Konoha's Hextech Ninja

"Let's go, let's eat here." Yagami Yoruichi grabbed Yuhi Kurenai's hand and walked towards a shop ahead.

Chapter 40 Akimichi Takes the Wind

"Welcome to Akimichi BBQ Restaurant."

Yagami Yoruichi pulled Yuhi Kurenai into the yakiniku restaurant and took their seats as directed by the waiter.

"Yoruichi-kun, isn't this place a bit too expensive..." Kurenai Yuhi hesitated.

She knew about Yagami Yoruichi's family background.

As an orphan, she could only survive on the subsidies from Konoha Village. In fact, to make up for the expenses of ninja training, Yoruichi Yagami had to take time out of her day to work.

The barbecue restaurant run by the Akimichi clan is not cheap because of the high quality of the meat they use; even professional ninjas can't afford to eat there often.

Kurenai Yuhi has a Jonin father, so she doesn't care about this expense.

But for Yoruichi Yagami, such places would obviously be a huge burden on her wallet.

"Don't worry." Yagami Yoruichi smiled and pointed to the prices on the menu, saying, "I've made quite a bit of money from my part-time job recently, so I can easily afford to treat you to a meal. If you feel bad about it, you can treat me to a meal next time."

The Akimichi clan's barbecue restaurant is not cheap, but what's truly expensive are the top-quality ingredients, such as premium beef imported from the Land of Lightning and seafood imported from the Land of Water.

However, there are also plenty of affordable ingredients to choose from, so it's not like Yoruichi Yagami can't afford to pay the bill.

After asking Kurenai Yuhi a few questions, Yoruichi Yagami quickly placed her order.

A dozen or so plates of various marinated meats, along with a small barbecue grill, were served together on the table.

Yagami Yoruichi had eaten this kind of self-service barbecue many times in her previous life, and she skillfully picked up the slices of meat and placed them on the grill to cook.

As the aroma began to waft through the air, Kurenai forgot all about the price, her mouth watering as she stared intently at the slices of meat on the grill.

"Alright, it's ready to eat." Seeing that the meat was almost cooked, Yagami Yoruichi cut the meat slices on the grill in half and put them on her and Kurenai's plates respectively, then added new slices to continue grilling.

"It's delicious." Kurenai's eyes lit up after just one bite. "The heat is just right, cooked through but not burnt. It's perfect! Delicious!"

"I'm quite skilled at grilling meat," Yagami Yoruichi smiled and said. "Ninja training requires a lot of protein, and I often choose to grill meat when I eat at home."

While boiling can retain the maximum amount of nutrients in meat, the taste is rather poor.

When Yagami Yoruichi is at home, she still prefers to cook by frying, grilling, or stir-frying.

My skills may not be as good as those of master chefs, but at least the food I make falls into the category of 'delicious'.

"Yoruichi-kun is the best, he can do everything!" Kurenai Yuhi praised him indistinctly, her mouth full of meat slices and cheeks bulging.

"Eat slowly, there's plenty more, don't rush." ​​Yagami Yoruichi couldn't help but laugh at Yuhi Kurenai's adorable appearance. She placed the freshly grilled meat slices into Yuhi Kurenai's plate and said, "Slow down, don't choke. Have some drinks."

"Drinks..." Kurenai picked up her drink glass, then suddenly remembered something and whispered to Yoruichi, "Yoruichi-kun, have you ever drunk alcohol?"

"Alcohol?" Yagami Yoruichi asked, puzzled. "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

“When I used to eat barbecue with my dad, he liked to drink alcohol and always said that beer and barbecue were the perfect match.”

Kurenai looked eager to try it: "I want to see how good the beer is, and how much my dad likes it!"

Yagami Yoichi: "..."

No wonder he's one of the future 'Konoha Drunkards'!

How old is he? And he's already thinking about drinking?

"We're just kids, they won't sell us alcohol," Yagami Yoruichi said, somewhat exasperated. "Besides, if I really let you drink, your dad would kill me if he found out."

The ninja world is a very strange world.

Children as young as six or seven can go to the battlefield and kill people, but they cannot drink alcohol.

When Kurenai Yuhi mentioned beer, Yoruichi Yagami also felt a little hungry.

In her past life, Yagami Yoruichi loved to order a table full of grilled skewers and enjoy them with ice-cold beer after finishing her late-night overtime work.

Since arriving in this world, Yagami Yoruichi has never tasted alcohol.

However, thinking about her current age, Yagami Yoruichi shook her head, pushed a large glass of cola in front of Yuhi Kurenai, and said, "Don't think about drinking alcohol, drinking some cola is fine too."

"When I grow up and reach the legal drinking age, I'm going to try it and see what it tastes like!" Kurenai Yuhi said angrily, picking up her cola and drinking more than half of it in one gulp.

"Alright, alright, I'll drink with you then," Yagami Yoruichi said with a smile.

With a ninja's physical abilities, even becoming an alcoholic wouldn't be a big deal.

No matter how much you drink, once you circulate your chakra, you'll quickly regain your senses.

I wonder if there are any types of alcohol that I liked to drink in my past life in the ninja world?

……

In the next private room.

Several ninjas were sitting together, having a meal.

One of them was Maruboshi Kosuke.

"Kosuke, is that child over there your disciple?" A chubby, burly man said to Maruhoshi Kosuke, "I've heard that this child is even more outstanding than the one from the Sakumo family."

With such an exaggerated physique, he must be a member of the Akimichi clan.

"Yoruichi is very talented, but he is not my disciple yet, so don't talk nonsense." Maruhoshi Kosuke shook his head.

