Barbecue joint.
After getting blasted with the Uchiha clan and Hyūga clan's poop-pee-fart "bombardment," business at the barbecue place had been dead for a while.
But after a renovation, it picked right back up again.
In a private room.
Shinku had one foot up on a chair, practically glowing as he stared at the "kingpin."
"Eat up, boys! Don't be polite with me!
C'mon!
Genma—me and you, cheers!"
Hearing that, Genma was all grins as he lifted his cup.
In front of the boys, Shinku looked downright solid—like he had a spine made of iron.
How was a young guy like Genma supposed to endure that?
That restless itch flared up in an instant.
"Drink! Don't hold back, any of you!
Me and Shinku-senpai are in at the Ninja Academy now—we've got money!
We've got money coming out our ears!!"
With the two of them talking like that, everyone present exchanged looks—Raido, Aoba, Hayate, and Clan Head Mitarashi included.
Especially Clan Head Mitarashi. Watching Shinku—his "mortal enemy"—preen like this, he practically ground his molars to dust.
My Will of Fire…
Why does this dumbass get to be happy?
What makes him worthy?
A blockhead like him thinks he's fit to teach and raise the next generation?
You bastard are the same as us!
All of us are just mission-grabbing dogs—who here doesn't know who's who?
So how the hell did you old fart suddenly rise up like this?
He lifted his cup and took three hard gulps in a row.
Drink.
Eat.
It's Shinku footing the bill anyway—let's see if I can't bankrupt you with meat.
Seeing the way Clan Head Mitarashi's face twisted—envy, jealousy, hatred, and helplessness all blended together as he could only drink harder and eat harder—
Shinku got a full-body shiver.
It felt so good he could've passed out from it.
Ahhhhhh—
That face!
That face!!
That face I've wanted to see for so damn long—right in front of me, as much as I want!
If the other boys weren't here, Shinku would've wanted to frog-jump straight over to Clan Head Mitarashi…
And study that expression up close.
"Here! Boys, have a smoke!
Hey—what, you trying to disrespect me!? Take it when I tell you to take it!
See this?"
Shinku slapped a carton of high-end cigarettes onto the table with a loud smack.
He pointed at it like it was nothing.
"Issued by work! Ninja Academy—know it?
I'm working under that person now!
You think they'd sweat something like this?
They know I like to smoke, so the Academy said they'll issue special-supply cigarettes every month!
See that? Special supply!!"
He shouted the words "special supply" extra loud.
Like he needed the boys to truly understand just how rare and glorious that was.
And today, Shinku was downright rejuvenated—strutting like a man in his prime.
Sure enough…
The boys' expressions changed again.
That jealous, envious vibe thickened in the air.
Hayate, though, looked a little uneasy.
He was the youngest one there, and in their little circle, he was also the weakest.
His family's finances were the thinnest of the bunch, too.
Originally, he'd been hesitating about whether to accept such fancy cigarettes.
But Shinku wasn't about to hear any of that.
Today is the day your brother gets to show off—give me some face!
A pack of high-end cigarettes got stuffed into Hayate's hands, and he forced a smile.
He felt small.
Especially after hearing "special supply."
It felt almost too hot to hold.
This kind of good stuff…
Am I wasting it?
He was just another mission-grabbing nobody.
On normal days, whether he even landed a bounty mission depended on luck.
Most of the time, he took whatever self-posted tasks he could get.
And "self-posted tasks," at the end of the day, meant doing work for the higher-ups.
So Hayate was poor.
Really, really poor.
His body had been worn down from scraping by like that.
Carefully, he opened the pack of special-supply cigarettes and lifted it to his nose.
Mm!
Special supply, all right—way better than the loose, cheap stuff he usually smoked.
Pinching it between two fingers like he was afraid he'd crush it, he tried to pull one out—
And accidentally made a dainty little "orchid-finger" gesture.
Aoba couldn't stand watching that. He just pulled a cigarette from his own case and stuck it in Hayate's mouth.
Then he patted Hayate on the shoulder.
A look that said: be smart. The boys are all holding cigarettes, and nobody's got a light going yet.
Your pockets are thin—like we wouldn't look after you?
Got it.
Hayate sprang to his feet at once, lighting cigarettes and pouring drinks for everyone.
They all knew what the kid was dealing with. Nobody made him pay—just put in a little effort and that was enough.
After Shinku finished showing off to his heart's content, he leaned in close to Hayate's ear.
"Good brother—eat as much as you want today!
If you can't finish, pack it up and take it home. Come hang out with your big brother more often.
I'm officially allowing you to come mooch off me!"
The moment he said that, the boys all gave him a thumbs-up.
Straightforward.
Big-hearted.
Even Clan Head Mitarashi—who didn't get along with Shinku—quietly poured him a cup of酒.
That was the right way to do it.
That's pure Leaf style.
That's how Leaf men should be—solid and decent!
Raido laughed his way over to join the chaos.
"Shinku-senpai, I want to mooch too!"
"Get outta here! You think you're the same!?"
"Ow! Shinku-senpai gets rich and suddenly doesn't recognize his brothers, huh?"
That line hit Shinku right in the sweet spot.
"HAHAHAHA…!! Drink! Drink!!"
Outside the private room.
The Aburame clan head and the Inuzuka clan head both frowned.
Who's this nouveau riche making a racket?
This loud?
Don't tell me it's…
"Hospital people?"
The Inuzuka clan head frowned harder and shook his head.
Didn't seem like it.
Hospital people were definitely new money, but they didn't usually make this much noise.
"Then it's the Ninja Academy…"
The moment the Ninja Academy came up, both clan heads wore the same teeth-itching, jealous expression.
Damn it.
Those Ninja Academy bastards really deserve to die…
They blinked and suddenly made it ashore.
And their待遇 was probably even better than the hospital crowd's.
After all, there were rumors—
That person had poured all the tobacco business profit-sharing straight into the Ninja Academy.
Wouldn't that make them filthy rich?
The Aburame clan head looked at the noisy bustle all around him.
Yeah.
He didn't have that kind of spare money to book a private room.
He could only sit out in the main hall.
He tipped back a cup of harsh, cloudy liquor—its sting spreading across his mouth until everything tasted wrong.
The Ino-Shika-Chō had taken off. The Uchiha and the Hyūga had muscled their way in.
And the hospital and Ninja Academy had both gotten jobs under that person!
So when, exactly, were those bright silver bills ever going to land in the Aburame clan's lap?
Every time he thought about it, the Aburame clan head felt the scales in his heart tilt further out of balance.
Damn it!
The Third is unfair!
And that old bastard Danzō can't get it up!
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]