Chapter 5 — Eating
The sun sank westward, and the afterglow of dusk spread across the training field, laying down a sheet of golden light.
At this moment—
School had already ended. The entire field was empty except for Kinoshita Hikaru, who was still running mechanically.
He had already broken through his limits three times. He had achieved all this with nothing but his young body and a mature soul.
Suddenly, a familiar warm current surged through his body—
But this time, his mind did not clear.
His vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Hikaru-kun fainted!" Minato Namikaze shouted.
In a flash, Kinoshita Muraichi used the Body Flicker Technique, scooped Hikaru up, and rushed him to the medical room.
"Doctor, save—save—him…"
The anxiety on Muraichi's face vanished as he froze in place.
So beautiful.
This young lady is so beautiful. Mom, I think I'm in love.
Saisei Ayashizuka saw that Hikaru was unconscious and took him over for examination.
In the end, she discovered it was merely dehydration and immediately hooked him up to nutrient fluids.
After a while, his condition stabilized.
That was when she noticed Hikaru's body recovering on its own. The bruises on his knees were slowly fading.
What's going on?
This child's body is so strange. I really want to study him (ಡωಡ).
Curiosity filled Saisei Ayashizuka's large eyes as she turned to ask, "What is your relationship with this child?"
"Hello, my name is Kinoshita Muraichi. I'm his teacher."
"My apologies. I didn't expect someone so young to already be a teacher. That's impressive… My name is Saisei Ayashizuka."
"N-Not that impressive." Muraichi scratched his head and grinned foolishly.
She says I'm impressive. Does that mean she likes me?
Saisei Ayashizuka's cheeks flushed slightly, her voice turning shy. "Um, Kinoshita-sensei, could Ayashizuka ask you for a favor?"
"What is it?"
"Kinoshita-kun's recovery ability is too strong. May I draw a little blood for testing? Don't worry—I'll submit the results to the Third Hokage. It would also contribute to medical ninja research."
"No problem," Muraichi agreed immediately. Contributing to medical research? What a wonderful thing.
"Really? Thank you so much. When the child wakes up, I'll draw a little blood. I'll treat you both to dinner," Ayashizuka said sweetly.
Muraichi frowned and stared at her, making her feel slightly uneasy.
"Kinoshita-sensei, what's wrong?" she asked.
"Why… why wait until he wakes up to draw blood? Can't you draw it now?"
"But I need this child's consent as well."
"No need. I'm his biological older brother. Just draw it directly. Afterward, the two of us can go eat and let him rest properly."
"Is that really alright?" Ayashizuka hesitated.
"Go ahead. My little brother has been afraid of needles since he was young. I don't want him to see such a bloody scene."
Muraichi lied through his teeth, only wanting the blood drawn quickly so he could go to dinner with the goddess.
Ayashizuka nodded, took out a "500cc" syringe, and inserted it into Hikaru's arm.
When Muraichi saw the size of the syringe, his heart bled.
Sorry, little brother. This is the last time!!!
(๑＞ڡ＜)☆
…
When Kinoshita Hikaru woke up, the first thing he smelled was disinfectant.
He frowned slightly and felt overwhelming hunger.
"So hungry… Where am I?"
"Hikaru-kun, you're awake. This is the medical room. You've been asleep for three hours," Minato Namikaze said.
"Did you carry me here? Thank you, Minato."
"No, it was Muraichi-nii who carried you here. He just stepped out."
"Really? Sometimes my brother is pretty reliable." Hikaru felt touched.
But right now, he only had one thought—
Eat. Meat.
He yanked the IV tube out of his hand, flipped upright in one motion, and stood there with vacant eyes, shambling forward like a zombie.
"Hikaru-kun, the doctor said it's dehydration. You need to rest properly," Minato Namikaze hurriedly intervened.
But Kinoshita Hikaru didn't hear a thing. Mechanically, he continued forward.
After a short while, he caught a whiff of something meaty. His vacant eyes regained some spark, and then a green glow appeared.
"Meat!"
He saw the sign above the door: Akimichi Barbecue q.
Hikaru trusted this family completely. After all, in this world, only fat people never disappoint when it comes to food.
A sign hanging at the entrance read: Barbecue Challenge — Eat (25 kg) of meat alone, all free, once per month.
Normally, no one could finish 25kg of meat. This challenge was specially prepared for Akimichi clan members, to support those struggling financially, and also to prevent someone from bankrupting the barbecue shop.
Hikaru grinned broadly, letting go of all worries, and stepped inside. Minato Namikaze followed closely behind.
In his heart, Minato silently prayed:
"Hikaru-kun has worked himself to exhaustion today… Let him indulge a bit. Just hope he doesn't eat too much."
Sitting down, Hikaru slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Bring 25kg of pork belly!"
Minato, who had just sat down, nearly jumped out of his seat.
25kg! How much money is that? What if we can't pay and they make us work it off? Will we even make it to school tomorrow?
He grabbed Hikaru and whispered, "Hikaru-kun, we don't have enough money…"
"No problem. I've got this. Didn't you see the sign at the door? 25 kilo is free."
Minato almost dropped to his knees. Where does he get this confidence? And does he even weigh 25 kilo himself? ≡￣﹏￣≡
A burly middle-aged lady approached, her voice warm. "Little one, don't waste food. Where are your parents?"
"Hello, miss. It's just the two of us. No adults. I want to eat meat."
"Giggling… What a polite little one! Let's start with a kilo first. Once you finish, we'll add more, alright?" The lady beamed, clearly charmed by his polite words.
"Alright. I'll eat and then ask for more."
Hikaru was already starving. A little starter would do.
Meanwhile, on the second floor of the barbecue shop…
"Eat this. Pork belly cooked medium rare is the best. Ayashizuka-chan, try some."
Kinoshita Muraichi and Saisei Ayashizuka were chatting happily. He kept serving her dishes, a smile never leaving his lips.
This opportunity came at the cost of his little brother donating a tube of blood. Muraichi silently told himself to cherish it.
Just then, he heard a familiar sound. Lifting the curtain, he saw his foolish little brother, then quickly lowered the curtain again.
Why would his brother come here?
Such an expensive place is not suitable for him.
Sigh… Not teaching him how to manage money, I really am a failure as a brother.
Muraichi had already decided: pretend you don't know him.
Back on the first floor…
Sizzle!
Hikaru poured meat onto the grill. His eyes glimmered green as he quietly waited.
When the meat was cooked, he didn't eat it all. Instead, he picked up half a kilo and offered it to Minato Namikaze.
"Try some."
Minato, seeing his friend so hungry yet still sharing, felt deeply touched.
Hikaru-kun is so kind.
"Thank you (^_^)" He took a piece and popped it into his mouth, praising, "So good. Hikaru-kun, you eat too."
Hikaru didn't hold back. He devoured the half kilo in one bite, leaving Minato's mouth agape.
"Sugoi!"