"Don't you think this genius is good enough?" The Akimichi clansman was puzzled. "Didn't you always want to find a genius who could inherit your Water Release technique? Don't you think this child's talent is enough? Although I don't know him, I heard that you almost turned against Danzo for him."

Danzo Shimura always wanted to gather geniuses into his 'roots'.

Yagami Yoruichi was also on Shimura Danzo's list.

For this matter, Maruboshi Kosuke personally approached Danzo.

No one knows what the two of them talked about, but it is said that after that meeting, Danzo Shimura was so angry that he smashed his favorite tea set.

Given Maruhoshi Kosuke's seniority, if he really wanted to protect someone, even Shimura Danzo wouldn't be able to bring that person into Root without completely turning against them.

Maruboshi Kosuke has gone to such lengths for Yagami Yoruichi, yet he has no intention of taking her on as a disciple?

Everyone in the private room, including the Akimichi clan members, was very puzzled.

“It’s precisely because his talent is so exceptional that I hesitated,” Maruhoshi Kosuke shook his head and said, “After all, I’m just an old man. Although I have some seniority, my status is too low. As my disciple, he won’t be able to gain any other benefits from me besides learning ninjutsu.”

After a pause, Maruhoshi Kosuke looked at the Akimichi clansmen and asked, "Torifu, you are of higher status than me, could you help this little guy find a more suitable teacher?"

This unassuming Akimichi clansman was none other than Akimichi Torifu, who became a disciple of the Second Senju Tobirama at the same time as the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen!

Chapter 41 Kosuke Maruboshi's Troubles

Yagami Yoichi was completely unaware of what was happening in the next private room.

After finishing dinner with Yuhi Kurenai, they called the waiter to pay the bill.

"Hello, after the discount, the total is six hundred taels." The waiter respectfully handed over the receipt.

"How much?" Yagami Yoruichi thought she had misheard.

When ordering, Yagami Yoruichi had roughly calculated that this meal should cost more than 2,000 ryo, which was equivalent to two weeks' salary of hers. How come it was only 600?

At the price of Akimichi Ichizoku yakiniku restaurant, two thousand ryo is considered cheap.

Eight hundred taels? That's not even enough to cover the cost of the ingredients.

This high-quality meat is priced significantly higher than the ordinary meat you buy at the market.

"The boss instructed that all customers who come to our shop will receive a 30% discount," the waiter said with a smile. "After the discount, and rounding down, it will be six hundred taels."

"Boss? Is he from the Akimichi clan?" Yagami Yoruichi wondered, as he didn't seem to have any dealings with the Akimichi clan.

"Sir, our boss said that since you're a student of his old friend, you're one of his own, so we'll just give you the cost price," the waiter explained patiently.

teacher?

This teacher is definitely not referring to Nobuyuki Imai.

It's unlikely that Unno Ichikaku is involved; he's more likely a friend of Maruboshi Kosuke.

Given Maruhoshi Kosuke's status, it's quite normal for him to have a good relationship with the Akimichi clan's leaders and even the clan head himself.

Since I've already decided that Maruboshi Kosuke is my teacher, there's nothing wrong with benefiting from his influence.

When I am able to do so in the future, I will naturally repay my teacher many times over.

Thinking of this, Yagami Yoruichi stopped hesitating, took out her wallet, counted out a few bills, and handed them over: "Please thank your boss for me."

After paying the bill, Yagami Yoruichi habitually grabbed Yuhi Kurenai's small hand and walked side by side toward her house.

Behind the two.

Maruhoshi Kosuke and Akimichi Torifu watched the two children from afar, their faces showing maternal smiles.

"Youth is truly wonderful," Akimichi Torifu sighed. "Your disciple is far more mature than you are, unlike you, who is quite old and still doesn't have a wife!"

“You always tease me about this!” Maruhoshi Kosuke rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue with Akimichi Torifu, and changed the subject directly: “Please put in some effort to find a teacher for this little guy.”

“It won’t be easy to find!” Akimichi Torifu shook his head. “According to you, his greatest strength is his talent for ninjutsu, especially his ability to study the essence of ninjutsu. In the entire Hidden Leaf Village, apart from his deceased teachers, only the Third Hokage and his disciple Orochimaru have this ability. The Third Hokage is the Hokage, so he definitely can’t take on any more disciples. As for Orochimaru… ever since Nawaki passed away, he’s become too close to Danzo. You definitely don’t want this kid to become Orochimaru’s disciple.”

Upon hearing Akimichi Torifu's words, Maruhoshi Kosuke nodded in agreement.

Orochimaru is definitely not a good choice.

"If you ask me, it would be best if you taught yourself. Although you are only good at Water Release, the principles of ninjutsu are the same," Akimichi Torifu advised.

“I certainly hope he can inherit my Water Release.” Maruhoshi Kosuke nodded and said, “But teaching him Water Release doesn’t mean I want him to officially become my disciple. My status is still too low. With his talent, his future path will be easier if he studies under a teacher of higher status.”

Kosuke Maruboshi is an idealist, but at his age, he has come to see through many things.

In Konoha Village, strength is certainly one of the most important factors in climbing the ranks.

But more important is the 'faction'.

If you're not part of the Hokage lineage, forget about becoming Hokage; you can't even get into the upper echelons of Konoha.

The upper limit is to serve as a deputy in an important department, or to become a weapon that can only be used against external forces.

For example, Sakumo Hatake is a typical example.

Kosuke Maruboshi is considered part of the 'Naruto series,' but he is a very marginal character within it.