redvbooks Chapter 322 We are comrades!
Chapter 322 We are comrades!
Nara Shika raised his head, saw the person who had arrived, and his hand, which was about to light the fire, stopped in mid-air.
The one who came in was a young ninja from the document preparation class. He was carrying a stack of documents taller than himself and carefully avoided the scrolls scattered on the ground.
"Lord Shikanobu, these documents must be approved this afternoon... The Hokage said they are the final allocation plan for the supplies."
The young ninja placed the files on the only relatively empty corner of the table. The stack of files made a dull thud, causing the already shaky table to tremble.
Nara Shikano felt his temple throb violently along with the muffled sound.
Hiruzen, that guy, went off to be a hands-off manager, accompanying the legendary Uchiha Madara on walks around the village, enjoying the leisurely life of a senior master, while leaving this mountain of hell to himself.
"Okay, just leave it there." He waved his hand, his voice revealing a deep exhaustion.
The young ninja felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly bowed and left, as if staying even a second longer would mean being swallowed up by the resentment in the office.
The office door had just closed, and before Nara Shikano could even bring the cigarette back to his lips, there was another knock.
This time, the knocking was different from the restrained one from the ninja in the document class earlier; it was heavy and rhythmic, three knocks: thump, thump, thump.
"Come in," the deer antlers replied weakly.
He assumed it was yet another urgent document from some department.
However, the moment the door was pushed open, an overbearing and unreasonable fragrance rushed in.
It wasn't just the aroma of meat; it was a unique meaty fragrance, a blend of rich sauce, various spices, and a slightly charred aroma that came from being grilled at high temperatures. This aroma seemed to have a life of its own, precisely targeting Nara Deer Antlers' nasal cavity and instantly activating his taste buds, which had become numb from working all night.
His stomach let out a clear, untimely rumble.
Immediately afterward, a burly figure squeezed in—it was Akimichi Torifu. His face, which always wore a憨厚 (honest and simple) smile, was now filled with smugness and boastfulness. In his hands, he carefully held an enormous food box.
"Deer antlers! Come and try them! It's the latest achievement I've developed with Sakumo!"
Following behind Akimichi Torifu was Sakumo Hatake, whose posture was upright and whose expression remained as calm as ever.
He didn't go to such an exaggerated degree as fetching the wind; he simply carried an exquisite bamboo basket covered with a clean white cloth, from which a faint fragrance still wafted out.
The two giants of Muye Ecological Farm actually came together.
Looking at his two uninvited old friends and the deadly tempting food in their hands, Nara Shikanobu's work-related thoughts snapped.
"Are you devils?" he wailed, slamming the unlit cigarette onto the table.
"Hahaha, this is a masterpiece that embodies our hard work!" Akimichi Torifu completely ignored Shikano's complaints, placed the food box on the table like a treasure, and opened the lid.
An even richer aroma suddenly burst forth.
Inside the food box were neatly arranged plates of dishes. The main course was dark reddish-brown chunks of meat, sprinkled with bright green scallions, each piece glistening with an enticing sheen.
The texture of the meat was peculiar; it didn't seem like pork, nor did it seem like beef.
"Stir-fried scorpion legs with soy sauce," Sakumo Hatake succinctly explained, opening his bamboo basket as he spoke.
The bamboo basket contained not any heavily seasoned dishes, but rather plates of brightly colored vegetable salads and a pot of warm wine exuding a refreshing aroma of rice.
"When eaten together, it can neutralize the heatiness of scorpion meat, replenish vitamins, and relieve fatigue," Shuo Mao added. His tone was more like reporting the results of a rigorous scientific experiment than introducing food.
The three giants of the farm have victoriously met here today.
Nara deer...
Looking at the delicious food in front of him, and then at the mountain of official documents around him, he was having an internal struggle.
Reason told him that the work wasn't finished and he couldn't let his guard down.
But the body's instincts were screaming wildly.
Eat! Eat now!
"After marinating with my secret sauce, and then stir-frying at high temperature using the technique provided by the Uchiha BBQ team, the juices are perfectly locked in..." Akimichi Torifu continued his eloquent introduction, spittle flying everywhere.
The Nara deer antlers finally gave way.
This is such a hassle. I'll eat first and then work; I might be more efficient that way.
He convinced himself of this, and with trembling hands, he picked up the chopsticks.
However, just as his chopsticks were about to touch the succulent scorpion leg meat, he stopped.
His gaze passed over the food and landed on his two friends.
One of them is the head of the Akimichi clan. He is physically strong, has abundant chakra, and is skilled in using the Expansion Technique for precise tasks.
The other is Konoha's White Fang, a master assassin whose observation, judgment, and execution skills are all unparalleled, possessing the most precise and patient abilities in the ninja world.
Two idle people.
Two idle individuals with explosive combat power and boundless energy.
And he himself, the most brilliant mind in Konoha, was going to be worked to death by these tedious and repetitive paperwork.
A bold and "troublesome" idea slowly took shape in the highly intelligent mind of Nara Shika.
He put down his chopsticks and, under the puzzled gazes of Qu Feng and Shuo Mao, let out a heavy sigh.
That sigh contained endless exhaustion, grievances, and the tragic grandeur of someone who had devoted himself to the village.
"Eat up, you guys eat."
Nara Shika leaned back in his chair, picked up a scroll about the "Materials Budget for the Third Phase of the Namaka River Dam Project," and unfolded it with a look of grim determination.
"I'm not hungry. Seeing that there are still so many things to be done in the village, I really... don't have much of an appetite."
His acting was so superb that even the air seemed to grow heavy.
Akimichi Tomori's chopsticks, which were holding scorpion meat, stopped in mid-air, and the smile on his face froze.
"Deer Antlers, you...you can't do this, people need to eat to survive..."
Hatake Sakumo also put down the sake jug in his hand. His sharp eyes scrutinized Nara Kaguya, and he quickly judged from the other man's heavy dark circles and haggard expression that this was not a disguise.
"The workload is already overloaded," Sakumo made an accurate assessment.
"There's nothing we can do." Nara Shikazuki sighed again, pointing to the mountain of scrolls piled up in his office.
"Hiruzen entrusted me with all the tedious post-war matters... and every single one of them had to be done flawlessly."
He paused, then continued in an even more weary tone.
"The farm was able to get on track so quickly, and Danzo's infrastructure construction was able to proceed smoothly, all because of the proper handling of these logistical tasks. It doesn't matter if I'm a little tired, as long as the village gets better and better..."
These words were spoken with great righteousness and were deeply moving.
Akimichi Torifu, being a straightforward person, immediately lost his temper.
He slammed down his chopsticks and stood up indignantly.
"That's outrageous! How can you shoulder all the burdens yourself? We're teammates!"
He patted his chest and made a grand promise, taking full responsibility.
"If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know! We'll help you get it done!"