"Alright, everyone, let's dig in!!!"
Ito Hirofumi didn't hold back, plopping his bento right in the center of the group for everyone to share.
Then he turned to Yamanaka Ino with a grin.
"Thanks a ton, Ino! This bento you made looks as refined as you are. I bet it tastes just as amazing!"
Ino's heart skipped a beat at his words.
What did Hirofumi mean by that?
The bento looks as refined as me… Is he saying I'm pretty?!
Oh man, she was over the moon!!!
Just as everyone was about to start eating, Ito Hirofumi suddenly stood up, leaving the group a bit confused.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Sasuke noticed Hirofumi heading his way.
"Yo, Sasuke! Wanna join us for lunch? Everyone's got some awesome food to share. Eating alone over here's gotta be boring, right?"
Sasuke's heart raced at the invite, but his face stayed in full-on tsundere mode.
"Hmph… I…"
"Oh, come on, let's go!!!"
Hirofumi, fully aware of Sasuke's tendency to act all cool and aloof, didn't give him a chance to protest. He grabbed Sasuke, dragged him over, and plopped him down with the group.
Sasuke's insides were buzzing with excitement, but his body felt awkward as hell—especially with everyone staring at him.
"I… I…"
"What's with the 'I, I' stuff?!"
Naruto Uzumaki cut him off. "Don't tell me you're gonna act all high and mighty again, Sasuke! Just eat already! Here, try one of my super-secret Naruto burgers! I'm sharing one with you!"
In a flash, Naruto handed Sasuke one of his prized homemade burgers.
Naruto was actually stoked to have Sasuke join them, even if the guy was always stealing Sakura's attention. Deep down, Naruto knew that aside from his close friends, the rest of the class saw him as the "demon fox." But Sasuke? He never treated Naruto like that. Sure, he called him an idiot all the time, but that was just Sasuke being Sasuke.
"Hmph! Idiot!" Sasuke muttered, grabbing the burger anyway.
"You jerk!!!" Naruto exploded. "How dare you call me an idiot, you smug bastard?!"
"Hmph. You are an idiot, Naruto."
"Smug bastard!"
"Idiot Naruto!"
"Smug bastard!"
"Idiot Naruto!"
The two went at it, throwing insults back and forth like a verbal sparring match. Sasuke was clearly winning, and Naruto was starting to lose it, his face turning red.
"You damn Sasuke! You traitor! You villain! Wanna settle this with a fight?!"
"Heh. Idiot Naruto."
"AHHHH! SASUKE!!!" Naruto jumped onto a bench, shouting with all the passion in his soul.
For some reason, Sasuke—who was usually so calm and collected—felt something snap inside him at Naruto's yell. It was like a weird switch had been flipped.
He leaped onto a chair.
"NARUTO!!!"
"SASUKE!!!"
"NARUTO!!!"
"SASUKE!!!"
"NARUTO!!!"
"SASUKE!!!"
The group stared, dumbfounded. In all their years at the Ninja Academy, they'd never seen Uchiha Sasuke lose his cool like this. The guy was the king of composure, never raising his voice in class.
But today? He was trading shouts with Naruto like they were in some kind of bromance showdown!
What the hell?! Is this an illusion?! When did this happen?!
Hirofumi sighed and rubbed his forehead. He'd seen this coming the moment he dragged Sasuke over. Naruto and Sasuke together were a recipe for chaos—pure, unfiltered bromance energy.
"Alright, everyone, just ignore those two! They're both nuts. Let's eat! Oh, by the way, my mom packed some fried chicken in my bento today!"
Naruto, mid-"SASUKE!!!" yell, froze at the words fried chicken. In a blink, he sat down, his focus laser-locked on the food.
"Fried chicken, fried chicken, FRIED CHICKEN! Hell yeah, dattebayo!"
Sasuke, noticing Naruto wasn't shouting back anymore, huffed and sat down coolly, shoving the secret Naruto burger into his mouth.
"Urgh!!! What the hell is this?!" he gagged.
Naruto smirked. "Hmph! You just don't get it, do you? That's my special Naruto sauce mixed with a dozen ingredients to make the ultimate Naruto secret burger!"
"Are you trying to poison someone with this?!"
"Tch, you're still alive, aren't you, smug bastard?"
"Damn it, Naruto!!!" Sasuke shouted again.
But this time, Naruto didn't take the bait. His eyes were glued to the fried chicken, sparkling with excitement.
Fried chicken? What's so great about it? Sasuke wondered. It's just… fried chicken, right? Is it really that good?
Meanwhile, Naruto was crouched on his bench, butt sticking out, one hand on the table mimicking a little person with two fingers as legs. He inched his "little person" toward the fried chicken, singing under his breath:
"Chicken, you're too beautiful… Baby… You're walking toward me, making my heart race… One more look, and I might just explode…"
Naruto always sang this song when he ate fried chicken, his hips swaying to the beat. He'd learned it from Hirofumi, and man, he thought it was the perfect tune.
Chicken really is too beautiful!!! ``