Chapter 99: Surprise, Fortune Boost!

In the office, Shūichi stared at the scroll in deep thought before looking up after a moment.

Tsunade immediately looked over with anticipation, but Shūichi said, "How about we grab some late-night snacks first?"

"If we can't find a solution right now, maybe taking a break and relaxing will help us come up with something."

Tsunade instantly flared up.

Shūichi continued, "Lady Tsunade, have you ever entered an eating contest?"

Tsunade's face darkened. "No."

Shūichi grinned, "Then let's enter one tomorrow together!"

"If I lose, I'll follow your orders and let you command me however you like."

Tsunade scoffed, "Tch, don't be so confident, kid. You're not that important."

Shūichi crossed his arms. "Of course. Lady Tsunade, you're the key player here. But… I do have a bit of an idea."

"Then spit it out already, idiot!" Tsunade slammed her hands on the table and yelled at Shūichi, spraying him with spit. His hair even flew back from the force.

Shizune looked worried from the side. Angering Tsunade wasn't a good idea. Meanwhile, Nono Yakushi remained calm, smiling as she watched the scene.

Wiping his face, Shūichi sighed, "I was just trying to lighten the mood!"

But the next moment, his expression turned serious. "Lady Tsunade, if your brain and consciousness are the Hokage, then your body's cells are the multitude of Konoha's shinobi."

"So, how would you command them as easily as you move your arm?"

Tsunade thought for a moment. "The Hokage can't directly manage every shinobi or give orders to each one individually."

"They have advisers by their side to strategize, ANBU captains to manage the ANBU, and squad leaders below them. Regular shinobi are overseen by Jōnin squad leaders, and Jōnin can often handle things on their own."

"So, you're saying we need layers, a hierarchical system to simplify control?"

Shūichi nodded. "Lady Tsunade, you understand the human body better than I do. When it comes to chakra flow, the human body can be divided into three systems, or rather, three cores."

He pointed to his forehead, chest, and abdomen.

"These three locations are like transport hubs, linking all the body's chakra networks. That's why I also placed a Yin Seal on my abdomen."

"The human body is an incredibly precise and perfect system."

"We already have a ready-made, perfectly intricate system capable of linking to every cell."

Tsunade furrowed her brow. "I know that, but it's precisely because of how perfect and intricate it is that it's so hard to utilize."

Shūichi chuckled and shook his head. "Lady Tsunade, every jutsu has its difficulties."

"Even the most basic techniques, like the Transformation Jutsu, require effort to master."

"This jutsu we're developing is undoubtedly of S-rank difficulty. You can't expect everyone to be able to learn it."

Tsunade had clearly fallen into a misunderstanding.

At that moment, Nono Yakushi chimed in, "What Shūichi mentioned about layers of management means using the body's three chakra cores for tiered control."

"Chakra is unique because it's formed from both spiritual and physical energy, which imbues it with personal will. That's why techniques like clones and shadow clones exist, as chakra links to one's consciousness."

"If the brain is the Hokage, then the forehead, heart, and abdomen represent the Hokage's advisers, ANBU, and Jōnin squads."

Shizune added, "It's like setting up three shadow clones at those core locations to manage the body's three main regions."

Shūichi gave her a thumbs-up immediately.

Shizune smiled back and then carefully looked at Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, I think Shūichi's idea is worth trying."

Tsunade didn't respond and instead got up, heading toward the door. "Weren't we going for snacks?"

Everyone exchanged amused glances before following her out.

They invited Asuka as well, and the five of them enjoyed a late-night meal before parting ways.

---

The next day.

At 9 a.m., Shūichi, along with Tsunade, Shizune, and their group, arrived at the Akimichi clan's shop to participate in the eating contest.

The contest had been running for nearly a month, so it wasn't as crowded as it had been at the start.

Still, it attracted many regulars who came to see if anyone had broken the record.

As soon as Shūichi and the others entered the shop, they overheard the diners chatting.

"As expected of one of the Legendary Sannin. It's been ten days, and no one's beaten his record yet!"

"I wonder if Lady Tsunade or Lord Orochimaru, also of the Sannin, can break it?"

"Lady Tsunade has signed up, but Lord Orochimaru hasn't."

"Then let's look forward to Lady Tsunade giving it a try!"

"Jōnin Minato is also impressive. As Jiraiya-sama's disciple, he only fell short by two bowls."

"And Lady Kushina? She's even better than Minato!"

"Who's this guy named Might Guy? He ate so much—he even surpassed many Jōnin, including Sakumo-senpai!"

...

"Lady Tsunade!"

"What?"

"Lady Tsunade is here!"

The customers and onlookers in the shop immediately became excited. Before long, the shopkeeper also came over. Upon learning that Shūichi and his group of five were all here to compete, they quickly began to make arrangements.

Word that Tsunade was participating in the eating contest spread quickly, drawing more and more people to the shop. Many ordered a bowl of udon just to watch the spectacle.

While waiting, Shūichi found himself studying the ranking board on the wall.

The first-place record was held by Jiraiya, with an impressive 41 bowls.

Second place belonged to Kushina Uzumaki, with 40 bowls.

