Daily Life

Is killing really that difficult? When the question takes root and begins to grow, one might feel at a loss. When a precious life slips through one's hands, does it result in guilt?

No.

The blood splattering from that body, whether it is hot or cold, doesn't matter.

The desperate wail erupting from that mouth, so full of despair, so what?

The glint of hatred in those eyes, what does it have to do with me?

Is life really precious? The only life that matters is your own...

With such thoughts, Yuji followed Orochimaru, as if he were an emotionless robot, constantly carrying out tasks. As the blood in his hands became ever more vivid, he also became stronger.

Blood and fire always accelerate growth, both physically and mentally.

Kushina and Hokusei noticed this. Despite the deep bond formed from years of fighting side by side, it was clear that the comrade who used to charge ahead seemed to be pulling away from them.

A year later, during the season when cherry blossoms were falling.

That day, three students who had graduated from the Ninja Academy became Genin. After a year of bloodshed, they shed their naivety and could officially be called ninjas.

Even during downtime, Yuji never stopped training. His self-imposed discipline, combined with his natural talent, made him grow at a rate that constantly caught Orochimaru's eye, and as a result, the higher-ups of the Hokage increased their scrutiny of him.

Rather than simply watching, it could be said that they were monitoring him...

Months ago, when Yuji began to grow stronger, he had already noticed the surveillance. Despite the Anbu's best efforts to remain hidden and monitor him with their full capacity, Yuji was aware of them. He even thought that it was proof of his strength. What he didn't realize was that, with his current abilities, detecting the hidden Anbu was nearly impossible.

Upon discovering the Anbu, Yuji didn't make a move. He didn't ask Orochimaru about it, acting as though he hadn't noticed the surveillance. He simply continued with his life, but as he gradually integrated into Konoha, he started to feel a slight unease.

One day, after training from dawn until noon, Yuji could no longer bear his hunger. He quickly tidied himself up and went out to get something to eat.

Orochimaru had gone out, and since Yuji had started earning money from his missions, he rarely cooked for himself. He usually just went to a restaurant.

It was midday, and the streets were relatively quiet. Yuji walked while thinking about what to eat.

"Yuji!"

A familiar voice suddenly called out from behind him. Yuji stopped and turned to see its owner, nodding slightly as a greeting.

Hokusei, used to Yuji's personality, wasn't bothered. He walked up to Yuji and scratched his head awkwardly, speaking softly, "Um... Yuji, I want to invite you and... Kushina to lunch."

"Are you sure?" Yuji raised an eyebrow, looking at Hokusei seriously. Hokusei's mouth twitched slightly, and he hesitated, thinking about whether his wallet had enough money to accommodate Yuji's appetite. Still, to get Kushina to join, he reluctantly nodded.

Yuji had no reason to refuse a free meal ticket and nodded. "I'm hungry. How about grilled meat?"

As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the most famous grilled meat restaurant, which, of course, also had high prices.

Hokusei's heart skipped a beat when he heard "grilled meat." Following Yuji's gaze, he saw the most expensive restaurant and his face twitched. He quickly said, "Uh, I... might not have enough money."

Yuji's gaze shifted away from the expensive restaurant. He turned and said indifferently, "Then let's go somewhere else. Go ahead and call Kushina."

Upon hearing Yuji's words, Hokusei beamed with joy. He wasn't stingy, but money really was tight. Thankfully, Yuji had stepped in to help, or he wouldn't have known what to do. The most important thing was to get Kushina to join.

"How could someone who lacks the courage to even invite her directly expect to get her attention? Even after a year, you still don't see this."

Yuji shook his head slightly as he walked ahead. He knew that Hokusei had feelings for Kushina. Whenever they weren't on missions, Hokusei would usually try to bring him along as an excuse to invite Kushina. More accurately, he used Yuji as a support to bolster his confidence in inviting her.

With Hokusei's personality, there was no way Kushina would be interested in him.

Yuji felt a bit sorry for Hokusei but didn't have the time or inclination to play matchmaker for the two of them. He hadn't explicitly told Hokusei this, but in his eyes, if Hokusei noticed this himself and was willing to change for Kushina, only then would he have the right to pursue her.

When they arrived at Kushina's house, Hokusei stood to the side, as usual, while pushing Yuji to the front to knock on the door.

"Seriously..."

Yuji, looking at Hokusei who was shrinking to the side, shook his head helplessly. As he raised his head, preparing to call for Kushina, his brow suddenly furrowed. He vaguely sensed several unusual presences.

"They're not from Konoha, so who are they?"

In an instant, Yuji's thoughts turned quickly. However, upon detecting several Konoha presences hidden deeper in the shadows, he relaxed and called out several times to the house.

Upon hearing Yuji's voice, Kushina paused for a moment. After saying something to her uncle and aunt, she came to the door and opened it to find Yuji standing there alone.

"What's going on?" she asked, not the slightest bit polite, knowing she was about to eat.

Hearing her question, Yuji answered casually, "We're having grilled meat for lunch today."

Kushina's eyes lit up with surprise, and she smiled slightly. Then she asked the most important question, "Are you treating?"

Yuji raised an eyebrow, coldly laughing. "Is that possible?"

"I thought so. You're such a cheapskate!" Kushina smacked her forehead in disbelief. "Where's Hokusei?"

"Uh, I'm right here." Hokusei, leaning from the side, smiled at Kushina.

Seeing this, Kushina rolled her eyes and went back inside to say something to her uncle and aunt before following Yuji and Hokusei to the street.

"Which grilled meat restaurant are we going to?"

As they walked, Yuji asked Hokusei, though his eyes were already drifting toward the most expensive grilled meat place.

Hokusei's heart raced. He quickly pointed to a mid-range restaurant not far away and said, "How about this one? The taste is great."

"Alright."

Yuji retracted his gaze, slightly disappointed.

Watching from the side, Kushina shook her head and said, "Yuji, when are you going to treat us to a meal?"

Upon hearing this, Yuji casually flicked Kushina on the back of the head and said bluntly, "I don't have any money."

This made Kushina glare at Yuji as he headed toward the grilled meat restaurant.

In truth, Yuji was quite poor. He had to eat large quantities of food every day, and with the rewards from his missions, he could only just scrape by. He spent all his earnings on food, never having bought new clothes. Everything he wore were old clothes from Orochimaru.

If Kushina and Hokusei were a little more observant, they would have noticed this problem.

Upon entering the grilled meat restaurant, Yuji, with the mentality of not wasting anything, ordered twenty servings of grilled meat!

Neither Hokusei nor Kushina was too surprised, as they had long gotten used to Yuji's large appetite. Even the server taking the order wasn't shocked, as Yuji's reputation as a big eater had spread throughout the streets.

And twenty servings—was that enough?

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