Wok Shadow Ninja

Chapter 48 Mizuki's Treat

There weren't many things that could pique Choji's interest these days. In the original timeline, after seeing Ino bring Sai into the family and take over Root, and Shikamaru marry Temari, the beauty of Sunagakure, Choji immediately followed suit by marrying Karui, the beauty of Kumogakure. While there was some element of love involved, the primary reason was to maintain the balance of power within the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance. In truth, Choji had little interest in women.

He disliked conflict even more, never having enjoyed it from the start. What he loved most was eating!

He usually didn't voice his opinions, simply listening to Ino and Shikamaru's discussions and going along with whatever they decided. But once he spoke up, both Ino and Shikamaru had to show him the respect he deserved.

Shikamaru, who had been planning to rest at home for a few days, hesitated. He glanced at his nearly empty wallet and nodded slightly, agreeing to the plan.

Ino had similar thoughts. She still owed the group a treat at Ganko for some yokan, and the reason was simple: she was broke!

Eating at home didn't cost anything, but she couldn't always eat at home. Socializing was necessary, and treating others to meals was inevitable.

Unfortunately, Ino's social circle consisted of people with enormous appetites.

Most of Ino and Shikamaru's pocket money went toward feeding Choji. To keep up with his appetite, they had to stretch every penny, and even then, it wasn't enough.

Originally, they had planned to go hungry for a few days and then mooch off Asuma. But since Mizuki was willing to step up... why not take advantage?

"Hinata! Come with me tonight! Why are you blushing? We're just going to eat. What are you thinking about?"

"Kiba? You in? Alright, that's the spirit!"

"And... oh, right, Shino, you're coming too."

Without much effort, the six of them arranged to have dinner with Mizuki.

"Sakura, you coming?" Ino called out when she spotted the wide-foreheaded girl in the distance.

"Huh?" Sakura pointed at herself, surprised. Ino's little group was known to be quite exclusive.

Truthfully, after her friendship with Ino fell apart, Sakura hadn't made a single friend in school over the years. She wanted to join them.

Sensing her hesitation, Ino added, "We're all ninjas now. We might even end up on missions together. Mizuki-sensei is treating us, so come along!"

Mizuki was struggling to keep his smile intact.

Sakura's gaze wandered, her eyes flickering toward Sasuke, who stood with his hands in his pockets, looking cool and aloof, as if he were about to leave alone. Then she glanced back at Ino, silently asking if she could invite Sasuke.

Ino didn't mind. After all, she hadn't been the one to lose that day, and she wasn't the one footing the bill tonight. What did she have to worry about?

"Sasuke, come join us."

Sasuke looked at her expressionlessly and coldly replied, "I don't have time."

"Sasuke-kun, we're all classmates. Come on..." Sakura seemed to want to persuade him, but Sasuke had already found out about the "Sasuke's Youth Story" book. He was now filled with disgust toward the women in the village. Women were so annoying! They only slowed down his quest for revenge.

He snorted and walked away.

Shikamaru wanted to invite Naruto, but Naruto had failed the clone jutsu exam today and was utterly dejected. Even if someone treated him to ramen, he wouldn't be able to eat a bite.

With Sasuke and Naruto not joining, Sakura hesitated and eventually declined the invitation as well.

"Forget it. Let's just go with the six of us," Ino said, not too bothered by the failed attempt to expand their group.

Watching them gather their friends, Mizuki's face stiffened, but he maintained a basic smile. How much could a few kids eat? As long as his plan succeeded, this small expense would be nothing.

After sending off Ino and the others with a smile, Mizuki excused himself, claiming he had official business to attend to, and returned to the exam hall, where he ran into the dejected Naruto.

That evening, Mizuki, as promised, brought along his fiancée, Tsubaki, who was also a teacher at the academy. The two had recently gotten engaged, and this dinner was a joint treat.

Choji arrived first, followed by Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Shikamaru, and finally Ino.

Ino wore a purple sleeveless jacket and purple pants, with fishnet knee and elbow guards. Her forehead protector hung at her waist. Aside from not exposing her midriff or belly button, her outfit was essentially the same as her original Chunin-era attire.

Thanks to her daily medicine and the recent boost in her Yin Release level, her spiritual energy was enhancing her physical energy, causing her chakra to grow at a slow but steady pace.

Currently, her "Stamina" stat was still at 6, but she estimated that with her persistence and the effects of puberty, it wouldn't be long before it reached 7.

Her outfit, being form-fitting, gave her a more mature appearance.

Compared to when she first arrived in this world, her cells were now brimming with energy, and her moderate physical training had caused her to grow significantly taller. Her body's curves were now noticeably defined.

Of course, she still couldn't compare to Hinata. The two had been to the hot springs together, and if Hinata let go of her arms, her "treasures" would float on their own. Was this really a twelve-year-old girl? Even the busty ladies at the tavern would weep at the sight.

Shikamaru glanced at Ino and frowned. He didn't understand why she was dressed as if ready for battle when they were just going to eat barbecue.

Ino had an answer ready for his unspoken question: "We're ninjas of the village now. Ninjas should always be prepared for battle. Look at the Chunin and Jonin teachers aren't they always ready for a fight?"

There was no arguing with that. Shikamaru couldn't find a flaw in her logic and could only conclude that Ino was taking her overachieving tendencies to the extreme. Even eating barbecue had become a competition. Are you even human?

Tsubaki-sensei was gentle and had taught them for two years, so they were all familiar with her.

After a few pleasantries, they began eating.

The foundation of chakra lay in the 130 trillion cells in the body. Absorbing energy directly from the environment was Sage Mode, something only Jiraiya, the pervy sage, could achieve in the ninja world. Normal ninjas had to rely on their bodies to produce chakra, and the way cells replenished energy was primarily through eating.

Ino wasn't a glutton, but her appetite had grown significantly since she first arrived in this world.

"Thank you, Mizuki-sensei and Tsubaki-sensei. Let's eat!" Ino didn't hold back, offering a quick thanks before digging in.

Choji was furious. He might not have beaten her in the exams, but he wasn't going to lose in eating! After a perfunctory thanks to Mizuki, he picked up his chopsticks and started devouring the food.

Shikamaru followed suit. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio had to stick together! If his teammates were eating, he couldn't hold back it would ruin the unity.

Kiba and Shino didn't hold back either. Aside from Hinata, who politely asked Mizuki and Tsubaki about their engagement, the other five and a dog were busy stuffing their faces.

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