Some people are hard to understand from just their surface appearance. If Kurenai and Guy hadn't seen it for themselves, they would never believe that the aloof Ye Zi could eat like this.
Watching Ye Zi devour the food at an alarming rate, Hong almost dropped the grilled meat she was holding. At this moment, she could only watch the three-color dumplings on the table disappear, feeling like she was about to cry. She couldn't even muster the mood to reach for the dumplings.
"What kind of person is this?! Why am I so unlucky to be on a team with someone like this?" Kurenai lamented as she chewed her grilled meat with a sigh.
In contrast to Kurenai's mental exhaustion, Guy, after a brief shock, plunged into the battle for the food on the table. Taijutsu had always been his pride, but as he began grabbing food, he realized that Ye Zi's speed was several times faster than his own. Moreover, he wasn't sure if Ye Zi was doing it deliberately, but many times the grilled meat he was reaching for was snatched away by Ye Zi first, constantly breaking his rhythm.
As Guy continued to eat the stolen grilled meat and tried to reach into the blur of Ye Zi's hands, occasionally pulling out grilled meat or dumplings, his eyes gradually brightened. He found this eating method really interesting and felt it might serve as some sort of training. He admired how Ye Zi took every opportunity to train his students, even during a meal.
"I didn't expect that eating could be so impressive. Teacher Ye is truly remarkable!"
Guy's excitement grew, and he felt fortunate to be assigned to Ye Zi's team, contrasting sharply with Hong's mindset.
In reality, Ye Zi was simply eating quickly and didn't have the complex motives Guy imagined.
Kotoe, who was munching on the three-color dumplings with interest, watched Ye Zi and Guy devouring the food on the table. She then looked at Kurenai, who was weakly nibbling on a skewer of grilled meat, and her green eyes showed a hint of sympathy. She considered for a moment, then got up and sat next to Kurenai, offering her half of the dumplings she had previously taken.
"Eat."
Seeing the three-color dumplings Kotoe handed over, Kurenai's seemingly dead heart seemed to revive.
"At least, there's a normal girl in this team."
Kurenai gratefully took the dumplings and thanked Kotoe.
Kotoe smiled slightly and whispered, "Don't think things are too bad. Teacher Ye might speak harshly and have a difficult personality, but… the more you get to know him, the more you'll realize he's not that unpleasant."
Kurenai was momentarily stunned and couldn't help but look at Ye Zi, who was focused on eating. She thought that if that were true, it would be great. Maybe she had been too pessimistic.
"Of course, that's assuming you can live to see that day."
As Kurenai tried to adopt a more optimistic outlook, Yan Ye's next comment made her eyes go dark.
Half an hour later, the meal ended pleasantly.
After leaving the restaurant, Guy reported to Ye Zi and then really prepared to do a vigorous post-meal workout—running a hundred laps around Konoha.
Before Ye Zi could stop him, he watched Guy's figure quickly disappear from view, feeling somewhat speechless.
"That kid is just too cute." Kotoe chuckled, finding Guy endearingly foolish.
Kurenai could only habitually cover her face in exasperation. Since joining Ye Zi's team, the frequency of her face-covering had increased, and she needed to consciously control this unladylike habit.
Ye Zi kept his eyes on the direction Guy had left and said, "Guy will surely achieve great things in the future."
Although Ye Zi thought Guy was a bit foolish, he saw more than that—he saw diligence and dedication. Such a pure passion for one's goals was something not everyone could have. Those who possess it will never be weak.
Hearing Ye Zi's words, Kotoe slowly stopped smiling, agreeing with him.
Hong, upon hearing Ye Zi's high praise for Guy, who was usually at the bottom of the class, tilted her head and pouted in disagreement.
Ye Zi didn't notice Kurenai's reaction. He was thinking that as a team leader, he shouldn't be too casual and should teach what needed to be taught.
With this in mind, he turned to Kurenai and said, "Kurenai, come with me." He paused and then told Kotoe, "Kotoe, you can head back for now. Stay on standby until we get a B-rank or higher mission."
Kurenai was puzzled about Ye Zi's intentions, but Kotoe understood well. She knew Ye Zi wasn't the type to take on trivial tasks. He likely planned to train Kurenai and Guy as quickly as possible and then pressure the Third Hokage to give them a more challenging mission.
"I understand." Kotoe smiled and left first.
After Kotoe left, Ye Zi headed towards the Konoha training grounds.
Although Kurenai didn't know Ye Zi's plan, she could only obediently follow.