Konoha's New Generation of Ninja, and the Saiyan's Terrifying Appetite!

Outside Akimichi BBQ Q on Konoha's central street.

Konoha's new generation of Ninja, having just finished their battlefield mission, were gathering here for a meal.

"Yo, Kurenai. Long time no see."

Asuma Sarutobi, dressed in a flashy black bodysuit with his neatly trimmed beard, greeted Kurenai Yuhi in front of him.

Kurenai frowned slightly as she glanced at Asuma, merely giving him a polite nod.

"Asuma, I heard you developed a brand-new Fire Release ninjutsu?"

Genma Shiranui, a senbon clenched between his teeth and sunglasses on his face, asked curiously.

"That's right. I developed a new Fire Release ninjutsu called the Lighter Technique. You spit out cigarette ash, then use a lighter to ignite it," Asuma said rather proudly.

"What kind of ninjutsu is that? If that counts as a new ninjutsu, then if I dilute and spit out candy syrup, can I claim I invented a new Water Release ninjutsu?"

Izumo Kamizuki, who was eating candy, immediately mocked him with a laugh.

"Izumo, that's where you're wrong. Can you compare yourself to Asuma? Who's his father? Forget spitting ash—even tossing out a lighter could count as a brand-new Fire Release ninjutsu."

Kotetsu Hagane, who was practically inseparable from Izumo Kamizuki, laughed as well.

"You bastard, Kotetsu..." Though Asuma was being teased, he was not angry and merely cursed back with a smile.

"Anko, you finally made it." Kurenai, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly brightened and pulled a dazed girl into her arms.

Hidden Shadow Snake Hands! The dazed Anko Mitarashi immediately raised her hand, and several venomous snakes shot from her sleeve and wrapped around Kurenai.

Poof.

Kurenai's body instantly turned into smoke. She appeared behind Anko and patted her shoulder. "Anko, are you trying to kill me?"

"Kurenai, I'm really sorry. I was a little distracted just now," Anko said, finally snapping out of it, her face full of apology.

"Anko, did something troublesome happen?" Kurenai looked at her curiously.

"It's my teacher who ran into trouble." Anko fell silent for a moment before continuing, "Teacher Orochimaru returned from the Sand Shinobi battlefield, muttering things like Tailed Beast Balls, the truth, Ninja power being so insignificant, and how the unchanging Ninja World was finally about to change... He even locked himself in his laboratory as soon as he came back."

Anko Mitarashi's face was filled with worry.

As Orochimaru's most prized disciple,

Anko Mitarashi had always regarded Orochimaru as the person she admired most.

Therefore, Anko Mitarashi had always wanted to stay on the same wavelength as Orochimaru.

She had done well at that before, and Orochimaru had been very fond of her.

But ever since Orochimaru suddenly returned from the Sand Shinobi battlefield, Anko had discovered that her teacher had become very strange.

Teacher Orochimaru seemed to have been frightened by something, and his mental state was extremely odd. Excitement? Fear? Curiosity?

Anko felt that she could no longer understand her teacher.

This deeply troubled Anko, who had always wanted to stay on the same wavelength as Orochimaru, to the point that she was absentminded even at this Ninja classmates' gathering.

Faced with Anko's troubles, Kurenai merely shrugged, indicating that there was nothing she could do to help.

Rather than worrying about Anko, a disciple of one of the Three Ninja, Kurenai felt that her own situation was far worse.

Among this generation of young Ninja,

the strongest and most dazzling person was undoubtedly Kakashi Hatake.

At the same age of twelve, Kakashi had already become a Konoha jonin.

The one with the strongest background was that flashy, bearded Asuma Sarutobi.

And the luckiest were Anko Mitarashi and Rin Nohara. One had become the disciple of Orochimaru, one of the Three Ninja, while the other had become the disciple of Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash.

The most hardworking was undoubtedly Might Guy.

As for Obito Uchiha, who was known as dead last, he was a member of Konoha's true aristocracy, the Uchiha Clan, and possessed the Ninja World's strongest Kekkei Genkai from birth.

And what about herself? No taijutsu, no background, no luck. She only had genjutsu worth mentioning, and even that was thoroughly countered by Obito Uchiha's Sharingan.

"If I don't find a way to improve myself soon, everyone will leave me completely behind." Kurenai still wore a smile, but inwardly, she was already extremely anxious.

"Yo, is everyone here so early? Is this youth? It seems I've been too lax after all. As punishment, after this meal, I'll run two hundred laps around Konoha on my hands!"

Might Guy, dressed in a green bodysuit with thick eyebrows, arrived at Barbecue Q while walking on his hands and then declared his creed of youth.

"Alright, everyone's here. Let's go in." After Might Guy arrived, Asuma spoke.

"Wait, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin aren't here yet." Might Guy stopped Asuma in confusion.

"No need to wait for them. They took on an S-rank mission at the last minute and went to the Sand Shinobi battlefield with Lord Minato." Asuma stroked his beard, speaking with some envy.

"Is that so? Kakashi truly is my lifelong rival, Might Guy! This is youth!" Might Guy raised his thumb excitedly again, his gleaming white teeth exceptionally blinding.

Asuma and the others stared at Might Guy with black lines across their faces before helplessly entering the barbecue restaurant.

The moment they entered, Asuma and the others saw stacks of plates that nearly reached the ceiling.

In front of those plates, a group of plump Akimichi Clan members stood staring blankly ahead.

"What... is going on?" Asuma stared blankly at the scene before him, completely unaware of what had happened.

Anko Mitarashi was the sharp-eyed one, immediately spotting an acquaintance.

"Uncle Choza, what's going on here?" Anko Mitarashi walked up to a plump man and asked curiously.

"Oh, it's Anko." Choza Akimichi looked down at Anko Mitarashi, then stepped aside.

That allowed Asuma and the others to see what was happening ahead.

Before them, a four-year-old child with a tail was wolfing down food.

That child was none other than Ato.

After leaving Hokage Rock, Ato had headed straight for this barbecue restaurant.

Then he entered full-on feeding frenzy mode.

In only a few short minutes, he had already devoured more than a hundred pounds of grilled meat.

And that was only the beginning.

With a Saiyan's terrifying appetite, a mere hundred pounds of grilled meat had only barely lined his stomach.

At that moment, Ato sat at a dining table, both hands working at once.

Plate after plate of grilled meat was barely served before it vanished into Ato's mouth in the blink of an eye.

After only a couple of simple chews, it was swallowed into his stomach.

"Delicious! This is really delicious!"

Even Ato's originally cold face melted because of the food, revealing utter satisfaction.

He had not eaten food this delicious in a very long time.

Although Planet Vegeta had many lower races responsible for the Saiyans' food, daily needs, medical care, and other service industries,

those bizarre-looking lower races had absolutely no concept of fine food.

The meals they made could only be considered barely edible.

As for flavor, there was none at all.

It was no different from eating dirt.

Ato finally understood how Beerus, the God of Destruction, would feel when he tasted Earth's food in the future.

"Only battle and good food must never be missed!"

Ato's eyes gleamed as he continued eating with complete satisfaction.

At the same time, besides learning the Naruto World's ninjutsu, his plans gained another goal.

That was to taste every delicacy in the Naruto World.

"Delicious!!!!" Ato's mouth was slick with oil as he ate, while his tail happily tapped against the floor again and again.