[Stamina +3]
[Stamina: E- → E]
As the system panel refreshed with its notification, Nara Shikadan swallowed the final grain of rice on his plate, a look of satisfaction blooming on his face.
A true dry-eating soul... this is the way!
One meal had almost doubled his [Stamina] stat! If one meal meant +3, then:
Three meals = +10
One year = 3,000
Ten years = 30,000
A hundred years = 300,000
Three hundred years = a million!
At that point, wouldn't I become some celestial deer spirit and ascend to heaven...?!
Shikadan's expression shifted slightly. Reality set in.
Wait—can an ordinary ninja even live for three hundred years?
It seemed that while the [Lazy Ghost Dry Eating System] had some incredible potential, it wasn't as overpowered as he'd initially hoped.
Should I eat more? Eat better? Or...
Maybe I need to find other ways to increase [Stamina]...
"Something doesn't add up."
Tsunade eyed the empty plate, then looked skeptically at Shikadan's stomach.
"A ninja who eats this much shouldn't be low on physical energy!"
In theory, the more one ate, the stronger one grew. Just look at Chōji from the Akimichi clan, another member of the famed "Ino-Shika-Chō" trio.
"Maybe it's because Shikadan was extra hungry today?"
Yakushi Nono smiled gently as she stood to clean up the table.
"He usually doesn't eat this much."
Shikadan, now refocused, responded with complete seriousness:
"Maybe it's because I'm trying to grow up. That could explain the appetite increase!"
His remark didn't seem to surprise either of them.
Nono just glanced at him with fondness, and Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"Ninjas mature faster than civilians, you know!"
Not bothering to argue further, Tsunade tugged at the tight-fitting nun's outfit she was still wearing.
"Nono, do you have any spare clothes I could borrow?"
Thanks to the dinner conversation, she and Nono had grown visibly closer.
If Shikadan had to describe it, he'd probably say: "The kind of closeness where they can now hold hands and go to the bathroom together."
...He didn't understand it. He was the type to feel awkward even if someone stood at the urinal beside him.
"Yes," Nono replied, giving Tsunade's too-tight outfit a discreet side-eye. "I have a spare uniform. It's from the medical emergency team."
"No problem!"
Tsunade promptly changed, said her farewells, and left Kikyo Orphanage in a hurry. She still needed to report the spy incident to Hiruzen... and follow up on something else that had just occurred to her.
Shikadan lay back on the bed, completely relaxed. In front of someone like Yakushi Nono, who already knew his true nature, there was no need to pretend.
"Shikadan, are you activating 'Energy Conservation Mode' again?" Nono teased as she tidied the dishes.
"Never do anything unnecessary, and keep things simple when necessary."
"Sister Nono really understands me! I'm not lazy, I'm strategic."
He stretched out comfortably, then asked, "By the way, are you going out on missions again soon?"
Nono hadn't revealed her identity as a Root Ninja to Shikadan—though he already knew. In her eyes, she was just a respected elite of the Medical Emergency Unit.
"I'm not sure," she replied.
Nono sat beside him, gently brushing her fingers through his black hair.
"After all... war is coming."
Before, she would never have brought up "missions" or "war" in front of Shikadan.
But now that he was officially a ninja, soon to be her "colleague," she no longer avoided the subject.
Still, she didn't intend to tell him about Root.
The shadows that grew in silence beneath the surface of the village were no place for a bright boy like Shikadan.
War… The Third Great Ninja War...
Shikadan's cheerful expression gradually hardened. The face of the Iwagakure spy he had encountered earlier flashed in his memory.
"Sister Nono," he said solemnly, "you're an elite in the Medical Department. Whatever missions you take, never forget the Three Principles of Medical Ninja—especially the second and third."
The Three Principles of Medical Ninja?
Nono's hand paused in his hair.
First: A medical ninja must never abandon treatment until the patient's life has ended.
