Once the six fish had been cleaned, Lin Chuan brought over a few sweet potatoes to roast and asked Shikamaru again, "Want one?"
"I'll have one." Shikamaru had meant to refuse, but he gave a slight nod instead, agreeing to join the meal. Everyone else was eating, and he didn't want to seem unsociable.
"I'll take two." Choji held up two fingers again. He never passed up food.
The four chatted as they roasted their food. By the time the sweet potatoes were nearly done and the six grilled fish had been sprinkled with salt, Rock Lee came running over, panting, and collapsed headfirst into the snow.
"Tsk, he passed out after just ten kilometers. He probably overtrained again yesterday." Lin Chuan sighed softly, got up, and dragged Rock Lee back out of the snow. The guy was still wearing his weights. Lin Chuan dumped him on the wooden floor beneath the eaves and waited for him to wake up on his own.
As the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes and grilled fish spread, the unconscious Rock Lee's nose twitched. He sprang to his feet in an instant and followed the scent to the charcoal brazier, clear drool trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Here's your share." Lin Chuan used tongs to take two roasted sweet potatoes off the charcoal grill, then picked up two fish on iron skewers and placed them on the plate in front of Rock Lee.
"This...?" Rock Lee slurped back his drool and looked hesitantly at the food before him. Money was tight, after all, and a meal like this was already a feast to him.
"Go on, eat. We're friends, aren't we?" Lin Chuan smiled. The word "friends" had quite an impact on these children. They all faced discrimination, after all, and found