A summer break invitation

The term was almost over.

As the budding new generation nurtured by Konoha, they needed room to grow, not an excessively demanding workload.

So every year, during the hottest days of summer and the bitter cold of winter, the village arranged a long break.

Except during wartime, of course.

When a ninja war broke out, rushing to the front to become expendable bodies plugging gaps in the line to defend the village was the fate of every Konoha grunt.

On the last day of term, Amamiya Maki approached the Ino-Shika-Cho trio again.

As though some mysterious force had blessed him that day, Amamiya Maki treated people completely differently from usual.

Before, Amamiya Maki was always saying, "I'm refined and easygoing."

Today, he actually seemed a little refined and easygoing.

It was so out of character that anyone would have thought the sun had risen in the west.

During lunch break, Amamiya Maki ran into Choza Akimichi in the corridor.

With the end-of-term exams held in separate rooms, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had been apart for quite a while.

Normally, the three were inseparable, leaving no opportunity to speak to any of them alone.

Today alone, neither Shikaku nor Inoichi was beside him.

It was a perfect opportunity, and it would not last.

"Hey! Choza!"

The moment he heard the call, Choza Akimichi froze.

He turned stiffly and saw Amamiya Maki strolling toward him. His face instantly filled with the wariness of someone who had encountered a bandit blocking the road.

He forgot to put the potato chip in his mouth. His plump hand hung in midair, the chip wobbling between his fingers.

Amamiya Maki clearly saw Choza's legs shift backward instinctively, betraying his urge to flee.

He wants to run!

The thought flashed through his mind, and Amamiya Maki immediately quickened his pace, cutting off Choza's escape before he could move.

"Why are you running? I'm not here to fight you."

Choza's expression plainly said, You might not fight me, but you're definitely here to mess with me.

Despite his apprehension, he stopped.

His knuckles whitened slightly around the bag of chips, and his whole body was visibly tense.

Amamiya Maki cleared his throat and adopted a gentle tone utterly unlike his usual one.

"The Akimichi Clan's Multi-Size Technique needs a huge amount of calories to sustain it, right?"

Here it comes.

Alarm bells instantly rang in Choza's mind as he rehearsed the familiar routine.

Last time, Maki had teased him for being as round as a ball.

The time before that, he had mocked him for eating too much and being lumbering, declaring him a certified fat pig at first glance.

Earlier still, there had been criticism that the Akimichi secret techniques relied entirely on food and had nothing sophisticated about them.

Every time, it was nothing more than trash talk.

Every time, he wanted to dump his bag of chips over Amamiya Maki's head, and every time, he forced himself to hold back.

After all, anyone praised by the Third was no one to trifle with.

"I heard that to maintain the fighting strength of your secret techniques, your clan members eat five times as much as ordinary people every day."

Amamiya Maki spoke slowly.

"That must be tough, eating so much while still having to keep yourself agile."

Choza was utterly stunned.

He waited quietly for two seconds, but the mocking follow-up he expected never came.

There was no teasing about his weight, no sneering at his bulk, no comparing his physique to the number of Soldier Pills he could replace.

Just a simple expression of sympathy: that must be tough.

He blinked in surprise and nodded hesitantly.

"That's right. Our secret techniques consume a lot of energy, so we naturally eat far more than most people."

"Then you're a seasoned food connoisseur."

For a moment, Choza could not process it.

There was no mockery, no ridicule. Instead, it was what the Akimichi Clan universally considered the highest praise.

A seasoned food connoisseur.

Those words represented the Akimichi Clan's highest recognition of someone's palate and expertise in food.

It was on par with praising a ninja for extraordinary talent or outstanding speed in Taijutsu.

This was no joke. It was genuine recognition of his expertise.

"Haha... I wouldn't go that far. I just eat a little more than most."

Choza instinctively waved a hand modestly, but his tense back finally relaxed.

Amamiya Maki looked serious as he spoke earnestly.

"I'm planning to invite a few friends out for a meal to celebrate finishing our first term."

"You, Shikaku, Inoichi, Minato, and Nonō. Six of us in all."

