Slaughtering the Fat Sheep

"If you think I can sleep in your sister's bed, who do you think I am?"

Shangguan Yue looked at Senju Nawaki with a wicked grin. Seeing that look in his eyes, Senju Nawaki felt his entire world crumble.

"Re... really?"

Senju Nawaki's eyes were filled with hope, as if grasping at a final straw, desperately wanting to hear the confirmation from Shangguan Yue's own lips.

"You've already guessed it, so why ask? My name is Shangguan Yue."

Good grief, the camel had truly been crushed by that final straw. "No~!"

Shangguan Yue watched Senju Nawaki's desperate cry, the background music of A Plum Blossom seemingly echoing around him.

"How could it be like this? My brother-in-law is so small? He's the same age as me!!!

Oh heavens, how am I supposed to hold my head up in the future? I'll be a laughingstock for the rest of my life.

My sister wouldn't agree to this, right?"

Seeing Senju Nawaki's pitiful state, Shangguan Yue couldn't bear it any longer and decided to tell him the truth.

"Your sister, well, I didn't agree to it either, but it was your sister who dragged me back, so..."

"No~!"

"Snowflakes drifting~ North winds whistling~ The world~ is a vast~ expanse~..."

Senju Nawaki sat there with his head hung low in despair, muttering to himself, his eyes filled with confusion, not even noticing when the grilled meat was served.

Shangguan Yue didn't care about any of that; he dug in with both hands, and in no time, he had polished off more than half of it. The speed at which the dishes were served couldn't keep up with his pace.

Sipping tea and picking his teeth, he sighed, "Sigh, the energy in this food is too low. My Devouring Power isn't reaching its maximum effect, but I suppose it's better than nothing."

He recalled the very first day he ate this much grilled meat. Tsunade, worried, had specifically checked Shangguan Yue's body. That day...

"Huh? Your physical strength..." Tsunade looked at Shangguan Yue with suspicion, her gaze making him feel a chill down his spine.

"What are you doing?"

"Can you still eat?"

"Of course. This is only half-full, though I don't know when my appetite became so monstrous."

"Fine," Tsunade turned and shouted, "Boss, another table!"

"Coming right up, just a moment!"

Before long, another table was served. Tsunade signaled with her eyes, and Shangguan Yue didn't stand on ceremony.

The stimulation of his stomach churning and expanding whetted his appetite. He felt no fullness, no discomfort; on the contrary, the more he ate, the better he felt, both physically and mentally.

"Burp, finished. Time to pack up. That's enough for today, I feel like I've had about enough."

Tsunade didn't speak, instead channeling chakra into Shangguan Yue's body. After a moment, she said, "As I thought... Let's go, let's head back first."

At the training ground of Tsunade's home, Shangguan Yue watched as Tsunade looked at him with a complex expression—solemn, incredulous, and utterly bewildered.

"What's wrong with you? Did I eat too much and now your heart aches for your wallet?"

"Sigh... Your body, after consuming large amounts of food, is actually slowly increasing in strength. This is the first time I've ever seen such an ability.

An ordinary person might not notice, but I'm different. Your physical strength increases slowly after every meal. It defies all logic."

"So what?"

Tsunade's forehead was covered in black lines. "This ability of yours is heaven-defying, you know. Can you at least show some reaction?" Tsunade picked Shangguan Yue up and shook him back and forth in her arms.

Shangguan Yue was stunned by the sudden, soft impact of her chest. "Okay, okay, okay~ give me some more."

"Forget it. Remember, this ability is a secret. Don't tell anyone, or you'll end up being captured as a lab rat for people to study."

"Mm-hmm, I've got it. Could you put me down? It's a bit stifling." Shangguan Yue wiggled left and right, realizing he was wrapped up tight, and decided self-rescue was a priority.

Just like that, two months passed. Shangguan Yue realized that his ability to improve his physical fitness through eating stemmed from the Otsutsuki bloodline, which allowed for devouring and evolution.

Although the progress was slow, combined with his own training and massive food intake, Shangguan Yue's physical strength was now on par with an elite genin.

It was a pity that his methods were too singular, but Shangguan Yue was open-minded about it; one trick is enough to conquer the world.

Shangguan Yue stuffed the last piece of meat into his mouth. "Burp."

"The food today wasn't bad. Nawaki, pay the bill."

"Huh? Pay the bill? What bill?"

Nawaki, still dazed, looked back. "Holy crap, you ate all of this?"

Nawaki stared at the mountain of empty plates on the table, his entire being feeling unwell.

"Duh, obviously. There were only two of us in this private room."

"So, there's no more grilled meat? I haven't even eaten yet!"

"Then do you still want to eat? I'll wait for you."

"...Sigh, forget it, I have no appetite. Check, please."

Hearing the request for the bill, the attendant at the door scurried off to fetch the proprietor. Before long, a chubby man from the Akimichi Clan squeezed into the private room.

"Brother Shangguan, did you enjoy the meal? This is top-tier ninja beast meat, cultivated by us personally."

Shangguan Yue felt the intensity of the growth within his body this time and nodded with satisfaction. "Mm, not bad. Keep to this standard from now on. He'll be paying today."

"You got it! Young Master Nawaki, here is the bill."

Senju Nawaki, adopting the air of a wealthy young master, took the bill and was instantly dumbfounded. "What the hell? 500,000? Is this meat made of gold?"

"We treat every customer fairly, Young Master Nawaki. These are all standard prices."

Seeing Shangguan Yue staring at him, Nawaki reluctantly took out his purse. "Here, take it."

The proprietor eyed the remaining stack of bills in Senju Nawaki's purse.

"Alright, Young Master. Your sister also has some outstanding tabs; would you like to settle those as well?"

"Huh? My sister... fine, how much?"

"A total of 5 million will suffice."

"I... here you go."

Nawaki gritted his teeth, emptied his purse, and put on a facade of indifference.

My savings... they're all gone now.