At dusk, Shikamaru and the others returned to Tazuna's house one after another, looking utterly exhausted.
But the moment Shikamaru unlocked the door, he sensed something was off. An incredibly tempting aroma wafted out of the room, making the famished group exchange glances.
Could it be...
Shikamaru didn't hesitate. He opened the door at once and saw Lu Yu smiling at them, with a lavish spread of delicious food beside him.
Shikamaru rubbed his eyes in disbelief and muttered:
"Now this is a rare sight. My big brother actually cooked something delicious himself. Hmm, it looks amazing. Haha, I won't hold back..."
Lu Yu smiled at the rather bedraggled Shikamaru.
"Heh, you little rascal. Hurry up and eat. I figured you must've had a rough time training. I had nothing else to do, so I decided to treat you all to a meal."
At Lu Yu's words, the others nearly burst into tears. "Rough" didn't even begin to describe it. Their training had been downright inhumane.
Shikamaru, Choji, and Asuma immediately flopped down at the table and began wolfing down the food.
Only Ino sat there staring blankly at the person she had been longing to see.
Lu Yu smiled at the dazed Ino, picked up a piece of specially prepared beef with his chopsticks, and gently blew on it twice. Then he looked at her tenderly.
"Here, try some. I brought this special beef back from a very distant place. See what you think of it..."
Ino was completely dumbfounded. Lu Yu, the person she had thought about day and night, had suddenly appeared before her like this—and was now tenderly feeding her.
Ino wouldn't have dared dream up a scene like this, even in her wildest dreams...
Everything before her felt so unreal. Her heart began racing, her pretty face gradually turned red, and her beautiful eyes filled with shyness.
Ino gazed at the piece of beef at her lips, opened her mouth, and took a small bite. It was tender and fragrant, rich but not greasy, with a pleasantly delicate texture. It tasted even better than she had imagined.
A feeling called happiness filled Ino's heart.
Looking at how thin Ino had become, Lu Yu lovingly stroked her cheek and said softly:
"Ino, you've lost weight..."
"Emmm..."
Ino felt like she was going crazy. Good heavens, what had this idiot been doing all those months he was away? How had he changed so much?
A few months ago, he'd only ever ask, "Want some beef jerky?"
Now, all of a sudden, he was cooking for her and tenderly feeding her. Good heavens, you've suddenly gotten so good at flirting. Did you even think about how I'd feel?
Ino's feelings were a tangled mess. She blushed and glanced around. Everyone was busy eating, and no one was paying attention to them.
The shy girl looked up at Lu Yu and murmured:
"Lu Yu..."
Lu Yu didn't give her a chance to say anything. He affectionately tousled her hair and said softly:
"Come on, let's go to my room. I made something special for you. Remember to close your eyes."
Ino's body trembled at his words, and her heart fell into complete disarray...
There was a surprise, too?
You rascal, did you have to change so much? First you feed me, then you tousle my hair, and now you're giving me a surprise—this is too much for my heart...
And I have to close my eyes...
Good heavens, how romantic...
Ino stared at the handsome, sunny face before her, then let Lu Yu take her hand and cover her eyes as he led her into the room.
"All right, Ino. Open your eyes and see what this is."
Curious, Ino opened her beautiful eyes. What appeared before her was a pretty cake with the words:
Happy birthday, Ino!
The cake had an exquisite design, and its decorations were beautiful. Lu Yu had even specially carved a model that looked exactly like Ino.
Ino couldn't help covering her mouth as she gazed at the scene in delight.
She truly hadn't expected Lu Yu to remember her birthday. Seeing the two adorable dolls beside the birthday cake, the young girl felt her heart melt...
"Heh, happy birthday, Ino. Hurry and make a wish."
Ino obediently nodded, closed her eyes, and made a wish before blowing out the candles.
Then she turned to Lu Yu, who was smiling at her. Unable to hold back any longer, she slipped one arm around his neck and rose onto her tiptoes...
"Mmm..."
A few days later, Tazuna's bridge was finished. Because of the shock waves from the punches Lu Yu had "unintentionally" thrown during his fight with Zabuza, the bridge's construction had been delayed by more than three months.
Still, compared with Gato's death and the successful completion of the bridge, the villagers were deeply grateful to Lu Yu and the others.
The bridge, a symbol of hope, was named Lu Yu Bridge!
When it was time to leave, the villagers accompanied the four members of Team 10 to the dock, where a boatman was waiting for them.
And so, the five of them sailed away from the Land of Waves along the waterways.
Several days later, Team 10 arrived safely at the gates of Konoha.
The moment they reached the village entrance, Asuma, who had been in high spirits throughout the journey, suddenly turned pale.
Seeing Mrs. Murakami standing at the village entrance with Ahu in her arms, Lu Yu looked teasingly at Asuma.
"Tsk, a lovesick woman and a faithless man. Asuma-sensei, I can't believe you're that kind of person..."
Asuma glared at Lu Yu. A hint of struggle flashed in his eyes, but in the end he gritted his teeth and trudged over.
Mrs. Murakami saw Asuma too. After muttering something under her breath, she sashayed over to him...
It took Asuma a full half hour to finally persuade his female fan to leave.
Asuma wordlessly wiped the lipstick marks from his face, feeling utterly miserable.
Ten minutes later, Asuma led the group to the Hokage's Office and told the Third Hokage the whole "truth." As a result, Team 10's first mission above D-Rank was upgraded from C-Rank to B-Rank.
Although they had completed their first B-Rank Mission, Team 10 received only the pay for a C-Rank mission.
Tazuna had already spent the extra money on food and drinks along the way...
Fortunately, Lu Yu and the others didn't mind. Lu Yu in particular had so much money on hand that he didn't even know what to do with it...
For Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji, the experience was far more important than the money.
After collecting their pay, Team 10 split up beneath the Hokage Building.
The Third Hokage gazed through the window, keeping his eyes on Lu Yu for a while before murmuring:
"The Chunin Ninja Exams are only a few days away. I wonder how this kid will perform. I'm really looking forward to it..."