Chapter 17: The Hunting
The Next Day
Uchiha Sasuke didn't open his eyes until nine in the morning.
"What is that smell?"
Sasuke wrinkled his nose, puzzled by the scent in the room.
At only seven years old, he didn't understand the significance of the smell.
"Darn it! It's already nine o'clock!"
"I'm late for school."
"Today is survival training."
Seeing the clock by his bed, Sasuke was shocked.
As the top student in his grade, he didn't want to be mocked for being late like that blonde loser.
Grabbing his clothes, Sasuke hurried out the door.
Squeak~
Bang!
Just a few steps out, Sasuke slipped, falling heavily to the ground.
"Where did this water come from?"
Grimacing in pain, Sasuke glanced at the wet marks on the wooden floor, got up, and ran out the door.
Getting to school was his priority; he didn't want to dwell on small matters.
Running all the way to school, Sasuke noticed two other figures hurrying along.
One was that blonde loser, and the other was a member of the Aburame clan.
Because of a bug technique demonstration, Sasuke had already marked him as a rival and remembered his face.
"Hahaha, Sasuke, didn't expect you to be late, hahaha."
As they arrived at the school gate, Naruto Uzumaki was the first to mock Sasuke, with no awareness of his own tardiness.
Well, if Naruto had any sense of time, he wouldn't be late so often.
"Hmph!"
Rarely late, and caught by the person he liked least, Sasuke blushed, snorted coldly, and walked into the school.
Seeing Sasuke walk past, Zhixiang felt a bit guilty.
If it weren't for the sleeping drug he gave Sasuke last night, Sasuke wouldn't have been late.
He himself was late due to overexerting himself last night, thus joining the ranks of the tardy.
"Let's go, Naruto."
"Training is starting."
Reminding Naruto, Zhixiang quickly followed Sasuke into the school.
At this time, the Ninja Academy was organizing lower grade students for survival training.
First and second-year students had to participate, forming groups for survival training, and today was their class's turn.
That's why Zhixiang came in person instead of using a clone.
Firstly, such academy activities had Anbu guards arranged by the Third Hokage. If he continued using clones, he might get discovered.
Secondly, Zhixiang had been busy either training in ninjutsu or making money to support Mikoto for the past few months and wanted to take this opportunity to relax.
"Naruto, Sasuke, Zhixiang."
"Why are you three only here now!"
"Do you know how long we've been waiting for you..."
As soon as they arrived in class, they were bombarded by Iruka's angry outburst.
Iruka nagged them for five minutes before finally waving his hand:
"Move out!"
...
"Other groups can start where they are."
"Since you three are late, you'll be a group."
Announcing the training's start in a clearing within the Konoha forest, Iruka divided the students into groups of three or five.
They had to find their own food and build a shelter for the night, staying until the next morning before returning to school.
"I can manage alone."
The cool and aloof Sasuke, without hesitation, walked off by himself.
"Hmph, who wants to team up with you? I can manage alone too."
Provoked by Sasuke, Naruto also ran off to survive alone.
"..."
Originally planning to look after the two, Zhixiang shook his head speechlessly and walked into the forest.
He was more familiar with the Konoha forest than his own home.
After all, whenever he finished training, he liked to come here to test his skills on some animals.
In the forest outskirts, not only the animals but even the fish in the river were cleaned out by him.
To catch prey, he had to go deeper into the forest.
The so-called survival training was not just about learning to survive in the wild; more importantly, it was for students to experience team cooperation.
Teachers didn't point this out directly but let students figure it out themselves.
Only students trained this way would value their companions and strengthen their teamwork.
Zhixiang was indifferent to this.
For ordinary ninjas, learning teamwork was indeed the best way to increase survival chances.
But if one could become as strong as Uchiha Madara, he'd rather go solo.
Half an hour later, Zhixiang successfully found a moderately sized wild boar and used his taijutsu to bring it down.
Skillfully gutting the boar, Zhixiang removed its innards and dragged it back to the campsite.
"Well done."
Following Zhixiang secretly, Yugao Uzuki praised him and pondered, "Why are there so few animals in this forest?"
"Could it be that creatures from the Forest of Death have come out?"
"I need to investigate that area when I have time."
...
"It's actually a wild boar. Where did he find a wild boar?"
"Yeah, I couldn't even find a mouse after searching for so long."
"Ah, I really want to eat some meat..."
Seeing Zhixiang bring back a wild boar, the students in the camp were immediately astonished.
They hadn't caught a single rabbit in the surrounding area, and most of them were surviving on wild vegetables, fruits, and mushrooms.
Now, seeing Zhixiang bringing back a whole wild boar, they were all envious to death.
Even Uchiha Sasuke had only found two small fish in the river.
