CHAPTER 121
Inside the camp canteen, steam billowed through the air. Beside a long wooden table sat four figures hard at work. To be more precise, three people were devouring food like a whirlwind, while one person accompanied them with a heart that felt as though it was being sliced apart by countless knives.
Anko Mitarashi held a skewer of vegetable meatballs in her left hand and another half-finished skewer in her right. Her cheeks were puffed out like a hamster's as she desperately chewed and swallowed. While eating, she glared fiercely at the green-clad figure sitting across from her with wide, bulging eyes.
Might Guy.
Her gaze was filled with heartache, grievance, and a hint of despair that practically screamed, "What terrible sin did I commit to deserve treating him to this meal?"
A full two hundred skewers of the Land of Rice Fields' famous vegetable meatballs had been ordered. Stacked together, they formed a mound nearly as tall as a small hill. And every single one of them had disappeared into Guy's stomach.
Anko felt as though her wallet was letting out a silent cry of misery. She could already picture herself spending the next ten days surviving on nothing but dry military rations.
Crunch. Crunch.
Anko bit viciously into another meatball as though she were chewing on Guy himself. She felt so wronged that she almost burst into tears, yet she couldn't actually complain. After all, she had been the one who proudly insisted on treating everyone.
The only thing she could do was transform her sorrow into appetite and continue stuffing food into her mouth, hoping that every extra skewer would somehow reduce the financial damage.
In front of her lay more than fifty empty skewers piled together.
Anko let out a long burp.
She felt as though the food had already reached her throat.
Ebisu and Shiranui Genma were hardly idle either. More than thirty empty skewers sat in front of each of them. Their pace had slowed considerably by now, but they were still steadily finishing what remained.
Ebisu pushed up the sunglasses that had slipped down his nose. He wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere, but after noticing the predatory look in Anko's eyes, he wisely chose to stay quiet.
He simply chewed silently and kept his head down.
Food that entered the stomach was the only thing that truly mattered.
Guy finished the last skewer in his hand and released a satisfied sigh.
"The vegetable meatballs of the Land of Rice Fields truly live up to their reputation!"
They were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and filled with delicious juices.
He licked his lips, still feeling unsatisfied.
Almost instinctively, his hand began to rise again.
He was about to call over the busy canteen uncle nearby and order another ten skewers.
Just as his finger was about to lift and his mouth was about to open, a gaze filled with pleading, accusation, and a clear message of "If you dare order more, I'll fight you to the death" locked onto him.
Guy froze.
Turning his head, he met Anko's tearful eyes.
"Uh..."
He awkwardly lowered his hand and scratched the back of his head.
Then he revealed a somewhat apologetic version of his trademark bright smile.
Fine.
Even though he was only about eighty percent full, that was close enough.
They were classmates after all.
Squeezing her any harder did seem a little excessive.
"Next time, when Hayate or someone else is paying, I'll make up for it."
Guy silently made this decision.
Picking up an empty skewer, he began absentmindedly using it to pick his teeth.
Just then, a bowl containing ten more skewers was placed directly in front of him.
It was the enthusiastic canteen uncle.
"Uh... I didn't order these!"
Guy immediately looked toward Anko with embarrassment.
The canteen uncle laughed heartily.
"These are on the house. Eat up!"
"Eh?"
Guy's eyes lit up instantly.
At the same time, Anko released a huge sigh of relief.
After thanking the canteen uncle, Guy no longer stood on ceremony. He grabbed a skewer and immediately stuffed it into his mouth.
A look of supreme satisfaction appeared on his face.
Anko also wanted to eat another one and instinctively reached out halfway.
"Burp!"
She stopped.
She truly couldn't eat another bite.
Anko could only watch pitifully as the ten skewers in front of Guy gradually disappeared one after another.
For some reason, her heart hurt again.
Ebisu couldn't help letting out a snicker, only to receive a kick beneath the table from Genma.
Eventually, every last meatball was gone.
After recovering some of her strength, Anko looked at the battlefield-like mess covering the table and then at the three men who resembled reincarnated starving ghosts.
She tilted her head back and completely lost the will to live.
Some time later, after eating and drinking to his heart's content, Guy looked toward Anko and his expression gradually became serious.
"Anko."
"Hm?"
"What is the current battlefield situation in the Land of Rice Fields?"
"We've been traveling this entire time and haven't heard any detailed news."
Ebisu and Genma immediately sat up straight as well.
This concerned the battlefield where they would likely be stationed for quite some time.
They couldn't afford to be careless.
Anko let out another small burp before clearing her throat.
Her expression also became serious.
She dipped her finger into a nearby bowl of leftover water and began drawing simple lines across the rough wooden tabletop.
"The situation... is somewhat deadlocked."
As she spoke, she sketched crude mountains and border lines.
"Iwagakure has gathered roughly two thousand shinobi along the border."
"Their numbers are about equal to ours, so neither side has been able to gain a decisive advantage."
She pointed toward the side representing Konoha's position.
"On our side, Lord Orochimaru is stationed at the rear headquarters, which is the camp we're currently in."
"His responsibilities are mainly strategy, logistics, and support."
Her finger then moved forward toward the front lines.
"The commander on the front line is Lord Akimichi Torifu."
"Akimichi Torifu?"
The three were stunned simultaneously.
"Captain Choza's father?"
"Mm."
Anko nodded.
"That's right. Akimichi Choza's father. He's currently serving as the supreme commander on the front line."
The three exchanged glances.
A strange sense of familiarity surfaced in their hearts.
It had already been many months since they had left Mount Kikyo and parted ways with Akimichi Choza.
They had never expected that after arriving at an entirely different battlefield, they would once again find themselves under the command structure of the Akimichi family.
"The deputy commander is Lord Inoichi Yamanaka."
Anko continued while pointing beside the name Akimichi Torifu.
"Inoichi Yamanaka?"
Ebisu pushed up his sunglasses.
One eyebrow rose slightly.
He exchanged a meaningful glance with Genma.
Even if they had never personally witnessed Inoichi Yamanaka's abilities, they had long heard countless stories about him.
The Yamanaka Clan specialized in spiritual secret techniques, sensory abilities, and intelligence analysis.
Inoichi was one of the most outstanding members of his generation.
He was also teammates with Akimichi Choza and Nara Shikaku.
The famous Ino-Shika-Cho trio of their era.
However, due to the demands of the war, manpower had been stretched thin.
The three had long since been assigned to separate fronts and different responsibilities.
But none of that was what truly mattered right now.
A mischievous grin suddenly appeared on Ebisu's face.
He secretly nudged Guy with his elbow.
Lowering his voice, he spoke in a sly tone.
"Hey, Guy."
"Did you hear that?"
"Captain Inoichi Yamanaka is stationed at the front line."
Guy immediately rolled his eyes.
He naturally knew exactly what Ebisu was thinking.
They might not be familiar with Inoichi Yamanaka himself.
But Guy was extremely familiar with the members of Inoichi's squad.
Asuma Sarutobi.
Shikuro Aburame.
And...
Kurenai Yuhi.
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