The next morning, Orochimaru summoned the three newly promoted six-year-old chunin to Uchiha Hotpot.
"That's the arrangement from the Third," Orochimaru concluded succinctly before extending his chopsticks to drop a slice of fatty beef into the bubbling pot.
"No way! Who would want to team up with someone like you?" both Shen and Nawaki said in unison.
Unfazed, Orochimaru swirled the beef around in the broth several times without urgency. After fishing it out, dipping it in seasoning, and savoring it delicately, he finally countered indifferently, "You two aren't that bad together. I think you'll make great teammates."
"" x2
"I don't care as long as they aren't weak." Seeing the other two seemingly remain silent by default, Little Iceberg expressed her stance.
Shen clicked his tongue in disdain, "Tch, this guy totally looks like a pushover."
Nawaki slammed the table furiously, "Where am I weak? Are you looking down on Master Nawaki?"
"Hmm, delicious, yet you still dare to call yourself 'Master Nawaki'? I bet you've forgotten how many times I've knocked you flat on your back."
"If you've got the nerve, come outside then!"
"Eat first, Nayou. It's really good. I'll think about it after we're done."
As Nawaki fumed beyond limits, Shen kept eating bite after bite, occasionally even picking up slices of cooked meat to place in Nayou's bowl beside him.
"Shen, mother said girls have to watch their figures if they eat too much meat."
"Does she seriously buy that nonsense? I'd bet she gobbles down meat all the time."
"Fine then." After thinking dazedly for a moment, Little Iceberg indeed realized this was the case.
It seemed that the notion of girls gaining weight from eating meat must be a lie. Her good upbringing made her place the sliced meat from the bowl into her tiny smiling mouth delicately, though judging from how fast she kept transferring food from bowl to mouth, one couldn't help suspecting whether she simply swallowed the meat practically whole without chewing much at all.
Shen cried in astonishment upon witnessing this. He vividly remembered that Nayou's current dining manner was exactly identical to the Heir's consort.
Equally graceful manners, equally astonishing speed—Shen, who had just discovered how much Little Iceberg could eat, decided definitively that all girls from the Hyuga clan were monsters.
Even Orochimaru couldn't hide his disbelief for once. Hardly having eaten any meat himself as his portion barely touched the pot, all his slices were snatched away by the young genius into Nayou's bowl. Feeling his wallet about to hemorrhage, he silently signaled the waiter to add five more platters of premium snowflake-grade beef.
Premium snowflake meat specifically—he'd long become wealthy thanks to his shares in the Uchiha Corporation anyway.
Feeling completely ignored, Nawaki grew terribly dispirited. He tugged at his collar, shouting, "Yo-yo—you guys!"
Orochimaru remained composed, "Oh come now, Nawaki, sit down and eat with us."
"Yeah, otherwise you might throw a tantrum saying you're not full after losing," Shen seconded mockingly.
"Indeed, this way of eating works quite well." Meanwhile, Nayou continued speaking while never pausing her chopstick movements for a second.
"Boss, another ten platters!"
Even the usually flamboyant Snake Uncle started ordering in batches of ten platters. His calm confidence thrilled the hotpot owner, making Shen—who had been busily serving everyone—feel just a bit bashful.
"There's no need to worry about it. The research institute's dividends will last me a lifetime, and I don't have specific hobbies like Jiraiya or Tsunade. We should hang out more often. Keeping that money with me is just letting it sit around collecting dust anyway."
Orochimaru waved it off casually. Research funding had never been an issue—he just needed to request it and the money would appear overnight. Living frugally within the laboratory compound, he was truly rich in money but poor in everything else.
"Snake Uncle, you're truly my role model. I surrender completely," internally dramatized Shen once again.
Hyuga Nayou, appreciative of her teacher's generosity, wisely picked up her pace of eating. As someone who had never fully studied "How to Improve Emotional Intelligence," she naturally wasn't inclined to hold back politely.
Meanwhile, Nawaki—who turned grief into appetite—had even less self-awareness. He gobbled everything down like there was no tomorrow—classic example of low-EQ living in Konoha.
In comparison, the only person in the group with a positive emotional quotient was clearly the Uchiha genius. The other three were such socially clueless disasters that adding up their common sense points wouldn't even make a respectable total.
After feasting inside the hotpot restaurant, the four of them walked toward Konoha's large training ground—the official battlefield for the Chunin Exam preliminaries.
"The engineering crew works pretty efficiently. Looks like we can entrust them with expanding the commercial district too."
The freshly renovated training ground sparked numerous thoughts in Shen's mind. The Uchiha Commercial Street was now visibly bustling, and its expansion was merely a matter of time.
Following the "meat and broth" principle—if the Uchiha take the meat, everyone else gets the leftovers—those early shop lots originally assigned to every clan had now become highly sought-after commodities, making rival clans who refused them out of spite over Uchiha dominance bitterly regret their decision.
"Now then, let's start with introductions. I'm Orochimaru, a Jonin of Konoha, and also your sensei."
Snake Uncle's deep, resonant voice pulled Shen out of his brainstorming session and back into reality.
"I love research! Anything related to scientific truth deeply fascinates me! My dream is to uncover every secret this world contains!"
At this point, Orochimaru spoke with increasing excitement in his voice, his expression mirroring that of a genuinely obsessive scientist.
"Now it's your turn."
Right after him came Little Iceberg, beginning her introduction: "My name is Hyuga Nayou. I enjoy exchanging jutsu techniques and sparring with Shen. I despise seeming weak. My goal is to become the strongest ninja in Konoha."
She recited the exact same words she used when entering the academy, every syllable as frosty as before. The only difference was that her favored sparring partner had changed.
Nawaki Senju felt a twinge of envy when he heard that. After Nayou introduced herself, he stepped forward. "I like pounding mountains, dislike Shen Uchiha, and dream of becoming Hokage someday!"
Shen wasn't surprised at all by his teammate's personality. Finding this team introduction tradition in Konoha rather meaningless, he responded carelessly, "I'm Shen Uchiha. Nothing particularly likes or dislikes anything, and my dream is world peace."
Orochimaru frowned as he listened. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable with Shen's casual attitude, he immediately voiced his opinion, "Hey Shen, can't you take this seriously? You're showing no team spirit at all!"
"Yeah, Shen, you should introduce yourself properly," Little Iceberg looked dissatisfied with the other's lazy manner.
Seeing their disapproval, Shen sighed and tried to act more serious. "Fine, but I really don't have anything particularly likes or dislikes, and my dream truly is world peace. So let's set a small goal first—I want Konoha to remain peaceful forever!"
After Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction, he officially announced to the three, "Starting today, Team One is officially formed!"
At noon on March 30th, Year 26 of Konoha, the legendary Team One that would later earn an illustrious reputation in the shinobi world was born.
Volume One: Konoha Mischief Chronicles
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