Inside a yakiniku restaurant owned by the Akimichi clan.
Naruto was devouring everything in sight like a starving ghost, shoving anything he could find into his mouth.
He wished his teeth were sharper.
He had to chew each piece of meat many times before he could swallow it.
He was indeed famished!
Whitebeard didn't take Naruto to Ichiraku Ramen but instead found a yakiniku restaurant.
Whitebeard believed that Naruto needed to eat meat while growing, especially with the intense training he was undergoing.
How could he not eat meat?
He had to eat!
Eat until he was full!
Whitebeard was also eating the Akimichi clan's special grilled meat. The piece in his hand looked bigger than a whole pig. With one bite, he could taste the sauce oozing from the meat.
The taste of cumin and the secret sauce mixed with the meat exploded on his tongue, even making Whitebeard, who had eaten many delicacies, light up with excitement.
"Gu la la la! This yakiniku is interesting!" Whitebeard quickly finished the meat and looked at the Akimichi clan chef before him.
He suddenly thought of extending an invitation, "I happen to need a son who can cook. Are you interested in becoming my son?"
The chef was staring at the giant in shock.
I was stunned upon hearing this.
He was in his forties, with a wife and a daughter, and his daughter was already a Chunin in Konoha.
In this situation…
Someone wanted to take him as a son?
What a joke!!
"Gu la la la! It seems you're not willing!" Whitebeard saw the chef's green-faced expression and instantly understood his thoughts.
Whitebeard knew he was famous on the sea, but in Konoha, his reputation was limited to being a "giant."
If it were on the sea.
When Whitebeard told someone, "Be my son," perhaps only one rebellious person out of ten thousand people would refuse the invitation.
This wasn't an exaggeration; the New World was chaotic, with many people living precariously.
When Whitebeard took someone as his son, he would protect them for life until he died.
Anyone who wanted to survive in the New World wouldn't refuse Whitebeard's invitation.
Even if the world's strongest person was a pirate, as long as they could survive, what did it matter?
Unfortunately!
Whitebeard hadn't made a name for himself in the shinobi world yet.
That title wasn't very useful here.
"Choji, when did your family's yakiniku restaurant put up such a big curtain? It wasn't there yesterday," suddenly rang out a child's voice, trying to sound mature but still very childish.
"Crunch, crunch!"
Choji, munching on chips, said, "Maybe they're having some big promotion?"
As Choji was about to go inside.
Suddenly!
Shikamaru pulled him back by the arm.
With a stumble, Choji nearly dropped his bag of chips, hugging them tightly in panic.
He said to Shikamaru with a tone that wasn't quite a complaint, "Shikamaru, these are my last chips for today!"
"Idiot! That's not a promotion!"
Shikamaru, with a head full of black lines, gritted his teeth, "Look up, that's the back of someone's head!!"
"Huh?" Choji looked up in surprise.
He was immediately shocked, "It really is!"
"It's that giant!" Shikamaru took a deep breath, his expression both nervous and helpless, "How could we be so unlucky?"
No one could have expected that the giant who was making waves in Konoha would appear right before them.
To be honest.
Shikamaru had never seen such a tall person before.
He had read about people with gigantism in books.
But those patients with gigantism were at most three meters tall.
And none of them lived long.
This giant before them wasn't a patient with gigantism, as he far exceeded four meters in height. Even sitting on the ground, he was estimated to be over six meters tall.
How astonishing!
"Shikamaru, there's a blond guy over there!" Choji noticed Naruto, who was engrossed in eating meat.
Seeing the pieces of grilled meat in front of Naruto and Whitebeard.
He found his chips less appealing.
His eyes were fixed, and he was drooling uncontrollably.
"That's Naruto Uzumaki, right?" Shikamaru mused, "I remember… some adults in the clan mentioning him."
"Hey! Choji, don't go over there!" He suddenly noticed Choji, tempted by the grilled meat, breaking free from his grip.
And rushing towards the Yakiniku restaurant.
"This…" Shikamaru was exasperated, "Is this guy's brain made of grilled meat? Really, such a hassle!"
He gritted his teeth.
And followed.
Compared to Whitebeard's massive size, the two kids were like little mice passing by.
Whitebeard glanced at them slightly.
He intended to ignore the two kids.
But Choji handed over half a bag of chips, staring intently at the pile of grilled meat in front of Whitebeard, drooling as he said, "Can I trade these chips for some grilled meat?"
"Although I ate half, but um um um—" Before Choji could finish, Shikamaru covered his mouth and tried to drag him away.
Being stared at by Whitebeard's eyes.
Shikamaru felt immense pressure.
He forced a smile, "Sorry, my friend isn't thinking clearly, sorry for bothering you. Please just ignore us; we'll leave now."
Shikamaru struggled to pull Choji away.
Exhausting himself.
At this moment, Whitebeard noticed Naruto, eating absentmindedly while watching the two kids.
He saw Naruto's loneliness, that longing for friendship, which Naruto couldn't hide.
Whitebeard smiled and asked, "Do you want to play with these kids?"
Naruto quickly shook his head, feeling down, "The kids in the village don't want to play with me."
Seeing Naruto like this.
Whitebeard's opinion of the Third Hokage worsened. Without the Hokage's inaction, his foolish son would have no friends.
"Old man, I'm full." Naruto's appetite decreased.
"Gu la la la! Then let's go back!" Whitebeard laughed, "Don't worry, foolish son! Once I take in a few more foolish sons, you'll have plenty of playmates."
"Re-really?" Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Gu la la la! Of course! When has your old man ever lied to you?" Whitebeard ruffled Naruto's hair.
"Hey! You haven't paid yet!"
The yakiniku chef was dumbfounded as the strange "father and son" duo walked away.
"Let that dog pay!" Whitebeard said without looking back.
"Dog?" The chef looked around.
And indeed found a dog at the entrance.
"But, how can a dog pay…"
Poof—
Before he could finish, the small mutt at the entrance transformed into Kakashi in a puff of smoke.
"Have I been found out?"
Kakashi looked at Whitebeard's back, "Transformation Jutsu doesn't work on him either?"
He took out his wallet to pay.
Kakashi had no qualms and wasn't worried about the money.
Anyway…
He could get reimbursed!
...
Meanwhile.
Shikamaru, trying hard to drag Choji away from trouble, suddenly found himself under a shadow, sweat dripping from his forehead and his face full of helplessness.
"Gu la la la! You two kids, my Naruto needs a playmate, and you seem like a good fit!"
Shikamaru: "..."
...
...