"Burp~~~~" Sakura Haruno sat on the chair and let out a very unladylike burp. Looking at the remaining twenty or thirty pieces of sushi, she really couldn't eat any more.
She wondered if she could pack them to go; they would make a good late-night snack. She glanced at Choji beside her, who was eating slowly and steadily, though his expression seemed heavy with worry.
It seemed discovering her here had put a lot of pressure on him. Seeing there was still some time left, Sakura decided to just lie back and rest for a bit.
"Time's up! Will the contestants who haven't finished please leave the arena," the man in formal attire announced loudly.
At this, Sakura stood up, patted her bottom, and was about to leave with the remaining sushi.
"Wait a moment!"
Sakura heard the man on the stage speak and turned her head. "Is there something else?"
"Remaining food ingredients cannot be taken away. Please put them down," the man said.
"Huh? Why? Can't I take them back to eat when I get hungry tonight? You'll just throw them away if they're left here, right?" Sakura asked.
"Yes, but this is the rule. No food from the competition is allowed to be taken away," the man insisted.
"Hey, what you're doing is very wasteful. Don't you know how hard it is to grow food? You're just going to throw it away in the end anyway, aren't you?" Sakura said, unconvinced.
"No means no! Leave quickly!" the man said in a stern tone.
"Tch, forget it. I'm full, going back to sleep," Sakura said. Seeing he wouldn't budge, she didn't insist anymore.
Wine and meat rot behind vermillion gates, while bones of the frozen litter the roads. The Daimyo would rather throw it away than let people take it. Indeed, the ruling class of every era was like this. Old Du Fu was so right.
Just as she stepped out of the inner city gate, a voice suddenly came from behind.
"W-wait a moment."
Sakura turned and saw a young man in a kimono running towards her, out of breath, carrying a food container in his hand.
Looking at the panting young man, Sakura asked, "Is there something wrong?"
"Th-this is for you..." the young man said, handing the food container to Sakura, still catching his breath.
"Huh? This is?" After taking the food container, Sakura found it was filled with sushi.
"Whew, whew, I can tell you cherish food and love good cuisine. So, this is what you had leftover from earlier. I've refilled it for you. Please have it," the young man said, gasping for air.
"Huh? Wh-why?" Sakura was stunned. This was the first time she had encountered something like this.
"To be honest, I've been invited to sponsor this competition many times," the sushi chef said, catching his breath. "But the contestants only care about the Daimyo's final reward. They never care about the taste, and the eliminated contestants have never asked to take their leftovers. You are the first, and it's because you don't want to waste food."
"Just because of that?" Sakura tilted her head, looking at this somewhat chuunibyou sushi chef.
"Ah, yes. Please accept it. It's a small token of my appreciation. When I was little, my family never had enough food, so I also deeply detest the act of wasting food. However, because it's the Daimyo, there's nothing that can be done. I'm very happy to have a contestant like you. This should be the true meaning of holding a competition," the sushi chef explained.
"Alright then, I'll accept it," Sakura nodded. "The sushi you make is really delicious. If I have the chance in the future, I'll visit your shop again."
"I eagerly await your visit," the sushi chef said, bowing to Sakura. Then he added, "I have to go back now. So, that's it. You must come!"
The sushi chef waved to her and walked towards the inner city. Soon, he was out of sight.
Looking at the food container in her hand, Sakura felt a warmth in her heart. She hadn't expected to encounter something so heartwarming here. This feeling was quite nice.
Then, Sakura walked towards the inn. She wondered what Terumi Mei was doing; probably making Military Ration Pills.
However, she hadn't walked more than two steps before she was stopped by two people. Looking at the two in front of her, Sakura nodded. "So it's you. No wonder I saw Choji earlier."
The ones who stopped Sakura were Shikamaru and Ino.
"Why are you here?" Shikamaru asked.
"Why can't I be here? What? What do you want by stopping me?" Sakura said with a pout.
No wonder I saw Choji. So they're on a mission. But Sakura was genuinely curious what kind of mission required Choji to participate in this competition. Surely they weren't just here for fun, right? Haha, that's impossible.
"No reason. We're not the ANBU pursuit unit, so we just came to say hello to a former comrade," Shikamaru said cautiously, a bead of sweat appearing on his forehead. It had only been a few months, but her aura already gave him such a strong sense of pressure.
"Y-yeah, Sakura," Ino forced an ugly smile and said to Sakura.
"Forget it. I'm not in the mood to reminisce with you. You do your mission, I'll go my way. If you try to stop me, don't blame me for being impolite," Sakura glanced lightly at the two of them and walked past them, carrying the food container.
As Sakura's gaze swept over them, Shikamaru and Ino felt a shiver run down their spines, a tremor originating from their very souls.
Although Sakura hadn't intentionally done anything, for someone like her, whose hands were stained with blood, compared to their peers who had been well-protected, she naturally exuded an oppressive aura.
