Chapter 30: Trouble After Drinking

Even though he did not care about money, this price was simply too absurd.

A portion of dumplings was sixty taels, a portion of mutton soup no more than eighty taels, yet a portion of pork cost a full eight hundred taels, and venison was an astonishing two thousand taels.

With prices this high, he finally understood why that woman had said they could not make any money at all—perhaps it was more than that; there were likely cuts taken elsewhere as well.

"Heh heh heh—what Heaven bestows and you do not take, you will suffer the consequences instead!"

Sima Yi was pleased rather than worried. Without changing his expression, he gently stroked his long beard, yet a glint of sharp light flashed through his eyes.

A moment later, a member of the Akimichi clan came over and set up a stove, demonstrating to Sima Yi how to grill meat. Before the slices of pork had even begun to smell fragrant, Hui arrived carrying several bottles of sake engraved with the characters for "wine brew."

The moment he stepped into the barbecue shop, the gazes of the ninja inside all turned toward him. A small portion merely glanced and looked away, while the majority stared with complicated expressions.

Hui seemed not to notice and went straight to sit across from Sima Yi, sighing, "Good thing I went early, or even this last bit would have been gone."

Then he exclaimed, "Uncle Yi, you ordered so much! Hahaha, lucky!"

The pork sizzled on the iron rack, and special seasonings dripped through the gaps onto the charcoal fire, sending up waves of fragrant smoke.

Hui sniffed carefully, mouth watering, staring fixedly at the slices of meat on the rack.

After the Akimichi people left, he took the tongs and took over the grilling.

"Uncle Yi, hurry and try some! We definitely didn't come to the wrong place today!"

Hui placed the first grilled slice of meat into Sima Yi's bowl. Sima Yi did not refuse; his movements were unhurried and rather refined.

"Mmm, rich but not greasy, fragrant but not overwhelming. The flavor is indeed quite good."

Much tastier than Shisui's grilled fish.

Sima Yi thoroughly enjoyed these foods he had never experienced before and did not stint on his praise.

"Hehe, that's true. The venison here is the real masterpiece. I'll grill some for you to try."

Hui busied himself again as he spoke, but Sima Yi waved his hand and placed the grilled meat into Hui's portion. "No rush, eat more yourself."

Taste lightly and stop; going too far is as bad as not going far enough.

He had always been disciplined about restraining his desires—a brief taste was sufficient.

Since Sima Yi said so, Hui stopped being polite, eating meat in big bites and drinking in big gulps. The two ate, drank, and chatted for a good while.

It was not until late at night, near closing time, when the ninja at several distant tables gradually left, that they finally stopped.

"Shopkeeper, prepare a food box for me—one portion each of mutton and venison."

By now Hui was eating with grease dripping from his mouth, his belly bulging high, and he had a faint hint of drunkenness. Hearing this, he said, "Uncle Yi, I'm already full, no need for more. This venison... is a bit heavy."

It had been a long time since Hui had felt this satisfied; his face was covered in smiles.

Venison had the effect of boosting virility, which Sima Yi naturally knew. He merely chuckled and said, "Shisui probably hasn't eaten yet. Grill some for him to take away."

"Gentlemen, here is the bill."

Eighteen thousand four hundred taels in total. Looking at the bill, Hui sobered up instantly. Carrying the food box and laden with bags big and small, he followed obediently behind Sima Yi, not daring to breathe heavily.

Stepping out of the barbecue shop, a cold wind blew head-on. Looking at the villagers still coming and going on the street, Sima Yi asked, "Are most of those living in the inner area wealthy families?"

"There aren't that many wealthy families. Probably someone in their household, like us, just came back from the battlefield and is splurging for once. Normally they'd save where they can—after all, ninja training is very expensive."

"Then why are they so rarely seen in the outer area?"

Hui looked at Sima Yi with surprise and replied, "Aside from us, there shouldn't be any other ninja living in the outer area."

"Oh?"

A gust of cold wind blew past, and Hui sobered up considerably. He suddenly recalled the other's situation and sighed, "Those living in the outer reaches of Konoha have no right to participate in the ninja academy examination—which means they have no right to become ninja."

"We used to live in the core area. Now... well, never mind."

Cannot participate in the ninja academy examination?

Sima Yi's eyes shifted slightly, and he silently noted it down. The two walked at a leisurely pace, passing one streetlamp after another. Beneath the lamps, people came and went in groups of three or five, quite peacefully.

"Bastard, are you blind? Why did you bump into me?"

"Hah? What are you talking about? You're the one who bumped into me—hurry up and apologize!"

"What do you mean by that? Are you trying to start something? Bastard!"

"Someone like you should just go die, idiot, idiot!"

The sudden quarrel broke the tranquility. Everyone stopped to look, and on one side of the street, six ninja wearing forehead protectors stood facing each other. Their faces were flushed, their auras violent.

The two in the lead had already closed in, roaring with eyes full of impatience.

Genin.

With just one glance, Sima Yi knew their rank.

He looked at Hui, only to see Hui slowly shake his head and say softly, "It's those people from the barbecue shop. They must be drunk. Someone will handle it—let's keep our distance."

Saying so, he shielded Sima Yi and moved to one side.

"Bastard, go die!"

The two in the lead could not hold back after only a few breaths of verbal dispute—they drew kunai and directly came to blows.

Iron clashed, sparks flew, and the ringing sound was incessant.

Once the two started fighting, the other four no longer held back and joined in one after another.

"Ah!"

There were quite a few ordinary people on the street; seeing this, they cried out in alarm and scurried away to a distance.

As the commotion grew, the sound of cutting air came quickly from afar, and several figures leapt down from the surrounding rooftops.

The one in the lead likewise wore green jonin chainmail, but he was not Uchiba Hachidai. He had short black hair and a black mark on his forehead.

His eyes were cold as frost, his bearing imposing. He charged into the fray alone and in a few moves struck all six to the ground, confiscating their weapons.

"Which bastard dares to ambush me? Do you know who I am? If you've got the guts, let me go! Damn it!"

Before they could react, the group was subdued. The two in the lead were even more insolent—already pinned to the ground, they still struggled violently.

"This is Brother Tie Huo's patrol area. With him here, these genin can't cause much trouble."

He saw the newcomer Hui, kept nodding and commenting.

The familiar name also caught Sima Yi's attention.

Uchiha Tie Huo, seeing that the two still dared to be uncooperative, unhesitatingly activated his Copy Wheel Eye, grabbed the two, and forced them to meet his gaze.

In just an instant, the two collapsed to the ground, motionless; the other four, frightened by the sight, became much more alert and immediately cooperated.

"Take them away, and inform their families to claim them at the prison in three days."

When dealing with such troublemaking ninjas, the few showed no courtesy, acting crudely as they dragged them away.

After the Uchiha members left, murmurs of discussion gradually rose around.

"Good thing the Police Department is here; these ninjas are really annoying, always causing trouble when they're drunk."

"These Uchiha people are meddling; they haven't harmed anyone, so how can they treat the Leaf's meritorious servants like this? We keep fighting outside for the Leaf's sake!"

"The Police Department only bullies the Village's ninjas; if they have the skill, they should go to the front lines to kill enemies! Damn it!"

"These civilian ninjas are unbearably annoying; thank goodness the Uchiha are covering for them."

A flood of varied comments poured into Sima Yi's ears; he carefully discerned each person's identity, his eyes flickering slightly.

(End of Chapter)