complications or be exploited by those with ulterior motives to sow discord."

"Therefore, all things considered, reporting this matter ourselves is not only more favorable for the situation, but with the village's backing, Denji can also feel at ease displaying his Kekkei Genkai, which is more conducive to his growth."

Nara Shikaku explained patiently.

As the "Deer of Wisdom," his sensitivity to politics was higher than that of Akimichi Choza and Yamanaka Inoichi, allowing him to see the pros and cons clearly.

Akimichi Choza also felt it made sense and nodded in agreement.

The Nara Clan had always been the brains among their three families.

His previous rebuttal was only because the word "spy" was far too extreme.

Now, after the slow and methodical explanation, although he was a member of the Butterfly Clan, he was a clan head after all; Choza could still see the pros and cons clearly.

The firelight flickered, and the three men did not continue the topic, slowly sipping their sake and chatting about domestic trifles until they parted ways.

The next day, Akimichi Denji opened his door.

Upon stepping out, he saw Akimichi Choji at the dining table, already wolfing down his breakfast.

Having been arranged by Choza, Denji was now officially living with Choji and Choza.

However, at his request, Choza still allowed him to keep his original small cabin on the outskirts of the Akimichi Clan compound.

After all, Akimichi Denji also needed a space to experiment with new ninjutsu.

As well as to spend time with Hinata, and perhaps Ino would join them later.

Of course, this was purely for the sake of Wish Points.