Do You Know Who My Dad Is?

During the break, Yamanaka Ino came over and asked curiously, "Denji, did you bring lunch? If you didn't, you can have some of mine."

As she spoke, Yamanaka Ino opened her lunchbox. It was a pretty pink lacquered box, filled with miniature sausages cut into octopus shapes and corn shaped like flowers. A few black sesame seeds were sprinkled over the glistening white rice.

What kind of carb overload was this?

This meal couldn't possibly provide enough energy for his growth and development. Besides, he had a system and needed to eat extra to replenish the energy he used.

This wasn't nearly enough.

Just then, Naruto came over too. He took out his own lunchbox. "You can have some of mine, too."

A dry rice ball, wrapped in a piece of seaweed with ragged edges gone slightly hard.

There was a faint smell of sour, old rice.

To put it simply, it was a rice ball bought from a street stall. It might even have been past its expiration date.

"No need." Denji shook his head, then pulled his own lunchbox out of his backpack.

It was a huge, multi-tiered wooden box with a full seven layers, and it gave off an enticing aroma.

Ino and Naruto were both stunned. Ino asked in surprise, "Is all that for one person?"

Naruto said, "Transfer student, isn't this a little too lavish? You must be rich."

Denji ignored the whispers around him, untied the straps, and began opening the lunchbox one layer at a time.

As soon as he lifted the first lid, a strange, overpowering aroma burst through the classroom. It was an irresistible blend of rich, savory fat, fragrant spices, and the deep, meaty scent of the Maillard reaction. It completely overpowered the mild vegetable smell from Ino's lunchbox—and even the sour scent of the rice ball in Naruto's hand.

"That smells so good..." Naruto's nose twitched twice, and he nearly started drooling.

The layer Denji opened was the seventh: [Dongpo Pork].

Neat squares of braised pork, glossy and red as agate, were stacked together, quivering softly.

Next, he lifted the sixth layer: [Kung Pao Chicken].

The chicken breast had been diced and coated in a glossy red sauce, perfectly combined with crisp peanuts and dried chili peppers.

The fifth layer: [Sweet and Sour Pork].

Golden, crispy pieces were coated in an amber-colored sweet-and-sour sauce. The tangy aroma instantly woke everyone's dormant taste buds.

The fourth layer: [Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork].

The third layer: [Braised Lion's Head Meatball].

The second layer: [Di San Xian].

Finally, the first layer: [Yangzhou Fried Rice].

Seven layers, seven delicious dishes.

"Th-this... Is this enough to feed a pig?" Ino stammered.

"Grrr..."

Someone's stomach growled.

Naruto looked at the dry, cold, possibly expired rice ball in his hand, then at the "mountain of meat" before Denji, steaming and fragrant. Tears of envy welled up at the corners of his mouth.

"Come on, eat with me. Try my cooking."

Yamanaka Ino looked at her octopus-shaped sausages, then at the seven-layer mountain of meat. Finally, she smoothed her skirt and carried her pink lunchbox over, muttering, "Since you're inviting me so sincerely, I suppose I can try a little."

If I had to be a pig, so be it. I was already "Ino the Pig," anyway!

Naruto's eyes lit up like two lightbulbs. Like a yellow whirlwind, he darted to Denji's desk, a river of drool already gathering at the corner of his mouth.

"Really, Denji? You're such a great guy!"

Ino picked up a piece of Dongpo Pork. The soft, tender fat melted on her tongue, and its perfectly balanced savory-sweet sauce instantly brought every cell in her body to life.

She'd expected the fatty pork to be greasy, but the moment it touched her teeth, it melted like a snowflake. The rich aroma of the sauce mingled with the pork's natural savoriness, bursting across her palate before sliding down her throat into her stomach. A wave of warmth spread through her limbs.

"Mmph! Mmmph!!" Naruto's eyes widened, and tears shot from their corners. "It's delicious! So delicious! This is ten thousand times better than the chashu at Ichiraku Ramen! What kind of jutsu is this?!"

The aroma soon drew Akimichi Choji over from the corner.

"(╯▽╰) Smells so good~~"

The sturdy little chubby boy couldn't stop himself from walking over. He saw that the new student was from the Akimichi Clan, just like him.

"Can I have some?"

Denji looked up and saw his adoptive little brother. He beckoned him over. "You're here. Come eat with us."

In Choji's eyes, food was the most important thing in the world. It was meant to be enjoyed alone, never shared with anyone else.

He'd been a little embarrassed at first, but the aroma was simply too tempting. Feeling somewhat guilty about mooching a meal, Akimichi Choji thumped his chest and said, "Don't worry! You treated me to a meal, so we're best friends.

"You're an Akimichi, too.

"Do you know who my dad is? He's the Akimichi Clan patriarch, Akimichi Choza.

"With me looking out for you, no one will dare mess with you."

Denji stared at Choji's "Choji-isms," thoroughly bewildered.

Choji picked up a piece of sweet-and-sour pork and popped it into his mouth.

His eyes widened, and tears spilled from them.

Now this was meat! This was food!

Three-Color Dango, Military Ration Pills—compared to this sweet-and-sour pork, they were all heresy!

From now on, I, Akimichi Choji, am a devoted member of the sweet-and-sour camp.

"Delicious!!!"

Akimichi Denji clicked his tongue. "The Akimichi Clan's genes really are terrifying."

Hinata had been walking nearby, hoping to have lunch with Denji.

But when she saw the crowd gathered around him, she didn't know whether to go over or stay away. She was caught in a dilemma.

Akimichi Denji had noticed her, of course. He pulled Hinata over and handed her a lunchbox.

"I saved this for you."

Hinata's cheeks flushed red, and she sat down beside him.

Looking at the lunchbox in her hands, she thought in dismay, I'd meant to thank Denji.

Why did I end up sitting down to eat again? But the food Denji makes really is delicious.

Remembering how good yesterday's meal had been, Hinata couldn't resist opening the lunchbox.

Denji ignored the noisy crowd and focused on the food in front of him.

Eating was the most important part of his training every day. After all, he had a system that let him gain energy from food and strengthen his body.

[Energy Points +3]

A ninja's foundation seemed to rest on chakra. The amount of chakra they had directly determined their potential. But in truth, the most fundamental factor was their physical constitution.

Chakra was produced by refining physical energy and spiritual energy.

Without a strong body, one couldn't have much chakra or achieve much.

Physical fitness was a ninja's foundation.

In this world, where bloodlines reigned supreme, many ninjas relied on their heritage to reach their full potential. For some ordinary people, the highest they could ever rise was Chunin.

By contrast, Konoha's Genin might only have the title of Genin, yet could casually unleash enough chakra to destroy the world.

Fortunately, while you have your bloodline, I have my system.

He had worked hard all night yesterday, and had only managed to raise his chakra to 10. He hadn't even reached his limit yet.

According to the system, that was the threshold for becoming a Genin. Chunin generally started at a chakra level of 1,000.

For Jonin, the gap widened, and the minimum entry threshold was around 10,000.

Denji estimated that if he used Kakashi—the famous unit of chakra measurement—as a benchmark, then one Kakashi was probably around 20,000 chakra.

So jokes aside, Kakashi really did have a lot of chakra.

The afternoon sun shone brightly overhead. At the Ninja Academy, mornings were generally for theory lessons, while afternoons were for practical training.

"Today, we'll review the Clone Technique," Iruka said.