Guy stood up, and Kairen and Obito made room for him to sit.
At that moment, the three giants of the Ninja Academy reunited once again, holding their own Conference—ready to decide how to bring an end to the Third Great Ninja War.
"Guy, what do you want to eat? It's on me!" Obito said boldly in front of Rin.
"Really? Then I'll have twenty bowls of ramen."
Obito swallowed hard, realizing for the first time that because Guy had devoted himself entirely to taijutsu training, his body required massive amounts of food for energy.
Rin looked at him. "Obito, are you out of money? How about… we just split the bill?"
Obito felt his pride crumble. Flames of defiance burned in his heart—he had the aura of a man who could start the Fourth Great Ninja War all by himself. He waved his hand grandly.
"Boss! Twenty more bowls of ramen! Everyone, eat as much as you want! Today, I, Uchiha Obito, am covering everything!"
"Alright!"
Before long, the ramen was served.
Kairen picked up the large steaming bowl in front of him.
Hot steam rose into the air, filling the shop with a mouthwatering aroma that stirred his hunger.
He inhaled deeply, savoring the smell, then grabbed his chopsticks and began devouring the noodles in large bites.
Before long, Kairen had finished his bowl.
"Boss, another one!" he called out loudly.
Obito tugged at Kairen's sleeve.
"What?"
Kairen looked at him, confused.
Obito blinked several times, hinting that he should maybe eat a little less—stop digging into his wallet.
Kairen immediately understood. He turned to the shopkeeper.
"Boss, make that ten more bowls!"
Since it was Obito's treat tonight, Moku Kairen wasn't going to hold back.
"Kair—" Obito wanted to yell but the word got stuck in his throat.
Kairen clapped him on the shoulder and imparted some "wisdom."
"Remember this: a man must always look generous. Being broke isn't shameful, but having no pride is."
Obito pondered those words, then nodded hard.
"You're right!"
But then he hesitated, mumbling under his breath.
"But… you guys are eating my money, drinking my blood."
Kairen waved his chopsticks casually.
"What are you afraid of? Worst case, we just wash dishes for two days. Didn't you used to do that here all the time?"
Obito grabbed his sleeve and whispered in his ear.
"I'll be honest, I can't afford to feed Guy. Once Rin leaves, I'll tell Teuchi-san we'll just wash dishes to pay it off."
Kairen brushed off his hand with a light laugh.
"Man, you're pathetic. And you want to be Hokage someday? You should worry about even passing the Chūnin Exams first!"
At the mention of the Chūnin Exams, Guy's ears perked up.
He set down his chopsticks and joined in.
"I heard this year's Chūnin Exams are going to be huge. The Daimyō and the princess of the Land of Fire will be there, and even officials from allied nations are coming to watch—to boost morale! The village told us to take it seriously!"
Kairen didn't seem very concerned.
He had already fought his way through thousands of Sunagakure shinobi; dealing with a few Genin would be child's play.
He planned to use Gaara's combat style—just to show off a little.
Obito clenched his fist.
"Our team has Kakashi. Minato-sensei says he's already at Jōnin level. We've got this in the bag."
"Bullshit. The Chūnin Exams test overall ability. With your level of maturity, even Yellow Flash himself couldn't carry you."
"You're one to talk. Not even the First Hokage could drag your lazy ass forward."
Guy chimed in,
"Kairen, where are your teammates? Haven't seen them around."
Kairen chewed a piece of char siu thoughtfully before replying.
"Hmm… I think they're dead?"
"'Think'?" Obito frowned.
Kairen instantly switched into his "Will of Fire" mode, pretending to mourn.
"We were ambushed by Sunagakure. My Jōnin instructor and both teammates were killed!"
Honestly, his impression of them wasn't even as strong as the taste of the soup they once shared.
Obito patted Kairen's back.
"Don't be sad. What's done is done. Look forward—the rainbow comes after the storm."
Kairen stared blankly at him.
Was Obito… comforting him? The same guy who'd go full-on villain if Rin died?
Now he's the one giving pep talks?
"What are you staring at me for? Eat up. We'll need the energy to wash dishes later." Obito muttered.
