7 Chapter 7: Yakiniku Q

Chat GPT did an update and I didn't notice. The changes were making it wonky and starting over from the beginning instead of translating the text as requested. I'll have to redo these chapters again from scratch. Now that I know what is going on I know which protocol I need to use moving forward to make sure there are no more repeats. Apologies.

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In Samui's line of sight.

A family of three was seated in the booth by the window, greedily devouring barbecue, the plates on their table piled up like mountains.

All three were quite heavyset, their clothes embroidered with a prominent character for 'Food.'

Among them.

The most eye-catching individual had hedgehog-like red hair and two flowing blue combat markings on his cheeks. According to the information Samui had on hand, this was clearly—

The head of the Akimichi clan, Akimichi Chōza. A trusted aide of the Third Hokage.

Samui nonchalantly withdrew her gaze, then pointed to the booth next door, saying to Dan:

"Coach, this spot looks good. Let's sit here."

"Alright."

Dan nodded, plopped down, and expertly picked up the menu to order.

"Beef, pork loin, pork skin, ham, chicken wings...squid, cuttlefish, yellow croaker...chives, eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, tofu skin... Yeah, let's start with fifty plates of each."

Dan said.

He didn't ask what Samui preferred because he had essentially ordered everything on the menu.

"What?"

The waiter, pen and paper in hand, thought he had misheard and subconsciously confirmed with Dan, "You want fifty servings of everything, for the two of you?"

At this moment.

The manager hastily walked over, apologizing with a smile to Dan:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dan, this employee is new and doesn't recognize you. Please forgive him."

After saying that, he urged the waiter to hurry down and inform the kitchen to prepare the dishes.

Dan was a major patron of Yakiniku Q, spending enough in one night to match the consumption of dozens of people.

For such a valuable customer, the manager naturally aimed to please.

While waiting for their order.

Dan closed his eyes to rest, while Samui, sitting across from him, quietly pricked up her ears, eavesdropping on the conversation at the neighboring table where the Akimichi family was seated.

"Chōji, today is your birthday, so eat as much as you want. In our Akimichi clan, the more we eat, the fatter we get, the stronger we become!"

Akimichi Chōza laughed heartily, clearly fond of his son.

"Uh... thanks, Dad."

Five-year-old Akimichi Chōji was stuffing his face, mumbling incoherently as he spoke, then lifted his greasy little hand, "Five more plates of pork belly, please!"

The other patrons in the restaurant were amazed at the family's voracious appetites.

It was said that the Akimichi clan were all big eaters, and the rumors were certainly true.

Before long.

Dan's order arrived. Due to the massive quantity, the table was nearly overloaded.

At barbecue restaurants, customers typically grill the food themselves, but if they didn't want the hassle, they could ask the staff to grill the dishes and serve them ready-to-eat.

Dan had chosen the latter, as grilling by himself would be too slow.

"Mr. Dan, would you like the remaining dishes served later?"

A staff member asked.

Even though Dan looked quite robust and capable of eating a lot, the staff didn't believe that Dan could single-handedly finish so much food all at once.

No matter how big an eater, one must give the stomach time to digest. After all, the stomach can only hold so much.

Even the Akimichi clan, known for their astounding appetites, had their limits.

"Bring them all out," tersely responded Dan. Then he addressed Samui, "Let's dig in."

And so, they started to indulge in the feast before them.

Samui, ever the lady, dined delicately, taking small bites and savoring each mouthful, even when eating barbecued skewers.

Dan, however, was a different story. He ate like a wild beast, consuming meat and drinks in great gulps. In just a short time, he decimated more than half of the food on the table.

At this point, Dan paused, his belly swollen as if he had eaten to his limit.

But then, his stomach churned, and a rumbling sound emanated from his gut. Closing his eyes, Dan focused his energy on his stomach, regulating the rhythm of his digestion as if his gut were a cement mixer, churning the food over and over again.

Through years of rigorous physical training, Dan had not only gained complete control over his somatic nervous system, enabling him to manipulate all 639 muscles in his body at will, performing various complex movements and even altering his appearance and physique through muscle movement.

He had also learned to control his autonomic nervous system, regulating his heart rate, adrenaline secretion, and digestive processes with his mind, exercising his internal organs in the same way he worked his muscles.

Now, his stomach was producing a torrent of gastric acid, and the muscles in his digestive tract were working overtime, boosting his digestion capacity to levels far beyond that of a normal person.

Whereas an ordinary person would take an entire afternoon to digest a meal, Dan only needed a few minutes.

Soon, Dan's distended belly returned to its flat state. This spectacle left the restaurant staff and the Akimichi family at the neighboring table in awe. Choji, the young Akimichi boy, even forgot about the grilled meat in front of him, staring wide-eyed at Dan without blinking.

The server, coming back to her senses, no longer doubted Dan's capacity to eat and hurriedly urged the kitchen to serve more dishes. Despite several staff members working in unison to cook, they were still unable to keep up with Dan's eating speed.

During a brief pause in the serving of the dishes, Dan put down his chopsticks and excused himself to the restroom. He returned two minutes later, looking as fresh as before. He had expelled the indigestible remnants from his body.

The nutrients and energy from the food had entered his bloodstream, and with the flow of blood, they were distributed throughout his body, fortifying Dan's muscles further.

