Can't Use It!

"Lord Danzo, the other party's cells are far too aggressive."

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

Danzo was instantly irritated; he had only turned to the Uzumaki cells because the Hashirama cells were unusable.

Now, the man was telling him that the Uzumaki cells were unusable as well.

"Do not be anxious, my lord." Seeing Danzo's anger, the man remained entirely unperturbed; he would never have dared to report the current situation if he hadn't already reached a conclusion.

"If you have a result, speak quickly." Danzo was a man of impatience. Seeing the other party still hesitating, he felt a surge of displeasure. If the man's abilities weren't so vital, he would have been buried six feet under long ago.

Naruto was unaware of the conspiracy brewing in Danzo's quarters—or rather, Naruto had never cared for Danzo's existence in the first place.

Upon returning to the village, Naruto couldn't help but suggest they celebrate.

Hinata was quite moved, and in the end, Kakashi agreed—with the caveat that he would be the one paying.

The three of them arrived at the barbecue restaurant.

"Sasuke, Naruto." As soon as they stepped through the door, they heard someone calling out to them.

"Shikamaru, Choji, it's been a long time." Seeing his two friends, Naruto felt a sudden wave of happiness; it really had been a long time since they last met.

"Did you two just get back from a mission?" Shikamaru asked with curiosity.

"Yeah, we were on a long-term mission, stuck out there for over half a month." Thinking of this, Naruto couldn't help but grumble.

"I'm so envious. We haven't even left the village in ages." Choji couldn't help but cast a resentful look at their team's jonin leader.

Asuma scratched his head in embarrassment and greeted Kakashi.

"I'm the one who should be envious. Look at how good your team leader is to you. Unlike Kakashi-sensei, who is such a stingy miser." Naruto leaned in closer, whispering his complaints about Kakashi.

Hearing this, Choji couldn't help but feel a bit smug; by comparison, he felt their team leader was quite generous.

After chatting for a few moments, the group headed to another table to order their meal.

"Naruto really hasn't changed a bit." Shikamaru watched Naruto's smiling face and couldn't help but offer a faint smile.

"Yeah, he's exactly the same, though it feels like his relationship with Hinata has gotten even better." Choji was also quite happy.

"Hinata, Kakashi is paying today, so make sure you eat your fill." As soon as they sat down, Naruto said this to Hinata.

Hinata blushed instantly. Because she was always with Naruto, and Naruto spent every day feeding her, Kakashi and the others had become well aware of Hinata's appetite. In truth, Hinata wanted to say that her appetite had decreased significantly because Naruto's chakra was nourishing her body, meaning she didn't need to eat nearly as much. However, because Naruto enjoyed feeding her so much, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Hearing Naruto's words, Kakashi's expression shifted.

Over the past half-month, he had become all too familiar with the appetites of Naruto and Hinata. Their capacity for food was even more terrifying than that of the Akimichi clan. Thinking of them eating to their hearts' content, Kakashi's hand couldn't help but tremble.

Sasuke's mouth twitched. He wanted to say something, but seeing the joyful expressions on their faces, he didn't know if he should.

Kakashi felt his appetite vanish, his mind echoing with nothing but Naruto's words: Make sure you eat your fill.

Could it be that Naruto's strength comes from his ability to eat so much? Kakashi couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

Sasuke had the same thought. Whether it was Naruto Uzumaki or Hinata Hyuga, their chakra reserves were far greater than his own, and given their shared trait of a massive appetite, it was hard for Sasuke not to start overthinking.

As soon as the barbecue was served, the three of them began to eat voraciously. Even Sasuke felt his own appetite growing significantly.

Seeing Sasuke eating with such desperation, Kakashi knew immediately that he was thinking the same thing.

He couldn't help but grumble internally: Even if you eat yourself to death, you'll never possess Naruto's chakra reserves.

Naruto, naturally, was unaware of their thoughts and was instead wondering why Second Pillar's appetite was so good today. Could it be that he'd eaten too much fish over the last half-month?

Watching the three of them eat, Kakashi picked up a piece of meat, but he truly couldn't bring himself to swallow it.

He felt a pang of heartache for his wallet.

The atmosphere at their table began to influence Choji Akimichi, who was eating nearby.

"Naruto really lives up to his reputation!" Seeing the way Naruto ate, Choji Akimichi's competitive spirit ignited.

Shikamaru and Ino felt a sense of impending doom.

Sure enough, the next moment:

"I won't lose to Naruto." Choji began to shovel meat into his mouth.

Asuma was speechless, his heart aching for his own wallet.

He couldn't help but blame Kakashi for deciding to pay for the meal today.

Despite his words, Naruto still had some restraint. He spent most of his time grilling meat for Hinata and feeding her, not eating all that much himself.

He didn't actually need to eat; he only did so to satisfy his palate.

The Six Thief Immortals was a miraculous power; to call him a terrestrial immortal would be no exaggeration.

He had no need for food, nor did he need to defecate. Anything he consumed was digested completely, leaving no waste behind. At the same time, it granted him eternal youth and immortality.

Moreover, the Six Thief Immortals had a mysterious origin, even in the context of fantasy worlds. In this world, there were far too many things for Naruto to devour, so even he didn't know what he might eventually achieve.

Just as the group was busy eating and drinking, the cry of an eagle echoed from the sky.

Kakashi, who had been feeling rather melancholic, instantly straightened his expression.

"Naruto, you guys go ahead and eat, I'm going to settle the bill," Kakashi said, his figure vanishing instantly.

"What's going on? Kakashi-sensei just bailed on us," Sasuke said, hurriedly stopping mid-chew, looking puzzled.

"It's probably a summons for the jonin. Something must have happened," Naruto gestured toward the door, where Asuma was also walking away.

Sasuke realized it immediately.

It must have been the hawk's cry from earlier.

"It's fine, it doesn't concern us. Let's keep eating!" Naruto reassured Hinata, continuing to grill meat for her.

Deep down, however, he felt a surge of excitement.

Is it finally here?

The Chunin Exams.

As expected, inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage had summoned all the jonin currently in Konoha who were not out on missions for a meeting, the purpose being the joint Chunin Exams.

"The Wind Hidden Village has submitted a request to us for joint Chunin Exams, and we have agreed. The exams will commence in seven days," the Third Hokage announced to the jonin standing before him.

At the same time, there were missions to be assigned to them.

They were to notify the other smaller ninja villages and invite them to participate in Konoha's Chunin Exams.

The other major nations would be notified as well, but it was unlikely they would attend since this was a joint event between Konoha and the Wind Hidden Village. Although it was an era of peace, for the Ninja World, there was no such thing as true peace; everyone was merely accumulating strength, waiting for the next Great Ninja War.