Chapter 12: Meat, Weights, and Accidental Date Vibes
The training dragged on until dusk. Right on cue, Neji dipped out—he had his nightly Hyuga soft-fist grind waiting at home. Kai and Lee, those sweat-fountain freaks, bounced off for more body-beasting.
That left the field to just Kyuto and Tenten. (They'd planned to wrap up when Neji and Lee did, but Tenten had yeeted way too many kunai/shuriken/senbon into the wild blue yonder. Cleanup? A solo nightmare. Kyuto, being the chill bro he is, volunteered to stay and play ninja janitor.)
Lee and Kai saw the assist and peaced out—no guilt. Normally their squad pitches in for Tenten's arsenal roundup, but "normally" she doesn't turn the field into a porcupine convention.
Kyuto's darting around like a Roomba on steroids, scooping stray pointy bits. Tenten's parked cross-legged in front of her scroll, sealing weapons back in one by one—poof, poof, poof—like a reverse Pokémon trainer.
They finish a solid half-hour after the muscle bros. Finally, the dynamic duo strolls toward the village lights.
Kyuto, ever the curious cat: "You can summon this stuff mid-fight no problem. Why the one-by-one seal-in tedium for cleanup?"
Tenten fiddles with her fingers, trailing a step behind like a shy sidekick. "Summoning burns chakra like crazy. If I mass-spirit everything back in now? Tomorrow's mission? I'd be running on fumes and regret."
Kyuto nods sagely. Makes sense... for normal people. Sealing/summoning costs him pocket change in chakra—he recovers faster than he spends, even with nightly bloodline hax training. He's never hit "E" on the chakra tank. Ever.
Tenten tilts her head, eyeballing him. "Speaking of endless batteries... how are you not a puddle after this afternoon?"
Kyuto shrugs, flexing mentally. "Guess I'm just built different—taijutsu prodigy vibes."
Tenten sighs dreamily. "Ugh, jealous. Post-training? I need a coma. Unlike Lee and Neji, who probably go home and bench-press their houses. Their stamina's straight-up infinite."
Kyuto scratches his chin. "Eh, just eat big to refill the tank. C'mon—dinner's on me!"
Tenten flails her arms in over-the-top anime panic—NOPE NOPE NOPE—secondary-style rejection so cute it should be illegal. Is this a DATE? We skipped like five steps! I haven't even said YES to the boyfriend audition!
Kyuto's already marching. "Consider it payment for the weapons 101 crash course. Non-negotiable."
Tenten's an orphan too—big inheritance, zero parents. She usually grabs quick solo bites or squad hangs. Fancy feasts? Rare.
Head down, cheeks on fire, she shuffles after him like a lovestruck duckling.
Straight shot: Akimichi BBQ Joint. Kyuto claims a cozy wall booth, pats the seat right next to him. Tenten obeys like a glitchy NPC—zero protests. (Girl's frugal AF solo; this is luxury overload.)
Menu lands. Kyuto slides it to her. "Order whatever. I dunno your food kink yet."
Tenten nudges it back, soft as a whisper. "You pick. I'm easy."
Kyuto to the waiter: "Every combo—two of each. We'll holler if we need round three." (He could solo one of each himself. Ninja appetites are black holes. He's mid-tier; real champs like Choji? Bottomless.)
Waiter: "Drinks?" Kyuto: "Juice."
Tenten internally: PHEW. Booze would've been AWKWARD. (Ninja kids mature fast—booze flows at parties despite the "no minors" lectures. Hypocrisy? Tradition.)
Awkward silence looms. Tenten can't handle Kyuto's stare-down on her face. Topic time! "Your skills are solid. Why not captain your own squad?"
Kyuto: "Squad politics? Hard pass. Solo life's freer—more grind hours."
Tenten nods thoughtfully, then... topic drought.
Thank kami—the meat arrives! Tenten dives into grill duty. Slow, graceful flips—pure elegance. Kyuto's mesmerized.
Mid-wait for char: "Yo, where can I snag portable training weights? The ninja kind."
Tenten glances up, keeps flipping. "Ninja beast clans sell 'em. Some families craft their own—like the Hyuga. Pricey, though."
Kyuto: "Beast clans, huh..." How do I even friend a summon animal? Family route = wallet pain.
First batch sizzles done. Kyuto plates a few slices for Tenten. "House special—my fave. Dig in."
Tenten blushes but noms daintily—tiny dip, slow chew. Classy AF.
Before her plate's clear? Clasp—another pile from Kyuto.
Tenten: "Kyuto??"
???: "Kyuto?!"
Shikamaru appears, deer-in-headlights mode.
Kyuto waves. "Yo, small world."
Shikamaru: "Treating another person to dinner?" Spots the meat-clasping intimacy—FACE GLITCHES.Feeding a GIRL? CLIPPING MEAT FOR HER? THIS ISN'T COMPUTING.Something's SUS. Big yikes energy.