Chapter 22: Smoker

Once the two left, the cafeteria erupted with discussions.

"That Uchiha Chika is simply a monster. Smoker looked like a child in front of him!"

"What kind of ability does he have? It's both wind and shockwaves?"

"Did you notice his eyes? They're so eerie. Just looking at them makes me feel utterly powerless."

"Regardless, Uchiha Chika is undoubtedly the number one in the training camp from now on!"

Ain and her group of roommates stood in their original spots, feeling a bit dazed.

They had considered the possibility of Chika winning, but they never expected him to win so easily.

"He's in a completely different league from us." One roommate said, looking at the silent Ain and sighing silently.

It's a good thing when the person you like is outstanding, but being too outstanding is a different story.

Ain bit her lip and didn't call out to her roommates. She turned around and left the cafeteria on her own.

On the other side,

Chika supported Smoker, and along the way, Smoker kept his head lowered, his expression unreadable.

"I did go a bit too far with what I said and did earlier. But to be honest, those last few words you said made me think you're not a bad person."

Chika tried to break the somewhat awkward atmosphere.

"No, you're not wrong. This time, the main fault lies with me."

Smoker finally lifted his head and looked ahead.

"I didn't stop Barton in time at the beginning, and later on, I didn't have the right to stop you from teaching him a lesson. Besides, it's my own incompetence that led to being beaten like this. I have no complaints."

Chika found Smoker increasingly interesting. He reached out a hand towards him, and Smoker looked at him strangely. Chika smiled and spoke,

"Let's be friends and get to know each other again. I'm Uchiha Chika. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Smoker was taken aback, then quickly grasped the hand Chika extended.

"Smoker! Pleasure is all mine. Next time we face each other, just go easy on me."

After saying that, the two shared a smile, and all the previous conflicts vanished into thin air. Sometimes, the way friendships are formed between men is peculiar yet simple.

After taking Smoker to the hospital, Chika returned to the dormitory. The three roommates saw their big brother come back and rushed towards him, surrounding Chika. Even Glerfus, who was usually aloof, and the taciturn Binz also joined in with eager expressions.

"Chika, you were amazing today! You truly deserve my recognition as a comrade in arms!"

"That's right, I'm in awe of you. From now on, you're my leader too!"

"M-Me too!"

Chika looked at his excited roommates with a wry smile. He felt a sense of nostalgia as the playful trio reminded him of the time they spent together in the dormitory on Planet Blue.

Just as the four of them were chatting and joking, a military officer knocked on the door and walked in.

After observing the four for a moment, the officer's gaze finally settled on Chika. It was hard not to be impressed by his distinctive purple Rinne-Sharingan eyes.

The officer politely confirmed, "Are you Cadet Chika? Instructor Zephyr wants to see you in his office."

"Zephyr-sensei wants to see me? Alright, I'll go there right away."

Chika followed the officer and left. The remaining three roommates felt a bit worried. Bridge was the first to speak up.

"Could it be that our leader is going to be punished? No, this situation partly involves me too. I should go and check on him."

"It's possible. Chika, our leader, did cause quite a bit of destruction during the fight with Smoker. Zephyr-sensei might be planning to hold him accountable."

This time, Glerfus didn't argue with Bridge.

"That's not it. If Zephyr-sensei wanted to punish Chika, he would have done it in the cafeteria. This time, he must have something else important to discuss. We better not go and make trouble for him!"

As Binz spoke up, both Bridge and Glerfus looked at him with astonishment. They didn't expect this usually silent and unopinionated guy to speak, and his words seemed surprisingly reasonable.

Binz felt a bit shy under their gaze and stood up to help tidy up Chika's bed.

Bridge and Glerfus sat on their respective beds, staring at each other, unsure of what to do.

After a while, Bridge shouted, "Binz! How dare you do my work! Get out of the way! Making a bed is an art!"

"What insolence!"

Glerfus once again expressed his contempt for Bridge and then somehow pulled out a box of cigars, retreating to the bathroom to smoke.

With the bed neatly made, Bridge's nose twitched. He knew Glerfus had probably gone to smoke a cigar again, and it made him itch a little. He also enjoyed smoking, and ever since he arrived here, he found it more exciting to "take" cigars from Glerfus.

Secretly activating his Hook-Hook Fruit ability, Bridge's left hand transformed into a yellow hook, which then detached from his wrist, connected by a sturdy iron chain.

Bridge's Hook-Hook Fruit belonged to the Paramecia type, granting him the ability to turn any part of his body into hooks and extend an infinite chain through his power's illusion.

Objects touched by him would be left with invisible marks, which could be tracked and captured 100% accurately the next time he used his ability. Glerfus' cigarette case had long been touched by him when he had the chance.

Bridge sniffed the air and chuckled. His left hand, transformed into a hook, slowly extended into the bathroom along the wall.

After a while, Glerfus, feeling satisfied, raised one hand to pull up his pants, while the other hand reached for the cigar box on the floor. However, he only felt the cold touch of the ground. Frustrated, before even pulling up his pants, he shouted,

"What the hell! Where's my box of cigars!?"