Chapter 39

"Hey, Ryu!"

"What?!" Lazily opening one eye, I glanced sideways to see Shikaku's grinning face. "What do you want?"

"Did you really decide to indulge in the traditional Nara activity and nap on the grass?" My cousin exclaimed, sitting down next to me. "What about your challenging training?"

"Haha, you can keep being amazed," I replied faintly, continuing to lie and bask in the sun. "I've had a legitimate day off for I don't know how long, so I'm relaxing."

Behind my brilliant ten-year-old relative, I noticed a gathering of Choza, Inoichi, and another Nara guy, what was his name... ah, Enzui!

"Hey guys, what are you doing here in the company of this 'troublesome' slacker? Don't you have academy today?" Akamichi, as usual, chewing on something delicious, responded.

"We had a... umm... test today and got off early," Akamichi replied, as always, chewing on something tasty.

"I see... share your supplies!" Stretching out my hand demandingly, I sat up and fully opened my eyes.

"Are you sure you have half Uzumaki blood, not Akamichi?" Enzui chuckled, watching as Choza and I happily devoured ham sandwiches.

"My dad told me that your parent used to compete with him in the 'eating contests' held in their restaurants," Akamichi mumbled, chewing.

That's what they call eating competitions among this clan of food lovers, held in their restaurants.

"Well, we also grow big and wide, not just for techniques," I clapped my friend on the shoulder. "A real man should be big and strong, and eat a lot too!"

"Exactly!" Choza nodded enthusiastically, still munching away.

That's how I bonded with the good-natured chubby guy, even though he was two years younger. Well, and a significant reason is the opportunity to feast on provisions.

"That's the way to respond, otherwise the wind might blow you away," I glanced at both Naras. "Even in early childhood, I ate more than all of you combined now. Choza, feed them, otherwise you'll end up with such weaklings in your team, then you'll have to carry them yourself."

"Hey, don't include me in their company," Inoichi immediately distanced himself. "Unlike these two, I take physical training seriously."

"Well...," scrutinizing the blonde critically, I shook my head. "Not that it's noticeable, but definitely better than these slackers!"

"Hey, we're Naras!" my clanmates protested in unison. "Troublesome!"

Guess who said that?

"The day Naras stop being lazy can be considered the end of the clan! And besides, you should be lazy too — it's our distinctive feature, along with our brilliant minds," Shikaku lectured, raising his finger.

"And you are more of an exception to the rule! It's too troublesome for me to listen to my mom's lectures that 'your cousin, in addition to having equally brilliant brains, also has truly respectable perseverance and almost complete lack of laziness, despite a mere two-year difference'!"

"Pfft, I'm also terribly lazy," I sighed. "It's just that I know how to suppress that trait in favor of my development as a shinobi. We have a war looming ahead, so there's a huge chance to participate in it, so depending on the skills and preparation you have, the chances of survival increase."

"Do you think it's all that bleak?" Enzui asked.

"Well, judging by the recently ended war, nothing good awaits us. By the way, here, take this — found a cool historical book in our clan library," I threw the memoirs I had read in my early childhood to my brother lying nearby on the grass. "I wanted to give it to you earlier, but kept forgetting. It's right on topic. Just return it in one piece later."

"Wow, this is from the times of clan wars," Yamanaka exclaimed, grabbing the book before Shiki.

"And what's it about?" the chubby guy asked, interested, as the trio suddenly fell silent, slowly turning red as they read new pages.

Hehe, infecting young minds with the virus of hentai and loot hunting!

"Cough, the life of a shinobi without embellishments during the clan wars," I coughed, trying to hide the laughter threatening to burst out.

"Your ancestor Nara Yagami was quite lively," Inoichi finally tore his eyes away from the reading, looking quite embarrassed.

"Where did you dig up this thing?" Enzui chuckled. "I've never noticed anything like that in our library."

"Oh, I found it somewhere behind the shelves, I don't remember exactly — it was about five years ago," I shrugged.

"And you read it at three or four years old?" My brother was amazed.

"Yep, true, at that time not everything was clear, but I grasped the essence

 of the 'trophies'!" I replied, proudly puffing out my chest.