Second: A medical ninja must never stand on the front lines.
Third: A medical ninja must never die before their comrades.
"I got it, Shikadan." Nono resumed stroking his hair gently.
"Really, you're still just a kid… though I suppose the Nara clan's children never act like it."
"Sister Nono," Shikadan said, "what about the funds for Kikyo Orphanage—"
For the first time, Yakushi Nono's gentle face turned serious. She interrupted him firmly.
"Shikadan, I will take responsibility for the orphanage."
"But wasn't I one of the original founders?"
Shikadan closed his eyes, remembering the day they met.
"You were the one who brought me back there."
To be precise, Nara Shikadan was the first orphan of Kikyo Orphanage… Not that it was something he was especially proud of.
"Stop! Don't bring that up again!"
Nono's pale cheeks flushed pink, her calm composure slipping.
Back then, during training outside Kikyo City, she had found Shikadan sitting alone in the woods. He hadn't carried any ID tags—not then, and not now.
Thinking him a lonely child abandoned by society, she'd brought him home. That "home" became Kikyo Orphanage.
...And then nearly got reported to the Nara clan as a human trafficker.
Shikadan looked into Nono's green-brown eyes, speaking sincerely:
"Anyway, if there are financial problems at the orphanage, talk to me."
Nono adjusted her glasses and replied softly, "Shikadan... I can't just accept money from the Nara clan."
"It's not from the Nara clan. It's from me."
Shikadan pointed at himself proudly.
"Being a ninja is expensive. I don't want to keep living off my family."
Nono blinked.
Is being a ninja... expensive?
But then again, if it was just Shikadan's personal support... she could consider it.
Though she'd never said it aloud, Nono had always regarded Shikadan as one of the co-founders of the orphanage.
And truthfully, her personal income wasn't enough to sustain it. Especially now, with her thoughts drifting further and further from Root...
The work was dangerous. One mistake could mean death.
Yes, Root missions paid well. But once she left Root… where would she find the funds to keep the orphanage running?
Could Shikadan really shoulder that?
She gazed at his determined face.
"Then let's find a time to discuss how we'll earn money together!"
...And the moment she said it, she regretted it.
That sounded like a married couple planning the household budget…
"No problem!" Shikadan sat up, energized.
"I'll head home now. Sister Nono, you probably dropped by my house to pass on the message, right?"
Nono nodded silently, watching him leave.
Under the quiet night sky, Shikadan made his way home.
Nono was always reliable. If he ever stopped by the orphanage, she'd be sure to inform his parents.
They must be waiting for me... right?
Shikadan reached his front door and stared at the pitch-black windows.
Not a single light on.
He unlocked the door with a key, stepped inside—only for a beam of harsh light to suddenly blind him.
"Ack—!"
He shielded his face with his hand and squinted through his fingers toward the source.
A familiar voice rang out in exasperation.
"Why is it you? Why are you back?!"
"…"
Shikadan paused, then lowered his hand with practiced indifference.
"Old lady, have you considered the possibility that... this is also my house?"
Click!
Nara Hirako turned off the flashlight and flicked on the ceiling light instead, frowning at her son.
"How many times have I told you—call me Mom!"
She turned and walked into the house. If you looked closely, you'd notice a slight limp in her steps.
"You're getting less cute with age, little horn!"
"At least I won't change my words until you change yours, Hirako."
Shikadan replied seriously.
"Nara Little Horn... That name's way too confusing. Especially when we already have a deer named Big Horn at home!"
Hirako spun around and glared.
"That was the name your dear father gave you!"
Shikadan shuddered.
Dear father. Which meant his dad, Nara Shusuke, was the dear husband.
Ugh. My parents are the ultimate cringe couple…
"And speaking of 'Big Horn'—"
Hirako picked up a kitchen knife, spun it theatrically, and pointed the glinting blade at Shikadan's forehead.
"Why are you back, Little Horn? Where's Big Horn?"