"Another serving of grilled meat, please!"
Choji, with his mouth full and greasy, shouted enthusiastically, prompting the barbecue shop owner to respond promptly.
He really can eat, Ren thought, watching Choji devour the food with gusto. His eyes shifted to the growing stack of empty plates beside Choji, making him inwardly sigh.
"Ren-sensei?" Choji, sensing Ren's gaze, looked over with a questioning expression that seemed to say, "Is this okay?"
"Will one more be enough?" Ren asked.
"Boss, make that ten more servings!" Choji shouted, eyes lighting up with excitement.
Ren: "…"
Ino, sitting beside Choji, grimaced as she wiped away stray oil splatters with a napkin.
"This is probably the last meal you'll get like this. If you keep eating this much, Ren-sensei might never treat you again," she warned.
Choji's face fell, and he turned to Ren hesitantly. "Should I… ask for fewer portions?"
"Don't worry about it. I can handle one meal," Ren replied. "Eat as much as you like."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ren noticed Choji's affection level jump to 75.
This kid's innocence really goes beyond words.
Shikamaru, who had barely picked at his food, seemed disinterested, pushing slices around on his plate.
"Ren-sensei, what kind of mission will we have tomorrow?" Ino asked, breaking the silence.
"A D-rank mission," Ren replied. "It'll mostly be simple tasks like running errands or doing odd jobs."
"I was hoping for something more exciting," Ino pouted.
"We're just fresh genin," Shikamaru pointed out. "They're not going to trust us with anything important yet. Besides, these simple missions aren't so bad—less troublesome."
Choji's attention was still solely on his food.
"More challenging missions will come in time," Ren added. "These D-rank tasks help you shed impatience, build teamwork, and develop discipline."
Ren sat back in his chair, eyes drifting to the street outside.
"I suppose so," Ino conceded, sneaking glances at Ren.
"Boss, another ten servings!" Choji's outburst made Ino jump.
"Ren-sensei, aren't you hungry? Why aren't you eating?" Ino asked, trying to start another conversation.
"Too greasy."
"I thought so too. Eating too much grilled meat can be overwhelming," Ino said, setting her chopsticks down with a smile.
Ren didn't respond.
"Ren-sensei, you look really young. How old are you?" Ino ventured.
Ren's gaze shifted to her. "Why do you want to know?"
"Just curious. It's rare to see such a young jonin," she admitted.
Ren's reply was calm. "There's someone in your cohort who became a jonin at twelve."
"Twelve? That's our age," Shikamaru said, eyes widening.
"No way," Ino added, disbelief evident.
"He leads Team Seven," Ren continued.
"Team Seven? That's Sasuke, Sakura, and…" Ino trailed off.
"Naruto's team," Shikamaru finished, frowning in thought.
Choji continued to devour his food, oblivious.
"But being a jonin at twelve is just too unbelievable," Ino said. "Most kids would barely have graduated from the academy."
"He likely graduated early. During wartime, academy students were pushed to graduate younger," Shikamaru noted. "But it's still a rare case."
"The current peace doesn't encourage early graduation," Ren said evenly.
Shikamaru studied Ren's inscrutable expression, recalling how their sensei had once called himself the most ruthless among their instructors. The earlier genjutsu test had reinforced that belief—Ren was not an ordinary man.
Let's just hope we can get along from here on out.
"So, Ren-sensei, how old are you?" Ino pressed again.
Ren didn't answer, only looking at her with an unreadable expression. After a moment, Ino's cheeks flushed, and she glanced away, scratching her cheek.
"Is there something on my face?"
"Eat up. Once we're done, head home," Ren said quietly.
Ren-sensei is more handsome than Sasuke, Ino thought, sneaking another glance at him. Sasuke's just a kid; he hasn't fully grown into his looks yet.
With Ren's chiseled features and enigmatic demeanor, the comparison seemed unfair.
But he's my teacher… at least having a good-looking teacher is nice. Ino's thoughts drifted, feeling both disappointed and consoled.
...
Afternoon. At the dango shop.
"What brings you here?" Anko said, biting into her dango as she glanced at Kurenai across the table.
"Aren't you meeting your genin team today?"
"Finished with that by noon," Kurenai replied.
"I see," Anko said, chewing as she listened. "So, what's up?"
Kurenai hesitated for a long moment. Finally, she spoke, "There's something I need to tell you."
"Go on," Anko said, looking unfazed as she ate.
"I'm… in love," Kurenai confessed.
Anko gave a distracted "Mmm-hmm," but seconds later, her head snapped up in surprise.
"Wait, what?!"
Kurenai repeated softly, "I'm in love, Anko."
Anko hurriedly swallowed her mouthful. "Who? Asuma? When did this happen? Who made the first move?"
Kurenai's gaze dropped, a smile playing on her lips. "Ren."
"Ren… Ren?!" Anko's eyes widened in disbelief. "Him? Really? You and him?"
Kurenai nodded.
Anko stared at her friend, then at her dango. "This… is shocking."
"I didn't see it coming either," Kurenai admitted.
"Are you serious? You two are really together?" Anko asked, still processing.
Kurenai nodded again.
Anko looked down, hiding her expression for a moment. When she looked up again, her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Kurenai, isn't he younger than you? By, what, five or six years? This is some cougar-level stuff!"
"Who's old now?!" Kurenai retorted, cheeks flushed.
Anko raised an eyebrow. "You're already 27, huh?"
Kurenai felt a twinge of embarrassment. "When did you two... you know, get together?" Anko pressed further.
"Don't say it like that," Kurenai said with mild exasperation.
"Five years ago, maybe."
"Five years ago?" Anko's eyes widened. "Wasn't he still underage then? Kurenai, no wonder you never accepted Asuma's advances all this time—you're into younger guys!"
"Stop spouting nonsense; it's not like that at all!" Kurenai protested, half-laughing, half-scolding.
Anko tapped her chin, recalling, "Around that time, we'd just gotten to know each other. Weren't there some issues between us back then?"
Suddenly, a realization dawned on her, and she turned to Kurenai with narrowed eyes. "Wait, I remember you telling me to stay away from him. Was that because you were already interested?"
"You're making it sound ridiculous," Kurenai sighed, taking a bite of her dango.
Anko chuckled, shaking her head. "Still, keeping it hidden for this long must've been tough. I had no clue."
Kurenai fell silent, her expression unreadable.
"Are you planning to go public with this now?" Anko asked, more seriously this time.
"Yes."
"Does Asuma know?"
Kurenai shook her head slowly.
"How do you intend to break it to him?"
"Couldn't you... tell him for me?" Kurenai's request was met with an incredulous stare.
"You're really something else," Anko muttered with mock disapproval before popping another dango into her mouth. "No way, you'll have to handle that yourself. I'm not getting involved."
Kurenai sighed deeply, troubled by the potential fallout. Whatever else he was, Asuma had always been a good friend. She wasn't eager to see their friendship shatter beyond repair.
Anko, now licking the remnants of syrup from her fingers, watched Kurenai's contemplative expression closely.
"By the way, how far have you two gone?" Anko asked abruptly.
"Huh?" Kurenai's eyes widened as a blush crept up her cheeks.
"Why are you asking..."
"Have you slept together?" Anko cut straight to the point, no hesitation.
Kurenai dropped her gaze, pressing her lips together without a word.
"So, how was it?" Anko probed, eyes twinkling with curiosity.
"...It was... good," Kurenai finally murmured, her hand brushing over her flushed face, eyes darting away.
"Got it." Anko leaned back with a satisfied smirk, staring off into the distance as she finished her last bite.
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