"I want somewhere that's good value. You know the most about this, so I came specifically to ask your advice."

He deliberately emphasized "specifically," sounding utterly sincere.

Choza Akimichi unconsciously puffed out his chest a little.

This was the first time Amamiya Maki had humbled himself and actively sought his advice.

Their previous interactions had always been one-sided pressure and manipulation, leaving him with nothing but endless tension and apprehension.

But today was completely different.

Even Amamiya Maki, whose exceptional strength overwhelmed the entire class, had come to him for advice. It filled him with pride.

He calmly popped a chip into his mouth and crunched it up, his wariness already replaced by complete confidence.

"Do Shikaku and Inoichi know about this?"

"They do. I already asked them, and they both agreed," Amamiya Maki said without batting an eye.

After a little thought, Choza put his concerns entirely to rest.

Shikaku Nara was meticulous and calculating, the hardest member of their trio to fool.

If even he had agreed, then everything had to be in order.

"Then no problem."

Completely relaxed now, Choza seriously considered where they should eat.

"The places I know are either too expensive or too far away."

"You know how much our clan eats. Ordinary little restaurants can't handle us eating our fill, and fancy places aren't suitable for regular visits."

Before he had finished speaking, his eyes lit up. A brilliant smile spread across his round face, making him look like a steaming, soft, plump meat bun.

"I've got it! My uncle's new barbecue restaurant opens tomorrow!"

"There's a limited-time opening special on the first day of summer break. Three hundred and fifty-eight ryo per person for unlimited grilled meat!"

"My uncle's a famous barbecue master in the Akimichi Clan. He used to cook exclusively for the clan, but this year he finally decided to open to the public."

"He's been preparing this restaurant for ages. The walls are lined with special oil-absorbing tiles, and the grills were custom-ordered from the Land of Fire's capital."

"Those tiles soak up all the grease that splatters off the meat. Once you're done grilling, a wipe with a damp cloth cleans everything up. You don't even have to change the grill plate. It's a great experience!"

Choza spoke with infectious enthusiasm, rattling on as he transformed from invited guest into restaurant salesman.

Amamiya Maki silently committed every key detail to memory.

Oil-absorbing tiled walls, custom grills from the capital, and barbecue skills previously reserved for the clan.

These seemingly minor details were all valuable information to someone hoping to improve the food at the Orphanage.

"Then that barbecue buffet it is. Tomorrow at noon. See you there."

"The new place is out of the way and hard to find, so sorry for the trouble, senior Choza, but could you meet us at the entrance?"

"Leave it to me!"

Choza patted his chest in assurance, his bag of chips tucked under his arm. Crumbs scattered down, but he paid them no mind.

"I'll be there early tomorrow helping move supplies. Just call for me when you arrive!"

"I'll save you the prime spot by the entrance. It's really well ventilated, and you can look out over the entire food street. Best view in the place!"

"I sat there at our last big clan gathering. I could even see the old lady selling dumplings set up her stall across the street!"

Amamiya Maki nodded slightly, then turned and walked away at ease.

Choza was delighted. After walking a few steps, he realized he was still holding a chip and hurriedly stuffed it into his mouth.

Although the chip had gone a little stale, it still tasted wonderfully savory.

Next, Amamiya Maki ran into Inoichi Yamanaka by the stairs.

"Inoichi!"

He raised his hand and waved in greeting.

Inoichi reacted exactly as Choza had.

He instinctively tried to take a detour, but once Amamiya Maki blocked his way, his expression instantly shifted to helpless resignation.

His shoulders tensed slightly, and his gaze darted across Amamiya Maki's face as he rapidly tried to predict where the attack would come from.

Last time, Maki had mocked how his body lay on the ground like a vegetative patient when he used the Mind Body Switch Technique.

Humiliated and furious, Inoichi had gone home and practiced controlling his expressions in front of a mirror for three days.

He had sworn that next time, he would never let Maki read his emotions and gain the upper hand.

"Do you... need something?" Inoichi asked stiffly.

"Nothing much. Just letting you know about a group meal."

