Fugaku was not in a good mood. He did not think too much about the matter of agreeing to Aoba using his name, and he didn't think that the people around him would know these things.
But now the situation has changed.
After Eaton said this.
At the very least, Mikoto, Saki, and Rin all knew about this matter.
The most important thing was...
He had originally thought that even if Mikoto and the others knew about it, he just had to push the topic onto Aoba.
After all, this book was originally written by Aoba. He was simply a nominal person, but now it had become him who wrote this book, which changed things.
It also made him a little powerless to stop it.
"Ea... Eaton-sama..."
Fugaku wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by Eaton in front of him.
"Don't worry, Fugaku. The feedback from the publisher is quite good. The speed of publication will be very fast, it is expected to become a hit, and it will explode in the Ninja World. Your name will resound in the whole Ninja World along with this book!" Eaton nodded to Fugaku and said. What he said was like a promise, and he had absolute confidence in the story. In his opinion, this was definitely a masterpiece. He even felt that Aoba might not be able to write another book like this.
"I..."
After hearing Eaton's promise, Fugaku's mood became even more complicated. He never thought that this book would be so popular that it would directly bring up his reputation.
Only...
This fame...
It didn't seem right!
"Brother Eaton..."
Right at this moment, a weak voice sounded and broke the atmosphere here.
The person who spoke.
It was Akimichi Rin, who was at the side and did not know what had happened. She blinked her eyes and stared at Eaton with a pitiful look.
"What's wrong?"
Eaton was stunned. His gaze fell on Akimichi Rin, and a big question mark popped up in his head.
"Is there a problem?"
Eaton asked doubtfully. Not only was he confused, but even the people around him were also confused.
But Saki glanced at the empty plate on the table and roughly understood what was going on. However, she did not say it out loud. Instead, she pretended that she did not know anything.
"That..."
A shy expression appeared on Akimichi Rin's face. She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she could not help but say, "I... I am not... not full..."
"So that's what happened!"
Eaton heaved a sigh of relief. He thought it was something big. He looked down and saw that the plates on the table were all empty. There was not a single piece of meat left. It should have been eaten when they discussed the Chunin Exam earlier.
"Rin, you go directly to the waiter to order. Today is a double joy. Not only can we celebrate Fugaku's book being published, but Aoba can also participate in the Chunin Exams with you. I am very happy. If you want to eat anything, just order whatever you want. There is no need to be polite with me!"
Eaton could be said to be very generous and not a stingy person. In addition, he was really happy today. Since it was a treat, they must eat until they were all full.
"Okay~"
When Akimichi Rin heard Eaton's words, her eyes flashed with joy. Then she quickly got up and walked out of the private room, ready to go and order more meat. Since Eaton had said so, she definitely could not be polite with him.
When Eaton saw that Akimichi Rin still went to order, he did not realize that Akimichi Rin had already eaten at Fugaku's place. Instead, he was thinking about how this child starved to this extent.
"Everyone did not eat just now, right? When the new dishes are served, we will have a good meal, and then I will take you to register!"
Eaton looked at the people around him. His gaze stopped on everyone for a while, then finally fell on Aoba.
"Yes!"
Everyone immediately responded. After that, the atmosphere became reserved again. Without these topics to talk about, they did not know what to say.
Not long after.
All the dishes that Akimichi Rin had ordered had arrived.
After the dishes were served, the people in the private room began to eat. The atmosphere was still a little dull.
"Fugaku, how's the work in the village recently?" Eaton tried hard to find a topic.
"It's alright. Recently, the village has become even safer." Fugaku nodded. There were still some other people here. He couldn't say it too clearly. He had to pay attention to his words.
"That's not bad..." Eaton nodded.
For a moment.
In the private room, only Eaton and Fugaku were left talking about some things about the village. No one could say too much and only look at each other in a daze.
After a while.
The meat on the table had already been eaten.
Everyone was already full.
Eaton looked around and looked at everyone. Finally, he looked at Akimichi Rin.
"Are you all full?" Eaton asked. He seemed to be asking, but in fact, it was an affirmative sentence. Then, he was ready to say that he was going to settle the bill directly.
"No... I'm not full..."
However, at this time, the weak voice sounded again. Needless to say, everyone knew that the owner of the voice was Akimichi Rin.