Kairen slurped down ten bowls, yet his stomach wasn't even bulging.
After all, his Senju Clan Sage Body had the digestive capacity of a monster.
"Teuchi-san, ten more bowls!"
"Ehh… you'll be washing dishes for a week at this rate!"
A little while later—
"Teuchi-san, ten more!"
"Please, Kairen, I beg you! Stop eating! We still have to prepare for the Chūnin Exams!"
...
By the time night fell and darkness blanketed the sky,
Kairen finally patted his slightly swollen belly. Fifty bowls of ramen. He felt bursting with energy—like he could race Tsunade-sama a hundred times and still win.
He glanced at Obito beside him. The boy's face was ghostly pale, looking like some long-suffering widow from the Uchiha clan.
Kairen patted him on the shoulder and slipped him a thick wad of cash from his pouch.
Obito was stunned. He quickly grabbed the money and whispered,
"Where did you get this much cash?"
"I robbed someone. You're hopeless. Stick with me from now on, your Kairen will take care of you."
He clapped Obito's shoulder again, oozing that "cool gang leader" aura.
Guy gave Kairen a thumbs-up.
"Kairen, you can eat that much ramen… I believe you're super strong now!"
Kairen burped and stood up.
"Of course. I was the one who took out the Sunagakure frontline commander."
Obito's face regained some color, and he joined in.
"Do you know what they call me in the Land of Rain? 'Black Flash,' 'Blood Uchiha.' I slaughtered the Iwagakure army—Minato-sensei spared them out of pity. Otherwise, I'd have wiped Iwagakure off the map!"
Guy gave them both a thumbs-up.
"You two are amazing. I was stuck doing logistics at the naval front—didn't even get a chance to fight."
Ebisu walked over and joined their bragging circle.
"Everyone here's Konoha's finest. But we should stay humble! Keep it low-key!"
Shiranui Genma nodded.
"Yeah, we're all heroes—but real heroes don't boast too much."
...
Hearing the group's banter, Rin giggled softly on the side.
She nudged Yūhi Kurenai with her elbow.
"Where's Asuma? Weren't you two on the same team?"
Kurenai fell silent.
Since that day—since the "Kairen line" that divided everything—their former team had split into two opposing sides.
Seeing her go quiet, Rin didn't press further, understanding her discomfort.
Shizune tugged Rin's arm and said,
"Tsunade-sensei assigned me, Kurenai, and Kairen to form a team for the Chūnin Exams."
"Kairen?!" Rin turned to look at him—currently bragging his heart out.
"That giant eagle this morning? That was me. For no reason at all—I just wanted to look cool!"
Obito immediately matched his energy, unleashing his "Bragging Release."
"The Third Raikage was surrounded by ten thousand Iwagakure troops. I fought alongside him for a whole day and night—my hands went numb from swinging my sword!"
Rin shook her head.
"Kairen and Obito are still the same as ever—always showing off."
Kurenai, however, shook her head seriously.
"No. Obito's definitely bluffing—but Kairen isn't. He's different now. What he says is true."
Rin glanced at her in amusement.
"Didn't know you had a sense of humor, Kurenai. Guess spending time with Kairen rubbed off on you."
"I'm not joking. Kairen's really strong now. He actually killed Sunagakure's frontline commander—and hundreds of their shinobi! They've been too scared to come out ever since!"
Rin covered her mouth, laughing softly.
"I thought Obito's stories were funny, but yours are even better, Kurenai."
Kurenai sighed helplessly. Even Konoha's upper ranks—those who'd seen the mission reports—found it hard to believe.
So how could her classmates, who knew Kairen's past, possibly accept such an unbelievable tale?
"We'll see soon enough."
Rin leaned closer to her, glancing subtly toward Kairen, then whispered,
"You used to ignore him. What changed? Why are you on the same team now?"
Kurenai's lips curved into a soft, nostalgic smile.
"He saved me… and he's always been good to me. I've grown used to having his protection."
That night beneath the moonlight—the boy who had stood in front of her to shield her from a jutsu— she would never forget him for the rest of her life.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo