Good wine and good food were meant to be shared with good friends. That made the wine richer, and the food... not enough!
If there wasn't enough, they had to fight for it. Food won by fighting tasted even better.
In that atmosphere, even lazy Nara Shikamaru couldn't help eating several extra pieces of meat. Still, the one who ate the fastest and the most was that fatty, Choji Akimichi. Using Shikamaru as a unit of measurement, Choji's appetite was roughly equal to three to five Shikamarus.
While they ate, the topic turned to the Chunin Exams, which were usually held around this season every year. News of the Chunin Exams was spreading like wildfire, with all sorts of rumors flying around.
Sarara said, "Hey, Hayato, you're still a genin, right? Don't tell me you're planning to take the Chunin Exams?"
Sasuke, who knew Hayato's strength, darkened. If Hayato entered, wouldn't that be bullying everyone else?
Hayato said, "Probably not. Counting this mission, Lord Hokage should at least give me a promotion and a raise. You can't expect the horse to run fast without feeding it grass."
Though he said that, Hayato had an ominous feeling. Logically, judging by the number and quality of missions he had completed, he should have been promoted to chunin long ago. If this were wartime, he might already have become a jonin capable of standing on his own.
Naruto asked, "Kakashi-sensei, we'll be taking the Chunin Exams too, right?"
Kakashi said, "That depends on how you perform next. If you do well, I'll register you. If not, don't go embarrass yourselves."
Naruto was brimming with fighting spirit. "All right! I'll give it everything I've got!"
Asuma Sarutobi said to Shikamaru and the others, "The same goes for you three."
"It doesn't matter if we