"Sigh..."
Everyone took a deep sigh.
Wasn't this full yet?!
It was a bit exaggerated!
All of a sudden.
Everyone's eyes fell on Akimichi Rin.
Nara Saki gently nudged Akimichi Rin with his elbow, indicating that the latter should not eat anymore. There was no problem eating just now, but now it seemed a little inappropriate.
"Ah! Oh! That... I'm not hungry anymore... I'm full..."
After being nudged, Akimichi Rin immediately put on an extremely clumsy act under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
"Cough cough... cough cough cough..."
Eaton lightly coughed. This clumsy acting made him lose face. He couldn't just treat her to a meal and let her go back hungry.
"Rin, I already said that you don't have to be polite. If you need anything, just order it. You must eat your fill today!" Eaton said very seriously.
"Really?" Akimichi Rin wanted to smile, but she didn't dare to. She looked very cute.
"Really, just eat. You have to eat until you are full!" Anyway, Eaton was very happy today and didn't want any disappointing situation. He could afford to spend this little money.
"Thank you, Brother Eaton. You really are a good person!"
When Rin heard Eaton's words, she immediately used her own method to express the joy that belonged to her to Eaton.
Instantly.
Akimichi Rin stood up again.
She walked out of the private room and prepared to order other food.
When Saki saw this scene, even she could not sit still. Her cheeks were slightly red, and she was already embarrassed.
However...
Fugaku heaved a sigh of relief.
Before, he had not noticed these things. Only when Akimichi Rin said it was not enough for the first time did he realize the horror of this matter.
Something was wrong!
This was very wrong!
Fugaku had a deep impression. When he invited Akimichi Rin just now, almost all the meat had been eaten by her alone.
Because he had been chatting with Saki about Aoba, he did not have time to eat.
But...
Fugaku thought that Akimichi Rin was going to be full.
Unexpectedly, he found out the table of meat in the private room had been eaten by Akimichi Rin.
The private room dishes should be the next batch, but it was gone again.
Wasn't this a bit too exaggerated?
Fugaku's gaze followed Akimichi Rin as she left the private room. There were many strange thoughts in his mind.
'This time…'
'Did I avoid losing a lot of money?'
Thinking of this.
Fugaku's mood suddenly became much better. It seemed that the depression he had felt when he became the author of the works had suddenly lessened a lot.
...
After a while.
Akimichi Rin had another meal.
She finally had a rare full meal.
This was something that she rarely saw. Most of the time, she maintains a posture of not being hungry but not full.
"Brother Eaton, I'm done eating. Thank you!"
Akimichi Rin sincerely thanked Eaton. She was really very grateful to Eaton. At the end of the meal, everyone was watching her eat, which embarrassed her a little.
"It's good that you are full!"
Eaton revealed a satisfied smile. He was in a very comfortable mood. He was not dissatisfied at all because Akimichi Rin could eat. What happened today really made him very happy.
"Since you are all full, I will go to settle the bill."
Eaton immediately got up and walked out of the private room. He was going to pay the bill but not in front of these people.
He could already see that this meal cost a lot.
If he settled it here, it might cause pressure in the hearts of the people present. This was not what Eaton wanted to see.
Since it was a treat, then quietly treat them!
After a while, Eaton settles this meal. He returned to the private room.
Five people were standing there. They had all stood up and were waiting for Eaton.
"Fugaku, Mikoto, you two can go back. I will take them to register. Leave this matter to me!" Eaton looked at Fugaku and Mikoto and said in an unquestionable tone.
"Yes!"
Fugaku and Mikoto nodded at the same time. The two of them did not want to go back so easily.
However.
Eaton has already talked about this.
Then even if they didn't want to, there was nothing they could do but obey.
What they needed to do now was to leave silently and leave the matters here to Eaton. After all, Fugaku and Mikoto also wanted Aoba to participate in the Chunin Exams.
...
After Fugaku and Mikoto walked out of the barbecue shop together.
"Saki, Rin, Aoba, you guys follow me. I'll take you guys to register for the Chunin Exams. This way, it should avoid a lot of trouble."
Eaton nodded at the three people here. Then, under the gaze of these three people, he turned around and walked toward the entrance of the barbecue shop.
