All three of them remained silent, gritting their teeth as they continued digging. Xin, meanwhile, skewered a rabbit he had caught and started roasting it over a fire.
The smell of roasting meat began to fill the air, and the students' stomachs began to growl.
"Sorry, Captain, but we've been working all day. I'm a bit hungry," Aida said with an awkward smile.
Ryoji wished he could dig a hole and hide in it.
How embarrassing-his stomach growled at the smell of roasted meat.
Suzune kept her head down, clearly embarrassed, as her stomach rumbled as well.
"Smells good, right?" Xin asked with a grin.
"Yeah!" Aida's eyes lit up. Was the captain going to share the roasted meat with them?
"Good. I was worried the flavor wasn't right," Xin said, taking a bite of the rabbit. He continued eating with relish, completely ignoring the hungry stares from his students.
Wait, we're not getting any?
Watching as Xin devoured the entire rabbit, the three of them felt like crying.
They had been working hard all day, and while they had barely had time to drink some water,
Xin was sitting there, enjoying a delicious roast in front of them.
It was too much.
"Wipe that miserable look off your faces and get back to work. Finish by sundown, and I'll treat you to hotpot. If you don't finish, then we're working overtime. You'll go home when the job's done."
Usually, a Jonin instructor would treat their students to a meal. However, Xin had no intention of taking on disciples. After all, in the world of shinobi, students often end up turning on their masters.
Xin had no interest in taking disciples-teammates were fine, though. Treating teammates to a meal wasn't a big deal, especially when it was at his own restaurant. Convenient and affordable.
At the mention of hotpot, the three students immediately perked up. Despite their exhaustion, the thought of food filled them with new energy, and they worked harder than ever.
Under the promise of a delicious meal, they finished the task before sundown.
Xin led the freshly cleaned-up trio back to the village and straight to the hotpot restaurant.
"Xin!"
Kushina, who had been lounging idly at one of the tables, lit up at the sight of him, jumping up excitedly.
"Huh?"