Third place went to Minato, with 39 bowls.

Shūichi also noticed other familiar names: Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi, Asuma Sarutobi, and even Might Guy, who had eaten a considerable amount—30 bowls.

If Guy ate like this regularly, Shūichi wondered if his father, Might Duy, could afford it.

Speaking of Duy, he also had quite the appetite—36 bowls.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of Chōji's father, Chōza Akimichi.

Shūichi sighed to himself.

Soon, the shopkeeper announced that everything was ready.

Shūichi cleared his thoughts and took his seat alongside Tsunade and the others. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the referee from the Akimichi clan gave the signal, and the contest began.

Shūichi started eating steadily, while Nono Yakushi and the others also ate with a calm, graceful pace. Despite their composed eating styles, they all maintained a quick tempo, bowl after bowl.

After 20 bowls, Shizune was the first to give up. She could no longer eat and collapsed onto the table, staring at Shūichi in awe.

After 25 bowls, Nono Yakushi also stopped, though she still seemed to have some energy left.

Shūichi and Tsunade, however, showed no signs of slowing down, while Asuka's pace had noticeably decreased.

At 32 bowls, Asuka also threw in the towel.

Now, everyone in the shop had their eyes glued to Shūichi and Tsunade.

People began to whisper, "Who is this kid? He's eating so much, it seems like he's on par with Lady Tsunade!"

"You don't know who he is?"

"No, should I?"

"Hmph, Jōnin Shūichi is one of Konoha's, and perhaps the entire shinobi world's, youngest Chūnin and Special Jōnin!"

"What? A S-Special Jōnin? At his age?"

"He's not even 10 years old yet, I think."

"Gulp... That's incredible!"

"He's also Minato's student, and he's currently studying medical ninjutsu under Lady Tsunade. He's a Special Jōnin in the Medical Corps now!"

"Amazing!"

...

Listening to the whispers around him, Shūichi thought to himself, "After this eating contest, I'll probably become famous throughout all of Konoha."

Previously, when he broke the record as the youngest Chūnin and Special Jōnin, only people in the ninja circles knew about it, and many had never even seen him in person.

But now, with this eating contest, his face would be up on the leaderboard for everyone to see.

Hmm?

Suddenly, Shūichi noticed some activity in his Tag System.

He paused for a moment and diverted a bit of his attention toward the system.

As expected, a new tag had appeared.

Tag: Renowned Across Nations (Alternative Name: Famous)

Condition to Obtain: Spread your fame across the major countries and ninja villages of the shinobi world.

Effect: Increases luck by 50%, boosts "Talk no Jutsu" effectiveness by 100%, and enhances charisma by 100%.

It can increase luck!

Shūichi was astonished. Luck was something intangible, mysterious, and difficult to grasp. In the simplest terms, it was like pure fortune.

Bad luck, and you could chip a tooth while drinking water.

Good luck, and even choosing a random path could lead you to success.

As the saying goes: "When fortune smiles, the heavens align, but when it fades, even heroes are powerless."

"Though... drawing this much attention as a ninja could be risky..."

Just as Shūichi was pondering this, exclamations erupted from the crowd around him.

"Jiraiya-sama's record has been broken!"

"As expected of Lady Tsunade!"

"Jōnin Shūichi is doing really well too—he's already at 40 bowls!"

Shūichi glanced over at Tsunade. She had eaten two more bowls than him. He quickly refocused and continued the contest.

Eat, eat, eat!

Both Shūichi and Tsunade were different from the others. They had both trained in the Yin Seal and possessed extraordinary chakra control and refining abilities.

They could eat while simultaneously refining and storing chakra.

Even though they were still bound by the limits of their digestive systems, they were undeniably formidable in this aspect.

Especially Shūichi—his body had undergone several enhancements, and his recovery ability had doubled, which also greatly boosted his digestive capacity.

Before long, Shūichi caught up with Tsunade, which caused another round of gasps from the crowd: "Incredible!"

At 50 bowls, Tsunade glanced at Shūichi and thought, "This kid... his digestion is actually better than mine?"

She could definitely keep eating, but continuing would put too much strain on her digestive system and might cause damage.

Besides... maybe it was time to let the kid have his moment.

At 52 bowls, Tsunade finally stopped.

But Shūichi kept going.

He hadn't reached his limit yet—his digestive system was still working strong.

He realized that the full benefits of his enhanced physique extended far beyond just an increase in chakra reserves.

At this rate, if his chakra reserves ever reached the level of Hashirama Senju, his physical strength might even surpass Hashirama's.

60 bowls!

The spectators in the shop were left speechless.

Even the shop owner was stunned.

70 bowls!

The room fell completely silent.

At 75 bowls, Shūichi finally set down his chopsticks and let out a satisfied burp.

That was his limit.

Any more, and it would start to harm his stomach and spleen.

"This should be enough, right?" Shūichi thought to himself.

Immediately after, the shop erupted in applause, and countless voices praised him.

"No one can beat that number, right?"

"That was amazing!"

"He's not even 10 years old!"

"Jōnin Shūichi will probably surpass even Lady Tsunade and the others in the future!"

(End of Chapter)

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