...
After Mikoto walked out of the barbecue shop, she pursed her lips slightly. She did not know what to say. She could only stand there and look at Fugaku, who had already walked out.
At the same time.
Fugaku found that Mikoto did not follow.
"Mikoto, why aren't you leaving?" Fugaku turned around and asked doubtfully. As Mikoto stopped, he also stopped. He was stunned for a moment and said, "Are you still angry with me?"
"No, I am not angry with you. I am afraid that you are angry with me." Mikoto lowered her head. She was a little embarrassed. After all, when she was with Nara Yoshino, she could see that she was suspicious of Fugaku at that time. It was precisely because of that suspicion that she felt she had lost Fugaku's trust.
"Why should I be angry with you? What happened just now can't all be blamed on you. It's just a misunderstanding. Now that the misunderstanding has been explained clearly, isn't that good?" Fugaku said to Mikoto with a smile.
"Is that so?" Mikoto was skeptical. She felt that if what happened just now were to happen to her now, she might never forgive Fugaku again in this life. After all, it was a matter of trust. This made it clear that the other party did not trust her. This was not a small matter.
"I will send you back." Fugaku nodded and said.
"Don't you need to carry out a mission?" Mikoto was stunned for a moment. When talking to Fugaku, even she did not know why there was an extra sense of awkwardness. However, she felt that this feeling originated from the misunderstanding that had just occurred between them. Perhaps after a few days, everything would be fine when she saw Fugaku's book.
"It's okay, it's been delayed for a while, and it will not be bad even if I delay it for a while. Let's go." Fugaku said seriously. He had to regain his image in Mikoto's heart. After all, when Nara Yoshino came just now, he was quite confused and a little unprepared. He was also afraid that Mikoto would misunderstand, so he became even more attentive than usual.
"Alright." Mikoto nodded and then walked toward the direction of the Uchiha clan.
At first, both of them remained silent.
A while later, Mikoto was the first to break the silence.
"Fugaku, why did you suddenly think of introducing Aoba to them?" Mikoto asked curiously. It was unknown whether she was looking for a conversation or she was very concerned about Aoba. In short, she still asked this question after hesitating for a while.
"The main reason is that they lack one person. I have observed them for a while. Their strengths are not bad, and they might bring Aoba to the third round. At that time, there might be a chance to pass. In short, give it a try." Fugaku explained.
"Why did they bring Aoba to the third round instead of Aoba going to the third round with them?" Mikoto asked with a slight frown.
"Aoba's strength isn't too good. Otherwise, I wouldn't have taken this opportunity to give it to Aoba, the easiest Chunin Exams in recent years. I hope he can succeed!" Fugaku said in a deep voice.
...
On the other side.
Under Eaton's lead.
Yamanaka Aoba, Nara Saki, and Akimichi Rin all received a registration form for the Chunin Exams.
"Now, write your names. Since your original team has been disbanded, you can write my name in the recommendation column."
Eaton said to the three of them. He had followed them all the way here because he wanted to see Aoba fill up the registration form before he could be at ease.
He was quite familiar with Aoba's personality.
If he did not keep an eye on Aoba handing over the registration form, then Aoba might still have run away from this matter. He had to personally urge Aoba to finish this matter before he could relax. Otherwise, it would likely be a long night and dream.
"Yes!"
Aoba responded with the other two. They were ready to fill out the form.
"Sigh..."
Aoba slowly sighed. He looked at the registration form and felt unspeakably helpless.
After hiding for so long.
Ultimately, he still couldn't dodge and was dragged into this Chunin exam.
However, Aoba had already accepted this result.
Aoba then focused his gaze on the form.
Name...
Age...
...
Aoba filled in the empty boxes one by one. After he finished writing, he directly handed the form to Eaton.
"Very good!"
Eaton nodded his head in satisfaction. After hearing Fugaku's words, he agreed with him. He had completely thought of the same thing. He also hoped that Aoba could pass the Chunin Exams and become a Chunin.
There were many reasons why he wanted Aoba to become Chunin.
For example, after Aoba became one, he could have a higher position justifiably. This also made it easier for him to explain.
He always felt that...
Aoba was Tsunade's student.
He couldn't be a Genin for life, right?!
