After who knew how long, a small mountain of empty plates had piled up on the table.
Kakashi stared at the absurdly long bill in his hand, the light completely draining from his eyes, as if his soul were about to float out of his body.
"Thanks for the treat, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto slumped shamelessly in his chair, patting his noticeably round belly.
Choji didn't even bother responding, still chewing the final piece of grilled meat with a look of deep reluctance.
At that moment, a fully satisfied Might Guy suddenly sprang to his feet, pushing his chair back. Under the stunned gazes of the kids, he struck an imposing pose toward Kakashi, his teeth flashing brilliantly once more.
"Ohhh! These calories burn like a volcano!"
"Kakashi! Now that our stomachs are filled with the power of youth, this is the perfect time for our 101st duel!"
"Come! Let us sweat beneath the blazing sun!"
Kakashi didn't even raise his head, waving a hand lazily.
"Rejected. I'm too full. If I do intense exercise now, I'll throw up."
"Besides, I just paid a fortune for this meal. I'm exhausted both mentally and physically. I'm going home to sleep."
"Don't be such a buzzkill, Kakashi."
A sour voice cut in from the side.
Asuma, a freshly lit cigarette between his lips, crossed his arms, his eyes filled with barely concealed malice.
He shot a glance at Kurenai Yuhi—whose gaze still drifted toward Kakashi from time to time—and that familiar jealousy flared up again.
This guy had completely stolen the spotlight earlier. If he didn't use Guy to give Kakashi a hard time, there was no way he'd sleep tonight.
"Dodging a fight in front of so many admiring juniors doesn't suit the Copy Ninja of the Leaf."
'So Mirai-nee-san's dad… Asuma-san… used to be Uncle Kakashi's love rival?'
Boruto devoured the gossip internally. 'No wonder he looks like he wants to bite someone to death right now… This is huge news!'
"Please show us your youth, Kakashi-senpai!" Lee shouted enthusiastically.
Kakashi glanced at Asuma—whose face clearly screamed I'm here to cause trouble—and immediately understood.
He sighed, slipped the bill into his vest, and slowly stood up.
"Since you've put it that way, Asuma, refusing again would be a bit heartless."
With his hands still in his pockets, Kakashi swept his gaze over Guy and the eager group of kids, a trace of mischief flickering in his eyes.
"However, a simple jōnin spar isn't much more than entertainment for them. It has no real educational value. Why don't we change things up?"
"Let's call it 'post-meal digestion training.' A cross-team assessment."
"Oh?" Kurenai's interest was clearly piqued.
"Exactly."
Kakashi pointed at Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten behind Guy, then at his own students.
"Guy, your Team Guy—Neji, Lee, and Tenten—will be my opponents."
Then he turned to Guy, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
"In exchange, my Team 7—Naruto and Sasuke—will be yours."
"Huh?!" Naruto and Sasuke exclaimed in unison.
Kakashi turned to Boruto and continued calmly, "Since Sakura is training under Hokage-sama, Menma will temporarily take her place and form a three-man squad with Naruto and Sasuke."
He then looked at Haku.
"As for you, Haku, you'll serve as my teaching assistant. You'll handle scoring and medical support. No combat."
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," Haku replied with a gentle smile.
"The three of us… against Guy-sensei?" Naruto stared wide-eyed at the muscular man with the bowl cut.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, locking onto Guy. He knew this seemingly ridiculous man was anything but weak.
Standing off to the side, Boruto felt an indescribable thrill surge through him.
'In the future, Uncle Guy was crippled in that great war and confined to a wheelchair…'
'To fight Uncle Guy in his prime right now?! This is an unbelievable chance!'
While Boruto was still riding that excitement, Kakashi suddenly turned toward Asuma with a half-smile.
"That reminds me—Asuma, since you're so energetic, why don't you join us too?"
"Huh? What a pain…"
Shikamaru, slumped over the table, immediately groaned in despair.
"After eating, we should be watching clouds, not fighting…"
But Asuma's eyes lit up.
He glanced at the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, already calculating.
'When it comes to teamwork, no squad in the village beats my Team 10.'
'If I step in personally, I can crush Kakashi's hastily assembled Team 7 in minutes.'
'And I'll look good doing it—in front of Kurenai.'
With his decision made, Asuma stubbed out his cigarette and stepped forward confidently.
"Alright. If we're doing this, let's go first."
"My Team 10 against your Team 7."
He looked around and announced the rules loudly.
"Kakashi, you take on my Team 10. I'll take on your Team 7."
"The rules are simple: whichever side's students last longer against the opposing jōnin wins. Sound good?"
"Fine," Kakashi replied with an indifferent shrug.
Hearing this, the members of Team 7 exchanged glances.
Then Naruto suddenly raised his hand high, like a student asking an innocent question.
"Kakashi-sensei! If the goal is to last as long as possible… what if we just beat Asuma-sensei directly? Does that count?"
The entire barbecue restaurant fell silent.
A vein throbbed on Asuma's forehead.
"…I'm being seriously underestimated by a Genin brat."
"Are you stupid, Naruto?!" Ino snapped, jumping to her feet and pointing at him.
"Asuma-sensei is an elite jōnin! How could the three of you possibly win? Stop dreaming!"
Boruto swallowed hard, his eyes filled with shock and admiration.
'Was Dad really this fearless when he was a kid?! That's an elite jōnin—the Third Hokage's son—and he just asked if they could beat him outright…'
However, to everyone's surprise, Sasuke didn't mock Naruto at all.
A cold, battle-hungry smile tugged at his lips.
"Hmph. Dead last… you finally said something worthwhile."
Sasuke fixed his gaze on Asuma, slowly tightening his fist.
"In a real fight, if you don't aim to take down your opponent—what's the point?"
