After struggling for a moment, Iruka gave in and decided to eat. After all, there was no way he could drag Menma and the others back now. Was he just supposed to watch them eat? Besides, this was the Akimichi Clan's Yakiniku Restaurant—Iruka usually couldn't afford to eat here! The Akimichi barbecue was famous not only for its taste but also for its steep prices.
The corners of Menma's mouth lifted slightly. That's more like it.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru was filled with admiration. He couldn't stop replaying Menma's actions in his mind. Menma completely had Iruka-sensei wrapped around his finger. Could it be... that Menma is actually from the Nara clan?
If Menma knew what Shikamaru was thinking, he would've smacked him with a Rasengan on the spot. "What are you even thinking? Do the Nara even use their brains?"
The five kids and one dog continued to gorge themselves, drowning in the joy of barbecue.
The first to stop eating was Kiba, followed by Shikamaru, then Shino. That left Iruka, Menma, and Choji still going strong—though not for long. Eventually, Iruka reached his limit and slumped back, defeated.
Only two remained: Menma vs. Choji.
Before anyone realized it, they had already devoured 40 platters of barbecue. Menma and Choji had done the heavy lifting. Choji rubbed his swollen belly, gave it a proud pat, and declared himself full—but thankfully, they had cleaned everything up.
But then Menma raised his hand.
"Another 20 orders!"
Nani?!
Everyone stared in shock. More?!
"Menma, know your limits!" Iruka said seriously, and the others all nodded in agreement.
"Mind your business," Akimichi Sinan grumbled, smacking Iruka lightly on the head with a fan. "Are you trying to stop the Akimichi Clan from making money? You wanna die?"
Thwack!
"Ow!" Iruka cried, tears brimming in his eyes from the pain.
Poor Iruka. Couldn't speak up. Couldn't get angry. Only suffer in silence.
Feeling a little sorry, Menma finally said, "Don't worry, Mr. Iruka. You don't have to pay."
Iruka: "…"
Shikamaru couldn't hold back his laugh and quickly turned his head to cover his mouth. But Iruka heard it anyway. His face darkened. First beaten, then humiliated, now laughed at by his students? Since when had his life become so miserable?
Soon, the next 20 platters of sizzling barbecue arrived—but no one dared touch them except Menma. The others were too full. The mere smell made them feel sick.
Choji watched Menma keep eating and couldn't help asking, "Bro, are you sure you're not from the Akimichi Clan?" In Konoha, only the Akimichi Clan had such monstrous appetites.
"Idiot, of course not!" Menma started to snap, but then glanced at Sinan and the other clan members nearby... and held back.
"Sorry, bro, my bad," Choji said, scratching his head sheepishly.
"Well, besides me, there are other people who can eat like this. Even more than you," Menma replied. He thought of Hinata Hyuga—his sister-in-law—who could eat even more than Choji when she wanted to.
He suspected Hinata's absurd appetite had something to do with her Byakugan. Her eyes were exceptionally pure, which was why she had been designated as the clan heir. But her timid nature had always held her back—even losing to her younger sister, Hanabi, during their family duel.
But it wasn't that Hinata lacked the strength—she simply couldn't bear to fight her little sister.
However, Menma had started training this talented girl himself. In the world of shinobi, weakness meant death.
To awaken Hinata's resolve, Menma had Itachi cast an illusion on her, in which her indecisiveness led to Naruto's death. When she emerged from the illusion, she was shaken to her core.
Then Menma brought Naruto in front of her. Seeing him alive, Hinata broke down in tears.
Caught off guard, Naruto had no idea what was going on. He could only awkwardly use his shirt to wipe her tears.
Gradually, Hinata calmed down.
"Hinata," Menma asked gently, "are you still weak?"
"I won't be anymore," she replied, eyes firm. "I want to become stronger. I want to protect Naruto."
The corner of Menma's lips curled up. Goal achieved.
He now looked forward to the day a new Hinata would shine.
"Bro, who else can eat like that?" Choji asked curiously, and the others also turned to look at Menma.
"Secret. You'll find out eventually," Menma said with a smirk. How could I just go around telling people my sister-in-law's eating habits?
Then he resumed his battle against the remaining platters.
Time passed. The barbecue was wiped out.
"All done," he announced, patting his stomach.
Iruka's jaw dropped. What kind of black hole is this kid? He didn't even look tired!
"Well, that's enough for today," Menma said. His appetite had grown alongside his body, turning him into a bottomless pit. He figured that beyond training, this monstrous eating ability might be one of the reasons for his rapid growth.
After all, Saiyans like Goku and Vegeta from Dragon Ball, or Luffy from One Piece, all had crazy appetites too.
Menma went to the counter to settle the bill. After paying, he turned to Iruka and said, "Alright, Mr. Iruka. We'll go back with you now."
Iruka was speechless, watching Menma pull out cash. Where does a kid get this kind of money?
"Did Master Jiraiya give that to you?" Iruka asked curiously.
Menma nearly tripped on the spot. What a joke.
Turning his head slowly like a broken machine, he stared at Iruka. "Mr. Iruka… is your brain waterlogged?"
Iruka: "…"
Calm down, Iruka. He's just a kid. Calm… down…
But his rising anger was hard to suppress.
Menma continued, "He eats my food, drinks my stuff, lives in my room, and promised to cover food expenses. But guess what? He's been in debt for 20 months! If I couldn't make money on my own, Naruto and I would've starved to death by now."
He ranted non-stop, listing all of Jiraiya's "crimes." What an unreliable master!
Iruka's eye twitched. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He wasn't sure if Menma was exaggerating, but he believed… maybe 70% of it.
The rest of the group couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Menma.
Then Iruka shifted the topic and asked what had really happened earlier in the day. He was almost certain that Menma had been the ringleader.
Menma told him everything.
After hearing the full story, Iruka sighed. "Then just apologize to those kids and this whole thing will be over."
Sure, the other kids started it, but now the parents were involved, and someone had to give a little ground.
If they apologized and things still didn't settle, then Iruka could escalate it to the Hokage—he wasn't afraid of a little noise.
He already had a full backup plan in mind.
But Menma immediately responded:
"Apologize? No way!"
Get lost! Apologize? Only if the sun rises from the west.
Iruka: "…"
(End Of Chapter)
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