"Guests, these are the ingredients you ordered."
In the barbecue restaurant, the waitress placed fresh meat and vegetable ingredients on the table.
"Thank you, we'll handle it ourselves from here."
Looking at the fresh meat already set out, completely ignoring the vegetables, Chouza couldn't help but start drooling.
The waitress nodded at this.
"Then please take your time to enjoy. If you need anything, just let us know."
The waitress exited the private room, leaving the space for them.
"Finally, we can have a feast. Barbecue in a foreign land, it's something to really look forward to."
As someone from the Akimichi Clan who can't live without meat, Chouza always had a massive appetite for meat.
Moreover, the meat used for the barbecue here looked so fresh and tasty on the outside; this business trip was definitely worth it.
"Hey, while the funds are adequate, don't spend them too quickly... by the way, the ingredients here are really expensive."
Gazing at the string of numbers on the ingredients list, Shikaku's eyelid twitched as he silently clicked his tongue.
"Does it matter? Shikaku, you must be tired too, after all, we've been rushing to the Land of Demons non-stop for several days without much rest on the way."
Yamanaka Inoichi said with a smile.
"Such a hassle."
Shikaku shook the wine glass in his hand, poured himself a cup of sake, and grumbled as he drank.
Indeed, this was already a foreign land, far across the continent in the Land of Demons.
Here, the culture is completely different from the Land of Fire.
The Land of Fire is dominated by monk culture, with the Temple of Fire being the source of the Land of Fire's monk culture.
However, the Land of Demons is entirely different, where witch culture prevails, mixed with various monsters and ghostly tales, making them popular stories shared among people.
As they traveled, they could see shrines or witches in many places.
It is said that in neighboring countries, many witches from the Land of Demons travel around.
"Speaking of which, that backup plan you mentioned, Shikaku..."
Chouza asked instinctively while flipping the barbecue with his chopsticks.
Shikaku just placed his finger in front of his lips, making a 'shh' gesture.
Chouza realized something and didn't ask further, concentrating on grilling the meat.
Seeing that Chouza and Inoichi seemed a bit worried, Shikaku knew what they were worried about.
After all, this mission to the Land of Demons involved only the three of them; if they really caused any trouble here, they would certainly be the first to be attacked by the ninjas of the Land of Demons and captured.
They were worried that the so-called "backup plan" might involve some forceful action.
Shikaku comforted them, saying, "Don't worry, our sole guideline here is to coexist peacefully with the ninjas of the Land of Demons; no conflict will occur. Plus, the person I'm waiting for should be here soon."
"The person you're waiting for?"
Chouza and Inoichi exchanged glances, seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.
Shikaku picked up his wine glass, sipping it slowly, seemingly savoring the foreign drink, sensing if there was any slight difference from the drinks in Konoha.
The aroma of meat filled the entire room, and soon, the first plate of barbecue was ready. Just as Chouza was about to pick up a piece with his chopsticks, a voice suddenly sounded outside the room.
"What's the holdup, is this the place?"
Upon hearing this somewhat familiar voice, Chouza paused in his meat-picking gesture and turned to look at the door.
Inoichi also tilted his head slightly, maintaining almost the same movement as Chouza.
Only Shikaku smiled.
"Looks like they're already here, just in time as the barbecue is ready."
The room door opened, and two women walked in from outside.
The leading blonde woman had an energetic demeanor, wearing casual clothes, giving an impression of being easy-going.
The woman following behind her was in her twenties, with shoulder-length black hair, holding a small pink pig in her arms, respectfully accompanying the blonde woman.
"Tsu, Tsunade-sama!?"
The entrants were none other than Tsunade and Shizune.
Chouza and Inoichi were quite surprised, not expecting the person Shikaku was waiting for to be one of the Sannin.
The two of them were somewhat at a loss as Tsunade had left Konoha for about eight or nine years, and meeting under such circumstances was quite unexpected for them.
Noticing the surprised look on the two of them, Tsunade waved her hand dismissively and said, "Don't look at me like that, you young ones from the Akimichi and Yamanaka families. I'm just here on behalf of someone. That old man sure knows how to use people. I already said I didn't want to get involved in such matters. No wonder I've been winning lotteries lately; I hope to lose thoroughly some day."
Tsunade spoke with a tone full of resentment.
She had associated her 'misfortune' with the village's arrangements.
"Uh, Tsunade-sama, please have a seat."
Chouza and Inoichi stood up, offering Tsunade a seat with great respect.
It's fair to say that most ninjas of Konoha had received Tsunade's kindness at some point.
Especially those Konoha ninjas frequently active on the battlefield, many of their lives were directly or indirectly saved by Tsunade.
This was true even for the Three Families of Ino–Shika–Cho, who also received a lot of favors from Tsunade in the past.
Tsunade didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly.
"Excuse me."
Shizune said to the three of them before following Tsunade to take a seat.
Looking at the sumptuous barbecue ingredients on the table, Tsunade was at a loss for words.
"You three are supposed to have important matters to handle in the Land of Demons, yet anyone unaware would think you're here for a holiday."