Chapter 130: Chance Encounter with Classmates, Group Meal
Although most of Konoha's villagers were very enthusiastic—constantly asking Ling Yu for autographs and inviting him to sit in their shops—he still politely refused them with a smile.
Not long after he finally broke free from the crowd surrounding him, he suddenly sensed a faint sense of dissonance around him.
Just as he carefully searched for the source of this subtle wrongness, several quiet whispers reached his ears.
"Mommy, who is he? How come he's even more handsome than me?"
"Shh! Don't talk nonsense. So what if he's more handsome than you? You'll never know what kind of sinister heart is hiding behind that good-looking face."
"That's right! Daddy told you—he's the demon from ninja world legends who kills without blinking. They say he even murdered ninja from his own village. If he targets you, you're done for."
With senses far sharper than an ordinary person's, Ling Yu clearly heard every word of their discussion. He turned around toward the source of the voices.
The family of three talking about him stared at him with naked jealousy. The parents had sharp, mean-looking faces, and their son had a pockmarked face and buck teeth—nothing remotely handsome about him.
Seeing this, Ling Yu instantly understood where that faint sense of dissonance had come from.
The streets were still the same familiar old streets—unchanged in the slightest. Yet some of the people living here were no longer the "kind and friendly" ones from before!
Even though he had brought so much glory to Konoha and most villagers were deeply grateful to him, a small minority still believed the rumors Danzō had spread to slander him.
Ling Yu shook his head helplessly and stopped paying attention to the few passersby's gossip. He continued walking alone in another direction.
As expected, successful people always attract inexplicable jealousy and hatred. Let that ignorant little family keep gossiping.
Hmph. In any case, they wouldn't live much longer. Orochimaru should be very happy to have a few free experimental subjects.
"Ling Yu! Long time no see."
Just as Ling Yu was thinking about how to let Orochimaru deal with that family, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Oh? Minato? And Choza, Shikaku, and Inoichi… What are you all doing here?"
Ling Yu quickly shook off his previous thoughts and turned around. Only then did he clearly see who was approaching.
In the distance, Namikaze Minato—wearing his Konoha ninja headband—looked at him with joyful surprise. Beside him stood the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, also wearing headbands. Behind them were two stern-faced Hyūga brothers.
"Haha, we just finished a mission and were about to go eat barbecue. We didn't expect to run into you on the way. How about it—want to join us?"
The more familiar Shikaku walked over, lightly patted Ling Yu's shoulder, answered his question, and enthusiastically invited him.
"That's right! Ling Yu, ever since you graduated early, we haven't seen you in forever. I still haven't fulfilled my promise to treat you to barbecue. You have to come this time!"
Choza also rushed over and grabbed one of Ling Yu's shoulders. His other shoulder was seized by Inoichi. It seemed like they were afraid he might run away—they directly started dragging him along.
"Ling Yu, this is all our goodwill. Don't refuse. We still want to hear stories about what happened on the battlefield."
At this moment, Minato walked up beside him and explained with a smile.
Knowing Ling Yu had gained such tremendous prestige from the war, Minato—who aspired to become Hokage one day—was deeply moved. He wanted to hear about Ling Yu's battlefield experiences to gain some insights for when he himself might have to go to war in the future.
The Hyūga brothers didn't speak, but they nodded in agreement with Minato.
"Alright then. Today I'll have a proper gathering with you guys."
Having not seen them in so long, Ling Yu had no intention of breaking free. He was free right now anyway, with Mikoto and the others not home. Having a good time with his old classmates was perfectly fine.
And so, Ling Yu and the group walked together into a large private room at a barbecue restaurant and sat down. After everyone was seated, Choza pulled open the sliding door and shouted outside:
"Boss! Bring us a deluxe barbecue feast first—and add a few more plates of meat. We'll order more after we finish!"
"Got it! Please wait a moment—it'll be right out!"
The boss responded casually and turned back toward the kitchen to prepare the food.
"By the way, Ling Yu, you still haven't told us what you were doing here. When we found you, you were just wandering around alone."
While waiting for the barbecue to arrive, Yamanaka Inoichi noticed the atmosphere at the table had grown a little quiet. He took the initiative to start a conversation and asked Ling Yu.
"Sigh… in a few days I'm planning to go traveling. Before leaving, I suddenly felt like taking a walk, and then I ran into all of you."
Not hiding his upcoming departure, Ling Yu directly told them he would be leaving Konoha.
"Only you would dare go traveling right after the war ended when the outside world still isn't stable."
Shikaku helplessly teased him, looking at Ling Yu with eyes full of envy.
"Hey, forget that. Ling Yu, can you tell us about what happened on the battlefield? None of us have ever been to war, and it ended before we got the chance. I'm really curious what the battlefield is like."
At that moment, Minato's voice cut in, shifting the boring topic to the Second Great Ninja War.
"No problem. The battlefield itself isn't anything special, but…"
Next, Ling Yu recounted most of his experiences on the battlefield for them—letting them understand what war was like while also reminding them of key points to pay attention to.
This way, they wouldn't lose their lives in the Third Great Ninja War a few years later. Consider it repayment for treating him to this meal.
The meal passed simply and pleasantly. Minato and the others were full and had heard enough stories. They still had another mission to do, so they couldn't stay long. After paying the bill, they left.
On the eve of leaving Konoha, Ling Yu had finally enjoyed a rare gathering meal with his old friends. Then he returned to the Senju compound.
"Big Brother Ling Yu! You're back! Does my new dress look pretty?"
The moment Ling Yu opened the door, Konan—wearing a blue-and-white long dress—spun around in front of him like a beautiful butterfly and asked with a beaming smile.
"Very pretty. Konan looks good in anything."
Opening the door to such a lovely sight instantly lifted Ling Yu's mood. He smiled, gave Konan a hug, and praised her without holding back.
"Hehe~ Big Sister Mikoto also bought a dress for Shizune! But she's a little shy and is still in her room. I'll go call her out now."
After receiving Ling Yu's praise, Konan felt sweetly happy. Then, as if remembering something, she dashed upstairs on her short legs.
"Konan, slow down—don't trip!"
Watching Konan's long skirt flutter, Ling Yu worried she might get tangled and quickly called after her.
"Ling Yu, have you eaten yet? Why didn't I see you come back earlier? Do you want me to make something for you now?"
Hearing Ling Yu's voice, Mikoto—who had been preparing lunch in the kitchen—walked out with a gentle smile.
"No need. I already ate earlier with Minato and the others—barbecue. I'm not very hungry right now."
Ling Yu shook his head lightly and answered.
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