After weighing the pros and cons several times, Danzo finally squeezed out a humiliating order through gritted teeth, his voice as cold as ice.
"In that case, go and throw Akimichi Ryoko out of Root. Drop him directly at the entrance of the Akimichi Clan compound."
Though he was gnashing his teeth in anger, he had to admit that this was currently the most advantageous solution.
He thought viciously to himself: I want to see if your Akimichi Clan can feed him yourself! My Root cannot afford to raise such a glutton with an appetite like a black hole!
Let you all get a taste of this 'genius' for yourselves.
"Yes, Lord Danzo!" Aburame Ryoma felt a surge of relief and immediately took the order.
Not daring to delay for a second, he quickly rose and headed straight for the Root Cafeteria.
He knew that the 'culprit' was most likely there at this moment.
Aburame Ryoma walked briskly and arrived directly at the Root Cafeteria.
As expected, the figure that made his heart bleed was sitting behind a mountain of empty plates.
Akimichi Ryoko was only five years old, but his build was a size larger than a ten-year-old's. His round belly looked like a ripe watermelon, making his originally cute face appear somewhat simple and honest.
He was leisurely grabbing rice balls and popping them in one by one. The empty plates in front of him increased at a rate visible to the naked eye. His eating speed and stomach capacity made him a literal bottomless pit.
Aburame Ryoma had no idea where the massive amount of food the boy consumed actually went.
"Yo, Lord Ryoma is here!"
Akimichi Ryoko's sharp eyes spotted Aburame Ryoma, and he immediately waved a small hand covered in rice grains to greet him.
"Want to join me for a bit? Today's rice balls are especially fragrant!"
Aburame Ryoma's mouth twitched violently. Watching the food disappear so rapidly felt like watching Root's funding being burned to ashes.
Without a word, he stepped forward, grabbed Akimichi Ryoko's greasy arm, hoisted him up, and rushed out. His movements were as fast as lightning, giving the boy no time to react.
"Eh? Lord Ryoma, what are you doing? I'm not full yet, wait... my rice balls!"
Akimichi Ryoko sensed something was wrong. While being dragged away, he struggled to swallow the food in his mouth, not forgetting to stretch his little hand out desperately to snatch the remaining rice balls from the tables he passed.
"Akimichi Ryoko!" Aburame Ryoma announced coldly while sprinting with all his might. "Your time is up. By order of Lord Danzo, you are immediately expelled from Root and returned to the Akimichi Clan. From this day forward, you are no longer a member of my Root!"
"What?! I'm fired?!"
Akimichi Ryoko was struck as if by lightning. He even forgot to struggle for a moment before erupting into an even greater commotion.
"How is this possible, waaaah..."
"I don't want to go back to the Akimichi Clan! I want to stay in Root to serve Lord Danzo! I want to shine for Konoha and shed my blood for the cause!"
"Lord Danzo, you must have been deceived by some villain to give such an order! Let go of me, I want to see Lord Danzo..."
Akimichi Ryoko shouted his 'loyalty' at the top of his lungs while struggling forcefully. His brute strength was unexpectedly high, causing Aburame Ryoma a great deal of trouble and nearly letting him break free.
Facing Akimichi Ryoko's struggle, Aburame Ryoma felt as if he were dealing with a troublesome Ninja of his own level.
But at the thought of that shocking, sky-high food bill, Aburame Ryoma instantly focused his chakra and exerted every ounce of his strength, finally managing to firmly subdue this heavy 'burden'.
Arriving at the entrance of the Akimichi Clan compound like a gale, Aburame Ryoma unceremoniously dumped Akimichi Ryoko onto the ground.
"Get lost! Root has no need for a glutton like you!"
Having spat out the words he had been holding back for so long, Aburame Ryoma felt a weight lift off his shoulders, as if he had shed a mountain. His steps became light as he disappeared without looking back, rushing back to Root to report.
Meanwhile, Akimichi Ryoko, who had just been wailing as if he couldn't survive without Root, immediately stopped his struggling and crying as soon as Aburame Ryoma's figure vanished.
He scrambled up from the ground, patted the dust off his buttocks, and his face showed no trace of sorrow—only a sense of indignation.
"Damn it, so what if I ate a little much? They actually fired me. No grace or long-term vision at all. No wonder Sasuke ends up killing him!"
He muttered curses as he looked at the few remaining rice balls in his hand, stuffing them into his mouth without hesitation. He chewed as he walked toward the Akimichi Clan compound.
In his view, his clansmen in this life were quite nice; they probably wouldn't just ignore him.
Indeed, he was not originally from this world, but a transmigrator from Blue Star.
In his previous life, he had accidentally choked to death while eating and watching Naruto. When he opened his eyes again, he had become a child of the Akimichi Clan.
Fortunately, he perfectly inherited the Akimichi bloodline—the love for food and a powerful physique. He truly could eat anything.
The only downside was the endless sense of hunger originating from deep within his bloodline.
As he grew older, his appetite increased day by day, like an unfillable bottomless pit.
His parents in this life had died during the Second Great Ninja War, leaving behind a decent amount of pension money.
But in the face of his terrifying appetite, that money was just a drop in the bucket and was soon eaten away.
Once his pockets were empty, he began his career of 'mooching' off the clan. He survived solely by scrounging for food, making the clansmen see him as a disaster star, avoiding him like the plague.
Until one day, the Clan Head found him and asked with a serious expression, 'Ryoko, do you want to be able to eat your fill every day? It... might be a bit dangerous.'
At that time, Akimichi Ryoko, whose stomach was sticking to his back from hunger, agreed without a second thought.
In the whole world, eating was the most important thing. As long as he could fill his stomach, what did a little danger matter?
When he later learned he was being sent to Root, he didn't have a very strong reaction.
To others, Root was a demon's den that was hard to leave once entered, but to him, Root—which could provide an infinite supply of food—was simply heaven.
He had already discovered that the more his body ate, the sturdier it became, granting him skin like bronze, bones like iron, and immense strength.
The training in Root, which was arduous and even dangerous for ordinary people, was incredibly easy for him.
Better yet, it seemed Danzo hadn't had the chance to develop that malicious 'Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal' yet. He was free to come and go in Root without any constraints.
To him, it was an excellent place where someone provided free food and drink while he could exercise his body on the side.
It was just that he seemed to have eaten a tiny bit too much, and he was finally rejected.
"Sigh, can't they show some consideration for a growing child?"
Akimichi Ryoko sighed and stepped into the Akimichi Clan compound.
As soon as he stepped through the gate, several busy clansmen caught sight of him. Their faces turned pale as if they had seen a ghost.
"No, this is bad! Akimichi Ryoko is back!"
"Quick, lock the gates to the warehouse and the kitchen!"
"Clan Head, Clan Head! Didn't you say he would never come back once he went to Root?"
"Help! My food budget for this month can't handle his mooching!"
In an instant, the entrance to the compound was in chaos, filled with cries of alarm and the sound of people running.
Akimichi Ryoko looked at the chaotic scene, scratched his head, and muttered awkwardly to himself, "Uh, is everyone's reaction a bit too much?"
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