"Choza's uncle is opening his barbecue restaurant on the first day of summer break. An all-you-can-eat buffet."

"Shikaku, Choza, Minato, and Nonō have all agreed. You're the only one left. Three hundred and fifty-eight ryo per person."

Inoichi studied him suspiciously.

"Shikaku really agreed?"

"Absolutely. Ask him later if you don't believe me," Amamiya Maki replied openly.

"I just confirmed it with him. He even specifically warned me not to pull any tricks on him at the barbecue restaurant."

"Looks like he thinks I'm the kind of person who'll cause trouble anytime, anywhere."

Inoichi fell silent for a moment, instantly picturing Shikaku Nara's lazy expression, full of resignation and disdain.

That certainly fit Shikaku's personality.

He avoided things whenever possible. When he could not, he accepted them calmly, with a complaint thrown in to make his reluctance clear.

"All right, I'm fine with it. No barbecue restrictions here."

"Good."

With Inoichi taken care of, Amamiya Maki finally intercepted Shikaku Nara at the school gate as he came out of his exam room.

The moment he saw Amamiya Maki, one word flashed through Shikaku's eyes: Trouble.

He had just finished his theory exam and was still reviewing the solution to the final tactical simulation question. He was exhausted in both body and mind.

He had no energy left to deal with someone who took pleasure in playing with other people's heads.

He even wanted to pretend he had not seen him and slip around him.

But Amamiya Maki spoke first, cutting off every route of escape.

"Just say what you want." Shikaku's voice was full of wariness, like an alert young deer ready to bolt at any moment.

"A group meal."

Amamiya Maki skipped all preamble, using the direct approach Shikaku found hardest to evade.

"The term's over. I'm treating everyone to celebrate."

"Minato, Nonō, Choza, and Inoichi have all agreed. You're the only one missing."

"Choza's uncle's barbecue restaurant. It opens tomorrow with a limited-time buffet offer. Three hundred and fifty-eight ryo a head."

"I'll have Choza tell you the time and location later."

Shikaku narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint sense that something was off stirring within him.

He knew Amamiya Maki very well. This person never did pointless good deeds, much less treated people for no reason.

Especially at the end of term, when everyone just wanted to go home and rest, this meal seemed far too deliberate.

But he quickly reviewed the details and found no flaws.

Choza did indeed have an uncle who ran a barbecue restaurant. The man had even brought an enormous grilled-meat lunchbox to school before. Shikaku had seen it himself.

The oddly specific price of three hundred and fifty-eight ryo fit the going rate for an opening promotion. It was not something casually made up.

The guest list was equally impeccable, consisting entirely of people on good terms with Amamiya Maki.

Most importantly, Choza and Inoichi had been invited separately.

If it was a lie, a casual comparison of notes would expose it.

Someone as intelligent as Amamiya Maki would never make such a basic mistake.

What Shikaku did not know was that this was precisely Amamiya Maki's scheme.

He was certain everyone would think they were the last person invited and assume the others had already agreed.

No one would compare notes beforehand. They would simply go along and accept.

By the time everyone realized what had happened, they would all already be sitting in the barbecue restaurant.

With an all-you-can-eat buffet at three hundred and fifty-eight ryo a head, they might as well enjoy it. No one would seriously pursue the matter of his tricks.

After a brief moment of thought, Shikaku nodded slightly.

"All right. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Amamiya Maki stood at the school gate, the setting sun stretching his slender shadow.

As he watched Shikaku walk away, a faint smile slowly curved his lips.

Konoha's smartest tactical analyst, the brains behind Ino-Shika-Cho.

In the end, even he had been effortlessly played by the simplest information gap.

Of course, little tricks like this only worked on trivial, everyday matters.

Had this been a wartime battle of wits, the meticulous Shikaku would never have lost so easily.

But precisely because it was only a barbecue meal, something so insignificant, everyone had let their guard down and completely relaxed.

Even if they realized afterward that they had been played, they would simply eat a few extra plates of meat to get their money's worth. No harm done.

Amamiya Maki set off toward his general store.

Every member of Ino-Shika-Cho had successfully fallen into his net.

Just as planned!