After who knew how long, a small mountain of empty plates had piled up on the table.
Kakashi stared at the absurdly long bill in his hand, the light completely draining from his eyes, as if his soul were about to float out of his body.
"Thanks for the treat, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto slumped shamelessly in his chair, patting his noticeably round belly.
Choji didn't even bother responding, still chewing the final piece of grilled meat with a look of deep reluctance.
At that moment, a fully satisfied Might Guy suddenly sprang to his feet, pushing his chair back. Under the stunned gazes of the kids, he struck an imposing pose toward Kakashi, his teeth flashing brilliantly once more.
"Ohhh! These calories burn like a volcano!"
"Kakashi! Now that our stomachs are filled with the power of youth, this is the perfect time for our 101st duel!"
"Come! Let us sweat beneath the blazing sun!"
Kakashi didn't even raise his head, waving a hand lazily.
"Rejected. I'm too full. If I do intense exercise now, I'll throw up."
"Besides, I just paid a fortune for this meal. I'm exhausted both mentally and physically. I'm going home to sleep."
"Don't be such a buzzkill, Kakashi."
A sour voice cut in from the side.
Asuma, a freshly lit cigarette between his lips, crossed his arms, his eyes filled with barely concealed malice.
He shot a glance at Kurenai Yuhi—whose gaze still drifted toward Kakashi from time to time—and that familiar jealousy flared up again.
This guy had completely stolen the spotlight earlier. If he didn't use Guy to give Kakashi a hard time, there was no way he'd sleep tonight.
"Dodging a fight in front of so many admiring juniors doesn't suit the Copy Ninja of the Leaf."
'So Mirai-nee-san's dad… Asuma-san… used to be Uncle Kakashi's love rival?'
Boruto devoured the gossip internally. 'No wonder he looks like he wants to bite someone to death right now… This is huge news!'
"Please show us your youth, Kakashi-senpai!" Lee shouted enthusiastically.
Kakashi glanced at Asuma—whose face clearly screamed I'm here to cause trouble—and immediately understood.
He sighed, slipped the bill into his vest, and slowly stood up.
"Since you've put it that way, Asuma, refusing again would be a bit heartless."
With his hands still in his pockets, Kakashi swept his gaze over Guy and the eager group of kids, a trace of mischief flickering in his eyes.
"However, a simple jōnin spar isn't much more than entertainment for them. It has no real educational value. Why don't we change things up?"
"Let's call it 'post-meal digestion training.' A cross-team assessment."
"Oh?" Kurenai's interest was clearly piqued.
"Exactly."
Kakashi pointed at Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten behind Guy, then at his own students.
"Guy, your Team Guy—Neji, Lee, and Tenten—will be my opponents."
Then he turned to Guy, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
"In exchange, my Team 7—Naruto and Sasuke—will be yours."
"Huh?!" Naruto and Sasuke exclaimed in unison.
Kakashi turned to Boruto and continued calmly, "Since Sakura is training under Hokage-sama, Menma will temporarily take her place and form a three-man squad with Naruto and Sasuke."
He then looked at Haku.
"As for you, Haku, you'll serve as my teaching assistant. You'll handle scoring and medical support. No combat."
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," Haku replied with a gentle smile.
"The three of us… against Guy-sensei?" Naruto stared wide-eyed at the muscular man with the bowl cut.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, locking onto Guy. He knew this seemingly ridiculous man was anything but weak.
Standing off to the side, Boruto felt an indescribable thrill surge through him.
'In the future, Uncle Guy was crippled in that great war and confined to a wheelchair…'
'To fight Uncle Guy in his prime right now?! This is an unbelievable chance!'
While Boruto was still riding that excitement, Kakashi suddenly turned toward Asuma with a half-smile.
"That reminds me—Asuma, since you're so energetic, why don't you join us too?"
"Huh? What a pain…"
Shikamaru, slumped over the table, immediately groaned in despair.
"After eating, we should be watching clouds, not fighting…"
But Asuma's eyes lit up.
He glanced at the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, already calculating.
'When it comes to teamwork, no squad in the village beats my Team 10.'
'If I step in personally, I can crush Kakashi's hastily assembled Team 7 in minutes.'
'And I'll look good doing it—in front of Kurenai.'
With his decision made, Asuma stubbed out his cigarette and stepped forward confidently.
"Alright. If we're doing this, let's go first."
"My Team 10 against your Team 7."
He looked around and announced the rules loudly.
"Kakashi, you take on my Team 10. I'll take on your Team 7."
"The rules are simple: whichever side's students last longer against the opposing jōnin wins. Sound good?"
"Fine," Kakashi replied with an indifferent shrug.
Hearing this, the members of Team 7 exchanged glances.
Then Naruto suddenly raised his hand high, like a student asking an innocent question.
"Kakashi-sensei! If the goal is to last as long as possible… what if we just beat Asuma-sensei directly? Does that count?"
The entire barbecue restaurant fell silent.
A vein throbbed on Asuma's forehead.
"…I'm being seriously underestimated by a Genin brat."
"Are you stupid, Naruto?!" Ino snapped, jumping to her feet and pointing at him.
"Asuma-sensei is an elite jōnin! How could the three of you possibly win? Stop dreaming!"
Boruto swallowed hard, his eyes filled with shock and admiration.
'Was Dad really this fearless when he was a kid?! That's an elite jōnin—the Third Hokage's son—and he just asked if they could beat him outright…'
However, to everyone's surprise, Sasuke didn't mock Naruto at all.
A cold, battle-hungry smile tugged at his lips.
"Hmph. Dead last… you finally said something worthwhile."
Sasuke fixed his gaze on Asuma, slowly tightening his fist.
"In a real fight, if you don't aim to take down your opponent—what's the point?"