Can't a Guy Even Eat in Peace?

The adorable girl looked as if she'd seen something terrifying. Her scream nearly split everyone's eardrums.

The once-bustling dining hall fell silent in an instant. Almost everyone looked up at the same time, turning toward the girl at the door—Kushina Uzumaki!

Li Tong, who had been eating noodles, looked up too. The moment he saw Kushina, he choked as if he'd swallowed water, spat out the noodles in his mouth, and began coughing violently.

Of all the luck!

He'd forgotten to check the almanac before leaving home today.

He'd actually run into that damn girl!

The girl's eyes were wide as saucers. She pointed at Li Tong with her pale, delicate finger, her arm trembling as she practically vibrated with excitement.

Whoosh—

Everyone in the dining hall turned in unison to follow Kushina's pointing finger, looking at Li Tong as he coughed and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

What was going on?

Kushina Uzumaki and Li Tong, the rogue ninja from Amegakure... They seemed to have some kind of history!

"Pervert! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!" Kushina started shouting again, jabbing her finger at Li Tong with every word in a steady rhythm.

"Hey! You little brat!" Li Tong slammed his fist on the table and glared at Kushina.

"Young sir, miss, please don't argue, don't argue..." Seeing trouble brewing, the waiter hurried over with an ingratiating smile, trying to smooth things over.

"Oh! What's going on? Kushina, what did he do to make you curse him like that?" a nosy ninja asked with a mischievous grin.

Kushina was blunt by nature. Without thinking, she blurted out Li Tong's "crime."

"He took off his clothes in front of me... Ah!" Kushina let out another scream. She realized she'd said too much.

"What?!"

"He took off his clothes?"

"Oh my goodness, this is outrageous!"

"What a beast!"

"Kids these days are really something!"

"What a scandal!"

The dining hall at the restaurant grew noisy, and more than a few people clicked their tongues.

Black lines appeared across Li Tong's forehead. He was so innocent!

"Ah! Pervert! Villain! You're all horrible!" Eight-year-old Kushina, both embarrassed and furious, cursed everyone in the dining hall, covered her burning red face, and ran outside! She vanished in a flash.

"Ha, the girl's embarrassed now."

"Come on, let's eat. You lot shouldn't pick on a girl."

After Kushina left, the ninjas in the dining hall stopped discussing her and returned to the earlier topics of "One Hundred and Three Cuts" and "Hyuga Anan's death." Many of them kept glancing at Li Tong.

The Konoha ninjas naturally understood that Li Tong couldn't really have done anything to Kushina. Otherwise, he wouldn't be sitting here eating noodles as if nothing had happened. If anything had really happened, Kushina's aunt, "Konoha's number-one she-devil," Tsunade, would have torn him apart! She'd do it even in front of the Anbu Ninja!

Li Tong could tell that these ninjas were just bored! They'd deliberately teased a little girl like that!

"What a bunch of jerks!" Li Tong muttered, echoing Kushina's words.

He'd completely lost his appetite!

Li Tong had just spat out his noodles, and with his fastidious nature, he absolutely wouldn't eat them again. He was even starting to dislike the restaurant! These ninjas were so annoying!

"Check, please!" Li Tong picked up his chopsticks, then set them down and beckoned to the waiter.

He wasn't eating anymore. He'd pay and leave!

Amid the noisy chatter, Li Tong left Baiye Inn. Before long, he arrived at another upscale restaurant in Konoha called Jiangchuan Flavor. It seemed the owner's surname was Jiangchuan.

The décor was luxurious, and the place was spotless!

As the waiter greeted him enthusiastically, Li Tong walked inside.

"Look, that's him!"

"Those dual-colored eyes—he's Li Tong. I heard he killed Hyuga Anan last night!"

"Brutal! One hundred and three cuts!"

"They say his guts spilled all over the ground. His body was stabbed to pieces!"

"The Hyuga Clan definitely won't let him off! He's done for!"

Just after the waiter showed Li Tong to a seat by the window, he heard those familiar-sounding whispers again. He chose to ignore them! He opened the menu and ordered several of the most expensive dishes, along with a large bowl of noodles.

Jiangchuan Flavor Restaurant was packed, but the food came quickly.

Before long, everything was served, and Li Tong dug in.

He savored the delicious food, glancing out the window now and then. This meal was a delight. He ate slowly and carefully. He had nothing to do and wasn't in a hurry. As for the chatter in the dining hall, they could all go to hell!

Half an hour later.

Li Tong had only eaten half his bowl of noodles and barely touched the dishes, which had all gone cold. He thought for a moment, put down his chopsticks, and beckoned to the waiter again.

He ordered three more dishes!

He had money, and he could do what he wanted!

Most of the customers at this restaurant were ninjas, though a few wealthy merchants were there too. Li Tong was still eating slowly and carefully, while the crowd in the dining hall had already changed. As a Konoha ninja, he was probably the most carefree person in the entire village right now.

Another group of ninjas walked in. There were six of them. They found an empty table and sat down, and after ordering their food, they started talking.

"Hey, have you heard? Hyuga Anan is dead!"

"I know. They say it was that Rain Ninja rogue they just recruited! Li Tong!"

"Ha! He's asking for it! I heard the Anbu Ninja are secretly protecting him, but it won't do him any good!"

"Exactly! He's just some outsider. Lord Hokage won't go all out to protect him. The Hyuga Clan has a hundred ways to kill him without anyone noticing!"

"By the way, I just heard something else, about Kushina Uzumaki. You know her, right?"

"Obviously. She's the Uzumaki Clan girl who came to the village a year ago, right? The one with red hair. I heard Lady Tsunade really likes her, and she even calls Lady Tsunade aunt. What about Li Tong? Why bring her up?"

"You haven't heard? I just heard that Li Tong tried to molest Kushina Uzumaki, and she called him a pervert. They say he even took all his clothes off!"

"Took them all off?"

"Yeah! Apparently he stripped naked, and even made Kushina..."

"That bold? Tsk, tsk! He's gotten himself into even deeper trouble than killing Hyuga Anan. If Lady Tsunade finds out, she'll tear him apart, won't she?"

"You bet! I've never seen anyone ask for trouble like this! Are Rain Ninja always this brazen?"

The discussion carried on, reaching Li Tong's ears. He froze, noodles in his mouth, utterly motionless, eyes wide. After a long moment, he slowly raised his head and looked at the group of ninjas who'd just come in.

What the hell? It was like a ghost story!

The rumor had spread! So quickly! That made no sense!

"Poor Kushina's only eight! That bastard had the nerve to lay a hand on her. What a beast! I hear the Police Force are already looking for him. They're going to arrest him!" someone else said.

"Pfft—" Li Tong couldn't hold back. He spat out another mouthful of noodles.

Damn it!

Couldn't a guy even eat in peace?!