Several minutes later.
Inuzuka Kiba finally woke up again, his expression remaining dark and displeased.
Yuhi Kurenai saw his look and knew his resentment hadn't dissipated. She wanted to comfort him, but didn't know how to start.
After all, being slammed into the ground three times like that couldn't have felt good.
So Yuhi Kurenai didn't say much, instead continuing to call for everyone to test and train.
Perhaps still unwilling to admit defeat, Inuzuka Kiba was very hardworking during training, performing all sorts of attacks exceptionally well, showcasing his excellence in every way.
He seemed to want to prove that his previous failure was just an accident, hoping to salvage his image.
The training ended shortly after.
Inuzuka Kiba pulled Aburame Shino to the side, a hint of hope in his voice.
"Shino, tell me, what do you think of my combat ability? Was I just careless and lost to Naruto?"
"Careless?"
Aburame Shino hesitated for a couple of seconds, then spoke frankly, "Naruto is very strong. You did lose to him in terms of strength."
"Duh, his name is Uzumaki Naruto, it's obvious what clan he's from. Anyone with a little sense knows how strong his body is. I'm talking about overall combat ability, overall strength!"
Inuzuka Kiba was hoping Aburame Shino would say he was stronger than Naruto.
Aburame Shino heard this and was silent for a moment before saying again, "But you still lost."
"You idiot, don't forget about Akamaru. It didn't even participate in the fight," Inuzuka Kiba said angrily.
"It was so scared by Naruto, it lost before it even started."
"Aburame Shino!!"
Inuzuka Kiba was furious, and he said angrily, "Can't you just say I'm stronger than Naruto?"
"But you did lose."
"I..."
Inuzuka Kiba didn't want to continue talking with Aburame Shino. He felt that this person was too inflexible and made him even angrier the more they talked.
The depressed Inuzuka Kiba always felt he was capable and that his loss was just an accident. He wanted to find an excuse for himself, but the facts told him that he did lose, and he lost badly.
This scene of being defeated by the underdog always made him unwilling to believe it, unwilling to concede. He wanted to surpass Naruto again, but unfortunately, Akamaru couldn't help him. He had lost his greatest support and no longer had absolute confidence when facing Naruto.
In the end, Inuzuka Kiba decided to go back and properly train Akamaru before challenging Naruto to a rematch.
On the other side.
Hinata, after finishing her training, was chatting with Naruto. Although she was always timid, she would answer immediately whenever Naruto asked a question.
It could be said that she valued every word Naruto said and was willing to chat with him. In fact, she was happy just standing beside Naruto.
[Experience +1]
The experience notification appeared.
Naruto watched as the experience orbs around Hinata completely vanished. He frowned inwardly, knowing he could only regain experience points by waiting for the plot to progress.
Because the recent plot surrounding Hinata seemed to be the Chunin Exams, he could only wait for now.
Fortunately, Yuhi Kurenai and the others still had some experience points left. If he absorbed those, it would be a decent haul.
So, for the next while, Naruto stayed there, earning experience points until noon, when he'd finally absorbed them all.
"Naruto, it's lunchtime. Let's go back. The teacher said we'll come back here to train at two in the afternoon," Hinata said, standing beside Naruto, blinking her big eyes, subtly revealing her little foodie nature.
Seeing Hinata's expression, Naruto instantly understood what she meant and smiled, asking, "Hinata, what do you want to eat for lunch?"
"I'm thinking about eating Braised Pork," Hinata said, her fair hand tapping her chin, a little shy.
"Braised Pork, huh? Alright. Actually, there's another delicious dish called Sweet and Sour Ribs. Want to try it?" Naruto suggested.
"Mmm, yes, I definitely want to try it!"
Hinata quickly nodded her head, her big eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at Naruto.
She knew Naruto's cooking skills well. If Naruto said a dish was delicious, it definitely wouldn't taste bad.
So, she showed great interest in this new dish.
While they were talking, Yuhi Kurenai and the others nearby heard everything clearly.