Dan, although insulated from the five basic chakra natures—Water, Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth—possessed both Yin and Yang release, elements undetectable by a chakra paper test.

His Yin release stemmed from the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan bloodline, while his Yang release originated from his body, naturally marked with a star-shaped birthmark.

Over the past two decades, Dan had used scientific methods of training and diet to strengthen his body to an incredible extent. His body, now reinforced with steel tendons, iron bones, copper skin, mercury blood, and frosty marrow.

These words are not mere descriptions, but the truth. Dan's body, as tough as it was, made him immune to kunai, shuriken, exploding tags, and common ninjutsu attacks.

"Hello, uncle." A pudgy voice suddenly piped up.

It was the little chubby boy, Choji, who had approached Dan, his curious gaze fixed on him. He was wondering how Dan could eat so much and still maintain such a good figure with no excess fat.

Choji had a round face with red spiral markings on his cheeks, making him appear rather simple-minded. He had inherited the Akimichi clan's genes, which led to his love for food and consequent obesity. He was often teased by his peers, some even calling him a "fatty".

He wished he could be like Dan, gaining muscle instead of fat. How wonderful would that be!

Before Dan could respond, Choji Akimichi walked over with a wry smile. "I'm sorry, the kid can be a bit forward," he apologized as he took his son's hand. He introduced himself to Dan and politely asked for his name.

"I'm Uchiha Dan," Dan replied calmly.

Upon hearing this, Samui was taken aback. In her memory, Dan always introduced himself as "Dan", never adding the Uchiha surname. This was a first.

Dan seemed different to her today.

Upon hearing the name 'Uchiha', Choji's expression subtly changed, and his initial interest in making a new acquaintance quickly faded.

"Excuse us," he said, taking Choji back to their table. He clearly didn't want to get involved with anyone from the Uchiha clan.

Dan didn't mind. He casually mentioned, "Your son has good potential. It would be a waste not to work out. If you're interested, you can bring him to my gym."

Hearing this, Samui quickly stood up and handed a business card with the gym's address to Choji's mother. The woman hesitated, exchanged a glance with Choji, but in the end, she thanked them and accepted the card.

Perhaps they had their fill, the family soon paid their bill and left.

With the small interlude over, Dan and Samui continued to enjoy their meal.

An hour later, Samui let out a small burp, having eaten too much. She quickly covered her mouth, "I'm sorry, Dan... I might have eaten too much," she said quietly.

"Eat as much as you want. I can afford to feed my employees," Dan replied, pouring her a cup of barley tea.

As far as Samui knew, the expenses of Dan's gym and daily meals were quite significant. Despite being from the wealthy Uchiha family, Dan hadn't inherited any family businesses.

However, every once in a while, Dan would leave the Hidden Leaf Village to earn money through some special means.

Samui once tried to follow Dan but failed. She knew better than to ask questions she shouldn't.

After the meal, Dan paid the bill at the counter. The cost of the meal was nearly fifty thousand ryō.

As the restaurant manager and the staff collectively bowed farewell, Dan and Samui left YAKINIKU Q.

Walking in the street, Samui was content. Suddenly, a cold wind blew past, causing her skin to prickle, and she shivered involuntarily. Dan promptly took off his jacket and draped it over Samui, bringing her warmth.

"Thank you, boss," Samui said, her cheeks slightly red. To her, Dan usually came off as a stern, silent man, not the humorous, woman-charming type, and often emitted a keep-out aura. However, the occasional tenderness and thoughtfulness he displayed were the kind that could easily stir a woman's heart.

No, this isn't right.

Samui snapped back to reality. She had nearly forgotten she was a spy, and the affection she displayed towards Dan was all an act. If she got too invested in the act and let herself get caught up, she'd be done for.

With this thought, she took a deep breath to calm herself. After a leisurely ten-minute walk in the evening breeze, they returned home.

"Boss, you should get some rest," Samui said in the hallway, watching Dan as he entered his bedroom.

Click.

She pushed open the sliding door to her small room, her eyes instantly sharpening, carrying a fierce gaze that was entirely different from the persona she displayed in front of Dan.

As the night deepened, her room was dim. Sitting by the window, she used the faint moonlight to lay out an intelligence scroll. The information it contained was all about Dan: his height, weight, age, family relations, his abilities, and combat methods. It detailed Dan's process of eliminating five spies from the Hidden Rain Village. Additionally, there was a picture of Dan's back that she had taken secretly.

In Samui's view, if a full-scale war broke out between the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Leaf in the future, Dan could potentially become a significant enemy of the Cloud Village. She had to be prepared.

"Poof."

With Samui performing a familiar hand sign, a ninja hawk with gray feathers was summoned. She tied the intelligence to the hawk's leg, opened the window, and watched as it took flight, disappearing into the darkness outside the Hidden Leaf Village.

Northward bound.

After sending off the ninja hawk, Samui closed the window, preparing to sleep.

"Are you still awake?" A sudden voice sounded outside the door, and the hallway light came on.

"!"

Startled, Samui turned towards the noise. Through the semi-transparent paper grid of the wooden sliding door, she saw a tall shadow standing in front of her room.

Silent, like a ghost.