Eat, Eat, Eat, and That's It?

In Yūhi Shinku's arms, Kurenai Yuhi wiped away her tears, but the corners of her mouth were...

Smiling.

Kurenai knew exactly how to handle Yūhi Shinku's doting nature.

"Sigh!"

Yūhi Shinku sighed inwardly. Seeing Kurenai in tears, he couldn't bring himself to teach her a lesson.

By now, Yūhi Shinku also understood why the fine liquor in his collection had kept disappearing lately. The liquor Kurenai had drunk today was the best evidence.

Was there any need to ask where it had gone?

"You little bastard, just you wait."

Yūhi Shinku cursed Miya in his heart. If he got the chance, Miya would probably be in for some trouble.

That night, after Yūhi Shinku saw Kurenai return to her room to sleep, he hurriedly moved his liquor to a new hiding place.

If he didn't hide it better, his daughter would empty his entire stash and give it away.

What Yūhi Shinku didn't notice, however, was that Kurenai had seen what he was doing through the crack in her bedroom door.

"Hee hee hee..."

Kurenai covered her mouth as she laughed, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

Meanwhile, Miya and Rin Nohara walked hand in hand, just as they had before they started attending the Ninja Academy. Miya walked Rin to her front door.

"You're home. Go on inside!"

Miya smiled and let go of Rin's hand, speaking with the utmost gentleness.

"Mm!"

Rin lowered her head and answered a little shyly, then went inside, looking back twice for every step she took.

Only after Rin had disappeared from sight did Miya turn and enter a house not far from hers.

Two days later.

Orochimaru brought Miya to the underground laboratory beneath his home.

Orochimaru and Miya were alone in the laboratory. Besides a great deal of specialized equipment that Miya didn't understand, there was a glass box in the center of the room, with a little snake coiled inside. Its entire body was as white as jade.

Orochimaru narrowed his snake-like eyes and studied Miya carefully, a hint of barely restrained excitement showing on his face.

"I've prepared your food for you..."

With that, Orochimaru walked over to the glass box and grabbed the little white jade snake. Less than fifty centimeters long, it wriggled vigorously in his hand. A single glance was enough to tell that it was very different from an ordinary snake.

"What do I need to do next?"

Looking at the little white jade snake in Orochimaru's hand, Miya's eyes showed a hint of anticipation as well.

"Draw some blood, then measure your physical attributes."

Orochimaru's voice was hoarse, but tinged with excitement.

"After recording the data..."

"Eat it!"

Miya immediately smiled when he heard that.

He had "come clean" to Orochimaru about his ability and asked for his help.

And here came the benefits!

Orochimaru put the little white jade snake back in the glass box, then drew a vial of Miya's blood.

"Now lie down over there. I'll give you a physical examination."

Miya shrugged indifferently and did as Orochimaru asked, lying down on the examination bed.

Thirty minutes later, Orochimaru finished testing Miya with a pile of instruments. He then pointed at the little snake in the glass box and said:

"It's yours now."

"Come back again tomorrow."

Holding a data sheet in his hand, Orochimaru couldn't hide the shock in his eyes.

Miya's physical attributes were simply too strong.

Holding the glass box with the little white jade snake inside, Miya walked out of Orochimaru's home step by step.

Outside, Miya looked back at Orochimaru's house and smiled.

"In the end, I'm the one who benefits anyway!"

Whether it was drawing blood or conducting a physical examination, Miya knew that Orochimaru could never find out what was going on inside his body.

As for his physical attributes, his vigorous life force, and so on being exposed to Orochimaru...

It didn't matter!

With Orochimaru's help, he could become stronger even faster.

Early the next morning.

Miya returned to Orochimaru's home, a hint of eagerness visible in his eyes.

Miya had roasted and eaten the little white jade snake yesterday. Only when he used the nuclear fission furnace to digest and absorb it did he realize how much nourishment the snake contained.

Despite being so small, the snake contained as much nourishment as ten large, three-hundred-jin wild boars.

If he could get another eighty or a hundred of them, wouldn't another breakthrough in his physical attributes be a sure thing?

Compared to the eager Miya, Orochimaru was no better off. He was looking forward to seeing what kind of surprise Miya would bring him.

So Orochimaru had been waiting at home for Miya since early that morning.

An hour later, once again in the underground laboratory at Orochimaru's home.

Orochimaru held two data sheets comparing Miya's physical attributes from yesterday and today.

"In just one night, there's been a slight increase in every aspect..."

Looking again at Miya lying on the examination bed, Orochimaru's eyes revealed an urge to dissect him and study him thoroughly.

From yesterday's tests, Orochimaru already knew that Miya's physical attributes were among the very best in the entire Shinobi World.

Relying on his Nintaijutsu alone, he could fight an Elite Jonin without falling behind and could even unleash enough strength to kill someone at Kage Level.

In the span of one night, simply because he had eaten a snake rich in nutrients and energy, one that Orochimaru had spent two days cultivating...

His data had increased across the board...

This "Kekkei Genkai"...

Eat, eat, eat, and that was it?

Was there no limit?

If there was, where was the upper limit?

Eating nutritious food could improve his physical attributes.

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed.

If there was no upper limit...

That would be outrageous!

"Teacher Orochimaru, is there anything else I need to do?"

Chen Fan sat up on the examination bed and asked, a smile in the corners of his eyes.

Miya's voice brought Orochimaru, who was holding the data sheets, back to his senses.

"Let's draw a little more blood!"

"I need to do more tests before I can determine exactly what's going on with your ability."

"But in your case, we can essentially confirm that it's a newly discovered Kekkei Genkai."

Orochimaru, who already had an extraordinary passion for research, was delighted by the find. His eyes were now shining, and his entire body radiated barely restrained excitement.

It was a scientist's curiosity about an unsolved mystery.

Ninjutsu, forbidden techniques—they could all be put aside for now. No matter how important they were, none was as important as studying Miya's physical condition.

If possible, Orochimaru wanted Miya's ability for himself.

But before that, he needed to study Miya's ability thoroughly...

To support Orochimaru's research, Miya let him draw another vial of blood.

Then he took the Ninjutsu scrolls Orochimaru had given him to practice on his own and left in a cheerful mood.

Remembering the promise Orochimaru had just made him, Miya couldn't help but smile and think:

Orochimaru really is a good teacher.

I probably won't have to worry about food anymore.

Hee hee hee...