He would become a Chunin sooner or later. It might not be bad to participate in the Chunin Exams now. At least in his eyes, he felt that this team was good enough to take the Chunin Exams together.
As Aoba handed his form to Eaton, Saki and Rin also handed over the forms they had already filled out.
At this point.
The three registration forms for Chunin Exams had already fallen into Eaton's hands.
"I will go and hand in your registration forms. You can move freely now, but I suggest you familiarize yourselves with each other and prepare for the Chunin Exams."
Eaton explained to the three people. After he finished speaking, his gaze fell on Aoba, and he nodded at him.
"Aoba, from today on, I will give you a vacation to prepare for Chunin Exams. Go and prepare well. I will submit the vacation matter for you. Don't worry, any subordinate that will participate in Chunin Exam will have a vacation, and they will be approved unconditionally. You are no exception!"
Eaton seemed to know what Aoba wanted to say and directly predicted Aoba's words, making Aoba completely speechless.
After that.
Eaton took the three forms and left.
...
After Eaton left, only Aoba and the other two girls were left.
Aoba took a deep breath. He felt things were troublesome, but now that things had come to this, he still had some words to say.
He looked toward Nara Saki and Akimichi Rin. After his gaze swept past the two of them, the smile on his face disappeared.
"Actually, I know that you are just going with the flow. It doesn't matter. It will be fine if you join our team and pass the first and second rounds of examinations with us. The third round will be a personal battle. We will not force you to do anything."
Before Aoba could say anything.
Saki was the first to speak.
The content she spoke of was exactly what Aoba wanted to say. This made Aoba suddenly have a strange feeling.
However.
When he thought of Saki's strength last night, he understood.
Compared to the past few years, they should have encountered much resistance from their families, so they have never taken the Chunin Exams. But they were at the age of fourteen or fifteen, so there was no need for them to delay taking the Chunin Exams any longer.
Unless they were not strong enough.
Aoba had already roughly estimated Saki's strength last night. The other party was definitely someone with Chunin's strength.
Aoba now understood why Shikaku and the others wanted to find him, let him join Saki and Rin's team, then deliberately dragged them down.
With the strength of these two people, it would be an easy pass.
After all, Minato, who was the same age as them, was already Jonin!
When it comes to anime, most of the Konoha 12(Team 7-10) at this age were all Chunin.
Of course.
Except for Naruto and Sasuke.
Aoba suddenly realized that the three of them might be the last batch of ninjas among the still Genin who did not take the Chunin Exams.
It was not that the rest of the ninjas didn't want to take the Chunin Exams or didn't want to become a Chunin, but that they don't have the ability to become a Chunin at all.
"I understand."
Aoba nodded. Since Saki was so confident, he naturally wouldn't say anything. Then, he added, "When I confirm that you will participate in the individual competition, I will abstain and leave."
"..."
After hearing this, Saki was speechless. She couldn't figure out why this person would just participate in the Chunin Exams and seemed to have suffered so much.
"Actually, you don't have to give up. Just perform normally. Do you really not want to be Chunin? Or do you really like to be Genin?" Saki suddenly asked. She did not think that Aoba was weak at all. Instead, she thought that Aoba was completely capable of becoming a Chunin. That was why she asked this. She had a very good impression of Eaton, so much so that she felt that the person that Eaton thought highly of was definitely not weak.
"There's nothing bad about being Genin," Aoba said with a smile.
"Don't tell me you don't want to go to the battlefield?" Saki suddenly thought of something and directly asked Aoba. Apart from this, she didn't know why Aoba would be so low-key. When she used Kagemane no Jutsu(Shadow Imitation Technique) last night, although the drug had restricted her strength at that time, she could also feel that Aoba's strength was not weak.
She was unsure whether he was strong, but he was definitely not weak. It was just that this person was too low-key and almost had no sense of existence.
'Perhaps...'
'Only Brother Fugaku and Brother Eaton knew his strength!'
Nara Saki thought to herself.
"I really don't want to go to the battlefield."
Aoba nodded and said without hesitation. He thought so and felt that there was no need to hide it in front of these two people.
After all, if he said otherwise and he paddled during the exam.
This was completely inconsistent behavior. It was very easy for some loopholes to appear, so it was better to admit it openly.
At least.
He did not think that this was a shameful act!