Uzumaki Naruto hadn't found anything at all and was watching others eat while drooling.
But surprisingly, Haruno Sakura had caught a rabbit, which was quite unexpected.
"Hinata."
After lighting a fire, Zhixiang called Hinata over to his side.
Despite her best efforts, Hinata hadn't managed to find anything herself.
Her teammates didn't want to share their food with her either.
"Zhixiang-kun."
"Do you need something?" Hinata blushed and nervously shuffled over to Zhixiang, feeling like she might faint at any moment with all her classmates watching her.
"Because Hinata is so cute."
"I wanted to invite you to eat some meat." Zhixiang smiled, showing his big white teeth.
Because I'm cute...
"Zhixiang-kun..." Hearing Zhixiang's words, Hinata's blush deepened, her head feeling dizzy and unstable, and she started to fall.
Zhixiang was quick to catch her to prevent her from hitting the ground.
"Ugh..." Hinata wasn't completely unconscious, just overly shy and lightheaded. Being held by Zhixiang made her blush even more, and she eventually passed out for real.
What a peculiar condition.
But she's really cute!
"Hinata is fine, just let her rest for a bit," Iruka said after examining Hinata. Since this was a survival training exercise and there was no real danger, the teachers couldn't intervene.
With Hinata's condition not being serious, Zhixiang relaxed. He had originally wanted her to help with the grilling, but now he had to do it himself.
Removing his sunglasses and the heavy coat of the Aburame clan, Zhixiang, now in a T-shirt, started grilling the meat seriously.
"Zhixiang-nii, I want to eat meat too," Yamanaka Ino approached, her stomach growling, looking at Zhixiang with hopeful eyes.
Behind her, Akimichi Choji's eyes were practically glowing green with hunger, as if he might turn into a ravenous wolf at any moment.
Shikamaru Nara, on the other hand, was lying on the grass, staring blankly at the sky. He had been lying there all afternoon and seemed content to continue doing so...
"Alright, if you give me a back massage, I'll share the meat with you," Zhixiang said mischievously to Ino.
"Hehe, deal," Ino knelt behind Zhixiang and started massaging his back.
Then, she looked at Shikamaru and Choji and called out loudly.
"Shikamaru, you lazy guy, come and help gather firewood."
"Choji, take care of the meat and make it delicious."
"Don't worry, Ino. Leave the meat to me," Akimichi Choji said, taking out some seasonings and expertly grilling the meat. As a member of the Akimichi clan, he was not only a great eater but also a great cook, especially when it came to grilling meat.
The Akimichi clan's barbecue restaurants were famous throughout the Land of Fire, and they were the wealthiest among the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
"So troublesome," Shikamaru yawned and slowly got up to gather firewood from the forest. Although Ino only promised food to herself, she made sure to include Shikamaru and Choji.
Seeing this, Zhixiang moved a bit closer and rested his head on Ino's lap, enjoying the makeshift pillow.
"Um..." Ino, having just given orders, blushed at Zhixiang's actions. Looking at his face, she suddenly realized he was quite handsome, especially without the heavy Aburame coat.
Hmph, for the sake of the pork, I'll let it slide this time, Ino thought to herself, unwilling to admit she was attracted to Zhixiang's looks.
Half an hour later, Zhixiang lay on Ino's lap, enjoying grilled meat fed to him by the now-awake Hinata, much to the envy of the hungry boys around them.
"Damn it, Zhixiang is even more arrogant than Sasuke," Uzumaki Naruto muttered, drooling as he watched Zhixiang surrounded by beautiful girls, eating grilled meat.
Seeing Naruto's reaction, Zhixiang laughed and called him over.
One to repay the Fourth Hokage and two to help Naruto get closer to Shikamaru and the others.
Of course, Zhixiang also called his brother, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba.
As for Sasuke, Zhixiang wasn't worried since Haruno Sakura and the other girls were already fawning over him, making sure he wasn't going hungry.
"Zhixiang, you're the best," Naruto said, munching on a pork leg and giving Zhixiang a thumbs up.
"Naruto, eat properly, and don't spit on the meat," Zhixiang scolded.
"Ah, sorry..."
"Here, Akamaru, have a bite," Kiba said, feeding his dog.
Amidst the noisy chatter, the night passed quickly.
At dawn, under Iruka's guidance, the students returned to school for their lessons.
---
"I found this chapter quite disappointing compared to the previous ones. The earlier chapters were coherent and engaging, but suddenly, the narrative shifted into a 'young master' trope, and the main character's personality became unexpectedly soft. This abrupt change felt jarring and out of place, making it hard to stay immersed in the story.
Should I stop translating this story or continue? Please vote and share your thoughts."
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