Analyzing the Ninja World Starting from Konoha

A strong sense of absurdity welled up inside me.

Are all ninja academy students this abnormal nowadays?

Back when I was in the ninja academy, let alone killing a beast of this caliber, I would even have to avoid slightly larger venomous snakes.

"Oh...I see. Haha, Aoba-kun's skills are truly impressive." Kou Tai chuckled twice, his movements becoming somewhat stiff.

As a senior, yet less skilled than a junior who hadn't even graduated yet, he felt a flush of embarrassment.

To cover up his embarrassment, Hongtai shifted his focus and set his sights on the barbecue.

"Um, if you don't mind, let me grill it." Hongtai rubbed his hands together, his eyes revealing the confidence of a professional. "I do have some experience with grilling meat."

Upon hearing this, Qingye raised an eyebrow and casually handed over the meat skewers in her hand.

It's certainly a good thing to have someone do it for you, and when it comes to their dedication to food, the Akimichi family is truly professionals.

Hongtai took the meat skewers, his expression instantly becoming focused. His chubby fingers were incredibly nimble, flipping, sprinkling seasoning, and controlling the heat with fluid movements, as if performing a sacred ritual.

With a helper, Qingye was happy to have some free time. He watched the flickering flames, picked up a pebble from the ground, and twirled it between his fingers as he fell into deep thought.

Before long, a richer and more complex aroma of meat filled the air.

"Try it." Hongtai handed over a skewer, his face showing a hint of anticipation.

Qingye took a bite, her eyes lighting up slightly. It was indeed different; the fat was perfectly locked inside the meat, the skin was crispy, and the inside was bursting with juice, elevating the taste to a whole new level.

"Your skills are excellent," Aoba praised sincerely.

With his approval in hand, Kota chuckled, grabbed a handful of meat skewers, and started stuffing them into his mouth. The Akimichi clan's stomachs are bottomless pits, and the slight sense of defeat he felt earlier was instantly dispelled by his appetite.

"Hmm! This seasoning..."

Hongtai's chewing suddenly slowed, his brow furrowing slightly as if he were recalling something. "This taste is so familiar, it's a bit like... no, it's even more fragrant than that, but this peculiar numbing sensation..."

He suddenly looked up, staring at the inconspicuous condiment bottle in Qingye's hand, and remembered the popular hot pot restaurant in the village.

"Shancheng Hot Pot Restaurant, Shancheng?"

A piece of information circulating within the family flashed through my mind: it was said that the real owner of the hot pot restaurant was actually a young child.

"Are you the owner of 'Mountain City Hot Pot Restaurant'?" Hong Tai blurted out instinctively.

Aoba toyed with the pebbles, unconsciously rubbing them between her fingertips, neither admitting nor denying: "What, the Akimichi clan is interested in hot pot too?"

This is the default setting!

The shock in Hongtai's eyes instantly turned into admiration.

It's already outrageous to have this kind of skill at this age, but to be able to make such delicious hot pot!

For the Akimichi clan, strength does not necessarily earn respect, but the person who can make the most exquisite food is their half-brother!

"That's amazing!"

Hongtai's face trembled with excitement. "My cousin has been studying that seasoning so much that he's pulled out handfuls of hair. He says there are a few medicinal herbs in it that you can't taste at all. Um... could you...?"

He abruptly covered his mouth halfway through his sentence. The recipe is the core of a restaurant, just like ninjutsu is the secret of every ninja.

"Sorry, sorry, I was just too curious." Hongtai looked embarrassed, and to cover up his blunder, he took another big bite of meat. "As an apology, I'll treat you to my family's barbecue next time! It's on me!"

"I appreciate your kind offer."

Aoba smiled and flicked the pebble in his hand away: "But this wild boar is indeed quite big. Help me carry it back later. Of course, you can eat as much as you want before that."

"Don't worry, leave it to me!"

An hour later, Hongtai patted his belly, let out a satisfied burp, and collapsed onto the floor, saying, "I can't eat anymore... Thank you for the meal!"

"You're welcome. Now that you're full, it's a good time to stretch your legs."

Aoba stood up and dusted himself off.

"Okay."

Hongtai found some sturdy vines and huge leaves and tied the wild boar up.

Aoba stood by and watched Kota operate the device; his movements were so practiced that it didn't seem like he was doing this for the first time.

"I'm gone."

Hongtai used the [Partial Expansion Technique], easily lifting the packaged wild boar with his two gigantic hands, and strode towards Konoha Village.

As soon as the two passed through the outer barbed wire fence, they bumped into two strange green creatures.

"Youth! This is youth, Kai!"

A middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and a beard, wearing a tight green jumpsuit, was walking upside down, followed by a miniature version of a boy with a watermelon head, also upside down and panting heavily.

Mighty Day, Mighty Kai.

A unique sight in Konoha.

"Hey! Isn't that Aoba!"

Kai flipped himself to his feet, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth that still reflected the light in the twilight. "Still doing weight training this late? No wonder you're a worthy opponent!"

His gaze fell on the massive mountain of flesh behind Qingye, his pupils dilating in shock: "That's... a wild boar? Such a huge wild boar... So that's your secret to becoming stronger? Challenging ferocious beasts for training!"

"No, I'm just... going hunting."

Aoba took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound as calm as possible.

Matt Day, already moved to tears, rushed over and grabbed Kai's shoulder: "See that, Kai! This is the burning of youth! Perseverance, sweating under the setting sun—that's the romance of a real man! Kai! This is your role model!"

Aoba: "..."

He just wanted to get something to eat, really.

And don't you guys ever listen to what others are saying?

"Yes, Father! I will work even harder! I will run five hundred laps around Konoha while doing a handstand! If I can't do that, I will do a thousand push-ups!" Kai roared, his blood boiling.

"Great! This is youth! Let's run together!"

"oh!!!"

The father and son exchanged a glance, as if they had reached some kind of spiritual resonance, and then, in a cloud of dust, they once again ran wildly into the distance upside down, leaving only Qingye standing there, bewildered in the wind.

Aoba's lips twitched, feeling like her toes were about to dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the ground.

Hongtai was also dumbfounded; he had encountered these two before.

As a unique figure in Konoha, this perennial genin is quite famous among the village's genin.

I had only ever watched from afar before; this was my first time actually getting to know them.

"Have they always been like this?"

You'll get used to it.

"Do I have to carry the burden myself?"

"No need, it's not on the way, I can tow it back myself."

"Um... okay, see you next time."

"Um."

Qingye didn't care and dragged the vine away.

He thought it was just a normal "goodbye," which might mean "never seeing each other again." After all, Konoha was quite a large place. He was a student at the Ninja Academy, and the other was a genin who had already graduated. They rarely had the chance to meet, and they even lived far apart.

I never imagined that we would actually see each other so often after that.

……