Actually, in the past two days, they had heard Hinata mention several times that Naruto's cooking was good, especially the Braised Pork, which was particularly delicious. Now, there was another dish, Sweet and Sour Ribs, and they were even more interested.
Too bad.
They didn't have the nerve to ask until Naruto and Hinata left, so they could only stand there and watch.
"What kind of dish is Sweet and Sour Ribs? Could Naruto really be that good at cooking?" Yuhi Kurenai murmured.
"It should be delicious. Otherwise, Hinata wouldn't be so enthusiastic about it. And also that Braised Pork, I wonder what it tastes like," Aburame Shino was also a little curious and wanted to try it.
"Hmph, how old is Naruto? How good could his cooking be? It's just that Hinata likes Naruto and is deliberately saying so," Inuzuka Kiba said sourly.
"Is that so?"
Yuhi Kurenai was a little disappointed. She thought Naruto was really good at cooking, but she didn't expect it to be for this reason.
"That's for sure. You can tell from Hinata's expression. Naruto's cooking might be very unpalatable. Anyway, I wouldn't eat it even if you killed me," Inuzuka Kiba said resolutely.
"Alright, alright, let's drop it and head back," Aburame Shino said, trying to change the subject and gesturing for them to leave.
"Okay, let's go."
The three of them returned to eat. When it was two o'clock in the afternoon, they came back to train. However, Inuzuka Kiba was in a bad mood and only ate a few mouthfuls of food.
Soon after,
Hinata arrived, carrying a backpack. She said happily, "Everyone, come over here! Naruto said he's very grateful to you all and asked me to bring you something delicious."
Hinata then went to a nearby rock and took out a box of Sweet and Sour Ribs and a box of Braised Pork from her backpack, along with chopsticks.
This made Yuhi Kurenai feel puzzled. She asked, "He's thanking us? For what?"
"I don't know either. He just finished making lunch and suddenly started laughing out loud, saying his luck was through the roof, and then..."
Hinata suddenly thought of something, her little face turning slightly red, and then she said, "And then Naruto said he definitely wants to treat you all to a meal."
"Huh? But we didn't really help him, did we?" Yuhi Kurenai said, a little unsure.
"I don't know, but come and eat, it's delicious," Hinata gestured for everyone to come over and eat.
"Is it really that good?" Yuhi Kurenai thought of Inuzuka Kiba's words, and was a little worried.
"Super delicious, try it and see."
Hinata opened the lid of the box as she spoke, and the fragrant smell of meat immediately began to waft out. The delicious aroma drew everyone's attention, even the puppy Akamaru looked like it was drooling.
Only Inuzuka Kiba put on a disgusted face, deliberately acting like he hated the food.
"It smells so good, it's actually this fragrant, I'll try some."
Yuhi Kurenai picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. Her eyes immediately lit up. "It's really delicious!" she exclaimed.
"Let me try," Aburame Shino said, not wanting to be left out. He also picked up chopsticks and took a taste. The next second, he stopped talking and started eating with increased speed.
"Inuzuka Kiba, you should try some too. It's really good," Yuhi Kurenai beckoned.
"I'm not eating it. It's just food, how good can it be? Right, Akamaru?" Inuzuka Kiba looked at his dog.
"Woof!"
Akamaru darted to Hinata's feet and started wagging his tail, eyes fixed on the Braised Pork, looking like a complete puppy dog.
"Get back here, Akamaru! Come back at once!"
Inuzuka Kiba was furious. He never expected his dog to change like this; it was infuriating.
The key issue was that he had just said the food was awful, yet his dog was lured away by the delicious smell. It was so embarrassing. Feeling dejected, Inuzuka Kiba wanted to give Akamaru a good beating.
Grrr-rumble!
A stomach growl suddenly erupted from Inuzuka Kiba's abdomen, drawing everyone's attention.
Under the strange gazes of the crowd, Inuzuka Kiba stood rooted to the spot, utterly mortified. He wished he could find a crack to disappear into and never come out. He had never been so embarrassed.
....
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