"Hahaha, so you are the same as Shikaku. No wonder Shikaku said that he had looked for you and was rejected. But it doesn't matter. You will be eliminated in the third round." The way Saki looked at Aoba changed slightly, and there was more contempt. After all, in her opinion, the Ninja World was at war, and they had to step forward. This was their duty and also the reason why the two of them wanted to participate in the Chunin Exams.
"Yes."
Aoba nodded, not paying any attention to the changes in his impression of Nara Saki and Akimichi Rin.
None of this was important!
These things were trivial!
He was not here to make friends!
Besides...
Aoba did not intend to for a team with the two girls. This would only help him a little, but there would be a lot of obstacles instead.
"Since we have already said it openly, it will not be so difficult. I will cooperate with you to enter the third round. Regarding the individual part, your performance has nothing to do with me." Aoba said in a deep voice.
These words sounded a bit cold.
However, in his opinion, a lot of things were already said. Everyone knew what was going on. On the contrary, it was good because it would make the two girls feel uncertain if he did not say anything.
"If there is nothing else, I will leave first. On the Chunin Exams day, I will meet up with you!"
After Aoba finished speaking, he immediately turned around and left.
He directly left Saki and Rin with a proud and aloof back view.
There was no hesitation at all.
Saki and Rin stood side by side, staring at Aoba's leaving figure. Their eyes were flashing with different lights.
"Rin, what do you think of this new teammate?" Saki's eyes were still staring at Aoba. The corners of her mouth moved slightly as she asked Akimichi Rin, who was beside her.
"I think he's not bad!" Akimichi Rin nodded. She did not know if it was because Eaton thought highly of Aoba. She just thought that Aoba was not bad, especially when she connected Aoba's words just now. She said again, "I think he is quite honest. At least after he said his thoughts, I didn't worry anymore. I think this team formation is still reliable."
"It is indeed like this. It is just that he does not like to participate in the war. I wouldn't say I like it very much. I feel that he lacks the awareness of being a ninja, just like Shikaku. However, he is better than Shikaku. At least he rejected Shikaku's invitation. This is also why I am willing to accept him. It is just that Shikaku always thought that we did not know anything!" Saki said with a straight face. In fact, she had a good impression of Aoba. It was only because of that sentence he did not want to go to the battlefield, which made her feel uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"Why do I feel that he might not really want to go to the battlefield!" Akimichi Rin suggested her idea.
"What do you mean?" Nara Saki's eyes suddenly lit up. She was also doubting Aoba's reason just now. It was just that she had not found anything wrong. If there was a reason to make her believe that Aoba did not think so, she was willing to change her impression of Aoba.
"I can't say for sure. It's just that I have this feeling. It's not that he doesn't want to go to the battlefield, but there is another reason." Akimichi Rin directly used her intuition to speak. After all, when many things couldn't be explained, intuition seemed to be useful. After that, she said again, "If he doesn't want to go to the battlefield, why would he refuse Shikaku's invitation?"
"Wait..."
After hearing Akimichi Rin's words, Nara Saki's eyes suddenly widened as if she had discovered something important.
"That's right!"
"How could I ignore this!"
"Could it be that I made a mistake from the beginning?"
"Let me think about it..."
Nara Saki immediately raised her right hand, pinched her chin, and put on a pondering posture. She recalled everything that had happened when she met Aoba, and her head quickly thought about it, searching for some clues that might be overlooked.
When Akimichi Rin saw Nara Saki's appearance, she knew that Nara Saki was pondering, so she did not interrupt her. She just crossed her arms in her chest and waited.
Time slowly passed.
After an unknown period of time.
Just as Akimichi Rin was about to fall asleep, Nara Saki suddenly opened her eyes wide, her eyes shining brightly.
"I understand!"
"I know what is going on!"
"We misunderstood Aoba!"
When Nara Saki said these words, she looked much better. She did not have a bad mood like before. Instead, a smile appeared on her face.
"Wrong..."
Akimichi Rin hurriedly shook her head and said with a smile, "It was clearly you who misunderstood Aoba. It has nothing to do with me. I did not misunderstand him!
"Okay, okay, okay, I misunderstood him. My nerves are too sensitive. Who asked him to agree so easily?" When Nara Saki said this, she directly pouted and muttered, "Miser!"
