Sakura looked at Zhou Cheng with mixed feelings. I really want to eat his cooking again, but what about Sasuke? He'll definitely be angry.
She looked over at Sasuke and found that he, too, was watching Zhou Cheng with a conflicted expression.
This was the best meal he had eaten in years.
With so many people together, freely fighting over the food without anyone getting upset, he felt as though he had a home again.
It reminded him of his parents, and of that man.
His eyes instantly filled with hatred again.
I have to kill him. Power-I need power!
Ino gazed at Zhou Cheng, utterly lovestruck. That's my man! He's handsome, strong, and a wonderful cook. Whoever marries him must have earned that blessing in a past life.
Choji licked his lips, still craving more. This was the best barbecue and cooking he had ever tasted, and he wished he could eat food this delicious every day.
Shikamaru was rather surprised. He had never expected Zhou Cheng to cook such a meal. Cooking was such a hassle, yet Zhou Cheng was so good at it. It was both surprising and impressive.
Neji had the most conflicted expression of them all. He had always believed he was no worse than Zhou Cheng.
He had only lost their last match because he had been careless. If they fought again, he was absolutely confident that he could defeat Zhou Cheng.
But after tasting Zhou Cheng's cooking today, he had to admit there was one area in which he fell short.
When it came to cooking, he would never catch up to Zhou Cheng in his lifetime!
Uzuki Yugao's beautiful eyes trembled slightly. Only the chefs working for the daimyo could make food of this caliber, surely.
Zhou Cheng is only in his early teens, yet he can already cook this well. What a surprise. His food has won me over a little-it makes me want to eat like this every day.
Soon, it grew late, and everyone prepared to say goodbye to Zhou Cheng.
Naruto, in particular, was as straightforward as ever:
"Zhou Cheng, can we eat food like this again tomorrow?"
"It was so good I can't even look at the ramen back home anymore!"
His question voiced what everyone there was thinking.
They would never get tired of food like this, even if they ate it every day.
Zhou Cheng gave a wry smile. This meal had nearly wiped out his savings. As an orphan, he lived on the survivor's benefits provided by the village.
He and Haku had always scraped by. Whenever they had no guests, the two of them ate nothing but ramen.
That was all so they could save a little more money and build up their savings.
The ingredients alone for today's meal had used up all his savings.
Again tomorrow?
Are you trying to bankrupt me?
In the past, when Hinata and the other girls visited, they brought ingredients and did the cooking themselves.
They all came from prominent clans, so naturally, money was nothing they had to worry about.
"Everyone, eating too much food like this isn't good for you, but I promise I'll cook for you once a week!"
He was already a Genin, so he could start taking missions and earning rewards.
Then he would be able to treat the Konoha 12 to meals regularly, strengthen their relationships, and prepare for the future.
At Zhou Cheng's words, the Konoha 12 lowered their heads in embarrassment. Naruto, especially, considered himself Zhou Cheng's closest friend.
Yet he had failed to consider that Zhou Cheng's circumstances were much like his own. They were both orphans who relied on the village's survivor's benefits.
A whole table of dishes like tonight's certainly couldn't have been cheap. It might even have cost Zhou Cheng all his savings.
"From now on, whenever we get together, we should split the cost. We can't enjoy the food with a clear conscience if Zhou Cheng pays for everything every time!"
Shikamaru, the calmest and most sensible of them, made the suggestion, and everyone agreed.
Zhou Cheng insisted that tonight's meal was his treat and that none of them needed to pay.
Seeing his earnest gaze, they stopped insisting. They merely said they would definitely split the bill next time, then left one after another.
They even completely forgot that they had wanted to ask Zhou Cheng why he knew the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
Sasuke stayed behind. Only after most of the others had left did he approach Zhou Cheng and declare arrogantly:
"I challenge you!"
Zhou Cheng scoffed and glanced at him. The way to deal with someone like Sasuke was to be even more arrogant and stronger than he was.
"You? You're not worthy!"
Sasuke's expression changed instantly, his face flushing with anger. Before Zhou Cheng arrived, he had been one of the geniuses, too. Who among his peers had ever dared speak to him like that?
"You're just scared!"
Zhou Cheng's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he gave Sasuke some credit. As expected of the second male lead. Even when he's furious, he keeps his head and knows how to bait me.
Looks like he'll keep haunting me unless I teach him a lesson.
"If you're so eager for a beating, I'll oblige!"
"But a simple match would be boring. I want to put something on the line!"
Sasuke's cold expression did not change as he quietly waited for Zhou Cheng to continue.
"If I win, you become my underling, and you have to follow my orders!"
"Likewise, if I lose, I'll become your underling!"
"Well? Do you dare accept?"
Sasuke sneered, brimming with confidence. He believed there was no way he could lose!
"Fine!"
The two then agreed to duel three days later, somewhere deserted.
Zhou Cheng had proposed these terms because he wanted Sasuke to approach Orochimaru as his spy.
Sasuke might have been full of himself, but at least he kept his word.
Hinata, Ino, Neji, and Sakura, who had yet to leave, overheard their conversation and exchanged looks.
Another match?
Couldn't they give it a rest for a few days?
Sasuke has already awakened his Sharingan. There's no telling who will win!
Then Hinata went home with Neji.
Sakura left with Sasuke.
Naturally, Ino wanted Zhou Cheng to walk her home. She had already grown accustomed to it!
Zhou Cheng was happy to oblige. He was willing to do anything that could bring him closer to the Konoha 12.
The next day, Zhou Cheng got up early as usual.
After washing up with Haku, he went out to run laps.
Then Haku headed to school, while Xingyu went to the Hokage Building!
He was going to see the Third Generation. They had agreed from the start that the Third Generation would teach Xingyu for an hour every morning.
The Third Generation taught him ninjutsu, and Xingyu picked everything up as soon as he was shown.
Zhou Cheng also asked Hiruzen Sarutobi how to quickly increase the power of his ninjutsu while consuming the same amount of chakra.
The Third Generation looked at Zhou Cheng with great satisfaction. A genius truly was a genius. Even the direction of his thinking differed from that of ordinary people.
Hiruzen Sarutobi told him that to increase the power of ninjutsu while consuming the same amount of chakra, he had to improve the quality of his chakra.
The prerequisite was that his body meridians were sufficiently wide and strong to allow more chakra to pass through them in the same amount of time.
He said Zhou Cheng was still young and should not train using such a method. If his meridians ruptured during training, he would be left crippled.
After hearing that, Zhou Cheng could only drop the matter. He did not trust the Third Generation. If something went wrong during training, the man had many things to consider as Hokage, and might simply abandon him one day!