After Sakura left, Shikamaru let out a long sigh. Ino looked at Shikamaru and said, "Are we just going to let her go like that?"
"She... is different from us now," Shikamaru said gravely. "The next time we meet, we will truly be enemies!"
"Wh-why?" Ino asked, not understanding. "Isn't she being framed? Doesn't she want to return to the village?"
"It's a feeling! Perhaps the village doesn't mean anything to her anymore," Shikamaru said uncertainly.
"H-how could that be?" Ino looked at Shikamaru in disbelief.
Shikamaru shook his head and said nothing. Initially, although he was surprised to see Sakura, Shikamaru only wanted to confirm if her presence here conflicted with his mission.
After all, when they came, Lady Hokage had personally said that this was a B-rank mission, and it could turn into an A-rank, or even S-rank mission at any time. Now, seeing Sakura, and her appearing in a part of his plan, made Shikamaru suspicious.
And because Shikamaru knew a little of the inside story, he wouldn't treat her as an enemy if their goals didn't conflict. But just now, Shikamaru, who usually didn't rely on his sixth sense, somewhat believed what he had felt from her.
"Let's go. Continue our mission," Shikamaru said, turning and walking towards the inner city.
"Okay..." Ino hesitated for a moment before following Shikamaru.
Sakura returned to the inn. Terumi Mei had already fallen asleep, slumped over the table. More than half of the Military Ration Pills on the table had been made.
Placing the food container on the table, Sakura gently picked up Terumi Mei, put her on the bed, and then continued to finish making the remaining materials.
I'm gradually moving deeper inland, Sakura thought. Further ahead is the Land of Rain, and then I'll enter the Land of Grass. Ninjas from the village ahead might be waiting for me, and Kirigakure's pursuers are behind me. The battles are gradually going to increase.
Perhaps I should eliminate Shikamaru's group to prevent them from reporting back to the village. Sakura seriously considered the feasibility of this idea...
The next day, Sakura woke up with a big sneeze from an itch in her nose. Seeing Terumi Mei grinning mischievously in front of her, Sakura reached out, grabbed her, and with a hard pull, Terumi Mei lost her balance and fell onto Sakura's bed.
"What time is it now?" Sakura asked, patting Terumi Mei's bottom.
"It's... almost... almost noon," Terumi Mei said, her face slightly flushed.
Err, why did I sleep so long? Sakura was stunned. For the past two months, her nerves had been so tense that she hadn't lazed in bed at all. Today was a first.
Climbing out of bed, Sakura washed up, then packed half of the Military Ration Pills for Terumi Mei. Then, she slung the Executioner's Blade onto Mei's back and said, "Let's go. We'll get something to eat and then leave."
"Mhm," Terumi Mei said. "Can we go eat at that ramen shop from yesterday? That ramen was pretty good. It's a pity I didn't finish it yesterday."
"No problem. I thought it was pretty good too," Sakura replied casually.
Walking on the street, Sakura found the ramen shop using the promotional flyer she got from yesterday's competition. It was probably still some time before lunchtime, so the shop wasn't very crowded.
Just as she entered with Terumi Mei, she saw two familiar figures, and those two also noticed the young girl at the entrance.
"Uh, Sa..." Just as Choji was about to speak, Sakura shot him a glare. Instantly, Choji swallowed the rest of his words.
Are you kidding me? Terumi Mei is right here. If you call me by my real name, my cover will be blown. It really seems I need to find a chance to get rid of them.
Ignoring them, Sakura and Terumi Mei ordered two bowls of ramen and started eating.
"She... isn't she the contestant from yesterday's competition? Do you know her?" a handsome young man sitting next to Shikamaru and Choji asked.
"Don't know her," Shikamaru shook his head. "Let's hurry. After we eat, we'll escort you out of here."
Hearing Shikamaru's words, the young man's eyes darkened. "I understand," he said.
"You know them?" Terumi Mei had obviously noticed their actions when they entered.
"Mmph, don't know them," Sakura said indistinctly while eating her ramen.
But inwardly, she was a little troubled. As she continued deeper inland, she would probably encounter more people who knew her. Sooner or later, her cover would be blown. It was a bit annoying.
But then again, I've already fallen out with Kirigakure. Why should I care about her anymore? Oh right, since we've already fallen out, why am I still taking her with me? I was originally taking her along hoping to clear up the misunderstanding.
But now, Kirigakure has thoroughly pissed me off. Even if they wanted to reconcile, I wouldn't be willing. Might as well just kill her. Carrying her around is a burden anyway.
Sakura paused at this thought, then sized up Terumi Mei with ill intent for a couple of moments. Should I do it or not?
Sakura still didn't know Junko's secret, but whatever it was, she didn't want anyone else to know.
Maybe... I should just kill her...