"What have you figured out?" Akimichi Rin asked doubtfully. She looked at the sudden change in Nara Saki's expression. It seemed even faster than flipping through a book. It was obvious that she had figured out the problem that had just occurred.
Only...
She did not know what Nara Saki had figured out.
After all, her brain was not as good as Saki. She mostly relied on her intuition to make judgments. However, her intuition was very useful most of the time.
"Look, just like you said, if Aoba really doesn't want to go to the battlefield, then he can come to form a team with us when Shikaku finds him. After all, if we fail the Chunin Exams together, isn't that the most appropriate reason for not needing to go to the battlefield? Moreover, he can also get the Yamanaka clan promise. But with this kind of thing, he is not happy. But he rejected it, so it can be concluded that his thoughts were different from Shikaku and the others. He would rather not take the Chunin Exams than form a team with us like this. Do you think so?"
Nara Saki began to analyze quickly, but even she didn't realize that she was not following the analysis at all but was speculating the process based on the results; that was to say, she was indifferent to Aoba "did not want to go the battlefield."
"Isn't this what I meant just now!" Akimichi Rin said with a smile. She felt that her intuition had become more powerful.
"If that's the case..."
Nara Saki frowned and said, "Everything makes sense!"
"What do you mean?" Akimichi Rin asked doubtfully. She had yet to understand exactly what had happened.
"It's like this..."
Nara Saki told Akimichi Rin about what she was about to speculate.
"Aoba refused to join our team at first because Shikaku had looked for him before because he is in a dilemma."
"If he helps us pass the Chunin Exams, he will offend Shikaku and Inoichi. His future path will not be so easy."
"If he doesn't help us, then wouldn't it be the same as when Shikaku found him? He doesn't want to do that, so he would rather refuse. He doesn't want to agree!"
"Everything makes sense!"
"Including why when Aoba heard us say that he only needed to go to the first two rounds, and it didn't matter what happened after that, he was obviously relieved."
"Isn't that what it means? ! "
Nara Saki's brain had already quickly wondered. She thought of many kinds of results, but this was the most reliable way of thinking.
"That makes sense!" After hearing these words, Akimichi Rin immediately nodded and said, "It really makes sense!"
"This also explains why he said those words out of spite when I said he did want to participate in the Chunin Exams because he didn't want to go to the battlefield. It's not that he didn't want to go to the battlefield, but my words provoked him and made him unhappy. In the end, he left unhappily." Nara Saki continued to analyze. She was no longer as emotional as before and looked very calm.
"I think what you said makes sense. Actually, when you asked Aoba this, I thought that it was a bit too much. But things happened too suddenly, and I couldn't react. I could only watch everything." Akimichi Rin nodded and said. She agreed with Nara Saki's current point of view.
"It's all my fault!"
A look of annoyance appeared on Nara Saki's face. She had been too anxious just now, so she had not paid attention to her words.
"I just thought of how Shikaku had looked for him before. I was lacking in confidence and lost my sense of proportion when I spoke. I was still not suitable to react on the spot and was more suitable to speak after thinking clearly. This time, I was taught a lesson!"
Nara Saki said helplessly. She was just curious and couldn't hold it in.
For the rest of the time.
She had been enduring it well!
After all, she already secretly knew what Shikaku did when he was looking for someone for them, but she still hid it well and didn't expose the matter, so why can't she hold back now?
"I got it!"
"I was just worried!"
"If Aoba didn't agree to participate in the Chunin Exams with us, then I wouldn't care so much about him!"
"It is precisely because we are teammates that I am so nervous, but I accidentally pushed my teammates away!"
The more Nara Saki thought about it, the more upset she became. She felt that she had done something very wrong, making her uncomfortable.
'Sure enough!'
'I was a bit rushed!
The more Nara Saki thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. She felt that she could not continue like this!
"No!"
"I want to find Aoba!"
"I want to explain the misunderstanding just now!"
"I can't let the teammate I just got become estranged with us because of such a small misunderstanding!"
Instantly.
Saki immediately walked in the direction that Aoba had left. Although she did not know where Aoba lived, she must find him.
"I will go with you!"
Akimichi Rin lazily followed behind Nara Saki...
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