Watching the entrance become empty in an instant, Ryoko rubbed his head somewhat helplessly.
He felt that although he had eaten a bit much in the past, he had tried his best to exercise restraint; he hadn't expected his clansmen to still be as panicked upon seeing him as if they had encountered a natural enemy.
Bypassing the warehouse and kitchen areas that had clearly stepped up their "security," he familiarly arrived at the doorstep of the Clan Head, Akimichi Torifu.
The one currently in charge of the Akimichi Clan was Akimichi Torifu. Once a powerhouse who held a seat in the upper echelons of the Hokage's administration, he had now chosen to distance himself from the center of power, returning to the clan to devote his energy to his people.
To be fair, Clan Head Torifu had been quite good to Ryoko.
During the hardest days after his parents died in battle and his pension was eaten away, the Clan Head would often provide him with some food.
Although that amount was like a drop in the bucket for Ryoko, it at least allowed him to barely survive.
"Knock, knock, knock." Ryoko knocked on the door.
"Lord Clan Head, I'm back." His voice carried through the door panel.
Inside, Akimichi Torifu, who was leisurely sipping tea, felt his hand jerk violently upon hearing that familiar voice. He didn't even notice the scalding tea splashing out as his stout body trembled involuntarily, his eyes instantly filling with panic.
"Ryo... Ryoko? Why is he back?"
Akimichi Torifu's face was filled with shock, and his heart was screaming.
"Isn't Root supposed to be a place that's hard to leave once you enter? Did Danzo not put him through closed-door devilish training?"
Facing this "special genius" the clan hadn't seen in a century, Akimichi Torifu felt, to some extent, a deeper panic than when facing a powerful enemy.
An enemy might threaten his life, but Akimichi Ryoko could directly threaten his food, making him experience a hunger worse than death.
To support Ryoko, he, as the Clan Head, had even starved himself thin by a margin and had to frequently go out on high-level missions just to barely maintain the food expenses for himself and the clan.
He had finally taken the opportunity when Danzo requested manpower to dump this "bottomless pit" of a burden onto Root, fully expecting to enjoy a few days of peace.
He hadn't expected that after only a month, he would be back.
Just as Akimichi Torifu was having an internal struggle, the sound of unceremonious "clack-clack-clack" footsteps came from outside the door.
Immediately after, that plump figure who made him both admire and fear pushed open the door and appeared before his eyes.
"Hahaha, it's Ryoko,"
Akimichi Torifu, an adult Ninja who had weathered countless storms, now squeezed out an extremely strained smile, trying to make his tone sound natural.
"You... why did you suddenly come back? Is the Root training over?"
Ryoko scratched his messy hair, his chubby little face filled with innocence and depression as he let out a heavy sigh.
"I don't know either, Clan Head. Maybe I just ate a 'billion' bit too much and got disliked."
He looked up, gazing at the Clan Head with those clear and innocent big eyes, and said pitifully, "Lord Clan Head, you know me best. I used to go hungry every day, and when I got to a place like Root where they provide enough food, I couldn't help myself and just let loose a little bit while eating."
"Let, let loose a little bit..."
Akimichi Torifu muttered, repeating those words, unable to help but shudder visibly, with cold sweat even seeping from his temples.
He knew all too well what this little fatty's so-called "letting loose" meant.
It was absolutely a disaster.
Even someone like Danzo Shimura couldn't take it and returned the "goods" directly...
Heavens, just how much did Ryoko eat in Root this past month?
He simply didn't dare to think about it in detail.
The muscles on Akimichi Torifu's face twitched stiffly as he tried to maintain that smile that looked worse than crying. Clutching a final shred of hope, he probed, "So... Ryoko, are you back on vacation? You'll be going back to Root after resting for a few days, right?"
Ryoko blinked and replied naturally, "I probably don't have to go back."
"Lord Aburame Ryoma personally threw me out, saying that Root doesn't need people like me. I'll probably stay in the clan from now on."
He paused, a smile he thought was well-behaved appearing on his face. "Hehe, actually, during this month away, I really missed you, Clan Head, and everyone in the clan."
"Sta... stay in the clan..."
Akimichi Torifu felt his vision go dark, as if he heard the sound of his beautiful life completely collapsing.
It's over!
Were those days of dire straits, of constantly worrying about going hungry, which he had only recently escaped, coming back?
He screamed frantically in his heart, 'No!'
Because the Akimichi Clan practiced Yang Release Secret Techniques, they had an extraordinary need and obsession with "eating"; their greatest fear was hunger.
To him, Ryoko's return was no different from a humanoid natural disaster descending.
Seeing the Clan Head's wandering gaze and shifting expression, Ryoko keenly sensed that the other party didn't seem very welcoming.
He immediately raised his small hand and guaranteed solemnly, "Lord Clan Head, don't worry. I ate especially well in Root this month and have accumulated enough nutrients for my physical development. I definitely won't eat that much anymore!"
He tried to widen his eyes, attempting to make the most innocent and cute expression with his chubby face.
"I promise you, from now on, I'll eat at most as much as an ordinary clansman every meal. I definitely won't exceed that!"
After all, his long-term free meal ticket, Root, was gone. Right now, he had to cling tightly to the clan's thigh.
If even the clan didn't want him, wouldn't he have to go out and work to support himself at the age of five?
At the thought of such a potentially miserable life, Ryoko tried even harder to act cute.
Moreover, what he said was true; his unrestrained gorging in Root had seemingly caused the energy in his body to accumulate to the point of a qualitative change, so he was no longer that desperate for food.
As long as he exercised a little restraint, his appetite would be about the same as an adult Akimichi Ninja.
Looking at the little fatty in front of him trying his best to act well-behaved and cute, thinking of his parents who died for the clan, and recalling how pitiful he looked before, searching the clan grounds for food while starving, Akimichi Torifu struggled for a moment before finally sighing in soft-hearted resignation.
"Alright..." His voice carried a weary sense of resignation. "Since you're back, then stay back."
"But you must promise that you won't eat too excessively in the future, and especially that you won't go rummaging through other clansmen's homes for food like before!"
"As long as you agree, I will allow you to rejoin the clan."
Originally, he had thought that after Ryoko stayed in Root for a long time, he would find an opportunity to announce his accidental death during training and strike his name from the Clan Genealogy.
Now it seemed those procedures wouldn't be necessary.
"Haha, thank you, Lord Clan Head. You're the best!"
Seeing his goal achieved, Ryoko immediately beamed, the solemn promises and good behavior on his chubby face instantly replaced by a brilliant smile.
Not having to be a child laborer is truly great.
He could once again eat and drink for free in the clan, living a life of leisure.
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)