"We're here!"
As evening approached, Asuma's squad and Goku finally arrived at the main gate of Konoha.
Their starting point hadn't been anywhere near the border of the Land of Fire.
However, in order to rush the intelligence back to the village as quickly as possible, they had sprinted the entire way at top speed.
That was the only reason they managed to reach the village gates before nightfall.
"Shikamaru, Ino, Choji—take Goku to the barbecue restaurant and put it on my tab!"
After entering Konoha, Asuma gave these instructions to the trio, then headed straight for the Hokage's office with Aoba Yamashiro and the other Jonin.
He had originally intended to treat Goku to barbecue himself as a thank-you after the mission debriefing.
But considering the intelligence Aoba had gathered, it was likely that Konoha's entire leadership—including all the Jonin— would be tied up in meetings all night.
So, he had no choice but to leave the task of hosting Goku to his three disciples.
"Barbecue!"
Goku rubbed his belly, and drool instantly began to trickle down.
"Time to eat!"
His stomach was growling by now, too.
"I love barbecue the most! I'm going to eat to my heart's content!"
Choji cheered.
He loved eating above all else, and barbecue ranked right at the top of his list of favorites.
Since Asuma-sensei was paying tonight, he was definitely going to eat his fill without holding back.
"I'm going to eat my fill, too!"
Hearing Choji's cheer, Goku shouted happily as well.
The two exchanged a glance and felt an instant bond—a connection shared between fellow foodies.
"Asuma's wallet is doomed!"
Shikamaru was already mourning his teacher's wallet in advance. He knew all too well just how much food Choji could put away when he really let loose.
Fortunately, given the difficulty of this mission, it would likely be rated S-Class; an S-Class mission guaranteed a payout of at least one million ryo.
Since it was a village-issued mission, there was no middleman taking a cut, and as the team leader, Asuma would likely receive a substantial share.
"What a couple of simple souls!"
Ino couldn't help but marvel as she watched Goku and Choji—who were as happy as children while eating barbecue.
She knew Choji's personality well, and after spending the journey together, she had also formed a pretty good idea of what Goku was like.
Despite possessing immense power—enough to force a formidable opponent like Kakuzu to surrender—his personality was truly simple, and his mind uncomplicated.
He had originally come to Konoha intending to challenge the Hokage, only to be easily placated by Asuma-sensei, who explained that the Hokage was too busy with official duties to accept any challenges.
He had only agreed to come to Konoha with them afterward because Asuma promised to treat them to a meal.
That was precisely why they all felt such a fondness for Goku.
It wasn't just because he had saved their lives; it was also because being around him felt so easy and relaxed.
Then again, Goku was only fifteen—slightly younger than them—and with his appearance, he looked more like a boy of twelve or thirteen.
He seemed like a little brother.
Konoha was bustling at dusk; ninjas returning from a hard day of training or missions would usually head to the streets to grab a bite to eat.
Meanwhile, ordinary villagers, weary from their own day's work, would bring their families out for a stroll and enjoy some snacks.
Along the way, Shikamaru and his team ran into quite a few acquaintances and exchanged friendly greetings.
People looked on with obvious curiosity at Goku—who had a tail sprouting from behind—but Shikamaru and the others offered no explanations.
After all, this mission was of great importance; until the Hokage gave the word, they couldn't reveal any details about it.
Naturally, they couldn't casually disclose the identity or capabilities of Goku, a key figure in the mission.
"Boss, the usual!"
Upon entering the barbecue restaurant, Shikamaru greeted the owner familiarly, and the owner immediately understood.
As a regular customer, the owner knew exactly what Shikamaru meant by "the usual."
It meant no need to order; they would just keep bringing out various cuts of meat until Choji was full. Given Choji's current size and appetite, he could easily polish off at least ten servings of barbecue.
Soon, thinly sliced meat from various animals was brought out on platters and placed onto the grill grate in the center of the table with a loud, sizzling hiss.
Shikamaru and Ino skillfully brushed the meat with oil and sprinkled on various seasonings.
Roasting over the glowing red coals below, a platter of meat was ready in less than a minute, quickly devoured by the four of them.
"This is too slow!"
Watching the second platter being arranged on the grill—with Shikamaru and Ino once again brushing on oil and seasoning—Goku started to get impatient.
For an ordinary person, eating a few slices of barbecue and sipping a drink would fill them up before long.
But for someone like him—who normally put away over ten pounds of meat a minute—this pace was far too sluggish.
Even though the taste was undeniably excellent.
"Don't move—let me handle this!"
Goku stood on his chair, waving his hands as he began to weave a bit of culinary magic.
The platters of meat on the table flew up onto the grill grate; the charcoal fire beneath flared up instantly, cooking the meat in a flash.
Next, various seasonings flew through the air and landed on the meat, and the perfectly cooked portions began flying, one after another, right in front of the four diners.
Goku immediately grabbed his chopsticks and started shoveling the food into his mouth, shouting for the owner to bring out more meat all the while.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru and the others were left completely dumbfounded.
As ninja, they had seen all manner of bizarre and wondrous jutsu.
But a jutsu designed specifically for grilling meat? That was a first.
After all, jutsu were almost exclusively developed for combat; no one would expend significant effort creating a technique just to barbecue meat.
It wasn't just Shikamaru's trio; the ordinary diners and other ninja nearby wore the exact same look of astonishment.
"Wow, time to dig in!"
Choji was the first to react; he grabbed his chopsticks and rapidly tossed pieces of grilled meat into his mouth, clearly intent on competing with Goku to see who could devour the most.
Ten minutes later, Shikamaru and Ino rubbed their round, distended bellies and withdrew from the battlefield.
Watching Goku and Choji—who were still furiously stuffing grilled meat into their mouths—they couldn't help but marvel:
"It's the first time I've ever seen someone go toe-to-toe with Choji in a grilled meat eating contest."
Choji's voracious appetite wasn't just because he was a glutton; the Akimichi clan's secret ninjutsu required consuming massive amounts of food to store sufficient energy within the body.
That was why there were no skinny people in the Akimichi family.
Yet Goku didn't look fat, nor was he tall, and somehow, he could eat just as much.
Half an hour later, Choji struggled to swallow a mouthful of meat that had risen all the way to his throat, finally admitting defeat.
Meanwhile, they noticed that Goku was still furiously devouring the meat—even though the portions meant for all three of them had been consolidated onto his single plate.
Even that combined pile could barely keep pace with the speed at which he was scarfing it down.
"How does he fit so much food into such a small stomach?"
They watched as Goku downed at least two liters of drinks alongside the meat, yet his belly remained only slightly distended.
Ino wore an expression of utter disbelief.
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